Raised Eyebrows
by Kathy Brown on May 26th, 2010 | 0 comments
If you watch the Fox News channel at all, you may be aware of Glenn Beck’s defense of our Constitutional Republic and Christianity. He understands that the root of political conflict is worldview. (Foundational Presupposition Chart) American elections and policy are, in essence, the struggle between two faiths: Secular Humanism and Biblical Truth. It is ironic that Glenn Beck has chosen a different Bible than the one Jesus proclaimed to be the Word of God. He follows the Book of Mormon (The Latter-day Saints) which contradicts much of orthodox Christianity. The pre-suppositions of the Mormon faith are borrowed from Biblical Christianity and they are, when closely examined, very different from one another.
(The following is a summary of Mormonism, taken from How to Respond to the Latter-day Saints by Edgar P. Kaiser.)
The Book of Mormon was published in 1830. Joseph Smith claimed it was a series of revelations given to him by the angel Moroni. The golden plates, on which the information was given, were the last word from God to end the religious confusion of the day. That is unlikely.
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery claimed they received the Aaronic priesthood from John the Baptist. Later they said that Peter, James and John visited them and gave them the Melchizedek priesthood. The official power of the Church rests on these two offices (which are taken out of the Old Testament Biblical record.)
The most widely known practices of Mormons are polygamy and racism (both ultimately denounced as “false teaching”.) These, however, are not the only beliefs that should lift the eyebrows of a traditional Christian. Here is more of their theology:
1. The Trinity: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are each a god (not one God.)
2. God was once a man. (The highest of the three gods is God. He evolved.)
3. Man progresses to become a god (doctrine of “eternal progression”.)
4. All people exist first as spirits in the spirit world. In that existence, spirit children of the heavenly Father and Mother wait to be born into human bodies. It is necessary to get through an earthly probation to reach the celestial kingdom (heaven.) (Biblical Christianity does not describe a Mother mating with the Father to achieve spirits.)
5. In order to be worthy to get to the celestial kingdom one must walk as a Mormon. One good work as a Mormon is to provide bodies for the bodiless spirits. This is why no birth control, no abortion and polygamy (many children give more bodies) have been a part of Mormonism. (The Biblical Christian sees children as a gift from God; there is sense that each of us was “known from the foundation of the world”, but each unique spirit does not wait for an earthly sponsor.)
6. The obedience to commands earns salvation for the Mormon: (a)belief in God (b)repentance (c)baptism (d)accepting the Holy Ghost (e)being moral, loyal, tithing etc. All of this is done by works or striving. (Orthodox Christianity presumes that Christ has bought the believer with His blood. It is by grace, not by works, that one is brought into a right relationship with God.)
7. Heaven has three levels: the celestial, the terrestrial and the telestial. (The idea of damnation is not part of God’s plan.)
8. One’s eternal destiny is not gained immediately. Each soul goes into an intermediary place in the spirit world. (The Christian Bible states that the deceased passes immediately into the presence of Jesus.)
9. The “church” or organization of Mormonism is complicated. It has hierarchy and ritual that mark its authority. (This is unlike the concept that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church and the simplicity of His ordaining each Believer as a member of His Body.)
10. The actual Book of Mormon, the basis for the sect, has no historical basis. The cities alluded to, the artifacts, inscriptions and gold plates have never been verified. The translation of its revelation was witnessed by Emma Smith, Joseph’s wife. (Biblical Christianity has an abundance of witnesses, provable references and, as Josh McDowell puts it, Evidence that Demands a Verdict.
11. In addition to several resources, Doctrine and Covenants, The Pearl of Great Price, King James Bible, Mormons accept the idea of continuing revelation. (This accounts for contradiction of older revelations.)
12. Baptism of the Dead is a practice that has lead to extensive genealogical searches. Praying the dead out of the intermediary “spirit world” is customary. (Traditional Christianity rejects the notion that someone else’s work on your behalf, other than Christ, may procure salvation.)
13. Marriages in the temple are eternal. (This is in contrast to the words of Jesus when he proclaims that in heaven there will be no one married, since the Believer is like the Bride of Christ.)
14. The notion that the preferred race is white originates from God choosing the Jewish line. (The New Testament announces that once the Jewish nation rejected Christ, the Gentiles were grafted in: regardless of skin color.)
Glenn Beck’s Mormonism sprung from an alcohol addiction. He has found comfort in its drug-free mandate and family orientation. The mission trips of young people tug at a desire to serve others and God. We applaud and appreciate the lawful, patriotic citizens that Mormons are. This is not, however, the basis for a much more important decision we each eventually make. That is: whether or not the Jesus of Hebrew and Greek Scripture is the authentic Savior. How we determine the answer to that will raise alot more than eyebrows!
From Ephesians 2: 4 - 5:
"But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved."
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