DNA vs.The Book of Mormon

The book of mormon(BoM) teaches that the Lamanites are a remnant of the house of Israel (Title pg. BoM) and that they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians (Intro. pg BoM).
  According to the BoM
-Lehi brought his family from Jeruselum to the Americas in 600b.c.
-Nephi & Laman were sons of Lehi, Nephi & his followers (Nephites) were good guys, while Laman & his followers (Lamanites) were not.
-The Lamanites (ancestors of American Indians) were fair & delightsome until the Lord cursed them with dark skin.
-This is how the Lamanites (ancestors of American Indians) got dark skin and they could now be distinguished from the Nephites (good guys).
-Eventually everyone but the Lamanites (ancestors of American Indians) were destroyed.
Does DNA support that American Indians are from Israel?
 -DNA shows that American Indians are of Asian decsent, they came from Asia, they are not from Israel like the book of mormon claims.

Videos on DNA vs. the Book of Mormon

 

MormonTemple Rituals

In order to attain salvation/exaltation, mormons must go to the Temple and do ordinances. What are these ordinances? I am finally going to expose them in this blog. These ordinances include: endowments, proxy work (baptism for the dead), and eternal marriage.

-Baptism for the dead- often done using children. They will baptize the child for someone who is dead so that they might convert & save the dead person, so that the dead person has an opportunity to accept the mormon gospel & blessings. this is done in the basement of the temple. Children do not participate in the endowments or temple marriages...this is the only temple ordinance that they participate in.

-Eternal Marriage- Mormons are sealed to each other in marriage for time & all eternity.

-Endowments- This is when mormons are 'endowed' with knowledge to attain salvation/exaltation. Mormons receive a 'new name', such as Noah or Mary. They do rituals while dressed in their all white clothing (over their sacred underwear), green aprons (they put the apron on during the creation video), men wear a hat that resembles a bakers hat, and wemon wear a veil (wemon must veil heir faces during prayer). They purchase this clothing from a special lds mormon shop. Endowments include things like: Watching a video about the creation, taking an oath to the 'law of concecration' & they learn  passwords & tokens (handshakes done through a curtain/veil) that they need to know to attain salvation/exaltation.

*Law of Concecration requires that the faithful mormon dedicate their time, talent & everything to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and for the establishment of Zion <--(referrs to the belief that civil government will be replaced by a religious government administered by mormons.)

Here are a few videos (actual footage from hidden camera) of the rituals done in the temples. You can find more hidden camera videos on youtube...look up newnamenoah.

 

This is the long video

 

 

Why Expose This? -

1. I want to get the truth out there.

2. So that people are aware of what goes on within mormonism.

3. I want people who are mormon, and possible converts (who are unaware of this stuff) to see what they are getting themselves into.

4. So that mormons who are involved in doing these rituals might open their eyes and come to know the true God, put their faith in Jesus alone, stop trusting in the mormon religion to take part in their salvation/exaltation & realize that it's not about religion, it's about a relationship with Jesus Christ.

 

I am aware that exposing this will upset mormons, but, I stand by my belief that this NEEDS TO BE EXPOSED!

 

Tithing

*Tithing - is a one tenth part of something

What the Mormon Church teaches about tithing
-The Mormon Church teaches that the Lord restored the ancient law of tithing through the prophet Joseph Smith & that the members of the church are to pay a tenth of their income to the Lord through his church (The Chrch Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) -D&C section 119.
The church teaches that if you pay your tithe it is insured that you will not be burned up at the second coming -D&C 64:23-24.
-While the mormon church does not directly teach that you have to pay your tithe in order to get to the celestial kingdom & attain exaltation/salvation, they do indirectly teach it by teaching:
1. That you have to go to the temple & do your ordinances & eternal marriage to get to the celestial kingdom
2. In order to go to the temple & do these ordinances & eternal marriage you must have a temple recommend.
3. In order to get a temple recommend you have to go through an interview with the bishop to determine if you are worthy of a temple recommend, he askes you questions to determine if you are worthy, one of them being: Do you tithe regularly?
-You must tithe in order to get a temple recommend, so that you can go to the temple & do the ordinances & eternal marriage that are neccessary for exaltation/salvation.

Tithing in the Bible
Should the Christian church teach tithing today? - No
The Christian church should teach free will giving.

Tithing in the Bible:
Tithing was a requirement of the law in which Israelites were to give a tenth of their crops, flocks & herds.
What was it for?
It was for feasts, the Levites (who had no allotment of land), and for foriegners, orphans & widows.
-see Deuteronomy 14:22-29
The tithing was brought to the Levites & the Levites gave a tenth of the tithe (tithe of the tithe) to the priests. - see Numbers 18:24-28.

In the New Testament, tithing is not commanded or recommended. The principal in the New Testament is to give freely to support the needs of others (Acts 2:45; Romans 15:25-27), support Christian workers (1 Corinthians 9:11-12; 1 Timothy 5:18)  & to expand Christian outreach(Philippians 4:15-16) . There is no amount or percentage suggested or recommended. there is no focus on a specific amount but rather on meeting needs, giving cheerfully & giving as you are willing and able. Sometimes this will mean giving more than 10% and sometimes less than 10%. Giving should not be drivin by law, but by love for God and love for others. Stop giving out of compulsion or law keeping, instead, give yourself to God...giving is a matter of the heart...if God gets your heart, you will give according to his will. Giving should be internally motivated, not externally motivated. Remember that we are under GRACE now..there is a new and better way now. To teach that one tenth is a standard or minimum for a christian to give, is to put a yolk on their neck.

*Take note that in Acts ch.15 Some men were teaching that the gentiles needed to follow the mosaic law & be circumcised in order to be saved (Acts 15:1), and Peter says they were putting a yoke on the deciples neck that niether our fathers or we could bear & reminded them that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 15:10-11).

2Corinthians 9:7
⁷ Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver

1 Cor. 16:1-2
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.² Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

In this video I go over some verses that are commonly used to teach tithing today & I also show how the bible teaches free will giving.

The One True Church

Joseph Smith prayed to see which 'church' was true. He wanted to know which 'religion', 'sect' or 'denomination' was true. Joseph claimed that God & Jesus told him that they were all wrong. The lds mormon church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) claims to be the one true church, that Joseph Smith restored it after a great apostasy.

The true church is not a building, denomination, sect or religion.
The true church is the body of Christ. We, the true believers, are all a part of the body of Christ. Together we make up the body of Christ (the true church), and Christ is our head...he leads us...we follow him. Through our faith in him we are saved, he puts his spirit in us, makes us a new creature, and works through us. We are the hands and feet of Christ! As members of the body of Christ we all serve as God leads us to serve, not as a religion dictates. It's not about religion it's about Christ. When choosing a church to attend, I am less worried about denomination and more concerned with whether or not the church teaches truth and follows Jesus. Religion and denomination should not be put above Christ because then the religion/denomination becomes an idol.

Colossians 1:24 (KJV)
²⁴ Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

Ephesians 5:23 (KJV)
²³ For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

1Corinthians 12:27 (KJV)
²⁷ Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

1Corinthians 10:17 (KJV)
¹⁷ For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

Ephesians 4:12 (KJV)
¹² For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Going over 1Corinthians 10:16-17 and Ephesians 4:1-16

Saved by grace through faith

"The most damnable and pernicious hersey that has ever plagued the mind of a man is that somehow he can make himself good enough to deserve to live forever with an all-holy God." ~ Martin Luther

 Although,  as believers, we are created in Christ Jesus unto good works (to help & serve others), our salvation is not the result of any of our efforts, abilities or acts of service. While there is nothing that we can do to earn salvation, God's intention is that our salvation will result in acts of service. We are not saved only for our own benefit, but also to serve Christ and build up the church. Our righteous acts do not produce salvation but are, in fact, evidence of our salvation. We must recognize that even our righteous acts come as a result of God within us, not of ourselves.

 It is impossible to please God without faith (Heb.11:6). There is no righteousness that can make us right with God except for the righteousness of Christ. We can not produce any righteousness in our own strength. We need the imputed righteousness of Christ. The way to get that imputed righteousness is to Have FAITH in Jesus! TRUST! Stop trusting in yourself, other people, an organized religion, or your works! Trust in JESUS! Then you will be born again. He will make you new, transform you, give you a new heart with new desires. Then, as born again believers, it will be possible to please God by his grace.

 It is important to understand that there is dead faith, and there is true faith. Dead faith will not save you. You will not become born again with dead faith. If you say you believe but are not trusting Jesus and are, in fact, living for yourself and not for him...you are doing things your way instead of his way...trusting in yourself, your good works, a church/organized religion,  and/or other people to take part in saving you, then that is dead faith...because you are not putting your faith in Jesus, you are not trusting him. True faith involves: Trust, committment & love. You are fully relying on JESUS alone to save you...you have nothing to offer...all you have is your faith in Jesus. Right before Jesus died on the cross he said: IT IS FINISHED! He did the work...all we can do is accept the free gift of grace through FAITH in Jesus! The only way for us to become righteous is to take on the righteousness of Christ by admitting that we are not righteous, we are sinners, accepting Christ's death on the cross for our payment for sins and believing that Jesus can make us new!<--This is true faith! We cannot make ourselves right, that is why Jesus came here & died on the cross for us!

Have confidence in God...in his faithfulness, his truth, his wisdom & his promises!

This video is AWESOME!!! Must watch!

 

Going over bible verses

 

You can also check out a previous post: Faith works & salvation

The First Vision

The many accounts of the first vision--How the first vision evolved

The official account told today:
The official account as told by the mormon church today is in the Pearl of Great Price (Joseph Smith-History, History of the church, vol.1, ch.1:17-20). It was published in 1842, 22 yrs. after the event supposedly took place in 1820. Joseph Smith claims that, due to a revival in 1820 when he was 14 yrs. old, he went into the woods to pray, two personages appeared to him. One spake,calling Joseph by name & pointed to the other personage saying "This is my beloved son. Hear him!" Joseph asked which church to join and he was told not to join any, that they were all wrong.
--Later the angel Moroni appears to Joseph & tells him about the gold plates that Smith translates into the book of mormon.

The 1st known account in 1832:
(See The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, compiled by Dean Jessee, Deseret Book, 2002, pp. 11 and 17. Also in An American Prophet's Record, edited by Scott Faulring, Signature Books, 1989, p. 5 and Early Mormon Documents, vol. 1.)
-This acount was handwritten by Joseph Smith in 1832
-Smith's first draft of his history. Only Jesus was mentioned as appearing.
-Smith started serious study of the scriptures at age 12
-Determined all churches were wrong
-No mention of a revival
-At age 15 (in his 16th year) he went into the grove and had a vision of the Saviour
-His sins were forgiven. He reverted back to old ways
-At age 17 he again prayed and an angel appeared telling him about the plates and announced he was forgiven of his sins.

The 2nd account in 1834:
Oliver Cowdery, with the help of Joseph Smith, published the first history of Mormonism in the LDS paper Messenger and Advocate, Kirtland, Ohio, Dec. 1834, Vol. 1, No. 3.
-He began Smith's story with the angel vision in the bedroom in 1823. On page 42 Cowdery started the account when Smith was 14 (in his 15th year) telling of a revival in the area. He named Mr.Lane, of the Methodist Church, as participating in a great revival. Large additions were made to the Methodist, Presbyterian and Baptist churches. During this revival his mother, one sister and two brothers joined the Presbyterians.
-On page 78 Cowdery corrected Smith's age, stating Smith would have been in his 17th year (16) not his 15th year (14) and placed the date at "1823."
-During this religious excitement Smith prayed to know "if a Supreme being did exist, to have an assurance that he was accepted of him."
-His prayer was answered on Sept. 21, 1823, when a "messenger" appeared to him in his bedroom "to deliver a special message, and to witness to him that his sins were forgiven, and that his prayers were heard;..."
-There was no mention in Cowdery's history of a vision prior to the angel coming to Smith's bedroom.

The 3rd & 4th account in 1835:
Joseph related his first vision to two different men. Both accounts relate seeing angels but not God or Jesus.
3rd The Nov. 9, 1835 Account (Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, pp. 75-76, 1984 ed., p. 105 in the 2002 edition. Also in An American Prophet's Record, p. 51. This account appeared in the serial printing of Smith's history in the Millennial Star, Vol. 15, p. 396. However, this account has been deleted from the History of the Church, Vol. 2, p. 304.)
-Smith related his story to a Jewish minister
-He didn't know which church was teaching the truth
-No mention of a revival
-He went into the grove to pray
-Two personages appeared—the second one "testified unto me that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
-He "saw many angels in this vision"
-At age 17 he "saw another vision of angels"—one told him about the plates
4thThe Nov.14, 1835 Account (Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, p. 84, also An American Prophet's Record, p. 59)
-Smith related his story to Erastus Holmes:
-"...I received the first visitation of Angels which was when I was about 14 years old..."
-Later received the vision regarding the plates
This same account was later printed in the Deseret News, May 29, 1852. This entry has been changed in the History of the Church, Vol. 2, p. 312. It now reads "my first vision" instead of "visitation of angels."

1838
Joseph started working on his history but it wasn't published until 1842.

5th account in 1840:
Orson Pratt published A Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions, Scotland, 1840. He related that when Smith was "about fourteen or fifteen years old" he was praying in the woods when "two glorious personages" appeared. But they were not specifically identified as the Father and Son.

6th account, John Wentworth letter in 1842:
The letter to John Wentworth, March 1, 1842 Account (Personal Writings, p. 213). Also printed in Times and Seasons, Nauvoo, Ill., March 1, 1842, Vol. 3, No. 9, pp. 706-710
-At about 14 Smith started wondering which church was right.
-Went into the grove to pray.
-"Two glorious personages" appeared and informed him that none of the churches "was acknowledged of God."
-He was told not to join any of them but wait for further revelation.
-In 1823 an angel appeared to tell him about the plates

7th account in 1842 Smith published his 1838-39 account:
Smith published his 1838-39 account in the Times and Seasons, Nauvoo, Ill., March 15, 1842, Vol. 3, No. 10, pp. 727-728; pp. 748-749; pp. 753.
-When he was in his 15th year (age 14) his mother, sister, and two brothers joined the Presbyterian Church due to a revival in the neighborhood. The revival started with the Methodists and soon spread to the Presbyterians and Baptists.
-Joseph went into the grove to ask God which church to join "for at this time it had never entered my heart that all were wrong." Two beings appeared. One spoke, pointed to the other being and said "This is my beloved Son, hear him."
-He was told to join none of the churches "for they were all wrong...all their creeds were an abomination in his sight;..."
-On Sept. 21st, 1823 he again prayed and the angel "Nephi" appeared to him to tell him of the plates ("Nephi" was later changed to "Moroni" in the History of the Church, Vol. 1, p. 11).

8th account in 1844:
Smith wrote a chapter on Mormonism for the book, An Original History of the Religious Denominations at Present Existing in the United States, edited by Daniel Rupp. But he did not state that he saw God and Christ in the vision: "I retired to a secret place, and began to call upon the Lord. ...two personages, who exactly resembled each other in features and likeness, surrounded with a brilliant light, which eclipsed the sun at noonday. They told me that all the religious denominations were believing in incorrect doctrines,..." (p. 404-405)

Polygamy

-Joseph Smith had around 34 plural wives possibly more (34 were documented), out of the 34 wives, 11 were already married to a living husband, 11 were teenage girls as young as 14 yrs. old (average age for woman to marry in that time was 21-22). He was married to two sets of sisters and a mother daughter set (in old testament, law of God forbids marriage to a mother & her daughter, Lev. 18:17).
-Joseph Smith started practicing polygamy in 1833, yet recieved the revelation for polygamy 10 yrs. later in 1843.
-In 1844 Joseph Smith said: "What a thing it is for a man to be accused of committing adultery, and having seven wives, when I can only find one. I am the same man, and as innocent as I was fourteen years ago."(History of the Church vol.6, p408-412).---At the time Joseph Smith said this he had over 30 wives.---"Lying for the Lord"??? Joseph Smith continually lied about having plural wives to non-members & some member.
-plural marriage supposedly ended in the 1890 manifesto that ended plural marriage. The church publicly pretended that it was over but continued to secretly practice it amoung the leaders and those who could "handle the truth". They continued plural marriage for decades while lying to the public and some members.
-While the LDS don't practice polygamy today (here on earth) they still believe in it spiritually. A man can be sealed to his wife, if she passes he can be sealed to another, in heaven he will be married to as many wives as he has been sealed to on earth. Yet the church claims to have NOTHING to do with polygamy.
-The pluralty of wives is still in their doctrine today. Doctrine & Covenants 132.
A contradiction in mormon scripture:
Recorded in the BoM in 1830, Jacob 2:24--Behold David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord.
Later in 1843...D&C 132:1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph that inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand to know and understand wherein I, the Lord, justified my servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as also Moses, David and Solomon, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines-

 To see a list of the 34 wives of Joseph Smith and read an autobiography of them click on this link: Wives of Joseph Smith

 

Video about Joseph's youngest wife (14 yrs. Helen Mar Kimball)

 

Video about a 16 yr. old wife of Joseph Smith (Lucy Walker)

To learn more about this subject you can read the book: In sacred lonliness, the plural wives of Joseph Smith. By Todd Compton.

Todd Compton is an LDS Historian in good standing with the church, he served an LDS mission in Ireland, graduated from BYU, was awarded the Best Book Award by the John Whitmer Historical Assoc. & the Mormon Historical Assoc., he serves on the board of editors Journal of Mormon History.