“There is no regularly constituted church of Christ on earth, nor any person qualified to administer any church ordinances; nor can there be until new apostles are sent by the Great Head of the Church for whose coming I am seeking.”

It is interesting that he was officially exiled in this the great land of religious freedom and tolerance. It shows that consensus is the worst way to run a religion. The only true religion operates by inspiration. If a person recommends a litmus test for a true or false religion, you might first apply it to his own.

Some people mistakenly believe that Mormons don't think for themselves because so often when Church leaders issue guidance or special calls, members don't hesitate to respond. Critics will always think otherwise, but it is because we live as close (if not closer) to the ideal of what Christians really should be. The truth is that members are always encouraged to pray to know for themselves the truth of what they receive. Everything is done by inspiration.

Consider the example how adamant Mormons are in bringing relief to disaster victims. I myself (like many fellow Christians) have often devoted the little time I had off to assist people devastated by natural disaster: driving many hours one way, bringing my own food and water, pitching a tent, working sun-up to sun-down until it is time to leave in order to get back home to start the work week. This is what Christians do.

When the call goes out from our leaders, I have little doubt that any of my fellow brethren are sitting at home on the couch. We know our leaders are inspired because the Holy Spirit bears witness of His work.

To our critics: we magnanimously concede that we have substantial differences in our doctrinal beliefs, but won't you please accept our outstretched hand and work with us in righting the wrongs that plague our communities. We are not enemies, but join us in fighting our common enemy who is the enemy of all righteousness.

Where does the Church stand on the social issues of marriage, abortion, homosexuality, etc?

Without spending so much time on the intricate details, let me first point you to a document that addresses these issues. Many of our doctrines are summed up or referenced in an official proclamation about the family.

“Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose. . .”

“Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. . .

“Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed. . .

“We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.”

I implore those that share our values to stand together and exercise their Constitutional right to peaceably assemble and petition state and local governments and all those who hold influence to uphold these principles that are essential to the integrity of our communities.

Here is a special treat: free mp3 download at the official website.

Who says Jesus and His Father are two separate individuals?

Paul

Mark

King David

Matthew

Luke

Peter

John

Jesus, several times

Moses

Stephen

Has anyone ever seen the immortal God?

Jacob

Moses

Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel

Solomon

Isaiah

The apostles and disciples

Stephen

Abraham

Here what the late prophet had to say on the subject.

cult: 1. A system of religious rites and observances; 2. Zealous devotion to a person, ideal, or thing; 3. The object of this devotion; 4. The followers of a cult; a sect.

Is zeal the problem? Why are "born-again" Christians so zealous? Because they know something that can really change someone's life for the better more than anything else in the world. Why are "Mormons" even more zealous than "born-again" Christians? Because they know the same thing and then some.

Where the “born-again” Protestants miss the boat is in understanding the etymological meaning of their classification: what are they protesting? They are protesting against the established church. Why? Because it has fallen away from the truth—an apostasy. If the organization from which they sprang is false, how then can they claim to be true? Here's one of their answers: authority doesn't matter. Here's another: lineage of the prophets (priesthood) doesn't matter. The only thing that matters to them is believing in your heart—ordinances are merely symbolic. It doesn't matter who baptizes or how.

You can't get a live branch from a dead tree—if the church they broke from had not the truth or the authority, then neither do any of the branches that break off. THIS IS WHAT THE MORMONS KNOW but the Protestants ignore: getting the full truth and authority after an apostasy requires a restoration of the original and not just a dressing-up of what is left. This is why the Mormons are so stalwart and adamant about their case.

But it is clear that the charge of “cult” is not leveled because of their effervescent zeal. No, it is because they are not “mainstream.” What are the usual traits that are associated with “cults”? Let's look at one religion as case in point. This particular religion as a long and colorful history: many of its ecclesiastical and secular leaders and prominent members had verifiable issues with lying, corruption, licentiousness, incest, genocide, brutality toward disobedient members, betrayal and bigotry; its rituals were bazar to say the least; its members were exclusionary and they wore funny clothes; they clung to superstitious talismans, practiced bodily mutilation; they held irrational beliefs that defy principles of physics that are irrefutable; the religion has undergone endless fraction and infighting; and worst of all, they believed in a plurality of Gods and that ordinary men could actually see God face to face. If I told you this religion is none other than Christianity itself, would you believe me? If not, then you refute the Holy Bible itself.

Some of the examples I listed where plainly accurate and some were deliberate misrepresentations, the point of which is to show that one's view of another's religion usually is irrationally subjective. A faithful follower or a trained theologian could give an explanation for each one of the “problems” someone might have with the religion, but all the explanations in the world will never satisfy the critic.

Go ahead and point fingers at and mock your neighbor's faith, but remember that when it comes to “quirkiness,” all you Christians are already neck-deep—unless you only accept parts of the Bible. But the strength that Mormons have against all the inconsistencies and dubious parts of the Bible is modern revelation. The Book of Mormon confirms that the gospel told in the Holy Bible is true and still relevant today.

Question: Why do so many people that profess Christianity insist that Mormons are not Christian?

There are many underlying and ancillary reasons that people accuse the religion of perjuring its testimony of Christ (which is the basis of being called Christian), all of which cannot be addressed in a single day; but I will address the root cause that affects the religion today.

The real problem that certain people have with acknowledging this particular faith as Christian is that they do not recognize it as Christianity. The practices and doctrine are beyond quirky—way beyond anything the average contemporary church-goer has been taught that Christianity involves. Many accuse the sect of deviating from the "true religion," while the Mormon doctrine claims that it is modern Christianity itself that has deviated from its roots and that the fullness of the gospel has finally been restored. You will read scriptural evidence of this at the end of this explanation.

The analogy I am about to present will no doubt send the offending parties into a tizzy, and they will claim, if you ask them, that I am likening Joseph Smith to Jesus Christ--which is tantamount to blasphemy in their eyes. You will see their folly when I am done.

The reason these people revile this gospel is the very same reason that the Jewish ruling class rejected what Christ preached. They had corrupted the gospel and changed the practices so that when their heir apparent arrived on scene, they did not recognize him as their King. They did not see the signs. They did not understand the scriptures. They did not have the faith that was necessary to "see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) It did not matter that they were given scriptural evidence. It did not matter that they witnessed miracles. It did not matter that what He said was true. He ultimately died at their hands because the gospel He presented would disrupt their hold on power. Joseph Smith likewise died at the hands of those who accused him of blasphemy.

Now I can already hear the detractors howling, "Where do you get off comparing Joseph Smith to Jesus Christ?" Although there are innumerable verifiable similarities, I will forgo them for now so I can get to the point. It is sufficient to say that it is no crime in Christianity for a prophet to be in the likeness of the Savior. (Matthew 10:25) The real argument is that the violent actions and the vitriol of those that have persecuted the Latter-day Saints is no different than those that did likewise in Biblical times. This is no exaggeration. Though thankfully their persecution nowadays does not typically involve physical violence, the fact that it has in the past is evidenced by the facts that the "Mormon" prophet was assassinated and an actual extermination order was put out against his people.

Many Christians think that the doctrine and organization that Jesus set up were in large part a neologism of his time. Rather Christ restored the fullness of the gospel. Baptism was not new in Jesus' time. Neither was governing the Church by bodies of twelve and of seventy was not unprecedented. (Exodus 24:9) Jesus also restored the higher priesthood. (Hebrew 7:11) He did many other things that may seem to have been without precedent, while in all truth everything that he did and said was after the ancient order and in fulfillment of prophecy. Many of those things are documented Biblically, many more are not. Upon this point I premise my argument that although the Bible is indeed Holy, it does not contain adequate explanation of every last doctrine of Christianity. (Even if it did, it would amount to a mere mound of paper and ink without proper inspiration: 2 Peter 1:20) So claiming that something isn't true merely because it is not spelled out clearly enough in the Bible is argumentum ad ignorantiam.

Even when presented with scriptural evidence of these allegedly heretical points of doctrine that the Latter-day Saints claim but the rest of the “evangelical” community do not, the preferred tactic (other than the one previously noted) is obfuscation based on uninspired interpretation, the credibility of which often devolves again into argumentum ad ignorantiam. The bottom line is that while Mormons are contented to argue their case without resentment of another's' religion, when the other party fallaciously accuses them of denying Christianity in word and deed despite their adamant profession of Jesus as the Christ, they incur the obligation to examine their own religion under the same scrutiny. (Matthew 7:1-2) You can trust that most true Mormons have already studied and pondered the tough doctrinal questions well beyond what the critic can think up, and they consistently find that no other church on this Earth comes close to resembling the truth.

Does it contain anything similar to the original organization?

• Apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists

Ephesians 4:11

Ephesians 2:20

• Seventy

Luke 10:1

• Continued revelation

Amos 3:7

What is the true nature of the Godhead? Acts 7:55

Will those that never hear of the gospel be saved without baptism? 1 Corinthians 15:29

Did we exist before we were born? Jeremiah 1:5

What is the nature of heaven? 2 Corinthians 12:2

What is our ultimate potential? Romans 8:16-17

If you want to know in greater depth what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes about these things, I encourage you to invite the missionaries into your home.

My purpose here is to shed light on and answer questions to issues concerning “Mormons” (people that belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). My intent is not to win proselytes or to advance a religious agenda, but rather to open the eyes of those that have doubts about us to the fact that we share in common so many important values. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may. While I may publish doctirnal points to resolve overarching questions, I do not intend it as proof of the Church's veracity; because belief in a religion is based on faith, not proof.

Ordinarily I would not post religious material in a mostly political forum, but this year's political landscape merits such an exception. I firmly believe that all candidates deserve the opportunity to be evaluated on their overall merits and not by ignorance and blind prejudice of the general masses.

I may accept feedback and questions from readers, but I do not respond to anyone individually. What you read here is what you get from me. This is not a dialogue—it is a monologue. To those that have general doctrinal questions, I refer you to the Church's sanctioned public emissaries the missionaries.

Otherwise you may visit the Church website or talk to your Mormon friends. To the antagonists that wish to thwart me: waste your time if you please, for you cannot bother me.