(Your statement)
THE LDS TEACHES
13. Except for the LDS Church, all churches are false. "I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; and those professors were all corrupt". (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith 2:19). "This Church is the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth: (D&C, 1:30). "There is no salvation outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 670).

(Your statement)
THE BIBLE TEACHES
13. The church is the spiritual body of Christian believers with Jesus at its head. That is the true church--not any specific organization (see Ephesians 1:22,23; 2:11-16; 1 Corinthians 1:2;12:12; Matthew 16:18).

(My response)
13. I have some questions for you, . Do you think that your beliefs are true and that ours are not? Do you believe that all of the churches are true but ours? Paul taught that there is "One Lord, one faith, one baptism,."(Ephesians 4:5) To me, this means that no alternative to the true gospel of Jesus Christ is an acceptable substitute. If one believes that Jesus is the "...author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;" (Hebrews 5:9) how can we accept any religion than that which we believe is his? If you knew that Jesus had said the words you quote above, would you accept them?
Also, see Ephesians 4:11-14.

It is interesting to note that when God and Christ appeared to Joseph Smith, there wasn't a church to be found on earth with anywhere near the organization described here and other places in the New Testament . There is only one church today with all of these offices.

To say that everyone other than the LDS church is false is a strong statement, especially when there are so many great acts of kindness and good deeds done by people of many different faiths. What I look for is the completeness or fullness of Christ's gospel; the gospel that Jesus established when he reigned personally upon the earth. Anything less is not for me. This is what I believe.

(Your statement)
THE LDS TEACHES
14. Joseph Smith was a holy prophet. "I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever 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" (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, vol. 6, pp. 408-409).

(Your response)
THE BIBLE TEACHES
14. No prophet of God ever made a statement like Joseph Smith's. King Nebuchadnezzar had similar pride to Joseph Smith's. He was driven out by God to live with the animals (see Daniel 4:28-33).

(My response)
14. You have some good questions, but this seems like an effort to pull a comment out of context and use it to generalize in an effort to discredit. I was hoping this wasn't the purpose of your email, but I guess it is.

First, lets put the statement back into context, shall we?!

The point Joseph was putting across here is that the church, during extremely difficult persecution, somehow pulled together after being driven from New York, to Ohio, to Missouri, to Illinois (and after Joseph's martyrdom, on to the wilderness in Utah). Joseph is saying that these kinds of tribulations had never happened in any other dispensation of the gospel before. Even the Israelites led by Moses out of Egyptian captivity, soon slipped back into worshipping idols and were delayed 40 years in entering back into the land that God had preserved for them. The honest truth is that Joseph, even though he was a strong leader, because those times and circumstances required him to be, was yet a humble servant of the people and of the Lord.

If you would just put your efforts into learning the truth about him and the doctrines, organization, authority and ordinances that were restored by the Lord through him, and would pray with faith, I'm sure that even you could reach the same conviction that I have, that Joseph Smith was truly a Prophet of God.
Furthermore, you would find that The Church of Jesus Christ in these latter days was restored by divine communication, not only to him, but to those who were with him as well.

I'm sorry but I'm really trying to answer your questions honestly and correctly, but you are hitting on some sensitive points and I have some very strong personal convictions.

You see, I have read much about the life and mission of Joseph Smith, and I am convinced that he was and is a Prophet of God who was called from the beginning to bring forth the gospel in the latter-days under the personal direction of Jesus Christ.

Oh, and by the way, I find no resemblance between the life of Joseph Smith and that of King Nebuchadnezzar. This is a real stretch.

(Your statement)
THE LDS TEACHES
15. Prophets are above Scripture. "The living Prophet is more vital to us than the Standard Works (Bible, BofM, etc.). The living Prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet (David, Moses, Isaiah, etc.). Those who would remove prophets from politics would take God out of government". (LDS prophet, President Ezra Taft Benson, address at Brigham Young University, Feb. 26, 1980).

(Your response)
THE BIBLE TEACHES
15. In these last days God speaks through His Son (Hebrews 1:1,2). The authority claimed by the Mormon Church is through an "Aaronic Priesthood," which cannot be valid since Jesus abolished it when He took its place (Hebrews 7:11-19; 8:6-13), and a "Melchizedek Priesthood," which never existed as any operative "priesthood." Jesus is our only High Priest in the likeness of Melchizedek--he alone holds this priesthood permanently (see Hebrews 7:15-28; 9:11- 15).

(My response)
15. The very scripture you quote in Hebrews was given by Christ to Paul, the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews. "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7) "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost".
(New Testament | 2 Peter 1:20 - 21)

Prophets have always been the primary means the Lord has communicated to the people. Does it not make sense that a living prophet receiving revelation concerning the problems and needs of our day would be more valuable than the writings of Ancient Prophets. Am I saying that this diminishes the value of God's word in the scriptures? Of course not! I study the scriptures almost every day with my family and on my own, but consider the beauty of also having a living prophet to look to for matters pertaining to this age. It is a great blessing.

You quote the 7th Chapter of Hebrews to say the Christ is the only High Priest. What about the 5st Chapter verses 1 and 2 "FOR every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity." Every High Priest...who is also compassed with infirmity" is certainly not talking about Christ.

We know the authority to preach the gospel and administer the ordinances thereof is found in the Melchizedek and the Aaronic Priesthoods which have been restored along with the gospel, organization and doctrines of Christ's church.

(Your statement)
THE LDS TEACHES
16. Mormons are also saviors. "We are the only people that know how to save our progenitors, how to save ourselves, and how to save our posterity in the celestial kingdom of God; that we are the people God has chosen by whom to establish his kingdom and introduce correct principles into the world; and that we are in fact the saviours of the world..." (John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 163).

(Your response)
THE BIBLE TEACHES
16. Over 500 verses deal with death, and over 300 deal with salvation. Not one verse even hints that we can be saviors of the dead. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 9:27, "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Note that this isn't the Mormon concept, which states: "After this comes missionary lessons, a proxy baptism, and a series of Mormon ordinances that will allow you to become gods..."

(My response)
16. First, how do we account for all of the millions of people who have lived and died without a knowledge of Christ, especially in light of the scripture that states: "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father"? ( Philippians 2:10 - 11)

What do you think it means in 1 Peter 3:18-20 "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."?

The gospel is taught to the spirits of the dead who have not had the chance to hear it here. Christ said, "No man cometh to the Father, but by me" No private interpretation of the scriptures has solved this question, only Christ, through his prophets of old and modern times. Only they have been given to understand and can give us understanding of what Paul was talking about when he said "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead? (1 Corinthians 15:29) Only they have been able to teach how Christ could realistically say, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5) Only those who believe in the restoration of Christ's church and gospel in the "latter-days" know why the Lord would tell Malachi, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (Malachi 4:5 - 6)

All of these scriptures, which I agree with you in that they cannot be understood on their own, relate to Christ's plan to offer the gospel to every creature. I have never heard of anyone's biblical interpretation that can explain how everyone, for example, can be baptized to see the Kingdom of God. Christ's is the only plan I have ever heard, that allows for all. The meaning of 'saviors' that was referred to, is only a reference to the responsibility we all have to share the gospel. By the way, check out Obidiah 1:21.

(Your statement)
THE LDS TEACHES
17. Joseph Smith will be our final judge. "No man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith. From the day that the Priesthood was taken from the earth to the winding up scene of all things, every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are" (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 289).

(Your respsonse)
THE BIBLE TEACHES
17. Jesus said we would be judged by His word and made no mention of Joseph Smith. John 12:48 says, "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." Paul referred to Christ as our judge--not Joseph.
Second Timothy 4:1 states, "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom."

(My response)
17. There is no question the scriptures say that Jesus is the Great Judge, but it also indicates that he will have help. Speaking to the Twelve Apostles, He is quoted, "And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Matthew 19:28)

As far as I know, it isn't a vital part of our doctrine what role Joseph Smith will be involved, but if he is, he will not be the only one. Prophets of old and present as well as the Savior himself, Jesus Christ, will do the judging. The important thing is that we find the truth and live by it so at the Judgment we will not shrink.

God bless us all to this end.

Sincerely,

Donny Osmond


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