The Harmful Nature Of Presumption

"Presumption is a fire-work made up of pride and foolhardiness. It is indeed like a heavy house built upon slender crutches. Like dust, which men throw against the wind, it flies back in their faces, and makes them blind."

Thomas Adams, cited in the Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

On Ideas Of Progress

"We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man. We have all seen this when doing arithmetic. When I have started a sum the wrong way, the sooner I admit this and go back and start over again, the faster I shall get on. There is nothing progressive about being pigheaded and refusing to admit a mistake. And I think that if you look at the present state of the world, it is pretty plain that humanity has been making some big mistake. We are on the wrong road. And if that is so, we must go back. Going back is the quickest way on."

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p. 28-29

Refuting The Mormons On The Burning Of The Bosom

         "…you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right." (Doctrine & Covenants 9:8)

         Mormons believe this to be how a person feels after he receives revelation from God. It is hard for those who have experienced this sensation to describe with words. This feeling has been likened to burning in one's thorax. It is accompanied with peace. Mormons claim that the occurrence of this sensation is divine confirmation of a message. They commonly cite James 1:5 to give credence to this notion.

         Genesis 8:21 records God Himself as saying that man is wicked from the days of his youth. He does not have to be made that way because that is his default position. He finds pleasure in rebelling against his own Creator. Man has to be taught how to act righteously, which implies that our passions are not a good standard for accepting truth.

         Proverbs 14:12 says that the way of death appeals to our senses. That flatly contradicts any idea of trusting a burning sensation which makes us feel comfortable. Just because something seems good to us, does not mean that it really is. It can actually have harmful consequences.

         Proverbs 28:26 describes those who trust in themselves as being foolish. Thus, it is not an earmark of walking the path of wisdom. That would suggest our current emotional state does not confirm whether we have heard from God. Relying on our own feelings to know what is right will only lead us away from God, from which true wisdom flows.

         Jeremiah 17:9 describes the human heart as being thoroughly evil. The effects of sin on the human heart cover his whole being. Our emotions or feelings are not a reliable guide in discerning truth from error, which undercuts any idea of burning in the bosom.

         Ecclesiastes 9:3 characterizes human life in this world as being filled with evil and madness. Our hearts lead us down this destructive path. The burning of the bosom sensation upheld by Mormons is of no avail to us in seeking out the truth of a matter.

         As for James 1:5, that is concerned with praying to God for wisdom, not trusting in one-self for some internal confirmation about a religious text. Further, it is doubtful that Mormons would do the same for the Bible or the sacred book of any other religion. Finally, this sort of appeal is useless, since the Book of Mormon does not even teach most of Mormon theology.

Refuting The Mormon Doctrine Of Eternal Progression

        "...in accordance with God’s plan of eternal progression, advancement from grade to grade within any kingdom, and from kingdom to kingdom, will be provided for. But if the recipients of a lower glory be enabled to advance, surely the intelligences of higher rank will not be stopped in their progress; and thus we may conclude, that degrees and grades will ever characterize the kingdoms of our God. Eternity is progressive; perfection is relative; the essential feature of God’s living purpose is its associated power of eternal increase.” (James E. Talmage, The Articles of Faith, p. 420-421)

        A fundamental aspect of Mormon theology is the belief in the potential for human beings to become gods themselves. This doctrine suggests a progression from mortality to godhood. Individuals who follow God's commandments can attain exaltation and become just like Him. However, consider the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 12:7:

        "And the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it."

        This passage emphasizes the transient nature of human life and the finality of death. The physical body returns to the earth and the human soul returns to its Creator. It underscores a clear distinction between the divine and the mortal, challenging the notion that humans can progress to godhood.

        By stating that the spirit returns to God, Ecclesiastes 12:7 implies that human destiny is to be with God in an eternal state, not to become gods themselves. The verse reinforces the historic Judeo-Christian understanding of the afterlife and divine-human relationship. It does not include the idea of humans achieving godhood.

        Thus, the Mormon idea of human exaltation to godhood stands in contradiction to the biblical teaching found in Ecclesiastes 12:7. It emphasizes the separation between God and humanity. The ultimate return of the human spirit is to Him, without any further divine progression. The belief in human divinization as proposed by Mormonism is inconsistent with the theological implications of this verse.

        Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." This text emphasizes the immutable nature of Jesus Christ. In the context of refuting Mormonism’s idea of eternal progression, it suggests that Jesus, and by extension God, does not change or evolve. If God remains eternally the same, the notion of humans progressing to become gods is incompatible because it implies a change in divine status.

        1 Timothy 6:15-16 refers to God as the "only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light." The emphasis here is on God's unique sovereignty and eternal immortality. It implies that His divine attributes are exclusive, not shared or attainable by others. This directly opposes the Mormon belief that humans can achieve godhood.