Errors of Mormonism

by Keith Piper 

"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:8

Challenge: There are 6 million Mormons in 1995. They hope to double by 2000 AD. We should aim to win them to Christ.

Background: Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, was born on Dec. 23, 1805 in Vermont, USA. In 1820 (aged 15 years) he allegedly received a vision:

"... I asked the personages (demons?) who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right- and which I should join. I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the personage (demon?) who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight ..." Pearl of Great Price 2:18-19.

He claims a second vision on Sept. 21, 1823 where "a personage (demon?) appeared at my bedside" to inform him of the location of a box containing golden plates buried at Manchester, New York. In 1827 Smith claimed to receive the golden plates upon which the Book of Mormon is alleged to have been written. He claimed to have finished translating the plates on March 26, 1830.

On April 6, 1830, at Fayette, New York, the Mormon church was organized, with 6 members. They then moved to Kirtland (Cleveland), Ohio, publishing the book "Doctrines and Covenants". Smith was imprisoned in Far West, Missouri, for fighting. After escaping, he and his people fled to Nauvoo, Illinois, where he organized a small army. When a local paper, the "Nauvoo Expositor", published anti-Mormon material, Smith ordered the press destroyed and the paper burned. This act of destruction led to Smith's arrest and imprisonment. He was sent to a jail in Carthage, Illinois, with his brother Hyrum. On June 27, 1844, a mob of 200 people stormed the jail, shooting and killing Joseph and Hyrum Smith. The Mormons consider him a martyr.

Brigham Young then took over the leadership. He led the group westward to found Salt Lake City, Utah, on July 24, 1847, which became their headquarters. When Young died in 1877, they had 150, 000 members.

Notice 6 basic errors in Mormonism:

Error 1

Walter Martin writes: "With one special revelation, the Mormon church expects its intended converts to accept the unsupported testimony of an undiscerning 15 year old boy, saying that nobody ever preached the gospel of Christ from 96 AD to 1820." He did not even know the gospel definition in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, that "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, was buried, and rose again the third day". This is the gospel. How much discernment and in-depth Bible knowledge did Joseph Smith have at age 15 to allow him to recognize truth from error?

Error 2 Brigham Young ordered the massacre of 150 non-Mormon immigrants. This became known as the Mountain Meadows massacre. Young ordered Bishop John D. Lee in 1877 to murder a wagon train of helpless immigrants. 20 years later Lee was tried, convicted and executed for their murder by the U.S. government. In his book "The Confessions of John D. Lee", Lee confessed his murders, but charged that he was acting on the orders of Brigham Young. This was supported by other lieutenants in the massacre.

Error 3: The bad personal life of Joseph Smith:

i) Smith and his father regularly dug for treasure, using "peep stones" and "divining rods".

ii) Many Mormon people testified to the outright immorality and polygamy of Joseph Smith. These are in the Berrian collection in the New York Public Library.

iii) "Joseph Smith was known for his habits of exaggeration and untruthfulness".

P. Tucker, in "The Origin, Rise and Progress of Mormonism" (1867), quoting duly sworn statements of Smith's neighbors.

iv) E.D. Howe quoted statements of 62 residents of Palmyra, New York, who knew the Smith family personally. They testify as follows:

"We, the undersigned, have been acquainted with the Smith family ... and have no hesitation in saying that we consider them destitute of that moral character which ought to entitle them to the confidence of any community. Both Joseph Sr. and Joseph Jr. were considered entirely destitute of moral character, and addicted to vicious habits". "Mormonism Unveiled", Zanesville, Ohio, 1834, p.261

Note: There have been no statements from any reliable and informed source who knew Joseph Smith and his family intimately, to support his character.

The Story of the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon claims to be the history of 2 ancient civilizations on the American continent.

The first group left the Tower of Babel about 2250 BC, crossing to Europe and sailing to Central America. They were totally destroyed because of "corruption".

The second group allegedly left Jerusalem around 600 BC, before the Babylonian destruction and captivity. They sailed to Peru. These supposedly were righteous Jews, led by Nephi. The Mormon record claimed that Christ appeared to the Nephites, to preach the gospel to them, to institute baptism, the communion service, the priesthood and other mystical ceremonies. They supposedly later on split into two warring camps, the Nephites and the Lamanites (American Indians). The Lamanites allegedly wiped out the Nephites completely in a battle in Palmyra, New York, in 428 AD. The Lamanites supposedly were cursed with dark skin for their evil deeds.

Joseph Smith in 1827, claimed to dig up golden plates written in "reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics", and by using Urim and Thummim spectacles, translated them into English in 1830 as the Book of Mormon. No Egyptologist has ever unearthed a "reformed Egyptian" language. It has Roman letters inverted or placed sideways, mixed with Greek and Hebrew letters.

Error 4: How could a language written by people leaving Europe in 600 BC use Roman letters, which were not used widely until 67 BC, when Rome became a world empire?

The Mormons wrongly claim that the "other sheep" of John 10:16 refer to the appearance of Christ to the Nephites. It, however, refers to the Gentiles, who would be saved, joining the saved Jews in the Church, the body of Christ, the one fold, with one Shepherd (Christ).

Error 5: Joseph Smith, in an effort to prove the Book of Mormon, claimed in the "Pearl of Great Price" Section 2, verses 62, 63, 64, that Professor Charles Anthon verified the "reformed Egyptian language". Smith allegedly quotes Professor Anthon as follows:

"Professor Anthon stated that the translation was correct, more so than any he had before seen translated from the Egyptian. I then showed him those which were not yet translated, and he said that they were Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac and Arabic and he said that they were true characters".

This later proved to be a total lie, as Professor Anthon wrote in a letter to E.D. Howe, that he never said any such thing. Mormons have never been able to refute this letter or any of Howe's research. An excerpt from Professor Anthon's letter of rebuttal is as follows:

New York, N.Y., Feb. 17, 1834

Mr E.D. Howe

Painseville, Ohio

Dear Sir,

... The whole story about my having pronounced the Mormonite inscription to be "reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics" is perfectly false ...

Yours respectfully,

Charles Anthon, LL.D.

Columbia University

All reputable linguists who have examined the Mormon evidence have rejected it as mythical.

Error 6: Mormon misunderstanding of the Sticks of Joseph and Judah in Ezekiel 37:15-23

Mormons claim that the "stick of Judah" refers to the Bible, and the "stick of Ephraim" refers to the Book of Mormon. They claim that the joining of the 2 sticks refers to the union of the Bible and the Book of Mormon as an addition to the Word of God.

Answer: The subject under discussion is not books, but people and nations. It refers to the then divided nation of Israel (587 BC) of the northern and southern kingdoms becoming reunited as one nation in the land, just before and after Christ's second coming.

"These bones are the whole house of Israel". Ezekiel 37:11.

The 2 sticks becoming one stick in Ezekiel's hand represent Judah (2 1/2 tribes) and Israel (9 1/2 tribes) being united in the end days.

"I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, ... and bring them into their own land: I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel, ... they shall be no more 2 nations". Ezekiel 37:21, 22.

The Mormon view completely ignores the context, hoping that no one will read the passage too carefully.

I. MISTAKES IN THE BOOK OF MORMON

1. Nephi wrote in the wrong language.

A pious Jew would never record scripture in the Egyptian language. He would always only use Hebrew. Nephi, son of Lehi, a devout Jew who had lived in Jerusalem all his life, claimed to record events "in the language of his father (Lehi), which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians."

I Nephi 1:2.

An apostate Jew might use Egyptian, but a devout Jew, even if he knew Egyptian, would never use it to write a 'holy' book. He would only use Hebrew.

Note: A devout Jew would NEVER write God's sacred name "YHWH" in Egyptian. This would be an unthinkable abomination and sacrilege. Joseph Smith never knew this. e.g. "The Lord commanded ..." I Nephi 2:2.

2. The Book of Mormon , describing the safe escape of Nephi from Jerusalem, is contradicted by Jeremiah, who said that the ONLY safety lay in surrendering to Nebuchadnezzar. There was no other safe way of escape.

"If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live ...

But if thou wilt not go forth to the King of Babylon's princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand." Jeremiah 38:18, 19.

The only safety for the people of Jerusalem was to give themselves up to the invading Babylonians. The Book of Mormon is ignorant of Jeremiah 38, 39, when it gives the false message in I Nephi 2:2: "The Lord commanded my father, even in a dream, that he should take his family and depart into the wilderness."

Q: Does God contradict himself? No.

Q: Is Nephi a greater prophet than Jeremiah? No.

3. There are no rivers emptying into the Red Sea.

"... When he had traveled three days in the wilderness, he pitched his tent in a valley by the side of a river of water.

... He called the name of the river Laman, and it emptied into the Red Sea; and the valley was in the border near the mouth thereof." I Nephi 2:4-9.

a) It would have been impossible for an old man (Lehi), women and children to travel the 175 mile journey from Jerusalem to the Red Sea in 3 days.

Q: Could you walk 58 miles per day for 3 days?

Traveling 3 miles per hour, you would need to travel for 20 hours each day non-stop for 3 days. This would have been quite impossible.

b) There are no rivers running into the Red Sea along their route, the eastern shore of the Gulf of Aqaba, at this or any other point. There are not even any traceable ancient river systems in this part of Arabia. This part of the world was well known and well traveled in 600 BC. Had there been a river as Nephi describes, the area would have been one of the best known in the world of its day. It would have supported a sizably populated civilization, as always happened where fresh water was scarce. The mouth of such a river would have been a world-renowned port, if not a capital city, in 600 BC.

c) These 6 people then cross 1400 miles of the Arabian peninsula, 400 miles being rugged mountains and 1000 miles of desert.

d) They find a bountiful, fruitful land on the Persian Gulf. Alexander's troops in 330 BC avoided this as desert area.

e) They then built a ship sufficiently seaworthy to carry them 2/3 around the world in rough seas to the west coast of America, now known as Peru.

4. American Indians are Mongoloids from East Asia, not Semites from Jerusalem as the Book of Mormon claims.

For 200 years before 1820, many philosophers thought that the American Indians were the lost tribes of Israel. The dark skin of the Indians is not caused by their bad morals, as the Book of Mormon claims, but by genetics.

American Indians are Mongoloid, not Jewish, because:
a) Mongoloids lack face and body hair, (growing at most 3 inches of beard in a lifetime), but Jews have much face and body hair.

b) Mongoloid hair is coarse, black and straight, but Jewish Semite hair is moderately fine, wavy and brown.

c) Mongoloids have reddish skin pigmentation, but Jewish Semites have an olive-gray pigmentation.

d) Mongoloids have prominent cheek bones, not like Semites.

e) Mongoloids appear slant-eyed, but Semites have deep seated eyes.

f) Mongoloid babies have a Mongolian spot on their backs. This is a slate-blue round pigment spot that disappears after a few months or years. It is not present on the backs of Jewish or Semite babies.

Hence American Indians could not descend from Jews. Mormons must defend their prophet even if they have to close their eyes to do so.

5. The Book of Mormon predicts that the Lamanites (American Indians) would soon change to white skin color.

"Many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a white and delightsome people". II Nephi 30:6.

Dark skinned Mormon Indians have never become lightened due to their holding Mormon doctrines. Indian murals show Indians of 4 skin colors, all living peaceably.

Q: If the light skinned Nephites were wiped out in 421 AD as the Book of Mormon claims, why are both light and dark skinned Indians portrayed in wall paintings at Bonampak and Chichen-Itza?

6. There is not the slightest resemblance between the Mayan characters, and those supposed to be copied by Smith, as 'Reformed Egyptian'.

7. The Book of Mormon is wrong on Indian warfare.

It is mostly a book of wars, oppression, slavery, treachery, bloodshed. The writer has an obsession with warfare and killing, with killings starting from Chapter 4. Weapons used from 544 BC to 52 BC (p107-359) are listed as bows and arrows, steel swords, axes, brass and copper breastplates, shields, horses and chariots, and scimitars.

Q: What is wrong with this picture? Almost everything.

The author knew almost nothing about early American life, lack of warfare, and politics. Early Americans from 600 BC to 421 AD had very little interest in war, and had no occasion for war because:

i) They spent most of their time farming.

ii) They had no great cities of great population as are mentioned in the Book of Mormon.

iii) Mongoloids have a different philosophy of life and war than Europeans and Semites.

iv) Early Americans knew nothing of iron and steel for swords, until the Spaniards came.

v) Scimitars were curved swords used by Persians, Arabs and Turks, only appearing 1000 years later (1400 AD).

vi) Breastplates of brass and copper were unknown then.

vii) Arm shield and axes of metal were not yet invented in America.

viii) The earliest metals in America were gold beads dated 600 AD. Copper, bronze, and silver came much later, when smelting was invented.

ix) Horses and chariots were not used in America before the Spanish conquest.

x) The wheel was never used in America before the Europeans came. Roads were pedestrian roads approaching the temples, and were not built in the Book of Mormon period

xi) The sinewed bow and arrow of the American Indians came 600 years too late, after 421 AD. They instead used an atlatl, or throwing stick.

xii) Wars of conquest were unknown because the gaining of new territory for occupation was unnecessary, as there was plenty of room for all Indians.

8. No coinage system was ever developed in ancient America.

If the alleged 'Nephites' were descended from Jews raised in Jerusalem, their coinage and money values would have survived to the New World. Hence Joseph Smith created a system of coinage for people of the Book of Mormon in America. It seems strange that Smith did not continue using Jewish shekels and talents, but that he devised coins such as senines, seons, shums and limnals of gold.

Unfortunately for Smith, while his guess was logical, it was completely wrong. No system of coinage was ever developed by ancient Americans.

The Mayans who traded had:

i) No money transactions in their records.

ii) Their coins would have been discovered in their graves and homes.

iii) No coins were found in sacred wells, where so many valuable ornaments and jewels were thrown as offerings to their gods.

iv) All the known Mayan media of exchange have been identified, both of their own land, and also along the ancient trade routes of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean Sea, but never have they found metallic money.

v) Columbus was told by a Mayan chieftain in 1502 that all transactions were by barter.

vi) Interregional markets were found at Xicalenco, a market town between Aztec and Mayan populations, where Aztec, Mayan, Toltec, Mixtec and Totocan peoples met. Surely if there had been a coined money system it would have been found here.

vii) Cacao beans came closest to a standardized medium of exchange for uneven barter.

viii) Taxation had no metal coinage, but was a work service.

Q: Why did they have no coinage?

Answer: Because they had no metal until gold was discovered after 600 AD. Gold was used only for ornamentation. Silver was discovered around 900 AD.

There never was an iron age in America before Columbus. In spite of this, Joseph Smith had his ancient Nephites and Lamanites using iron and steel swords. Iron was the scarcest and most valuable metal. Gold was the most plentiful and cheapest metal.

9. Silk and fine linen have never been successfully grown in America.

Joseph Smith has Alma, a judge of the Nephites in 100 BC, stating that his people possessed "an abundance of silk and fine twined linen, and all manner of good homely cloth" Alma 1:29.

Smith was wrong here because:

i) Silk was unknown in the Americas until the Europeans came, and that it has never been successfully introduced since then.

ii) Cortez tried to grow silk in Mexico in 1522, but the industry died out 75 years later. Encyclopaedia Brittanica, 1959 ed. XX, 664.

iii) James I of England in 1609 tried to introduce silk culture in the American colonies, but failed.

iv) Silk still has to be imported to the US from the Orient.

v) In Alma 17:25-33, Ammon protects King Lamoni's flocks from attackers. This is wrong because there were no domestic sheep in America before the Spanish came (Morley, The Ancient Maya, p408).

vi) Central America and southern Mexico never have been suitable for raising sheep. Sheep could not thrive in jungle country.

Indians wore fabric of rabbit hair, birds' feathers, Kapok tree, etc.. Joseph Smith's failure to mention these, and his mention of materials totally unknown in any early American period, proves that the Book of Mormon was written by a completely uninformed scribe who knew nothing of life in Ancient America.

10. Impossibility of churches, temples and synagogues in America from 539 BC to 34 AD.

i) The Book of Mormon mentions "synagogues" at least 12 times. Alma 16:13 speaks of synagogues "built after the manner of the Jews". They date synagogues from 559 BC to 34 AD. Nephi and his successors in America could have known nothing of synagogues. Why?

Because synagogues were founded after the Temple's destruction in 586 BC, when Temple worship was an impossibility because Jews were in Babylonian exile. Nephi would never have seen a synagogue in Israel.

ii) II Nephi 5:16 tells us that Nephi built a temple "after the manner of the temple of Solomon", not more than 20 year after the migrant party landed in America between 588-570 BC. What is wrong with this?

a) They didn't have enough workers. In 1 Kings 5:13-18 Solomon needed 183 300 workers (made up of 70,000 laborers + 80,000 stone quarries, 3300 supervisors + 30,000 loggers) over 7 1/2 years, to build his temple. Yet Nephi had only about 12 adults, because half the company had apostatized. five couples could not produce more than 50 children in 20 years. It would have been impossible for Nephi, with 5 men's help, to construct a building requiring many specialized skills.

b) There could be no practical use for it, because the population was so small (about 20). Solomon's temple served a nation of several million worshippers.

c) II Nephi 5:15 says that materials "were in great abundance". This contradicts v.16 which says that the materials were 'not to be found upon the land'.

"And I, Nephi, did build a temple; ... after the manner of the temple of Solomon, save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land ..." v.16.

Here Joseph Smith tripped badly, because he has Nephi saying in the previous verse:

"And I did teach my people to build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores which were in great abundance." II Nephi 5:15.

At this same time Smith has Nephi making swords of steel, long before the invention of steel anywhere in the world, to arm his soldiers against about 40 of his apostate brother's people.

11. Mormons falsely equate Jesus Christ with Quetzalcoatl 'The Feathered Serpent".

The problems with this are:

i) Jesus Christ is never pictured as a serpent. This is Satan's symbol (Genesis 3:1).

ii) He appeared at least 1000 years after Christ's birth (1032 AD). This is too late to equate him with the historic Jesus. There is no evidence that Jesus ever came to the American continent after His resurrection. If He did, it would have been widely recorded.

12. Darkness covered the whole earth at Christ's crucifixion for 3 hours (Matthew 27:45 and Mark 15:33), but the Book of Mormon mistakes it to be 3 days (Helamen 14:20, 27).

Many earthquakes with great destruction and loss of life supposedly accompanied Christ's death, to show God's displeasure. Mormons claim that this took place in Yucatan in Mexico. This is an area of flat jungle on limestone, which has been free from earthquakes. Ruins here date from 150 AD or later, not before. What is wrong with this passage?

i) Jesus rebuked James and John for wanting to call down fire from heaven to destroy the scoffing Samaritans.

ii) The inhabitants of America were no greater sinners than the chief priests who demanded Christ's death. Christ did not curse them, but prayed for their forgiveness.

iii) Calvary was an act of mercy, not of destruction. No one died in the Jerusalem earthquake, nor when the temple veil was torn. So why should many people die in America who were not responsible for Christ's death? 3 Nephi 8:1-24.

iv) Christ came to save men's lives, not destroy them. Smith never understood God's mercy and grace to man at Calvary.

13. The Book of Mormon forgets that glass windows were not invented in 2200 BC at the Tower of Babel.

Jared and others supposedly migrate from Mesopotamia to America when the Tower of Babel was built. For light in their boats, God was supposed to have given them luminous stones.

"For, behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces." Ether 2:23

Smith did not know that the Phoenicians had not yet invented glass.

Amazingly, 50-80 people sailed for 344 days, without any loss of life, or running short of food.

14. Smith thought that Elijah (O.T.) and Elias (N.T. spelling) were different people.

They are the same person. Elijah is the Old Testament name, and Elias is the New Testament name. This is found in Section 109 and 110:11-13, "Doctrines and Covenants", which is devoted to a prayer offered at the dedication of the temple in Kirtland, Ohio, March 27, 1836, and where Smith states:

"The Lord appeared, ... Moses appeared before us ... Elias appeared ... After this vision was closed another great and glorious vision burst upon us; for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us."

Elijah and Elias are the same person. What a blunder! Elijah and Elisha are distinguished correctly in Luke 4:25,26:

"Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias (Elijah) ... Many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus (Elisha) the prophet; and none of them was cleansed saving Naaman the Syrian."

Once this revelation was presented as the word of the Lord, there was no comfortable way of correcting this mistake.

15. Jesus Christ was born at Bethlehem, not at Jerusalem (Luke 2:4 and Micah 5:2).

"The Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth. And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem". Alma 7:9,10.

Everyone knows that Jesus was born at Bethlehem, except Joseph Smith and Mormons who wish to be ignorant.

16. How can Helaman 12:26, supposedly written in 6 BC, quote John 5:29 which was not yet written until 85 AD?

You cannot quote something that is not yet written.

"... fulfilling the words which say: They that have done good shall receive everlasting life; and they that have done evil shall have everlasting damnation." Helaman 12:26, in 6 BC.

It is obvious that this is a great mistake, proving the Book of Mormon to be a fake, made up by someone who did not know his facts, and who was given to lying. John 5:29 quotes: "And shall come forth: they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."

Q: Does this verse teach salvation by good works?

Answer: No, because John's theology forbids this (3:17-21; 6:28,29). It states that those who are truly born again do live a life of good works after salvation. They obey Christ (14:15), they abide in Christ (15:5-7), and they walk in the light (John 8:12). Damnation is because of rejecting Christ (John 3:36).

17. How can parts of the Book of Mormon allegedly written in 570 BC quote Bible passages (word for word) that were not yet written?

Book of Mormon KJV

i) I Nephi 22:15 (570 BC) Malachi 4:1 (397 BC)

"For the day soon cometh that "For behold, the day cometh that shall

all the proud and they who do burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea,

wickedly shall be as stubble, and all that do wickedly, shall be as

and the day cometh that they stubble: and the day that cometh shall

must be burned." burn them up ..."

ii) II Nephi 26:9 (545 BC) Malachi 4:2 (397 BC)

"But the Son of "But unto you that fear my name shall

righteousness shall appear the Sun of righteousness arise with

unto them; and he shall healing in his wings ..."

heal them ..."

Answer: The Book of Mormon was not written in 570 BC, but was copied from the King James Bible around 1820 AD. The writer misquoted "Son" for "Sun".

18. How can the Book of Mormon, allegedly written around 570 BC, quote word for word from the New Testament of the King James Bible, not written until 1611 AD? (2200 years later)

Book of Mormon KJV

i) I Nephi 4:13 (592 BC) John 11:50 (33 AD, 1611 AD)

"That one man should perish "That one man should die for the

than that a nation should people, and that the whole nation

dwindle and perish ... " perish not"

ii) I Nephi 10:8 John 1:27

"Whose shoe's latchet "Whose shoe's latchet

I am not worthy to unloose." I am not worthy to unloose."

iii) I Nephi 10:9 John 1:28

"He should baptize in "In Bethabara beyond Jordan,

Bethabara, beyond Jordan.." where John was baptizing."

iv) I Nephi 11:22 Romans 5:5

v) I Nephi 11:27 Luke 3:22

vi) I Nephi 14:11 Revelation 17:1,15

Jerald and Sandra Tanner list 400 clear examples in their book "The Case against Mormonism" (Vol. 2, Salt Lake City, 1967, p.87-102) to prove beyond doubt that the author of the Book of Mormon was well acquainted with the King James New Testament of 1611.

vii) At least 17 full chapters of the Book of Isaiah are quoted word for word from the King James Version of 1611, allegedly in 570 BC, 2200 years before the KJV was published. This is a clear case of plagiarism, with no other purpose than adding volume to the book of Mormon without too much effort.

Book of Mormon:

I Nephi 20, 21; II Nephi 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Isaiah:

48, 49, 50, 51, 52:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

19. The Book of Abraham Fraud

This is found in the Mormon scripture known as "The Pearl of Great Price". Joseph Smith in 1835 purchased an ancient Egyptian papyrus found in mummy wrapping acquired by Michael H. Chandler. Smith, believing that he had the gift of interpreting ancient Egyptian, claimed that the rolls contained the writings of Abraham himself, signed personally by Abraham.

In 1842, Smith published his translation under the title "The Book of Abraham" in "Times and Seasons". He claimed that a picture in it was Abraham sitting on Pharaoh's throne.

These papyri were lost for many years, but they turned up and were presented to the Mormon Church by the Metropolitan Art Museum of New York on November 27, 1967.

When translated, they found that not a single word of Joseph Smith's translation was correct. The text had nothing to do with Abraham, but described magical spells to open the mouth of the dead to prepare him for his audience with Osiris to be judged. Hence Joseph Smith's translation of Egyptian is proved false.



20. The Book of Mormon has undergone nearly 4,000 changes from the 1830 edition to the modern edition.

1830 edition Modern edition

"King Benjamin had a gift "King Mosiah had a gift from God,

from God, whereby he could whereby he could interpret such

interpret such engravings."p.176, verse 28.

engravings." p.200

"Behold the virgin which "Behold the virgin whom thou seest

thou seest, is the Mother of is the mother of the Son of God."

God." p.25 I Nephi 11:18

".. that the Lamb of God is " ... that the Lamb of God is the Son

the eternal Father ..." p.32 of the Eternal Father ..." I Nephi 13:40

21. Of the 38 cities in the Book of Mormon, leading archaeologists have not found any remains of any of these alleged cities.

The Smithsonian Institute in Washington states:

"There is no correspondence whatever between archaeological sites and cultures as revealed by scientific investigations, and as recorded in the Book of Mormon ... Thus far no iron, steel, brass, gold and silver coins, metal, swords, breastplates, arm shields, armour, horses and chariots, or silk have ever been found in pre-colonial archaeological sites." Kingdom of the Cults, W. Martin, p.162.

22. The testimony of the 3 witnesses which appears at the front of the Book of Mormon (Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris).

declares that:

"an angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engraving thereon ..."

Martin Harris denied to Professor Anthon that he had actually seen the plates, but that he only saw them "with the eye of faith".

Note: All three of these witnesses later apostatized from the Mormon faith, and were described by Mormon contemporaries as thieves and counterfeiters.

23. Polygamy is forbidden by God in Jacob 2:27, yet it was practiced by Smith and Brigham Young, and permitted by "Doctrines and Covenants", section 132, v. 32, 34.

"... hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none." Jacob 2:27.

Conclusion:

Thurlow Weed, who was the editor of the "Rochester Telegram" newspaper, wrote that Smith approached him in 1825, two years before the supposed possession of the golden plates, with a view to publishing the Book of Mormon. At this time he claimed to have the first chapter written.

Q: Why do Mormons continue to circulate the discredited Book of Mormon?

Answer: Joseph Smith, to the Mormons, is the prophet of God, and the Book of Mormon is his symbol. Discredit the Book, and you discredit Joseph Smith. Mormons' authoritative scripture consists of:

a) The King James Bible "insofar as it is correctly translated".

b) Doctrine and Covenants.

c) The Pearl of Great Price.

d) The Book of Mormon.

Mormons must be willing to face the facts, admit that they have been deceived, and leave the Mormon church. Truth and one's eternal salvation are more important than remaining loyal to a lying prophet and to a false church. Mormons, pluck up the courage to honestly seek the truth in the Bible with your mind and not with your feelings. Swallow your pride and come to Jesus Christ alone for salvation, not trusting your baptism or good works or the Mormon religion.

Reject Mormon revelations of:

a) The acceptance of new scripture. The Bible is able to make "the man of God perfect (complete), thoroughly furnished unto all good works." II Timothy 3:16, 17. See II Peter 1:3, 4.

b) Individual, personal, supernatural revelations: "Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing." Ezekiel 13:3.

"... that prophesy lies in my name ... they are the prophets of the deceit of their own heart" Jeremiah 23:25, 26.

"... they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of naught, and the deceit of their heart." Jeremiah 14:14.

Q: Mormons, when you prophesy, can you prove that you are speaking from God, or does it come from your heart, or from the devil?

Q: If you can make up prophecies, so can everybody. Where does this lead you to? Confusion.

II. FALSE PROPHECIES OF JOSEPH SMITH.

A cultist looks to his leader to decide truth for him. Joseph Smith is the Mormon's only basis of religious authority. They believe that he is a prophet of God.

The only issue which Mormons are not well-prepared to discuss, is the issue of Joseph Smith's claim to be a true prophet of God. This issue is not in their manual.

A Mormon missionary is trained to give a testimony in which he states:

"I testify by the Spirit of God that I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that the Book of Mormon is the Word of God."

Q1: How do you know that he was a prophet of God?

Mormon: Because God spoke to him.

Q2: How do you know that God spoke to him?

Mormon: Because he was a prophet of God.

Q3: This is circular reasoning, which is not valid. How do you know that he was a prophet to whom God spoke?

Mormon: I got on my knees and prayed for God to show me if Joseph Smith was His prophet, and if the Book of Mormon was inspired. Now I have a burning feeling in my heart that these things are true."

Q4: You don't determine truth by a burning feeling in your heart, but by the Word of God, the Bible says.

Mormon: What do you feel about the Book of Mormon?

Note: They try to direct you to your feelings in order to keep you from thinking about the issues.

"He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool" Proverbs 28:26.

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9.

Q5: We can test Joseph Smith's claim to be a prophet of God by testing if his prophecies all came true. Deuteronomy 18:20-22 states that if someone claims to be a prophet of God, but his predictions fail to happen, then this person is a false prophet.

Repeat this logic to the Mormon until he understands it.

Q6: When the prophecies of Joseph Smith are examined, it can be proven that he was a false prophet.

Note: Mormons are never trained to deal with Smith's prophecies. Mormon leaders discourage members from studying his false prophecies. Keep to this subject.

Smith's false prophecies are not mistakes. We all make mistakes, but most of us never claim to be a "prophet of God" who speaks "inspired revelations". Be prepared for the Mormons' "pat answers".

i) Mormon: Smith never made any prophecies.

You: Doctrines and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price record many of his prophecies.

ii) Mormon: Smith was only giving his personal opinion. He wasn't speaking as a prophet.

You: Each prophecy in Doctrines and Covenants is a numbered and dated revelation from God. Smith's predicitons begin with "Thus says the Lord", and full inspiration is claimed for each one.

iii) Mormon: If Smith was a false prophet, so was Moses. Didn't he predict he would lead Israel into the Promised Land? Yet he died beforehand.

You: Moses never prophesied that he would enter the land.

We aim to convert Mormons to Christ, and to prevent people from becoming Mormons. Therefore, just one false prophecy would reveal Smith to be a false prophet, because God's prophets never give false prophecies. Smith was either a prophet of God, or one of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen.

Consider these 11 false prophecies of Joseph Smith, showing him to be a false prophet:

False Prophecy 1: New York, Albany and Boston have not been destroyed for rejecting the Mormon message.

Doctrines and Covenants 84, p.141-142.

114: "Nevertheless, let the bishop go unto the city of New York, also to the city of Albany, and also to the city of Boston, and warn the people of those cities with the sound of the gospel, with a loud voice, of the desolation and utter abolishment which await them if they do reject these things." 115. "For if they do reject these things the hour of their judgment is near, and their house shall be left unto them desolate."

This false prophecy was given in 1832 that these cities desolation and utter abolishment was near. 160 years have passed and these cities remain unharmed. This makes Joseph Smith a false prophet. Reject him.

False prophecy 2: The earth did not reel to and fro like a drunken man "not many days" after Dec. 27, 1832.

Doctrines and Covenants 88, p150:

87: "For not many days hence and the earth shall tremble and reel to and fro as a drunken man: and the sun shall hide his face, and shall refuse to give light; and the moon shall be bathed in blood; and the stars shall become exceeding angry; and shall cast themselves down as a fig that falleth from off a fig tree."

From 1832 to 1995 are 59,170 days. Many days have indeed elapsed since 1832 and these events prophesied by Smith have not yet happened. The phrase "not many days hence" makes Smith a false prophet.

False Prophecy 3: Bloodshed in South Carolina did not lead to Christ's Second Coming (v12).

Christ did not come in 1890, when Smith would have been 85. (v.15, 17)

Doctrines and Covenants 130, p.238.

12. "I prophesy, in the name of the Lord God, that the commencement of the difficulties which will cause much bloodshed previous to the coming of the Son of Man, will be in South Carolina." 15. "Joseph, my son, if thou livest until thou art 85 years old, thou shalt see the face of the Son of Man ..."

False prophecy 4: The wicked of this generation were not swept away violently. Nor did the lost tribes of Israel return from the north country down to America.

History of the Church, 1833, p.315.

"And now I am prepared to say by the authority of Jesus Christ that not many years shall pass away before the United States shall present such a scene of bloodshed as has not a parallel in the history of our nation; pestilence, hail, famine, and earthquake will sweep the wicked of this generation from off the face of the land, to open and prepare the way for the return of the lost tribes of Israel from the north country. The people of the Lord, those who have complied with the ... ... and flee to Zion, before the overflowing scourge overtake you, for there are those now living upon the earth whose eyes shall not be closed in death until they see all these things, which I have spoken, fulfilled. Remember these things: call upon the Lord while He is near, and seek Him while He may be found, is the exhortation of your unworthy servant.

[Signed] JOSEPH SMITH, JUN."

Q: Did those living in 1833 see with their own eyes the destruction of the wicked, and the return of the lost tribes of Israel from the North Country? No.

False Prophecy 5: Smith prophesied in 1835 that Christ's return would be in 56 years. Did Christ return in 1891?

"On the 14th of Feb. 1835, Joseph Smith said that God had revealed to him that the coming of Christ would be within 56 years, which being added to 1835 shows that before 1891 and the 14th of Feb., the Saviour of the world would make his appearance again upon the earth and the winding up scene take place. In connection with this event, was related by my brother Dimick Huntington, the fact that when Joseph and Hyrum Smith submitted in their feelings to consent to give themselves up to the state mob at Nauvoo, Illinois, after they had passed the Mississippi River. Joseph said "If they shed my blood it shall shorten this work 10 years". That taken from 1891 would reduce the time to 1881, which if the true time within which the Saviour should come much must be crowded into 6 years."

This excerpt is taken from the Journal of O.B. Huntington (Vol. 2, p.129).

What does this false prophecy make Joseph Smith?

Note: When S.D.A. William Miller predicted that on 3rd April, 1843, Christ would come in glory, and the end of the world would come, what did Joseph Smith accuse Miller of being, when it did not happen?

Joseph Smith says of Miller in History of the Church, 3 April 1843:

"Monday, April 3- Miller's day of judgment has arrived, but it is too pleasant for false prophets."

Smith said " I prophesy in the name of the Lord God, and let it be written- the Son of Man will not come in the clouds of heaven till I am 85 years old."

History of the Church, April 1843, p.336.

False Prophecy 6: Smith prophesied that the lost ten tribes have lived for 2,500 years in the Arctic regions.

Journal of Discourses, p.68:

"I do not know how much before the ten tribes will come from the north; but after Zion is built in Jackson County, and after the Temple is built upon that spot of ground where the corner stone was laid in 1831; after the glory of God in the form of a cloud by day shall rest upon that Temple, and by night the shining of a flaming fire will fill the whole heavens round about; after every dwelling place upon Mount Zion shall be clothed upon as with a pillar of fire by night, and a cloud by day, about that period of time, the ten tribes will be heard of, away in the north, a great company, as Jeremiah says, coming down from the northern regions, coming to sing in the height of the latter day Zion. Their souls will be as a watered garden, and they will not sorrow any more at all, as they have been doing during the twenty-five hundred long years they have dwelt in the Arctic regions."

Is there any scientific or archaeological evidence to indicate that the lost ten tribes of Israel have been living in the Arctic for the last 2500 years? No. What does this make Joseph Smith?

False Prophecy 7: England and all nations did not become involved against the United States during the Civil War.

Smith declared in Doctrines and Covenants, section 87, Mormon p.144, v.1-3:

"At the rebellion of South Carolina ... the Southern states will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, ... and then war shall be poured out upon all nations ... slaves shall rise up against their masters ... and that the remnants (Indians) ... shall vex the Gentiles with a sore vexation."

Notice five false prophecies given here by Joseph Smith:

i)England did not become involved in the Civil War or any war against the United States.

ii) "All nations" were not involved in the Civil War or any war against the United States.

iii) The slaves did not rise up against their masters.

iv) The remnants (Indians) were themselves vexed by the Gentiles, being defeated in war and confined to reservations.

v) Joseph Smith did not possess the house he built at Nauvoo "for ever and ever". Doctrines and Covenants Section 124, v22 ,23, 59. It was destroyed after Smith's death, and Mormons moved to Utah.

False Prophecy 8: The Moon is not inhabited by 6 foot high men dressing like Quakers.

The Young Woman's Journal, p.263, 4. O.B. Huntington quotes Smith:

"... to prove Joseph Smith to be a prophet. As far back as 1837, I know that he said the moon was inhabited by men and women the same as this earth ... and that they live generally to near the age of 1000 years. He described the men as averaging near six feet in height, and dressing quite uniformly in something near the Quaker style ... I was told that I should preach the gospel to the inhabitants of the moon."

Q: Mormon, do you really believe that people like Quakers live on the moon?

"Every star that we see is a world and is inhabited as this world is peopled. The Sun, Moon and stars are inhabited." Hyrum Smith, April 27, 1843.

From "George Leub's Nauvoo Journal", BYU Studies, Vol. 18, No. 2, winter 1978.

Brigham Young claimed that the Sun was inhabited:

"So it is with regard to the inhabitants of the Sun. Do you think it is inhabited? I rather think it is. Do you think there is any life there? No question of it, it was not made in vain." Journal of Discourses, Vol. XIII, p.271.

Prophecy 9: Joseph Smith said that a Mormon temple and city would be built in Independence (Zion), Missouri, in his own generation in 1832.

This lot is marked by a plaque. If there is no temple on this temple lot, and the 1832 generation has passed away, what does this make Joseph Smith to be? A false prophet.

v3: "... which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the Lord of Joseph Smith, Jr. v4: "... which temple shall be reared in this generation." Doctrines and Covenants , Section 84, p135, v.3, 4.

Q: Is there a Mormon city and temple in Independence, Missouri? No.

Has the 1832 generation passed away? Yes.

Does this make Joseph Smith a false prophet? Yes.

Prophecy 10: Smith prophesied in 1838 that David Patten would go on a missionary tour with himself and 12 others in 1839.

The only problem with this prophecy is that Patten was shot and killed in October 1838, thus falsifying Smith's prophecy. What does this make Smith? A false prophet. Doctrines and Covenants, Section 114, p208.

SECTION 114

"Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Far West, Missouri, April 17, 1838. Directions to David W. Patten- Positions occupied by the unfaithful to be given to others. 1. Verily thus saith the Lord: It is wisdom in my servant David W. Patten, that he settle up all his business as soon as he possibly can, and make a disposition of his merchandise, that he may perform a mission unto me next spring, in company with others, even twelve including myself, to testify of my name and bear glad tidings unto all the world."

Patten's death is recorded as follows:

"In the pursuit, one of the mob fled from behind a tree, wheeled, and shot Captain Patten, who instantly fell, mortally wounded, having received a large ball in his bowels."

History of the Church, Oct. 1838, p.171.

Mormons claim that Patten fulfilled Smith's prophecy by being a missionary to the spirit world. This is wrong because Patten was to go with Smith and other human companions. Patten's companions did not go with him to the spirit world that Spring in 1839.

Prophecy 11: II Nephi 10:7 says that Jews will first believe in Christ, then get restored to the land of Israel.

"When the day cometh that they shall believe in me, that I am Christ, THEN have I covenanted with their fathers that they shall be restored in the flesh, upon the earth, unto the lands of their inheritance."

This is a false prophecy, because today the Jews are back in their land, but they still do not believe in Jesus Christ.


Conclusion:

Just one false prophecy is enough to identify Joseph Smith as a false prophet. We have seen 11 out of over 60 false prophecies that he made proving that he was not a prophet of God.

Since Smith is a fraud, fake and liar, then the whole Mormon religion is proven to be false.

Q: What should the Mormon do?

Answer: Renounce all Mormon doctrines, baptisms, priesthoods, and relationships. Reject the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrines and Covenants as false. Turn to the Bible alone as the final authority. Once all reliance on Joseph Smith is abandoned, receive and rely totally on Jesus Christ alone for salvation. Deuteronomy 13:1-5 states that false prophets must be put to death. God allows Mormon false doctrines to test people to prove if they love God with all their heart and soul. See also Deut. 18:20-22: "That prophet shall die".

III. FALSE MORMON DEFINITIONS OF BIBLE TERMS

When Mormons use a Christian term, they reject the Biblical definition of that term, and they substitute a false, non-Christian definition in its place.

Consider these false Mormon redefinitions:

1. Christianity: a false, damnable, apostate religion.

2. God: one of many self-progressing bodily deities. He was formerly a man, a finite creature.

Bible refutation:

i) "Before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me." Isaiah 43:10.

"I am the first, and I am the last, and beside me there is no God. Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God; I know not any." Isaiah 44:6,8.

"I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me." v.5 "There is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else." v.6

"There is no God else beside me;" v.21. Isaiah 45:5, 6, 21.

ii) Mormons teach that each god is evolving:

"For I am the Lord, I change not" Malachi 3:6.

3. Jesus Christ: a self- progressing deity (Jehovah of Old Testament) and the first spirit child of Elohim and his wife, Mary.

Mormon Christ Biblical Jesus Christ

i) A created being, Uncreated God

the brother of Lucifer. (John 1:1, 3; Micah 5:2, I Timothy 6:14, 15)

ii) Earned his own Requires no salvation

salvation by good works. (II Corinthians 5:21- who knew no sin)

iii) One of many gods Second person of the one Godhead

(Exodus 20:3- no other gods)

iv) Conceived by physical Conceived by the Holy Spirit

sex with Mary (Matthew 1:23 overshadowing Mary

a virgin shall be with child)

v) A married polygamist Unmarried

4. Holy Ghost: A man with a spiritual body of matter.

"He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.. and shall be in you" John 14:16, 17.

5. Trinity: Tritheistic. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are 3 separate deities.

"Baptizing them in the NAME (not names) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Matthew 28:19

6. The Gospel: Mormon theology.

"I declare unto you the gospel ... Christ died for our sins ... He was buried, and He rose again the third day" 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

7. Born again: Water baptism into Mormonism.

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God ..." John 1:12.

See chapter on "Baptismal regeneration error".

We are born again by receiving Christ as our Savior, without any good works.

8. Atonement: God's provision for an individual to earn their true salvation "by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel" (Articles of Faith, 3).

"Not of works, lest any man should boast" Ephesians 2:9.

See chapter on "Salvation is not by good works".

9. True salvation, eternal life, redemption: Exaltation to Godhead in the highest part of the celestial kingdom is based on individual good works and personal merit. Exaltation involves ruling and sexual procreation of spirit children.

Reply: Satan's third lie to Eve was "ye shall be as gods" Genesis 3:5. Becoming a god appealed to Eve's pride and also to Mormons' pride. We will never become a god, but will always be human, yes glorified humans in heaven.

10. The Fall: A spiritual step upward permitting physical bodies of children to be procreated. This is false, because it was already God's plan for man to reproduce "after their own kind".

11. Heaven: 3 kingdoms of glory. This is false because the 3 heavens are the atmosphere, space, and God's throne. II Corinthians 12:2.

12. Hell: generally like purgatory; possibly eternal for a very few such as apostate Mormons.

False, because Christ "purged our sins" Hebrews 1:3.

13. The Scriptures: The Book of Mormon, Doctrines and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price; the King James Bible as far as it is translated correctly. (Articles of Faith, 8).

False, because of mistakes in Book of Mormon, Doctrines and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.

Q: How did Mormons reach these false definitions?

Answer: Because they did not rely on the Bible to define its terms. They relied on revelations from the spirit world of demons.

Questions for Mormons:

Q1: Why, after 25 years, has the Mormon church never responded or answered to Jerald and Sandra Tanner's research?

Write to them at: Utah Lighthouse Ministry, P.O. Box 1884, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84110.

Q2: How do you explain plagiarisms in the Book of Mormon taken from Ethan Smith's "View of the Hebrews (1823), a book that was available to Joseph Smith?

Q3: How do you explain the 27, 000 words plagiarized from the King James Bible into the Book of Mormon?

Q4: Does it worry you that the Book of Mormon was translated by occult means? Emma Smith, one of Joseph's many wives, confesses:

"I frequently wrote day after day ... he sitting with his face buried in his hat, with a stone in it, and dictating hour after hour."

Q5: Why has no archaeological evidence ever been found to support the Book of Mormon's alleged cities, persons, silk, coins, metals, wars, weapons, kings or palaces in North or South America?

"The Smithsonian Institute has never used the Book of Mormon in any way as a scientific guide".

This is a quote from a standard Smithsonian letter sent out to Mormon enquirers.

The Bureau of American Ethnology writes: "There is no evidence whatever of any migration from Israel to America, and likewise no evidence that pre-Columbian Indians had any knowledge of Christianity and the Bible".

Prominent Mormon Archaeologist, Thomas Stewart Ferguson, quit the Mormon church, and repudiated Joseph Smith because of the weight of archaeological evidence against Mormonism.

Q6: Why does the Book of Mormon conflict with hundreds of truths in the Bible?

Q7: Does it worry you that a supposed perfect Book of Mormon should require many major changes and 3,000 minor changes from the original 1830 edition?

Q8: What does your conscience and common sense tell you when you understand the 23 mistakes in the Book of Mormon discussed earlier?

Q9: How can Joseph Smith be a true prophet of God when he fails the test of a true prophet in Deuteronomy 13:1-5, 18:20-22, by making 11 clear false prophecies?

Q10: How can early Mormon prophets deny and contradict modern Mormon prophets, and vice versa?

Q11 Why is it that even the highest Mormons do not know for certain where they are going when they die?

Q12: If you died tonight, do you know 100% for sure that you would go to live with Jesus Christ forever in heaven?

Would you like to be sure? Then read the article, What Must I Do to Be Saved?. Find out how to receive Jesus Christ as your only Savior and renounce all your Mormon beliefs. GET OUT OF THE MORMON CHURCH TODAY!

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