From: lbarrass@phillip.edu.au
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: Mormons are not Christians
Date: 1 Oct 92 17:16:30 GMT
Organization: RMIT (Bundoora Campus)

Here is the promised response to why I don't think Mormons are Christian

             - Lindsay


A Brief dissertation on Mormonism and its claim to Christianity.
================================================================

The purpose of this article is to examine some of the claims of the church of
Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints and to compare them with orthodox
Christianity. The writer is an orthodox Christian (Baptist) who believes in 
the inerrancy and inspiration of the canon of scripture as found in the Holy
Bible. All quotations will be from the New King James version unless annotated

The author does not believe his own denomination or church is the one and only
true church, but is a part of the true church of God as is every other 
individual who has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus shed upon the cross. I
make this statement so that I cannot be accused of denominational  prejudice 
in looking at the claims of the LDS'.


1. Before examining LDS theology, I feel that it is important to define 
orthodox Christian beliefs that would be considered the "Fundamentals" of the
faith, and not those doctrines unnecesary to salvation. The list that follows
is terse and is not supposed to be a theological treatise.

        a) There is only one God, who created the heavens and the earth.  
        b) Jesus is God incarnate, born of the virgin Mary. In saying that Mary
           was a virgin, I mean that she had never had sexual relations with a 
           man or (as LDS theology says) with God. Jesus being God incarnate 
           means that Jesus is God.
        c) God exists as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Separate but indiv-
           sible, otherwise known as the Trinity. This is important in recog-
           nising who Jesus is. To reject Jesus as God is to reject God.
        d) A Christian is somebody who: 
           - accepts that they are in a sinful state and are separated from
             God because of sin.
           - believes that Jesus was crucified, buried and raised from the
             dead thus breaking the law of sin and death.
           - believes that the only forgiveness for sin is through the blood
             shed upon the cross. That forgiveness is complete for those who 
             have accepted the free gift of grace from God.
           - believes we are save by grace through faith, and not by works. No 
             person can do anything in their own right to rid themselves of  
             the burden of sin. Being baptised, joining a group or following
             certain laws cannot save a person.
           - believes that when a person accepts Jesus as Lord, the Holy
             Spirit (who is God) dwells within them.
           - has given their life "lock, stock and barrel" to Jesus!

   These are the points that immediately come to mind as I write. If I have 
missed something, it is due to error, rather than intention. For a more 
complete list of "fundamentals" look at any mainline Baptist/AOG/Church of 
Christ (denominational) statement of belief. The Nicene and Apostles
creeds are also a good start but are not the absolute embodiment of the 
Christian faith.


   " Like most other religions, Mormonism claims divine inspiration as its
  source. Mormons argue that their religion was divinely instituted in 1820
  when God the Father and Jesus Christ allegedly appeared to Joseph Smith
  in a dramatic vision. "Jesus" told Smith that Christianity was in complete 
  apostasy and that he (Smith) would be guided into the truth, presumably 
  the reestablishment of true Christian faith." [1]

    Today there are 2 main Mormon denominations - The Utah Latter Day Saints    
  and the Missouri reorganised church. There are other smaller groups. The 
  Utah branch is the most evangelistic and it is their missionaries people
  usually encounter. 

    On 21 Sep 1823 an angel told Smith where to find some gold plates which
  Smith then translated into the book of Mormon using the Urim and Thummin (2 
  stones set like glasses). Conveniently, both the stones and glasses were
  retrieved by the angel after translation. The glasses were supposed to
  enable the translation of "Reformed Egyptian" characters, which is a language 
  nobody has heard of.[1a]
  
    This makes sense as Smith was prosecuted on 20 Mar 1826 in Bainbridge
  New York, for using 'peep-stones' placed in his hat to tell clients where to 
  dig up gold. He is a proven con-man and occultist. This is on the public 
  record, and is not just the prattings of ex-mormons or enemies of Mormonism.
  [2]

    Establishing Smith's credentials, or lack of, as a Prophet of God is most 
  important in examining the Mormon religion. Joseph Fielding Smith, a past
  president (and prophet) of the Mormon church, stated Mormonism stands or 
  falls on Joseph Smith and his claims {{Doctrines of Salvation , Joseph Smith: 
  Prophet of Restoration p188.}}[2a]

    It is my purpose to look at Mormon doctrines compared with the Bible,
  and to look at J.Smith's claim to be a prophet of God. In doing so, I hope
  to prove as much as possible (I don't claim to be an expert in Mormonism so
  check my claims as they are all from reference material I have) that the 
  Mormon religion is not just a heretical Christian sect, but anti Christian.
  That its teachings are contrary to scripture and that to call Mormonism 
  Christian is tantamount to calling Moslems or Hindus Christian. I do
  acknowledge that they are Christian in appearance and actively try to promote
  similarities with Christianity, and that to the average non-Christian they
  would be seen as Christian.

    Like all Christian-like sects, Mormonism redefines the meaning of common
  terms so that when speaking to them, the ill-informed will be at a loss to 
  explain what it actually is that is different. The redefinition of terms is
  not simply jargon or buzzwords (of which the computer industry is famous) 
  but the complete alteration of meaning to words or phrases that (in this  
  case) the Christian church has held for centuries. A list follows quoted
  from "Mormons Answered Verse by Verse"[3] that contains a selection of
  redefinitions. My comments are defined "**".
 
  Adam: Mormonism identifies Adam as Michael the Archangel prior to coming
  to earth as the Ancient of days. He is expected to come again to the earth
  in power and glory as the patriarch of the human family before the second
  coming of Christ. He had flesh and bones but no blood before the fall.

     ** There is no Biblical evidence for this. In fact, Michael is not 
  mentioned in the Bible until Daniel 10:13. In Daniel 7:9, the Ancient of Days
  is quite clearly God. 
      
  Adam-God: Joseph Smith's successor, Brigham Young, taught that Adam (Eve's
  husband) is God - the only God worshipped by Mormons. The LDS Church 
  leadership today publicly repudiates this doctrine, and most Mormons are
  unaware that Brigham Young actually taught it throughout his presidency.

    ** This is an example of switches in doctrine to suit whoever is in power.
  
  Baptism: Besides the baptism of believers, the LDS church also teaches 
  baptism for the dead; relatives, ancestors, and others long dead can be
  saved by proxy baptism performed on their behalf in Mormon temples. Massive
  underground vaults store genealogical records involving millions of such
  baptisms.

    ** There is only one reference in the Bible regarding the Baptism of the
    dead. This is in 1Cor 15:29. I will discuss this later. The Bible says in
    Heb 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the
    judgment"(AV). This would on the surface seem to preclude any post death
    rituals. The Baptism of the dead also fails to acknowledge the need of
    every person to accept Christ, and to accept the forgiveness that is 
    freely given to all who believe. 
  
  Bible: Members believe the Bible to be the word of God "as far as it is 
  translated correctly". In the book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 13:26-29 says that
  "plain and precious" parts have been removed from the Bible. The 
  uncanonized Joseph Smith translation adds and rewrites many passages, and
  Mormon leaders reinterpret others in the light of alleged latter-day 
  revelations.

     ** This shows how Mormons will justify their doctrines. Just as the
     liberal Christian will take what he pleases from the Bible, so too the
     Mormon.
  
  Blacks: Viewing dark skin as a curse from God, Mormonism banned black men
  from the priesthood until a doctrinal reversal on this matter was announced
  in 1978.

     ** Here Mormons really show their colours!! :-). This (as with many 
     aspects of Smith's writings..which will be examined) is a reflection of
     the attitude of society towards blacks in the early-mid 1800's. There are
     many people today with that sort of attitude who would call themselves
     Christians. The KKK calls itself Christian. Slavery was condoned by an
     extremely flimsy and highly twisted interpretation of the Bible, as is
     calling dark skin a curse. This is another example of reversal of 
     major Mormon doctrines to suit the times.


  Elohim: This is the name of God the Father, an individual distinct from 
  Jehovah, who is the son of Elohim.

  The Mormon sees the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as three Gods who are merely
  "unified in purpose". While Christians understand Elohim and Jehovah to be
  names belonging to the one true God of the Bible, Mormons believe that each
  of these names designates a different God.  This view, however, that Elohim
  and Jehovah are distinct individuals can be maintained only when reading a 
  Bible that substitutes the less specific words God and Lord. Examination of
  the Hebrew text immediately shows that Elohim and Jehovah are one and the
  same. For example, throughout Genesis chapter 2 wherever "the LORD God" is
  spoken of, this is "Jehovah Elohim" in Hebrew. When Jacob says to Isaac,
  "Because the Lord thy God brought it to me", the literal reading is 
  "Because the Elohim thy Jehovah..." (Gen 27:20).   [4]

  Exaltation: Beyond resurrection from the dead, Mormons hope to enter the
  highest of three heavens, the celestial kingdom, and there in the highest
  level of the celestial kingdom to be exalted to the status of gods.

     ** There is no biblical evidence for this theory. In many places in the
     Bible, God says that there are no other gods. That all the false "gods" 
     are actually demons masquerading.

  God(s): God the Father was once a man and still has a resurrected body of
  flesh and bones. Humans have the goal of becoming gods. The basic difference
  between God and humans is simply that he has achieved exaltation before they
  have. Creation accounts in Mormon scripture speak of "the Gods" accomplishing
  the things Genesis says God did.

     ** Num 23:29 says:" God is not a man that He should lie, or a son of man 
     that He should repent.." . Saying that God is/was a human in untenable if
     using the Bible. John 4:24 starts "God is Spirit..", not "God is flesh
     bones." . If God is flesh & bones, why did He have to change his form? In
     Phillipians 2:6-7 we are told that Jesus "who, being in the form of God,
     did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no
     reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of
     men.". 

  Heaven: Rather than a place where only believers go after death to be with
  the Lord, heaven is for virtually everyone, but consists of three distinct
  levels: telestial for non-believers, terrestrial for religious non-Mormons
  and backslidden Mormons, and celestial for good LDS church members only.

     ** This is not what the Bible teaches. Heaven is only for those who are
     saved by the redemptive blood of Jesus. The idea that nearly everybody
     gets to heaven eventually completely rejects any need for salvation and
     rejects the need for Jesus' death upon the cross.

  Hell: The wicked go to a hell of torment, but all are eventually resurrected
  and pass into the telestial kingdom. Only "sons of perdition" who have given
  themselves over to Satan remain there forever.

    ** Again, a non-Biblical/anti-Biblical doctrine. The story in Luke 16 of 
    Lazarus and the rich man tells us that there is no way a soul can cross
    between heaven and hades (v26). In Rev 20:14 "Then death and Hades were
    cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death". This doesn't look
    like heaven to me!!!

  Jehovah: This is the preincarnate name of Jesus Christ, who is one of the 
  gods, one of the sons of the God Elohim
     
    ** See previous comments on Elohim.

  Jesus Christ: According to Mormonism Jesus Christ was one of the spirit sons
  of the God Elohim. Jesus was was Jehovah, the God of the old testament. God 
  the Father visited Mary and had marital relations with her so that Jesus
  could be born with a human body. Jesus redeemed all mankind to "general
  salvation" - secured their ressurection from the dead - but exaltation to 
  the celestial kingdom will depend on a person being a zealous and obedient
  Latter Day Saint.

    ** Brigham Young taught on several occasions that God the Father had sexual
    relations with Mary. This ties in with the idea He has a physical body. In
    Matthew 1:18-20, we are told that Mary was found with child of the Holy  
    Ghost. Brigham Young denied this verse in the Journal of Discourses, vol 1
    pp50-51,9-Apr-1852 and in the LDS Millenial Star vol XV,No 48,26-Nov-1853
    pp796,770.  This shows what Mormons teach reagarding the Bible..that it is
    wrong!! Their teaching is blasphemous to a Bible believing Christian.

  Salvation: Because of Christ's atonement everyone will partake of what 
  Mormons call unconditional or general salvation, ressurection from the dead.
  Conditional or individual salvation involves entering the celestial kingdom
  and is a complex matter depending on such things as membership in the LDS
  church, obedience to its ordinances, and so on. Even beyond this full 
  salvation, available only to faithful Mormons who have gone through temple
  ceremonies; those who obtain it are exalted and become Gods.

    ** Again denying the need to accept Christ as personal saviour, the
    Mormons completely contradict what the Bible says. There is no Biblical
    foundation for this doctrine. There is no general salvation.

Any Christian with some Bible knowledge can see the problems associated with
these redefinitions. If I talk to a Mormon about salvation and do a study,
I might find it difficult to disagree on the verses, because he is not talking
about salvation as I know it whilst using the word to agree with me.


A look at Mormon Scripture.
---------------------------

  Although the Mormons make many references to the Bible, their main doctrines
and their interpretation of the Bible come from other sources. There is, of 
course the famous Book of Mormon, which J.Smith was purported to translate. 
Along with this there are two other books considered as scripture or standard 
works: Doctrines and Covenants, and, The Pearl of Great Price. 

  I will examine each of these in turn. To the Bible believing Christian, the
idea of any further scripture is ludicrous, but for the non-Christian and 
Mormon it is necessary to look at the validity of the other books touted as
scripture by the LDS Church to see why they are not scripture and in fact
contradict the Christian Bible.

   The Bible:
   ----------
The LDS's use the Authorised, or King James, version of the Bible. There is no
dispute as to the inspiration of the AV, but there are problems with the way
Mormons interpret and use it. Firstly (as mentioned before) the Mormons 
consider the Bible as the Word of God, as far as the LDS hierarchy (as God's
prophets) and the other Mormon scriptures interpret it. The book of Mormon in
1Nephi 13:26-29 tells us that parts of the Bible "plain and precious" have 
been removed. As discussed in Reed & Farkas[5], it can be seen that as a 
historical document, the Bible has withstood the test of time, whereas the
Book of Mormon has no historical base, no original manuscripts and has no
archeological support. For such an unsupported document to decry the Bible
is ridiculous. The book of Mormon also has chronological inconsistencies which 
will be looked at next.

Another problem with the Mormon use of the Bible is the uncanonised version or
revision of the AV by J.Smith. This is provided as footnotes to the AV. In this
revision, Smith corrected "errors", "additions" and "deletions. Although never
produced as a complete version (i.e. canonised) it has the sanction of the 
church hierarchy. One reason for this [6] is that the revision contains
differences to the same verses quoted in the Book of Mormon, and others
contradict current Mormon doctrine. This presents a problem, if this revision
is denied, then Smith's status as a prophet is shattered, but if canonised,
would be an embarrassment. Some Mormons will reply that Smith's early death
caused the corrections to remain unfinished but in a letter writted on the
2-July-1833, Smith stated that he had finished translating the scriptures.(
History of the church Vol 1,p368). Since the work of revision started in 1831
and the Book of Mormon was published in 1830, this can only refer to the Bible.

Mormons will use the Bible to bamboozle and soften up people they are trying
to convert.


   The Book of Mormon.
   -------------------

The Mormon church consider the Book of Mormon to be on an equal level with the
Bible. Nowadays this book is presented as "another testament of Jesus Christ".
The Bible says "But if even we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other
gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed" Gal 1:8

This book is another gospel which contradicts many teachings of the Bible and
I will demonstrate the fact that this is not a God inspired book, but a piece
of fiction, fabricated by Smith as well as plagiarised from the Bible and 
probably other authors. Firstly I will look at the "other" authors. I quote...

  Another problem revolves around allegations that Smith took much of the book
  of Mormon from an unpublished novel titled "Manuscript Found" by a retired
  Congregational minister Solomon Spalding(1761-1816). Affidavits to that
  effect by Spalding's widow, relatives and neighbours were published in book
  form as "Mormonism Unveiled" by Eber.D.Howe in 1834. Other material in the
  Book of Mormon closely parallels portions of "Views of the Hebrews" by Ethan
  Smith (Poultney, Vermont, 1825). Ethan Smith was the Chowdery family's pastor
  in Poultney, Vermont, at the time Oliver Chowdery, Smith's scribe, left there
  in 1825. It is possible that Oliver had a copy of "View of the Hebrews".[7]

If this statement, which is well supported, is true then this alone is enough
for any rational person to completely disregard the Book of Mormon. This will
of course be vigorously denied by any Mormon, but there is too much evidence
cited in too many books for this to be a falsehood.

Also, the origin of the Book of Mormon is very dubious. Smith received 
revelation from the angel Moroni - who is supposed to be the resurrected son
of an ancient prophet-historian called Mormon - as to the whereabouts of 
certain gold tablets writen by Mormon. Included were two stones set like 
glasses by which he translated the "reformed Egyptian" characters. After this
both the tablets and stones were taken away by Moroni. The Bible on the other
hand is supported by thousands of historical documents and was translated by
learned scholars. The BoM was "translated" by Smith using occult means, which 
the Bible comes down upon heavily. Not that I believe the tablets existed, but
Smith's own version of the story show occultic origins. As mentioned 
previously, Smith was prosecuted for using peep-stones. In Ankerberg and 
Weldon's book [8] it is stated that both his parents had occult connections 
and that he probably had hereditary occultic powers. Also on the same page we 
see...

  "Smith also had occult powers and along with a number of other early Mormon
  leaders was involved in occult practices.(In 1826 he was arrested, tried and
  found guilty of fortune telling in Bainbridge, New York.) Smith employed 
  what he called a "Jupiter Talismen" - an amulet supposedly possesing 
  supernatural powers..."

On this testimony alone, Smith MUST be rejected as a prophet of God. The only
excuse that could be given is that this occured before his prophet status, but
history shows this not to be so. This occurred 6 years after his supposed first
vision in which he was told that all the churches were corrupt and wrong. I 
will later examine Smith's role and credentials as a prophet.

Many parts of the BoM contain exact, or near exact, portions of the King James
Bible. It is interesting to note that the BoM uses KJ language which was not
the vernacular of the day. It is even more interesting to see that a 
translation from "reformed Egyptian" produced the same language as from Greek
and Hebrew. The BoM even contains KJV translation errors eg the Hebrew word
"Chuppah" is canopy, not defense [9] - not what you would have expected from a
divinely translated manuscript!!. The BoM also contains references to modern
society as well as future Jewish society

    "This prophet Smith, through his stone spectacles, wrote on the plates of
    Nephi in his Book of Mormon every error and almost every truth discussed
    in New York in the last ten years" [10]

This was a point to show that the BoM had 19th Century origins. The author was
excommunicated for her troubles!!

  Some Book of Mormon fantasies/errors:

  1Nephi 16:10,16
  And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning, and went forth to
  the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round
  ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball
  were two spindles; and the one pointed the way wither we should go into the
  wilderness....And we did follow the direction of the ball.

It appears that a compass was found and indeed later the word compass is used
[11] in 1Nephi. Apparently this was supposed to be found in 600 B.C. but 
history tells us that the compass wasn't used until 1100 A.D. by the Chinese.
[12] and an encyclopedia says that it first appeared in European Literature
about the 12th century A.D.[13]

  1Nephi 18:25
  And it came to pass that we did find upon the land of promise, as we
  journeyed in the wilderness, that there were beasts of every kind, both the
  cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse...

This shows how the BoM makes historical errors. Horses were not introduced to
the western hemisphere until about 16th Century A.D., this verse is supposed 
to be referring to about 6 B.C.[14] There is also some speculation as to why
a castrated bull (ox) would be roaming around!!

1 Nephi 22:20 quotes from Acts 3:22-23 which is amazing as it was supposed to 
have been written six hundred years earlier.

  Jacob 2:26-27
  Wherefore, I the Lord God will not suffer that this people shall do like unto
  them of old. Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the
  Lord: For there shall not be any man among you have save it one wife; and
  concubines he shall have none.

Mormons have in the past taught and practiced polygamy. This verse would seem 
to contradict that practice. You would at least think the revelations given
in "scripture" would back up what God tells his "prophets". It is probable that
this practice ceased because it was preventing Utah's entrance into the union
(USA), despite what Mormon officials may say.[15]

  Ether 15:29-31
  Behold Shiz had fainted with the loss of blood. And it came to pass that when
  Coriantumr had leaned upon his sword, that he rested a little, he smote off
  the head of Shiz. And it came to pass that after he had smitten off the head
  of Shiz, that Shiz raised up on his hands and fell; and after that he had
  struggled for breath, he died

WOW!!, what a man Shiz must have been. Any Medical students care to comment??


    Doctrines and Covenants
    -----------------------
  This book contains most of the Mormon doctrines, rather than the "history" 
BoM contains. It is from this book that baptism for the dead, celestial 
marriage, priesthood and polygamy are taught[16]. One would have thought that
such important doctrines would be found in the Bible, but of course they are
not as they are doctrines of demons and not of God. Not only are they not 
found in the Bible, but completely contradict it. DaC contains revelations
given to Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, with other anotations reversing 
previous doctrines such as polygamy and allowing black men to be priests. It is
because there doctrines contradict the Bible, that I say that they are the 
doctrines of Demons. And it is because of this I also believe they are 
worshipping "the god of this world", rather that God. For the non-Christian
reader, the Bible refers to Satan as "the god of this world" because mankind
has sold out to him and left the one true God. Satan is obviously not a god
in reality, but man has given him that status. Indeed, when Jesus was tempted
by Satan, he was offered all of the earth to bow down and worship him. Satan
has been given temporary and limited dominion over this earth because of man's
fall.


  In the next section (after Pearl of Great Price) I will look at why these
doctrines are anti-Bible.

    Pearl of Great Price
    --------------------

  The Pearl of Great Price is a small collection of writings by Smith. Included
are the book of Abraham and the book of Moses , parts of Smith's revision of  
Matthews Gospel, Smith's early visions and a brief article of faith. The book
of Abraham was "translated" by Smith from some actual papyrus containing 
Egyptian Hieroglyphics. This is probably the only historical material that 
exists, sadly, Smith did not know how to read this text. Even the scholars at
that time were only starting to unravel the symbols. Smith had no training in
linguistics and certainly none in Egyptology. In 1967, the papyrus was found
and was identified as the one Smith used by Mormon scholars[17]. Modern day
scholars both Mormon and non-Mormon have both come to the conclusion that the 
text was from the 'Book of Breathings' and had absolutely no resemblance to the 
book of Abraham. It was from Abraham that the ban on black men was found. This 
is probably the reason why the ban was reversed. Abraham 4:1 teaches the 
plurality of gods. Even though this book has been shown for what it is, it 
still is apparently part of the Mormon scripture.

  This would apparently show how reliable J.Smith was in propagating "the word
of God". If this part of Mormon scripture is fraudulent, how can any person 
trust Smith with any other "revelation". Following is a quote from Dr Edmund B
Fairchild a former president of Michigan College...

   "It was in late August, 1850, that I found myself spending time in Palmyra 
   and Manchester (USA). Three men were mentioned to me who had been intimately
   acquainted with Joseph Smith from the age of 10 years to 25 and upwards. The
   testimony of these men was given under no stress of any kind. It was clear,
   decided, unequivocal testimony, in which they all agreed. "Joseph Smith is
   simply a notorious liar." "We never knew another person so utterly destitute
   of conscience as he was." "The thing for which Joseph Smith was most 
   notorious for was his vulgar speech and his life of unspeakable lewdness""
  [18]

  I believe this quote supports what is already known about Smith and backs up
what one could conclude by comparing scripture to his teachings.

Some Mormon doctrines.
----------------------

    Baptism for the dead.
    ---------------------

  This doctrine is one of many that contradicts/undermines biblical teaching.
Part of the rationale is that spirits of departed people are held in bondage and
can be released by Mormon baptism. A person is physically immersed for the dead
person in proxy. The LDS' keep extensive genealogies for this purpose, which 
violates 1 Tim 1:4 and Tit 3:9 which teach us not to keep endless genealogies. 
Although these verses (I feel) don't mean we can't know our history, they are
saying (in the context) that genealogies should not be used for religious 
purposes as they are irrelevant.

  The whole idea of departed souls being saved at a later date is preposterous
and a satanic lie. It flies in the face of scripture and orthodox teaching. It
denies the need of a person to accept the free gift of grace and the atoning
blood of Jesus, and ignores Heb 9:27 "And as it is appointed for men to die
once, but after this the Judgement." 

  1Cor 15:29 speaks of baptism of the dead. This is only one verse and is very
much taken out of context by the Mormons, although their main teaching comes
from their other scriptures.  I will quote from Reed & Farkas pp85-87 the more
relevant points regarding this verse ...

  "First Corinthians 15:29 has been a mystery for apologists, with literally
  hundreds of different interpretations proposed. The reason for such ambiguity
  is obvious: the verse deals with a subject mentioned nowhere else in the 
  Bible, yet does so without any introduction or explanation, as if it is
  expected that the reader will already know what is meant....But we, never
  having lived in 1st Century Corinth or visited the church there, are left at
  a disadvantage.
    Cults love to take verses like this and run with them, sometimes developing
  and extensive doctrinal framework on a single, obscure passage. And even
  sincere Christians sometimes allow imagination to take over where knowledge
  stops. But sound interpretation must be based on what is known about the 
  verse, its immediate context, and the wider context of Paul's letters and the
  rest of the Bible. On this basis, commentators have come up with some 
  plausible explanations....Others have suggested that some in the Corinthian
  congregation added the wrong practise of proxy baptism for the dead to their
  sectarian divisions (1:10), their carnality (3:1), their immorality (5:1),
  their heresies (11:19), their abuse of the Lord's supper (11:21), and their
  abuse of spiritual gifts (ch 12-14).
    However, we think an explanation more in keeping with Paul's writings can
  be arrived at as follows. Notice that in 1Cor 15 the apostle Paul is teaching
  the Corinthian church about the resurrection of Christ, the resurrection of
  the dead, and the resurrection of the body. From verse 1 and throughout the
  whole chapter Paul addresses "brethren" in the Lord and speaks in terms of
  you, we and us, with one exception. Only in verse 29 are "they" mentioned:
  "What shall they do which are baptised for the dead, if the dead not rise at
  all? Why are they then baptised for the dead?" From this it would be 
  reasonable to conclude that Paul talks in verse 29 about a group outside the
  Christian community. Baptism for the dead is not mentioned anywhere else in
  the Bible. If it were an ordinance of the church one would expect to see the
  teaching repeated and elaborated on."

    Polygamy
    --------

  The Mormon doctrine of polygamy was probably the most controversial as far as
the rest of the world was concerned. It was probably this doctrine that caused
a lot of the early angry opposition to Mormonism and prevented the state of 
Utah from entering the union. In 1882 the Edmunds act was passed by the federal
government imposing heavy penalties for polygamy. In 1887 another act called
the Edmunds-Tucker act was passed to take away the incorporation of the LDS
Church and to seize its property. In 1890, congress drafted some legislation to
disenfranchise all Mormons whether polygamists or not. In the same year,
LDS President Wilford Woodruff instructed Mormons to obey anti-polygamy laws.
[19]. The idea of polygamy was given to Smith in a revelation and is still a
part of LDS scripture (Doctrines & Covenants, Section 132)[20]. This was 
stopped in 1890 and is no longer taught as official church doctrine, and is
absolutely forbidden. Apparently there are still some "fundamentalist" Mormons
living mainly rural areas who still practise this, but it is not church policy.

  It would seem that President Woodruff changed this policy to suit the times
and to avoid political disaster. A Mormon reading this might like to look at
Jacob 2:26-27 (BoM) which specifically prohibits polygamous relationships as
well as concubines. If the BoM is "scripture", and Smith is a "prophet", why  
did he contradict it??

    The Plurality of Gods.
    ----------------------

  This doctrine is more pagan than anything else. In talk.religion.misc and
soc.religion.christian there has been an ongoing discussion regarding what 
the Bible teaches regarding God, the trinity and gods. As I am comparing 
Mormonism to orthodox Christianity and discussing whether the LDS is Christian, 
I will only use the definition as taught by orthodox groups. If we were to ask
a Jew (ie ignoring New Testament theology), I am sure that we would get the
response that there is only one God and that all the other gods are idols and
demons. This is the response an orthodox Christian would also have. Isaiah 44:
6-8 tells us there are no other gods, as do many other OT and NT passages. The
LDS don't believe in a trinity, but rather a tritheism, and will quote verse 
after verse (out of context) to prove such. To the unknowing receiver (as with
all cults) there is the danger of believing such rubbish..


Smith as a Prophet
------------------

  According to Joseph Fielding Smith, a past president and prophet of the Mormon
church, Mormonism stands and falls on the prophethood of Joseph Smith (jnr).
I tend to think that most people whether Mormon or not would agree with this. 
If Smith is a prophet of God then the Mormon church is the only true church and
we, who hold fast to the Christian faith, are nothing but apostate sinners. I
(as you may guess!!) don't believe Smith to be any more a prophet than my cat.
Firstly I will look at what the Bible says is required of a prophet.

  "But if the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not
  commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet
  shall die. And if you say in your heart, 'how shall we know the word which
  the Lord has not spoken?' - when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if
  the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord
  has not spoken; the prophet has spoken of it presumptuously; you shall be not
  be afraid of him"   Deut 18:20-22


  The Mormon's Journal of Discourses Vol 21,p165 says
  "..,if the angel of God has not appeared to Joseph Smith, and if these things
  are not true of which we speak, then the whole thing is a imposture from 
  beginning to end. There is no halfway house, no middle path about the matter;
  it is either one thing or the other."[21]

Deut 13 also tells us not to heed a prophet that entices people away from the
one true God. Many other verses attest to this and any person with minimal 
Bible knowledge would agree. I even suspect a Mormon would agree with these
passages, even though they wouldn't apply them to Smith. I have repeatedly 
shown reversal of Mormon doctrine, contradictions of the Bible and even Smith
contradicting the Book of Mormon. Has he not prophesied falsely, and is indeed
a wolf in sheep's clothing? Lets look at some other of Smith's prophecies.

  In Doctrines and Covenants secs 29,84,88,112 and more, Smith prophesied the
imminent return of Jesus Christ, the destruction of the wicked and many signs
that would attest to this. In 112 Smith said Christ would return in his 
lifetime  "I am with him, and my hand shall be over him; and the keys which I
have given unto him, and also to youward, shall not be taken from him till I
come." The return of Christ has obviously not happened over 150 years later.
Even if the "prophecy" meant the LDS Church rather than Smith (I don't think 
the language allows that but I'm sure Mormons will disagree), isn't 150 years
too long for an imminent return, particularly as DaC sec 84 says to send 
bishops to the cities of Boston, Albany and New York to warn them of their 
imminent judgement and destruction? 

  A prophecy Smith was involved with, but didn't actually give, involved the
"High Priest" Lyman Wight who ,at his ordination, prohesied that there were 
some in the congregation who would live to see the comming of Christ with a
shout from heaven.[22] Smith was obviously in agreement with this.

  In History of the Church [AD 1833] p315 Smith prophesied that the current
generation would see the wicked swept from the land to prepare for lost tribes 
of Israel to return from the "North Country". This obviously didn't happen.

  Another strange doctrine was that of the Men on the moon. Smith, in a Mormon
magazine (The Young Womens Journal) in 1892, was "proved" to be a prophet by
all the great discoveries of men in the last half century. The writer 
(O.B.Huntington) said that as far back as 1837, Smith said that the moon was 
inhabited by people who lived to 1000 years. Smith was also supposed to have
predicted a warm, fruitful country beyond the north pole.[22] This is obviously
a work of fantasy!

There is much more I could write but I won't.Most of what I have written is 
quoted from or ideas compiled from the listed bibliography. I believe that any 
thinking person will see that Mormonism steps over the line of heretical 
Christianity into another religion. They do not worship the God of Christianity, 
and they teach many strange things. Here is a summary taken from Ankberg &
Weldon comparing certain beliefs.

Mormonism                               Christianity
----------------------------------------------------
                       BIBLE
Unreliable                              Reliable
Incomplete as it is                     Complete as it is
Adds new revelations to                 Rejects new revelations.
  God's Word            
Unbiblical theological                  Normal hermeneutic utilised in
  presuppositions utilised                interpretation.
  in interpretation

                        GOD
Tritheism/Polytheistic                  Trinity/Monotheistic
Physical (evolved man)                  Spirit
Finite                                  Infinite
Morally Questionable                    Holy
Organiser of eternal matter             Creator of matter from nothing
Sexual polygamist                       Nonsexual.

                        JESUS
A god                                   God
Created                                 Eternal
Earned salvation (exaltation to         As eternal God neither salvation or
                  godhood)              exaltation required.
Not virgin born                         Virgin born
Polygamist                              Unmarried

                        SALVATION
By works                                By grace
Denies Biblical atonement               Affirms attonement
Possible after death                    Impossible after death

                        DEATH
"Purgatorial"; Three celestial          Eternal heaven or hell; no purgatory
kingdoms; almost universalistic         not universalistic.

[23]



References:
-----------
[1] The facts on the Mormon Church:J.Ankerberg & J.Weldon; Harvest House.p5
[1a] Ibid p28
[2] How to answer a Mormon:R.A.Morey;Bethany House. p28
[2a] Mormons Answered Verse by Verse:D.A.Reed & J.R.Farkas; Baker Book House 
    p30
 [3] Ibid pp21-25
 [4] Ibid p46
 [5] Ibid p106
 [6] Ibid p29
 [7] Ibid p311
 [8] Ankerberg & Weldon, op.cit, p38
 [9] Ibid p29
[10] Ibid p29 citing:No Man Knows My History:The Life of Joseph Smith:Fawn 
     Brodie; New York (Alfred A.Knopf,rev 1976), pp69-70 citing Millenial
     Harbinger, Vol 2, 18-Feb-1931, p85
[11] [12] Reed & Farkas, op.cit, p110
[13] Columbia Encyclopedia, Volume 6,Columbia University Press,1979, p1566.
[14] Reed & Farkas, op.cit, p110
[15] Ibid, p112
[16] Ibid, p32
[17] Ibid, p33
[18] Heresies Exposed:compiled by W.C.Irvine,paper by A.McD.Redwood; Loizeuax
     Brothers Inc, 1987 P128 citing "The Mormons or Latter Day Saints", 
     Rev D.H.C. Bartlett MA, pub Chas J.Tynne & Jarvis Ltd, London.
[19] Reed & Farkas, op.cit, p19
[20] Ibid p113
[21] Morey, op.cit p30
[22] Ibid p78
[23] Ankberg & Weldon op.cit pp12-13

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                                               []   2Chron 7:14
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lbarrass@phillip.edu.au                     Lindsay     
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Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc