The Book of Mormon can be (and still is) true without the Mormon Church being true. That which was "the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased" on November 1, 1831, (see D&C 1:30) isn't necessarily true -- or even the same church -- today. (Mormons share their fate with Catholics.)
The Mormon Church is almost NOTHING LIKE the religion, faith and organization Jesus established 2000 years ago. ALMOST NOTHING LIKE IT. Behold their fruits!
Jesus' apostles DID and SAID things almost NOTHING LIKE what modern Mormon "apostles" do and say today.
The Lord's disciples KNEW and testified of CHRIST (not just His NAME). They KNEW Christ. Personally. He visited them. They testified that He was (and is) the true and living God! They knew HIM by PERSONAL experiences with Him!
That was as true with Peter and Paul and Moses and Mahonri as it was with Nephi and Jacob, Moroni and Joseph Smith. They KNEW Him! They SAW Him! They MET with Him! They SPOKE with Him! Face to face!
These "false prophets" of Mormonism today -- who say they are His true "apostles": which of them bears that same testimony? To which of these has He given His word and power, to perform His mighty works, like them of old? Which of your modern Mormon leaders have looked upon our Savior and received instructions from His hand, as did the brother of Jared? Who has felt the marks in His hands and in His side, as did Thomas or Nephi (son of Nephi)? Who has gazed upon His face and received the word of the Lord from His lips, as did Joseph Smith or Oliver Cowdery?
Which of your Mormon "prophets" today (since the time of Joseph Smith) truly KNOWS the Lord (not just "knows a lot about Him") and can TRULY speak in His name? Where are your TRUE "prophets, seers and revelators" who truly prophesy, see and reveal?
The TRUTH is more ignoble than you Mormons pretend. Like the Catholics, you hearken back to having "keys", but have little to show for it.
The Mormons were commanded to build a temple, which the Lord promised to "come to and restore again that which was lost unto you, or which he hath taken away, even the fulness of the priesthood" (D&C 124:28).
You see there, Mormons? By November 19, 1841, you did NOT have "the fulness of the priesthood"! It had been taken away, or withheld, from you! You didn't have it! Even though you had Joseph Smith in your midst!
The Mormons were given "sufficient time" to build a house unto God (v. 31), otherwise, "if you do not these things at the end of the appointment ye shall be rejected as a church, with your dead, saith the Lord your God" (v. 32). The Mormons were promised, among other things, that if they did as they were commanded, they would "not be moved out of their place" (v. 45).
"46 But if they will not hearken to my voice, nor unto the voice of these men whom I have appointed, they shall not be blest, because they pollute mine holy grounds, and mine holy ordinances, and charters, and my holy words which I give unto them.
47 And it shall come to pass that if you build a house unto my name, and do not do the things that I say, I will not perform the oath which I make unto you, neither fulfil the promises which ye expect at my hands, saith the Lord.
48 For instead of blessings, ye, by your own works, bring cursings, wrath, indignation, and judgments upon your own heads, by your follies, and by all your abominations, which you practice before me, saith the Lord." (D&C 124:46-48.)
47 And it shall come to pass that if you build a house unto my name, and do not do the things that I say, I will not perform the oath which I make unto you, neither fulfil the promises which ye expect at my hands, saith the Lord.
48 For instead of blessings, ye, by your own works, bring cursings, wrath, indignation, and judgments upon your own heads, by your follies, and by all your abominations, which you practice before me, saith the Lord." (D&C 124:46-48.)
Unfortunately, the Mormons did NOT do as they were commanded and they WERE moved out of their place. Their bloody footprints in the snow leading across the frozen Mississippi River in February, 1846, attested to that fact. The Mormons were scattered, smitten, afflicted and driven into the wilderness -- leaving a trail of frozen, broken bodies in their wake -- WITHOUT the fulness of the priesthood, by which they MIGHT have come back into God's presence and enjoyed the powers of godliness in their flesh. (See D&C 84:19-26.)
But they did not.
The Lord did NOT come to the partially-finished, secretly dedicated structure in Nauvoo offered half-heartedly by the saints as a token of their faith in God (or His messengers). Nor (that we know of) has He come to any such Mormon temple since (the dubious account proffered by Lorenzo Snow's posterity, notwithstanding). God's glory did NOT shine in Nauvoo as it had in Kirtland. In fact, Joseph and Hyrum (God's appointed successor to Joseph) were taken from their midst.
The Mormons were "rejected as a church, with [their] dead".
Consequently, the Mormon's boastful claim to being the Lord's "only true and living church" is a GROSS misrepresentation of the facts and a solemn mockery of God, ignoring His testimony and His witness. The Mormons have transformed their tale of misery and woe into a modern pageant of victory and success! They do so ignorantly -- like the Jews of Jesus' day, held in bondage by the Romans -- being foolishly taught the traditions and precepts of men (their leaders). (See 2 Nephi 28:14.)
Look at that video again. Neither Jesus Christ nor Joseph Smith ever built a chapel. Today the Mormon Church has THOUSANDS of them, costing MILLIONS of dollars each. Where your treasure is, there shall your heart be also.
The Mormon Church is different from, but just like, all those other churches.
In fact, for a better appreciation of ALL that modern Mormonism is (and will become), read ALL of 2 Nephi 28. By and large, THIS is Mormonism -- not the "complete restoration of Jesus Christ's original Church on earth"...unless, of course, you're referring to the "apostate" church that formed immediately after Christ's TRUE prophets and apostles were killed. If THAT'S the case, then, yes, the Mormon Church IS that church, indeed.
You have been warned. Do not be deceived.
The lie in the video above is this: "He [Jesus] created a church -- A PLACE where believers could learn and live the things He taught."
ReplyDeleteThis is not true. Jesus did no such thing.
Rather, He sent men and women out to testify of Him, saying "Come unto me"! (Not to any "church".) He didn't build up chapels or erect cathedrals. He didn't form any organization that propped up men on pedestals to be "followed" in His stead. He taught, rather, that such envy and preferential ambition was of the devil. You would know His true disciples by their fruits.
The modern Mormon Church has "co-opted" the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ given to Joseph Smith. What they've done with it is a FAR CRY from what Jesus taught (and what He wanted for us). I know VERY FEW Mormons who even speak of Christ outside of any church service, in any PERSONAL sense. They are "Churchians", not Christians.
By and large, you will NOT find Jesus in ANY Mormon church (or any OTHER church, for that matter), though you may still be pointed in His direction.
Thank you Will.
ReplyDeleteIt is a very appropriate time of year to point out loud and clear that it is the LIVING CHRIST we must worship; not the LDS church, or its corporate structure, or its leaders, or its largely fabricated history, or its programs, or its educational facilities, or its malls, or its high rise apartments, or even its missionary program. These things are all trappings of the modern day, American born, catholic church, led by the modern day American born pope and its college of LDS cardinals complete with their red plush velvet thrones on the podium of power.
Happy Christmas to you my brother.
James Russell Uhl
And Merry Christmas to you, James, my beloved friend!
DeleteWill, I've been reading your blog now for some time and have always been treated to wisdom and understanding with every post. This one is no exception.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis is salient to the efforts on which each of us ought to be currently engaged--preparing ourselves to be gathered to Zion. That is an individual effort and requires the dismissal of pride and our unforgiving nature. It is not dependent on "church."
I marvel at the programming and coercive conditioning members of the LDS church allow themselves to remain under. Robots with a common wi-fi link couldn't be more in lock step. After November's Testimony Meeting in our ward, I wrote a blog about this including the following comment:
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Virtually all those who bore their testimony this morning said one common thing: “I know the church is true.” None ever explained or in any way expressed what they meant by that statement other than to say that Joseph Smith restored it and, therefore, it is true. Actually, my testimony would modify that slightly: The Lord restored the church by His prophet Joseph Smith. But why quibble? Still, what about the modern church? This is not the church Joseph established any more than the United States of America is the government the Founders established. Both have changed by unrighteous dominion into organizations that do not resemble the originals in any but the most superficial ways.
So in what way is the modern church true? Are the foundations of the buildings at their proper angles? Are the corporate papers in order? Is the City Creek Mall making a profit? Are the 15 men at the top managing the corporate affairs according to the will of the Lord? Notwithstanding a dearth of evidence or personal testimony, have any of the 15 at the top ever been in the presence of the Lord and received the Second Comforter and their calling and election made sure? Is that how the church is true? I am interested in exactly why these people would testify as such but they never explain it.
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I couldn't bear to testify in our meeting so I spent the third hour writing a blog post instead. I weep at the destruction of the beginnings of what could have been so sweet. Joseph was up against all the powers of Hell but still laid enough groundwork for those with eyes to see and ears to hear.
Keep up the wonderful work and I'll keep listening.
Michael
Cogent remarks, beautifully expressed, Micheal George. Thank you for sharing!
DeleteI'm glad to know my meanderings, flailings and failings here bring comfort and focus to some. I do not write to serve as a guide for anyone to "follow" me. I share my experiences here as a warning about what NOT to do!
A friend of mine once told me about his participation in a month-long survival outing. Unlike the "fatties" and "layabouts" who stepped off the bus with him on that first day of the trek, he came "prepared." He was hard and fit and lean. Yet his very "strength" eventually became his biggest weakness!
After a month of living on a starvation diet and heavy regimen of intense, physical exertion, he was broken down...on the verge of exhaustion, fatigue and collapse. Meanwhile, the fatties and layabouts became firm, trim and fit! They had energy in reserves! They did great!
On the last bend on the last leg of their month-long journey, my friend was confronted by a starving waif who begged him for his coat. She was so cold and hungry and tired. She cried, saying "I'm so cold! I can't go on! May I please have your coat?"
But my friend, being cold and tired and hungry himself, couldn't bring himself to part with his only comfort. He needed it to keep himself alive, he thought, during the many miles yet to go (he assumed), lying ahead. He passed by her saying "I'm so sorry".
Then he turned the corner...and saw that he'd reached the finish line, just a few feet away. Warmth and food and comforts awaited him! He could have made it NAKED if he had to...he didn't NEED that coat after all! But, still, he kept it, thinking he needed it...and left that girl to die.
He never forgave himself for doing that. And I've never forgotten that lesson.
We don't know how long or little we have to live on this globe. Many of us trust there will be warmth and love and comfort hereafter, but we are willing to part now with what we have, even to those in need? We "keep it" to ourselves.
I don't know where the finish line is. My friend shared his story of not knowing to serve as a warning to each of us: don't do as I did! Don't give up on helping others! You never know when the "finish line" comes until you get there! All that "stuff" you accumulate to "save" yourself will only cause you agony unless you GIVE IT AWAY!
My record here is not meant to be a tale of success. My life is one unrelenting "failure" after another (punctuated only by perceived "success").
What is success? The absence of pain? The cessation of challenges?
My friend sought to end his pain and surmount his challenges by keeping his coat. Was he "successful"?
I'm just as inclined to "keep my coat" as you are. The CHALLENGE we face is giving our coats away when we THINK we need them MOST!
I can't even image what I will do without my "coat", given to me by my Father. It has now been torn to shreds and stained in blood. I doubt it's mendable. I'm now separated from my family, too. I'm cast into a pit! I assume I will soon find myself in bondage, in a strange land. I CANNOT IMAGINE life for me without my loved one. I cannot see the day to come -- or even one FOOT ahead of me! The mists of darkness are THICK!
Even so, I'm leaving this record behind so that others will understand where I've been and NOT follow me, perhaps forging a better trail.