My Definition of the Mormon Priesthood

A humanistic system that's highly subjective with the facade of spirituality when if fact it's totally pagan.

Mormon Home Evening - Tonights Lesson - Too Many gods

Mormon Home Evening



The Other Gods of Deuteronomy by Staci Lee

Posted: 14 Jun 2010 02:23 PM PDT

An LDS man who wanted to convince me that the Bible validates the notion of multiple gods used Deuteronomy 32:8 as a proof text. In the RSV (the translation he wanted to use for this verse) it says:
"When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of men, he fixed the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.";
The LDS man made three claims: that "sons of God" is the more accurate translation; that these sons-of-God are gods themselves; and that these sons-of-God/gods are part of a "heavenly council of gods" to the "Most High God."

To see if the man had a reasonable argument, I first went back to the Book of Deuteronomy and studied it carefully. As it turns out, Deuteronomy has A LOT to say about other gods. The following is a presentation of what I found. PLEASE take the time to read these verses so you will know that my representations and conclusions are fully supported by the Biblical text.

(And keep in mind that Bible translators use the all-caps word "LORD" for the Hebrew word יְהוָה which means "The Existing One." "YHWH," "Yahweh," or "Jehovah" are the English renderings of יְהוָה For this reason, I will substitute "Jehovah" for "LORD" below).


"...Thou shalt have none other gods before me..."

Deuteronomy teaches that:

1 - The LORD God (Jehovah elohim) is the god of the nation of Israel, but other peoples/nations have/worship other gods (Deut 5:6; Deut 29:25-26; Deut 32:12)
2 - The LORD God is adamant that His people not have anything to do with the other gods, nor try to worship Him in the same way as the other people worship their gods (Deut 5:6-8; Deut 6:14; Deut 7:3-5; Deut 8:19; Deut 11:16-17; Deut 11:28; Deut 12:2; Deut 28:14-15; Deut 30:16; Deut 31:16-17)
3 - The god-worship done by the other nations includes “every abomination to the LORD” (one given example is the burning of their children) (Deut 12:31; Deut 20:18; Deut 29:18; Deut 31:18) and
4 - The LORD God is superior to all other "gods" (Deut 3:24; Deut 10:17)


"...These curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee...The LORD shall bring thee... unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone..."

Deuteronomy tells us more about the gods of the other nations. It goes on to show that:

5 - The other "gods" being worshiped are just wood and stone -- graven images/the work of men’s hands (Deut 28:36; Deut 28:64; Deut 4:25, 27-28; Deut 29:16-18; Deut 12:3)
6 - The other "gods" being worshiped are the sun, moon, and ‘host of heaven’ (Deut 17:2-5; Deut 4:15-16,19) and
7 - The other "gods" being worshiped are demons! (Deut 32:16-17)


Perhaps some of the "gods" are not really gods, but are some real?

No.

“For the LORD shall judge his people... he shall say, 'Where are their gods... let them rise up and help you, and be your protection! See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me...'" Deut 32:36-39

“Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him.” Deut 4:35

“Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is none else.” Deut 4:39


Perhaps, according to Deuteronomy, Jehovah God is the only real god for our heaven and earth; but there are other real gods for other 'heaven and earths'? Is this possible? No, for two reasons.

First, in all of Deuteronomy, and in fact, in all of the Bible, though the issue of "other gods" is brought up many, many, many times, NOT ONE TIME is any mention made of any other REAL god.

Second, should there be any confusion, the "I am the only God" verses in Deuteronomy have been restated and further clarified elsewhere in the Bible (eg., Isaiah 43:10, 44:6,24).


Mormon friend, it boils down to this. Given what is revealed about Jehovah -- the LORD God, in the Bible -- for you to claim or believe that there are other real gods anywhere (even in other universes, if they exist) you must believe that: 1 - Jehovah conceals the existence of other real gods, 2 - Jehovah is ignorant, or 3 - the Bible is not true (is not reliable/has been mistranslated). Since we were trying to use A BIBLE VERSE to prove the existence of other real gods in the first place, it is pointless to take the position that the Bible is not true/accurate. Next, throughout the Bible, not only does Jehovah repeatedly state that He is the only God, but He takes great care everywhere else in the Bible to say that the "other gods" are but idols. We cannot get around the fact that Jehovah God has clearly spoken on this issue. Lastly, could Jehovah be ignorant? Dare we assume Jehovah is not great enough to know of His peers? Only if we think we are greater than He is. “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4).

We must conclude that IF the 8th verse of the 32nd chapter of Deuteronomy is really talking about "gods," then they are only so-called gods, wrongfully worshiped, to a person's detriment.

And the Most High God? Yeah, that's Jehovah.

"...I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD (Jehovah), the most high God (elyon el), the possessor of heaven and earth..." (Genesis 14:22)

"I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD (Jehovah) most high (elyon)." (Psalm 7:17)
"Know therefore this day, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other." Deut 4:39

"If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams... saying, Let us go after other gods (elohim)... that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD (Jehovah) your God (elohim)..." Deut 13:1-5

Please click on the title above and read more from Mormon Home Evening. Monday nights will never be the same!


The Ex-Mormon

ACCORDING TO: ABOUTMORMONISM.COM
My thoughts are in red and in brackets.

"Ex-Mormon, sometimes abbreviated as Exmo, is a term used by former members of the Mormon church, properly known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to describe themselves. There is no one group that can be described as "Ex-Mormon," since those who leave the Mormon Church do so for a variety of different reasons. Dissenters range from liberal atheists to committed Evangelical Christians. [ok, now, for me, I was not a dissenter from the Mormon church. This statement is closed minded and false. The writer was not careful in the words chosen. Did ya notice, when "Evangelical Christians" is put in here, Mormonism is showing its true colors here. Remember, Mormonism is not Christian!!!!!]
While technically anyone who leaves the Mormon Church could be described as an "Ex-Mormon," the term is generally reserved for people active in the ex-Mormon, and frequently anti-Mormon, world especially on internet blogs. [The term "Ex-Mormon" is just that, meaning someone no longer in the Mormon church. Now the term has shifted to the www. thing and to all Ex-Mormon bloggers. The Mormon church should not lump those who are getting the truth out to truth seekers into a huge pile. Spreading the truth is a loving thing to do.]
Perhaps the most famous of these self-described ex-Mormon groups is Ed Decker's organization called variously "Recovery from Mormonism," "Saints Alive," or "Ex-Mormons for Jesus." Decker was excommunicated from the Mormon Church in 1976. He has become quite controversial for is sensationalists attacks against Mormonism (which were condemned by the Anti-Defamation League [I looked up the ADL's web page, and did an extensive search on it and it does not say anything about Ed Decker and his work, it's a web site for the Jews.]) his hyperbolic [Meaning of being a hyperbole. So what's a hyperbole? It's a noun meaning obvious exaggeration; an extravagant statement. If Ed is being hyperbolic for the real JESUS, then yeah he has a right to be hyperbolic!] language and unsubstantiated [Meaning not established by evidence. Go to his web site and find out for yourself if Ed has any evidence or not. You'll find out that his work is full of evidence! www.saintsaliveinjesus.com] claims. Other ex-Mormons and critics of Mormonism have rejected his work and his style, but he remains influential particularly through the internet.
The majority of those who describe themselves as ex-Mormons and participate in the various on-line ex-Mormon blogs are secular humanists who reject belief in God altogether [I am not a student of human paganism. Quite the contrary. I show the TRUTH about a FALSE religion, or cult, that has brought evil to the world and to Christianity! The true Christ of the Bible, only, please!]. Many of these writers attack Mormonism claiming that its leaders discourage freedom of thought or force conformity. Many assail what they perceive as hypocrisy [pretending to be what one is not] among Mormons [Most Mormons don't know the hypocrisy of the LDS faith.]. This latter argument is very popular among agnostic critics who see in every weakness or failing an instance of hypocrisy. They relate ad infinitum [To infinity or endlessly.] accounts of Mormon bishops or Mormon missionaries doing something contrary to their own beliefs [Truth hurts doesn't it.]. There is a disturbing schadenfreude [Great word isn't it. If you already know what it means. Translation for the English: "the habit of dwelling with enjoyment of evil thoughts."] in their attacks on every human failing of faithful Mormons [Nice play of words. The TRUTH is, it's the organization of Mormonism that is attacked, not the people. They only DO what they are told, ie; bishops and missionaries. Oh yeah, the REAL JESUS is not evil. My enjoyment is of HIM only!]. Many ex-Mormons describe feeling duped or tricked and to justify their having believed in it, they accuse the Mormon Church and its culture of brainwashing and lying [Did you catch that? "its culture of brainwashing and lying!" There you go, in their own words. It is a culture of brainwashing and lying. Nuff said.]. Many also evince [To show plainly. And I do.] a very egocentric [Viewing everything in relation to oneself.] outlook in concluding that since they no longer believe in Mormonism [I show plainly the facts of a false religion and they are objective.], then any other intelligent person should consider Mormonism absurd [If the intelligent person would study the truth]. They conclude that other Mormons are either lying or deluded or simply after power [Remember, it's not the person that has the problem, it's the system, THE SYSTEM!]." (www.AboutMormonism.com, italics added, red type added, brackets added,)

Mormon Prophet-A Finial Word

"The governor [Brigham Young] rose to address the audience, and a profound silence ensured, as is always the case when he rises to speak. After reflecting in terms of condemnation upon the alleged hostility of General Taylor to the Mormons, and to giving them a government, he exclaimed, in a loud and exulting tome, "But Zachary Taylor is dead, and in hell, and I am glad of it." Then drawing himself up to his utmost height, and stretching his hands towards heaven, he declared in a still more violent voice, "and I prophesy in the name of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Priesthood that's upon me, that any President of the United States who lifts his finger against this people shall die an untimely death, and go to hell." To this sentiment there came up from those seated around us, and from all parts of the house, loud and mingled responses of "Amen!" "Good!" "Hear!" (A Winter with the Mormons, David L. Bigler, The Tanner Trust Fund, pg. 164, Brackets added, Bold type added)

Brigham Young was not a humble servant of the Lord, on the contrary, his was a man with a spirit full of hate, greed, lust, idolatry, covetous, malice, &c. His treatment of the emigrants makes him no better than those who did wrongful harm to innocent people in Missouri, and Illinois. The evil deeds that Brigham Young ordered out upon innocent people was only done out of a cult that is led by Satan himself with the prophets as his footstool.

Part Nine

"Make yourself quite easy, honored sir, we have no "Salt Lakes" in Oregon, suitable for "pickling" people in, and if we had I should not be worth pursuing."
"That Brigham Young then and there said, among other things, that the "gentiles were now coming into the Lord's valley, and the if they said anything derogatory of them, (the Mormons,) or their religion, it was better to behead them at once;"-and thereupon called for a vote of the people upon that proposition; a vote of the same was taken, and was unanimous in the affirmative, not a solitary vote being given in the negative."
"James Ferguson, (Sheriff of Great Salt Lake county,) and ----Mukely, (one of the Bishops,) each made speeches, Said Ferguson, in his speech, said, among other things, THAT WHILE THEIR HANDS WERE IN, THEY MIGHT AS WELL KILL ALL THE EMIGRANTS THAT WERE LEFT IN THE VALLEY-THAT IT WAS THE EASIEST WAY TO GET RID OF THEM, AND STOP THEIR COMING THERE. Said Mukely expressed himself in favor of Ferguson's proposition, to KILL THE EMIGRANTS." (A Winter with the Mormons, David L. Bigler, The Tanner Trust Fund, pgs. 131, 132,136)

Part Eight

"Having been honored by a visit from Brigham's spy, and Brigham's military, and having paid the taxes unjustly imposed upon us, we hoped we should now be suffered to depart the valley without further molestation; but we soon found that to the victims of Mormon hate, hope had lost its meaning, or at least it must always be followed by that little word "but." A storm had passed, but the sky was not serene. From the dark, portentous clouds the forked lightning still continued to stream, while the incessant roll of distant thunder warned us that another storm, perhaps more fearful than the first, was yet to burst upon our defenceless heads."
"The company were in high spirits. We had scaled the mountain walls of our prison. Before us, to the north-west, lay the beautiful valley of Snake river, stretching out as far as the eye could reach. At our feet we beheld the pure waters of the Columbia. All drank of it and pronounced it the best they had ever tasted! We were free, and we resolved to stop and hold a jubilee! We had prepared a banner at Willow creek-our nation's emblem, the glorious stars and stripes. The only motto it contained was the word LIBERTY on one side, and OREGON on the other." (A Winter with the Mormons, David L. Bigler, The Tanner Trust Fund, pgs. 118-126)

Part Seven

"It was about the 20th of February that we bade adieu to Mormon settlements, and formed our encampment on Willow Creak. We had hoped that here, unmolested, we should have been permitted quietly to wait till the snow should thaw in the mountains sufficiently, to permit us to leave a valley, which to many of us, had emphatically been a vale of tears. We soon found, however, that our hope in this respect was a delusive one; that the place of promised security was the scene of our greatest trials."
"His arrest was all a farce-a piece of Mormon jesuitism-to blind the eyes of the emigrants. He was sent there by the order of Brigham, to lay a snare for the emigrants. The plot was a cunning one, which Brigham had no doubt would certainly succeed. This Danite was to represent himself as a disaffected Mormon-anxious to leave the valley. Having obtained the sympathies of the emigrants, he was to propose to drive off a band of cattle, as some compensation for the robberies he had suffered from the Mormons. He would not compromise the company-would not travel with the company, but occasionally come into camp to get provisions....The Danite would then come in as a witness-fines of course would follow, and then we should have lost our teams if not our lives."
"Were Brigham to come in person and tender back the money he robbed us of, there is not a man among us but would exclaim: "Your money perish with you! In our distress and anguish of soul, you robbed us of our all, and exposed our wives and little ones to the danger of perishing with famine, amid the wastes of the desert! When we had but a morsel, and long long miles intervened between us and civilized man, you robbed us of that, and now, when we are full, do you hope to wipe out the blot from your polluted soul, by coming and offering back to us the morsel? Never, never, NEVER!"' (A Winter with the Mormons, David L. Bigler, The Tanner Trust Fund, pgs, 103-111)

About Me

My photo
Michigan, United States
I spent a lot of time deciding if I should write this blog or not. I'm not a great writer and I'm not going to pretend to be. I need to share what I have learned and I might not make some people happy with what I am saying. This blog is a way for me to release the thoughts and feelings that come with knowing I grew up in the wrong religion. A healing process if you will.

How To Read This Blog

Please start with the month of February 2007 and read backwards. This is the most effective way to understand, in order, why I say what I do.

Handmaidens Creed

1.I believe in God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit as one God without beginning or end.
2.I believe the Bible to be the Holy Inspired word of God with full truth and righteousness. No other writing is.
3.I believe that the work of the Lord comes first. Before any temporal thing or person.
4.I believe that grace is a gift and Christ gives that gift freely to all who believe.
5.I believe that the beauty of a woman is contained inside of her and not by what she looks like on the outside.
6.I believe that marriage is sacred and represents the Godhead on earth; two are one just as three are one.
7.I believe that love is more powerful than any other power. Remember, God is love.
8.I believe that tithing is not a part of God's new covenant, free will offerings are. And that doesn't mean just money.
9.I believe that the Aaronic, Levitical, and Melchizedek priesthoods are abolished and Christs Holy Priesthood whom Christ is the "Great High Priest" is eternal.
10.I believe that every believer is a priest in the "Priesthood of Believers".
11.I believe that when two are one, nobody is to separate the one.
12.I believe that Christ is the only way to heaven.
13.I believe that our bodies are temples, not man made buildings.
14.I believe that liars make fools out of others and the liar hates the fool.
15.I believe that all believers are in authority to preach the gospel.
16.I believe that the word 'organization' to describe Christs body is evil and has no place with God.
17.I believe the Americas are not the land of Zion and Christ will return to His origonal land-Israel in the Middle East.
18.I believe that God has set out correct ways of worshiping Him, not man.
19.I believe in holding to the truths of the Bible and not mans understanding of it.
20.I believe that the world is full of evil and Satan can easily gain control over the minds of those who do not profess Christ of the Bible to be their only Messiah.
21.I believe that Saints are those who know the real Savior, Jesus Christ, of whom the Bible speaks of; not the jesus of a cult.