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You are here: Experts > Religion/Spirituality > Christianity - Restorationism > Latter-day Saints > The veil over of LDS
Expert: Michael Kelley - 8/25/2008
Question
Michael - as you are an ex-LDS member, what's your perspective on JW Smith, B. Young, etc. Tools of Satan? Secondly, why is it that LDS'ers are so adamant to defend their beliefs, yet in their defense they offer, they typically end up making an argument against LDS and they don't even realize it? Are they that blinded by the LDS cult? In your experience, what's the best way to help convert them to True Evangelical, BIBLE based Christianity. Thanks
JG
Answer
Hi John,
I will be happy to answer your questions. Yes, I am ex-LDS however I belong to the Church of Christ that believes in the Bible and Book of Mormon. You will find my answers interesting. I will reply to each question below in **, Mike
You sent: Michael - as you are an ex-LDS member, what's your perspective on JW Smith, B. Young, etc. Tools of Satan?
**Mike replies: I believe Joseph Smith was INITIALLY a sincere humble seeker of truth, and as God would with anybody of that attitude, was led by God and even used by God for a special work. That work being to translate the Book of Mormon (BoM) and to restore the Church of Christ (as it was originally named). This Smith did indeed do, with only one glaring blunder where he allowed 116 pages of the original manuscript to be lost due to a direct disobedience to God's specific commandments. Yet Smith repented, and God forgave him and he was allowed to finish the translation and the church was blessed with many gifts of the Spirit as described in the Bible. Unfortunately the people looked up to Smith as a "Moses", and being a novice became lifted up in pride and began yielding to the persuasions of men, rather than God, or the Bible and BoM, and began falling away. I have difficulty judging whether he completely apostatized, or only backslid in degrees. I believe Smith was a truly called prophet of God, but through personal apostasy foresook that calling. There are a few examples in the Old Testament of this being possible.
I know prominent figures in the Bible backslid such as Moses who because of his error was denied entrance into the promised land. Others like Peter backslid and denied Christ thrice even after promising strongly he would not.... yet he did, and later repented and was forgiven. I see Smith as a sort of Peter in the regard. However Smiths backslidings and pride led the church into disfavor with God, and even being punished by persecution (even by Bible believers... in this land of religous freedom no less). Ultimately this led to Smith's untimely death by the Christian mobs who hated anything to do with Mormonism. Once Smith died, the church split into many factions (some 100 exist today) with the Utah LDS faction being by far the largest, and the faction I ended up joining, the Church of Christ, the 2nd or 3rd largest.
As for Brigham Young... absolutely he was a tool of Satan. He (not Smith) instituted polygamy, racism, and other abominable practices that are utterly after the manner of an evil cult. The BoM itself bitterly condemns polygamy terming it a whoredom and abomination before God, no exceptions, no excuses. The BoM also NOT ONCE ever teaches many LDS doctrines such as Baptism for the Dead, Celestial Marriage, Man becoming a God, Jesus having many Wives, A Changing God, the 1st Presidency and many other doctrines. Not only are these things utterly absent from the BoM, the BoM teaches AGAINST these concepts, often harshly so.
You sent: Secondly, why is it that LDS'ers are so adamant to defend their beliefs, yet in their defense they offer, they typically end up making an argument against LDS and they don't even realize it?
**Mike: LOL! Yes, I have seen that many times. Even when I confound them with their own BoM (or the Bible)... they DO NOT CARE... and go on chanting their mantras about "Our prophet is a true prophet of God" and blah blah blah. Logic, reason, or even the very teachings and examples of Christ Himself from either Bible or BoM mean nothing to them.
You sent: Are they that blinded by the LDS cult?
**Mike: Yes! In both the Bible and BoM there are these passages:
2 Nephi 4:34 O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.
Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
**Mike adds: Hmmm.... salt land. What is the cursing that those who put their trust in the arm of flesh? Blindness. There is something wrong, something spiritually evil that occurs when you set aside your trust in God and HIS teachings, and trust in a man, whether he has the title of prophet, president, or pope... that man becomes your God, and this offends God because you are in essence worshipping an idol. The people made Joseph Smith an idol and he couldn't handle it. It was partly his fault for letting them do it, and it was partly the church's fault. This led to his downfall and the rise of another even more wicked, Young. Young's evil practices has done more damage to the BoM than all of the enemies combined. It is not uncommon for apostates to not even follow their own books.
You sent: In your experience, what's the best way to help convert them to True Evangelical, BIBLE based Christianity. Thanks
**Mike K: I have debated with LDS folks for over 15 years, sometimes on discussion groups with over 100 members. I have had luck with hardly any. Maybe a handful and those pretty much have already figure it out and were already leaving the Utah faction anyway. As for converting TBMs (True Believing Mormons)... Good Luck! The best tool I have found is confounding them with their own Book of Mormon! And even THAT does not work. They slide it under their seats and instead place all trust in their "Doctrine and Covenants" or the teachings of their current prophets. If their current prophet told them to do the most ridiculous and outrageous things... they would do it. As for Bible based Christianity... that is EXACTLY what the BoM also teaches... doctrine for doctrine. Tragically the terribly examples of Brigham Young and the Utah faction have turned millions away from this beautiful work. The ancient prophet Mormon is probably rolling in his grave over what the LDS have done in his name. The LDS are terrible examples of what a Mormon or Christian really is. The ancient prophet named Mormon practiced simple Biblical Christianity... nothing more, nothing less. The Church of Christ is much more similar to a Baptist church than the LDS are. There are even a few Baptists or Evangelicals who are accepting the BoM because they actually studied it for themselves and found it teaches the same doctrines as the Bible.
Sorry for being long, I've covered only the tip of the iceburg. Feel free to ask more questions or for scriptural proof if you like. I like to always say, don't trust what I say, trust the teachings and examples of Christ.
God Bless,
Mike
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