MORMONISM
VS
CHRISTIANITY
BY
E.W. STOVALL
CHRISTIANITY vs
MORMONISM
By E. W. Stovall
Inasmuch as Mormons throughout the world are working feverishly to convince the world that their doctrines are from God, and many people are being deceived through such effort, it is fitting that an investigation be made of their claims in light of the word of God, the generally acceped Old and New Testaments. Since God has enjoined upon his people that they "contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered unto the saints", and to "reprove, rebuke, and exhort", it becomes a duty to God to show the errors of those who teach a "strange doctrine".
The title of this work is "CHRISTIANITY vs MORMONISM". It is so styled because Christianity cannot be mixed with the errors of men and remain Christainity. I shall therefore attempt to show the difference between the teaching of the Bible and that of the Mormon church. There are two sources from which I shall draw my information
for this work: (1) the Bible, and (2) the standard works of the Mormon church. I shall attempt to make this contrast clear enough for every reader to see it without too much effort. I want you to see that there cannot be fraternization between Christianity and Mormonism. God's people are called upon to "cry aloud, spare not." (Isa. 58:1). If Mormonism is false, then it is the duty of all Christians to refuse its message (2 Jno. 9:11). "Their mouths must be stopped". (Tit. 1:10-11), and we are to use "the sword of the Spirit" in doing that. (Eph. 6:17).
I. Christianity and Mormonism are
Necessarily Different Because
Of Their Origin
Christianity began on the day of Pentecost, in the year A. D. 33. This marked the inauguration of the Christian era. Before the death of Christ the twelve apostles, who were to sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28), had been taught the words given to Christ by the Father: "I have given them the words that thou gavest me." (John 17:8). Concerning these words, Christ said: "Neither pray
I for these only, but for them also that believe on me through their words." (John 17:20). And, that these words might be faithfully and correctly given. He said: "Howbeit when the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he shall show you things to come." (John 16:13). Just before the ascension of Christ these apostles were commissioned to, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." (Matt. 28:19-20). But these apostles were forbidden to tell this gospel message until they received the Holy Spirit. Hence they were commanded to "tarry ye in the city of .Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high." When the day of Pentecost came, the apostles were baptized with the Holy Spirit and began to speak as the Spirit gave them utterance. This marks the beginning of the Christian era, the law of Christ, and the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. The inspired message
given to the apostles was committed "unto faithful men who shall be able to teach others also". (2 Tim. 2:2). This word was so complete that it furnishes fully in "all things that pertain unto life and godliness." (2 Pet. 1:3).
"Mormonism began April 6, 1830, in the town of Fayette, N. Y." (Brief History of C. of J. C. L. D. S., pp. 30, 31.) The founder of Mormonism was Joseph Smith, Jr. This, no informed Mormon will deny. Back of that date there never existed a Mormon. This is about 1800 years too late to connect Mormonism with Christianity. There is nothing Christian about Mormonism. It is true that Mormons teach some principles of Christianity, but these principles antedate Mormonism by 1800 years!
Christians need to fortify themselves against the false doctrines of this present age. We are compassed about on every side by "divers and strange doctrines", all of which lay claim to, the favor of God. But a careful examination of the word of God will reveal that these "strange doctrines" are in conflict with the "perfect law of liberty", the New Testament. Therefore it is the Christian's duty to "Put on the whole
armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (Eph. 6:11). Like the apostles of old, we must be able to say concerning every false teacher: "To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you." (Gal. 2:5). Christians must "earnestly contend for the faith once and for all delivered unto the saint." (Jude 3.) In so doing, we will be able to "stop the mouths" of those who "subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not." (Tit. 1:11).
II. Mormon Teaching As Gleaned From
Their Own Books Is
Anti-Christian
Any Bible student will agree that anything which conflicts with the New Testament is anti-Christian. If, therefore, we find anything in the Mormon system in conflict with the New Testament, we will know that the whole system is anti-Christian, and should be rejected. Look at some of these conflicts.
(1) Joseph Smith's idea about the reorganization of the church is not in keeping with the teaching of the New Testament. Joseph would have us be-
lieve that "the church was literally driven from the earth; in the first ten centuries immediately following the ministry of Christ the authority of the Holy Priesthood was lost from among men, and no human power could restore it". (Art. of Faith, p. 203.) But about 1800 years before Joseph Smith, the Lord said: "Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matt. 16:18.) Six hundred years before Christ, Daniel, speaking concerning the kingdom (church) of the Lord said: "It shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." (Dan. 2:44.) Hence, Joseph's idea is contrary to the Bible teaching.
In order for Joseph to make his reorganization program work, he makes a desperate, but fatal, attempt to restore the Aaronic priesthood. But before Joseph's day, inspiration said: "The priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change of the law." (Heb. 7:12). Joseph tried to restore the Aaronic priesthood, which was forever abolished, and to re-establish the Melchisedec priesthood, which, after the ascension of Christ, was to stand, forever: "Thou are a priest forever after the
order of Melchisedec." (Heb. 7:17). "This restoration was effected by the Lord through Joseph Smith, who, together with Oliver Cowdery, in 1829, received the Aaronic priesthood under the hands of John the Baptist; and later the Melchisedec priesthood under the hands of the former-day apostles, Peter, James, and John. By this authority thus bestowed the church has been in the priceless privileges of the counsels of God." (Art. of Faith p. 204). But either way he went he was wrong: the Aaronic priesthood being abolished, and the Melchisedec priesthood standing FOREVER. Hence, Joseph made another serious contradiction with the New Testament.
In this newly organized church Joseph realized the need of recognized authority. So all revelation he claims to have received respecting authority was favorable to Joseph. From his own pen we read: "But, behold, verily, verily, I say unto thee, no man shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jr., for he has received them even as Moses." (D. & C., Sec. 35:17). Now for the climax: "Every spirit that confesseth that Joseph Smith is a prophet, that he lived and died a
prophet, and that the book of Mormons is true, is of God, and every spirit that does not is of anti-Christ." (Mil. Star. Vol. 5 p. 119, Brigham Young). Hence it is easy to see that Mormons make binding something the New Testament does not; so, for that reason, Mormonism is again found anti-Christian.
(2) Joseph Smith's claim of prophetical standing is contrary to both Old and New Testament. The New Testament says: "Whether there be prophecies, they shall fail." (I Cor. 13:8). The Old Testament gives us a means of determining a prophet of God: "When a prophet speak-eth in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him." (Du. 18:22).
According to this instruction, all that a prophet of God prophesies must come to pass. Mormons quote prophecies of Smith that seem partially to have come to pass, but they leave off those that failed entirely. Remember, ALL THE PROPHECIES OF GOD'S PROPHETS COME TO PASS. Let us notice some of Joseph Smith's failures in prophecy.
In 1830 Joseph Smith needed some money to print the Book of Mormons. Going was hard, and the Smiths had no money. Joseph was bothered about how to secure the needed money. True to his style, he seeks a revelation; so, "Joseph looked into the hat in which he placed the stone, and received the revelation that some of the brethren should go to Toronto, Canada, and that they would sell the copyright of the 'Book of Mormon'. Hiram Page and Oliver Cowdery went to Canada on this mission, but they failed entirely to sell the copyright, returning without the money." (Whitmeit's Address to All Believers in Christ, pp. 30, 31). This failure disturbed the followers of Smith, and they asked him for an explanation. Joseph was bothered again, and he had to enquire again of the "stone", and he received the following revelation: "Some revelations are of God; some revelations are of men; some revelations are of the devil." (Ibid) I suppose this was a frank admission that this revelation was of men, or did he mean that it was of the devil? It is evident that Joseph Smith was not a good prophet, to say nothing of being a phophet of God. It is further evident that no Christian can accept him as a prophet of God.
(3) Mormons are in conflict with the word of God on their idea of God. The Bible fells us that "God is a Spirit." (John 4:24), but Mormons tell us that God has flesh and bones just as does man. "That which is without body, parts or passions is nothing. There is no other God in heaven but the God of flesh and bones. The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's" (D. & C. Sec. 130:22). The Bible says: "God is a Spirit." Mormonism says: "The Father has a body of flesh and bones." This is another anti-Christian mark of Mormonism.
The Mormon conception of God is that he is progressive, that he is eternally increasing, growing and developing. We quote: "Mormonism claims that all nature, both on earth and in heaven, operates on a plan of development; that the very Eternal Father is a progressive being; that his perfection, while so complete as to be incomprehensible by man, possesses the eternal quality of true perfection-the capacity of eternal increase." (Art. of Faith, p. 529). The Bible says: "Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matt. 5:48). Again the Bible says one
thing and Mormonism says something different. Which shall we believe? Christians will believe the Bible. Mormonism has its doom in John 12:48.
But we are told by Mormon leaders that God was once a man as we are: "God was once as we are now and is an exalted man and sits entroned yonder in heavens." (Jour. and Discourses, Vol. 6, p. 3). The Bible says of God: "I am God, and not man." (Hos. 11:9). But we learn by further study of their own works that Adam is our God and Father: "Now hear it, O inhabitants of earth, Jew and Gentile, saint and sinner. When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body and brought Eve, one of his wives with him. He helped to make and organize the world. He is Michael, the Archangel, the ancient of days, about whom men have written and spoken. He is our Father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do." (Jour. & Discourses, Vol. 6, p. 50). The Bible tells us that "The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Gen. 2:7). If Adam is God, do you suppose he made himself? This is another
conflict between Mormonism and the Bible. The Christian has but one alternative: he must reject Mormonism and believe the Bible.
(4) Mormonism does not accept the word of God contained in the commonly accepted Bible as a book sufficient to Christians throughout life. They do not believe the Bible is complete. They believe that there is more being revealed throughout the years, but that revelation is through Mormon leaders. They believe, too, that later revelations are essential to the enjoyment of the highest degree of glory. "Thou fool, that shall say, a Bible, a Bible. . .ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written." (B. of M. 2 Nephi 29:6-10.) This, of course, would have to be their position if they expect to make people believe their "later revelations." We are not surprised when they place the book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants, above the Bible. "Has God given any more revelations to men? Ans. Yes. A great number. Where have we any account of his having done so?? Ans. In the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and other
publications of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day." (Catech. 3, Ques. 1,2).
These people believe the Bible to be filled with contradictions, and they even doubt that one verse has reached us un-corrupted: "Indeed, no one, without further revelation, knows whether one-hundreth part of the doctrines and ordiances of salvation are contained in the few books of Scripture which have descended to our time. What shall we say, then, concerning the Bible being a sufficient guide? . . .We all know that few of the inspired writings have descended to our time. . .What few have come down to our time have been mutilated, changed and corrupted in such a manner that no two manuscripts agree. Who knows that even one verse of the whole Bible has escaped pollution, so as to convey the same sense now that it did in the original?" (Divine Authenticity of the B. of M. pp. 204, 205, 218, Orson Pratt). And what Mormon elder did you ever talk to without his trying to tell you that the Bible contains contradictions? Yet there are possibly 10,000 quotations from the Bible found in the Book of Mormon! I met a young Mormon elder some years ago, and in the front of his
Bible he had pasted a number of what he thought to be contradictions found therein. This was proof positive to him that one needs other revelation. I am unable to see why such elders (?) say there are so many contradictions, yet they take a Bible with them to do mission work! I am persuaded that they only take their Bible as a passport to the homes they visit.
(5) Mormons do not have the Christian attitude toward the marriage relationship. They believe in polygamy, and only under pressure of civil laws have they refrained from such practice. Just this week, Jan. 17, 1956, a Mormon lady's picture appeared in the papers after her arrest for refusing to cease teaching her children polygamy! She said she did such teaching for "conscience sake." Joseph Smith conceived the idea of polygamy, and inquired of the Lord concerning the practice, to which inquiry he claimed the Lord replied: "All those who have this law revealed unto them must obey the same; for behold; I reveal unto you a new and everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no man can reject this covenant; and be permitted to enter in my glory. . .as pertaining
to the new and everlasting covenant, it was instituted for the fullness of my glory; and he that receiveth a fullness thereof, must and shall abide the law, or else he shall be damned, saith the Lord." (D & C Sec. 132:3, 4, 6). The apostle Paul speaking of the qualifications of an elder, bishop, said: "The bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife." (1 Tim. 3:2). Again he said: "Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and every woman her own husband." (1 Cor. 7:2). Again we find Mormons in serious conflict with the Bible.
It seems that Joseph understood that there would be serious objection to his "new covenant" on the ground of adultery, so he gives us another revelation that he claims to be from the Lord, which will free a man from the guilt of adultery, and I quote: "If any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent; and if he espouse a second and they are virgins and have vowed to no other man, then he is justified; he cannot commit adultery, for they are given to him; for he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth to him and to no one else; and if he have ten virgins given unto
him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong unto him, and they are given unto him, therefore he is justified." (D. & C. Sec. 132:61, 62). But Jesus said: "From the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave unto his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh: so they are no more twain, but one flesh." (Mk. 10:6-8). Does this sound like Mormon plurality of wives?
It is amusing to see how Joseph Smith managed to receive his revelation in favor of his own practices of polygamy. Naturally, when Emma, his first wife, heard of his practicing polygamy, she became enraged with jealousy, so Joseph had to get some revelation that would subside her jealous rage. We read from his own pen: "Let mine handmaid, Emma Smith, receive all those (wives E. W. S.) that have been given unto my servant Joseph, and none else. But if she abide not this commandment, she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord. . .Let mine handmaid forgive Joseph his trespasses." (D. & C. Sec. 132:52, 54, 56). Only a fool can fail to see Joseph's lustful desires shielded by his pretended "revelations."
The practice of polygamy has been discontinued, except for secret cases, by the Mormons, but not until they had contested it in the highest courts of the land. "Inasmuch as laws have been enacted by Congress forbidding a plurality of marriages, which have been pronounced constitutional by the courts of last resort, I (President Wilford Woodruff) hereby declare my intentions to submit to those laws, and to use my influence with the members of the church over which I preside to have them do likewise. . .I have done my duty, and the nation of which we form a part must be responsible for that which has been done in relation to this principle." (Art. of Faith, pp. 524, 535.) Mormons seem to demonstrate a different attitude toward this law from that demonstrated by the apostles (Acts 4:19, 20; 5: 29).
(6) Mormons teach vicarious service by the living, that is, they believe that living beings can perform some act that will benefit the dead. In this way they hope to take care of those who died in disobedience to the gospel. This is done by some relative being baptized for one who has died. This doctrine is based on a perverted idea of 1 Cor. 15:
29. Such an interpretation contradicts the whole tenor of the New Testament. Jesus said: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." (Mk. 16:16). Here it is clearly seen that the individual being baptized is the one who renders the obedience. "Every man that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me." (Jno. 6:45). The rich man of Luke 16:19-31 was not given any encouragement of such vicarious service. Surely Mormonism is wrong on this count as well as others we have examined.
III. MORMONISM VIEWED AS A WHOLE
The strength of Mormonism does not lie within her soundness of doctrine; her borders are not spread because of the consistency and harmony of her doctrines, but rather because of the cooperation of her adherents. They stick together in their undertakings, and thus are growing. They stay persistantly at the job of propagating Mormon doctrine, and through continued visits, distribution of literature, the gullible are deceived, delusioned, and her borders increase.
Mormons demonstrate a great deal of
zeal, especially do their young men and women. These are giving two years of their early life and savings to propagate Mormon doctrine. This zeal is commendable, if it were "according to knowledge", which thing is not true. Mormons have established a system of human righteousness, and have relegated the righteousness of God to the "dung-hill". The only hope for these deceived and delusioned people is a complete renuciation of this human system, and a full surrender to New Testament requirements of life. "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy on him; and to our God, for he will abundanty pardon." (Ias. 55:7).
Mormonism is not spreading because of the strength of her missionaries that are sent out to work in mission fields. Of all missionaries I have met, they know less about both the Bible and their own Mormon doctrines than any I have ever known.
IV. THE CHRISTIAN'S ATTITUDE TOWARD MORMONISM
It is clearly evident that from what we have learned from Mormon works
that they are in violation to the principles of New Testament teaching, and that this doctrine amounts to nothing more than "another gospel", and we are forbidden to listen to such (Gal. 1:8-9). Christians must therefore wage a relentless warfare against the doctrines of Mormonism. Acceptance of Mormon teaching will separate one from God: for their teaching is a departure from the teaching of Christ (2 John 9-11). Christians should use every method available to expose the errors of this human religion. Much has been done and is still being done to refute this error. The church has gone into the very heart of this system, Salt Lake City, Utah. Debates were held there, phamplets were circulated, and the church of Christ is operating there today in the proclamation of the truth.
Inasmuch as we are to "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins," (Isa. 58:1), and we are to be "pure from the blood of all men," I am sending forth this little tract in the hope that it will help to stop the mouth of Mormon teachers who may chance to read its contents.
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