Now I talked in a previous video about the great and abominable church (the church of the devil) and the church of the Lamb of God. And in that video I explained how I did not believe that the church of the Lamb was the modern Mormon church and how I could still believe in the Book of Mormon and not be a member of the Mormon church. But there is also another reason I am going to discuss in this video where I will explain as to how I don’t believe in the Mormon church but I am still comfortable with the scriptures Joseph Smith produced or translated.
So I am going to discuss how most Mormons get their testimony of the Mormon church because I believe there is a flaw in the logic in how the go about doing that. There is a fallacy in their thinking.
It all boils down to Moroni’s challenge which is a challenge that the prophet Moroni gives in the Book of Mormon in the last chapter. In his promise Moroni tells people how they can learn if the Book of Mormon is true.
Now I served mission for the Mormon church. I served it in upstate New York and on my mission we always tried to get people to be baptized by using Moroni’s promise. So let me read this promise to you.
3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
– Moroni 10: 3-5
And I actually agree with those verses. I feel they are beautiful verses. And even if you don’t believe in the Book of Mormon I believe the principles in them are true. I believe that through the Holy Ghost you can go to God and pray and ask for the truth on something and that one can gain an answer doing that.
When I was a teenager, I took Moroni’s promise and prayed and asked if the Book of Mormon was true. And I received a very strong feeling of the Spirit in my body telling me that it was true. I also went to God and prayed and asked if Joseph Smith was a prophet and messenger from God and once again received a feeling in my body telling me that he was.
Then I prayed if the modern LDS Mormon church was true. And when I prayed this prayer about the church and it’s leader Gordon B Hinkley at the time I received no answer. I received no answer but a stupor of thought.
There is actually a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants that also talks about receiving answers from God in prayer.
8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.
9 But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me.
– Doctrine and Covenants 9: 8-9
Note: These two verses are specifically talking about translating but I believe they apply to receiving answers in prayer as well.
So when I prayed about the Mormon church and it’s current president I received no confirmation but only a stupor of thought.
I prayed about the Book of Mormon and received an answer. I prayed about Joseph Smith and received an answer. I prayed about the church and received a stupor of thought.
So here is the thing. This is how I feel that Mormons have built their testimony of the LDS church. It is based upon their testimony of the Book of Mormon.
Now for me, at one time this troubled me and I talked about this with my father, whom I am close with. He told me that if you received and answer of the Book of Mormon that you automatically receive an answer about the Mormon church. One just follows the other.
At the time I accepted that as an answer and decided to go ahead and go on a mission. After all, what else could there be? What other church?
So, what I did was go on a mission. But even when I was on my mission I prayed about the Mormon church and its modern day prophet Gordon B Hinkley. I prayed about this throughout my entire mission and even after my mission and I NEVER received a confirmation that the church or its prophet where true.
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