I Bear You My Testimony – A Reply to a Mormon Testimony

.:I BEAR YOU MY TESTIMONY THAT THE LDS CHURCH IS NOT TRUE. – OUR REPLY TO A MORMON TESTIMONY:

A MORMON BEARS HIS TESTIMONY:

“I respect individuals who are determined in their beliefs and their love for Jesus and his gospel, because I find myself in that same path. So, I hope that you don’t regard me as part of a ‘counterfeit Christianity’ by being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know for an absolute surety that it is the only entity on this earth that has all of the saving ordinances necessary to inherit eternal life. To know Jesus is to serve him, to do as he did and to listen to his prophets.

I belong to THE Church of Jesus Christ. I have prayed earnestly to know the truth of the things I have so diligently searched, and God in his infinite wisdom and love shared His truth with me through the power of the Holy Ghost. Nothing can take this knowledge from me, for it is knowledge and not faith. I am past faith on this. Faith is hoping for things that you have not seen, but knowing is having a validation by the power of the Holy Ghost that what you have had faith in is true. It is validated!

This I know! Jesus is the Christ and he has ONE Church through which He directs the ‘fullness’ of His work. All other churches have portions of the truth, but lack all that is necessary to bring about true salvation. I know that I can be with my family forever; my family will not end after death.

I know that the Book of Mormon is true, and validates the Bible. I accept the truths contained in the Bible, but believe that some of its sacred and precious truths have been removed from the Bible. So, I believe that we need validation and support to help stabilize the Bible. I believe that when there are two or more records (i.e., the Book of Mormon witnesses to add to the Bible). This is a better way to validate the teachings of the Bible and to clarify that which is so differently interpreted. There is no way to twist or turn the ‘truth’ to support only one group. So, we need to have validation for every truth!

I challenge you to read the Book of Mormon with an open mind, and take the promise at the end of it in Moroni 10:3-7, to ‘ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost’ so that you ‘deny not the power of God.’

I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that although he was not perfect, neither were Moses, Elijah, or Adam. The only perfect Being was Christ. He was the only one who had power in himself to make a difference through his obedience. We may reach the Father’s presence if we keep the commandments and keep His ordinances, which are requirements in obedience.

Good luck in your ministries! Thank you.”

WE RESPOND WITH OUR TESTIMONY:

Dear LDS friend,

Thank you for taking the time to be as respectful and loving in the way you have been sharing your position and concerns with us. I must say that your response to us in our ministry is a refreshing change in the “norm” of emails that we receive from your Mormon brothers and for that I truly commend you. Indeed, we respect you for being one who truly believes and follows the admonition in Alma 5:30 about not making a “mock” of your brother. This is something that unfortunately, all too often is overlooked in the many Mormon responses we receive. Thus, I commend you for taking your faith seriously enough to share it in a loving way with us.

In the same way that you have taken the time to share your “testimony” in love, we would like the opportunity to respond to you by sharing our testimony with you that “faith” and “zeal” — no matter how noble and sincere it is — can be sincerely wrong. This is why the biblical apostle Paul said that true Christians must: “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)

“For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”—Romans 10:2-3

Indeed, just as Paul’s desire was to see his Jewish brothers saved out of a religious “counterfeit”, so our heart’s desire is indeed for our LDS brothers, who have a “zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.”

And just as the Jews missed “God’s righteousness” because they sought to “establish their own righteousness” through the Jewish temple ordinances; so likewise, we feel that our LDS brothers are missing “God’s righteousness” by “going about to establish their own righteousness” through temple endowments, marriage for time and eternity, baptism for the dead, etc. All “ordinances” were “blotted out” when Jesus nailed them to his cross:

“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross” —Colossians 2:14

You mentioned that you believe that the Book of Mormon is needed to “clarify” the teachings contained in the Bible because the Bible is “so differently interpreted” by various religious groups. You indicated that you believe that by adding the Book of Mormon’s witness to the Bible, this would prevent people from twisting or turning the “truth” to support only one group, and that in this way, the Book of Mormon provides the validation we need “for every truth.”

My question to you is, if the Book of Mormon clarifies the teachings of the Bible so well that one clearly understands the truth by reading it, why have there been nearly 200 religious groups that have split over the teachings of the Book of Mormon? If the Book of Mormon does such a good job of clarifying the Bible’s truth, why do all of these religious groups accept Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon as their foundation, but do not agree on what the “truth” really is?

You stated that we need to have “validation for every truth!” We agree with you! But have you truly “examined” your faith against the hard, objective evidence? You claim to have spent time “questioning” your faith and that you have received “knowledge” to the veracity of your beliefs based upon a “confirmation” from the Holy Ghost. If this “confirmation” and “knowledge” is anything like the “knowledge” that many LDS believe they have received through a “feeling” or a “burning in the bosom” (as Doctrine and Covenants 9:8 describes), I am sorry to inform you that this is not a valid test for discerning truth from error.

Feelings are subjective to a person’s heart desires and motives. This is why the Bible warns, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) You cannot even know your own heart! In addition to the deceptive feelings that your heart can produce, false spirits are perfectly capable to deceive you with positive “feelings.”

Even your own prophet, Joseph Smith admitted, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has also had its false spirits… it is not to be wondered at if there should be found among us false spirits.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 213) History shows that Joseph Smith was deceived when he had a revelation to sell the copyright of the Book of Mormon in Canada. In response to this failed revelation, he later explained, “Some revelations are of God: some revelations are of man: and some revelations are of the devil.” (Joseph Smith quoted in Address to All Believers in Christ, 1887, David Whitmer).

Since your own prophet, Joseph Smith, was unable to discern between “knowledge” from the Holy Ghost and “knowledge” from deceptive spirits, what assurance do you have that the “knowledge” or “confirmation” you received about the Book of Mormon “truthfulness,” was not from a deceptive spirit? Instead of placing your “faith” in the “knowledge” of a feeling, why not place your faith in the objective standard that God gives for determining truth?

“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” —Isaiah 8:20

This Scripture makes it clear that we must compare any revelation to the old revelations we have in the Biblical “law” and the prophets. We must only accept this new revelation if it agrees with the old revelation. After all, how could God be the author of a “new revelation” that contradicts the old revelation He has revealed previously? I am sure you would agree that He cannot!

You testified that you believe the Bible has been corrupted just as the Book of Mormon claims, “that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God.” (1 Nephi 13:28)

This testimony, however, contradicts the clear testimony of Jesus who said: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) When the Book of Mormon says that “many plain and precious things” have been taken away from “the book of the Lamb of God”, is it not calling Jesus a liar? If “plain and precious things” were taken away from Jesus’ book, is Jesus so weak that He has been unable to keep His PROMISE to preserve His Word?”

If the Jesus of the Book of Mormon was not able to keep his promise to prevent his “words” from passing away by the hands of men, what does this say about the “Jesus” of the Book of Mormon that you are placing your trust in? What does this say about your Book of Mormon’s “witness” concerning Jesus? How can we trust the “testimony” of a book that so clearly contradicts the “revelation” that God has revealed in His Son Jesus Christ? How can the Book of Mormon be regarded as Scripture from God, when it contradicts the revelation of the law and the testimony:

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” —Isaiah 40:8

“…The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away. But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” —1 Peter 1:24-25

As far as your claim that we need the Book of Mormon to provide “another” witness to the life of Christ, we have twenty-seven books compiled into the New Testament Scripture of the Bible that all bear “witness” to Jesus Christ; two of these books were actual “gospel” accounts written by those who personally lived with and followed Jesus Christ when He was here on earth. With all of these “witnesses,” what need do we have for another “witness” to Jesus Christ? Why do we need a “witness” that calls Jesus a liar, someone who did not have the strength to keep His promises? Is that the kind of “witness” we need for Jesus? I think not!

I BEAR YOU MY TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST:

Finally, I would like to “bear to you my testimony” that not only is the Jesus I love and serve able to keep His promises, but my Jesus:

“President Hinckley spoke of those outside the Church who say Latter-day Saints ‘do not believe in the traditional Christ. No, I don’t. The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak.’ “ —LDS Church News, June 20, 1998, p. 7

“…We cannot obtain salvation and eternal life by worshipping fake Christs…”
— Elder Bernard P. Brockbank, The Ensign, May 1977, pp. 26-27

“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or is ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.” —2 Corinthians 11:3-4

FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE:

Our Response to the Mormon question: “Why don’t you get your own testimony?”