Do you have any Mormon questions you would like to ask? I can help clear up misunderstandings if you'd like...

Question

Many people think we have weird beliefs and stuff. What have you heard about Mormons? Maybe I can give you a new perspective!

Sacred Garments are what we wear to remind us of our daily commitment to God. They have sacred symbols that represent sacred promises. Plus they're modest so that they help us not to wear revealing clothes.

The mark of Cain is black skin and a flat nose. Blacks aren't evil, they just happen to descend from somebody who was. I had evil ancestors, I'm sure, so it's no big deal. The time came in 1978 that the spiritual element (lack of priesthood) of the curse was lifted, but the physical element (black skin/flat nose) won't be lifted until a later time. It's like when the Priesthood was opened to the Gentiles in the Apostolic times.

Lol no, we don't get our own "planet" per se, but we do get the opportunity to progress and become gods if we go to the Temple often and keep our sacred promises (the same ones for the garments). We will one day get our own "world(s)", but it's not necessarily a "planet". Great question!

The skin curse of the lamanites is the same as for the blacks. It's not racist, but just a way for us to identify the descendents of those people who were at one point bad. There isn't any spiritual curse left though, just like the blacks, so it doesn't matter anymore. At the time, when the lamanites became good, God was happy to lift the skin curse (they turned white again) as evidence the spiritual curse was lifted from them (the ones that repented), but after He lifted the spiritual curse as a whole, there was no more need to lift the skin curse because the skin color no longer represented the spiritual curse. That's why Indians don't turn white anymore when they get baptized and join the Church.

I won't answer the bigot questions accusing us of nonsense and moronic activities. That's the reputation I'm trying to lift!!

Do you deny the divinity of Jesus Christ.(Jesus is God,himself)? Jesus is A God, but not the ONLY God. He has a Father who is "God" in the general sense. Jesus is the SON of God. The Holy Ghost is also a God.

Do you believe that as God is,man may become? Yes, see above.

Do you believe that Adam is God? Adam is A God (D&C 132) because he got all the tokens and signs and is the patriarch of humankind. He will come back at the same time as Christ at Adam-Ondi-Ahman, but is still submitted to God the Father.

Do you follow Smith or Young,or both? Both! They were prophets, weren't they?

Adam is Our Father in the sense that He's the Father of humankind. He became a God because he progressed to that point, like we all can. The Brigham Young quote is most likely a misquote, since he knew the difference.

They're not "secret handshakes"... they're the same signs and tokens that Peter gave Adam in the garden of Eden (and that Jesus and Peter, James, John received on the Mount of Transfiguration from Elijah and Moses), so they have been around forever. They were lost in the Apostasy and were only partially preserved by Knights Templar and Freemasons.

what about thr weird paying over the naked bride before the wedding? it's not just brides. every endowed member goes through a washing and anointing, but since 2004, it's only symbolic, you don't actually get touched naked or anything. brides often get endowed right before weddings, but it could also be at other times

and about the special name that the new bride gets that her husband has to whisper to her in the afterlife to get her into heaven. well, what if she dies first? or what if he remarries? she is just out of luck? no because the husband will remember it, and he will be the one to resurrect her. If he remarries (in the temple) then he'll have two brides to call at the resurrection to eternally progress with. no one's out of luck. There will be more women than men in heaven, which is why God allows polygamy there

also, do you really have to leave a leg out of the bathtub with your garment on it so you never fully have your garment off? isnt that a bit legalistic? no, we dont

loaf bread and water: the particular emblems aren't necessarily important for the sacrament. it's the representation. unleavened bread is hard to come by these days, and wine is both expensive and damaging to the health. we aren't supposed to drink wine anymore until we're with Jesus in heaven

Mountain Meadows was done by individual members of the Church with Indians. They weren't commanded by Brigham Young; they were just doing what they thought was right at the time, because other people from Arkansas had killed Parley Pratt. Because of the blood atonement doctrine of the time, they believed the only way for the arkansas murderers of Pratt to be forgiven was for them to shed their own blood. It was a poor interpretation of scripture and a terrible tragedy.

Why do you publicly "bash" Christian denominations?

It's not bashing, it's simply testifying of truth. When other churches changed the Gospel of Christ and removed plain and precious truths from His word, what are we supposed to do? We need to show people the error of "mainstream" religion, otherwise they won't see the need to accept the True Gospel.

Why does your church condone abortion?

We don't 'condone' it, we just say that in certain situations, God might have a higher priority. In cases of rape and incest, that goes directly against God's will. In cases where the mother's life or baby's life are at risk, God is the only one that can decide who should live. That is why we have to receive an answer by prayer. In 95% of the cases, abortion is the wrong choice.

Why do you not teach the Divinity of Christ?

We do teach the Divinity of Christ. He inherited "all that the Father hath", and we are "co-heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17), so we can all become like God someday. Christ, in fact, already has.

Why do you teach that God was once a man, like the rest of us?

Because the prophets have said so. See the above quote on Eternal Progression. This applied to God before us just like it applies to us now.

Why do you teach that there is a Heavenly Mother?

There isn't necessarily "A" Heavenly Mother, but we know that both a man and a woman are required to create children, either physical or spiritual. When God created us spiritually, He couldn't just do it alone. There had to be at least one Heavenly Mother. We don't talk much about it though.

The Bible was translated several times by men. Joseph Smith actually did an inspired re-translation of the KJV, which we call the Joseph Smith Translation, or Inspired Version, of the Bible. The Book of Mormon, however, was only translated once, by the power of God, and is the most correct of any book on the face of the Earth. It doesn't need the caveat. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. Maybe the 'errors' you are referring to are simply grammatical things.

MistyAnn: He wasn't saying that he was better than Jesus, just that his followers were more loyal. Christ's original Church apostasized in under a century, but the Restored Church, done by Christ through Smith, has been around over 177 years!

Buzz: It's the milk before meat thing that the girl above you talked about. The scriptures don't talk about plural gods or the bodily nature because a lot of people aren't ready for that if they don't understand more basic stuff... it's not dishonest or hiding or anything, it's just everything in its time. I won't give my 2-year-old the "birds & bees" talk, because he won't really be able to understand it until he reaches the "age of reason", which is 8 years old.

Thanks for the question!

Answer 1

Why do you publicly "bash" Christian denominations?

1. "I was answered that I must join none of them (Christian churches), for they were all wrong…their creeds were an abomination in [God’s] sight; that those professors were all corrupt" (Joseph Smith—History 1:19).

2. "Orthodox Christian views of God are pagan rather than Christian" (Mormon Doctrine of Deity, B. H. Roberts [General Authority], 116).

3. "Are Christians ignorant? Yes, as ignorant of the things of God as the brute beast" (Journal of Discourses, John Taylor [3rd Mormon President], 13:225).

4. "The Roman Catholic, Greek, and Protestant church, is the great corrupt, ecclesiastical power, represented by great Babylon" (Orson Pratt, Writings of an Apostle, Orson Pratt, n. 6, 84).

5. "All the priests who adhere to the sectarian [Christian] religions of the day with all their followers, without one exception, receive their portion with the devil and his angels" (The Elders Journal, Joseph Smith, ed. Vol. 1, n. 4, 60).

6. [Under the heading, "Church of the Devil," Apostle Bruce R. McConkie lists:] "The Roman Catholic Church specifically—singled out, set apart, described, and designated as being ‘most abominable above all other churches’ (I Ne. 13:5)" (Mormon Doctrine, 1958, 129).

7. "Believers in the doctrines of modern Christendom will reap damnation to their souls (Morm. 8; Moro. 8)" (Mormon Doctrine, 1966, Bruce R. McConkie, 177).

Why does your church condone abortion?

The Mormon church accepts abortion for a number of reasons. The Church Handbook of Instructions, approved in September, 1998, states that abortion may be performed in the following circumstances: pregnancy resulting from rape or incest; a competent physician says the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy; or a competent physician says that the "fetus" has severe defects that will not allow the "baby" to survive beyond birth. In any case, the persons responsible must first consult with their church leader and receive God’s approval in prayer (156).

"The church has not favored or opposed legislative proposals or public demonstrations concerning abortion (156)." While the Mormon prophet claims to speak the mind and will of God, he can neither figure out when the unborn child becomes human or if it is God’s desire that we protect the unborn unconditionally.

Why do you not teach the Divinity of Christ?

Why do you teach that God was once a man, like the rest of us?

Why do you teach that there is a Heavenly Mother?

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I will wait for an answer - email me via my profile if you wish.

Answer 2

Why did Joseph Smith think he was better than Jesus Christ, the Savior?

"God is in the still small voice. In all these affidavits, indictments, it is all of the devil--all corruption. Come on! ye prosecutors! ye false swearers! All hell, boil over! Ye burning mountains, roll down your lava! for I will come out on the top at last. I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet . . . "

(History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 408-409).

Answer 3

Why did Brigham Young call Adam "our father and our God and the only God with whom we have to do?" I understand that modern Mormons do not believe this, and some insist he never said that, tho it is found in "The Journal of Discourses".

Edit: How is it scriptural to use loaf bread and tap water for holy communion, my wife wants to know.

Edit: Now I wonder who gave me the thumbs down and why? And I do not think you really addressed my question about Adam. It is different from the one asked by the gentleman above.

Edit: "They're not "secret handshakes"... they're the same signs and tokens that Peter gave Adam in the garden of Eden (and that Jesus and Peter, James, John received on the Mount of Transfiguration from Elijah and Moses), so they have been around forever."

Peter gave them to Adam in the Garden of Eden??? Now that is really believing in Pre-existence. Since neither that or the one about Peter, James, John & Jesus receiving "tokens" on the mount, are mentioned in the Bible, I assume this must be in one of your extra Biblical scriptures, so would you mind telling us which one? Would appreciate a direct quotation therefrom, siting chapter and verse. Thanks.

Also, if Peter did not receive them till the "Transfiguration", then are you trying to say he traveled back in time to give them to Adam? That is very confusing!

Answer 4

Absolutely.
How can you reconcile the nature of God found in the Bible and Book of Mormon with that taught by the church today?
Can you do the same for salvation and the priesthood?

Answer 5

what about thr weird paying over the naked bride before the wedding? and about the special name that the new bride gets that her husband has to whisper to her in the afterlife to get her into heaven. well, what if she dies first? or what if he remarries? she is just out of luck?
also, do you really have to leave a leg out of the bathtub with your garment on it so you never fully have your garment off? isnt that a bit legalistic?

Answer 6

Mormon Article of Faith #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."

Why do you only add the phrase, "as far as it is translated correctly" to describe the Bible and not after the book of Mormon when in fact there are far more translating errors in the Book of Mormon than the Bible?

Answer 7

Do you deny the divinity of Jesus Christ.(Jesus is God,himself)?
Do you believe that as God is,man may become?
Do you believe that Adam is God?
Do you follow Smith or Young,or both?

Answer 8

Why do you think you need a secret handshake (token of the priesthood), learned in the Temple, to go into heaven? Now that's weird.

Why do you add works to faith for salvation when the Bible says this?

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

Romans 11:6 says "If by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace..."

Galatians 5:4 says "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace."

God's grace, giving His son has wiped away the sin of believers. Those who trust in Christ as their Savior and Redeemer have Eternal Life in Heaven. We are declared innocent (justified) by His blood. Romans 3:24 says we are "justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus!

Edit: There are no secret handshakes in the Bible. They are something made up by Joseph Smith. Your whole religion is made up by man. it is not from God.

Edit: your answers are proving mormonism to be even weirder than most people imagined! Hahahahahah! People wwill run screaming away from Mormon missionaries based on your responses.

Let's see, you have said that there is more that one God, Adam is God, women need to be married to go to heaven, there are secret handshakes for heaven('scuse me tokens) and that people DID have to get the naked annointing in the temple before 2004 and that black skin resulted from a curse. None of that is Biblical! What other weird mormonisms do you have for us?

Answer 9

Newman, while I appreciate your enthusiasm for the beautiful truths of the Gospel and your desire to teach them to others, please remember a few things in your enthusiasm.

The Lord has set a specific way for us to teach people of him. If they cannot understand/accept the basic concepts of Faith, Repentance, Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost, they are not ready for the deeper doctrines.

Hebrews 5:12-14
"For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

Doctrine & Covenants 19:21-22
"And I command you that you preach naught but repentance, and show not these things unto the world until it is wisdom in me. For they cannot bear meat now, but milk they must receive; wherefore, they must not know these things, lest they perish."

1 Corinthians 3:1-2
"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able."

Answer 10

what about those sacred undergarments? and what about the mark of cain?


thanks. none of that seems weird AT ALL! : |


edit: oh here's another one. is there any good explanation for the mountain meadows massacre?