Salvation Summaries

In this post, I’ll share with you the experience my wife and I had in witnessing to two Mormon missionaries, and what we recommend you do if they knock on your door.

Meetings with Mormons

Over the past few months, we met with two Mormon missionary women a half dozen times. We invited them into our home for meals and dessert (which even included eating s’mores on our fire pit one evening), and to our church.  These college-aged ladies were gracious, kind, and thankful, and a real delight to be around (but with one exception, which I’ll mention in a minute).  From these visits, we (especially me) became close to them, though they likely did not feel as close to us.  We grew to love them, sought to care for them, and eagerly wanted them to at least consider becoming believers.

Preparation before and between our Meetings

To get “up to speed” on what Mormons believe and be in a position to witness to them, I read a considerable amount of information.  My wife thought I went “overboard” on this, and I probably did, but because they were so committed to Mormonism, I had to do a lot of homework.  Also, I had read that to establish credibility with them, you really should read the Book of Mormon.

So, I read most of what the Mormons use as their scripture. I started with the Book of Mormon and read half of it.  I read most of the Books of Moses and Abraham, part of Doctrine and Covenants, plus part of Joseph Smith’s bible commentary, and all of the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I also listened to, and read transcripts from, some of the presentations at the prior two Mormon general conferences.

In addition, I read some books that identify concerns with Mormonism from a Christian point of view (they would likely call these “anti-Mormon,” but it was my impression that about anything and anyone who disagrees with what they believe is classified as such, even if the author loved Mormons and only sought to help them). These included Speaking the Truth in Love to Mormons, Is the Mormon my Brother, and Unveiling Grace (written by a former BYU professor whose family was very involved in the Mormon lifestyle, but each member eventually became a Christian).

Last, I conducted two in-depth reviews of Mormon material and provided my observations, questions and concerns to the missionaries.  I first compared the words and teachings of Joseph Smith and the Mormon church with the words of Jesus in the book of Matthew. Mormons believe the Bible has not been accurately translated over time, but I posited to them that of all of the words in the Bible, the ones most likely to be accurately translated were those of Jesus given their importance.  This was a 16 page document that the sisters claimed to have studied.  I then reviewed the first two books of the Book of Mormon (1 and 2 Nephi) and created a 30 page document from this, though I’m not sure they read it.  My conclusions from both documents can be found at the bottom of this post.

Surprise and Sad Ending

Yesterday, we met with Sister Paige (not her real last name to protect her identity) and her new partner over a meal to talk about what we could discuss going forward, but our visit did not go as expected. I had previously proposed that we do some sort of Bible study together, and she seemed open to this.  However, when we finished our meal and I began to talk about what we might want to discuss, Sister Paige let us know that we could no longer meet.  Why?  A week ago, we gave to Sister Ashter (not her real last name) as a going away present the book Unveiling Grace, but this book upset them and shook their confidence in why we had been meeting with them (Sister Paige felt I had misled them, but I honestly thought that they knew my concerns with Mormonism, and could sense from my heart that what I did was out of love not deception). They turned the book over to their leaders, and were told that they could no longer meet with people  who were trying to turn them away from Mormonism and distract them from their mission.

This news was tough for me to accept. We knew the book might be controversial, but I had written a personal letter to accompany the book, and told Sister Ashter (and thus Paige too, as they do everything together) that it was very important to read the letter first. In the letter, I mentioned that the book might upset them, but we felt like we had to take the chance of giving it to Sister Ashter, who we would never see again. The letter also included the reasons why I did not believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I was really looking forward to spending more time with Sister Paige and building upon the relationship we had established, but that was no longer going to happen.

After hearing the news from Sister Paige, it became clear why she did not seem her usual self on this particular visit.  In our prior visits, Sister Paige was happy, cheerful, and smiled a lot, but today she was quiet, somber and looked down more than up.  As a 20 year old, she had a tough job to do: tell the people you had met with so many times that they did a bad thing by giving out a book contrary to Mormonism, and that Mormon missionaries could not meet with people like this.  Sister Paige delivered the news with little emotion, but did a good job in what she had to do.  I admired her for that.

Sensing that our visit would be ending within a matter of minutes, I decided to share my testimony with them (mainly Sister Paige) and plead with her one last time to at least consider changing her ways.  She patiently listened to me, at times with interest and other times not.

When I finished my testimony, she said that she believed she was a Christian based upon her willingness to be a missionary.  However, when I asked who she was dedicating her work to, she responded her “Heavenly Father.”  I then tried to explain to her that it needed to be Jesus, but I didn’t do a good job here.  You see, her heavenly father is not our Heavenly Father, for Mormons believe their heavenly father was once a man who became a god, and he’s the god of this planet only.  Our God is the only God that exists, and is much bigger than the one they believe in.  Also, her Jesus is not our Jesus, for Mormons believe Jesus is the result of a physical union between heavenly father and Mary, that he’s the brother of Satan, and that his primary benefit to those on this earth is to show them how to become a god like he is.  In addition, the gospel she believes in is not the gospel of the Bible either, for the Mormon gospel is a works-based salvation to become perfect in this life or the next, and hopefully become a god or goddess in some spirit world, where the god and goddess can then have millions of spirit children. As a result, even though Mormons talk about and believe in a Jesus, it is not the Jesus Christians believe in, and as a result, they remain lost in their sins.

When Sister Paige and her new partner left, my wife and I each gave her a hug.  During mine, I told her that we loved her and would pray for her, and I really meant this.  I’m sure I’ll never see her again, and will likely never hear from her either.  It hurts to think that Sister Paige may never realize that she is being deceived (though she would adamantly object to this view) from a false gospel and a man who claimed to be a true prophet of God but was not.  Hopefully another Christian or two can develop a relationship with her and communicate some of the same concerns I had.  If she hears similar ones from enough Christians, maybe she can then begin to “think outside the (Mormon) box” and see what she had been blind to see her entire life.  It was a sad end to our relationship, and I will miss her (and if, by some highly unlikely chance, you meet a Mormon missionary who wants to work at a spa in New York City, loves Thai food, and likes to eat a brownie dunked in milk rather than with milk…that’s Sister “Paige,” so treat her well!).

Checklist of What to do when Mormons knock on your Door

I want you to remember three things when Mormons knock on your door.  They are: 1) understand, 2) show and 3) tell. Or, if you want to skip the details, simply go to my Conclusion section for a sample script you can follow.

Understand

* Understand that their job is to convert you; that’s their mission.

*Realize that you will have very little in common with them in terms of doctrine and beliefs, for the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, etc. contradict the Bible in many areas.  The gap between their beliefs and those of a Christian is wide and deep, which makes it extra challenging when trying to witness to them.

* Realize that you likely won’t be successful in converting them, and might not even get them to question some of their beliefs.  The ones we interacted with had strong conviction in Mormonism (stronger than the conviction most Christians have!).   While the ladies we met with were a joy to be around overall, their rehearsed and scripted comments and responses were at times tough to hear.

* Understand that converting a Mormon missionary is not the same as a Baptist becoming a Presbyterian or vice versa.  Mormonism goes well beyond a set of beliefs to family, friends, community events, culture and the likely college they will attend (BYU or a similar college).  This is why a majority of Mormons who leave the church do not become a Christian, for their whole way of life and understanding have been turned upside down, and they no longer know who and what to believe.

Show (them you care)

*Because the role of a Mormon missionary is demanding, be hospitable and invite them in for a meal or dessert.  Mormon missionaries arise each morning at 6:30, study for two hours, and then meet with strangers and other Mormons until 9:00 pm.  Bedtime is at 10:30 pm, and the next day they repeat this.  There’s no TV to watch, and the only books they can read are those on an approved Mormon list. Also, Mormon missionaries are separated from their family for 18-24 months, and can only receive calls from them twice per year.  One can’t help but admire their dedication and the sacrifices they are willing to make, but at the same time it’s tough to see how much the Mormon church controls their life without them realizing it.

Tell (them what they need to know)

*Tell them that you base all of your doctrines and faith on the Bible, which you believe is reliable and true based upon evidence (God has preserved it, the Dead Sea Scrolls attest to the accuracy of our current Old Testament, archaeological evidence supports the Bible, etc.).  They won’t agree with your opinion on this, but if they hear it enough times from enough Christians, maybe they’ll at least wonder if it might be true.

*Tell them that you believe Joseph Smith was a religious man, but was not a prophet of God because of his:

1) polygamy (he had 33 wives, and in addition to the adultery he committed, lust and deception would have been involved, plus lying too, as he said he would be slain by an angel if he did not comply with God’s command that he marry other women),

2) false prophecies (one of these is that Jesus Christ would not reveal to others when he would return, but he revealed this to Joseph Smith, and Jesus was to have returned in the year 1890),

3) contradictions in doctrine and beliefs with the ultimate prophet, Jesus Christ (if you simply compare what Jesus said and did not say in the book of Matthew with the doctrines of Joseph Smith and the Mormon church, you will find many differences).

They will likely be offended by this criticism of Joseph Smith, but in our experience, the issue of polygamy “hit home” with one of these Missionary sisters and two other Mormons I know.

*Tell them that you seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness and His will on earth as it is in heaven rather than your own kingdom, for this is what the Bible tells us to do in Matthew 6:33 and in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-10).

* Tell them your salvation/conversion story, and give examples of how the Lord has changed your life.  Mormons don’t really have a salvation experience, as their focus is on becoming a god rather than being saved.  If they hear more and more conversion stories from Christians, maybe this will cause them to wonder why it has not happened to them.

*Challenge them to read through the New Testament (this was effective in converting members of the family in the book Unveiling Grace).  If they commit to reading the New Testament, tell them that they can come back anytime to discuss it with you.  They might respond that they read the Bible (which they do), but they place much more weight on the Book of Mormon, as it does not have translation errors that they believe the Bible has.  Mormons also believe that the Bible is incomplete due to missing or lost books, such as the book of Jasher, Gad the Seer, Samuel the Seer, Nathan the Prophet, etc. I skimmed through parts of these “lost books,” but they were never part of the Bible, and contain fanciful and strange stories.  This is one clear example of how Mormonism deceives Mormons into believing something that supports what Joseph Smith claimed to be true but was not.

* Tell them that you will pray for them (for this is spiritual warfare).  When the missionaries started to open up the gift we gave to Sister Ashter, they reportedly felt a “bad spirit” (and thus knew something was wrong with the gift).  What they didn’t realize was that the spirit was bad, not the book, for it did not want them to see the deception of Mormonism that the book reveals.

Conclusion

The following is a script you can use when Mormon missionaries knock on your door…

“Hi, you must be Mormon missionaries. Is that correct?  We’re so glad you came.  We’ve got a few minutes to chat with you. Would you like to come in?

How about something to drink or a snack to eat?”  (They generally avoid caffeinated drinks, so don’t be surprised if they just ask for water).

How long have you been missionaries? Where are you from? Would you mind if we asked you what your first name is?

We’d like to share some brief comments with you, and then we’ll let you get back on your way.  Is that OK with you?

First of all, we admire the sacrifices you make to be a Mormon missionary.  From what we understand, you have to be away from your family and friends for a long time (18 – 24 months).

And second, the daily life of a missionary sounds grueling to us…getting up early each day, staying busy throughout the day and into the evening, and then doing this all over again, day after day. It takes discipline and dedication to do that, which is something we also admire about you.

However, we are really concerned for you.  Why?  We will tell you, but we want you to know up front that you may not like to hear what we have to say, OK?

There are two things that give us great concern about where you are at spiritually.

First, although Joseph Smith was a religious man and someone you revere, we do not believe he was a prophet of God.  There are several reasons for this.

• Joseph Smith was a polygamist, who had 33 wives. We believe that God would not tell one of his prophets to violate one of his 10 commandments multiple times, and then threaten to kill him if he did not comply. Adultery is and always has been wrong.
• A number of Joseph Smith’s beliefs contradict what Jesus, the ultimate prophet, taught in the New Testament.  Because a prophet speaks what God tells them to say, both can’t be right. We believe Jesus was.
• Some of Joseph Smith’s doctrines changed over time.  This should not happen if they came from God.
• Not all of Joseph Smith’s prophecies came true (he predicted that Jesus would return in the late 1800’s).

Based upon this, Joseph Smith cannot be a true prophet.  If he’s not a true prophet, then he’s a false prophet, and if he’s a false prophet, he preached a false gospel.  This should concern you, for the Bible gives a stern warning to those who follow a false gospel.

Second, we know that you seek happiness and perfection in this life, but we believe you will never find true joy, peace and fulfillment.  Why?  These can only come from God working in a person (from saving them from their sins, removing their guilt, and giving them His Holy Spirit) and from that person abiding in God; they cannot come from our own efforts. The beatitudes in Matthew 5 speak of what makes a person happy or blessed, and they have nothing to do with seeking perfection or becoming a god (must be poor in spirit, mourn over sinfulness, hunger and thirst for righteousness, etc.).

True life, according to the Bible, is not about seeking to become a god or goddess and ruling your own kingdom; it’s about surrendering to the Son of God and submitting to His Kingdom. It’s not about doing your will, but His.  Until you abandon your efforts to become perfect and a god, and surrender your life to Jesus, we believe true happiness will elude you.

We realize that what we just said is not what you wanted to hear and likely upset you. We are sorry if it did, but it is out of love for you and all Mormons that we needed to tell you this. Please think about what we’ve said, even if you now disagree with it.

OK, if you have any interest in learning more about what we believe and how to become a born again Christian, we’d be happy to meet with you again. However, if you are not interested in that, we understand.

Thanks again for coming.  We’ll show you to do the door.  We’ll pray for you.”

 

Document 1: Summary of what Jesus said in Matthew with the words and teachings of Joseph Smith

In most chapters of Matthew, the beliefs and doctrines of Joseph Smith (and Mormons) differ from what Jesus said (and did not say).  Examples include the Kingdom of heaven, John the Baptist’s role and authority, Jesus’ purpose, what we are to seek while on this earth, how many people go to heaven, how many heavens exist, the meaning of the “rock” and the purpose of Jesus’ transfiguration. Also, Jesus had multiple opportunities in his sermon on the Mount, the Lord’s prayer, the great commission and elsewhere to discuss the concept of becoming a god or goddess, but he did not.  Last, the sections on adultery and Jesus’ return are particularly troubling with regard to Joseph Smith’s credibility as a prophet.  Because many differences exist between what Jesus said and what Joseph Smith said, both cannot be right.  Thus, one of them cannot be a true prophet of God.

Document 2: Summary and Conclusions from my review of 1 and 2 Nephi

Based upon an in-depth evaluation of 1 and 2 Nephi, I do not believe the claim that Joseph Smith found plates of brass that had been buried for 1700 years in a hill in New York, translated them from a reformed Egyptian language into English using a special instrument and God’s help, and produced what is today known as The Book of Mormon.  Rather, I believe Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon in the early 1800’s using the KJV of the Bible and possibly other books as sources.  I do not know if he had assistance from others in writing the book.  My belief is based upon the many concerns I identified in the table, with the primary ones listed below.

Primary Concerns

• Sub-par writing quality and limited complexity relative to the Bible. The quality of writing in 1 and 2 Nephi is not on par with that of the Bible or classical books. The phrase “And it came to pass” is used excessively and makes it difficult to read these two books (and others in the Book of Mormon). Other phrases and words are repeated within the same verse or a few sequential verses. More than a few verses are wordy.  In terms of complexity, 1 and 2 Nephi (and other books I read within the Book of Mormon) are largely visions and stories, with little doctrine; nearly anyone can write this. Profound parables, witty proverbs, poetic Psalms, in-depth doctrine (such as that found in Romans) and heavy symbolism (such as in the book of Revelation) as that found in the Bible are largely absent from the Book of Mormon, except in cases where it appears they may have been copied as is from the Bible or altered to reflect a different doctrine.  If the original language on the plates was truly inspired by God and JS translated them with God’s help (via the stone and hat), the quality and complexity should be on par with that of the Bible, but anyone who has read the Bible and at least half of the Book of Mormon – as I have – can easily see they are not.  As a result, one must conclude that the original writings on the plates were not inspired from God, God did not provide sufficient help to JS for him to accurately translate them (via the hat), or both. The only other explanation is that JS wrote the book of Mormon, and the writing quality and complexity simply reflect his writing ability (and maybe that of another person who may have helped him) in his early 20’s.

• Too many parallels with the Bible. There are many stories, accounts, and events in the 1 and 2 Nephi that parallel those in Bible.  This makes it appear that the writer had access to these and used them in the writing of both books.
• Too many phrases taken from the Bible. A number of phrases in the Book of Mormon are also in the Bible, and as such, they appear to be taken or borrowed from it.  One example is “great and marvelous are thy works.” Also, not all of these phrases are referenced at the bottom of the respective page (which some might view as plagiarism).
• Too many Hebrew names taken from the Bible. It is surprising that many of the names in the Book of Mormon are identical to, or one letter different from, names in the Bible. Thus, it would appear that the writer had access to a list of names in the Bible, then selected names “as is” or made minor tweaks to some of them for the Book of Mormon.
• Lack of genealogy details. The absence of genealogy details is quite surprising given how important this issue is to Mormons. Nephi got plates from Laban that show genealogy, he gave these to his father Lehi, and Lehi learned that he was direct descendant of Joseph and Jacob, but Nephi did not provide any genealogy details to support this. He then spent six verses explaining why he did not need to provide genealogy, and one of the reasons was to not take up writing space (even though the genealogy would likely have taken up less space than his explanations). By contrast, the Bible contains lengthy and detailed genealogies that make the information credible. Last, the Bible records the genealogy of Joseph, who Lehi and Nephi claim to be direct descendants of, and their names are not mentioned.
• Visions and stories not doctrine. As mentioned in number 1 above, most of 1 and 2 Nephi are visions from angels and stories rather than doctrine. Of the doctrine that exists, much of it appears to be taken from the Bible as is or changed (such as we are saved by grace after all we can do).
• Lack of details about angels. If you or I saw and angel, and spoke with an angel, it would be a highlight in our life, and we would want to tell others about it.  However, in 1 and 2 Nephi, Lehi and Nephi frequently interact with angels, but they never seem excited by them or describe anything about them (e.g., what they look like, sound like, what their names are, etc.). This is especially odd given that Nephi provide a detailed description of a sword and its housing, which would be far less important and impactful than seeing an angel.  It is true that the Bible often does not describe angels, but the few people who see an angel do not regularly see them as Lehi and Nephi apparently did.  In addition, some of those who saw an angel became terrified, or fell to the ground as if the person died.  There was no similar reaction by Lehi or Nephi.  Because Lehi and Nephi do not provide any details about these angels, one can’t help but wonder whether the writer of these books truly saw angels.  The other plausible explanation is that the writer could not provide any detail about them because there were no angels.
• Some stories lack credibility. The story of Nephi dressing up like Laban to fool Laban’s servant and Nephi’s brothers appears to be taken from the Bible (compare to Jacob dressing up like Esau to fool Isaac) but is not believable, and the story of Nephi constructing a temple like that of Solomon’s is not credible.  Also, according to one source, the story of the field, tree, path, river and building closely resembles a dream the Joseph Smith’s father had when JS was 5 years of age, and if this story were copied from that dream, it would further support the view that the Book of Mormon was written by JS.
• Prophecies not credible. God is consistent in the messages he communicates to his prophets. The message He communicates to Isaiah, Jeremiah, Moses, Daniel, etc., should be the same message He communicated to Lehi and Nephi. However, this is not the case in 1 and 2 Nephi, where Lehi and Nephi’s prophecies go well beyond those of the other prophets.  On the surface, some might think “Wow! Look at how much more than Lehi and Nephi were told!”  But as I mentioned above, it doesn’t work that way. Furthermore, the only prophecies I read in 1 and 2 Nephi are those found in the Bible; none are outside of it.  Surely, there would have been prophecies about the Lamanites and Nephites and Jaredites 600 years in the future and which were later fulfilled.  However, since there are none, the most plausible explanation for the more detailed prophecies of Lehi and Nephi are that the writer of these books had access to the New Testament, and wrote the prophecies as if they were made in 600 BC.
• Abominable church not true. It really is not clear to me what the writer is talking about here. Following the Reformation in the 1500’s was the Great Awakening in the 1700’s, when the church was thriving, not abominable. This can easily be seen from simply reviewing articles and books on the history of the church during these time periods.  As such, here’s an example where the writer created a scenario in an effort to establish a new religion, but the scenario is a faulty foundation of untruths and exaggeration.
• No reciprocation with the Bible. A number of books in Book of Mormon were apparently written at same time that certain books in OT were written.  The book of Mormon specifically cites stories from the OT, such as Moses and the Red Sea, and it references many verses from the Bible, both the OT and NT.  Nephi claims to have had a number of the OT books on hand that he read to others.  He also claims to have met the prophet Isaiah.  As mentioned elsewhere, many of the names in the Book of Mormon are the same as those in the Bible.  Given all of this, it would be logical to assume that parts of the Old Testament would cite some stories or locations or events or people from the Book of Mormon, and might even copy some of the chapters written by Nephi or others.  But it doesn’t.  Nowhere in the Bible do you read anything, anywhere, about the people (such as Nephi) or events (Nephi slaying Laban, or retrieving golden/brass plates) or accounts (Nephi’s building of a temple like Solomon’s) or locations that are specific to the Book of Mormon. It’s as if the prophets in the OT, who lived in and around Jerusalem and at the same time as Nephi, knew nothing about Lehi or Nephi or anyone in the Book of Mormon.  How can that be?  The most logical explanation for this is that the writer of the Book of Mormon had access to and used the Bible as a source for writing his book.
• Potential plagiarism. Nephi copied 21 chapters from the book of Isaiah within the Bible. If the Bible copied 21 chapters from one of the Books of Mormon, that would be equivalent to Nephi copying 21 chapters from Isaiah, but the Bible does not copy any chapters or verses from the Book of Mormon.
• The Bible must be accurate after all. The Bible may not be as inaccurate as Mormons believe it to be. 2 Nephi was apparently written in 500-600 BC, and it contains a number of chapters from the book of Isaiah in the Bible.  If the Bible has been inaccurately translated and copied over the past 2,000 years, there should be little overlap between the words of Isaiah in 2 Nephi with the words of Isaiah in our modern day Bible. But what did I find?  ~95% overlap in words from a review of roughly 1400 words. If the book of Isaiah in the Bible has been preserved this well, it’s logical to conclude that the other books in the Bible would have been too, for scribes would not have tried to copy Isaiah better than any other book in the Bible.  If the Bible is 95% accurate relative to its original, JS’ claim that it is not accurate is false, which would make him a false prophet.
• Lack of details/evidence to support that plain and precious promises have been removed from Scripture. This phrase is used excessively, but few to no details are provided as which plain and precious promises had been removed from the Bible, and where they were taken from.
• No change in style. Since the Book of Mormon has a number of books by different authors, the style of these books should vary, just as it does in the Bible.  While I did not read every book within the Book of Mormon, I read at least half of them, and I didn’t see any change in style with the possible exception of the very last book. This is another indication that the Book of Mormon was likely written by one person, Joseph Smith.
• No plate evidence. It does not make sense to me, and most non-Mormons, that God would want to bury golden plates for nearly 1700 years in a hill in New York.  Also, if He preserved them for that length of time, it looks like He would have continued to preserve them for us.  Today, we have fragments of the Bible that are 2000 years old and the Dead Sea Scrolls that are 2,000 years old, both of which support the reliability of the Bible.  If God had really wanted us to know new doctrines that restored His gospel, He would have preserved the written messages.  Because the plates do not exist, this is another indication that they never existed in the first place.
• Lack of historical or archaeological evidence. The Smithsonian does not view the Book of Mormon as credible from an historical or archaeological perspective, but it considers the Bible to be credible in these areas.  Outside of LDS sources, I have not read anything that shows archaeological evidence of anything that is unique (thus not copied from the Bible) in the Book of Mormon.
• Thousands of replies to criticisms on FairMormon. What does it say about the Mormon religion if a website, FairMormon, has to be maintained to answer thousands and thousands of responses and explanations to questions from critics? I am not aware of a similar website for any protestant denomination.

Next Post: How to Witness to Muslims

On my business trips, I frequently witness to my taxi cab drivers, many of whom are Muslim.  Over the next few weeks, I plan to read through the Koran (I have a used, English version) and will post some thoughts on how it compares to the Bible.  I’ll also briefly share some of my experiences in witnessing to Muslims.