The Mormons claim that the LDS Church is true and that all other religions are false. One “true religion” implies the LDS Church as “a group” of members should progress at the same level of light. Thus, we see the LDS Church being taught through manuals and programs in which the whole body moves together as one unit. Elder Bruce R. McConkie described the church as a large caravan or train moving along the pathway of eternal life. He warned members to stay in “the mainstream of the Church”, for many wander from the body and become lost eternally. By staying with the main group and following the priesthood brethren, God would protect them. It is the Lord’s Church, he reasoned, and if we stay in the mainstream, the Church will take us to the final decreed course—the Celestial Kingdom of God.

In the LDS Church there are instructions for different age groups and organizations moving the all members to the same drum beating in Salt Lake City. Unfortunately, however, the division of responsibility in the Church is essentially by age and social interests, not by functional assignment. This alone can cause problems in the spiritual development of members, for it conveniently puts believers together by social commonalties and interests, but not by the Word. For example, the ancient New Testament church had the office of deacon for the adult to experience the Lord in temporal assignments. It was not for children. They also had Deaconesses for the women, not the Relief Society as the LDS Church envisions it. Elders and Eldresses were mature members in the Spirit, and administered the Word in spiritual functions. They had prophets and prophetesses. In the LDS Church, however, we move through an educational system based on age-groups, not function or job. The process is so mixed up, the Church doesn’t even follow it’s own revelations. D&C section 20:46, for example, assigns the job of home teaching visits to the priest, not the elders as it is today. And the teachers are supposed to “see that there is no iniquity in the church, neither hardness with each other, neither lying, backbiting, nor evil speaking.” (D&C 20:54.) How can a fourteen year old boy perform this function in the Church? One needs only to read all of D&C section 20 to see the current Church structure is not mapped correctly to the supposed revelation.

The LDS Church is so ridiculously organized that it is impossible to effectively implement progressive spiritual training among adult members. It is, however, a fantastic organization to meet others with common interests, for everyone can find a friend they age within the social structure of the LDS church. And thus, within the different internal structures of the Mormon religion, we will find each unique group playing the same monotonous spiritual tune, following the same rules, and saying the same thing—all based on the General Authorities’ sermons and writing generated from Salt Lake City.

If members get involved with the deeper doctrines and issues taught by Brigham Young or Joseph Smith that places them against the mainstream of the current Church’s teachings and practices, they can actually be excommunicated if they are not careful. I have such a friend, Wayne Reeves. He was associating with some of the fundamentalist groups in Utah that believe in the principle of plural marriage taught by Joseph Smith, and he was told to either disconnect his friendships with these people or be excommunicated. Even though he was silent in Church about his beliefs, he was required to denounce his friends as liars and deceivers—apostates—or he would loose his church membership. Although Wayne he did not practice plural marriage himself, in good conscience, he enjoyed associating with his friends and did not view them as liars but as very sincere and honest people and chose not to change his social life, and thus, he was excommunicated from the LDS Church. Interestingly, the only way the LDS Church discovered his association was through a relative to whom Wayne shared his personal feelings about his friends, and the relative informed the Church authorities.

I have another friend, Chris Warren, who was called as a gospel doctrine teacher. He would spend much time studying credible Church History sources to share what the early brethren taught regarding the principles being discussed in the lesson. He tried to educate the Saints on what the early brethren taught, for he believed the early leaders were true apostles and prophets who taught the truth. His Bishop on one occasion disagreed with him in class, but Chris refused to change his view based on his research into the issue. A few weeks later, the Bishop released him from his calling. Soon after that, he was brought to Church court and instructed to denounce his beliefs in his interpretations of Church History and doctrine, repent, and follow the current priesthood brethren. In good conscience, he could not go against what he thought was the truth, and thus, he was excommunicated from the Church for being loyal to his own conscience rather than the “church norm”.

These are extreme examples of pressures to conform, but there are many others that are more subtle. For example, it is clear that the Church expects all “worthy” and “prepared” young men to serve missions. What if they don’t want to be a missionary? The natural pressure is to perform according to the expectation. What will others think? The “True Church” expects obedience to its leaders. But the young man is not interested. So what happens? Many young men buckle to the mission pressure and decide to go against their own best judgement. And they are miserable missionaries, and they make it difficult on all the rest who really want to be missionaries. In my experience as a missionary, there were many more of these type of missionaries than is readily admitted. Oh, the adults and former missionaries all know about it, but it is silently ignored, reasoning: “It is better that they be on the mission and serve the Lord, even if they don’t want to be. It will be a good training regarding the real world. Maybe God will touch them and by the end of the mission and come out a changed person!”

When will the LDS Church learn that Church President Spencer W. Kimball never received a “revelation” from the Lord, but that it was his own personal desire, under his priesthood keys, to call all young men on missions? It was Kimball’s own human wisdom that evoked such a command, reasoning that such experience would be good for preparing all young men for life. He “knew” the LDS Church was true, and therefore, there was no better way for young men to gain a testimony of the gospel that going on a mission. As explained in Chapter 5, telling others we “know the LDS Church is true” strengthens the LDS testimony process. Based on that assumption, Kimball’s direction to get the youth involved in sharing the restored LDS gospel sounds reasonable. But it’s flawed. God just doesn’t treat people that way. We are all individuals, and He works with each person according to their own needs and desires. To make “blanket expectations” on all young men’s souls simply causes unwelcomed conformity.

What do the members do to justify such obvious false “revelations” that can not possible apply to all LDS young men? They point to Moses who gave blanket laws from God to all the people, telling them specifically how to run their lives. “That’s how Moses did it!” they reason.

Wake up! That is the Old Testament pattern, not the New Testament. That approach is the lesser law, not the law of Christ that sets us free as individuals to operate in our own light! Grow up Latter-day Saints. Ancient Israel had been under slavery for 400 years and emotionally did not know how to make their own decisions without someone telling them what to do. Thus, God worked with them and gave them what they needed—the Law of Moses. The New Testament covenant of grace, however, sets us completely free. We receive Christ and He governs our lives directly, without any man standing between God and us. We don’t need prophets telling us what to do. We have Christ, the God of the Universe, guiding our lives!

The fruits of Kimball’s false revelation has resulted in emotionally affecting some young men who have received deep wounds from missionary services that can hurt for decades. Some young men have committed suicide over the pressure. But the LDS Church cannot see. Those that go on missions that are in harmony with God’s will find joy in bringing people to a church that they have been called into, even if they don’t know it’s only half-true. And the Church praises the faithful, happy, and beaming Mormons—and they fill the leadership positions. But that’s OK. God will use them to touch others. Unfortunately, these beaming people assume anyone who struggles hopelessly with his testimony and doesn’t conform to the way the Church worked for them are in “darkness” and are “unhappy” because he hasn’t repented and believed “like they have”.

On the other hand, for those who go on missions and it’s NOT the will of God for them to go but rather serve out of pretense and forced-desires, the mission life is absolute hell! But unfortunately, many of these disappointed young men never figure it out. They feel guilty and frustrated needlessly, trying to obtain a testimony that will never come, and they assume something is wrong with them. But it’s not. Rather, it’s the LDS Church that’s mixed up on spiritual principles that are only half-true, creating expectations and beliefs that are not the will of the Lord for those individuals.

For the man, the same is true of expectation of going to college and getting a job. The LDS Church stresses success and temporal accomplishments in the world. Thus, for those following the program, they will end up in a “nice paying job”, with a “beautiful wife” and “many children”, and it will be a “blissful” life of enjoying the love and experiences of family members.

If this expectation matches the desires of a person’s heart, then such will be very content and happy in Mormonism. But for me, this didn’t work. I was interested in all of these things, and went through the program. I received the good job, the wife, and the kids. But it didn’t make me happy. My heart was restless and ached to know the truth about God. I wanted this more than the other things the LDS Church offered. And thus, you have read my transition out of Mormonism and my pain to find God. And may I point out, if I had followed the crowd and stayed in the “mainstream of the Church”, following the prophets, I would NEVER have ventured out into the truth. I would never have quit my well-paying job and hopped on a plane to Sweden to unravel the Mormon puzzle. Staying in the norm would have been safe and much easier. I could have enjoyed the job, the house, the wife, and my children. But at what cost? Not knowing the Lord Jesus Christ.

My heart ached to know God, and so I went against the counsel of the priesthood and followed the Bible’s instruction of placing my search for God and the Truth above my own personal love of human beings and the things of this world, and I have not been disappointed. I’ve discovered that if we truly find Jesus Christ, then we have everything we need. By finding God, we find eternal life. That truly is more important than the love of any human being, even spouse and family.

For the women in the LDS Church, they have a totally different set of expectations they must deal with, such as being married in the temple to a “returned missionary”, bearing children, baking bread and making cookies, and teaching the family the Mormon way. There is nothing inherently wrong with these expectations. But way the LDS Church presents the gospel of Christ is that our works lead to salvation, and so the mind can easily turn all of these man-made expectations into commandments from God, and thus, force conformity on the people.

Both men and women who are content to believe in the Church and follow the norm can find peace and happiness in Mormonism. But it’s NOT necessarily the peace of Jesus. It’s counterfeit. It’s the peace of knowing that we are doing what we “think is right”. Anyone in the world can find that kind of peace. It is the peace that comes from self-discipline and conforming to the cultural norm. It is obeying the conscience of man. Our conscience can be trained to believe something is the truth, even though it is false. If a person truly believes they should go a mission, for example, and they don’t go, then they will go against their “conscience” and be unhappy. So they will go, and they will find peace of conscience and happiness. But if the Holy Spirit desires to impinge upon that falsely trained conscience, then the Holy Spirit will bring conflict through God’s Word, and thus, there will be is a fight between the “two lights”—the Holy Spirit and the conscience---which can be very confusing and frustrating to unravel. Thus Jesus taught:

“If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matt 6:23.)

Breaking out of a falsely-trained conscience can be extremely difficult, and for most, they don’t care to bother digging deeply enough to study the truth required to break apart the half-truths they have been taught by others to be “the whole truth”, and believed. They’ll be content to live out what they have been taught is the truth, and follow that mixed-up light given by others until they die.

And thus we find a great heresy in the Book of Mormon:

“For behold the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God. But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him. And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgement which ye judge ye shall be judged. Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ.” (Moroni 7:14-19.)

This used to be one of my favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon, but now I see how it fried my brain. It is an example of the dangerous false principles that are taught by Satan to lead us away from the truth.. It is so sinister and so subtle, it is nearly impossible to detect the lie. This scripture paints a “black and white” picture of God and the devil. It claims that the devil will never persuade anyone to do any good nor believe in Jesus Christ. This is false and not Biblical. It does NOT teach that the devil can appear as an angel of light to imitate Jesus Christ, like the Bible does. It does not teach that there are false Christs imitating God, who mix truth with error. It does not account for the Word of Jesus who said:

“If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matt 6:23.)

Moroni 7:14-19 does not account for the fact the light of Christ in us can be taught error. When we believe that error, our own light or “conscience” can lead us astray. Thus, the devil instructs the Mormons to search deeply into their hearts and “follow their conscience” or “light”. He knows if someone does this, and believes it, they will not be motivated to examine the WORD OF GOD and compare their conscience with that Word and repent, if necessary, and believe the truth. It is the perfect philosophy for a people who believe in half-truths, for the misguided conscience will remain misguided forever.

Paul understood that our conscience operates just the way I’ve described—it will faithfully obey whatever we believe is the truth. It will tell us quickly if we disobey something we believe is true. We’ll feel guilty. Whether something is true or false is not the issue. It’s what we have been trained to believe is true or false; that is what will influence our feelings:

“For if any man see thee which hast knowledge [of Jesus and being set free so that eating meat to an idol is not a sin] sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; and through thy knowledge [which says: eating meat to idols doesn’t matter to God—it’s just meat] shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?” (1 Cor 8:10-11.)

Paul explains we need to realize that everyone has a different conscience operating, based on what they have been taught to believe is true. Some of the weaker brethren who were not completely free in Christ were tempted to believe in false gods and that if they ate meat with such a belief, then they would sin, for the their consciences would make them feel guilty for so doing. So Paul argued it was better for the strong in Christ to avoid eating meat in front of the weaker Christians so that they would not feel guilty and stumble, sinning against their conscience. Their guilty conscience might drive them away from Christ.

“But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat not flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.” (1 Cor 8:13.)

Paul was a man who wrote this counsel by the Spirit of Truth, which teaches how the conscience of man works, and is the truth as I’ve explained it. The Book of Mormon, however, was written by fallen angels to deceive us. It teaches the conscience will always tell us the truth, and to search in that light, rather than THE WORD OF GOD. By obeying the Book of Mormon principle the half-truths we have been raised with—or light that is great darkness—will remain in our hearts forever. But the Bible commands us to search the Word of God instead of “the light of Christ”. Thus we can re-train our misguided consciences by repenting and believing the truth. Then our conscience becomes very strong and a much better tool for us to use!

The Book of Mormon is one of the most dangerous religious books ever written, for it teaches of Christ and persuades men to do good, but it is full of hidden darkness calculated to deceive its believers with apparently harmless scriptures such as Moroni 7:14-19. Thus, using Paul’s writings, I’ve just proven the Book of Mormon is false. The test given in Moroni to determine whether something is from God or the Devil points us to OUR CONSCIENCE for an answer, which can be misguided according to Corinthians chapter 8. It teaches: “The Spirit of Christ is given to every man that he may know good from evil….for everything which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God”. This gives no instructions about unraveling half-truths delivered by counterfeit angels. Taken to the extreme, it teaches that we really don’t even need the Word of Truth, the Bible, for all people have within themselves a conscience that will tell them what is good or evil. The Book of Mormon sounds good because the verses talk about light, God, the devil, good and evil, and service, but the overall message of searching our conscience or inner self for spiritual discernment is FALSE. We need WORDS that are in THE BIBLE that are TRUE to set us free. Thank God Paul wrote the truth, so we can see the darkness in the Book of Mormon.

Finally, we actually don’t need the Bible to see the truth on this issue. We only need to examine our own experience to observe how our conscience can be trained with lies. For example: “If you won’t be good and obey your parents, Santa Claus will bring you a lump of coal.” We all know this is false, but how did our consciences as children respond when we believed this was true? If we disobeyed, we felt guilty and fearful, right? This is what happens in Mormonism. We are just bigger kids believing bigger lies. If we choose to believe the Church is “true”, all of the programs, instructions, and expectations that come from the “true Church” will affect our consciences. We will feel it is our duty to obey, or be wrestle with guilt. We must conform our lives to the Church and it’s expectations or be damned.

Those in the LDS Church who resist conformity and want to be unique and truly find God for the truth’s sake will go crazy. They will struggle with “their testimony” as they search to understand who they “really are” within a mass of convoluted LDS expectations. Many incorrectly blame themselves for their unhappiness and confusion. It’s not their fault. They believe in a Church that teaches half-truths, and they don’t know it. So of course they will be unhappy in the LDS Church. It’s not aligned with their hearts and spirits crying to be free. It’s not right for them. The conformity and bizarre human expectations are not from God. Only the truth is.

Finally, there are those who reject Mormonism because they do not want to discipline their lives and keep the commandments of God, but rather, they prefer to follow after the ways of the world. This book is not addressing those types of individuals, for they will react completely differently to Mormonism than those who are seeking to obey God. They have a different agenda and interest, and obviously, my writing here does not apply to such individuals. They will rebel against the LDS Church as an excuse to enjoy sin, and they do not care to find God and the inner freedom in Jesus Christ. They are of the world.

Although “being the same” is not taught explicitly in the LDS Church, belonging to the “one true church” implies that we should conform our lives to what the LDS leaders teach and do. LDS are instructed to “follow the prophets”. A prophet is a man, not God, and if our mind is programmed with that thought, then we follow human beings who supposedly have the priesthood power to lead us to celestial glory. They write the manuals or appoint others to write them by their priesthood authority. The Church is true, and therefore, the teaching in the manuals are true, and therefore, the church is WHERE GOD WANTS IT TO BE--all being led by inspired Church Headquarters, of course. Thus, the implied assumption and tops-down revelation causes the “conformity” we see in the LDS religion. It is the product of the “true Church” concept being programmed into our consciences. Thus, to be different and challenge the ideas generated from Salt Lake City implies rebellion against the priesthood and God. It will grind against the conscience. Such would lead to unhappiness and sorrow, it is believed. Therefore, an active member of the Church would never dream of challenging a general authority—especially the Twelve or the Prophet. Our consciences will not allow it. These men are believed to be servants of God! Who wants to fight against God’s priesthood? It would be spiritual suicide, even if we disagree. So, we are wise to keep our mouths shut when we disagree and accept in faith the leadership and direction of the Church.

The LDS Church is like a two-sided coin. One side of the coin is “conformity” in purpose; the other is “good works” or action to implement the “inspired” Church goals. Thus, we see the gospel of Mormonism neatly spelled out in three areas that generate the many “works” to accomplish the mission of the Church:

1) Proclaim the gospel
2) Perfect the saints
3) Redeem the dead.

I must admit that such an ordered philosophy brings great security for it alleviates disagreement and differences. It gives the mind clear direction and a sense of purpose. Finally, if we are all thinking alike, then we need not feel uncomfortable about being different. But does this conformity to “the same teachings” fit into reality and truth? Is it the correct model? Should we stay “in the mainstream” of the Church? Should the church “as a body” move and grow together at the same pace? Should the apostles and prophets lead us together as God’s mouthpiece? This may work OK with a small church membership, but when the church grows, how does the Church leaders administer the gospel to have a multinational church move at the same pace? How do the top leaders control the body?

Who is in control? God or human beings?

These questions show the weakness of the LDS priesthood theology. The brethren are expected to exercise authority tops down across the LDS Church. It is much like how a business or company is run in the temporal world. Although the tops-down structure works in the world, it doesn’t mean the same pattern applies to the Spiritual Church of God. Jesus taught his kingdom is not of the world, but of God. God’s Church is a spiritual Kingdom that dwells in our hearts. As Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20.) Mormons can not build Zion. Only God can. And this is the marvelous work and wonder Isaiah talks about:

“Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.” (Isaiah 29:14.)

Notice that Isaiah speak about how the wisdom and understanding of man will perish and be hid by the “marvelous work and wonder”. Mormonism teaches this “marvelous work and wonder” is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with the priesthood, programs, and ordinances that brings salvation. But it is wrong. Rather, it refers to the Kingdom of God that grows in the hearts of believers who are born of God. Such light and truth from Jesus puts the prudent and wise of the world to shame! A human mind can not change a proud human heart; neither can the LDS priesthood. Only God can. Only Jesus saves us. It’s truly a miracle of God--a marvelous work and a wonder! And millions of Christians testify of the power of Jesus Christ in their lives! Praise God.

Some Latter-day Saints may argue that the LDS Church today is imperfect because the Saints are imperfect and rejected the United Order in the early Church. This sounds reasonable. However, the very reason the United Order did not work and will never work in the LDS Church is that the principle of implementation is driven not by the heart, but by a false external priesthood. We can discuss all the theory we want about Zion being the “pure in heart” (D&C 97:21), but in Mormonism, the external priesthood itself moves the Church away from receiving Jesus and being born again in the true sense of the word. The miracle and wonder of Mormonism is the priesthood restoration, the esoteric Mormon theology, the building of temples, the sealing of families, the Book of Mormon, and the self-discipline of the Mormon people. It’s not a changed heart, and it’s not the power of the cross. Thus, Isaiah 29:14 is completely perverted in Mormonism and darkens the understanding of the members. I’ve devoted an entire chapter later to show this is the case.

Security and peace is not found in being the same or trusting in a True Church. To find peace and true security, we must learn that these are found only in the Lord Jesus Christ and his promises to us and not in a religion of any kind! We are unique, and in Christ, he gives us freedom to be what he has created us to be. He is the incarnate miracle. And in Him, so are we—a miracle! Praise be to His name.

As a Mormon, I never appreciated the miracle of Jesus’s birth. I saw Jesus as my elder “spirit brother”, and the miracle conception of the Virgin Birth meant that Mary had never slept with another man, but the Holy Spirit was not the Father of Jesus, but God the Father. God the Father created Jesus by “natural means”. Although there is much controversy on this subject, and not all Mormons will agree, in my own LDS mind I reasoned that Jesus was born by the procreative powers of sex between Mary and the resurrected body of God the Father. Whether this is actually taught in LDS theology is not the issue. As a Mormon I thought of it based on the LDS religion defining God in terms of his physical form, and not his substance. I thought of it based on an institute class in which the instructor alluded to the concept, but said it is so sacred, we just don’t think or talk about it. And by so doing, I didn’t see a “miracle” in the Virgin Birth according to the Bible, but rather, I saw a completely watered-down Jesus—a being who was bound by laws, not a being WHO IS THE LAW. I saw a being who organized existing matter, not a being who was above matter itself—creating loaves and fishes to feed five thousand by miraculous power or walking on water.

Priesthood is defined as the power of God delegated to men to act in the name of God on earth. With such a definition, the LDS people will be blinded by the priesthood’s sheer power, believing falsely that Zion can be established by this false authority and not by the inner power of Jesus Christ. The LDS legalistic priesthood model is a false pattern, and I’ll explain why: The priesthood makes men equal to God in authority. A decision “ratified” by the LDS priesthood is as binding as if God himself made the decision. Thus, human error can creep into the LDS organization, such as President Kimball’s personal call for all young men to fulfill missions. The members will believe the human error to be from God, making it nearly impossible to repent. Only the leaders can eradicate the error. The entire system is built on the premise that the righteousness of leaders pulls down the powers of Heaven, and the Church progresses through our obedience of these priesthood leaders. If the leaders err, then the general Church members will trust in that error with little hope of seeing the truth. So Members will trust in the LDS priesthood in spite of the errors, assuming God will cleanse his “True Church” over time “through the proper authorities”. So the buck begins and stops at the top, not at the bottom. That is the root cause of failure in Mormon theology, and why the United Order will never work in the Church. Rather than having the buck placed at the feet of Jesus, with each member having responsibility for the born again process and being led by Jesus Christ personally, the supposed Moses-men lead the people instead—and seldom if ever by revelation, but mostly by human wisdom.

“…for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.” (Isaiah 29:14.)

Isaiah recorded the true Word of God, and the born again Christians and Mormons will eventually bring the wisdom and understanding of men in the LDS Church to naught. God will gain greater influence, as the LDS organization grows larger and larger. For the prophet and twelve apostle will be placed further and further away from the individual member, and as men, they will have less and less influence over the life of each soul. Only God can be God. And thus, the larger the LDS Church grows, the more apparent it will become that the LDS priesthood is false, for to keep the Church in line, more human and false control mechanisms will be put in place to monitor and control the Church, revealing that ONLY GOD CAN PLAY GOD in the individual lives of members. Eventually, the LDS Church will turn into another Catholic organization, with rules, procedures and principles that men can use to control and direct the LDS membership.

The LDS Church’s priesthood authority is about earthly power and how men manage that power. The Catholic Church is identical, and it has authority that can be supposedly traced back to Peter. It has rituals and ceremonies that bring salvation to the believer, just like the Mormon rituals and temple ceremony. The legalistic priesthood concept did the same damage to the ancient church by presenting a false means of salvation. It put the power of God into the hands of men by human means. And thus, once the people believed in this authority held by men, serious errors spread quickly by the adversary across the body of believers, for they trusted in “the Catholic Church” being true. For example, the doctrine of praying to Mary is not Biblical, and yet, it exists in the Catholic Church. No active believing Catholic will question the practice, for the Church is God’s only true Church. His conscience will lead him into error. God would not permit an introduction of false doctrine into the Catholic Kingdom, right? But this logic works only if the priests and church leaders share in the power of salvation. It’s valid only if men hold God’s authority to act in his name. And that is illogical. God is God. Man is man. They are two separate species. God has never delegated his power to any man—not even Moses. In fact when Moses attempted to take upon himself the power of God and command water to come forth from the rock by his own volition, he was severely chastised by God for being so presumptuous. As a result, Moses never entered the promised land. This is symbolic of anyone who fails to understand God does not delegate his power to man. Such a person will find himself outside the spiritual land called Heaven. Do we want to believe the Bible’s example of Moses or Joseph Smith’s false angels who willingly pass on God’s authority to human beings?

I choose to believe the Bible. The legalistic authority concept is false and the LDS priesthood foundation will eventually fall to the truth found in Jesus Christ. Only God has the power to save human beings. He does not delegate His power and authority to anyone. God is God. Man is man. God is not man. Man is not God. That is the simple truth. How could it be any clearer?

The LDS priesthood is not about glorifying God. It’s not about love. Again it’s about power, control, and direction. The last words of the LDS temple endowment ceremony are spoken when a person goes through the temple veil into the celestial world of the gods. They are: “Power in the priesthood be upon me and my posterity through all generation of time and throughout all eternity.” (LDS Temple Ceremony.)

Satan lusted for power and glory. We would think the LDS would consider the temple and the LDS priesthood and realize that it is counterfeit, for it is not about releasing souls from darkness, it’s about eternal power and the government of worlds. The LDS close their eyes to the truth, claiming that their priesthood is about love and kindness, but such qualities are of the heart. Inner peace comes by the Holy Spirit and not by any false priesthood. Thus, the Holy Spirit the Latter-day Saints enjoy and the miracles that are performed by faith are manifest not by priesthood but by the love and power of God. These true gifts come by faith in Christ, and these gifts of God would multiply further in the LDS Church without the false priesthood perverting and binding the grace of God.

As the Church grows larger, those who are truly seeking God will find it more and more difficult to find Him in the LDS Church and its false priesthood. They will find Him in the Scriptures or in prayer instead. As they read the Bible and the Book of Mormon, members will find a greater a greater conflict between the Holy Spirit and what they see in the LDS Church. But nevertheless, they will continue believing “in the LDS Church” because it is “the True Church”. It has the priesthood of God.

Thus, when the LDS prophet speaks, no matter he says, millions of people are going to believe and obey his instructions. Is this type of obedience based on the truth? No. Is it based on love? Not necessarily. Rather, it’s based on the assumption that the prophet holds the priesthood keys. The Latter-day Saints believe God supports his LDS prophet. He can never lead us astray. Although the infallibility of the prophet concept is found nowhere in the Bible, and although no one is promised exemption from falling into sin, yet the Latter-day Saints claim it. Again, it is identical to the Pope in Catholicism. He’s infallible. See the pattern? Now Mormons may reason that the similar pattern found in the Catholic Church is because it’s a skeleton of the truth. Can’t we all see it proves Mormonism is true? the LDS reason. Catholicism believes in a priesthood order and so does Mormonism!

But the Catholics lost the priesthood somehow and it needed to be restored? Can we not see the error in logic? If the Church lost the priesthood after the first century and it fell into total apostasy, then why can’t that happen again to the Mormons? No one is immune from sin. That principle is eternal. The agency of man can not be overturned by God.

So the assumption is flawed. The error goes back to the very beginning of Catholicism when Satan introduced into Christianity the concept of a “prophet” or “pope” who was infallible because of his priesthood that he held. Like the Catholics, the Mormons believe that God will support human beings in the priesthood authority, and that the LDS Church has supernatural amnesty from falling into darkness. If a wicked prophet leads the Church, God will move him out of the way, and the Church will continue down the correct path. Now, that sounds reasonable, but in practice, how is anyone going to replace a proud and wicked prophet? We would think we would learn from history, right? Let us observe the wicked Popes who abused the people with legalistic priesthood authority. Let us consider all the religious wars fought over supposed “authority” from God. Is it a true principle? Is God’s authority transferred to other men by men or is it transferred only by Himself?

The truth of the matter as explained in Chapter four is that the Catholics started the heresy of legalistic authority, likely inspired by false angels, and the Mormons have learned the identical principle. Both are wrong.

The belief that the LDS Church will never fall into apostasy started in the early days of the LDS Church, but it is not Biblical nor has history ever supported such a notion. For example, the LDS Church believes the first century church fell into apostasy. The people of God have continued to fall into apostasy in each “dispensation”. But in the Latter-days, the Church will not fall into error but will be “invincible” to Satan. How foolish! Such a doctrine is from hell, and God has made no such promises to the LDS people. I believe the idea originates from the Nephilim who gave Joseph Smith the Aaronic priesthood in D&C 13:

“Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of the Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall NEVER be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.” (D&C 13)

And thus, from this prophecy the Latter-day Saints can feel secure that the priesthood will remain, and thus, the Church will stay intact and “not go astray”. But is it true?

Again, what makes the Mormons special and the Catholics in error? If the priesthood was lost, when was it lost in the New Testament Church? Obviously, to the Catholics it was never lost. The “laying on of hands” did continue after the death of the apostles. The Mormons, however, argue that after the apostles were killed, and the priesthood was lost because the people rejected the prophets and apostles. Why didn’t this happen with Joseph Smith? He was rejected and killed, and yet, the priesthood remained. In the first century, why didn’t God appoint other apostles? Paul talks about a “falling away” from the truth (2 Thess 2:3), and prophesied the Church would turn unto fables (2 Tim 4:4). But he mentions nothing about priesthood authority. He speaks of turning from the TRUTH. Thus, the “legalistic authority” issue introduced after the death of the apostles confuses the apostasy.

Part of the ancient Church apostasy was the introduction of legalistic priesthood to save the people. Indeed, the LDS claim of priesthood authority is the principle that had more influence of turning the original Church from the truth found in Jesus Christ than any other. It is the root error that caused the darkness to reign in Christianity until the reformers journeyed back to the original writings of TRUTH and began the process of bringing the Christian Church back into the Light. Even the reformers such as Martin Luther did not see the error of priesthood clearly, for many felt they did not have the “authority” to start a new church, for the priesthood concept had ruled for a thousand years! The original approach was to get the Catholic Church back on track, but of course, the reformers were cut off from the Catholic Church and persecuted. They did not have any “authority” to speak against the church leaders.

Thus, a careful analysis will see the “priesthood authority delegated to men” causing a blindness to the truth found in the Word of God. As the LDS Church grows, the darkness and false priesthood will become more and more evident as men try to govern the kingdom of God by their own minds in a corrupt priesthood, and not by the Holy Spirit, and not by true revelation. Trying to implement a “revelation” in a LDS church that uses wisdom to guide its path is a scary prospect. If a revelatory mistake is made, the ramifications become very political. Thus, the Church will be run more and more by human wisdom, with checks and balances in the kingdom to control the growth of the Church world-wide. Thus, we will see statements from the prophets continue to “balance” the environment to cater to the needs of human beings. We will see statements such as Hinkley’s response to the direct question asked regarding God once being a man, and his saying that we really don’t know about those things. The Church leaders will continue to place an emphasis on human love, families, and doing good to our neighbor, but shy away from the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the power of God that comes by faith. Such temporal planning and human wisdom will make the LDS Kingdom a lonely place of fellowship for those seeking eternal salvation in Jesus Christ and to be born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. These followers of Christ who are spiritually minded will benefit from this book. Hopefully the Biblical truths it contains will free them from the chains of a LDS false priesthood and false gospel, so they can find the waters of life more easily. Christ will set us free, according to the truth, and not according to the LDS priesthood. If the LDS priesthood truly freed us, then Jesus would have said, “If ye continue in my word shall be my disciple, and ye shall find the true priesthood, and the priesthood shall set you free.” But he did not say that. Jesus said:

“If ye continue in my word, then are ye may disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” (John 8:32.)

The gospel of Jesus Christ is about living a life of freedom in the truth. It’s about overcome all false ideas and repenting of sin, so that we can enjoy a life of joy in Christ. It’s about loving God more than family, possessions, and earthly concerns. It’s about loving the Truth, which truth is God Himself.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6.)

As we find the truth, we submit to Christ and do the Father’s will. We become God’s servants and not our own master. The LDS priesthood does not have any truth in it. It is a concept of authority. We see hands laid on a person’s head, and that means he has permission to act in the name of God. What truth is in this act? A man can act as God? Where’s the truth in the LDS priesthood? Where is Christ? Is he in my human flesh? My hand? Where is the Word of the Lord? By attempting to answer these questions, we fall short in reconciling the LDS priesthood concept to the truth and the Bible.

Now let’s look and Christ’s true priesthood order. By believing the eternal truth of the Word and receiving Jesus Christ, we can become one spiritual body operating under the influence of the Holy Spirit. There is one Lord, one Faith, and one baptism of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:5.). Those who find Jesus Christ understand the grace of God and glory in the joy of Christ. We are of one Spirit and one mind, which is not human. The Holy Spirit is eternal and is from God. By the Spirit, we comprehend that we worship only one eternal God, who appeared in the form of a man, even Jesus Christ. We can not understand how God manifests himself in different ways, for as mortals the incarnation of Jesus Christ is the greatest mystery of all. But as Jesus prayed that as He and his Father are one, so we too, in the Holy Spirit can become one body of believers in Christ, doing the will of the Father:

“And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep them through thine OWN NAME [the Father] those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.” (John 17:11.)

What does this “oneness” mean? Jesus explained:

“Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me…” (John 14:11-12.)

The oneness of the Christian Church is accomplished by truly receiving Jesus Christ into our hearts, and as we grow in eternal truth, then we become one with Jesus and the Father. The Father dwelt in Jesus Christ, and Jesus as “the Son” submitted to the truth and will of “the Father”. Thus, Christ is the Father and the Son. He received his Word and direction from the Father. He has authority to command us and give directions in his Fathers’s name. Also, he submitted as the Son in humility, to receive the commands of the Father. Thus we, in turn, humble ourselves as children and receive Jesus Christ into our hearts, and He brings with him the Father’s name and will, and we become one in Christ. We too give directions and commands to other using the Father’s Word, just as Jesus did. But Jesus is the distribution point of that Word to our hearts.

This describes specifically the oneness Jesus prayed for to occur in the disciple’s hearts. It means being baptized by the Holy Spirit and truly having God in us. It is NOT the “oneness in purpose” that the LDS Church preaches. This gives the impression that two beings, the Father and the Son, are in Heaven agreeing together on all decisions, and then, they execute their agreed-upon plans. This is NOT the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible is a Spirit that lives in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as well as the hearts of human beings. It is ONE GOD, not three. We must be born of this Spirit to become one. How can we not be ONE MIND if we have the same God dwelling in all of our hearts guiding our paths?

However, the converse is true about false gods—there are many false gods, each one having it’s own skew on truth, deceiving and manipulating our hearts away from the One True God. The false gods work under the direction of the devil, actually using the principle of “oneness of purpose” to accomplish their design. Their purpose is to prove that there are many gods and not just “One True God”, who they believe is lying. Any tactic is fair and right to accomplish this purpose to prove God is a liar. Thus, innumerable false angels, demons, and devils plan and strategize under an organization that is focused on a common purpose. It is one Kingdom. It belongs to Satan.

Likewise, the LDS temple ordinances use this principle of “oneness” to organize the LDS Church around a common goal of exaltation. The temple covenants and symbols work together in harmony to teach the mind that oneness is accomplished by making the same covenants with God and agreeing to submit our lives to the Holy Priesthood order. In the final covenant, for example, the members promise the following:

“Each of you solemnly covenant and promise before God, angels, and these witnesses at this altar, that you will each consecrate your time, talents, and everything with which the Lord has blessed you or may bless you to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to the building up of the Kingdom of God on earth, and to the establishment of Zion. Each of you bow your heads and say yes.” (LDS Temple Ceremony.)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is organized by the priesthood, and by making this covenant, the member covenant to honor and obey this priesthood. Notice the covenant is not to the truth, or to God, but to an organization and purpose. Some may argue that I’m splitting hairs over semantics, but I’m not. The mind is like a computer, and the words that are believed to be true are executed by our conscience according the exact words that are processed. In the LDS temple, the final covenant that opens the door to the celestial Kingdom of God is not to the truth, but to a specific people and a goal or objective. Thus, it is clear that the oneness to be achieved in Mormonism is not the way Jesus prayed that his disciples should be one in Him, but rather, Mormonism uses the Satanic principle of becoming one in purpose and goals. This is also what Mormons believe in terms of God himself—that he is not literally one God, but many gods who have the same purpose—to establish Zion by the power of the Holy Priesthood.

Now we can all ponder the LDS principle of oneness and determine if it is from God or not, based on the Bible. Mormons almost boast in their understanding of the Godhead and their “oneness in purpose” and not substance. But it contradicts the Bible, based on Jesus saying:

“Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me…” (John 14:11-12.)

This scripture clearly teaches oneness in substance not purpose, contradicting the LDS view. And what is the basis of the LDS understanding? It is a human and satanic perspective. For example, we can observe a wife and husband and how agreements are made between them, and how they are “one family”, and then we conclude that such is the mind of God? Or we look at business and government, and like human families, we also see how they are run with human thought. Outside the LDS Church, of course, these organizations do not have the “priesthood of God”, which if believed in, will encourage automatic submission to leaders with little arguments, generally speaking. Thus, the LDS are proud of the order and supposed unity in the LDS Church brought about by its priesthood. But is the principle from God? Do we submit to the priesthood of angels or to the truth? Is there any truth in the LDS priesthood itself? What words of truth are transferred by the “laying on of hands” in transferring the LDS priesthood? May I also point out that it was not God or Jesus that gave Joseph Smith the priesthood, but angels. Therefore, we are trusting in angels and not God, right? Were they valid messengers? Is the concept Biblical? Where are the angels giving authority to Moses or Abraham?

The LDS priesthood concept is very dangerous, for it perverts not only the doctrine of the Godhead, but it also perverts the concept of becoming one by the power of God. God is one God, and for this reason alone, those who are spiritually baptized in Christ become one spiritual inner Church and of one faith. God’s mind is revealed in their lives, and unity develops from the inside out, as God’s will manifests itself in His spiritual body of beilevers. In marriage or in Church, true oneness and unity comes by the Holy Spirit of God—in the TRUTH. That is the correct model. It is not achieved in the LDS priesthood, and certainly not in the temple ordinances, which is a manifestation of the mind of Lucifer. It is Lucifer that thinks like a man, and not God. Satan plans and executes things not knowing the future nor the power of God, all originating from cognitive powers that he uses with “agreement of others” within his own priesthoods. The temple covenants are patterned after Satan’s kingdom and not God’s. Satan’s kingdom is one of will, decision, and mental capacity to achieve the end goal of becoming gods and goddesses. And as such, the covenants of the temple, if believed, will move a believer into great error, particularly in our becoming “one in purpose”. We will be taught within families and church, not a standard of truth of the Word as the guide, but councils and people meeting to “agree” on what is the best course of action. Rather than wives submitting to husbands, and the husband and wife submitting to Christ and His Word, the men and women “agree” on compromised solutions, giving and taking here and there. And thus, BY AGREEMENT, we become one in purpose and action. It is a counterfeit system and is exactly the mind of Satan. He is the world’s greatest compromiser. But this is not the way of Christ. Jesus taught that He is in the Father, and the Father is in Him. We too, are to become one in Christ.

The LDS Church glories in “oneness” and “sameness” of belief and action. It makes everyone feel safe and secure with each other. Members know the church is true and share this common belief. This brings great confidence to members of the Church, for all are taught to think and behave the same way. It is the power of the LDS priesthood that brings about this conformity in thought and purpose. A “group” bound to such a priesthood organization actually can become a false god, if anyone worships and trusts “the church body” for salvation.

But such priesthood causes individuals to conform their lives like mindless ants to a queen. Indeed, the creation of ants is in similitude to the kingdom of the devil, not the kingdom of God. Ants live underground in darkness. Ants can carry objects many times greater than their own weight. Although they are very tiny in comparison to the world they live in, we glory in their own individual strength. We are impressed by their INDIVIDUAL POWER. On the other hand, their community strength is in order and efficiency, becoming one body of robot ants serving the queen and colony at the expense of individual identity. Rather than following the queen directly, ants follow the sent of the ant before them. It is fascinating to watch ants follow each other in a perfect trail back to the dark nest in the ground. Likewise, we see Mormons playing “follow the priesthood leader”, and the LDS priesthood is scent.

But such is not the kingdom of Heaven, which is likened unto birds that fly. Birds live in the light of day, not in the dark underground. They build nests in the trees of life. Rather than seeing the power of the ants, we hear the birds sing songs of glory. We observe their grace and beauty. They fly freely in the air, representing our freedom in the Holy Spirit. The young are cared for and treated as individuals, receiving the nourishment from their parents until of age, and then, they fly by themselves with only the air as support. And thus, when we grow and find Jesus, we too discover that He alone supports us in our spiritual flight in the Holy Spirit. We are free and independent in Jesus Christ. He lifts us to spiritual heights, and we view the world from a perspective far above the earth. God’s Word lifts us up to the Heavens where God and Christ dwell. He teaches us of His ways, which are higher than man’s:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9.)

Each individual on earth is at a different level of light. Each person has unique needs and capability. Each person only thinks one thought at a time. Human beings generally focus on a few goals, objectives, or problems as we decide from moment to moment. God meets our different needs by calling individuals of like mind into different organizations to meet our needs. Depending on our interests, prayers, and needs, God builds His Spiritual Church around those unique needs, and the spiritual body grows and develops into many different denominations across the earth, maturing over time. The Christian Churches meet different needs depending on circumstances of the past, present, and future. That is the true paradigm. It reflects reality and truth on earth today as well as at the time of Joseph Smith.

Satan works on opposite principles. He broadcasts the “differences of people”, making us feel insecure in those differences and uniqueness. He makes people feel insecure about God, wondering why there are so many different churches with apparent “contradictions”. Out of insecurity, people say: “Your Church is false because it’s different than mine.”

But that accusation assumes everyone should be the same. Everyone should belong to “the same religion.” Perhaps in the future when Jesus returns, when everyone is perfected and matured in Christ, the Churches will be groomed and tutored to grow together into one True Church, connected by MANY different levels of light. Everyone will understand where they are and where the next step of spiritual growth is. But today, the body of Christ is not mature yet. Neither is it connected together externally by principles of light. Each person is growing at different rates having unique needs, and therefore, there is a valid need for diversity of religions that operate independently.

The Bible speaks mostly to individuals. It does not judge our righteousness on what we possess, who we live with, our heritage, our social status, where we live, what job we have, and so on. Any individual can turn to God and find the truth and live. But if we believe in a “one true religion”, then our individuality and personal relationship to God can be lost in theological dogma and forced group conformity. Salvation becomes a “family affair”—a LDS “Church sponsored” salvation program. And no matter how we try to fix the problem of “respecter of persons”, it can not be fixed with the LDS priesthood, for it creates a subtle and forced conformity of the people to human leaders. Moses led the people of God, but he didn’t have the false LDS priesthood principle guiding him. In his mind, he wanted everyone to be a prophet and hear the voice of God directly:

“And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? Would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!” (Numbers 11:28.)

This is the Biblical pattern. As we receive Jesus Christ, we all become priests and priestesses with the gifts of God, and in fact, we are all apostles or “messengers” sent to witness of Jesus Christ.

The LDS priesthood concept and the “one true Church” is flawed. We can not reason: “Oh, the LDS church doesn’t really meet our need, perhaps another church will” because the LDS Church is the only true church that offers salvation! There is no celestial salvation in any other Church outside the LDS priesthood. So what happens if a human need isn’t being met? The LDS Church sets up another program to meet that individual need, and the Church becomes a gigantic government of bureaucracy, a spiritual “control center” of sorts, an administrator of programs to meet human needs! Why? Because “the Church” and priesthood save us, not God Himself! And with an administrative prophet at the head! Can we not see? The priesthood authority turns the Church of God into a tops-down governing body of human beings, who may or may not be inspired of God. It encourages human beings to be dependent on an organization for salvation. And yet, in truth, it is literally impossible for any one organization, the LDS Church, to meet every unique spiritual need for mankind.

Thus, Joseph Smith’s original belief about there being one true religion is seriously flawed. He claims God revealed the “only true and living church” to Him. But the fact is that “one” religion can NOT meet everyone’s unique needs. This TRUTH proves Joseph Smith fabricated the 1838 official First Vision story from different visions and experiences he presumed to be from God. To believe there should be only one true religion ignores that people are at different spiritual levels on earth. The result is conformity to outward appearances and many feel they have to be “shaped and molded” by the expectations defined by the top leaders who hold saving priesthood keys. Those who prefer “emotional security” to “spiritual freedom” will enjoy the company of like-minded Latter-day Saints and feel safe. Security is a feeling we all desire as human beings. But those who love the truth and freedom more than “emotional security” will become miserable in such an institutionalized religion and will not understand why they are unhappy being in “the only true church”.

Another great danger of the Book of Mormon is it is written on just one wavelength of light--faith, repentance, baptism, and the Holy Ghost. These same four principles are repetitively pounded into the believer like a CD playing the same song over and over. The book uses different dramatic stories and examples, but it presents the same concepts by repetition. In a way, it’s almost like a complex mantra. Latter-day Saints presume that this repetition grounds and stabilizes a believer on the basic principles of the gospel. But from my experience, it hurt me. My mind became a mental sludge, making it impossible to appreciate other levels of light and the broad spectrum of truth available in the Bible to believers in Christ.

When I left the LDS faith and started reading the Bible, I found the diverse levels of light it contains to meet many more of my immediate day-to-day needs. For example, the epistles of Paul and other letters in the Bible have specific direction and guidance that is not in the Book of Mormon. I’ve learned by personal experience that Joseph Smith’s statement that “the Book of Mormon is the most correct book of any other and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than by any other book” is completely false. His statement actually kept me away from the Bible, and I studied and applied the principles in the Book of Mormon precisely based on his false statement. The result? The Book of Mormon led me to assume that faith, repentance, prayer, and the Holy Spirit will solve all our problems, and that’s all we really need to “be closer to God”. But how can we be closer to God and grow when we stay on the same level of light—faith, repentance, and baptism? If Joseph told the truth, then we don’t need the temple ordinances, the D&C, or the Bible, do we? We only need the Book of Mormon, right?

Does the Bible agree with this viewpoint? The writer of Hebrews teaches very clearly that we need to leave the elementary principles of Christ and grow into maturity:

“Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God. Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of the laying on of hands, and of the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgement. And this we will do, if God permit.” (Hebrews 6:1-3)

The book of Hebrews speaks about the priesthood of Christ, comparing Old Testament symbols with Christ’s spiritual priesthood and expounding on deeper subjects for our edification and growth. Joseph Smith, guided by the Book of Mormon spirit, however, changed this verse to read:

“Therefore [NOT] leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection….” (Inspired Version Heb. 6:1.)

This is a lie. It moves us back to the Book of Mormon mantra, which Joseph Smith believed in. But the fact is we actually need written words on many levels of light to guide us, or we can be deceived by “our own feelings”. And that’s what is in the Bible and not the Book of Mormon. Personally, I’ve learned more about God by shelving the Book of Mormon and studying the Bible. The Bible has levels of light that cover a much, much broader spectrum of truth. Just read the book of Proverbs, for example, trusting that the words have not “been corrupted by man” as Joseph claimed, and you too will see what I mean. Proverbs is a wonderful book that covers many levels of light and truth. Use the NIV version for a great education in light.

In addition to the mantra of the Book of Mormon, there are dangers in doctrine that can lead to the depths of hell. For example, the story of the brother of Jared who compelled the personal visit of Jesus Christ to him because of his great faith is the ultimate perversion of the principle of faith:

“And there were many whose faith was so exceedingly strong, even before Christ came, who could not be kept from within the veil, but truly saw with their eyes the things which they had beheld with the eye of faith, and they were glad. And behold, we have seen in this record that one of these was the brother of Jared; for so great was his faith in God, that when God put forth is finger he could not hide it from the sight of the brother of Jared, because of his word which he had spoken unto him, which word he had obtained by faith. And after the brother of Jared beheld the finger of the Lord, because of the promise the brother of Jared had obtained by faith, the Lord could not withhold anything from his sight; wherefore, he showed him all things, for he could no longer be kept without the veil.” (Ether 12:19-21.)

“And never have I showed myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou has…” (Ether 3:15).

In his book, A New Witness for Christ, Elder Jeffery R. Holland explains that this statement does not mean that Jesus hadn’t appeared to prophets, but that because of the faith of the brother of Jared, Jesus was bound by law to appear to him. This LDS principle of faith sounds reasonable and compelling, but it is completely false. God is at the helm of the Universe, and he chooses to reveal himself by his grace to those who believe. God can not be manipulated by anyone’s faith, and the entire story’s premise shifts faith’s power into the mind of man, for the brother of Jared clearly was in control of the situation. God was at the mercy of Jared’s incredible faith.

God simply does not work this way. We find not one account in the 66 books of the Bible that even hints that man’s faith can control God in this manner. And yet, Mormon Apostle Jeffery R. Holland makes this conclusion that the brother of Jared compelled God to appear because of his faith. Why does Holland conclude such an absurdity? Because the Book of Mormon says that Jesus never showed himself “unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou has…” Unless we come up with a good explanation, the Book of Mormon contradicts the idea the God appeared to Adam and other prophets. So Elder Holland gives an excellent explanation of the passage to defend the books truthfulness.

I believe Elder Holland is inspired in his understanding of the Book of Mormon. I believe that he has latched onto the light of the Nephilim, and thus, he has properly interpreted the Book of Mormon by the light of its author, Lucifer, God’s fallen light bearer. Indeed, is it not this concept of faith that caused Lucifer to fall into darkness? Was it not because of his belief that he could control God by his great faith and persuasive pride that was his undoing? Was it not Satan who believed that we progress eternally by obedience to law and that ultimately God was accountable to his own laws? Do we not see the false pattern? In Mormonism, God is not Truth and Light. God is NOT the law. Rather, God is ACCOUNTABLE to law. God is an agency that chooses and has progressed based on eternal law. And thus, God was compelled by the brother of Jared’s faith to appear because of the law of faith!

The notion is completely false. It is only something a devil would write. It would be like parents agreeing that if their child came and asked them to spend time with them, they MUST obey the child, for it’s the law. Wise parents would never allow a child to manipulate their decision, but rather, would spend time with the child because of their own choice in the matter. They may or may not agree with the young child, but it would be on their terms to spend time together. Our Heavenly Father also has his own agenda and will, and our faith can not manipulate him because of law. God IS THE LAW. He is the light and life of the world. The law is subject to Him, the Almighty One. If not true, then God is not omnipotent and Almighty God. The law is greater than He is.

Thus, no one can manipulate God by faith or law. He is the law. However, the principle of manipulation by faith and law belongs to Satan’s mind. The devil believes in the power of the mind, and he uses his mind to manipulate whoever will believe in his fabricated truths. He forces things to happen because of his incredible faith in himself. He is pure pride, shining in imitation light, and this pride is seen in the story of the brother of Jared—a man who controlled God by faith. Yes, we work by faith and trust in God, but the blessings and gifts of God come to us by the will of God and not by man. They come by grace through faith. Grace comes first as God gives us promises according to his will, and then we lay hold on those promises by faith. God’s gifts come to us like the wind, very unpredictable, and when we receive such gifts from God, we are grateful that he bestows his favors upon us.

The LDS Church falsely assumes that everyone should be a Mormons, and if they are not, they are in the wrong religion! All other Church organizations are of the devil and are false! (1 Nephi 14:10.) Joseph also claims this is what Jesus taught him in the First Vision, and his claim is what disturbs others that have found the Spirit of God in their non-LDS religions! One may argue that Jesus really didn’t teach Joseph Smith that all other churches are from the devil, and it is erroneous of the LDS people to twist the First Vision story. Jesus said “those professors” were corrupt and the “creeds” were an abomination. But this argument is fluff. For Joseph concluded: “I was answered that I must join none of them [the churches], for they were all wrong.” Joseph Smith and D&C 1:30 clearly teach the LDS religion is “the only true and living church on earth”, and salvation is not found anywhere else.

Finally, as mentioned previously, the Book of Mormon teaches there are only two churches: the Church of the Lamb of God and the church of the devil. If we define the church by the LDS priesthood keys, then the LDS Church has to be the Church of the Lamb of God, and all other churches must belong to the church of the devil. There is no hedging around the implication of the unique LDS priesthood claim.

Since I was about seventeen, I’ve never felt comfortable that the LDS church is the only true Church. The accusing attitude of Joseph Smith bothered me. He seemed to condemn others with pride and not humility. When I read his sermons, he just didn’t seem very humble to me. As explained, my exit out of Mormonism actually hinged on the changing First Vision story of Joseph Smith. I was suspect of some of the ideas, and I doubted the credibility of the story, but I did accept it on faith for two decades. But as pieces started falling together, and I realized Joseph Smith had been honestly deceived by “white light” and false angels, my reasoning changed.

Although I’ve briefly explained my position on the First Vision, let me delve a little deeper. In 1838, Joseph was under extreme pressure on all sides. I suppose many different bogus stories about him had circulated, spreading half-truths about his family, and there was a need to settle the First Vision story once and for all. It was also an opportune time to slip in a few additional truths he had learned since 1820. The idea of the only “true and living church on the face of the whole earth” had been revealed in the first section of the Doctrine and Covenants. (D&C 1:30.) He believed this was true. He also had received section 76, seeing the three degrees of glory and the Father and the Son as two personages. (D&C 76:23.)

Many people perhaps have underestimated the mental powers of the devil and false angels. People assume that because Joseph saw Jesus and the Father in Vision it must have been from God. But remember Satan has in his spirit images and memories all things that were done before the world was created. He lived in heaven with God. Could he not project past images of God before human beings, thus fooling them into believing such revelation was from God? Even our own limited technology allows us to record crude images on electronic video recorders. And once recorded, these are easily duplicated and played on any video. It seems reasonable to me, that Satan has his own technology in the spirit, in which he has a whole list of spiritual “tapes and videos” he can replay to any unsuspecting soul who would like to see visions of the True God. For example, on earth a murder or any criminal can show us whatever videos he has purchased, if we let him. He can choose to show us good things or bad. He doesn’t need to be honest to do this to use our video player, and thus, we could easily be duped by a liar showing us something that was actually truth on video but then have him lie about what we saw. For example, a criminal could show us a video of beautiful homes built on the coasts of Hawaii and tell us that they are part of a land deal he is selling in Florida. So, we get duped by the liar, pay the money, and travel to Florida to take possession of our beautiful home we saw on video. When we arrive to our property, we find barren sand on a muddy marsh that is completely worthless.

In spiritual things, therefore, we need to discern and be careful in what visions we believe are from God and what are not. Remember, Joseph and Sidney saw the vision, but they were told what the vision meant by words communicated to him, and they were commanded to write what they what he saw and heard. So what he saw could have been a true video played by Lucifer, but what he heard and the interpretation thereof is false. If what I’m writing is true, the devil has much more power to deceive us than we could imagine. Unless we hold to the Bible, for if we do, we know D&C 76 is false, for it connects the rewards of the degrees of glory right to the false priesthood of the angels. That is clear.

However, there is another subtle key to discern Joseph’s false vision experience of the three degrees of glory. At the end of the vision in D&C section 76, Sidney Rigdon is left weak and Joseph Smith jokes about the experience, implying that Sidney Rigdon just wasn’t as used to the experience as he was. And they laugh? After such an experience with the Lord, would a servant of the most high be joking around with levity? Not only that, Joseph Smith compared himself to Sidney Ridgon, lifting himself up, bragging how he could handle the vision, and Rigdon could not—putting Rigdon in his place. Is this not subtle pride in all its glory? This attitude demonstrates a lack of humility on Joseph’s part, and makes the whole experience suspect. In addition, the fact the Latter-day Saints point to section 76 as some kind of sacred truth-bank that proves the LDS message is true, also makes the entire experience suspect. The spirit behind section 76 coming from the LDS people sometimes sounds like they are bragging: “Look at us. Look what we have discovered that nobody else knows about. We have the Lord’s exclusive truth.”

Thus, the devil plays a true vision tape from the premortal world, but then gives a false interpretation of the tape. Very clever. Therefore in 1838, having the image of the Father and Son in his memory, as well as D&C 1:30 declaring the LDS church as the “only true and living church” and the book of Mormons teaching there are only “two churches” (1Nephi 14:10), Joseph Smith was mentally prepared to adjust his First Vision experience for the sake of honoring the priesthood and religion he believed in. Since he believed the “white light” received a decade later was from the Lord, he felt justified in embellishing the First Vision story, adding a few more “truths” he had learned since 1820. I suppose we all have done things like this in our own lives in making up stories here and there, putting facts we believed were true together to make it easier for the reader to understand the whole.

Indeed, if Joseph’s assumptions had been correct, and the angels that gave him his priesthood were from God, truly no harm could have been done by altering the First Vision story. If the LDS Church really is the only true Church, then he had nothing to fear adding a few new “truths” to the vision! He actually saw a projection of the Father and the Son on February 16, 1832 in D&C 76:23. Why not put it all in one story?

But if false visions? Well, now we open up a can of worms for the devil to play with. Using the 1838 First Vision story, Satan tempted Joseph to position the “only true church” assertion to the very forefront of the LDS religion. Joseph claimed the Church was founded on his question of which church to join, not seeking forgiveness for his personal sins. And thus, today the whole foundation of Mormonism is based on trying to find “which religion to join” and not on finding God! Satan tempted Joseph to promote the Godhead as being “separate” beings, and not one God. Thus, with the form of God before our view, the whole idea of “becoming Gods” through a false priesthood and LDS temple ceremony can more easily be superimposed over the Biblical doctrine of Christ. Am I wrong? Well, just look at ask whether these are not major themes of Mormonism today:

1) The Only True Church.
2) Power of godliness is in priesthood ordinances.
3) Temple building and attendance.
4) God is three beings operating with one purpose.
5) Our goal is exaltation. We can become gods and goddesses.

Because of the 1838 First Vision Story, these five principles will take a front seat in Mormonism today for anyone serious about the religion. All of the basic Biblical truths Satan used in the Book of Mormon about Jesus also become obscure after thoughts to these First Vision concepts. It is an absolute stroke of genius on the devil’s part. By tempting Joseph to make just a few alterations of truth in the 1838 version, the “priesthood” concept could grow faster on the earth, and the false doctrines listed would become imbedded forever in the LDS Church, superimposed over the teachings of Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon and Bible.

This demonstrates how cunning the devil is. Joseph innocently thought he was doing good by combining many different experiences into one story, simplifying the doctrine into one place, and justifying the changes in his mind for the sake of the Kingdom in order to stop the persecution. If you were Joseph Smith, and you “knew” you founded the “only true church”, and if the Latter-day Saints were resisting the idea of becoming gods and goddesses, what would you do as the leader to fix the problem? Hence, Joseph fabricated the story, believing no harm could come of it. Paul Dunn used similar justification about his “war stories”. He claimed that they were modern parables that taught true principles, even though the actual events never occurred.

I believe the 1832 version of the First Vision is true. Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith to forgive his sins and reveal his glory to Him. Joseph was called by God to build on the “reformation” that had taken place, not to start a “one true religion”. Because of personal weakness and sin, particularly dabbling into the occult powers and treasure hunting, he unfortunately got mixed up with false angels who appeared later and deceived him with the gold plates and the Book of Mormon. The struggling man was caught between the powers of God and the powers of the devil, and he couldn’t clearly discern between the two. That view best explains the mixed personality and all the inconsistencies of his ministry. Finally, toward the end of his ministry he was so deep into the occult and other “white magic” he began lying, deceiving, and having other extreme behaviors that are obvious and obnoxious errors. Today in looking back on history, only those LDS members under a hypnotic spell of Satan can’t see the folly of Joseph Smith’s later ministry! But to those who aren’t emotionally wrapped up in the LDS religion, the conclusion is pretty clear. Something was not quite right with Joseph Smith.

With this perspective, it is logical and rational what Joseph did in his ministry, even though it appears bizarre on the outside. He wanted unity of thought. Changing the First Vision would solidify his position as prophet and produce more loyal members that would accept the teachings he believed were true. It was extremely difficult to get the saints to agree upon the deeper “mysteries”. I do not believe he thought he “was lying. To him, it was the truth! The priesthood was restored, and he was the leader of the only true religion! And he knew he could get away with changing the story because he was the only one in the grove at the time. No one could “dispute” his private experience.

But what Joseph didn’t understand is that he was deceived. According to the 1832 version, he concluded by his own mind that the religions of his day had strayed from the Bible and that there must be a true religion that contained all the truth from God. Joseph was focused on the conflicting religions, not on being born again according to New Testament doctrine. This false assumption and focus opened him up to receive demonic manipulation. The “one true church idea” appeals to our human desire to have easy access to the truth. We all would like “one stop shopping” for truth. We want everyone to be like us, and we like them. Sameness makes us feel secure. It’s very easy to be duped by the feelings of security. It’s what attracts many, many people to the LDS Church. They think just like Joseph Smith: Why is there not a one true church? All these many churches with conflicting doctrine can not all be true! Which one is right? Are they all wrong? Which one should I join?

Asking this question, however, is the product of a spiritually immature mind. It assumes that all people should be at the same level of light at the same time. This is the truth that Joseph Smith completely missed. It is the core truth that finally sealed my position about the 1838 First Vision story. Someone had shared with me that God has different churches to meet different needs because people are at different levels of light. Suddenly, the light went on. That was it! The priesthood key turned. I knew inside that the concept was rock, solid truth. It all finally made sense. I was free.

It is not easy to unravel the Mormon spiritual tangles. Joseph really did see Jesus Christ in 1820, was full of the Holy Spirit, and that Holy Spirit stayed with him. It was part of his spirit. Later, he could not release himself from dabbling into the occult and other treasure hunting activities, causing him to get involved with false angels and “white magic”. It created a half-true spirit in Joseph Smith, and he passed that spirit on where ever he went. Therefore, in Mormon web, where the voice of God ends and the devil’s voice begins becomes extremely difficult to discern.

However, in spite of the spiritual tangles, the true priesthood keys of light and truth can open the prison doors of darkness and lead us out of the false concepts in Mormonism. Jesus will give us the “keys of his kingdom,” and we can enjoy fellowshipping with Him and other believers. I invite all people to go to Jesus and receive the priesthood keys that unlock the door to inner freedom. We do not get these truths from men, but from Christ himself, our great High Priest.

“If ye continue in my word, then are ye may disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” (John 8:32.)