Please Think
Written by Danny D. Bunn, B.A. (Born Again Believer in the Lord Jesus Christ)
In the Improvement Era (forerunner to the present Ensign
magazine) Vol.48, No.6, June 1945, pg. 354, we read these words:
"No Latter-Day Saint is compelled to sustain the General
Authorities of the church. There is no element of corrosion or
force in this or any other church procedure. Nobody is forced to
do anything.
However, there is the principle of honor involved in the
member's choice. When a person raises his hand to sustain church
leaders as 'prophets, seers, and revelators' it is the same as a
promise and a covenant to follow their leadership and to abide by
their counsel as the living oracles of God.
Consequently any subsequent act or word of mouth which is at
variance with the will of the Lord as taught by the leaders of the
church places that person in serious doubt. One could scarcely
have claim upon complete integrity if he raises his hand to sustain
authorities of the church then proceeds in opposition to their
counsel.
Any Latter-Day Saint who denounces or opposes whether actively
or otherwise, any plan or doctrine advocated by the 'prophets,
seers, and revelators of the church is cultivating the spirit of
apostasy.
It should be remembered that Lucifer has a very cunning way of
convincing unsuspecting souls that the General Authorities of the
church are as likely to be wrong as they are to be right. He wins
a great victory when he can get the members of the church to speak
out against their leaders and to do their own thinking."
COMMENT: From the above quote, we see Mormons should not do their
own thinking. This makes me wonder, Communism teaches basically
the same thing.
QUESTION: Couldn't we rightly call Mormonism, religious Communism?
"When our leaders speak, the thinking has been done. When they
propose a plan, it is God's plan. When they point the way, there
is no other way which is safe. When they give directions, it
should mark the end of controversy. God works in no other way. To
think otherwise without immediate repentance may cost one his
faith, may destroy his testimony and leave him a stranger to the
Kingdom of God."
A pretty good question was asked in a Mormon bulletin delivered
at the Renton, Wa Stake about the time of the 1976 presidential
election under the statement entitled 'Let Us Reason Together.'
"Since we believe in the separation of church and state, does
the prophet have any business telling or suggesting to the saints
how they should vote?"
COMMENT: To answer this question, let's read through some of the
ward teacher's message.
"We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to
the dictates of our own conscience and allow all men the same
privilege. Let them worship how, where, and what they may."
Going on in the same ward teacher's message.
"The church does not require anyone to surrender his agency.
All are free to exercise their franchise to vote according to the
dictates of their own conscience. Now does the office of the
presidency of the church embrace the right to identify for the
membership of the church and all the people of the world for that
matter, how that God would desire we vote on certain matters.
Certainly it does, who would dare proscribe God?"
Now we go to the Ensign Magazine (official oracle of the Mormon
Church especially the conference issues) Aug. 1979, pages 2,3- we
have this statement:
"History and experience have proven that whenever and wherever
that there is a departure from following the word of the Lord,
calamity occurs."
COMMENT: In view of this statement, let's do what it says and quit
listening to false prophets but to the word of the Lord instead or
calamity will occur. The biggest calamity will be an eternity in
hell if you reject the free gift of eternal life through faith in
Jesus Christ.
The Bible says in John 6:28,29: "Then said they unto him, What
shall we do that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered
and said unto them, 'This is the work of God, that ye believe on
him whom he hath sent.' "
Also in John 6:40: "And this is the will of him that sent me,
that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on him may have
everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."
The above is speaking of a heart belief and not a head belief,
it's receiving Jesus into your life as your Lord and Savior.
But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the
sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."
(John 1:12)
Then Phil.2:13 will come alive in your life which says: "For it
is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good
pleasure."
Even the Book of Mormon does pretty well defining the born-again
experience:
"And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall
be called the children of Christ, his sons and his daughters; for
behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say your
hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are
born of him and have become his sons and his daughters."(Mosiah
5:7)
"For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been
redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit. And the Lord
said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all
nations, kindreds, tongues and people must be born again; yea, born
of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of
righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and his
daughters; And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do
this, they can in nowise inherit the Kingdom of God. I say unto
you, unless this be the case, they must be cast off; and this I
know, because I was like to be cast off. Nevertheless, after
wandering through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the
Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting
burning, and I am born of God." (Mosiah 27:24-28)
COMMENT: In the above quote, Alma said, the Lord snatched him out
of everlasting burnings and he was born of God yet Joseph Smith
said his God dwells in everlasting burnings in History of the
Church, Vol.6, pages 306,366. After reading this, we see that Alma
worships the God who saved him from everlasting burnings and Joseph
Smith worships the god that dwells in everlasting burnings. Cross
reference this with I Nephi 15:35 and we see even more clearly this
place of everlasting burnings is hell.
Bruce R. McConkie in his book, 'All Are Alike Unto God', on
pages 1 And 2 says:
"People write me letters and say, 'You said such and such and
how is it that we do such and such?' And all that I have to say to
that, it is time disbelieving people repented and got in line and
believed in a living, modern prophet. Forget everything that I
have said or President Brigham Young or President George Q. Cannon
or whomever has said in days past that is contrary to the present
revelation. We spoke with limited understanding and without the
light and knowledge that now had come into the world."
Continuing on,
"We get our truth and our light line upon line and precept
upon precept. We have now added a new flood of intelligence and
light on this particular subject, and it erases all the darkness
and all the views and all the thoughts of the past. They don't
matter anymore."
COMMENT: To use this kind of logic is dangerous. God is the same
yesterday, today and forever. Sure we get truth line upon line and
precept upon precept but as we receive it, it doesn't change later
on. God's word stands forever, it's unchangeable as he is.
Isaiah 40:8 says, "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the
word of our God shall stand forever."
And we read in Mal. 3:6, "For I am the LORD, I change not:"
God also tells us to test the prophets not to take everything
they say for granted as we read in Deut. 18:20-22: "But the
prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I
have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of
other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine
heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?
When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing
follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath
not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou
shalt not be afraid of him."
And in Jeremiah 23:32: "Behold I am against them that prophesy
false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people
to err by their lies, and by their lightness (vain boasting); yet
I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not
profit this people at all, saith the LORD.
COMMENT: Joseph Smith made one of the biggest boasts I have ever
read about and it was completely vain (foolish and senseless). He
said:
"I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only
man that has 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.
You know my daily walk and conversation. I am in the bosom of a
virtuous and good people. How I do love to hear the wolves howl!
When they can get rid of me, the devil will also go."
COMMENT: From reading that last sentence that I copied from History
of the Church, Vol.6, pages 408,409- it sure makes you wonder but
of course we know that the devil isn't really gone. He can always
find other false prophets to lead men astray and he did, Brigham
Young and a host of others after him. They were and are the blind
(spiritually speaking) leading the blind. If you continue to
follow them, you will fall into the same pit that they fell into.
It's hot and dark down there and God doesn't want you to go. Also
if Joseph Smith did more than Jesus Christ, why isn't it called the
'Church of Joseph Smith of Latter-Day Saints'? Could it be that
more people would be deceived with the name of Jesus Christ in it
since at his name every knee will bow and every tongue confess.
(Check Phil. 2:10,11).
I also read this in his same sermon and it's on page 411. A
little over half-way down, he said,"...Let's teach the things of
Jesus Christ. Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit
before a downfall."
COMMENT: As we can see from the above sermon mentioned, Joseph
Smith was full of pride and he predicted his own death 'so to
speak'. Approximately one (1) month later Joseph Smith died in a
gunfight. (Check History of the Church, Vol.6, Intro.,pages XLI
and 618-620, also Vol. 7 pages 102, 103).
To claim to be a prophet of God and to be one is two entirely
different statements. In regard to prophecies, Joseph Smith missed
91% of the time.
In I Thess. 5:21, we read these words: "Prove (test) all
things, hold fast that which is good."
Obey God and do what I Thess. 5:21 says just as the Bereans did in
Acts 17:11: "These were more noble than those in Thessaloncia, in
that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and
searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."
Jesus said, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think that ye
have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye
will not come to me, that ye might have life." (John 5:39,40)
Even Brigham Young said, "I say unto the whole world receive the
truth no matter who presents it to you, take up the Bible and
compare the religion of the Latter-Day Saints with it and see if it
will stand the test. (Journal of Discourses, Vol.16, page 46)
The Bible says,"...behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now
is the day of salvation." (II Corinth.6:2) Today can be your day.
Just ask Jesus Christ who is the one and only LORD God Almighty
(Jehovah Elohim Almighty) who came in the flesh to forgive your
sins and to come into your life and he will. He loves you!
And as you read on the front of this pamphlet, 'Please Think'.
Your eternal destiny is based upon your decision.
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ADDITIONAL SOURCES
God's Inspired Word: The Holy Bible
Smith, Joseph: The Book of Mormon
Journal of Discourses
The Improvement Era
Ensign Magazine
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