I love my Mormon family and friends. Great people! Good families. There is a lot upon which we can agree. But there’s also those areas which we can’t.
Growing up as Christian, I studied the Mormon church from an anti-apologetic writings. My Dad had witnessed to a number of Mormons back in the 70’s and there was a lot of anti-mormon literature lying around our hose. I had Mormon friends to whom I wanted to share my faith and so I got to work reading everything I could. I watched the God Makers. I learned about Joseph Smith’s discovery of the Gospel tablets and way the book of Mormon had changed, how Mormonism had changed. I learned that Archeology was highly doubtful. I learned a little about Mormon Theology, how they believe that God the Father has a physical body and that they too will become God’s one day.
I talked with my friends about these things at school. I tried to get them to see that they were error. But ultimately this stuff didn’t matter to them. A number of years later I started talking with a friend at work. He was 20 years older than me and real evangelist for the Mormon faith. He invited me to read the book of Mormon and some pro books on mormonism, with a differnet twist then the ones I had been reading. I did both. I sat down and read the book of Mormon, I got about half way through it before I put it down. And I read a few of those books he suggested. But then I offered him to read my books and he demured. I found out rather quickly that it wasn’t going to be a give and take.
It was then that I realized that I wasn’t too bothered about a lot of things in the Mormon faith. I realized it wouldn’t matter to me either it they were indeed true. I mean if God said Pologmy was cool I would be cool with Polygomy. If God showed me he had body who am I to disagree. If God said I was going to be a God some day I’m not going to argue. I didn’t have a particular problem with God preserving some golden plates and informing young Joseph about where they were hidden. I mean God has done a lot of things. If its true I would believe it too.
I found that ultimately these things we like to argue with Mormons about didn’t really matter. There was much we could say to change there minds.
A couple summers ago I felt convicted about not engaging with the Mormon missionaries that roam my little town. One day I saw them walking across the street, so I approached them a struck a conversation. I said I was interested in talking to them. I figured better me than someone else. They were really friendly young 20 year old guys. They stopped by a few days later to chat. For the next few months they stop by to talk weekly. They brough a book of Mormon and some pamphlets. They were share some and I would share back. We prayed together too. The only thing I found troubling was the way they kept switching out the people I starting getting comfortable with. I’d ask questions
It was then that I really listned to the whole basis of the L.D.S church.
There are of course many issues that people have with Mormonism. Polygamy comes to mind. There view of Jesus. Ordienace of the church etc. We could talk all day long about Joseph Smith’s track record on various things. etc. All of which I find destrubing to one degree or another. But arguing with a Mormon about them is just a never ending game of he said, she said. We have different foundations. The Mormon will look to his books and the Christian will look to the Bible alone.
I spent a great deal of time and energy talking about Archeology and Polygomany.
But the BIG Problem is one that’s often overlooked. Its the very foundation to the Mormon faith. Universal Apostasy. Sometime after Jesus and the New Testament were written the whole Church became apostate. Everyone one of them.
“So all the Church became apostate. Not just wrong on some of the issues. But wrong all the fundamental issues.” Yep. Don’t know when but it happened.
“Did they know they were apostate.” “Nope they didn’t know. They just became apostate.
“So how do you know you’re not apostate.” How do you know that what Joseph Smith established has been preserved? They don’t. They can’t
