Posted by:
flackerman
(
)
Date: September 17, 2010 12:35AM
I recently read that Joseph Fielding Smith once said that: “If Joseph’s claims and declarations were built upon fraud and deceit, there would appear many errors and contradictions, which would be easy to detect.” This seems to be a fair way to test the church, so I thought that I would give it a try and see if there are any contradictions in Mormon Doctrine that are “easy to detect”. Here is some of what I have found.
D&C 132 teaches that David and Solomon were justified by God in their polygamy. “I, the Lord, justified … David and Solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines.” (D&C 132:1)
The Book of Mormon on the other hand teaches that it was wrong for David and Solomon to practice plural marriage. Lehi told his sons that; “David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord.” (Jacob 2: 24)
Both “scriptures” are referencing the same actions of the same men (David and Solomon), yet one calls their polygamy an abomination, and the other says they were justified by God. It cannot be both, so which is it?
The church builds temples all over the world so that vicarious ordinances can be performed “for the salvation of the dead who should die without a knowledge of the gospel.” (D&C 128: 5) Before these dead can accept these saving ordinances there are some requirement they must meet. “The dead who repent will be redeemed, through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God. And after they have paid the penalty of their transgressions, and are washed clean, shall receive a reward according to their works, for they are heirs of salvation.” (D&C 138: 58-59)
However, the Book of Mormon teaches against the need for vicarious works for the dead. Moroni wrote: “The power of redemption cometh on all them that have no law (those without a knowledge of the gospel); wherefore, he that is not condemned … cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing. But it is mockery before God, denying the mercies of Christ, and the power of his Holy Spirit, and putting trust in dead works.” (Moroni 8:22-23)
Amulek taught that: “This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. … Do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life … then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.
Ye cannot say when ye are brought to that awful crisis that I will repent, that I will return to my God … for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life.
If ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his … this is the final state of the wicked.” (Alma 34: 32-35)
Again this is a clear contradiction. On one hand Mormonism teaches that those who died without the gospel need to repent and have works performed by and for themselves. On the other it teaches that to do this is to deny the mercies of God and trust in dead works. On a third hand it teaches that it is impossible for the dead to repent after they die and that those who die as sinners are sealed to the devil.
Is that clear enough?
It seems pretty apparent that Mormonism fails President Smith’s proposed test, and does so without much effort.
I came up with some others and made yet another video about these contradictions, and I think that some of you might enjoy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuK1wjHION0Can you think of any more?