General Conference April 2015 – Sunday Morning Talk on Grace Review – by Bobby Gilpin

It’s that time of the year again. Our reviews of each session of General Conference are scheduled to start going live from this Friday. However there has been a lot of interest and excitement that has arisen on the back of a talk given on Sunday Morning by Dieter. F. Uchtdorf, second councillor to the first presidency. His talk focused on the subject of grace. This is a key issue that often comes up in Evangelical/LDS dialogue, and I thought I would jump right in with some thoughts on this.

I am going to assume people reading this have seen or heard the talk, if not I really recommend that you do, please check it out here. Or if it helps, you can listen to the audio here.

I think if I listened to this talk without much of a background knowledge of Mormonism I probably would not bat too much of an eyelid at this, in a lot of ways it sounds like a basic good talk on grace. I guess inevitably then I am going to have some bias, however I hope that bias is reasonable based on my past knowledge of Mormonism.

Firstly at about 3:50 Uchdtorf says this about grace

“….The grace of God, the divine assistance and endowment of strength by which we grow from the flawed and limited beings we are now, into exalted beings of truth and light….”

This is an immediate difference between the LDS and I would say the Biblical view of grace. I see the Biblical view as being that grace is the unmerited favour of God, placed upon us by faith. Instead Uchdtorf calls it the means by which we become something better, this from my understanding is the general LDS view on grace. We see this quote from an article on Grace on LDS.org.

No one can return to the presence of God without divine grace. Through the Atonement, we all can be forgiven of our sins; we can become clean before God. To receive this enabling power, we must obey the gospel of Jesus Christ, which includes having faith in Him, repenting of our sins, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and trying to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ for the rest of our lives.

Really this means that grace is what makes you do good enough, in order that you might gain or earn exaltation, this is a contradiction in terms if you are seeking to show that it’s not by works, as this is really how you become able to do the works, thus the works are still necessary.

The website gotquestions.org says:

the word translated “grace” in the New Testament comes from the Greek word charis, which means “favor, blessing, or kindness. We can all extend grace to others; but when the wordgraceis used in connection with God, it takes on a more powerful meaning. Grace is God choosing to bless us rather than curse us as our sin deserves. It is His benevolence to the undeserving.”

True Biblical grace is the merit of God imputed to you, when you put your trust in Him, you become righteous by virtue of His saving work in you. Which absolutely should produce a changed life, resulting in good works. Without this there is no way of knowing that someone truly has accepted Christ. However Uchtdorf is putting the cart before the horse here, saying that grace is all about making you perform, in order that you might receive eternal blessings.

This is further reinforced at around 9:13 when he says:(bold added)

“His grace helps us become our best selves.”

This reminds me of a story that Thomas Monson told in the 2012 Priesthood session, he says this about a missionary who was asked why he was so successful.

Brother Tanner asked him what was different about his approach—why he had such phenomenal success when others didn’t. The young man said that he attempted to baptize every person whom he met. He said that if he knocked on the door and saw a man smoking a cigar and dressed in old clothes and seemingly uninterested in anything—particularly religion—the missionary would picture in his own mind what that man would look like under a different set of circumstances. In his mind he would look at him as clean-shaven and wearing a white shirt and white trousers. And the missionary could see himself leading that man into the waters of baptism. He said, “When I look at someone that way, I have the capacity to bear my testimony to him in a way that can touch his heart.”

This missionary looked at someone’s outward and focused on that, I think this is the essence of Mormonism, working to make people behave better outwardly, while leaving people lost inwardly.

In the Bible we see this in Romans 4:5

But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness

Yet in Joseph Smith’s “inspired” translation

But to him that seeketh not to be justified by the law of works, but believeth on him who justifieth not the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

All of a sudden, God does not justify the ungodly. Because in Mormonism people need to make themselves Godly (with the help of grace), in order that they might become acceptable to God, As Alma 11:37 in the book of Mormon says: he cannot save them in their sins.

This is what Uchdtorf is really saying here, but he is dressing it up in a way that many uninformed evangelicals and LDS members alike will love.

At around 15:50 during the talk, Uchdtorf talks about how people have so often misunderstood 2 Nephi 25:23 saying how its not really saying we have to do all that we can, this is a misinterpretation.

In October 2010 Dallin Oaks said this:

Because of what He accomplished by His atoning sacrifice, Jesus Christ has the power to prescribe the conditions we must fulfill to qualify for the blessings of His Atonement. That is why we have commandments and ordinances. That is why we make covenants. That is how we qualify for the promised blessings. They all come through the mercy and grace of the Holy One of Israel, ‘after all we can do’” (2 Nephi 25:23).

In 2009 JORGE F. ZEBALLOS said:

“Salvation and eternal life would not be possible if it were not for the Atonement, brought about by our Savior, to whom we owe everything. But in order for these supreme blessings to be effective in our lives, we should first do our part, ‘for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.’”

Thomas Monson, “An Invitation to Exaltation,” Ensign (Conference Edition), May 1988, p.53 (bold added)

“It is the celestial glory which we seek. It is in thepresence of God we desire to dwell. It is a forever family in which wewant membership. Such blessings must be earned” 

Lowell L. Bennion, Introduction to the Gospel (1955; LDS sunday school material), chapter 20, “The Way of Salvation”

“We believe in individual merit as a means of gaining salvation” – 

The reason people have been “misinterpreting” this for so long, is that their Leaders have been teaching it in that way.

To finish off, I think if the Mormon church really wants to prove to the world that they believe we do not become acceptable to God by our works, and its all of the merit of Christ, they need to ditch Temple recommend interviews, letting everyone in who professes Christ. They need to get rid of tithing settlement meetings where people have to show they have given a full 10% of their income, instead just telling people to give according to their conscience. Also get rid of Sunday dress, as we come to God as we are.

Also what about removing the “Requirements For Exaltation” part of the Gospel Principles manual that lists all of the things people need to do in order to be exalted.

They need to show by their actions as well as their words that this is a grace filled movement, otherwise they are simply saying that Jesus is full of grace, but the LDS church wants its piece of you.

General Conference October 2014. Sunday Afternoon Session, by Jim Gourlay

 

Russell Ballard – Stay in the Boat and Hold On!

Mr Ballard’s message was, ‘Don’t leave the boat or you’ll drown.’ Of course, he left us in no doubt

what the ‘boat’ was: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. What he meant by ‘drown’ he

left us to imagine.

 

Last week a couple of Mormon missionaries decided they no longer wanted to continue their

attempt in bringing me through their waters of baptism. I lacked sufficient alacrity in declaring my

confidence in the Book of Mormon as a divine revelation. Of course, they are entitled to leave me

and go fishing in what they will no doubt consider more fecund waters. But before they left I quoted

to them from that same Book of Mormon:

 

Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the

other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb

of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the

whore of all the earth. (1 Nephi 14:10)

 

God is opposed to the church of the devil a day is coming when ‘the wrath of God (will be) poured

out upon that great and abominable church’ (1 Nephi 14:15-17). So how could they say to me, ‘Hey,

you’ve got your thing going and that’s fine and we’re going.’?

 

It’s like this: the whole point of a ‘Restored Church’ (why the LDS version of Restorationism should

be the correct one is another question) is that there had to be an apostasy. And if the apostasy is at

all serious then how can modern missionaries adopt this, ‘You’re OK, I’m OK’ philosophy?

Mr Ballard seemed to take the notion of apostasy seriously when he quoted Brigham Young who

said that if I’m not on the ‘Ole Ship Zion’ I will ‘drown’.

 

If you told me, Brigham-like, I’m an apostate and that I need rescuing, I would respect that. If you

told me Joseph-like I was in the church of the devil, I would know where things stand.

If I was in real danger of the wrath of God wouldn’t it be loving to give a person like that more than

3-4 studies?

 

So which is it? Do missionaries, or for that matter any Mormons, really believe in the seriousness

of the apostasy like the early Mormons like Joseph Smith and Brigham Young (in which case they

seem not to care for souls in danger). Or don’t they really believe in such things? Mr Ballard thinks

I am drowning because I am outside the Ole Ship Zion. But how does he preside over a church that

prepares its missionaries in such a way as pass by on the other side?

So when Mr Ballard says members are free to question if they have doubts, I wonder if he thinks

missionary time should be devoted to helping inquirers?

 

 

Alan Packer – The Book

Mr Packer believes that ‘through the atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved’. I have

italicised that little word ‘may’ since this is decisive. Speaking of those who may ‘qualify for

exaltation’ he says:

 

‘individually we must meet all of the requirements’

 

All of the requirements? I am reminded of the call to ‘deny yourself of all ungodliness’ (Moroni

10:32). All?! Has Mr Packer met this requirement he enjoins on others?

This ‘gospel’ is not good news at all because it is law. And the law is not the gospel. The law

tells the sinner what he must do, but has no good news to tell him about what Christ has done.

This ‘gospel’ denies the Scriptural witness to the total inability of sinful man to do enough works to

save or works of a sufficiently meritorious kind to achieve any better standing before a holy God.

For it is by grace you are saved, through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of

God, not of works lest anyone boast (Ephesians 2:8)

Could the apostle of Christ, inspired by the Spirit of God, be any clearer?

Or again,

 

By works of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight (Romans 3:28)

Mr Packer’s Jesus would never have said to the wicked thief, ‘This day you will be with me in

Paradise’, rather, ‘It is too late for you to qualify for exaltation.’

But wait, didn’t Mr Packer say that ‘through the atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved’?

Doesn’t he say that Christ has done something? That Christ has achieved an ‘atonement’ through his

death?

 

Well it appears that Mr Packer’s understanding of the atonement of ‘Jesus Christ’ is not that of

Christ and His apostles. It is woefully deficient. How?

 

The all-sufficient 66 books of the God-breathed out Bible declare of the Lord Jesus Christ:

You shall call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)

Note carefully the difference between Mr Packer’s atonement and the Scripture’s. Where Mr Packer

has a ‘may’, a ‘might’, a ‘possibility’, God declares the atoning work of Christ to be an effective

reality. ‘He shall save’, not ‘He may save’.

 

The atonement of Christ does not make salvation a possibility for all but a reality for all who call

on Him in repentance and faith. To add anything as a requirement upon the consciences of men is

to fall into the Galatian heresy. And in case you didn’t realise, the apostle declared that burdening

men’s souls with works as a departure from the faith – it was ‘no gospel at all’ (Galatians 1:7).

Sure, the Galatians took the name of ‘Jesus’ on their lips (Matthew 7:21-23). Of course they

believed in an ‘atonement’ of some kind. But it was an atonement that only did so much. It only took

men a part of the way. It was a deficient atonement to which men must add the filthy rags of their

own righteousness (Isa. 64:6).

 

However, the gospel of the apostles of the Lord declares a ‘righteousness apart from the law’

(Romans 3:21) and that all are called to repent of self-righteousness and works righteousness and

be ‘clothed’ with the righteousness of Christ.

So to imply that baptisms for the dead and other such acts ‘add stamps to our spiritual passports’

is a doctrine that has been declared ‘anathema’ (Galatians 1:8) by the Spirit-inspired apostle. It is

to ‘pervert the gospel of Christ’ (Galatians 1:7).

Let me end with a better analogy if we wish to speak of passports as gaining access to God’s

heaven.

 

There are actually some countries that don’t let you in to their country if you have an Israeli stamp

in your passport. (If you haven’t heard about this prejudice you can look it up – it’s real). It doesn’t

matter what stamps you add to it you can’t get rid of that Israeli stamp. So you can’t get to your

desired destination. But you can get a second passport. This is a clean one and now you have access

to where you want to go.

 

Jesus gets us a second, clean ‘passport’. He doesn’t merely make it possible for us to earn a second

passport, He earns it for us and gives it to us out of His sheer goodness. Now we have access to our

desired ultimate destiny – heaven.

 

It comes down to this: who is earning your destiny? Jesus (alone) or you (+Jesus)?

 

 

David Bednar – Come and See

Mr Bednar directed his talk:

…specifically to individuals who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints. I will address a fundamental question many of you may have: “Why are Latter-
day Saints so eager to tell me about what they believe and to invite me to learn about their church?”

He gives the Christian answer in Christ’s words:

 

“Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with

you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:19–20).

 

This does not answer why Latter-day saints in particular are keen to share their faith. So he

explains:

 

Latter-day Saints take seriously this responsibility to teach all people in all nations about

the Lord Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. We believe the same Church founded by the

Savior anciently has been reestablished on the earth by Him in the latter days. The doctrine,

principles, priesthood authority, ordinances, and covenants of His gospel are found today in

His Church.

 

 

Mr Bednar has assumed there is such a thing as a ‘restored gospel’. But the commission quoted by

Christ makes no such mention. A restoration would, logically, require a universal apostasy (note the

qualifier ‘universal’ – Protestants agree there was some corruption, much apostasy in Romanism in

the Middle Ages but the gospel was never lost; there was never a universal apostasy).

 

But look again the words of Jesus quoted above: The Lord Jesus rose from the dead and said He

would be with His church ‘ always, even unto the end of the world.’ Do you believe Jesus dear

reader? I do. I believe Jesus has always been with His true church from its foundation to today and

on ’til the return of Christ in glory at the end of this age. But Joseph Smith did not. Joseph believed

Jesus was not with any of the churches of New York state or anywhere else in the 1820s.

 

So if you believe, like Mr Bednar, in this supposed total apostasy and wonderful ‘restoration’, here

is my question: where was Jesus? Or to put it another way, ‘If Jesus promised to be with His church

always, did He fail?’ Or had Jesus forgotten His promise?

 

So why are we non-LDS folk being evangelised? We are told:

 

As members of the Church, we do not receive prizes or bonus points in a heavenly contest.

I cannot search the hearts of the many missionaries I have met. I would not presume to know their

motives.

 

I would dare to venture that any given missionary will have mixed motives as is common

to all people. But I am a little sceptical of this claim by Mr Bednar that it is the interests of the

hearers that are primarily or exclusively in view when a Mormon missionary knocks on my door.

 

Why?

 

Because the theological system of Mormonism is works righteousness. Of course, Mormons

believe in grace and in the need for God’s help. But any honest Mormon must accept that at root

a Mormon’s progress to exaltation will depend on faithfulness, on doing stuff to please ‘Heavenly

Father’. That does not mean Mormons do mean, nasty stuff – not at all. It doesn’t mean that

Mormons are hypocritical liars who care nothing for others. That would be to twist what I say.

 

But I do suggest that to claim absolute purity of motive in evangelism with a works righteousness system

is not plausible. At least admit that being personally motived to gain godhood is part of the reason

why a young man will spend two years in a tiny bedsit in a dreary, cold English town away from the

sun-kissed orange groves of California where mum and family love him.

 

 

Mr Bednar then said:

 

Some of you may respond, “But I already believe in Jesus and follow His teachings,” …Our

invitations to you are not an attempt to diminish your religious tradition or life experience.

Bring all that you know is true, good, and praiseworthy—and test our message. Just as

Jesus beckoned two of His disciples to “come and see” (John 1:39), so we urge you to come

and see if the restored gospel of Jesus Christ enlarges and enriches that which you already

believe to be true.

 

 

But a parable in response:

 

Once a man owned Michaelangelo’s David and a nicely dressed man came to him and said, ‘I am

a handy sculptor. I know you have something very nice. I will not attempt to diminish your work

of art. But I can enhance it. I can enlarge and enrich this work of art of yours. Just one thing, it will

cost you a lifetime of service for my efforts.’

 

How would you answer?

 

The answer is obvious. But why? Surely the well-dressed sculptor has failed to recognise the

priceless work of art already owned. In short, you cannot improve upon perfection. There is a sense

in which to add is to diminish.

 

We diminish by addition in many ways: I diminish my carpet by adding spilt wine on it. I diminish

my shoes by adding what a dog has done to the bottom of them. You get the idea…

If I add to the perfection of what Jesus did on the cross by adding my supposed priesthood (are you

a physical descendant of Aaron?), ordinances, doctrines (the Bible is sufficient 2 Timothy 3:16-17),

then I take away from the glory of Jesus Christ.

 

I appreciated Mr Bednar’s humorous story about the fact that the brother who had been helped

was motivated to help. All that he said is true in that context. And as someone who is outside the

LDS church I want Mr Bednar and any LDS who read this to know that I am also eager to tell you

about what I believe and to invite you to learn about my Saviour. That is why I write these words –

because I have been helped: Not through an organisation but through Jesus Christ. I have not been

helped by a system of works that I may follow that may end in my exaltation, but that I have eternal

life right now just as John in his gospel speaks. Jesus said,

 

I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will

never thirst. (John 6:35)

And

“The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:29)

 

When Mr Bednar says,

 

‘…the blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ as a prerequisite to

heartfelt and authentic service that stretches far beyond merely “going through the motions,’

 

He almost sounds Christian. But read his words carefully and we know he is sadly on the works

righteousness treadmill:

 

We also have experienced the cleansing, the peace of conscience, the spiritual healing and

renewal, and the guidance that are obtained only by learning and living the principles of the

Savior’s gospel.It is that word ‘and living’

.

Can Mr Bednar say, as I can, “I have ‘the cleansing, the peace of conscience, the spiritual healing and renewal’ because Jesus died for me”? Or must he add, ‘these are only for those ‘learning and living the principles of the Savior’s gospel.’?

What a shame that Mr Bednar is unfamiliar with the gospel given by Christ to His Spirit-inspired

apostles:

 

For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. (Romans 3:28)

General Conference October 2014, Saturday Morning Session

Welcome to conference

A Christian friend once spent some time with Mormons in New Zealand researching a paper. He visited with Christian friends there and asked them how they felt being surrounded by so many Mormons. His question mystified them. The Mormon community was so small, they insisted, as to be negligible. He realised that spending time surrounded by Mormons, listening to their self-aggrandising conversation, had put in his mind a completely false picture of the strength of the Mormon Church in that community.

The same is true, multiplied a hundredfold, listening to Thomas Monson welcome the faithful and the habitual to conference. It’s “a great world conference” he insists. People are gathered, “in locations around the world to listen to and learn from the brethren and sisters whom we have sustained as General Authorities and general officers of the Church.”

We are told this is the 90th anniversary of conference broadcasts, the 65th of television transmission. Modern media and technology are being harnessed and he lists them; “television, radio, cable, satellite transmission, and the Internet, including on mobile devices.” “The church” is busy, busy, busy…but, like my friend, we mustn’t be fooled.

The Mormon church has no more temples to announce for now and they don’t have the population of “worthy” members to fully utilize the ones they have. They have had to lower the age at which they call missionaries to achieve the 88,000 he boasts of because numbers were falling at an alarming rate just a few short years ago. And the 15 million membership is largely numbers, names on record, and mainly in the United States. In conference Mormonism seems ubiquitous; out here we see the real scale of things.

Sacrament

If I were to pick one talk in this session to take away with me it would be Cheryl Esplin’s on the power of the sacrament. Mormons, of course, don’t understand that there is more than one sacrament in Christ’s church but she is to be forgiven for following the Mormon convention of calling what we know as communion the sacrament.

She speaks of the power of the sacrament to bring healing and wholeness to the sinner, the importance of renewing covenants at the table (Christians are a covenant people), and the strength we get from the Saviour to help us walk in his ways. Cheryl Esplin is the 2nd counsellor in the primary general presidency.  There is much to commend this talk and if I were a Mormon I would want this woman teaching my grandchildren.

That said, the glow quickly comes off these sessions for me and I want to demonstrate how with a talk about loyalty, another about agency.

Loyalty

Loyalty is an abiding theme for Mormons and Lynn Robbins’ talk is much of a kind as he challenges people not to give in to peer pressure. His is a worthy message as he warns us not to reverse the first and second great commandments given by Jesus to, “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”…and to, “love your neighbour as yourself.” (Mt.22:37-39)

Another context might have lent it greater authority and, certainly, the basic theme would be worthy of any Christian pulpit. This context, however, makes it political as much as theological.

He offers a robust challenge to defy the world and make the commandments our priority. I confess my heart leapt at it, and I cheered him on as, quoting Proverbs 29:25, he warns of the snare that waits those who fear men more than God. His examples are good as he warns us against those temptations that appeal to our compassionate side, eliciting sympathy and drawing us in to condoning sin. He quotes CS Lewis, one of my favourite Christian apologists and fast becoming popular with Mormons:

“Courage is … the form of every virtue at the testing point. … Pilate was merciful till it became risky.” (C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters)

Mormon leaders owe a great debt of gratitude to Christian thinkers down the years, though, given the way they talk about us behind our backs, you wouldn’t think it.

But then certain words and sentences began to stand out for me as carrying the greatest significance in the context of a Mormon conference at the beginning of the 21st century:

“Prophets through the ages have always come under attack by the finger of scorn…”

“The scornful often accuse prophets of not living in the 21st century or of being bigoted. They attempt to persuade or even pressure the Church into lowering God’s standards to the level of their own inappropriate behavior (sic)…Lowering the Lord’s standards to the level of a society’s inappropriate behavior (sic) is—apostasy…”

“Some members don’t realize they are falling into the same snare when they lobby for acceptance of local or ethnic “tradition[s] of their fathers” (D&C 93:39) that are not in harmony with the gospel culture. Still others, self-deceived and in self-denial, plead or demand that bishops lower the standard on temple recommends, school endorsements, or missionary applications…”

“When others demand approval in defiance of God’s commandments, may we always remember whose disciples we are, and which way we face…”

It became very pointed and I thought of Kate Kelly, founder of the Ordain Women movement, who was excommunicated for little more than having a view of Mormon priesthood. You can read about it here. Then there is the on-going struggle within Mormonism to hold onto their perfect “families are forever” message while addressing the question of gay relationships. You can read a New York Times report on Dallin H Oaks’ words on the subject at this conference.

This was the church using a low-ranking General Authority to send a shot across the bows of any who might be wavering. This was Mormonism struggling to hold the line against the rising tide. We might sympathise, except our loyalty as Christians is not to an institution, nor to its leaders. It is certainly not bought by intimidation, but by the love of Christ that compels us (2 Cor.5:14-15).

Mormons struggle with the tension between agency and authority. The Mormon Church relieves that tension periodically by making gestures, such as the website dedicated to gay issues, even by changing doctrine, such as allowing Black men to hold the priesthood and take their families through the temple. But make no mistake, the price is unquestioning loyalty to the church and, where it can, it demands such loyalty.

Agency

Countless thousands of hymns, songs, and choruses have been produced over the centuries. Some have become household favourites, church-wide anthems, others have been forgotten, some regrettably, some deservedly. The hymn I want to bring is wonderful!

I bring it because of something that was shared in this session by D. Todd Christenson of the quorum of the twelve. You can read him hear. Speaking of agency, he presented the classic Mormon doctrine of salvation, demonstrating that in the essentials Mormon teaching is just as wrong and dangerous as ever it was.

Mormon “salvation” is of the greasy pole variety. It is driven by vain ambition for godhood, it reflects the classic can-do attitude of the culture from which it sprung, chains people to a system that will never deliver what it promises, and it offers no real help for poor sinners who realise the impossible task set before them. The hymn words I bring hold out that hope, absent from Mormon teaching, and I want to explain why.

Christenson’s theme runs, “It is God’s will that we be free men and women enabled to rise to our full potential both temporally and spiritually.” He declares:

God intends that His children should act according to the moral agency He has given them, “that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.” It is His plan and His will that we have the principal decision-making role in our own life’s drama.

This is a version of the fifth century heresy of Pelagianism, which insists that mortal man is capable of justifying himself by good works without justifying and enabling grace. Pelagius wrote:

“It was because God wished to bestow on the rational creature the gift of doing good of his own free will and the capacity to exercise free choice, by implanting in man the possibility of choosing either alternative…he could do either quite naturally and then bend his will in the other direction too. He could not claim to possess the good of his own volition, unless he was the kind of creature that could also have possessed evil. Our most excellent creator wished us to be able to do either but actually to do only one, that is, good, which he also commanded, giving us the capacity to do evil only so that we might do His will by exercising our own. That being so, this very capacity to do evil is also good – good, I say, because it makes the good part better by making it voluntary and independent, not bound by necessity but free to decide for itself.”

The similarity is striking! But both Pelagius and Christenson deny the Bible’s teaching on original sin.

“…sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…” (Ro.5:12)

When did all men sin? When they chose that path and began sinning in this life? No!  All men sinned when Adam sinned. Death and sin are not natural to man in his original state; sin brought death. Sin is our inheritance because we are “in Adam.” This is why Paul wrote that, “all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin…None is righteous, no not one…” (Rom.3:9-10)

Paul is very clear in stating that, “by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners.” (Ro.5:19) and that “as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Cor.15:22)

Note this is not universalism since it clearly states that all “in Adam,” or of the line of Adam, will die because “in Adam” many were made sinners, and sin brings death. By the same token, all “in Christ,” or born-again into the line/family of Christ will live because in Christ they are made alive. That is why Christ is called “our ever living head” in the Christian hymn “I Know That my Redeemer Lives” found in the LDS hymnbook (136). They sing it but hardly could they be accused of believing it.

This is as fundamental as it gets for Christians. Read the first eight chapters of Romans and I defy you to get a different message. Nothing else could explain how we are “justified by faith [and] have peace with God” (5:1); this is how Paul can write confidently, “For by grace you have been saved, through faith…” (Eph.2:8); this is how we can know no condemnation – because we are “in Christ Jesus” (8:1)

How does a person transfer their heritage from Adam to Christ? “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no-one can boast.” (Eph.2:8-9)

Mormonism teaches a form of universalism that is reiterated in this talk.

We are forever grateful that the Savior’s (sic) Atonement overcame original sin so that we can be born into this world yet not be punished for Adam’s transgression. Having been thus redeemed from the Fall, we begin life innocent before God and “become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for [ourselves] and not to be acted upon.” We can choose to become the kind of person that we will, and with God’s help, that can be even as He is.

In the Mormon scheme this universalism is what they call “salvation.” But the Bible clearly states that salvation is a) by faith and not universally distributed and b) faith puts the believer “in Christ,” and salvation by grace through faith thus means life eternal. It is clear that the Mormon scheme has Christ deal with Adam’s sin for everyone, faithful and faithless, clearing the way for us to “rise to our full potential.”

If there were any doubt read his words further:

So God does not save us “just as we are,” first, because “just as we are” we are unclean, and “no unclean thing can dwell … in his presence…And second, God will not act to make us something we do not choose by our actions to become. Truly He loves us, and because He loves us, He neither compels nor abandons us. Rather He helps and guides us. Indeed, the real manifestation of God’s love is His commandments.

What an appalling state of affairs! Where the Bible states that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ, Mormonism teaches that all are saved whether they believe or not, and only those who follow the Mormon plan can truly know God, indeed, reach their full potential in becoming gods. Consider those words, “So God does not save us “just as we are,” first…” This is the antithesis of Jesus’ message:

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24)

Paul wrote:

“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved…for, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Ro.10:9-10)

The Mormon will now have rattling around in his head the familiar trope “faith without works is dead,” (James 2:20) and would be quite right. The apparent conflict between Paul and James is not a conflict of ideas however but a difference of ministry. Paul is writing, indeed Jesus is speaking to a people who need salvation. It is a missionary work. James is writing to a saved people and firmly reminding them that we are saved by grace alone but that grace does not come alone. God does save us “just as we are,” but he does not leave us as we are. You can read more about this on The Mormon Chapbook.

But now consider the hymn I started talking about. It is entitled Just As I Am. Here is the plea of the sinner, here the answer to Paul’s question, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” May the Lord reveal its wonderful truth.

Just As I Am

Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidd’st me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
with many a conflict, many a doubt;
fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
sight, riches, healing of the mind,
yea, all I need, in thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thou wilt receive;
wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,
because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thy love unknown
has broken every barrier down;
now to be thine, yea, thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, of that free love
the breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
here for a season, then above:
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

---

Words: Charlotte Elliott, 1841

Music: Woodworth, Saffron Walden, St. Crispin, Misericordia

General Conference October 2013, Saturday Afternoon session review, by Vince Mccann

 

The Sustaining of Church Officers, Henry B. Eyring

There isn’t much to say regarding this short 3 minute section where voting was being done to sustain church offices other than the observation that I doubt any (or at least very few) would be seen opposing in such an environment. I also couldn’t help being struck as how worn out Thomas S. Monson looked at the beginning of this session.

The Key to Spiritual Protection, By President Boyd K. Packer 

Packer opens his talk with a recollection of a young couple who were sealed by him in the temple. He states that they were “pure and clean”. Immediately, the contrast of scripture came to my mind with the verse: ‘Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?’ Obviously no one is the answer to this rhetorical question! This is one of the reasons Jesus came, to be an offering for sin so that we can be justified in God’s eyes through Him, not our own worthiness or purity of which we have none.

Another thing that came to mind with Packer’s talk was that, in the numerous Bible passages he cites from Paul’s writings (which he calls “prophecy” and “accurate“), I was left to wonder how do Mormons decide what parts of the Bible are reliable and which are unreliable (for those who may not know Mormons believe parts of the Bible are unreliable but are cautious in pointing out where). I do get the impression that many Mormons cite verses that will back up their point as and when needed, but when they contradict, will assume it must be a part of the Bible that is unreliable.

The Moral Force of Women By Elder D. Todd Christofferson

I didn’t get too much from this talk by Chrstofferson other than from a story he recounts by a lady called Anna. This lady had volunteered at the Metuchen YMCA and within a year she was appointed president of the Mothers’ Auxiliary and eventually asked to run for one of the three women’s positions on the YMCA board of directors. Winning without opposition, “he joined the very council that only a few years before had refused to let the Saints meet in their building!” The YMCA is historically a Christian organisation. Things have sadly changed a lot as many have become very watered down and compromising. A YMCA that I personally know of asked a Christian group who regularly did Christian worship services for their residents to leave. On the other hand, the story that Christofferson tells is just another reminder of how the modern LDS Church is attempting to appear more Christian.

Hastening the Lord’s Game Plan! By Elder S. Gifford Nielsen

Again, I found little to comment o with regards to this particular presentation, other than the observation that Nielson was a very animated and enthusiastic speaker. The main aim of Nielson’s presentation appeared to be motivational in fact, reminding his listeners to take up the calling and for church members to be zealous and to work with the missionaries.

Small and Simple Things By Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela

The main theme of Valenzuela’s presentation appeared to be similar to Neilson’s in that it was to encourage and motivate the faithful. Stories were recounted to show that members should not give up with those who do not receive them well. This may work with some but I have personally known a number of people who have not wanted the LDS missionaries to come round any more yet they continue to call on them. I was reminded that merely being told not to give up on people is not the only motivating factor for missionaries as there are a number of factors in operation that cause them to pursue converts and maintain members who are faulting. I am sure that there are some missionaries who genuinely do feel they are doing the best for people. However, many are under great preassure to get results. Imagine for a moment being a young person going on a two year mission and everyone back home rooting for you to be successful. The missionary speaks to his relatives back home on the phone and they ask: “How many baptisms into the church so far?” Results are expected of the missionaries and this can come through in their efforts to reach people and appear as a nuisance to some.

Wilt Thou Be Made Whole? By Elder Timothy J. Dyches 

As the title states, the theme of this presentation is to be made whole in Christ. Much of what is said here any Christian would say a resounding “Amen!” to such is the Christian sounding nature of what is presented. I doubt many outsiders looking in, however, would be aware that LDS are not really fully whole in Christ alone (as mainstream Christians would assert) as they can only be fully complete if they perform the many numerous works that they are expected to do during their lifetime (e.g. temple marriage, obey the word of wisdom, be a regular tithe payer, go through the temple endowment ceremony, baptise for the dead, etc. etc.).

The Christian sounding theme continues with reference to the well known Christian Corrie ten Boom and the amazing well known story of her forgiveness for a former Nazi concentration camp guard who was involved in atrocities against her loved one’s. The rest of Dyches talk is likewise peppered with various Christian paraphrases of biblical passages and themes. Again, I am reminded of the great efforts that the modern LDS Church appears to be going to to appear more mainstream Christian.

Although modern Mormonism is making great efforts to appear like other Christians in many respects, and the frequency of negative comments against other churches has subsided very considerably over the years, they cannot get away from the negative statements that still appear in their own Standard Works:

The first reference is very important as it is from the Book of Mormon itself:

“Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the Church of the Lamb of God [i.e.. the Mormon Church] and the other is the church of the devil [i.e.. the Christian Church]; wherefore whosoever belongeth not to the church of the lamb of God belongeth to that great church; which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.” (The Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 14:10).

The following source is also very important as it is a key belief of the Mormon Church and is one of the first things that the Mormon missionaries will teach prospective converts. In the first vision, when Joseph Smith went out into the woods to pray to ask God which Christian denomination he should join, he explains that God allegedly commanded him:

“…I must join none of them [Christian Churches], for they were all wrong…that all their creeds were an abomination in His sight” (Joseph Smith History 1:19).

The Mormon Church sees itself as the “only true Church”, with membership being essential to salvation. By implication, in the eyes of Mormonism, all other churches must therefore be false:

“And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth…” (Doctrines and Covenants 1:30)

Like a Broken Vessel By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland 

Again, the Christian theme continues with regards to the subject of a basic quality that all Christians should manifest, that of compassion. Holland urges his listeners be especially compassionate for those with mental disorders such as chronic depression, paranoia, and schizophrenia, etc.

Holland urges those who suffer in this way to seek spiritual help as well as professional medical help if necessary. Interestingly, past LDS leaders like Bruce R. McConkie appeared to express some caution to psychiatric practices. In his section under Psychiatry in Mormon Doctrine, page 610, although opening with some praise for this practice when used how he feels is correctly administered, McConkie expresses concern that some psychiatrists may try and dissuade members away from the Church. From this section of psychiatry he also links it to the section in his book entitled “Church of the Devil”

But along with many of the messages delivered at general Conference there was much in this presentation that other Christians and non-Christians alike would no doubt agree with. Many points covered appear to be very general common sense life issues that throw a broad net with little of the distinctive or controversial doctrines unique to Mormonism.

Put Your Trust in the Lord By Elder M. Russell Ballard 

Ballard opens up his presentation by stressing the need to “preach the gospel”. Again, this is all very Christian sounding to those who may be unaware of LDS doctrine and terminology. Mormons tend to use the term “Gospel” in two ways: How orthodox Christians use it (i.e. the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus), but also in the wider sense of the work of their founder Joseph Smith, The Book of Mormon, the restoration, and the practices of Mormonism such as baptism for the dead, eternal marriage, aiming to become gods, etc. In my experience, Mormons tend to primarily mean the latter rather than the former when they use the term “gospel”. This actually shows itself later on in Ballard’s presentation where the word gospel is preceded by the qualifying word of “Restoration”:

‘It is good, brothers and sisters, to reflect on the teachings of the prophets from the time of Joseph Smith to today. They have encouraged and called upon the leadership and the members of the Church to be anxiously engaged in bringing the message of the Restoration of the gospel to all of our Heavenly Father’s children in all of the world.’

Like what was said earlier in Nielsen’s talk, there is also continued emphasis for the average Church member to work alongside the missionaries so there is a definite pattern emerging here. One wonders whether we will see more of the average chapel going Mormons accompanying full time LDS missionaries on the doors soon? If so, this would be an excellent opportunity for those of us who are keen on reaching our Mormon friends with the genuine Christian message. In my experience, Mormon missionaries are a bit like the monks of the Mormon world. They are on their mission for two years and during that time they more or less eat, sleep, and drink Mormonism. They are always accompanied by their companion and everything is very rigidly structured with little time to think on anything that may pose a challenge to their belief structure. Any dent that may be made in their armour will probably be quickly hammered back out. However, for the average chapel going Mormon may well be much more open to pondering information that Christians could provide them with concerning the problems of the Mormon Church and truthfulness of the biblical message.

General Conference: April 2013 Saturday Afternoon Review, by Mike Thomas

I have picked out for comment some themes I see running through the Saturday afternoon session of the Mormon conference. The theme of families increasingly causes problems for them and I touch on the changes made in their new edition of the Scriptures, a subject I will be covering in more detail soon. Particularly interesting are the “dry” statistical reports which, if you know what to look for, can be very enlightening, not so much for what they say as for what they don’t say.

In May my church will hold its AGM where the financial accounts will be made available to members. We do this because the church is the people, not the building or the institution, and church leaders are servants of the people, the church, to whom we are accountable.

Mormon Statistics

The Saturday afternoon session began with the sustaining of church officers and a report from Robert W Cantwell, Managing Director of the Church Audit Report:

“Based upon audits performed, the Church Auditing Department is of the opinion that, in all material respects, contributions received, expenditures made, and assets of the Church have been recorded and administered in accordance with appropriate accounting practices, approved budgets, and Church policies and procedures.”

Short on detail this wouldn’t inspire confidence in anyone but a true believing Mormon. The Mormon Church was incorporated in Utah as early as 1851 by Brigham Young and has several tax-exempt corporations including the Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, organized in 1916 to handle property, the Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organised in 1823 to handle money and Intellectual Reserve Inc. organised in 1997 to handle intellectual rights.

While UK law requires limited companies to submit accounts to companies house for public scrutiny no such legal requirement is made in US law. Businessweek produced an interesting study on the subject in July 2012. The Mormon corporation, therefore, is accountable neither to the the public from whom it derives tax benefits nor to its own members whose money they collect and use. By comparison a telling state of affairs.

The statistical report was as opaque. When Brook P Hales, secretary to the first presidency, reports that as of 31 December 2012 there were 3005 stakes and 29,014 wards and branches of the church those are simple facts but significantly short on detail. For instance, of the 29,014 wards and branches 17506 are in the United States (including Canada), 5,617 are in South America. This leaves, according to their own newsroom stats, 5,891 across the rest of the world. This is still an American church.

When he reports that “total membership of the church was 14,782,473” he is not telling the whole story. Historically it has been shown that, across the board, as much as 2/3 of that number have no meaningful involvement, are “inactive.” You can read how this works out in an article I wrote back in 2009. The numbers have changed but the working of them remains more or less the same. You can get the most recent stats by following this link.

Mormons and Gays

December 2012 saw the launch of a Mormon website, mormonsandgays.org,  dedicated to open dialogue between the church and members experiencing same-sex attraction. It is worth noting, therefore, how much emphasis is placed on families in this session.

The nuclear family is the ideal for Mormons (Elder Richard G Scott). The missionary enterprise is represented as being the product of the nuclear family (Elder Russell M Nelson), with mum and dad, grandparents saving to send their children, and young couples preparing to serve as mission president and companion, older couples serving in retirement. The importance of mum and dad in raising children is emphasised and families can bless a local ward of the church (Elder Stanley G Ellis)

I hold the biblical view of marriage being between one man and one woman and, of course, Mormons have always emphasised families. “Families are forever” they say, referencing their controversial doctrine on the eternal nature of families based on the idea that God has a wife/wives and we are literally his children; you can read something about it here. But consider those in your church who are single for various reasons, perhaps divorced, never married, called to singleness, perhaps single parents, and how they would be made to feel if the nuclear family was preached as being only and always God’s plan.

David A Bednar of the twelve speaks of chastity outside marriage and the command to Adam and Eve to procreate as a sacred duty. A questionable use of 1 Cor.11:11, “Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord,” is marshalled to promote marriage relations as “the only authorised channel through which premortal spirits enter mortality.”

The use to which the text is put is questionable because it comes in the middle of a passage about conduct in public worship and equality of men and women before God and not marriage. Again, I believe that children are best raised in that family setting with a mum and dad. But the focus on marriage and procreation as sacred and eternal duties puts the emphasis on what men and women do and not on what God has done in Christ. It is also exclusive of so many for whom marriage and families are not practical, possible, or something to which they feel called.

The eternal family is the family of God and not the family of man. When we become Christians we are adopted into God’s family (Eph.1:5) and, while in this world God has placed many in earthly families, the family of God is for “whoever believes” (John 3:16) The Mormon/Gay initiative is laudable enough but sinners of all stripes need to be brought to Christ and not necessarily to marriage and parenthood.

Sherlock, Moriarty and Christian History’s 1800 year Black Hole

What most caught my attention was Elder John B Dickson’s talk, The Gospel to All the World. He gives a thrilling account of the early Christian Church, Jesus’ 40 day post-resurrection ministry (Acts 1:3), his commissioning of men to take the gospel out to the world (Mt.28:18-19), the revelation that included Jews and Gentiles as its recipients and Jesus’ words of commission:

He told them that, “. . . ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8)

…as well as the words of the angel on the Mount after Jesus’ ascension, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:9-11).

Elder Dickson declared, “We know that the gospel then went rapidly to the nations of the Gentiles.”

He goes on however, “… Now let us move 1,800 years forward to the time of the restoration of the gospel or the restitution of all things prior to the Second Coming.”

Having painted such a positive picture of the early Christian Church he, at a stroke, wiped out 1800 years of Christian history. God could not keep his church over a period of 1800 years when he had promised to keep it (Mt.16:18) and when he had kept Israel for more than twice that time? Christ’s commissioning, empowering and filling with the Holy Spirit of men and women of God to “go into all the world” somehow resulted in failure? The very thing they were sent to do they did but then there was a complete apostasy?

But where do Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty come into it?

That arch-villain and Sherlock Holmes’ nemesis Moriarty has become so integral to the canon of Holmes’ stories that most people think he is a primary figure in the great detective’s tales. The truth is Conan-Doyle invented him and put him in one story (The Final Problem) for the sole purpose of killing off Sherlock Holmes. He did such a good job in creating this character, however, people who don’t know better make him more. They imagine his influence reaches back beyond the one story in which he appears, filling in the gaps left by the fact he is actually not there.

In the same way, when a Mormon leader presents the idea of apostasy Mormons will happily fill in this black hole in Christian history with dark tales of corrupt Medieval popes and priests and general apostasy before Joseph Smith came along in 1820, never once realising that, as Moriarty was created for the sole purpose of killing Sherlock Holmes, so apostasy was introduced into the story solely to create a reason for Joseph Smith.

In Mormon teaching, once that hurdle has been got over, almost 2,000 years of Christian history can be ignored, all those teachers, preachers, commentators, reformers dismissed. The only subject for discussion is what happened post 1820. Church history for a Mormon is Mormon Church history.

They know nothing of Clement, Ignatius or Polycarp, Athanasius, Augustine, John Chrysostom. Nothing of church movements and initiatives in history (summed up only in that one, to a Mormon, desultory word “reformation”). Church councils are misrepresented as solely divisive and political, people like Wycliffe, Zwingli, Calvin, even Luther are mere names, no more than markers along the road to Joseph Smith.

Elder Dickson informs us, “From the time of the organization… in 1830 the Church has moved steadily across the world from nation to nation, culture to culture, people to people on the Lord’s calendar and in his time.” But he began by setting out the Lord’s calendar and saying it was all going according to God’s plan in “the Meridian of time.”

Think back on those statistics. In fact, if you took the first 180 years of the early Christian Church and compared it with the first 180 years of Mormonism the former had crossed and travelled outside a vast Roman Empire, becoming truly international. Christianity began as a Jewish sect but in that time established itself firmly in the Greek, Roman and Eastern worlds. Mormonism started as an American cult and is yet to establish a truly international presence, despite inflated claims to the contrary – an American religion even yet.

Africa!

Elder Dickson goes on, “Then in 1978 following the established pattern of revelation through the Senior Apostle, this time President Spencer W. Kimball, came the Revelation on Priesthood allowing all worthy males across the world to receive the priesthood and every blessing of the restored gospel…

… As a people West Africans believe in God, have absolutely no shame in declaring and sharing their belief with others and have tremendous leadership capacity.  They are coming into the Church by the hundreds and every week or so a couple of wards or branches are created somewhere in the Africa West Area with, in nearly every case, all African priesthood and auxiliary leadership.”

You might be aware that the Mormon Church has just this year released a new, “English edition of LDS scriptures, pointing to new wording about race and polygamy…” You can read about it in The Salt Lake Tribune. One of the most significant changes made was to the heading above the 1978 Declaration referred to:

“The Book of Mormon teaches that “all are alike unto God,” including “black and white, bond and free, male and female” (2 Nephi 26:33). Throughout the history of the Church, people of every race and ethnicity in many countries have been baptized and have lived as faithful members of the Church. During Joseph Smith’s lifetime, a few black male members of the Church were ordained to the priesthood. Early in its history, Church leaders stopped conferring the priesthood on black males of African descent. Church records offer no clear insights into the origins of this practice. Church leaders believed that a revelation from God was needed to alter this practice and prayerfully sought guidance. The revelation came to Church President Spencer W. Kimball and was affirmed to other Church leaders in the Salt Lake Temple on June 1, 1978. The revelation removed all restrictions with regard to race that once applied to the priesthood.”

This has to be the most shameful piece of mendacity I have seen in a long time. If you want a clear account of what is behind this racist Mormon doctrine they are trying to dissemble over you can visit The Mormon Chapbook and read about Mormonism’s real secret doctrine.

But more telling perhaps than even this appalling misrepresentation of history is the admission that the Mormon Church, led by prophets, practiced and clearly taught this doctrine from 1848 through to 1978, 130 years out of its 180 year existence, without apparently knowing why! Their Scripture texts are clear on the issue, their traditional teaching is unequivocal, generations of Mormons (including me) could explain it in a five minute talk on a Sunday morning yet now it seems even prophets can’t explain it.

And so they celebrate their move into Africa, failing to tell the truth about how generations of Mormons, people and prophets alike, were taught to think of people of African descent as inferior and unworthy. I suppose the American dollar, the promise of prosperity and purpose on a continent so bereft of both is enough to make most people believe those nice American boys at their door and not ask too many questions. Not the fault of a sometimes desperate and ambitious continent but of an already well-fed and greedy for more corporation. Read more about Mormonism in Africa.

Mormonism’s “Living prophets”

As we anticipate the Mormon annual conference this coming weekend it is good to remember the message of Mormonism centres on “living prophets”.

John Taylor, third Mormon president, wrote, “the principle of present revelation…is the very foundation of our religion” (Journal of Discourses, p.371). Elder Joseph W. McMurrin was one of the First Seven Presidents of the First Council of the Seventy. In a General Conference address in April 1902 he said:

“…the same divine authority, the same inspiration that came from God, our Father, which enabled the Prophet Joseph Smith to speak of the future history of this work, is with the Israel of God today. A Prophet of God stands in the midst of the people now, clothed upon with every gift, key, power, and authority, that was given to the Prophet Joseph Smith, and that same inspiration, that same power to penetrate the future, to comprehend the purposes of the Almighty, is with the Priesthood that is in our midst today.”

In 1977 Spencer Kimball, 12^th Mormon president declared in a General Conference address, “I bear witness to the world today that more than a century and a half ago…the heavens were once again opened, and since that time revelations have been continuous.”

The missionary discussions present it in this way:

“One important way God shows His love for us is by calling prophets, who are given the priesthood – the power and authority given to man to act in God’s name for the salvation of His children. Prophets learn the gospel of Jesus Christ by revelation. They in turn teach the gospel to others…The teachings of the prophets are found in sacred books called scriptures.

Whenever people choose to disregard, disobey, or distort any gospel principle or ordinance, whenever they reject the Lord’s prophets…they distance themselves from God and begin to live in spiritual darkness. Eventually this leads to a condition called apostasy. When widespread apostasy occurs, God withdraws His priesthood authority to teach and administer the ordinances of the gospel.

To end each period of general apostasy, God has shown His love for His children by calling another prophet and giving him priesthood authority to restore and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ anew…Such periods of time headed by prophetic responsibility are called dispensations.

After the death of Jesus Christ, wicked people persecuted the Apostles and Church members and killed many of them. Without Apostles, over time the doctrines were corrupted…Without revelation and priesthood authority, people relied on human wisdom to interpret the scriptures…False ideas were taught as truth…The doctrines…became distorted or forgotten. This apostasy eventually led to the emergence of many churches.

When the circumstances were right, Heavenly father once again reached out to His children in love. He called a young man named Joseph Smith as a prophet. Through Him the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth….A living prophet directs the Church today” (Preach My Gospel, A Guide to Missionary Service, p.p.32-37, Pub. LDS Church, 2004, emphasis added).

The words of a Mormon hymn sum up well the typical Mormon’s attitude to this message:

“The morning breaks, the shadows flee; Lo, Zion’s standard is unfurled!

The dawning of a brighter day, Majestic rises on the world.”

Testing the Prophets

Using the teaching in the missionary lessons we might profitably test the prophets.

“The teachings of the prophets are found in sacred books called scriptures”

The Mormon Scriptures include the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price, the Doctrine and Covenants(D&C), and the Bible. The D&C is what concerns us since the other three, while being scripture, are also historical documents pertaining to God’s dealings with people in the past. The D&C however is viewed as evidence that the heavens are open once more and that the church is led by living prophets. As the missionaries clearly teach “The teachings of the prophets are found in sacred books called scriptures”. If God speaks through prophets today it is here, or in even more additional “sacred books” that we should look for evidence that he does.

The D&C ends in the 19^th century, aside from section 138 which is purported to have been received in 1918 by Joseph F Smith, sixth Mormon Church president. The previous revelation in chronology, section 136, is dated January 1847, is given through Brigham Young, and concerns the organising of the saints to move westward. Young led the Mormons for another 30 years until his death in 1877, thirty of the most challenging and defining years in Mormon history, and yet nothing was added to the D&C to show that God was leading his people through a living prophet. There have been fourteen more prophets since then and yet no additional scripture is to be found, either in the D&C or any other additional work of “scripture”.

One would have thought, perhaps, that many volumes might exist by now showing that since the time of Joseph Smith “revelation has been continuous”. The Journal of Discourses (JOD), a 26 volume veritable encyclopaedia of early Mormon sermons and writings, seems to have been once regarded as filling the role. The Mormons refer to their official scriptures as Standard Works and the eight volume of the JOD (pub.1861) is prefaced with the following, written by George Q Cannon, ordained an apostle 1860:

“The Journal of Discourses deservedly ranks as one of the standard works of the church, and every right-minded Saint will certainly welcome with joy every Number as it comes forth from the press as an additional reflector of ‘the light that shines from Zion’s hill’.

We rejoice, therefore, in being able to present to the Saints another complete Volume – the Eight in the series; and, in doing so, we sincerely commend the varied and important instructions it contains to their earnest consideration.”

As time has passed the Mormon leadership has found the contents to be more embarrassing than instructional and it has been relegated to the role of historical curiosity. A recent correspondent, commenting on my use of the Journal, referred to it as “an obscure historical source”. It seems that the Mormon idea of continuous revelation being recorded in scripture has, itself, been relegated to history.

“A living prophet directs the Church today”

The prophet of the Mormon Church when I originally wrote this piece was Gordon B Hinckley. He was been prophet from 1995 to 2008. In that time he led the saints through a remarkable period of activity and growth, visiting members all over the world, more than doubling the number of temples, and raising the profile of the church. He was the busiest and most productive prophet the church has had for years. How does his record stand as prophet?

Teacher

We are told that a key role of the prophet is teacher. What can president Hinckley teach us about LDS doctrine?

“Brigham Young said if you went to Heaven and saw God it would be Adam and Eve. I don’t know what he meant by that.” Pointing to a grim-faced portrait of the Lion of the Lord, as Young was called, Hinckley said, “There he is, right there. I’m not going to worry about what he said about those things.” I asked whether Mormon theology was a form of polytheism. “I don’t have the remotest idea what you mean,” Hinckley said impatiently. – Hinckley Interview in “Lives of the Saint”, New Yorker, January 2002

Question: “There are some significant differences in your beliefs [and other Christian churches]. For instance, don’t Mormons believe that God was once a man?”
Hinckley: “I wouldn’t say that. There was a little couplet coined, ‘As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become.’ Now that’s more of a couplet than anything else. That gets into some pretty deep theology that we don’t know very much about.” Interviewing Gordon B. Hinckley, San Francisco Chronicle, April 13, 1997, p 3/Z1

Question: “Is this the teaching of the church today, that God the Father was once a man like we are?”

Hinckley: “I don’t know that we teach it. I don’t know that we emphasize it. I haven’t heard it discussed for a long time in public discourse. I don’t know. I don’t know all the circumstances under which that statement was made. I understand the philosophical background behind it. But I don’t know a lot about it and I don’t know that others know a lot about it.” Interviewing Gordon B. Hinckley, Time Magazine, Aug 4, 1997

From a interview Jan 29th, 2002 conducted by reporter Helmut Nemetschek, ZDF television, Germany, at Salt Lake City, Utah, in the Church Administration Building:
Question: “Until 1978 no person of color attained the priesthood in your church. Why it took so long time to overcome the racism?”

Hinckley: “I don’t know. I don’t know. (long pause) I can only say that. (long pause) But it’s here now. We’re carrying on a very substantial work on Africa for instance and in Brazil. We’re working among their people developing them.”

Question: “Now, Mr. President, one question which is a little bit complicated for me to understand but I heard it and one colleague asked me to ask you. What will be your position when DNA analysis will show that in history there never had been an immigration from Israel to North America? It could be that scientists will find out?”

GBH: “It hasn’t happened. That hasn’t been determined yet. All I can say is that’s speculative. No one really knows that, the answer to that. Not at this point.” Interview Jan 29th, 2002 conducted by reporter Helmut Nemetschek, ZDF television, Germany, at Salt Lake City, Utah, in the Church Administration Building.

“Beyond the wonderful and descriptive words found in sections 76 and 137 [D&C 76; D&C 137] we know relatively little concerning the celestial kingdom and those who will be there. At least some of the rules of eligibility for acceptance into that kingdom are clearly set forth, but other than that, we are given little understanding.”
“The next question you ask is why Eve was created from Adam. I can only respond that an all-wise Creator did it that way….”
“Now, Virginia, you call attention to the statement in the scriptures that Adam should rule over Eve. (See Gen. 3:16.) You ask why this is so. I do not know.” The Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, November 1991 Young Womens Conference, “Daughters of God,” (Ensign, Nov. 1991, Page 97)

Prophet, Seer, Revelator

A prophet is also one who “foretells the future”. What is the record of president Hinckley?

“I hope that prayer will take on a new luster in our lives. None of us knows what lies ahead. We may speculate, but we do not know.” The Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2001 General Conference “Till We Meet Again,” (Ensign, Nov. 2001, Page 89)

“Now we are at war. Great forces have been mobilized and will continue to be. Political alliances are being forged. We do not know how long this conflict will last. We do not know what it will cost in lives and treasure. We do not know the manner in which it will be carried out. It could impact the work of the Church in various ways.”
“No one knows how long it will last. No one knows precisely where it will be fought. No one knows what it may entail before it is over. We have launched an undertaking the size and nature of which we cannot see at this time.”
“I do not know what the future holds. I do not wish to sound negative, but I wish to remind you of the warnings of scripture and the teachings of the prophets which we have had constantly before us.”
“Now, I do not wish to be an alarmist. I do not wish to be a prophet of doom. I am optimistic. I do not believe the time is here when an all-consuming calamity will overtake us. I earnestly pray that it may not. There is so much of the Lord’s work yet to be done. We, and our children after us, must do it. I can assure you that we who are responsible for the management of the affairs of the Church will be prudent and careful as we have tried to be in the past. The tithes of the Church are sacred.” The Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Times in Which We Live,” October 2001 General Conference (Ensign, Nov. 2001, Page 72)

“Months ago I was invited to be interviewed by Mike Wallace, a tough senior reporter for the CBS 60 Minutes program, which is broadcast across America to more than 20 million listeners each week. I recognized that if I were to appear, critics and detractors of the Church would also be invited to participate. I knew we could not expect that the program would be entirely positive for us. … I concluded that it was better to lean into the stiff wind of opportunity than to simply hunker down and do nothing. It has been an interesting experience…”

“We have no idea what the outcome will be—that is, I don’t. We will discover this this evening when it is aired in this valley. If it turns out to be favorable, I will be grateful. Otherwise, I pledge I’ll never get my foot in that kind of trap again.” The Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, “Remember Thy Church, O Lord,” Spring 1996 General Conference, Ensign, May 1996, Page 82

The missionaries teach that, “Without revelation and priesthood authority, people relied on human wisdom.” What is the Mormon Church of today relying upon?

“At the close of one particularly difficult day, I looked up at a portrait of Brigham Young that hangs on my wall. I asked, “Brother Brigham, what should we do?” I thought I saw him smile a little, and then he seemed to say: ‘In my day, I had problems enough of my own. Don’t ask me what to do. This is your watch. Ask the Lord, whose work this really is.’

And this, I assure you, is what we do and must always do.”
“As I reflected on these matters that recent difficult day, I opened my Bible to the first chapter of Joshua and read these words: ‘Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee’ (Joshua 1:9). I said to myself: ‘There is never reason to despair. This is the work of God. Notwithstanding the efforts of all who oppose it, it will go forward as the God of heaven has designed it should do.’” The Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, Autumn 2003 General Conference, Sunday Morning Session

I can open my Bible and read what God has to say. I can comfort myself with biblical assurance. The question is “What has the living prophet got to say to me – today”? More to the point, what does God have to say to me today? Would it surprise you to find that the answer is found in the Bible?

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

(2 Timothy 3:14-17)

As you listen to those conference addresses this coming weekend remember that God’s word in Scripture enlightened and opened to our understanding by the Holy Spirit is the surest guide to our lives today as well as our hope for the future. Go to the sure Word of God and seek God’s wisdom (James 1:1-5).