The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is built and dependent upon Joseph Smith being a prophet and on the Book of Mormon being a true historical record of a Jewish family who sailed from Israel to the Americas around 600 BC. This record, as Joseph Smith tells it, was about a man named Lehi, who had two sons named Nephi and Laman. Both sons became the leaders of two great tribes called the Nephites and the Lamanites. The Nephites were a white skinned tribe and the Lamanites were, because of their rebellious nature, cursed by God to have a dark skin. These Lamanites were later identified by Joseph Smith as the Indians of this continent.
In 400 AD there was a great battle between the two tribes and the Lamanites completely destroyed the Nephites. Before he was killed, Mormon, a member of the Nephite tribe, wrote a history of the Americas on golden plates. His son Moroni, the last surviving Nephite, hid the golden plates on the hill Cumorah near Palmyra, New York before, he too, was killed.
In 1823, Joseph Smith claimed that this Moroni appeared to him in the form of an angel and told him where the plates were hidden. He said these plates were written in what he called Reformed Egyptian and that he had been given the power to translate them into English. At that time, the Egyptian language was an unknown language. This translation came to be known as the Book of Mormon, which the Mormon people consider to be the word of God and the most correct book on earth.
For the past 180 years the Mormons have believed the claim by Smith that the Lamanites are today, the Indians of this continent and were originally Jews or Hebrews from Israel. Recently, a Mormon anthropologist, Thomas Murphy, made a surprising announcement. He and other anthropologists and molecular biologists have done extensive DNA testing on over 5,000 Native Americans from over 140 different tribes from Alaska to the tip of South America. These DNA tests provided conclusive proof that all these Indians were from the Asian nations of Siberia and Mongolia and do not have any Hebrew genes or DNA in them. There now have been over 30 research groups who have concurred with these findings.
So what does all this mean? It proves beyond any doubt that Joseph Smith fabricated this whole story and that the Book of Mormon is absolutely false. This makes him a false prophet. In addition, not one shred of evidence has ever been found that would substantiate any part of the Book of Mormon.
We have just received a shipment of a brand new video called, "DNA vs. The Book of Mormon." It is an astounding 49-minute video that contains interviews and statements by these various scientists and the findings their DNA tests have concluded. These tapes can be ordered through our office.
We are convinced that this informative video is going to blow the doors of the Mormon church wide open. We are asking you to put this in your prayers and also that as this information gets out around the world, that we will see Mormons coming into the saving grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ instead of following the teachings of a false prophet named Joseph Smith.
To more clearly understand LDS beliefs and teachings I will briefly compare each Article with the Bible. I will complete this study in future issues of The CROSS.
Since the Articles of Faith have gone through numerous revisions and for the sake of brevity and practicality, I have decided to focus only on the modern version of the Articles of Faith that are published by the LDS church today.
Article 1: "We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost."
This first Article is perhaps the most misleading. The Bible tells us that there is only one God (Isaiah 44:6; Deuteronomy 6:4; John 5:44). This Article does not affirm this. Indeed it cannot since Mormonism teaches that an infinite number of gods exist. Brigham Young, second LDS president stated "How many Gods there are, I do not know. But there never was a time when there were not Gods and worlds." (Journal of Discourses, 3:22)
Also misleading is the claim that Mormonism teaches God is "the Eternal Father." The LDS church does not teach that God the Father is eternal, that is, He has always existed and will always exist. Rather, the LDS church teaches that God the Father was once a man on another planet and evolved to godhood by abiding by various rules and regulations. The LDS manual Achieving a Celestial Marriage (page 132) states this very thing, claiming "By obedience to eternal gospel principles, he [God the Father] progressed from one stage of life to another until he attained the state we call exaltation or godhood."
The Bible also says that Jesus is coeternal with the Father (John 1:1-2, 14) and the creator of all things (Colossians 1:16). This is not affirmed in this Article either. Again this is because Mormonism does not teach this. Rather it teaches that Jesus is a created being and spirit brother to Lucifer. Essentially, the first Article uses the names of the Godhead and does not define the nature of the Godhead. Therefore unwitting Christians and laymen are led to believe that Mormons have the same concept of God that the Bible teaches, when in fact they do not.
Article 2: "We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression."
This appears to be correct, however this Article is misleading. Mormonism teaches that men will not be punished for the Fall of Adam and Eve. The reason is not because the Bible says "…every man shall be put to death for his own sin" (Deuteronomy 24:16), but because the fall of mankind was a positive action! LDS Apostle Dallin Oaks declared that Mormons "celebrate Eve's act and honor her wisdom and courage in the great episode called the fall." (Ensign, Nov. 1993:10) This stands in stark contrast to the Biblical teaching that the choice of Adam and Eve resulted in sin and death for "all men" (Rom. 5:12,15).
Article 3: "We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel."
Here we see the proclamation that salvation is by the "Atonement of Christ" and "obedience to laws and ordinances" of the LDS church. Salvation in Mormonism is a mixture of Christ's atonement and the work of church members. The Bible, however, does not teach this. Salvation is a gift by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8). A gift you work for is no gift at all, it is a debt you work off. The apostle Paul taught this as well in the book of Acts (Acts 16:30-31). Obedience to ordinances is never taught as a prerequisite to salvation in the Bible.
According to former LDS prophet Spencer W. Kimball, "One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by the grace of God; that belief in Jesus Christ alone is all that is needed for salvation." (Spencer Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, 26) If this is true then Kimball is making a liar out of Jesus. Jesus himself taught that the only work needed to be saved is to believe in Him (John 6:28-29).
I will continue this examination of the LDS Articles of Faith In the next issue of our newsletter.
God is moving in our ministry today! In January we had a display booth at the National Seniors Christian Convention here in Arizona. A man I will call Bill, came up to me as I was talking to a group of people, tapped me on the shoulder and said with a huge grin on his face, "You don't remember me do you?"
"No, I'm so sorry I don't," I said sheepishly. "Can you help me out?"
"You used to teach me in Primary (LDS children's program). I attended the same Ward you did. I finished reading your book (Out of Mormonism) yesterday and we need to talk."
What a surprise! I'd often thought about the young people I taught in Primary and if they ever wondered why my husband and I left the LDS church. Well here was one standing before me and saying he no longer wanted to be Mormon.
The past two months have been some of the most rewarding of our ministry here at Concerned Christians. Invitations to speak at various churches, youth groups and college campuses have overwhelmed us. Our literature is going out in record numbers. Requests for translations in other languages have given us a delightful dilemma. Understanding My Mormon Friends' Faith and Mine is presently being translated into the Samoan and Tongan languages. The Witness to Mormons Spanish version is almost complete and we have requests from as far away as Albania and the Kiribati islands in the South Pacific for versions in their languages.
Our support group is bubbling with expectation and new Christians are being born within our small groups every Thursday evening. One example is Andy and his wife Lori both born and raised Mormon. Andy served his LDS mission in Argentina, married in the temple and up until two months ago was an active Mormon. We give God the praise that he is now out of Mormonism, has been baptized into Christ, studies the Bible diligently and is already helping others struggling through this process, including his wife. Lori is well on her way, however. Just last week she expressed her desire to "know about salvation."
To see Andy and Lori beaming with their new knowledge and joy brings gladness to us "old-timers" who recognize the stages they are going through are the same that so many of us have experienced as we found the truth and were set free in Christ Jesus.
We have had so many requests for support groups throughout the country and even overseas, that we find the need is far greater than the people available to lead these groups. However, we recently added a highly equipped ex-LDS couple to our growing number of satellite groups, this one in the Flagstaff area. Their specialty is with youth.
The past two months have also been filled with much media interest. We've done numerous radio interviews. The ASU Web Devil magazine did a three-page article on Concerned Christians, an international Christian magazine, Woman's Touch featured our ministry, and book signings continue even in secular bookstores for Out of Mormonism .
My friend, Bill, said that the majority of his contemporaries have "one foot in Mormonism and one foot out." The opportunities are there. The fields are "ripe for harvest" (John 4: 35).
Jim and I attended in January, a National conference in California, focusing on false religions with Mormonism being emphasized. Many, involved in this type of ministry, were there. We enjoyed a happy reunion and time of telling what God has been doing in our ministries over the years. Caryl Matrisciana co-producer of the Godmakers and Temple of the Godmakers videos took this opportunity to interview many for the new Expose on Mormonism video to be released summer of 2003.
I hope you feel the excitement we do. We see on a regular basis, Mormons coming out of Mormonism and accepting the Jesus of the Bible and salvation through Him alone.
My heart remains broken, however, for the many who refuse "to love the truth and so be saved" (2 Thessalonians 2:10). It is our responsibility to pray with even more fervor than ever before that "God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will" (2 Timothy 2:25-26).
Risk talking to your Mormon neighbor, co-worker, friend or relative, he or she may be one of those who have "one foot in Mormonism and one foot out."
Jesus said: "Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor" (John 4: 36-38). May we join with the One who "harvests the crop for eternal life."
Please pray for:
It has been brought to my attention that in my article "LDS Growth: Fact or
Fiction" in the February edition of "The Cross," I misquoted LDS Dr. David Stewart
from his website. When stating, "He goes on to say that the net result of their
growth is zero," I erroneously attributed that conclusion to Dr. Stewart when,
in fact, I was actually thinking and stating the conclusion of a different,
non- LDS website. To accurately q u o t e D r . S t e w a r t , "worldwide LDS
membership is currently growing at less than 3% per year" and that "The annual
U.S. LDS growth rate (is) 1.9%…" I sincerely apologize to Dr. Stewart and to
all of our readers for this error. - JIM ROBERTSON
| Countries Currently Receiving The CROSS Newsletter Australia Philippines Malawi, Africa England Fiji Islands Germany India Japan North Korea New Zealand Nigeria, Africa Russia Samoa Tonga Chile, South America Sweden Cape Town, Africa West Indies Canada |
Concerned Christians would like to reach more people outside the United States with the truth about Mormonism. Indeed, we get e-mails from people in other parts of the world who are affected by the influence of Mormonism in their community. They, too, want to be advised and educated about how to reach Mormons with the biblical gospel of Jesus Christ and to warn fellow Christians about the deceptiveness and seductiveness of Mormonism.
One of the most effective starting places is to make "The Cross" newsletter available overseas and to Mexico and Canada. As of this year we have almost 100 families outside the U.S. that receive "The Cross." The postage rate to Mexico and Canada is $.60 per piece and $.80 per piece to the rest of the world.
ANOTHER WAY TO "GO INTERNATIONAL" IS TO GET CONCERNED CHRISTIAN'S PUBLICATIONS TRANSLATED INTO OTHER LANGUAGES. WE'RE STARTING WITH THE SPANISH LANGUAGE AND HOPING TO GROW FROM THERE.
A third potential avenue is to facilitate other branches of Concerned Christians. I believe that all of our prayer and financial supporters would agree that a Concerned Christians-style of ministry in every densely, Mormon- populated community and near every Mormon temple in the world would add wonderful ministry opportunities.
Getting our message out into the rest of the world is a must. Even though our particular message focuses on the differences between biblical Christianity and Mormonism, we are a part of fulfilling the great commission of Christ in Matthew 28:18-20. However, we are not ones to go into debt to accomplish these lofty ministry goals. We prefer to pray, make these goals known to you and watch how God provides. Once again, while we pray and minister to the inquiring Mormon's spiritual and emotional needs,…
Temple NotesIn the Bible, Solomon's Temple was the only temple authorized by God. Nephi said he built a replica of Solomon's temple in South America (2 Nephi 5:16). No evidence exists. Worldwide today, there are about 120 LDS temples. None meet God's temple specifications in 1 Kings 6. |
Dear Jim,
You probably don't remember me, but I just wanted to write and tell you thank
you for saving me from becoming a member of the Mormon church! In 1996, when
I was 17, I began dating a college man who was Mormon. I had not been raised
in a family who attended church regularly or had a real relationship with God.
At first I was not interested in the Mormon religion, but as I got more serious
in the relationship, I began to be more interested in his religion. I was impressed
with the seemingly closeness of his family and the way they acted like they
had built their lives around their religion. I was so young then that I actually
believed they would approve of me and accept me into their family if I was baptized
into the Mormon church. However, I only put on my "good girl" face around them
and the boy I was dating. At my home I changed from a completely motivated,
college bound, happy young lady to one who was very introverted and defiant
to authority, especially my parents. Thankfully, by the grace of God, my parents
found you! The way that you presented the facts was very harsh, but I'm so thankful
you did it that way. At the time, I was very rude and defiant to you and I apologize.
I needed someone to knock some sense into me and break the stronghold that was
keeping me from seeing the truth.
Soon after, my boyfriend left on his mission for the Mormon church and the relationship ended right there. I was so relieved that I didn't have to be someone I wasn't anymore. And I'm glad I was never baptized into the LDS church!
That fall I went away to college. One afternoon I was sitting on the grass of my college campus and some people approached me and asked if I as interested in knowing about God. I said I wanted know about the one true God. They explained how God loved me unconditionally, no matter what mistakes I had made in the past. I put my faith in Jesus Christ right then! My life turned completely around. I threw away every Mormon thing I had and replaced it with God's forgiveness. I am so thankful for what God has done in my life and that the Holy Spirit protected me through all that, even though I wasn't a believer. I wrote a letter to my former boy friend telling him about what happened to me and that he needed to change his life also. I never heard anything from him.
I continue to live my life for God. And I'm so thankful for the work you do and I'm praying that your ministry will be abundantly blessed by God!
Page, AZ
Dear Concerned Christians,
Thank you so much for all you do. My husband and I, along with our four boys,
left the Mormon church about 12 years ago. Organizations like yours were essential
in us finding the truth!
Elgin, TX
Dear Concerned Christians,
May God continue His rich blessings on you folks, for the enrichment of His
precious Word to save souls. God has lavished His love on us and you and we
are ever grateful!
Alexandria, MN
Dear Friends at Concerned Christians,
What a mighty God we serve! The enclosed check is to help you with your ministry
and my heart is filled with praise to God because, as a team, you are all working
faithfully to win precious LDS people to the real Christ of the Bible. Thank
you for keeping us aware of your work by sending us the "Cross" newsletter,
keep it coming! I love you all in Christ.
Brainerd, MN
Jim & Judy,
May God continue to bless your ministry. Thank you for your continued efforts
in bringing forth the truth to the lost. And thank you for "The Cross" newsletter,
I enjoy it very much. God bless you both!
Phoenix, AZ
Dear Jim,
My husband and I just arrived home after listening to you at our church. We
are both from the east coast and had never heard much about "the Mormons." We
would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for tonight. It was amazing!
We really had no idea people could actually believe these kind of things. God
bless you in your endeavor and thank you for the education.
Mesa, AZ
Dear Jim,
Once again, you did not disappoint participants at last weeks Seniors Assembly.
Your sessions continued to draw large crowds and people left with information
to help them grasp Mormonism better. We thank you for your time and effort and
participation in this annual event. I appreciate your candidness and honesty.
Again, thank you.
Phoenix, AZ
Hi Jim,
Please send me your monthly newsletter, "The Cross". I am so grateful and excited
about this wonderful ministry and will be keeping you in my prayers. Praise
the Lord!
Las Vegas, NV
Dear Concerned Christians,
Thank you for all you are doing. I was able to hear Jim speak at our church
recently and he truly touched my heart for my Mormon co-workers. May God richly
bless you!
Chandler, AZ
Concerned Christians,
I cannot believe how much information you have made available on your website.
You have answered many questions I've had or told me where I can go to get the
answers. Thank you so very much! I will pray for continued blessings in your
ministry!
Cathlamet, WA