I was not offended by your comments, because I know that you firmly believe that what you state, is and has been, the only position of doctrine taught by the Mormon church in relation to my statements.

I did not post my statements with impunity and I did not place them there without foundation. I hope that you will understand from this "brief" note, that I do have the support for the statements that I made, even though you have never heard of some of the subjects. I will place my notes in the same order as the statements appear on the Document page and your Contact to me.

I do not expect you to agree with what I will say, but I hope you will not dismiss my comments outright as just the babble of some anti-Mormon. If you do wish to disagree, for your own benefit I strongly urge you to do your own research on the subjects mentioned, which you have not already done, so you will know that what you are taught and what you believe is the position of the Mormon church is not necessarily a complete or accurate account. Since you do not know me, it is possible that I have lied in what I will say and present false documentation for what I claim, so you must confirm that what I say is accurate or else ignore it. If you decide to ignore what I say, then you will never know what the truthfulness or falsity of my presentation might be.

POINT 1. THE TRINITY
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The Mormon church is very much opposed to Trinitarian doctrine, as you know, and, as such, places itself against traditional Christian doctrine, but also against the teaching found in the Bible from which the doctrine is derived. However, just how the Mormon church defines the nature of the godhead has varied greatly since the founding of the church in 1830.

THE DIFFERING VIEWS OF JOSEPH SMITH
The "First Vision" - 2 differing accounts

(1) FIRST VISION - Account #1 - In an 1832 handwritten version of his "First Vision", published in 1965, Joseph Smith noted that he saw only one person, "the Lord," meaning Jesus Christ.

(2) FIRST VISION - Account #2 - In an 1838 version of his "First Vision", written six years after his first version, published by apostle Orson Pratt in 1840 and the Mormon church in 1842, Joseph Smith stated that he saw "the Father" and "the Son" appearing before him as two separate persons.

Joseph Smith wrote two versions of his "First Vision", each contradicting the other. This did create a problem for the Mormon church, because the first version of Joseph Smith's "First Vision", written in 1832, did not come to light until 133 years after it was written, although Mormon general authorities knew of its existence at least as early as 1953, and certainly earlier, but its publication was prevented and the document suppressed. During that time, the Mormon church taught the second version of Joseph Smith's "First Vision", written in 1838, in which two separate persons appeared to him. This differing second version led Mormon apologists to formulate their doctrines based on that second version, even though it was not true to the first version about which many knew nothing.

The Mormon doctrine formulated as a result of the second version is noted as follows:

"From the early days of Christianity, the erroneous doctrine of the nature of God had led to... the conception that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the Godhead, were One, a unity . . .This false doctrine was laid low by the First Vision. Two personages, the Father and the Son, stood before Joseph. The Father asked the Son to deliver the message to the boy. There was no mingling of personalities in the vision. Each of the personages was an individual member of the Godhead. Each one separately took part in the vision." 'Joseph Smith: Seeker After Truth, Prophet Of God', Apostle John A. Widtsoe, 1951

Later Views Of The Godhead
Joseph Smith also proceeded through other changes to his doctrine of God and Jesus Christ.

"Later, in 1844, Smith said, 'I have always declared God to be a distinct personage -- Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and or spirit, and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods'-- Mormon history does not support Smith's claim about what he taught earlier. Documents from early Mormonism reflect that Smith went from belief in one god to belief in two and later three gods forming one godhead."
"New Approaches To The Book of Mormon", Melodie Moench Charles, 1993.

The Book of Mormon is strictly monotheistic in teaching, so one is forced to either adopt a modalistic view of God or a Trinitarian view. However, Mormon theology is now polytheistic (which is the position of Joseph Smith in the second version of his "First Vision") and in direct opposition to the monotheism found in the Book of Mormon and the modalism that might be present in the first version of Joseph Smith's "First Vision". The difference is of no little consequence and creates serious difficulties for Mormon theology, because the two versions of the "First Vision" contradict each other in a very serious manner along with the Book of Mormon.

It is quite interesting that the Mormon church places so much emphasis on the claimed accuracy of the testimony of the witnesses to the translation of the Book of Mormon. However, three of those witnesses were either modalistic or Trinitarian in their belief (certainly not polytheisitic), and stated the fact in their testimony, printed in the preface to the Book of Mormon:

"And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen."
Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, Martin Harris. (Book of Mormon, 1924 edition)

Changes to the Book of Mormon
The original 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon stated specifically that God and Jesus Christ were the same person, but those verses were not allowed to remain and were changed to represent a polytheisitic view, which was adopted by the church after the appearance of the Book of Mormon:

". . . and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the LAMB OF GOD IS THE ETERNAL FATHER, and the Savior of the world. . ."
1 Nephi 13:40, Book of Mormon, 1830 edition.
That verse was later changed and three words added, "the Son of," in subsequent editions to read as follows:
". . . and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the LAMB OF GOD IS THE SON OF the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world. . ."
1 Nephi 13:40, 'Book of Mormon', 1924 edition

A second verse was treated in the same manner:
"And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of GOD, after the manner of the flesh."
1 Nephi 11:18, Book of Mormon, 1830 edition.
That verse was later changed and again three words added, "the Son of," in subsequent editions to read as follows:
"And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of THE SON OF God, after the manner of the flesh."
1 Nephi 11:18, Book of Mormon, 1924 edition.

A third verse was treated in the same manner:
"And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even THE ETERNAL FATHER! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?"
1 Nephi 11:21, Book of Mormon, 1830 edition.
That verse was later changed and again three words added, "the Son of," in subsequent editions to read as follows:
"And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even THE SON OF THE ETERNAL FATHER! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?"
1 Nephi 11:21, Book of Mormon, 1924 edition.

A fourth verse was treated in the same manner:
"And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, THE EVERLASTING GOD was judged of the world. . ."
1 Nephi 11:32, Book of Mormon, 1830 edition.
That verse was later changed and again three words added, "the Son of," in subsequent editions to read as follows:
"And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, THE SON OF THE EVERLASTING GOD was judged of the world. . ."
1 Nephi 11:32, Book of Mormon, 1924 edition.

Mormon teaching regarding the godhead progressed as follows:

1. One god (monotheism) in Joseph Smith's first version of his "First Vision" of 1820. (1832 version)
   
2. One god (monotheism) in which God and Jesus Christ were the same person (verses later changed to reflect separate gods), Book of Mormon, 1830
3. One god (monotheism) in which God is modalistic with three manifestations or functions, in The Book of Mormon, (1830).
   
4. Two separate gods (polytheism) in Joseph Smith's second version of his "First Vision" of 1820). (1838 version)
   
5. Three gods (polytheism) when Joseph Smith declared the Father, Son and Holy Ghost to be three separate gods in 1844.
6. Absolute polytheism, as currently taught, in which all Mormon believers have the potential to become gods themselves, although not all will attain to that exaltation.

IGNATIUS [a disciple of the apostle John] (died 117? A.D). "There is one only Physician, of flesh and of spirit, generate and ingenerate, God in man, true Life in death, Son of Mary and Son of God, first passible and then impassible, Jesus Christ our Lord."

POLYCARP [a disciple of the apostle John] (69-155 A.D.) ". . . and to all that are under heaven, who shall believe on our Lord and God Jesus Christ and on His Father that raised Him from the dead."

IRENAEUS (115-190 A.D.) "The Church, though dispersed throughout the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, has received from the apostles and their disciples this faith: . . . one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them; and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who became incarnate for our salvation; and in the Holy Spirit, who proclaimed through the prophets the dispensations of God, and the advents, and the birth from a virgin, and the passion, and the resurrection from the dead, and the ascension into heaven in the glory of he Father 'to gather all things in one,' and to raise up anew all flesh of the whole human race, in order that to Christ Jesus, our Lord, and God, and Savior, and King, according to the will of the invisible Father, 'every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess; to him, and that He should execute just judgment towards all . . .'"

TERTULLIAN (160-215 A.D.) "We define that there are two, the Father and the Son, and three with the Holy Spirit, and this number is made by the pattern of salvation. . . [which] brings about unity in trinity, interrelating the three, the Father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. They are three, not in dignity, but in degree, not in substance but in form, not in power but in kind. They are of one substance and power, because there is one God from whom these degrees, forms and kinds devolve in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit."

ORIGEN (185-254 A.D..) "For if [the Holy Spirit were not eternally as He is, and had received knowledge at some time and then became the Holy Spirit] this were the case, the Holy Spirit would never be reckoned in the unity of the Trinity, i.e., along with the unchangeable Father and His Son, unless he had always been the Holy Spirit." "Moreover, nothing in the Trinity can be called greater or less, since the fountain of divinity alone contains all things by His word and reason, and by the Spirit of His mouth sanctifies all things which are worthy of sanctification. . ."

In the case of Ignatius, the record of his teaching indicates that Trinitarian doctrine was alive and well over two-hundred years prior to the Nicene Creed being formulated, so it was impossible for the Catholic church to have influenced the creation of that belief. As far as it being a pagan doctrine, the Bible itself clearly teaches the doctrine.

Trinitarian doctrine is not held by people because of some statement in a creed. Beliefs are not a result of a creed, but creeds are the result of beliefs and doctrines developed from and found in the Scripture. Creeds are designed to provide a convenient manner to list those beliefs and doctrines in a cogent and more compact form. Creeds are not Scripture, although they may contain quotes from Scripture or state Scriptural concepts. I had never read a creed until I was well beyond my college years, yet I was Trinitarian in belief, never having referred to a creed as a foundation for belief.

POINT 2. CHRIST WAS ONCE A MAN LIKE ALL HUMAN BEINGS.
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The Mormon church does not teach that Jesus Christ was always divine, just as it does not teach that God was always God, but states that Jesus Christ was once just a man, like every other man and God was once just a man (on some other planet) like every other man.

". . . We learn that Jesus. . . was once as we are. Then to think that the same opportunity is extended to us, that we may become all that he is that is great and good -- to think that, with all our faults and weaknesses -- with all the temptations that hang around us, the same privilege that is extended to him of attaining salvation is also extended to us, -- that it is simply salvation that was extended to Jesus, and that the same as that which is extended to us. That heaven of glory and perfection which is offered to us in the Gospel is the same that was offered to Jesus; and the right to the possession of all those riches and this great glory that was attained by him are equally open to us."
Apostle Amasa M. Lyman, 'Journal of Discourses', Vol. 7, pp. 297-298, 1859

"There is no remarkable difference between us and Jesus, if he was anointed because he loved righteousness. What is the difference? We have the promise of becom(ing) heirs of god, and joint-heirs with him to all those extensive domains possessed by the Father, upon the conditions that we are as obedient to the commandments of God as Jesus was."
Apostle Amasa M. Lyman, 'Journal of Discourses', Vol. 7, pp. 297-298, 1859

"In this life he received not the fullness at the first, but went from grace to grace until, in the final triumph of the resurrection, he gained the fulness [sic] of all things..."
Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, 'Mormon Doctrine', p. 129, 1966

In Mormon theology, the spirit body of Jesus Christ is the same as, and has the same origin as every other human spirit body. The difference between Jesus Christ and every other individual is in the nature of His temporal body. In the case of virtually every human being, with the exception of Adam and Eve, temporal bodies are the product of human beings by means of procreation. In the case of Jesus Christ, his spirit body was the product of procreation by God and one of his wives, just as are the spirit bodies of all other individuals, but His temporal body was the result of procreation by God and Mary. This particular occurrence presents a very serious dilemma in Mormon doctrine. Since all human spirit bodies are the literal children of God who procreated them, God is defined as being incestuous, said to have had sexual relations with His own spirit daughter, Mary, in order to produce the temporal body of Jesus Christ. As a result, Jesus Christ is the son of His own sister, He is the brother of His own mother, He is the uncle of His own brothers and sisters, and twice the son of his father.

POINT 3. ADAM, THE FATHER OF CHRIST
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In relation to the father of Christ as Adam, I specifically noted that it was a doctrine formerly taught in the Mormon church. I am not surprised that you have never heard about the doctrine, which is the case of most Mormons today. Some of the general authorities have denied that it was ever a part of the church, however that denial can no longer be made and those who denied it originally, knew perfectly well that it had been taught and who had been the teacher. The teaching is known as the "Adam-God" doctrine and was taught by the second president and prophet of the church, Brigham Young, from 1852 until his death in 1877. The doctrine states that Adam is the god of this world and the father of all human spirits including Jesus Christ.

"Jesus, our elder brother, was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the garden of Eden, and who is our Father in Heaven. . . Jesus Christ was not begotten by the Holy Ghost."
Prophet Brigham Young, 'Journal of Discourses', Vol. 1, p. 51, April 9, 1852

". . . Father Adam came here and helped make the earth. . . . Then he said, 'I want my children who are in the spirit world to come and live here. . . . I want my children that were born to me in the spirit world to come here and take tabernacles of flesh . . ."
Brigham Young, 'Deseret News,' June 18, 1873.

Brigham Young was not entirely out in left field by teaching the doctrine, because in Mormon theology Adam is Michael the archangel in his preexistent life, which is still taught today.

"But they do not teach that he is the god in charge of our earth. The current temple ritual depicts Elohim, Jehovah and Michael working together in the creation play. Then the play shows Michael becoming Adam in mortality. But the question is - who did [Joseph] Smith mean by these terms? Today a Mormon sees the terms 'Elohim, Jehovah and Michael' as clearly meaning the Father, Jesus and Adam. However, early Mormonism used Jehovah for God the Father. So was [Joseph] Smith just trying to depict the hierarchy of gods, Elohim being a god (or council of gods) before/over Jehovah, who is over Michael/Adam? Did he mean it as a Mormon would interpret it today?

When Brigham Young said our god was Michael he also believed there were many gods before him, that he was under the authority of higher deities. The Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 27:11, states, 'Michael, or Adam, the father of all, the prince of all, the ancient of days.' The Adam-god doctrine probably developed due to [Joseph] Smith claiming that Adam/Michael is the 'ancient of days.' Most Bible scholars feel the term 'ancient of days' refers to God, not Michael or Adam. So did Brigham Young see this verse as teaching the Adam-god doctrine? in D&C 78:15-16 we read: 'That you may come up unto the crown prepared for you, and be made rulers over many kingdoms, saith the Lord God, . . . who hath established the foundations of Adam-ondi-Ahman; who hath appointed Michael your prince, and established his feet, and set him upon high, and given unto him the keys of salvation under the counsel and direction of the Holy One, who is without beginning of days or end of life.'

Could [Brigham] Young have interpreted this as teaching a hierarchy of gods, with Michael appointed to be the god over this world? Here is the quote from the official LDS magazine, Ensign, 'Our Own Liahona', by President Spencer W. Kimball, Nov. 1976, p. 77:

'Another matter. We hope that you who teach in the various organizations, whether on the campuses or in our chapels, will always teach the orthodox truth. We warn you against the dissemination of doctrines which are not according to the scriptures and which are alleged to have been taught by some of the General Authorities of past generations. Such, for instance in the Adam-God theory. We denounce that theory and hope that everyone will be cautioned against this and other kinds of false doctrine.'

Anyone can purchase the LDS CD-ROM Gospel Link, which contains, among other titles, the various issues of the Ensign and the full 26 vol. set of the Journal of Discourses (which contain a number of Brigham Young's Adam-God sermons). This can be ordered from www.deseretbook.com." --- Sandra Tanner, Utah Lighthouse Ministry, Letters to the Editor, Letter and reply dated May 16, 2003 - www.utlm.org [NOTE: Utah Lighthouse Ministry does not support Mormon doctrine]

POINT 4. NO ORIGINAL SIN
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Mormon doctrine presents a contradiction when it is claimed that the fall causes a tendency to do evil, or sin, but that defective nature is of no consequence in itself. The reality is, and is taught by the church, that every person does sin. If that is the case, then it must occur as the result of the defect inherited from the fall and it cannot be prevented. It is a very small difference between a tendency and the actuality - in either case the individual is defective, which is the position of traditional Christian doctrine but not that of the Mormon church.. Traditional Christian doctrine does not claim that human beings are judged for Adam's and Eve's particular sin; in other words, human beings are not judged for eating the fruit. The original sin, as applied to human beings, is the inheritance of the fallen nature of Adam, who was the federal head of the human race, and in that fallen nature is the inability of every human being not to sin. It is impossible that any human being should not sin, so the problem is not just a tendency to sin, but the actual reality that human beings can do nothing but sin.

"It is possible to transgress a law without committing a sin as in the case of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden...it is proper and according to the scriptural pattern to speak of the 'transgression' of Adam, 'but not the sin' of Adam.
Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, 'Mormon Doctrine', p. 804

"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law; for sin is the transgression of the law,"
1 John 3:4 (KJV).

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned,"
Romans 5:12 (KJV).

"Divine justice forbids that we be accounted sinners solely because our parents transgressed."
Apostle James Talmage, 'Articles of Faith', p. 475

"In the true gospel of Jesus Christ there is no original sin."
Apostle John A. Widtsoe, 'Evidences and Reconciliations', p. 190, 1960

"This old sectarian doctrine, built around the idea of man's natural depravity and weakness inherited from Adam, is at the root of innumerable problems among us. Adam was one of the greatest men who has ever lived upon the earth. . . . Under Christ Adam yet stands at our head . . . . Adam fell, but he fell in the right direction. He fell toward the goal. . . . Adam fell, but he fell upward. Jesus says to us, 'Come up higher.'"
First Quorum of Seventy, Sterling W. Sill, 'Deseret News', Church Section, July 31, 1965, p. 7.

The Book of Mormon states the following:

"Now Alma said unto him: This is the thing which I was about to explain. Now we see that Adam did fall by the partaking of the forbidden fruit, according to the word of God; and thus we see, that by his fall, all mankind became a lost and fallen people. . .Wherefore, he gave commandments unto men, they having first transgressed the first commandments as to things which were temporal, and becoming as God, knowing good from evil, placing themselves in a state to act, or being placed in a state to act according to their wills and pleasures, whether to do evil or to do good---"
Alma 12:22, 31.

Apostle James Talmage says that we are not sinners because of the transgression of Adam and Eve, but the book of Alma states, ". . . that by his (Adam's) fall all mankind became a lost and fallen people," Alma 12:22.

The doctrine of original sin, imputed to all succeeding members of the human race, is specifically taught in the Book of Mormon.

POINT 5. HELL
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See also: HERE - Requires Adobe^® Acrobat Reader

I would not disagree that hell is suffering for your own sins of which a person has not repented. However the eternal hell in Protestant belief is not the hell found in Mormon belief. I note the following, because the current Mormon teaching on hell is not that which was originally part of Joseph Smith's belief and is not what is found in the Book of Mormon. Current Mormon doctrine does not allow for a never ending punishment in an eternal hell, but proposes a type of purgatory from which the vast majority of people will be released because they accept Mormon doctrine as a result of a second chance after death. It is only a very few who will eventually find themselves in a second eternal hell, about which Mormon theologians are divided as to its eternal nature.

In Mormon theology, there are two hells. The first hell is the Spirit Prison to which all non-Mormons and recalcitrant Mormons go to atone for their sins of which they have not repented. It is called an eternal hell, but individuals are not eternally punished there, because it is essentially a purgatory where souls go to atone for unrepentant sins and failure to accept the Mormon gospel in the mortal life. It is stated that Mormon believers go to Paradise during the same period of time and preach the gospel to those in the Spirit Prison, and it is at that time that all of the sealings, baptisms and endowments take effect which were done by others on their behalf, when those individuals realize the error of their unbelief and accept the Mormon gospel.

At some point in time, the First Resurrection occurs, Joseph Smith being resurrected first will direct the proceedings, and will hold the keys to the resurrection, passing the authority on to the others who hold the priesthood in Paradise, at which time they will resurrect their wives and others. Mormon believers who are still on earth will be translated into a resurrected state without having to die in the traditional sense. Also participating in the resurrection will be animals, fish, birds and other various living creatures. At that point the Millennium begins.

The first resurrection just described, is the morning resurrection. After the Millennium begins, there is the evening resurrection, in which those who paid for their sins and accepted the Mormon gospel in the Spirit Prison are resurrected.

The basic difficulty with this view of hell, is it presents a second chance to accept the gospel after death, and a second chance to repent, which is essentially the Catholic doctrine of purgatory, and Joseph Smith claimed to reject Catholic doctrine. In contrast, the Book of Mormon presents a radically different concept, maintaining that there is absolutely no possibility of repentance after one dies:

"For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this: for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world."
Alma 34:32-34, "Book of Mormon", 1924 edition.

1. Those who have not repented during their time in Spirit Prison and,
2. Mormons who received their temple endowments but rejected their covenants and,
3. The sons of perdition. At that time judgment will occur. Those in the First Resurrection go on to exaltation, although, even after all they have done to obtain exaltation, they will still be subject to the approval of Joseph Smith who can reject them.

"...no man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of god without the consent of Joseph Smith... Every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance... I cannot go there without his consent. ... He reigns there as supreme a being in his sphere, capacity, and calling, as God does in heaven."
President and prophet Brigham Young, "Journal of Discourses", vol. 7, p. 289

The difficulty in the Mormon concept of hell, is that it represents a variation of the Universalist concept in which all of humanity will be "saved" - (I understand that Mormons define salvation as being resurrection which is different from the Protestant definition as having sins forgiven and being reconciled to God). Joseph Smith originally opposed Universalist belief and that opposition is also expressed in the Book of Mormon, Alma 1:2-16. That Universalist doctrine is said to be "priestcraft," vss. 12, 16, and the term is defined in 2 Nephi 26:29. Additionally, the Book of Mormon speaks of the element of punishment in hell as being endless, 2 Nephi 28:21-23.

Although the Book of Mormon reads differently, Joseph Smith stated after its publication:

"Nevertheless, it is not written that there shall be no end to this torment, but it is written endless torment."
'Doctrine and Covenants', Vol. 19, p. 6

"Christians believed that to receive eternal punishment was to be punished eternally. This popular Christian error was corrected in a revelation to Martin Harris . . ."
Mormon historian B.H. Roberts, 'Outlines of Ecclesiastical History', p. 408.

"We learn from the Doctrine and Covenants that eternal punishment, or everlasting punishment, does not mean that a man condemned will endure this punishment forever. . ."
Joseph Fielding Smith, 'Doctrines of Salvation', vol. 2, p. 160.

The Book of Mormon says that the plan of happiness, which is exaltation, is just as eternal as never-ending torment. So, if torment in hell is not eternal, then exaltation is not eternal either.

"Now, repentance could not come unto men except there were a punishment, which also was eternal as the life of the soul should be, affixed opposite to the plan of happiness, which was as eternal also as the life of the soul,"
Alma 42:16, 'Book of Mormon," 1924 edition

"And according to the power of justice, for justice cannot be denied, ye must go away into that lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke ascendeth up forever and ever, which lake of fire and brimstone is endless torment."
Jacob 6:10, 'Book of Mormon," 1924 edition

"And now I say unto you, that mercy hath no claim on that man; therefore his final doom is to endure a never-ending torment."
Mosiah 2:39, 'Book of Mormon," 1924 edition

POINT 6. PROXY BAPTISM, BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD

Yes, you are correct. Those baptisms and ordinances are claimed to become effective while a person is in the Spirit Prison if they accept the Mormon gospel when it is preached to them there. If they do not accept the gospel in Spirit Prison, then the work was done for nothing. Not all need to be baptized, since baptisms and sealings for the dead are already done by proxy in this life for many, and that was the point of my comment. If a person accepts the gospel while in the spirit prison, they must wait for a Mormon back on earth to accomplish that person's baptism by proxy, which is why there is so much emphasis on genealogical research. The difficulty is that not all persons have left a record of their existence on this earth, so proxy baptisms and temple marriages can never be done for them in this life. That issue must be resolved in the next life.

POINT 7. PROGRESSION TO GODHOOD I presume the statement is acceptable.
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POINT 8. PLURAL MARRIAGE
See also: HERE

In the Bible, polygamy was very common, but usually only among the elite or the leadership. It was never approved by God, but, in spite of what many believe, it was prohibited. The statement by Jesus Christ in Mark 10:4 where it is found that the original intent of marriage was not polygamy, is a specific example. Moses also speaks to the issue in Genesis 2:24:

"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh," A man and his wife will be one flesh, but not a man and his wives.

The issue was finally put to rest in the New Testament by the apostle Paul when he stated that a bishop, pastor, teacher, elder or deacon must be the husband of one wife, which is a great contradiction to Mormon teaching which claims just the opposite.

The issue of polygamy has been an embarrassment to the Mormon church since its inception and continues to be so, however, the ultimate difficulty that is faced with the issue of polygamy is not in relation to a question of morality, but in relation to its necessity in order to obtain exaltation. If a Mormon wishes to obtain the highest exaltation, they must have more than one wife. Even if they wish to obtain any exaltation, they must have more than one wife. That was the teaching of Joseph Smith, claimed to have been received through a revelation from God.

"Therefore, prepare thy heart to receive and obey the instructions which I am about to give unto you; for all those, who have this law revealed unto them, must obey the same. For behold! I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant, and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant, and be permitted to enter into my glory..."
Prophet Joseph Smith, 'Doctrine and Covenants', section 132.

"From the... Revelation, given through Joseph, the Seer, it will be seen that God has actually commanded some of his servants {the Mormon Priesthood}to take more wives, and... if they refused to obey this command, after having the law revealed to them, they should be damned. This revelation, then, makes it a matter of conscience among all the latter-Day Saints; and they embrace it as a part and portion of their religion, and verily believe that they cannot be saved and reject it."
Apostle Orson Pratt, 'The Seer', p. 13, 1853.

"Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned..."
President and prophet Brigham Young, 'Deseret News', November 14, 1855

"Some quietly listen to those who speak... against the plurality of wives, and against almost every principle that God has revealed. Such persons have half-a-dozen devils with them all the time. You might as well deny "Mormonism", and turn away from it, as to oppose the plurality of wives. Let the Presidency of this Church, and the Twelve Apostles, and all the authorities unite and say with one voice that they will oppose the doctrine, and the whole of them will be damned."
Heber C. Kimball, 'Journal of Discourses', Vol. 5, p. 203, 1856.

"The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy. ...I heard the revelation on polygamy, and I believe it with all my heart, and I know it is from God..."
President and prophet Brigham Young, 'Journal of Discourses', Vol. 11, p. 269, August 19, 1866.

"Some people have supposed that the doctrine of plural marriage was a sort of superfluity, or nonessential to the salvation of mankind. In other words, some of the Saints have said, and believe that a man with one wife, sealed to him by the authority of the priesthood for time and eternity, will receive an exaltation as great and glorious, if he is faithful, as he possibly could with more than one. I want here to enter my protest against this idea, for I know it is false... Therefore, whoever has imagined that he could obtain the fullness of the blessing pertaining to this celestial law, by complying with only a portion of its conditions, has deceived himself. He cannot do it. When that principle was revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith,... he did not falter, although it was not until an angel of God, with a drawn sword, stood before him and commanded that he should enter into the practice of that principle, or he should be utterly destroyed, or rejected. . . . I understand the law of celestial marriage to mean that every man in this Church, who has the ability to obey and practice it in righteousness and will not, shall be damned, I say I understand it to mean this and nothing less, and I testify in the name of Jesus that it does mean that."
Joseph Fielding Smith, 'Journal of Discourses', Vol. 20, pp. 28-31, 1878.

"Inasmuch as laws have been enacted by Congress forbidding plural marriages, which laws have been pronounced constitutional by the court of last resort, I hereby declare my intention to submit to those laws, and to use my influence with the members of the church over which I preside to have them do likewise. ...and I now publicly declare that my advice to the Latter-day Saints is to refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by the law of the land."
Prophet and President Wilford Woodruff, 'Doctrine and Covenants', Declaration 1, October 6, 1890 (The Manifesto)

The primary difficulty in regards to the validity of the doctrine of polygamy is the fact that it is specifically forbidden in the Book of Mormon, Jacob 1:15; Jacob 2:24-29; Jacob 3:5; Mosiah 11:2. It is true that the matter of polygamy is up to the Lord, however, He already stated that it was forbidden in the Book of Mormon, so the issue was settled long before the birth of Joseph Smith. A person cannot deny the doctrine of polygamy based on the claim that it was simply the idea of a specific prophet. The words of a prophet, when presented as a revelation, accepted and canonized as scripture, are not the words of that prophet but are defined as the very direct words of God and cannot be denied unless the prophet has lied. If the doctrine of polygamy spoken by Joseph Smith can be denied as simply his opinion, then everything that he said on any subject, including his claim to have translated the Book of Mormon, can also be denied on the same basis. God has spoken His command in the Bible, and it is noted as His displeasure and defined as an abominable sin in the Book of Mormon, so the issue was settled long before Joseph Smith claimed his revelation as to its propriety.

The contradiction in Mormon theology is apparent, because in the Book of Mormon the actions of David and Solomon as polygamists, were stated by God to be "abominable before me," Jacob 2:24, and "wicked practices, such as like unto David of old desiring many wives and concubines, and also Solomon, his son," Jacob 1:15, but in Joseph Smith's revelation, God not only commands that polygamy be practiced, He says, ". . . I, the Lord, justified my servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as also Moses, David and Solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines. . . ," Prophet Joseph Smith, revelation concerning plural marriage, July 12, 1843, 'Doctrine and Covenants', section 132.

By claiming a revelation from God establishing polygamy, Joseph Smith makes God a liar, because in the Book of Mormon God states that He condemned David and Solomon for being polygamous, but Joseph Smith claims in his revelation that God said he justified them in the same practice. It cannot be both ways. Either God lied or Joseph Smith lied and my suspicion is that it was not God.

Joseph Smith found it necessary to make his claim over the statement in the Book of Mormon, because he was not only attempting to justify his own life of polygamy from as early as 1830, predating his revelation of 1843, but also establishing his teaching that polygamy was necessary for exaltation and, as such, he claimed the authority to do so by stating that God justified David and Solomon in the practice, as if their actions justified his new teaching. In the process, he was willing to make God into a liar in order to support his new theology. In addition, he claimed that Moses was also a polygamist, a claim which is not supported in the Bible or the Book of Mormon.

POINT 9. THE APOSTASY

The reference to a famine of hearing is found in Amos 8:11, "'Behold, the days come,' saith the Lord God, 'that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.'"

Amos was a Judean prophet with a message for the northern kingdom of Israel. That particular prophecy was given to Israel in approx. 760 B.C., and referred to a future judgment on Israel in which they would be unable to hear or preach the word, which was fulfilled in the Assyrian occupation of Israel, beginning approximately thirty years after the prophecy was given. It is the hearing of the word found in the Old Testament and had no reference to Gentiles or to the Gospel found in the New Testament or to the gospel of the Mormon church. The gospel as taught by the Mormon church today was not the word referred to in Amos, which was unknown in the Old Testament. There is no record in the Old Testament, the New Testament or any written record any place in the world that records the gospel as taught by the Mormon Church being known or taught in the times of the Old Testament, the New Testament or in the New World at any time prior to the publication of the Book of Mormon.

The core foundation and the reason for the existence of the Mormon gospel is the claim by Joseph Smith that it was revealed to him by God, that all religious belief in the world was corrupt and there was no church, organization or preacher who had the truth. Joseph Smith claimed that God told him the following in his 1820 vision:

That he "must join none" of the churches, "for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: 'they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof," Pearl of Great Price, vol. 2, pp. 18-19.

God is found quoting the apostle Paul, 2 Timothy 3:5, in the above, but that is another issue.

Unfortunately, Joseph Smith did not obey the words of God, because he did enroll in a probationary class on June 15, 1828, in an attempt to join one of those corrupt Methodist Churches, of which his wife was a member, which was eight years after he claimed God told him specifically that he was not to join the Methodist church, and during the time he was supposedly translating the golden plates. His membership lasted three days, when he was asked to resign or repent of his hypocritical lifestyle. He chose to resign.

The apostasy from the true gospel was claimed to have been the result of the establishment of the Catholic church, occurred after the year 400 A.D, and affected every single person including organizations, preachers and congregations in every place in the world that had originally preached the Christian doctrine. At the same time, corrupt Catholic priests are claimed to have removed "plain and precious parts" from the Bible and added other parts that were not originally a part of the Scripture. As a result, the Bible is considered to be a crippled and unreliable book that has no authority of its own. The difficulty is that the Mormon church states that the Bible is one of its Scriptures, even offering it as a free gift in media advertising. Why the Mormon church would offer a corrupt book and do a spiritual disservice by advocating a book with a false gospel message, to those they wish to convert, is unknown. The Bible is relegated to a subservient position underneath the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. The Bible is authoritative only "as translated correctly" and to the point that it agrees with all other Mormon scriptures, which are considered to be authoritative and the source by which the Bible is interpreted.

The difficulty with this view is twofold.

1. It presumes that the Catholic church was able to change or destroy every single manuscript in existence that had the original biblical writing on it, and substitute the corrupt copies in every place in the world, and they did not miss any copies. This position cannot be supported by the historical and manuscript record and is completely demolished by the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls which confirm the extreme accuracy of the Old Testament as we have it today. The New Testament is also confirmed in its accuracy by manuscripts that are older than the Catholic church. Mormon scholars admit to the fact that the Bible, as it exists today, is virtually unchanged from the original manuscripts:

   ". . . no new manuscript discovery has produced serious differences in the essential story. This survey has disclosed the leading textual controversies, and together they would be well within one percent of the text. Stated differently, all manuscripts agree on the essential correctness of 99% of the verses in the New Testament. . . . It is true that the Latter-day Saints have taken the position that the present Bible is much changed from its original form. However, greatest changes would logically have occurred in writings more remote than the New Testament. The textual history of the New Testament gives every reason to assume a fairly stable transmission of the documents we possess. . . Joseph Smith said that 'many important points touching the salvation of man, had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled.' (Documentary History of the Church, I, 245, 1832.) Major losses might occur by elimination of whole books rather than alterations of those admitted as canonical. Nor do subsequent changes have to be based on open changes of the writings. The forces of evil are more effective at changing the meaning of true terms and concepts than removing them."
   Fourteenth Annual Symposium of the Archaeology of the Scriptures, Brigham Young University, 1963, pp. 52-59.

2. The second difficulty is that the claims of Joseph Smith are denied and disproved by the historical record. The claim to authority by Joseph Smith, is validated only by his assertion that he was the prophet of the restoration of a gospel which was supposedly removed from the Bible by corrupt Catholic priests. The problem found in that claim, is that there is no record of the Mormon gospel, as taught today, ever having been taught in the Old Testament, the New Testament or the early church except in the Book of Mormon. Claiming the restoration of a gospel that was lost, that Mormon gospel comes into conflict with what is found in the Bible which never was lost. What is claimed to have been removed from the Bible has been found to have not been removed and what the Bible says conflicts seriously with Mormon doctrine. The difficulty is compounded by the fact that Joseph Smith claimed to have restored the original gospel of Jesus Christ by means of his translation of the Book of Mormon, however, what the Mormon church teaches today is radically different from that which is found in the Book of Mormon.

Joseph Smith claimed to have "translated" the Bible and presented his Inspired Version as the result.

"After Joseph had translated the Book of Mormon from the gold plates, the Lord commanded him to translate the Bible .... Joseph Smith, a man of no education or learning, comparatively speaking, was commanded to translate the Bible by inspiration."
Apostle Orson Pratt, "Journal of Discourses", Vol, 15, pp. 247 - 24 9, 1872.

"I completed the translation and review of the new testament on the 2nd of February, 1833, and sealed it up, no more to be opened till it arrived in Zion."
Prophet Joseph Smith, February 2, 1833, 'Times and Seasons', Vol. 5, p. 723, 'History of the Church', Vol. 1, p. 324.

"And, despite the frequent argument presented by Mormons that 'lost books' are evidence of the Bible's lack of veracity, Smith's 'inspired' version did not 'restore' the Apocrypha or any 'lost books' to the Bible. Nor did his 'inspired' version make any changes to Esther, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Malachi, Second John or Third John, all of which were deemed 'correct' by Smith. However, The Song of Solomon was designated 'not inspired' and was excluded. Other books of the Bible were altered to varying degrees, with Isaiah receiving more changes than other Old Testament books. Interestingly, the New Testament received more than twice as many changes as the Old Testament!"

Joseph Smith's claim as a translator is very much suspect, not so much because of the changes and additions that he made in his Inspired Version, although that is sufficient reason in itself, but because of the verses in the Bible that he did not revise and should have been. It has long been known, even in the time of Joseph Smith, that 1 John 5:7-8 is an addition to the Bible and should be removed because it does not appear in the earliest manuscripts. It is a wonderful expression of Trinitarian doctrine, but the verses are not original to the text and must be noted as such. However, Joseph Smith left the verses in his translation, apparently unable to detect the fact that they were incorrectly included, and unaware of their Trinitarian teaching. In addition, he "corrected" verse 8 with the addition of two words. How can a translator "correct" verses that are not original to the text and should not be included? It cannot be claimed that it was a simple error or omission on his part, because he did change the two words, which must have been the result of his translation by inspiration, however the direct inspiration from God was wrongly applied to that which was incorrect and his claim to actual inspiration is suspect at the least. Mormons cannot claim that the verses belong in the Scripture, because they specifically teach Trinitarian doctrine which the Mormon church denies.

The inclusion of a prophecy about himself and his own name in the book of Genesis is not supported by any manuscript evidence of ancient date or even recent date, except that of Joseph Smith's own claim as a translator.

It is no longer possible for the Mormon church to claim that the Bible has been altered by corrupt Catholic priests and that many "plain and precious parts" were removed from it. That was a claim made in a time when there was very little evidence to contradict such an assertion, but that has all changed and even the church itself admits to the fact that the claims were false. A reconciliation of 1 Nephi 13:24-29 to the reality of the situation is required.

It is also no longer possible to claim that the Bible has been corrupted through various translations from other languages. That is a very old claim that was not unique to Joseph Smith. This is certainly not the case, and the profusion of manuscripts in the original languages now available make it very clear that whatever changes have been introduced are of a minor consequence.

As you can see, the issues are much more complex than you assume at this point. I know that you are unaware of some of the things that I have mentioned, but that is not because those things are not true or that those doctrines were/are not part of official Mormon theology.

I think you must do much more research on the history of the Mormon church and the origins of the doctrines that have been taught, especially those that have been changed and those that have been introduced outside of the Book of Mormon, so that you may better understand the roots of what you believe.

There may be other things that the Mormon church has taught over the years that you might not be aware:

1. Animal sacrifice - instituted and practiced by Joseph Smith. "History of the Church", Vol. 4, p. 211. "Journal of Wandle Mace", p. 32, microfilm copy at Brigham Young University Library.

2. Cursing the enemies of a person - given in a revelation by Joseph Smith, practiced in the Kirtland Temple and taught and practiced by Brigham Young.
   Prophet Joseph Smith, "Doctrine and Covenants", Vol. 103, pp. 24-25.

3. Blood atonement - There are certain sins for which a person can only atone by committing suicide by means of the shedding of their own blood OR another person (Mormon) must take their life for them by killing them by means of the shedding of their blood.
   Heber C. Kimball, "Journal of Discourses", Vol. 6, pp. 125-126 President Brigham Young, "Journal of Discourses", Vol. 4, pp. 53-54 and "Deseret News", October 1, 1856, p. 235. J.M. Grant, member of the First Presidency under Brigham Young, "Journal of Discourses", Vol. 4, pp. 49-50 and "Deseret News", October 1, 1856. Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, "Mormon Doctrine", 1958, p. 314.
   See also: HERE

4. Moon and sun inhabited - Joseph Smith and Brigham Young both taught that the moon and sun were inhabited. The people on the moon supposedly were about 6 feet tall, dressed something like Quakers and lived to be about a thousand years old.
   "Journal of Oliver B. Huntington", book 14, original in the Huntington Library, San Marino, California. "Journal of Oliver B. Huntington",Vol. 3, p. 166, typed copy at the Utah State Historical Society. President Brigham Young, sermon July 24, 1870, "Journal of Discourses", Vol 13, p. 271. "Young Woman's Journal", O.B. Huntington, Vol. 3, pp. 263-264, 1892.
   See also: HERE

5. Tiny little entities called Intelligences compose the foundation of everything that is, including the spiritual and physical world and the human spirit and temporal body. These tiny Intelligences gather together to form the necessary elements of proto-human existence and predate both man and God.
   Prophet Joseph Smith, "Times and Seasons", Vol. 5, p. 615, reprinted in "History of the Church", Vol. 6, pp. 310-311 Apostle Orson Pratt, "The Seer", p. 34.
   Apostle Orson Pratt, "The Seer", p. 103.

6. The darker skin of Indians will begin to change to the preferred "white and delightsome" when they inter-marry, by means of polygamy, with Mormon men.
   Prophet Joseph Smith, "Revelation on Polygamy with Indians," 1831.
   Spencer W. Kimball, "Improvement Era", December 1960, pp.922-23.
   See also: HERE

7. Black people are under a curse and cannot attain to the priesthood according to Joseph Smith's translation of the "Book of Abraham". However, since the Book of Abraham has been found to be a fraudulent translation, there never was a prohibition against Black persons from receiving the priesthood and the revelation claimed by President Spencer W. Kimball in 1978 allowing that right, was unnecessary.
   See also: HERE

8. Nationality or the color of a person's skin (darker is worse) indicate the quality of a person's spirit in the pre-existence.
   Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, "Mormon Doctrine", p. 527, 1966 edition.
   Apostle Mark E. Petersen, "Race Problems - As They Affect the Church," Address delivered at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, August 27, 1954
   See also: HERE

9. Black persons are the representatives of Satan on this earth.
   President John Taylor, "Journal of Discourses", Vol. 22, p. 304, 1881
   See also: HERE

10. Joseph Smith claimed to be superior to the apostles and to Jesus Christ.

    "If they want a beardless boy to whip all the world, I will get on the top of the mountain and crow like a rooster. I shall always beat them... I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him, but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet."
    Prophet Joseph Smith, "History of the Church", vol. 6, pp. 408-409
    See also: HERE

Sincerely,