Basic Mormon Doctrine Summary
Chapter: Attraction
& Stresses
 | Biblical
background
 | The Bible
gives us the wisdom of God, which the unbelieving man rejects
because it is foolishness to him
 | 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 |
| 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 |
| Isaiah 29:14 |
|
| Man has his
own wisdom which God promises to frustrate; it is foolishness to
God |
| Christianity:
| Espouses God's
wisdom, which is repulsive to natural man |
| Conversion to
Christianity is a miracle |
| It is only through
the power of the Holy Spirit that unbelievers come to God |
|
| Mormonism
(from a Christian perspective):
| Espouses man's
wisdom, which is attractive to natural man |
| There is no miracle
involved in embracing Mormonism (because there is no conversion
or turning away from trusting self towards absolute trust in
God) |
| A person can come to
the LDS church on his own volition |
|
|
| Attractive
Teachings
| Mormonism
embraces man's wisdom
| There is no such
thing as a free ride |
| God helps those who
help themselves |
| Its not justice for God
to give salvation away for free |
| God would never
command us to do something we can't do (be perfect) |
| The purpose of the
law is for it to be obeyed |
|
| Mormonism
caters to man's natural self-important view of himself
| Man is powerful
enough to secure his own salvation (His destiny is in his
own hands) |
| Man can have the
power and glory of a god |
| Presents man with
the 'ultimate' challenge (working his own salvation) |
| Man's pursuit of
power and financial success is given great honor, rewards,
and glory |
| Mormons can take
great pride in what they do, or have done |
| Mormonism, through
its claim of being the only true church, gives its followers
the prestige and arrogant stance of being 'right' and every
one else 'wrong' |
|
| Mormonism
brings God within human understanding
| He is just an
exalted man |
| He walked the same
path as anyone else ("He did it; I can do it") |
| He is limited by
physical laws (not omnipresent, not omnipotent) |
|
| Mormonism
teaches that very few people will spend eternity in hell (Outer
Darkness) |
| Redeeming the
dead appeals to man's sense of fair play |
| People find
appealing the Mormon teaching of eternal families
| Particularly attractive to people who have had family members
died prematurely |
| Can help dead family
members through vicarious temple work |
| Will be reunited
with lost loved ones after death |
|
| Mormonism
condones, encourages, and actively engages in the practice of
rationalization
| Rationalizing ones
own sinful behavior |
| Using conflicting
doctrine to rationalize personal beliefs |
| Rationalizing God |
|
|
| Attractive
Practices
| Mormonism's
many rules and regulations removes much of the decision-making
from life - everything is black and white |
| One can follow
rules rather than search one's motives |
| Safe and
varied social activities for individuals, children, and
families |
| Mormonism's
high profile on family issues attracts many troubled families
(they got what I want) |
| Image of being
morally and politically conservative in a seemingly ever less
moral and more liberal world |
| Image of being
a caring, good Samaritan community |
| An emphasis of
personal feelings for discerning truth and as a source of
revelation is compatible with society's current attitude of
"if it feels right, it must be right" |
|
| Stresses
| Underneath the
surface attractions of Mormonism is a hideous monster that has
entrapped, then enslaved, and now torments many Mormons |
| Perfection
obsession
| An unrelenting
emphasis to "become perfect", doing all you can do |
| A 'Savior' who has
become a creditor that still demands payment, albeit
extending the payment over 'eternities' |
|
| Unattainable
forgiveness
| Repentance that
requires "abandoning the sin" |
| No forgiveness
without total repentance including full payment for each and
every sin - with interest! |
|
| Worthiness
conditions
| Former prophet
Spencer Kimball: "All blessings are conditional.
I know of none that are not" ('If' is a very big word
in Mormonism) |
| If you question,
stumble, or don't understand; it is because you are
unworthy |
| Those who
consider leaving the church are threatened with going
to Outer Darkness |
| It is easy to see
your own imperfections, but the outward image of others make
them appear to be excelling; increasing your perception of
your own unworthiness |
| Guilt, shame, blame,
and accusations of unworthiness are common experiences of
many Mormons |
|
| Overworked
| Home, business and
church responsibilities and requirements add up to an
excessive load that is never done and is unrelenting |
| Being told one
cannot refuse a calling because it was 'divinely made' -
even though one may not have the interest, talent, time,
experience or desire |
| Being torn away from
your family to fulfill unsought for church responsibilities |
|
| Dictated
childbearing
| Command to have
families as large as physically possible, regardless of
one's personal desire for children or preference of family
size |
| Being a child lost
in a huge family, with little connection to overwhelmed
parents |
| Being a child of
people who really never wanted children |
| Pressure to marry
young and start a family immediately - finding the right
life companion takes second place |
| Intense pressure on
women not to work outside of the home, regardless of one's
interests, talents, or desires |
|
| Absolute
control
| A demand of
unswerving and absolute support of all church leaders, even
when they are wrong or abuse their positions |
| Being told untrained
bishops, through the gift of discernment "can not fail
to see the truth in any heart"; and then have one state
falsehoods about your heart |
|
| Hypocrisy and
rationalization
| Hypocrisy is the
inevitable result of any religion that demands perfection
from its members |
| Instead of freely
confessing one's sins, one will try to hide them or
rationalize them |
|
| No solutions
offered
| No place to go to
share negative feelings |
| It is easy to become
convinced that you are the only one with problems or doubts |
| When it comes to
spiritual problems, the LDS church is not a very caring
community |
| Mormonism offers no
true solutions to the stress it creates - It does not offer
a Lord who freely forgives sin and removes guilt. |
|
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