Introduction

The LDS have what they call a "testimony" as to the truthfulness of their Church. It is twofold. Part of it is a feeling, and part of it is verbalized. The feeling part is sometimes referred to as a "burning in the bosom." This is simply a feeling that they claim originates from the Holy Ghost. It is something that they claim to receive as an affirmation of the validity of the LDS Church's doctrine and authority. Oddly enough, they base it on a verse in the Bible. Luke 24:32, says, "And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?" But notice that the two disciples that made this statement never consider the burning in the bosom to be based on a feeling. They connect that burning with the study of God’s Word, the Bible. They said that the burning in their heart was from Jesus opening the Scriptures to them. In other words, their hearts burned within them as they came to understand God’s Truth. This was not an emotion, but an understanding of the Truth of God’s Word! The Judge of Truth is never a feeling!

The other part of their testimony is that which they express in words. The slogan (with some occasional slight variations) goes something like this: "I believe that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God…and that the Book of Mormon is true Scripture…and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true Church on the face of the Earth." This Study Guide will focus on the latter (verbal) aspect of the LDS testimony. The "feeling" part of their testimony is very difficult to "disprove." How can you prove that person does NOT have a feeling? You can't. But you can prove or disprove the validity or truthfulness of a statement or slogan. We will be looking at the evidence for these claims of the LDS Church. We will not be basing our findings on feelings, but instead, on the facts. Most of this Study Guide is basically just documentation from official LDS sources. To make it easier for the reader to quickly differentiate between our commentary and the documentation, the commentary will be rendered in red.

We will need to become spiritual "detectives," if you will. And just like Joe Friday from the old TV series, Dragnet, we want "Just the Facts, Ma'am."

Chapter One: Is Joseph Smith A Prophet of God?

1) Did He Give Any False Prophecies? YES! (Deuteronomy 18 Standard)

2) Did He Teach To Follow After False Gods? YES! (Deuteronomy 13 Standard)

3) Was Smith's Claim To Be Able To Translate the Egyptian Language Valid? NO!

1) Does It Contradict the Bible? YES!

2) Does It Contradict Other LDS Scripture? YES!

3) Does It Contradict Current Mormon Doctrine? YES!

4) Did 8 of the 11 "Book of Mormon Witnesses" Leave the Church? YES!

5) Has the Book of Mormon Been Changed Over 4000 Times? YES!

6) Is the Book of Mormon Archeologically or Historically Correct? NO!

7) Has the LDS Church Ever Found One Single Book of Mormon City? NO!

8) Does the Book of Mormon Teach Theologically Endorsed Racism? YES!

1) Do They Have A Biblical Heavenly Father? NO!

2) Do They Have A Biblical Jesus? NO!

3) Do They Have A Biblical Holy Spirit? Who Knows?

4) Do They Have A Biblical Gospel? NO!

The Bible has two very clear standards for one who claims to be a prophet from God. The Deuteronomy 18 Standard deals with a prophet who simply prophesies falsely. The Deuteronomy 13 Standard is a bit more complicated. It deals with a prophet who may prophecy correctly, but then convinces his devotees to follow after false gods. False gods being defined as any god other than the One True God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This would not only include pagan gods, but also a redefining of the One True God. If the Bible says God has a certain attribute, to change that attribute would be to "falsify" God. For example, if the Bible says that there is only one God (which it does), and someone claiming to be a Prophet comes along and says that there are many gods, that would constitute a redefinition of God. The Bible says that God is unique, the Prophet would be saying that God is not unique.

1) Did He Have Any False Prophecies?

Deuteronomy 18:20-22 says, "But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh 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 it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him." (King James Version)

The question we have to ask then is; did Smith prophesy anything that did NOT come to pass. The answer is an absolute and documented yes. We have over forty prophecies on record that qualify for being blatantly false. Here are three fairly well known examples:

A) Smith falsely claimed that an LDS Temple would be built in Independence Missouri "in this (his) generation and at a specific location."

Doctrines and Covenants, Chapter 84 says, "Revelation through Joseph Smith, Kirtland, Ohio, September 22 and 23, 1832. A revelation of Jesus Christ unto his servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and six elders, as they united their hearts and lifted their voices on high. Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem. Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased. Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation.

(Verse 5) For verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house.

(Verse 31) Therefore, as I said concerning the sons of Moses, for the sons of Moses and also the sons of Aaron shall offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord, which house shall be built unto the Lord in this generation, upon the consecrated spot as I have appointed. "

That "generation" is long since dead, and there is still no Temple at that location. The LDS Church doesn't even own the land anymore. It is owned by a splinter group called The Church of Christ (Temple Lot). They view the Salt Lake City Mormons to be apostate, and would therefore NEVER give up their land. So this is clearly a false prophecy.

B) Smith told two of his main disciples, Oliver Cowdery and Hiram Page, to go raise some cash by selling the copyright for the Book of Mormon in Canada. He claimed that God told him in a revelation that they would be successful. When the men failed at their endeavor, they came back and sought an explanation of the "revelation." Smith stated, "Some revelation is of God; some is of the flesh; and some is of the Devil" (A Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol. 1, Pg. 162 - 166).

By making such a statement, Smith admitted that he couldn't tell a true prophecy or revelation from a false one! The LDS Church's embarrassment over the issue is exemplified by taking almost two whole pages of fine print to explain (cover up?) the "frailties of man" when it comes to revelations that merely concern the unimportant "non-fundamental" issues. It is referred to as the "The Toronto Journey Incident" (Pg. 165-166). The vast majority of LDS have never even heard of the event, and most will vehemently deny that it ever happened. It usually doesn't do much good to quote the incident unless you can show it to them in black and white, right out of the book itself, published by the official LDS university, BYU Press.

C) Return of Christ by 1891.

The History of the Church Vol. 2, Pg. 182, records: "Kirtland, February 14, 1835--This day, a meeting was called of those who journeyed last season to Zion for the purpose of laying the foundation of its redemption, together with as many other of the brethren and sisters as were disposed to attend. President Joseph Smith, Jun., presiding, read the 15th chapter of John, and said: Let us endeavor to solemnize our minds that we may receive a blessing, by calling on the Lord. After an appropriate and affecting prayer, the brethren who went to Zion [in Zion's camp] were requested to take their seats together in a part of the house by themselves. President Smith then stated that the meeting had been called, because God had commanded it; and it was made known to him by vision and by the Holy Spirit. He then gave a relation of some of the circumstances attending us while journeying to Zion--our trials, sufferings; and said God had not designed all this for nothing, but He had it in remembrance yet; and it was the will of God that those who went to Zion, with a determination to lay down their lives, if necessary, should be ordained to the ministry, and go forth to prune the vineyard for the last time, or the coming of the Lord, which was nigh--even fifty-six years should wind up the scene."

Here we read Smith claiming that the coming of the Lord was near and should be in about 56 years (from 1835), which would be 1891. Clearly, another false prophecy.

2) Did Smith Give Any True Prophecies, Then Lead LDS To Follow False Gods?

Deuteronomy 13:1 says, "If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul." (King James Version)

The LDS claim that Smith correctly predicted the Civil War, but if you read the prophecy in Doctrine & Covenants, Chapter 87, it is very "hit and miss":

Smith prophesied in D&C 87:1, "Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls; And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place. For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations. And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war. And it shall come to pass also that the remnants who are left of the land will marshal themselves, and shall become exceedingly angry, and shall vex the Gentiles with a sore vexation. And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plague, and earthquake, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations; That the cry of the saints, and of the blood of the saints, shall cease to come up into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, from the earth, to be avenged of their enemies. Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen.

Obviously full of errors (full end of nations?). But if we give Smith this one, and say that he got this one right, did he go on to lead the LDS to follow after false gods? Did he falsify the nature of the One True God? You be the judge.

Smith taught:

• God was once a common mortal man (History of the Church Vol. 6, Pg. 305-306 vs. Numbers 23:19 / Hosea 11:19 / Malachi 3:6)

Smith stated, "The scriptures say it, and I defy all the learning and wisdom and all the combined powers of earth and hell together to refute it. Here, then, is eternal life--to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods have done before you."

Number 23:19, says "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent."

Hosea 11:9, " I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.

Malachi 3:6, " For I am the LORD, I change not."

So if Heavenly Father is God, and not a man… and He does not change… He was never a mortal man! Simple, biblical logic. Plus, if all gods used to be men, who created the first man? Read on…

• Our Heavenly Father is only one of many Gods (History of the Church Vol. 6, Pg. 474 vs. Isaiah 43:10 / I Corinthians 8:4 / I Timothy 2:5 / James 2:19 / Eph. 4:4-6)

Smith taught, (HOTC, Vol. 6, Pg. 474) "In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods; and they came together and concocted [prepared] a plan to create the world and people it."

This is one of the LDS doctrines that the Christian Church finds so offensive. Mainly because the Bible is so clear on the fact that there is only ONE God. People who believe in many gods are called polytheists. People that believe in only one true God are called monotheists. The following verses are why the Christian Church has been monotheistic for 2000 years:

Isaiah 43:10,"…before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me"

I Corinthians 8:4, "… there is none other God but one."

I Timothy 2:5, "For there is one God…"

James 2:19, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well…"

Ephesians 4:4-6, "There is…One God and Father of all, who is above all…"

• God has a body of flesh and bones (Doctrines and Covenants 130:22 vs. Lectures of Faith (LDS) / John 4:24 / Luke 24:39)

Smith stated in the D&C 130:22, "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us."

This is the current LDS position on this topic: that God has a body of flesh and bones. Unfortunately for the LDS, this contradicts Smith's earlier statement in the LDS Lectures of Faith where he taught, "The Father is a personage of spirit. The Son is a personage of tabernacle."

Jesus agreed with the Lectures of Faith when He said in John 4:24, "God is a Spirit."

Jesus also said in Luke 24:39, "For a spirit hath NOT flesh and bones."

So if God is a Spirit, and spirits do NOT have flesh and bones, then God obviously does not have a body of flesh and bones!

A well-known LDS slogan of faith states, "AS MAN IS, GOD ONCE WAS. AS GOD IS, MAN MAY BECOME." If the LDS teach that God created man… how can they also teach that He used to be a man? Someone obviously beat him to it. You simply cannot create a species that you used to be. It is not a matter of "What came first; the chicken or the egg?" The more appropriate analogy would be "Can an egg lay a chicken?" They also teach that all Gods used to be men (human). This LDS doctrine is called Eternal Progression (you progress from being a lowly spirit child, to human, and finally to becoming Gods). If that is true, then who created the first man? Some LDS will answer, "The head God." Ask them the name of that "God" and you will get a blank stare. Their reply is usually something like, "We don't know his name. The Book of Mormon doesn't tell us his name. Besides, that was too many gods ago!" My advice is to the LDS is to find out who that God is. Why? You will stand before Him someday, and you don’t want to hear Him say the same thing to you… "I don’t know you!"

3) Smith Claimed, As A Prophet, To Have A God-given Ability to Translate "Egyptian", But Did He Translate The Book of Abraham Correctly?

In 1835 friends of Joseph Smith bought him a traveling mummy show that came through Kirtland, Ohio. When he opened one of the coffins, he found a papyrus that he claimed was personally hand written by Abraham the Patriarch. He went on to "translate" the papyrus into the Book of Abraham, found in the LDS "Pearl of Great Price." In 1835, no one could challenge his translation, because no one could read Egyptian. The Rossetta Stone was cracked in 1868, thereby giving fascinating insight into the language of this ancient culture. Unfortunately, by then the LDS papyrus was "lost." Then in 1967, the original LDS Abrahamic Papyrus that Smith translated was located. It was found in the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, and presented to the LDS Church with much pomp and ceremony. The LDS Church received it, along with Smith's translation, and pronounced it to be authentic. The LDS Church was ecstatic. Finally, they would be able to prove the claims of Smith, and validate their existence. But copies of the papyrus, for the general public, were slow in coming. The LDS Church seemed to be hesitating to claim victory. Months went by with no word. Then LDS Church officials started making off the cuff comments about not putting too much confidence in such a document. "We walk by faith and not by sight." "Worldly knowledge puffs up the heart." "We don't care if the papyrus is translated correctly or not, because we KNOW that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God!" The statements were made to prepare the LDS for the inevitable… the translation of the Book of Abraham was a farce! The LDS Church was finally forced to produce copies of the papyrus, which was subsequently translated by several prominent Egyptologists. The verdict was unanimous; Smith did not get one word right in his "translation." The name "Abraham" was not even found anywhere on the scroll. To this day, the LDS are still trying to cover up the evidence. When educated LDS (BYU professors, for example) are confronted about the controversy, they usually resort to such excuses as, "We don't have the original papyrus." Or, "Joseph Smith did not actual translate the papyrus… he deciphered it. It was in a supernatural "code" that we do not understand." Like PT Barnum used to say, "There's a sucker born every minute."

Author and teacher, Charles Larson, has written an entire book on the subject called By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus: A New Look at the Joseph Smith Papyri (Institute for Religious Research, 1992 ISBN 0-960963-2-6). Dr. Stephen E. Thompson, an LDS scholar with a Ph.D. in Egyptology, made these comments about the book At the 1993 Northeast Sunstone Symposium in Boston; Dr. Thompson said of Larson's book:

"In my opinion, it's the best source to go to if you want to know what's been going on with the Book of Abraham in [the] church. I mean, he has a pretty good summary of all the types of approaches that have been made. He does a pretty good job of explaining what they are, what the papyri are. He's [got] great pictures of the papyri. That's the nicest thing; you can really - really neat photos [sic] of the papyri themselves. And people worry about the accuracy, is this book accurate or not? Well I'll tell you, he's far more accurate than anything Hugh Nibley ever wrote on the subject, okay. So if you're willing to read Nibley, you can read this guy and not worry about it. I mean, because Nibley is far, far more free with his treatment of primary and secondary sources than this guy ever would be… Nothing that's been written from an apologetic point of view comes close to it in accuracy."

After writing the book, Larson was fired from his job as a teacher in Salt Lake City. He subsequently won the lawsuit filed on his behalf. If you want an in-depth look at the Book of Abraham controversy, we highly suggest that you consider acquiring this book. Many of the other ministries to Mormons listed in our Links offer the book at a fair price. Some offer it for free!

Chapter Two

Is the Book of Mormon True Scripture?

1) Does It Contradict The Bible? YES!

I Nephi 13: 21-29, "And the angel said unto me: Knowest thou the meaning of the book?

22) And I said unto him: I know not.

23) And he said: Behold it proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew. And I, Nephi, beheld it; and he said unto me: The book that thou beholdest is a record of the Jews, which contains the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; and it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets; and it is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the plates of brass, save there are not so many; nevertheless, they contain the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; wherefore, they are of great worth unto the Gentiles.

24) And the angel of the Lord said unto me: Thou hast beheld that the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fullness of the gospel of the Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God.

25) Wherefore, these things go forth from the Jews in purity unto the Gentiles, according to the truth which is in God. And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of that great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away.

27) And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men.

28) Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God.

29) And after these plain and precious things were taken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of thechildren of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them."

According to these verses in the Book of Mormon, the Bible has been corrupted by the "great abominable church" (the Catholic Church). But what did God say about His Word, the Bible?

In Matthew 24:35, Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."

The Bible also states in I Peter 1:23-25, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word, which by the gospel is preached unto you."

So it comes down to who are you going to believe: Joseph Smith… or Jesus Christ?

B) The LDS Church teaches that the reason why Joseph Smith had to "restore" the church was because "the true church had apostatized off the face of the earth."

Compare that position to Matthew 16:18 / John 14:16 / Ephesians 3:21

Matthew 16:18"…upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Jesus said that His Church would prevail.

In John 14:16-17 & 26, Jesus said, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

17)Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

26) But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

According to these verses, Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit to dwell in each and every believer, through whom He would lead and teach His Church. The LDS teach that NO ONE listened. Not one single person followed the Holy Spirit. But what were the Biblical qualifications of an Elder? (Not an LDS Elder; all you have to do to be an LDS elder is to be a twelve year old male) One of the main qualifications was that you were able to teach!

The Apostle Paul wrote to Titus, starting with verse five, "For this cause left I thee in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed you:

6) If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.

7) For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

8) But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;

9) Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

10) For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:

11) Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake."

So the Lord not only provided a system of proclaiming His Gospel, through the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Apostles, but He also said that the Elders were to be equipped to overcome the deceptions of false teachers. The LDS teach that this did NOT happen. The LDS teach that the Apostasy occurred at or near the death of the last Apostle. Which would mean that the Apostles were completely negligent and guilty of dereliction of duty in teaching the Elders. I believe that would be a foolish charge with which to indict these men. Most of them died a martyr's death in order to uphold their allegiance to Christ. Derelict? I doubt that very much!

Ephesians 3:21 also states, "Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."

Therefore we see that the scriptures state that the church would give glory to God through His Son, Jesus, throughout ALL AGES. There will never be an age or time when Jesus does not have His Church to honor and worship Him. The LDS Church teaches that this is not true. They say that the true Church was nonexistent from the death of the last Apostle, clear up to the date that their founder, Joseph Smith, "restored" the church in 1830. According to the LDS, Ephesians 3:21 was not true for 1800 years!

The Bible does teach that there will be a general apostasy, where the world becomes more and more wicked. But it does not teach that there would be a complete apostasy, which would also include the Church. Nowhere does the Bible prophecy that the Church would need to be restored, after a complete and total apostasy.

C) "The Bible is incomplete" (II Nephi 29:10 vs. II Peter 1:3-4)

II Nephi 29: 3-10 says, "And because my words shall hiss forth - many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.

6) Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible.

10) Wherefore, because that ye have 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.

Contrast that with II Peter 1:3-4, which says, "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

The Lord is saying that he has given us "all things that pertain unto life and godliness." If we then have been given "all things" to help us live godly lives, why would there be a need for more? If you already have "all" what more could there be?

D) "Polygamy is of God" (D & C 132:38-65 vs. Titus 1:6 / I Timothy 3:1-12)

Joseph Smith said in the Doctrine and Covenants 132:38-65, "David also received many wives and concubines, and also Solomon and Moses my servants, as also many others of my servants, from the beginning of creation until this time; and in nothing did they sin save in those things which they received not of me.

39) David's wives and concubines were given unto him of me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant, and others of the prophets who had the keys of this power; and in none of these things did he sin against me…

41) And as ye have asked concerning adultery, verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man receiveth a wife in the new and everlasting covenant, and if she be with another man, and I have not appointed unto her by the holy anointing, she hath committed adultery and shall be destroyed.

42) If she be not in the new and everlasting covenant, and she be with another man, she has committed adultery.

51) Verily, I say unto you: A commandment I give unto mine handmaid, Emma Smith, your wife, whom I have given unto you, that she stay herself and partake not of that which I commanded you to offer unto her; for I did it, saith the Lord, to prove you all, as I did Abraham, and that I might require an offering at your hand, by covenant and sacrifice.

52) And let mine handmaid, Emma Smith, receive all those that have been given unto my servant Joseph, and who are virtuous and pure before me; and those who are not pure, and have said they were pure, shall be destroyed, saith the Lord God.

53) For I am the Lord thy God, and ye shall obey my voice; and I give unto my servant Joseph that he shall be made ruler over many things; for he hath been faithful over a few things, and from henceforth I will strengthen him.

54) And I command mine handmaid, Emma Smith, to abide and cleave unto my servant Joseph, and to none else. But if she will not abide this commandment she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord; for I am the Lord thy God, and will destroy her if she abide not in my law.

56) And again, verily I say, let mine handmaid forgive my servant Joseph his trespasses; and then shall she be forgiven her trespasses, wherein she has trespassed against me; and I, the Lord thy God, will bless her, and multiply her, and make her heart to rejoice.

61) And again, as pertaining to the law of the priesthood - if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then is he justified; he cannot commit adultery for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else.

62) And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore is he justified.

63) But if one or either of the ten virgins, after she is espoused, shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be destroyed; for they are given unto him to multiply and replenish the earth, according to my commandment, and to fulfil the promise which was given by my Father before the foundation of the world, and for their exaltation in the eternal worlds, that they may bear the souls of men; for herein is the work of my Father continued, that he may be glorified.

64) And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, if any man have a wife, who holds the keys of this power, and he teaches unto her the law of my priesthood, as pertaining to these things, then shall she believe and administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord your God; for I will destroy her; for I will magnify my name upon all those who receive and abide in my law.

65) Therefore, it shall be lawful in me, if she receive not this law, for him to receive all things whatsoever I, the Lord his God, will give unto him, because she did not believe and administer unto him according to my word; and she then becomes the transgressor; and he is exempt from the law of Sarah, who administered unto Abraham according to the law when I commanded Abraham to take Hagar to wife."

This is truly an amazing piece of masterful manipulation! Here we see Joseph Smith claiming that God is telling all the male members of the LDS Church that they can have sex with all the women they want, as long as they get married! But we also see Smith claiming that if his wife Emma doesn't like the new law, then "she is to be destroyed!" The problem is that the Bible says that the leaders of God's church were to be married to only ONE spouse!

I Timothy 3:1-12 says, "This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well."

Titus 1:5-6 says, "For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly."

It is clear that Mormon theology is not biblical. But what about that last little statement that Smith tossed in at the end of D&C 132, where Smith claimed that God commanded Abraham to take Hagar as his wife? That was Sarah's fleshly idea, not God's!

Genesis16:1-5 says, "Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.

So Sarah gives Hagar to Abraham, then later calls it a mistake. Does God even enter into this picture? Is there a verse that says God commanded Abraham to take Hagar? No! Just another Joseph Smith manipulation of the facts to promote his fleshly desires. Ishmael is the end result of this fleshly idea. He becomes the Father of the Arabs, and the sworn enemies of the children of Israel. Isaac, the child of promise, is later born of Sarah, and through his lineage is born Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ. But Joseph Smith turns the whole thing on its head, and says that GOD commanded Abraham to be unfaithful to his wife, and to God!

2) Does It Contradict Other LDS Scripture? YES!

A) Polygamy: Jacob 2:24-27 and 3:5 vs. D&C 132:38-65.

Jacob 2:24-27 says, "Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord.

25) Wherefore, thus saith the Lord, I have led this people forth out of the land of Jerusalem, by the power of mine arm, that I might raise up unto me a righteous branch from the fruit of the loins of Joseph.

26) Wherefore, I the Lord God will not suffer that this people shall do like unto them of old.

27) Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none."

In contradiction, the D&C 132:38-65 says, "David also received many wives and concubines, and also Solomon and Moses my servants, as also many others of my servants, from the beginning of creation until this time; and in nothing did they sin save in those things which they received not of me...

62) And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, andvthey are given unto him; therefore is he justified.

63) But if one or either of the ten virgins, after she is espoused, shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be destroyed; for they are given unto him to multiply and replenish the earth, according to my commandment, and to fulfil the promise which was given by my Father before the foundation of the world, and for their exaltation in the eternal worlds, that they may bear the souls of men; for herein is the work of my Father continued, that he may be glorified.

64) And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, if any man have a wife, who holds the keys of this power, and he teaches unto her the law of my priesthood, as pertaining to these things, then shall she believe and administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord your God; for I will destroy her; for I will magnify my name upon all those who receive and abide in my law.

65) Therefore, it shall be lawful in me, if she receive not this law, for him to receive all things whatsoever I, the Lord his God, will give unto him, because she did not believe and administer unto him according to my word; and she then becomes the transgressor; and he is exempt from the law of Sarah, who administered unto Abraham according to the law when I commanded Abraham to take Hagar to wife."

Was this guy on a power trip, or what? Have you ever seen such spiritual manipulation in all of your life? Joseph Smith and Jim Jones (of the Jonesburough massacre) are two peas of the same pod, cut from the same cloth. They had the same father… the Father of Lies, the Devil. They claimed to speak for God. They claimed to be God’s mouthpiece. In reality, they spoke words of deceit and self-engrandisement. The Bible warns us about such men in the Bible:

Jude says, "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

4) For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

12) These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

13) Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

16) These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

17) But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

18) How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

19) These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

20) But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

21) Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

22) And of some have compassion, making a difference:

23) And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

24) Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

25) To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen."

B) Baptism for the dead: D&C 128:18 vs. II Nephi 9:38

Doctrine and Covenants 128 says,

"Letter from Joseph Smith to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Nauvoo, Illinois, September 6, 1842. (History of the Church 5:148-53)

1) As I stated to you in my letter before I left my place, that I would write to you from time to time and give you information in relation to many subjects, I now resume the subject of the baptism for the dead, as that subject seems to occupy my mind, and press itself upon my feelings the strongest, since I have been pursued by my enemies...

18) I might have rendered a plainer translation to this, but it is sufficiently plain to suit my purpose as it stands. It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with a curse unless there is a welding link of some kind or other between the fathers and the children, upon some subject or other, and behold what is that subject? It is the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also…"

This is one of Joseph Smith’s many comments on the importance of baptism for the dead. He taught that we all get a second chance in the after-life. If we die without Christ as our Savior, we can still make it to heaven, if someone will get baptized for us, in proxy. But does the Book of Mormon agree?

II Nephi 9:38, says, "And, in fine, wo unto all those who die in their sins; for they shall return to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins."

Hmmm. The Book of Mormon teaches that if we die in our sins, we will remain in our sins. The Bible also says that it is "appointed unto man, once to die, then the Judgement." So in this case the Bible and the Book of Mormon agree… but they both disagree with another LDS "scripture," the Doctrine and Covenants.

A) There Is Only One God (Alma 11:27-29 / Alma 11:44 vs. History of the Church Vol. 6, Pg. 305-306)

Alma 11:27-29 says, "And Amulek said: Yea, there is a true and living God. Now Zeezrom said: Is there more than one God? And he answered, No."

Alma 11:44 says, "Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.

In the History of the Church Vol. 6, Pg. 305-306, Joseph Smith stated, "The scriptures say it, and I defy all the learning and wisdom and all the combined powers of earth and hell together to refute it. Here, then, is eternal life--to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods have done before you."

B) One lifetime to get saved, then the Judgement

(II Nephi 9:38 vs. Spirit School)

II Nephi 9:38 says, "And, in fine, wo unto all those who die in their sins; for they shall return to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins."

Eight of the so-called Book of Mormon witnesses either left the church or were excommunicated. Most LDS are unaware of this, and think that all eleven witnesses carried their testimony to their graves. How can you place any weight in a man’s trustworthiness, who later, willing (or by force) left the organization? If he left willing, it was because he no longer believed. If he was forced out, it was because he was untrustworthy. So how can the LDS legitimately continue to use these men to attest to the truthfulness of the BOM? They can’t. The three witnesses that did not leave the LDS Church, were all relatives of its founder, Joseph Smith, and had much to lose financially if they left his employment.

5) Has the Book of Mormon Had Over 4000 Changes? YES!

The fact that Book of Mormon (BOM) has had over 4000 changes since it’s original printing in 1830, would not be such a big deal except for the fact that the LDS Church has always claimed that it was translated by "revelation," and is the "most correctly translated book" in the history of mankind. Keep in mind that the LDS Church claims that the Bible was NOT translated correctly. LDS Article of Faith, #8 states, "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God." So we see that the LDS believe that it is important that the translation is correct. They admit that they don’t think that the Bible is translated correctly. They just don’t know why they believe that. They usually attempt to lay blame on their favorite whipping boy, the Catholic Church. But as we have stated before, the LDS use the King James Bible, which the Catholic Church had nothing to do with its translation. As a matter of fact, the Catholic Church opposed the translation of the Bible into English. They wanted to keep it in the "sacred" language of Latin. When the LDS are asked to give evidence that the Bible was erroneously translated, they are suddenly at a loss to remember any examples.

But the BOM is a whole other story. You can obtain copies of the original 1830 version of the BOM from the RLDS Church (now known as Christ Community Church). Here are a few of the 4000 changes (the most important changes in the Book of Mormon are related to their teachings of a plurality of Gods, and therefore we will save them for last).

One important change was made in Mosiah 21:28. In this verse the name of the king has been changed from Benjamin to Mosiah. The original 1830 version of the BOM says, "... king Benjamin had a gift from God, whereby he could interpret such engravings ..." (BOM, 1830, Pg. 200). In modern editions of the BOM, this verse has been changed to read: "... king Mosiah had a gift from God, whereby he could interpret such engravings ..." (BOM, 1964 or newer, Pg.176, verse 28).

From the dates set in the BOM (see Mosiah 6:3-7 and 7:1) it is clear that king Benjamin was dead at this time! The Mormon Church evidently felt that it was wise to change the king's name to Mosiah. Another change involving the names of Benjamin and Mosiah is found in the book of Ether. On page 546 of the 1830 BOM we read: "... for this cause did King Benjamin keep them...." In the 1964 edition (Pg. 485, Verse 1) this was deviously changed to: "... for this cause did king Mosiah keep them...."

We also find that, amazingly, the LDS felt it was even OK to change the signed statement by the eight witnesses to the BOM! In the 1830 edition the last page read: "... Joseph Smith, Jr. the Author and Proprietor of this work, has shewn unto us the plates...." In modern editions it has been changed to read: "... Joseph Smith, Jun., the translator of this work, has shown unto us the plates...." This arbitrarily changes what the witnesses actually signed! In a court of law, the LDS would be found guilty of fraud and tampering with the evidence.

In the 1830 version of the BOM, page 87, it says, "... the mean man boweth down...." In modern editions (Pg. 74, Verse 9) this has been changed to read: "…the mean man boweth not down..."

The original BOM clearly reveals that it was written by someone without much of an education. A wild imagination…yes; education… no.

On page 31 of the first edition we read: "...neither will the Lord God suffer that the Gentiles shall forever remain in that state of awful woundedness.... " In modern editions (Pg.24, Verse 32) this was changed to read: "Neither will the Lord God suffer that the Gentiles shall forever remain in that awful state of blindness...."

On page 214 of the 1830 edition it reads: "My soul was wrecked with eternal torment...." This was changed to: "My soul was racked with eternal torment...."

One of the most frequent mistakes in the first edition of the Book of Mormon is the use of "was" instead of "were." A few examples:

"... Adam and Eve, which was our first parents ..." (Pg. 15)

"... the bands which was upon my wrists ... " (Pg. 49)

"And great was the covenants of the Lord ..." (Pg. 66)

"... for the arms of mercy was extended ... " (Pg. 189)

"... those that was with him" (Pg. 195)

"... there was seven churches ..." (Pg. 209)

"... I had much desire that ye was not in the state of dilemma ... " (Pg. 241)

"... they was angry with me, ... " (Pg. 248)

"... there was no wild beasts ... " (Pg. 460)

There are also many places where the changes were just the opposite:

"... it were easy to guard them ..." (Pg. 375)

"Behold I were about to write them ..." (Pg. 506)

"... and I were forbidden that I should preach unto them (Pg. 519)

Most Mormons deny that there have ever been any changes in the BOM. Although most of the over 4000 changes were issues of grammatical and spelling errors, some are more substantial. All this coming from a book that the LDS say is directly from God. Remember, it was Joseph Smith that claimed that the BOM was "the most correct of any book on earth," and Martin Harris said that the words which appeared on the seer stone would not disappear until they were correctly written.

Oliver B. Huntington recorded in his journal that in 1881 Joseph F. Smith, who later became the sixth president of the Mormon church, taught that the Lord gave Joseph Smith the exact English wording and spelling that he should use in the Book of Mormon:

"Saturday Feb.25, 1881, I went to Provo to a quarterly Stake Conference. Heard Joseph F. Smith describe the manner of translating the Book of Mormon ... Joseph did not render the writing on the gold plates into the English language in his own style of language as many people believe, but every word and every letter was given to him by the gift and power of God.... The Lord caused each word spelled as it is in the book to appear on the stones in short sentences or words, and when Joseph had uttered the sentence or word before him and the scribe had written it properly, that sentence would disappear and another appear. And if there was a word wrongly written or even a letter incorrect the writing on the stones would remain there.... and when corrected the sentence would disappear as usual ("Journal of Oliver B. Huntington," page 168, from copy at Utah State Historical Society).

Evidently, the LDS Church finally became so humiliated by the grammar that they decided to give up on the idea that God gave Joseph Smith the word for word English found in the 1830 BOM. Their newest theory was that God simply gave Joseph Smith the idea, and he then went on to expressed it in his own words. This new conjecture makes it easy to explain why grammatical and spelling changes were made, but it does not explain changes such as "Benjamin" being changed to "Mosiah."

But the changes in the BOM pail in comparison to the radical changes in the Doctrines & Covenants. One of Smith closest friends and co-laborer, David Whitmer (one of the three BOM witnesses) wrote:

"After the translation of the Book of Mormon was finished, early in the spring of 1830, before April 6th, Joseph gave the stone to Oliver Cowdery and told me as well as the rest that he was through with it, and he did not use the stone anymore. He said he was through the work God had given him the gift to perform, except to preach the gospel. He told us that we would all have to depend on the Holy Ghost hereafter to be guided into truth and obtain the will of the Lord." (An Address To All Believers in Christ, Page 32)

Joseph Smith obviously was not planning to do any other work besides "translating" the BOM. This is verified by his revelation given in March of 1829. This revelation was recorded in the Book of Commandments (the precursor to the Doctrine and Covenants), Chapter 4. Verse 2 reads: "...and he has a gift to translate the book, and I have commanded him that he shall pretend to no other gift, for I will grant him no other gift."

By the year 1835, when this revelation was reprinted in the Doctrine and Covenants, Joseph Smith had begun to practice at least one other gift besides that of translating the BOM. He had claimed the "gift" of correcting the Bible (The Inspired Version), and the "gift" of translating an Egyptian papyrus into the Book of Abraham. Therefore the revelation commanding Joseph Smith to pretend to no other gift but to translate the Book of Mormon could not remain as originally recorded. By now the LDS Church had decided to also accept Joseph Smith's other writings as "Scripture." This alteration in church policy forced a change in the revelation to read: "And you have a gift to translate the plates; and this is the first gift that I bestowed upon you; and I commanded that you should pretend to no other gift, until my purpose is fulfilled in this; for I will grant unto you no other gift until it is finished" (Doctrine and Covenants, 5:4).

The clear meaning of the original revelation was obviously distorted by these insertions. The changes make it appear that the Lord would grant Joseph other gifts besides that of translating the BOM.

David Whitmer observed: "The way the revelation has been changed, twenty-two words being added to it, it would appear that God had broken His word after giving His word in plainness; commanding Brother Joseph to pretend to no other gift but to translate the Book of Mormon, and then the Lord had changed and concluded to grant Joseph the gift of a Seer to the Church...." (An Address To All Believers in Christ, Pg. 57-58)

In the fourth chapter of the Book of Commandments (BOC), 154 words have been deleted from verses 5 and 6! Compare to the equivalent verses in Section 5:11-22 in the D&C. These changes have been made without any notation to the changes whatsoever! The date remains intact, as though its contents were received without alteration. If these were really revelations from God, Joseph Smith should not have modified them, under any circumstances!

In the very first revelation that was published in the Book of Commandments we read:

"Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them, shall all be fulfilled. What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself, and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away..." (Book of Commandments, 1:7) The LDS Church evidently forgot this verse when they arbitrarily removed over 150 words of the "revelation!"

Next, in the Book of Commandments, Chapter 6 (compare with Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 7:1-8), we see that it contains 143 words. But when it was reprinted in the Doctrine and Covenants in 1835, it contained 252 words. A whopping 109 words have been added! Once again, no notation of any changes to warn the innocent.

The first printing of the BOC said nothing about the name of the instrument used in the translation of the BOM. But in the D&C the following verse has been added: "By the means of the Urim and Thummim." This is an obvious attempt to make a connection to the "Urim and Thummim" mentioned in the Bible (Exodus 28:30). The BOM never uses the words "Urim and Thummim" anywhere!

Regarding another change, David Whitmer observed, "The next change of importance is in a revelation given in Fayette, New York, June, 1830....

The heading over it in the Book of Commandments is as follows: "The Articles and Covenants of the Church of Christ, given in Fayette, New York, June, 1830." Two paragraphs have been added to it, having been thrust into the middle of it. Paragraphs 16 and 17 are added without notation. These paragraphs speak of high priests and other high offices that the church never taught until almost two years after its inception. It appears that the LDS God made a mistake in the first organization of the church, and left out these high important offices (which are all above an elder) when the revelation was first given. Oh the weakness and blindness of man! (An Address To All Believers In Christ, p.59).

Then in the Book of Commandments, Chapter 28 (compare to Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 27) over 400 words have been added! It concerns the visitation of Peter, James, and John to Joseph Smith and the restoration of the Melchizedek priesthood. David Whitmer, however, claimed that the Melchizedek priesthood came into the church by a process of evolution as opposed to "revelation." The fact that these words concerning the visitation of Peter, James, and John were later added to the revelation, confirms David Whitmer's claims.

These are just a few of the thousands of words have been added, deleted or changed in the revelations from the time that they first appeared in the Book of Commandments to when they were reprinted under the guise of the Doctrine and Covenants. An entire section on marriage was also removed. The Lectures on Faith, which consisted of seventy pages in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, were later completely removed. The Lectures on Faith so contradicted the ever-changing LDS doctrine, that they just decided that it was easier to eliminate it, rather than update it. And the LDS have the gall to say that the Bible is untrusworthy? Give me a break!

6) Is the Book of Mormon Archeologically Correct? NO!

It Says These Things Were Present in The Americas from 600 B.C. to 400 A.D:

Chariots, swords of steel, wheat, barley, silk, horses, cattle, oxen, goats, sheep, elephants… etc.! None of these things were here until the 1500's! Most came to the Americas with the Spaniards. For years many LDS claimed that "All reputable archeologists agree with the Book of Mormon." Through the years, many LDS would even claim that the Smithsonian Institute and others would use the Book of Mormon as a map for archeological digs in Central and South America. Eventually the Smithsonian Institute had to issue a formal statement to address the subject. They state in their form letter (copy available upon request) that there is absolutely no evidence to support the archeological, biological or historical claims of the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon (BOM) is suspiciously lacking any maps, showing the location of any of the BOM (600BC – 400 AD) cities. There is a very logical reason for this. They have not been able to find one single city. There is a very logical reason for this, too. They don't exist! The LDS church has spent well over a hundred years and untold millions of dollars looking for just one single city, but they are still empty handed. And they always will be, because the Book of Mormon is fiction. Some LDS will claim that the BOM does contain maps. Map of what cities? "Palmyra, New York; Kirtland, Ohio; Nauvoo, Illinois." But these are modern U.S. cities. We, of course, want to know if the LDS have found one of the ancient Book of Mormon cities. Of the 38 cities mentioned in the BOM, the LDS "Jesus" destroys 16 of them in III Nephi 9:1-15. But that leaves 22 major cities (population in the 100,000’s) on this continent, and they can’t find one single city? I can go right now, to every city mentioned in the New Testament. I can go to Rome. I can go to Ephesus. I can go to Galatia. I can go to Phillipi… etc. But the LDS cannot go to one single BOM city, because they have not found one… and the reason is because they don’t exist.

1) Wrong Heavenly Father!

In John 4:23-24, Jesus said, " But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (v. 24) God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." Jesus said we must worship the Father in TRUTH. If we attempt to worship Him in error, than we don’t TRULY worship Him at all. Here are a few examples where the LDS change the truth for a lie, and fail to worship God in truth.

A) The LDS teach that God was once a simple mortal man (History of the Church Vol 6, Pg. 305-306 vs. Numbers 23:19 / Hosea 11:19 / Malachi 3:6)

B) God is only one of many gods (History of the Church Vol 6, Pg. 474 vs. Isaiah 43:10 / I Timothy 2:5 / James 2:19)

C) God has a body of flesh and bones (Doctrines and Covenants 130:22 vs. Lectures of Faith (LDS) / John 4:24)

D) "AS MAN IS, GOD ONCE WAS. AS GOD IS, MAN MAY BECOME." (He created man, but He used to be one?)

2) Wrong Jesus!

The Apostle Paul warns us in II Corinthians 11:3-4, "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (v. 4) For if he that cometh, preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit,which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him."

In other words, you are not prepared to defend yourself against false teachers that might bring a false gospel, a false Holy Spirit, and even a false Jesus Christ! We all know about false teachers and false prophets and false Christs… but a false Jesus? Yes! Paul says that you can be worshipping a false Jesus! So how do we know if our Savior is the true Jesus, or an impostor? By studying God’s Word, the Bible! In the Bible, God reveals everything we need, to know the real Jesus Christ. The Bible gives us information on His life, His death, His teachings, and even His personality. So let’s take a look at the Biblical Jesus, versus the LDS Jesus.

(History of Joseph Smith Vol. 1, Chapter 1:14-19 vs. Matt 24:23-27)

Jesus knew that many false Christs would come into the world. He knew that many false teachers would claim to have met with Him, and thereby have "inside information." So in Matthew 24: 23-27, Jesus set the record straight, before anyone had the chance to make such false claims. He said, "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. (v. 24) For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (v. 25) Behold, I have told you before. (v. 26) Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. (v. 27) For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."

Jesus makes this issue VERY clear. If any one claims to have had a secret visitation with Him, they are lying. Jesus said His return to the Earth will be witnessed by all, like lightning that would flash from horizon to horizon. But compare that to the claims of the LDS Church. They say that Jesus Christ and God the Father came down in a secret grove and visited Joseph Smith when Smith was just a teenager. The following is recorded in the LDS Scripture known as the Pearl of Great Price. It is titled "Joseph Smith – History."

"1) Owing to the many reports which have been put in circulation by evil-disposed and designing persons, in relation to the rise and progress of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, all of which have been designed by the authors thereof to militate against its character as a Church and its progress in the world; I have been induced to write this history, to disabuse the public mind, and put all inquirers after truth in possession of the facts, as they have transpired, in relation both to myself and the Church, so far as I have such facts in my possession.

2) In this history I shall present the various events in relation to this Church, in truth and righteousness, as they have transpired, or as they at present exist, being now [1838] the eighth year since the organization of the said Church.

3) I was born in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and five, on the twenty-third day of December…

5) Some time in the second year after our removal to Manchester, there was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It commenced with the Methodists, but soon became general among all the sects in that region of country. Indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties, which created no small stir and division amongst the people, some crying, "Lo, here!" and others, "Lo, there!" Some were contending for the Methodist faith, some for the Presbyterian, and some for the Baptist...

14) So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.

15) After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.

16) But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction; not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being; just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

17) It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other, "This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!

18) My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong); and which I should join.

19) I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: "they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof."

Since Jesus said, "Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not," we can only conclude that either Jesus was lying or Joseph Smith made up the whole "secret grove" incident.

B) Jesus in the Brother of Lucifer (Mormon Doctrine, [1979] Pg. 192 vs. Colossians 1:16)

Mormon Doctrine, Pg. 192 (under topic of "Devil"),"The devil is a spirit son of God who was born in the morning of the pre-existence."

Gospel Through the Ages, Pg. 15,"The appointment of Jesus to be the Savior of the world was contested by one of the other sons of God. He was called Lucifer... "

This is one of the LDS Church's most blasphemous doctrines. To say that Jesus and Satan (Lucifer) are brothers is absolutely outrageous! Jesus, being God in the flesh, is not a created being. Satan, on the other hand, is simple a fallen angel, a completely different species from a completely different plain of existance.

C) Product of sexual intercourse / incest (Doctrines of Salvation Vol. 1 Pg. 18 vs. Matthew 1:23)

Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, Pg. 218, "When the time came that His first-born, the Savior, should come into the world and take a tabernacle (a body), the Father came Himself and favoured that spirit with a tabernacle instead of letting any other man do it. The Savior was begotten by the Father of His spirit, by the same Being who is the Father of our spirits, and that is all the organic difference between Jesus Christ and you and me." (Brigham Young; Second Prophet and President of the LDS Church)

Journal of Discourses, Vol. 8, Pg. 211, "I will say that I was naturally begotten; so was my father, and also my Saviour Jesus Christ. According to the Scriptures, he is the first begotten of his father in the flesh, and there was nothing unnatural about it." (Heber C. Kimball; Fourth Prophet and President of the LDS Church)

Journal of Discourses, Vol. 8, Pg. 115, "The birth of the Savior was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood- was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers." (Brigham Young)

Mormon Doctrine, Pg. 546-547 (under the topic of "Only Begotton Son"), "These name-titles all signify that our Lord is the only Son of the Father in the flesh. Each of the words is to be understood literally. Only means only; Begotten means begotten; and Son means son. Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers."

The bizzare thing about this doctrine is that the LDS claim that their god the Father (who is just a man) had sex with Mary... but they claim to still believe in the virgin birth!! That's even more of a miracle than the incarnation! To add insult to injury, the LDS also teach that every human being is literally a "child" of God. According to LDS theology, our spirits are the product of God the Father mating with one of his wives. That would mean that when the LDS god had sex with the Virgin Mary, he was having sex with one of his own children, which is cleary incest!

III Nephi 9:1-15, says, "And it came to pass that there was a voice heard among all the inhabitants of the earth, upon all the face of this land, crying:

2) Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent; for the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen!

3) Behold, that great city Zarahemla have I burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof.

4) And behold, that great city Moroni have I caused to be sunk in the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof to be drowned.

5) And behold, that great city Moronihah have I covered with earth, and the inhabitants thereof, to hide their iniquities and their abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come any more unto me against them. 6) And behold, the city of Gilgal have I caused to be sunk, and the inhabitants thereof to be buried up in the depths of the earth;

7) Yea, and the city of Onihah and the inhabitants thereof, and the city of Mocum and the inhabitants thereof, and the city of Jerusalem and the inhabitants thereof; and waters have I caused to come up in the stead thereof, to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come up any more unto me against them.

8) And behold, the city of Gadiandi, and the city of Gadiomnah, and the city of Jacob, and the city of Gimgimno, all these have I caused to be sunk, and made hills and valleys in the places thereof; and the inhabitants thereof have I buried up in the depths of the earth, to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up any more unto me against them.

9) And behold, that great city Jacobugath, which was inhabited by the people of king Jacob, have I caused to be burned with fire because of their sins and their wickedness, which was above all the wickedness of the whole earth, because of their secret murders and combinations; for it was they that did destroy the peace of my people and the government of the land; therefore I did cause them to be burned, to destroy them from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up unto me any more against them.

10) And behold, the city of Laman, and the city of Josh, and the city of Gad, and the city of Kishkumen, have I caused to be burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof, because of their wickedness in casting out the prophets, and stoning those whom I did send to declare unto them concerning their wickedness and their abominations.

11) And because they did cast them all out, that there were none righteous among them, I did send down fire and destroy them, that their wickedness and abominations might be hid from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints whom I sent among them might not cry unto me from the ground against them.

12) And many great destructions have I caused to come upon this land, and upon this people, because of their wickedness and their abominations.

13) O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?

14) Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.

Now verse 15 tells us who the Angel of Death is. Why… it’s none other than Jesus Christ himself! Drowning, burning and smothering people to death!

15) Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are.

Compare this murderous, pseudo Jesus, to the Jesus of the Bible. Luke 9:51-56 says, "And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,

52) And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.

53) And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.

54) And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

55) But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 56) For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.

One of these people named Jesus killed thousands, and the other Jesus refused to kill. The Biblical Jesus said that He came to save, not to destroy. But the LDS Jesus killed men, women and children, by crushing them with rocks, drowning them, and burning them alive. Ironically, the LDS Jesus even "calls down fire from Heaven"- the very thing the Biblical Jesus said was wrong.

3) Wrong Holy Spirit! (Read: Romans 8:9-14)

A) Is the LDS Holy Spirit a Power? The Mind of God? A Spirit Child? (Many changes in this doctrine; no consensus.)

4) Wrong Gospel! (Read: Galatians 1:6-8)

A) Salvation by works (Articles of Faith #3 vs. Ephesians 2:8&9 / Galatians 2:16 / Titus 3:5 / Romans 10:9-10)

The Articles of Faith, #3 states, "We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

Contrast that with Ephesians 2:8 & 9 which says, " For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

Galatians 2:16 says, " Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

Titus 3:5 states, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost…"

Romans 10:9 & 10, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

We see that the Bible teaches over and over again that we are not saved by our works or deeds, but by God's Grace through Faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Yes, we do good works… but not to GET saved. We do the good works and deeds out of gratitude for God already saving us. The equation is: Grace + Faith = Salvation + Works. Mormonism gets the equation all mixed up. They say: Grace + Faith + Works = Salvation. In other words, they get their salvation the old fashion way; they earn it! The problem is that it CANNOT be earned. The price paid for our salvation was the very blood of the Son of God. And you want to offer your good works in its stead? God does not accept or reject us based on our good deeds. He accepts or rejects us based on what we have done with His Son, Jesus. The Bible says that there is no other name by which we must be saved. Jesus said that no man comes to the Father except by Him. When the Phillipian jailor asked the Apostle Paul, "What must I do to be saved?" the Apostle Paul said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved." Jesus said that "God so loved the world that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have ever lasting life." Romans 10:9-10 says, "If you believe with your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved." It doesn’t get any plainer than that! But most LDS will quote James 2:26, "Faith without works is dead." This is true also. BUT, what it DOES NOT SAY is that we are SAVED by our works or deeds. James is simply stating that our lives will reflect God’s character if we are truly saved and born again. If you claim to be a Christian, but you still cuss and lie and cheat and steal and do all the things you did before you were saved… then you probably are not truly saved. You have a head faith rather than a heart faith. You know of Jesus, but you don’t truly know Him as your Lord. If He is your Lord, then there will be changes in your heart and life; changes that are inward and outward. Some of the changes will be in your innermost being, unseen by others. Other changes will be outward, where people can SEE the difference. But these changes do not save you, they are just the evidences that you are a new creation. You may want to help the poor. You may want to support widows and orphans. You may want to help out in a soup kitchen. These are all great aspirations, but they won’t save you. You cannot earn God’s Gift of Salvation, that is why it is a Gift! If you could earn your Salvation by being good and doing good deeds, then Jesus suffered and died in vain! Why make Jesus suffer for our sins, if we could be saved by our own works? The Truth is, we cannot be saved by our works, but that does not stop false teachers from teaching the heretical doctrine of a works based salvation. Usually the works the False Prophet demands, end up benefiting the False Prophet. I cannot tell you how many times Joseph Smith "prophesied" (in the D&C) that someone would receive great blessings from the Lord, if they would just sell their farm and give all the money to him (Smith)! Don’t believe everything a self-proclaimed Prophet says, but rather compare his "revelations’ with the Word of God.

If you are LDS and are beginning to see the cracks in the foundations of Mormonism, we invite you to press on. Keep seeking the Truth. Jesus promised that if you keep on seeking, you shall find. Please don’t blame God that you fell into a false belief system. Just simply be thankful that He is leading you out. Don’t turn your back on God like some LDS do when they find out that the Mormon Church is a farce. Just because the Book of Mormon is a figment of man’s imagination, don’t think that the God of the Bible is also not real. Embrace your true Heavenly Father, and expect Him to reveal Himself to you in a new and fulfilling way! If there is anything we can do to help, please call us anytime!