Book of Mormon alters Jesus's wisdom

Book of Mormon alters Jesus's wisdom

Sorry I've been gone a while, I've been working on a book about leaving Mormonism, and some other projects. Last time I promised we'd look at the book of Moroni in the Book of Mormon for some examples of twisted scriptures set up to create the works doctrine and mentality that persists inside Mormonism.

Lets pick up mid verse of Moroni 7:4 RCE
    -For I remember the word of God which saith:
"by their fruits ye shall know them;
For if their works be good, then they are good also." 

For behold, God hath said:
"A man being evil cannot do that which is good."

And if you continue reading it goes into a very naive and simplistic view of what God really said. Basically that a fountain of water being bad can't bring forth good water, grudging gift givers aren't counted as good gift givers etc.

The real kicker is later it says that a good person can't follow the devil and a bad person can't follow Christ. It entirely simplistic and encouraging the reader to take a very naive view on good and evil. Let me write specifics.

Moroni 7:10 RCE
Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God;
And that which is evil cometh of the devil;
For the devil is an enemy unto God
and fighteth against Him continually,
And inviteth and enticeth to sin 
and to do that which is evil continually.

But behold that which is of God inviteth 
and enticeth to do good continually;
Wherefore everything which inviteth and enticeth 
to do good and to love God and to serve Him
is inspired of God;

Stop right there. Pretty much that last verse says it all. So long as anything promotes doing good, it is of God. So this Book of Mormon that enticeth to do good is of God? Eh? Think about it.

It all sounds peaches and cream God, mother and apple pie perfect, but honestly where does Joseph Smith get this from? Is that really what the Bible says? Hmmm.......God commanded a father to kill his son as a test of obedience. Huh........the act of murdering your son isn't exactly what I would call a "good act" but it was of God.

Lets see, God destroyed the entire human race save Noah and his family. Was that good? Well they where all wicked you may argue. None the less, you can't just say if something looks good, then it is of God. That is a very broad brush stroke of hogwash.

Remember the top verse? The Book of Mormon wants you to think you are good, and godly because of your works. Look back up there or read Moroni 6:4 through oh 18? (he goes on a tangent)

Now lets look in the Bible at what Jesus said.

Matthew 7:15 KJV
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly are ravening wolves.
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Even so every good tree bringeth forth food fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
A Good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hew down, and cast into the fire.
Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them. 

Okay so that specifically takes care of the good works part of the Book of Mormon. Jesus meant for us to examine the works of people to determine if they were false prophets. Does that mean that by doing good works we are therefore true prophets? Does that mean by bringing good fruit we are good people and of God?

Lets read just a little further.

Matthew 7:21 KJV
Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven. 
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Okay that's pretty clear on the matter. Your works though good, even to the casting out of devils, prophesying and doing wonderful things, don't mean you are good! You won't make it to heaven!

Yet if you read and believe the Book of Mormon, that is exactly what it is saying! Again

Moroni 6:4 RCE
    -For I remember the word of God which saith:
"by their fruits ye shall know them;
For if their works be good, then they are good also." 

This is just another twist of Satan's bible taking the truth and changing it slightly so we all think we need to do good works to get to heaven. What does Jesus say? But he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven. THAT guy gets to walk through the gates.

Read the Book of Mormon, then read the Bible IN CONTEXT. Someone recently told me Bible stands for Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. So if they are basic instructions, wouldn't you apply them to the situation they are speaking about? We don't take basic instructions for repairing our car, though true in that area, and use them to bake bread do we?

In the Bible this is a warning for us to watch out for false prophets. In the Book of Mormon its taken and used to promote us to do good works because anything that is good is God. That's a far narrower view point, very simplistic and misleading. How many criminals in history have done horrific things in the name of God, or to "better society"?

Remember Hitler himself was creating a master race! well that sounds good don't it? especially if you are part of that elite society? How many of those "Good Germans" died because they blindly followed Hitler till their city went up in a hurricane of fire created by intense American firebombings?

Maybe you can't see that viewpoint. Okay so what are you doing good in your life? Should you believe the Book of Mormon which says that anything that is good is of God? Huh...if we do that, then ergo we can start counting every good deed we do right? Because we want to be of God correct? See where this is going? If you start looking at your good works to see if you are of God, you're not looking to Jesus and his death on the cross for your salvation, and therefore missing the mark.

A thief was getting justice by being executed via one of the painful of deaths of all time. He had nothing good going for him or he wouldn't be sentenced to death right? After all it was society's "Good" laws which condemned him to death. That man got really lucky that day, because hanging on the cross next to his was the Son of God whom he defended publicly rebuking his fellow criminal, then by these words acknowledged his lord and savior and obtained paradise with Jesus Christ.

"And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom" Luke 23:42

The Bible is saying we can tell false prophets from their works. The Book of Mormon is saying good works means you are of God. Two very very different things and two very very different doctrines. Read in context.

A Clever Twist of Christ's Teachings in the Book of Mormon

A Clever Twist of Christ's Teachings in the Book of Mormon

The next verse really upset me when I read it. May not be a surprise to you, but I'd read it for years and thought it matched the Bible word for word. In fact I was so sure it said the same thing that while arguing with my girlfriend she pointed out the difference. I had never noticed until this. And it shocked me.

Book of Mormon: 3rd Nephi 6:12

Take therefore, no thought for the morrow,
For the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself; 
Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof"

If you recognize this it's from Christ's preaching. But that is not what Christ said.

KJV Bible: Matthew 6:34

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 

WOW! mind blowing difference! I'm sure you are all jumping up and down with excitement at this discovery. Okay but bear with me. Satan doesn't make huge differences. We'd see through them too easily. That is how for years I thought those two verses meant the same thing. But words mean things.

The Bible is saying, only worry about the evil of the day. But in Satan's Bible, he did a half twist, moved two little words, flipped them around without even changing them! It's brilliant! The human mind expecting to see the same words, does! But in putting them in different places it means something totally different. Sufficient is the day unto the evil there of. He swapped where is and unto fall in the sentence. So now in the Book of Mormon, the day is sufficient for the evil.

The entire verse in the Book of Mormon loses it's meaning, it's guidance and power for Christians. Which is exactly what Satan wants. This is the verse that finally scared me and set me on the road to where I am now. Lets look again at the cleverness and the subtly through which that verse was desecrated and it's meaning altered.

Just to make things easier I came up with a very clumsy graphic to illustrate the swapperoo.

  

Forgive the crude graphics, but after you do that to the KJV you have the Book of Mormon's Nephi 6:12 which doesn't at all mean the same thing as the KJV Bible verse. Go read it yourself. It's just a half twist, a clever deceit, and you have millions of Mormons believing they are Christians, when they really aren't learning what the Bible teaches. If you are a Mormon like those I know who don't like reading the Bible. This is what you are missing. You are not getting meat, not even getting milk. You are better fed dish water.

In the next posts I''m going to ask my wife to help us dig deeper into the doctrinal difference in her favorite book of the Book of Mormon. Moroni. She likes to do a little swap herself.

Come back next time!

Book of Mormon v.r.s. Bible's Lord's Prayer

Book of Mormon v.r.s. Bible's Lord's Prayer 

Okay so let's take a look at the Book of Mormon (I'm using RCE edition which stands for "Restored Covenant Edition" and is the approved RLDS version. If you are an LDS person, your church probably doesn't approve of it, but no matter what the version, it's the book of the devil and he wins no matter which version you cling to.

Why do I say that? Well let's take a look. Lets start with something easy like the Lord's Prayer.

Bible: KJV - Matthew 6:9-13

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day, our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 

Book of Mormon: RCE - 3 Nephi 5:101

"After this manner, therefore, pray ye:

Our Father which art in heaven,

Hallowed be Thy name.

Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven,

And forgive us our debts,  

as we forgive our debtors. 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever! Amen.

Okay at first glance these sound very much in agreement. Yay! Mormons are Christians! But wait. Let's take a closer look. What if we look at them verse for verse? 

Matt: 6:9- After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Nephi 5:101- After this manner, therefore, pray ye: 

102- Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

6:10- Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 

103- Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

6:11- Give us this day our daily bread.

104 - And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

6:12 - And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

105- And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.

6:13- And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

106- For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever! Amen.'

So first thing I'm sure you noticed is I put some words in red. These are Bible verses that are NOT in the book of Mormon. Was this intentional?! Maybe it was just lost in translation? Well let's look at how the Book of Mormon is designed. First, if you notice, it breaks Bible verse 6:9 into two verses Nephi 102-103. How is this relevant? Old trick, if you are going to trim things out without getting caught, make sure to add some fluff so it's not obviously.......less. 

But why would the Book of Mormon not include "Thy kingdom come" and "Give us our daily bread?" 

I can take some guesses but it really doesn't mater. The Book of Mormon and those that pray its prayer does not want God's kingdom to come. It doesn't ask for it in its prayer so therefore it IS different than what the Bible's prayer instructs you to ask for. 

Now about giving us this day our daily bread. Whoa! Ask God to provide for you? No Joseph Smith couldn't have that. First Jesus already died on the cross providing us something far bigger than daily bread, but salvation. What do we have to do to obtain it? Nothing but claim his blood to cover our sins. 

Well little Joe Smith couldn't have people thinking it's that easy. He needed people to work for their salvation in good deeds and tithing to "the church". So he took out instructing his followers to ask God. What does it say in the Bible? Ye have not because ye ask not.  

There are a lot of differences in the Book of Mormon. Very crucial ones. In the coming posts we will explore them.

-J. Lindsey Marshall

Are Mormons Christians?

In Mormonism we're told that we are Christians. We just have more books of truth than the rest of the Christians. Where Baptists and others only have a Bible, we have the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine in Covenants. The Book of Mormon itself which is supposedly a document written 600 years after Christs death even perpetrates this saying in the later days those who reject God's further truth will say; "We already have a Bible we don't need anything else."

Sounds bad. Who wants to reject God's increased knowledge and blessings? And of course man always hungers after greater knowledge. Plus teachings show that God likes the number three. Father, Son and Holy Ghost, etc. Well look! Bible, Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants. 

So Mormonism gets all tied up in how much more knowledge we have. And in defending our knowledge (which no one wants to looks stupid) we kinda overlook some critical thinking. But we'll get to that. 

The next thing even in Mormonism we don't agree. The LDS Mormons will tell the RLDS Mormons they don't have the "true" Book of Mormon. And the RLDS vilify the LDS Mormons by saying his right hand men arranged the "murder" of the prophet Joseph Smith to they could run away with the church and we the Reorganized Church of Later Day Saints are the true church therefore our version of the Book of Mormon is the correct one.

First we have three problems. Mormonists are being suckered into slavery because the three book make us feel special, smarter, more knowledgeable than all the other Christians. So right from the get go, there is a great trap. How easy is it to want  to believe YOU have more knowledge than everyone else by choosing Mormonism. Very easy. It appeals to our desire to be right. 

I myself fell for this trap so hard. In opening my eyes God asked me. "How can you hold on to the Book of Mormon and believe it is true, when you don't agree with the Mormon church and that is the fruit of this book?" Just because it in MY hands and MY church doesn't make it better. 

Then the biggest problem. I agreed with my then girlfriend who wasn't Mormon to test my faith. We agreed to not involve our families or let them get involved and influence us. We where going to compare each book side by side. Try our faiths. We both felt we couldn't lose. Either way, we would be made stronger in our faith. 

So in comparing the Bible to the Book of Mormon which the Book of Mormon is touted to have the "plain and precious" parts that were taken out of the Bible by the "great and abominable church" we found just the opposite. The Book of Mormon not only did not agree with the Bible, but in finding the comparable scriptures altered the Bible verses and removed plain and precious parts. It watered it down or completely took it away. This is a simple thing to do. Open your King James version, and open your Book of Mormon and compare them. Study the words. Words are very important, if they don't say or mean the same, it's not the same. 

In the next few posts lets go over these scriptures. Bible and Book of Mormon, hand in hand. I want to show you what I found that startled and scared me. Things I didn't even know, and for being in the religion for thirty years, that is kinda bad. But if you never take a critical look at things and just believe the sugar coated golden sounding words, it's easy to take the wide easy path to hell. 

-J. Lindsey Marshall 

Challenging Your Mormon Beliefs

Are you questioning the truth of your Mormon religion? Challenging your beliefs and testing your faith never hurts. It will either reveal weaknesses and fallibilities or make you stronger in your faith. Mormon missionaries go through this process during mission trips. Christians witnessing do the same. Ah! If you're sharp you've already pegged me as an anti-Mormon. I didn't include Mormons with Christians. Before you get worked up let me briefly explain my background.

I grew up in the RLDS church culture which is supposedly the original Later Day Saints church. Now let's not argue that. I did say supposedly and I don't care if it is or not. However for some thirty years of my life I was in this religion which is similar to the LDS or Mormon religion (just with less money and a chip on the shoulder) regardless I am not any longer, and while I'm no religion scholar or minister, I do know what it's like to be questioning your beliefs and if you are on that journey, I hope this blog can help you see the truths I found when I was challenging my faith, and with discussion possibly reveal more truths.

This blog is for the person willing to journey down the road and walk through the fire of testing the Mormon beliefs. I'm sure some who post will be pro-Mormon, others will be anti-Mormon. Let's keep it civil, objective and honest since we are talking about God and religion so a certain amount of humility should be sought. (For those of you who need it more blunt, personal attacks of ones character, flaming, or poo flinging will not be tolerated)

I look forward to sharing my experiences, the questions that troubled me, and answers the Lord revealed as to why the Mormon religion wasn't true. I also look forward to hearing your stories, questions, and yes, even objections to my statement that Mormonism is not Christianity.

-J. Lindsey Marshall