I love Tad Callister's testimony of the Book of Mormon. It is riveting, inspiring and convincing! I'm grateful for the church that allows and enables him to preach this message.
Unfortunately, he misleads and deceives his audience -- in the very first sentence of his talk, after giving us the title -- by arguing a logical fallacy, namely:
"Because the Book of Mormon is 'the keystone of our religion,' as described by Joseph Smith, the Church rises or falls on the truth of it."
This is only partly true.
If that book is false, the LDS Church CAN'T be true! It would be based on a lie.
But while the LDS Church can fall, it can never stand on the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.
Why?
Because many OTHER churches, organizations and people, including non-members of the LDS Church -- like me! -- ALSO regard the Book of Mormon to be their faith's foundational text.
By Callister's logic, are they/we ALSO just as "true" as the LDS Church because the Book of Mormon is true?
No, Callister is using the Book of Mormon as a "prop" standing in for the LDS Church's claim to divine and exclusive priesthood authority -- which it cannot otherwise substantiate and does not have, since it does not manifest the gifts, nor can it identify when, where, or how that authority was effectively received, retained, or transmitted.
For example, Brigham Young was never ordained a high priest. How, then, could he be the "president of the high priesthood"? (He merely got himself elected!) How did Peter, James and John confer priesthood authority on the Saints? (Where is the contemporary record and account of that event?) Joseph ordained his brother, Hyrum (not Brigham), to be his successor, but Hyrum died before Joseph.
Besides, the LDS Church's doctrines, practices and organization HARDLY resemble ANYTHING described in the Book of Mormon -- except as one of the APOSTATE churches teaching FALSE doctrines the book predicts will exist when the book comes forth (see 2 Ne. 28).
For example, regarding race:
The Book of Mormon (published in 1830) teaches that "[the Lord] inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God" (see 2 Ne. 26:33).
Consequently, Joseph Smith ordained blacks to the priesthood and authorized them to receive and administer gospel ordinances.
But after Joseph's death, Brigham Young (Joseph's successor/usurper) stopped that, reversing what Joseph had done. Under Brigham's leadership, the Church denied priesthood ordination and other "essential" saving ordinances to blacks for over100 years, concocting various theories and "reasons" for doing so.
In its published essay "Race and the Priesthood," the modern LDS Church has stated the following:
"Today, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, or that it reflects unrighteous actions in a premortal life; that mixed-race marriages are a sin; or that blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else. Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form."
Thus the modern LDS Church has thrown under the bus its own "racist" doctrines, practices, and teachings...and the racist "prophets" who peddled such falsehoods prior to 1978.
Regarding polygamy:
Joseph Smith, the translator of the Book of Mormon, and his appointed successor, Hyrum Smith, invariably preached AGAINST polygamy, excommunicating (or otherwise disciplining) anyone they found engaging in the practice.
Both were murdered, however, in 1844...in a room shared with two acknowledged secret supporters and practitioners of polygamy. (One of these "survivors," John Taylor, later became the president of the LDS Church, but remained in hiding from the law throughout his tenure. The other, Dr. Willard Richards, is on record having "doctored" journals and other "official" records of the church, including Joseph Smith's own history, to make these records better conform to and support Brigham Young's teachings.)
8 years after the murders, confessed secret polygamist and would-be next LDS "prophet" Brigham Young introduced polygamy to the general body of the saints who "followed" him to Utah. There he claimed Joseph had received a "secret" revelation not just authorizing but commanding polygamy and that Joseph himself had been a closet polygamist!
Joseph's first and only publicly acknowledged wife, Emma, however, together with Joseph's entire family, vehemently denied this claim. Furthermore, they refused to "follow" Brigham to Utah.
Brigham's claim is further challenged by his own admission that he practiced polygamy BEFORE Joseph received his alleged revelation! (Brigham justified doing so by saying he received his own "revelation," independent of Joseph's, authorizing the practice, while he was in England.)
The "official" revelation Brigham attributed to Joseph (D&C 132) was written in a manner and style unknown to Joseph, but typical of Brigham! It states that the Lord "justified...Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as also Moses, David and Solomon...as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines" (see D&C 132:1).
But this contradicts the Bible. Isaac was a monogamist.
It also directly contradicts the Book of Mormon -- which Brigham rarely quoted in his sermons and, almost certainly, seldom read -- denouncing David and Solomon's practice of polygamy:
"24 Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord.
25 Wherefore, thus saith the Lord, I have led this people forth out of the land of Jerusalem, by the power of mine arm, that I might raise up unto me a righteous branch from the fruit of the loins of Joseph.
26 Wherefore, I the Lord God will not suffer that this people shall do like unto them of old.
27 Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none;
28 For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts." (Jacob 2.)
It's highly unlikely Joseph would receive a revelation from God authorizing polygamy, contradicting the very book he called the "keystone of our religion."
Brigham and his followers went on to claim that polygamy was not only authorized, but preferred(!) by heaven, and that the practice was ETERNALLY "essential" for salvation. (As "proof" that Brigham was lying, the modern LDS Church no longer preaches or practices polygamy, but condemns and excommunicates all who do.)
Curiously, the LDS Church STILL contends that polygamy is a divinely-ordained "principle" and that God will "destroy" any woman who rejects it when it is taught and offered to her by a man having priesthood authority (like Brigham Young). No intimidation there! (See D&C 132:37, 64.)
About paid ministers:
The Book of Mormon teaches that ministers of the gospel, as a rule, should not be paid for their services. (See Mosiah 18:24-28; Alma 1:3, 5, 12, 26-27; 30:32-35.)
But by monopolizing the economic activity of the saints, Brigham Young, as president and "prophet" of the LDS Church, amassed a personal fortune, becoming Utah's first governor and millionaire, and the richest man west of the Mississippi.
Today's current LDS "prophet," Russell M. Nelson, -- as "corporate sole" owner of the LDS Church -- sits atop a vast empire valued at over $200 BILLION! Top leaders of the Church receive a "modest stipend" (salary) of six figures and have access to private cars, planes, resorts, and "unlimited" expense accounts (to be "tapped" at their discretion).
Over $100 billion of that wealth is comprised of real estate, including meeting houses (costing millions of dollars each), ornate temples (costing tens of millions of dollars each) and luxury condo complexes and shopping malls (costing BILLIONS of dollars each).
By contrast, the Book of Mormon condemns building "fine sanctuaries" at the expense of the poor (see 2 Ne. 28:13). A recent lawsuit revealed that the LDS Church gives less than 1% of its tithing receipts to the poor and 0% of its business proceeds go to charity.
Nephi's temple was humble in comparison to Solomon's. Nephi wrote that he would have used more "precious" materials to build it, had they been available. (Old customs and expectations die hard! See 2 Ne. 5:16.)
Wicked Nephite king Noah not only "restored" Solomon's "condemned" practice of polygamy (having many wives and concubines himself), but also built "many elegant and spacious buildings," including a temple, at the people's expense. (See Mosiah 11:1-10.)
Brigham Young used LDS Church funds (including the profits from many LDS Church businesses he controlled) to build a mansion for himself and his many wives. (No similarity there!)
In short:
The Book of Mormon teaches NOTHING in support of temple endowments, blood atonement for one's own sins, revenge oaths, taking multiple wives, secret societies or other works of darkness, Masonic rituals, "following a prophet," exercising priesthood "keys," denying ordinances or priesthood to anyone because of race or the sexual orientation or activity of one's parents, Etc.
The Book of Mormon simply contains the fullness of the gospel: that Jesus is the Christ, the Living God, the Eternal Father of heaven and earth, who made Himself flesh, taking upon Himself our infirmities, and atoning for our sins upon condition of our repentance, by obedience to Him, exercising faith in His ability to save, cleanse, and ultimately perfect us, receiving His Holy Spirit.
The LDS Church today disavows the teachings of its former "prophets" Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Etc. Its leaders have changed, done away with, or reversed the Church's doctrines, practices, ordinances, teachings, covenants and histories MANY times, even in my lifetime! (How doesn't that make them "false prophets"? I don't know.)
Precisely BECAUSE the Book of Mormon is true, the LDS Church CAN'T be true. It MUST be false.
That's a sad irony.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Sunday, January 12, 2020
On Polygamy and Religion
The following thoughts occurred to me this morning:
Joseph Smith taught and practiced a doctrine and system of religion that involved people -- men and men, women and women, and men and women -- being "sealed" to each other (in ways that are not altogether clear now) for both here and hereafter.
Joseph believed that people could be "sealed" together in marriages, families, kindreds, even nations! He believed a covenant people could be "sealed" to God, both as a group and as individuals.
Men and women were sealed (by Joseph and others) as husband and wife for "time and all eternity." When one of these spouses died, the survivor -- according to Joseph, Hyrum, and the doctrine of the church -- was at liberty to marry again.
Some argued that someone could NOT get married again on earth because they were STILL married "eternally" to someone now in heaven. Joseph and Hyrum taught this was NOT true. Spouses of the deceased, they taught, are free to remarry -- and thus be married to more than one person! (Just not on Earth! That would be polygamy!)
Eternity is a long, long time, Joseph taught, involving many sheres of influence and activity. "It will be a great while after you leave this life before you will realize perfection," he said. (I'm paraphrasing.)
The great "secret" is that "eternity" involves many mortal probations -- with many opportunities for associations. These must necessarily be "staffed" with people and we are free to choose our colleagues, to some extent, both here and hereafter. (Freedom of association is a divine principle vouchsafed by our US Constitution as the 4th amendment.)
God Himself lives in "eternity" and makes Himself flesh, as we do. He expresses Himself perfectly not just in a tabernacle of clay we call the Son of God, but also imperfectly by and through all of us. He is "in" us. (But now I am straying from my point!)
Joseph was interested in organizing people into groups that would allow them to maximize their potential for growth and development in present and future spheres.
I imagine you have married -- and have even been sealed to a spouse -- for here and hereafter. Your expectation is that your relationships will continue beyond the grave.
It is my assertion that Joseph and Hyrum taught that such sealings and expectations are honored by God for the worthy, who obtain faith and assurance from God that they may do so. In other words, birds of a feather who wish to flock together may do so, God willing.
That concept was pushed a little too far by Brigham Young and those who deigned to implement (restore?) polygamy on earth -- demonstrating their misunderstanding of the scriptures, the doctrine of sealings and "eternal marriage," and the will of God.
Just as God would not have us commit fornication -- but enter into marriage and families by appointed means and channels -- He would not have us commit adultery or polygamy.
He nonetheless has condoned (or allowed) both ad-hoc "marriages," fornication, adultery, and polygamous associations, for His purposes. "If I choose to raise up seed unto Myself," as it were.
Strange as it may seem, there are many "bastards" -- born of fornication and adultery, even polygamy, "rightly" or wrongly practiced -- who fulfill God's purposes in the eternal scheme of things.
The "will of God" is expressed in all of us, more or less, by the power of the Holy Ghost: the Spirit (or mind) of God. The more carefully and closely we follow that Spirit (or will), the more like God we will become. And, of course, the less we follow that Spirit, the opposite is true.
Men organize and practice "religion" as an expression of that Spirit in them. Inasmuch as those expressions become codified and catechized, that Spirit is constrained.
You may notice that Jesus operated, for the most part, "outside" of religion -- while honoring its requirements and observances (for the time being) for the law's sake -- to "fulfill" the law and bring about the atonement, with Himself as the Eternal sacrifice, after which "the law" was done away.
God does not intend for men to practice ANY "religion" eternally. We are made "free" in Christ! Embracing more truth sets us free -- free from the shackles, dogmas, and errors of organized religion.
The grand, overarching, operating principle of the universe is love, not religion.
Fixation on "religion" -- or any "system" of religious observance that is "fixed" -- ossifies error and practice and thus "sows" damnation -- as religion, by definition, thwarts the very innovation and growth (revelation) required by heaven for advancement -- unless receiving further revelation is a featured component of that religion.
Unfortunately, "believers" -- even in religions that embrace the principle of revelation -- "naturally" assert and impose orthodoxy (in their efforts to understand and practice all things revealed, in association with like-minded individuals) and thus stifle the very revelation -- even killing and persecuting the prophets among them! -- they allegedly embrace.
Joseph Smith taught and practiced a doctrine and system of religion that involved people -- men and men, women and women, and men and women -- being "sealed" to each other (in ways that are not altogether clear now) for both here and hereafter.
Joseph believed that people could be "sealed" together in marriages, families, kindreds, even nations! He believed a covenant people could be "sealed" to God, both as a group and as individuals.
Men and women were sealed (by Joseph and others) as husband and wife for "time and all eternity." When one of these spouses died, the survivor -- according to Joseph, Hyrum, and the doctrine of the church -- was at liberty to marry again.
Some argued that someone could NOT get married again on earth because they were STILL married "eternally" to someone now in heaven. Joseph and Hyrum taught this was NOT true. Spouses of the deceased, they taught, are free to remarry -- and thus be married to more than one person! (Just not on Earth! That would be polygamy!)
Eternity is a long, long time, Joseph taught, involving many sheres of influence and activity. "It will be a great while after you leave this life before you will realize perfection," he said. (I'm paraphrasing.)
The great "secret" is that "eternity" involves many mortal probations -- with many opportunities for associations. These must necessarily be "staffed" with people and we are free to choose our colleagues, to some extent, both here and hereafter. (Freedom of association is a divine principle vouchsafed by our US Constitution as the 4th amendment.)
God Himself lives in "eternity" and makes Himself flesh, as we do. He expresses Himself perfectly not just in a tabernacle of clay we call the Son of God, but also imperfectly by and through all of us. He is "in" us. (But now I am straying from my point!)
Joseph was interested in organizing people into groups that would allow them to maximize their potential for growth and development in present and future spheres.
I imagine you have married -- and have even been sealed to a spouse -- for here and hereafter. Your expectation is that your relationships will continue beyond the grave.
It is my assertion that Joseph and Hyrum taught that such sealings and expectations are honored by God for the worthy, who obtain faith and assurance from God that they may do so. In other words, birds of a feather who wish to flock together may do so, God willing.
That concept was pushed a little too far by Brigham Young and those who deigned to implement (restore?) polygamy on earth -- demonstrating their misunderstanding of the scriptures, the doctrine of sealings and "eternal marriage," and the will of God.
Just as God would not have us commit fornication -- but enter into marriage and families by appointed means and channels -- He would not have us commit adultery or polygamy.
He nonetheless has condoned (or allowed) both ad-hoc "marriages," fornication, adultery, and polygamous associations, for His purposes. "If I choose to raise up seed unto Myself," as it were.
Strange as it may seem, there are many "bastards" -- born of fornication and adultery, even polygamy, "rightly" or wrongly practiced -- who fulfill God's purposes in the eternal scheme of things.
The "will of God" is expressed in all of us, more or less, by the power of the Holy Ghost: the Spirit (or mind) of God. The more carefully and closely we follow that Spirit (or will), the more like God we will become. And, of course, the less we follow that Spirit, the opposite is true.
Men organize and practice "religion" as an expression of that Spirit in them. Inasmuch as those expressions become codified and catechized, that Spirit is constrained.
You may notice that Jesus operated, for the most part, "outside" of religion -- while honoring its requirements and observances (for the time being) for the law's sake -- to "fulfill" the law and bring about the atonement, with Himself as the Eternal sacrifice, after which "the law" was done away.
God does not intend for men to practice ANY "religion" eternally. We are made "free" in Christ! Embracing more truth sets us free -- free from the shackles, dogmas, and errors of organized religion.
The grand, overarching, operating principle of the universe is love, not religion.
Fixation on "religion" -- or any "system" of religious observance that is "fixed" -- ossifies error and practice and thus "sows" damnation -- as religion, by definition, thwarts the very innovation and growth (revelation) required by heaven for advancement -- unless receiving further revelation is a featured component of that religion.
Unfortunately, "believers" -- even in religions that embrace the principle of revelation -- "naturally" assert and impose orthodoxy (in their efforts to understand and practice all things revealed, in association with like-minded individuals) and thus stifle the very revelation -- even killing and persecuting the prophets among them! -- they allegedly embrace.
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Why not leave the Church alone?
The following is written in response to my mother's recent query and counsel:
"Why do you write about the Mormon Church on Facebook, if you're no longer a Mormon? Let it go!! Move on with your life!!"
I will tell you below why I can't "let it go"...not just yet.
***
If every Latter-day Saint (or "Mormon") KNEW that Joseph Smith and his appointed successor and older brother, Hyrum Smith, were NOT polygamists -- but that they invariably preached AGAINST polygamy, denied ever being polygamists, and excommunicated (or otherwise disciplined) EVERY member of the LDS Church they found espousing or practicing polygamy -- then they would know...
... that Brigham Young (and those who followed him) embraced the doctrines of devils, taught lies, usurped authority, and, consequently, were false prophets;
... that among those lies (and liars) were the doctrines and practices of polygamy, the Adam-God theory, blood atonement, denial of priesthood to blacks, and the adoption of masonic temple rituals -- all of which early LDS "prophets, seers, and revelators" claimed were true, of God, everlasting, and "essentual" for eternal life and exaltation -- but ALL OF WHICH later LDS "prophets, seers, and revelators" abandoned, denounced, repudiated, disavowed, altered, eliminated or denied;
...consequently, that reliance upon said false prophets for one's salvation -- putting one's trust in "the arm of flesh," as it were -- is both damning and foolhearty;
... that Brigham Young (and his associates) MUST have lied while fabricating and altering numerous "official" church histories, journals, diaries, affidavits, revelations and other documents, including D&C 132 -- that "revelation" purportedly received by Joseph, but discovered by Brigham in a desk eight years after Joseph and Hyrum's murder -- "authorizing" Brigham, et al., to institute the practice of polygamy, thereby securing ecclesiastical, political, economic, financial, social, and even sexual control of the Saints to themselves -- all of which (thanks to the internet) we now know;
...and, consequently, that the modern LDS claim to having unique, exclusive and (most importantly) divine "authority to preach the gospel and administer the ordinances thereof" is (not unlike the Catholic claim) false.
Any other conclusion is wishful thinking, contrary to the (ample) evidence available -- which evidence the LDS Church (not unsurprisingly) labors diligently to suppress.
Which presents a conundrum!
The Book of Mormon was procured, "translated" and put forth to the world by supernatural means -- Joseph Smith literally talking out of his hat!
The contents of that book are evidently prophetic and inspiring, presenting us with an otherwise implausibly rich narrative of purportedly true history and masterful exposition of the divine nature, eternal work, and true doctrine of Jesus Christ, unsurpassed even by the Bible!
By provenance of that book alone, Joseph Smith distinguished himself as a TRUE prophet, seer, and revelator of Jesus Christ, having authority from God!
Modern "believers" of that book now include members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or "Mormons"), but also former members of that church, plus adherents of dozens of other "offshoots" and "sibling" organizations, some of whom still practice polygamy or claim authority to "preside" and "administer the gospel" by virtue of some "dispensation" allegedly received from Jesus, an angel, Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, or some other early "Mormon" church "authority."
The "fruits" of these offshoots has varied remarkably, running the gamut: from cultish, cloistered, murderous, incestuous, sexually predatory and tyrannical...to benign, admirably accomplished, virtuous, prominent, inclusive, and ecumenical!
All of them profess belief in Jesus. But none now resembles that religion practiced by Joseph Smith -- "save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men." (2 Ne. 28:14.)
And that's the problem! The Book of Mormon has been most notably (and successfully) published and presented to the world by "Mormon" missionaries -- members of the LDS Church. That book is now associated with them!
But the doctrines, principles, practices, reputation, influence and impact of The Book of Mormon have been tarnished, tainted, perverted -- even obliterated! -- by the very and various organizations and people who have embraced, adopted, and promulgated it as their foundational text (they having then disregarded or misinterpretted it).
See D&C 84:54-58 below.
"54 And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—
55 Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.
56 And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.
57 And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written—
58 That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion."
That condemnation followed the Saints from Ohio to Missouri, from Missouri to Illinois, from Illinois to Nebraska, and from Nebraska to the mountains of Utah and (later) to Mexico, leaving behind two desecrated temples; countless disaffected, dispirited, and dead Mormons; and a trail of tears and bloody footprints in the snow.
As recently as 1986, Mormon "prophet" Ezra Taft Benson declared that this condemnation had never been lifted from the Church. Nary a Latter-day Saint now speaks of it...at least not since February, 1991. (See
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1991/02/i-have-a-question/what-is-the-condemnation-we-are-under-that-president-benson-speaks-of-regarding-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng) Rather, they sing "All Is Well!" -- with no small amount of irony. (See LDS hymn #30: "Come, Come, Ye Saints.")
But what saith the Book of Mormon about such self-satisfaction, self- confidence and self-delusion? (See 2 Nephi 28.)
"1 And now, behold, my brethren, I have spoken unto you, according as the Spirit hath constrained me; wherefore, I know that they must surely come to pass.
2 And the things which shall be written out of the book [of Mormon] shall be of great worth unto the children of men, and especially unto our seed, which is a remnant of the house of Israel.
3 For it shall come to pass in that day that the churches which are built up, and not unto the Lord, when the one shall say unto the other: Behold, I, I am the Lord’s; and the others shall say: I, I am the Lord’s; and thus shall every one say that hath built up churches, and not unto the Lord—
4 And they shall contend one with another; and their priests shall contend one with another, and they shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance.
5 And they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the people: Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is no God today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his power unto men;
6 Behold, hearken ye unto my precept; if they shall say there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not a God of miracles; he hath done his work.
7 Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.
8 And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.
9 Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark.
10 And the blood of the saints shall cry from the ground against them.
***
We pause from our regularly scheduled programming to mention that, on average, every year, about 900 Latter-day Saints -- baptized members of the LDS Church -- STARVE TO DEATH because -- in contrast to its chapels, temples, and other buildings -- including MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR shopping malls! -- the abject poor in the LDS Church are considered "a poor investment" by Church leaders. They have determined that NONE of the billions of dollars of tithing collected from faithful members shall go to feed, house, or clothe the poor, lest the poor join the Church simply to keep from dying!
As former lawyer, state supreme court judge, university president, current LDS "apostle" and demon incarnate Dallin H. Oaks deftly explains it: the Lord now prioritizes the "spiritual" needs of the 1st-World wealthy (for chapels, temples, luxury condos and shopping malls) over the "temporal" needs of the 3rd-World poor (for non-essentials like food, clothing, shelter...and life).
Please rip from your Bibles any reference to our Lord's Sermon on the Mount -- including His injunction to give to the poor and to everyone who asks -- as well as His parable of Lazarus resting in Abraham's bosom...lest ye be smitten with guilt and cognitive dissonance from the Lord!
Consequently, the LDS Church now has, in its coffers and accounts, HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN ASSETS! -- including over $100 BILLION in stocks and bonds, farms and factories, lands and gold.
One is thus reminded of our Savior's teachings (see Matthew 25):
"31 ¶ When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."
We now return to our regularly scheduled programming (see 2 Nephi 28):
***
11 Yea, they have all gone out of the way; they have become corrupted.
12 Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; because of pride they are puffed up.
13 They rob the poor because of their fine sanctuaries; they rob the poor because of their fine clothing; and they persecute the meek and the poor in heart, because in their pride they are puffed up.
14 They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men.
15 O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell!
16 Wo unto them that turn aside the just for a thing of naught and revile against that which is good, and say that it is of no worth! For the day shall come that the Lord God will speedily visit the inhabitants of the earth; and in that day that they are fully ripe in iniquity they shall perish.
17 But behold, if the inhabitants of the earth shall repent of their wickedness and abominations they shall not be destroyed, saith the Lord of Hosts.
18 But behold, that great and abominable church, the whore of all the earth, must tumble to the earth, and great must be the fall thereof.
19 For the kingdom of the devil must shake, and they which belong to it must needs be stirred up unto repentance, or the devil will grasp them with his everlasting chains, and they be stirred up to anger, and perish;
20 For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.
21 And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.
22 And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.
23 Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.
24 Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!
25 Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well!
26 Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!
27 Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more!
28 And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall.
29 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!
30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.
31 Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.
32 Wo be unto the Gentiles, saith the Lord God of Hosts! For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts."
Such were "the churches" at the time The Book of Mormon was ordained to come forth. Is the LDS Church not so, as well, today?
Consequently, the power, impact and influence of The Book of Mormon on the world has been almost entirely enervated, eviscerated, stifled and stymied. The "restoration of the fullness of the gospel" -- initiated in earnest by God through Joseph Smith, with "signs and wonders" attending -- has largely been abandoned and aborted. Together with its "mother tree," the "offshoots" thereof are (mostly) fit to be tied and burned, having failed to yield "acceptable" fruit.
One can only imagine how many previous, other, less "fruitful" attempts God has made to "recover" His people! (See Jacob 5.) How long have we been treading this "treadmill," perhaps "following a prophet," in vain? Centuries? Eons? Worlds without end?
Behold the status and destiny of those who do so!
1 Nephi 8:5-8:
"5 And it came to pass that I [Lehi] saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.
6 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.
7 And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.
8 And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies."
D&C 76:98-101:
"98 And the glory of the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars is one; for as one star differs from another star in glory, even so differs one from another in glory in the telestial world;
99 For these are they who are of Paul, and of Apollos, and of Cephas.
100 These are they who say they are some of one and some of another—some of Christ and some of John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of Esaias, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch;
101 But received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the everlasting covenant."
I imagine that -- to my dying day -- I will always be a firm "believer" in The Book of Mormon and, consequently, a "Mormon" -- though I am not now nor will I ever be again a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or any of its siblings, or a "follower" of any of its beguiling false prophets, though there may be many otherwise "good," even "inspired" men and women among them -- God being merciful to the ignorant and unwillfully deceived, who seek His truth.
I have had to turn HARD against them -- and from the false religion they practice, proffer and espouse -- to see, hear, feel and worship the one true God, who is Jesus Christ, in a manner and form that would be pleasing to Him. This is extraordinarily simple -- but very difficult! -- to do! It requires worshipping God with every particle, synapse, and quantum of one's being, surrendering and rendering one's WHOLE soul unto Him, with FULL obedience to His will, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
That is all! (And ONLY that will do!)
The Book of Mormon is a competent and trustworthy "blueprint" on how -- and how not! -- to do that. Mere "belief" in any prophet or book, or membership in any church, is insufficient to save anyone! Christ's PRINCIPLES must be put into PRACTICE!
Even then, ONLY CHRIST ALONE can save us -- after all we can do (see 2 Nephi 25:23):
"23 For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."
ALL who fully believe and put into practice the principles put forth in The Book of Mormon -- which contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel -- will come unto Christ and be saved.
"Why do you write about the Mormon Church on Facebook, if you're no longer a Mormon? Let it go!! Move on with your life!!"
I will tell you below why I can't "let it go"...not just yet.
***
If every Latter-day Saint (or "Mormon") KNEW that Joseph Smith and his appointed successor and older brother, Hyrum Smith, were NOT polygamists -- but that they invariably preached AGAINST polygamy, denied ever being polygamists, and excommunicated (or otherwise disciplined) EVERY member of the LDS Church they found espousing or practicing polygamy -- then they would know...
... that Brigham Young (and those who followed him) embraced the doctrines of devils, taught lies, usurped authority, and, consequently, were false prophets;
... that among those lies (and liars) were the doctrines and practices of polygamy, the Adam-God theory, blood atonement, denial of priesthood to blacks, and the adoption of masonic temple rituals -- all of which early LDS "prophets, seers, and revelators" claimed were true, of God, everlasting, and "essentual" for eternal life and exaltation -- but ALL OF WHICH later LDS "prophets, seers, and revelators" abandoned, denounced, repudiated, disavowed, altered, eliminated or denied;
...consequently, that reliance upon said false prophets for one's salvation -- putting one's trust in "the arm of flesh," as it were -- is both damning and foolhearty;
... that Brigham Young (and his associates) MUST have lied while fabricating and altering numerous "official" church histories, journals, diaries, affidavits, revelations and other documents, including D&C 132 -- that "revelation" purportedly received by Joseph, but discovered by Brigham in a desk eight years after Joseph and Hyrum's murder -- "authorizing" Brigham, et al., to institute the practice of polygamy, thereby securing ecclesiastical, political, economic, financial, social, and even sexual control of the Saints to themselves -- all of which (thanks to the internet) we now know;
...and, consequently, that the modern LDS claim to having unique, exclusive and (most importantly) divine "authority to preach the gospel and administer the ordinances thereof" is (not unlike the Catholic claim) false.
Any other conclusion is wishful thinking, contrary to the (ample) evidence available -- which evidence the LDS Church (not unsurprisingly) labors diligently to suppress.
Which presents a conundrum!
The Book of Mormon was procured, "translated" and put forth to the world by supernatural means -- Joseph Smith literally talking out of his hat!
The contents of that book are evidently prophetic and inspiring, presenting us with an otherwise implausibly rich narrative of purportedly true history and masterful exposition of the divine nature, eternal work, and true doctrine of Jesus Christ, unsurpassed even by the Bible!
By provenance of that book alone, Joseph Smith distinguished himself as a TRUE prophet, seer, and revelator of Jesus Christ, having authority from God!
Modern "believers" of that book now include members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or "Mormons"), but also former members of that church, plus adherents of dozens of other "offshoots" and "sibling" organizations, some of whom still practice polygamy or claim authority to "preside" and "administer the gospel" by virtue of some "dispensation" allegedly received from Jesus, an angel, Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, or some other early "Mormon" church "authority."
The "fruits" of these offshoots has varied remarkably, running the gamut: from cultish, cloistered, murderous, incestuous, sexually predatory and tyrannical...to benign, admirably accomplished, virtuous, prominent, inclusive, and ecumenical!
All of them profess belief in Jesus. But none now resembles that religion practiced by Joseph Smith -- "save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men." (2 Ne. 28:14.)
And that's the problem! The Book of Mormon has been most notably (and successfully) published and presented to the world by "Mormon" missionaries -- members of the LDS Church. That book is now associated with them!
But the doctrines, principles, practices, reputation, influence and impact of The Book of Mormon have been tarnished, tainted, perverted -- even obliterated! -- by the very and various organizations and people who have embraced, adopted, and promulgated it as their foundational text (they having then disregarded or misinterpretted it).
See D&C 84:54-58 below.
"54 And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—
55 Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.
56 And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.
57 And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written—
58 That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion."
That condemnation followed the Saints from Ohio to Missouri, from Missouri to Illinois, from Illinois to Nebraska, and from Nebraska to the mountains of Utah and (later) to Mexico, leaving behind two desecrated temples; countless disaffected, dispirited, and dead Mormons; and a trail of tears and bloody footprints in the snow.
As recently as 1986, Mormon "prophet" Ezra Taft Benson declared that this condemnation had never been lifted from the Church. Nary a Latter-day Saint now speaks of it...at least not since February, 1991. (See
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1991/02/i-have-a-question/what-is-the-condemnation-we-are-under-that-president-benson-speaks-of-regarding-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng) Rather, they sing "All Is Well!" -- with no small amount of irony. (See LDS hymn #30: "Come, Come, Ye Saints.")
But what saith the Book of Mormon about such self-satisfaction, self- confidence and self-delusion? (See 2 Nephi 28.)
"1 And now, behold, my brethren, I have spoken unto you, according as the Spirit hath constrained me; wherefore, I know that they must surely come to pass.
2 And the things which shall be written out of the book [of Mormon] shall be of great worth unto the children of men, and especially unto our seed, which is a remnant of the house of Israel.
3 For it shall come to pass in that day that the churches which are built up, and not unto the Lord, when the one shall say unto the other: Behold, I, I am the Lord’s; and the others shall say: I, I am the Lord’s; and thus shall every one say that hath built up churches, and not unto the Lord—
4 And they shall contend one with another; and their priests shall contend one with another, and they shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance.
5 And they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the people: Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is no God today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his power unto men;
6 Behold, hearken ye unto my precept; if they shall say there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not a God of miracles; he hath done his work.
7 Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.
8 And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.
9 Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark.
10 And the blood of the saints shall cry from the ground against them.
***
We pause from our regularly scheduled programming to mention that, on average, every year, about 900 Latter-day Saints -- baptized members of the LDS Church -- STARVE TO DEATH because -- in contrast to its chapels, temples, and other buildings -- including MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR shopping malls! -- the abject poor in the LDS Church are considered "a poor investment" by Church leaders. They have determined that NONE of the billions of dollars of tithing collected from faithful members shall go to feed, house, or clothe the poor, lest the poor join the Church simply to keep from dying!
As former lawyer, state supreme court judge, university president, current LDS "apostle" and demon incarnate Dallin H. Oaks deftly explains it: the Lord now prioritizes the "spiritual" needs of the 1st-World wealthy (for chapels, temples, luxury condos and shopping malls) over the "temporal" needs of the 3rd-World poor (for non-essentials like food, clothing, shelter...and life).
Please rip from your Bibles any reference to our Lord's Sermon on the Mount -- including His injunction to give to the poor and to everyone who asks -- as well as His parable of Lazarus resting in Abraham's bosom...lest ye be smitten with guilt and cognitive dissonance from the Lord!
Consequently, the LDS Church now has, in its coffers and accounts, HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN ASSETS! -- including over $100 BILLION in stocks and bonds, farms and factories, lands and gold.
One is thus reminded of our Savior's teachings (see Matthew 25):
"31 ¶ When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."
We now return to our regularly scheduled programming (see 2 Nephi 28):
***
11 Yea, they have all gone out of the way; they have become corrupted.
12 Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; because of pride they are puffed up.
13 They rob the poor because of their fine sanctuaries; they rob the poor because of their fine clothing; and they persecute the meek and the poor in heart, because in their pride they are puffed up.
14 They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men.
15 O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell!
16 Wo unto them that turn aside the just for a thing of naught and revile against that which is good, and say that it is of no worth! For the day shall come that the Lord God will speedily visit the inhabitants of the earth; and in that day that they are fully ripe in iniquity they shall perish.
17 But behold, if the inhabitants of the earth shall repent of their wickedness and abominations they shall not be destroyed, saith the Lord of Hosts.
18 But behold, that great and abominable church, the whore of all the earth, must tumble to the earth, and great must be the fall thereof.
19 For the kingdom of the devil must shake, and they which belong to it must needs be stirred up unto repentance, or the devil will grasp them with his everlasting chains, and they be stirred up to anger, and perish;
20 For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.
21 And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.
22 And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.
23 Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.
24 Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!
25 Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well!
26 Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!
27 Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more!
28 And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall.
29 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!
30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.
31 Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.
32 Wo be unto the Gentiles, saith the Lord God of Hosts! For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts."
Such were "the churches" at the time The Book of Mormon was ordained to come forth. Is the LDS Church not so, as well, today?
Consequently, the power, impact and influence of The Book of Mormon on the world has been almost entirely enervated, eviscerated, stifled and stymied. The "restoration of the fullness of the gospel" -- initiated in earnest by God through Joseph Smith, with "signs and wonders" attending -- has largely been abandoned and aborted. Together with its "mother tree," the "offshoots" thereof are (mostly) fit to be tied and burned, having failed to yield "acceptable" fruit.
One can only imagine how many previous, other, less "fruitful" attempts God has made to "recover" His people! (See Jacob 5.) How long have we been treading this "treadmill," perhaps "following a prophet," in vain? Centuries? Eons? Worlds without end?
Behold the status and destiny of those who do so!
1 Nephi 8:5-8:
"5 And it came to pass that I [Lehi] saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.
6 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.
7 And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.
8 And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies."
D&C 76:98-101:
"98 And the glory of the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars is one; for as one star differs from another star in glory, even so differs one from another in glory in the telestial world;
99 For these are they who are of Paul, and of Apollos, and of Cephas.
100 These are they who say they are some of one and some of another—some of Christ and some of John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of Esaias, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch;
101 But received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the everlasting covenant."
I imagine that -- to my dying day -- I will always be a firm "believer" in The Book of Mormon and, consequently, a "Mormon" -- though I am not now nor will I ever be again a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or any of its siblings, or a "follower" of any of its beguiling false prophets, though there may be many otherwise "good," even "inspired" men and women among them -- God being merciful to the ignorant and unwillfully deceived, who seek His truth.
I have had to turn HARD against them -- and from the false religion they practice, proffer and espouse -- to see, hear, feel and worship the one true God, who is Jesus Christ, in a manner and form that would be pleasing to Him. This is extraordinarily simple -- but very difficult! -- to do! It requires worshipping God with every particle, synapse, and quantum of one's being, surrendering and rendering one's WHOLE soul unto Him, with FULL obedience to His will, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
That is all! (And ONLY that will do!)
The Book of Mormon is a competent and trustworthy "blueprint" on how -- and how not! -- to do that. Mere "belief" in any prophet or book, or membership in any church, is insufficient to save anyone! Christ's PRINCIPLES must be put into PRACTICE!
Even then, ONLY CHRIST ALONE can save us -- after all we can do (see 2 Nephi 25:23):
"23 For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."
ALL who fully believe and put into practice the principles put forth in The Book of Mormon -- which contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel -- will come unto Christ and be saved.
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