| This is a special edition for Seminary Teachers and Institute Instructors. This is a letter I wrote to a Baptist pastor several years ago concerning Ed Decker and "The God Makers" anti-Mormon film. This article is 72 printed pages. There is no copyright. Please make copies and give them to whomever you please! Once you have read this please do not simply put it on your bookshelf. Rather, give it to another teacher or instructor to read! Once you have read it pass it on! You can make additional copies for yourself to keep and give away.~Darrick Evenson |
Dear Pastor ____________,
J. EDWARD DECKER JR. is the President of Saints Alive in Jesus and the author of "The God Makers" books and films; as well as many other anti-Mormon films, tracts, and tapes. He has been preaching against the Mormon Faith since about 1978. He is the most successful Anti-Mormon of all time! Over 15 million people have viewed "The God Makers" films (not counting video sales and rentals), and many millions have read his books and pamphlets. His most popular works are The God Makers books and "The God Makers" films and videos.
For those of you who may not know, the Mormon Faith is the belief system of Mormons, or Latter-day Saints; members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Mormon Faith believes that the original Church of Jesus Christ went into apostasy (Greek: rebellion), and had to be divinely restored in the latter-days by Jesus and His angels; through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
In the first centuries of Christianity there were four major Christian groups:
*The Christians
*The Catholics
*The Ebionites
*The Gnostics
The Apostles of Jesus appointed bishops over cities and towns and told these bishops to appoint their successor bishops; because letters from these cities to the Apostles in Jerusalem could take up to 3 years to be delivered, and anyone could forge these letters. So, the Apostles told the bishops to appoint their own successors. However, some early Christians resented this, and they wanted to vote for their bishops; as they had done as Pagans. As Pagans they elected the pontiffs (priests) of their trade-unions. Every free man belonged to a trade-union; which had its own "god" and it's own "pontiff" who was elected from among its member. They wanted to elect their bishops. Some did not like the appointed bishops. So, many early Christian communities became divided; some going with the appointed bishops (Apostolic succession), and others going with the elected bishops (most popular men). Those who followed the appointed bishops retained the name of "Christians". Those who went with the elected bishops eventually took the name "Catholics" ("generalists" or "popularists"); to distinguish themselves from the Christians. In the late 2nd century a Catholic name Marcion was excommunicated from the Catholic church of Rome; so he joined the "Christian" church of Rome. He was very wealthy, and became somewhat of the leader of the "Christian" churches. This is when the Catholics began to call the "Christians" by the term "Marcionites".
The Marcionites practiced baptism for the dead; saying it was a practice established by the Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 15:29). The Catholics had prayers for the dead, but not baptism.
The Marcionites (who called themselves "Saints" and "Christians") had as their ultimate authority the Council (Apostles) in Pella, Jordan. The Christians at Pella called themselves "Nazarenes"; as was the term of the disciples of Jesus. It meant "Keepers" or "Observers" of the Law. The Nazarenes included the descendants of Jesus' family; the descendants of His brothers and sisters. The Nazarenes fled from Jerusalem just before the first Jewish Rebellion against Rome in 63 A.D.; when the Temple and city were burned. The Catholics did not follow the Council at Pella, but declared the Nazarenes "heretics" (false teachers). Many of the Catholics in the 2nd Century followed Montanus; a man who claimed to be the Holy Spirit incarnate. Later, they followed their own local bishops. For the first 5 centuries, the Bishop of Rome was simple considered one bishop among many with no special authority. The Catholics would hold their own "Councils" to decide issues; the bishops having "votes".
In the 4th century Constantine became Emperor. His mother was a Catholic. He had all Christian (i.e. Marcionite) churches confescated and handed over to the Catholics, and had all Christian (i.e. Marcionite) bishops sold into slavery. Christians (i.e. Marcionites) were forced to join the Catholic church, or face being sold into slavery. Many did. Some refused. Some fled. Others went into hiding. The Marcionites were declared to be "heretics" and terribly persecuted by the newly state-approved Catholic Church.
During the Dark Ages most of the victims of the Catholic Church were not Protestants (who are Catholics who were protesting the abuses of the Papacy), but the Anabaptists. The Anabaptists were NOT "Baptists" of today! There is no relation between the Anabaptists of the Middle Ages and the Baptists of today! The Anabaptists did not call themselves "Anabaptists"; that was the name the Catholics gave them. The Anabaptists called themselves "Saints"; because that was the name that the original Christians were known by. The Anabaptists were flogged, burned, tortured, killed in the hundreds of thousands by both Catholics and Protestants. They descended from the Christians (Marcionites).
The Baptists of today claim to be the heirs of the Anabaptists. This is not true. The Anabaptists believed much more like Mormons than Baptists; who are the spiritual heirs of the Separatists of the Church of England. The Church of England was founded by Henry VIII of England; because the Pope refused to grant him another divorce, so he founded his own church.
The history of the Catholic Church from that day until the 3th century was one of greed, conspiracy, simony, incest, persecution, ignorance, and holy-murder on a scale never before seen! Martin Luther and John Calvin also approved of holy murder for "heretics" (i.e. Anabaptists). Protestants turned Europe red with blood of Anabaptist men, women, and children; all in the name of Jesus.
Mormons believe that the original pure Gospel of Jesus Christ was lost because of the Great Apostasy. What was it? It was the Carnal Christians who, in the first few centuries, rebelled against the appointed bishops and their successors, and elected men who gave them a form of Christianity that was essentially their old Paganism under Christian nomenclature. The old trade-union "gods" were now "patron saints". Many of the old Pagan practices were retained; now under "Christian" names.
The Evangelical Christians today think they are the heirs of the original Christians, and the Anabaptists. Nothing could be further from the truth. Evangelicals are the heirs of the Protestants; who were Catholics who protested the abuses of the Papacy, and slaughtered Anabaptist men, women, and children, all in Jesus' name.
The Anabaptists may have been sincere, but they did not have the Priesthood; the Divine Authority that was needed to perform Gospel ordinances. Mormons believe that the True Church was divinely-restored in the latter-days by Jesus and the ministry of angels, to Joseph Smith and others, in the New World, in the 1830s.
Evangelicals believe that while it was true the Catholic Church fell into "apostasy", but it wasn't a "complete" apostasy. They believe that that Protestants were correct; that all one had to do to restore original Christianty was to read the Bible and abide by what it says. There was no need of a Divine Restoration, of "keys", or "priesthoods"; all one needed was the Word of God (the Bible) and the will to abide by what it said.
But who determines what the Bible says?
Evangelicals today claim that Mormons are "cultists" and "heretics" with a one-way ticket to eternal Hell-fire because they believe God the Father is an exalted Man! Yet, Christian art from the first centuries until the Dark Ages shows God the Father as an Exalted Man.
The most ancient Christian records outside of the Bible itself (the Clementine Recognitions) present God the Father as an Exalted Man! The first time that God the Father was presented as a Spirit "without body, parts, or passions" was in the Catholic Councils of the late 4th century; in which only Catholic bishops were invited (the Marcionite bishops being sold into slavery).
Many Catholics of the 2nd century were follows of Montanus (c. 175 A.D.).
Before Montanus no Christian ever heard of the word "Trinity". The word "Trinity" came from Priscilla; a prophetess and daughter of Montanus (who claimed to be the Parclete of Spirit of Truth promised by Jesus to His disciples). Priscilla said that Jesus appeared to her one day in the form of a woman and taught her the doctrine of the Trinity (Epiphanius, Haeresis xlviii.11.). A Catholic bishop named Tertullian was a follower of Montanus, and he popularized the Trinity among Catholics in his many books.
Why don't Catholics believe in Montanus today? Because Montanus and his daughters made a number of false prophecies. When the last one failed, they hanged themselves. They were false prophets. Yet, the Catholics did not abandone many teachingss from Montanus and his daughters; including the doctrine of the Trinity.
The Montanists also preached that Hell was eternal in duration, and anyone not a member of the Catholic Church would burn in Hell forever. But Christians (Marcionites) believed what the Bible actually teaches; that Hell is kolasin aeonian (Greek: "age-lasting corrective pruning); not "eternal" in duration, but a "corrective" punishment for impure souls. The Mormons believe the same thing; that all are saved (except for the Sons of Perdition) either by Blood (of Jesus) or by Fire (of Hell). We ALL go to Heaven eventually (save the Sons of Perdition) because we shall all be saved; either by Blood or by Fire. The choice is ours.
Catholics (Roman, Greek, Anglican, Russian, Antiochian, Chaldean, and Protestant) believe that Hell is eternal; everyone not a "Christian" shall burn in Hell forever without mercy. This is what Montanus taught, and what his disciple Tertullian popularized in the 2nd century. And it stuck!
Does the Bible say Hell is eternal? No, it says Gehenna is aeonian (age-lasting). How long is an aeon? The word means "time indeterminate". The Jews in the time of Jesus believed that Gehanna lasted 1 day to 1 year; determining on how sinful you were. But they did NOT believe it was "eternal". It never meant "eternal". The word for "eternal/forever/neverending" in Greek is aidios, and is nowhere found in the Greek Bible in contact to Gehenna.
But why do Catholics (Roman/Anglican/Greek/Russian....Protestant) believe that Hell is eternal? Because that is what Montanus taught, and that false doctrine by a false prophet was popularized by Tertullian and Augustine and that false tradition was handed down for almost 2,000 years at the point of a sword. Believe it....or DIE!
Evangelicals believe they are the only true "Christians". They believe only they will be saved; all others will burn in Hell eternally. They believe they don't believe any "traditions" at all, but only what the Word of God actually teaches!
Let us see if Evangelicals truly abide by the Word of God, and if Mormons are truely "heretics" who do not believe what the Bible truly says.
The Mormon Faith (commonly referred to by non-mormons as "Mormonism" or "The Mormon Church") is based upon the visions and revelations of Joseph Smith Jr.; who claimed to be a modern Prophet of God. It began in 183; when Joseph Smith was a young 14 year old boy, confused by the contending churches and their claims. He wanted to know which church was true, so he asked God in prayer. Joseph Smith claimed that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him in a heavenly vision, in a grove of trees, near his home in Palmyra, New York state, in the year 183.
Joseph Smith was told by JESUS to "join none of them" (i.e. the churches Joseph Smith was inquiring about), but to remain faithful and God would do a great work through him. Later, Joseph Smith and others were met by angels who gave them priesthood "keys" in order to restore the Church of Jesus Christ to it's original purity in the last days. This Church (founded in 1830) eventually became known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most non-mormons know it as "The Mormon Church". Mormons prefer to call it the Mormon Faith rather than "the Mormon Church". It isn't the Church of Mormon, but the Church of Jesus Christ. The Mormon Faith includes:
*The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
*The Aaronic and
Melchizedek Priesthoods
*The Standard Works (including The Book of
Mormon)
*The Temple Ordinances (including Endowments, Sealings, and
Baptisms for the Dead)
Mormons believe that the Mormon Faith is a divine restoration of the original Church and Gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth in the latter-days; in preparation for the Second Advent. Mormons sincerely believe they are Christians, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the "only true Church" upon the earth with whom the Lord is well-pleased.
Mormons adamantly believe they ARE Christians; although they prefer to call themselves "Latter-day Saints" or "LDS". When talking to non-mormons, they'll often refer to the Church as "the LDS Church". Mormons never describe their Church as "The Mormon Church" because they believe that it isn't the Church of "Mormon" (an ancient Jew who lived in America and wrote The Book of Mormon), but it is the Church of Jesus the Messiah and of His Chosen Ones of the Last Days, or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Perhaps it is best to simply refer to the Mormon system of beliefs as "The Mormon Faith".
Evangelicals adamantly believe that all Mormons are "going to Hell" to burn forever unless they leave "Mormonism" and "accept the real Gospel and the real Jesus" and become Evangelical (i.e. "born-again") Christians. Anti-Mormons seek to convert Mormons from "Mormonism" to "Christianity" by the following process:
1) Destroying their faith in "Mormonism" by attacking Joseph Smith, Mormon prophets, Mormon leaders, Mormon doctrine, Mormon history, The Book of Mormon, The Book of Abraham, etc.
2) Once the Mormons faith has been utterly destroyed, to then offer Evangelical Christianity to "fill-in" the void.
Sometimes this works. However, more often than not, if a Mormon's faith is destroyed by Anti-Mormon propaganda, that Mormon will, more often than not, simply lose faith in all religion, and become an atheist or agnostic.
Since 183, various men and women have arose to oppose Joseph Smith and his followers. They are called Anti-Mormons (i.e. those who oppose Mormons). Most of them claim they are not anti-Mormons, but Anti-Mormonism; that they "love Mormons" but hate "Mormonism"; because they believe that "Mormonism is a CULT" that presents a "another Gospel" and "another Jesus". Many of them believe that Satan was behind the foundation of the "Mormon Church", but most simply believe that Joseph Smith was a con-man, a charlatan, that only pretended to have visions as a way to deceive his followers in order to get praise, money, sex, and power. Anti-Mormons have been writing anti-Mormon tracts and books since 1830. They have been producting Anti-Mormon films since 1909. They have been producing anti-Mormon audio and video tapes since the 1960s. At any given time, there are anywhere from 3 to 50 full-time professional Anti-Mormon "ministries" in North America; some large and some small. They place "Mormonism" in with the "cults"; meaning all religions and churches other than those approved by them. The vast great majority of Anti-Mormons are Evangelical Christians; although there are some Anti-Mormons who are atheists or agnostics and perhaps Roman Catholic. Anti-Mormon organizations are too numerous to name here, but the major ones are:
*Utah Lighthouse Ministry
*Christian Research Institute
*Saints Alive
in Jesus
*Mormonism Researched Ministry
*Utah Missions Inc.
*Watchmen
Fellowship
*Ex-Mormons for Jesus
Mormons who defend their faith against anti-Mormon attacks are called "apologists" (from the Greek "apologia"-to come to the defense of something). Mormon apologists produce tracts, books, tapes, and videos in response to Anti-Mormon claims and questions called "Pro-Mormon Answers" or PMA. There are two major pro-Mormon organizations:
*FARMS (semi-sponsored by Brigham Young University--a Church
institution)
*FAIR (Foundation for Apologetical Information and
Research--totally independent association of Mormon apologists)
There are also many independent Mormon apologists who belong to no organization. This article was written by an independent apologist.
Mormon Apologists have written many books in response to Anti-Mormon works. Here are the names of a few of them:
*One-Minute Answers to Anti-Mormon Questions
*The Gainsayers
*The TRUTH
About 'The God Makers'
*They Lie In Wait To Deceive (5 volumes)
Most of these books can be ordered from LDS bookstores like Deseret Book; if they are still in print.
Mormon Apologists also produce a number of websites. The most popular is the FAIR website at:
Ed Decker: Founder of
Saints Alive in Jesus
This article deals specifically with the claims of Ed Decker; author of "The God Makers" books and films and founder of Saints Alive in Jesus. Decker is--by far--the most popular Anti-Mormon of all time! His books and films have been read and seen by many millions, and he is seen as a "Man of God" by tens of millions of Evangelical Christians round the globe.
Ed Decker's major anti-Mormon claims:
Ed Decker is a fraud! He's a con-man! He's a LIAR! He only pretends to be an Evangelical Christian! Why? To make MONEY!!! He's in the "Jesus Business", and "business" is good! You don't know his secret life. I do! He has been involved in adultery (multiple), murder (indirectly), kidnapping, simony, intimidation, threats, vexious lawsuits, and major religious fraud; all in the Name of Jesus! Yes, really! I'm NOT kidding!
But............
Is what Decker says about 'Mormonism' true? Let's examine that in this short article. Please read it. You'll enjoy it.
Literally MILLIONS of Evangelical Christians around the world believe that Ed Decker is a "Christian hero" and "Man of God". Decker has told them that Mormons deliberately try to deceive Christians into believing Mormons too are Christians, but that Mormons are secretly storing a two-year supply of guns, ammunition, food, and water, in order to take over the United States by force, when the Mormon Prophet says "go!". Then, after Mormons have ceased control, the Mormon Prophet will fly in his personal jet from Salt Lake City, to "an exact replica" of the White House Oval Office that is inside the Washington D.C. Mormon Temple. From there, the Mormon Prophet will rule the United States as a Dictator. All who oppose him will be executed.Mormonism will be declared the State Religion. Evangelicals will be "forced to become Mormons" or be killed or enslaved. Then, the Mormons will work with the other "cults" to take over the world and introduce the End-Times Anti-Christ.
Don't believe it? I can ASSURE YOU that many MILLIONS do! They believe every word!
The Church itself has offered no reply to Decker; mainly because Church leaders can't believe that anyone could believe him! Yet, independent Mormon apologists, such as myself, know that MILLIONS of Evangelicals around the world accept what Ed Decker tells them without question! Here I would like to respond to Ed Decker's major claims against the Mormon Faith.
This article will relatively brief; just answering some of Ed Decker's major claims. I don't document these claims here in this article, but these are claims which Decker has made repeatedly over the last 23 years at various lectures, in "The God Makers" films, and in his various anti-Mormon books, tracts, and newsletters.
#1) Decker's wife was ordered to divorce him by her Mormon bishop because he became a Christian
FALSE! Decker's Mormon wife, Phillis, divorced him on grounds of multiple and repeated adulteries and emotional cruelty. Decker did not contest those charges. According to Phillis Ray Decker Danielson, whose affidavit is in They Lie In Wait To Deceive volume 4 (and on the Internet), Mormon bishops repeatedly told her to "forgive" Ed's adulteries (as a way to keep the family together). You can read her affidavit here:
www.angelfire.com/ga/kevgram/Edswife.html
Decker told audiences for many years that his wife was ordered to divorce him after he became a Christian. Pure myth. His story changed later; saying that her bishop "ordered" her to divorce him because he wasn't living all Mormon commandments perfectly (while still a Mormon). Another myth. Ed later said that he became a "Christian" after 3 things:
1) Realizing he could never live all 643 Mormon laws perfectly as all Mormons are commanded to do in order to become gods.
2) Failing to heal his son Jason via his Melchizedek Priesthood, but having his son healed by the Pastor and Elders of a "Christian" church (which he told me was the Angle Lake Neighborhood Church in SeaTac, Washington).
3) After he realized that Jesus' blood was precious, having been taught as a Mormon to "despise the blood of Jesus".
All myth! All lies! A full exposé of Decker can be found in ED DECKER: MAN OF GOD OR GODLESS CON-MAN? at:
It's about 100 printed pages. There is no copyright. You are welcome to print it out, copy it, and give away those copies to whomever you choose. You already have my persmission to do so.
Most of Decker's "stories" are fabricated. But here we'll deal with his major Anti-Mormon claims.
#2) Mormons look to Joseph Smith, and not Jesus, as their Lord and Savior. They just pretend to be Christians to make converts and deceive true Christians.
A BIG lie! Mormons sincerely think they ARE Christians! They look to Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The entire Book of Mormon and Doctrine & Covenants testifies that Jesus is the Christ, and that He is our Lord and Savior.
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"There is no other name given, whereby salvation cometh, therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God..." (Mosiah 3:11) "...Yea, behold, I say unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven, save it be this Jesus Christ of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved..." (2 Nephi 11:39) "...I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell..." (2 Nephi 15:7) "...And it came to pass that there were many who died, firmly believing that their souls were redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ; thus they went out of the world rejoicing..." (Alma 21:74) "...yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ,..." (Helaman 2:71) "Redemption cometh in and through the holy Messiah: for he is full of grace and truth..." (2 Nephi 1:71) |
Mormons see Joseph Smith as a modern Paul, or a modern John the Baptist, or a modern combination of both of them. Nother more. Nothing less. Decker knows this. He is deliberately lying about this.
#3) Mormons are commanded to store a two-year supply of food, water, guns and ammunition, so that when the Mormon prophet says 'go' they can take over the U.S. and install the Mormon prophet as dictator.
False. A lie! Mormons are commanded to store ONE YEAR of food and water in case of a collapse of the economy, or natural disasters. They are NOT asked or commanded to store guns or ammunition! The Food Storage Program was a great help to Idahoans (Mormon and non-Mormon) after a major dam disaster in 1971. Many Mormons have what they call "A Year's Supply" in case of economic or natural disaster. Much of this has gone to help Ethiopians in famine.
I once asked Ed why he claimed that Mormons were commanded to store "two years" of guns and ammunition and food. He said a "Regional Representative" (a deputy to an Apostle) had said that at a Stake Conference he was once at. I asked, "What Stake was that? What was the name of the Regional Rep?" Ed said, "Look Darrick, you think you're such a 'GREAT RESEARCHER'! You do you OWN research! OK?" No other Mormon I have ever known has heard of such a thing. Decker invented it. He is lying, and laughing at YOU (Evangelicals) all the way to the bank! Why? Because you actually believe it!
#4) In the Washington D.C. Mormon Temple there is an exact replica of the White House Oval Office, so when the Mormons take over the U.S., by force, the Mormon prophet can rule from that Oval Office replica inside the Washington D.C. Temple.
Decker has actually claimed this many times! It is a lie. It is ABSURD! The Church hired non-Mormon contractors to build the Washington D.C. Temple. Had they built any "exact replica" of the Oval Office, I think the world would have heard about it! There is no "Oval Office" nor anything "oval" that can be converted into such an office. This is a ridiculous "invention" by Ed Decker to try to support his "conspiracy-theory".
#5) Mormons chant three Hebrew words during the occultic Mormon Endowment Ceremony: Pay Lay Ale! In Hebrew, this means "O Wonderful Lucifer!"
Mormons did chant "pay lay ale" but they don't mean "O Wonderful Lucifer" but "pele Ale" (O Wonderful El!) in Sephardic Hebrew (i.e. a dialect of Hebrew spoken by Spanish and Morroccan Jews). Yehweh says in Isaiah, "I am El". El (pronounced "Ale") is the name for the One True God. The Hebrew name translated "Lucifer" is "Heyleyl", and means "Shining One"; it refers to a Canaanite god who tried to ascend above the stars of God and become like El. Heyleyl was considered by the Canaanites to be the son of Shahar ("Dawn" or "Morning Star"); the firstborn Son of El. Joseph Smith learned Sephardic Hebrew from a Sephardic Jew who became a Mormon in 1840. The Canaanite Father-God El had two wives, Anat and Asherah, and numberous sons, the firstborn being the Morning Star. Jesus identifies Himself with "the bright and morning star" in Revelations.
Decker was informed by Jerald and Sandra Tanner (anti-Mormon researchers) as well as the Rev. Wesley Walters (anti-Mormon researcher) that "pay lay ale" does NOT mean "O Wonderful Lucifer!" Ed's reply to Rev. Walters was that he "didn't care" and would use it anyway.
Anti-Mormon researchers Jerald and Sandra Tanner write:
| "Unfortunately, Decker could not get over the sensationalistic claim that the words 'pay lay ale' actually meant 'Wonderful Lucifer'. He called Wesley P. Walters, who was on of the most knowledgeable critics of the LDS Church, and asked his opinion on th ematter. Walters, who had also studied the Hebrew language, examined the claim and responded by frankly Mr. Decker that the idea could not be supported from the Hebrew language. According to Walters, Decker then stated that he did not care and was going to use the argument anyway." (Problems in The God Makers II, p.49 online) |
After other Anti-Mormons proved Decker wrong on this, and Mormon Apologists were confronting him at Anti-Mormon meetings about this) Decker came up with a new lie; saying that the "old" Mormon Endowment Ceremony had the words "Pay Lay Heyleyl" but that the Church changed it later (another lie). Decker knew that "pay lay ale" did not mean "O Wonderful Lucifer" in Hebrew. He continued that lie, but discovered too many Christian pastors knew enough Hebrew to know this was not true. So, he invented another lie to cover his first one! I've studied anti-Mormon writings for 23 years; including ALL the old expos? of the Mormon Endowment ceremony, and not in ANY of them is there anything about "Pay Lay Heyleyl"! Decked LIED again!
Where did Decker get his info about "Pay Lay Heyleyl"? From the clear blue sky!
#6) Mormons have tried to poison and assassinate Ed Decker many times; by poison (arsenic), bullets, and even biological warfare.
Decker has claimed, in various places, that Mormons or the Mormon leaders have ordered his death, that:
*He has been poisoned twice.
*He has been shot-at three times, once while
in his bedroom. A "man in fatigues" was caught trying to assassinate him.
*He
caught Legionaire's Disease after a lecture on Mormonism.
*The Christian
radio station he was spoke at, talking about secret Mormon rituals, was shortly
thereafter burned to the ground.
The only evidence Decker gives that he was poisoned is after he ate a pizza in Scotland; while he was giving anti-Masonic and anti-Mormon lectures there. He claimed that somebody slipped him "7 times the lethal doze of arsenic". Later, anti-Mormon writer Wally Tope investigated and claim and found discrepancies in Decker's claims. The night Decker said he was in the hospital in Scotland he was actually giving an anti-Masonic lecture, and later slept comfortably in the home of a Scottish couple who sponsored him. Tope actually got a copy of several physician's reports and found he had a "normal" amount of arsenic in his system; the same everyone has on a daily basis. No arsenic poisoning was found. Wally Tope (an anti-Mormon) later wrote a book (over 100 pages) called Poisoning in Pizzland:The Truth About Ed Decker's So-Called Arsenic Poisoning (much of it is reprinted in Problems in The God Makers II and Serious Charges Agains the Tanners both available via Utah Lighthouse Ministers online) which exposed and revealed thatDecker had deliberated exaggerated and lied about the incident. When Tope comfronted Decker at an anti-Mormon conference in Park City, Utah, (called "Capstone Conference") the following year he pointed his finger at Decker and chided him for lying. At that point Decker grabbed Tope's finger and twisted it until it snapped! DECKER BROKE WALLY TOPE'S FINGER! Wally Tope, a born-again Christian and anti-Mormon, was working on a book which was to be a full exposé of Decker, but Tope was later killed in the L.A. riots of 1992. Nobody knows the whereabouts of his magnus opus exposé of Decker that he was working on before his death.
Decker has refused over the years to tell Mormons or anyone else who asks:
1.Where is the police report after the assassination attempt? What police department took this report? 2.When did this happen? 3.What radio station was burned to the ground? 4.Where did this happen? 5.What happened to the man in fatigues caught trying to assassinate you? 6.Who arrested him? 7.Who was he? 8.Was there any evidence he was sent by Mormon leaders?
To all these questions Decker responds, "You do your own research, ok? I'm not gonna help you so do your own research!"
Wade Englund, an independent Mormon apologist (defender of the Faith) attended the Capstone Conference (anti-Mormon conference) in Park City, Utah, in 1998. Ed Decker spoke at this conference, and repeated the claim that soon after describing the Mormon Temple Endowment ceremony (including playing excerpts of an audio portion of the Endowment Ceremony--secretly recorded by a Decker associate) on a radio station, that radio station was soon thereafter burnt to the ground; suggesting it was done by Mormons or commanded to be done by Mormon leaders. Wade soon wrote an email to Decker responded to:
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WADE:"Mr. Decker, I took the opportunity to sit in on the conference session in which you spoke, DECKER: "Too bad you didn't take the time to introduce yourself. I would have enjoyed talking to you." WADE:...and I was wondering if you could give me a few more details on some of the items you made mention of: 1. What is the name of the radio station that burnt down after you spoke about the temple ceremony? What station located? Was there an investigation made into the cause of the fire? If so, what were the findings of the investigation? And, was there any evidence that members of the LDS faith may have been involved, as you intimated? DECKER: "Wade, I don't think I owe you any of the details when I know you approach me in a very strong adversarial position. Be kind enough to do your own research. We wrote about it at the time and it was in the news." WADE:"In which Ward did you teach the Gospel Doctrine class for years?" DECKER: "I taught GD a number of times in a number of wards. Ask the [Mormon] church, they have the records. Do your own research, OK?" WADE:"You spoke of many false claims that the LDS [Mormons] have leveled against you, and you even listed several of them--including the assertion that you committed adultery. Are the claims attributed to your former wife, that you had had several affairs during the course of yours and her's marriage, false in every way?" DECKER: "I have an idea. Do you own research, OK? (My Correspondance With Ed, pp.1-2, online) |
#7) Mormons believe that Joseph Smith was greater than Jesus Christ.
False! Mormons believe that Joseph Smith was a Prophet, but sinful like all other men; except Jesus. Mormons believe that only Jesus was without sin, and He alone was the Only Begotten Son of God.
Joseph Smith said the following about himself and Jesus:
| "I do not think there have been many good men on the earth since the
days of Adam; but there was one good man and his name was Jesus."
(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.303)
"I do not want you to think that I am very righteous, for I am not." (DHC 5:401) "Where is the man free from vanity? None ever were perfect but Jesus." ( TPJS pp.187-8) "I never told you I was perfect, but there is no error in the revelations which I have taught." (TPJS, p.368) "Who among all the Saints [Mormons] in these last days can consider himself as good as our Lord? Who is as perfect? Who is as pure? Who is as holy as He was? Are they to be found? He never trangressed or broke a commandment, or law of heaven--no deceit was in His mouth, neither was guile found in His heart. And yet one that ate with Him, who had drunk of the same cup, was the first to lift up his heal against Him. Where is one like Christ? He cannot be found on earth." (TPJS p.67) |
Joseph Smith once gave a sermon in which he said "I have more to boast than any other man ever had" and claimed that Paul and Jesus couldn't keep the Church together, but he could. Joseph Smith did not say he was "greater than Jesus" but that he had done a greater work in keeping the Church together. A month later, Joseph was dead.
The LORD warned Joseph about boasting of his own strength; saying if he did he would "fall".
| "4 For although a man may have many revelations, and have power to do
many mighty works, yet if he boasts of his own strength, and sets
at naught the counsels of God, and follows after the dictates of his own
will and carnal desires, he must fall and incur the vengeance of a just
God upon him. *** 9 Behold, thou art Joseph, and thou wast chosen to do the work of the Lord, but because of transgression, if thou are not aware thou wilt fall." (D&C 3:4,9) |
Those are the words of JESUS, to His Prophet Joseph Smith. A month after his boast, Joseph Smith fell from the second story window of Carthage Jail; dead.
However, another thing Jesus said must be kept in mind. Jesus said:
| "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my father." (John 14:12) |
Now, is this true? Are there men and women who have done "greater works" than Jesus? Yes! How many people did Jesus preach to and convert during His three year ministry? How many people did Billy Graham preach to and convert during His mininstry?
Did Billy Graham "convert" more people than Jesus! YES! Billy Graham did a greater work than Jesus did in reference to number of converts! Was Graham then "greater" than Jesus! No! There is no evidence Graham ever boasted he had done a greater work (which he did). Had he done so, he would have been punished; just as Joseph Smith was.
The Prophet Joseph Smith considered himself far inferior to his Lord and Savior; as evidenced by his statements to that fact. But Joseph Smith was a human; just like Moses (who boasted in the Wilderness of bringing water from a rock, and was not allowed to enter the Holy Land because of his boasting). Was Moses a false prophet because he boasted? No! Was Joseph Smith not a false prophet because he boasted? No. Joseph Smith was a sinner. But he was also a Prophet of the LORD.
Decker's claim is NOT that Joseph Smith was boasted that he did "a greater work" than Jesus by holding the Church together (which is true, Joseph Smith once did say that), but that "Mormons believe Joseph Smith was greater than Jesus". That is a LIE!
#8) Mormons believe that God had sex with Mary, His spirit-daughter, to produce the mortal body of Jesus.
The majority of Mormons DO NOT believe this!
But some do.
Brigham Young DID say that "there was nothing unnatural" about the conception and birth of Jesus. Of course, he ALSO said that miracles were not "unnatural" events, but natural ones of a higher order of nature. Here are a few quotes which may clarify:
|
"A miracle is not, as many believe, the setting aside or overruling of natural laws. Every miracle performed in Biblical days or now, is done on natural principles and in obedience to natural law." (Joseph Fielding Smith, 10th President, TLDP: 649) "Miracles cannot be in contravention of natural law, but are wrought through the operation of laws not universally or commonly recognized." (James E. Talmage, apostle, Jesus the Christ p.148) |
The Book of Mormon calls Mary as a "virgin" after Jesus was conceived and born:
| "And behold, he shall be born of Mary,...she being a virgin, a
precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by
the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son
of God." (Alma 7:10)
"And I looked, and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms." (1 Nephi 11:3) |
It says that Jesus' conception took place "by the power of the Holy Ghost" (Alma 7:10). Nowhere do the Scriptures say that the Holy Ghost merely "allowed Mary to bear the presence of the Father" so the two could have sex together (while the Holy Ghost looked on!). Can't be found! The Book of Mormon teaches that the conception of Jesus was a miracle, "by the power of the Holy Ghost" (Alma 7:10), and that Mary was a "virgin" both before and after the conception.
The book Jesus the Christ, the only book besides the Standard Works (the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price) that is considered an "official" Church publication, presents Mary as a virgin and the conception as a non-physical supernatural event. It also teaches that "miracles" are not violations of natural law, but "higher manifestations thereof" (Jesus the Christ, p.83)
Some (perhaps 10% or 15%) Mormons believe that God did have physical intercourse with Mary. This is not based upon official Church doctrine, but interpretations of statements Brigham Young made (i.e. his conception was "natural"), a statement Orson Pratt made in The Seer, a statment made by Joseph F. Smith (6th President of the Church) at Stake Conference in 1916, and statements by Bruce R. McConkie (Apostle) made in his book Mormon Doctrine and his Millennial Messiah series. In response:
1) Brigham Young (2nd President) said the conception and birth of Jesus was "natural". He also said: "When the Virgin Mary conceived the child Jesus, the Father had begotten Him in his own likeness." (J.D. 1:50) Brigham Young believed miracles were "natural" events.
2) The statement by Orson Pratt (Apostle) that God the Father and Mary "associated together as husband and wife" is NOT official Church Doctrine, and can be interpreted to mean that Pratt believed that Mary was Heavenly Mother; not God's spirit-daughter. In any case, his writings in The Seer were official condemned by an official statement of The First Presidency in 1858.
3) The talk by Joseph F. Smith (6th President) at the Box Elder Stake Conference to the effect that Jesus was made like "our children are made" can be interpreted variously. Also, as President of the Church, Joseph F. Smith put his stamp of approval on Jesus the Christ by James Talmage (Apostle) which definitely says Mary was a literal virgin.
4) Some statements in Bruce R. McConkie's (Apostle) Mormon Doctrine and Millennial Messiah (series) can be viewed to say he supported a literal Virgin Birth, and other statements can be viewed to say he believed God the Father had sexual intercourse with Mary; His spirit-daughter. In any case, Mormon Doctrine nor his Messiah series are NOT official Church publications! Generations of Mormons have believed Mormon Doctrine was; because he was an apostle and the very name of the book. However, President McKay and the First Presidency strongly condemned the book and suggested it never see a second edition. McConkie has a "disclaimer" on the first page saying that he "alone" was responsible for it. However, many Mormons are unwary of this, and continue to view Mormon Doctrine as official Church doctrine. It never was. Most Anti-Mormons know that. Ed Decker certainly knows that.
It must be said, that regardless of the personal opinions of Brigham Young, or Orson Pratt, or Joseph F. Smith, or Bruce R. McConkie, the Holy Scriptures are the only infallible source of doctrine for Latter-day Saints. Official Mormon belief about the matter is contained in the Bible, The Book of Mormon, and the work Jesus the Christ by Elder James E. Talmage (Mormon apostle), and they ALL say that Mary was a literal virgin both before and after giving birth to Jesus.
Bruce R. McConkie (apostle): "Our Lord is the only mortal person ever born to a virgin, because he is the only person who ever had an Immortal Father. Mary, his mother, "was carried away in the Spirit (1 Ne. 11:13-21), was "overshadowed" by the Holy Ghost, and the conception which took place "by the power of the Holy Spirit" resulted in the bringing forth of the literal and personal Son of God the Father. Modernistic teachings denying the virgin birth are utterly and completely apostate and false." (Mormon Doctrine, p.822) Ezra Taft Benson (13th President of the LDS Church) wrote:
| "He was the Only Begotten Son of our Heavenly Father in the flesh--the only child whose mortal body was begotten by our Heavenly Father. His mortal mother, Mary, was called a virgin, both before and after she gave birth. (See 1 Nephi 11:3)" (Ensign, March 1986, pp.3-4) |
It is an unfortunately truth that many Mormons believe that anything a "Living Prophet" (current President of the Church) speaks or writes is the "will and mind of the LORD". Some Mormons ascribe this "infallibility" to anything any of the LDS Apostles write or say too.
But this is wrong!
Harold B. Lee (11th President) wrote:
| "It is not to be thought that every word spoken by a General Authority is inspired, or that they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost in everything they write." (Stand Ye In Holy Places, 1974, p.162) |
Harold B. Lee also said:
| "If anyone, regardless of his position in the Church, were to advance a doctrine that is not substantiated by the Standard Church Works, meaning the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, you may know that his statement is merely his private opinion." (First Area General Conference for Germany, etc., Held in Munich, Aug 24-6, 1973, with Reports and Discourses, p.69) |
Joseph Fielding Smith (10th President) wrote:
| "It makes no difference what is written or what anyone has said, if what has been said is in conflict with what the Lord has revealed, we can set it aside. My words, and the teachings of any other member of the Church, high or low, if they do not square with the revelations, we need not accept them. Let us have this matter clear. We have accepted the four Standard Works as the measuring yeadsticks, or balances, by which we measure every man's doctrine. You cannot accept the books written by the authorities of the Church as standards of doctrine, only in so far as they accord with the revealed Word in the Standard Works." (Doctrines of Salvation 3:33) |
The Standard Words are the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price, and in NONE of them is there any hint that God the Father and Mary had "sex" together! Indeed, both the Bible and The Book of Mormon say the exact opposite; that a "virgin" did conceive and bare a child (while still a virgin).
That God the Father had "sex" (meaning sexual intercourse) with Mary in order to conceive Jesus is NOT a "doctrine" of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Simply isn't. Do some Mormons believe it is? Some do. All Mormons are not equally well-informed on all Church doctrines. The Church has no professional "clergy"; which means that false doctrines (what even the LDS Church would consider to be "false doctrines") is often heard being taught in LDS wards (congregations).
Why?
Because the Church has no professional "preachers" who are trained for years on Church doctrine. The Mormon Faith has no preaching "pastors" who give sermons and teach every week. The Church only provides general "guidebooks" for Members to teach other Members, and often Members will "improvise" and add things not in the guidebooks; things they have "heard" or were "told" by others years before. Ordinary Members give "talks" in Church. The Church has no pastor-teachers! Mormon bishops don't "preach"; they just "oversee" things. This is why Mormons are often "unwary" of what is official LDS Church doctrine and what isn't. Rumors, personal opinions, "spins", and even "hearsay" becomes "official Church doctrine" in the minds of many Mormons after they've heard it a few times! They simply don't know any better!
In the past decades, the Church has instituted "Seminaries" and "Institutes" for high school and college students to try to solve this problem. These are not full-time theological schools, but "one hour per school-day" operations. The teachers at these Seminaries and Institutes are called "Seminary Teachers" and "Institute Instructors". They are the only Mormon teachers actually trained at university in Church doctrine. They don't "preach" on Sunday. Rather, they "teach" Mormon students attending high school or college; for an hour each school day. But even they come into the system believing things as "doctrine" which are in fact not official doctrine.
Protestant ministers who join the Church (and there are dozens each year) often become Institute Instructors; since they have years of teaching experience.
The speculations of Mormon apostles is NOT official Church doctrine! The book Mormon Doctrine by Elder Bruce R. McConkie, is NOT official Church doctrine. Where is official Church doctrine? In the Standard Works: Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, Pearl of Great Price.
The Mormon Faith does NOT claim infallibility as to it's prophets or apostles.
#9) Mormons believe that God is a Man, but God was never a man! God says "I am God, I change not". He also says, "I am not a man that I should lie". Mormons are BLAPHEMERS to believe that God was once a man!
The Jews thought the notion that God had a "Son" was equally "blaphemous"! They said to themselves, "Since God cannot have a Son, it follows that Jesus is a bastard!" That's exactly what they said.
Mormons do believe that God was once a Man! NOT a sinful man like us, but a God-Man like Jesus. Jesus said, "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for what things sover he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise" (John 5:19). Mormons interpret that literally.
What did Jesus do? The first thing He did was to be born of a woman:
Is it blasphemy to believe that God became a man? Is Jesus God? Was not He once a "man"? Then why do you call it "blasphemy" to believe that God was once a Man?
If God the Son can become a sinless Man, so could God the Father. Jesus was 100% God and 100% Man. So was the Father.
Do Mormons believe that God "changes"? Mormons believe that GOD is SPIRIT, and that this SPIRIT incarnates as God-Men, on all populated planets, over and over again, in order to redeem the population of that planet from the effects of sin.
But...Evangelicals believe that God "a" Spirit, was "a" Spirit from all eternity, then suddenly--for ONE TIME only--became a Man as Jesus. Then, God goes back to being "a" Spirit for all eternity.
Tell me...what sounds more like "changing God" to you?
a) a God that repeatedly becomes a Man in order to redeem worlds.
or...
b) a God that becomes a Man one time only in Jesus.
For Mormons, "b" sounds much more like a "changing" God!
That GOD would incarnate over and over again, become a God-Man, which is Divine Spirit with a mortal body, is NOT a "changing" God, but a "consistent" God!
However...that GOD, Who is just "a" Spirit for all eternity, suddenly becomes a God-Man, and then, after death, gets rid of the resurrected body of a Man, and becomes "just a" Spirit again, is about as "changing" as one can get!
Jesus IS GOD, but He is also a Man! Paul wrote: "For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, which is by one MAN, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many." (Romans 5:15)
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the MAN Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 2:5) Was Jesus "GOD"? Was Jesus ever a "MAN"? When they, pray tell, do you cry "BLASPHEMY" when Mormons believe that GOD can and does become a MAN? Can only God the Son become a God-Man? God the Father CAN'T become a God-Man? Why not? Is anything impossible with God?
Jesus did only what He saw the Father do!
God is a Spirit (John 4:24). He is the Father of spirits (Heb. 12:9). Jesus was a Spirit, and still is a Spirit. But He is not "only" a Spirit. Neither is God the Father.
#10) Mormons are BLASPHEMERS because they believe in a "Mrs. God" they call "Heavenly Mother". There is no mention of this "Heavenly Mother" in the Bible at all! Some Mormon prophets have even said that God is a POLYGAMIST! Mormons are BLASPHEMERS!!!
Is it "blasphemy" to believe in a Heavenly Mother? Mormons don't believe it is blasphemous. God is the "Father of spirits" (Hebrew 12:9). Mormons interpret that literally; not just as a metaphor.
The following evidence will show that YHWH, the God of the Bible, identified Himself as "El" (pronounced "Ale"), the name of the Father God of the Canaanite Pantheon. El was known by all to have two wives: Anat Bethulah ("Lady Virgin") and Asherah ("Upright" [female gender]).
The ancient Canaanites believed the El (His other names were El Elyon and El Shaddai) had two wives: Anat Bethulah and Asherah. Some scholars (non-mormon) believe that the two cherubs on either side of the Presence of YHWH on the Ark of the Covenant were representatives of the wives of El:
How do we know the cherubs here are female? Most Bible scholars will tell you that the Ark of the Covenant is simply a replica of Egyptian "arks":
According to the ancient Egyptian historian Menetho, Moses was a high priest of the god Amon; the "Most High God" in the Egyptian pantheon. Amon was the Creator, and known as the "father of gods and men". He was often called "The Sole God" because it was believed by his worshippers that he alone ruled, and that all other gods got their powers from him. Some feel that the very name "MORMON" comes from the Egyptian M~R~M~N ("Mer-i-Amon" or "Mor-i-Amon" which means "Beloved of Amon").
Many scholars believe that the Egyptian god AMON (also spelled "Amun" and "Amoun") is the equivalent of the Semitic god "EL" (pronounced "Ale"); the father-god of the Canaanite pantheon.
| "ASHERAH. West Semitic (Syria and Palestine: Canaanite-Ugaritic)
goddess, consort of the supreme god El...also early Hebrew wife of
Yahweh." (Guide to the Gods, p.1 online under "Asherah")
"Late ninth/early eight century [B.C.] inscriptions at Kuntillet Ajrud, in the Negev, speak of 'Yehweh and his Asherah,' as if the Canaanite goddess Asherah were the wife of Yehweh." (John J. McDermott, Israelite Origins, p.3 online) "In the pantheon of the Canaanites, there was a council of gods (a 'heavenly council'), El was the Canaanite high god. Asherah is El's wife. El is also referred to as El Elyon." (St. Stephen Presbyterian Church, Genesis Syllabus, p.3 online) "Abraham's God was EL, the High God of the Canaan was also EL." (The God of the Patriarchs, p.2 online) "Because El does have a mythology, there is a hierarch of gods [in the Canaanite pantheon]. That is to say, El, as in most religions of the ancient near east, has a wife, and there are gods under El." (ibid., p.3) "El is a common designation from the head of the Canaanite pantheon.***Yehweh is El and there is no other El than Yahweh." (Expositors' Bible Commentary 5:212) |
All Bible scholars, both Catholic and Evangelical, KNOW that YHWH identifies Himself with EL; the chief God of the Canaanite pantheon. Here are some transliterations from the Hebrew:
|
"YHWH is El of the gods! YHWH is El of the gods! He knows, and let Israel itself know." (Joshua 22:22) "For YHWH your Eloheim is El of Eloheim, and Adon of adonai, a great Eloheim, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh rewards." (Deut. 10:17) "Therefore YHWH Himself shall give you a sign; behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name EMMANUEL, which being interpreted is EL WITH US." (Isaiah 7:14) |
The name Joel (Hebrew="Yahel") means "Yah is El". The name Elijah (Hebrew="Eliyah") means "El is Yah".
The terms in the Bible El Shaddai, El Elyon, etc., are the terms used by Canaanites to refer to El; the chief of the Canaanite pantheon.
There is NO DOUBT that the God of the Bible, YHWH, identified Himself as El; the chief God of the Canaanite pantheon! Every Canaanite and every Syrian and every Israelite who lived when Moses lived and the Hebrew prophets lived would have believed that YHWH and EL are the same Being! El had two wives: Asherah and Anat Bethulah. But....
NOWHERE in the Bible does YHWH say, "I am El, but I don't have any consorts like the Canaanite El!" Simply, doesn't exist. Either YHWH let Israelites to believe a lie by identifying Himself with El (Who had wives), or YHWH is El and has two goddess wives!
When various Bible passages say that YHWH is the "God of gods" and "the Most High God" it means just that! He is not the "Idol of idols" or "Most High Idol". He is the "God of gods" and "Most High God". There are lesser high "gods" Who are His servants. They are higher than angels, but lesser than God.
Don't believe in the Canaanite pantheon? Then you don't believe in Lucifer? For, the Latin translation "Lucifer" is simply the translation of the Hebrew (and Canaanite) "Heyleyl"; the son of the Canaanite god Shahar (the Bright and Morning Star). Heyleyl wanted to rise up and sit on the throne of El, but was cast out of Heaven (the stars) because of his arrogance. If you don't believe in the Canaanite pantheon, then you don't believe Heyleyl (Lucifer) ever existed!
If you don't believe that Shahar (the firstborn son of El and His wife Anat Bethulah) existed, the Bright and Morning Star, then you don't believe Jesus' words in Revelations: "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." (Rev. 22:16) The largest Church in Christendom is the Hagio Sophia ("Holy Wisdom") in Istanbul.
The Hagia Sophia is the largest Christian church ever built. It was built by the Christian Emperor Constantius, the son of the Emperor Constantine, in the year 360 A.D. It was dedicated to "Holy Wisdom". Eastern Orthodox Christians still believe in "Sophia" as the bride and "Wisdom" of God.
In the Book of Proverbs, the 8th Chapter, Wisdom speaks: "When he [God] prepared the heavens, I was present with him; and when he prepared his throne upon the winds: and when he strengthened the clouds above; and when he secured the fountains of the earth; and when he strengthened the foundations of the earth: I was byhim, buiting myself to him, I was that where he took delight; and daily I rejoinced in his presence continually." (Psalms 8:27-30, Septuigint) In the Roman Catholic Church, it is official doctrine that the Virgin Mary is the incarnation of Sophia!
|
"...inasmuch as God, by one and the same decree, had established the origin of Mary and the Incarnation of Divine Wisdom." "Both in her offices and in the most Holy Litergy the Church hath been accustomed to apply to the creation of Mary the language in which the Holy Scriptures set forth the Eternal Generation of the Uncreated Wisdom, and that, because Mary was predestined in the same decree of the Incarnation of the same Wisdom." (Pope Pius IX--Bull Ineffabilis--1854) |
How many Roman Catholics actually know that their church teaches as official doctrine that Mary is the incarnation of Sophia, Heavenly Mother, the Wife of God?
Very, very few. Of course, 99.99% of Roman Catholics are also unaware that official Roman Catholic doctrine--endorced by Pope John Paul II, says that Christians may become "gods" (deification). This is true too!
Inside the Hagia Sophia, the largest CHRISTIAN CHURCH every built, there is a painting of SOPHIA (which clearly alludes that She is Mary, the Mother of Jesus):
In the book of Ecclasiasticus (NOT to be confused with Ecclesiates--also called "Ben Sira" and "The Book of Ben Sira" and "The Wisdom of Ben Sira") a book revered as Holy Scripture in the Roman and Eastern Orthodox churches, Wisdom [Sophia] is portrayed as the wife and consort of God, Whom He loves (Ecclesiaticus 24:7ff).
In the book The Wisdom of Solomon, which is part of the sacred texts in the Septuigint (Greek Old Testament) which the Apostes of Jesus quoted from, and which the ancient Christians accepted as the Word of God, it says:
| "And Wisdom was with thee: which knoweth thy works, and was present
when Thou madest the world, and knew what was acceptable in Thy sight, and
right in Thy commandments. O send Her out of Thy holy heavens, and from
the throne of Thy glory." (Wisdom 9:9-10) In the book The Wisdom of
Solomon it also says:
*Wisdom helped Adam: "She preserved the first formed father of the world, that was created alone, and brighout him out of his fall, and gave him power to rule all things." (9:1) *Wisdom helped Noah: "...the earth being drowned with the flood, Wisdom again preserved it, and driected the course of the righteous in a piece of wood." (10:4) *Wisdom helped Lot: "When the ungodly perished, She delivered the righteous man, who fled from the fire which fell down dive cities." (10:6) *Wisdom helped Jacob: "When the righteous fled from his brother's wrath, She guided him in right paths--made him rich in his travels--She defended him from his enemies, and kept him safe from those that lay in wait." (10:10-12) *Wisdom helped Moses: "She entered into the soul of the servant of the Lord, and withstood dreadful kings in wonders and signs;...." (10:16) *The LORD loves Her: "The Lord of all things Himself loved Her. For She is privy to the mysteries of the knowledge of God, and a lover of His works." (8:2) "And Wisdom was with Thee: which knoweth Thy works, and was present when Thou madest the world." (Wisdom of Solomon 9:9) |
The Ancient Christians had The Book of Ben Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon as among their Scriptures. It was part of their "Bible". They were only removed later. Where all these Christians "unsaved" and thus damned to an eternal hell because they believed these books were inspired of God? Perhaps, just perhaps, UNinspired men "took away" these inspired books? Think about it. Ye shall not add to nor subtract from the Word of God. Yet, it happened. UNinspired Popes and counsels "took away" portions of the Word of God, and that is why most Christians today don't believe in a Heavenly Mother.
In Proverbs it says;
| "When He prepared the heavens, I was present with Him." (Proverbs 8:27) |
Jesus said:
"But Wisdom is justified of Her children." (Matthew 11:19) |
What was He talking about? Was He merely speaking of God's "understanding"? Most Bible scholars (non-mormon) will tell you that He was talking about Wisdom (Greek: "Sophia"), the Feminine aspect of God. Mormons would say, "He was talking about Heavenly Mother". What do YOU think He was referring to?
Think for a moment...think. What do YOU think Jesus was referring to?
Many Bible scholars believe that YHWH (Yahweh--which is sometimes mistranslated as "Jehovah") is El, and that the ancient Israelites believed that YHWH had at least one "consort" (wife). The following Bible scholars (NONE of whom are Mormon) write of this in the following publications:
|
*W.F. Albright Yehweh and the Gods of Canaan (1968) *John Day Asherah in the Hebrew Bible and NW Semitic Literature (Journal of Biblical Literature, 1986, pp.385ff) *W.G. Dever Asherah, Consort of Yehweh? (B.A.S.O.R. 255, 1984, pp.21-38) *S.M. Olyan Asherah and the Cult of Yehweh (published book, 1988) *R. Patai The Hebrew Goddess (published book, 1967) Prof. Mark Smith, a professor of New Testament at Columbia University in New York City, writes: "By some point in late monarchy, it is evident that the god EL was identified with Yahweh, and as a result, Yahweh-El is the husband of the goddess Asherah." (The Origins of Biblical Monotheism, p.4) |
Some of you will say, "Oh, no, this cannot be! The Bible says NOTHING of God's Wife! Therefore, God has no wife! These are Liberal scholars who don't know what they are talking about!"
They "dont' know" what they are talking about? Maybe it is YOU who doesn't know? Ever consider that?
Catholic and Protestant and Orthodox Bible scholars--NONE of whom are Mormons--are proclaiming that the God of the Bible is "EL" of the Canaanite Pantheon; a Deity with two goddess wives and numerous "Sons"; one of whom is HEYLEYL (translated "Lucifer" in many Bibles).
Don't believe it?
You dont' believe it, because you don't WANT to believe it. But TRUTH doesn't work like that. Truth is beyond what we WANT to be true. Truth is not subject to our wants, likes, dislikes, and the traditions of our own churches. The non-mormon Bible scholars say:
1) Yahweh identified Himself repeatedly as "El" and "El Elyon" and "El Shaddai".
2) In ancient Canaan, "El" and "El Elyon" and "El Shaddai" are names for the Father-God of the Canaanite Pantheon. One of El's Sons was Heyleyl ("Shining One"--translated "Lucis Fere" or "Lucifer" in Latin Bibles) rebelled against Him and was cast out of heaven. El has two goddess wives and many "Sons" which are called in the Bible the bene Elohiym ("Sons of God").
3) "Wisdom" in Proverbs chapter 8, and in Ecclesiaticus (Ben Sira) and The Wisdom of Solomon (both accepted as the Word of God by the ancient Christian church and still today by the Roman and Eastern Orthdox churches), is presented as the Wife and Consort of God.
Don't want to believe this? Don't wish to accept it? You don't have to. But TRUTH is not subject to your personal whims!
The LORD (YHWH) repeatedly told the Israelites, through His prophets, "I AM EL"! Was the LORD lying? Why didn't He qualify that by saying, "...and, oh, by the way, I don't have Sons nor do I have wives as the El you are already familiar with!"
Either the God of the Bible IS EL, a God with Goddess wives and Sons, or the God of the Bible IS A LIAR!
The very name ELOHIYM is a combination of a feminine singular (Eloahh)
and a masculine plural ("IYM"). An uninspired rabbi of the 12th century
said, "It is a plurality of majesty!" PURE invention! The name ELOHIYM means
literally: "Gods/goddesses". When used alone (elohiym) it refers to the
pagan "gods/goddesses" and usually translated into English as "gods". When used
with a definite article (Ha-Elohiym) it refer to the God of the Bible!
The God of the Bible said: "And God [Ha-Elohiym] said, Let
us make man in our image and
after our likeness: and let them have dominion over
the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, adn over the cattle, and over
all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
So
God [Ha-Elohiym] created man [Adam and Eve] in his own image, in
the image of God [Ha-Elohiym] created he him; male and
female create he them." (Genesis 1:26-27) Man (male and female)
was created in the image of GOD (Ha-Elohiym). GOD (refering to
Ha-Elohiym) is Male and Female!
Some will say, "Ah, but God is Spirit (John 4:24). God is neither male nor female! God has no 'body'. He has no gender!!!"
Then, pray tell, why do you Evangelicals insist that Feminist and Liberal "Christians" NOT refer to God as "Our Mother in Heaven" or "She"? Why do you insist on "He" and "Him"? Why? Surely, if GOD is an "It" why not say "Our IT That is in Heaven, holy be It's Name?"
The Jews thought it "BLASPHEMY" to believe that God would have a Son! They thought it "BLASPHEMY" that God would become a Man! Yet, God did have a Son, and God became a Man!
The Jews think that God having a "Son" or becoming a "Man" is "BLASPHEMY". Do you? As an Evangelical Christian, you simply have MORE TRUTHS than do the Jews.
You Evangelicals think it "BLASPHEMY" that God would have a Wife! You think it "BLASPHEMY" that God would have a body! But, God has a Wife, and He has a body!
Mormons know that God is SPIRIT! In fact, we can even say: "Spirit is God". All Spirit is GOD. God isn't "a" Spirit. God is SPIRIT! But Spirit can dwell in flesh. The angels are spirits. We are spirits clothed in mortal bodies. Jesus is a Spirit that is clothed in a glorified resurrected "body".
Mormons simply have "more truth" than do Evangelicals; like Evangelicals have "more truth" than Jews! Evangelicals believe that God became a Man in the Person of Jesus Christ. Mormons believe that too. But we have additional truths; one of them being that God the Father was once a God-Man just like Jesus was. Not a "sinful" man like us, but a sinless God-Man. That is why God the Father has a glorified resurrected body just like Jesus does. God the Father also has a Wife. You can call her "Mrs. God" if you want. We don't call Jesus "God, Jr.". We call Him the Son of God. We refer to God's spouse as "Heavenly Mother".
Mormons do believe there is a "Heavenly Mother". But there is no official
Mormon doctrine that Mary is Heavenly Mother incarnate. Some of Mary's
"messages" to various Catholic seers has her calling herself "Heavenly Mother"
or saying "I am your Heavenly Mother", but, again, there is nothing official in
Mormon doctrine that says she is Heavenly Mother.
Mormons do not worship
Heavenly Mother nor pray to her. Why? Because Jesus commanded that His disciples
pray to the Father in His name. If there was a Revelation or Commandment
that we should pray to Heavenly Mother, then we would do so. Since there is
none, we do not.
Therefore, in conclusion, we Mormons must ask you Evangelicals:
*Why is the term "Christian" restricted to Evangelicals, when the ancient "Christians" believed like Mormons more than they believe like Evangelicals?
*Why do you use the term "Orthodox Christianity" to refer to YOUR form of Christianity (i.e. Evangelicalism), when that term has been used by the Eastern Orthodox Christians to describe their beliefs, and Eastern Orthodox Christians believe that men may become "gods" (the very goal of being a Christian in their view), and they believe in a Heavenly Mother named Sophia (Greek: "Wisdom"). How can you hi-jack the term "Traditional Historical Christianity" or "Orthodox Christianity" and apply it to Evangelicalism; a form of Protestantism that has only existed for a few hundred years?
*Why are Mormons going to "burn in Hell for all eternity" when the ancient Christians believed in a Heavenly Mother, and that men may become "gods"?
*Why is it "BLASPHEMY" to believe that God has a Wife, but not "BLASPHEMY" to believe that God has a Son?
*Have you ever considered the possibility that YOU are the one "mistaken" in your beliefs, and that the Mormon Faith actually is what it claims to be?
Think about it.
#11) Mormons are blasphemers and polytheists because they believe there are many gods, but the Bible knows of only One True God.
Mormons believe there is only one God (capital "G"), but they are many "gods" (lowercase "g"). In Hebrew, the God of the Bible is called Ha-Elohiym ("The" God); while other gods are called Elohiym ("gods"). In Greek, the God of the Bible is called Ho-Theos ("The" God); while other gods are referred to as Theon ("gods"). Translators decided to leave off the definite article "The" when translating. They decided to simply capitalize the "G" in "God" as referring to the One True God.
The Bible presents God ("The" God) as "The God of gods" (Deut. 10:17, Joshua 22:22, Pslams 136:2-3). What does this mean? Does this mean He is the "Idol of idols"? Mormons believe God is the "God of gods", and "the Most High God" (Daniel 5:18).
What does "God of gods" and "Most High God" mean?
Does it mean:
1) God of idols?
2) God of false gods
3) God of princes and judges
Most Evangelicals will say it means #3, and that by "God of gods" the "gods" refer to human judges and princes (rulers). Ok! Can God appoint heavenly judges and rulers who are also human beings?
Also, if human beings who have "dominion" over others can be called "gods" in the Bible, by Prophets of God, then why can't human beings appointed by God to rule and judge others in heaven by called "gods"?
You can't have it both-ways! You can't say "There are no literal beings called gods" and then say "The 'gods' in the Bible can refer to literal human judges and princes!"
God is not the "God of false gods" nor the "God of idols" nor the "Most High Idol". If God is the "Most High God" there must be "less high" gods. When Paul writes "there is no God but One" (1 Cor. 8:4) the Greek says "There is no The God but One". Mormons believe that. There is only One The God.
The name "Ha-Elohiym" in Hebrew means "The Divine Nature". There is only ONE "Divine Nature". However, there are many Beings who "share" this One Divine Nature. We call them "gods". There is only One Divine Nature, but there are many "gods". We are not referring to pagan gods; which do not exist. We are not referring to idols. We are referring to a class of beings under The God, but higher than angels. Peter writes that Christians may become "partakers" (sharers) in the Divine Nature:
| "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and preciouis promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world throught lust." (2 Peter 1:4) |
The Israelites were NOT "monotheists". They were "henotheists". They believed in many gods, but worshipped only One. The Mormons are also "henotheists", and not "polythiests". Mormons don't worship many gods.
The God of the Bible identifies Himself as EL; the chief God of the Canaanite Pantheon. He says "I am the EL of Beth-el" (Gen. 3:13). He says to Abraham, "I am EL SHADDAI; walk before me, and be blameless." (Gen. 17:1).
When the LORD (YHWH) says to Isaiah, "Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one." (44:8) He was NOT saying, "I am the only God that exists", but "Is there an EL other than Me, I don't know any!" He was simply identifying Himself yet again as "EL"; the Father-God of the Canaanite Pantheon. When YHWH says to Isaiah, "Before Me there is no God formed, nor shall there be after Me." (Isa. 45:5) Mormons believe this! There was no EL before YHWH, and there will be no EL after Him because He is Eternal!
There is no other EL but YHWH!
Why is YHWH saying to His Prophets over and over again, "I am EL, look to no other" and "I am EL, there is no other one" and "I am EL" over and over again? It is because the Israelites were trying to worship EL along with YHWH! But the LORD was saying, "Hey, look guys, I ___AM___ EL...there is no other EL but Me!"
The names El Shaddai and El Elyon are simply well-known Semitic names for EL; the chief God of the Canaanite Pantheon. EL had two goddess wives. He had 70 sons by one, and 7 sons by the other. The 7 sons by one are the 7 Angels mentioned in Revelations. The 70 sons are the Morning Stars and "Sons of God" mentioned in the Book of Job:
"Now there was a day when the Sons of EL came to present themselves before YHWH, and Satan was also among them." (Job 1:6)
"When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of EL shouted for joy?" (Job 38:7) Evangelical scholars know this! We're not telling you anything new here. Ask them if YHWH identifies Himself with EL! Ask them if EL had wives and sons? Ask! Really! Ask!
Most will say, "Yes He does!" Others (some fearing their jobs), will say, "Well, yes He does but of course the God of the Bible can't be EL--the chief Canaanite god--because EL had wives and sons and we know that God has no wife and only one Son!"
Is God a LIAR? Did He lie when He repeatedly said, "I am EL"? Mormons don't think so.
Mormons are not "polytheists"! A "polytheist" is, by definition, one who workships "many gods". We worship the Father, and Him alone. To Him alone go our prayers and supplications. We pray to the Father in Jesus' name, but we don't pray to Jesus, or to Mary, or to the "saints". We worship the Father, and Him alone.
Mormons are "henotheists"; just like the ancient Israelites. A "henotheist" is one who worships one God, but recognizes the real existence of other gods. Evangelicals believe they are "monotheists"; worship and believe in only one God. But Jews and Muslims say that Evangelicals are NOT monotheists, but really polytheists! Who decides? You? Nay...JESUS decides who is a true worshipper of God and who is not.
#12) Mormons are blasphemers because they believe that Lucifer is the spirit-brother of Jesus! The Bible says the Jesus created all things; including Satan. The 'Mormon Jesus' is a different Jesus was the Jesus of the Bible!
Mormons believe that God is the "Father of spirits" (Heb. 12:9). It doesn't say "spiritual Father". It says, "Father of spirits". Paul writes: "Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reference: shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?" (Hebrews 12:9)
"And again, when he bringeth his firsbegotten into the world, he said, And let all the angels of God worship him." (Hebrew 1:6) 1) God is the Father of spirits. Angels are spirits (Hebrews 1:7). And we are spirits clothed with mortal bodies.
2) Jesus is called the "firstbegotten"(Hebrews 1:6). With a "firstbegotten" you must have a "secondbegotten". Mormons believe that Jesus is the "firstbegotten" spirit-Son of God, and the Only-Begotten Son of God in the flesh.
3) Angels are spirits (Hebrews 1:7). God is the "Father of spirits" (Hebrew 12:9).
4) We have spirits. God is thus the Father of our spirits.
5) Satan is a fallen angel (spirit). Satan is called one of the "Sons of God": "Now there was a day when the Sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them." (Job 1:6) The Hebrew original is very clear that by "among them" it means "one of them". Evangelical Christian scholar of Hebrew, Arno C. Gaebelein, comments:
| "The Sons of God, revealed as morning stars, include Gabriel and Michael....Lucifer, the Son of the Morning, should also be included, though he became the enemy of God by his fall." (Gabriel and Michael, 1946, pp.7,92) |
Anti-Mormons often point to Paul's epistle to the Colossians to "prove" that the "Jesus of Mormonism" is "not the Jesus of the Bible" by quoting Paul:
| "For by him where all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him." (Colossians 1:6) |
Since Jesus created "all things" He must have created Satan! So how could Jesus be the "brother of Lucifer" if He created him?
A Mormon reply is:
1) "Lucifer" cannot exist in Evangelical theology; since there is only one God, and "Lucifer" is a Canaanite "god" named Heyleyl; a son of EL.
2) The Greek word translated "all things" in Colossians 1:6 does not mean all things, but rather "all manner of things". Example: "Then went all Judea, and were baptized of him in the Jordan." (Matthew 3:6) Did John the Baptist baptize "all Judea" in the Jordan River? No! The Greek word translated "all" is pas, and can mean all but usually means "all manner of" or "all different kinds of" or "an assortment of all". In the King James Version, pas is translated as "all manner of" 784 times, and "all things" only 41 times (see Strong's New Testament Greek Lexicon word #3956).
Was Paul saying that Jesus created "all things" visible or invisible in heaven or on earth? Did Jesus create God? Did He created Himself? The real meaning of "all things" in Colossians 1:6 (as any Greek scholars will tell you) is "all manner of things" (i.e. "all sorts of things"). The thrones, and dominions and principalities and powers refers NOT to the angels themselves, but to the orders of the angels.
Pope Gregory the Great "created" the "orders" of the monks and nuns in the Roman Catholic Church in the early 6th century! Does this mean he "created" the monks and nuns?
Of course not!
Don't read into the Bible what isn't there! Jesus did not create "all things" in heaven and earth, but "all manner of" things; including the "orders" of the angels; not the angels themselves. The Father begot the spirits, and Jesus created the "ORDERS" (in Greek: "ranks/classes") of the angels.
3) The ancient Christians believed that Jesus and Lucifer were "brothers". Lanctantius (260-330 A.D.) is considered one of the greatest Christian writers of the ancient world. He wrote The Divine Insitutes. He is not considered a "heretic" in any way. Christians still quote from him! He wrote and believed that Jesus and Lucifer were brothers. He wrote:
| "Before creating the world, God produced a spirit like Himself, replete with the virtues of the Father. Later he made another, in whom the mark of divine origin was erased, because this one was besmirched by the poison of jealousy and turned therefore from good to evil.... He was jealous of his older Brother who, remaining united with his Father, insured his affection unto himself. This being who from good became bad is called Devil by the Greeks" (Divine Institutes 2:9) |
The Catholic Bible scholar Giovanni Papini comments on this statement by writing that Lactantius believed that
| "Lucifer would have been nothing less than the brother of the Logos....the younger brother of Christ." (The Devil, 1954, pp.81,82). |
This is exactly what Mormons believe!
Is Arno C. Gaebelein, the great Evangelical Christian Bible scholar, along with Lanctantius, the great ancient Christian writer, now burning in Hell being they had "the wrong Jesus"?
If not, then why (pray tell) are Mormons going to "burn in Hell" for all eternity because we believe just like them?
#13) Mormon missionaries are trained to deceive Christians by pretending to be Christians and using Christian terminology; but knowing that such terms mean different things.
False! Yet another BIG LIE! Mormon missionaries are totally sincere. They, like other Mormons, sincerely believe they ARE Christians! They are NOT trained to use "Christian terminology" because there are no two "sets" of terminology! Mormon missionaries know that other Christians don't believe God has a body, and "salvation" often means two different things, but they don't try to deceive anyone and they truly think they are Christians and "Mormonism" is nothing more nor less than "Christianity Restored To It's Original Purity". Decker knows this, and is lying.
Mormon missionaries are 100% sincere. If the Mormon Faith is false, then they are sincerely deceived. But Ed is LYING when he says that Mormon missionaries are trained to "pretend" to be Christians, "use Christian terminology", and delibrately deceive.
#14) Mormonism is part of an international Luciferian/Masonic/Mormon conspiracy to take over the world! Mormon leaders know this, and many Mormons know this too, but they are trained to deceive.
Mormons are sincere, and do not believe they are deceiving Christians into an international "Luciferian" conspiracy. The Book of Mormon is actually anti-Masonic (as anti-Mormon researchers will tell you). In the old Mormon endowment ceremony, Lucifer is pictured wearing a Masonic apron. A house cannot be divided against itself. Decker bases his conspiracy-theory on the Luciferian/Masonic/Jewish conspiracy-theory that got the Nazis into power in Germany, and the one currently used by white-supremacist groups. Decker simply crosses out "Jewish/Zionist" and puts in "Mormon/Mormonism".
The Mormon Endowment Ceremony has Masonic elements, but all of the symbols of the ceremony point to Jesus as the Son of God, Savior, and Lord. The Masonic emblems on Mormon undergarments and elsewhere point not to Lucifer, but to Jesus; Who was a Nagara ("Mason" in Aramaic--often mistranslated as "Carpenter"). The Greek says "Tekton" ("Builder"); also mistranslated as "Carpenter". Jesus was not just a worker of wood (carpenter), but in fact worked in stone, metal, and wood. He was a "Mason".
Joseph Smith said that Freemasonry was a "corruption" of the Melchizedek Priesthood of the ancient Christian church; just as the "Christianity" of his day was a "corruption" of the Aaronic Priesthood of the ancient Christian church.
The ancient disciples of Christ were segregated into two groups:
1) Nazarenes (Jewish believers) under the "Council" in Jerusalem. They claimed to have the Priesthood of Jesus; called the "Melchizedek Priesthood".
2) Christians (Gentile believers) under the various "Bishops". They claimed a "Priesthood" consisting of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons and sometimes "Teachers". Presiding bishops (called "Patriarchates") were established in Rome (over Latin speakers), Antioch (over Greek speakers), Alexandria (over Copt speakers), and Edessa (over Syriac speakers).
The Nazarenes existed for many centuries. They claimed to have "secret rituals" and the "Melchizedek Priesthood".
John Henry Blunt (a non-mormon) writes:
| "Epiphanus states that the Nazarenes flourished principally in Claele-Syria, in Decapolis at Pella, and in Basantis; and that from hence, after the retreat from Jerusalem, the sect had its beginning." (Dictionary of Sects, Heresies, Ecclesiatical Parties, and Schools of Religious Thought, 1971, p.361) |
The ancient Christian historian Eusebius wrote that the Jewish believers were called "Nazarenes", and that before 70 A.D.(when the Romans burned Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple) they fled to Pella, in Decapolis (now Jordan). In the late 3rd century the Nazarenes were declared "heretics" by a Catholic (Universal Church) Council. John Henry Blunt writes of various offices within the priesthood of the Nazarenes:
| "Two appear to belong to the body of Levites [Levites and Priests], and to the Aaronic Priesthood; the third [office] clearly belongs to the Christian ministry. For the third posesses a new name: a King arises from Juah, and creates a new priesthood. This Ethnic type is the priesthood of Melchizedek. A passage from Theophilus of Antioch makes this designation easier: 'Melchizedek was the first priest of all the priests of the Most High God. From his time priests were found in all the earth.' [To Autol. 11. chap ii)." (Dict. of Sects, p.363) |
Hughes de Payens, a French nobleman living during the First Crusade (12th century), and founder of the Order of the Temple of Solomon (an order of warrior-monks who protected Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land) was initiated by the Nazarenes; then still existing in the Holy Land. He was initiated into their secret rites, and became a secret convert (J.B. Fabre, Recerches historiques sur les Templiers).
Many centuries later, the Order of the Temple was disbanded, but the stonemasons of the Order started their own organization which later became known as "Freemasonry".
In other words, the reason why the Masonic Endowment Ceremony and Masonic rituals are so similar is because Freemasonry came from the Order of the Temple of Solomon, which itself came from the rites and rituals of the Nazarenes; the descendants of the original disciples of Jesus.
Under divine inspiration, Joseph Smith restored the "pure" Masonic rites; which is the Mormon Endowment Ceremony. He called it "Celestial Masonry". The "pure" and original Masonic rituals go back far beyond the Middle-Ages, back before the Order of the Temple of Solomon, and back to the "Nazarenes" of the first centuries who claimed to be followers of Yeshu the Nagara ("Mason").
Bible scholars know that the ancient Christians had "secret rites" which they referred to as:
1) Disciplina Arcani (Secret Discipline)
2) The Inner Mysteries
3) The
Rites of the Inner Chamber
Many ancient Christian writers of the first few centuries testify and write that the Church had "public" rites and "secret" rites, and that the private rites were not discussed or made public.
Clement of Alexandria (c. 230 A.D.), the Dean of the Christian School of Alexandria, founded by St. Mark (author of the Gospel According to Mark) wrote:
| "The Lord did not hinder from doing good while keeping the Sabbath; but allowed us to communicate of those Divine Mysteries, and of that holy light, to those who are able to receive them. He did not certainly disclose to the Many what did not belong to the Many; but to the Few to whom He knew that they belonged, who were capable of receiving and being moulded according to them. But secret things are entrusted to speech, not to writing, as is the case with God." (The Anti-Nicene Fathers 2:302) |
Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 300 A.D.) wrote:
| "When the instruction is over, if any catechumen [unbaptized investigator] tries to get out of you what your teachers told you, tell nothing, for he is outside the Mystery that we have delivered to you, with its hope of the age to come. Guard the Mystery for his saek from whom you look for reward. Never let anyone persuade you, saying: 'What hard is it that I should know as well?'...Already you stand on the frontier of the Mystery. I adjure you to smuggle no word out." (Procatchesis 12) |
The apostle Paul wrote that he "knew a man" who was "caught up into the Third Heaven" and head words "which are not lawful for a man to utter" (2 Corinthians 12:2-4). What did Paul see? What did he hear? What were the "words not lawful for a man to utter"? Paul didn't say in his letter to the Corinthians. But there is an ancient document called The Apocalypse of Paul where he allegedly reveals what he saw and did on his journey to the Presence of God.
The prophet Jacob (Israel) once had a vision in which he saw a "ladder" descending from heaven and landing on the earth. On the ladder were angels going up and down it, and on top of the ladder was the "LORD" (YHWH).
We then read that Jacob "wrestled" with a "man" all night long. The Bible says that Jacob "prevails" with the "man" and the "man" gives Jacob a new name, and this new name is "ISRAEL"; which means "Prevails With El [God]". Jacob then calls the place where he saw the ladder and where he got his new name and wrestled with the man "Peniel"; which means "Face of God". Jacob says he named the place Peniel because "I have seen God face to face." (Gen. 32:30).
What does this all mean? Did Jacob get into a wrestling match with GOD, or an Angel, and win the match, and, in consequence, Jacob gets a new name? Pretty bizaar isn't it? Is Jacob a better wrestler than God? Jacob would be GOLD in the World Wresting Federation wouldn't he? HE BEAT GOD in wrestling!
But...all levity aside! Let's get serious.
Evangelicals don't have a "clue" what this all means! Mormons do!
Mormons understand what this means! Evangelicals don't have a "clue"!
What are Mormons so special? Why? Because they have accepted that JESUS has done a special work in the last days called the "Divine Restoration of the Gospel" through the Prophet Joseph Smith. That's all.
Mormons know that on Jacob was given the opportunity to enter the Presence of God. But he could not enter the Presence of God without first "passing by" the angels which stand are sentinels and guardians of God's Presence. The Bible gives us a "Reader's Digest" account of all this. An Angel appears to Jacob as a "man" and instructs Jacob on the "signs and tokens" that he had to have in order to enter the Presence of God. The English says that Jacob "wrestled" with a "man" (i.e. angel). The word "wrestled" in Hebrew simply means "embraced". Mormons also "embrace" in Mormon Temples; not in "wrestling" matches, but as part of the "Signs and Tokens" they must know in order to pass-by the Angels and enter the Presence of the Father. Other Christians will never be allowed to enter the Presence of the Father; because they do not know the Signs and Tokens, and they have not obeyed the 5 Covenants associated with those Signs and Tokens.
What "are" the Signs and Tokens? What "are" the 5 Covenants? Mormons have covenanted with the LORD to keep these things "sacred"; so, we don't discuss what they are outside of our Temples. You could go to anti-Mormon websites and read about them if you wish, but to simply "read" about them is about as useful as "reading" about Jesus but never accepting Him as Lord and Savior.
Jacob had to give the angel certain "signs and tokens" (words/jestures/embraces) in order to pass-by this angel and enter the Presence of God; where Jacob could actually see the Face of God. In order to enter the Presence of God, Jacob had to be taught certain "signs and tokens" by the angel, and he had to be given a new name as well. He had to know the secret name of the angel in order to pass-by it to reach the Presence of God.
Some of you will say, "Ah, God is ALL-POWERFUL. He doesn't need angel guardians!"
My reply is: "NO! The Angels don't guard God from YOU, they guard YOU from GOD!"
The Father has given all Judgement unto the Son! Why? Because unclean things can exist in the presence of the Son! No unclean thing can exist in the Presence of the Father, and this is why the Father has given all judgment to the Son. He will judge all--even the most wicked. But "no unclean thing" can dwell in the Presence of the Father (Moses 6:57)! As Moses wrote:
| "For the LORD Thy God is a consuming fire." (Deuteronomy 4:24) |
As Paul wrote:
| "For our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:29) |
The most wretched being ever born will enter the Presence of Jesus Christ; to be judged. However, if that being tried to enter the Presence of the Father he would be instanly "consumed" by the Glory of God. Any "unclean" being that enters the Presence of the Father is instantly consumed by His Glory.
The Angel-sentinels don't guard God the Father from YOU, but they guard YOU from the Presence of God the Father. Each "sign and token" is linked to a covenant. There are 5 Covenants. Every endowed Mormon knows what they are. If you "keep" (obey) these 5 Covenants with God, then you are "clean" and you can enter the Presence of God the Father. If you don't keep all these 5 Covenants with God, then you are "unclean". If you are unclean, even if you know the "signs and tokens", then the Angels will not let you pass by them and you will not enter the Presence of the Father and receive your Exaltation.
What is "Exaltation"? It is to become and "heir of God and joint-heir of Christ" (Romans 8:17). It means to receive Eternal Life; which does not mean "to live eternally" but it means "God-Life"; to live the kind of life GOD lives; because His name is "Eternal" (Moses 7:35). God is the only "Eternal" there is! There is nothing "eternal" outside of God! To inherit "Eternal Life" means to inherit the kind of life the Eternal One has.
Evangelicals will say, "Ah, but I've washed my garments in the Blood of Jesus! I AM clean! NOT from anything I've done myself, but from Jesus' blood!"
When Jesus appeared to the Nephites (an ancient Jewish tribe) in America, He told them:
| "And no unclean thing can enter into his [the Father's] kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentence of all their sins and their faithfulness unto the end." (3 Nephi 27:9) |
Yes, after Jesus' ascension, He visited a tribe of Jews in America (the Nephites), and He also visited the "Lost Tribes". While in Palestine Jesus said to His disciples:
| "Other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them too I must bring, so there can be one fold and one shepherd." (John 10:16) |
After Jesus' ascension into Heaven He went to visit the Nephites ("nee-fights"); a Jewish colony in ancient America. He said to them:
| "And verily I say unto you, that ye are they of whom I said; Other sheep I have which are not of htis fold, them also I must bring, so there can be one fold and one shepherd." (3 Nephi 15:21) |
Jesus is the Messiah of Israel! But in the time of Jesus, ISRAEL was separated into three groups:
1) The Jews in Palestine and in cities around the Mediterranean.
2) The Nephites in America (The Book of Mormon is their story).
3) The 10 Lost Tribes (who are most likely the Pathan/Pashtoon people of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Kashmír).
After Jesus visited the Nephites for three days, He ascended back into a glory-cloud, but before He did He said He was going to visit the lost tribes. There are still traditions among the Pathan peoples of Kashmír (who claim to be the descendants of the Lost Tribes) that Jesus visited them!
That ISRAEL was separated into three groups that did not know of each other (i.e. that were "hid") is confirmed in Jesus' Parable of the Three Measures of Meal (Matthew 13:33-25 and Luke 13:3-21); otherwise known as the "Parable of the Leaven".
The Book of Mormon is NOT a false addition to the Bible! Rather, it is the Word of God that came to Jewish Prophets that lived in America anciently, and about Jesus' visit to them.
Mormons know that merely accepting Jesus as their Personal Savior and saying The Sinner's Prayer does not mean that one has washed their garments in the Blood of Jesus! In order to be "washed clean from the blood of this generation" one has to be washed by a holder of Jesus' Priesthood (the Melchizedek Priesthood), and in the Temple of the LORD! This is why Jesus' disciples (long after His death and resurrection) "continued daily with one accord in the Temple." (Acts 2:46)
What were the disciples of Jesus doing in the Temple after His atonement and ascension into Heaven?
Where they sacrificing bulls, lambs, and turtledoves?
Where they in the Temple "daily" to play Bingo, or were they trying to convert people? Do you think the Temple Guards would allow them to do that? No!!!
What in the world were the Disciples of Jesus still doing in the Temple long after Jesus' atonement on the Cross, resurrection, and ascension into heaven?
They were doing as Jesus had shown them during His post-resurrection forty-day ministry! They were teaching each other the "signs and tokens" and giveing each other the "washings and annoitings" that "cleaned" them from the sins of their generation.
This makes sense! What does NOT make sense is that Jacob would "wrestle" with God, win the wrestling match, and, as a reward, God would give Jacob a new name. That is totally absurd; yet that is the only explanation Evangelicals can come up with? Why? Because they don't know the Mysteries of God! They say they believe the Bible, but, often, they don't have a clue what certain things in it actually mean!
Mormons do!
Why? Because JESUS restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith the ancient Christian beliefs and ordinances. What you call "Mormonism" is simply the Divine Restoration of Primitive (Original) Christianity as founded by Jesus and imparted to His Apostles. Nothing more. Nothing less.
When we die we go to the Spirit-World; otherwise known in the Greek as "Hades". In the Hebrew it is called "Sheol". Within the Spirit-World are Paradise and Hell. At the Day of Resurrection, we get our bodies again, and then we begin our journey to the Presence of God the Son. Those who know the "signs and tokens" (as Jacob did) may pass-by the angels who stand as sentinels and reach the Presence of God the Father. Those who don't know, won't reach the Presence of God the Father.
Mormons are taught these secret words and jestures ("signs and tokens") in the Endowment Ceremony in Mormon Temples; the same ones that Jesus taught to His disciples after His resurrection, and the same ones His disciples taught each other "daily" in the Temple after that.
Mormons believe that are the latter-day Saints; the latter-day Temple-workers of God. The ancient temple-workers (the Levites) wore all white; with turbans and sashes. Before they entered the Temple to minister, they had to be "washed" with water and "anointed" with olive oil, and don white clothing from head to foot. The ancient Temple had three compartments; symbolic of the Three Heavens. Over the entrance of the last compartment was a curtain or veil, and only the High Priest could part the veil and enter the earthly Presence of YHWH.
It is true that Jesus' death RENT THE VEIL! For Evangelicals, this means that the Temple has no purpose, and is useless for Christians! But this is NOT what the disciples of Jesus taught! Luke writes in the Book of Acts that after Jesus' death, resurrection, forty-day ministry, and ascension, that his disciples "continued daily with one accord in the Temple". (Acts 2:46).
What were Jesus' disciples doing daily "with one accord" in the Temple long after Jesus' death on the cross, resurrection, and ascension to Heaven?
Historians can't tell you. Bible scholars can't tell you!
Mormons know!
Mormons know what they did in the Temple daily. They taught each other the sacred "signs and tokens" that the Angel taught to Jacob, and that Jesus taught to His disciples AFTER His death and resurrection; during His forty-days wherein He taught them "many things pertaining to the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:1).
Decker has quoted Jesus saying, "In secret I have said nothing." (John 18:3) as a way to "prove" that Jesus did not teach His disciples secret "signs and tokens". But....wait! Jesus said to His disciples:
| "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." (John 16:12) |
He is then arrested, and, during His trial, He says, "In secret I have said nothing" (John 18:3). This is true! Mormons would agree with that 100%! Jesus gave His disciples NO secret "signs and tokens" before His arrest and trial and crucifixion. Decker is deliberately misquoting the Bible; implying that Jesus never gave His disciples secrets! When Jesus said, "In secret I have said nothing" He was NOT saying "I have given my disciples no secret rites" but He was saying, "In private I have said nothing, but I have preached in public". He said this because, during His trial, paid "witnesses" were coming forth saying that Jesus "privately" told them things that He had not said publicly.
Jesus in fact DID give His disciples "secrets". He asked His disciples "Whom do men say that I am?" Some said "John the Baptist", others "a Prophet". Peter said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of God". Jesus said, "Flesh and blood hath not revealed this to you, but my Father in Heaven. Tell this to no man" (i.e. keep this a secret for now)(see Mark 8:30).
The Greek word translated "secret" in "In secret I have said nothing" does NOT mean "secret rites" but "in private I have said nothing". Jesus never said anything in "private", and the witnesses brought against Him at trial were "paid" liars! They testified that Jesus said "one thing" in public, but in "private" (secret) Jesus told them He wanted to overthrow the Romans and rule as king of the Jews. This is why Jesus said, at His trial, "In secret I have said nothing". Why did the Sanhedrin "pay" men to lie about Jesus? Because they were convinced Jesus was a false Christ, and John the Baptist a false prophet, and they were protecting Israel against cultists!
Sound familiar?
Decker is totally wrong...on all counts! His misquotes the Bible constantly! Why do MILLIONS of Evangelicals listen to this man and believe every lie he says?
Mormons would agree that before His resurrection Jesus did not give His disciples secret "signs and tokens". It was only after His death and resurrection that Jesus appeared to His disciples for 40 days and taught them those things they could not "bear" before! What did Jesus teach them? The New Testament is silent on this; saying only:
| "To whom he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs being seen of them forty days, and speaking of things pertaining to the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3) |
What are these "things pertaining to the Kingdom of God" that Luke (author of The Acts of the Apostles) does not tell us? Could it be the "words" which "are not lawful for a man to utter"? Perhaps this is why Luke chooses not to "utter" them in Acts!
Remember, Joseph Smith did not "invent" what Jesus revealed secretly (after His resurrection and NOT before) to His disciples! Jesus appeared to Joseph Smith and did just what the Angel did to the prophet Jacob! Jesus taught Joseph Smith the "signs and tokens"!
Again, Mormons believe like other Christians. On the Day of Resurrection, Mormons will stand in the Presence of Jesus and be judged. Those who are judged worthy enough to enter the Celestial Kingdom will then have to climb Jacob's Ladder, and they will have the "signs and tokens" necessary to pass-by the angels and enter the Presence of God the Father. All other Christians will not have this opportunity. Why? Because they rejected the Divine Restoration of Primitive Christianity; otherwise known as "Mormonism". They'll never know the "signs and tokens". They can read about them on anti-Mormon websites, but, without the Spirit of God (which comes via the Endowment), they won't understand them! They will be eternally left-out of the Presence of God the Father; which faithful Mormons (not all Mormons, but the truely faithful ones) will be let into His Presence and receive the crowns of Eternal Life, or the Life of The Eternal One.
The Mormon Endowment Ceremony claims to teach Mormons the "signs and tokens" they must know to pass-by the angels which stand as sentinels in the Celestial Kingdom. Mormons are told that if they show these angels the "signs and tokens" then the angels will let them pass-by and enter the Presence of the Father. Mormons are also told they they must "keep" (obey) the 5 Covenants which are associated with the Signs and Tokens.
Christians believe they will die and enter the presence of the Lord (Jesus). Mormons believe this too, but they have the "signs and tokens" that will allow them to enter the Presence of God the Father and receive a greater inheritance than other Christians.
At best, non-mormon Christians believe they are saved (i.e. will avoid Hell-fire) and enter an etneral Heavenly Choir in which they will sing one song or praise after another; for all eternity. Father will not know son, nor wife husband. They will be eternal heavenly eunuchs; singing one song of praise after another, for all eternity; with the only distraction being, on occassion, to look between their feet and notice Mormons (and everyone else not Evangelical) burning in Hell; screaming for mercy but getting none.
Is that YOUR Heaven? If not, you'd better find another religion!
Mormons are Christians! Mormons believe that they are "saved" (from Hell-fire) because they accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. However, they also know that they must "keep the commandments" in order to get a better reward in Heaven. The best reward is to enter the Celestial Kingdom. But it doesn't stop there. Entering the Celestial Kingdom doesn't necessarily mean you enter the Presence of the Father, and receive the gift of Eternal Life. In order to enter the Presence of the Father, they must know the Signs and Tokens, but the Signs and Tokens are meaningless unless they have kept the 5 Covenants.
Decker has likened the Mormon Endowment Ceremoney to "Dungeons and Dragons" (a game where the players must know certain words or show certain things to slay monsters and get to higher levels). But, in the Apocalypse of Paul (an ancient Christian work purported by Paul but later declared "heretical" in late Catholic councils), the author writes that he is taken by the Spirit to the Presence of God the Father, but along the way he must give various angels "signs" in order to pass them and enter God's Presence. The author (Paul?) writes: "The Spirit spoke, saying, 'Give him the sign that you have, and he will open for you.' And I gave him the sign." (The Apocalypse of Paul, p.3 online) St. Cyril of Jerusalem, the Christian bishop of Jerusalem in the early 4th century, wrote a description of some secret Christian rituals he called "The Rites of the Inner Chamber". They have striking similarities to Mormon Temple rites of Washings and Anointings. Cyril writes of Christian initiates being anointed with oil on their foreheads, ears, nose, and other places (Mystagogical Lectures 2.3, 3.4). He wrotes that they were then dressed in white robes which Cyril calls "the garment of salvation" (Mystagogical Lectures 3.8)
Decker has called Mormon Temple Rites "Satanic" and "Luciferian" which include "blood oaths" and "oaths to Lucifer".
He is LYING!
The Mormon Temple Rites are NOT "Satanic" nor "Luciferian" as Decker claims! There are no "blood oaths" (the term "blood oaths" means a pact or contract which includes the shedding or use of blood), and there never were any.
The Mormon Endowment Ceremonies are ancient Christian rites that were changed and dropped by the ancient Church over the centuries but restored by the Prophet Joseph Smith as part as the "Restoration of All Things".
#15) Mormons believe they are saved by their own righteous works, not by grace or faith in Jesus' Blood on the Cross. They say to Jesus, "I don't need your blood, I will work out my own salvation!"
False. Mormons believe that we are saved by the Grace of God. We are "saved" from three things:
Death
Hell
Sin
Salvation from physical death (Death) is called "Resurrection". All men and women will be resurrected; thus we are all saved from death by Grace alone.
Salvation from spiritual death (Hell) is called "Redemption". Only men and women who put their faith on Jesus Christ shall be saved from Hell; thus we are saved from Hell by Grace + Faith (in Jesus). Faith is not mere "belief" that He was the Son of God, but acceptance of Him as Lord.
Salvation from Sin is called "Exaltation". Only men and women who overcome their own sin-natures, through fear and trembling, will be saved from Sin. After we are saved from Hell (redeemed) we still have a sin-nature. Christians saved from Hell still have a sin-nature. It must be "overcome". He who overcomes his/her sin-nature (which cannot take place without the aid of the Holy Spirit...by being born-again) is granted to sit upon Jesus' throne (Rev. 3:3). They receive the title of "gods". They become "perfect" even as their Heavenly Father is perfect. This comes via Grace + Faith + Works.
Resurrection=saved from Death=grace (alone)
Redemption=saved from Hell=grace + faith (in Jesus)
Exaltation=saved from Sin=grace + faith + works (walk in Christ)
In other words, we are saved by grace, but judged according to our works.
The steps to Salvation and Exaltation are as follows:
1) A sinner without the knowledge of the Gospel is destined for Hell-fire--- 2) but then hears the Gospel of Jesus Christ 3)---has faith (total dependency...not mere "belief") in Jesus (accepts as Lord)--- 4) is saved from Hell-fire punishment--- 5) then in the resurrection is judged according to his walk in Christ (his works AFTER being saved)-- 6) is then rewarded accordingly (different degrees of glory, or reward, in Heaven).
Salvation in all it's degrees (resurrection, redemption, exaltation) is by the grace of God; since we cannot resurrection ourselves (salvation from physical death), we cannot redeem ourselves (salvation from Hell-punishment), and we cannot exalt ourselves (salvation from sin-nature).
"And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged according to their works." (Rev. 3:13) Read that again, the dead (including the dead who were in HELL) were judged according to their works!
The dead in Hell will be brought out of Hell and judged according to their works!
Mormons don't believe that the dead are judged according to their works to determine if they go to Heaven or Hell! Mormons believe that at death one goes to either Paradise or Hell, but, after the Resurrection, when Death and Hell are tossed into the Lake of Fire (and thus end), all men shall be judged (rewarded) according to their works. This judgment DOES NOT determine if one is saved or not, but it takes the saved in Paradise, and the unsaved in Hell (who are being purified by "Eternal Fire") and takes them out and rewards them according to their works!
For Mormons, the "Eternal Fire" of Hell is NOT "eternal" in duration, but "eternal" in quality! Jude wrote that the LORD punished Sodom and Gomorrah, and that they had suffered "the vengeance of eternal fire." (Jude 1:7)
Is Sodom still burning? If God sent "eternal fire" upon Sodom and Gomorrah, then why can't we see this "eternal fire" still burning those cities?
The answer is simply...
God did NOT send "unending" fire upon those cities, but He sent ETERNAL (i.e. GOD) Fire upon them! In other words, He sent FIRE from God, or "supernatural" fire! The Greek word for supernatural was AEONION! This is the word the Greek original uses for "eternal" in all references to Hell-fire, and in Jude 1:7!
In Evangelical theology, your loved ones who are not "Christians" (i.e. Evangelicals) will BURN-IN-HELL for all eternity; crying, screaming, PLEADING to God to get out, but they will be tortured forever, and ever, and ever!
Do YOU believe that?
You'd better....because, if you're an Evangelical, that is what your faith teaches!
In Mormon theology, your loved ones will NOT burn in Hell forever! If one purifies their souls here on earth, or in the Spirit-World, then there is no need for further purification in Hell-fire. All souls (except the Devil, his angels, and the sons of perdition) will go to Heaven....but some must spend some "quality time" in Hell; because they did not purify their souls first.
How do you purify your soul?
It was JESUS who purified the souls of all sinners upon the Cross! However, one must accept Him as LORD for this purification to occur. For Mormons, to accept Jesus as "LORD" means to truly believe in Him and do what He says; otherwise, we are only giving Him "lip service" and not really accepting Him as Lord and Savior.
The "eternal fire" that God poured out upon Sodom was not the Latin AETERNUM ("everlating" "without end") but the Greek AEONIOS ("belonging to an Aeon")!
God's fire is aeonian fire; not aeternum ("eternal") fire!
The Greek word often translated in English Bibles as "eternal" is aeonios, and does not mean "eternal" but "belonging to an Aeon". In ancient Greek, an AEON can mean either:
1) A period of time with a beginning and an end.
2) A god.
So, by "eternal fire" Jude meant "godly fire". Jehovah poured out godly (supernatural) fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah.
The Greek word for "eternal" or "ageless" or "forever" is aidios, and is only used twice in the New Testament:
1) In Romans 1:3 (speaking of God's everlasting power).
2) In Jude 1:6 (speaking of the "everlasting" chains that Satan will bound with).
The Greek words for "eternal torment" are aidios timorio, and cannot be found in any Greek manuscript of the New Testament. What is often translated as "eternal torment" or "everlasting punishment" in English Bibles is actually aeonios kolasin, and means literally "godly corrective-pruning or chastisement" or "age-lasting corrective-pruning or chastisement". The Greek word kolasin means "to curtain, to retrain, to chastise, to prune".
Why did Christians in the West believe for thousands of years that Hell was "eternal" in duration? Because St. Jerome, who wrote the first Latin Bible (the Vulgate), mistranslated "age-lasting correction" into "eternal torment"!
It was a "mistranslation" that any Bible-scholar--even the most Evangelical ones-- will admit to you!
The Bible says that there are basically three degrees of reward.
The Angel of Jesus told John that Christians were "called, the chosen, and the faithful." (Rev. 17:4) Once again, three degrees of glory or reward; depending upon one's "walk".
In other words, for those already saved there are different "rewards" in Heaven. We are judged as Christians according to our works (or "walk" with Jesus) AFTER we are saved.
In other words, "salvaton" is by grace, but we are judged as to what reward we shall receive in heaven (for their are various rewards and ranks) is determined by our "walk in Christ" AFTER we are saved. Our works don't SAVE us (the Blood of Jesus does), but our works after we are saved determines what reward in Heaven we shall have. This is why it says we shall be "judged according to their works". (Rev. 3:12)
Some shall receive 100 fold, others 60 fold, and others 30 fold. These are the basic three degrees of rewards in heaven for the Redeemed: "But other fell onto good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold;" (Matt. 13:8)
"And everyone wthat hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life." (Matt. 19:29) Only those Christians who are perfected in Christ shall receive 100fold, and inherit Eternal Life. All others shall have lesser rewards in Heaven.
To put it very simply:
*We are SAVED [go to heaven] by grace, but we are JUDGED [rewarded in heaven] by our works.
*The Saved go to Paradise at death. The UNsaved go to Hell-fire at death (as a means to purify them). The Saved are purified by the Blood of Jesus. The Unsaved must be purified by Hell-fire (suffering in the Spirit-World).
*At the Resurrection, when Death and Hell are tossed into the Lake of Fire, the Saved and the Unsaved will be equally "clean" (the Saved by Blood and the Unsaved by Hell-fire), and stand before God. No "unclean thing" can stand in the Presence of God. It says in the Book of Moses (in the Pearl of Great Price; a Mormon book of scripture): "Wherefore teach it to your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten Son, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time." (Moses 6:57) *At death those who have "washed their garments" in the blood of Jesus (3 Nephi 27:19)--who have become born-again--shall go to Paradise in the Spirit-World (Hades); to dwell until the time of the Resurrection.
*At death, those who have no "washed their garments" in the Blood of the Lamb shall go to Hell (Gehenna) in the Spirit-World (Hades); to have their spirits "purified" with fire until the time of the Resurrection.
*Neither Paradise nor Hell are "eternal" in duration. The Greek word translated "eternal punishment" is a MIStranslation that any Bible-scholar will tell you. The word translated "eternal punishment" is actually "Age-lasting corrective-pruning".
*At the Resurrection, the spirits in Paradise and the spirits in Hell receive again the physical bodies. They go from the Spirit-Cosmos back into the Material-Cosmos. Both the Saved in Paradise and the Unsaved in Hell are now "pure" and "clean" and thus can stand in the Presence of God. The Saved were made "clean" by the Blood of Jesus. The Unsaved were made "clean" by Hell-fire. The Devil, his angels (demons), and the "sons of perdition" (human beings who have committed the "sin against the Holy Ghost") shall not be purified, and shall never enter the Presence of God. They shall be cast into the "Lake of Fire" (Rev. 3:14) along with Death and Hell (i.e. they will be annihilated).
*At the Resurrection the Saved in Paradise shall again receives physical bodies and stand in the Presence or God the Son and be "rewarded" according to their deeds or works in life. If they are born-again, but have few good works, their reward is small. If they have many good works, their reward is great. There are many different rewards. There are many different degrees of reward. The ultimate reward in Heaven is to enter the Presence of God the Father; but this can only be achieved by knowing the "signs and tokens", and using them to pass-by the Angel-sentinels that guard the Presence of the Father. But simply know the "signs and tokens" are not enough; because the Signs and Tokens are tied into the 5 Covenants that Mormons make in Mormon Temples. If they don't "keep the covenants" then the Signs and Tokens are utterly useless and meaningless.
*At the Resurrection the Unsaved in Hell shall again receive physical bodies and stand in the Presence of God and be "rewarded" according to their deeds or works in life. If they had many good works great shall be their reward. If only a few good works, then their reward is small.
*The degree of reward varies as does the "glory" of the Sun, Moon, and the Stars (each star differing in glory).
*All humans shall be saved from Death; all will be given mortal bodies again. This is Resurrection.
*Only some humans shall be saved from Hell; only those who are wash their garments in the Blood of Jesus shall go to Paradise at death. This is Redemption.
*Only a small few shall be saved from Sin; only those who wash their garments in the Blood of Jesus, and overcome their own sin-natures "through fear and trembling", and endure in this to the end of their lives, and receive the ordinances of the Temple, shall receive the highest glory, or reward, in Heaven. This is Exaltation.
*Salvation from our sin-nature is what Paul referred to when he wrote to the Philippians (who were already Christians and thus already "saved" i.e. "redeemed" from Hell-fire) that they should "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him." (Philip. 2:12)
Do some Mormons think that "Salvation" is via works and not grace? Probably a few less-informed ones do. Many Mormons think that "Salvation" and "Exaltation" is the same thing exactly. They believe that being "saved" is through grace AND works. However, the Bible and Mormon scriptures teach that we are saved by grace but judged by our works.
We cannot redeem ourselves from Hell.
We cannot resurrect ourselves from Death.
We cannot perfect ourselves from Sin.
Therefore, at each level, "salvation" (from Death, Hell, and Sin) is a gift of God!
The Mormon Faith DOES teach that Salvation, at ALL levels, is by and through the Grace of God!
|
"How great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the holy Messiah,...." (2 Nephi 1:73-76) "And remember after ye are reconciled to God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved." (2 Nephi 7:14) "Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in no wise deny the power of God. And again, if ye, by the grace of God, are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father, unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy without spot." (Moroni 10:29-31) |
How does this differ from the Evangelical belief about salvation? Well, Evangelicals believe:
*One must accept Jesus in this life to be saved. If one does not have the opportunity to hear the Gospel in this life it is "too bad" and they will burn in Hell for all eternity.
*At death one goes to Heaven or Hell; both are eternal. But they go their as spirits, but on the day of Resurrection the damned spirits in Hell get bodies and appear before the Great White Throne; in which Jesus says basically "You are condemned" and they go back to an eternal Hell; this time with physical bodies burning instead of just spirits burning.
*At the Resurrection the just in Heaven/Paradise get their physical bodies again, and appear before the Great White Throne and are "judged" according to their works as Christians. Are there different rewards? Some Evangelicals say "yes" and some say "no". The ones who say "yes" believe that at this point Christian enter an enternal heavenly "choir" with the angels, and, apparently, the better one's "walk in Christ" (i.e. more good works as a Christian) the closer one is to the Throne in the Heavenly Choir.
*For all eternity Christians in the Heavenly Angelic Choir will sing songs of praise to the Lord; some closer to the Throne than others; the vary gaze of the Throne (upon which a bodiless Spirit without body, form, or passions sits) apparently will make them "more blissful" than Christians not as close.
*For all eternity the "non-christians" (pagans, Muslims, Hindus, Atheists, Agnostics, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Buddhists, Baha'is, Sihks, Jains, Satanists, Wiccans, most Roman Catholics, most Greek Orthodox, etc.--basically anyone who isn't an Evangelical) shall burn in Hell; SCREAMING and crying to God for mercy but never receiving any after trillions and zillions of years, still burning, still crying and screaming in pain...for all eternity.
Basically, in Evangelical theology, people go to an eternal Heaven/Paradise or an eternal Hell at death; all depends on if one is a "Christian" (i.e. an Evangelical Christian) at the time of death. Most Catholics and Orthodox won't make it because they pray to Mary or the Saints and aren't truly "born-again". Only "Evangelical" Christians will be saved. Everybody else goes to Hell for all eternity. Then, at the Resurrection, the spirits in Heaven/Paradise and Hell receive their physical bodies again, but the spirits burning in Hell now have physical bodies to burn in Hell. They make a "180" and go right back to Hell to burn for all eternity. They simply make a "loop-da-loop". Why? Why send people to Eternal Hell at death where they burn without bodies, then resurrect them, judge them, and send them back to Hell to burn with resurrected bodies for all eternity?
Why the spirits burning in Hell need to be resurrected and get their physical bodies, be judged at the Great White Throne, and then go right back to burn in Hell for all eternity is not explained by Evangelicals. I mean, if their spirits were burning in Hell before, why then "resurrect" them just to "judge" them and put them back into Hell?
In Mormon theology, of course, Paradise and Heaven are not the same place. Paradise is a very pleasant condition of existence in the Spirit-World (Hades). Hell is a very UNpleasant condition of existence in the Spirit-World (Hades). On the other hand, "HEAVEN" for Mormons is Heaven! It is what we see at night. It is the Cosmos. For Mormons "Heaven" is not an "Heavenly Choir" of angels that sing one song after another for all eternity, but rather literal planets! Our earthly acts will decide what kind of planet we will live on:
For Mormons there are three Kingdoms of Glory:
Within the Celestial Kingdom there are three Glories. The Celestial Glory of the Celestial Kingdom is the highest glory, and is reserved for those Latter-day Saints who endure to the end (i.e. overcome their sin-natures). They are saved by Grace+Faith+Works. They receive 100fold Salvation (not 30fold or 60fold). They become Adams and Eves on other worlds. Eventually, after eons, they become gods and goddesses.
VS.
The best that Evangelicals can hope for is an eternal heavenly choir of eunuch angels in which they will sing one song of praise after another forever; with the only diversion being to occassionally look down between their feet and see non-evangelicals (including their loved ones who are not "Christians") burning in Hell forever; for all time without mercy.
The best that Mormons can hope for is to become a god or a goddess; to become Adams and Eves on other worlds (more than one) and to eventually rule those worlds; to have conjugal love and children for all eternity.
Which "Heaven" would you prefer?
a) An Eternal Heavenly Choir consisting of eunuchs singing praises to God and occassionally looking down to see billions of people screaming in Hell-fire for all eternaity?
b) To become an Adam and Eve on other worlds and to eventually become a god or goddess; creating your own planets and sending your spirit-children to those planets?
Mormons would prefer "b".
How about you?
Mormons do not believe in a God Who is everywhere yet nowhere, Who has no body, shape, nor passions (love, jealousy, anger are passions). Is neither male nor female nor neuter, but cannot be called "IT" but MUST be called "HE", Who is somehow His own Father and Son and Holy Spirit, Who is supposed to be about LOVE yet Who creates BILLIONS of beings merely to suffer and burn in Hell for all eternity. Mormons cannot believe in nor worship such a being as this. For Mormons, this being sounds a LOT like Satan! A being who is unjust, yet demands constant unending praise, and who enjoys torturing souls for all eternity in Hell!
Ted Bundy was a man who raped and killed over 30 innocent women and girls (one aged 12), but was caught, sent to prison, and eventually given the death penalty.
In Evangelical theology, a man who rapes and kills hundreds of women and girls, then accepts Jesus and becomes "born-again" in prison, will, upon death, go to Heaven/Paradise and sing songs in bliss to the Lord around His Throne for all eternity.
But, according to Evangelical theology, Mother Teresa, who sacrificed her
life to help the poor and dying in India, because she was never an Evangelical
(i.e. not 'born-again') shall burn in Hell; screaming and being tortured for
all eternity.
In Mormon theology, such a man will go to Hell-fire and burn in suffering until he is purified; unless he is a son of perdition. If he is a son of perdition, then there is no hope for him. He will go to Outer Darkness and be annihilated; just as never existed. There is no reason to "purify" a son of perdition in Hell-fire; because his soul cannot be purified. He will cease to exist. It would have been better had he never been born.
In Mormon theology, Mother Teresa will go to Paradise, and receive her reward for her deeds. She will be taught the Gospel (i.e. it's fulness as can be found in Mormonism) in the Spirit-World. If she accepts it, then she will receives the greatest reward in Heaven; a Celestial world.
For Evangelical Christians, "Heaven" is an eternal heavenly choir; singing one song of praise to the Lord after another for all eternity. Do YOU want to be in this "eteral" choir? One song after another, forever and ever and ever? You'd better! Because this is the only "heaven" that Evangelicalism offers!
Some Evangelicals I've met have told me that one of the "joys of Heaven" is to look down from this heavenly choir, to see Mormons (and all others who rejected Evangelicalism) burning in Hell for all eternity; crying to God in torture but receiving no mercy.
 "Sorry kid, only Bible-believing Evangelical Christians go to Heaven! Go thou forever into eternal Hell-fire!" |
 The Mormon Jesus is not a demon with His eyes rolled back in His head, but the loving Son of God Who saves ALL men and women: some via His Blood (if they accept Him), and others via Hell-fire if they reject Him. But ALL are saved by Blood or Fire except Satan, the Demons, and the Sons of Perdition. Hell is not eternal (forever) punishment, but ETERNAL (God's) punishment that purifies those who do not wash their garments in His Blood. How does one "wash their garments" in His Blood? Evangelicals think they must only say "The Sinner's Prayer" and believe in their heart. Mormons know better! The Sinner's Prayer does not "wash" your garments in Jesus' Blood. To do that, one must be Washed and Anointed in one of Jesus' Temples by those Who hold His Priesthood. This takes place daily in Mormon Temples all across the world for the living and the dead. |
For Mormons--THAT AIN'T HEAVEN--it more like HELL!
Mormons don't want to look at people burning in Hell forever! Mormons do not receive pleasure for the thought of observing people being tortured forever.
For Mormon Christians, "Heaven" means the Heavenly Worlds or planets. Some are Telestial planets, others Terrestrial planets, and still others Celestial planets. Those who accept Jesus as Lord, partake of the ordinances of His Holy Temple, endure to the end will become Adams or Eves on other planets; just like the Adam and Eve on this world. Adam and Eve were in Paradise (a Celestial Planet) but they choose to have mortal children so they "Fell" to this Terrestrial (Earthly) planet.
Eventually, they will become "gods" and "goddesses"; ruling over their own worlds; having "dominion" over them as God gave Adam and Eve "dominion" over this planet. This is called "Exaltation". Only those sealed in Mormon Temples, by those with Jesus' Melchizedek Priesthood authority, and who endure to the end, and strive to overcome their own sin-natures, will be Exalted. This was what Jesus was referring to when He said: "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." (Rev. 3:12)
So, in conclusion, we are saved by grace (from Death, Hell, and Sin), but we are judged (rewarded in Heaven) by our works.
#16) Mormons despise the Blood of Jesus. This is why they use water instead of wine or grapejuice for a Sacrament, and this is why they use naked spires instead of crosses on their temples.
This is a BIG LIE! Decker knows better!
Mormons don't use the Cross because of the simple fact that in the days of Joseph Smith, Protestants didn't use the Cross. They considered it "Romish" and "Papish". The first Mormons were former Yankee Protestants; the descendants of Pilgrims and Puritans who did not use the Cross because they considered it akin to the idolatry of the Roman Church. Many decades after Joseph Smith, Protestants began using the Cross, but the LDS Church never began that practice.
All Mormons who have been to the Temple wear white undergarments which are "symbolic" of the Spotless Lamb; when God covered the skins of Adam and Eve with a lamb.
Most Mormon Temples have spires; which represent the nails in Jesus' feet and hands. Instead of a Cross reminding us of His atonement, the spires do; representing the three nails, On most Mormon temples there are spires that represent the nails:
The six spires (nails) on many Mormon Temples are representations of the six offices of the two Priesthoods:
Aaronic (lesser): deacon, priest, teacher.
Melchizedek (greater): elder, high priest, apostle.
The three spires on one side are higher than the three on the other side (on the Salt Lake City and Washington D.C. temples) to represent (among other things) that the Melchizedek Priesthood is greater than the Aaronic Priesthood.
Decker has declared on numerous occassions that the reason why Mormons have "naked spires" on Mormon Temples instead of crosses is because of the Mormon desire "to impale Jesus" when He descends from the clouds! REALLY! He has said this many times. Mormons (and even a few anti-Mormons like the Tanners) have responded by saying, "Do Evangelicals have CROSSES on the tops of their churches because they have a desire to CRUCIFY Jesus when He descends from the clouds?". Decker is once again LYING, and his arguments are ABSURD beyond belief! Yet, he is believed by MILLIONS.
Mormons have white garments and use spires to represent the nails in His hands and feet. When Jesus returns He will not have a Cross on His back, but He will have the nail-prints in His hands and feet; according to our Revelations; which say in regards to Jesus' second advent. Jesus says to Joseph Smith:
"And then shall the Jews look upon me and say: What are these wounds in thine
hands and in thy feet?
Then shall they know that I am the Lord; for I will
say unto them: These are the wounds which I was wounded in the house of my
friends. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God.
And then shall
they weep because of their iniquities; then shall they lament because they
persecuted their king." (D&C 45:51-53) The spires on Mormon temples, and in
front of many Mormon chapels, reminds us of the crucifixion as well as
the Second Advent.
Jesus says:
| "And he that will not take up his cross and follow me, and keep my
commandments, the same shall not be saved." (D&C 56:2)
"And so it was made known among the dead, both small and great, the unrighteous as well as the faithful, that redemption had been wrought through the sacrifice of the Son of God upon the Cross." (D&C 138:35) |
Mormons use water instead of wine or grapejuice during the Sacrament NOT because they "despise the Blood of Jesus" as Decker claims, but because wine or grapejuice was not available to the Mormons in Missouri. They lived on the frontier, and wine was extremely expensive to be imported, and unfermented grapejuice was simply not available. Joseph Smith inquired of the Lord and asked Him if they could use water instead of wine or grapejuice during the Sacrament, and the Lord replied:
| "For, behold, I say unto you that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory--remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins." (D&C 27:2) |
#17) Mormons believe in Lucifer's BIG LIE that they may become gods! Since they accept Lucifer's BIG LIE they are 'Luciferians' (whether they know it or not)
False! When the Serpent said "Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil!" (Gen. 3:5) he was NOT lying! The LORD confirms it. After Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, the LORD said:
| "Behold, the man has become as one of us, to know good and evil." (Gen. 3:22) |
The entire foundation of "The God Makers" books and films was that when Satan said "Ye shall be as gods" he was lying. But, that was NOT Satan's lie. Mormons believe that Satan's lie was: "And ye shall not surely die" (Gen. 3:4). They surely did!
The entire foundational argument of "The God Makers" is gone!
Did you know also the following?
*ALL of the Early Church Fathers (ancient Christian writers between and including Clement of Rome to St. Augustine) believed and taught that elect Christians "may become gods"!
*All the Eastern Orthodox Christians (Russian/Greek/Antiochian/Coptic/Assyrian/Persian/etc...over 30 million!) believe and teach that the ultimate goal of all Christians is "to become gods"!
How can men and women becomes gods when there is only One God?
In the English language this a contradiction! But not in Hebrew! In Hebrew the Name for GOD is Ha-Elohiym which literally means:
"The Gods/Goddesses" |
It is a "plurality of majesty" in the same way that the English term "The Royals" is a plurality of majesty; because it is a plural of "ROYAL". The name GOD in Hebrew is HA-ELOHIYM which means HA(THE) EL(GOD)OH(GODDESS)IYM(ES).
Evangelicals believe that God is a Spirit Who is neither male nor female, but they insist on calling GOD HIM and not Her and certainly not It for reasons they cannot reasonably explain. Mormons believe that GOD is The Family of Heaven which includes males and females united in One Mind. The ONE GOD consists of a Family in Heaven! This is why Paul wrote:
| "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." (Eph. 3:14-15) |
Moses said:
| "Here O Israel: The LORD our God is one[echad] LORD." (Deut. 6:4) |
In Hebrew there are two words for "one":
Ehad=absolute one without division. Translated as follows:
| "For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and be
united with his wife and they will become one[echad] flesh." (Gen.
2:24) "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one[echad] LORD." (Deut. 6:4)
"Behold, they are one[echad] people." (Gen. 11:6) "The whole[echad] assembly numbered 42,360." (Ezra 2:64) |
Yachid=unity of a vast multitude. Often translated as "only" (Gen. 22:2,12,16; Judges 11:34, Proverbs 4:3, Jeremiah 6:26, Zech. 12:10).
It is true that there are Three Persons Who preside over this earth:
All of Them are Members of the Family in Heaven known as GOD or Ha-Elohiym in Hebrew. All of Them are ONE. They are not three "modes" or three "manifestations" of One God. They are Three Beings Who are "ONE" in MIND and SPIRIT.
There is only ONE SPIRIT. Our spirits are separated "parts" of the ONE SPIRIT. We are spirits clothed with mortal bodies. We do not cease to be spirits by having bodies! GOD IS SPIRIT, and our spirits are "parts" of that SPIRIT; separated parts like photons are separated parts of the SUN. When our spirits become ONE with GOD, then the separation ends. Sin separates us from God. When we overcome sin, we become ONE with GOD; we reunite with GOD.
God is Spirit (John 4:24), but He is not only a Spirit. Jesus is Spirit, but He has a resurrected body. So does the Father. They belong to the Family in Heaven.
You can become a member of this Family in Heaven too; if you become a faithful Latter-day Saint and endure to the end. The "Saints" of Israel referred not to celebate men and women who lived as monks and nuns, but rather "Saint" in Hebrew (Qadosh="one separated out for a special purpose") refers to the Levites who served in the Temple. Before they could serve in the Temple they had to be washed and anointed, and they had to wear special white garments. They could not declare themselves "saints". Rather, they had to be chosen.
*That C.S. Lewis, the most popular Evangelical Christian writer in the English language, taught that Christians may become "gods and goddesses"!
It's true!
Irenaeus (c. 150 A.D., bishop of Lyons, disciple of Polycard who was a disciple of John the Beloved Apostle):
|
"If the Word became a man, it was so men may become gods." (Ante-Nicene Fathers 1:526) |
Clement of Alexandria (c. 180 A.D., dean of the Christian School of Alexandria, founded by John Mark--author of the Gospel of Mark--Clement was the first Christian writer to use the term "ChristianITY" to describe the religion of Jesus):
| "Yea, I say, the Word of God became a man so that you [Christians]
might learn from a man [Jesus] how to become a god." (Exhortation to the
Greeks 1)
"If one knows himself, he will know God, and knowing God will become like God. His is beauty, true beauty, for it is God, and that man becomes a god, since God wills it." (The Instructor, 3.1) |
St. Athanasius (c.325 A.D., author of the Athanasian Creed upon which the Nicene Creed was written, bishop of Alexandria, opposer of the Arians):
|
"For the Son of God became man so that we might become God." (De Incar. 54,3) "The Word was made flesh in order that we might be enabled to become gods."(Against the Arians, 1.39) |
St. Jerome (c. 400 A.D.):
| "He made man for that purpose, that from men they may become gods." (Homilies of St. Jerome 1:48) |
St. Augustine (c. 410 A.D.):
| "But He Himself that justifies also deifies, for by justifying He makes sons of God. 'For He has given them power to become the sons of God.' [John 1:12]. If then we have been made sons of God, we have also been made gods." (On the Pslams, 50.2) |
St. Thomas Aquinas (c. 130 A.D.):
| "The Only-Begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n.460) |
The very official Catechism of the Catholic Church says that the very purpose of Christianity is to make men gods! The first Protestants were Roman Catholics who were protesting the abuses of the Papacy.
For a l_o_n_g (20 pages) list of quotes from Early Church Fathers (i.e. ancient Christian writers of the first 5 centuries A.D.) teaching that Christians may become "gods" please go to:
C.S. Lewis (the most popular Christian author in the English language--whose books are bestsellers in Evangelical Christian bookstores) wrote:
| "It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and
goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person
you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would
be strongly tempted to worship." (The Weight of Glory, p.14)
"Sometimes, Lord, one is tempted to say that if you wanted us to behave like the lilies of the field you might have given us an organization more like theirs. But that, I suppose, is just your...grand enterprise. To make an organism which is also spirit; to make that terrible oxymoron, a 'spiritual animal.' To take a poor primate, a beast with nerve-endings all over it, a creature with a stomach that wants to be filled, a breeding animal that wants to mate, and say, 'Now get on with it, become a god.' (A Grief Observed, p.84-5) "The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) that we were 'gods' and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him--for we can prevent Him, if we choose--He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful; but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. HE meant what He said." (Mere Christianity, p.174) "For now the critical moment has arrived. Century by century God has guided nature up to the point of producing creatures which can (if they will) be taken right out of nature, turned into gods." (ibid. p.187) "[A ranking demon is addressing a demon of lesser rank] But the obedience which the Enemy [God] demands of men is quite a different thing [from Satanic goals]. One must face the fact that all the talk about His love for men, and his service being perfect freedom, is not )as one would gladly believe) mere propaganda, but an appalling truth. He [God] really does want to fill the universe with a lot of loathsome little replicas of Himself--creatures whose life, on a minature scale, will be qualitatively like His own, not because He has absorbed them but because their wills freely conform to His. We want cattle who can finally become food: He [God] wants servants who can finally become sons." (The Screwtape Letters, p.45) "Morality is indispensable: but the Divine Life, which gives itself to us and which calls us to be gods, intends for us something in which morality would be swallowed up. We are to be remade...we shall find underneath it all a thing we have never yet imagined: a real man, an ageless god, a son of God, strong, radiant, wise, beautiful, and drenched in joy." (The Grand Miracle, p.85) |
1st Question: Are all these Christians quoted above going to burn in Hell forever because they believed and taught that Christian women may become gods and goddesses?
2nd Question: If not, then why are 'Mormons' going to burn in Hell forever for believing that they may become gods and goddesses by becoming 'perfect in Christ'?
Summary
*Ed Decker is just a LIAR, a FRAUD, and a very bad source for what Mormons believe.
*Mormons believe that JESUS is their Lord and Savior. They see Joseph Smith as a modern "John the Baptist", or a modern Paul, or a latter-day combination of them both.
*Mormons DO NOT store guns and ammunition to "take over" the U.S. government when the Prophet says "Go!" Another BIG LIE by Decker.
*There is no "exact replica" of the Oval Office in the Washington D.C. Mormon Temple.
*The three Hebrew words DO NOT mean "O Wonderful Lucifer!"
*Mormons DO NOT believe that Joseph Smith was "greater than Jesus". Joseph Smith once did "boast" of doing a greater work by keeping the Church together. He was killed a few months later. But, he always presented himself as a "sinner", but Jesus as sinless and perfect.
*The Book of Mormon teaches that the conception of Jesus was a miracle of the Holy Spirit (Alma 7:10) and that Mary was a "virgin" both before and after the birth of Jesus! (1 Nephi 11:3). If any Mormon, of whatever office, declares that Mary was not a literal virgin after the conception, then this is against what The Book of Mormon teaches on the subject.
*Mormons DO believe that God the Father was once a sinless God-Man, like God the Son was as Jesus! God is Spirit (John 4:24), but He can become a God-Man. As a God-Man, He does not cease to be Spirit; just Spirit clothed with a mortal or immortal Body.
*Mormons DO believe there is a Heavenly Mother! The God of the Bible identifies Himself as "EL"; the father-god of the Canaanite Pantheon Who had two wives and numerous Sons. The "Sons of God" are mentioned in Joel and elsewhere (Job 1:6, 38:4,7, etc.). There is no official doctrine in the Church that Mary is the incarnation of Heavenly Mother.
*Mormons DO believe there are many "gods", but there is only One GOD! There are many "elohim", but only One "Ha-Elohim". God is the God of gods, and Lord of lords. Mormons worship only One God, and are not "polytheists", but "henotheists" like the ancient Israelites.
*Mormons DO believe that Jesus and Lucifer are "brothers". God is the Father of spirits (Hebrews 12:9), and angels are "spirits". Jesus is the firstborn spirit of God. Lucifer was probably the second born, but he fell because of sin.
All humans, angels, and demons, are spirit-brothers and spirit-sisters. This does NOT make Jesus "evil" in any way because Lucifer is His younger brother.
*Mormons DO NOT believe in "Lucifer's Big Lie" about men becoming gods! The Serpent DID NOT SAY to Adam and Eve that they would "become gods" if they partook of the forbidden fruit! He said, "Ye shall be AS gods, knowing good and evil!" And thus HAPPENED! The LORD Himself said, "Behold, the man has become as one of us! (Gen. 3:22). The "BIG LIE" of the Serpent was, "And ye SHALL NOT SURELY DIE!" They surely did! The entire foundational argument upon which "The God Makers" is founded (i.e. that Lucifer promised Adam and Eve godhood), is ITSELF a "BIG LIE"! He did NO SUCH THING!
*Mormon missionaries DO NOT "pretend" to be Christians in order to "deceive" Evangelicals. They sincerely believe they are "Christians"!
*The Mormon Faith is NOT part of any international Luciferian/Masonic/Mormon conspiracy! The Mormon Faith teaches things DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED to "Luciferians" (i.e. New Ages); that homosexuality is a sin, that reincarnation is false, that sex outside of marriage is wrong, that necromancy (channeling) is against God's Law, etc. Can a house be against itself? The only "conspiracy" is the CONSPIRACY OF LIES of Ed Decker and "Saints Alive in Jesus".
*Some Mormons DO believe that salvation and exaltation is the same thing exactly, and that they are saved by faith and "works". However, official Church doctrine as contained in The Book of Mormon says that salvation, in all it's grades, is by the Grace of God. Our reward in Heaven after we are saved is determined by our works.
*Mormons DO NOT "despise the blood of Jesus"! Mormons use water instead of wine or grapejuice because it was a necessity for most of Mormon history. The water represents for Mormons the blood of Jesus "which was shed for them".
*Mormons don't use the Cross simply because the first Mormons were the sons and grandsons of Puritans and Pilgrims who did not use the Cross. Jesus will return with "nail prints"; not a Cross.
*Mormons DO believe they may become gods and goddesses if they "endure to the end". So did the ancient Christians, and so did C.S. Lewis; the most read Evangelical Christian writer of all time.
*The Mormon Faith is not a "cult" (i.e. false heretical sect). It is the Divine Restoration of primitive (original) "Christianity" as revealed by Jesus to His Apostles. It was restored to the earth via the ministry of angels to the Prophet Joseph Smith and his associates; for the gathering of the Elect.
Conclusion
Many think Ed Decker is a "Man of God"; a "Christian brother" who comes out "boldly" telling the truth about the Mormon cult. But, that's simply NOT the truth! Ed Decker DOES tell truths about Mormonism; mixed with many lies and distortions!
In 1980 he flew to Chile and told everyone that Mormon missionaries were "really CIA agents". Not long afterwards six young Mormon missionaries were killed by Communist fighters. These were innocent young men.
In 1983 he traveled to Israel, donning a skull-cap and saying his mother was Jewish (which would make him a "Jew" in the eyes of Zionist Jews) telling them that the Brigham Young University-Jerusalem Center (a study center for BYU students studying Biblical languages and archaeology) was "really just a front for a Missionary Training Center to convert Jews to Mormonism". That was a LIE! The Ultraorthodox Jews rioted, and many were hurt (by Israeli police). The Church's attorney was blown-up in his car! He was killed!
When Ed Decker presents Mormon missionaries as "wolves in sheep's clothing" who try to deliberate deceive HE IS LYING! His lies have inspired some "Christians" to beat up missonaries, threaten them, run their bikes off the road, splash boiling water on them, spit on them, slam doors on their noses, etc! Is this what being a 'Christian' is all about?
Ed Decker says he was a "Mormon for over 19 years" and held many high offices! In fact, he was active in the Church for only 18 months! While his name was still on the books for 19 years, he in fact was only truly a practicing Mormon for a year-and-a-half! He was an elder, which every Mormon over the age of 18 is! He was a Ward Clerk; basically kept membership records in a small local congregation, and he didn't do that for long!
There IS NO international Luciferian/Masonic/Mormon conspiracy to take over
the world and introduce the end-times Anti-christ! There is only a "conspiracy"
to take YOUR MONEY and those of your congregation; thinking you are
converting Mormons to Evangelical Churches. YOU ARE NOT! You are simply giving
Ed Carl Mosser (Evangelical theologian at Biola University) has written:
Robert Bowman (formerly of the Christian Research Institute):
Many Evangelicals (including pastors) have told me over the years: "Well,
Ed may have some problems, but he is doing too much good for the Body of
Christ!" (i.e. LIES are justified if done in Jesus' Name and for the good of
the Body of Christ).
Really? When do LIES ever help the Body of Christ?
Much more accurate presentatons of what Mormons believe can by found in the
works of honest anti-Mormons such as Ron Rhodes, Mark Cares, John Farkas, and
Bill McKeever. All of them are Evangelicals, and anti-Mormons. They aren't 100%
accurate on what 'Mormonism' teaches, but they don't DELIBERATELY LIE! Ed Decker
DOES! Over and over again...on a daily basis...in Jesus' Name!
Question: Will you allow men or women to come into your churches to LIE in
the name of Jesus for any reason?
If you allow anyone from Saints Alive into your churches, then you
are, in fact, allowing lies in the name of Jesus to enter your churches.
If you wish to fight "Mormonism" then use Truth<! If Truth is
not sufficient, then something is terribly, terribly wrong!
Question: Why did the Jews reject Jesus as their Messiah?
Answer: Because the Orthodox ministers of His day considered Him to be a
"false messiah"; just one among many. They considered John the Baptist to be a
"false prophet"; just one among many. They considered the "sect of the
Nazarenes" to be a 'Min' (Heb: "cult"); just one among many. They
appointed and trained certain men to be "cult-fighters" and to travel about to
various synagogues and warn Jews against the "Minuth" (Heb. "cultists");
especially the Nazarenes. *Yeshua is the illegitate son of an adulteress and a Roman archer named
Antonius Pantera of Sidon. Because of the cult-fighters, the Jews rejected the Apostles. Because of modern "cult-fighters", who often tell lies, or use distortions or
exaggerations, many Christians reject the modern Apostles of Christ. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not "one cult among
many". It is the fulfillment of Jesus' words in Matthew chapter 24:
Question: What does Jesus' words in Matthew 24:31 refer to? Mormons KNOW it refers to the Restoration; the sending to angels to Joseph
Smith and others to "restore" the true line of Apostles and Prophets to the
earth. The LORD said to Joseph the Seer: " And ye are called to bring to
pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice, and harden not
their hearts." (D&C 29:7) If you are a Christian Pastor, then you
should know that Ed Decker is a deceiver! He is a LIAR! Whether
'Mormonism<' is also a "lie" is another question altogether. Do "lies" praise
Jesus? Do "lies" glorify God? If not, then why do you allow Decker and
"The God Makers" into your churches?
Decker spread LIES, and these lies inspired "hate". Many Evangelicals have
threatened Mormon missionaries, and some have used violence after Decker
has spoken to them! That is because he is a liar. Who is the 'father of
lies'?
If 'Mormonism' (the Mormon Faith) is a "lie", then fight it with TRUTH<,
not with "lies". If you use "The God Makers", then you are using lies and
distortion.
Isn't it time for a little Christian accountability?
Thank you for your time. What I have told you is the Truth. What you do about
that, is up to you.
Questions To Ask Ed
I'm hoping at least a few of you will contact Ed Decker and ask
him some of these questions:
1) Ed, have you ever claimed that there is an exact replica of the
White House Oval Office in the Washington D.C., Mormon Temple? What is the
purpose of this exact replica?
2) Ed, did you ever claim that your Mormon wife was asked to divorce
you because you became a Christian? When was your divorce? When did you
become a Christian?
3) Ed, have you ever committed adultery?
4) Ed, does "Pay Lay Ale" mean "O Wonderful Lucifer" in Hebrew?
5) Ed, was it the Masons or the Mormons who tried to poison you in
Scotland by putting arsenic in your Coke? What hospital pumped your
stomach out? What physician declared you had "7 times" the dose of arsenic
that would kill a person?
6) Ed, you claim that a radio station was burned down after you played
a recording of the Mormon Temple Endowment Ceremony. What radio station
was burned down, Ed? Where?
You can contact Ed Decker at: ed@saintsalive.com
Some Honest Anti-Mormon Ministries
The following is a list of some basically honest anti-Mormon
ministries. While these ministries are not 100% accurate on what Mormons
believe, at least there is no indication they try to deliberately deceive
as does *Truth-In-Love Ministries *Watchman Fellowship *Utah Missions Inc. How Should 'Christians' Treat 'Mormons'?
Mormons ARE "Christians"! The Christians of the first 4 centuries
believed:
*Salvation for the dead (those who did not hear the Gospel in mortal life
will have a chance to hear it in the Spirit-World) Mormons are Christians! But...if you DON'T wish to believe that, you
don't have to! It's a free country. However....because of the HORRENDOUS
LIES and inflaming rhetoric of Decker over the past 23 years, many Evangelical
Christians have showed great disrepect to Mormons; generally being
very rude, sometimes spitting upon them, threatening them, or, in a few
cases, beating Mormon missionaries or running their bikes off the road!
This is sadly true and all too common. How should "Christians" (followers
of Christ) treat others? Jesus said:
Do you teach this to your flock? Do you practice it yourself? Jesus made no
"qualifications" here! He wasn't saying, "Treat brother Christians well, but
non-christians you can treat however you wish! Lie to them. Spit upon them.
Steal from the. It doesn't matter! They're not Christians!" Is that what Jesus
meant? Or did He mean all men and women?
Do you know how many so-called "Christians" spit upon Mormon
missionaries every year? Do you know how many threaten to "beat" or "kill"
Mormon missionaries? If I told you you wouldn't believe it! Why? Because
you don't WANT to believe it! Please remember that the ancient Christians
were not the ones doing the stoning, they were the ones being stoned!
Why? Because the ancient Christians were considered "heretics" and
"cultists"; followers of a false prophet (John the Baptist) and a
false messiah (Jesus of Nazareth). They called Jesus "That Deceiver!"
Joseph the Seer was nothing more nor less than the modern John the
Baptist.
Teach your flock that the "Golden Rule" applies to all people; not
just to their fellow Evangelicals. The name "Christian" does NOT belong to
you alone! A "Christian" is what a "Christian" does! A true follower of
Christ is he or she who walks the walk and not just "talks the talk". A
true Christian is one who truly follows Him in sincerity and purity of
heart no matter what church they belong to.
Respect Mormons, and they may listen to you. DISrepect them,
and they will never listen to a "word" you say!
How Wide the Divide? A Mormon & an Evangelical in Conversation is
a "landmark book" that has Evangelical professor of theology Craig L. Blomberg
and Mormon BYU Professor of Religion Stephen E. Robinson discuss (in writing)
the "differences" between the Mormon Faith and Evangelical Christianity. It is
an HONEST book! This book can be found or ordered from any Christian or LDS
bookstore, or from Amazon.com online. The book is about $14. Paperback. About 225 pages. A MUST READ for all
Evangelicals who want to know the TRUTH about the Mormon Faith!
A SHOCKING Exposé of Ed Decker, author of "The God Makers", and his
closest friends and associates in the "Jesus" Business. 100 pages online.
No copyright! THIS ARTICLE WILL SHOCK YOU to say the least! Print it out
via a high-speed printer and make copies for others!
You can get a velo-bound printed copy (100+ pages with many photos) of
Ed Decker: Man of God or godless con-man? for $12 (includes
shipping and handling) by contacting me via e-mail:
darrick_evenson@yahoo.com
If you can print-out the article yourself it's FREE! Use only a
high-speed Internet connection with a high-speed printer! Most community
college and university libraries have these.
The Gainsayers: A Converted Anti-Mormon Responds to Critics of the
LDS Church (Horizon Publishers, 1989). By Darrick T. Evenson.
You can get this book ONLY via Deseret Book Online at
www.deseretbook.com online.
Go to SEARCH and type in: Gainsayers . This book is ONLY avaiable
through Deseretbook.com online! You cannot find it in any LDS
bookstore today! You must spell GAINSAYERS (one word) correctly in
order to bring-up the book online.
The entire 4 volume set is now being sold for $23 plus shipping! To get
all 4 volumes of this classic series go to:
Stock is limited!
A faith-promoting and testimony-building book about Black Mormon
history. The only non-fiction book about Black LDS history in print! Many
photos.
Finished reading this article? Please don't put it away on your shelf!
Give it to another to read and enjoy! Make a copy for yourself to keep if
you wish!
THE MORMON FAITH UN-"Decker"-ATED! is NOT copyrighted! Anyone can make
copies and give them to others without permission. You already HAVE my
permission! Neither myself nor this website has any affiliation with FAIR or
any other organization. This is NOT a publication of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints. I take full responsibility for it.~Darrick T. Evenson
"Ed has a penchant to sensationalize, embellish the facts, and
center on bizaar issues to shock people." (Sacramento Union, Dec. 26,
1992)
"Decker's name alone [as author] is enough to discredit a book." (The
Modern Christian Countercult Movement, p.4 online)
"The video [The God Makers] is edited in such a way that Mormon
authorities are cut-off in mide-sentence, in some cases thereby made to
appear to be saying something very different frmo what they meant. The
cartoon presents a caricature of Mormon beliefs so distorted that hardly
any Mormon will recognize their own beliefs in it. Decker and Hunt did not
present an accurate description of what Mormons believe or have ever
believed." (The Modern Christian Countercult Movement, p.4 online)
The cult-fighters said of the Nazarenes:
*The Nazarenes are just one cult among many
infecting Israel.
*John the Baptist is just one false prophet among
many.
*The Nazarenes falsely add to the Word of God.
*The Nazarenes have
pagan rites such as partaking of bread and water to represent flesh and blood of
their leader.
*Yeshua learned black magick in Egypt.
*None of the
Messianic prophecies were fulfilled in Yeshua.
"And he shall send his
angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect
from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." (Matt. 24:31)
a. The
Second Advent
b. The Rapture
c. The Restoration
d. Zionism
e. None
of the Above
Choose one.
www.truth-in-love.org
www.watchman.org
www.umi.org
*Marriage in the
Resurrection for the Elect (not for the "Children of this World" but for
"The Children of Light")
*Men (and women) may become "gods"
*Salvation is
by grace, but Judgment (to determine one's reward in Heaven) is by our
works after we are saved!
"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for
this is the Law and the Prophets." (Matt. 17:12 NKJV) 
Thank you for your
time.
Sincerely,
Darrick Evenson
darrick_evenson@yahoo.com
www.amazon.com
ED DECKER: MAN OF GOD
or godless con-man? www.geocities.com/promormon/Decker.html
They Lie In
Wait To Deceive: A Study in Anti-Mormon Deception
by Robert L. and
Rosemary Brown.www.fairlds.org/pubs/liw
BLACK MORMONS & THE PRIESTHOOD-BAN
