"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV)
There can be no question that cults and false religions are growing rapidly. Organizations that once were merely “on the fringe” of society are now becoming more influential and prominent. Because of this growth, the likelihood that a Christian will come in contact with an individual that is involved with a cult is quite high. What is to be our response? Are we to ignore them? Are we to attack them verbally? Are we to tell them to never come any where near us ever again? What are we to do? I believe the answer is found quite plainly in Scripture. “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15 God wants all to come to repentance and that includes members of cults.
Does reaching these individuals take some preparation? Of course it will. There is no need for a believer to be an expert on every belief in the world, but a familiarity with the beliefs common to your area would be a help. Some questions to consider:
* Are there any cults in your area?
* Do you know anything factual about any cults?
* If you were to converse with a cult member would you know it?
Often the best preparation for witnessing to a cultist is to know why you believe what you believe. Know the basics and Scriptures that support them. Do you believe in Creation? Why? Could you prove it by other means than Scripture? It is God’s desire to see all in a right relationship with Him and to use you and I to present them with the opportunity. Will you be ready?
Click on any of the cults in the top navibational bar under "cults" to learn more information about them! God Bless you in your efforts to preach the gospel to EVERY creature.
Mormonism - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Basic Beliefs:
Jesus visited the Americas giving them the "true" gospel and instructing them to keep it. That entire civilization was destroyed before they could fulfill it. Joseph Smith was given the "golden plates" to re-establish the "true church"
"As man is, God once was. As God is, man can become."
Adam is the god of this universe and had physical relations with his goddesses wives and produced spirit babies. Those who were good spirits came to the earth as white people. Those who were not good came as blacks, Indians, Asians, etc.
The aim of every Mormon is to become the god of his own universe. Jesus:
Jesus is a physical entity as a result of physical relations between god
(Adam) and Mary.
He is a created being who has been since the beginning in a spirit form.
Jesus married Mary, Martha, and Mary Magdalene because to become a god one
must be polygamous and be married in a temple.
Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers. Jesus had the better idea to redeem
mankind so He got to be the Saviour.
They do not recognize Jesus as God, but simply as the "son of God".
Salvation:
Works are necessary for salvation.
"Keeping the commandments will cleanse us from sin."
Baptism and the keeping of the doctrines and commands of the LDS
church bring salvation. (Moroni 10:32)
One may be saved after death, and the living may be baptized for the dead.
Witness Focus:
Focus on perfection and the impossibility of obtaining it. We can never be
good enough.
Show them that our best "is as filthy rags." (Isaiah 64:6)
Show them that our best is insufficient and that only God's gift is
sufficient.
Mormon quotes:
"I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a
separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and the Holy Ghost was
a distinct personage and a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct
personages and three Gods."
(Teachings of Prophet Joseph Smith p. 370).
Jesus teaches let the dead bury the Dead...Joseph Smith teaches
SEEK after the Dead:
"The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to
seek after our dead"
(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, page 7).
Joseph Smith said the Book of Mormon is the most correct
book ever written:
"I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any
book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get
nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book."
(History of the Church, Vol. 4, page 461)
Brigham Young: Blood Atonement
“You say, "That man ought to die for transgressing the law of God." Let me
suppose a case. Suppose you found your brother in bed with your wife, an
put a javelin through both of them, you would be justified, and they would
atone for their sins, and be received into the kingdom of God. I would at
once do so in such a case; and under such circumstances, I have no wife
whom I love so well that I would not put a javelin through her heart, and
I would do it with clean hands.”
(Journal of Discourses 3:247)
Since its founding in 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has insisted that it alone represents true Christianity and that all other churches professing the name of Christ are part of a "Great Apostasy," that has incorporated corrupt doctrine and practices.The producers of this DVD are well aware that members of the LDS Church are sincere about their beliefs, and it is not our desire to belittle those who hold to those beliefs. In fact, we would be the first to defend the right of every Latter-day Saint to share their faith with others and we hope that they will allow us the same courtesy.Why Mormonism? Many of those involved with this project were once members of the LDS Church. At one time they believed very strongly that Joseph Smith was a true prophet sent by God to restore Christianity to the earth. When they realized that their presuppositions were not true they had to make some extremely difficult life-changing decisions. This product includes many of those difficult issues with which they had to wrestle.
It is easy for some to automatically assume that those who disagree with the premises of the LDS Church are motivated by hatred and are therefore "anti-Mormon;" however, it is our hope that thoughtful people will look beyond the name-calling to carefully examine the areas of belief that separate the LDS Church from the biblical norm. In our experience, we have found that many people have a very limited understanding of what Mormon leaders have actually taught. Because this is true even within the LDS Church, some Mormons might feel that much of what this DVD contains is fabricated. For this reason great pains have been made to document the statements it contains. Several of them are taken directly from LDS publications and speeches given by those who are recognized as authorities in the LDS Church.
The making of this DVD is an act of love and has been placed into your hands so that you too can carefully examine the truth claims of the LDS Church. Just as we respect the right of Mormon missionaries to come to our doors and share what they believe to be true with us, we hope that members of the LDS Church will respect our right to come to your door through this medium and share with you what we have found to be true. It is our sincere desire that you will prayerfully consider the message of hope and salvation presented here and on the DVD, and we are interested in helping you with any questions or requests that you may have. To reach us, please call (801) 261-3255, toll-free at (888) 261-0222, or email us at: