10 Reasons Why We Cannot Fellowship with the Mormon Church Part 3

When one examines the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective view .1 limited sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect. And now, your host for today's viewpoint on Mormonism has our Bible been mutilated, changed and corrupted welcome to this additional viewpoint on Mormonism. I'm your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry and with me today is Aaron shuffle all of my colleague at MRM this week we've been looking at a document that came out towards the turn of the 20th century actually came out in 1897. It was titled 10 reasons why Christians cannot fellowship the Mormon church. In this statement, listed as it says 10 reasons that were very problematic with the churches in Utah at that time. This statement was circulated among a lot of other Christian denominations within the state of Utah. It was published in a number of different ways and was even printed in the church owned desert retinues, which still puzzles me why they would do that I can't even imagine the desert retinues printing something like this today.

They even stopped allowing us to get our Temple newspapers printed by the desert retinues.

A lot of people don't know we had desert written news publish our handout that we use that temple openings when we needed every printing.

They refused switch okay if the publishing house they can do whatever they want with it yesterday show I think we should go back and talk about point number two that had to do with Scripture, and I made the comment that I thought they were being pretty generous in this statement when they said the Mormon church places the book of Mormon in the book of doctrine and covenants on a par with the Bible.

In my experience, and from what I've read they put those books above the Bible because the Bible is the only Scripture that the LDS church accepts with qualification and I was mentioning article late yesterday that says we believe the Bible to be the word of God. As far as it is translated correctly. They don't say that about the book of Mormon even though there's been a number of book of Mormon translations into other languages which of course can only go back to the English they can't go back to the reformed Egyptian which was allegedly on the gold plates because we don't have the gold plates in this accusation, they listed a number of proofs and we were talking about some of these proof such as this catechism. Another one that we went over only because it was just a reference. It was interesting. It's called lectures on the divine authenticity of the book of Mormon, and it's just the title of Theta chapter of the work without any specific quotations from the work everywhere else. They've given a quotation in a reference here is just a reference and I thought, why would they just list the reference bill who's who's the spine. Why do you think they just made it past reference the entire work. I think the reason why they felt it only necessary to list the work is because the entire work seems to prove the point that they're trying to make Orson Pratt was a Mormon apostle at the time is the one who wrote the divine authenticity of the book of Mormon and I want to read just a portion from it and you get the just probably why they only felt to list the reference. This is what Pratt said this is found on page 47 of this particular work, what shall we say then concerning the Bible's being a sufficient guide. Can we rely upon it in its present known corrupted state as being a faithful record of God's word. We all know that but a few of the inspired writings have descended to our times, which few quote the names of some 20 other books which are lost and it is quite certain that there were many other inspired books that even the names have not reached us what you have come down to our day had been mutilated, changed and corrupted in such a shameful manner that no two manuscripts agree versus and even whole chapters have been added by unknown persons, and even we do not know the authors of some whole books and we are not certain that all those which we do know were written by inspiration. Pratt goes on to say. Add all this imperfection to the uncertainty of the translation and who in his right mind could for one moment. Suppose the Bible in its present form to be a perfect guide who knows that even one verse of the Bible has escaped pollution so as to convey the same sense now that it did in the original offhand, my response to that statement alone would be if Orson Pratt would only take a good course in textual criticism. Every one of those objections could be answered. So the question here is with the Presbyterians reasonable to make reference to this in supporting the notion that the LDS church is so far gone on their view of the Bible from that of Christians that we cannot fellowship with them. I think this is reasonable because something Orson Pratt is having an incredible influence on LDS culture and it even in the time of the statement reflects an attitude that many Mormons have about the Bible being severely corrupted and we still see that attitude among many Latter Day Saints today. I do conversation in front of the BYU Stadium during an evangelistic encounter where we walked through some passages in the book of Isaiah about the nature of God and she fell back on. Well, that seems to contradict other passages in the Bible and I think that the passages you've just given me. Perhaps were subject to corruption through something like the telephone game. While that point number three in the 10 reasons why Christians cannot fellowship the Mormon church has to do with Joseph Smith himself, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Point number three says this and it's very short.

The Mormon church makes belief in the person and mission of Joseph Smith as a prophet of God and essential article of faith so essential that the person who rejects the claims of quote the modern profit is a rank heretic did you say that that's basically a true statement today or would you reword it well, you're not allowed to join the LDS church. Unless you have a testimony of Joseph Smith being a prophet so they won't let you join the only true church on earth so-called unless you affirm the prophetic identity of Joseph Smith. I think the question here is whether Latter Day Saints statements at this time, which were speaking to the nature of the movements rejecting the validity of Joseph Smith. What I would say though is that the very idea of heresy itself in modern Mormonism is hard to see clearly played out.

I don't think modern Mormons have a very robust view of heresy. They tend to think that if you reject all of the claims of Mormonism.

You should still stay on the roles and still participate in the services, where's evangelicals are more sensitive to the idea that if someone rejects the fundamentals of the faith, their salvation is in danger, and the they ought to reflect that by not being on the formal membership rolls.

It's interesting there was an article in the Chicago Tribune that came out on July 29 2005 Titled Mormons Revisit Sacred Pl. in the quotation that was used in that article says if Joseph Smith and his mission are true within the church has everything if it is not true.

We become a fraud and that seems to go along with what Gordon B. Hinckley said regarding the first vision if the first vision did not take place as Joseph Smith claimed that the church is engaged in blasphemy and then you have Jeffrey Holland and said basically the same thing about the book of Mormon so you can see how the standards are so high, will you figure the first vision, the book of Mormon all goes back to Joseph Smith.

You have to really believe that Joseph Smith was in fact prophet because that gives legitimacy to the book of Mormon. For instance, and the whole church. If he is not a prophet, then obviously the church can't be true.

One of the proofs that they list. Here is a statement from Dr. and covenants section 28 verse two, but behold, verily, verily I say unto the no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church accepting my servant Joseph Smith, Junior, for he received with them even as Moses you have to understand a little bit of Mormon history behind the statements such as this.

There were others in the church. Some that were in leadership positions that were having their own revelations and some of them were conflicting with Joseph Smith so he had to come out and say look okay from now on, you guys are allowed to have these kind of revelations of God is good only speak through me and that's how we shut them down because that would cause a lot of confusion when even though the church tells the its membership. You're all subject to having personal revelation, but your revelations don't supersede the position you have, such as if your husband and your family then your revelations deal with you and your family. They do not have anything to do with the bishop or the stake president are certainly not the apostles and the prophet goes on the site and say, for I have given him the keys of the mysteries in the revelations which are sealed until I shall appoint unto them another in his stead. That would be verse seven and section 28 and I've set forth the fullness of my gospel, by the hand of my servant Joseph Smith. Referring to D&C 3517. The next reference we have quote Joseph Smith is a new witness for God, a prophet divinely authorized to teach the gospel and reestablish the church of Jesus Christ on earth that's from new witness for God by BH Roberts point number three says, which is the greatest dispensation answer the dispensation of the fullness of times open through Joseph Smith and this is referring to catechism.

Chapter 18 question number four was positive and think about the nature of his claim in the New Testament we have statements like here is when one which says at many times and in many ways, God spoke to us to our forefathers through the prophets and in these last days he has spoken to us through his son solicits idea that there's a new epic or new era where Jesus Christ himself is the head, he sees that giant Divine might drop. He's the head spokesperson for this era for Mormons. The final and greatest dispensation was started, and headed by Joseph Smith number four is a statement by Brigham Young is found in the Journal of discourses, volume 1, page 81, where Brigham Young says I will ask them.

Speaking of faithful saints if Joseph lived and died a prophet of God and what would they answer all men and women know by the power of the Holy Ghost by the spirit they know it and I think maybe that might be another jab that perhaps some of those were witnesses to the book of Mormon such as Oliver Cowdrey and David Witmer who struggled with Joseph Smith's prophet hood towards the end date still maintain they say a belief in the book of Mormon, but struggled with Joseph Smith being a true prophet. They felt that he was a fallen prophet in many regards. And then there's point number five which is also a statement by Brigham Young that's found in the millennial Star volume 5, page 118. It reads every spirit that confesses that Jesus, every spirit that confesses that Joseph Smith is a prophet. He lived and died a prophet, and at the book of Mormon is true is of God in every spirit that does not is of antichrist that he started to say Jesus when you went to quote that because it sounds very similar to a New Testament passage because that's exactly what the New Testament is saying. Only instead of the other name Joseph Smith. It has the name of Jesus and their guy had first John the back of my head and brain thinking.

Are you discordant verse done. They basically replaced the word Jesus and with Joseph and as a troubled the Christians in that era when they wrote this 10 reasons why Christians cannot fellowship Mormon church that should bother us today when they do that when they put Joseph Smith's name in where Jesus's name should be tomorrow were going to look at point number four. Dealing with the priesthood, found in the statement.

10 reasons why Christians cannot fellowship the Mormon church.

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