Transcription
If you are a Christian, you believe that after resurrecting and giving final instructions to his disciples, Jesus ascended to heaven and will return again one day to judge the living and the dead. But that's not how the Mormons believe. They believe that after ascending to Heaven, Jesus went to America to appear to other people, and this story is found in another book.
For those unfamiliar with the Mormons, this idea might seem bizarre and unfounded. But know that this is just the beginning. Even though they hold beliefs considered strange by Christians, Mormons have been growing rapidly around the world. In Brazil, for example, in just 10 years, their membership has doubled, making it important to understand what they believe.
Mormons believe that a group of Hebrews migrated to America around 600 BC. This group split into two: the Lamanites and the Nephites. After many wars, the Lamanites defeated the Nephites, but centuries later, Jesus entered the scene and united the two groups. This story is fantastic, but despite all the research efforts by this billion-dollar organization, no archaeological evidence has ever been found that Israelites came to America. DNA analysis has concluded that Native Americans did not originate from the Middle East or from the Israelites, but from Asia.
So, if no evidence has been found to this day, where did the story of Israelites and Jesus in America come from? Well, the Mormon Church began with the American Joseph Smith. He explained that the word Mormon comes from the conjunction of the word "more" with the Egyptian word "man" to form Mormon, meaning literally "more good."
According to Smith, it all began in 1820 when he was 15 years old. He had his first vision in which God the Father and Jesus appeared to him and advised him not to join any church because they were all wrong. Three years later, in a second vision, an angel named Moroni told him about a book written on Golden Plates that would contain the fullness of the Gospel. Besides the book, he would find the Urim and Thummim instrument, which would serve for translation. After finding the work, Smith claimed he was able to translate it in four years, publishing The Book of Mormon in 1830.
Over time, more than 100,000 changes were made to this book. The book basically contains several entire chapters from the Bible in the King James version of 1611, in addition to the text that he created. Its size is equivalent to that of the Old Testament, and it is from there that this story of Christ in America originates.
Interestingly, there are things in The Book of Mormon that didn't exist during the time of the story told in the book in America. For example, horses, chariots, goats, elephants, wheat, and steel. None of this existed on the American continent. Nevertheless, this book, along with the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price, are the most important books for Mormons. Regarding the Bible, they only accept the passages that agree with the beliefs and practices of their church. Where the Bible and their writings clash, they stick with their writings.
One of the many controversial writings that is part of the Mormon canon is the Book of Abraham, contained in the Pearl of Great Price. The translation was supposedly made in 1835 by Joseph Smith from a set of Egyptian papyri acquired from an exhibition. After being lost for years, the papyrus was rediscovered in 1966. As soon as the church received the papyri, they called in scholars to analyze them, and what was immediately and unequivocally recognized was that the documents from which Smith translated the Book of Abraham say nothing about Abraham, but are common funerary texts. In other words, the papyri show that Smith translated the Book of Abraham from a funerary text that was 3,000 years younger than Abraham. Therefore, he had no knowledge of ancient Egyptian language or culture.
Despite this unequivocal demonstration of Smith's inability in translations, Mormons continue to believe that using the Urim and Thummim instrument, he was able to translate The Book of Mormon, which was inscribed on Golden Plates. Incidentally, the translation of the Golden Plates cannot be verified because after the book was completed, the Golden Plates, along with the Urim and Thummim, were returned to the angel Moroni, meaning their existence and translation can never be independently verified.
Mormons believe in Joseph Smith despite his history of arrests and criminal charges for various crimes, including bank fraud, treason, property destruction, and extortion, claiming he knew where to find lost treasures. Mormons are also notably indifferent to Smith's polygamous family arrangements, as he had 49 wives, some of whom were only 14 years old, and he even married women who were already married.
And speaking of polygamy, many think Mormons approve of this practice, but that is not true. Smith claimed to have received God's approval to restore the practice after inquiring about plural marriage in the Old Testament. This caused many problems for the Mormons. Therefore, in 1890, the church's fourth president received what the Latter-Day Saints believe was another revelation, in which God conveniently withdrew the command to practice plural marriage. In other words, God said and then unsaid.
Another example of such convenient revelation involves the LDS Church's over a century-long history of racism. Until 1978, black men of African descent were barred from the priesthood. Only that year did a revelation come for the change in practice, coincidentally in the decade of the Civil Rights Movement, which transformed American society. However, a problem remains. The Book of Mormon includes a story of God turning a group of ancient people called the Lamanites dark-skinned as punishment for their wickedness. In Nephi, it is written, "So that the Lamanites would not be enticing to my people, the Lord God caused their skin to become dark."
And speaking of God, the Latter-Day Saints believe that the Godhead is a tritheism, meaning that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three separate beings. Both the Father and the Son have perfect physical bodies. The Mormon's view of God is characterized by the following statement: "The Father has a body of flesh and bone as tangible as man's. The Holy Spirit does not have a physical body." To be clear, this is not the same as the Trinity. Christians believe that God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, although three persons, are united in one God. Mormons believe that God the Father was once a man on another planet, but by being a good Mormon, he attained the status of God. Christians believe that the Trinity has been God for all eternity.
Mormons believe that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. They believe he was born as the Son of God the Father and an immortal mother, Mary. A controversial issue is that even though many Mormons do not believe that Mary had carnal relations with God to conceive Jesus, many Mormon prophets and apostles taught that she did.
And speaking of making babies, in the Mormon view, eternal marriage is one of the ordinances required to achieve exaltation. So, many Latter-Day Saints believe that Jesus got married. The Bible is simply silent on this matter. Orson Hyde, a church president, believed that Jesus had been the groom at the wedding in Cana. "If at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, Jesus was the groom and took Mary, Martha, and the other Mary as his wives, that doesn't shock us." Joseph F. Smith felt that Jesus was married, but that the idea should not be taught. Anyway, the belief that Jesus was married has never been an official doctrine of the church.
Mormons believe that everyone is a spiritual child of God. Therefore, everyone is brothers. Since Jesus is the son of God, and so is the devil, they are brothers. He was called Lucifer, this spirit brother of Jesus. Christians believe that only Jesus is the Son of God, the only begotten. All human beings are creatures created by God, and to become an adopted child, one must receive Jesus as Savior. The devil was a created angel who rebelled against God.
Mormons believe in a combination of faith and works for salvation and the destiny of their future. This includes everything from obeying the laws and ordinances of the gospel of Christ to repentance and baptism. In this case, they baptize the dead. They also have their secret temple ceremonies, and they wear magical undergarments called garments. Christians, on the other hand, know that salvation comes only through Christ. Nothing we do can redeem us from our sins; only God's grace can. So, there is no need for ceremonies and other hidden rituals.
Perhaps you find it ridiculous for someone to take Mormonism seriously, but keep in mind that not all Mormons are converted in adulthood. Many are indoctrinated from childhood. And even adults who convert to this religion may have emotional problems and insecurities that make them open to embracing this kind of belief. So, if you know a Mormon, be understanding. Laughing at or mocking them will not help at all. Therefore, be kind and patient if you wish to help them.
Now, if you want to learn a little more about the mark of the beast, click on this video that is appearing on your screen. Stay in peace and see you next time.