The Other Holy Scriptures

Last week I posted The 13 Articles of Faith. There are several red flags that don't line up with the Bible, God's word. The most troubling to me is Article #8. "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."
By having this Article, they can change or add whatever scripture they want, whenever they want to. Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon. It was published in 1830. He also has rewritten The Holy Bible. It is called The Joseph Smith Translation, The Inspired Version. He used the King James Version as the template he worked from. There are at least 3,410 verses that have been changed. From minor changes to whole new chapters. Here, lies the problem. In the book, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, by Joseph Smith, First published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1938, the Prophet Joseph Smith explained: "I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors" (TPJS, p. 327). And, "From sundry revelations, which had been received, it was apparent that many points touching the salvation of men, had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled" (TPJS, pp. 9-10. This is how they get around Revelation 22:18-19 "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book." Also, considered Holy Scriptures, are The Doctrine and Covenants and Pearls of Great Price. Both of these 'Scriptures' have been altered as new 'revelations' have taken place over the years. The most recent that I could find was in 1979. I encourage you to visit the LDS website explore these teachings.

There are 3 main branches of the Mormon church. There is the one headquartered in Salt Lake City Utah; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This was the one that was mainly established by Brigham Young. One headquartered in Missouri, The Reformed Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This sect changed their name to the Community of Christ, in 2001. Last is the Church of Christ, headquartered in Pennsylvania. There are many more branches of the church that have splintered off over the years. Together they all make up the Mormon church. As of December 31, 2010 there were over 14.1 million members worldwide. Some have distanced themselves for the Mormon name, in trying to evolve and be accepted as a legitimate protestant denomination.

What do they have in common? They all live by the Holy Scriptures, which I have listed above. Their Doctrines and Covenants may vary a bit. For instance, one of the branches let blacks into the church before the others did.

Which Mormon Church does Mitt Romney belong to? The one in Utah. Romney is a fifth-generation member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. (LDS Church). His great-great-grandfather Miles Romney converted to the faith in its first decade, and another great-great-grandfather, Parley P. Pratt, helped to lead the early church. Mitt spent 30 months as a Mormon Missionary in France. He earned a BA at Brigham Young University. It was an article I was reading on the web by a Richard Packham who is an exmormon, now atheist, that I first learned the Romney was in the Mormon's Aaronic priesthood. Packham spoke that he and Romney both were initiated into Aaronic priest and of 'sacred secret' rituals, involving symbolic washings' and anointings and the 'magic underwear'. The tone of the article was a bit angry and sarcastic, so I looked to other sources to back up this claim. It is true that in the mid 1980s, Romney served for almost 10 years as bishop, over Mormon churches, in Boston, where he ruled over 12 congregations... So, we have had other presidential candidates that have been pastors, whats the big deal?... Maybe nothing, but according to the Mormon religion, a Mormon priest is the authority and power of God Himself. The Aaronic Priesthood holds the key of ministering angels by teaching doctrines of the church – the Mormon church that is. Priests of Aaron are called "to administer the law of carnal commandments." Mitt’s cousin, Marion Romney, wrote in his revised edition of The Doctrines and Covenants Commentary, that the Mormon priesthood was no different from the relationship between Aaron and Moses in the Bible. Hmmmmm.

   I am voting for a president, not a Pastor. Really? Are you sure about that?

What does The Mormon Church Believe Today? LDS Articles of Faith

I have talked about the history of the Mormon Church at great length. I have used facts found from several books as well as many sources on the internet. And of course, I have had all kinds of my own opinions about the facts of how their history came into existence. Now I want to start focusing on what they believe today. I laughed this morning when I logged on to FB, the first thing that was on my newsfeed was that 57 of my friends 'like' Mitt Romney. I like him too. He would probably make a great neighbor. But do you know what his core beliefs are? We will start with What the Mormons call the 13 Articles of Faith. I have taken an excerpt form the Christian Post that was published a year ago. I think it is the best way of relaying this part of their teachings. Also, there are links that you click on to make it easier to get more information if you want. This post is REALLY long so I you don't have time to read it all, don't skip over Articles 8, 9, and 10. Article 8, is the big one,  just saying.

 

By Gabrielle Devenish, Christian Post Reporter

October 18, 2011|2:03 pm

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is in the media spotlight lately, leaving many wondering what Mormons really believe versus what they publicly state. A lot of rumors surround the religion, with suggestions that Mormons believe Lucifer is the brother of Jesus, or that everyone is a god.

But in order for Christians to reach Mormons, it is important that Christians not only know what they believe, but also what Mormons believe as well. "Too many times I see people spend time trying to tear down the Mormon faith, talking about controversial topics like polygamy, blacks and the priesthood, blood atonement, etc. All of these things are important for sure – and may very well lead someone out of the Mormon Church, but will it lead them into a relationship with Christ?" said former Mormon Beth Johnston of Idaho.

Johnston, who is now a born-again Christian, was willing to speak with The Christian Post in order to clarify the 13 publicly stated articles of faith and what Mormons really believe about those articles.

"The main difference between Christianity and the LDS is that they don't believe in grace. And they don't even use the same terminology – to them, they are Christians, so to accuse them of not being a Christian turns them off. We're not even speaking the same language," she said. Johnston went on to clarify the 13 articles, or fundamentals of Mormon belief, which she said all Mormons must memorize, as some Christians would memorize the Nicene creed, by the time they are 10 or 11 years old.

Order Online: Understanding Your Mormon Neighbor: A Quick Christian Guide for Relating to Latter-Day Saints

LDS Article 1: "We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost."

"Mormons do not believe in the Trinity as we understand it. They believe that God and Jesus were separate physical people" who dwelled on the earth, Johnston said. God was Jesus' father, and both men died.

"They do have a 'Holy Ghost' that is very similar to our understanding of the Holy Spirit," Johnston said.

Article 2: "We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression."

"Mormons do not believe in original sin. In the LDS religion, you can't sin until you reach the age of accountability, which is age 8. We are all born perfect," Johnston explained.

Further, she said, if a child up to 7 years old commits any sin, even crimes such as murder, that child is not held responsible for their actions." After age 8 you are accountable. If you don't confess your sins to a bishop and repent, you're punished. These sins range from drinking alcohol, coffee or tea, or smoking cigarettes, to 'major' sins such as adultery, murder, etc." Johnston said. The punishment, Johnston said, is that you don't get to reach the third heaven, where God dwells. "There is no hell (in the Mormon religion)," she said. "There are three heavens, and you get into them depending on if you are a Mormon or not, if you are a good person but never a Mormon, or if you are a good Mormon who lives a righteous life." Mormons do believe Lucifer was Jesus' brother, back on the original earth, where God and Jesus dwelled. "This goes back to the theology that we were all spirit children together with God in the 'pre-existence,'" Johnston said. The third heaven itself has three levels, based on piety. In order to reach the highest level, "where you can get your own planet, you must be a good Mormon, followed all the rules, married, in the temple …" Johnston explained. "They don't believe in a hell, per se … everyone, unless you're really bad, goes to the first heaven, whether they are Mormon or not. They do believe in an 'outer darkness,' but that's muddy … they aren't really clear on the kind of people who would go there."

Article 3: "We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel."

"This is basically the same as what I said before (on article 2). There is a general salvation, but to dwell with God, you have to be good. It delivers a lot of pressure," Johnston said.

"You have to repent of every sin, pay your 10 percent tithe, raise your kids in the faith … it's just this huge weight and this huge burden," she said.

Article 4: "We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost."

"It's absolutely required that you be baptized by immersion and receive the laying on of hands," Johnston said. "If you're not baptized, you're not saved." Temples serve the purpose of atoning for those who have passed. Mormons go there, after getting a list of people (based on extensive genealogy research) to be baptized on behalf of. So basically, Johnston said, you're working to save yourself and to save people who are already dead. "Baptism happens for children at age 8. At age 12 they are allowed to go to the temple and do baptisms for the dead, and there is a lot more that happens at the temple. We would go like, twice every year as a youth group … they dunk you 'on behalf of so-and-so', and then repeat it about 10 times for different names. Then you go into this room and [church leaders] confirm them," she said. "There are thousands – probably more than that – being done every day across the world."

Article 5: "We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof."

"When Christ was on earth, He set up a priesthood and an organization of the church," Johnston said. "After he died, the people fell away and the priesthood left the earth. It didn't return until the priesthood was given to Joseph Smith." That means that born-again believers, Catholics, Jews and any other religion does not have "the fullness of the gospel" and therefore does not preach the true gospel.

Article 6: "We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors

, teachers, evangelists, and so forth."

"This one is pretty self-explanatory. They (Mormons) believe that they have reorganized the church to be the same as when Jesus Christ was on the earth," Johnston said.

Article 7: "We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth."

"This stuff was very common in the early Mormon Church, but it's not something you see very much in the modern church," Johnston said. "Now it's basically more that missionaries have the gift of tongues because they speak foreign languages. Healing – priests can heal with prayer and atonement."

Article 8: "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."

"That one opens the door," Johnston said. "That's where the can of worms comes out."

"When this was taught to me as a child – they started by asking us to play the telephone game, where you whisper a phrase in your neighbor's ear and it is passed down the line," she said. "Obviously, at the end, the original phrase had changed and no longer resembles what was said at the beginning. The comparison was then made to the Bible – that it has been changed and revised over the years and so we can't completely trust that it is accurate." "The problem with this is that this is a case of transmission error – not translation error. Very different things," Johnston said. "Unfortunately – this understanding that the Bible is not trustworthy – has huge implications. In enables what I call the 'salad bar effect' wherein people can pick and choose which parts of the Bible they want to use/believe/learn from. If something makes you uncomfortable or doesn't fit with your particular theology – you can throw it out. Add to that the fact that they believe the Book of Mormon to be 'another testament of Christ.' Now any uncomfortable doctrines from the Bible can be explained by this new book of scripture," she said. "I can't count how many times as a teenager, I was challenged by my Christian friends about a scripture in the Bible such as Ephesians 2:8. I would be confused – but when I would bring it up to my parents or church leaders they would show me something like 2 Nephi 25:23 where it says we are saved by grace 'after all we can do.'" Johnston said.

Article 9: "We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God."

"[In the LDS religion] there is a living prophet with continuous revelation," Johnston explained. "But they haven't added any new scripture in a long time. The last revelation took place in 1978, allowing blacks to receive the priesthood." To be fair, she noted, a lot of churches held similar beliefs about blacks until the Civil Rights movement. "The Mormons were just behind the times."

Article 10: "We believe in the literal gathering of Isreal

and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory."

"Basically, the 10 tribes that were lost (in the original priesthood) will come back and gather in Missouri," Johnston said. "That's where the Garden of Eden was and that's where Christ will be raised."

Article 11: "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship

how, where, or what they may."

"This was a reaction to the times," Johnston said. "Mormons were being persecuted, chased out … basically, it's saying 'don't persecute us and we won't persecute you.'"

Article 12: "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law."

Johnston said this article is pretty straightforward. Mormons do not rebel against authority and they are not revolutionary. "They may not agree with a leader but they will respect his authority," she said.

Article 13: "We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul – We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."

"I believe this is honestly what they believe. I think Mormons, just like people of any other faith, want to do the right thing," Johnston said. "They want to be honest, true, chaste, benevolent, etc. They are generous and kind and hard working. They love, honor and worship God. Unfortunately, they have a false understanding of who God is and as a result, they live with a huge burden to be good enough and do enough, [so] that Jesus will save them 'after all they can do.' It's very sad, really," she said. Johnston said that it's important for people to understand that different Mormons hold different understandings of the religion. "Because the teaching is so fluid, you can talk to three different Mormons and get three different answers," she said. "I can't emphasize enough that each individual Mormon might have a slightly different view of the doctrine. Based on what era you grew up in, what region of the country you grew up in, whether your parents were active or inactive in the church, whether your family was generational Mormon or recent converts – all of these things affect what you were taught." Johnston had one last admonishment for Christians who are trying to understand and witness to Mormons. "If I had any advice for a Christian who wanted to witness to a Mormon it would be to know your Bible! Don't worry so much about what Mormons believe – know what you believe! And take a very serious and in-depth look at the historicity of the Bible – how did we get it, and can it be trusted? You should be able to confidently answer these questions before you attempt to share your faith."

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/what-do-mormons-believe-ex-mormon-speaks-out-part-two-58494/#o6sQKJ2r6wl1yQub.99

If you click on the link above you will also find many related topics.

Thank Goodness God is on The Throne.

　

Is There a Good Outcome From This?

A couple of posts ago, a friend had mentioned on my FB wall that Brigham Young University has it's own Television channel on Direct TV. Very cool because I am looking for information on what it is the Mormon church believes today. I am aware that they call themselves Christians and that they have tried to mainstream their agenda to people so that they can be thought of and compared to other protestant denominations. The books I have been reading had been copyrighted from 1984-2004. That's been ok because I have been concentrating on the Historical Facts and origins. Those facts won't change unless they revise their history. Which isn't unheard of. Joseph Smith revised the bible with his own translation. 

I believe that no matter who wins this election, we all lose. That if Romney gets in, he very well might eventually get us back on track economically, with the national debt and such, but make no mistake, we will all feel the pain of that. We are to far gone not to feel the course correction that it will take to get back in the black.

If Obama gets another 4 years, well we have more of the same. We already are less of a super power that we once were. Going into debt whether you are a family or a country means that you lose power. He will continue to print money and throw it at every social program, while inventing even more, wasteful ways of spending. We as a country have become more ineffectual as a nation. I have a question. I think China holds most of our debt. The bible says "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender" Proverbs 22:7. What does that mean to us if China calls on the note. Do we have working in rice paddies in our future? If we decide not to pay them back, does that mean war in imminent? Sooner or later we as a nation will have to pay the piper. We will all feel that pain as well...Just Saying.

Either way, I think life as we know it is gonna change. Maybe God will even lift his protection, that he has had on this country. A country that was birthed and built on His word. Maybe he isn't happy with the pickle that we have allowed ourselves to get into with our 'tolerance', 'political correctness', and 'luke warm' attitudes. I don't presume to know the Lord's mind or heart. However, it is not unlike him to allow us to lie in the beds we have made, and wallow in our crap, in order to bring us back to him. It's is shown in bible history over, and over, and over. Even before the book of Judges, God would have to deliver his people out of tough situations that they had gotten themselves into. That is not to say that they didn't have live with the consequences of their actions. The bible speaks a lot about how when any king "...did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord..." The people prospered, things were good. But if the king, "...did evil in the sight of the Lord...," His people would suffer. Many times the evil that is spoke of has to do with leading people to put up high places, alters to other gods made of wooden images, and consulting mediums, using witchcraft, and sorcery. The result was that much of the nation would be made slaves of neighboring kingdoms. This went on for generations.

You say, "That won't happen to us, by the Grace of Jesus Christ we are saved. Sealed. Protected.." Yes, we are saved by grace. I disagree with that whole mind set. Show me in the bible where the gift that God gave us, His Son, ensures us for anything other than eternal life. This is HUGH! I don't mean to make light of it. It IS the point. The bottom line. The most important. But when we walk outside of God's will for us. When we exercise our free will and make choices that do not honor God, we can expect the consequences to fall on us. Us individually and possibly us as a nation.

We (evangelical Christians) have become so accustomed to settling we don't even realize when we do it.

Something to think about when we are voting for the lesser of 2 evils. The one that's close enough. The one that our particular party set before us. This is an honest question. Not one dripped with my usual sarcasm. Do we believe that God would be pleased with us that the choice is between a believer in false prophets? Until recently even the mainstream considered Mormonism a cult. Or a man who has a fondness for the religion that want's to wipe all Christians and Jews off the face of the earth,- in God's name. And lets not forget his stand on protecting the unborn. And what are the implications of his administration pulling support from Isreal? The reality of that could be big. God has been very clear about His love for Isreal.

Thank Goodness, God is still on the Throne.

Why It, ' The Vision' Didn't Happen

I ended yesterday by Just Saying, that Joey was Not visited by God the Father and Jesus. How do I know this? God told me. He told you too. Many times. It's in His Word. His word that does not change.

Malachi 3:6, "I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed..." It's interesting that the verse before this one, verse 5, speaks on the coming judgment for the sorcerers, (one who practices magic), adulterers, and against those who swear falsely.

James 1:17, says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

Numbers 23:19, "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?" (Every, and there were over 300 prophesies from the Old Testament concerning the coming of the Messiah, have come true.)

Jesus had been foretold in the Old Testament. His was born of a virgin, did numerous miracles that also fulfilled prophecy, was crucified and rose again. At the cross, as he drew his last breath, he said, "It is finished." John 19:30. Complete. Done. Nothing else is required to be in right relationship with his Father. He did it.

While he lived on this earth and walked amongst man, he taught us how to live, what we needed to do to receive forgiveness and eternal life. John 3:16. If you haven't read the book of John, do. If you have, reread it.

Can you imagine a conversation between The Father and Son as they might prepare for the visitation with young Joey? I have written this next fictitious dialog with the voice of Jeff Foxworthy being that of God. It's my blog, and I can if I want to.

God, "I'm really sorry about this Son. I really thought these foolish, stiff necked people would have gotten this the last time. If I had known that they were going continue to argue about stupid things, to ignore everything I have set before them; I never would have put you through that horrible death."

Son, "But Dad, I tried to tell you."

God, "I know, but as they say, practice makes perfect. There is this young man Joseph..."

Son, "Joseph? My stepdad?"

God, "No, a different Joseph, this one needs a mission in his life. His father isn't home much. He uses smooth stones, amulets, and talismans to look for treasure. You know how much those things intrigues people minds. And it gets under their flesh, it's a great gimmick..."

Son, "But Dad, you said that using that stuff is detestable, and an abomination."

God, " I know son, but I have had to change my view on these things, because the times have changed. We will get it right this time. This new Gospel will be awesome."

Yeah, that did not happen. Jesus was the answer. God would not give a new word. Period. Much less one that has so much sorcery, witchcraft, and superstitions woven through it. God has never and will never contradict Himself.

He has and does allow things to happen to bring us back to him. He has let us become the victims of our own choices. Our freedom to choose, our independent thinking, our free will has gotten us in pretty deep over the years. We all have free will. We will and do, suffer the consequences of our own bad decisions as well as of others. We are there now. But he does not change his mind. His Son was enough.

I would love to have some dialog on any of your thoughts about this. Am I the only one that has thought about all this? What does any of this matter?

Thank Goodness, God is still on the throne.

My Hunch on What Really Happened in 1820

Last time I gave an abbreviated version of Mormon church history. Today I will explain what I think happened almost 200 years ago. Sometimes, when I read or write, I think of a voice in my head to narrate. My favorites are Morgan Freeman, Sean Connery, Reba McIntire, and the Lucky Charms Guy. No, I don't really have voices in my head, it just makes things more interesting. Today, it's a nondescript random black guy with a slight southern accent. Maybe a lawyer. Yes, I'm pretty much ADD.

I submit to you 3 possible theories that could have happened on that fateful day back in the early 1800's.

1. He made it all up. It never happened.

2. We know that Joseph Sr. was very much involved in the occult. He was often away from the family treasure hunting. Sometimes Joey would join him, other times not. What boy, growing up, does not crave his daddy's attention? I believe that it is entirely possible that Joey went out into the woods on his own to look for treasure, to be like dad, and to compete or capture a part of his dad's heart that he felt he could not compete with.

(Switch to my voice.) I think that growing up as a child of an alcoholic allows me to speak to this. I have all sorts of co dependent tendencies, (anyone remember that term from the 90's?) My dad was a drunk. My parents divorced when I was 8, and my dad remarried 2 times in 2 years. On the weekends, it didn't matter with which new step family's home I was at, he was almost never there. If he was, he was sitting in front of the television, drinking himself asleep with a butt dangling between his fingers. (good times.) After his 3rd divorce, he took off and I had no idea where he went for 3 years. I didn't know if he was dead or alive. When he finally did drop back into my life, I was 13. At 15, my mom decided it would be ok for me to fly to the mid west and visit him on school break. I did, and not much had changed in those years. I got to know another family, as he had married for a fourth time. But he was absent most of the time for those 2 weeks. I promised myself then, that I would not return to see him until I was old enough to sit beside him, at a bar, order a drink and light up in front of him-something I had been told by him to never do, when I was a child. That opportunity came years later. Unknown to him, I flew out to Iowa and rented a car and drove to Dixon, Illinois. Arriving in town, went to a gas station, found out there were 4 watering 'holes' in town and eventually found him. I sat down on a stool next to him, ordered a Jack and Coke, lit the butt, turn to him and said, "Hi Dad.." Good thing heart problems were not one of his health issues. That whole adventure was far less satisfying than I had built up and imagined for 7 years.

My point is that kids will go to great lengths to get their parents attention. Good or bad attention. It really doesn't matter. We just want to be acknowledge.

(Back to the black lawyer man's voice) I think that Joey did go into the woods, with a great deal on his mind. There was unrest amongst the differing denominations, and they had just recently moved to NY. His dad was more interested in finding treasure than actually working to provide for his family. He may have fallen asleep, so maybe his 'vision' was actually a dream.

(My voice) Have you ever had a weird dream? Where you wake up and are like, what is that all about? Your sub conscience has together jumbled, all the current events in your life, and you end up with a really weird dream. Sometimes you wake up and think did that just happen?

(Black man's voice) I think he had a dream. I think that he went back to his mom and dad and told them of this. And I think his dream, became a vision, became legend, and over the next few years became a new 'gospel'.

3. Or, it is entirely possible, if you acknowledge the spirit world that the said 'vision' was not from the Divine God, but from the fallen angel, the master of deception, father of lies. It wouldn't be the first time he showed up as someone other than his true form, to lie and deceive someone. The Smith family was known to have dabbled in the occult with 'seer stone divination', divining rods, and talismans in searching for treasures. That alone could provide an invite to the Prince of Darkness.

(Me) Regardless if any of my theories have any truth to them or not, what is true is that Joey was Not visited by God the Father and Jesus....Just Saying. How do I know this? That's next.

Kathy Kliffs notes on the History of the Morman Church. The NUTS and bolts of it all.

In my last post, I made reference to my belief that the Mormon religion is a cult. And how my son is disappointed with the many Christians in his life that seem to be backing Romney just because he is the Republican Candidate. When the political conventions were done, and the 2 candidates that were put before us voters became official, I had a major sense of doom and gloom. That tight feeling you get in your gut when your know that you screwed up. The feeling that, we as a nation had dropped the ball so long ago and stopped paying attention to what is truly important. Was this feeling a divine experience for God? I don't think so. More likely too much soda, pizza, and the fact that I tend to over think things.

Anyways, if you think that the Mormon church is just another Christian organized denomination, think again. If you think that like the Baptist, Methodist, Catholics, Presbyterians, Pentecostals, we are all the same except for our service styles. Your wrong. This is how the Mormon Church was birthed.

NY, early 1800's there was much unrest in the Christian Church. The Catholics, Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterians, all believed that they were the true church, and the others ones were false. 14 year old Joseph Smith Jr., wanted to know which denomination was the true doctrine. So he went into the woods, to inquire of the Lord. That is when God the Father and God the Son, appeared to him in a vision telling him that they were "all wrong and corrupt". This account can be found in his own words, in the Mormon book, "Pearls of Great Price, Joseph Smith history 1:1-25" Look it up. Google it. Three years later in 1823, the angel Moroni appeared beside his bed and told him of a book written on gold plates, that would provide "the fullness of the everlasting gospel." Later he dug these plates up and translated them using 2 stones that are called "Urim" and "Thummim".

It would be important to mention here that Joesph's Dad was a mystic, and treasure hunter. Dictionary.com's definition for the noun form of mystic is...a person who claims to attain, or believes in the possibility of attaining, insight into mysteries transcending ordinary human knowledge, as by direct communication with the divine or immediate intuition in a state of spiritual ecstasy. Websters has a definition being 2. A practicer of occult or mystical rites. He used divination...the practice of attempting to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge by occult or supernatural means. Joseph Sr. used these practices to aid in his search for treasures. It is said that his mom, Lucy had extreme religious views and was very superstitious.

Joseph Jr. used the stone to translate what would be now known as the Book Of Mormon. He would sit behind a curtain and dictate what would appear on "seer stones" to someone outside of the curtain. That scribe would write it down. The stones are not unlike the ones he and his father would use to find buried treasure. Seer or peep stones are still a popular practice in the occult and witchcraft today. Martin Harris a friend of Joseph Jr., took a sample of the plates and translation to an expert, (Professor Charles Anthon) in ancient writing to see if the writings were genuine, and reported back that it was. Later a letter was written by Anthon rebuking those claims and stating that samples he saw were anything but "Egyptian hieroglyphics."

In 1830, the Book Of Mormon was published by Smith and the Mormon Church was founded. The Church grew in large numbers, despite the fact that they were ostracized for many of the teachings. New teachings were added to the doctrine as Smith continued to receive his 'revelations'. In 1833, the Book of Commandments was published later to be known as Doctrine and Covenants.

In 1843, in the town of Nauvoo, Illinois; where Smith was Mayor, the town newspaper began publishing some of these doctrines including that controversial one, polygamy. Smith felt he had unlimited power so he tried forcibly shut the newspaper down. He was then arrested, due to the pressure of the non-Mormon church. It was there that he died during a gunfight that ensued when 200 of these citizens stormed the jail. It is also said that he was armed as a six-shooter had been smuggled into him. He is regarded as a martyr by the Mormon community.

It is here that the Mormon church was divided into two sections. Brigham Young led a very large group to Salt Lake Valley, Utah, where polygamy became a formal practice of the church. This Sect is called, The church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints, and is still headquartered in Utah. Emma, one of Smith's first wives, whom was never crazy about the whole polygamy thing, stayed in the mid west and formed the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints with her son, Joseph III. This Section of the church is headquartered today in Independence, Missouri. Some now call this branch The Community Of Christ. Smith could have had 8-28 wives. Historians can't seem to agree.

I invite you check out the history of the Mormon church yourself. Not to take what I have said here as 'gospel' for the lack of a better word. Google, read books, ask questions. Next I will talk about what I think (my opinion) really happened that day in 1820.

Do as I say not as I do. Really?

I think when we become parents, most of us try to do right by our kids. We take our experience as children, good and bad and incorporate it into our own parenting styles. Again most of us do our best not to damage our kids. I had tried very hard not to practice the ole "Do as I say, not as I do" mentality that I grew up with when my biological dad was 'raising' me. I have tried to bring my kids up with compassion for others, while instilling integrity in their lives. It helps that Jesus is present in our lives.

A couple of years ago, my youngest asked me if he could have a FB account. Several of his friends did. He is 11 now. When we went on to open an account, we found that you are suppose to be 13 to have an account. These guidelines are set up by The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, and FB has adhered to this. I know that Zuckerberg want's it to change, but to me it is, what it is. To me it's no different than a Bar owner thinking it's ok to serve alcohol to minors, regardless if the law of the land is 21. So we did not open an account for him. No judgement if you have made a different decision for your kids on this. I just felt that if we said yes on this then the message I was sending to him was, "It's wrong to lie, except if you really want something." 

I said in the last blog that I would try to be transparent, so here it goes. For any of you that have not smelled me in the last few years, I am currently a smoker. There, I said it. I started during my prodigal walk, smoke for 18 years, made a deal with, God, and quit for 9 years. Three years ago, next month, my family and close friends suffered a tragedy that rocked us to the core. We will feel the loss forever. At the time, I felt I was drowning. I wanted so bad to fall into a bottle of whisky and never come out. That was not an option for me as I still had my family and 3 boys that counted on me. I swore I would not be the parent my biological father was to me. I picked up the smokes as a way to numb the pain. No excuses now. That's not why I still smoke. I am an addict. I will quit someday. The point of this confession is that, if I am on my kids backs about eating right, exercising, and leading a healthy lifestyle, I have lost all credibility every time I light a cancer stick. Right?
Kids get more from the way we live, then what we say.

My son who I love and respect more than he will ever know has inspired me to have the courage to write my thoughts down about this political season we are in. He feels that the Christians he knows, the ones that he has looked up to all his life, mentors if you will, are compromising their Christian values in supporting the candidate they have chosen. He feels that the integrity that he has seen in these people all his life, is fading.
I hadn't really shared my opinions with him about the election and he assumed; I too was supporting the pro life candidate. He was wrong.

Herman Cain was my first choice this time around. He had a Baptist background, but it was his 9-9-9 that convinced me. Level the field, without punishing those that work their butts off and actually succeeded. I don't know if those alligations against him were true or not , but I'm really wishing that men that put themselves in the public eye would keep their pants on. Just saying.

Next Rick Santorum. I think he would have been great. Unfortunately his little girls health took a turn for the worse, and like a good father should do, he had to step out of the race. To see and understand why I voted for him, see Election Day post, January 2012. Ron Paul. Well, I voted for Santorum last winter. If he had dropped out, before then, Paul would have had my vote. I don't have any idea what his belief system was/is, but he had alot of great ideas, and I'm pretty sure he is not in a cult. Harsh words. But its is what it is.

When it became apparent that Romney was the Republican choice, for us pro life Christians..I didn't jump on the bandwagon. For the first time in 16 years, there are no presidental campaign signs in my yard. I won't be standing holding signs on election day. If it weren't for the governors and other local races, I would just stay home.....continued soon.