For all of you who were not aware of Jim’s recent hospitalization, this is just a brief report. June 8th Jim was admitted to Banner Desert Medical Center emergency room with symptoms of a heart attack. A heart catherization revealed three blocked coronary arteries but no heart attack.
Jim also had a serious condition in his neck that caused a lack of function of his right arm. Both conditions were urgent. The doctors, a cardiologist and a neurosurgeon had major decisions to make. If the neck surgery, foramenotomy, was not done Jim could lose most of the use of his right arm. But the blocked arteries that supply the heart with blood seemed more urgent. We sent out a request for prayer. We are grateful for so many who prayed for wisdom.
The decision was made, neck surgery was performed June 11 on the back of Jim’s neck. This was to relieve pressure on the nerves that reach the arm. Jim had been in excruciating pain for about four weeks in his neck and right arm. It wasn’t until he went into the hospital that we found out the urgency of neck surgery to relieve the pain and save the function of his arm.
Four days later he had three stints put into the coronary arteries to open them up so more blood could supply the heart. He was in intensive care for 5 days for a total of 9 days in the hospital. Jim is home now and recovering quite well.
We want to thank everyone for the many cards, emails, prayers and well-wishes from so many of you. What an encouragement you have all been to us. It was a long haul, and still many days of recuperation are to come.
In the sixth paragraph of the Introduction to the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith said, “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and is the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”
Joseph Smith’s “most correct” pronouncement of the Book of Mormon, first published in 1830, has long since been challenged. In reality, there may be no other religious book in history, which has had as many changes made to it as the Book of Mormon. It could be the least correct book ever published. The LDS church has told its members, and the world, that the changes that have been made in the five succeeding editions are minor punctuation corrections. Yet, the almost 4,000 changes that Jerald and Sandra Tanner identified in their book, 3,913 Changes in the Book of Mormon, are words that were added, deleted, misspelling or grammatically incorrect. Even the most recent (1981) edition of the Book of Mormon, edited by a committee headed by members of the Quorum of the Twelve, included about 150 significant word changes.
These changes should not have been necessary in light of Joseph Smith’s own testimony in 1829 that, “...we heard a voice from out of the bright light above us, saying, ‘These plates have been revealed by the power of God, and they have been translated by the power of God. The translation of them which you have seen is correct, and I command you to bear record of what you now see and hear’” (History of the Church, by Joseph Smith, Vol. 1, pp. 54-55).
Despite the clearly identifiable changes, one LDS apostle who would later be the tenth LDS prophet, Joseph Fielding Smith, refuted the facts by declaring that, "...enemies of the Church...have made the statement that there have been one or two or more thousand changes in the Book of Mormon since the first edition was published. Well, of course, there is no truth in that statement" (The Improvement Era, December, 1961, p. 924).
SAMPLE CHANGES
The 1830 text of 1 Nephi 12:18 read, "...yea, even the word of the justice of the Eternal God, and Jesus Christ, which is the Lamb of God..." However, the name of Jesus Christ had not been revealed to the Nephites until 2 Nephi 10:3, "Wherefore, as I said unto you, it must needs be expedient that Christ--for in the last night the angel spake unto me that this should be his name--should come among the Jews..." Therefore, Joseph removed the name of Jesus Christ from 1 Nephi 12:18 and inserted Messiah instead.
The 1830 text of 1 Nephi 20:1 read, "Hearken and hear this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel; yet they swear not in truth, nor righteousness." Ten years later, in the 1840 edition, Joseph added the ordinance of water baptism to the text, "Hearken and hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, or out of the waters of baptism, who swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, yet they swear not in truth nor in righteousness."
HOW CORRECT IS THE BIBLE?
The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in 1947 in cliff caves 20 miles east of Jerusalem, leave no doubt about the accuracy of the Old Testament. But how correct is the New Testament?
The earliest papyrus and animal skin manuscript copies of the New Testament in the Greek language number at 5, 664. In addition, there are upwards to 10,000 Latin Vulgate manuscripts and about 8,000 in Ethiopic, Slavic, and Armenian. (The second highest number of ancient manuscript copies known to man is Homer’s Iliad with only 650.) With close to 24,000 manuscripts in existence, comparisons between them have yielded the overwhelming evidence that there are virtually no differences between them. The manuscripts agree with one another.
Bible scholars Norman Geisler and William Nix concluded, “The New Testament, then, has not only survived in more manuscripts than any other book from antiquity, but it has survived in a purer form than any other great book – a form that is 99.5 percent pure” (A General Introduction to the Bible, p. 361). The late Bible scholar F.F. Bruce concluded, “There is no body of ancient literature in the world which enjoys such wealth of good textual attestation as the New Testament” (The Books and the Parchments, p. 178).
BIBLE DESERVES THE TITLE
Since the Book of Mormon has required almost 4,000 changes throughout its five editions to correct its errors, the Bible is the only scripture deserving the title, The Most Correct of Any Book on Earth.
Counterfeiting United States currency is, and always has been a huge problem for out nation. For example, in 1989 it was reported that 82% of $100 bills circulated in Europe were counterfeit! 82%! That is why the U.S. continues to design and implement changes in our currency to make it more difficult to counterfeit. Now just the other day I picked up a little “counterfeit” cash myself! I got it at a Walgreen’s for $1.99. There were two $1,000,000 bills in this package. Of course they say in small letters “This note is non-negotiable, its sole purpose is to promote special events and good times.” It would take someone a long time to discover these bills are worthless! For, they do have the style and symbolism of real cash; however they have no substance. They are worthless.
Anything of value risks being counterfeited. Is the truth of Christianity really valuable to you? Is it valuable to those yet without a real relationship with Christ? You better believe it is. Peter says our redemption was not, nor could it ever be purchased with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. The gospel message is all about that price of our redemption, and how one can receive it as a free gift through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of the value of that message we can be sure that the enemy will seek to provide a counterfeit to keep people dissuaded from discovering the real thing.
Every epistle in the New Testament warns believers and exhorts them to explore counterfeit teachers and teaching. In our article today, we will look at Titus 1:9-16 to see exactly what God’s church must do to confront counterfeit Christianity. Verse nine tells us specifically that church leaders, as well as the individual believers must be “Holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he might be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.” In essence, Paul tells Titus that there will be those who rise up both inside and outside the believing church who will oppose the truth, and seek to oppose the truth through deception. Paul then tells us what to do with these who peddle false faith.
Their Stories Must Be Stopped.
In verse 10, Paul calls these false teachers “idle talkers” because they have great oratory skills, but say absolutely nothing of substance. In fact, it’s even more sinister.
They Delight in Deception. Vs 10-11
“For these are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert (that is, they split apart, they destroy) whole households.” The word household can be rightly applied in two ways. Sometimes a local church is called a “household” in the New Testament. In Philemon 2, Paul writes about the “church that meets in Philemon’s house.” The word household also speaks of a family. That’s who false teachers destroy. They destroy church families, and they destroy families as well. In our age of “tolerance,” too often churches become tolerant of unbiblical teaching. As a result, people don’t know how to discern truth from error. Stories of cults gaining access to local congregations are numerous. I was talking to a dear woman from Texas just last week about the aberrant doctrine of the Mormon faith. She said she had an idea of what Mormons taught, she just knew them to be kind people. I agreed with her opinions on them being kind, unless you confront them with God’s truth about the Real Gospel! Regardless, we must proclaim the truth.
What are the marks of counterfeit Christianity? Let me give you five:
False religions make up their own rules, and statistics. Even when confronted with the fallacy of their rules, they delight in them anyway. One evening I had a conversation with a young LDS “elder” that brought his witnessing trainee to the church. He asked me if I believed the book of Mormon to be the book of God. I said absolutely not. He asked me why. I told him I did not believe because of the so-called prophet who presented it, Joseph Smith. Deuteronomy 18 tells me that if one claims to be a prophet of God, and yet fails in just one prophesy, he is false and is not to be listened to. He is to be taken out and stoned to death. Joseph Smith had more than one failed prophesy; of which stated that the Lord would return to earth to set up his kingdom in 1891 (History of the Church, Volume 2, p. 182). Evidently, the Lord Jesus didn’t get that date on his calendar! I shared numerous failed prophecies with this Mormon elder. In response the Mormon elder said, “All right, let’s say Joseph Smith was a false prophet. Do you believe the book of Mormon to be the word of God?” What’s his point? Even though Joseph Smith failed the prophet’s test, and proved to be deceptive, this young elder was willing to delight in the falsehood he was peddling.
Nevertheless, we must uphold the truth in a gracious, loving way. Their stories must be stopped and the truth about the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ must be told! We are called to be able to “give an answer” to others about the hope that lies within us, yet with gentleness and reverence. That’s my prayer for you and I. Counterfeit Christians must be confronted with the true claims for Christ. Remember that as you share the word with others, that it is the most powerful spiritual weapon there is. God’s word will not return unto itself void. It will accomplish its intended result. Let’s share it!
Because of the generosity of you, our readers, we have been able to meet some very practical needs of those who have come out of Mormonism. Expenses for food, medical, car brakes, house paint and travel have been met. One family, who came out of Mormonism, is starting a Concerned Christians affiliate back in their home state. Thank you to all who contributed.
Summer Slump:
Remember us during these summer months when giving is usually down for Concerned
Christians. We appreciate your extra support, if God has so blessed you.
Jim,
I came across a letter you sent my wife and I in 1986.
You were instrumental in bringing my wife and I to
Jesus. At the time I was a naïve “Christian” and my
wife was a Mormon. I don’t think I ever expressed my
gratitude for what you did for us. As a matter of fact I
may have said and done things that insulted you. For a
long time I’ve wanted to write you and apologize for
the hurtful things I said. I don’t think I intentionally
tried to hurt you but in my confusion with what I was
going through I said things that were hurtful. At the
time I was young and stupid and I didn’t know what I
was saying. Anyway I want you to know that I am very
thankful for your passion for Mormons and how that
lead my wife and myself to Jesus. I will forever be
grateful for your contribution. I hope all is well with
you and your family. I am glad to see that you are still
helping Mormons with your ministry. May God bless
you for how you helped me and my wife.
Mechanicsburg, OH
Dear Jim & Concerned Christians,
I had e-mailed you about 6 months ago asking for info
on how to write my family’s exit letter from the LDS
church. I’m happy to report that in December we did
receive notification that our request had been granted.
My profession of faith in Jesus Christ was actually
made to an LDS bishop. As ironic as it is, it was the
most incredible experience of my life. We currently
attend a Bible Church in our area. Our family has
learned more about the Bible in the past 14 months
than we ever had as life-long members of the LDS
church. We occasionally suffer at the hands of
misinformed family members. Through faith and prayer
we are encouraged. We firmly believe that we have
done the right thing and that is evident when we see
God working in our lives. It has been difficult for our
teenage children. They struggle with finding other
believers to “hang out” with. Please pray for our youth
as they are our future and their peer pressure
struggles are great. Keep up the great work and let us
know when you are in Utah again to speak.
Clearfield, UT
Dear Concerned Christians,
I cannot thank you all enough for the work you are
doing. Having two best friends that are Mormon, I know
how important it is to keep working and praying that
the truth will set them free.
Mesa, AZ
Concerned Christians,
I have enjoyed receiving The CROSS for a number of
years. Have intended to write sooner. Know your
ministry is indeed a blessing to many who have decided
to put their faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ. I lost a
daughter to Mormonism some 25 years ago and have a
hard time believing that she can believe in all the
falsehoods. Pray for her and her family. Enclosed is a
small gift toward your ministry and know your book
Out of Mormonism will only open my eyes more to the
disbeliefs of the Mormon church.
Oregon
Dear Concerned Christians,
Thank you for The CROSS. I read it and am blessed to
know your ministry is holding out the truth to people
who so badly need it. Am sending my yearly donation.
God bless all of you.
Milan, IL
Dear Concerned Christians
Received your newsletter The CROSS. I always enjoy reading the whole
thing. I’ve been a born again believer since 1973. My wife showed me the
truth about Jesus. My whole family belongs to the LDS church. We pray for
them daily. Enclosed is a check for your Helps Fund. Keep up the good
work.
San Diego, CA
Dear Jim and Judy and Staff
Appreciate The CROSS yet. Need Jim and Judy to know that I helped a 78
year old lady come from Mormonism. Thanks a million to them for their
patience eight years ago with me. I gave her the tools Jim gave me. God
Makers tapes verse by verse. May God bless your ministry. Enclosed is
$XXX.XX to keep the ministry.
Sturgis, SD
Editor’s Note: the following is from the ex-LDS wife of an ex-LDS Bishop, whom we had the pleasure of having a part in discipling for a few months before they moved back to South Dakota where they were LDS members about a year ago.
Hi Guys,
Just a note to let you know what’s happening. We are both working hard,
but I have today off and am gardening with (my son) Skyler. As we
gardened through the weeds to get to the strawberry plants we stood back
and noticed what a good job we had done. There were so many weeds to
get through. It was like a jungle. As we stood back we noticed that there
was one weed that looked like it was part of the plant, but it was a weed!
We had to go between each plant and hand-pick those weeds. The weed
was too close to the strawberry plant to just use the hoe on it; it would
destroy the plant itself. As I was doing this, I couldn’t believe that we
didn’t see these weeds before, as we were going along! I started to laugh a
little and then something hit me…that our family had been the strawberry
plants and the LDS church was the weed, looking like a part of the plant;
yet, it wasn’t. It looked and blended right in with the beautiful strawberry
plants. This reminded me of God’s Word in the Bible…how beautiful it is.
And then the LDS Gospel, being like a weed and the LDS people thinking
they belong to and blend right into Christianity. WOW! Thank you God for
even teaching me lessons in the garden! Strawberries and weeds. Chuckle.
Wessinton, S.D.
Dear Judy,
Hello! While I’m only 13 years old, you have helped me so much! I knew
what I was being taught in the Mormon Church was wrong. But I could not
escape it no matter how much I tried I could not. When I needed to get out
so bad something kept pulling me back in. It always seemed weird to me
why the church worked more like a business than a church. Then it finally
occurred to me--we are a business. The church was a business of Lucifer's,
made to make innocent people, who don’t know what is really going on,
lose their free agency. Everyone is so nosey to make sure you are perfect.
Well I’m tired of trying and pretending. When I really got serious about
leaving the church I got in a huge argument with my parents and went to
stay with my sister for awhile so I could calm down. My sister had not
technically left the church, so people thought, but I knew better. I knew she
was out for good, I just didn’t know why. Well when I went to stay with her she
had a book she had been reading. And at night after she had finished it I began
to read it. The book was very good and so true. Your book Out of Mormonism.
It touched me so much and it was just so right, well the parts I’m old enough to
know about anyways. I don’t know about being married in the temple or
anything. Your book, which may I remark was incredible, was my push. It was
that thing I needed to help me leave the church...for good this time. I soon hope
to either attend a non-denominational church with my sister or a different non -
denominational church with my friends until I make any larger decisions about
my religion. Thank you so much for your book. It saved me....it saved my
life...but I’m so scared. My mom still fights with me to rejoin the church. My
family who is strongly tied into the church don’t seem to talk to me that much
anymore, but my father was the only one who told me no stupid church was
going to tell him he had to shun his daughter for thinking different. I was
miserable in that church. While only 13, I have been set in depression....and the
church never tried to 'save me' or never knew anything was wrong. I tried to
hurt myself. My friends [not LDS] pulled me out [of depression] and I stopped
attending the church. I got better and now I am leaving the church. I’m not
comfortable with any of the church people I’m not even comfortable with my
[Mormon] family counselor (I had went through a terrifying ordeal of attempted
molestation...gun held to my head...watching him do the same to my friends
and him eventually shooting himself and had to be put into counseling) and my
family counselor is Mormon and I just don’t like him. I have a gut feeling and I
knew not to trust him from day 1. Now I have other counselors who I very well
do trust. They don’t try to preach to me or tell me how ashamed they are of me
that I would read a Church denouncing book. Well your book was wonderful and
true. If the church is so true why are they so scared? So thank you again for
everything, but most of all thank you for giving me my life back. I’m happier
now! I just am. I hope you the best in life!
Hello Judy;
I just finished reading your book. Without going into too much detail, I just
want to let you know how grateful I am that you wrote this book. I was raised
Mormon. Over the course of the last 24 years, I left the church, went back, left
for good and got into New Age (A Course In Miracles), Buddhism, Wicca, Eastern
meditation, and was searching for God in all of them. Praise the Lord, he never
gave up on me and sent me someone to witness to me, teach me and bring me
to Christ Jesus. Finally, about 3 months ago I was saved, started going to
church at Calvary Chapel – Salt Lake City, Utah and on April 25th I was
baptized. Even after being away from Mormonism for so long, I was surprised
at how many ingrained Mormon teachings surfaced once I began attending a
Christian church. Initially I felt I was doing something wrong, and I would lose
my salvation and go to hell, when in fact, I now see the opposite is true. I’m
still dealing with the fact that I don’t have to (in fact cannot) earn my way to
heaven. The first day I went to Church, there was a flyer on the bulletin board
announcing a “Mormon Support Group” for Mormons coming out of Mormonism.
Through God, I am healing from a lot of spiritual abuse. The class at the Church
only lasted 5 weeks. Since then, our support group is trying to meet once a
month during the summer at my home. I am interested in any pointers you
have about how to guide or develop and grow a support group for the Mormons
who are coming out of Mormonism and those of us who are new Christians (1-2
years). I am ordering some of the pamphlets you have available, but would be
interested in any advice you have to offer.
Salt Lake City, UT