Monday, April 14, 2008

Mormonism, FLSD, and polygamy

Certainly, everyone out there has been reading or hearing about the recent raid on an FLDS ranch in Texas. Hundreds of children were removed after a supposed call to a family violence shelter, which now some claim was really just an anonymous outsider trying to get the police involved.

All these news articles are careful to draw a distinction between the LDS and the FLDS, the latter being the fundamental branch that separated from the LDS long ago. The two are not affiliated at all. Or so they say.

The fact of the matter is that the FLDS simply continues to believe the exact teachings of the founding fathers of Mormonism, while the LDS is the "liberal" branch who (although likewise claiming to follow Joseph Smith et al.) pick and choose which beliefs they still accept and which they don't practice any more in order to comply with U.S. law. But even the LDS believes that they will be living much like the FLDS members do now once they enter eternity.

Here is an interesting YouTube video explaining the strange doctrines underlying Mormonism:




Of course, the practice of polygamy is entirely unbiblical. Yet, I have heard people who call themselves Christians wonder whether God condoned it in the Old Testament, or whether maybe it is a biblical concept. I have even heard arguments in favor of polygamy, such as men having to really make an effort to prove they are good husbands, since there will be a shortage of women if one guy can just swoop up on a half dozen or more women, leaving the next guy empty-handed. I guess that holds true about as long as they are "dating", but then it seems the women are stuck having to compete for the affections of one man. Better not burn the dinner or have a bad day, honey! Everyone knows that a single guy is much more attentive to the whims of his future wife than that same guy will be once he is married. How much more must that be true when the guy gets to pick who to spend the evening with every night!

Of course, the Bible holds the answer when it says:

Mat 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
Mat 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Mat 19:6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Mar 10:6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
Mar 10:7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
Mar 10:8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
Mar 10:9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.


God only gave Adam one wife, Eve. I think even Mormons would have a hard time arguing that God intended for Adam to later marry one of his own daughters, which would have been his only way of getting more wives. Just because the Bible records many men who had multiple wives does not mean that God condoned that practice. Those same men also were all liars, but does that mean that lying is not a sin?

People in today's society have multiple wives, only they have them one after the other as opposed to at the same time. I have personally known people that were on there 8th marriage. Many others commit fornication and later adultery, because these days you don't "have" to marry the woman any more. I guess back in the times of the OT the only legal and socially accepted way to have relations with multiple women was by marrying them since adultery and prostitution were punished harshly. I find just as disgusting as a guy with multiple wives the man who leaves his wife of many years (who is often also the mother of his children) and swaps her for another woman. Of course, that type of guy will eventually get bored again and move on from her as well. Some people are just never content and always want something newer and better, and sadly, that includes their spouse. At least the guy with the half dozen wives is still financially supporting all of them, rather than leaving their wife high and dry after she spent her life raising his kids. Again, both is revolting and disgusting, but it is amazing how polygamy is so taboo (as it should be) while divorce, remarriage, adultery and fornication are all legal and carry no penalty whatsoever.

Mormonism is NOT a Christian religion. It is a CULT.



5 comments:

  1. I am LDS. Inactive now for over 12 years though. I was very active at one point. A temple goer, taught Relief Society, Primary, etc. I fully believed in my faith - a faith that does center around Jesus Christ as a savior- so IMO, Christian.

    Anyway, There is a huge difference between LDS and FLDS. LDS does not promote marrying your young daughters off to old men. It does not promote child abuse. It promotes loving, healthy homes based of following Christ. Joseph Smith et al are - according to the faith- modern day prophets.

    I've seen both sides of the faith, LDS and FLDS. I was a practicing member and my husbands family is actively FLDS. Although not the FLDS type that are in the news.

    As a side note, the guy with half a dozen wives often is not supporting them. The state is. In my midwifery apprenticeship I worked with quite a few polygamists. It was really very sad to see these men puffed up about their prowress while the women and children barely had enough to eat and lived in substandard housing.

    I hope those kids are never returned. They deserve a life.

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  2. I discuss this topic every once in a while on my own blog and it's something I curious about. Just understanding where they get the passion for Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. I have yet to read the book of Mormon but would like to so to learn more about it (I have read the Koran also).

    You get so many mixed messages on whether they are Christians or not. My husband strongly believes that they are not Christians while I stay still undecided on it. My husband seems to think that they do not believe in the same Jesus as we do. Not sure what that means as he has never explained it to me.

    I do believe it's a cult because they have so many secrets that surround their church. Polygamy is very complex and personally I couldn't image having that stress in my life. I prefer to have my husband to myself and my children not being confused with all the "mothers." Can you imagine being a child in that house with 3+ mothers! I had one and that was enough for me as a child. It must be very stressful for those ladies but maybe they are use to that environment.

    As for those children I don't think that the government went about it the correct way pulling those families apart. It must have been so stressful for those children who are now in these strange homes crying for their mothers.

    For me I think this just shows how the government has the ability to take children away from their families which actually frightens me. I don't agree with what they do but I just think they could have went about it in a different way.

    Christine

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  3. Mormons do not believe in the diety of Christ or the trinity. They also accept as "gospel" a "revelation" to Joseph Smith. That qualifies them as a cult.

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  4. I have good friends on in both LDS and FLDS. I've been blessed that they are so willing to talk about their religions with me (as is my uncle).The LDS does believe that they'll be able to practice polygamy in eternity. And most of their secret ceremonies can be watching via youtube. A lot of them are the same as Masonic ceremonies (Joseph Smith was a Mason when he founded the church). I want to know how Mormons can still believe to be the only true doctrine when their scripture changes so often. Years ago, they condemned blacks...now their scripture doesn't do that. They used to take a blood oath in their temple ceremony...that's been taken out as well. Hebrews 13:18 Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.

    Thanks for addressing this topic. It's extremely interesting and I find myself asking tons of questions and looking up a lot of info on the net.

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  5. yes, you are right LDS church is very dangerous cult,it is NOT CHRISTIAN, I have been around many mormon people,they alwayes tried to convert me, I did read and study the book of mormon,It is very confusing and it dose not line up with the Bible or with history at all,it was waste of time reading it,it is better to read and study the Bible THEN IT BECOMES EASY TO SPOT CULTS`AND FALSE TEACHINGS,Looks like Joseph smith did not make an end to denominations as he claimed when he started his cult there are at least 3 different mormon denominatios,each claims they are the true church!!!!!!!!!!!by the way studies show a great match between Mohamad THE MUSLIM prophet and Joseph Smith personal lives, THEY BOTH HAD OVER 40 WIEVS THE YOUNGET ONE WAS 9 YEARS OLD!!!!!!!!! SICK.
    http://www.mrm.org/ this is a great web site to learn about the mormons and what they believe.

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