Witnessing tips. Part3

This picks up where part two leaves off.

Now the Mormon most likely will respond as if you are just attacking their church. I suggest responding along these lines. In the P of GR P., under Joseph Smith 2:18-19, it says, “18:My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right and which I should join.19: I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the personage who addressed me said that ALL THEIR CREEDS WERE AN ABOMINATION IN HIS SIGHT; THAT THOSE PROFESSORS WERE ALL CORRUPT; THAT THEY DRAW NEAR TO ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEARTS ARE FAR FROM ME, THEY TEACH FOR DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN, HAVING A FORM OF GODLINESS, BUT THEY DENY THE POWER THEREOF.”

In verse 17 it is God the Father and the Son speaking about the state of the Christian Church to Joseph Smith. We are not attacking, we are just responding to Joseph Smith’s statement about our church. Also, read to the Mormon, 1 Nephi 14:10: “And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the lamb of god, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the lamb of God belongeth to the great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth”.

The LDS church teaches that if we do not belong to the Latter Day Saint’s church, then we belong to the church of the devil and are the whore of all the earth. This is a strong statement from a group of people saying they never attack any other beliefs and they are upset we are defending ourselves. Read also “Church of the Devil”, pg. 137; Christendom and Christian Era, pg. 131; and Christians and Christianity, pg. 132, all in Mormon Doctrine. Then read under “First Vision”, page 285-286 in Mormon doctrine. These all give really good descriptions of how Christians are viewed by the Mormon church. If they accuse us of attacking the Mormon Church, they better read up in their own books.

Joseph Smith said the B.O.M. is “the keystone to our religion” H.C. 4:46. He also said, “Take away the Book of Mormon and the revelations, and where is our religion?” on pg. 71 in Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. So if we show their foundation is built on sand and their belief is unstable, then we can proceed to show them the rock upon which the true church is built and the corner stone is Jesus Christ.

The Mormons believe in grace plus works. An example you can use is: If you were on a beach that had a lifeguard and you were swimming then started to drown, a lifeguard would not just run out and try to save you. Otherwise, in your panic you could kill both the lifeguard and yourself. He will wait until you tire out and start to go down. We cannot kill or pull down Jesus who is our lifeguard, but we could say our screaming and thrashing is our works. They really cannot do anything to save us, they will just tire us out, and we will drown and die. If we call out for the lifeguard “Jesus” to save us, he will, but not while we try to do it ourselves. You can give other ideas and do a bible study and teach the Mormon about grace plus works. This was just one example I like to use.

Something the Mormon might say is that you are only pointing out the apparent bad things in our church and you never point out the good things. If this happens then politely point out that you agree with the Mormon Church on the issues like, marriage is good, homosexuality is a sin, theft is a sin, murder is a sin, ect. Point out a few things you know you agree on and say something like, “See, we agree on some things.” But then point out these good things cannot save you. What happens if you believe many good things yet are wrong on who Jesus is? You may also go from here to wherever you left off.

A question I am asked a lot is, do the Mormons use a normal bible like believers or do they have there own bible like the JW’S? The answer is yes and no. Yes, because they use the K.J.V and it is the same as we use. The only difference would be is that they have Mormon footnotes that we don’t believe in. The no part is that they do have what is called the Joseph Smith’s “New Translation” of the Bible. Here is another good chance to open a talk. This subject is one I use with people like the “Mormon Answer Man.“ D and C 74:3-4 says, “3.Now, verily I say unto you my servants, Joseph Smith Jun, and Sidney Rigdon, saith the Lord, it is expedient to translate again; 4.And, inasmuch as it is practicable, to preach in the regions round about until conference; and after that it is expedient to continue the work of Translation until it be finished.”

Notice that the Lord told them to do this work and to finish the work. Now add 1 Nephi 3:7 to this. “And it came to pass that I Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.“ When I talk to Mormons I will say, “You know how people have a favorite Bible verse? Well, I have a favorite verse in the B.O.M. and this is it.” You can use this verse when talking about how the Mormons need to be perfect and keep the whole law. Point out how this verse says that God will make it possible for them to be perfect and ask why they can’t seem to follow this logic.

Anyway, back to the J.S.T of the Bible. You might be able to back order a copy of the 1993-1994 Church Almanac from the local Mormon bookstore. On page 339, under 1833, July 2, it says, “The prophet Joseph Smith finished the Translation of the Bible.” In the 2003 Almanac on page 536, under 1883, July 2, it says, “The prophet Joseph Smith finished the Translation of the New Testament.” I believe that whatever year we happen to be in, you could buy an updated Almanac and find the year 1883, look under July 2, and it will say this. If it only says he finished the New Testament, try and get the 93-94 edition that says he finished the whole Bible. The reason why is that in the J.S.T. of the Bible, it says on page 10: “COMPLETION” POSSIBLY NOT FINAL. Then, on page 11 it says Mormon authors Sperry and Van Wagoner have pointed out that the Psalms are evidence of the incompleteness of the translation.

On page 258 of the book, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 1989 version, he says and I quote, “My feelings at the present time are that, inasmuch as the Lord Almighty has preserved me until today, He will continue to preserve me, by the united faith and prayers of the saints, until I have fully accomplished my mission in this life.” It appears that Joseph Smith was wrong, and he did not fully accomplish his mission. Part of his mission given by God in D and C was to finish the J.S.T. and it said right in there he did not finish the work. Point out that either Joseph Smith was a false prophet or God is a liar/failure for not keeping Joseph Smith alive to finish his job given by God Himself.

In the J.S.T. of the Bible, the first 24 pages talk about all this plus lots of other fun stuff to point out. I suggest buying a copy to use with the Mormon. Point out that in the D and C and the Church Almanac, Joseph Smith was told by God to finish it; in the B.O.M. says that God will grant you the ability to finish what he told you to do. But in the J.S.T., it teaches that it is not finished. So what is the deal - is it, or is it not? Also, they sell the J.S.T. in the local Mormon bookstore and the Mormon will admit that parts of the J.S.T. are found in the footnotes of the B.O.M. and D and C. Plus, a good portion of the P of GR P is the same as the J.S.T., yet they don’t carry it, pass it out, or use it.

The Mormon will say that the Reorganized Latter Day Saints own the rights to the J.S.T. and therefore, it is not trustworthy. I point out that it is kind of funny how they don’t trust the Bible because the Church fell into total apostasy, yet the Lord tells Joseph Smith to fix the Bible and then the Lord allows it to be re-corrupted by falling to the Reorganized Church? That makes zero sense. Also, why does the local Mormon bookstore sell it if you don’t use it? Something you can point out to the Mormon is that they don’t use the J.S.T because they feel it has been corrupted by the RLDS, yet it can be found within the footnotes of their books. Please tell me who decides which verses were good to use and which verses were corrupted? Therefore, you cannot use the rest.

Most of the time, it will get the Mormon thinking without a response, but you also will get a stupid response here and there. There are 13 Articles of Faith, and number 8 says, “We believe the Bible to be the Word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the Word of God.” Personally, I like to use the J.S.T. on the Mormon. What I tend to do is prepare ahead verses I know I will use with the Mormon and check them in the J.S.T. If they are not found in the J.S.T. that means Joseph Smith did not mess with them. Then, I bring up a verse to the Mormon in the K.J.V. I remind him that if he uses the J.S.T. in his footnotes and God told Joseph Smith to finish the book and your church claims he did finish it, then, due to the fact that Joseph Smith did not change it, there is an implication that God was fine with the way it was. Therefore, we now can go on to what the verse means. For example, the Mormons believe in grace plus works. In Romans 3:28 it says, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” (K.J.V.) Now in Romans 3:28 of the J.S.T. it says, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith alone without the deeds of the law.”

Here is a mistake that no one caught, but can work to your benefit. I call it a mistake because the Mormon believes in grace plus works, but also down in verse 16 in the J.S.T it teaches grace plus works. The J.S.T. contradicts itself in this area, so point out how the Mormon Church teaches works, yet according to God, works is wrong. Another one would be in Isaiah where there are lots of verses that teach God knows of no other Gods besides Him. In the J.S.T., these verses were never messed with, so you can point out that they were never touched, therefore they must mean what they say.

The Mormon Church teaches what is called the pre-existence. They believe we were spirits born in heaven and then when we were born into earth here, we were born forgetting the pre-existence. It is more in-depth than this, but this is just a simple form of it. The thing I like to point out to the Mormon is in Job where God says to Job, “Where were you when I created the heavens and earth and did all that was done?” Tell the Mormon Titus and Hebrews point out that God cannot lie. If we were really with God before being sent to earth, why did God not just say to Job, “Don’t you remember when I did all this since you were with me?”

For God to say, “Where were you?” implies we were not there, otherwise God lied which it is impossible for Him to do. The Mormon will usually say that the Bible says, “I knew you before you were formed.” You can respond however you want, but I respond by saying that it is like a carpenter who puts plans on paper to build a house. He knows what the house looks like, even though plans are on paper and it is not built.

Another question I like to ask the Mormon is: “If the gospel means good news and you say you believe the good news, then what exactly is the good news of your belief?” They have always told me that it is the fact that the Mormon Church has “Living Prophets” and new “ongoing” revelations. It could change depending on the Mormon, but that is generally what I am told. I will then point out that if they have no hope of salvation and they have hundreds of laws to keep how is this good. To help you out with this logic, you can go to this website: (www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/followingthebrethren.htm. If an error occurs here, go to www.utlm.org. This is the Tanners web site. You should be able to find the Fourteen Fundamentals in following the Prophet. They were given at Brigham Young University and by the former Mormon Prophet/President Ezra Taft Benson. I don't think any Mormon would argue with you if you show them these. All 14 give scripture - both ours (“The Bible”) and theirs - to back these statements up.

I won’t list all 14, but I will list the ones I like the best and use most often with the list of questions I ask. These are directly quoted:

FIRST: The Prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.

SECOND: The living Prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.

THIRD: The living Prophet is more important to us than a dead Prophet.

FOURTH: The Prophet will never lead the Church astray.

SIXTH: The Prophet does not have to say “Thus saith the lord”, to give us scripture.

ELEVENTH: The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the Prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.

FOURTEENTH: The Prophet and the presidency--the living Prophet and the first presidency--follow them and be blessed--reject them and suffer.

You can use these anyway you want or how you feel the Lord is leading you. Here are some ways I use these sayings from the prophet. Remember, I pointed out how the Prophet Joseph Smith taught that the B.O.M. is the keystone to their religion in H.C. 4:46. In the book Teachings, on page 71 Joseph Smith said, “Take away the book of Mormon and the revelations and where is our religion.” Then, according to number 2, you could just throw away the B.O.M. and listen to the Prophet. Then if the Mormon says, “Well that is nonsense add number 3 and say Joseph Smith might have been a Prophet but he is now dead and the living Prophet supersedes the dead one. Then add number 4 to it also and say remember the Prophet will not lead the Church astray.

Now another one I like to ask Mormons and even people like the “Mormon answer man” is found in the J.S.T. on page 10 under the heading “Completion” possibly not final. It goes on to say “The angel who visited Joseph Smith on the night of September 21, 1823, quoted the Prophet Malachi as follows”

“For behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall burn as stubble, for they that cometh shall burn them saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch...

Behold, I will reveal unto you the priesthood by the hand of Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord...

And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers; if it were not so the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.”

It goes on to say “This differs at important points from the King James Version of Malachi, but the Inspired Version is identical with the King James Version.” The above verse is from chapter 4 in Malachi. Now some of the problems we have is this. In both versions it says “Thus saith the Lord” implying God said so, so did God forget what he said, otherwise the angel misquoted what the Lord spoke but then that also is problem. The next option is Joseph wrote it down wrong but then that would mean 2 things, 1. He was not a true Prophet of God and 2, he failed in his mission according to both D and C 1:14 and D and C 74 and according to former president Ezra Taft Benson who gave the 14 fundamentals of following the brethren. I have shown this to many Mormons as of yet nobody can seem to give me an answer, they all just say I don’t know what to tell you. The other thing about all this also is Joseph Smith did not included the book of Malachi in the J.S.T. which would imply to me, that nothing was wrong with that book, Therefore how could it be misquoted? I say nothing was wrong with it because the reason it was “Fixed” the bible that is, by Joseph Smith was God told him the Bible had errors in it (A of F number 8). And only this misquoted verse appears in the book so it really makes no sense?





Now lets look at a couple of the really stupid stories in the B.O.M. I would not say to a Mormon these stories are really stupid, I would say how could the B.O.M. be truly inspired with stories like these in it. I might only point out these stories as the Mormon is getting ready to leave, just say here is one last thing to think about when you read your B.O.M. and come across these stories.

This is one story I just recently came across as I read through the B.O.M. Read Alma chapter 55 and I will just point out a few things in this story. First in the Word of Wisdom found in D and C chapter 89 it teaches a Mormon is not allowed to drink alcohol. Now you might think this is not a major doctrine so why bother, here is why. I have pointed out to the Mormon Jesus drank wine and turned water to wine before, and they just responded that it was non-alcoholic wine, in other words just grape juice. So I would point out how Jesus was accused of being a drunkard and you cannot get drunk off of non-alcoholic wine.

Now here is where it relates to the story in Alma 55. In Hebrews 13:8 it says 8:Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. In Moroni 10:19 it also teaches that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But in Alma 55 we find that they were drinking wine to the point they got drunk, And this wine came from the Mormon prophet Moroni. Why can he drink wine but nobody else, This just tells me (my) God is a changing God.

Now more on this story is this. The Lamanites and Nephites were fighting each other and so the Nephites did not want to shed blood so they sent a few of there people over to the Lamanites camp pretending to be Lamanites and brought there wine and got them all drunk and when everybody was good and drunk they took them with out force.

Now to go along with a God who never changes lets add this. Black people today at one time were considered cursed by God and could never hold the priesthood. But later there was a revelation given by God that stated the blacks could hold the priesthood. This revelation was given in Salt Lake City in 1978,now this poses a problem? The problem is the black people are still black, and this implies they still have the mark of the curse. Yet we read in 3 Nephi 2:15 (And their curse was taken from them, and their skin became white like unto the Nephites). Why would God lift the cursed skin from these people back then but not today? Since 1978 till today is about 25 years. The Scriptures teach nothing is impossible for God, but appears it is, and as I pointed out the God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That would appear to be false also. Now for another good story. Read Ether 2:16-25

This story really makes God look stupid. In short the brother of Jared was told by God himself to build a barge, and it was built so airtight that the brother of Jared went back to God and said we have no light in side to see by and no air to breath. So then God tells him to drill a hole in the top and the bottom of the barge, then to put plugs in the hole to keep water from coming in. And God even states if you pull a plug and water comes in put the plug back in and pull the other plug instead, this implies water will come in.

I talked to a Mormon about this story once and pointed out how, if water comes in then it will displace air, therefore you will have less air to breath and eventually you will keep filling up with water to the point where it will sink or you will drown. Plus all the things in the ship will get destroyed by water. I pointed out how if you pull what you think is the plug up top implying you are upright and you pull it and water comes in then it means one of two things, you are either under water and therefore you would sink or you were turned upside down. And if you keep getting thrown about to the point where you cannot tell which way is up then you can or will be seriously hurt.

The response I received from the Mormon is (Rick) you just don’t understand fully what you just read. I really believe this is a good story to show how the B.O.M. cannot be inspired by God it really makes him look stupid. Ok now lets move on to things found in the B.O.M.

We will look at a few things you can point out and say did this really happen or how can this book be truly inspired with things like this in it. Just in about half of the book of Mormon I put together a list of around 110 things either really stupid or that are Christian theology taken from the bible that Mormon's deny like the trinity, or saved by grace alone. I will not list everything so it would be best if you go through and read it and put together your own list. A lot of what is listed is only parts of a verse to say on space and time, please read for context before pointing this stuff out to the Mormon. Nothing is twisted or taken out of context, I just do not want to make an entire book here so it is easier to just list the part I want to focus on.

1 Nephi 1:2: The Jews use the language of the Egyptians.

1 Nephi 1:8: And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision, even that he saw the heavens open, and he THOUGHT HE SAW GOD sitting upon his throne.

How can you say I thought I saw god? You either did or did not.

1 Nephi 16:18: And it came to pass that as I Nephi, went forth to slay food, behold, I did break my bow, which was made of fine steel.

How can you break a bow made of fine steel? You could take cheap steel and beat it over a rock or on something very hard and try as you might you will have a really hard time trying to break it. Also if you have a bow you will do all you can not to use it in such a way as to possibly break it in such a careless manor.

Enos 20: They ate raw meat.

Every body knows Gold, Diamonds and Pearls are rare therefore most precious but have you ever heard of ZIFF as a precious metal.

Mosiah 11:8: Ziff (a precious thing) king Noah used. To this day it has never been heard of or found. It must be really precious and rare to still be undiscovered.

Alma 10:4-9: First the guy (Amulek) in this story says in verses 5:Never the less after all this I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his mysteries and marvelous power. I say I never had known much of these things; but behold; I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power.

So which is it? Then it goes on to say that Amulek admits he openly rebelled against God and is living in rebellion to Him. Then God sends and Angel to him telling him I will use you this day to feed a Prophet of God. That would be like God speaking to Charles Mansion and saying I will use you this day to feed Billy Graham.

Now in Alma 10:17: This same Amulek who just admitted he was rebelling against God, so we know it is not an Angel in the form of a man or God himself in the form of a man goes on in verse 17 to say he (Amulek) perceived their thoughts. How can a mortal man know your thoughts or read your mind so to speak. Only God can do this. It is not stated that God gave him the power to do so. In case a Mormon says this is the reason it happened.

Alma 13:18: Claims Melchizedek had a Father, this denies the Bible.

Alma 19:29: Jesus is mentioned but the date is B.C. 90. The reason why this is mentioned is because Jesus took the queen by the hand and lifted her up. But there are many verses that talk about the “Coming” in the future time of Jesus. So is he coming or is he here already?

Alma 21:6: We do believe God will save ALL men. Well they believe wrong because we know not all men will be saved. The B.O.M. even teaches some will go to hell?

Alma 24:19: And thus we see that they buried their weapons of peace, or they buried the weapons of war, for peace. Which is it?

Now lets move on to the Doctrine in the B.O.M.

Most of this will be self explanatory otherwise if needed it will be explained why it is here.

First the phrase “And it came to pass” is used something like 1,600 times in the B.O.M. I am not sure of the exact number. But this phrase alone would remove around 20 pages of the B.O.M alone.

1 Nephi 2:19: And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying; blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart. This is listed because he searched for God and it would stand to reason he search the scriptures. And many Mormons only pray about this not search them.

1 Nephi 3:7: The Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. In other words the Mormon is taught to live according to the law, but they fail at this. According to this verse they should not fail and should be able to fulfill the entire law if this is what God real requires of them as they are taught.

1 Nephi 11:21: Behold the Lamb of God yea, even the son of the Eternal Father. If you need to pull out the dictionary to define Everlasting or Endless with the Mormon I suggest you do it. According to this verse and others in the B.O.M. they state God is Eternal or Endless yet on pg 345 of Teachings it says God was one a man that exalted to Godhood.

To prove this point out D and C 132:4 to the Mormons and they will think you are going to argue the issue of plural wives. Verse 4:For behold, I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant. Ask what exactly everlasting means. This is how you can get them to define everlasting in their words. Then go back to the dictionary and the issue of god.

1 Nephi 11:32: Everlasting God

1 Nephi 13:6: I beheld this great and Abominable Church; and I saw the devil was the foundation of it. Here is an example of how if the Mormon says you’re picking on my Church, let them know this is how they view our church. Anyone that is not part of there Church belongs to the Devil.

1 Nephi 13:40: That the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be Saved. First it says the lamb who is Jesus is the Son of God, This is important because there are verses that say the Devil is an Angel. If Jesus was an Angel then how can he know be a son.

I know they will say we will all be sons some day. Point out in Hebrews 1:5 For which of the Angels did he ever say: You are my son today I have begotten you. Hebrews 5:5 repeats this. Then add to this Titus 1:2 God cannot lie. Hebrews 6:18, It is impossible for God to lie. Now the Mormon might say well we don't trust the Bible because it is corrupted, so point out Enos 6: And I Enos, knew that God could not lie.

So go back to Hebrews 1:5 and 5:5. Point out this is God saying this and he cannot lie. If they stay and continue to talk you’re doing good.

2 Nephi 2:7-9: These verses say Jesus offers himself as a sacrifice for Sin, to answer the ends of the law. And that no flesh can dwell in the presence of God save it be through the merits and mercy, and grace of the holy messiah who layth down his life. They that believe in him should be saved. No mention anywhere of any works. Again God cannot lie.

Mormons believe God is Omniscience meaning knows all things, as do I. My point in this is, if I can see no mention of works in these verses and it leads me to believe no works are needed to be saved, and therefore if they really are needed then I would think God is smart enough to figure this out. And not leave me with many unanswered questions that would cause me to not be saved.

2 Nephi 2:17-18: Teaches the Devil was an Angel of God and fell from heaven then deceived Adam and Eve to cause them to get kicked out of the garden. Yet Mormons believe it was God’s design for this to happen. I don't believe it was Gods design for Lucifer to fall, he had free will and chose to fall. I don't believe he was created to become evil.

2 Nephi 9:8-9: Says God the Father is Eternal and that we can end up like Lucifer being shut out in misery forever. No mention of a second chance or baptism after death.

2 Nephi 24:12-15: These verses are very much like Isaiah talking about the fall of Lucifer from Heaven. This verse says Lucifer was thrown out of Heaven for trying to be like the most High God. What is good about this verse is it goes against what Mormons believe about Jesus and Lucifer going to God with there own plans for the redemption of earth.

It also says, God is the most High God. How can this be so if God had a Father who before him was a God. If it is the Mormons goal to attain Godhood why was it wrong for Lucifer to try doing the same thing?

2 Nephi 26:12: Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God. Notice it says THE Eternal God. Was Jesus an Angel that became a God or is he GOD?

2 Nephi 27:12: This verse is speaking about the B.O.M. it does not mention the book by name but it mentions being viewed by 3 witnesses and how they shall testify of it’s Truth. So if this book is true why do Mormons not truly believe these things. Mormon Doctrine that is used today truly goes against the teachings of the B.O.M.

To go along with the last verse here is,

2 Nephi 31:21: And now, Behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven where by man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the Doctrine of Christ, and the only and True Doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God with out end. Amen. The Trinity and Salvation with out works is also mentioned.

Jacob 1:19: Says if we do not teach the word of God with all diligence, then the blood of the people will be upon our heads. Point out as the Mormon is getting ready to leave, because they feel you are just picking on them that they are following this verse by leaving. Point out that they are not enduring like the Mormons of old. Then add for fun this next verse as they are leaving.

Alma 26:29-30 29: And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their synagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks; and we have been stoned, and taken and bound with strong cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God we have been delivered again. 30: And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some.

Now remember we are not letting the Mormon in to teach us. But the Mormon thinks he/she is doing that. Yet when we point out error they tend to run. Just say how can I truly believe if I notice a perceived problem, yet just overlook it and believe it in blind faith. In light of Scriptures teaching to search the Scriptures, and when Scriptures teach you have the “Truth” yet you wont share it. Point out they most likely had questions themselves and someone took the time to talk and not run. See where I'm going here?

Jacob 3:11: That ye may not become Angels to the Devil, to be cast into that lake of fire and brimstone which is the second death. Mormons deny the hell, Christians believe in.

Jacob 6:10: And according to the power of justice, for justice cannot be denied, ye must go away into that lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke ascendeth up forever and ever, which lake of fire and brimstone is endless torment.

Jacob 7:23

Alma 14:1 17:2 33:2: All say search the Scriptures, which the Mormons don’t seem to do.

Mosiah 1:6: O my sons, I would that ye should remember that these sayings are true, and also that these records are true. This is referring to all the records that end up forming the B.O.M.

If these things are true then ask why Mormonism denies these teachings.

Mosiah 3:5: The lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all Eternity to Eternity. So was God, God in the beginning or was he a man that became a God?

Mosiah 3:11-13: Says Jesus Blood Atones, for sin of fallen man. And Salvation only comes through faith and repentance in Christ alone. No mention of works. It also says, Christ sent his Holy Prophets to declare this to us.

Mosiah 3:17-19: Salvation only in the name of Christ, no works mentioned.

Mosiah 7:26-28: Christ is the Father God. Not a God.

Mosiah 12:31-34: Now it teaches you must follow the law to be saved. So which is it, grace alone, or by works.

Mosiah 15:1-5: This teaches the Trinity, and that God the Father is Eternal.

Mosiah 28:3: The Gospel should be declared unto every creature, because their is endless torment that awaits them other wise.

Mosiah 28:7: Eternal life by believing. No mention of good works or having to enter the temple to be saved.

Alma 3:26-27: People judged according to their works. Resulting in Eternal joy or misery. No mention of second chance or baptism for the dead.

Mosiah 15:26-27: If you die in your Sins you will perish for the Lord cannot redeem you after death. So much for second chance theology or baptism for the dead.

Mosiah 25:13-18: People are baptizing with no mention of having any priesthood authority to do so.

Mosiah 26:22-27: People that are redeemed by Christ can sit on his right hand in heaven. No mention of 3 degrees of glory. Also if you are not redeemed you will burn in everlasting fire.

Mosiah 26:30-35: As often as you repent you will be Forgiven. This denies Mormon Doctrine and the Miracle of Forgiveness. Did Spencer Kimbal not read this part?

Alma 7:10: The Virgin Mary was over shadowed. This denies what Mormons teach and the verse I already quoted.

Alma 10:2: Handwriting on the wall. This is similar to the account in Daniel.

Alma 10:28: Some one is called a child of the Devil. Mormons teach we are all brothers. Even brothers of Lucifer. Many Mormons have told me Lucifer is there brother. But the context in this saying does not imply we are all brothers as Mormons teach.

Alma 11:21-41: A debate between to people asking if there is only one true God or not. Turns out there is only one true God.

Alma 11:44: The Trinity, Which Mormonism denies.

Alma 12:14-17: Judgment according to our works, ending in a second death.

Alma 13:7-9: Jesus no beginning of days.

Alma 13:20: The Scriptures are before you. (B.O.M.) If you deny them it is to your own destruction.

Alma 19:36: The Spirit was poured out upon all people. This is important because Mormonism teaches the Spirit can only be in one place at one time. So how can he be poured out upon many people at one time. Page 359, in M.D under Holy Ghost says (He can only be in one place at one time). Then on page 753, of M.D under Spirit of the Lord it says (The Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit, he constitutes the third person in the Trinity, the Godhead). It is interesting they mention the Trinity in this manor when they deny the Trinity.

Also on page 753, it goes on to say (The Spirit which is the Holy Ghost is a revelator). So point out the Holy Spirit is the Holy Ghost and the Holy Ghost or Spirit according to Apostle Bruce m, can only be in one place at one time. Did he not read Alma 19:36?

Alma 21:9: Redemption through Christ alone. No works or temple service mentioned.

Alma 24:9-11: There is forgiveness for the person(s) who commit murder. This denies the teachings of Spencer Kimbal in the book Miracle. Again did he not read this part?

According to Mormonism the atonement took place in the garden of Gethsemane not on the Cross. It happened when Jesus sweated great drops of blood. Yet in this next verse it says,

Alma 24:13: Through the Blood of the Son of our great God, which shall be SHED for the atonement of our sins. Notice it did not say sweated, and you cannot shed blood by sweating.

Alma 26:14: The most High God. Again if there is a God(s) above God the Father how can he be the most High?

Mormons pray for a burning in the bosom to know if the B.O.M. is true. Yet in this next verse it denies that.

Alma 30:43-46 Korihor asks Alma for a sign to prove God is real. Alma rebukes him saying the Scriptures are laid out, You also have the testimony of the Holy Prophets and the creation as a sign. And he rebukes him harshly, Show this to Mormons when they mention the burning in the bosom.

Alma 30:60: Says the Devil drags people to Hell. I thought there was no Hell?

Well this is only really just a few verses out of the hundreds. This is only half the book at best. So now let’s take a look at the Book Doctrines of Salvation. This book was put out in 1956, it is now out of print. I believe you could find it in a used bookstore, or get a copy off of ebay. Most Mormons I met have this or read it so they already should be familiar with it.

This is the thing I want to point out. Joseph Smith said. “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book”. History of the Church vol 4, pg 461 and Mormon Doctrine pg 99 under Book of Mormon.

He also said “Take away the book of Mormon and the revelations, and where is our religion? We have none” Teachings pg 71, and pg 99 of M.D also. But now in Doctrines of Salvation vol 3, pg 198 Joseph F Smith 10th president and Prophet of the Church said, “In my judgment there is no book on earth yet come to man as important as the book known as the Doctrine and Covenants, with all due respect to the Book of Mormon, and the Bible, and the Pearl of Great Price, which we say our standards in Doctrine. The book of Doctrine and Covenants to us stands in a peculiar position above them all.”

I am going to tell you why. When I say that do not for a moment think I do not value the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and the Pearl of Great Price, just as much as any man that lives; I think I do. I do not know of anybody who has read them more and I appreciate them; they are wonderful; they contain Doctrine and Revelation and Commandments that we should heed; but the Bible is a History containing the Doctrine and Commandments given to the people anciently. That applies also to the Book of Mormon. It is the Doctrine and the History and the Commandments of the people who dwelt upon this continent anciently.

But this Doctrine and Covenants contains the word of God to those who dwell here now. It is our book. It belongs to the Latter-Day Saints. More precious than gold, the Prophet says we should treasure it more than the riches of the whole earth.

Notice he said about the B.O.M. It is Doctrine and History of people that dwelt here. Yet Joseph Smith said the B.O.M contains the fullness of the Everlasting Gospel. It would appear as if another Prophet of the Church disagrees with him. But lets go one step further with this thought. Lets add what Ezra Taft Benson said, who also happens to be a Prophet and President of the Church as these two were also.

Under the 14 fundamentals of following the brethren, it says under number 2 “The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works”. Of these 3 prophets who is right? They all disagree on what is the most important. Remember number 4 says the “Prophet will never lead the Church astray.” They’re not necessarily leading the Church astray, but there is confusion as to who is right.

If the D and C is more important then the B.O.M. why is it not passed out by the Mormon Missionary’s. Yet if the Prophet is more important, why pass out any book? It leaves to many questions. If it is true that the B.O.M. is nothing more then a recorded of ancient people, then how can I get nearer to God by reading it as Joseph Smith states?

Now let me touch on the Journal of Discourses. I personally like to talk about the Adam God Doctrine. But whatever topic you choose from the Journals, I find most Mormons will say we don’t use or trust them because they were written in short hand and cannot be accurate. They might also say they did not have the same technology back then as we do today that is why they do not trust it..

I will point out a few things. 1. In the newspaper almost daily I see a section set-aside for corrections. If we can make many mistakes today with our “Technogaly” then we should except they also were not perfect.

2. When I discuss Adam God, Mormons, say that was just his mere opinion. Point out that the “Prophet will not lead the Church” astray number 4. The Prophet does not have to say “Thus saith the lord” to give us Scripture. number 6. If he does not need to say “Thus saith the Lord”, then how can we decide if he is giving us Scripture or his mere opion.

To show it was not mere opion read to then the Adam God teaching, and show them the part that says this. “My next sermon will be to both Saint and Sinner.” “One thing has remained a mystery in this kingdom up to this day.” This does not sound like mere opion. He goes on to later say, “Every man upon the earth, professing Christian or non professing, must here it, and will know it sooner or later.”

Now for the best part. “Now let all who may hear these Doctrines, pause before they make light of them, or treat them with indifference, for they will prove their Salvation or Damnation.” Notice he said they are Doctrines. Then in volume 13 B Young says on pg 95, “I have never yet preached a sermon and sent it out to the children of men, that they may not call Scripture.” On page 264 of volume 13 Orson Hyde another Apostle of the Church said, “When B Young sends forth his Discourses they are as good as Scripture found in the Bible.”

If this still does not get the Mormon thinking, you can point out in both the Mormon Encyclopedia and M.D. That they both say that the, (King Follet Discourses) given by J Smith in volume 6, is his greatest sermon ever given. A lot of today's doctrine comes from that sermon, so why can they pick and chose from the Journals yet I cannot.

You can also point out that in 1925 the Mormon church put out a book called (Discourses of B Young). They republished it in the mid 50’s. The entire book is sayings of B Young taken from the Journal of Discourses. The Church feels most of what he said was good. It is funny though that between the 1925 edition and the 50’s edition there have been around 200 pages removed.

One other thing you can show the Mormon is page 216 in volume 14 of the J.O.D. president George A Smith said “If a faith will not bear to be investigated; if it’s preachers and professors are afraid to have it examined, their foundation must be very weak.”

Well it is my goal to better equip the saints to witness to Mormons. This is just a small amount of information in reality to what is really out there. I am trying to give some ideas on how to possibly approach Mormonism, with the books most people have or can get. I also just showed a few things with the “Rare” or hard to get books for people who either have them or will get them.

It is my desire to see Mormons come to Christ, If anyone would like to write me with questions or looking for ideas please feel free to write me at my email account. It is (rickshelli@hotmail.com) please put in the subject line Mormonism so I know it is not junk mail or a virus. Please feel free to hand out this information to who ever you feel will benefit from it. This is to be given freely to help equip the saints. I pray this will be a blessing to all who need the help and read it. RICK BEAUDIN.