MBS 103 - Cults of the World

CULTS

What exactly are religious cults? With such a large number of religious organizations and movements in the world today, it's important to understand what we mean when we start labeling certain groups. The dictionary defines cult as "a system of religious worship or ritual"; "devoted attachment to, or extravagant admiration for, a person, principle, etc." According to this definition, any believer in any god is a member of a cult. In the popular media, a cult is typically defined as a religious sect whose members are "controlled" by a manipulative organization or individual. This kind of cult is usually portrayed as deceptive, requiring absolute loyalty from its followers. Members are often removed from their prior lives altogether, including their jobs, homes and families. The Hare Krishnas, Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church, and Moses David Berg's Family of Love are some popular examples of this type of cult.

Christians define religious cults from a different perspective. Simply, a cult is any religious group that deviates from the fundamental teachings of the historic, Bible-based, Christian faith as confirmed through the ancient ecumenical creeds. Generally, if a religious organization follows Jesus Christ, but denies or distorts essential Christian doctrines such as the Trinity, the resurrection, or salvation by grace alone, that organization is considered a cult. Traditional examples are the Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Science, the Unity School of Christianity, and the Way International. All of these groups add to the simple gospel of Jesus Christ. In addition, some add to the Bible, such as Mormonism's The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price. Similarly, Christian Science has added Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. The Jehovah's Witnesses have actually changed the text of the Bible to make it fit their version of doctrine.

Religious cults add their own rules, rituals and ceremonies -- their own works of righteousness to the finished work of Jesus on the cross. These organizations officially state that Jesus' sacrifice is sufficient for salvation, but then they go on to say that their version of "works" must be added to the simplicity of His grace in order to warrant true salvation. These groups will often use James 2:26 ("faith without works is dead") to establish that works are part of salvation. Although it is true that faith without works is dead, it isn't the works that save us. Works are merely the result of a truly changed life through a saving faith in Jesus. A true Christian does good works because he has received the free gift of salvation, not to get salvation.

Groups like the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses reject their categorization with other "religious cults", because the emotional reaction to such a label often gets in the way of mainstream conversion. Actually, contrary to their historical foundations of deeming Christendom to be misguided, evil or apostate, most of the aforementioned cults are now claiming to be Christian themselves. They declare the Divine authority of the Bible, but they manipulate the scriptures to suit their own purposes. Although they claim to serve Jesus Christ, and may use Christian terminology, their doctrines are dangerously different. Why is this an issue? Why can't we all just get along? Because these organizations don't lead to the Jesus Christ of the Bible, but to another Jesus and another gospel message altogether. If these religious groups are based on bad history, or bad doctrine, or bad motives, then we must respectfully expose these shortcomings. If these religious cults are presenting false teachings, then multitudes of people are being led astray.

JEHOVAH WITNESSES

Jehovah Witness doctrine was founded by Charles Taze Russell. He was only 18-year-old when he began a Bible study that focused on the second coming of Jesus, as well as the chronology of the Bible. As a result of his study, which took place around 1870, he published numerous books. During that decade, he also presented several formal lectures. In 1879, Russell founded Herald of Christ's Presence and Zion's Watch Tower, which became monthly publications. In 1884, the Zion's Watch Tower and Tract Society were officially formed. Russell served as the president until he died in 1916. Russell also authored a series of books called "Studies in the Scriptures," which became the basis of the Jehovah Witness theology. Today, several men lead the Jehovah's Witness "theocratic" organization, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (WBTS). The organization is based in Brooklyn, New York.

Jehovah Witness theology has many subtle (and not-so-subtle) nuances. Here are the basics of Watchtower doctrine: God is a single being, not a Trinity. He is not all-knowing or present everywhere. (At one point, the WBTS proclaimed that God ruled the universe from somewhere in the Pleiades star system. They have since backed down from this teaching.) First, God created Michael the Archangel, through whom God later created all "other things," such as the earth, the universe, and all mankind. This process took place over exactly 42,000 years. When it was time for the birth of a savior, Michael became a man, in the form of Jesus Christ. He was without sin and kept every law of God. According to Jehovah's Witness theology, Jesus was put to death on a "torture stake." It is here that He bore the sins of all mankind (except for Adam). Later, Jesus rose from death in spirit, but did not rise in physical form. Jehovah's Witnesses who faithfully abide by God's organization on earth (the WBTS) will be spared from eternal annihilation. They will live forever on Paradise Earth. Heaven is a special place that is reserved for a distinct group of 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses, who have been deemed "born again" by the WBTS and are allowed to take annual communion.

Generally, Jehovah's Witnesses agree to attend five meetings a week where they are taught from WBTS literature. After studying the material for at least six months, they answer a series of questions before a panel of elders, and upon approval, are baptized into the organization. Followers are then asked to maintain a modest appearance and demeanor, refusing to vote in government elections, salute the American flag, join the U.S. armed forces, or celebrate birthdays and Christmas. Each member is required to fulfill a schedule of public canvassing in order to distribute WBTS literature and collect donations for WBTS headquarters in New York. If a Jehovah's Witness leaves the organization, he is shunned in all ways. Outside the WBTS organization, "Christendom" is considered "demonic." Christianity is deemed "apostate," filled with pastors who are antichrists, in churches run by Satan, who support the earthly governments.

Jehovah Witness and Christian theology actually have some basic similarities. Generally, they both teach that God is the Creator of everything, as opposed to naturalistic evolution, and they both share the belief that Jesus Christ will ultimately return to earth to destroy Satan and establish God's eternal kingdom. However, this is where the general similarities cease. There are many important differences in doctrine between the Jehovah's Witnesses and evangelical Christianity, most important of which is the person and nature of Jesus Christ. The deity of Christ is the central point of the entire Bible. Scripture clearly teaches that Jesus Christ is God. The Jehovah Witness teachings concerning Jesus Christ clearly contradict the teachings of the Bible. Multiple passages tell us that Jesus Christ, who existed as God, took the bodily form of a humble servant so that He could die on the cross in our place.

Jehovah Witness doctrine considers the 66 books of The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT) as the only true and divinely inspired Word of God. The NWT is produced and published by an "anonymous" translation committee of the WBTS. The NWT is regarded as the best and only translation of the Bible, because "the translators held so closely to what is in the original Bible languages." In addition, the "governing body" of the WBTS is regarded as God's only true channel of accurate biblical interpretation. As such, Jehovah Witness doctrine requires that we be "associated with God's channel, his organization" in order to be true followers of God. This means that there is no salvation apart from the WBTS. Christian doctrine holds that the Bible is indeed composed of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, and is indeed the inspired and infallible Word of God. However, the NWT is not a legitimate translation, and merely reflects Jehovah Witness theology, especially its bias against the deity of Jesus Christ and the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. For example, John 1:1 in the NWT reads, "and the Word [Jesus] was a god." All other legitimate Bible translations say, "and the Word [Jesus] was God."

As far as the Jehovah's Witness claim that the NWT is the only true interpretation of the Bible, the Christian response is that no religious leader or religious organization can claim exclusive control or possession of the true interpretation of the Bible. Through the Holy Spirit, all Christians are capable of interpreting and understanding the Holy Bible. As far as the Jehovah's Witness claim that the WBTS is the only way to God and salvation, the Christian response is that all people who have accepted the free gift of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are saved. Salvation is "by grace through faith" in Jesus Christ alone. No amount of works or membership in any religious group is required for eternal life with God.

At first glance, the beliefs of the Jehovah's Witnesses are not much different than those of orthodox, mainstream Christianity. For instance, they believe in the veracity of the Bible, however, their Bible, the New World Translation contains language that has been changed from the original texts and manuscripts, including words not found in the ancient texts and articles not even existing in the original languages themselves.

Among their more problematic tenants, Jehovah's Witnesses adhere to the following:
1) Jehovah is the only name of God;
2) Jesus Christ was a created being and not God-in-the-flesh;
3) Jesus Christ died on a stake instead of an actual cross.

"Jehovah" is, in fact one of the names of God, however it is merely a transliteration. In other words, it is a word or a sound which is constructed of letters used to refer to God (YHWH) since, in ancient Hebrew tradition, God had no name that could be uttered. YHWH become JHVH, the letters which were interchangeable with the former, and then, in order to verbally pronounce this mutated construct, included vowels to form "JeHoVaH." Furthermore, in the Jehovah's Witness' Bible, any name for God from the original language is simply substituted with this derivative, making it a bit of a "strawman." So, while this is one of the names to which God is commonly referred, it is not the only name and is, in fact merely a constructed form of his true, original reference.

Secondly, according to Scripture (John 1:1) Christ ("the Word") was indeed present at the onset of creation and is God's "Son" in the spiritual, eternal sense. However, Jesus pre-existed everything that was created and He did this in such a way that did not compromise his equivalency with God the Father - they were one, according to Jesus Himself. Jesus was not, therefore an inferior, created being but rather a co-creator with God the Father, existing equally as part of what we know as "The Holy Trinity," comprised of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Last, the assertion that Jesus was killed on a stake rather than a cross is merely another misunderstanding of the original language applied to a few verses which has been broadly imposed on all verses containing its uses. The word used for "cross" and "stake" can also be translated as "tree" or "pole." In some instances, it would be correct to use the word "stake." However, to apply it in every instance, ignoring the historicity of the matter, takes away from the spiritual tradition, intention, and power that this symbol represents to historical and present-day Christianity and makes for an unnecessary distraction. To wit, the King James Version uses the word "cross" 28 times when referring to the instrument of Christ's death. Historically, the Roman Empire, legally responsible for this lethal punishment, used crosses, not stakes. The process of crucifixion was meant to cause prolonged suffering as a deterrent to onlookers from committing similar crimes. Impaling on a stake would have provided a much quicker death due to the blood loss and, thus proved a much less effective tactic.

CHRISTIAN SCIENTIST

A Christian Scientist is a member of The Church of Christ, Scientist (Also referred to as CCS). The church is also recognized by the term The Christian Science Church, which was its original title and is not associated with the Church of Scientology. The organization was founded by Mary Baker Eddy in 1879. Currently, the CCS is run by a five-person Board of Directors headquartered at the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts. The CCS has approximately 2,300 churches in 68 countries.

According to Christian Scientist literature, Mary Ann Morse Baker was born in 1821. She was a frail youngster who suffered from many illnesses. In 1844, her first husband, George Glover, died of yellow fever and left her in poverty with an infant son. Shortly thereafter, Mary was forced to give up her son to foster care. In 1853, she married her second husband, Daniel Patterson. After being miraculously healed from injuries suffered during a crippling accident, Mary claimed to have uncovered the secret of "Divine Science." She went on to teach her techniques of healing and spiritual philosophy to all who were intrigued. In 1875, after her divorce from Daniel Patterson, she moved from New Hampshire to Massachusetts and founded the Christian Science Association. It was there that she published her foundational book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. In 1877, she married her third husband, Asa Albert Eddy, and together they officially founded the CCS. Asa died in 1882, and Mary went on to establish "The Mother Church," The First Church of Christ, Scientist, of Boston, Massachusetts, in 1890. Mary died in 1910.

Christian Scientist doctrine is found principally in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (S&H). Other CCS publications include The Christian Science Monitor, The Christian Science Journal, Herald of Christian Science, The Christian Science Sentinel, The World Monitor, and Christian Science Quarterly.

Christian Science doctrine maintains that "as adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life" (S&H, p. 497). Nonetheless, Christian Science interprets the Bible in light of Mrs. Eddy's writings, particularly S&H, in which she interprets the Bible according to her metaphysical presuppositions. She questions the textual reliability of the Bible, pointing to "the manifest mistakes in the ancient versions . . . these facts show how a mortal and material sense stole into the divine record, with its own hue darkening to some extent the inspired pages" (S&H, p. 139). Mrs. Eddy went on to apply new, spiritual meanings to common biblical terms. For example, "Jerusalem" is defined as "Mortal belief and knowledge obtained from the five corporeal senses" (S&H, p. 589). "Holy Ghost" is defined as "Divine Science; the development of eternal Life, Truth, and Love" (S&H, p. 588).

They use impersonal synonyms for God, which lessens God's personal nature. "God is incorporeal, divine, supreme, infinite Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love" (S&H, p. 465). These are synonymous terms that "refer to one absolute God. They are also intended to express the nature, essence, and wholeness of Deity." (S&H, p. 465).

Since God's essence is spirit or mind, and only that which reflects God's nature is real, then matter does not really exist. "Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal" (S&H, p. 468). Since matter does not exist and humanity reflects God's nature, then humanity is not really made of matter. "Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual" (S&H, p. 468). Pain, death, sin, and disease are only illusions. "The only reality of sin, sickness, or death is the awful fact that unrealities seem real to human, erring belief…They are not true, because they are not of God" (S&H, p. 472). "The cause of all so-called disease is mental, a mortal fear, a mistaken belief or conviction of the necessity and power of ill-health" (S&H, p. 377). Since matter, sin, disease, and death are illusions and are unreal, then people are not subject to them. "Through immortal Mind, or Truth, we can destroy all ills which proceed from mortal mind" (S&H, p. 374).

A Christian Scientist believes that sin and death are false notions (illusions). Therefore, salvation comes through understanding and overcoming these false beliefs and recognizing that humans are divine spirit and mind. "We acknowledge that the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection served to uplift faith to understand eternal Life, even the allness of Soul, Spirit, and the nothingness of matter" (S&H, p. 497). However, salvation is not the result of some special wisdom set forth in the S&H. The Bible tells us that salvation is received only by acknowledging and repenting of our sin (real, not illusion), and putting our faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Who was Mary Baker Eddy?

Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910) was born in New Hampshire and raised in a strict Congregationalist environment. Her childhood was filled with illness and emotional hardship.

In her early 20s, Mary Baker Eddy married George Glover, but he passed away from yellow fever only seven months after their wedding. A decade later, Mary Baker Eddy then married Dr. Daniel Patterson, but that marriage later ended in divorce. When Mary was 56 years old, she married for the third and final time. Her husband, Asa G. Eddy, later died.

A man named Phineas Quimby influenced Mary Baker Eddy in the area of spirituality in the 1860s. Mary Baker Eddy visited him, seeking healing from an illness she was experiencing. "Dr" Quimby is perhaps the real initiator of Christian Science as he entitled his system of healing "The Science of Man" and "Christian Science." Upon study, you will find numerous plagiarisms of Quimby in books authored by Mary Baker Eddy. This fact was confirmed in The New York Times on July 10, 1904.

In 1866, Eddy fell on a slippery sidewalk and claimed that she was pronounced "incurable" and given only three days to live. On the third day, Mary Baker Eddy read Matthew 9:2 and was supposedly healed. At this time, Eddy claimed to have discovered Christian Science. The "founding" of Christian Science happened only one month after Quimby's death. She began spreading Quimby's thoughts and ideas.

Mary Baker Eddy then completed writing her book titled Science and Health and opened The Massachusetts Metaphysical College where she taught around 4000 students over eight years. When she left the community at 61-years-old, she had only about 50 followers.

Is a Christian Science church a true church? What is a true church? When Jesus Christ established His church, its foundation was belief in the divinity of Christ. In Matthew 16, we find this encounter between Jesus and Peter, one of His disciples: Then he asked them, "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
Jesus replied, "You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it".

This belief, that the man Jesus is indeed God come in human flesh, is the central teaching of the true church, established by no one less than Christ Himself.

John, another of His disciples, taught:"Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is the way to find out if they have the Spirit of God: If a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ became a human being, that person has the Spirit of God. If a prophet does not acknowledge Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist. You have heard that he is going to come into the world, and he is already here. But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won your fight with these false prophets, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. These people belong to this world, so they speak from the world's viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God; that is why those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception" (1 John 4:1-6, NLT).

Let there be no doubt - the true church, also called the Body of Christ, is based on these teachings and beliefs - that Jesus is true man and true God. Any other teaching is false.

Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, says she derived her teaching from the Bible. In practice she feels her revelations were better than the Bible: Miscellaneous Writings 1833-1896, p. 170:19-21 "the material record of the Bible, …is no more important to our well being than the history of Europe and America."

The late Dr. Walter Martin compares Christian Science with Gnosticism, a teaching that sprang up in the early church era. Gnosticism claimed to have a superior knowledge even to that of the apostles, giving them an inner knowledge of the nature of God and Jesus Christ. They taught that the physical world was evil. The apostles, Martin says, understood that any denial of the material world attacked the incarnation. Basically, according to Dr. Martin's seminal work The Kingdom of the Cults, Christian Science teaches that "Jesus is not God. The incarnation and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ did not occur." They teach that we are all part of God's being and all share in His divine nature. This teaching is not biblical.

In The Handbook of Today's Religions, authors Josh McDowell and Don Stewart say this about Christian Science: "Christian Science is neither Christian nor scientific because every important doctrine of historic Christianity is rejected by Christian Science. The claim of divine revelation by Mrs. Eddy is contradicted by the facts that clearly attest she does not represent the God of the Bible. Although she speaks in the name of Jesus, her teachings conflict with His in every respect."

Fortunately, Jesus warned us ahead of time about people like Mrs. Eddy: "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:15-16, NASB).

UNITY SCHOOL OF CHRISTIANITY

Unity School of Christianity Missouri - What is the History?

In 1884, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore moved to Kansas City, Missouri and decided to begin a spiritual work. Together they launched the magazine Modern Thought in 1889 and the Society for Silent Unity in 1890. In 1891, the Fillmore's named their entire movement Unity. In 1914, these ministries and several others the couple began merged into the Unity School of Christianity.

The Fillmore's (Charles, Myrtle and their sons Lowell, Rickerd, and Royal) were among the few gifted spiritual innovators who created, over the course of the twentieth century, a successful worldwide spiritual movement, which is now known as the Unity Movement.

The school originated from prayer meetings which began in 1889 in the Kansas City living room of Charles and Myrtle Fillmore.

The organizations that carry forth the Fillmore's work are the Unity School of Christianity and the Association of Unity Churches. In 1929, Unity relocated to Lee's Summit, Missouri, which is about 15 miles southeast of downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The Unity School is located at Unity Village, Missouri on a 1400 acre tract of land. This large campus became their world headquarters and has a landmark Unity Tower, a fountain, which is crossed by the Bridge of Faith, a library, and chapel. The school trains around 60 Unity ministers every 2 years.

Founded by Charles Fillmore in 1889, Unity School of Christianity mainly propagated itself through literature distribution. The followers are encouraged to remain in and practice their respective religions. They consider their mission a way of subtly disseminating their ideas. The main purpose of Unity School of Christianity is to enable people to become the heir to their true divine nature. "We see the good in all religions and we want everyone to feel free to find the Truth for himself wherever may be led to find it" (Modern Thought, 1889, p. 42).

The salvation beliefs of Unity School of Christianity are described in the Unity publication, Salvation. It says, "As a matter of fact, salvation is one of the finest words in our language, for it means simply that by the virtue of God's presence within our own being we have the power to overcome wrong thinking and thereby to deliver ourselves from the unhappy results of such thinking." It goes on to say, "To be saved to be born anew, is to come into Truth with the whole person and build a new way of life. This is the way of salvation that Jesus taught." According to Unity School of Christianity, there is no sin to be forgiven. All a person needs to do is believe in their true divine nature and their belief alone will make it true. Unity denies the existence of a heaven or hell.

Unity teaches that as man discovers his divine nature, he raises his inner being until he is fully God-realized. Once he has reached this state, he is in perfect oneness with God and does not need further redemption. He is now divine.

Who is Jesus? According to Unity School of Christianity, Jesus was only a man who attained a higher mental state. J. Sig Paulson, an author in Unity magazine, writes, "Each individual has within himself the Christ potential, the Christ presence, the Christ reality." Unity teaches that it is the potential of every man and woman to become a "Christ."

Who is God? Fillmore writes, "We must relieve our minds of a personal God ruling over us….God is not person but Principle" (Dynamics for Living, p. 30).

Unity School of Christianity - Reincarnation

Unity School of Christianity also believes and teaches reincarnation. Charles Fillmore said that reincarnation was a simple way for God to offer man a second chance at perfection. Article 22 of the Unity Statement of Faith states, "we believe that the dissolution of spirit, soul and body, caused by death, is annulled by rebirth of the same spirit and soul in another body here on earth. We believe the repeated incarnations of man to be a merciful provision of our loving Father to the end that all may have the opportunity to attain immortality through regeneration, as did Jesus." Unity believes that when a body dies, the soul passes into the bodies of lower animals or other human beings, in a rotating cycle. This continues until purification is accomplished. Then the soul passes to Nirvana (Buddhism) or Brahma (Hinduism).

Unity School of Christianity - The Basic Christian Response

The teachings of Unity School of Christianity are in direct contradiction with the Bible. The Bible distinctly says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). All people are in need of a Savior.

The Bible also contradicts Unity's standard for salvation. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father, except through me." It is through Jesus Christ alone that people receive salvation, not through their own effort (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The Bible presents Jesus as the sinless, Son of God-fully God and fully man (John 5:18, Philippians 2:6-7). In the Bible, God is presented as more than Principle-he is a personable Creator.

Regarding reincarnation,the Bible tells us that we die once and then face judgment (Hebrews 9:27). The Bible never mentions people having a second chance at life, or coming back as different people or animals. Reincarnation has been a popular belief for thousands of years, but it has never been accepted by those who believe in the Bible.

A list of contradictions could go on and on. It is clear that Unity School of Christianity is not based on the Bible.

Unity cult - Why is it a cult?

Unity is a church that derives its system of beliefs from the Unity School of Christianity founded by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore. It is rooted in the concepts of metaphysical or "divine" healing. Unity is considered a cult because of their beliefs and teachings that deviate significantly from the biblical truth about God, Jesus, Bible, sin and salvation. Heavily influenced by many other religions, Unity attempts to incorporate the best parts of all religions, cults, and beliefs. Additionally, it has many similarities with other cults arising in the mid-19th century such as Christian Science, although the teachings differ at various points.

The core Unity beliefs that make it a cult include:

God is a principle, not a personal God, and the "force" of love in all people and things.

Jesus the man represents the path toward a higher consciousness.

Jesus the Christ is the universal love and wisdom within all of us - the perfection of consciousness - independent of religious beliefs.

The Bible is not the inerrant Word of God nor the final authority.

The fall of man is spiritual amnesia from his evolution toward the divine

correctable changing thought patterns from negative to positive thoughts, which is the process of

salvation.

There is no literal heaven or hell, but the heaven or hell created by a person's thoughts, words, and

actions.

Reincarnation is the means by which believers are regenerated for eternity.

It is clear from their core beliefs that Unity abandons many fundamental Christian tenets, thereby it is considered a cult to the truth of Christianity.

MORMONS

What Do Mormons Believe: Divine Authority

The Mormon church uses two sources as its primary authorities: the Book of Mormon and the Bible. The Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price are also viewed as divinely authoritative. The Christian church uses the Holy Bible alone as its authority from God. Joseph Smith is not recognized as a prophet.

What Do Mormons Believe: The Nature of God

The Mormon church sees God as the Supreme Being of the universe. However, He gradually acquired that position over a long period of time by living a perfect and righteous life. God the Father has a body (flesh and bones). The Christian church proclaims God as eternally and infinitely supreme. He is the same today as always. He is a spirit Being.

What Do Mormons Believe: The Nature of Man

The Mormon church teaches that humans exist as spirit beings before their birth. At physical birth, bodies are given to these spirits. They are also given an opportunity for free-will choice. The physical world represents a period of probation. The status of a person in the afterlife is determined by the way that person lived their life on Earth. If the person lived by a satisfactory standard, (including the fulfillment of Mormon temple obligations) that person has the potential to become a god in the after-life. They can also produce "spirit children" to populate a world of his own (like God did with the earth). The Christian church holds that humans do not exist as spirits prior to being born into the world. Humans cannot attain godhood or populate other worlds with "spirit children."

What Do Mormons Believe: The Nature of Jesus Christ

The Mormon church views Jesus and Satan as spirit brothers and sons of God. God put forth His plan of salvation for the world, and Satan proposed his own plan. Jesus accepted the Father's plan and offered to implement it as the Savior. The Father chose Jesus, and the spirit of Jesus was given a body through the virgin Mary. He was crucified on a Roman cross, and rose from the dead three days later to establish His deity. The character and life of Jesus is attainable by anyone who performs at such a righteous level. The Christian church teaches that Jesus Christ has existed eternally as the Son of God, the second "person" of the Trinity. Jesus took on human flesh about 2000 years ago and was born into the world through the virgin Mary. He was crucified on a Roman cross for our sins, and rose from the dead three days later to establish His deity.

What Do Mormons Believe: How do we Achieve Salvation

The Mormon church holds that Jesus Christ overcame physical death and guaranteed physical resurrection to all mankind. However, spiritual death can only be avoided through personal obedience of God's commandments. Forgiveness of sins requires faith, repentance and baptism by an approved Mormon priest. The practice of baptism for the dead is an extension of this belief, in which Mormons are baptized in proxy for those who have died without proper baptism. The Christian church teaches that we are unable to live a life righteous enough to meet God's perfectly holy standard. Therefore, we establish a relationship with God by faith in the work of Christ on the cross, not by our own works. Baptism and good deeds are acts of obedience to God, but not the means for gaining eternal salvation.

What Do Mormons Believe: Life After DeathThe Mormon church maintains that although there is temporary punishment for those that are most wicked, Jesus Christ will establish a new kingdom that will consist of three levels: the celestial kingdom, the terrestrial kingdom, and the telestial kingdom. The Christian church holds that there are only two possible fates after death, heaven or hell. These locations are final, both physically and spiritually.

What is the Book of Mormon? - Is it True?

According to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (a.k.a. "The Mormons"), the Book of Mormon was written c. 400 AD by, among others, a prophet named Mormon and finished by his son, an angel named Moroni. Supposedly, it was originally recorded in reformed Egyptian on several gold plates which were discovered in the back woods of New York state by Joseph Smith, a young farm boy at the time.

It was the angel Nephi who was said to have appeared to Smith up to the printing of the 1851 Pearl of Great Price. It is now accepted as the Angel Moroni who appeared to Smith in 1823 and told him that he would be able to find these golden plates at a hill near his home four years later, in 1827. Smith spent the next three years translating the plates into what is now known as the Book of Mormon, published in 1830. Interestingly, Mormon literature records a story of Joseph Smith running through the woods while carrying these golden tablets to avoid being discovered by those he'd heard in the distance. This seems rather impossible in light of the fact that the total weight of the gold has been calculated to be 276 pounds. It is alleged that Smith ran about 5 miles while carrying the golden tablets.

The claims of the Book of Mormon depend on verifiable truth and the veracity of its sources. Joseph Smith was known in his town as a person given to wild enthusiasms and had a reputation as a person with an overactive imagination. He died in a gunfight while in jail.

The people described in the text, the Nephites and the Lamanites, have no other historical documents or texts from their era (c.600 BC) making mention of them - these people groups are literally unheard-of in history outside the writings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

According to official church position, all one would need to do in order to verify its truthfulness is to read the book, pray about it, and ask God if it is true and indeed from His hand. This is obviously an exercise in subjectivism and has serious implications if the same practice were applied to such historical documents as "Mein Kampf," "The Kama Sutra," or "Alice in Wonderland," for that matter.

Who was Joseph Smith?

Joseph Smith was born on December 23, 1805 in Sharon, Vermont to Joseph Smith, Sr., a struggling farmer and sometime treasure hunter who descended from an early American family of more than average means and influence. Lucy Mark Smith, Joseph's mother, was a highly mystical woman who was given to unimaginable tales of exaggeration. Lucy's father claimed experiences of divine visions from God.

At the age of 14, Joseph Smith, Jr. claimed he was visited by God the Father and Jesus Christ. In 1823, according to his account, he was visited by an angel who told him of thin golden plates containing an ancient record of God's dealings with the early American inhabitants. During this same time, Smith was enamored of the "seer stones" used in occult practices and gained some small reputation as a clairvoyant able to locate lost objects.

In 1827, Joseph Smith began translating the golden plates using what he claimed as the "gift of God." Three years later, the Book of Mormon was published. In that same year (1830), Smith organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and became its first president. He continued to claim receipt of various prophecies and revelations, earning him the title "The Prophet" until his death in 1844 when he was arrested for treason and murdered by a mob.

Joseph Smith's writings are the foundation of Mormonism (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). The influences from the occult, Shakers, Quakers, Seekers, teachings of William Miller which formed the basis of the Seventh Day Adventist church, as well as Jewish cabalistic traditions and the Masonic order can all be found throughout Smith's writings. Most of these came out of the nineteenth century religious environment of western New York during his lifetime.

In 1833, ten years before Joseph Smith's death and three years after the publication of the Book of Mormon, the Smith family men were described in an affidavit signed by several prominent citizens of Manchester, New York, as "lazy, indolent, intemperate, destitute of moral character and addicted to vicious habits."