Understanding the True
Origins of Mormonism
The Incredible Story of a Race of Celestial Beings
that once Came to the Earth...
by Clare Gregory
Chapter 21
The Name of the True Church
Spiritual light comes from God, the devil, or man; and these three agencies
are what govern the LDS Church as well as all other churches. All churches
on earth operate with some light and some error in them, because they are
controlled and governed by human beings. No Church is 100% true. No Church
is 100% false. All churches have a mixture of truth, the spirit of God, the
spirit of man, and the spirit of the devil.
Such is the only logical conclusion we can reach. If a man or woman spends an
entire lifetime of 70 years studying the Bible every day for four hours, the
most truth that he can absorb and learn is perhaps .000000001% of the total
truth that is in God Himself. No matter what man does, he will fall
completely short of absolute truth. We are but tiny spiritual “cells” on
earth compared to the power and glory of God. If we as human beings could see
ourselves as tiny cells in comparison to God’s power and glory, we would see
properly. We would see that all churches are made of finite human beings, and
only God has the absolute truth.
Defining The Church of Jesus Christ
Part of the problem with Mormonism is that it incorrectly defines the Church
of Jesus Christ. The Church is defined as Jesus Christ is Himself, his body,
or the Spirit of Truth, spread out in the Universe among all those who believe
in the truth and obey it. Depending on our desire, disposition, focus, and
the will of God, each person receives the truth that is needed for them to
function and live, according to their belief and obedience. But each person
is only a few tiny cells of the total spiritual body of Christ. Compared to
the human body that has trillions of cells that flow through the entire bodily
system, so also is the spiritual body of Jesus Christ or “his Church”. We are
but one or two, maybe three minute cells of truth, and that’s all. And the
LDS Church wants to present a model to us that they “as a church” have the
“fullness of the gospel”? They want us to believe that LDS priesthood and a
true church have the power to save us with their “truths”. How foolish!
That’s like going to a doctor, extracting a few drops of blood, then sending
the blood to a friend in the mail and saying, “Here’s all the parts of my
body!” It is insane. God is so big and beyond any human mind’s ability to
comprehend, it is insane to believe such a foolish notion that his savings
truth can somehow be gathered into one place by human means. Perhaps this
will be true after the resurrection, but in our current human state, such is
neither practical nor possible. This is why God only requires that we trust
and be true only to His Word that He has gives us. He doesn’t expect us to
know everything about Him, but what tiny fraction of truth he does share, he
does expect us to believe it and not doubt. And his Word is not just
exclusively in the Bible. We can find his hand in nature as well as many
prophetic and spiritual utterances in Christianity. The Bible, however, is
the standard rule, and to avoid deceptive revelations from Satan or fallen
men’s desires, we must ensure all modern revelation conforms to that Holy
Book, according to Paul’s discernment instruction in Galations 1:8-9.
The Gospel in a Nutshell
God speaks, and we are to believe he tells the truth. That is the gospel in a
nutshell. God said Jesus died unconditionally for us and that He has saved us,
and we believe Him. He promised us salvation, and he can not lie. Therefore
we are saved by His truth.
On the other hand, if we believe he lied about the love found in Jesus Christ
and disbelieve Him, believing we are unworthy of salvation, then he can not
save us, for we call him a liar.
“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18.)
If we truly believe in the Word of God, then we will obey it also, for our
conscience will impel our obedience automatically because of our love for
God. Thus we read:
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men
loved darkness [false angels in Mormonism] rather than light, because their
deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither
cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth
TRUTH cometh to the light, that he deeds may be made manifest, that they are
wrought in God.” (John 3:19-21.)
Jesus in these verses clearly defines coming to the light in terms of TRUTH
and not just our conscience. This truth is found in intelligent words
recorded in the Bible. It is the light of God, and those who read the Word
and believe it, will obey it out of duty and conscience. Those who do not
read and choose to believe it, will be driven by dark consciences and will be
deceived by the devil, for their deeds will not be reproved by the truth of
the WORD. They will work with the consciences they have been conditioned to
believe are true by parents and society, and they will not be motivated to
conform their lives to the Word of God and change. And worse, religions that
are full of half-truths and false doctrines will teach their mixed-up
philosophies as the truth, and as the religions believe it, they will have a
seared conscience in them that is great darkness.
And thus we see why God instructs us to turn to Him, the Almighty and
All-knowing God of Truth to be saved, and not to any religion or human
agency. Religion is from man and is imperfect. But we do NEED religions and
churches, but not for salvation. Rather, we need to find people who are of
the same level of light to enjoy FELLOWSHIPPING and WORSHIPPING GOD together
with the truths He has given us. God is to be shared and enjoyed with other
people, not to be kept in a vacuum of selfishness. Love must flow through us
to other people, otherwise it shrivels and dies. It must be shared. As we
seek God and his truth, He will provide the people to associate with in our
walk with God. And in sharing, we find joy. When we realize that all
churches only have .0000000001% of the absolute truth of God, then we can
better appreciate all religions and not compare our puny truths to others and
say: “I’ve got more truth than you!” How foolish! Such an idea, which Joseph
Smith believed in, is not born of humility but of pride. It an immature
person that truly misunderstands the lowliness of human beings compared to
God’s glory and influence. And finally, to understand the love of God and his
compassion in coming from Heaven in the form of man, we will see that God
cared for his creations so much that He appeared as a man, Jesus Christ, and
demonstrated by the cross his mercy, patience, and love. Thus, the True
Church of Jesus Christ will confess that God came in the form of Jesus Christ,
and that in Christ all the truth and Godhead exists bodily:
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the
traditions of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete
in him, which is the head of all principality and power.” (Col. 2:9.)
Christ has 100% of the truth dwelling in Him, and therefore, we are complete
ONLY in Him. We are not complete in the LDS prophet or priesthood, we are not
complete in religion, and we are not complete in any human being no matter how
smart they appear to be. We are ONLY complete in Christ. Why? The truth
saves us, and JESUS IS 100% ABSOLUTE TRUTH. He is the WORD of GOD. He is
the Church of Jesus Christ in the hearts of believers, and when we believe and
get connected to him, then we have access to all His keys of truth and find
his power alone is sufficient to assist us in our walk back into the presence
of God. His blood justifies us 100%. His truth sanctifies us 100%.
Paul understood perfectly. Anything short of Christ that is centered in human
beings is only AT BEST 0.000000001% of the true truth and will spoil us
“through philosophy and vain deceit, after the rudiments of men”. We don’t
need to know all the truth, we just need to be a few cells of truth that are
“injected” into God’s body of truth. It’s like a cell of truth being injected
through a spiritual syringe into Christ’s bloodstream, thus becoming a very
tiny part of his total body. And thus we become a family member of the Church
of Jesus Christ, his body of truth!
The Name of the LDS Church
The mixture of light and darkness and diversity of operating agencies on
earth, heaven, and hell can be found in the name of the LDS Church, which is
most fascinating. One of the arguments the LDS Church uses to prove it is the
only true Church is its name: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. But again, the LDS members generally do not consider the historical
facts surrounding the name of the Church, neither do they consider the
full-name of the Church regarding the theology of the priesthood described
thus far in this book. The current name was not “revealed” by Jesus Christ
until 1838. (D&C 115:4.) Before then it was called the “Church of Christ”
according to D&C section 20 given in 1830. The name went through several
changes until the final name by revelation was imprinted by the finger of
God. From 1830 to 1838, many members felt that the “Church of Christ” was the
correct name. When God supposedly revealed the final and last name change,
many left the Church over the issue.
Many assume that the Lord revealed a different name because the Church was
evolving over time. It was not quite ready for full name in 1830. However,
reading he Book of Mormon clearly opposes this viewpoint. Jesus almost
reproves the members for not knowing what the name of the Church should be
called, chiding the for asking him about the issue, saying, “Verily, verily, I
say unto you, why is it that the people should murmur and dispute because of
this thing?” (3 Nephi 27:4.) Many early members of LDS Church knew what the
Book of Mormon taught, and they believed the “Church of Christ” reflected the
Lord’s will, such as David Whitmer, who finally left the Church over this and
other issues in spite of his testimony of the Book of Mormon.
This naming of the LDS Church is a most interesting chess game that has been
played between God and Satan. Both God and Satan have extremely diverse
spiritual influences over the earth’s history and the circumstance we find
ourselves. Both agencies influence the minds of human beings by unseen
forces. But in the end when we see the final results, a reasonable person
must agree that God has the FINAL pronouncement to what happens on earth.
God in awesome power is in control of all of his creations.
In April, 1830, God did not permit Joseph Smith or the members of the LDS
Church call their Church only the “Church of Jesus Christ,” or using his only
his full name, but they left off the word “Jesus”. (D&C 20:1) Perhaps there
is some argument that could be made that suggests the LDS Church is true, if
the LDS Church had been called the “Church of Jesus Christ” from the very
beginning. But such is not the case. That is not the name of the Church
today! History did not unfold that way, for God did not permit it. Rather,
it is called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Even more amazing, God has worked perfectly to show his will in his mysterious
power to control history. Although not the “official” name, the LDS Church is
also called the “Mormon Church”. Mormon is the name of a fictitious man who
compiled and abridged the gold plate of the Book of Mormon. Therefore, with
this final name, God exposes the core components of the LDS Church as follows:
The Church of:
(1) Jesus Christ: (God) This part of the Church comes from God and the Holy
Spirit. Many true principles are taught and believed in the LDS Church.
Jesus Christ supports and defends all principles of truth.
(2) Latter-day Saints: (Satan) The term “Saints” in the LDS Church refers to
those who are baptized and are “members of record” by the power of the false
LDS priesthood. Even if we are inactive, a baptized person is still considered
a “member” of the LDS Church. This imitation priesthood that supposedly
produces godly “Saints” is from false angels. Its purpose is to lead the
members away from accepting Jesus Christ in their hearts, but rather, lead
them to the holy temple to receive the phony exalting ordinances. The temple
ceremony has modified ordinances from the Masons, who received the priesthood
signs and tokens from Satan and his false angels many centuries ago. False
“white light” told Joseph Smith these occult ordinances are from God.
(3) The Mormons: (Man) Mormon was a fictitious man. He never lived, but he is
part of the Book of Mormon story line. This name of the Church represents the
human mind of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Eliza R. Snow, Emma Smith, and any
other men and women who influenced LDS Theology. Since men and women act
under their direction of the LDS priesthood, being called and set apart by
that authority in Church callings, humans beings can make rational choices and
implement programs in the LDS Kingdom that are ratified and approved as
binding from the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, ideas of human beings are viewed as
coming from God Himself, if done with priesthood consent and agreement. The
principles coming to the Church through this channel are fictional truth, just
like the prophet Mormon is a fictional character.
The names identify the Church being influenced by God, Satan, and man.
Mormonism is a half-true, mixed up religion. Therefore, the LDS religion has
a mixed up, half-true name. Thus, God in his infinite power, wisdom, and
mercy has left an undeniable proof in the name of the LDS Church that the
religion is in fact a mixture of God, Satan, and man. No one can argue the
name is different than it is. The fact of reality speaks for itself. I have
written nothing in this chapter that is dishonest, critical, nor mysterious.
I’ve merely shown the three components of the name of LDS Church that do exist
and have existed since the official name was pronounced by revelation in1838.
Although the LDS Church is trying to change its image, by placing the name
Jesus Christ on the top of the Church Logo in bold letters, the entire Church
name can not be changed. The name of the LDS Church is a spiritual sign and
sure testimony to all people. The three agencies that direct the LDS Kingdom
are God, Satan, and man.
Attention Latter-day Saints! The name of the LDS Church actually supports
and strongly supports exactly the premise of this book you are reading. The
Book of Mormon contains many solid truths about Jesus Christ. And that part
of the truth can be associated with the name Jesus Christ. But the LDS
priesthood is false. The priesthood makes human beings equal to God. Men and
women have powers of Deity. Therefore, the name of the members of the Church
must also be in the title--exalted as Deity. Hence, the (1) Church of Jesus
Christ of (2) Latter-day Saints.
Obviously, the LDS argument is that the “Latter-day Saint” is used to
distinguish today’s church from the ancient one. This is a poor argument,
because God is eternal, and his church is spiritual and whether we are a
believer today or at the time of Jesus Christ, it is all ONE SPIRITUAL
CHURCH. What is the name of the Church going to be called 500 years from
now? The Church of Jesus Christ of Millennial-day Saints? How will this
make any sense, since resurrected beings who came from previous times will
also be a part of the Church? So if the LDS Church’s name is truly inspired
by Jesus Christ, the simple question to ask is what the Church will be called
in 500 years. Reason says it is false, for the title “Latter-day Saints” will
have do drop off, and then, to replace it, there is not a name that can
logically apply, for the Church of God is an eternal, spiritual Church that
transcends time itself!
Are Mormons Christians?
Still not convinced? Here is more evidence. In writing this book, I can
refer to the members of the Church as Mormons or LDS. I can not call them
“Christians”, because no one would understand me. I hesitate writing the
“Mormon Church” because that is offensive to Latter-day Saints. Instead, I
refer to the Church membership in this book as “Latter-day Saints” or LDS
Church, or LDS, or sometimes Mormons. I can not communicate the idea that the
Church even believes in Christ by the names that I use. The names either
implies the belief in the LDS priesthood (LDS) or a belief in the Book of
Mormons (Mormons). Therefore, anyone writing about the LDS religion can not
inappropriately use God’s name. That is another subtle evidence of God’s
hand in the naming of the LDS Church!
On the other hand, in talking about other denominations, a writer can refer to
the members of other faiths as Christians and not confuse the reader!
“Christian” has root word of Christ. Although Latter-day Saints are trying
hard to be accepted as “Christians” by mainstream Christianity, it can never
happen until Joseph Smith is renounced as the holder of exclusive priesthood
keys to salvation. And I’ll tell you why. My oldest daughter just came into
the room a few minutes ago and said she is interested in going to my
“Christian” Church. Her younger sister got very angry. She is upset that her
older sister was interested in going to “another Christian” Church—perhaps
becoming an “apostate” like her father. My daughter’s attending my Church is
an attack on her sister’s beliefs and our family unit, for we aren’t going to
make it to the Celestial Kingdom because of my belief in “Christianity”.
The LDS members treat other “Christian” churches as though they are from the
devil, and therefore, the LDS faith will NEVER be accepted into Christianity.
And it’s NOT THE CHRISTIANS causing the LDS image problem. It’s the members
of the LDS faith that freak out when someone wants to leave and attend another
Christian faith. The truth of the matter is that the LDS Church really wants
to claim the true Christian blessings all to themselves as being the only true
Christian Church, and all others are inspired of Lucifer! They reason” “If
only Christianity would see the truth and receive the priesthood, then
everyone could be saved in the Celestial Kingdom of Heaven!”
Brigham and Joseph Understood the LDS Priesthood Doctrine
Brigham Young and Joseph Smith understood the correct LDS doctrine, and that’s
why they kept away from Christianity and preached hell-fire and damnation
against all other religions. However, the political LDS leaders of the last
century have labored for decades to change the LDS image, and they do not
understand completely the theology of their own religion, and they are leading
the LDS church down a path of ruin. By trying to be accepted by the other
Christian religions, the Church is subtly undermining the priesthood
foundation that was laid by Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. The priesthood
requires the members to renounce all other Christian religions as false and of
the devil. The original temple ceremony by Joseph Smith correctly represented
a Christian pastor as a servant of the devil. This is the original spirit of
Mormonism, but it is changing. And the change is by the hand of God. As the
LDS membership become unwilling to see salvation in the LDS priesthood only
and they fail to sacrifice for that principle, then the LDS Church foundation
is weakened. When a book like this explains that the true foundation of the
church is a false priesthood, and explains it clearly that it is false, it
will cause additional pressure on the priesthood—perhaps even shake the LDS
Kingdom.
In the long run, the directional shift that the leaders have taken away from
the original priesthood teachings of Joseph Smith will cause the total demise
of the LDS religion. As the line becomes blurred between Christianity and
Mormonism, so does the priesthood authority, thus leaving a gaping hole for
Jesus to step in and teach about his true priesthood and grace. God will
pound on the hearts of the members, until the falsehoods in the LDS priesthood
order surface. Those being raised who have not sacrificed “for the
priesthood” will have less loyalty to it and more loyalty to God and
Christ—especially if they are coming from Christian roots who believe Jesus
can dwell in our hearts. As the truth hits home, and the entire debate of
Mormonism shifts from Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon to receiving a false
priesthood from false angels, a paradigm shift will occur, and the LDS Kingdom
will eventually fall toward Orthodox Christianity, but in the process retain
the fundamental truths of Mormonism; thus spreading new insights about God and
the devil across the whole body of Christ.
I find this entire chapter fascinating. Rather than proving the LDS Church
is true by its name, by looking more deeply at all the concepts and what God
has orchestrated, the name of the LDS Church demonstrates Mormonism is a
half-true, mixed-up religion.
And what is the name of the “True Church”? Since each person on earth is
living at a different level of light, there is no one true church, but those
who are born again Christians become members of the spiritual Kingdom of God,
as Jesus taught. In the Bible, Jesus makes many references to the Kingdom of
God, and not the name of a true Church. Although the Nephilim thought the
name of the True Church was an important concept to include in the Book of
Mormon, the “True Church” concept assumes that members of the Church of God
are all at the same level of spirituality. As explained in a previous
chapter, the assumption is not a reality. The Church of God includes all
denominations of Christians who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior
by water repentance of self-discipline and being born again through the Holy
Spirit. Each denomination’s name is different intentionally by God to
attract those of similar spiritual values and talents, that the body of Christ
can share truth with one another through fellowship with other believers. The
diversity of the Body of Christ brings variety and diversity, stimulating all
Christians to grow and develop in a variety of gifts and talents, thus
maturing the spirituality of the body of Christ.
The foundation of the True Church is laid by the original Twelve Apostles, the
Patriarchs, and the Prophets as recorded in the Bible, with Jesus Christ being
the chief corner stone. The Bible contains the Word of God, which leads us to
the Son, who holds the keys to the Kingdom of God. And once we invite Jesus
in to our hearts, God will play the spiritual melody that is right for us,
considering our background and circumstances. Each Christian fellowship sings
a different beautiful spiritual song. We can hear God in all Churches if we
will drop our prejudices and listen! And Jesus will lead us to the correct
“Spiritual Choir” that fits our specific needs on earth. We must trust Him to
lead us. And if we need to spiritually grow faster in a unique Choir to
“stretch us”, God will provide that spiritual Choir to meet our unique needs.
In some cases, it may not even be Christianity that God leads someone to.
Each person is unique, and only God is the judge of all, and He will provide
to His children what they need, depending on the heed they give to the light
in them.
Once the entire body of Christians understands the purposes of God in having
different religions of all sorts, the fighting and bickering over “one true
religion” can cease, and we can all enjoy growing and progressing at the rate
and pace of that our own consciences permit. We can finally be free to
worship God as our individual inner light leads us to accept and believe what
we are ready to understand. We can embrace with all our hearts the Word of
Truth and allow all men the same privilege of worshiping God without casting
any value judgements. We can finally quit our useless arguments over which
religion is best or true, and rather, lift the name of Jesus Christ high in
the Heavens and worship only Him, our God and Savior.
This page was first created on 23 January 1999
Last Updated on 16 April 1999
Created and Maintained by The New Covenant Assemblies of Yahweh
Not all the views expressed in this book are necessarily those of NCAY