Christ in common

I hung out today with a man who has been in ministry for sometime now. The gray in his beard gives him away. I am always cautious about getting together with older guys who have been in ministry for a long time. They usually have their opinions about everything and are sure that you should have them too.

But Earl was different. I found myself really appreciating Earl's wisdom, insight and enthusiasm. He may have the look of a man in his 60's but his heart is young. It was clear that all it took to get him pumped up about life is talking about Christ. Ministry lit up his face. His passion seemed to seep through the pores of his skin.

By the end of our hour and a half get-together over coffee, I found myself encouraged and a little inspired. How is it that Earl and I could be separated by at least 30 years and yet we could have such a great time hanging out? The one thing that we had most in common was the one thing that most mattered. Christ is the glue that keeps his life together. Christ is the glue that keeps my life together. And Christ is the thing that Earl and I have most in common.

What I learned today is that, sometimes, old guys are not just about giving lectures born of wisdom and experience. Some of them actually have more passion, more energy and more encouraging words packed into their pinky finger than many guys half their age. That is the kind of thing that happens to a life sold out to Christ for all those years. Rather than losing steam, they gain it. Rather than slowing down, they speed up. Rather than burning out, they are lit with a fire that is contagious.

I also learned that if you have Christ in common, everything else is small potatoes. There is nothing that could unify two strangers more than Him.

The year is 1878 and I am still pro-slavery...

The year is 1878 and I am still pro-slavery. Scripture is pretty clear on the issue. I don't understand why slavery was ever ended. This whole "end of slavery" thing was created by people who just don't value God's word. We need to decide whether we will get our instruction from the world or from scripture. If we say scripture is our supreme authority, then we need to do what it says.

If Jesus was against slavery, why is he silent on the issue? He never speaks out against it. In fact, nowhere in scripture does it say anything against slavery. And what about the apostle Paul? Most of the New Testament is comprised of Paul's letters to his churches. Paul wasn't silent on the issue. He was pretty clear.

Ephesians 6:5-9
"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him."
And again in his letter to the church in Colossi, Paul let's us know his view on slavery.
Colossians 3:22-4:1
"Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.

Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven."

Now let me be clear. Paul taught us as Christians that we should treat our slaves well. As scripture says, we should provide our slaves with "what is right and fair." And it says that we shouldn't "threaten them." After all, we ourselves have a Master in heaven who we are to obey.

But as for slaves, freedom is not an option. Paul never says we should let our slaves go free. He never says slaves should revolt. His command is that "slaves obey their masters." And this is the word of God. Far be it from us to disobey what God instructs us to do.

And how could we destroy this God ordained institution of slavery? It is clear from these passages that the "Master/slave" relationship is a reflection of our relationship with our Lord. Jesus is our "Master in heaven" and we are called to be "slaves to righteousness" (Romans 6:18). Trying to destroy the institution of slavery is like trying to destroy the institution of marriage. Both marriage and slavery are used as images to describe our relationship with God. Both were God ordained hierarchies that are necessary for society to continue in God's blessing.

It makes me sick to hear all these pseudo-conservatives and fundamentalists who claim to hold God's word as inerrant and infallible and yet they stand against slavery in all of its forms. No, that is not the biblical view. The correct biblical view is that we should reinstate slavery according to God's word. Slaves should obey their masters and masters should treat their slaves well. If we take scripture seriously, it is the only view that we can hold.

Now that slavery has been ended and God's word disobeyed, we are sliding down the slippery slope. What will the new century hold? We have turned away from the word of God and no longer follow its commands. Soon we will see women trying to revolt from their husbands and children controlling their parents (Eph. 5-6). We will see women trying to vote and trying to "have authority over men"(1 Tim. 2:12) We will see the unraveling of America. And it all began with the abolitionist liberals who hate our nation and hate God's word.
_________________

The above post is and example of the way many people used scripture to defend slavery during the 1800's. Churches in the U.S. and in Europe split over the slavery debate. Some used scripture to defend slavery. Others used it to end slavery. We as Christians need to be careful how we use scripture. And we need to make sure we are consistent in our interpretational method.

I, obviously, do not hold the view that is expressed in the above post. I did want to express that side of the argument in order to open our eyes to the dangers of misinterpreting scripture. Many of the same ways that people used scripture to support slavery are still being used today to limit women's roles in the church. And while the issues are very different, the way scripture is being used is similar.

A good book that addresses these conflicts in interpretational method is: Slavery, Sabbath, War, and Women: Case Issues in Biblical Interpretation by Willard Swartley.

Get it here

What Mormons believe: Part 6

As in every religion, theology affects practice. When you have the kind of theology that that the Mormons have, it will affect the way you understand salvation, baptism and other church practices.

In terms of "being saved," Mormons use a lot of the same language of Christianity. But when you examine their beliefs a bit closer, it becomes evident that they fall into the trap of "works righteousness." The quote below reveals this:

“Christians speak often of the blood of Christ and its cleansing power. Much that is believed and taught on this subject, however, is such utter nonsense and so palpably false that to believe it is to lose one’s salvation. Many go so far, for instance, as to pretend and, at least, to believe that if we confess Christ with our lips and avow that we accept Him as our personal Saviour, we are thereby saved. His blood, without other act than mere belief, they say, makes us clean…Finally in our day, he has said plainly: “My blood shall not cleanse them if they hear me not.” Salvation in the kingdom of God is available because of the atoning blood of Christ. But it is received only on condition of faith, repentance, baptism and enduring to the end in keeping the commandments of God” (What the Mormons Think of Christ, Bruce R. McConkie, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft,] 1973, 27-33).

What McConkie is saying here is that the foundational belief of Christianity, "you are saved by grace through faith", is "utter nonsense." He says that if you believe that all it takes to be saved is to "confess Christ with our lips and avow that we accept Him as our personal Savior" then we might as well lose our salvation. It's clear from this quote that "faith" in "the blood of Christ and its cleansing power" is not enough for the Mormon to be saved. Instead, there are 4 qualifications that need to be met: 1) faith; 2) repentance; 3) baptism; 4) keeping the commandments "to the end."

You can see that while faith and repentance fit with the Christian view of salvation, Mormons add two kinds of "works." They believe that you must be baptized in order to be saved and that you must "keep the commandments." Here we see the law enter back into their religion. The apostle Paul would mail them a copy of his letter to the Galatians if he were alive today.

For a Christian view of salvation, you can read these passages of scripture: Galatians 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9; 1 John 1:7; Romans 5:9; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Acts 16:31.

What is even more interesting is the order in which these things must occur. The writings of the Mormon church conflict with themselves on the matter of baptism. Here are two quotes that show this conflict. Both were written by Joseph Smith himself.

1. “All those who humble themselves… and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church.” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:37)

2. “Yea, blessed are they who shall…be baptized, for they shall…receive a remission of their sins…Behold, baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling of the commandments unto the remission of sins.” (3 Nephi 12:2; Moroni 8:11, The Book of Mormon)

In the first quote from "Doctrine and Covenants," Smith teaches that baptism follows "remission of sins." Good works and remission of sins creates the condition whereby someone is able to receive baptism. In the second quote from The Book of Mormon, baptism comes before remission of sins. Here, remission of sins can happen precisely because someone is baptized. This is just one of many contradictions that can be found in their doctrine and practices.

Along with baptism, a Mormon must try to rise "step by step in the scale of progress, in the school of advancement" by following the commandments and therefore perfecting oneself. The hope is to do this in life and in heaven until one becomes a "god." So their ultimate hope is to earn their way into godhood.

And what is "heaven" for the Mormon? Mormons believe in a resurrection of all men and women into a three-fold heaven. In the sense that they believe everyone will be going to heaven, they are universalistic. But, they believe in a segmented heaven. The three levels of heaven are "telestial," "terrestrial," and "celestial."

The “telestial” level is for "most adults." If you have ignored your spiritual life and lived as the world does, then this level is for you. The next level, called “terrestrial,” is reserved for Christians who have not accepted the Mormon message, Mormons who haven't lived up to their church requirements, and people of other religions who are faithful but have rejected Mormonism. The “celestial” level is reserved for faithful Mormons only and is itself divided into three levels. If one attains the highest of these three levels within the celestial level, one can become a god of one's own kingdom.

Once again, it is clear that Mormon faith and practice is different than Christian faith and practice. Mormons use words like "salvation," "grace," "baptism" and "heaven" but the definition of these words in the Mormon church is much different than how Christians define them. They believe in a universalistic salvation to a heaven that divides people based on their works and their acceptance of Mormonism. Faith in the saving grace offered to us by the blood of Christ is not enough for the Mormon. Baptism and "works righteousness" are prerequisites to being saved.

This is just the kind of "gospel" that Paul warned about when he wrote to the Galatians:
"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!" (Gal. 1:6-9)

These are strong words from Paul, but we need to hear them when it comes to Mormonism.

What Mormons believe: Part 5

Maybe you could tell from the last post that, theologically, Mormons believe very different things than orthodox Christianity. If you weren't able to discern what Mormon's believe about God from those quoted sources, I will try to break down some of their foundational beliefs in this post.

1. In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people in it” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 349).

- This quote clearly shows the Mormon belief in many gods. Deuteronomy 6:4 is clear that there is only one God. Orthodox Christian belief is Trinitarian. That means Christians believe that there is one God. But the make-up of our God is “one nature and three persons.” This means that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three distinct persons, yet their essence is “one.”

Anytime a theology makes God out to be three different gods, it becomes heresy. Anytime a theology errs in the other direction and makes God out to be “one” without three distinct persons, it becomes heresy. The tension of “one nature and three persons” must be held together in order for a theology to be considered “Christian.”

2. “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 345).

“As man is, God once was: as God is, man may become” (Prophet Lorenzo Snow, quoted in Milton R. Hunter, The Gospel Through the Ages, 105-106).

“Remember that God, our heavenly Father, was perhaps once a child, and mortal like we ourselves, and rose step by step in the scale of progress, in the school of advancement; has moved forward and overcome, until He has arrived at the point where He now is” (Apostle Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourses, 1:123).

- The reason Mormons have a "polytheistic" view of "the gods" is because they believe that the god over our world was once a human like we are. Their belief is that this man perfected himself over time through good deeds. Then, as a resurrected person, he was promoted through their multi-level view of heaven. Once at the top, he became a god and was given our world to "govern." For a Christian response to this read 1 Cor. 8:4-6.

Brigham Young believed that this first man who became our god was Adam as you can see from the next quote:

“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 organized 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.” (Brigham Young, in the Journal of Discourses, 1:50).

3. “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s: the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit”(Doctrine and Covenants, 130:22)

- Mormons believe that there are essentially three gods working together to rule this earth: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They believe that the Father and Son both have flesh and bones but that the Holy Spirit is simply "spirit." The problem with this theology is that John 4:24 states clearly that God is spirit. Likewise John 1:1,14 states that "The Word became flesh." That means Jesus had to become flesh. He didn't have a body before he became the incarnation of God.

4. “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints proclaims against the incomprehensible God, devoid of “body, parts, or passions,” as a thing impossible of existence, and asserts its belief in and allegiance to the true and living God of scripture and revelation….Jesus Christ is the son of Elohim both as spiritual and bodily offspring; that is to say, Elohim is literally the Father of the spirit of Jesus Christ and also of the body in which Jesus Christ performed His mission in the flesh…Jehovah, who is Jesus Christ the Son of Elohim, is called “the Father”…that Jesus Christ, who we also know as Jehovah, was the executive of the Father, Elohim, in the work of creation as set forth in the book Jesus the Christ, chapter IV” ([Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 1952], 48, 466-67).

- Mormons believe that when the Hebrew in the Old Testament uses the word "Elohim" to refer to God, it is referring to "the Father. They believe when the Hebrew word used to refer to God is "Jehovah", then it is referring to Jesus Christ "the Son." This false understanding of Hebrew has led the Mormons to believe that the Father and Son are separate, material gods.

5. “In the Heaven where our spirits were born, there are many Gods, each one of whom has his own wife or wives, which were given to him previous to his redemption, while yet in his mortal state” (Apostle Orson Pratt in a Mormon periodical, The Seer, p. 37)

- You can see from this quote that Mormons believe in the pre-existence of the soul. They believe that we are all souls floating around in heaven before the gods assign us a body. They also believe that we will have the "wives" that we had on earth with us in heaven. Scripture, however, teaches that God "knit us together in the womb" and never teaches that we existed in soul-form before getting a body. This particular Mormon belief feels a bit like Gnosticism.

Also, Jesus teaches that we will neither have wives nor be given in marriage in heaven. Matthew 22:29-30, "Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage..."

6. “When the Virgin Mary conceived the child Jesus, the Father had begotten him in his own likeness. He was not begotten by the Holy Ghost. And who was the Father? He is the first of the human family; and when he took a tabernacle [body], it was begotten by his Father in heaven, after the same manner as the tabernacles of Cain, Abel, and the rest of the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve; from the fruits of the earth, the first earthly tabernacles were originated by the Father, and so on in succession…Jesus, our elder brother, was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the garden of Eden, and who is our Father in Heaven. (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 1:50-51)

“The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was a result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood – was begotten of his Father, as we are of our fathers.” (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 8:115)

- Mormons will say that they believe in the miracle of the virgin birth. But what they mean by that is very different than what Christians mean. As you can see from the above quotes, Mormons believe that "the Father" was who impregnated Mary. They believe this happened in a physical, material way. They believe that it was not the Holy Spirit, but the physical body of the "Father" who had intercourse with Mary, which then caused the pregnancy.

The problem here is that Scripture says just the opposite.
And also Matthew 1:18-20:
"This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit."

At this point it should be evident just how different Mormonism is to orthodox Christianity. Many people who are sympathetic toward their Mormon friends want to believe that they are just a different "denomination" of the Christian faith. But the more one studies their beliefs, the less one is able to seriously consider them "Christian." Their theology could be described as "tritheism" (belief in three gods) and more specifically a "polytheism" (belief in many gods) masked in pseudo-Christian language.

What Mormons believe: Part 4

Now it's time to move past The Book of Mormon and look at some of the theological beliefs of Mormonism. There are a lot of people who claim a lot of things about Mormonism. Rather than reporting what people "say" about Mormonism, I want to quote some of their authoritative sources.

First, it's important to know that Mormons have more than just the Old and New Testaments as authorities for their faith and practice. They have what they call "Four Standard Works", which they consider authoritative. They do consider the Bible as "the Word of God" but only "as far as it is translated correctly.” They use the Joseph Smith Translation of the King James Version. They are highly skeptical of any other Bible in use.

Part of this skepticism comes from the fact that Joseph Smith has changed many verses in the KJV of the Bible. One example is that Smith changed no less than 45 verses in the book of Revelation. The other three "Standard Works" are: Doctrine and Covenants, The Pearl of Great Price, and The Book of Mormon.

Along with these authoritative texts, Mormons believe that there are "prophets" who speak and write the Word of God in present times. Joseph Smith was the first of these present day or “latter-day” prophets. After Smith was killed, the mantle was passed to Brigham Young who led as "President" and chief prophet of the church for 30 years. The speeches and writings of these two founders are held up as divine prophecy. Likewise, the teachings of each preceding "President" are considered authoritative.

One example is when in 1890 the President of the Latter-Day Saints (LDS) church, Wilford Woodruff, announced a "word from the Lord" that their longstanding practice of polygamous marriages was no longer allowed. It was convenient that at the same time the U.S. government was threatening complete dissolution of the church as well as the confiscation of all Mormon property unless polygamy ceased in the LDS church.

Some fundamentalist sects of the Mormon Church still hold to the teachings of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and the third prophet, John Taylor, who advocated polygamy. They reject the new teaching offered by the fourth prophet Woodruff and his "Manifesto" ending polygamy.

With these authoritative sources in mind, below is a sampling of quotations where these Mormon authorities made theological declarations:

- “In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people in it” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 349).


- “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 345).


- “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s: the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit”(Doctrine and Covenants, 130:22)


- “Gods exist, and we had better strive to be prepared to be on with them” (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 7:238).


- “As man is, God once was: as God is, man may become” (Prophet Lorenzo Snow, quoted in Milton R. Hunter, The Gospel Through the Ages, 105-106).


- “Each of these Gods, including Jesus Christ and His Father, being in possession of not merely and organized spirit, but a glorious immortal body of flesh and bones” (Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, ed. 1978, 23).


- “And then the Lord said: Let us go down. And they went down at the beginning, and they, that is the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth” (Abraham 4:1).


- “Remember that God, our heavenly Father, was perhaps once a child, and mortal like we ourselves, and rose step by step in the scale of progress, in the school of advancement; has moved forward and overcome, until He has arrived at the point where He now is” (Apostle Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourses, 1:123).


- “Mormon prophets have continuously taught the sublime truth that God the Eternal Father was once a mortal man who passed through a school of earth life similar to that through which we are now passing. He became God – an exalted being – through obedience to the same eternal Gospel truths that we are given opportunity today to obey” (Hunter, The Gospel Through the Ages, 104).


- “Christ was the God, the Father of all things….(Mosiah 7:27, Book of Mormon)


- “Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son” (Ether 3:14, Book of Mormon)


- “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 organized 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.” (Brigham Young, in the Journal of Discourses, 1:50).


- “Here then is eternal life, to know the only wise and true God. You have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves; to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you – namely, by going from a small degree to another, from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you are able to sit in glory as doth those who sit enthroned in everlasting power” (Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, 6:3-4).[from a sermon he delivered at the April conference of the Church in 1844]


- “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints proclaims against the incomprehensible God, devoid of “body, parts, or passions,” as a thing impossible of existence, and asserts its belief in and allegiance to the true and living God of scripture and revelation….Jesus Christ is the son of Elohim both as spiritual and bodily offspring; that is to say, Elohim is literally the Father of the spirit of Jesus Christ and also of the body in which Jesus Christ performed His mission in the flesh…Jehovah, who is Jesus Christ the Son of Elohim, is called “the Father”…that Jesus Christ, who we also know as Jehovah, was the executive of the Father, Elohim, in the work of creation as set forth in the book Jesus the Christ, chapter IV” ([Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 1952], 48, 466-67).


- “In the Heaven where our spirits were born, there are many Gods, each one of whom has his own wife or wives, which were given to him previous to his redemption, while yet in his mortal state” (Apostle Orson Pratt in a Mormon periodical, The Seer, p. 37)

What Mormons believe: Part 3

Continuing on the theme of The Book of Mormon, I wanted to show parts of two historical documents on this post. As the story goes, Joseph Smith was not alone as he translated the golden plates. He had a few people, which helped him in those early days and Smith writes about them in "The Pearl of Great Price." In this document, Smith recounts the "history" of these early visions and revelations.

In part of the account, Smith tells of a friend named Martin Harris. From behind a curtain, Smith would say aloud the translation of the golden plates and Harris and others would copy down the words. Here is Smith's account of a time Martin Harris went to New York City in order to validate Smith's translation.

“I commenced copying the characters off the plates. I copied a considerable number of them, and by means of the Urim and Thummim I translated some of them….Mr. Martin Harris came to our place, got the characters which I had drawn off the plates, and started with them to the city of New York. For what took place relative to him and the characters, I refer to his own account of the circumstances, as he related them to me after his return, which was as follows: “I went to the city of New York, and presented the characters that had been translated, with the translation thereof, to Professor Charles Anthon, a gentleman celebrated for his literary attainments. Professor Anthon stated that the translation was correct, more so than any he had before seen translated from the Egyptian. I then showed him those which were not yet translated, and he said that they were Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac, and Arabic; and he said they were true characters.” [Joseph Smith put forth this claim in The Pearl of Great Price (Joseph Smith – History, 1:62-64, 1982 edition)]

Mr. E.D. Howe, a contemporary of Joseph Smith and researcher on Mormonism during its early years, decided to verify these claims by writing to Professor Charles Anthon at Columbia University. . Howe asked Professor Anthon about this event and the Professor responded in a letter to Howe dated February 17, 1834. This letter can be found in Howe’s publication "Mormonism Unveiled", p. 270-72. Below is the letter sent by Professor Anthon to Howe. It is a little long but worth reading. This sort of hard evidence is nearly irrefutable.

“Dear Sir:
I received this morning your favor of the 9th instant, and lose no time in making my reply. The whole story about my having pronounced the Mormonite inscription to be “reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics” is perfectly false.

Some years ago, a plain and apparently simple-hearted farmer called upon me with a note from Dr. Mitchell of our city, now deceased, requesting me to decipher, if possible, a paper, which the farmer would hand me, and which Dr. Mitchell confessed he had been unable to understand. Upon examining the paper in question, I soon came to the conclusion that it was all a trick, perhaps a hoax.


When I asked the person who brought it how he obtained the writing he gave me, as far as I can now recollect, the following account: A ‘gold book,’ consisting of a number of plates of gold, fastened together in the shape of a book by wires of the same metal, had been dug up in the northern part of the state of New York, and along with the book an enormous pair of ‘gold spectacles’! These spectacles were so large that if a person attempted to look through them, his two eyes would have to be turned toward one of the glasses merely, the spectacles in question being altogether too large for the breadth of the human face. Whoever examined the plates through the spectacles, was enabled not only to read them but fully to understand their meaning.


All this knowledge, however, was confined at the time to a young man, who had the trunk containing the book and spectacles in his sole possession. This young man was placed behind a curtain, in the garret of a farm house, and, being thus concealed from view, put on the spectacles occasionally, or rather, looked through one of the glasses, deciphered the characters in the book, and, having committed some of them to paper, handed copies from behind the curtain to those who stood on the outside. Not a word, however, was said about the plates having been deciphered “by the gift of God.” Everything in this way, was effected by the larger pair of spectacles.


The farmer added that he had been requested to contributed a sum of money toward the publication of the “golden book,” the contents of which would, as he had been assured, produce an entire change in the world and save it from ruin. So urgent had been these solicitations, that he intended selling his farm and handing over the amount received to those who wished to publish the plates. As a last precautionary step, however, he had resolved to come to New York and obtain the opinion of the learned about the meaning of the paper which he brought with him, and which had been given him as a part of the contents of the book, although no translation had been furnished at the time by the young man with the spectacles.


On hearing this odd story, I changed my opinion about the paper, and, instead of viewing it any longer as a hoax upon the learned, I began to regard it as a part of a scheme to cheat the farmer of his money, and I communicated my suspicions to him, warning him to beware of rogues. He requested an opinion from me in writing, which of course I declined giving, and he then took his leave carrying the paper with him.


This paper was in fact a singular scrawl. It consisted of all kinds of crooked characters disposed in columns, and had evidently been prepared by some person who had before him at the time a book containing various alphabets. Greek and Hebrew letters, crosses and nourishes, Roman letters inverted or placed sideways, were arranged in perpendicular columns, and the whole ended in a rude delineation of a circle, divided into various compartments, decked with various strange marks, and evidently copied after the Mexican Calendar given by Humboldt, but copied in such a way as not to betray the source whence it was derived.


I am thus particular as to the contents of the paper, inasmuch as I have frequently conversed with my friends on the subject, since the Mormonite excitement began, and well remember that the paper contained anything else but “Egyptian Hieroglyphics.”


Some time after, the same farmer paid me a second visit. He brought with him the golden book in print, and offered it to me for sale. I declined purchasing. He then asked permission to leave the book with me for examination. I declined receiving it, although his manner was strangely urgent. I adverted once more to the roguery, which had been in my opinion practiced upon him, and asked him what had become of the gold plates. He informed me that they were in a trunk with the large pair of spectacles. I advised him to go to a magistrate and have the trunk examined. He said the “curse of God” would come upon him should he do this.


On my pressing him, however, to pursue the course which I had recommended, he told me that he would open the trunk, if I would take the “curse of God” upon myself. I replied that I would do so with the greatest willingness, and would incur every risk of that nature, provided I could only extricate him from the grasp of the rogues. He then left me.

I have thus given you a full statement of all that I know respecting the origin of Mormonism, and must beg you, as a personal favor, to publish this letter immediately, should you find my name mentioned again by these wretched fanatics.

Yours respectfully,
Charles Anthon”

What Mormons believe: Part 2

Picking up where we left off from the last post, I want to keep examining The Book of Mormon.

In the Book of Mormon, the various civilizations were described in some detail. The Jaredites, Nephites and Lamanites were reported to have certain items in their culture that we find common today. Here are some selected quotes from the Book of Mormon that list these kinds of items.

“The whole face of the land had become covered with buildings, and the people were as numerous almost, as it were the sand of the sea” (Mormon 1:7)

“…fine workmanship of wood, in buildings, and in machinery, and also in iron and copper, and brass and steel, making all manners of tools” (Jarom 1:8; 2 Nephi 5:15)

“…grain…silks…cattle…oxen…cows…sheep…swine…goats…horses…asses…elephants…” (see Ether 9:17-19)


“…swords…cimeters…breastplates…arm-shields…shields…head-plates…armor” (see Alma 43:18-19; 3:5; Ether 15:15)


This would all make sense if these ancient people were around in the 1800's during Joseph Smith's lifetime. But there are a few problems with these sort of items being mentioned as a part of these ancient cultures. Archeologically, these civilizations have never been found anywhere in the Americas. The other problem is that most of these animals and man-made objects mentioned above were never on the Western Hemisphere until Europeans brought them over in 1492.

Steel, for instance, has never been found anywhere in the Americas before 1492. Silk, also, was an item imported to the West. Native Americans had no wheat, barley, oats, rice, cattle, pigs, chickens, or donkeys before 1492. So anthropology, history and archeology all testify against the existence of the ancient cultures mentioned in the Book of Mormon.

Even more damaging evidence came about when Brigham Young University (BYU), a Mormon University, assigned a Mormon professor to find archeological evidence of these civilizations. After 25 years of research, professor Thomas Ferguson published a paper in 1975. He found nothing to back up the flora, fauna, topography, geography, peoples, coins or settlements of the Book of Mormon. In fact, he called the geography of The Book of Mormon “fictional.”

Once again, as mentioned in my last post, the scientific evidence refuting the validity of the Book of Mormon is substantial. It's hard to imagine that if someone really was studying the history and composition of The Book of Mormon that they would find it to be true. The reality, instead, is that a person would have to turn a blind eye to the facts in order to keep their belief alive.