Similarities and Differences Between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I pray to our Lord to open the eyes to the blind so they might see the truth.

Do both groups trace their roots to Joseph Smith, Jr?

Yes, the larger group officially known as "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" are often referred to as LDS or Mormons. The smaller group is officially called, "The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints." They are often referred to as "Latter Day Saints," or "RLDS."

Following are some of the similarities taken from a pamphlet written by Ex-Mormons for Jesus, Ira T. Ransom.

1. Acknowledge Joseph Smith, Jr. as a true prophet
2. Accept the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants as Scripture.
3. Baptized by immersion for the remission of sins. (Children are baptized at the age of eight.)
4. Believe that good works are essential to attain salvation.
5. Have Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood.
6. Believe that there are three Heavens: Celestial, Terrestial, and Telestial.
7. Believe in continuous revelation and have an open canon of Scripture.
8. Both groups have similar, but not identical views about Hell. Neither group believes that Hell is a place of permanent punishment.
9. Have presidents whom they consider to be living prophets.
10. Believe that Zion will be established on the American continent during the Millennium.
11. Both groups make the same fatal mistake of trusting in their good works for salvation instead of putting complete faith in Jesus Christ and His redeeming work.

Differences between "LDS" (Mormons) and "RLDS."

1. The RLDS think of God as eternally unchangeable, but Mormons believe that God is progressive.
2. RLDS believe that men may develop in righteousness into any degree of glory, including the Celestial glory, through obedience to the fundamental gospel principles.
   
   Mormons believe that by obeying those principles, men can even become Gods in the highest Heaven.
3. The RLDS marry only for time, but Mormons marry for time and eternity, believing that Celestial marriages are essential to attain Godhood.
4. Mormons accepted the revelation about polygamy (Doctrine and Covenants 132) as from Joseph Smith, and followed it. The RLDS claim that Brigham Young gave the revelation, so RLDS have always rejected the dogma of polygamy.
5. Mormons accepted a fourth book as Scripture, The Pearl of Great Price, which the RLDS never considered as Divine revelation.
   
   As a result of teaching in the Pearl of Great Price, Mormons did not allow Blacks to hold the Priesthood, believing that they were cursed with a dark skin, and were also unworthy spirits in the pre-existence. Now Blacks can hold the priesthoods in the Mormon Church since a revelation by President Spencer W. Kimball in June 1978. The RLDS never discriminated against Blacks.
6. The RLDS system has Pastors, elected from the Eldership, who preach sermons. Mormons have no pastors, but have Bishops who lead the local assemblies.
7. The RLDS have headquarters in Independence, Missouri. The Mormons have headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah.
8. The RLDS followed Joseph Smith's sons as their second President. The Mormons followed Brigham Young.
9. The RLDS have presidents in the Joseph Smith family line. The Mormons choose and sustain their presidents from different families. So far, each new president has previously been the president of the Council of the Twelve Apostles.
10. The RLDS go more by the earlier teaching of Joseph Smith, while Mormons hold distinctive views which resulted from his later teachings.
11. The teachings of the RLDS are more in harmony with the Book of Mormon, while Mormon theology comes more from the Pearl of Great Price and some of Joseph Smith's Sermons.
12. Mormons and the RLDS both have a book called Doctrine and Covenants, but they are not exactly the same, therefore, the numbering system is different.
13. The nickname "Mormon" applies only to the Utah Latter-day Saints.
14. The RLDS write the term "Latter Day Saints: as three words with three capital letters. Mormons write it "Latter-day Saints" with a hyphen and a small "d."

I hope and Pray that the Truth will set you free from this False Doctrine!

What did Joseph Smith do to overcome the great number of discrepancies between the teachings of the Bible and those of his own?

He rewrote the Bible: In the fly-leaf of his "version" appear these words: "The Holy Scriptures, translated and corrected by the spirit of revelation by Joseph Smith, Jr. the seer," 1927 Edition. "The Revision of the Bible which was done by Joseph Smith at the command of the Lord was not a complete revision of the Bible. There are many parts of the Bible in which the Prophet did not change the meaning where it is incorrect. He revised as far as the Lord permitted him at the time, and it was his intention to do more, but because of persecution this was not accomplished. However, all that he did is very helpful for the major errors have been corrected."

Doctrine of Salvation Vol.3:191
Joseph Fielding Smith

 Was the Bible Completed by Joseph Smith?

Yes, in 1833 The official Church Historian, Andrew Jenson wrote: "Joseph Smith the Prophet finished the translation of the Bible."
Church Chronology, 1899, p. 9.

Joseph Smith also published the same information in History of the Church, Vol 1, p. 368.

Did Joseph Smith add to the Bible?

Yes, seventeen extra verses were added to Genesis chapter 15. A total of 2,427 verses were added or changed by Joseph Smith.

 Did Joseph Smith change the Bible to fit his own doctrine?

Yes, Joseph wrote himself into Genesis 50.

"And that seer will I bless, and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise I give unto you, for I will remember you from generation to generation; and his name shall be called Joseph, and it shall be like unto you, for the thing which the Lord shall bring forth by His hand shall bring my people unto salvation."

He changed the meaning of John 1:1 to eliminate the doctrine of the Trinity.

"In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word; and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God."

The correct translation is:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Was the precise day for the organization of the church revealed to Joseph Smith, along with the name?

Yes,
The name given by "divine revelation" was, the Church of Christ.

Four years later on April 3, 1830, the name was changed to, The Church of the Latter-day Saints.

Then four years later, in April of 1834, the name was again changed to, Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints.

Doesn't it seem strange that it took eight years and three revelations to name the "true church"?
Changes in Mormonism

History of the Church p. 63

In the prefix we stated that this book was written to answer the attack by Joseph Smith and the Mormon Church against Orthodox Christianity. We feel we have answered this attack by taking the Bible and checking the Prophet Joseph Smith. In doing this we have proven beyond all doubt the following truths:

1. Joseph Smith is a false prophet.
2. The Bible is the inspired Word of God and the sole authority for the Christian's faith and life.
3. The Christian Church is not apostate, it is the Body of Christ on earth, those called by God to salvation.
4. Salvation is through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
5. Justification is by faith in Christ, without works.
6. The Book of Mormon is not inspired by God.
7. The Angel Moroni is a fallen angel.
8. God has never been man. He is Spirit and always has been.
9. Man will never be a God, only a son of God.

We pray that this book will cause you to study the Bible and grow in your knowledge and relationship with Jesus Christ.

Do the Mormons teach that Jesus was born as a result of a sexual relationship between God the Father and the Virgin Mary?

Yes,

"These name-titles all signify that our Lord is the only Son of the Father in the flesh. Each of the words is to be understood literally. Only means only; Begotten means begotten; and Son means son. Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers."

Mormon Doctrine, pp. 546, 547

"God the Father, is a perfected, glorified, holy man an immortal Personage. And Christ was born into the world as the literal Son of this Holy Being; he was born in the same personal, real, and literal sense that any mortal son is born to a mortal father. There is nothing figurative about his paternity; he was begotten, conceived and born in the normal and natural course of events, for he is the Son of God, and that designation means what it says...Christ is the Son of Man, meaning that his Father (the Eternal God!) is a Holy Man."

"Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers."

Do Mormons teach that Jesus Became a God?

Yes,

"Jesus became a God and reached His great state of understanding through consistent effort and continuous obedience to all the Gospel truth and universal laws."

The Gospel Throughout the Ages, p. 51

Are Mormons Polytheists?

Yes,

"I will preach on the plurality of Gods. I have selected this text for that express purpose. I will to declare I have always and in all congregations when I have preached on the subject of the Deity, it has been the plurality of Gods. It has been preached by the Elders for fifteen years.

I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit; and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods. If this is in accordance with the New Testament, Lo and Behold! we have three Gods anyhow, and they are plural: and who can contradict it?"

History of the Church 6:474, Joseph Smith, Jr.

"Many men say there is one God; the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are only one God! I say that is a strange God anyhow—three in one, and one in three! It is a curious organization...All are to be crammed into one god, according to sectarianism. It would be a wonderfully big God—he would be a giant or a monster."

History of the Church 6:475, 476, Joseph Smith, Jr.

"I am going to inquire after God, for I want you all to know him and to be familiar with Him...God was once as we are now, an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens...I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see...It is the first principal of the Gospel...and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests, the same as all gods before you, namely by going from one small degree to another..."

Times and Seasons, August 1, 1844. Joseph Smith.

Friendshipping

 The Mormons have a specific and structural way of gaining converts known as Friendshipping.

John L. Smith has printed a booklet written by Patrick and Cynthia Maquire exposing the highly structural practice of every Mormon congregation or ward. For a complete copy of this article you may write John L. Smith at the following address.

Friendshipping
By Patrick & Cynthia Maquire

John L. Smith
Utah Missions, Inc.
P.O. Box 348
Marlow, Oklahoma 73055

 If a person has a Mormon friend who is in good standing with the LDS church is he being friendshipped?

Yes, FRIENDSHIPPING is a term used to describe a general plan that is always in effect for every member of the Mormon Church, regardless of age.

 What is their next step after the target family has been selected, and their names turned into the priesthood leader?

There is a printed guide for the member family to follow. During the first week of the program (after training) a specific number of contacts are made. These are telephone calls, visits, shopping trips, any kind of contact that enhances the relation.

In the second week, the number of contacts increases and may include activities that only involve the children of the two families. This kind of building, caring, personal relationship continue increasing in intensity until the target family and the member family are good friends.

Throughout the process, however, the priesthood holder (or the head of the member family have been turning in written reports to his priesthood leader on the overall progress being made with the non-member family. Also, verbal reports are required on demand.

If progress is slow, or for some reason non-existent, then the entire member family is retrained in FRIENDSHIPPING. If progress continues to stagnate over a period of time, then the target family is dropped and another chosen."

 Is the Mormon Church discussed in the first few weeks of friendshipping?

NO. If it is brought up by the target family it is usually approached in a non-aggressive manner, depending on how church leaders feel about the target family's readiness for the "gospel."

 What programs are offered to attract the target family to church-related meetings? Are these meetings religious in nature?

The meetings are not religious. "The Ward (Local Mormon Congregation) have many cultured programs throughout the year. These may be parties for children. The topics vary and include little or no religious content."

What did Joseph Smith say about the Book of Mormon?

Joseph Smith declared that the Book of Mormon contained "the fullness of the everlasting gospel" that he had been called to restore. (Doctrine and Covenants 20:9; 42:12, 135:3)

What is the everlasting Gospel as set forth in the Bible?

Paul made the everlasting Gospel known in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

1. "Now I make known to you brethren the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you stand.

2. by which you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believe in vain.

3. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures,

4. and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures."

Was this gospel of 1 Corinthians lost or changed by the Orthodox Christian Church?

No, this gospel has remained in the Orthodox Christian Church. It is one of the central doctrines of Christianity that binds the many denominations of the Christian Church together.

 Does the Book of Mormon contain the Mormon gospel?

No, Joseph Smith's gospel has expanded to include a "God" who was once a sinful man, and is now resurrected in a physical body. Refer to the quote on 3G.

 Does the Book of Mormon contain the central teachings of Mormonism?

No, the central teachings of Mormonism include:

• God being man, Man becoming God.
• Three degrees of Glory.
• A pre-mortal state of man.
• Marriage for eternity.
• Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood.
• Baptism for the Dead.

None of these teachings are in the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon does not contain "the fullness of the gospel" as claimed by Joseph Smith, in fact it contains almost no Mormonism.

 Joseph Smith said, "The Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth." Have there been any changes in the Book of Mormon since it was first published in 1830?

Yes, there have been over 2000 changes since 1830.

 What are some of the obvious errors in the Book of Mormon?

Joseph Smith said the Book of Mormon was written their Gospels and Epistles. His quotes were taken directly from King James English.

Joseph Smith also copied entire chapters from the King James Bible: Isaiah 2:14 with 2 Nephi 12-24; Isaiah 48, 49 with 1 Nephi 20, 21; Isaiah 50, 51 with 2 Nephi 7, 8. These passages of Scriptures include the verse and chapter divisions, and italics from the King James Bible, which wasn't written until centuries later.

In Alma 46:15 believers are called Christians in 73 BC, Acts 11:26 says they were first called Christians at Antioch in 42 AD.

 Are there any archaeological findings that prove the Book of Mormon?

No, according to Mormon Archaeologist Professor Dee F. Green.

"The first myth we need to eliminate is that the Book of Mormon archaeology exists...If one is to study the Book of Mormon archaeology, then one must have a corpus of data with which to deal with. We do not...no Book of Mormon location is known with reference to modern topography. Biblical archaeology can be studied because we do know where Jerusalem and Jericho were and are, but we do not know where Zarahemla and Bountiful (nor any location for that matter) were and are...a concentration on geography would be the first order of business, but we have already seen that twenty years of such an approach has left us empty handed."

Dialogue, op. cit. Summer 1969, pp. 77-78. Mormon Archaeologist Professor Dee. F. Green.