| [Email This Page To A Friend] |
December Newsletter 2005Below is the newsletter for the month of December, 2005. You can browse each topic by using the links below. If you would like to join the mailing list to get the newsletter each month as well as news about up and coming events within the ministry, you can visit our newsletter page and follow the email instructions. Enjoy and God bless you! You can browse the newsletter by using the links below.
Joseph Smith's First Vision(s) In 1820, when Joseph Smith was 14, he allegedly had a vision from God and his son Jesus Christ while praying about which church he should join. During these prayers he says he was surrounded by a great blackness that had such a marvelous power that he had never felt before. Heavenly Father and Jesus are said to have told him that he was not to join any of the existing churches because they were all wrong and an abomination in their sight and that all pastors were corrupt. (Later on in the LDS temple ceremony, the pastors are portrayed as being paid agents of Satan) Three years later, in 1823, he claims to have been visited by an angel from heaven named Moroni and was told to retrieve a buried box of gold plates that he was to translate from its existing "reformed Egyptian" language into English. This book was to become the Book of Mormon and was supposedly buried on a hill called Cumorah, outside of Palmyra, N.Y. In an article, Joseph Smith's Recitals of the First Vision, written by Milton V. Backman Jr. and published in January 1985 in the Mormon publication, The Ensign, , we find some interesting information. First, Backman only displays four visions instead of the nine. In Smith's first 1820 vision, recorded twelve years later in 1832, and not the one that is officially used in the Pearl of Great Price, Smith is concentrating on his personal quest to secure a remission of sins and not to restore the church. In the 1835 vision Smith says he saw two personages, but with many angels. Later it was changed to read that first one personage appeared and was followed by another personage. On November 14, 1835 in a brief reference to his first vision, Smith told a visitor in Kirtland, Ohio, that his first vision was a visitation of angels. Then there was the third account of the first vision in 1838. This was a version Joseph Smith dictated to his scribe to be included in his book, History of the Church. This was supposed to be an actual account taken right out of his own journal. This is the only account in which Smith actually identifies one of the personages as being Heavenly Father. All the other accounts only say personage or personages. This 1838 account also had several other changes made to the vision, however the basics found in the 1838 version is the one that was added as the official first vision to the Pearl of Great Price. Finally there is the 1842 "first vision," twenty two years after he supposedly had the first vision. In this one Smith was emphasizing the fact that God's church was not on the earth and needed to be restored. This restoration was to be Joseph Smith's job. At the beginning of his article, Backman makes a statement that is very confusing yet interesting. He wrote, "On at least four different occasions, Joseph Smith either wrote or dictated to scribes accounts of his sacred experience in 1820. Possibly he penned or dictated other histories of the First Vision, if so, they have not been located. The four surviving recitals of this theophany were prepared or rendered through different scribes, at different times, from different perspectives, for different purposes and to different audiences. It is not surprising; therefore, that each of them emphasizes different aspects of his experience. When LDS people today explain this remarkable vision to others, their description often varies according to their audience or circumstances that prompt such reports. If one were relating the incident to a group of LDS high priests, he would undoubtedly tell it somewhat differently than he would to individuals who had never heard of the restoration of the gospel or of Joseph Smith. In an important way, the existence of these different accounts helps support the integrity of the Latter-day Saint Prophet. It indicates that Joseph did not deliberately create a memorized version which he related to everyone. In the legal profession, attorneys and judges recognize that if a witness repeats an incident by using precisely the same language, the court might challenge the validity of such statement." What did Backman say???? The Mormon church accepts the testimony of a man, Joseph Smith without question, instead of accepting the testimony of Jesus Christ. (John 5:31-40) Based on the fact that there are several versions of Smith's so-called "first vision", how do we know if any of them can be reliable? This is a question you may ask your Mormon friend. Pray that he/she will honestly search for the answers. Jim Robertson
New Witnessing Tools Two faiths are put to the test, Mormonism and Christianity. Archaeology, history, textual criticism, and other disciplines combine to shed light on what is true...and what is false. Faith should not be blind. Learn which faith is worthy of our trust. Available on VHS and DVD at our online bookstore, in our office bookstore or by calling 480-833-2537. Also, the Spanish version of Witness to Mormons is due back from the printers by the time you receive this newsletter. Witness to Mormons in English is the first book Concerned Christians published in 1979. With the Mormon church's push for conversion of Spanish speaking people, this witnessing tool should prove invaluable to Hispanic non-Mormons who are witnessing to Hispanic Mormons. Again, visit us on our website bookstore or at our office, or call to place an order.
...It's what LDS are NOT telling you...by Karrie Browning We sat down in an LDS meetinghouse classroom next to the temple, and the guide began with, "You can see by our pictures that Jesus Christ is central to our beliefs," referring to the hallway pictures of Jesus. He then went on to welcome us, and offer a family history book with the first generations of genealogy done for us if we'd fill out a postcard. This would guarantee a visit from missionaries or "a church representative" to help research our family genealogy. He then started a 10-minute movie about "Why Temples?" We were then ushered across the street to the temple, with the instructions to save our questions until the end of the tour. After fresh-faced teenagers in their Sunday dress put white plastic covers on our shoes, we marched up the stairs to the temple with the well-wishes of our guide that we "feel the spirit and the peace," that this is where God resides. My friend turned to me at that point and said, "God resides in my heart." What a comforting reminder. Every entrance to every room had a smiling usher to wave us gently in the direction we should go, and deter us from wandering off the path of white carpet. They explained that when members come in they change to all white dresses and suits representing purity and leaving the things of the world behind. WHAT THEY DIDN'T SAY...was that these members are only the ones considered "worthy" - no non-LDS or "un-worthy" LDS allowed. The first stop was the Baptismal room. The Baptismal Font rests in the center of the room on the backs of 12 full-size oxen statues stationed on a sub-floor below. The 12 oxen represent the 12 Tribes of Israel. We were told that this font is where worthy LDS youth and members "get baptized for [dead] people or relatives who did not receive the gospel in their lifetime." Translation: they didn't join the LDS church in their lifetime. WHAT THEY DIDN'T SAY...was that this baptism into the LDS church represents the gathering of Israel. The LDS church calls itself a modern-day Israel. Those outside of the church are referred to as "Gentiles". Genealogy work is for the purpose of doing these temple ordinances for the dead to bring them into the LDS church. We shuffled into the next two rooms that were referred to as "The First and Second Instructional Rooms." The first looked like a small movie theater with a continuous wall mural of the California coastline. The second room was white and gold with a large gold draped curtain filling the wall like an Old West theater curtain. Our guide couple explained that here is where instructions are received and covenants made with the lord, and more is learned about god's plan for our lives. Finally we were escorted into "The Celestial Room" for our allotted 60 seconds with no talking allowed so we could "feel the spirit." The "closest representation of heaven on earth," as we were told, looks like a hotel lobby with a large central crystal chandelier and an oriental influence in wood furnishings. There were plenty of light beige chairs, benches, and loveseats around the room, with a padded altar bordered by a padded kneeling step in the center of the room. There were two giant mirrors on opposing walls so that to look into one reveals the continuing reflections of the other, representing eternity. Family groups drew close to the altar in silent hugs and gazed sweetly into the mirror effect. This family testimony of being together in the Celestial Room would be the stuff of "Family Home Evenings" for years to come. WHAT THEY DIDN'T SAY...was that the people don't come in through the doors we came through. They have to give their "temple name" along with all the signs, handshakes, and tokens at the veil in the wall between the Celestial room and the previous room, behind the big gold curtain, and are pulled through the veil, representing entering "Heavenly Father's" presence and being resurrected. They also didn't mention that wives will be "called forth" from the grave by their husbands. We were silently ushered out the back door to the awaiting shuttle golf carts to take us back to the meetinghouse where we could ask questions of the roving missionaries and volunteers. I wished we could finish the tour with a narration of why Jesus, who IS God, doesn't require all this of them. That He wants a relationship with them based on what HE has done at the cross, not what they do in "the house of the lord," as the temple is called by LDS. That He doesn't inhabit temples built by human hands, that women aren't reliant on their husbands to enter the presence of God. I pray that we will be able to wake Christians up to "What the LDS are NOT saying." They are a mission field in our backyard. Let's reach them before more are mislead.
The Glorification of Joseph Smithby Karrie Browning and Bob Betts On October 14th, it was opening night for the second movie version in the LDS book series, "The Work and the Glory" (see my review of the first movie in the April/May 2005 edition of The CROSS). As with the first film, the production was excellent, but historically inaccurate and misleading. Fact and Fiction The concert even began with a musical piece about The Martyr in Carthage where "no guilt or crime was found in him," and set the stage for how Joseph had come to that point. In fact, however, he was in the Carthage Jail awaiting trial for a list of crimes, detailed in Joseph Smith's History of the Church, Vol. 6. The other theme that was stressed throughout was persecution. One of the songs lamented how "telling Joseph's story incites prejudice among teachers of religion and he became hated and persecuted for telling it." In spite of receiving "scoffs and vicious ridicule," Joseph continues with his stories of an angel telling him "God has a work" for him to restore the "fullness of the gospel" that had been lost up to that point. A three piece-suited tenor played the part of a mean Christian pastor who sang, "He saw no such thing!" accentuated by the build of ominous thundering tympani drums. He was a repeating character for all the "mob" and "persecution" songs. Of all Joseph's women, only his mother Lucy and wife Emma were enshrined in song as his mother comes to the defense of her son in a ballad saying, "My boy saw a vision. I believe him. His heart is good and pure. Our god has spoken once again a great and wondrous plan for us." She continues about God's love and how he has shown mercy on his people. Emma is portrayed as the comartyred wife, enduring hardship and fatigue, and "being buffeted by the rage of men and devils." No mention of her eventual departure from Mormonism as we know it, to a different Mormon church of her own creation. Glorifying Joseph Smith We exited the concert hall, spiritually gasping for air that wasn't rank with blasphemy and tainted with the foul idolatry of Joseph Smith worship. A week later, as we exited the Harkin's Theater after viewing "The Work and the Glory," we were stunned at the blatant rewriting of Joseph Smith's history. The whitewash continues in Mormonism, where truth is replaced by a God-like image of Joseph Smith. And while Mormons idolize him in movies, books and songs, we're reminded by the Psalmist, "Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven" (Psalm 148:13).
Concerned Christians Mesa, AZ Dear Jim & Judy, Rigby, ID Dear Judy & Jim, Mesa, AZ Dear Concerned Christians, Elizabeth, PA Concerned Christians, Tempe, AZ Dear Bob, Wyoming Jim & Judy, Gilbert, AZ Concerned Christians, White Bear Lake, MN Dear Jim & Judy, Portland, OR Dear Jim & Judy, Red Wood City, CA Jim Robertson, Prescott Valley, AZ Dear Concerned Christians, Grand Junction, CO To Judy Robertson, Salt Lake City, UT Dear Jim, Judy & Bob, Mesa, AZ
|
The Mormon church
was formed on the basis of what is known as Joseph Smith's "first vision."
What we find is actually nine different first visions that have been recorded,
but I will only deal with four. What was the first vision and was it reliable?
The Bible
vs. the Book of Mormon video has been produced by Living Hope Ministries,
the same folks who brought us the DNA vs. The Book of Mormon video.
It's another very effective witnessing tool, this time presenting, in
a credible manner, the overwhelming, systematic problems with the Book
of Mormon, but also the historical authenticity of the Bible.
I had the opportunity
to tour the LDS Newport Beach Temple before it was dedicated. As my two
Christian friends and I followed the ushered crowds, I, as a former Mormon
noticed things they WEREN'T showing or telling us.
WHAT THEY DIDN'T
SAY... was that these represent the first two of the three heavens they
believe in, and are actually the "Telestial Room" and the "Terrestrial
Room." They didn't mention that the instructions they receive were about
the creation of the universe and the Garden of Eden account, from Lucifer's
perspective. What was behind the big gold curtain was conspicuously unmentioned.
On October 7th
and 8th, a musical production called "Joseph Smith the Prophet," was performed
at ASU's Gammage Auditorium to honor the bicentennial of Joseph Smith's
birth. The concert included vocalists, a full orchestra, and the Arizona
Mormon Choir. As with most LDS productions, the presentation was excellent.
However, the content as it presented the chronology of Joseph Smith from
his "first vision" to his "martyrdom," was inaccurate and avoided whatever
would not have been "faith promoting" for Mormons or that would have raised
the eyebrows of non- Mormons.
The Mormons
are continuously portrayed as poor, suffering, faithful, temple-builders,
while LDS "apostates" join the mobs and bring a dreadful spirit inside
the church and the Christian pastors lead the persecution marches along-side
the Missouri Militia.
|