A Primer on Mormonism

2026-02-21

SITUATION

One must understand that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints calls itself Christian and uses terminology that born-again believers use but the true meaning of their beliefs and terminology are contradictory to the Bible and doctrine

BACKGROUND

Today the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has a membership of over 16 million people (6.6M in US, 1.4M in Mexico and Brazil) They are zealous, serious about spreading their version of the gospel. The religion produces ethical and moral fruit, yet they are at war with God. They preach a counterfeit God, Christ, and gospel.

Joseph Smith, Jr. is the founder of the Latter Day Saint church and their first prophet. One must understand many things about Joseph Smith to get a better view of how he became a cult leader and what he was trying to accomplish.

In his early years, Joseph Smith was a speculator who was convicted in the state of New York for glass looking/stone peeping (1826, Shenango County, New York). Seer-stone peeping was when a person put a crystal/stone in their hat, put their face in the hat, and determined where buried treasure was located. Ultimately, stone peeping would be used to translate and create the Book of Mormon (“The Changing World of Mormonism”, 68).

Joseph Smith claimed to receive a vision from God in the 1820s during a time that he was trying to determine which church he should join. According to Smith, he saw God the Father and Jesus Christ in the vision and God the Father said all denominations (people who were professors of the faith) were corrupt after the time of the apostles. God told Joseph to join none of these because he would lead a new restored church.

This first vision showed that God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are three separate gods: God the Father—Elohim, to whom they address their prayers, Jesus Christ—Jehovah who they believe died for man’s sins, and the Holy Ghost, or the Comforter, through whom one may know truth. They are three separate beings but serve one purpose. They do not believe in the Trinity.

Joseph Smith would go on to write the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price (which contains the Book of Abraham), and Doctrines and Covenants. Joseph Smith claimed he was provided golden plates by the angel Moroni which he interpreted to produce the book of Mormon. These three works and the KJV Bible (in so far as it is translated correctly) are the four books Mormons believe in today.

Mormons believe that Jews (northern 10 tribes) came to America in the 8th century BC. “We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent…” – Orson Pratt (Mormon Prophet).

Archeological proof for claim? Joseph Smith claimed that a huge battle took place between two tribes (Nephites and Lamanites) near the Hill Cumorah (located next to his house in New York) which resulted in 230,000 Nephites being killed and completely eliminated. No evidence has ever been found to support the claim.

Scientific proof for claim? Now that we have the scientific ability to determine where your DNA originated from, the American Indians have been tested and found to have Mongoloids (Asian) DNA and not Hebrew/Mediterranean DNA

As mentioned earlier, Joseph Smith wrote the Pearl of Great Price which includes the Book of Abraham. A traveling salesman selling Egyptian artifacts sold Joseph Smith an Egyptian Papyrus which Joseph proclaimed was the lost Book of Abraham. He translated the papyrus, which was written in reformed Egyptian (ancient Sanskrit). Note, the Rosetta Stone, key to translating ancient Egyptian language, was found but had not made its way to the US at the time. In the 1960s, the lost papyrus was found and published by the Mormon Church. A translation was performed and the document was found to be ancient Egyptian burial (embalming) instructions and not the lost book of Abraham as proclaimed by Joseph.

It is believed that Joseph Smith had over 30 wives, many of whom were already married and one who was documented as being 14 years old. In 1890, the Mormon Manifesto was issued which denounced the practice of polygamy. This Manifesto came about because of the US government threatening to take their land and block Utah from entering into the Union.

Today, Mormons wear special temple garments (underwear), are not allowed to drink coffee/tea, and aren’t allowed to look at sites or literature outside their church.

Mormon Theology (Source: “Kingdom of the Cults”)

The plan was for Adam and Eve to fall that they might reproduce and eventually reach godhood. II Neph 2:25

Mormons believe that “as man is, God once was and as God is, man can become” (Lorenzo Snow). God the Father was once a man who, like us, went through trials and tribulations and progressed in knowledge during his time on the planet (near the star Kolob). When he died, he was made a god of the planet Earth. God the Father had a father and his father had a father, etc. God the Father and his spirit wife had spirit children (Jesus being the first).

Jesus, Satan, you, and I are all spirit children of Elohim. Therefore, by extension, Jesus and Satan are brothers. Jesus was picked by the gods to become Redeemer of the human race and it was the office Lucifer desired (Moses 4, Pearl of Great Price).

Those souls (spirit children who were on Christ’s side but not zealous) who were less than valiant during the war between Jesus and Satan were given dark skin. Up until 1978, anyone with dark skin couldn’t enjoy the benefits of the Mormon priesthood. The change was a result of large number of Mexicans/Brazilians becoming Mormons but couldn’t lead their Churches, and it is rumored that the Carter administration threatened to take the Church’s tax exempt status away because of the belief and need to advance Civil Rights.
Entrance into the kingdom of God requires baptism in the church (water), laying of hands by one with authority in the church (spirit), good works, obedience to church doctrines.

When a Mormon dies he will go to the celestial (highest), terrestrial, or telestial (lowest) levels of heaven (Joseph Smith made up the latter). Only those Mormons who were married in the church to another Mormon, progressed in knowledge, and found worthy can attain the highest level of the celestial heaven. Here, with their spirit wife or wives, they will be issued a planet and have spirit children. These spirit children will be given bodies on the planet and worship the Mormon as we worship God the Father today. This progress continues infinitely to populate the planets.