OUR FEATURED MINISTRY ARTICLE: Celestial Law by Bill McKeever

[Trout]

Celestial Law

By Bill McKeever

Historically, Christianity has always taught that mankind is destined to only one of two destinations after he/she dies: heaven or hell. Mormonism, on the other hand, claims that what a person believes and does in this life will result in being placed in either the telestial, terrestrial, or celestial kingdoms. The truly wicked will be condemned to what is termed "outer darkness."

Naturally, a sincere Latter-day Saint is striving to gain what is known as a celestial exaltation. Achieving this prominent place in eternity will allow that person to receive numerous benefits not afforded those who were less fortunate to be placed in any of the lower kingdoms.

Each kingdom has a set of laws. Those who live a telestial law while in mortality will be assigned to a telestial glory; those who live a terrestrial law will be assigned a terrestrial glory. Likewise, a person who abides by what is known as celestial law will be assigned a place in the celestial kingdom. Doctrine and Covenants 88:22 states, "For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory." If a Mormon hopes to reach the celestial kingdom, he must abide by the celestial law.

What exactly is celestial law? Apostle Orson Whitney said, "It does not mean any one thing; it means all things. It is the fullness of obedience: it is living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Conference Report, October 1910, p.53).

President Brigham Young said, "If we obey this law, preserve it inviolate, live according to it, we shall be prepared to enjoy the blessings of a celestial kingdom" (Discourses of Brigham Young, pg.404).

President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote, "To enter the celestial and obtain exaltation it is necessary that the whole law be kept...Do you desire to enter the celestial Kingdom and receive eternal life? Then be willing to keep all of the commandments." (The Way to Perfection, pg. 206).

While such demands may appear to demonstrate a religious zeal, they are certainly impractical given the fact that we have yet to meet any Mormon who is meeting the above requirements. We know of no Mormon who is fully obeying all the commands of God, nor have we met any Mormon who is keeping the whole law.

If a Mormon is not meeting the celestial requirements, he will, as defined by LDS leadership, be condemned to a lower kingdom and forfeit the opportunity for Godhood and its accompanying benefits. Once the Mormon is assigned to a lower kingdom, achieving the celestial is out of the question. 12th LDS President Spencer W. Kimball taught that there is "no progression between kingdoms. After a person has been assigned to his place in the kingdom, either in the telestial, the terrestrial, or the celestial, or to his exaltation, he will never advance from his assigned glory to another glory. That is eternal!" (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p.50.)

"I Can Do It Later"

Many Mormons feel that they will have an opportunity after death to get things in order. This idea, while comforting, does not square with LDS theology. Mormonism teaches that this lifetime is a probation period. Mormon Apostle Bruce McConkie stated: "One of the great purposes of this mortal probation is to test and try men, to see if they will keep the commandments and walk in the light no matter what environmental enticements beckon them away from the straight and narrow path" (Mormon Doctrine, pg.229). The purpose of this lifetime is for the Mormon to prove himself worthy of exaltation. To fail in that capacity will result in never reaching that celestial goal.

President Joseph Fielding Smith said that if a person refuses to comply with the provided laws and ordinances during this lifetime, they will be "assigned, after the resurrection, to some inferior sphere." (Doctrines of Salvation 1:69) This concurs with Alma 34:32-33, which states, "For behold, 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... And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed." It seems clear that while some Mormons feel they can get things right after death, this is not supported by LDS teaching.

"What About Repentance?"

When confronted with this serious dilemma, many Latter-day Saints resort to the doctrine of repentance. While repenting of one's sins sounds like the logical remedy, it is really self-defeating when one looks at the whole Mormon picture. Bear in mind LDS leaders have stressed that "obedience" to the whole law is the requirement for exaltation, not repentance. The fact that a Mormon has to repent really proves he is not living up to the strict guidelines laid down by the LDS leadership. In other words, he is not obeying celestial law. If he was, he would have no need to repent. Ironically, every time a Mormon repents of his shortcomings and sins, he is doing nothing more than admitting to his God that he is unworthy of a celestial exaltation.

Even more damning for the Mormon is Spencer Kimball's definition of true repentance. He taught that the "repentance which merits forgiveness" is the kind in which "the former transgressor must have reached a 'point of no return' to sin wherein there is not merely a renunciation but also a deep abhorrence of the sin - where the sin becomes most distasteful to him and where the desire or urge to sin is cleared out of his life" (The Miracle of Forgiveness, pp.354-355). We know of no Mormon who has accomplished such a feat. Who can say they have actually reached a point in their life where the desire or urge to sin is no longer a problem? Apparently even the Apostle Paul did not accomplish this (Romans 7:13-24).

President Kimball also said that "living all the commandments guarantees total forgiveness of sins and assures one of exaltation" (Miracle, pg. 208). This must present a terrible quandary for the Latter-day Saint, for if the desire or urge to sin is not cleared out of his life, and he is not living all of the commandments, how can he know he is truly forgiven? In his pamphlet entitled Repentance Brings Forgiveness, President Kimball taught, "The forsaking of sin must be a permanent one. True repentance does not permit making the same mistake again." A great majority of Mormons with whom we have spoken candidly admit they often sin the same sin twice. Unfortunately, if this is the case, according to Kimball they cannot be assured of forgiveness.

The Book of Mormon offers no excuses to the Mormon who fails in this endeavor. First Nephi 3:7 states, "I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." If keeping all the commandments is really possible, why is it that no Mormon is doing it?

"But I'm Trying!"

Mormon Apostle Dallin Oaks taught: "The requirement for entry into the celestial kingdom is not that we have actually practiced the entire celestial law while upon this earth, but that we have shown God that we are willing and able to do so" (Pure in Heart, pp. 62-63). However, such comments, while they may appease those who are struggling to abide a celestial law, blatantly contradict those made by past LDS leaders. For instance, LDS Apostle Orson Whitney made it clear that a Mormon's chances for reaching the celestial were good only if he was "keeping" the commandments, not merely willing to keep them. He said, "If today, you are keeping those commandments that are now in force, you are living a celestial law, and your chances are good for celestial glory" (Conference Report, Oct. 1910, pg. 53). Notice he stressed that this must be done "today," not after one dies.

Tenth LDS President Joseph Fielding Smith said compliance with the law, not willingness, was necessary to obtain Godhood. "This mortal probation was to be a brief period, just a short span linking the eternity past with the eternity future. Yet it was to be a period of tremendous importance. It would either give to those who received it the blessing of eternal life, which is the greatest gift of God, and thus qualify them for godhood as sons and daughters of our Eternal Father, or, if they rebelled and refused to comply with the laws and ordinances which were provided for their salvation, it would deny them the great gift and they would be assigned, after the resurrection, to some inferior sphere according to their works. This life is the most vital period in our eternal existence (Doctrines of Salvation 1:69).

The Book of Mormon teaches, "For behold, 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" (Alma 34:32).

Commenting on this passage, Joseph Fielding Smith wrote, "These people to whom Amulek was speaking had heard the truth and were not altogether ignorant of the plan of salvation, because they had gone out of the Church by apostasy. So he declared unto them that this is the day for them to repent and turn unto God or they would be lost" (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:181). Are modern Latter-day Saints any more ignorant than the people addressed by Amulek? One would think they would be far more advanced than the Nephites and Lamanites described in the Book of Mormon and therefore just as accountable.

While many Latter-day Saints are willing to do what is right, the ability to do so is not as easy. Still, LDS leaders have stressed the accomplishment of obeying celestial law, not merely a willingness to obey. According to Spencer Kimball, a mere willingness to try to overcome sinful tendencies is not enough. He asserted, "Trying is not sufficient. Nor is repentance complete when one merely tries to abandon sin." He went on to say, "To 'try' is weak. To 'do the best I can' is not strong. We must always do better than we can" (Miracle, pp.164-165). Indeed, some Mormons have said, "I do my best and Jesus does the rest." That might be a catchy saying, but the fact is, if a Mormon is actually obeying celestial law, there is nothing left for Jesus to do.

When people are baptized as members in the LDS Church, they promise to keep all of the laws and commandments of God. Naturally they fail, so each week at sacrament service, Latter-days Saints must again commit to keeping the commandments.• Edited by a Moderator •

The fact that the LDS Church compels its members to make such promises is unreasonable to say the least. No human can live up to such expectations, but day in and day out, the LDS Church makes its people go through what is no doubt a meaningless vow. Each week members make the promise, yet each week they fail to keep the promise. Despite their personal efforts, when they do not live up to such incredible standards, their leadership accuses them of covenant breaking. "Of those who break covenants and promises made in sacred places and in solemn manner, we can apply the Lord's words as follows: '... a wicked man, who has set at naught the counsels of God, and has broken the most sacred promises which were made before God, and has depended upon his own judgment and boasted in his own wisdom' (D&C 3:12-13)." (Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, p.57.)
Conclusion

If the men quoted above are really prophets and apostles of God and are to believed as authoritative, then Mormons have plenty to fear for no one can live up to the requirements these men have set forth. It is impossible! That is why Romans 3:19 says that those who try to appease God by following the law are guilty before God. They cannot do it. Could it be that what these men have taught is not true? Could it be that the Bible offers a better way? It seems so.

The Bible declares that we are all sinners and incapable of saving ourselves. Jesus did not die just to make our resurrection possible; rather, He came to take away all (not merely "some") of the believer's sins (Col. 2:13). It is our sin which separates us from God. Once that barrier has been removed, those people are declared righteous before God, thus making them eligible for all the blessings He has in store for those whom He has called. It is Christ's total obedience, not our partial obedience, that saves true Christians in God's sight (Romans. 5:19). When we come to Him by faith, His righteousness is "imputed" (or "added") to us to our account (Romans. 4:1-8). Only His righteousness will satisfy the demands of an all-Holy God. Nothing less will do. It is only when we rely on this biblical fact that we can have the assurance of God's forgiveness. As long as a person insists that this salvation is dependent on his good works and individual righteousness, he will continue to be frustrated and bear the heavy burden of guilt. Don't be misled! Many Latter-day Saints live under this tremendous load of guilt! It is only when they place their total trust in Christ's righteousness that they will experience the joy and assurance true salvation affords.

For more articles like this one, please visit www.mrm.org

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[Dee Dee Warren]

Good article

[Bill the Cat]

More proof that:

1. Mormonism is a works based system
2. Salvation means two different things to us and them
3. We must be equipped to expose their error when they try to whitewash it to make it more palatable

[master_mormon]

Another gem by MRM. I always love reading articles from non-Mormons lecturing about what Mormons believe. Cracks me up. Anyway without going through all the problems with this article at this time, I will simply present one question to those who think this is a great article and then a comment from my experience.

From the article that is presented, the following question is raised in my mind. Given the fact that:

1. Mr McKeever presents a picture that its almost impossible for LDS to enter the Celestial Kingdom by their own doctrine (at least according to Mr. McKeever) and thus implies that at best LDS will only make it to the Terrestrial Kingdom.

2. According to LDS doctrine, all honorable people of other religions whether Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, ect who live their faith will make it to the Terrestrial Kingdom.

Then the question is what benefit or purpose would a person have being LDS? Since in the end, we all go to the Terrestrial Kingdom anyway?

In my perspective, this whole article does not make any sense simply from this issue alone. Perhaps the reason LDS remain LDS is that its not as hard as Mr. Mckeever implies. That he really is not explaining it how LDS understand it. Hence most LDS would just roll their eyes at his remarks and say what I said in my mind of basically "Whatever Bill.".

No to my comment based on my own personal experience. Many times in my life in discussing issues to other LDS about going to the celestial kingdom I have simply summarized it to the following thing and I have never had an LDS person disagree. That simply is if a LDS person can honestly hold a Temple Recommend and hold it throught their lives, they will enter the Celestial Kingdom. Not a may or might but will. That consists of answering 15 basic questions about ones belief and faith. They are well known and not a secret nor anything else. They are as follows:

1. Do you have faith in and a testimony of God the Eternal Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost

2. Do you have a testimony of the Atonement of Christ and of His role as Savior and Redeemer?

3. Do you have a testimony of the restoration of the gospel in these the latter days?

4. Do you sustain the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator and as the only person on the earth who possesses and is authorized to exercise all priesthood keys? Do you sustain members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators? Do you sustain the other General Authorities and local authorities of the Church?

5. Do you live the law of chastity?

6. Is there anything in your conduct relating to members of your family that is not in harmony with the teachings of the Church?

7. Do you support, affiliate with, or agree with any group or individual whose teachings or practices are contrary to or oppose those accepted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

8. Do you strive to keep the covenants you have made, to attend your sacrament and other meetings, and to keep your life in harmony with the laws and commandments of the gospel?

9. Are you honest in your dealings with your fellowmen?

10. Are you a full-tithe payer?

11. Do your keep the Word of Wisdom?

12. Do you have financial or other obligations to a former spouse or children? If yes, are you current in meeting those obligations?

13. If you have previously received your temple endowment: Do you keep the covenants that you made in the temple? Do you wear the garment both night and day as instructed in the endowment and in accordance with the covenant you made in the temple?

14. Have there been any sins or misdeeds in your life that should have been resolved with priesthood authorities but have not been?

15. Do you consider yourself worthy to enter the Lord's house and participate in temple ordinances?

If any LDS can answer these questions, they will go to the Celestial Kingdom. They are not difficult. I am thankful that I am LDS so that I can discern what is reality and what is fantasy that Mr McKeever attempts to hold up as truth. All he does is take a few isolated statements from over 150 years wraps it in a package that suits him regardless of whether LDS might consider it accurate. That is not important. The ends justifies the means.

[Sparko]

then, master mormon, you are not following what your earlier apostles laid down regarding the requirements to get into the celestial kingdom.


does that mean you think they were wrong when they said you had to follow the whole law?

and if you think they are wrong, doesnt that mean you cannot answer yes to your question number 4

4. Do you sustain the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator and as the only person on the earth who possesses and is authorized to exercise all priesthood keys? Do you sustain members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators? Do you sustain the other General Authorities and local authorities of the Church?

Which would by your own standards mean you can't get into the celestial kingdom?

[Trout]

then, master mormon, you are not following what your earlier apostles laid down regarding the requirements to get into the celestial kingdom.


does that mean you think they were wrong when they said you had to follow the whole law?

and if you think they are wrong, doesnt that mean you cannot answer yes to your question number 4

4. Do you sustain the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator and as the only person on the earth who possesses and is authorized to exercise all priesthood keys? Do you sustain members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators? Do you sustain the other General Authorities and local authorities of the Church?

Which would by your own standards mean you can't get into the celestial kingdom?

Those are excellent points, Sparko.

The LDS church presidents have more authority than does mastermormon to speak on such issues. For him to tell us that what they say isn't really what the real deal is, is simply undermining the authority structure of the LDS church.

When he says somethin contrary to what the presidents of the LDS church teach, he is no longer representing the church. If he's making up his own standard by which he hopes to enter the "Celestial Kingdom" he's actually saying that the leaders of the LDS church are incorrect. Yet they have the final say in doctrinal issues, not him.

[Sparko]

yup they are in a catch 22. If they say that the apostles were wrong about certain doctrines regarding entry to the Celestial kingdom, then they can no longer be truthful in holding to the Temple oath he told us about because it says that they have to believe that the Apostles are correct in everything they said regarding doctrine.

[master_mormon]

Those are excellent points, Sparko.

The LDS church presidents have more authority than does mastermormon to speak on such issues. For him to tell us that what they say isn't really what the real deal is, is simply undermining the authority structure of the LDS church.

When he says somethin contrary to what the presidents of the LDS church teach, he is no longer representing the church. If he's making up his own standard by which he hopes to enter the "Celestial Kingdom" he's actually saying that the leaders of the LDS church are incorrect. Yet they have the final say in doctrinal issues, not him.

I don't think I ever said I disagreed with what the leaders (past and present) have said. I disagree with Mr. McKeever understanding of the issue. You would have a very hard time convincing me that any LDS leader (past or present) would endorse the content of what Mr McKeever presented. So if they would not endorse the contents and I don't, then I dont see the disagreement between the leaders and me. I just see the disagreement between me and Bill.

[master_mormon]

then, master mormon, you are not following what your earlier apostles laid down regarding the requirements to get into the celestial kingdom.


does that mean you think they were wrong when they said you had to follow the whole law?

and if you think they are wrong, doesnt that mean you cannot answer yes to your question number 4

4. Do you sustain the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator and as the only person on the earth who possesses and is authorized to exercise all priesthood keys? Do you sustain members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators? Do you sustain the other General Authorities and local authorities of the Church?

Which would by your own standards mean you can't get into the celestial kingdom?

What is the whole law? Oh and by the way, we are not talking about the Law of Moses here. When Paul speaks about the "law" in the New Testament, he is speaking usually about that. Anyway no I never said they where wrong. My disagreeement is with Bill analysis and a few selected quotes. The problem that I see is that Bill apparently takes phrases like “keep the commandments” <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

To mean that one has to keep all the commandments 100% of the time. They can never slip and repentance is not allowed. LDS however don’t place such connotations on such phrases. To LDS, to keep the commandments, to keep the law, ect means to simply strive to live the commandments or the law the best one can. The Lord knows we will makes many mistakes, fall down, ect and does not demand perfection from us. He just asks that we do our part and repent and do a little better next time. As Steven Robinson wrote:

"Can anyone besides the Savior obey all the commandments all the time? If our only hope of inheriting the celestial kingdom lies in keeping all the rules, obeying all the commandments, and living all the principles perfectly, then you and I blew our chances long ago...
We generally say 'keeping the commandments' when what we really mean is 'trying real hard to keep the commandments and succeeding most of the time." Defined in this way, "keeping the commandments" is both possible and necessary; that is, trying to keep the commandments, doing the best we can at it, is a requirement of the gospel covenant, even though succeeding right now in keeping all of the commandments all of the time is not. This is why the gospel covenant offers repentance and atonement in addition to commandments…

when Paul talks about keeping the commandments or being justified by works, he means obeying all the commandments all the time. Therefore he rightly concludes that no one can "keep the commandments" in this sense, that our failure to keep the commandments perfectly condemns us, and that we must look somewhere else for a means of salvation...

When the terms are defined in this way, clearly whoever would claim to be righteous on the basis of "keeping the commandments" must keep all of the commandments all of the time. Good luck." (Stephen E. Robinson, "Believing Christ: The Parable of the Bicycle and Other Good News" p. 42-45)

So in the LDS perspective, to live the Celestial Law is not living every law 100% of the time and not making mistakes. As it says in the temple recommend questions I have noted above “Do you strive to keep the covenants you have made, to attend your sacrament and other meetings, and to keep your life in harmony with the laws and commandments of the gospel? This is clearly different that what Bill presents.

The scriptures are clear that we have to keep the commandments for this and that. For example:

John 15:10: "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love."


Revelation 22:12-14: "And behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be...Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

So in order to abide in Christ’s love, have right to the tree of life and enter the gates, we have to keep the commandments. Since Bill’s view means that requires 100% keeping all the time, then nobody can do it thus nobody will have rights to the tree of life, nobody will enter the gates, and nobody can abide in Christ’s love. However if keeping the commandments, law ect don’t hold to that strict, absolute connotation, then there are many that can abide in Christ love, who will have rights to the tree of life and enter the gates of the city.

Now I know my comments are not going to change minds here and that is ok. I am simply saying that there is different point of view to Bill McKeever's article. There is the version of Mormonism that Bill McKeever believes in and there is one that Mormons believe in. I will continue to believe the version of Mormonism that Mormons believe. If you want to believe Bill's version, hey whatever floats your boat.

[Sparko]

What is the whole law? Oh and by the way, we are not talking about the Law of Moses here. When Paul speaks about the "law" in the New Testament, he is speaking usually about that. Anyway no I never said they where wrong. My disagreeement is with Bill analysis and a few selected quotes. The problem that I see is that Bill apparently takes phrases like “keep the commandments” <o:p></o:p>

To mean that one has to keep all the commandments 100% of the time. They can never slip and repentance is not allowed. LDS however don’t place such connotations on such phrases. To LDS, to keep the commandments, to keep the law, ect means to simply strive to live the commandments or the law the best one can. The Lord knows we will makes many mistakes, fall down, ect and does not demand perfection from us. He just asks that we do our part and repent and do a little better next time. As Steven Robinson wrote:

"Can anyone besides the Savior obey all the commandments all the time? If our only hope of inheriting the celestial kingdom lies in keeping all the rules, obeying all the commandments, and living all the principles perfectly, then you and I blew our chances long ago...
We generally say 'keeping the commandments' when what we really mean is 'trying real hard to keep the commandments and succeeding most of the time." Defined in this way, "keeping the commandments" is both possible and necessary; that is, trying to keep the commandments, doing the best we can at it, is a requirement of the gospel covenant, even though succeeding right now in keeping all of the commandments all of the time is not. This is why the gospel covenant offers repentance and atonement in addition to commandments…

when Paul talks about keeping the commandments or being justified by works, he means obeying all the commandments all the time. Therefore he rightly concludes that no one can "keep the commandments" in this sense, that our failure to keep the commandments perfectly condemns us, and that we must look somewhere else for a means of salvation...

When the terms are defined in this way, clearly whoever would claim to be righteous on the basis of "keeping the commandments" must keep all of the commandments all of the time. Good luck." (Stephen E. Robinson, "Believing Christ: The Parable of the Bicycle and Other Good News" p. 42-45)

So in the LDS perspective, to live the Celestial Law is not living every law 100% of the time and not making mistakes. As it says in the temple recommend questions I have noted above “Do you strive to keep the covenants you have made, to attend your sacrament and other meetings, and to keep your life in harmony with the laws and commandments of the gospel? This is clearly different that what Bill presents.

The scriptures are clear that we have to keep the commandments for this and that. For example:

John 15:10: "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love."


Revelation 22:12-14: "And behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be...Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

So in order to abide in Christ’s love, have right to the tree of life and enter the gates, we have to keep the commandments. Since Bill’s view means that requires 100% keeping all the time, then nobody can do it thus nobody will have rights to the tree of life, nobody will enter the gates, and nobody can abide in Christ’s love. However if keeping the commandments, law ect don’t hold to that strict, absolute connotation, then there are many that can abide in Christ love, who will have rights to the tree of life and enter the gates of the city.

Now I know my comments are not going to change minds here and that is ok. I am simply saying that there is different point of view to Bill McKeever's article. There is the version of Mormonism that Bill McKeever believes in and there is one that Mormons believe in. I will continue to believe the version of Mormonism that Mormons believe. If you want to believe Bill's version, hey whatever floats your boat.

It's kind of funny Master, but the article above actually answers and counters every one of your points of argument. It's almost as if it were written in reply to you.

Perhaps you should re-read it, slower and with an open mind.

[xevolutionist]

It's kind of funny Master, but the article above actually answers and counters every one of your points of argument. It's almost as if it were written in reply to you.

Perhaps you should re-read it, slower and with an open mind.

Speaking as an ex-Mormon, with an extensive family who remain Mormons, I would like to point out that keeping an open mind is not something the Mormons tolerate.

To call themselves the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, then reject the diety of Christ, demonstrates their willingness to follow their leaders no matter what contradicts them, including logic.

The fact that their own Book of Mormon expressly forbid more than one wife or taking concubines [Jacob Chapter 2 verses 26-28] did not keep them them, especially the leadership, from taking other women as wives is another demonstration of that. Indeed, most of Chapters 2 and 3 are a specific warning of the consequences of disobeying this law. Yet they justify their multiple wives by saying that "times changed."

Perhaps the great appeal of the Mormon church is that teaching that no one will go to hell.

Speaking to my brother I mentioned that I was leading a Bible study in our house. He stated that the Mormons don't allow independent Bible study "because they get all kinds of wrong ideas."

In closing, when DNA research by a Mormon graduate student, [trying to prove that the native Americans were truly descendants of the Jews] showed that they weren't, the church responded by threatening to excommunicate this well meaning Mormon. [Some native Americans who joined the Mormon church when they were told they were Jewish by birth are now suing the Mormons for lying to them.] I hope they get their tithing returned.