How Did Mormonism Begin? Lesson 1

Is Mormonism Really from God? Lesson 1 of 5
How did the Mormon Church begin? What do they accept as Scripture? What should I consider when entering into a study with my Mormon friends? These are some questions that Nathan, former Mormon of 20 years, explains in Lesson 1 of the "Is Mormonism Really from God?" series.

[TopicalBibleStudies]

Thank you very much for your interest in my videos. At this point, I am only able to tend to my videos and website with my spare time, which isn’t much. I would like to spend that time developing new material. Therefore, I am unable to respond to every individual comment and question made on my videos. However, I will leave the comment section open in order to keep the community and conversation going with fellow viewers. Thank you, God bless you, and always seek the truth. John 8:31-32.

-Lance
topicalbiblestudies.com

[GrandmaKnightLife]

Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

[adamgoodword]

God created man, man created religion!
Jesus wants us to follow Him, not religion.
Jesus said I Am the way, not religion is the way.
Jesus said Follow Me, not follow me then pick some brand of worldly religion to follow also.
Jesus never followed a religion. In fact Jesus was against the religious people of His day and He even went as far as to call them the children of the devil.
The 12 disciples never followed religion, they only followed Jesus.
So why is it that Mormons and other religious institutions believe they need to create or join a religion????

People seek after religion because Jesus and the Gospel are no longer enough for them.
As Jesus is no longer enough for them they create a religion to follow.
It is like the people of Moses' day, where the people created a golden calf and worshiped it.
Mormons have set their religion before them like an idol. They worship it and they defend it.
Mormons need their book of Mormon because the Bible which contains all that Jesus did and taught is not enough for them.

Mormons believe "church" = a religious institution
Christians know "church" = people, followers of Jesus, His sheep.

Mormons are not Christians. They put their religion first and Jesus last.
Mormons are Mormon first and Christians second.
Mormons will always defend their religion because they hold it closer to their heart than they do Jesus and His Gospel.

Mormons are the most deceived church upon the earth.
Mormons belong to: The Church Of Joseph Smith of Latter Day Deceived
The Book Of Mormon is The Most Corrected Book Upon The Earth
The Book Of Mormon is Another Deception Of The Anti Christ
The Book Of Mormon is Joseph's Myth

Christians will always attack religion because it is not of God.
Mormons will always defend their religion because they are not of God.

Religious people always need a religion to go through to get to God.
Christians only need Jesus to get to Him and the Father.
Any time that a church tells you that you have to go through them to get to God it is usually a cult.

When Mormons bear testimonies it is more so to convince EACH OTHER that their religion is true than to bear witness or convince non believers.
Mormons spend so much of their time bearing testimonies on the book of mormon being true and their church being true.
Christians already know that the bible is true and we know that anyone who follows Jesus are His true church.
Christians just get on with teaching the gospels and all that is contained withing the bible.
Mormons just continue trying to convince everyone that their book of Mormon is true rather than devoting all their time to teaching anything out of it.

Jesus leads to salvation.
Joseph leads to damnation.
So Mormons, who will you choose? Jesus or Joseph?

[yanfoo]

I highly respect the opinions in this video. I also respect people's biases, after all, we each have our own conclusions on things. I do not have much opportunities, where I live, to have these kinds of discussions with other faiths. This comment is my way to share my understanding on the subjects addressed in this videos (and the many other to which I comment). It is a long comment, but if it may help someone understand what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches, it should be informative enough (really, I really tried to summarize it all). This is my understanding, and it may or may not be the entire views of the Church, but I believe it is.

At 11:35, I find funny that people would invalidate the First Vision account, even after the 18 years period, even after the 7 versions (which only change slightly), as most of the books of the New Testament were written from ten to forty years (and more) after Christ, and some of them have different accounts of many events. In fact, this is one of the claims atheists and agnostics use to discredit the Bible. Why the double standards? The point of the First Vision was that God appeared to Joseph. However it was recounted, Joseph always testified having seen two distinct Personages.

At 11:58, why is it convenient that Smith was the only one who had this divine Visitation? Who was with Moses when God appeared to him, commanding him to deliver the Hebrews from Egypt? Who was with Moses, again, when God delivered the ten commandments afterwards? Or who could enter the Holy of Holies of the temple, but the High Priest, once a year? On one account, Jesus went to Jairus' house, and healed his daughter, only bringing Peter, James, and John with Him, sending everyone away, and telling the parents "that no man should know it" (Mark 5). Since God is no respecter of persons, all these are not so because God likes one over another, but because one has more faith over another; miracles comes through faith, divine visitations comes through faith. It is no surprise, then, that these things happen only to a limited number of people, because of their faith and humility, not through arrogance and self-righteousness. This shows much of the characters of God's elects.

At 15:09, "why did he not simply adhere to these inspired words surrounding that passage?" Because, as a 14 year old boy, living on a farm, and after much study on the matter, he required the guidance of God. The question, rather, should be : Why hasn't anyone done so before him? We hear much stories of that period, even from the renaissance era, where people asked these questions : "Where are the miracles, the prophets and the revelations?" but the people asking the questions either start rationalizing, or join the Church that fits best their own views. Where is the account, at any time, of a man doing what Joseph Smith did, which is desiring so earnestly knowing the truth, that he would question everything until asking of God? having done any otherwise would've made him a blind follower of the truth? At a time when God was generally accepted and defined by the Nicene Creed, isn't the First Vision the most important part of the restoration; that is, who and what is God? If knowing the Father is life eternal (John 17:3), isn't this the most important event in modern History, leading to the restoration of all things (Eph. 1:10, see Acts 1:6 ; 3:21)?

At 15:22, the term "reformation" does not exist in the Scriptures. But the words "recover" (Isa. 11:11), "new covenant" (Jer. 31:31), "restore" (Matt. 17:11 ; Mark 9:12 ; Acts 1:6), "restitution" (Acts 3:21), "another angel" (Rev. 14:6) are used. The Bible does teach that God is perfect; He does not need to improve upon what is already revealed, however God does give unto us line upon line, precept upon precept (Isaiah 28:13). After all, hasn't Jesus said : "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" Without prophets, the world falls quickly in iniquity (see Gal. 1:6, 1 Peter 1:24-25), and it is not reformation that the Gospel needs, but a full restoration of the word of God. The fact that, even as the Scriptures have been available since they were written, unless they were hidden by men, the world still created many different depictions of God, His nature and relationship with us, even as to create many translations of said Scriptures! Isn't this what the whole Protestantism movement all about? This is why Joseph was confused; even the protestants fought with each other over the doctrine! Joseph Smith did read the Scriptures, and still fell short in wisdom; are you saying that he should not have followed the counsel of James, and ask of God?

At 15:35, "no further revelation would've been necessary"? Are we back to the dark ages and denying the powers of Heaven in giving revelations to people from God? Is God's words finite? Why is it that, when more revelations are given to men testifying having seen God, with witnesses testifying of it, than people should say "we need no more revelations"? Exactly! "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Was the Pentateuch enough for Israel? Was Isaiah, then, sufficient? Was the Gospel according ot the Apostles sufficient? What about the Epistles of Paul? Or all the other books? Did God ever reveal to His prophets that revelations should stop at anytime? Who claimed that the Bible should be closed cannon? I sure cannot find this anywhere in the Bible. But what I can find is this : "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Eph. 4:11-13, see Amos 3:7). Have we, yet, come to this unity in Christ? Then, surely, the "precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little" does mean that God still has things to reveal unto us.

At 16:46, in order to be True, "it must be the Church that was prophesied in the Old Testament", and "it must be the Church that was fulfilled in the New Testament". On this, I would argue that Christ Himself knew that the very Church He established was to fall, and would be restored in the last days. He taught : "Peace I leave with you [...]. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27). "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock" (Acts 20:29), meaning that no one should be spared and remain at some point; all shall be scattered at some point. The Apostles understood this, and taught to "let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition" (2 Thes. 2:3, see verse 5). On this Apostasy, Isaiah wrote that "darkness shall cover the earth" (Isa. 60:2). And this is the spiritual famine that Amos spoke (Amos 8:11), which was fulfilled in the dark ages, when people could not read, and the Church forbade people from reading the Scriptures. It was a time when knowledge was punished, even unto death. In fact, it is that reformation which lead to the restoration (i.e. the reformation was a mean from the Lord to prepare the way for His Second coming, see Daniel 2:44 ; Matt. 24:15 concerning Nebuchadnezzar’s dream)..

[lucyprusak]

Best teaching ever, thank you God bless you in the nane of Jesus

[aaronhughes]

So Jospeh got to meet god and Jesus and an angel and was able to read an 2500 year old golden book that was buried in the and I thought the story about Mohamed flying up to heaven on a winged horse was a good story!!

[JAMES-wlpd]

It depends on what God you are talking about

[adamgoodword]

*MORMONS WILL NOT ENDURE SOUND DOCTRINE*

*1 Timothy 4* (KJV)
_1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;_
_2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;_

*2 Timothy 4* (KJV)
_1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;_
_2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine._
_3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;_
_4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables._


*MORMONS ARE UNDER STRONG DELUSION*

*2 Thessalonians 2*
_9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, _
_10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved._
_11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:_
_12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness._

[doubleadoublel]

It should be how did the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints begin.

[OceanMikey]

Just read the Book of Mormon and you will know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet, that Jesus Christ did visit the Americas and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Jesus’s true church on the earth today. If you have any questions feel free to ask me or go to Mormon.org.