The Vanishing Goddess: The Heavenly Mother Problem In Mormon Theology

          The doctrine of a Heavenly Mother occupies a structurally unstable position within Latter‑day Saint theology. Modern LDS leaders describe her as the divine consort of God the Father and the literal mother of all human spirits. Within Mormon cosmology, such a being should possess immense theological significance. Yet she is entirely absent from every foundational Mormon scripture, every early revelation, and every recorded vision of Joseph Smith. This silence is not incidental. It reveals a deep contradiction within the LDS doctrinal system: a deity of cosmic importance who is simultaneously missing from the religion’s authoritative sources.

          The absence begins with the Book of Mormon, which Latter‑day Saints regard as “the most correct book on earth.” It contains extensive discussions of the nature of God, the premortal existence, divine justice, and the destiny of humanity. Yet it never mentions a Heavenly Mother. Not once. The Doctrine and Covenants, Joseph Smith’s record of revelations, likewise omits her entirely, even in sections that explicitly address the creation of spirits, the premortal life, and the identity of divine beings. The Pearl of Great Price, including the Book of Moses and Book of Abraham, also contains no reference to her. These texts collectively define the LDS scriptural universe. Heavenly Mother does not exist within it.

          The silence is even more striking in Joseph Smith’s visionary experiences. Smith claimed encounters with God the Father, Jesus Christ, angels, resurrected beings, and ancient apostles. He described revelations involving the structure of heaven, the councils of the gods, and the origins of human spirits. Yet in all these experiences, Heavenly Mother never appears, is never mentioned, and is never implied. Even the First Vision, where Smith claimed to behold the Godhead, contains no trace of her. If she truly existed as a divine being of cosmic significance, her absence from Smith’s revelations is inexplicable.

          References to Heavenly Mother emerge only decades later, after Smith’s death, in scattered remarks by later LDS leaders. These statements were not presented as revelation, were not canonized, and were not grounded in any scriptural text. They represent theological speculation that gradually solidified into a soft doctrine: affirmed rhetorically, but never revealed. The modern LDS Church treats Heavenly Mother as an essential belief, yet it cannot point to a single authoritative revelation that introduces her, describes her, or explains her role. She is a deity without scripture, without revelation, and without a place in the foundational narrative of the religion.

          This produces a profound doctrinal contradiction. Mormonism teaches that human spirits are the literal children of Heavenly Parents. If this were true, Heavenly Mother would be central to human identity, the plan of salvation, and the premortal existence. She would be indispensable to the creation of humanity. Yet she is missing from every text that describes these doctrines. The absence is not merely curious; it is structurally catastrophic. A religion cannot coherently claim a divine mother of all humanity while simultaneously presenting a scriptural canon that never acknowledges her existence.

          In any coherent religious system, the complete absence of a deity of such magnitude would be unthinkable. In Christianity, the Father, Son, and Spirit saturate the biblical text. In Islam, Allah permeates every page of the Qur’an. In Hinduism, goddesses occupy vast portions of the sacred literature. A deity essential to human identity cannot be invisible. Yet in Mormonism, Heavenly Mother is invisible in every authoritative source. Her disappearance is not a minor oversight. It is a theological void that destabilizes the entire LDS cosmology.

Joseph Smith Is Correct Because Joseph Smith Said So

This passage has been taken from Joseph Smith's Translation of the Bible, also referred to by the Mormons as the Inspired Version of the Scriptures:

[Genesis 50] 24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die, and go unto my fathers; and I go down to my grave with joy. The God of my father Jacob be with you, to deliver you out of affliction in the days of your bondage; for the Lord hath visited me, and I have obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of my loins, the Lord God will raise up a righteous branch out of my loins; and unto thee, whom my father Jacob hath named Israel, a prophet; (not the Messiah who is called Shilo;) and this prophet shall deliver my people out of Egypt in the days of thy bondage.

25 And it shall come to pass that they shall be scattered again; and a branch shall be broken off, and shall be carried into a far country; nevertheless they shall be remembered in the covenants of the Lord, when the Messiah cometh; for he shall be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the Spirit of power; and shall bring them out of darkness into light; out of hidden darkness, and out of captivity unto freedom.

26 A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins.

27 Thus saith the Lord God of my fathers unto me, A choice seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins, and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give commandment that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren.

28 And he shall bring them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers; and he shall do whatsoever work I shall command him.

29 And I will make him great in mine eyes, for he shall do my work; and he shall be great like unto him whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to deliver my people, O house of Israel, out of the land of Egypt; for a seer will I raise up to deliver my people out of the land of Egypt; and he shall be called Moses. And by this name he shall know that he is of thy house; for he shall be nursed by the king’s daughter, and shall be called her son.

30 And again, a seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins, and unto him will I give power to bring forth my word unto the seed of thy loins; and not to the bringing forth of my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word, which shall have already gone forth among them in the last days;

31 Wherefore the fruit of thy loins shall write, and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write; and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together unto the confounding of false doctrines, and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the fruit of thy loins, and bringing them to a knowledge of their fathers in the latter days; and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord.

32 And out of weakness shall he be made strong, in that day when my work shall go forth among all my people, which shall restore them, who are of the house of Israel, in the last days.

33 And that seer will I bless, and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise I give unto you; for I will remember you from generation to generation; and his name shall be called Joseph, and it shall be after the name of his father; and he shall be like unto you; for the thing which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand shall bring my people unto salvation.

34 And the Lord sware unto Joseph that he would preserve his seed forever, saying, I will raise up Moses, and a rod shall be in his hand, and he shall gather together my people, and he shall lead them as a flock, and he shall smite the waters of the Red Sea with his rod.

35 And he shall have judgment, and shall write the word of the Lord. And he shall not speak many words, for I will write unto him my law by the finger of mine own hand. And I will make a spokesman for him, and his name shall be called Aaron.

36 And it shall be done unto thee in the last days also, even as I have sworn. Therefore, Joseph said unto his brethren, God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land, unto the land which he sware unto Abraham, and unto Isaac, and to Jacob.

37 And Joseph confirmed many other things unto his brethren, and took an oath of the children of Israel, saying unto them, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.

38 So Joseph died when he was an hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and they put him in a coffin in Egypt; and he was kept from burial by the children of Israel, that he might be carried up and laid in the sepulchre with his father. And thus they remembered the oath which they sware unto him.

We now shall proceed to offer a few concise critical comments on the above passage:

The above cited text was authored by none other than Joseph Smith. It is not found in any extant copies of the Hebrew text of Genesis. It is not found in any existing ancient translations of the Bible. This is highly unusual for a religion that claims to be from before Christ's birth.

Mormonism would more closely resemble the religions of the pagan nations, which Joseph and later Jewish descendants learned to despise, due to their pantheons of gods. Mormons do not believe in only one true God. They are just like the "Gentiles" they declare themselves not to be. But here is the twist: we are not dealing with real history, or even claims that are plausible for their times. Mormonism maintains that everything has been corrupted, making it elusive to intellectual challenges by external standards. We are dealing with an instance of ad absurdum.

This "prophecy" is self-referential. Smith wrote a prophecy about himself and his own teachings. Followers are obviously expected to accept all of this as incontrovertibly true. Outsiders are to come to believe these claims. It is a circular appeal, which is inherently absurd. Anyone can write a "prophecy" about himself. It is self-fulfilling, giving the appearance of being "true" even though it is not.

There is a broader element of irony about this "translation" of the Bible, namely, it is not the primary text which Mormons use, even though it is indeed considered an inspired text by them. They usually consult the King James Version above all else.

Dissecting Claims Of Authority Over The Canon

          The formation of the biblical canon is a testament to the providential hand of God working through history, weaving together the threads of diverse cultures, languages, and circumstances to create a unified witness to His truth. It stands as a profound example of divine sovereignty intersecting with human faithfulness, as God guided His people to recognize and preserve the writings He inspired. Far from being the result of a single institution's decree or an arbitrary decision, the canon emerged gradually through the careful discernment of early Jewish and Christian communities, who were united in their reverence for the Word of God. These communities, shaped by the Spirit and deeply rooted in Scripture, naturally distinguished between inspired writings and those lacking divine authority.

          This gradual recognition of canonical texts reveals the active interplay of divine guidance and human agency. The early Jewish communities, through their meticulous preservation of the Hebrew Scriptures, demonstrated a profound respect for God’s Word. Over centuries, this reverence evolved into structured practices, such as synagogue readings and public proclamation of the Law, which ingrained these writings into the spiritual fabric of Jewish life. Similarly, Christian communities, inspired by the teachings of Christ and the apostles, engaged in the collective discernment of writings that resonated with the truth of the Gospel. This cooperative effort underscored their reliance on the Spirit to uphold the integrity of God’s revelation.

          Accusations of circular reasoning fall apart when viewed in light of the historical and evidential basis for the Protestant understanding of the canon. The formation of the canon was not an arbitrary or self-referential process. It was a deliberate and rigorous evaluation of texts using objective criteria such as apostolic authorship, doctrinal consistency, and widespread acceptance within the early Christian community. These criteria were not invented to suit an agenda, but were natural outgrowths of the faith and teachings passed down from Christ and His apostles. This process affirms the logical and factual foundation of the canon's recognition, leaving no room for claims of circularity.

          Furthermore, the historical record demonstrates that the early church actively examined and debated the authenticity of writings, ensuring that only those inspired by God were affirmed as canonical. This is not circular reasoning; it is the application of reason, historical evidence, and theological discernment to recognize the books God had inspired. Unlike claims that rely on an infallible human authority to validate Scripture, the Protestant position honors the divine nature of Scripture itself. The authenticity and authority of the canon stand on the solid ground of historical fact and apostolic truth, not on the shifting sands of institutional decree. The recognition of these writings was not merely academic or institutional but rooted in their transformative impact on individual and communal worship.

          The assertion that an infallible ecclesiastical authority is necessary for canon formation underestimates the sufficiency of God’s providence. The early church’s discernment of Scripture was Spirit-led and operated organically across diverse communities. Protestant theology emphasizes that God’s Word bears intrinsic authority, revealed through widespread acceptance and usage by believers rather than requiring institutional endorsement. To claim that Scripture’s authority stems from the church reverses the relationship between the two, the church was founded upon Scripture, not the other way around.

          The dynamics of canon formation are deeply intertwined with the lived faith and praxis of believing communities. Unlike a static declaration from a singular source, the canon reflects the organic, Spirit-led recognition of texts that carried spiritual power, theological depth, and apostolic truth. This process underscores the collaborative relationship between God and His people, as human discernment operated under divine inspiration. The recognition of these writings was not merely academic or institutional but rooted in their transformative impact on individual and communal worship. The early church’s reliance on these texts for shaping doctrine, resolving disputes, and nurturing spiritual growth is a testimony to the enduring vibrancy of God’s Word in the life of His people. While external historical evidence and communal recognition support the authenticity of Scripture, they are not the ultimate foundation of its authority. Scripture stands as the direct revelation of God, transcending human institutions and traditions.

          The claim that the Protestant canon is comparable to the claims made by Islam or Mormonism fundamentally misunderstands the nature of its formation. Unlike the Quran, which rests entirely on the unverified prophecies of Muhammad, or the Book of Mormon, which hinges solely on the purported revelations of Joseph Smith, the Protestant canon emerged through a historical, communal process guided by clear criteria. The early church rigorously evaluated texts for apostolic authorship, doctrinal consistency, and widespread acceptance across Christian communities. These criteria provided a robust and objective foundation for recognizing the canon, distinguishing it from claims rooted in the subjective visions of a single individual.

           Moreover, the Protestant canon is grounded in historical and apostolic traditions supported by extensive evidence. The New Testament writings were composed within the apostolic era and recognized as authoritative during the lifetime of the apostles. In contrast, the Quran and the Book of Mormon were written centuries or millennia after the events they describe, with no corroborating evidence to verify their accounts. The Protestant canon, preserved through God's providence and affirmed by centuries of use, stands on a foundation of historical reliability and theological integrity, unlike the unverifiable and ahistorical origins of Islamic and Mormon texts.

           Reliance on tradition to establish the canon assumes an unnecessary hierarchy between Scripture and the church. They exist in mutual interdependence, with Scripture being the ultimate standard of truth and the church being the body that submits to and upholds it. The canon is to be recognized as a product of the providential guidance of God, working through the church but not requiring an infallible institution. The diversity of early Christian communities and how they universally came to accept the canon demonstrates its intrinsic authority rather than reliance on a centralized tradition.

          The claim that an infallible ecclesiastical authority is necessary for the establishment of the canon overlooks the demonstrable sufficiency of God’s providence. The early church, often operating in contexts of persecution, limited communication, and doctrinal challenges, did not falter in preserving the core truths of the faith. This resilience attests to the inherent clarity and power of Scripture, which consistently guided believers through centuries of upheaval. The reliance on shared apostolic tradition and the universal resonance of these texts further demonstrates that the authority of Scripture is derived not from institutional validation but from its divine origin and self-evidencing truth.

          The Bible was the product of theological reflection, communal practices, and historical developments. The canonization of Scripture was neither an event decreed by a central authority nor the product of any one council. It was a process marked by dialogue and discernment across diverse Christian communities, each evaluating the texts in light of their theological coherence and apostolic origins. Long before any formal councils convened, texts now considered canonical were already in widespread use among Christians for worship, teaching, and exhortation. To attribute the formation of the canon chiefly to the Roman Catholic Church is to overlook the rich and multifaceted history of the early Christian world. This narrative often romanticizes the Rome’s role, failing to acknowledge the grassroots efforts and shared convictions of diverse communities in preserving God’s Word.

          This organic and communal process underscores the unity and diversity of the early Christian world. Despite geographical distances and occasional theological disagreements, believers collectively affirmed the writings that bore the marks of divine inspiration. The canon thus emerged as a testimony to the shared faith and commitment of Christians to uphold the truths revealed by God, emphasizing the collaborative nature of canon formation, rather than attributing it to a centralized or hierarchical authority alone.

          The Protestant Reformation is often dismissed as a mere rejection of Catholic tradition, but this perspective fails to recognize the Reformers’ intent to return Christianity to its original roots. Martin Luther’s critiques, including his famous assertion of "Sola Scriptura," were born of a desire to reform, not dismantle, the church. Suggesting that Protestants diverge from Christianity’s foundational truths solely because they reject certain Catholic doctrines overlooks the invaluable contributions of Protestant thought to the ongoing evolution of Christian faith and practices.

          Notably, the Protestant Reformation revitalized the conversation about Scripture's authority. The Reformers championed the idea that God's Word itself holds the ultimate authority, independent of ecclesiastical decree. This conviction prompted renewed scholarly engagement with biblical texts, driving efforts to translate the Scriptures into vernacular languages. By making the Bible accessible to the broader population, the Reformers emphasized the personal relationship between individuals and God's Word, a principle that continues to resonate throughout Protestant traditions.

          The Protestant understanding of the canon reflects the historical processes by which the New Testament took shape. The writings were recognized and preserved through the careful discernment of early Christian communities, guided by their theological commitments and connection to the apostolic tradition. This demonstrates that a robust defense of the canon can be made without requiring an infallible authority to impose its structure.

         The early church operated without the rigid structures associated with later Roman Catholicism. The apostles, while occupying leadership roles, did so in a context far removed from the hierarchical framework imposed retroactively by later ecclesiastical institutions. To label them as "Catholic bishops" misrepresents the fluid and diverse nature of early Christian leadership. The early Christian movement was a mosaic of leadership practices and theological variations. The imposition of modern ecclesiastical titles onto the apostles distorts the historical complexities of the formative years of Christianity.

           The concept of Catholic authority parallels the hierarchical structure of Mormonism. Both systems centralize authority in a single institution that claims exclusive interpretative and doctrinal power. The Catholic Church asserts the infallibility of its magisterium, giving it final say on matters of faith and morals. Similarly, Mormonism places ultimate authority in its First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who are regarded as living prophets and seers. In both cases, this centralized authority often overrides individual discernment, creating a reliance on institutional declarations rather than on the inherent authority of Scripture. Protestants reject such frameworks, emphasizing instead the sufficiency of God's Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in illuminating its truth to all believers.

          Jerome is often invoked as a pivotal figure in canon formation due to his work on the Latin Vulgate, but his relationship with church authority was anything but straightforward. Jerome was a scholar who engaged critically with the texts, frequently clashing with ecclesiastical authorities over theological and textual matters. His work reflects rigorous scholarship and intellectual independence rather than unquestioning compliance with church directives. To portray him as merely a tool of the church oversimplifies his contentious and sometimes rebellious legacy.

          The Old Testament presents its own unique challenges to the narrative that the Roman Catholic Church is the sole steward of the Bible. Long before the church came into existence, Jewish scholars had identified and preserved the Hebrew Scriptures. These texts, encompassing the Law, Prophets, and Writings, were central to Jewish worship and culture for centuries. Jesus and the apostles frequently referenced these scriptures, affirming their divine authority. The meticulous transmission of the Hebrew Scriptures by Jewish scribes ensured their preservation with remarkable accuracy, as evidenced by findings like the Dead Sea Scrolls. The process by which the Jewish canon was recognized and preserved occurred independently of any Christian influence, demonstrating that an infallible teaching authority is not a prerequisite for identifying inspired writings.

          Similarly, the New Testament canon reflects the gradual recognition of authoritative texts through the shared efforts and convictions of early Christian communities. These communities, deeply rooted in the teachings of the apostles and the broader tradition, played a critical role in discerning which writings carried authentic apostolic authority and theological integrity. This recognition was driven by practical considerations and the communal need for consistent guidance in worship, teaching, and addressing theological challenges.

          The prominence of texts such as the four gospels, Acts, and Paul’s epistles by the second century highlights the role of widespread usage and acceptance within the church. Rather than being imposed by a central authority, the canon emerged organically as Christians naturally gravitated toward writings that resonated with the apostolic faith and provided reliable foundations for doctrine. The process of differentiation, particularly when confronted with apocryphal and heretical works, demonstrates the capacity of Christian communities to uphold the integrity of the faith without reliance on a singular infallible mediator.

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.

Mormon Polygamy And Perceptions: Insights Into 19th Century Life Around The Great Salt Lake

I was unwilling to add to the number of those who had annoyed the Prophet by domestic allusions and therefore have no direct knowledge of the extent to which he carries polygamy. Some Gentiles allow him seventeen, others thirty-six, out of a household of seventy members; others, an indefinite number of wives scattered through the different settlements. Of these, doubtless many are but wives by name, such for instance as the widows of the late Prophet, and others are married more for the purpose of building up for themselves spiritual kingdoms than for the normal purpose of matrimony. When treating of Mormon polygamy, I shall attempt to show that the relation between the sexes as lately regulated by the Mormon faith necessitates polygamy. I should judge the Prophet’s progeny to be numerous from the following circumstance: On one occasion, when standing with him on the belvedere, my eye fell upon a new erection; it could be compared externally to nothing but an English gentleman’s hunting stables with their little clock tower, and I asked him what it was intended for. “A private school for my children,” he replied, directed by Brother E.B. Kelsey. The harem is said to have cost $30,000.

On the extreme west of this block, backed by a pound for estrays which is no longer used, lies the Tithing House and Deserét Store, a long, narrow, upper-storied building with cellars, storerooms, receiving rooms, pay rooms, and writing offices. At this time of the year, it chiefly contains linseed and rags for paper making; after the harvest, it is well stuffed with grains and cereals, which are taken instead of money payment. There is nothing more unpopular among the American Gentiles, or indeed more unintelligible to them, than these Mosaic tithes, which the English converts pay from habit without a murmur. They serve for scandalous insinuations, viz. that the chiefs are leeches that draw the people’s golden blood, that the imposts are compulsory, and that they are embezzled and peculated by the principal dignitaries. I have reason to believe that the contrary is the case. The tithes, which are paid into the Treasury of the Lord upon the property of a Saint on profession and afterward upon his annual income or his time or by substitute, are wholly voluntary. It sometimes happens that a man casts his all into the bosom of the Church; in this case, the all is not refused, but may I ask, by what Church body, Islamitic, Christian, or pagan, would it be? If the Prophet takes anything from the Tithing House, he pays for it like other men. The writers receive stipends like other writers and no more; of course, if any one clerk or lawyer wishes to do the business of the Church gratis, he is graciously permitted, and where, I repeat, would he not be? The Latter-Day Saints declare that if their first Presidency and Twelve Apostles, of whom some, by the by, are poor, grow rich, it is by due benevolence, not by force or fraud. Much like the primitive college and most unlike their successors in this modern day, each apostle must have some craft, and all live by handiwork, either in house, shop, or field, no drones being allowed in the social hive. The tithes are devoted in part to Church works, especially to building up temples or otherwise beautifying and adorning Zion as they may be directed from on high, and in part to the prosperity of the body politic, temporal and spiritual, by aiding faithful and needy emigrants and by supporting old and needy Saints. Perhaps the only true charge brought by the Gentiles against this, and indeed against all the public funds in the Mormon City, is that a large portion finds its way eastward and is expended in outside influence, or to speak plain English, bribes. It is believed by Mormons as well as Gentiles that Mr. Brigham Young has, in the States, newspaper spies and influential political friends who are attached to him not only by the ties of business and the natural respect felt for a wealthy man, but by the strong bond of a regular stipend. And such is their reliance upon this political dodgery, which, if it really exists, is by no means honorable to the public morality of the Gentiles, that they deride the idea of a combined movement from Washington ever being made against them. In 1860, Governor Cumming proposed to tax the tithing fund, but the Saints replied that as property is first taxed and then tithed, by such proceeding it would be twice taxed.

On the extreme west of this block, backed by a pound for estrays which is no longer used, lies the Tithing House and Deserét Store, a long, narrow, upper-storied building with cellars, storerooms, receiving rooms, pay rooms, and writing offices. At this time of the year, it chiefly contains linseed and rags for paper making; after the harvest, it is well stuffed with grains and cereals, which are taken instead of money payment. There is nothing more unpopular among the American Gentiles, or indeed more unintelligible to them, than these Mosaic tithes, which the English converts pay from habit without a murmur. They serve for scandalous insinuations, viz. that the chiefs are leeches that draw the people’s golden blood, that the imposts are compulsory, and that they are embezzled and peculated by the principal dignitaries. I have reason to believe that the contrary is the case. The tithes, which are paid into the Treasury of the Lord upon the property of a Saint on profession and afterward upon his annual income or his time or by substitute, are wholly voluntary. It sometimes happens that a man casts his all into the bosom of the Church; in this case, the all is not refused, but may I ask, by what Church body, Islamitic, Christian, or pagan, would it be? If the Prophet takes anything from the Tithing House, he pays for it like other men. The writers receive stipends like other writers and no more; of course, if any one clerk or lawyer wishes to do the business of the Church gratis, he is graciously permitted, and where, I repeat, would he not be? The Latter-Day Saints declare that if their first Presidency and Twelve Apostles, of whom some, by the by, are poor, grow rich, it is by due benevolence, not by force or fraud. Much like the primitive college and most unlike their successors in this modern day, each apostle must have some craft, and all live by handiwork, either in house, shop, or field, no drones being allowed in the social hive. The tithes are devoted in part to Church works, especially to building up temples.

This people, a term reiterated at Great Salt Lake City usque ad nauseam, declares its belief in being subject to kings, queens, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. They are not backward in open acts of loyalty—I beg America’s pardon—of adhesion to the Union, such as supplying stones for the Washington Monument and soldiers for the Mexican War. But they make scant pretension of patriotism. They regard the States pretty much as the States regarded England after the War of Independence and hate them as the Mexican Criollo does the Gachupin, very much also for the same reason. Theirs is a deep and abiding resentment which time will strengthen, not efface; the deeds of Missouri and Illinois will bear fruit for many and many a generation. The federal government, they say, has so far from protecting their lives and property, left them to be burned out and driven away by the hands of a mob far more cruel than the red-coated minions of poor King George; that Generals Harney and Johnston were only seeking the opportunity to act Burgoyne and Cornwallis. But more galling still to human nature, whether of saint or sinner, they are despised, treated in fact as nobodies, and that last of insults, who can bear? Their petitions to become a sovereign state have been unanswered and ignored. They have been served with small-fry politicians and one-horse officials; hitherto the phrase has been, “Anything is good enough for Utah.” They return the treatment in kind.

The Old Independence, the glorious 4th of July ‘76, is treated with silent contempt; its honors are transferred to the 24th of July, the local Independence Day of their annus mirabilis 1847, when the weary pioneers, preceding a multitude which, like the Pilgrim Fathers of New England, left country and home for conscience’ sake, and led by Captain John Brown, whose unerring rifle saved them from starvation when the Indians had stampeded their horses, arrived in the wild waste of valley. Their form of government, which I can describe only as a democratic despotism with a leaven of the true Mosaic theocracy, enables them to despise a political system in which, they say, quoting Hamilton, that every vital interest of the state is merged in the all-absorbing question of who shall be the next president. There is only one Yankee gridiron in the town, and that is a private concern. I do not remember ever seeing a liberty pole, that emblem of a tyrant majority, which has been bowed to from New York to the Rhine. A favorite toast on public occasions is, “We can rock the cradle of Liberty without Uncle Sam to help us,” and so forth. These sentiments show how the wind sets. In two generations hence, perhaps New Zion has a prophet making air; the Mormons, in their present position, will, on their own ground, be more than a match for the Atlantic and, combined with the Chinese, will be dangerous to the Pacific States.

The Mormons, if they are anything in secular politics, are Democrats. It has not been judged advisable to cast off the last rags of popular government, but as will presently appear, theocracy is not much disguised by them. Although not of the black or extreme category, they instinctively feel that polygamy and slavery are sister institutions, claiming that sort of kindness which arises from fellow feeling, and that Congress cannot attack one without infringing upon the other. Here, perhaps, they may be mistaken, for nations, like individuals, however warmly and affectionately they love their own peculiar follies and prejudices, sins and crimes, are not the less—indeed, perhaps they are rather more—disposed to abominate the follies and prejudices, the sins and crimes of others. The establishment of slavery, however, though here it serves a humanitarian rather than a private end, necessarily draws the Mormons and the Southern States together. Yet the Saints preferred as President the late Mr. Senator Douglas, a Northern Democrat, to his Southern rival, Mr. Breckinridge. They looked with apprehension at the rise to power of the Republican party, which, had not a weightier matter fallen into their hands, was pledged to do them harm. I cannot but think that absolute independence is, and will be until attained, the principal end and aim of Mormon haute politique, and when the disruption of the Great Republic shall have become a fait accompli, that Deseret will arise a free, sovereign, and independent state.

Should this event ever happen, it will make the regions about Great Salt Lake as exclusive as Northern China or Eastern Tibet. The obsolete rigors of the sanguinary Mosaic code will be renewed in the middle of the nineteenth century, while the statute crime bigamy and unlimited polygamy will be legalized. Stripes or, at best, fine and imprisonment will punish fornication, and the penalty of adultery will be death by lapidation or beheading. As it is, even under the shadow of the federal laws, the self-convicted breaker of the seventh commandment will, it is said, offer up his life in expiation of his crime to the Prophet, who under present circumstances dismisses him with a penance that may end in the death which he has legally incurred. The offenses against chastity, morality, and decency are exceptionally severe.

The penalty attached to betting of any kind is a fine not exceeding $300 or imprisonment not exceeding six months. The importation of spirituous liquors is already burdened with an octroi of half its price, raising cognac and whisky to $12 and $8 per gallon. If the state could make her own laws, she would banish poteen, hunt down the stills, and impose a prohibitory duty upon everything stronger than lager beer.

On the saddest day of the year for the bird which has lost so much good fame by condescending to appear at table aux choux, I proceeded with my fidus Achates, save the self-comparison to pious Æneas, on a visit to Mr. W.W., alias Judge Phelps, alias the Devil. He received me with great civility and entered without reserve upon his hobbies. His house, which lies west of Temple Block, bears on the weathercock Job xxxviii 35: Adsumus (Here we are). Besides Hebrew and other linguistic studies, the judge is a meteorologist and has been engaged for some years in observations upon the climate of the Territory. An old editor at Independence, he now superintends the Utah Almanac and gave me a copy for the year 1860, being the 31st year of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is a small duodecimo, creditably printed by Mr. J.M. Knight, Utah, and contains thirty-two pages. The contents are the usual tables of days, sunrises, sunsets, eclipses, etc., with advertisements on the alternate pages, and it ends with the denominations and value of gold and silver coins, original poetry, scientific notes concerning the morning and evening stars, a list of the United States officers at Utah, the number of the planets and asteroids, diarrhoea and moral poetry, and an explanation of the word almanac, concluding with the following observation:

“A person without an almanac is somewhat like a ship at sea with a compass; he never knows what to do nor when to do it.”

“So Mormon, other sects, and Quaker, Buy Almanacs and pay the maker.” - K.J.

The only signs of sanctity are in the events appended to the days of the week. They naturally record the dates of local interest and the births and deaths of prophets, patriarchs, presidents, and apostles. Under the head of “Time,” however, some novel information is provided for the benefit of the benighted chronologist.

TIME. There is a great mystery about time as recorded in the Bible. Authors differ as to what length of time this world has occupied since it came into being. Add 4004 to 1860, and we have 5864 years.

Again, some authors allow before the birth of the Savior 5509 years, which added to 1860 gives 7369 years since the beginning.

The book of Abraham, as translated by Joseph Smith, gives 7000 years for the creation by the gods, one day of the Lord being a thousand years of man’s time, or a day in Kolob. This important revelation of 7000 years at first shows 5960 years since the transgression of Adam and Eve and 40 years to the next day of rest if the year 1900 commences the return of the ten tribes and the first resurrection, or 13,000 years since the gods said, “Let there be light,” and there was light, so that the fourteen thousandth year will be the second Sabbath since creation.

A day of the Moon is nearly thirty of our days, or more than ten thousand of Earth’s time. Verily, verily:

“Man knows but little, Nor knows that little right.”

The judge then showed me an instrument upon which he had expended the thought and labor of years. It was that grand desideratum, a magnetic compass, which, pointing with a second needle to the true north, would indicate variation so correctly as to show longitude by inspection. The article, which was as rough-looking as it could be, was placed upon the table, but it would not, as the inventor explained, point to the true north unless in a particular position. I refrain from recording my hundred doubts as to the feasibility of the operation and my own suspicions concerning the composition of the instrument. I presently took leave of Judge Phelps, pleased with his quaint kindness but somehow suspecting him of being a little tête montée on certain subjects.

As it was newspaper day, we passed by the Mountaineer office and bought a copy. The press is ably and extensively represented in Great Salt Lake City as in any other of its Western coevals. Mormonism, so far from despising the powers of pica, has a more than ordinary respect for them. Until lately, there were three weekly newspapers. The Valley Tan, however, during the last winter, expired after a slow and lingering dysthesis induced by overindulgence in Gentile tendencies. It was established in 1858. The proprietor was Mr. J. Hartnett, the late federal secretary. The editor was Mr. Kirk Anderson, followed by Mr. De Wolf and others. The issue was hebdomadal, and the subscription high, $10 per annum. The recognized official organ of the religion, which first appeared on the 15th of June 1850, is the Deserét News, whose motto is “Truth and Liberty” under a hive over which is a single circumradiated eye in disagreeable proximity to the little busy bee. It has often changed its size and is now printed in a small folio of eight pages, each containing four columns of close type. Sometimes articles are clothed in the Mormon alphabet. It had reached, in 1860, its tenth volume. It appears every Wednesday, costs $6 per annum in Utah, £1 13s 8d per annum in advance in England, and a single number 9d. It is superintended by Mr. Brigham Young. It is edited by Mr. Elias Smith, also a Probate judge. He is assisted by Mr. M. Knight, formerly the editor of a paper in the United States and now the author of the important horticultural, agricultural, and other georgic articles in the Deserét News. This Moniteur also contains corrected reports of the sermons spoken at the Tabernacle. An account of a number may not be uninteresting.

No. 28, Vol. X begins with a hymn of seven stanzas by C.W. Bryant. Following are remarks by President Brigham Young at Provo and in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City. The three sermons, which occupy four and a half columns, are separated by “Modern Germany II” by Alexander Ott. There is an article from the New York Sun entitled “The Great Eastern in Court.” It is followed by nearly half a page of clippings, those little recognized piracies which make the American papers as amusing as magazines. Then come advertisements, estray notices, and others which nearly fill the third and sixth pages, and the column at the eighth, which is the conclusion. I subjoin terms for advertising. The fourth page contains “News by Eastern Mail,” “Doings of the Probate Court,” “Special Term of the Probate Court,” “Another Excusable Homicide,” “The Season,” “Imprisoning Convicts Without Labor,” “Discharge of the City Police,” “Swiss Saints Lately Arrived,” “Arrival of Missionaries at Liverpool,” “Drowned: Joseph Vest,” etc. “Deserét Agriculturing and Manufacturing Society,” “Information Wanted,” and “Humboldt’s Opinion of the United States,” comparing it to a Cartesian vortex, liberty a dead machinery in the hands of Utilitarianism, etc. The fifth and sixth pages detail news from Europe, the Sicilies, Damascus, and India, proceedings of a missionary meeting in the Bowery, and tidings from Juab and Iron County, with a few stopgaps such as an explanation of the word “Zouave” and the part conversion of the fallen Boston elm into a Mayor’s seat. The seventh page is agricultural and opens with “The American Autumn” by Fanny Kemble, four stanzas. Then comes “Sheep Husbandry No. III,” treating of change of pasture, separation of the flock, and fall management. The other morceaux are “Training the Peach Tree,” “Stick to the Farm,” an article concluding with “We shall always sign speed the plow; we shall always regard the American farmer dressed for his employment and tilling his grounds as belonging to the order of real noblemen, the less aristocratic Englander would limit himself to Nature’s gentleman. Why pork shrinks in the pot and wheat straw its value as fodder. The eighth and last page opens with correspondence and a letter signed Joseph Hall, headed “More Results of Civilization” and dated Ogden City, Sept. 8, 1860. It contains an account of occurrences resulting in the death of one John Cornwell, a discharged government teamster, and as is often the case with those Christians who are sent to civilize the Mormons of these mountains, a corrupt, profane, and quarrelsome individual who doted on belonging to the bully tribe. Then follows more news from San Pete County, “A Test of Love,” that capital story out of C.R. Leslie’s autobiography, “Siege of Magdeburg,” a hard-shell sermon preached at Oxford, England, a scrap illustrating the marvelous growth of Quincy, Illinois, and the legend of the origin of the pianoforte. The latter is followed by a valuable abstract containing a summary of meteorological observations, barometric and thermometric, for the month of August 1860 at Great Salt Lake City, Utah, by W.W. Phelps, and concluding with a monthly journal. Then follow the deaths, six in number, and after one of them is inserted “Millennial Star copy.” There are no marriages, and the Western papers, like those of the East, are still bégueules enough to consider advertising the birth of a child indelicate; at least that was the reason given to me. The last column contains the terms for advertising and the fill-up advertisements.

The Mountaineer, whose motto is “Do what is right, let the consequence follow,” is considered rather a secular paper. It appears on Saturdays, and the terms of subscription are $6 per annum. The occasional supplement is issued gratis. It formerly belonged to three lawyers, Messrs. Stout, Blair, and Ferguson. It has now passed into the hands of the two latter. Mr. Hosea Stout distinguished himself during the Nauvoo troubles; he was the captain of forty policemen who watched over the safety of Mr. Joseph Smith and afterward went on missions to India and China. Major S.M. Blair served under General Sam Houston in the Texan War of Independence and was a distinguished lawyer in the Southern States. A description of the Deserét News will apply to the Mountaineer. I notice in the issue of September 15, 1860, that a correspondent, quoting an extract from the New York Tribune, the great Republican organ and therefore no favorite with the Mormons, says outspokenly enough to please any amount of John Bull: “The author of the above is a most consummate liar; so far, so good; and a contemptible, dastardly poltroon,” which is invidious.

I passed the morning of the ensuing Sunday in a painful but appropriate exercise, reading the Books of Mormon and of Moroni the Prophet. Some writers tell me that it is the best extant imitation of the Old Testament; to me, it seems composed only to emulate the sprightliness of some parts of Leviticus. Others declare that it is founded upon a romance composed by a Rev. Mr. Spaulding. If so, Mr. Spaulding must have been like Prince Pückler-Muskau of traveling notoriety, a romancer utterly without romance. Surely there never was a book so thoroughly dull and heavy; it is monotonous as a sage prairie. Though not liable to be terrified by dry or hard reading, I was, it is only fair to own, unable to turn over more than a few chapters at a time, and my conviction is that very few are so highly gifted that they have been able to read it through at a heat. In Mormonism, it now holds the same locus as the Bible in the more ignorant Roman Catholic countries, where religious reading is chiefly restricted to the Breviary, to tales of miracles, and to legends of Saints Ursula and Bridget. It is strictly proper, does not contain a word about materialism and polygamy; in fact, more than one wife is strictly forbidden even in the Book of Doctrines and Covenants. The Mormon Bible, therefore, is laid aside for later and lighter reading. In one point, it has done something: America, like Africa, is a continent of the future; the Book of Mormon has created for it a historical and miraculous past.

At 9:45 AM, we entered the Bowery. It is advisable to go if seats within hearing are required. The place was a kind of hangar about a hundred feet long by the same breadth, with roofing of bushes and boughs supported by rough posts, and for ventilation on the sides. It can contain about 3,000 souls. The congregation is accommodated upon long rows of benches. The dais, rostrum, platform, or tribune, which looked like a long lane of boarding, was open to the north where it faced the audience and entered by steps from the east. Between the people and the platform was a place not unlike a Methodist pen at a meeting. This was allotted to the orchestra: a violin, a bass, women, and four men performers who sang the sweet songs of Zion tolerably well—decidedly well after a moment’s reflection as to latitude and longitude and after reminiscences of country and town chapels in that land where it is said, had the Psalmist heard his own psalms,

“In furious mood he would have tore 'em.”

Richard F. Burton, The City of the Saints: Among the Mormons and Across the Rocky Mountains to California, p. 249-259

Mormon Contradiction: Is There Salvation After Death Or Not?

        "Therefore, if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever. And now I say unto you, that mercy hath no claim on that man; therefore his final doom is to endure a never-ending torment." (Mosiah 2:38-39)

        This teaching is consistent with historic Christian theology concerning the human soul and divine justice. The except in question says that there are no chances for salvation after death. Much of the distinguishing tenants of Mormonism, however, are found in other standard sources used to teach Mormon dogma. This has helped missionaries for that religion to draw in converts. In contrast, the Doctrine and Covenants affirms the idea of postmortem salvation:

        "And after this another angel shall sound, which is the second trump; and then cometh the redemption of those who are Christ’s at his coming; who have received their part in that prison which is prepared for them, that they might receive the gospel, and be judged according to men in the flesh." (section 88:99)

        This goes to highlight inconsistency in Mormon revelation. It disproves any claim that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. One cannot be both sentenced to an eternity in hell and be given a chance to receive the gospel, which is the message of salvation from sin. One is either sentenced to eternal condemnation by God or has not been given that verdict.

Mormon Contradiction: Is The Nature Of God Changeable Or Unchangeable?

        The Book of Mormon contains a number of passages describing God as having an unchangeable nature:

        "For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity." (Moroni 8:18)

        "Now, the decrees of God are unalterable; therefore, the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk therein and be saved." (Alma 41:8)

        These passages are so clear as to require minimal exposition. They communicate themes of the immutability of God. These are words that could come from the mouth of anyone who professes faith in Him. Taken by themselves, these statements may even hoodwink one into thinking that Mormonism is thoroughly consistent with traditional Christianity. 

        "For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?" (Mormon 9:9)

        This text is of interest here, especially considering how Joseph Smith took the words describing Christ in Hebrews 13:8 and applied them to God the Father. The point is not that such a description of Him is incorrect, but the verbatim words from the biblical text have been inserted into the Book of Mormon. This is arguably an instance of plagiarism.

        Official Mormon doctrine, on the other hand, affirms that God is increasing in knowledge. Consider this excerpt from the Journal of Discourses, volume 6:

        "The mind or the intelligence which man possesses is coequal with God himself. I know that my testimony is true; hence, when I talk to these mourners, what have they lost? Their relatives and friends are only separated from their bodies for a short season: their spirits which existed with God have left the tabernacle of clay only for a little moment, as it were; and they now exist in a place where they converse together the same as we do on the earth....There never was a time when there were not spirits; for they are co-equal with our Father in heaven."

         If God can grow in terms of knowledge, then how can He be said to be unchangeable? If God is as man once was and man can become what God is, then He cannot have that trait applied to Him. Smith's teaching on this issue is muddled and contradictory.

         If God is able to increase in knowledge, then it follows that He can make mistakes. His judgments are liable to error. The Mormon conception of god is not a god in any meaningful sense of the term. The god of Mormonism has no power to save lost souls.

Mormon Contradiction: Is The Trinity One God In Three Persons Or Three Separate Gods?

          The Book of Mormon contains passages that articulate the concept of the Trinity as one unified and eternal God. These texts underscore the harmony and singularity of God, expressed through the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as seen in Alma 11:44:

          "Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil."

          This passage paints a vivid picture of divine unity and judgment, portraying the Trinity not as separate entities but as one eternal God, seamlessly integrated in purpose and essence. It emphasizes the doctrine of restoration—a universal process by which every individual, regardless of status or moral standing, will be restored to their perfect frame and judged righteously by the united Godhead. This concept highlights the depth and inclusivity of divine justice and salvation.

          Similarly, 2 Nephi 31:21 reinforces the indivisibility of the Godhead in the context of salvation:

          "And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen."

          This passage unequivocally declares that salvation is attainable only through Christ, reiterating the unity and eternal nature of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It affirms the singularity of the Godhead, emphasizing their oneness as an enduring truth.

          However, this depiction contrasts sharply with the broader theology taught in Mormonism, which delineates the members of the Godhead as three distinct gods. According to the "Articles of Faith" and authoritative Mormon texts, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are independent and separate personages, collectively forming the Godhead:

          "Latter-day Saints believe in God the Father; His Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost (A of F 1). These three Gods form the Godhead, which holds the keys of power over the universe. Each member of the Godhead is an independent personage, separate and distinct from the other two, the three being in perfect unity and harmony with each other (AF, chap. 2)." (Source: BYU Encyclopedia of Mormonism)

          This teaching emphasizes the individuality of the three divine figures while asserting their perfect unity and harmony in purpose and action. Mormon theology thus presents the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as three separate gods who collectively wield power over the universe.

          The theological divergence between the Book of Mormon's description and Mormonism's broader doctrine is striking. On the one hand, the scriptures of the Book of Mormon describe a single, unified, eternal God—a seamless integration of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, Mormon theology explicitly defines the Godhead as three distinct and independent gods, unified in harmony but separate in being.

          This contradiction raises profound questions about the consistency and interpretation of Mormon beliefs. How can essential Mormon scriptures and teachings offer such divergent perspectives on the nature of the divine? The tension between the doctrine of one eternal God and the concept of three separate gods challenges the coherence of Mormon theology, prompting doubts as to the truthfulness of that religion's teachings.

Debunking The Mormon Teaching Of Human Souls Being Preexistent

        “Before you were born on the earth, you lived in the presence of your Heavenly Father as one of his spirit children.” (True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference, p. 115)

        In Genesis 2:7, we are told that God created Adam from the dust of the earth. He was not a pre-existing soul. Rather, he had life breathed into him. That is the precise moment when Adam's life began. He did not exist prior to walking in the Garden of Eden.

        In Genesis 5:3, we are told that Adam had a son in his own image and likeness named Seth. Thus, he had life breathed into him just as did his father. Seth never existed in the form of a disembodied soul prior to his birth.

       In 1 Corinthians 15:46-47, the Apostle Paul states that our physical birth takes place prior to our spiritual birth. This is contrary to the idea of our souls being pre-existent. God breathed life into man when he was created from the dust of the ground, not put already existing souls into bodies.

       Jesus Christ as God existed eternally with the Father. He took on flesh to make atonement for our sins. If our souls are pre-existent, then that would compromise the uniqueness of Christ. There would be no basis for Him to appeal to His pre-existence as a special qualification (John 8:56-58). The response to Christ's claims of being God points to a general absence of belief in all human souls being pre-existent amongst Jews of His day (John 8:59).

         Blake T. Ostler notes the following regarding the absence of belief in the preexistence of human souls amongst the earliest followers of Mormonism:

       "The earliest Mormon publications defined God—in terms borrowed from contemporary orthodox Christianity—as the sole and necessary basis of all existence.2 [See, for example, Apostle Parley P. Pratt’s statement that at death the human spirit “return[s] to the fountain and become[s] part of the great all from which [it] emanated,” in Parker Pratt Robinson, Writings of Parley P. Pratt (Salt Lake City: Robinson, 1952), 216.] The concept of a preexistence either in the sense of eternal, uncreated spirits co-existing with God or as spirit offspring of God did not exist in early Mormon thought. The Book of Mormon assumed that human existence depended entirely upon God (see, for example, Mos. 2:20-21). When the premortal Lord revealed his finger to the brother of Jared, he explained that humans were created “in the beginning after mine own image … after the body of my spirit” (Eth. 3:15-16), implying that human, physical bodies resemble God’s spiritual body. In contrast, orthodox Christianity interpreted “image and likeness” (Gen. 1:26) [p.128]to mean humankind’s moral capacities, not its physical attributes. The seeds, at least, of anthropomorphism and of co-existence of humans with God were thus planted in Mormon thought in the Book of Mormon notion of creation after the image of God’s spiritual body."

        The same cited source also said the following regarding the pre-existence of man being foreign to early Mormon thought:

        "The classical gulf between God and his mortal creations entailed in the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo was accepted without revision in the official Mormon publication The Evening and the Morning Star in October 1832: “The Creator, who having created our souls at first by an act of his will can either eternally preserve them or absolutely annihilate them” (p. 77). Humans were thus contingent beings who did not exist prior to their creation by God—either as body or as spirit—and could lapse into non-being if God willed it. A letter in the May 1835 Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate echoed a similar belief: “Man is dependent on the great first cause and is constantly upheld by Him, therefore justly amenable to him” (p. 113)."

Addressing The Mormon Dogma Of Celestial Marriage

• Discussion:

           -A peculiar concept of Mormonism is that of celestial marriage. It is believed by Mormons that husbands will reign as gods in their own universes with their families and procreate for eternity. However, the teachings of Jesus Christ relating to the status of marriage in the resurrection of the dead is problematic for such an idea:

           "Some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) came to Jesus, and began questioning Him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves behind a wife and leaves no child, his brother should marry the wife and raise up children to his brother. “There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and died leaving no children. “The second one married her, and died leaving behind no children; and the third likewise; and so all seven left no children. Last of all the woman died also. “In the resurrection, when they rise again, which one’s wife will she be? For all seven had married her.” Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God? “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven." (Mark 12:18-25, emphasis added)

           The question posed by the Sadducees reflected the Jewish custom of passing childless married women whose husbands were deceased on to younger brothers in the same family. Christ answered their faulty premise, pointing out that there will be no marriages taking place in heaven. Humans will become immortal like the angels. There will be no need to produce offspring. See also the parallel text of Luke 20:34-36. 

           What takes place in the spiritual realm is quite unlike anything that we experience on earth. Jesus continues His reprimanding of the Sadducees with the following remarks:

           "But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.” (Mark 12:26-27)

           God can with ease give us much more fulfilling things than any temporary pleasures available to us in this life. He does value the institution of marriage, but it will not exist in the life to come. He has authority over marriage and can dispose of it at will.

           The Mormon concept of celestial marriage expressly contradicts the teaching of Christ. In fact, wives who lost their husbands on earth and chose to remarry would be guilty of committing adultery because according to Mormon theology, they would be forever bound to their first spouse.

Ignatius Of Loyola And Submission To The Roman Catholic Church

          "To be right in everything, we ought always to hold that the white which I see, is black, if the Hierarchical Church so decides it, believing that between Christ our Lord, the Bridegroom, and the Church, His Bride, there is the same Spirit which governs and directs us for the salvation of our souls. Because by the same Spirit and our Lord Who gave the ten Commandments, our holy Mother the Church is directed and governed." (Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises, Thirteenth Rule)

          Whether or not we understand Ignatius as using hyperbole in this excerpt, is a side issue that does not change the implications of his thoughts about the authority of the Church of Rome. It remains clear as day that he taught the almost unconditional surrender of the intellect and will to the pope. According to him, that teaching office essentially defines reality. No dissent is allowed on matters it has officially spoken on, regardless of how seemingly trivial that they may be. The "infallible" dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church are to be embraced unquestioningly by all the faithful, without exception. We have an example of this in play with more recently defined dogmas like the Assumption of Mary. Whether or not one affirms such an idea, it is hard to imagine what kind of harm rejecting it would do. Consider this excerpt from Apostolic Letter Est Sane Molestum, by Pope Leo XIII:

          "To scrutinize the actions of a bishop, to criticize them, does not belong to individual Catholics, but concerns only those who, in the sacred hierarchy, have a superior power; above all, it concerns the Supreme Pontiff, for it is to him that Christ confided the care of feeding not only all the lambs, but even the sheep [cf. John 21:17]."

          This is the kind of mindset that lies behind the words of Ignatius of Loyola. It gets to the very heart of the nature of Rome's claims to authority. It explains why Roman Catholics can still accept dogmas like transubstantiation, despite them being disproven so easily. A similar phenomenon is in play when one confronts Mormons with the reality that all of their religious claims about history have been debunked by archeological findings. The underlying issue is not that such people are morons, but they have been conditioned in such a way as to accept ideas that outsiders would quickly dismiss as absurd. Consider this excerpt from the Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), Religious Discussions:

          "By a decree of Alexander IV (1254-1261) inserted in “Sextus Decretalium”, Lib. V, c. ii, and still in force, all laymen are forbidden, under threat of excommunication, to dispute publicly or privately with heretics on the Catholic Faith. The text reads: “Inhibemus quoque, ne cuiquam laicae personae liceat publice vel privatim de fide catholica disputare. Qui vero contra fecerit, excommunicationis laqueo innodetur.” (We furthermore forbid any lay person to engage in dispute, either private or public, concerning the Catholic Faith. Whosoever shall act contrary to this decree, let him be bound in the fetters of excommunication.)"

          The life of Galileo Galilei is an illustration of how Rome dealt with "heretics." He provided evidence of a sun-centered universe by making observations through a telescope. His rediscovering of the wisdom of the ancient Greeks made him popular in the streets of Italy, but Pope Urban VIII summoned him to answer to a tribunal in 1633 for challenging the status quo or face torture if he did not show up. The latter was issued as a threat, but not carried out. Daniel J. Boorstin, in his work titled The Discoverers, p. 325-326, recounts the letter in which Galileo was forced against his conscience to publicly renounce what he taught. A small excerpt is presented here as follows, "...after an injunction had been lawfully intimated to me by this Holy Office to the effect that I must altogether abandon the false opinion that the sun is the center of the world and immobile, and that the earth is not the center of the world and moves, and that I must not hold, defend, or teach, in any way, verbally or in writing, the said false doctrine..." Jesus and the apostles never in a million years would have dreamed of churches having this kind of power over the lives of people. 

          God has ordained the existence of government offices for our own good. They exist to keep the peace, and thereby maintain societal order. We should submit to our leaders to the extent that their decisions are sound and godly. Good governments, by our standards, would defend the rights of people to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Autocratic governments, by contrast, dictate the terms by which everybody else lives and imposes harsh penalties on people who fail to fall in line with said orders. Roman Catholic moral theology nowadays emphasizes freedom of conscience in decision-making, but one has to wonder whether that was driven by changing times. Rome certainly does not have the same degree of power and influence that it used to have. However, the pope still wields a considerable amount of power over loyal followers, a kind that Christ never authorized bishops in the church to use.

          There are other religious organizations in modern contexts which further help to illustrate the futility of Ignatius of Loyola's approach to obeying the pope. The Watchtower Society is known for thought control. For example, Jehovah's Witnesses are forbidden by their church government to obtain blood transfusions. They have regulations as to what they can even look up on the internet. Mormonism is another example of a group whose leaders have established all sorts of legalistic rules and regulations. Mormons are forbidden to drink coffee and tea simply because they contain caffeine. In the same vein, the Roman Catholic Church has dietary regulations on various holidays as a requirement for getting right with God. What these two groups have in common with Rome is that adherents are made to obey an authoritarian hierarchy. They claim to play an indispensable role in the salvation of their followers. Rome is actually one of the world's biggest promoters of fideism, with its teaching on the eucharist illustrating this point quite well.

           It has rightly been said that absolute power corrupts absolutely. It is important that authority be kept in check. Moreover, the New Testament gives us the liberty to individually choose whatever days to observe and foods to eat in thanksgiving and glory to God. The original teachings of Jesus and the apostles centered around spiritual enlightenment, compassion, and the individual's relationship to his Creator. The early Christian message was more about guiding people through moral and ethical principles, not imposing a rigid, tyrannical structure. Jesus often challenged the religious authorities of His time, emphasizing inner faith over strict adherence to external rules. The Apostle Paul called out Peter for potentially splitting the Christian church as he ceased eating with Gentiles (Galatians 2:11-16). God is the only one who we owe unconditional submission of the intellect and will (Acts 4:19-20; 5:29; James 4:7). It is to Him alone that we are required to surrender unconditionally. It is to God alone that we must answer on the last day. 

Answering The Mormons On Baptism For The Dead

          "Many people, however, have died without being baptized. Others were baptized without proper authority. Because God is merciful, He has prepared a way for all people to receive the blessings of baptism. By performing proxy baptisms in behalf of those who have died, Church members offer these blessings to deceased ancestors. Individuals can then choose to accept or reject what has been done in their behalf...Because He is a loving God, the Lord does not damn those people who, through no fault of their own, never had the opportunity for baptism. He has therefore authorized baptisms to be performed by proxy for them. A living person, often a descendant who has become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is baptized in behalf of a deceased person. This work is done by Church members in temples throughout the world." (https://www.lds.org/topics/baptisms-for-the-dead?lang=eng)

          Mormons cite 1 Corinthians 15:29 as biblical evidence that Jesus Christ and the apostles sanctioned their strange practice of members getting baptized on behalf of loved ones who passed away. However, the Apostle Paul (or any other biblical author) nowhere approves of Christians holding such a custom. The concept is not taught here. Rather, he uses baptism of the dead as evidence that even pagans believed in some concept of a resurrection and afterlife. Some of the Corinthians had embraced the heretical notion that there would be no physical resurrection. So, Paul reasoned that if such were the case, their baptism was done in vain. There would be no hope of seeing loved ones again. 

          In other words, the Apostle Paul said that a tradition among unbelievers was to get baptized for the sake of their deceased loved ones with the yearning and aspiration of being united when they were raised from the grave. His intention is not to provide commentary regarding the efficacy or truthfulness of baptism for the dead, but to illustrate that even the pagan world looked forward to being raised from the dead. This excerpt on the Mormon practice of baptism for the dead is insightful here:

         "The silence of the Book of Mormon on baptism for the dead is an important fact, for it means that a single verse in the Bible — 1 Corinthians 15:29 — constitutes its sole mention in ancient Christian Scripture. This is acknowledged by the Encyclopedia of Mormonism (a 1992 work published under the supervision of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS church) — “He [Paul] refers to a practice of vicarious baptism, a practice for which we have no other evidence in the Pauline or other New Testament or early Christian writings."

          This practice is patently absurd when approached from a biblical standpoint. One's eternal destiny is forever sealed at the moment of physical death (Luke 16:22-26). Further, God only rewards individuals according to their own conduct in this life (Ezekiel 18:20). Thus, Scripture contradicts any notion of baptism for the dead.

A List Of The Cultic Doctrines Of Mormonism

• Mormonism Upholds Belief In A Multitude Of Gods:

          -"In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people it.... In all congregations when I have preached on the subject of the Deity, it has been the plurality of Gods." Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Vol. 6, pp.308, 474.

• Mormonism Teaches That God Was Once A Man:

          -"God Himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man... I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form...like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man...He was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on earth." Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 305.

• The God Of Mormonism Is Finite Like Man Himself:

          -"The universe is filled with vast numbers of intelligences, and we further learn that Elohim is God simply because all of these intelligences honor and sustain him as such...if He should ever do anything to violate the confidence or 'sense of justice' of these intelligences, they would promptly withdraw their support, and the 'power' of God would disintegrate - He would cease to be God." W. Cleon Skousen (Former BYU Professor & founder of Mormon-based National Center For Constitutional Studies), The First 2000 Years, p.355.
          -"The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's." Doctrine & Covenants 130:22
          -"If God possesses a form, that form is of necessity of definite proportions, and therefore of limited extension and space. It is impossible for Him to occupy at one time more than one space of such limits." James Talmage, Articles of Faith, p. 43.

• Mormonism Teaches That Man May Become God:

          -"Here then is eternal life...to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods have done before you...To inherit the same power, the same glory and the same exaltation, until you arrive at the station of God." Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 306

• The God Of Mormonism Has A Wife Because He Was Once A Man:

          -"In the heaven where our spirits were born, there are many Gods, each of whom has his own wife or wives, which were given to him...while yet in his mortal state." Orson Pratt (Apostle), The Seer, p.37.
          -"This doctrine that there is a Mother in Heaven was affirmed in all plainness by the First Presidency of the Church." Bruce R. McConkie (Apostle), Mormon Doctrine.

• Mormonism Denies The Virgin Birth:

          -"Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers... Christ was born into the world as the literal Son of this Holy Being; he was born in the same personal, real and literal sense that any mortal son is born to a mortal father." Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, pp. 547, 742.

• Mormonism Teaches That Jesus And Satan Are Brothers:

          -"The appointment of Jesus to be the Savior of the world was contested by one of the other sons of God. He was called Lucifer - this spirit-brother of Jesus desperately tried to become the Savior of mankind." Milton R. Hunter, The Gospel Through the Ages, p. 15

• The Jesus Of Mormonism Was Married:

          -"Jesus was the bridegroom at the marriage of Cana of Galilee - We say it was Jesus Christ who was married...whereby he could see his seed." Orson Hyde, Apostle, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, p. 82.

• Mormonism Denies The Authority of The Bible:

          -"Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors-many plain and precious things were deleted, in consequence of which error and falsehood poured into the churches. One of the great heresies of modern Christendom is the unfounded assumption that the Bible contains all of the inspired teachings now extant among men." Bruce McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, pp.82, 83

• Mormonism Says All Other 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." Doctrine and Covenants 1:30.
          -"There is no salvation outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints." Bruce McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 670.
          -"All other churches are entirely destitute of all authority from God; and any person who receives Baptism or the Lord's Supper from their hands will highly offend God; for He looks upon them as the most corrupt of all people. Both Catholics and Protestants are nothing less than the whore of Babylon." Orson Pratt, The Seer, p. 255.

• Mormonism Says That Blacks Were Cursed:

          -"Not only was Cain called upon to suffer, but because of his wickedness, he became the father of an inferior race. A curse was placed upon him and that curse has been continued through his lineage and must do so while time endures. Millions of souls have come into this world cursed with a black skin and have been denied the privilege of Priesthood and the fullness of the blessings of the Gospel." Joseph Fielding Smith (Prophet), The Way to Perfection, p. 102.
          -"You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind." Brigham Young (Prophet), Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, p. 290.
          -"Shall I tell you the law of God in regard t the African race? If the white man...mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so." Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 10, p. 110.

• Mormonism Has A Council Of Gods:

          -"The head God called together the Gods and sat in grand council to bring forth the world... In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people. it." Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 348, 349.
          -"The contention in heaven was...Jesus said there would be certain souls that would not be saved; and the Devil said he could save them all, and laid his plans before the grand council, who gave their vote in favour of Jesus Christ. So the Devil rose up in rebellion against God. and was cast down, with all who put up their heads for him." Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p. 8

• How Mormons View The Final Judgment And Resurrection:

          -"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.
          -"If we get our salvation, we shall have to pass by [Joseph Smith]; if we enter our glory, it will be through the authority he has received. We cannot get around him." President George Q. Cannon, quoted in 1988 Melchizedek Priesthood Study Guide, p. 142.
          -"If we ask who will stand at the head of the resurrection in this last dispensation, the answer is Joseph Smith, the Prophet of God. He is the man who will be resurrected and receive the keys of the resurrection, and he will seal this authority upon others, and then they will hunt up their friends and resurrect them." Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 116.
          -"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 saviors of the world..." John Taylor (Prophet), Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p. 163.

• Mormonism Teaches A Gospel Message Of Faith Plus Works:

          -"For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled." (2 Nephi 25:23-24)

          -"One cannot get into the kingdom of God upon the principle of faith alone, or repentance alone, or receiving the Holy Ghost alone. He will have to be baptized, go down in the water, and come up out of the water, and have hands laid upon him for the gift of the Holy Ghost. That is the procedure that was followed by the apostles of Christ. That is the procedure of the Church today. It is the only way." (Rudger Clawson, Conference Reports, October 1932, p.9)

          -"Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ." (Moroni 10:32)

          -"We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel." (Articles of Faith 1:3)

Answering The Mormon Claim Of Total Apostasy

• Introduction: 

          -Mormonism is a religious sect that was founded by Joseph Smith in the woods of Palmyra, New York, in the year 1820. He claimed that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and told him to establish a completely new church. In other words, he had visions that gave him allegedly new revelations to restore the church back to the original teachings of Jesus Christ and the apostles. The loss of divine truth is said to have occurred sometime after their deaths. The Mormon church was officially recognized in 1830.

          -Smith claimed that the "Angel Moroni" gave him some golden "Nephi Plates" so that he could translate them into English. This religious text is known as the Book of Mormon. The three other religious texts used by the Mormons are the King James Version, Pearl of Great Price, and the Doctrine and Covenants. The underlying assumption of Mormonism is that the entire Christian church has gone totally astray. The message of the Bible has been corrupted and lost, to be trusted (to borrow a Mormon phrase) only "as far as it is translated correctly."

• Examining Claims Of Total Apostasy In Light Of Biblical Teaching:

          -If Mormonism is correct in claiming a total apostasy, then Jesus’ promises in Matthew 16:18 and 28:20, and Paul’s declaration in Ephesians 3:21, must be false, which would make God a liar, an unthinkable conclusion for any Christian. Jesus explicitly said the gates of hell would not prevail against His church and that He would be with it always, even to the end of the age. Paul affirmed that God would be glorified in the church throughout all generations, world without end. These are not vague spiritual sentiments. They are declarations of divine continuity and protection. To assert that the church ceased to exist for over 1,700 years until Joseph Smith restored it is to deny the very words of Christ and the enduring work of the Holy Spirit. Scripture consistently shows that God preserves a faithful remnant, not through reinvention, but through continuity. The Mormon narrative of total apostasy and restoration contradicts the biblical witness and undermines the trustworthiness of God’s promises.

          -While the apostles spoke of the coming of false teachers, they nowhere spoke of a total apostasy. It is one thing to say that the church became unrecognizably dirty throughout history, but it is another to claim that the church essentially disappeared from the face of the earth.
          -His Word endures forever, unlike the things of man (Isaiah 40:8; Proverbs 30:5-6; 1 Peter 1:23-25). The Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35). The Word of God has not been lost, corrupted, or forgotten. Divine providence rules out that possibility. 

          -Those who present strange doctrine are to be deemed heretics (1 Timothy 1:3-4; 2 John 9-11), of which the Mormons teach several science fiction sounding ideas. Further, angelic visions are not an acceptable method of drawing attention to oneself (Colossians 2:18).

          -The Apostle Paul in Galatians 1:8-9 wrote a categorical condemnation of any different gospels that could arise during his lifetime or in the future after his death. He even issued an anathema to angels who could theoretically arrive to preach differently from the doctrine originally delivered by the apostles. 

          -So, even granting that Joseph Smith had an encounter with the Angel Moroni, Mormonism is a false religion because it preaches a different message of salvation. According to Paul, another gospel is no gospel at all (Galatians 1:6-7). The gospel never needed to be restored because it was not lost to begin with.

• Examining Claims Of Total Apostasy In Light Of History:

          -When did the Christian church go into the state of total apostasy? If this happened, one should be able to chronicle the steps at which it took place and how it happened. One should be able to refer to established facts, writings, history, etc. However, this has never been done successfully by Joseph Smith or Mormon apologists.  

          -The New Testament is supported by thousands of different manuscripts and manuscript fragments. Further, a creed summarizing the gospel message that the Apostle Paul recounted in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 has been dated back to the first century. The teachings of Jesus and the apostles have not been lost or altered, disproving the claims of Mormonism.
          -Why would Mormons use the Bible at all, since they maintain that the whole of Christianity became irredeemably corrupt after the first century and the canon was assembled by an (allegedly) apostate church? Which parts of the Bible have been corrupted?