Volume 3 Number 19 October 8, 2008

MarketFaith Ministries is an equipping ministry which is focused on helping Christians become more effective
in living out their faith in the midst of the increasingly diverse worldview environment of modern society.
Introduction

There are so many different belief systems that it can become very frustrating trying to keep up with them all. That is the
beauty of understanding worldview. It gives us a way of grouping them together in ways that are easily understandable.
That being said, it is still important to understand the basic tenets of the various belief systems. After all, the people you
interact with and try to share Christ with understand their own worldview through the filter of their religion. Today’s article
is designed to help us address this with a group which has a very large following. In fact, you probably have friends or rel-
atives who are Mormon. It is our hope that the information you glean from today’s offering will help you to be a more effec-
tive witness among these folks.

I want to, once again, take a quick opportunity to ask for your help. The Worldview Summit for Ministry Professionals is
rapidly approaching and we are committed to making this a bang-up program for those Christian leaders who are on the
front lines teaching Christians how to live their faith in daily life. The purpose of this summit is to provide pastors and oth-
ers in ministry with special training on the topic of worldview. We continue to look for business sponsors to help defray the
costs of putting this on. Each conference participant will receive a special sponsor book which will contain half and full

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The Gospel According to Joseph Smith: Mormonism

Over the years, there have been quite a number of Mor- any belief is okay if it meets your personal needs. With that
mons who have achieved celebrity status. In sports we as a starting point, a couple of new celebrities are bringing
have such well known folks as Merlin Olson (NFL hall of Mormonism to the forefront.
fame), Andy Reid (coach of the Philadelphia Eagles), and
Steve Young (Super Bowl winning QB and NFL hall of One of those celebrities is nationally known radio and tele-
fame). There are also some powerful politicians in our con- vision host, Glenn Beck. He does not try to directly prose-
gress such as Orin Hatch and Harry Reid (Senate majority lyte on his shows, but he makes no bones about the fact
leader). Then there is the well known business writer, Ste- that he is a Mormon and talks very positively and openly
ven Covey (Seven Habits of Highly Successful People). about it.
And, of course, who could forget the Osmonds.
The second is the emergence of Mitt Romney on the na-
In spite of the famous celebrities of the past, Mormonism tional political stage. In his run for president, the issue of his
has not achieved any kind of mainstream status because of Mormon faith became a big deal and many people were
them. But some things have happened recently which have exposed to this religion who had not been before.
moved this belief system more in a mainstream direction.
One thing that has opened up the possibility of more accep- For those who are already informed about Mormonism, this
tance is the Postmodern mindset of our current culture. might not cause any movement to favor it more than before.
More than ever, people in our society accept the notion that (Continued on page 2)

Contact MarketFaith Ministries

312 Anton Dr. Toll Free: 888-883-0656
Tallahassee, FL 32312 [email protected] Phone: 850-383-9756
http://www.marketfaith.org Fax: 850-514-4571

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page advertisements of sponsoring businesses. A half page ad will only cost $100 and a full page just $200. I would ap-
preciate it if you would share this with Christian business people that you know. It is our desire to provide worldview
training to ministry professionals free of charge and these business sponsorships will be a key part of making it happen.

MarketFaith Ministries is a registered non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible. Please have your
business owner friend contact us at 850-383-9756 for more information about how they can help. For any others who
feel led to help with this project, contributions may be sent to MarketFaith Ministries, 321 Anton Dr., Tallahassee, FL
32312. It is also possible to donate online at the MarketFaith Ministries website at www.marketfaith.org. Simply click on
the “donate” button. Thanks so much for your help in getting the word out on this.

I always love to hear from you. Contact me any time with your thoughts, opinions and suggestions.

God bless,
Freddy

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But the fact is, the large majority of Americans don’t really know anything about the Mormon faith. So, when they see
prominent and likable people with whom they agree taking center stage, they might be more inclined to open themselves
up to it. And, this actually seems to be happening.

Add to that the fact that Mormons are very evangelistic and have a reputation for being “good” people, and you can see
why many new adherents are attaching themselves to the Mormon church. They are very active in sending out mission-
aries (I have personally seen them working here in the US and in other places all over the world. They also produce very
attractive and slick advertising which is broadcast nationally.

But the fact is, Mormonism does not represent the truth about reality. People who follow the Mormon religion and do not
know God, have put themselves in a position of being separated from him. As a result, we, as Christians, need to under-
stand enough about them to share a credible witness so that they will be willing to turn to Jesus Christ as Savior and
Lord. Let’s begin by getting a little background about the Mormon faith. Then we can move into the worldview information
which will give us clues as to how we can begin to share our faith with them.

Background of Mormonism
History
The Mormon church is also referred to as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS). The founder of the reli-
gion was Joseph Smith, Jr. Smith grew up in western New York and most of his family were members of the Presbyteri-
an church. But as he observed the inner workings of the church and saw the strife and tension that existed between
various denominations, he was greatly disturbed. One day he attended a Christian revival and had a very dramatic per-
sonal experience. At that time, he sought guidance from God as to which church was the true one.

In 1820, at age 15, Joseph claimed to have received a vision where he was visited by God the Father and God the Son.
In this vision, they told him not to join any church because they were all corrupt. Further, he was told that God would use
him to bring forth the true church. This vision became the basis for the founding of the Mormonism.

Joseph had a second vision in 1823. In this one, the angel Moroni told him that God had a work for him to do. The angel
then revealed to Joseph a book which was written on gold plates. It was said to have been written in “Reformed Egypt-
(Continued on page 3)

Find these books along with other

great worldview resources at
www.marketfaith.org

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tian” which had to be translated into English. He was told that the book contained a sacred history written by ancient He-
brews in America which had been engraved on the gold tablets. Joseph was given the location of the tablets and told to
translate the text using the “Urim and Thummin,” a set of seer stones. Joseph would put these stones into a hat, then put
his face into the hat. As he looked, the interpretation of the tablets would appear to him.”

Joseph claimed to have been visited several other times by heavenly messengers who ordained him to the true priest-
hood and reveled further knowledge of the gospel. Many of these revelations are published in Doctrine and Covenants,
which are accepted by Mormons as scripture, along with the Bible, The Pearl of Great Price and the Book of Mormon.

The number of Joseph’s followers gradually grew, and the group decided to move to Kirtland, Ohio. In Ohio they received
strong opposition and persecution because of their unorthodox beliefs. There were frequent fights with the non-Mormons
and Smith soon found himself imprisoned, along with several other of his leaders. Eventually they were driven to Missouri
and finally to Illinois, where they organized a small army and began building a temple.

Once again the persecution started and a local newspaper began printing anti-Mormon stories. Smith was not willing to
accept the bad publicity and ordered his followers to destroy the press and burn down the newspaper company. For this,
Smith was arrested and put in jail. On June 27, 1844, a mob stormed the jail and shot him to death.

After Smith’s death, Brigham Young took over the leadership of the church and led the members to the Salt Lake Valley in
Utah. This has become their worldwide headquarters.

Today, the Mormon church is led by the president of the

church who is the anointed successor to Joseph Smith. He
is considered to be a "prophet, seer and revelator", and is Subscription Information
the one who gives guidance to the church and revelations
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At the time of Young’s death in 1877, there were about and click on the sign up link.
150,000 members. Today they claim over 10,000,000
members worldwide. Past Issues of Worldview Made Practical are available
free of charge in .pdf (Acrobat) format in the archives at
In recent years, Mormon leaders have tried to make the http://www.marketfaith.org.
church seem more mainstream. Until recently they didn’t
even want to be called "Christian" because of their belief
that all of the Christian denominations are wrong. But in the PERMISSION TO REPRINT: If you wish to reprint this
recent years, the Mormon church has spent millions of dol- month’s article in your own print or electronic newsletter,
lars in an intense public relations campaign trying to move please include the following paragraph:
the Mormon church into the mainstream of Christianity.
They believe this will have significant political and econom- Reprinted from Worldview Made Practical; a free e-zine
ic benefits and will help their efforts in proselytizing mem- produced by MarketFaith Ministries featuring practical
bers of Christian denominations into the their church. teaching and life tools to help Christians become more ef-
fective in their faith life. Discover MarketFaith Ministries at
Basic Beliefs and Practices www.marketfaith.org.
The Mormon church believes that they are the restoration
of the true church established by Jesus Christ, and that
there is no salvation outside of Mormonism. They teach
that after the Apostolic age, the Christian faith was corrupt-
ed and no one preached the true gospel from that time until Support MarketFaith Ministries
Joseph Smith restored it in 1820.
The purpose of MarketFaith Ministries is to equip the Body
Mormonism asserts that the God of earth used to be a hu- of Christ to become more effective by sharing the practical
man being on another world and became a god by being applications of worldview. We are involved in developing
faithful to the God of his home planet. Upon attaining god- training and resource materials for that very purpose. If
hood, he proceeded to populate his new planet (earth) with you would like to partner with us in this effort, you may
the offspring produced by him and his wife (the woman he send your tax deductible contribution to MarketFaith Minis-
had been married to on his home planet). tries, 321 Anton Dr., Tallahassee, FL 32312.
(Continued on page 4)

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In his present god-state, he rules over the earth. Even though he is God, he has a body of flesh and bones, though it is an
exalted body. As an exalted deity, he and his wife have sexual relations and produce spirit children who grow and mature
in the spiritual realm.

Our God’s first spirit child was Jesus. Later Lucifer was born along with the rest of God’s children. These are the people
who came to inhabit the physical bodies of people born on earth. Thus, every human on earth existed in spirit form before
coming to earth to enter human bodies.

One of God’s primary concerns was for the salvation of his people. To take care of this problem, he developed a plan. Je-
sus endorsed the plan, but Lucifer became jealous and rebelled. In his rebellion he convinced a large portion of the spirits
in heaven to oppose God with him. As a result, God cursed the rebellious spirits and made them demons.

The remaining spirits sided with God and earned the right to enter human bodies on earth at the appropriate time. They
are born in races and locations according to the choices they made while living in the spirit realm. When God was ready
to send a Savior for the world, he decided to give that privilege to his first born spirit child, Jesus.

As Jesus lived life on this earth, he got married and had children. At the appropriate time, he suffered in the Garden of
Gethsemane and died on the cross to pay for the sins of mankind.

In Mormon theology, both men and women have the potential to become gods. In order to accomplish this, one must first
become a good Mormon by paying a full ten percent tithe to the church, following the laws and ordinances of the church,
and be found worthy. If these are done, individuals are allowed to enter the sacred temples and go through special cere-
monies that qualify them for godhood.

Those who ultimately achieve the highest level of heaven are permitted to have their own planet and become the God of
their own world. In this way, the Mormon system is expanded to other planets.

The Story in the Book of Mormon

There are several books that Mormons claim to be divinely inspired. The Book of Mormon is the one that Joseph Smith
claims to have translated from the gold tablets.

The Book of Mormon claims to be the history of the inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere from about 2200 BC to 421
AD. It claims that the American Indians are descended from three groups of immigrants who were led by God to America
from their original homes in the Near East.

According the text, one group came from the Tower of Babel and the two others came from Jerusalem around 600 BC,
just before the Babylonian Captivity. They were led by prophets of God who already had the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Because they already had the gospel, many of the descendants of these immigrants, though not all, were Christians, even
before Christ was born in Palestine. The believers and unbelievers in the Americas fought many wars, the last of which
left only degenerate unbelievers as survivors. It is taught that these were the ancestors of the Native American peoples.
The most important event recorded in the Book of Mormon is the visit of Jesus Christ to the Americas after his crucifixion.
During this visit, it is said that he ministered to, and converted, all of the inhabitants.

Essential Beliefs
God
Mormons claim to believe in God, his Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. But the meaning of these terms is different
than in Biblical Christianity. Mormonism is polytheistic and the trinity is considered to be three separate Gods: the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost. They also believe that the universe is inhabited by many other gods who produce spirit chil-
dren. In Mormon theology, the god of our planet is believed to have once been a man on another planet who, through
self-effort and the help of his own father-god, was appointed by a counsel of gods in the heavens to his high position as
the god of planet Earth. Mormonism teaches that through the atonement of Christ, and by an individual’s good deeds and
"holy" living, men can one day become gods. Then, along with their "goddess wives," they will be able to populate their
own planets.

Jesus Christ is believed to be the firstborn of our God’s spirit children. He was not born of a virgin, but was the result of a
natural sexual relationship between his parents. Jesus is considered to be the literal spirit-brother of Lucifer. Mormonism
acknowledges the divinity of Christ, but their idea of divinity is very different than the Christian view.

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Mormonism distinguishes between the Holy Spirit (an impersonal substance of spiritual “fluid” which is dispensed in vary-
ing degrees to individuals) and the Holy Ghost (the third god in the Mormon trinity). The Holy Ghost is endowed with the
attributes and powers of Deity.
Man
A human is a preexistent soul. When a human gives birth in this world, it makes available a human body in which a spirit
child (the offspring of our God and his wife in the heavenly realm) can be placed. After being born in the spirit world, a
spirit being lives a life there and, at the appropriate time, is placed in a physical body on earth. A person’s place of birth on
earth and the race that a spirit being is born into when sent to earth is based on how life was lived in the spirit world.

Salvation
Salvation consists of two parts in Mormonism. The first part relates to Christ's shed blood on the cross to provide for the
universal resurrection of all people. This provided the means for mankind to get forgiveness from the penalty of the fall.

The church teaches that "eternal life" means becoming a god through exaltation. Exaltation puts an individual in a position
to dwell in the Celestial Kingdom. This Kingdom is reserved only for perfect, sinless, married Mormons.

Mormons who don’t meet all the requirements for exaltation to gods enter the Terrestrial Kingdom. Non-Mormons, who
have “no testimony of Christ,” will spend eternity in the Tellestial kingdom.

The second part of salvation is to achieve forgiveness of personal sins. Individuals will only be punished for their own sin,
not for Adam’s fall. The blood which Christ shed in the Garden of Gethsemane atones for personal sin.

There are also a few other things which are required for full salvation. Besides faith in Christ, good works are required
along with water baptism. It is also possible to achieve salvation for one’s ancestors by being baptized for them. There-
fore, Mormons avidly pursue genealogical studies and practice baptism for the dead.

Faith Foundation (How Mormonism Answers the Seven Worldview Questions)

1. What is the most fundamental reality? (Ultimate reality)
Mormonism believes in many gods. The god of our world was once a human being on another planet and, himself, be-
came qualified to be a god by his faithful adherence to his God’s requirements. Humans on earth can later become the
god of their own planet by faithfully adhering to the tenets of Mormonism.

2. What is the nature of our material reality? (Material reality)

For Mormonism, matter is considered to be eternal and can never be destroyed. It may be organized and reorganized but
not destroyed. Our God created our universe out of this pre-existent matter.

3. What is a human being? (Humanity)

The Mormon faith teaches that human beings were pre-existent spirit children who were produced by sexual relations be-
tween the God of our universe and his wife. As human bodies become available through the sexual relations of human
beings on earth, these spirit children are sent by God to occupy the bodies.

4. What happens to a person at death? (Death)

There are three degrees of glory. At physical death, faithful Mormons go to the Celestial Kingdom.

Mormons who were not faithful go to the Terrestrial Kingdom. These people will inherit terrestrial glory but with certain lim-
itations. They will not be allowed to marry and cannot achieve the state of exaltation. They are allowed to have the pres-
ence of the Son, but not the fullness of the Father.

Non-Mormons (those who have lived unclean earthly lives) go to the Tellestial Kingdom. All who enter this kingdom will
live forever apart from the presence of the Father and of Jesus.

There is a hell, but it is only for a very small number of souls that cannot be redeemed.

5. Why is it possible to know anything at all? (Knowledge)

Knowledge is possible because humans are the literal children of God (a being who is capable of knowledge). In that way,
humans are beings like their parents.

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6. How do we know what is right and wrong? (Morality)

Moral law is grounded in our eternal divine nature. God is a moral being and, since we are his progeny, we inherit that
same nature. We know what is good by the teachings of the Mormon church.

7. What is the meaning of human history? (History)

God created the universe to accomplish his own purposes. History is a linear sequence of events during which individuals
have the opportunity to go through a process to become gods.

Based on the answers to the seven questions, it is evident that Mormonism is a form of Theism. However, it is a modified
form which is actually polytheistic. They believe in one god who has sway over our universe, but acknowledge other gods
which rule in other places.

Authority
Mormons recognize four sacred works which form the foundation of their belief system.
1) The Bible, in-so-far as it is translated correctly. This is considered the least valid of their authorities.
2) The Book of Mormon is the account of Jesus visiting the original inhabitants of America after his resurrection.
3) Doctrine and Covenants is a record of 138 revelations. It contains some of Mormonism’s most distinctive doctrines
such as baptism for the dead and celestial marriage.
4) The Pearl of Great Price contains the Book of Moses (roughly equal to the first six chapters of Genesis), the Book of
Abraham (the translation of an Egyptian Papyrus that later proved to be fraudulent), an extract from Joseph Smith’s trans-
lation of the Bible, an extract from Joseph Smith’s autobiography, and the Articles of Faith.
5) The present prophet’s words are also considered to be a source of authority.

Evidence for the Authority

The Book of Mormon, itself, has undergone about 3000 changes since its first edition. This is so in spite of the fact that
Mormons claim it was translated by the power of God, and that God affirmed it’s authenticity. Another problematic issue is
that there is no archeological or any other kind of evidence in America to back up the book of Mormon.

The other books that are claimed as authorities are based strictly on the personal writings or interpretations of Joseph
Smith and his successors. There is no other corroborating evidence that can be given to back up its claims.

In addition to the problems with the textual authorities, there are many other problems which highlight the fact that the
Mormon faith does not represent the truth about the nature of reality. A new development that has come to light in recent
times relates to scientific evidence that Native Americans, and others who are said by the Book of Mormon to be dece-
dents of the Hebrew people, have an entirely different ancestry.

Conclusion
Mormonism is a religion that is based on teachings which literally have no verifiable truth foundation. That being said,
there are millions of people around the world who are members of the Mormon church, either because they were born into
it or have converted to it.

In times past, Mormonism was viewed by the general public pretty much as a cult group. But in recent times it has gained
a measure of legitimacy because of certain high profile Mormons in modern society. Because of the relativistic mindset of
our Postmodern world, this trend is likely to continue. Many people in modern society believe that any religion is just as
valid as any other.

We, of course, understand that this simply cannot be true. Since contradictory beliefs cannot coexist, Christianity and
Mormonism cannot both be true. It is critical that we grasp the basis of both Mormonism and our own faith and put them
under the microscope. When we can see the false beliefs of the Mormon faith, it then becomes possible to engage adher-
ents of that faith in a way which allows us to share the truth of the gospel with them.

In the next Issue: Is the Christian Faith Really Narrow Minded?