Who are we?

Our views, especially religious based, depend a lot on how we view ourselves.  Our perception regarding who we are, our place, our lot in life molds and shapes how we live out our lives.  Our actions are mostly dictated by these presuppositions.  I assume that most people view themselves as being a 'good' person.  As such, they take care to live in a way that reinforces this self-perception.  They may give to charity, coach in their spare time, feed the homeless, or other such selfless acts. On the other hand, if a person views them self as being worthless then they might live their life in doom and gloom, thinking that nothing they do matters or makes any difference in the world or the lives of the people around them.  Perception is everything.  

I was talking to a Mormon friend of mine the other day and we got on the topic of who we are, according to God and the Bible.  Basically, are we 'good' people or not?  After a few minutes, we quickly came to the conclusion that we completely disagreed with each other.  I wanted to share with you what he had to say on the subject (paraphrased):

"How sad to think that some people see themselves as wretched, filthy, or 'dirty, rotten, sinners'.  God is love and He does not see us like that at all!  We (humans) are inherently good people who occasionally make mistakes.  Our lives have value and worth because we are the sons and daughters of God (literally).  And because we are His children, God wants what's best for us, and desires for us to be like Him and has laid out the (Mormon) gospel in such a way to help us achieve that."

I want to ask you - the one reading this blog - a question.  Do you agree or disagree with my friend?  I would encourage you to take a moment or two and really answer this question for yourself.  Go on...I'll wait.  

Have you done it yet?  Good!  So, now, that you've had some time to think about it, let me ask you one more question, and I think the more important of the two.  Does my friend agree with what the Bible says?  

Let's explore this last question using the Bible.

Ephesians 2:1-3

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom we all also once lived in the desires of our flesh, doing the things willed of the flesh and of its thoughts; and we were by nature children of wrath even as the rest."

Isaiah 64:6 (emphasis mine)

"But we are all as unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."

1 John 1:8

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Romans 3:23 (emphasis mine)

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Ecclesiastes 7:20

For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

Proverbs 20:9

Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"?

Jeremiah 17:9

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Mark 7:21-23 (emphasis mine)

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.  All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.

Psalm 51:5

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me

Romans 7:18

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

There are various other passages that can be used to define "total depravity" but I thought these would suffice to prove my point.  According to the world's standard, yes, one might say they are good.  So long as they don't go to jail, murder anyone, or any major crimes like that and if they pay their taxes, throw their trash away, go to work, help old ladies cross the street, or whatever they can call themselves a good person.  But, if you claim - like I do - to love God and follow His word (Bible) then you have no choice but to hold yourself to His higher standard and come to a very different conclusion.  In fact, you should come up with the exact opposite conclusion: You are not good at all.  And why do you get to this fact?  Because you are a sinner, and God does not take that lightly.  "For you are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; no evil dwells with You" (Psalm 5:4).  It makes sense that a Holy, Holy, Holy God would despise sin and completely separate Himself from it and those guilty of it because it can't even dwell in His presence.  Sin is His polar opposite.  Therefore, it is by this standard that we should look at ourselves, and by this standard where we receive a true answer to our question.

Truth be told, the Bible says there is no 'good' person alive.  Even those that do some good, realistically, those deeds are nothing but filth to God.  Our sins have seeped so deeply into our lives and our unrighteousness has dug us so deep a hole that we have absolutely no hope to even think we are even in the same vicinity as 'good'.  Our hearts and minds are wicked and evil.  And though we may desire to do good in the eyes of God, we are completely powerless to do otherwise.

But, is this such a surprise to you?  I mean, you know you're a sinner, right?  I mean, we all make mistakes.  Furthermore, if you were to honestly look at your own track record, you'd even have to admit that you fail according to your own standards.  For instance, how many promises have you broken to yourself?  How many times have you come short of what even you yourself would consider to be a 'good' person?  I'm guessing quite a few times, as have I.  How much more then have you...have I....have we all fallen from the Holy standard of God?  Moreover, God is clear that this reality is not reserved for the lowly or the mighty, to just the Jews, or the gentiles, or to the rich, or the poor, or whatever.  This failure is across the board.  It goes for everyone...every one...EVERYONE.  All of us are guilty and have fallen short.  It doesn't matter who you are, you stand condemned.

When I told my friend this he was audibly taken aback.  My friend asked, "Does this make you feel good?  Do you like hearing about how much of a failure you are?  Thinking that God sees you this way, does this make you feel good about yourself?"  To be honest...No.  No it doesn't.  But that doesn't change the fact that this is who I am.

HOWEVER...luckily, the good news is not in how we measure up to God's standard, or how the Bible describes us, but rather in how God dealt with this reality and demonstrated His glory, His love, His power, and His grace through His son, Jesus.

John 15:3

Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Romans 5:8

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Ephesians 2:4-5

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

So, yes, you are unworthy!  Yes, you are unclean!  Yes, you are a sinner!  Yes, you have failed!  Yes, you stand condemned! and no, you can't do anything to change that! But, know this also...God loves you! Yes, you can be forgiven!  Yes, you do have worth in the eyes of the Creator!  Yes, if you believe on His name, you will be saved!  No, you don't have to go to hell!  And yes, yes, yes, God is good! And of course, yes, all praise and honor and glory to the Father, forever and ever, amen!

You see, it was only when I was willing to honestly look myself for who I really was (according to the Bible) that I came to the realization that I needed to be forgiven, that I needed to be saved, that I needed redemption, that I needed grace, that I needed Jesus!  Thinking like this no longer brings despair or sadness, but great joy!  Yes, Lord, I am unholy...but You lord alone are 'good' and I worship You!  You have cleansed me and forgiven me and I will never forget that fact!  You gave me Your grace and now I am whole and I stand blameless before God because of You!  I stand with the angels and all of creation singing Your praises because You are my redeemer!  

It's not that I am bringing myself down so that I can raise God up, like some sort of religious pulley system (He doesn't need my help to be lifted high anyways).  Rather, I recognize how I truly stand before His throne and in doing so, I can now see God for who He really is!  You see, if I viewed myself as a 'good' person, I might deceive myself into thinking that I can earn salvation and lose sight of God.  I might act like I can do something right according to my own will and gain entry into His kingdom.  And you know what?  If I did that, I would end up losing my soul for all eternity.  Instead, I know who I am, I know what I've done, and I know that "Though [my] sins are like scarlet, they [are now] white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they [are] like wool" (Isaiah 1:18) all because of the blood of the perfect lamb, Jesus.

Amen!

So Many Questions...

I have quoted the LDS Prophet Lorenzo Snow often.  I even dedicated an entire chapter in my book to his teachings and doctrine.  For those of you who are unfamiliar, here is what he said:

Now, in my mind, this is the most famous quote - and most referenced - regarding God being a man.  But, this is not the only LDS prophet to insist that God is a man.  In fact, Joseph Smith started this idea in his King Follett sermon.  

"God Himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, 

and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great

secret.  ...If you were to see Him today, you would see Him

like a man in form - like yourselves in all the person, image, 

and very from as a man."

Now, I'm sure to even the least scholarly Christian, this doctrine seems a bit off from what they learn on Sundays from the pulpit.  And, the knowledgeable theologian can see a plethora of things Biblically wrong about these two statements and the dangers of what it implies.  If you want to read those types of arguments, please feel free to google "King Follett Discourse" and see for yourself all that smarter people than I have done in that area.  I like to try to tread different waters.  I like to just logically think things out and see if I can make sense of it.  So, instead, let's just presume they are right.  Ok?

God's Beginning

Now, since God was a man, he was born just like we were.  Most likely, he had parents like we do.  So, in my head God the Father has a beginning.  Ok, but then where did his parents come from?  And their parents? And their parents?  Somebody had to start the ball rolling, and this doctrine creates an infinite loop of origin confusion.  There has to be a starting point...somewhere!  

Additionally, I can see the argument arise that since Mormons hold the belief that they existed as spiritual babies/beings/spirits before we were given a body, maybe God was just at the start of this pool that is in heaven somewhere.  But then that creates an even more confusion.  Where did the 'soup' or 'pool' of this plethora of souls come from?  Does every man who is worthy to become a god (i.e. - "as God is now man may be") get to just pull souls from this pool when populating their world, or do mom and pa god (the worthy, devout, and righteous husband and wife) need to populate or 'refill' it?  If you're not LDS, I understand that I may have lost you at this point.  I'm sorry.  Lets move on.  

God's Sin
Secondly, since God was once like us, that means he most likely sinned.  Now this might strike a chord within you, but again...if we are to take this doctrine and break it down, we must look at all the angles.  So, try to just logically think it through.  God must have sinned, and not only sinned, but probably a lot.  Think about the most righteous man you can think of (other than Jesus).  That person sins...a lot.  So, while his list of sins may not be as long as mine, it's still pretty long.  

But we can't only look at the fact that he sinned, but what types of sin he may have been guilty of.  So, God could have been a liar, a cheater, a thief, an adulterer, a slanderer, an elitist, a chauvinist, a racist, a gossiper, a foul mouth, and/or a violent offender.  He could have been promiscuous, immoral, indecent, and an addict.  He could have been all of these or maybe just one of them.  Either way, he is, by His own standards set in the Bible, guilty and condemned.  So, if this were the case, would we, should we, and could we worship him?  Would that God, that guilty heavenly man, be worthy of such praise as this:

Psalm 106:1

Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His loving kindness is everlasting 

Psalm 84:11

Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.

Psalm 22:3

Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.

Isaiah 6:3

...Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory

Exodus 15:11

Who is like you among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?

Psalm 77:13

Your way, O God, is holy; What god is great like our God?

Psalm 33:21

For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name.

(This of course isn't an exhaustive list.  By no means!  

You can find hundreds upon hundreds of verses that only speak

 to the glory and honor and praise of God!)  

Anyways, I don't think that any sinful being would be worthy of such adoration, honor, and praise.  I mean, these words are eternal.  This praise is not just in the moment, but everlasting.  Isaiah says that the angels only job in heaven since creation is to speak how holy God is.  

Now, let me ask you, honestly...could you say this about yourself? About your spouse?  Your best friend?  Anyone you know?  No.  While we may be good by the worlds standards, we are not holy, holy, holy.  Even Mother Teresa, Ghandi, MLK Jr., any of the Apostles, nor anyone else you could think of is worthy of such praise.

God's Redemption

So, going back to our original assumption...if God was once a sinner, the Bible says (and Mormons agree) you need atonement.  Those sins need to be paid for and that sinner needs to be redeemed.  The Bible refers to it as Grace.  So, who showed grace to our God the Father?  Now, in Mormon theology, Jesus is God's firstborn son in heaven, meaning he is the first of the spirit babies.  So, God was redeemed before Jesus was ever formed.  So, that begs the question who redeemed our God? It would have to be another savior.  Who is this Savior that washed away the sins of our god and enabled him to progress and achieve Godhood and form our world and eventually us?  

Now this has always bothered me because of two primary reasons.

1. If our God's savior was holy enough to save our God from damnation, then shouldn't we worship that deity instead of our God?
   
2. Looking at God the Father's progression from created being, to sinner, to saved, to exalted, to God Mormonism teaches that if we follow the rules, we can do that too.  So, if I was holy enough to progress I could also become a God myself of my own world.  (This is in fact many Mormon's ultimate goal)  However, Jesus was God's firstborn son.  So, would my current firstborn son be the Jesus of my new world?  What if he also progressed.  He'd then be my world's savior and his own world's God?  How does that work?
   
   Or...maybe, our God didn't need a savior and my assumptions are way off.  Maybe he lived a perfect life and earned his way into heaven.  Then, lets assume then that Jesus was the first ever Christ.  Since I'm covered by His blood on the cross, would my new world also be covered by his blood?

Now, I have brought this up to several of my Mormon friends.  None of them had a answer.  Instead, I got the cookie-cutter LDS response of, "God has yet to reveal that to us." which is just basically saying, "I see what you're saying, and I see how confusing that is, but I believe this doctrine even though you can't logically extrapolate it out so I'll just come up with an answer that you can't argue with."  

...and I hate that answer because it is absolutely no help at all.

Conclusion

Is the fact that so many questions are able to be raised (and left unanswered) grounds for dismissal?  No.  Does this prove that the LDS doctrine is incorrect?  No.  In fact, this doesn't really prove anything, other than the fact that I can type a lot about nothing!  However, I think it is very telling of how drastically different the Mormon Church is from the Christian faith.  

Now, to be fair, the Christian beliefs generate a lot of questions too.  How can God be eternal?  How is it that one guys death is sufficient to cover the entire worlds sin?  How can God be one and in the same breath three?  Why does a God who created everything in this vast and gigantic galaxy care about me?  And honestly, I can't give you a satisfying answer on these either.  All I can say is that in the book that describes Him to us, it says all of these things are true about Him.  I don't know how it works.  

What helps me though is the difference from the place that the respective "answers" are coming from. I answer these with a foundation that is grounded in the study and understanding of the word of God, the mounds of evidence supporting the Bible's historical accuracy, Jesus, His life, ministry, death, and resurrection, and from my personal experiences from being born again.  Mormons on the other hand seem to answer questions like this from a completely different perspective.  They rely almost entirely on their faith, having little to no evidence for their scriptures, and a history that is peppered with false claims, false prophets, and misinterpreting scripture.  

Now, again, this doesn't really prove Mormonism is wrong.  But when you have a belief that is so elaborate and complex and yet cannot be elaborated on, that raises a red flag.  When the slightest questioning provokes a response of "we may never know" it becomes scary.  And I don't think I'm wrong in asking these questions, for they are the logical progression in thought.  I haven't even got an intelligent response or speculation.  And again, that's just...scary.

A Worshipful Heart

Worship.  While there are a lot of meanings, here is how I like to define it.  Worshiping something is to give honor and praise to it.  To be completely distracted by it, so much so that it is all you can think about.  To adore that something so much that your heart sings and dances every chance it gets.  In my opinion, which I get from reading the Bible, God is the only thing that deserves worship. And, I think Mormons would honestly probably agree with that idea.  They too believe that worship should be reserved for Him and Him alone.

Now, before I get started, I want to say a few things about...well...what I'm about to say.  I will be speaking out from personal observation.  These views and assumptions come from my inward, reflective look into my Mormon life and from observing other Mormons in many different arenas.

Ok... lets do this then.

When I was Mormon, I didn't worship God.  In fact, I don't even think I knew how.  True, I loved Him, or what I thought was Him, and very much so.  But I didn't really worship Him.  I sang songs to Him, but it was just reciting words on pitch.  I prayed to Him, but it was just mumbling words in reverence.  I went to church, but it was just a building I went to every Sunday morning.  I saw pictures of Him (sorry 2nd Commandment sticklers) and I just thought, "Yeah, I know that guy."

Looking back, I don't really remember anyone truly worshiping God.  Now, I know worship looks very different to a lot of people and because of that I know that I cannot say with 100% certainty.  But, with that being said, I honestly think you can tell a difference, at least most of the time, between someone who knows of God and someone who worships God just by having a conversation with them, or by watching them at church or live life.  Those who have been transformed and born again cannot help but cry out in worship in every facet of life.  Not perfectly, mind you...but still.  

Mormons are very, very, very, very nice people.  They are kind, generous, loving people.  They will serve you and help you any way they can.  However, I have had many conversations with many different Mormons of all ages, races, and locations and observed some of them (and myself) during church services.  I can honestly say that I have never seen a Mormon worship.  Sure, they love Jesus.  Sure they sing songs.  Sure they try to live a servant's life.  But, again from my perspective, the are simply going through the motions.  This was true for me as well.  I had convictions of why I believed what I believed and I could rationally argue with anyone why I was Mormon.  But there was no fire for God.  I wasn't in love with Him.  I didn't have a relationship with Him.  I didn't worship Him.

It wasn't until I was removed from the LDS doctrine and their call for rigorous obedience to their rules and ordinances that I truly began to worship Him.  When I realized the magnitude of what Jesus did on the cross for me, my heart leapt out of my chest in worship.  When I realized what He orchestrated in my life to grab a hold of me and save me from my sin, my soul cried out in praise.  When I hear the name of Jesus, I want to cry and laugh and sing and be still and silent in adoration of my God.  When I think about Him dying on the cross for the sins of the world and being raised again three days later so that I can never taste eternal death, I get goosebumps and chills!  GOD IS AMAZING!!!!!

Do you wanna see true worship?  Read Isaiah chapter 6.

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I (Isaiah) saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.  Above him (God) were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.  And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."" (v. 1-3)

Isaiah sees these angels flying above God.  Their only job...their only job...their ONLY job is to fly and proclaim "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."  That's it.  What's more amazing...is that they are completely satisfied with only doing that for eternity!  AMAZING!  Just being in the presence of God, all these magnificent creatures can do...all they want to do...all of their being literally cries out to do...is give glory to God!  How great must our God be when the heavenly hosts while in His presence can only shout how good He is?!?

But wait...Isaiah isn't done...

""Woe to me!" I cried.  "I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."  Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.  With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."  Then i heard the voice of the lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here I am. Send me!"  (v. 5-8)

Isaiah is understandably freaking out.  The ground is shaking, angels are chanting, God is literally right in front of him, and he's like, "I'm gonna die!  This is it!  This is how it ends for me!"  But then the angel takes a searing, hot coal, touches his lips, and his sins are all forgiven.  Now, remember, this is before the cross.  This is before Jesus.  This is before the greatest story every told even happened.  So, Isaiah, is instantly forgiven and he is amazed.  He is marveling at what he is experiencing, this interaction with the living God.  So when God asks who will go for them, before anything else is said, Isaiah is like, "Yes Lord!  I'm here!  You are so good, sign me up!  After what I've just seen, I will do whatever you ask!"  I can almost hear him wanting to join the other angels in just simply worshiping God.

That is worship.  When all you can do is say "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty."  When all your soul, body, mind, spirit, heart, etc. just cries out, "Here I am. Send me!"  When you are completely in awe and wonder for everything surrounding God...that is when you worship.  I'm worshiping just writing these words!  GOD IS AMAZING!

And in all honestly, Mormons don't talk like that.  I've never seen a Mormon almost in tears of joy talking about their savior.  I've never had a conversation with a Mormon when I've left thinking, "Whoa...that person really loves the Lord."  I've never seen a Mormon sing "How Great Thou Art" with open arms and hands lifted in praise.  I've never seen a Mormon sing any hymn with any type of conviction.

Now, maybe I just never saw it.  Maybe there are tons of Mormons who can, have, and do praise and worship the true and living God (that is a possibility and I want to make it clear that it is a viable possibility).  Or, maybe I never saw it because it never truly happens.  Maybe I never saw it because it cannot happen so long as LDS doctrine remains as it is.  Maybe I never saw it because Mormonism doesn't point to the true God.  Maybe they don't preach the same Gospel that converted Saul, that the apostles died for, that Jesus hung on the cross for, that millions of people have been martyred over, and that the Bible proclaims.  Maybe their prophets are false and have diluted and perverted the gospel so much so that people have nothing to worship.  Maybe having to do a lot of works for salvation rather than just putting all their trust in Jesus has stripped their joy from them.  Again, maybe it's just me.

When I was LDS, I never knew God so I could never worship Him.  Of course, I knew the answers.  "Jesus died for me."  "God created the world."  "I am a child of God."  "He is risen."  But I never had a reason, or saw the point, of putting an exclamation instead of a period on any of those statements.  But when you know God, when you know you're saved, when you know how awesome, wonderful, powerful, mighty, strong, gracious, loving, kind, just, all knowing God is you cannot help but cry out in worship and praise!

I don't know who I'm writing to.  I don't know where you are in life.  But if you are feeling convicted, if you feel like, "You know what...I don't worship God" then maybe you need to have a conversation with Him.  Pray, right now - seriously, right now.  Stop reading this, close your eyes and pray to God.  Pray that He would save you.  Pray that He would awaken your dead heart and bring it to life in Jesus.  Pray for forgiveness of your sins, for healing, and know...truly know...that God is alive!

Lastly, I'll leave you with this.  I know that within the body of Christ people worship differently.  I know that it looks differently to everyone.  Some fall on their face, some sit quietly, some stand with arms raised, some just bow their head, some shout Hallelujah, some just lift their eyes, and it goes on and on.  I'm not saying people should worship like I do, or like this one church denomination does.  Not at all.  Variety is in our DNA, it's how God made us.  The importance isn't how you worship, but rather that you worship.  Mormons have no fire in their eyes, no burning in their hearts, no fear and trembling for God, no surrender.  I truly believe scripture is true:

"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." 

Matthew 15:8

Let not your heart be far from God.  Let your heart and mouth pour out praises to our Lord and King.  If it's in song, sing your heart out.  If it's in personal study, then fall in love with the Word, if it's just walking around, shout praises (or whisper them) to our Creator.  Just worship.

God Doesn't Make Sense

     The nature of God is crazy difficult to understand, even for the most educated theologians. God, in His holy word, describes Himself as a Holy Trinity of Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  They are not the same person as each other, yet they are all the same God; they are all God.  According to Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry, "Each has a will, can speak, can love, etc.  These are demonstrations of personhood.  They are in absolute perfect harmony consisting of one substance.  They are coeternal, coequal, and copowerful.  If any one of the three were removed, there would be no God."
    Now we all know, or at least if you've read my blog before you should be well aware, that Mormons do not believe in the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity.  Let me say it another way.  Every professing Christian denominational church embraces this belief in the Holy Trinity. Oddly enough, even though Mormons claim Christianity they also stand firm and deny the Holy Trinity doctrine.  They believe in a completely different Godhead than all other Christian churches...even though they claim to be a part of the Christian church.  This fact has always made me chuckle...but whatever...moving on.

     Having said this, I can hear my brother protest, "Dude.  You cannot POSSIBLY know that all the other Christian churches believe in what you claim to be the Christian doctrine of the nature of God."  Ok, bro.  Maybe this will help.  According to About Religion, there are a few Christian groups that do in fact reject the Trinity doctrine that I just described.  According to this study, these "rejectors" are the Mormons, the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Christian Scientists, the Armstrongisms, the Christadelphians, the Oneness Pentacostals, the Unification Church, the Unity School of Christianity, and the Scientologists.  Most of these Christian churches I've never even heard of, and I doubt most of you have as well.  This tells me that they are relatively small denominations and are not major movements in the church.  Furthermore, you can review what Religion Resources Online says about each religion and what it has to say on the Holy Trinity (see below).  One can see that most of the Christian Churches seem to state the same thing, albeit in different ways.  They all claim that the Holy Trinity doctrine is Biblical and they believe it, profess it, and live by it.

     Now, I wanted to talk about this because I've had many conversations with Mormons that just cannot and will not believe in the Holy Trinity.  In my experience, it basically boils down to the fact that Mormons find the Christian doctrine of a Holy Trinity as being too confusing and therefore untrue.  Now, I will not deny that this doctrine is confusing, because it is.  As I said earlier, even the best theologians cannot fully grasp the idea that is God.  However, just because a teaching is confusing does not mean it cannot be true.

     Throughout history, a lot of people have tried to rationally explain God because a doctrine that is hard to explain is bothersome.  Believing in something that cannot be fully comprehended is very troubling.  When you can't fully explain something, you can't fully defend it, and therefore your beliefs are weak (or at least that is the perception).  Mormons have then followed the path many have taken and tried to humanize and rationalize God to fit into something they can understand.  That is why the Mormon God makes sense.  He's a guy that became God, got married, had a son, sent that son to die on a cross, and is now seated in glory in heaven awaiting our return.  That makes sense.  That's a God that I can understand.  (although there is the question of where that God came from, and so on, and so on, but...whatever...moving on)

     Funny thing is, Mormons weren't the first to try and fit God in a box.  Back in the early church, there was a belief circulating around called Arianism.  Arianism was the belief that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are creations of God but not one in nature with Him.  This heretical idea gained so much popularity within the church that it spawned the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea and the creation of the Nicene Creed in response.  So many people were straying from Biblical teaching that it was tearing the church apart.  The church in response created this creed that would unify the church body and uphold the Biblical view of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit.  

     There was also something called Modalism.  This states that God merely manifested Himself in three modes or forms.  It states that God is a single being that morphs into the Father, then the Son, and then the Holy Spirit.  These modes are consecutive but never simultaneous.  Another belief was in the doctrine of Partialism.  Partialism states that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all add up to make God.  By themselves, they are only a portion of God, but together they form 1 complete God.  All of these by the way have been declared by the Church as being heretical in nature and we are advised not to believe or preach them.  

     All that to say, even our best explanations of God are wrong.  To fully grasp our creator, it would seem that we need to compromise some part of scripture.  The reason being is that our finite human minds will never be able to explain or even comprehend the Biblical doctrine of God.  But that's a good thing!  It can even actually strengthen our faith!  

     Lets take the idea of how God is Eternal, or Infinite.  Now, since I am a math guy, I can only show you how crazy infinity is by using math.  Take the integers for instance (i.e - the numbers ... -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, ...).  Now, the set of integers is infinite, meaning you will never run out of integers!  This means you can write any integer and I could come up with one bigger or smaller, or both!  But lets take the idea of infinity even further, to something that is crazy difficult to explain but mathematically sound.

Let's look at the real number line.

Now, if we were to pick a number between 1 and 2 we'd have a lot of choices.  Well, mathematically speaking we'd have an infinite amount of choices.  We could choose 1.1, or 1.41, or 1.9001, or 1.5, or 1.9896369863, or.... you get the picture.  So lets narrow it down even further.  Let's choose a number between 1 and 1.1.  But we run into the same problem.  I can pick 1.01, 1.005, 1.0999999, etc.  The same thing would keep happening even if we picked a number between 1 and 1.00000000000000001.  This is because the real numbers are infinite.  Now here's the crazy part.  Because of this, we cannot name two consecutive real numbers.  Since there are an infinite amount of real numbers, there are an infinite amount of numbers in between them.  This means there are no two numbers "touching" thus revealing "gaps" between all the real numbers!  That's just crazy talk!!!

     Hopefully your mind is not completely blown yet, because I need you to hear this point.  Remember God is infinite.  God is 100% just, yet 100% merciful.  He is grace, but also truth.  The Bible, the book that God wrote about Himself, makes some pretty crazy claims regarding His nature.  A lot of it we cannot fully comprehend, but that doesn't mean it's bad theology.  It means that we have an awesome God that cannot be contained!  How can God speak and light appear?  I don't know, but the Bible says He did it.  How can God make man out of dust?  I don't know, but the Bible says He did it.  How could a man Jesus never have sinned?  I don't know, but the Bible says He did it.  How can God make all that I've seen and will ever see in only six days out of nothing?  I don't know, but the Bible says He did it.  How can Jesus die for me, a man who deserves neither His grace or His affection?  I don't know, but the Bible says He did it.  How can Jesus be God and His son?  I don't know, but that's what the Bible says.  How can God be three in one?  I don't know, but that's what the Bible says.  Maybe instead of trying to fit God into our understanding, we should try to fit our understanding on God.  Maybe instead of trying to rationalize God and overlook a few passages in the Bible to make God into something that we can fully comprehend we should take God at His word and marvel that we have no idea how to even comprehend Him.  Stop trying to make God fit your world, because He wont fit.  God is too powerful, too big, too mighty, too great, too omnipotent, too Holy, Holy, Holy, too perfect, too much to fit into our imperfect little minds.     

  

References:

https://carm.org/trinity

http://christianity.about.com/od/christiandoctrines/tp/denytrinity.htm 

http://www.religionresourcesonline.org/different-types-of-religion/compare/holy-trinity.php

To fear or not to fear? That is the question.

"Fear" by Skogalfar

     Fear.  We are gripped by it.  Compelled to act through it.  And, as of recently, seem to be in a constant state of it.  And rightly so.  Countless people have died at the hands of terrorism.  I'm not just saying this as an American either.  I say this as a human being, a member of this earth.  Too many people have died at the hands of extremists.  Sadly, terrorism has come to a point where it's almost not even news anymore.  We are less and less shocked that there was a bombing, or a shooting, or a bomb threat, etc.  It's madness.
     And with this madness, our fear has led us to say some pretty outrageous things in response.  Things that we cannot take back.  Things that aren't pretty.  Things that border on the lines of racism.  Things that are full of hatred and anger.
     Even our leaders and politicians are even guilty of it.  The people we put in charge, the people we elected to protect our homes and our borders are controlled by fear.  There have been talks and pushes to register people based on religion or race.  And I have to admit, I entertained the idea for a bit.  Even tried to justify it.  Then I started thinking..."this is pretty reminiscent of that time when the Nazis made all the Jews wear a Star of David" and my heart sank into my chest.  It retreated even further when I thought back to my history class and remembered what we did to Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor.  But nothing hurt my heart as much as when I reflected on the words of Jesus.

You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'  But I tell you, do not resist an evil person.  If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. ..."You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
(Matt 5.38-39, 43-45, emphasis mine)

But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  ...But love your enemies, do good to them...then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
(Luke 6:27-28, 35-36, emphasis mine)

     As Pastor Tom Mercer always says, "Jesus was right about everything.  And when I say everything I mean: Every. Thing."  And we as God fearing, Bible reading, Jesus loving, Sabbath church going, Christian living people need to live it.  Period.  There is no gray area on this.  Are these terrorists our enemies?  Absolutely! and Jesus said we need to love them.  Are these terrorists killing people without any rhyme or reason and with an unparalleled fury?  Undoubtedly! and Jesus commands us to pray for them.  Are they hijacking our way of life, hiding in the shadows, perpetuating fear with chaos and destruction?  Yes! and Jesus says we need to turn the other cheek.

     We cannot claim to be followers of Jesus and not actually follow Him.  Nowhere in the Bible does it say to treat people with hostility, or malice.  In fact is says the opposite.  "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31).  Since terrorists are our neighbors, Biblically speaking, then that includes them too.  And do you know why Jesus said this?  Because God does not treat any of us like that.  God has every right to condemn us, hate us, and kill us because of our sins against Him...but He doesn't.  You know why?  Grace.  We do not deserve anything we have.  We don't deserve the air in our lungs, the clothes on our back, the love and friendships we enjoy, or even our next heartbeat.  We deserve death, for the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23) and we all stand guilty.  But God showed us undeserved favor in the person of Jesus.
     Now, I know what you're thinking.  "But these people cannot get away with this!  Something has to be done!  They need to pay and we need to protect ourselves.  Are you saying we just do nothing?!?"  First of all, no.  That's not at all what I'm saying.  1 Timothy 5:8 says to provide for your family, and I think protection is something that needs to be provided.  So, by all means, take steps that directly ensure your family and your home are safe.  These things include buying food and water, stocking up on supplies, and maybe even a owning some guns.  Notice I said "directly".  Racism, hatred, prejudice, and segregation is not only NOT a solution, but it's un-Biblical, unjust, and would only fuel the fire.

"The Four Horsemen" by Yayashin 2012

     Secondly, we seem to be forgetting that vengeance solely belongs to Him, and Him alone.  Romans 12:19 says, "Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord."  Psalm 94:1 states, "The LORD is a God who avenges.  O God who avenges, shine forth."  Deuteronomy 32:35 reads, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay.  In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them."  Proverbs 24:29 says, "Do not say, "Ill do to them as they have done to me; I'll pay them back for what they did."  And the book of Hebrews 10:30 states, "For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people."  
     The question then is simple.  Do you believe Him?  God says in His word that He is all powerful (Isa. 43:13, Jer. 32:27, Matt. 19:26, Job 42:1-2), all knowing (Ps. 147:4-5, Isa. 46:9-10, Job 21:22), all seeing (Heb. 4:13, Psalm 33:13 Job 28:24), and completely Just (2 Thes. 1:6, Heb. 6:10).  That means that He is strong enough to do something about it, and that His something is a lot more than you or I could ever do in a thousand lifetimes.  It means that He knows what is going on in our lives and knows exactly what we are going through.  It means that He sees our suffering, sees our pain, sees our struggles.  Furthermore, it means that He is not going to let these things go.  Something will be done and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it.
     I sometimes feel that we as Christians only remember that God is love, or gracious, or merciful.  While they aren't weak traits, when things go sour and we are backed into a corner, we forget to turn to Him.  It's as if we forgot that God is also just, powerful, and protective of His people.  Maybe we do this because we can't merge these two ideas together in perfect harmony.  Therefore, we only see God as some forgiving teddy bear that just wants to hug and love on everyone.  As such, when the going gets tough we don't turn to the teddy bear, but instead roll up our sleeves and try to take matters into our own weak and limited hands.  We feel the need to take action and try to go it alone.  But, friends hear me on this.  God is all of those things perfectly wrapped up and seated on the throne!  Don't over look that!  It is true that God is all loving, but He also will not withhold His might hand from His enemies.  It is true that He is full of grace, but that grace is coupled with complete and perfect justice.  God's got this guys.  He really does.

     I am writing these words, still being convicted by His Holy Spirit.  To be honest, I am afraid of what is to come of our world.  I'm scared for the future, not only my own but also that of my young children.  I can't even imagine the world my son and daughter are going to live in...and that scares me.  A lot.  But, as a Christian who believes Jesus was right about everything, that God is all powerful, and that my eternity is secure, should I be afraid?  And the answer is no.
     Jesus tells us, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body..." (Matt. 10:28).  Read it for yourselves.  Jesus is telling us to not be afraid of anyone (i.e. - the terrorists) who murders, beheads, destroys, burns, etc. our bodies.  But, that sounds kind of...weird, doesn't it?  I imagine having a conversation with the Almighty, saying something like: "So, Jesus, You're telling me that we're supposed to just live our lives without having fear of being killed for our beliefs, our way of life?"  And He would lovingly respond, "That's exactly what I'm telling you."
     What's amazing is that if you really step back and understand the Gospel, then this crazy, weird statement actually makes sense!  God is telling us that we are (or can be) on the winning team.  Thats because when we fear God we recognize who is in control.  We realize that this life is a blip in eternity, one that has no tears, no hurt, no pain, and no sorrow.  We are then filled with a peace that only He can provide because we rest in knowing that we are secured by His love, His grace, His justice, His mercy, and ultimately protected by His mighty hand.  "Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Cor. 15:55).  Let me put it another way.  If you were playing football, and knew with absolute certainty that at the end of the game your team would win, would really anything that happened in the game bother you?  Would you be worried if the QB threw a pick-6?  Or if your team was down by 17 with 4 minutes to go in the 4th?  Of course not!  That's how it is when you are His child.  We are going to win the game, we just don't know how much time is on the clock.
     Because we don't know how much time is left, that can cause some anxiety.  But the Bible tells us quite a few times to "fear not".  So, I propose that instead of all this hatred, all the racism, all the propaganda, all these destructive "solutions", all our acting on our fears and turning it into something unholy and dishonoring to God...

...we just obey God's word and trust Him.

Sound good?

The Power of Prayer

Not too often do I blog about things when I am pretty hacked off.  Most of the time I am eager to share knowledge with you guys or just wanting to write something that I find interesting.  Generally, I am fairly easy going and I try to be as joyful as I can be.  I try my hardest to make each of my blogs enjoyable and educational, with just a hint of humor.  And maybe some sarcasm.

However, this is not one of those times.

I write this pretty furious.  I'm mad at the world, and the deviant that it has become.  I'm angry that God has not only been placed on the back burner, but His very existence is not even in question anymore.  The world, as it seems, is in full agreement that God does not exist, the Bible is about as reliable as the Mother Goose stories, and Jesus never existed.  How infuriating!  What I hold so dear to my heart, my Lord and Savior Jesus and His gospel message, is openly being mocked, ridiculed, and we (Christians) are being thought of as idiotic, uneducated, close-minded bigots that pray to a big giant Santa in the sky and force our nonsense on the world.

I was on a semi-popular social networking site, one that tends to look unfavorably on the people of faith - ironic since most of the people there would tell you they believe in tolerance, education, and togetherness, but whatever.  I normally just brush over the few times I would encounter snide comments, the blasphemous depictions of God, and the hatred for His word.  But today, I just couldn't do it.  I had to say something!  Even if just to you few.

Today, I saw a post regarding this:

And one of the comments was this:

First off, how insensitive do you have to be to mock people for praying to their God for peace and healing after 14 people were murdered?  I'm not even talking about a specific faith here either.  No one mocks people for the "sending good thoughts your way" comments.  No one belittles the person who says, "thinking of you guys in this time of need."  In fact, if Tom Cruise said he was going to pray, or whatever the Scientologists do, for the victims and their families, no one would bat an eye.  He'd even probably gain tons of followers and have thousands of re-tweets.  So why attack people who's hearts are going out to those affected by this tragedy?  Why use something like this to attack?  What I want to add is that these people - Ted Cruz, Dr. Rand Paul, Paul Ryan, Lindsey Graham - are all Christians.  They love Jesus.  So, not only are these people insensitive to the families affected, but the are using it to belittle Christians.  Notice any hostility towards ANY OTHER faith?  Me neither.

Secondly, I am amazed at the ignorance of these two statements!  "God isn't fixing this" is just the most idiotic statement possible.  Blaming God for all the evil in the world is an argument as old as Adam and Eve and stems from the belief that if God is all good and all powerful, and God hates evil, then evil should not exist.  But since evil does exist, then God must not.  This is a fallacious argument and is easily explained away.  You see, God designed us to be able to choose and live our own lives.  He didn't create mindless robots or drones that have to choose to follow Him.  As such, God allows allows us to make good and bad choices.  Unfortunately, some people choose really poorly sometimes and choose to terrorize and murder innocent lives.  Ultimately then, evil exists because of our own malice and sinful nature and rebellion towards a holy God.  We chose to sin, we are continually choosing to continue to sin, and evil is the result.  So to a non-believer it may make sense to blame Him for not "fixing" these problems.  But if He were to "fix them" then we would no longer be free to choose or not choose him.  Our love for Him would be forced and not genuine.  It is more important for Him to have people who truly and genuinely abide in Him, even if that means that evils will occur, than to have no evils and therefore no true followers.  So, for those of us who know and love God, we completely understand where the evils of the world come from - our own sinful nature - and know and trust that God is in control. 

Furthermore, people need to understand that God always answers our prayers, but He doesn't always answer them the way we want Him to.  Just like a kid doesn't always get his way with his parents, God doesn't always give us what we want.  Sometimes the answer is no.  And as hard as that is, we as people of faith need to believe that when He does reply, regardless of the answer, it's out of His perfect love and grace and for the best (Rom. 8:28).  I don't know why things like this happen.  I really can't grasp how God could make these shootings turn out for the best, but that's because His ways are not my ways (Isa. 55:8).  "But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'"" (Rom. 9:20).  I'm sure Joseph prayed for his release from prison in Egypt, or that Daniel prayed to not be thrown to the lions, or his three buddies prayed not to be thrown in the fire.  Even Jesus asked for things to be different (Matt. 26:39).  But, as Joseph said, we are in God's place and though there are evils against us, God meant it for good. (Gen. 50:20).  

Lastly, and more importantly, you need to know that God has already fixed this problem.  That's right, you read that correctly.  DO YOU HEAR ME DAILY NEWS?  THE PROBLEM HAS ALREADY BEEN FIXED! and was done so in the person of Jesus Christ.  Our biggest problem isn't terrorism.  It's not the NRA, as the democratic party would have you believe.  Our biggest problem is sin and the Hell that comes with it, literally.  Jesus paid our debts and forgave our sins on the cross.  So, He has fixed it.

 I am a firm believer in the power of prayer.  I've seen it work in my life many a times as well as the lives of my friends and family.  We pray because we are powerless.  We have no control of anything.  Of all the things that we go through in our lives, maybe a fraction of things are in our control.  This is why we need God to be present in our lives.  And in times like this, we need prayer more than ever.  One of my favorite comics, Jeff Allen, said, "Love, peace, and tolerance are God given traits.  If they weren't we'd be a much more loving, tolerant, and peaceful people."  Prayer is us asking God to give us what we cannot generate within ourselves.  Pray for peace in these troubled times.  Pray that God would grant these families a peace that overcomes all grief, a peace that only God can provide.  Pray that these thoughtless killings cease and that His love would be our response.

Lastly, I leave you with this:

"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thes. 5:16-18).

My prayers go out to the families who are grieving.  Father, God, my heart breaks for the amount of sorrow and pain these families and friends must be feeling.  I don't know them, but you do.  You love them more than anyone can understand.  Please God, grant them your spirit.  Wash over them and comfort them.  I pray, God, that you grant them what they so desperately need in these next coming days, weeks, months, and years.  I pray for the children of the victims who now have one less parent and ask that you comfort them as well.  Grant them your peace, your love, and your security.  Amen.

10 Reasons You Should Be A Mormon - Answered!

Something you may or may not know about me....

     I'm a former Latter-day Saint.  I used to be a Mormon.  I was baptized at 8, I was given the Aaronic Priesthood at 12, the Melchizedek Priesthood at 18.  I did stuff at the temple, did home teaching things, and considered myself to be pretty devout.  I didn't leave the LDS church until I was 22 years old.  With that being said I did not go on a mission, nor did I get married in the temple.  But, to this day, I still read Mormon articles and whatnot because, as a now Christian, I want to be equipped to answer my LDS family and friends on any religious differences.
     So when I see an article that is titled "10 REASONS YOU SHOULD BE A MORMON" my eyes tingle and twinge a bit.  And naturally, I can't control myself, I click and I read.  (see the article here)  I'm interested to see why people would want to become a Mormon.  In fact, that's a question I ask to many Mormons that I evangelize to.  What's the draw?  Why do you want to be LDS?  Why do you put your faith in the Book of Mormon, the latter-day prophets, the .... etc.  It's an intriguing and provoking thought.  Well, Steffany Ruby Faldmo, writer for www.ldsliving.com, was willing to give us her thoughts and I was more than happy to analyze it and, as Joseph Smith puts it, "take away the veil so that you may see."  Because if you just read this article, it seems very Christian, very Gospel-ly, and very interesting.  So, I'll try and tell you what they're really saying, or what they really believe, that way you have all the information and can make an informed decision.  Hopefully.
     Oddly enough, some of the reasons why this person says you should be Mormon are the same reasons why I said in an earlier blog (7 Reasons I am Not A Mormon) why you shouldn't become one.  Oh, sweet irony.  Anyways, after reading this article, and pondering on their reasons I decided that I had to write a response.

So, here you go...

STEFF'S REASON #1 - Jesus Christ is the Center of the LDS Faith
"A lot of people believe we don't worship Jesus Christ, but we do.  We believe in the same Jesus Christ that other Christian faiths believe in."

     I don't know where Steffany is getting her info, but the Biblical Jesus and the Mormon Jesus are not the same.  Period.  Let me explain with just a few differences.

     In fact, Gordon B. Hinckley even admitted this: "As a church, we have critics—many of them. They say we do not believe in the traditional Christ of Christianity. There is some substance to what they say. Our faith, our knowledge, is not based on ancient tradition…Our faith, our knowledge comes of the witness of a prophet in this dispensation." (President Gordon B. Hinckley, April 2002 General Conference).  So you see, Jesus Christ is the center of the Mormon church, but it's just not the Biblical Jesus.


STEFF'S REASON #2 - God still speaks to the world through a prophet.
"There is a living prophet today... [and] he only way you can know there's a prophet is through listening to what he has to say and praying to know for yourself."

     Ok, first of all, Mormons throw this "find out and pray to know if ___ is true" answer out all the time.  And while we should pray for things that we do not know and need guidance on, we also do not need to pray if God has already spoken about it.  Do we need to pray and ask if homosexuality is a sin?  No, because He said it in the Bible.  Do we need to pray and ask if we should obey our parents? No, because He said it in the Bible.  Do we need to pray and ask whether or not we should be kind to one another? No, and you know why? BECAUSE HE ALREADY TOLD US.  And, the Bible is very clear on what to do with other "gospels".  Paul says to the Galatian church that if anyone preaches another gospel to them than what he is preaching to them, then they will be cursed by God (Gal 1:8).  So, we don't need to pray about this one.  Is it in line with what the Bible teaches about God, Jesus, salvation, His message, etc.? No? Then don't believe it.  Simple.
     Secondly, the Bible teaches us that prophets were to be mediators between God and us.  But when Jesus died, the veil on the Holy of Hollies was torn (Mark 15:38), meaning we no longer have separation from God.  In fact, we can now talk directly to God and hear him speak in our lives through Jesus (1 Tim 2:5).
     Also, Luke 16:16.


STEFF'S REASON #3 - The Book of Mormon is MORE evidence of Christ

"It's such a blessing to have another testament of Jesus Christ in book form, just like the Bible!  ...both can be read side by side to learn more about who He is and how we can be like Him."

     The Book of Mormon is not recognized by anyone (other than those with ties to the LDS church) as being anywhere close to being historically accurate.  To date, nothing has been found that will substantiate the Book of Mormon as being a credible reference to anything that happened in the Americas.  Period.  As such, it cannot be used as evidence.
     I also would like to point out the inherent Mormon hierarchy of scripture.  Steffany says that both the Bible and the Book of Mormon can be read side by side, but then does a back handed cut to the Bible by saying the Book of Mormon "is easy to understand because it hasn't been translated a million different ways and times...", thus implying the Bible is difficult to understand and has had some translation issues.  Yeah, how many manuscripts can you compare your Book of Mormon to?  How many scholarly men and women have analyzed and studied the ancient writings of the Book of Mormon to decipher just exactly what each writer was intending to portray?

SMH...moving on...


STEFF'S REASON #4 - We have no paid clergy

"...out of our 14+ million members worldwide, from the prophet to the bishops to the members, NO ONE is paid.  [While there is a stipend for living expenses] ... we don't have people that go to school to become prophets and apostles and bishops... They are called by God and volunteer their time to serve."

     NO ONE is paid?  Really.  Cause I just read an article that says that General Authorities get at least $50,000 a year, the prophet and 70 get a salary, benefits, etc.  But, isn't that being paid?  Because it sounds a lot to me like they're being paid.  $50,000 - $200,000 is not just living expenses.  If the LDS clergy had their living expenses taken care of, then the church would not need to give them a paycheck.  At all.  The Church would have housing that is already paid for that these people can live in, free of charge.  They would drive cars owned by the church, gas cards to fill them up.  Maybe they'd get a few bucks for food and clothes every month or so, but that's it.  That cost of living is maybe $1k-$2k a year...and that's being generous.  Instead they are being paid more than most people in the world.  So, I call this one a lie.  Full on, bold face lie.  They are being paid.  Period, end of story.
     What's funny is that I don't care that they are being paid.  I don't care if the prophet makes $1 mil a year.  I really don't.  In fact, I agree with and support them being paid!  My pastor is paid, so is my worship leader, the secretaries, etc.  We should pay our clergy according to the Bible (1 Tim 5:17-18, Cor 11:8-9, Phil. 4:15-18, Cor. 12:13).  So, that begs the question, why is the Mormon church making a big deal out of this?  To make themselves look altruistic?  To make them seem like they are better than all the other churches because all of their staff is volunteer...even though they aren't?  It's just ridiculous.
     Secondly, why would you want people leading you and your families if they have no formal training?  Would you go to a non-accredited college?  Would you send your kids to learn and study from a teacher who never graduated?  Would you learn how to drive from someone who has never been behind the wheel of a car?  OF COURSE NOT!!!  That would be idiotic!  It's like the blind leading the blind.  Yet the Mormon church is proud that everyone is a non-experienced person.


STEFF'S REASON #5 - We have the biggest missionary program EVER!

"There are currently 74,900 missionaries throughout the world in 405 missions.  None are paid.  ...We even save our own money to serve!  ...We know that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ and that it will bring more happiness and peace to your life that you can ever know otherwise!"

     Look, I applaud the Mormon missionary program.  I do.  These young men and women are bold for their religion and the volume of LDS missionaries should make the Christian church's feel like they need to step it up.
     However...They know very little.  I have had countless conversations with countless missionaries about the Bible, Jesus, the Gospel, and they are just not well equipped to answer tough questions.  It's like they are given a script but cannot really deviate from it.  They don't know how to argue, evangelize, or defend their own beliefs.  And this is not something I've heard from someone, or whatever.  I know this because I have seen it time and time again!  For instance, I've talked to the missionaries about their belief of families being together forever, temple sealings, and them being able to become a God one day (all of which they confirmed to be a firm belief in).  I then started prodding about these beliefs and asking them about the afterlife.  What does it look like?  How can you be sealed and together with your family for all time and eternity when your children have the opportunity to go off and become a god of their own planet as well?  In your new planet, do you need another Jesus to pay for the sins of your inhabitants?  Would your son be that new Jesus, or would you and your wife have to make another one?  These questions may seem silly or outrageous to you and me, but to a Mormon these are logical extensions of a foundational belief.  Yet, they are silent on it and claim that these answers, "Have not been revealed."  Then when I tell them that the Bible says that God is the only God, and that no one has a chance to become one (Isaiah 43:10) they just say I don't understand the true gospel and leave.
     And I don't think I'm being unreasonable in thinking like this.  People that believe in the reincarnation law has some sort of explanation for what happens, why it happens, and what not.  Even if their explanations are weak or misguided, they still can somewhat hold a conversation about it.  Mormons don't.  They believe this extremely radical idea (families sealed for all time and eternity through a temple marriage, God was once a man, the Adam-God theory, they can become a God) yet cannot explain logical extensions of that belief.  In my experience, most don't even attempt to try.  Instead, they claim a lack of understanding because God hasn't told them yet.  Sounds like a cop-out to me, but hey what do I know.
     Most importantly, they are preaching the wrong gospel of Jesus Christ.  Sheer numbers do not make up for the fact that they are preaching a false doctrine and leading people away from the throne of God. (This would take a long time to fully explain in this blog.  Instead, you can read my book "Where is Jesus?" or some of my other blog posts, or listen to Dr. Walter Martin, or read "Beyond Mormonism" by James R. Spencer).


STEFF'S REASON #6 - We know death does NOT separate families.
"...would God put us here in families just to break them apart at death?  Of course not!  That's why when we are married it's not til death, but for all time and eternity."

     First off - and again, I don't know where she gets her information - but God does not separate families at death.  When I die, I will see my wife and children again (as long as they have put their trust in Jesus).  The only difference is that my wife will not have the title of "wife".  My kids will no longer belong to me and be called my children.  Instead, we will all be apart of a collective group of people - a body of believers if you will - that will rejoice in the redeeming and saving grace of our Lord Jesus and bask in the Glory of God forever and ever.  But this is not a separation.  It's only a title change.  We are no longer known as husband, or wife, or son, or daughter, but are rather called children of God, the Redeemed, the blessed, His bridegrooms.  We are not separated from God or eachother at all.  Only our earthly designations are changed.
     Secondly, the Bible says that no one is going to be married after death.  Meaning marriage no longer has meaning after we die.  (Rom 7:2, 1 Cor. 7:39, Luke 20:27-40, Matt 22:29-30).  So that belief that marriage is eternal is completely un-Biblical.  I talk about this in my book and expound upon the differences of a Biblical marriage and a Mormon marriage and who the focus actually is on in each scenario.  Just know that marriage is a tool that helps you get closer to and focus on God more.  As such, once you are in the presence of God there is no longer a need to be married.


STEFF'S REASON #7 - We have temples!

"In ancient times, God commanded His people to build temples to perform sacred ordinances like marriage... With the restoration of His church through the prophet Joseph Smith, building temples became a commandment once again.  ...You can feel the peace there even just walking around the grounds."

     Hows about a history lesson?  God did not actually command His people to build temples, as in multiple ones.  Here is how it happened...briefly.  In the old testament Moses was given quite a bit of things directly from God and they were placed in the Ark of the Covenant.  Later on, instructions followed on how to build a tabernacle for God to house the Ark.  It was a roaming 'temple' where sacrifices and burnt offerings were given to God for several things.  When King David came along, he saw all that he had been given and blessed with and said "Look, I am living in a palace made of cedar wood, but the Ark of God is in a tent!" (2 Sam. 7:2).  David then pursued the task of building a temple, which was halted when God told him that his son Solomon would build Him a temple.  Emphasis on 'a' temple...meaning just one.  One temple.  Uno templo.  After David died, King Solomon build "a" temple to the Lord.  That temple lasted until Nebuchadnezzar II in 587 BCE.  The second temple, or Herod's temple (a replacement of the first) was built 516 BCE and lasted until after Jesus' life.  It was then destroyed in 70 A.D., fulfilling Jesus' prophecy (Matt. 24:1-8).  It is important to note that there is nothing that would lead anyone to believe that weddings, or marriage ceremonies, or the like were ever performed in either of these temples.
     So, Steffany has been misled by the LDS church.  God commanded His people to build a temple, not temples.  Temples were never used for marriages.  Instead, they were used in worship, a place to perform sacrifices, or burnt offerings.  Now, I don't know if you can feel God's presence or anything when you walk around there or not because I haven't been to one in over a decade.  I just know the facts.  Maybe they feel a peace because they are just truly beautiful buildings.


STEFF'S REASON #8 - We have authority from God
"No one can just stand up and decide they have authority from God to start a church.  ...Many churches were formed [after Christ] and people had this idea that they could start a church however they wanted.  ...that authority that was given by God to baptize, preach the gospel, and hold all the keys to run His church on earth was brought back and restored through a prophet..."

     Uh...what?!?  First of all, Joseph Smith was such a person.  He reported a story that he was visited by an Angel of Light and God told him that every single church, pastor, and doctrine on earth was false and that he had to start a church.  So, obviously people can just start any ol' church.
     Secondly, the churches that were formed after Jesus' death were started by the apostles ministries throughout the middle east.  Read the book of Acts.  Thousands upon thousands were converted to Christianity and they held church in their homes, where they worshiped Jesus.  Later, the apostles wrote down what God impressed upon them to write, some of their letters to these churches were gathered, and the New Testament was formed.  This coupled with the Old Testament formed the Bible, which is where people get their 'authority' from.  God has spoken in His word how He wants His church to be governed.  Every Christian church that follows the Bible has God at the helm.  He is the only authority and in His name are baptisms, preaching, etc. are being done.
     Thirdly, Joseph's new Book has not been substantiated as fact, his gospel is a departure from the Bible's, and his church (the Mormons) do not follow the same road that Christian churches do.  The only thing the Mormons do have is the Bible, and they in a round about way discredit that.  They say it is not as powerful as the Book of Mormon because it has either been changed too much or it's outdated.  Joseph Smith even said that the Book of Mormon is better than any other book because it is only through reading it can a person come closer to God (Intro of the Book of Mormon).


STEFF'S REASON #9 - We aren't perfect, but we have the same goals.
"Nobody is perfect, and everyone in our religion (or any other for that matter) struggles with something.  We may not follow our faith perfectly, and we make mistakes, but most of us...try to follow the example of our Savior and be united as families for all eternity."

     While this is a very honest and heartfelt statement, it is not a reason to follow a religion.  "Come follow us because...well, we fail a lot but we mean well!"  How is this a reason?  Maybe I'm being nit-picky or something.  But I was hoping for something more than just the commonality of being born into sin as being a reason.  Yes, we should follow Jesus.  Yes, we should strive to be better.  Yes, we should recognize our own sinful nature.  But how does that help anyone?  What about the person struggling with addiction?  What about the person struggling with a broken home?  Does this answer really speak to them.
     I guess this bothers me because I see it as a bigger problem.  Why not talk about how Jesus died for your sins and saved you from your imperfection?  Why not say, "we're not perfect, but Jesus teaches us that through Him our sins are washed away".  So far only one of her reasons have addressed anything that truly plagues us as humans: our sin.  Apart from number 1's brief mention of Jesus dying for our sins, her numbered points could really apply to joining a health club or a group on Facebook.  Really, no reason to why we need to follow Jesus is given, just that we need to do it.
    Again, maybe I'm being overly critical.  She's just trying to make a fun post about become a Mormon and doesn't really understand what she's asking people or the crucial call for Kingdom Work.  She probably doesn't see things like I do, which isn't necessarily a bad thing because I tend to over analyze a lot!  She probably doesn't see that maybe a person out there is searching for answers and needs more than a cookie cutter answer to life.
    Yeah, maybe I am being overly critical...sorry about that everyone.


STEFF'S REASON #10 - We can have happiness forever!
"I am in no way going to say that being a Mormon means you'll have no trials.  False.  But, many of us can handle our hard times and struggles much easier with the knowledge we do have.  Happiness is so much more abundant when we follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and try to be better everyday.  People often ask me how I can be so happy all the time, and it's because I know where I came from, why I'm here, and where I'm going."

     Ah, see, here it is.  I just spoke too soon!  She does end with some meat and potatoes, so to speak, and its something that I agree with...if she were talking about the real Jesus and not Joseph's.
     Following Jesus is the key to finding joy in this life.  Joy, not happiness, but true joy.  The kind of joy that Job had when he was tested.  The kind of Joy that Paul had in prison and while being beaten half to death.  The kind of joy that Peter had in prison, and in death.  The kind of joy that the kids who were murdered for believing in Him had when they stood up for His name.  Whether trials, or hardships, or addictions, or peril, we know that God is with us and has saved us for all time and eternity through the blood of Jesus on the cross.  But that joy only comes when we put our faith, our trust, our hope in the one true Jesus.  Sad to say, but the Mormon Jesus is not the one who can provide that kind of peace, joy, love, and security.  Only the God of the Bible can do that.  And they themselves have admitted to believing in a different Christ (even if Steffany hasn't acknowledged it).

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     Anyways, that's my two cents.  Steffany, if you ever read this, I would love to have a conversation about this with you.  But for the rest of you guys, thanks for reading.  Let me know what you think in a comment, or email, or whatever.  Writing this gave me an idea for my own blog.  I'll try to write one with a few reasons why you should put your faith, hope, and trust in Jesus.  But that will take some time.  But be on the lookout for it.
     As always, I hope this helps you in some way get closer to God and realize your need for a relationship with the true and living God of the Bible.  If you are struggling with something, need answers, or have a couple questions please email me personally at whereisjesusbook@gmail.com.  I would love to pray with you and talk to you about a relationship with Jesus.  Take care, and God bless!