How can mormons believe in a religion founded  by guy who talked to a rock in his hat to get the Word?
338643
He talked to a rock!?\n\nNews to me.\n\nOur religion was founded by Christ.\nBrother Joseph asked of God which church to join; he was told by an angel to join none but to prepare himself to restore Christ's church back to the earth. After some years, God revealed to Joseph where ancient prophetic writings, very similar to the Bible in means of record and testament of Christ and the Father, were hidden. Joseph retrieved the records and the translating tools, known as the Urim and the Thummim and utilized them to give us Another Testament of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon.\n\nI like how you capitalized 'Word' but insulted it at the same time.
1018526
I believe in God just not the bible, how dare anyone claim to know what God thinks, I have more respect for God, there are hundreds of archaeological finds proving that the bible that exists was put into place by church hierarchy that had ulterior motives for including and not including what THEY wanted in the bible, only someone who had ALL the original texts and could read them in the original language that they were written in would have a good understanding of what the ancient religious leaders had in mind, and who's to say they were God inspired, insane asylums are full of people who hear God
819633
mormonism is as illogical of not more than christianity
832352
Well what religions are man made is a matter of opinion and not one that can be honestly answered objectively.  What relgion is the oldest in history is also unknowable because many polythestic relgions we know of have no a certained beginning to them.  We do not know how far back relgions go - possible to the first man and if you are of the monotheistic belief or polytheistic belief you will acertain that yours goes back to the first man.\n\nAs to your questions regarding the Book of Morman written by Joseph Smith (and I am sure I will offend someone by simplely saying he wrote it) I would suggest you look here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormons to begin some of your reading on the subject.\n\nGood Luck!!!
1127259
Yes he spoke to his co-writers in late 1940's about creating a religion.  The quote was:\n\n"Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion" \n\nReader's Digest reprint, May 1980, p.1\n\nHe then read a lot of crackpot ideas and blended it with eastern & western philosophy, and religion.  He had very few of his own ideas, and invented very little.  He did indeed write Dianetics and then later created the Church of Scientology.\n\nWhile we have the adv. of knowing that scientology is a dangerous cult, and therefore won't be duped by it, not everyone is luckly to have come across this information first.  Or perhpas they were later convinced by scientologists that this information was entheta and written by people who hate all self-improvement groups, and are just criminals anyway  - thats you and I btw.\n\nFor anyone that does not know about the dangers of Scientology, please research this website amongst others, http://www.clambake.org (same as http://www.xenu.net )\n\nYou are correct it is not possible to take the OCA Personality test and not get something negative.  \n\nHere is an article on just that.\nhttp://www.xenu.net/archive/oca/oca.html  \n\nA bit lengthy and boring, but accurate.\n\nHere is a bit more, + the what are considered to be the correct answers at the bottom. "(try it at an Scientology shop, and they'll still recommend you buy their courses!)"\nhttp://www.xenu.net/archive/oca/
345578
Yes, they do.  However, Mormons will tell you that just because he said it doesn't mean they believe it...which goes against their believing that the words of the prophet/president are the words of God...\n"I know that the Mormon (LDS) church's official stance on ALL races today is that they are to all receive the same blessings according to their faith and diligence."  The key word is "today."  That wasn't the case when the Prophet Brigham Young held the flock under his thumb.  You claim not to pay mind to this because it was well over 100 years ago...The Bible was written 2000 years ago!!!  It only takes a century for the Mormon doctrine to change.  It's been 2000 years for Christianity.  Plus, I've encountered LDS on this site that claim the word of the Prophet to be good enough for them, after all, it really is the word of God.  Why, in the last 150 years had God been so confused?  Does he have Alzheimer's?  For almost two millennium he was solid, then Joseph Smith came along and claimed that God's mind was ever changing.  One cannot trust in a faith that is constantly changing, one that has president's who override past presidents AND the doctrine itself.\n***\nThe LDS keep saying that the remarks sound racist today, but that they didn't back in the 1800's.  His words were the words of God...Was God racist in the 1800's?  Why do you defend him with that answer when all you are really doing is claiming that 100 years ago, God was cool with racism?
949371
The Book of Mormon is a book of fiction written by a charlatan and a crook named Joseph Smith. He claimed  to have translated the book from original gold plates provided by the angel Moroni with 3D like glasses. Neither the plates nor the glasses were ever found. In fact if it was factual history why did the Mormon leadership revise the original text and drop controversial material through the ages.\n\nEvery single word you find is false and absolutely nowhere factual or historical.
540871
Try the story of Ammon.  He set a great example by serving the king very diligently while keeping his sheep.  The excellent service that Ammon gave to the king made the king want to listen to his message.  Eventually many people were converted as a result.\n(It's in the Book of Mormon, but I don't want to look it up right now.  Just look up "Ammon" in the Index, and you'll find it.)\nAnd I completely agree with destiney that it's not the missionary who converts people, it's the Holy Ghost.  Brigham Young taught this quite clearly.
988068
You are correct.   \n\nIsn't it funny that even without investigating a religion and just "saying" you are a part of it doesn't spawn even a little bit of knowledge about it.   Your examples of the Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons were right on target.  Both were created as off-shoots of Christianity with major rule changes and drastic Bible reinterpretations/rewrites.    The founders of each cult have been caught in lies/treachery/deceit, yet they are overlooked in lieu of the bigger picture.     L. Ron Hubbard is a completely different story.....just reading his materials should be enough to discredit him.\n\nYou haven't even touched on Kaballa and other such "stylish religions".
1117590
Anti-Mormons often twist our doctrines out of context to make people falsely believe that Latter-Day Saints denigrate Jesus and consider Satan and the Lord to be equals. Of course, anyone familiar with our beliefs about Jesus Christ knows that we have the utmost respect and reverence for Our Savior and Redeemer.\n\nFirst, Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God the Father (and is therefore divine) and the mortal virgin Mary. Satan, a malignant spirit, does not share this parental heritage of Jesus, and cannot be considered divine in any respect. Therefore, in the usual way that we speak of brothers and sisters, Jesus and Satan are not brothers.\n\nHowever, Latter-day Saints believe that God is our Father in Heaven. Before we came to this world, we all lived as spirits under his care and guidance. We believe that God begat or created the spirits of Jesus, Lucifer, and all of the human family as his children. Our Heavenly Father is literally the father of our spirits. Jesus Christ is considered the preeminent "firstborn" or "firstbegotten" (see Hebrews 1:4-6; Firstborn in the Spirit)\n\nEven though God the Father created all of our spirits, we were not equal in that premortal state. Jesus was a member of the Eternal Godhead, through his own innate worthiness, and created the universe under the Father’s direction. The Godhead is comprised of our Heavenly Father, his Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. Since the Fall of Adam, the Father has represented himself to the world through Jesus Christ. Jesus was Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament.\n\nLucifer, who was never a member of the Godhead like Jesus, rebelled against God, and was forever cast out. He became Satan, our adversary. Unlike Jesus or us, Lucifer will never be born into a physical body. \n\nLatter-day Saint scriptures summarize this issue as follows:\n\nAND I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying--Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.\n\nBut, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me--Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.\n\nWherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;\n\nAnd he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice. (The Pearl of Great Price, Moses 4:1-4)\n\nSo it can be said that Jesus and Lucifer were brothers, in the sense of both being spiritually begotten by the Father, but it is a misrepresentation to say so without giving the contextual background. Whatever similarities in background exist between Jesus and Satan pale compared to the differences. Jesus is the Beloved and Chosen, who is the Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh.
420927
Isn't it comical seeing people trying to explain spiritual matters when they are not guided in the least by a living prophet or modern scripture.\n\nI have a firm, unshakeable knowledge that the Lord restored His kingdom to the earth in 1830 when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was organized.  It contains the priesthood of Jesus Christ, restored by John the Baptist in 1829 and Peter, James and John, that same year.  It has modern prophets who can communicate the mind, the will, and the voice of the Lord to this generation.  It has a second witness for Jesus Christ--The Book of Mormon.  While most religions contain some truth and some good things, they lack much of what was lost between the death of Christ and the apostles and the raising up of the Prophet Joseph Smith in the early 19th century.
594700
www.lds.org  go to basic believes. \n\nI wouldn't believe any of these others who told you crap about the church. I've researched every question I've heard about the church and I've always from answers from our scholars. The problem most people seem to have is they accept the word of so called "scholars" that supposedly had already asked the churches scholars about all these "facts" of why the church is wrong. These "scholars" never ask the churches responses in any of their publication, but always say they do, a pure lie. This makes the reader of these lies and deceptions believe that there is no answer other than what they just read.\n\nIf you want to know the truth for YOURSELF I challange you to talk to the LDS missionaries and read the Book of Mormon for yourself. If it is of God you will know it to be, if it is not you will know it to be. Read it and ask God in prayer if it is true. I read the book and found every part to agree wholeheartedly with the bible which I have read several times. I have prayed about it and know it to be a testimony of Jesus christ, a true book.
595195
Yes they are point clear reason why is because everything you just said was infact the truth we all know that the jesus the mormons follow who went to americas is indeed not the jesus we read from the word of God which is the bible. The book of mormon also the book of nomrom is  a false doctrine to lure people away from the state of the fact that the bible is the only true word of God there is there is no other book in its existence that can come close to the bible it would already be in the bible if that was true fact. So there fore the book of mormon can not be true.\nEveryone who has done there research on the fact that the book of pearl of great price was indeed stolen from egyptain helographic's from the egyptain book of the dead. Fact and proven. A mormon can state all they like that they know it to be true but when you ask them how do you know it to be true they say well my heart told me and God said not to trust the heart for the heart is wikked. Jesus also said when you pray pray this way our father who art in heaven.\nNot to the spirit of God but to the father as it says not to a made up heavenly father but to God the one who created you. Chrstians say in the name of the father the son and the holy spirt amen or sometimes they well say in the name of jesus amen mormons and i say these things in the name of jesus christ amen. Why do they say i say these things in the name in stead of saying in the name lol?
173497
One word- FAKERS!  Many so-called prophets sure ain't real!  The SAY that God speaks to them but how can we be sure they aren't making it up or are delusional.  \n\nHere is one example... Said God spoke to him, told him where to find stuff, blah, blah, blah.  Called himself a  prophet, formed his own religion the whole nine yards.  The holy book he wrote plagerized parts of the bible word for word.  Turning out most everything in there has been scientificlly debunked  Every prediction he made never came true.  And most now can't because the people they were attributed to are dead.  Not a real good one...\n\n\nNext one... He changed his name, said God was talking to him, swore up and down he was a prophet in a religion that said there would be no more.  When the followers didn't believe him he swapped tactics and formed his own religion out of mumbo jumbo from all kinds of religions.  One part is so close to another religious text it is almost plagerism.  Is he a prophet? My guess would be no, he made it up for his own reasons.\n\nNext one... Swore he was a prophet, God spoke to him.  Then started getting paranoid about all kinds of things and immagined slights.  Moved his followers to South America.  A large chunk of them committed suicide on his orders.\n\nNext one... Swore God spoke to him.  Was very charasmatic and knew his theology.  Sounded convincing.  Started stockpiling weapons for Armageddon.  Ended up dead with a lot of his followers.  He a prophet?  Claimed he was.\n\nNext one...  Swears he's a prophet, God speaks directly to him on how to run the church.  A very good forger came along and started selling him documents, both good and bad, about the faith.  Swore God said they were the real thing.  They weren't.  If God spoke to him and he was a prophet how did he not know these documents were faked?\n\nThis is just a FEW of them.  The track record for prophets aren't good so how can we truely believe they are?  Expecially ones that are old and the text has been tampered with.  Delusional disorders exhisted in ancient times as well.  Rather casts doubt on all of them...
924120
Mormon....magic hat.....nuff said.
1046330
Hahhaha, I've never heard that, but it wouldn't surprise me.  Mormons ARE NOT Christians, and if they did do something as bizarre as that, that would just further cement the fact that they are some strange cult-ish following.
843425
Hi there!  It's me again!  \nYou know, I think the thing to look at in the Mormon religion is again, the verifiable concrete stuff. (no pun intended ha ha ha)\nDid you know that while archeologists use the bible to find places and things (Rockefeller used the bible to locate OIL, remember Noah and the PITCH he used on the inside and outside of the ark?  DING?!?!? ) they have been QUOTED saying that they have tried finding the places mentioned in the Book of Mormon and THEY CAN'T FIND any of the sites.  And Joseph Smith said that the new Jerusalem would be built in the midwest and, like it never happened.  ANd he said that Native americans were a lost tribe of the Hebrews.  And thanks to DNA testing it was like completely shot down too.\nNOW do Mormons suck?  NO WAY!!!??!!! Not at all but are they deceived?  YES  The reason I say this is again.  DUDE if you are a Prophet of GOD.  YOU don't get ANY prophecies wrong.  You don't have gramatical errors in your text.  And DUDE you are not MORE HOLY because of the special underwear bro.  \nNOW Joseph Smith mentioned stuff about concrete, COOL.  I'm glad he got that right but sad that it would bring someone to believe that he would have the answer of how to get closer to God.  Mormons are very wonderful thoughtful people.    But so are Christians and NO Mormons are NOT Christians.  They do not believe that Jesus did the redemptive work at the Cross. And that it's WORKS that gets you to your own planet when you die.  WHAT?!?!?\nYes, that's right I said it. PLA-NET. Here's the thing Texas Toast.  I don't know what church you have been attending, but you know what it looks like they havent been teaching you the TRUTH.  That Jesus LOVED PROSTITUTES AND MURDERERS and SINNERS, His Apostles DISSED HIM until AFTER He was resurrected and appeared to them.  He's not the JERRY FALWELL loving-tie wearing- O'Reilly watching-Republican.  He loves me a SINNER and YOU and the MORMONS too!!!!, and by His death I am able to come before a HOLY GOD and say WHASSSS-UPPPP!!!  \nThis is sooooo cool that you want to ask questions and think about who it is that you are Worshipping and praying to.  RIGHT ON!  Don't give up and keep asking questions and the REAL GOD will stand up!