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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