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Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' Matthew 7:22, 23.
INDEX
False Prophecies by LDS Leadership
Condemnation of Other Churches
Mormon Blood Atonement Doctrine
Leaders invite challenges to Mormonism
False Prophecies / Quotes
(All Emphasis Added)
Joseph Smith
“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” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 194).
"God made Aaron to be the mouthpiece for the children of Israel, and He will make me to be God to you in His stead, and the elders to be mouth for me; and if you don't like it, you must lump it" (Documentary History of the Church, vol. 6, pp 319-320).
"I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I" (D.H C., vol. 6, p. 408-409).
"The whole Earth shall bear me witness that I, like the towering rock in the midst of the ocean, which has withstood the mighty surges of the warring waves for centuries, am impregnable ... I combat the errors of ages; I meet the violence of mobs; I cope with illegal proceedings from executive authority; I cut the gordian knot of powers, and I solve mathematical problems of universities, with truth -- diamond truth; and God is my right hand man." (D.H.C., Vol. 6, p. 78).
"And I prophesy in the name of the Lord God of Israel, unless the United States redress the wrongs committed upon the Saints in Missouri and punish the crimes committed by her officers that in a few years the government will be utterly overthrown and wasted and there will not be so much as a potsherd left, ..." (D.H C., vol. 5, p. 394). [This prophecy was made in May of 1843, and the United States government has not been overthrown and wasted.]
"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..." (Teachings of the Prophet, Joseph Smith, p. 346).
"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" (Ibid., p. 349).
"The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead" [Our God of the Bible has forbidden us to have anything to do with the dead (Deut. 18:10,11).
"There is no hell. All will find a measure of salvation.". John A. Widtsoe, Joseph Smith: Seeker After Truth, Prophet of God (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret News Press, 1951) 177-78.
Blood Atonement Doctrine:
According to Mormon doctrine there are certain sins which place the sinner beyond the forgiving power of the blood of Christ. The only way the sinner can achieve forgiveness is to have his or her own blood shed. This appears to reflect a serious misunderstanding of the Old Testament law where in the Israelite theocratic state certain crimes, like murder, required the punishment of death. But nowhere does the Law of Moses state that this punishment is the means of any forgiveness. In Biblical terms, forgiveness is always provided graciously by God. (See The Next 9 Quotes)
Brigham Young
"There are sins that men commit for which they cannot receive forgiveness in this world, or in that which is to come, and if they had their eyes open to see their true condition, they would be perfectly willing to have their blood spilt upon the ground ... I know, when you hear my brethren telling about cutting people off from the earth, that you consider it is strong doctrine; but it is to save them not destroy them. ... I know that there are transgressors, who, if they knew themselves, and the only condition upon which they can obtain forgiveness, would beg of their brethren to shed their blood" Journal of Discourses, vol. 4, p. 53 (1856)
"It is true that the blood of the Son of God was shed for sins through the fall and those committed by men, yet men can commit sins which it can never remit." Journal of Discourses, vol. 4, p. 54 (1856)
"Some of our old traditions teach us that a man guilty of atrocious and murderous acts may savingly repent when on the scaffold; and upon his execution you will hear the expression — 'Bless God! he has gone to heaven to be crowned in glory, through the all-redeeming merits of Christ the Lord.' This is all nonsense. Such a character never will see heaven." Journal of Discourses, vol. 8, p. 61 (1860)
"I say, rather than the apostates should flourish here, I will unsheath my Bowie knife, and conquer or die. Now, you nasty apostates, clear out, or judgment will be put on the line ... If you say it is right, raise your hands, let us call upon the Lord to assist us in this, and every good work." (Journal of Discourses, vol. 1, p. 83)
For some the only way to be saved and exalted with the Gods is to have their own blood shed. "Will you love your brothers or sisters likewise, when they have committed a sin that cannot be atoned for without the shedding of blood? Will you love that man or woman well enough to shed their blood?" Journal of Discourses, vol. 4, p. 219 (1857)
"I could refer you to plenty of instances where men have been righteously slain, in order to atone for their sins ... This is loving our neighbor as ourselves, if he needs help, help him, and if he wants salvation and it is necessary to spill his blood on the earth in order that he may be saved, spill it." (Journal of Discourses, vol. 4, p. 220).
[Many were killed under what is called the "Blood Atonement Doctrine" Leaving Mormonism was one of the sins that the blood of Jesus could not atone for, and a person's own blood must be shed by Mormon priests as an atonement for sin.]
"I intend to meet them on their own grounds. ... and if any miserable scoundrel comes here, cut their throats." [And they obeyed; a wagon train of innocent men, women, and children were massacred at Mountain Meadows under the orders of Brigham Young. They were passing through Utah, and Brigham thought they were from Illinois where Joseph Smith had been killed. Many more were "atoned."]
If you find your brother in bed with your wife, and you put a javelin through them both, you would be justified and they would atoned for their sins and be received into the kingdom of God. ... "There is not a man or woman, who violates the covenants made with their God, that will not be required to pay the debt. The blood of Christ will never wipe that out, your own blood must atone for it;" iniquity." Journal of Discourses, vol. 3, p. 247 (1856)
"If you want to know what to do with a thief that you may find stealing, I say kill him on the spot, and never suffer him to commit another iniquity." Journal of Discourses, vol. 1, p. 108 (1853)
Mormonism is the "only system of religion known in heaven or on earth that can exalt a man to the Godhead" Journal of Discourses, vol. 10 p. 251 (1863)
""I know just as well what to teach this people and just what to say to them and what to do in order to bring them into the celestial kingdom ... I have never yet preached a sermon and sent it out to the children of men, that they may not call Scripture. Let me have the privilege of correcting a sermon, and it is as good a scripture" (Journa1 of Discourses, vol. 13, p. 95; also see vol. 13, p. 264).
"Gold and silver grow, and so does every other kind of metal, the same as the hair upon my head or the wheat in the field; ..." (Journal of Discourses, vol. 1, p. 219).
"Who can tell us of the inhabitants of this little planet that shines of an evening, called the Moon? ... So it is with regard to the inhabitants of the Sun. Do you not think it is inhabited? I rather think it is. Do you think there is any life there? No Question of it; it was not made in vain." (Journal of Discourses, vol. 1, p. 219).
"Do you think we shall ever be admitted as a State into the Union without denying the principal of polygamy? If we are not admitted until then, we shall never be admitted." (Journal of Discourses, vol. 11, p. 269). [The Edmunds Act was passed in 1882 forbidding polygamy in the territory, and only then was Utah allowed to enter the Union. At that point the LDS church officially gave up polygamy. Another false prophecy from the Mormon prophet!]
"I think these preliminaries will satisfy me, and I feel prepared to take my text. It is the words of Jesus Christ, but where they are in the Bible I cannot tell you now, for I have not taken pains to look at them. I have had so much to do, that I have not read the Bible for many years. I used to read and study it, but did not understand the spirit and meaning of it ..." (1854 Conference discourse, October 8). [Brigham Young obviously did not understand the Bible, and neither do any of the other Mormon prophets!]
How much unbelief exists...in regard to one particular doctrine...which God revealed to me — namely that Adam is our father and God. Brigham Young (Deseret News, June 18, 1873).
Now, remember from this time forth, and forever, that Jesus Christ was not begotten by the Holy Ghost (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, p. 51). Brigham Young
"The Journal of Discourses is a vehicle of doctrine, counsel, and instruction to ALL people, but especially to the Saints. It follows then, then, [sic] that each successive volume is more and more valuable as the Church increases in numbers and importance in the earth" Journal of Discourses, vol. 11, p. 3 (1867)
From Bruce R. McConkie's Messiah series. Volume 1
"That scriptures dealing with all these and a host of other Messianic matters might easily be misconstrued, as they have been by the learned in an apostate Christendom, is perfectly clear" (pg. 8).
He says that God is only known by revelation, "however much pagan or Christian man by instinct may choose to worship wood or stone, the sun, moon, or stars, or the forces and powers of nature" (pg.14).
Not only does Elder McConkie thus attack Christianity, but he states doctrines which flatly contradict Christianity. For instance, he claims that
He writes that "Those who keep the whole law of the whole gospel...are Gods" (pg. 19).
God "is a Holy Man" who "has a resurrected body of flesh and bones and who lives in the family unit" (pgs. 17, 10).
He claims that there is an "exalted family of Gods," that "there are Gods many and Lords many," that the three "members of the Eternal Godhead are the only Gods with whom we have to do" (pgs. 9,12, 13).
Orson Pratt
Referring to the witnesses of the Book of Mormon, a Mormon apostle said: “...the voice of the Lord told them it had been translated correctly, commanding them to send forth their testimonies to all nations” (Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, vol. II, p. 293).
“If we compare the historical, prophetical, and doctrinal parts of the Book of Mormon with the great truths of science and nature, we find no contradictions — no absurdities — nothing unreasonable” (Orson Pratt, Talmage’s Articles of Faith, p. 505).
"We are privileged to present to the Saints and the world, the Third Volume of the Journal of Discourses, containing the principles of the Gospel of salvation delivered to this generation through the Apostles and Prophets of the Most High, by the power of the Holy Ghost." Journal of Discourses, vol. 3 p. 3 (1856)
The Seer by LDS Apostle Orson Pratt
"The pages of the Seer will be mostly occupied with original matter, illucidating [sic] the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, as revealed in both ancient and modern Revelations.
"... And we say to all nations, subscribe to the Seer, and we promise you a True and Faithful description of all the principle features, characterizing this great and last 'dispensation of the fulness of times." The Seer, p.1 (1854)
"This certifies that Professor Orson Pratt of the University of Deseret, one of the Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is appointed by us, with the sanction of the special Conference ... to write and Publish Periodicals, Pamphlets, Books &c, illustrative of the principles and doctrines of the Church." Statement signed by "Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Willard Richards - Presidency of said Church" The Seer, p.2 (1854)
John Taylor
"This principle [i.e. obedience to Mormon leadership] pervades all, whether in a civil or military capacity or in any other capacity. We used to have a difference between Church and State, but it is all one now. Thank God, we have no more temporal and spiritual! We have got Church and State together" Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p. 266 (1857)
The kingdom the prophets spoke of was both a Church and a State and this is what the Mormons have. Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 24 (1857)
Jedediah M. Grant
"I say that there are men and women that I would advise to go to the President immediately, and ask him to appoint a committee to attend to their case; and then let a place be selected, and let that committee shed their blood." Journal of Discourses, vol. 4, p. 49 (1856)
"if they are covenant breakers we need a place designated, where we can shed their blood." Journal of Discourses, vol. 4, p. 50 (1856)
False Prophets
The Bible says, "When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him" (Deut. 18:22).
1) Disregarding the clear Biblical teaching that no one knows when Jesus will return, Joseph presumed to predict this event. He said in 1835 that fifty-six years later Jesus would return to the earth (History of the Church, Vol. 2, pg. 182). And this was not a mere opinion, but "it was made known to him by vision and by the Holy Spirit." In other words, when Joseph Smith said this he was speaking as a prophet. And he was obviously wrong; Jesus did not return in 1891 years. Indeed, the only significant event in Mormon history that occurred at that time was the Manifesto (Doctrine & Covenants OD-1), which was issued in 1890.
2) A prophecy uttered in 1832. Section 87 of the Doctrine & Covenants. The specific things Joseph predicted are quoted here:
A war would begin in South Carolina and would spread throughout the world (vs. 1-3),
During this war the slaves would rise in rebellion (v. 4),
The American Indians would join the conflict (v. 5).
It's easy to see this as a fulfilled prophecy of the Civil War, as indeed I did while I was a Mormon, having been taught to see it that way. Church leaders have understood it as referring specifically to the Civil War (Messages of the First Presidency, Vol.4, pg. 319; Even As I Am, pg. 105; Articles of Faith, pg. 25).
The problem is that almost nothing in this prophecy actually happened. The Civil War did indeed begin in South Carolina, but it did not spread throughout the world, the slaves did not rise against their masters, and the Native Americans did not join the fray. This is a false prophecy
3) Next we have the revelation regarding the temple in Independence, Missouri. The relevant portion of this revelation reads as follows:
“1 A revelation of Jesus Christ unto his servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and six elders, as they united their hearts and lifted their voices on high.”
“2 Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem.”
“3 Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased.”
“4 Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation.”
“5 For verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house” (Doctrine & Covenants 84:1-5).
This revelation describes the building of a temple on a particular spot on Independence, Missouri. That spot is well-known; it is currently owned by the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) which obtained the title by purchase, as affirmed by the courts 100 years ago. In the testimony of what it called the Temple Lot Case the land is described in detail, and there can be no mistake about the location. And there is no temple on that spot.
The natural interpretation of this revelation is that the temple would be built in the lifetime of those living at the time it was given. The revelation was delivered to the church in 1832. Obviously, no one living in 1832 - not even someone born in that year - is living today. That this is indeed the meaning of the text was confirmed by men who knew Joseph Smith personally and later, in Utah, spoke from the pulpit on the subject. President Joseph Fielding Smith, one of the Mormonism’s greatest scriptorians, agreed, even admitting before he died that the generation then living was dead and the temple was not yet built.
Interesting
During Joseph Smith’s lifetime the church’s own paper said, “When, therefore, any man, no matter who, or how high his standing may be, utter, or publishes, any thing that afterwards proves to be untrue, he is a false prophet” (The Evening and the Morning Star, Vol. II, No. 14, pg. 105).
Referring to the Book of Mormon, the Mormon apostle Orson Pratt, said: "This book must be either true or false. If true, it is one of the most important messages ever sent from God.... If false, it is one of the most cunning, wicked...impositions ever palmed upon the world, calculated to deceive and ruin millions." Orson Pratt, Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon (Liverpool, 1851), 1-2.
Joseph Fielding Smith, the tenth President of the Church, stated, "If Joseph Smith was a deceiver, who willfully attempted to mislead the people, then he should be exposed; his claims should be refuted, and his doctrines shown to be false, for the doctrines of an impostor cannot be made to harmonize in all particulars with divine truth. If his claims and declarations were built upon fraud and deceit, there would appear many errors and contradictions which would be easy to detect.". 7. Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 1, p. 188.
Joseph Fielding Smith - "Mormonism as it is called must stand or falls on the story of Joseph Smith. He was either a prophet of God, divinely called, properly commissioned, or he was one of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen. There is no middle ground." Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p. 188 (1954)
"When the Lord commands us to become like Him, He really intends that we shall do so. But since He never changes, and since human nature is always the same, identical conditions are required to bring that human nature into harmony with the unchangeable God. "For that reason, the Gospel must always be the same in all its parts. "To say that the Gospel may be changed is to say that either God has changed, or that human nature is no longer human nature. "It is obvious, therefore that no one change change the Gospel, and that if they attempt to do so, they only set up a man-made system which is not the Gospel, but is merely a reflection of their own views. And since only God can save, only His Gospel can save, and if se substitute 'any other Gospel,' there is no salvation in it." Editorial - Church News, p. 16 (June 5, 1965)
Journal of Discourses, and Lectures on Faith were considered a source of divine revelation and doctrine in the early years of the LDS Church. Mormon leaders upheld the accuracy and relevancy of these writings for the Church and recognized the importance of checking them for errors and false doctrine before allowing them to be published
"We do not wish incorrect and unsound doctrines to be handed down to posterity under the sanction of great names, to be received and valued by future generations as authentic and reliable, ... Errors in history and doctrine, if left uncorrected by us who are conversant with the events, and who are in a position to judge of the truth or falsity of the doctrines, would go to our children as though we had sanctioned and endorsed them." Brigham Young - Millennial Star, vol. 27, p. 659 (1865)
Condemnation of other Churches
Joseph Smith - Joseph claims God told him all churches of his day were wrong, all creeds an abomination in his sight and all professors were corrupt. Pearl of great Price, Joseph Smith. History 1:18-19 (1842).
Orson Pratt - Roman Catholic church never had authority, it was founded by the Devil. Protestant reformers did not restore the church, their authority came from the Catholics who only had authority from the Devil. The Seer, p. 205 (1854).
Orson Pratt - "Baptism is just as essential to salvation, as Faith and Repentance. — Without being immersed in water no man can enter into the fulness of Celestial glory. ... But who in this generation have authority to baptize?" Only the Latter-day Saints. "Both Catholics and Protestants are nothing less than the 'whore of Babylon'" The Seer, p. 255 (1854)
John Taylor - "We talk about Christianity, but it is a perfect pack of nonsense. ... It is a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal; it is as corrupt as hell; and the Devil could not invent a better engine to spread his work than the Christianity of the nineteenth century." Journal of Discourses, vol. 6 p. 167 (1858)
Bruce R. McConkie - "Harlots. See Church of the Devil, Sex Immorality. Literally an harlot is a prostitute; figuratively it is any apostate church. Nephi, speaking of harlots in the literal sense and while giving a prophetic description of the Catholic Church, recorded that he 'saw the devil that he was the foundation of it.' ... Then speaking of harlots in the figurative sense, he designated the Catholic Church as 'the mother of harlots' (1 Nephi 13:34; 14:15-17), a title which means that the protestant churches, the harlot daughters which broke off from the great and abominable church, would themselves be apostate churches." Mormon Doctrine, pp. 314-315 (1958)
Leaders Invite Challenges to Mormonism
"Wherefore, confound your enemies; call upon them to meet you both in public and in private" Joseph Smith - Doctrine and Covenants 71:7 (1831).
"convince us of our errors of doctrine, if we have any, by reason, by logical arguments, or by the word of God, and we will be ever grateful for the information" Orson Pratt - The Seer, p.15 (1854)
"If a faith will not bear to be investigated; if its preachers and professors are afraid to have it examined, their foundation must be very weak." George A. Smith - Journal of Discourses, vol. 14 p. 216 (1871)
"I have had many revelations; I have seen and heard for myself, and know these things are true, and nobody on earth can disprove them. ... I say to the whole world, receive the truth, no matter who presents it to you. Take up the Bible, compare the religion of the Latter-day Saints with it, and see if it will stand the test." Brigham Young - Journal of Discourses, vol. 16 p. 46 (1873)
"I am here to give this people, called Latter-day Saints, counsel to direct them in the path of life. ... If there is an Elder here, or any member of this Church, called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who can bring up the first idea, the first sentence that I have delivered to the people as counsel that is wrong, I really wish they would do it; but they cannot do it, for the simple reason that I have never given counsel that is wrong; this is the reason." Brigham Young - Journal of Discourses, vol. 16 p. 161 (1873)
"I am willing to exchange all the errors and false notions I have for one truth, and should consider that I had made a good bargain. We are not afraid of light and truth. Our religion embraces every truth in heaven, earth or hell; it embraces all truth" Wilford Woodruff - Journal of Discourses, vol. 18 p. 117 (1875)
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