By the 4 verse, the BoM is proven to be a fraud. Posted by: judyblue ( )Date: February 14, 2014 03:30PM 1 Nephi 1:4 - 4 - For it came to pass in the commencement of the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah, (my father, Lehi, having dwelt at Jerusalem in all his days); and in that same year there came many prophets, prophesying unto the people that they must repent, or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed.
In 605 BCE (five years before the BoM begins), Nebuchadnezzar II invaded Judah. This prompted King Jehoiakim of Jerusalem to switch his allegiances from Egypt to Babylon, to avoid the destruction of Jerusalem. Four years later (just before the time the BoM begins), Nebuchadnezzar's army was defeated when attempting to invade Egypt. Many of the states that owed their allegiance to Babylon, including Judah, experienced uprisings and rebellions. This led to King Jehoiakim to stop paying tributes to Nebuchadnezzar, and switch his alliance back to Egypt. Zedekiah. MormonThink.com: An objective look at Mormons / Mormonism / the LDS Church. My Second Anointing Experience on January 21, 2008 - color version - tom-phillips-second-anointing.pdf.
Debunking myths about heavenly mother - the latest "we didn't teach that" moment for TSCC. Assessing Cult Control. Convert priorities--social connection first, critical thinking about doctrine (and history) second . . . Posted by: robertb ( )Date: June 09, 2012 01:00PM if at all. It's the social support people experience from members of an organization rather than doctrine that is primarily responsible for conversion.
Most converts join a group because of association with family or friends who are part of the religion. Acceptance of doctrine is part of becoming a member of the group and part of maintaining allegiance afterward rather than the primary reason for joining. In this kind of scenario critical thinking about the group is secondary; relationships are primary. That is to say, converts aren't stupid rubes. They are people looking for social connection, and they order their priorities accordingly. I think some kind of emotional dis-identification from Mormonism comes first and critical judgments further open the emotional gap. I don't agree with that. Along with this, as a convert with no other Mormons in my family, I had an alternate non-Mormon history.
Special Report: Mormonism besieged by the modern age. Gender Roles and Sexism in the LDS Church. Look at the list below and ask yourself, would any rational man join a church that.. ...women held all priesthood leadership positions, including Prophet, Apostles, Stake Presidents and Bishops etc... ...God was a woman and any mention of Father in Heaven was forbidden ...only women were allowed to speak for God ...under no circumstance could a man hold a position of authority over a woman ...only women could perform church ordinances - i.e. pass the sacrament, perform baptisms or bless their own children ...in the temple women covenanted to obey Mother in Heaven but the men covenanted to obey their wives ...the fundamental narrative upon which the entire religion were based had a man obeying Satan to eat the forbidden fruit first, which would explain why men are so subservient to women ...men were told time and again in General Conference from their all-female leaders that their main purpose was to be submissive to their wives ...the church founder (a woman) had over 30 secret husbands.
Ex-Mormon Scholars Testify - Simon Southerton. I was a member of the LDS church for almost 30 years. I served a mission in Melbourne (1981-83), was married in the New Zealand Temple in 1983 and served in numerous church positions including four terms as Young Men President, as a counselor in several bishoprics and branch presidencies and finally as a bishop. I resigned from the LDS Church in 1998, while serving as a bishop, after encountering molecular genetics research that convinced me that American Indians are not related to Israelites. This seriously challenged my LDS belief that the Lamanites are among the ancestors of the American Indians.
To remain in the church I had to choose one of the following three options. 1. 2. 3. Neither of these alternatives was palatable to me. In May 1998 I read an article in the Ensign magazine on the Flood by Donald Parry, a BYU Hebrew scholar with no tertiary scientific training. This search was to prove fruitless. The force of this statement jolted me. Simon G. A look inside as City Creek Center's completion nears.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake Chamber says $5 billion have gone into the revitalization of downtown Salt Lake City, and a major part of that is soon to open in the new City Creek Center. The project is nearly finished, and H. David Burton — presiding bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the man who has overseen City Creek from the beginning — anticipates the center's Mar. 22 grand opening will be just that: grand. "Every time I come over here, I think about the vision President (Gordon B.) Hinckley had for this endeavor," Burton told KSL News in a recent interview. More than a decade in the planning, and the man whose life has been consumed with the building of that vision is pleased.
"We feel terrific," Burton said. The partnership with Taubman, Inc., he says, has been incredibly good. "We have not had the depth of the recession that some places in the country have had," Burton said. "Even more than that," was Burton's reply. Finally, my wife listens and opens up. Thank you leaders and members! Letter from Delbert Stapley to George Romney. Are we the most outspoken because we believed it the most, and it hurt us the most? Posted by: mre ( )Date: February 21, 2012 01:51AM I am going to say yes. As a long time lurker and infrequent poster, I am probably one of the less outspoken members here, and having looked at people who I know have left the church personally and on this board I truly think the OP is on to something and that the OP is correct. First, a bit about myself: I always sort of believed in the church. I wasn't a hardcore believer or TBM in most senses, but I went to church, sang the songs, and got the little placards (and mental scars) to show for it.
Luckily though, I got out before I got too far into it. That said, I don't have a lot of hatred towards the church. However, in the case of some people I know, my parents included, they spent YEARS in the church. For one: They researched a lot more than I did. They came to this site, and I honestly don't know if they posted or simply read the stories on here, but I know it was a huge comfort to them. A short list of the issues that lead me to leave The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. (in no particular order) Problems with the content of the book of mormon - a few examples of things off the top of my head: 1) Nephi hearing voices to chop off Laban's head (murder).
Getting no blood on himself and fooling Zoram to steal the plates. The impossibility of the brass plates even existing at all (the old testament was compiled yet, scholars agree that much of Isiah quoted in 2nd Nephi wasn't written until after 600, bc), no such thing as brass back then, no other copy of those compiled writings in existence anywhere. 2) Jacob would have needed to be approximately 80 years old when Enos was born for the timelines to work. However all other ages in the BoM they lived to their 60s/70s. This was also a culture where the first born son would get the record and there was no birth control. 3) The Jaredite submaries for a full year with all the food and livestock and staying together, etc. is completely unworkable. 4) Lamanites as forefathers of everyone living on the American Continent - or even a portion.
Article. Did Emanuel Swedenborg Influence LDS Doctrine? By Craig Miller Born in Sweden in 1688, Emanuel Swedenborg claims that at the age of 57 he was visited by the Savior and commanded to write the inner meaning of the scriptures and to explain life awaiting man after the death of the physical body. He claims to have been a citizen of both the physical and the spiritual world for approximately 27 years, conversing with angels on a daily basis.
The Swedish mystic wrote thousands of pages explaining what he learned from angels and inspired insights into the scriptures and claims that he wrote only as the Lord directed. Emanuel Swedenborg=s teachings, discussed later in more detail, are startlingly recognizable to the student of LDS theology. Large portions of what many consider to be unique teachings of the LDS Church are found in the Swedish mystic=s writings. Swedenborg shows us that God has his hand in many aspects of human history and is mindful of more than just his LDS children. 1. 2. 3. 4. Letter to my ex-bishop. To my ex-Bishop, I appreciate your letter. You say that you’ve been exiled for six years and that you have struggled with a lack of significant service and friendship.
I have to wonder based on what you have said, that it seems you only search for social acceptance in a very small arena. Church. There is a gigantic world out there with thousands of great things to get involved in. I say open yourself up and get out of the LDS paradigm a little. I will relate to you the things that have come to mind after I had read your letter. I have not had lack of service and friendship issues. David Bednar in conference said that 99% of people who leave the church or have issues and questions about church history were offended by members.
When lifelong members who were taught all their lives that the church was persecuted for no good reasons other than trying to live the gospel isn’t true then this new data learned by the member is what offended them. You mentioned Faith. All truths are useful! 1. Re: Why I use the term: Tribe as the best way to understand Mormonism. What that means, and why it's hard to leave.
Not everyone takes the same view. This is mine, and why I think it works well. About the Cult word.All religions are cults. But the word is not a pejorative like it is used here very often. I'm a purist when it comes to words. I don't accept what some author, or others, creates for a definition to sell books about other people's religious beliefs, or for any other reason.
I use my critical thinking skills to evaluate: tone, bias, agenda, etc.In a country that prides itself on freedom of religious choice, it's inappropriate in my view, to find fault with someone else's religious views with the agenda of trying to fix other people as if there was some kind of litmus test for the right or wrong religious views.
That would make all religion a cult, by dictionary definition. I do not use the term: cult re: Mormonism anymore than I would for Lutherans, Catholics, Jews, Muslims,Buddhist, etc. I believe in the power of kindness also. --Nietzsche I changed my mind about my religious beliefs. Stevebloor's Blog | The Barefoot Bearded Cornish Pisky. Re: am i the only one? Posted by: SusieQ#1 ( )Date: December 18, 2011 02:36PM You need a receptive audience if you are going to share info about Mormonism that is not the party line as a believer. At first, I too wanted to share what I knew. But it was disaster. Now, I have taken a different tactic: I don't think we have any obligation or responsibility to share info with others unless they ask for it.
Even then, I prefer to keep it simple: I changed my mind. I might direct them to the Internet and to use their own good sense and be a good researcher and ignore tone and bias and look at the facts backed up by evidence. There are no official rules about leaving, or staying in the LDS Church. We can expect some opposition as we are in essence, leaving our "Tribe. " Leaving is going to be difficult on some level for most people. We can minimize the outcome of those difficult situations by how we deal with them.
"The individual has always had to struggle to resist the tribe. --Nietzsche. Joseph Smith's Handwritten 1832 First Vision. (This photo is also in Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, Compiled by Dean Jesse, Deseret Book, 2002, p.17) Joseph Smith's Handwritten 1832 First Vision (click to enlarge) Typescript Return to: Evolution of the First Vision and Teaching on God in Early Mormonism By Sandra Tanner. Emanuel Swedenborg. Emanuel Swedenborg ( Swedenborg had a prolific career as an inventor and scientist. In 1741, at age 53, he entered into a spiritual phase in which he began to experience dreams and visions, beginning on Easter weekend of April 6, 1744. This culminated in a 'spiritual awakening', in which he received revelation that he was appointed by the Lord to write the The Heavenly Doctrine to reform Christianity.[7] According to The Heavenly Doctrine the Lord had opened Swedenborg's spiritual eyes, so that from then on he could freely visit heaven and hell and talk with angels, demons and other spirits; and the Last Judgement had already occurred, in 1757.[8] However, he tells us that at this day it is very dangerous to talk with spirits, unless a person is in true faith, and is led by the Lord.[9][10] For the remaining 28 years of his life, Swedenborg wrote 18 published theological works, and several more which were unpublished.
Biography[edit] Early life[edit] Scientific period[edit] Non-mormon. Race Problems--As They Affect The Church by Mark E. Petersen 1954. Is cult too strong a word to describe Mormonism? Posted by: Edwood ( )Date: October 16, 2011 10:47PM So when does a religious organization step over the line from being simply a church to a cult? While it may be true that some mainstream churches display some characteristics of a cult: a strong authoritarian streak, subtle (or not so subtle) forms of psychological manipulation etc. a cult will display pretty much all the characteristics. I believe Mormonism has them all: 1) Reliance on a strong charismatic, authoritarian figure who uses that authority to exploit and take advantage of his or her followers and who cannot be questioned or challenged.
Think Joseph Smith and the profits, ultimate authority always rests with them. 2) Call for total obedience and conformity. Group think any deviation from the cult is punishable with ostracism. 3) Complete identification of the individual with the cult. 5) Elitism, we are the elect. 7) Conscious attempt to hide History or reality by various dishonest means. LDS Church: Name Removal Instructions from the Mormon Church. Warning: If you live with people who are members (parents, a spouse, siblings or a roommate), they will almost certainly be told about your resignation. If family members live in the same ward or stake that you do, they will probably hear about your resignation.
Getting Started On this site you will find a sample resignation letter. When you resign, you can use that letter exactly as it is, you can edit it to fit your own tastes, or you can simply write your own letter. BEFORE you send your letter, be sure to read ALL of these instructions and the section called THE PROCESS. If more than one person in your family is resigning, you can include all the names on one letter or you can write a separate letter for each person. If you're having your children sign the letter, you might want to skip having it notarized since taking everyone to see a notary might be a hassle you don't want to deal with.
You will need to put your current address on the letter. Mailing it Not in the United States? Information about how Mormonism affects people psychologically. Draft of my letter to the Bishop, haven't sent it yet. Feedback please. Seriously? MormonThink.com: An objective look at Mormons / Mormonism / the LDS Church. Why I Left. Stages of Cult Recovery Applied to Mormonism.
The Lost Book of Abraham (full video, low quality) Liberal Stake. Church Finance – Part IV « Truth Hurts.