Do Mormons Worship God?

Mormons do not worship God. I know many Mormons will automatically reject this claim, but I would ask for a thoughtful consideration of the evidence instead of an emotional rejection.

1. Mormons do not focus on (worship) God or Jesus in their personal testimonies and beliefs.

Go to a Mormon sacrament meeting on the first Sunday of the month, the fast and testimony meeting. Listen to the testimonies. Usually it will go something like this: "Hello, for those of you who don't know me, by name is _______ and I know this church is true. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet, and that Thomas S. Monson is our living prophet today..." and so on. Somewhere in there they might throw in something like, "I know Jesus Christ atoned for our sins," but there usually are few references to God and Jesus, if any, and most are directly related to the church ("I know that this is the restored church of Jesus Christ"). Even children are taught to say they "know" these things before they even understand them. The belief of most Mormons is all too obviously rooted on the church, its teachings, and its leaders. While they believe it is the work of God and the church of Jesus Christ, it is the church and its teachers that truly matter and its leaders that they truly follow.

2. Mormons to not usually focus on (worship) God or Jesus throughout church meetings.

Sit through the whole three hour bloc of meetings sometime, and keep tally of what they say. How many times are "God" and "Jesus" mentioned outside of prayers and hymns? While hymns are certainly worship (singing praises of a person or thing...yes, done in church for a religious purpose, that would usually be worship), how much do you think people are really getting into the hymns about God or Jesus most of the time? On the other hand, how many times do you hear "Joseph Smith," "the Church (or a variation)," or some other very specifically Mormon thing pertaining to the church or its leadership mentioned? For that matter, is a hymn like "Spirit of God," "Praise to the Man," or "We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet" sung in praise of the church and its leadership?

Psalm 29: 2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

I and many other ex-Mormons (and any Mormon who is truly honest with themselves) will say that they don't really worship in church, except perhaps when singing hymns. Singing songs like "I Stand All Amazed" was probably the closest I got to really worshiping God. I learned plenty about the church. I learned plenty about things I should and should not do. I learned a lot about Mormon teachings and the Book of Mormon and prophets. But there's a lot I didn't know about the Bible, and the Bible is about God and Jesus. I didn't know a whole lot about God and Jesus personally.

Psalm 100:2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

3. Mormons do not worship God in their daily lives.

The Bible commands us to worship God alone, and to do so constantly. 

Exodus 20:1-4 And God spoke all these words: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

1 Corinthians 10: 31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory [worship] of God. 

We are worshipers. The question is not whether we worship, but what. Worship doesn't begin and end on Sunday, it continues constantly. People who don't worshiping God are just worshiping things that aren't God. Even if it is a good thing that we worship, if it is not God, it is an idol. According to the New Testament, many false things we worship are actually demons. 

Romans 1:25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. 

1 Timothy 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

Most devout Mormons I know worship things such as marriage/family, success, their own righteousness (read, pride and self-righteousness), and the church. Now, these things aren't necessarily bad in and of themselves, but since Mormons place these things above God, they have become idols. Family is a blessing, but it is not as important as God; God should be above family for a family to truly be Godly. Marriage is wonderful, but a marriage should be secondary to and guided by God, actively and daily, not just in name. Success isn't bad, especially for a husband and father trying to provide for his family, but if it is placed above God, it is an idol. Righteousness is good, but true righteousness only comes from God. The legalistic righteousness of faithful Mormons is self-righteous and becomes prideful very quickly, since Mormons see it as their road to their own Godhood, place their own false glory and exaltation above God's true and perfect glory and exaltation. 

 Isaiah 29: 13 The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.

If you are a Mormon, think about your daily life outside of Sunday or other meetings at church. Do you read scriptures? Pray? Spend time with family? How much of this do you do to glorify God, in complete honesty? Think about each thing you do carefully. Do you do it because you know you're supposed to? Because it makes you feel good about yourself, maybe? Any reason less than joyfully giving glory and love and time and attention to God is not worshiping him. And in the daily, "non-spiritual" things...do you clean your home, raise your children, go to work,  etc., for the glory of God? I doubt it. I don't think I've met a Mormon who can honestly, truly say they do.

 Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Not that we usually can perfectly worship all the time. We are human. But Mormons don't really do it even when its easy, more or less through the daily grind.

4. Mormons do not worship Jesus.

I know what a Mormon is going to think here, roughly. "Of course we don't worship Jesus! We're only supposed to worship Heavenly Father!" Well, here's a surprise for you. We are SUPPOSED to worship Jesus! He accepted worship! And it is well recorded that Christians were worshiping Jesus as God before the apostles died!   

Matthew 2:2, 11 ...and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 

Matthew 4:10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ ”

Matthew 14:43 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” 

Matthew 28: 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 

John 9:38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

Hebrews 1:6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” 

Jesus was God. I've got other blog entries on the Trinity to support it. Jesus certainly recognized that only God should be worshiped, and recognized himself as the incarnation of God, and therefore accepted worship. That means we should worship Jesus! It makes sense. If he is divine, why should he not be recognized as such? Does he not deserve praise and adoration? Love and extreme gratitude? Does his sacrifice not inspire joy and awe? Is that not worship? Yet Mormon leaders say that we aren't supposed to worship him!

I remember how hard it was to just talk about Jesus when I was Mormon. Saying the name "Jesus," especially in excited conversation about him, was foreign. I said "Jesus Christ" pretty comfortably and familiarly, but just talking about "Jesus" was more than a little awkward. Its not anymore, but that's because I've learned to worship Jesus.

Questions for Mormons to Ask

Here are some questions for Mormons to consider and try to find answers for:

• If there is a lineage of gods, as Joseph Smith and subsequent prophets and General Authorities have taught, and if an actually infinite number of something is impossible, then there had to be a first god. Who was he, where did he come from, and why do we not worship him?
• If Jesus could prove himself worthy without sinning, why do the rest of us have to suffer from sin?
• The Book of Abraham said that the gods made the heavens and the earth (Abraham 4) but the Bible says Jesus did (John 1:3, Colossians 1:15-18); why the contradiction?
  
• If Jesus was perfect and the example par excellence, why didn't he get baptized at eight years old?
• If God organized the earth (Abraham 4), and matter is eternal, then why do we not worship eternal matter? Or if matter was made by the first god, we go back to the question, why do we not worship him?
• Why do wives have to depend on their husband to call them forth at the resurrection, but the Bible says that there is neither male nor female in Christ (Galatians 3:28) and that resurrection comes through Jesus alone?
• Why does Jacob 2:24-28 say that David and Solomon's many wives were an abomination and that the people of God should not practice plural marriage, but D&C 132 says the opposite? Does God change his mind? Are one of them wrong?
• How are families forever if those who achieve exaltation eventually get their own planets, as prophets have taught? This means that the faithful children of faithful parents will be separate. Does families forever simply mean you have access to your family at anytime?
• Since God was once a man, could he have been a sinner? The implication of us being able to become gods is that yes, he could have been, unless he was the savior. Even if he was the savior, then we, as sinners, can be gods of our own worlds over our own spirit children.
• Brigham Young said that "...no man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith," (Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 289). Yet Jesus said that we get to the Father through him. Is Joseph Smith as great as Jesus?
• In accordance with D&C 132, Brigham Young said ""Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned," (Journal of Discourses, vol. 3, p. 266). Also, "The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy," (Journal of Discourses, vol. 11, p. 269). Since many Mormons no longer practice polygamy, can they be exalted?
• If Jesus is the Only Begotten Son, how could he have been conceived by the Spirit, who is not the Heavenly Father? And since Heavenly Father has a body of flesh and blood, how could he have impregnated Mary without intercourse? (General Authorities, including prophets, have said that God did have intercourse with Mary. Do you agree with this?)
• If Heavenly had intercourse with Mary, isn't this incest?
• If the Book of Mormon is the most correct book (History of the Church 4:461), then why does it have so many anachronisms?
• If all but the sons of perdition are placed in a Kingdom of Heaven, and if even the lowest Kingdom is a paradise, what is the real punishment for the sinners who didn't even want to be with God in the first place?
• If Adam and Eve eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, why was it a sin, and if its a sin, why is it a good thing for humanity? This means that God wanted rape, abuse, lying, cheating, stealing, adultery, murder, and everything else to come into the world to test us, knowing that we'd fail the test to at least some extent because everyone sins!
• If sin was necessary and part of the Plan of Happiness, why did Jesus have to pay for it?
• Considering that most children can't really made an educated or heart-felt choice in their beliefs, why is eight years old the age of accountability? What happens to the nine-year old who grew up in a non-Mormon home?
• If the president of the church is a prophet, why doesn't he prophesy?
• If Jesus was Jehovah God of the Old Testament, he gave the commandment to worship him only, but prophets say that only the Father should be worshiped. Why this discrepancy?
• How could Jesus have been Jehovah God of the Old Testament when he didn't have a mortal body and prove himself in mortality yet? For that matter, why is the Holy Spirit enjoying Godhood without having received a body and proven himself in mortality?
• Since polygamy was originally the New and Everlasting Covenant (D&C 132), could Heavenly Father be polygamous? Could some of us be only half spirit siblings because of different Heavenly Mothers?
• Why are the fundamentalists so wrong, if they actually practice and believe the teachings of the early prophets that mainstream Mormons don't? Wouldn't Brigham Young, having taught those doctrines, believe the mainstream church to now be apostate?
• Why is it that prophets can be just "giving their opinion" as doctrine from the pulpit if future prophets or current Mormons don't like it and either denounce it or don't ratify it, but the Old Testament prophets never just "gave their opinion" as doctrine and had to have it affirmed?

Ask the Missionaries

So many times, I'm told, "ask your bishop" or "Ask the missionaries" about my objections to the Mormon religion. Completely aside from the facts that I no longer have a bishop and can school most missionaries in knowledge of their own religion, this is ridiculous.

If I"m trying to decide whether to buy a certain model and year of Chevy, I'm not going to get an honest and straight answer about the car from the dealership because they're going to talk it up and make it look as enticing as they can to make the sale. Nor do I want a for dealership, as they'll bash Chevy no matter how good or bad the car may actually be. I want something like Kelly Bluebook or an unassociated car buff or a friendly, non-associated mechanic.

The bishop or missionaries are like the Chevy dealership. Although in this case, they often won't even know something might be wrong with the car, more or less what exactly it is and whether its true. Unfortunately, Mormon leadership has gotten around that difficulty by labeling everything else as Ford, even if it not, which leaves the seeker with only the misrepresenting or more probably the ignorant Chevy salesman to go to.

We live in the information age. Its as easy to access knowledgeable and correct information about the Mormon religion as Kelly Bluebook. There's some very simple ways to figure out what you're looking at:

1) Is it spiteful, obscene, and angry towards Mormons, especially without reasonable foundation? That's probably Ford. There is probably truth in at least some of it, but its not the best source of information. I personally encounter these fairly rarely.

2) Is it written by Mormons? Glowingly approving of the religion or beliefs with little or no objectivity? Its probably Chevy. There are a couple website that claim to be Christian but sound overwhelmingly Mormon, because its made by Mormons, so that's still Chevy--Chevy pretending to be Kelly Bluebook, no less.

3) Are sources carefully cited or available? Are many sources historical, or from sources that are currently or were originally published by the LDS church and/or its upper leadership? Is it firm with truth, but not full of either anger and railing or glowing reports that may gloss over unpleasant facts? This is Kelly Bluebook, or your friendly mechanic.

I don't listen much to Ford. I have listened to Chevy, but have generally found it is biased and unreliable. I like Kelly Bluebook. Its not the Bluebook's fault if the model is bad.


(Note: This is not any indication of whether I prefer Chevy or Ford. I drive a Mazda.)

But I'm a Good Person!

How often have I heard this an other defenses of the Mormon church! "But I'm a good person/we're good people!" "But we have high standards." "But we have good family values."

And I say...so what?

Being a good person or teaching high standards and being family focused are good things of course...but they do not make something true, nor do they provide a good excuse to keep following something untrue.

For instance, the argument that "we're good people." First of all, not all people within a religion or worldview are good. I've known two active Mormons who were unrepentant rapists. While some religions may be better and some worse in things like this, there are bad people in all religions and worldviews--whether their belief is necessarily sincere or not is another question. I know that at least one of those rapists sincerely believed in the Mormon religion. Second, there are good people in the majority of religions and worldviews. Mormon, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, atheist, Wiccan, and so forth--it doesn't matter. There are good and bad people in pretty much all of them.

Second, good is a relative term. If we're talking about good on the world's standards, sure, many Mormons are good. Many people in general are good on that standard. But what about God's standards? Are people good on God's standards? Let's consider this. Have you lied? Lusted after someone not your spouse? Stolen? Used God's or Jesus' name(s) as a cuss word (blasphemed)? Coveted? Disobeyed your parents? If you're honest, you probably have to say yes to most of these, and most of us would probably have to say yes to all of them. This means that in God's eyes, you are not good.

Romans 3:12 All have turned away,
   they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
   not even one.

Mark 10:18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone."

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God


Having high standard is good, but does not prove a religion right or true. You could say Muslims have high standards--but does that make it true? Does it change that their violence and extreme sexism is wrong? Not at all. Sometimes, high standards go overboard into legalism, and Mormons fall into this category, creating guilt for those who fail to meet the standards (even if they're a good person focused on God) and pride for those who meet the standards (even if they're self-righteous pricks more concerned about themselves than God). You can get good standards from many different world views. Even atheists can have pretty high standards--many are humanists.



Family values are also good, but again doesn't prove a religion right or true. In fact, Mormons take family to the level of idolatry. Eternal family, family values, and family focus are taken to such a high level of teaching and focus that it is often put over God in their daily lives. Family is is most certainly something people should focus on--a Christian is certainly admonished to raise their children right. But it should never be put above God.



So, when all is said and done...yes, maybe that's true. But does that make your religion right, or does it mean you should stay it in if its not right? Definitely not.

Jesus Didn't Follow the Word of Wisdom

Jesus drank alcohol. No, really. He did.


Some will say that the wine of that time was just grape juice, but that's not precisely true. First, I'm pretty sure they could tell the difference between fermented and non-fermented drink. They did not have refrigeration like we do, so drink would ferment fairly quickly if it was not drank right away. While its likely that they didn't always let it ferment as long as we sometimes do for wine now (e.g. a few years), there still would have often been at least a little fermentation, and therefore a little alcoholic content. We also know from the Bible that people did get drunk off of the wine, obviously an indication of alcoholic content.

Genesis 9:21
And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
 Leviticus 10:9
Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:
(Note this is not a prohibition against alcohol at all times, but specifically for going into the tabernacle.)



1 Samuel 1:14
And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.
 Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
Luke 5:39
No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.
(Older is more fermented and often better, as a connoisseur will tell you.)


 There are also plenty of accounts of Jesus eating and drinking with sinners. In fact, his first miracle was to make good wine for a wedding!

Luke 5:30
But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Luke 7:34
The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!

John 2:10
And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. (After Jesus turned water to wine for his first miracle at a wedding feast.)


Now, the Bible most certainly speaks against drunkenness, and its easy to consider why when you hear of (and probably personally know) people who cheat only when drunk, or who harm themselves or others when drunk, who make stupid decision they wouldn't otherwise make, or who become addicted to it.  None of those things are what a person of God should be doing with themselves.

But drinking not to get drunk? Well, yes, the Bible does allow for that, most certainly...it just said not to have excess, or too much.


Ephesians 5:18
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.
1 Timothy 3:8

In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.
 Titus 2:3
Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.





However, as Christians we must be conscious of when we drink and with whom, as well as how much.


Romans 14:21

It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

Notice this verse does not prohibit drinking wine anymore than it prohibits eating meat or anything else--it just says not to do it if it will make someone else fall. So if you're with someone who is an alcoholic, current or recovered, It is probably not a good idea or good example to drink in front of them or especially to offer them a drink. A person like that should not be drinking because they do so sinfully. Does that mean we have to lie to them about the fact that we might be okay drinking occasionally? No, lying is a sin. But we should not tempt those who shouldn't drink or put a stumbling block in front of those who are uncomfortable with it, even if we explain to them why it is alright for some to drink.


The Word of Wisdom's complete ban on alcohol was a product of Joseph Smith's times, just like his ban on coffee and tea--and it was not even presented as commandment, but as a guideline. Its still phrased as a guideline, in fact, and interestingly it allows for wine for sacrament (communion). As we can see from all of the above, the Mormon idea that drinking is wrong for everyone all the time, period, is not Biblical at all. Jesus is the best example of that.

Living Waters University: Oscar the Mormon

I just had to share this one. I would have believed the same--any truly honest Mormon would agree with this young man. Yet it blows me away that I once believed it.

The History They Don't Teach on Sundays

Mormons, how much do you know about church history? I’m sure there’s a lot you can tell me about some of it—the First Vision, the translation of the Book of Mormon, the names of some of the cities where Mormonism was based in the first couple decades such as Kirtland and Nauvoo, some of the persecutions they faced, the trip to Utah, and you’d probably end with the Salt Lake Temple taking 40 years to build. If you’ve read up a bit and have a good memory, you might even be able to tell me some dates and specifics.

Ye the average Mormon can give very little history from the time the pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley on. And unless you’re a Mormon apologist—perhaps not even then—the Mormon reader to whom this question is directed probably aren’t an exception to this rule. Why is that, do you think?

Was it lack of interesting history or teachings? Even brief research shows that it’s the exact opposite.

Was it lack of records? Hardly. There were scribes recording faithfully, producing multi-volume collections of sermons (e.g. the Journal of Discourses, referred to as the JoD) under the direction and approval of the leadership. Plenty of people kept journals.

Was it the kind of teachings and history going on? Most definitely.

Some of Brigham Young’s teachings, delivered from the pulpit as from God and as good as scripture (JoD 13:264) have outright been denounced, begging the question, who was right, and how can the wrong prophet be a true prophet? Either Brigham Young was right and the later prophet(s) proved to be false by denouncing God’s truths, or Brigham Young was false. Whichever was false, it potential renders all subsequent prophets false as well.

So what are these things that are hidden and denounces? Let’s look at a few. (Note: this is far from a complete list, not the least because my studies on this time period are relatively limited as yet.)

Blood Atonement

Multiple times, Brigham Young taught blood atonement from the pulpit. This is basically the idea that Jesus’ blood doesn’t’ cover all sins, so we have to have our own blood spilled to cover the most serious transgressions. Some have speculated that this is why Utah kept execution by firing squad long after every other state had abandoned it.

“Suppose you found your brother in bed with your wife, and put a javelin through both of them, you would be justified, and they would atone for their sins, and be received into the kingdom of God. I would at once do so in such a case; and under such circumstances, I have no wife whom I love so well that I would not put a javelin through her heart, and I would do it with clean hands. … There is not a man or woman who violates the covenants made with their God, that will not be required to pay the debt. The Blood of Christ will never wipe that out, your own blood must atone for it; and the judgments of the Almighty will come, sooner or later, and every man and woman will have to atone for breaking their covenants.” (JoD 3:247)

“There are sins that men commit for which they cannot receive forgiveness in this world, in that which is to come, and if they had their eyes open to see their true condition, they would be perfectly willing to have their blood spilt upon the ground. … It is true that the blood of the Son of God was shed for sins through the fall and those committed by men, yet men can commit sins which it can never remit. As it was in the ancient days, so it is in our day; and though the principles are taught publicly from the stand, still the people do not understand them; yet the law is precisely the same.” (JoD 4:53-54)

Adam-God

This strange and convoluted doctrine was denounced later on, and it has been falsely denied that it was ever taught. Church published documents (primarily the JoD, still sometimes sold at Deseret) contain the doctrine.

“Now hear it, O inhabitants of the earth, Jew and Gentile, Saint and sinner! When our father Adam came into the Garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He is Michael, the Archangel, the Ancient of Days! about whom holy men have written and spoken—He is our Father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do. Every man upon the earth, profession Christians or non-professing, must hear it, and will know it sooner or later.” (JoD 1:50)

“Some have grumbled because I believe our God to be so near to us as Father Adam. There are many who know that doctrine to be true.” (JoD 5:331)

Theocracy/Dictatorship

Brigham Young was the absolute authority in early Utah—he could even tell the women how to wear their hair. He even called himself a dictator in a few instances. His word was law, both in civil and religious matters.

Porter Rockwell, Brigham Young's bodyguard and a disreputable enforcer of Young's law.

Racism/Teachings on Blacks

Brigham Young strongly taught that darker skin color was due to a curse from God for lesser righteousness. This is reflected in the Book of Mormon when the Lamanites were cursed with darker skin because of their sinful ways. Blacks were thought to have been less valiant in the pre-existence. This doctrine did not change until the 1970’s, when social pressure and church expansion outweighed the teachings of previous prophets and the ban was lifted, becoming one of the declarations at the end of D&C.

“When all the other children of Adam have had the privilege of receiving the Priesthood, and of coming into the kingdom of God, and of being redeemed from the four quarters of the earth, and have received their resurrection from the dead, then it will be time enough to remove the curse from Cain and his posterity.” (JoD 2:143)

“You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind. … How long is that race to endure the dreadful curse that is upon them? That curse will remain upon t hem, and they never can hold the Priesthood or share in it until all the other descendants of Adam have received the promises and enjoyed the blessings of the Priesthood and the keys thereof.” (JoD 7:290-291)

“Treat the slaves kindly and let them live, for Ham must be the servant of servants until the curse is removed. Can you destroy the decrees of the Almighty? You cannot. Yet our Christian brethren think that they are going to overthrow the sentence of the Almighty upon the seed of Ham. They cannot do that, though they may kill the by thousands and tens of thousands.” (JoD 10:250)

Strange and False Teachings

Here are some things that will make Mormons do a double take. Mormons, before you read this, remember these are church published and approved sources that these quotes originally came from. Like all the quotes above, these are from Brigham Young unless otherwise noted.

“Does the earth conceive? It does, and it brings forth. … Where did the earth come from? From its parent earths.” (JoD 6:36 Heber C. Kimball)

“…no man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith. From the day that the Priesthood was taken from the earth to the winding-up scene of all things, every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are.” (JoD 7:289)

“Who can tell us of the inhabitants of this little planet that shines of an evening, called the moon? …when you inquire about the inhabitants of that sphere you find that the most learned are as ignorant in regard to them as the most ignorant of their fellows. So it is with regard to the inhabitants of the sun. Do you think it is inhabited? I rather think it is. Do you think there is any life there? No question of it; it was not made in vain. It was made to give light to those who dwell upon it, and to other planets; and so will this earth with it is celestialized.” (JoD 13:271)

Mountain Meadows Massacre

September 11, 2001 is not the first massacre for religion in America. On September 11, 1857, in southern Utah, approximately 120 unarmed non-Mormon men, women and children were murdered in cold blood by Mormons and Indians. This massacre of Americans by Americans was surpassed only by the Oklahoma bombing in 1995. Only one man was convicted for this horrible act, and went to his death declaring that Brigham Young had made him a scapegoat. There is much indicating that Brigham Young at least knew of the impending attack on the travelers, if not that he ordered it. See http://www.utlm.org/newsletters/no98.htm for more information.

As we can see, there are many practices and teachings from this time that just plain don’t look good or sound good for the Mormon church. While they cannot be done completely away with while non-Mormons have so much reliable documentation on them, this time period is studiously untaught on Sundays. Why? Well…you tell me.

The Polygamy of Joseph Smith

A little-known face about Joseph Smith amongst the average Mormon is his polygamy. Glossing over their marital unrest and the many terrible things Joseph put her through, glowing reports of Emma's faithfulness, strength, and beauty are given, but never are his relationships with over 30 other wives mentioned.

Some Mormons may think that Smith's polygamy is even a lie, but historical evidence--grudgingly admitted by the church historians, leaders, and apologists who are confronted with it--is not lacking. Even the church-owned genealogy website, familysearch.org, lists multiple wives.

http://familysearch.org/eng/search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=af/search_AF.asp&clear_form=true

Marriage(s)
	1 Spouse:	Catherine WALKER
	Marriage:
	2 Spouse:	Sarah SCOTT
	Marriage:
	3 Spouse:	Sarah STILES
	Marriage:
	4 Spouse:	Desdemona Wadsworth FULLMER
	Marriage:	1842
		Nauvoo, Hancock, Il
	5 Spouse:	Sarah LAWRENCE
	Marriage:	Abt 11 1843 May
	6 Spouse:	Mary Elizabeth ROLLINS
	Marriage:	17 Jan 1842
		Nauvoo, Hancock, Il
	7 Spouse:	Emma HALE
	Marriage:	18 Jan 1827
		South Bainbridge, Chenango, Ny
	8 Spouse:	Amanda Melissa BARNES
	Marriage:	Sealed 19 1852 Jan
		Salt Lake City, Ut
	9 Spouse:	Sylvia Porter SESSIONS
	Marriage:	26 Jan 1846
	10 Spouse:	Zina Diantha HUNTINGTON
	Marriage:	27 Oct 1841
		Nauvoo, Hancock, Il
	11 Spouse:	Mary HOUSTON
	Marriage:	3 Feb 1846
	12 Spouse:	Nancy Mariah WINCHESTER
	Marriage:	3 Feb 1846
	13 Spouse:	Helen Mar KIMBALL
	Marriage:	May 1843
		Smith's Store, Nauvoo, Hancock, Il
	14 Spouse:	Lucy WALKER
	Marriage:	1 May 1843
		Smith's Store, Nauvoo, Hancock, Il
	15 Spouse:	Rhoda RICHARDS
	Marriage:	12 Jun 1843
		Nauvoo, Illinois
	16 Spouse:	Eliza Roxey SNOW
	Marriage:	29 Jun 1842
		Smith's Store, Nauvoo, Hancock, Il
	17 Spouse:	Sarah Ann WHITNEY
	Marriage:	27 Jul 1842
		Nauvoo, Hnck, Il
	18 Spouse:	Martha MCBRIDE
	Marriage:	Aug 1842
		Smith's Store, Nauvoo, Hancock, Il
	19 Spouse:	Malissa LOTT
	Marriage:	20 Sep 1843
		Nauvoo, Illinois
	20 Spouse:	Fanny YOUNG
	Marriage:	2 Nov 1843
	21 Spouse:	Prescendia Lathrop HUNTINGTON
	Marriage:	11 Dec 1841
		Smith's Store, Nauvoo, Hancock, Il
	22 Spouse:	Sophronia Gray FROST
	Marriage:
	23 Spouse:	Melissa SNOW
	Marriage:
	24 Spouse:	Cordelia Calista MORLEY
	Marriage:

As you can see, this list is incomplete--there aren't over 30 wives on this list. But, being on the Mormon website, it does show that it is not denied by the Mormon church that he had multiple wives...and a lot of them.

Smith's polygamy in and of itself might not bother some Mormons, as it was commanded and practiced by the church for a time, the command still being scripture in D&C 132. Some of the facts about his wives would bother many Mormons, though.


One is Joseph Smith consistent denial of polygamy, both publically and privately, even as he took wife after wife. In fact, his denial became scripture for a time--a section of D&C affirmed monogamy, and was later removed when D&C 132 was made scripture. D&C 132 wasn't even given until July of 1843--look at the dates for some of the marriages above. A lot of them happened before this revelation was given.



Joseph Smith also hid his many marriages from Emma, despite D&C 132: 61 
"And again, as pertaining to the law of the priesthood—if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then is he justified; he cannot commit adultery for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else."
Since Joseph Smith did not obtain Emma's consent for most of his polygamous marriages, he was in adultery, according to his own revelation.


Then is the fact that about a third of his wives were already married to other men. Even if his other choices in wives could be justified, this obvious adultery cannot. One such wife above was Zina Huntington--she married Henry Jacobs in March 1841 and Joseph Smith in October of the same year. Her legal husband was still living and she still lived with him. Brigham Young later married her and had her live with him instead of her legal husband, sending her husband off on missions, and she eventually rejected her legal husband in favor of polygamy.


Another third of his wives were teenagers, the youngest being Helen Kimball, not quite 15 when she married the prophet under promises of exaltation for her whole family if she would do so. While marrying this young may not have been illegal or unusual, it was illegal and unusual for him to do so with eleven girls when he already had a healthy, living legal wife.


There is also the complete contradiction between different sets of Mormon scriptures on polygamy.
Jacob 2: 24 Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord.
vs

D&C 132: 33 But if ye enter not into my law ye cannot receive the promise of my Father, which he made unto Abraham. 34 God commanded Abraham, and Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham to wife. And why did she do it? Because this was the law; and from Hagar sprang many people. This, therefore, was fulfilling, among other things, the promises. 35 Was Abraham, therefore, under condemnation? Verily I say unto you, Nay; for I, the Lord, commanded it.

38 David also received many wives and concubines, and also Solomon and Moses my servants, as also many others of my servants, from the beginning of creation until this time; and in nothing did they sin save in those things which they received not of me.

Does this not seem a direct contradiction? In the Book of Mormon it is said that it was abominable for David and Solomon to have many wives and concubines. In D&C 132 (which incidentally also threatens Emma if she doesn't let Joseph Smith practice polygamy) it says that it was commanded and that those same men were not in sin!

The Bible supports the Book of Mormon, though. Although polygamy was tolerated, it was never commanded (except in the case of the marriage of a brother's wife if the brother died, which was not for the purpose of polygamy or intimate enjoyment, but for children to protect and preserve the woman and family). In almost every case of polygamy we see (Abraham, David, Solomon) we see that polygamy does not go so well. Yet these things are exactly what Joseph Smith turned around and claimed to be God's revelation and command later!

Probably most overlooked is the parts in D&C 132 which plainly state that polygamy is necessary--in fact, eternal polygamous marriage, not just eternal monogamous marriage, was the new and everlasting covenant.

4 For behold, I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory.

 32 Go ye, therefore, and do the works of Abraham; enter ye into my law and ye shall be saved.

 64 And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, if any man have a wife, who holds the keys of this power, and he teaches unto her the law of my priesthood, as pertaining to these things, then shall she believe and administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord your God; for I will destroy her; for I will magnify my name upon all those who receive and abide in my law.

 65 Therefore, it shall be lawful in me, if she receive not this law, for him to receive all things whatsoever I, the Lord his God, will give unto him, because she did not believe and administer unto him according to my word; and she then becomes the transgressor; and he is exempt from the law of Sarah, who administered unto Abraham according to the law when I commanded Abraham to take Hagar to wife.

After all is said and done, this is what we end up with: Joseph Smith, claiming to be led by God,

• Lied to the public
• Lied to his wife
• Violated even the D&C 132 polygamy guidelines
• Opposed the Bible's teachings
• Opposed the Book of Mormon's teachings
• Broke civil law
• Committed adultery
• Caused women to commit adultery
• Led thousands astray to do the same, and still is, as can be see by Fundamentalist polygamy and unfortunate cases such that of Warren Jeffs

What is it the Bible says about false prophets?
"By their fruits you will know them."