"...DEVILS ALSO BELIEVE,
AND TREMBLE"
by Larry Hall

Many interesting comments, questions, and concerns have been received by the Sword of the Spirit ministry since we published our June 1997 edition of APOLOGETICS. In that issue, we dealt with the problem of satanic ritual child abuse in the Mormon kingdom. The article is included in this website as "STOP HURTING MY CHILDREN."

The main focus of the article revolved around the Bishop Glenn Pace memo of 1990 which was addressed to the Mormon Church's "Strengthening Church Members Committee." The memo disclosed some very frightening information and allegations:

(1) Members of the Mormon Church witnessing and/or participating in human sacrifice.

(2) Well-planned rituals designed to systematically torture and terrorize children until they dissociate.

(3) Mormon children instructed in satanic doctrine and baptized by blood into the satanic order.

(4) The flashbacks that occur when a person visits the Mormon Temple for the first time and hears the exact words that had been used in the satanic indoctrination.

(5) Perpetrators representing a cross section of Mormon culture, including "Young Women leaders, Young Men leaders, bishops, a patriarch, a stake president, temple workers, and members of the Tabernacle Choir." ¹

In October 1997, I received a call from Mr. R., a professing Sunday school teacher for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah. He said he had listened to my taped interview with Texe Marrs on the World of Prophecy, entitled "Lucifer in the Mormon Church." During that interview, I had discussed the ritual child abuse problem.

Mr. R was offended by my interview and accused me of misrepresenting the statistical facts surrounding the abuse problem in Utah. He failed, however, to show how the facts had been misrepresented. In a follow-up letter to me, Mr. R writes, "My overall impression with our conversation and your tape is that you are much more interested in distorting the truth than learning the truth."

Ordinarily, I would not waste my time with a response to such a statement. I do not deal well with accusations that are totally lacking in substance. They are usually meant to create heat without light. But there was something that Mr. R said that fit in very well with the main topic of this article. He quoted the first Mormon Article of Faith as if to say, "See--I'm just as Christian as you."

When I asked him about his own eventual godhood status, he said that it was not an issue that he had given much thought. He left me with the distinct impression that this is a topic that is not discussed much in Mormon Sunday school!

I wonder why a doctrine proclaimed so proudly and unambiguously by Joseph Smith would be such an embarrassment in the Mormon Church today? Could it have to do with potential converts?

The Mormon Church publishes a list of 13 Articles of Faith that are printed on various pamphlets and missionary handouts. They are also included in one of their standard books of "scripture" called The Pearl of Great Price. A close examination of the articles as published in the original 1851 edition compared with a more current 1982 edition shows that serious deletions and alterations have been made.

The 14 original Articles have been cut to 13, with the removal of Article 11, "We believe in the literal resurrection of the body, and that the dead in Christ will rise first, and that the rest of the dead live not again until the thousand years are expired." ²

Even though the current Articles of Faith are attributed to the first Mormon prophet Joseph Smith, it is very easy to determine that he was not the author. The original Articles are included in Wilford C. Wood's photo-mechanical reproductions entitled, Joseph Smith Begins His Work, Volume 2. Deviations between the Articles reported by the Millennial Star (a newspaper that was used by the Church to record Smith's revelations) ³, the 1851 version, and the version recorded in the History of the Church (Volume 4, pp. 540-541) are very serious. They show not only that the Articles of Faith have been changed, but that the official historical record has been altered as well. (The Tanners have reported over 62,000 word changes, additions, or deletions in the History of the Church. ⁴)

Nevertheless, one would expect that a church's statements of belief would accurately reflect its doctrines and practices! You will see, however, that this is not the case with the Mormon Church. While the Articles of Faith have been written to sound very "Christian" on the surface, one simply has to examine the doctrines involved to find the truth. In this article, we will examine only the first Article. I have included a limited number of statements made by past or present authorities of the Mormon Church. Please review the reference section of this article and check my sources for authentication.

The Mormon Articles of Faith
1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and
in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

Based on this simple statement alone, it is no wonder that most uninformed Mormons remain with their church. It is a shame that they cannot dissect its parts and understand what this first Article truly means. Perhaps I can help!

We Believe in God...

The Mormon God has not always been God! He was born as a spirit being on an earth like ours, was given a fleshly body like ours, and was exalted to godhood through a system of "eternal progression." He is our Father in a literal, physical sense, having many wives with whom he sexually procreated all of us as spirit children in heaven. Because he is restricted to his physical body, the Mormon God can be in only one place at a time.

According to Joseph Smith, "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! ...I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form--like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man;...I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see....he was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did;" 5

A very interesting and humorous note should be made concerning the above quote. The statements were originally made by Joseph Smith in 1844 during a funeral sermon for King Follett, a Mormon Elder. The lecture was first published in the Times and Seasons, and was later included in the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. The message that "God is an exalted man" and that humans may become gods as professed in his famous "King Follett Discourse" is still taught today.

In the August 4, 1997, issue of Time magazine, a cover story featured an interview between veteran religious writer Richard N. Ostling and Mormon President Gordon B. Hinkley. During that interview, Hinkley was asked about the "exalted man" doctrine. Here is the actual transcript of the relevant portions of the taped interview (provided by Luke P. Wilson, Executive Director of The Institute for Religious Research and Gospel Truths Ministries):

Ostling: Just another related question that comes up is the statements in the King Follett discourse by the Prophet.

Hinkley: Yeah.

Ostling: ...about that, God the Father was once a man as we were. This is something that Christian writers are always addressing. Is this the teaching of the church today, that God the Father was once a man like we are?

Hinkley: I don't know that we teach it. I don't know that we emphasize it. I haven't heard it discussed for a long time in public discourse. I don't know. I don't know all the circumstances under which that statement was made. I understand the philosophical background behind it. But I don't know a lot about it and I don't know that others know a lot about it.

Excuse me!? Did the Mormon "prophet, seer, and revelator" just tell the world that he does not know what the church teaches? Is it possible that the most powerful man in Mormondom is unfamiliar with the subject? Could his embarrassment over public knowledge of this blasphemous doctrine be in any way related to corporate growth and income? Do you think the new "seer" needs to dust off the old peep-stone, bury his face in a hat, and fabricate a new revelation or two to cover up this problem?

Consider these following Mormon statements:

"We believe in a God who is Himself progressive, whose majesty is intelligence; whose perfection consists in eternal advancement--a Being who has attained His exalted state by a path which now His children are permitted to follow, whose glory it is their heritage to share." ⁶

"In spite of the opposition of the sects, in the face of direct charges of blasphemy, the Church proclaims the eternal truth: 'As man is God once was, as God is man may be.'" ⁷

"The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's;" ⁸

"...His person cannot be in more than one place at any one time....it is impossible for Him to occupy at any one time more than one space of such limits;" ⁹

We Believe in Jesus Christ

Mormons really do believe in Jesus Christ. But that declaration of fact does not make them Christian. Most Satanists believe in Jesus Christ as well! Almost 700 million Muslims believe that Jesus was a sinless prophet of God and millions of Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus was "a god." But none of these groups, including the Mormons, are Christians!

"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2:19)

The fact is very clear that Mormons do not believe in the BIBLICAL Jesus. They deny His eternal existence, grace, and power. In their constant attempts to trample under foot the Son of God, the Mormons have sealed their own doom! "...if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." (John 8:24)

The Mormon Jesus is the first spirit child born to God and one of his wives. His brothers and sisters in the pre-existent spirit world include all of humanity. He is also the spirit brother of Lucifer, the devil. He was given an earthly "tabernacle" of flesh and bones so that he could become a god, exactly as planned for the rest of us. His earthly birth was a result of a physical sexual and incestuous relationship between God and his own spirit daughter Mary. He was not born of a virgin and was not begotten by the Holy Ghost. The Mormon Jesus, in order to qualify for godhood, was married to Mary, Martha, and others, and had children! His shed blood at Calvary did not have the power to remit all sins.

The Mormon Jesus is very plainly explained in their own words:

'The appointment of Jesus to be the Savior of the world was contested by one of the other sons of God. He was called Lucifer, son of the morning....this spirit-brother of Jesus desperately tried to become the Savior of Mankind." ¹⁰

"Christ, the First born, was the mightiest of all the spirit children of the Father." ¹¹

"The devil is a spirit son of God who was born in the morning of pre-existence." ¹²

"He [Jesus] was not begotten by the Holy Ghost." ¹³

"The man Joseph, the husband of Mary, did not, that we know of, have more than one wife, but Mary the wife of Joseph had another husband. On this account infidels have called the Savior a bastard. That very babe that was cradled in the manger, was begotten, not by Joseph, the husband of Mary, but by another Being....He was begotten by God our heavenly Father." ¹⁴

"The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood--was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers." ¹⁵

"...once on a time, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and on a careful reading of that transaction, it will be discovered that no less a person than Jesus Christ was married on that occasion." ¹⁶

"...Jesus Christ was married at Cana of Galilee, that Mary, Martha, and others were his wives, and that he begat children." ¹⁷

"The grand reason of the burst of public sentiment in anathemas upon Christ and his disciples, causing his crucifixion, was evidently based upon polygamy,... A belief in the doctrine of a plurality of wives caused the persecution of Jesus and his followers. We might almost think they were 'Mormons.'" ¹⁸

"Man may commit certain grievous sins--according to his light and knowledge--that will place him beyond the reach of the atoning blood of Christ. If then he would be saved, he must make sacrifice of his own life to atone--so far as his power lies--for that sin, for the blood of Christ alone under certain circumstances will not avail." ¹⁹

"Joseph Smith taught that there were certain sins so grievous that man may commit, that they will place the transgressors beyond the power of the atonement of Christ. If these offenses are committed, then the blood of Christ will not cleanse them from their sins even though they repent....This is scriptural doctrine, and is taught in all the standard works of the Church." ²⁰

Bruce R. McConkie, a leading Mormon Apostle and authority, once advised church members that a personal relationship with the Mormon Jesus is "improper and perilous." His Brigham Young University devotional speech was excerpted and published in the Deseret News (church section March 5, 1982, p.5).

In his speech, McConkie advised the audience that he was speaking with official authority, "I shall expound the doctrine of the Church. " He concluded his message with the statement, "...you have been warned, and you have heard the true [Mormon] doctrine taught."

The body of McConkie's speech was very insightful. "...many false and vain and foolish things are being taught in the sectarian world and even among us about our need to gain a special relationship with the Lord Jesus." He referred to those who promulgated such a notion as "...erring teachers and beguiled students."

McConkie then advised his audience that, "if there were some need--which there is not--to single out one member of the Godhead for a special relationship, the Father, not the Son, would be the one to choose."

"There are [those] who have an excessive zeal that causes them to go beyond the mark. Their desire for excellence is inordinate. In an effort to be truer than true they devote themselves to gaining a special relationship with Christ that is both improper and perilous.

"I say perilous because this course, particularly in the lives of some who are spiritually immature, is a gospel hobby that creates an unwholesome holier-than-thou attitude. In other instances it leads to despondency because the seeker after perfection knows he is not living the way he supposes he should." ²¹

When I first read the McConkie speech, I was flabbergasted. Why would anyone wish to create such a barrier between himself and God? Conversely, why does the devoted Christian spend so much time striving for a closer walk with the Lord? During the past fifteen years, however, I have had a great deal of time to ponder the Mormon point of view. The answer is very simple. The Mormon Jesus is completely different from my Jesus!

I think I now understand why Apostle McConkie would give his people such advise about a relationship with his "Jesus." If I was a Mormon, I too would wish to keep my distance from such an impotent, yet demanding demigod.

If my Jesus told me that he did not have the power to forgive my sins and then told me that my own blood would have to be shed if I expected any hope of getting into heaven, I would ask to talk with his superiors! If my Lord told me that he was only a created being (and the brother of my worst enemy), he would no longer be my best friend! He certainly could not be my God!

In his speech, McConkie did make one accurate statement about a personal relationship with the Mormon Jesus, the impact of which probably went unnoticed: "...it leads to despondency because the seeker after perfection knows he is not living the way he supposes he should."

That happens to be the biggest problem with salvation by works rather than grace! Just how much work is necessary to gain admission into heaven? What will happen to the Mormon who oversleeps one particular morning and fails to do "all that he can do"? Despondency and depression would be quite natural when faced with such a mental conflict. I am not at all surprised at the high rates of suicide and teenage crisis in the Mormon kingdom!

If you are a Mormon, think about this for a moment: There is a "real" Jesus who has nothing in common with the one you have been taught. The real Jesus is the creator of everything from the beginning. The real Jesus is God. He is powerful enough to forgive all your sins once and for all. He requires only that you come to Him as you are, confess your sins, and ask Him for grace and mercy.

You need the One who will deliver you from all despair and uncertainty, the only One who will never leave you nor forsake you. You need a true friend who will stick with you closer than a brother! You need a relationship with the REAL JESUS!

References:
(1) Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Satanic Ritual Abuse and Mormonism, 1992, Utah Lighthouse Ministry, p. 5
(2) Wilford C. Wood, Joseph Smith Begins His Work, Vol. II, 1962
(3) Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Changes in Joseph Smith's History, 1965, pp. 55-56 (from Millennial Star, Vol. 19, p. 120)
(4) Ibid., p. 2
(5) Joseph Fielding Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 1976, pp. 345-346
(6) James E. Talmage, The Articles of Faith, 1982, p. 430
(7) Ibid.
(8) Doctrine and Covenants 130:22
(9) James E. Talmage, The Articles of Faith, 1982, p. 43
(10) Hunter, Gospel Through the Ages, p. 15
(11) Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1979, p. 590
(12) Ibid., p. 192
(13) Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, p. 50
(14) Ibid., Vol. 11, p. 268
(15) Ibid., Vol. 8, p. 115
(16) Ibid., Vol. 4, p. 259
(17) Ibid., Vol. 2, p. 210
(18) Ibid., Vol. 1, p. 346
(19) Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1979, p. 93
(20) Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1986, Vol. 1, p. 135
(21) Deseret News, Church Section, March 20, 1982, p. 5
(22) Matthew 7:22-23

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