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The Ministry of John L. Smith
P. O. Box 9
226 West Main
Vol. 1 July 1, 2002 No. 3 A RESPONSE TO MORE THAN 170 YEARS OF DECEIT!
The
current Mormon Prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley has been quoted as saying
"our many critics say we do not believe in the traditional Christ
of Christianity. There is some substance to what they
say."
We
wish Hinckley would spell out what the differences between "the
traditional Christ" and Joseph Smith's teaching's really
are!
In the
Mormon Articles of Faith they do not spell out their
position. They simply say, "We believe in God, the Eternal
Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost."
I would accept that.
They
do not explain that to them God was once a man, that he has a physical
body, that he lives on a star near Kolob, and that he has many perhaps
thousands of wives, and that men now living may become gods.
For
thousands of years Bible believers have believed in the God of the
Bible. For nearly 2,000 years we've believed in the God of the
New Testament.
For
less than 200 years a group implies that they believe as Christians do
- without an explanation of their peculiar beliefs and are misleading
multiplied mullions to believe as they do by implying that our beliefs
are comparable.
But
the belief's of the cult of Mormonism are a far cry from the
teaching's of the Bible and of the hundreds of years of teaching's by
Christians.
To
imply that their belief's about God are in any way comparable is an
intentional effort to mislead.
Not
one convert in perhaps hundreds of the near 300.000 proselyte baptisms
Mormons claim each year have the slightest idea what Mormons really
believe.
When
they use the same words without an explanation of their meanings far
from the teaching's of Christians, they are intentionally misleading
and God will hold them responsible.
Their
effort is worse than criminal!
There
will be some in Hell because of their intentional deceit.
Our
knowledge of this cunning deception motivates our efforts.
Unfortunately, some who are involved are also deceived. Our
motivation is not hate, or the result of real or imagined abuse, on
their part - but a 50 year acquaintance with it's deception.
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MORMON MISSIONARIES
After
I had been in Utah for 15 years, I was talking with a Mormon bishop
one day, and for five hours we agreed! We both believed in God,
we both believed in Heaven, we both believed in salvation. We
both believed in Eternal Life.
Our
problem, we were using the same words but those words meant different
things to us.
That's
the problem. The missionaries use the same words Christians use
but there are different meanings for Mormons and Christians.
This accounts for their large conversion rate. A good salesman
sells to a percentage of those to whom he makes his pitch.
That's
the reason I'm more interested in keeping people out, than in winning
them.
There
is a bit of dishonesty in the Mormon missionary program. The
young missionaries are not to blame, but LDS leaders are!
I hope
you will order a few free copies of our tract which explains more of
what I am trying to present..
I
might just mention that a website www.exmormon.org
presents more than 100 former Mormons. I have not checked them
all; some are 15-20 pages per person. But all I've
checked except two (I happen to know them) have become atheists or
agnostics. Many have been bishops and other Mormon leaders.
When
one does wake up, he feels that he has been duped (I'm talking about
converts) they don't dare return to the church where they were
formerly members,
Many
feel that if Mormonism is not true, there is no truth.
Therefore, my main effort is to KPO (Keep People Out)!
I've
decided that in witnessing to Mormons I will begin by asking what
subject we begin with. (Usually people start with polygamy, or
prophets, or the Book of Mormon, or baptism for the dead or
marriage for eternity.) When we get next to him he changes
subject.
My
method is to decide what we are going to talk about before we begin.
What is the most important subject? Agree to begin with that and
stay only with that subject.
The
most important subject is the doctrine of God. One could be
wrong about a lot of things and switch to another subject until
cornered.
I had
a returned missionary to agree that we would spend our entire
conversation just dealing with one subject.
He
agreed that he believed that God was not the Creator of the heavens
and the earth. He found them already here. He believed God
had a body, parents, siblings, and wives (God might have a dozen or
100 or 10,000 or more) he believed.
And he
hoped to become a God of a planet somewhere. He believed that
God, Christ and the Holy Ghost were all totally separate. They
could each be at only one place at a time. He believed the Holy
Spirit was a fourth god, but that unlike the other ones, only He
was capable of omni-presence (he could be in more than one place at a
time).
Now
God had one wife who gave birth to his daughter. And he lived
with her (his own daughter) and she had a son, Jesus. Somehow,
Lucifer was also a Son of God. Now we have a problem.
I got
him to agree that he hoped to become a god and rule a planet
somewhere, someday.
Did he
believe, "As man is, God once was, and as God is, man may
become"?
Is
that taught in the Book of Mormon? I remember Acts
17:28 which says, "As certain of your own prophets have said, 'we
are also his offspring...'"
Now I
said, "I want to see one verse in the Book of Mormon
that teaches what you say you believe?"
We
looked at the second paragraph on the title page, at the testimony of
Three Witnesses, at Mosiah 15:2-5, at Alma 11:22-29, 38-39, 44, Mormon
9:9-11, Moroni 8:18, and I could go on!
But not a single passage agrees with what he says he believes.
The
former missionary, a Mormon Institute of Religion Professor at the
University of Oklahoma, sent me an e-mail message two or three days
later.
He had
written the LDS church headquarters in Salt Lake City and
demanded that his name, his children's names and his wife's name be
removed from the LDS church rolls!
A
short time later he was baptized in a Baptist Church.
I've
just started my sixty-fifth year in the ministry. I was a pastor
for about 15 years, I've preached in 50 two and three weeks
revivals, I spoke 54 weeks in World Mission's Conference for the Home
Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention year ago.
I had
a daily radio program in Utah for 17 years and a weekly program
for another 8 years.
I've
spoken over 7,000 times in 44 states including Alaska, Hawaii and Old
Mexico. I've spoken in more than 100 Bible schools, Christian
colleges and seminaries - several in chapels and classes at some of
the largest Christian schools in the country.
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THE
MORMON MISSIONARY VISIT
By John L. Smith
I
recently did what I tell people never to do. I let the Mormon
missionaries in!
My
reason for telling others to not let them in is the fact that about
300,000 persons a year who let them in joined the Mormon Church.
Unless you have dealt successfully with many Mormons you are
unprepared to deal with the missionaries. See 2nd John 10-11.
(It says, "If there come any unto you, and bring not this
doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds."
I am
suggesting that you simply shake your head and say that you are not
interested. Don't call the dogs or turn on the sprinklers - just
gently close the door.
Those
two young fellows came to my house recently (someone had ordered a
Bible for me, after hearing one of their television offers).
I
invited them in (don't you do it!) and rather quickly asked what we
should talk about; Modern-day revelation, prophets, marriage for
eternity or perhaps the doctrine of God? (I did not mention
several other subjects!)
They
agreed that the doctrine of God was no doubt the most important
subject that we could discuss. If one is wrong about God, his
position on other related subjects is somewhat irrelevant.
I
immediately committed them to what they believed about God. I
enumerated quite a list of LDS teachings. Did they believe He
has a physical body, that He has a father and mother, perhaps brothers
and sisters? Is He married? Does He have more than one
wife? How about two, to ten, or fifty, or 100, or 1,000 or even
10,000? They agreed that He had more than one, but they had no
idea how many He might have.
They
agreed that with one of His wives He had a daughter that we call Mary.
That when she became a young woman He cohabited with her and they had
a child that we call Jesus!
I
asked of they (the missionaries) could become gods? Hopefully,
they both nodded, they someday could. They did believe
the couplet that almost every Mormon knows: "As man is, God
once was; as God is, man may become."
"Now," I said, "I have only other question? Is
either of those positions taught in the Book of Mormon?"
And I
said, "If not, then either the Book of Mormon is wrong
or Mormonism is wrong."
I
hastened to call attention to the fact that the title page of the Book
of Mormon, the Testimony of the Three Witnesses; Mosiah 15:1-5, ALma
11:22-29 38-39, 44, Mormon 9:9-11, Moroni 8:18 and a dozen or more
other places taught my concept of God rather than what Mormonism
teaches.
I
quickly turned to Alma 34:34-36. The 36th verse says, "the
lord dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the
righteous doth he dwell..." Quickly I turned to the Doctrine
and Covenants 130:3 (equally scripture to Mormons) and read 'the
idea that the Father and the Son dwell in a man's heart is an old
sectarian notion, and is false."
But
they had to be on their way! I suggested they return with their
Bishop, Mission President, or perhaps with their prophet! I
haven't seen them since!
Pray
with me for those young men. They must come to see that there is
something wrong with Mormonism before they will consider the claims of
the Gospel. That's the reason I say that it is most unlikely
that you would win a real Mormon in one setting.
For
additional information on witnessing to Mormons, read my book,
Witnessing Effectively !. The cost is $6 postpaid.
This article
(The Mormon Missionary Visit) is available as a tract. Copyright
2000. You may copy it in its entirety!
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