Mormon Challenge
Reinventing Mormonism
The Latest Mormon Media Campaign Easter 2014.
A beautiful new LDS video about Jesus has been posted on youtube and it has reached 4 Million views on youtube by Easter Monday. The Church continues to propagate a main stream Christian image by means of orchestrated media campaigns and paid advertising. In addition it now mobilises its 5 million active members to utilize social media (facebook) with the hash tag campaign #becauseofhim which I have used as well now to post my comments on LDS turf.
The Essence of Mormonism
Mormonism is complex and embraces Christian Magic, Mystic, Myth and unfortunately deliberate Misinformation in producing and maintaining a new faith culture with a strong and positive communal experience characterized by vibrancy, dynamics and controversy. It has earned a certain level of merit and acceptance in spite of its unorthodoxy and controversy which do produce substantial risks in matters of faith. Having said that the webmaster of this site does acknowledge that the historical Jesus may be viewed as a mystic by some as well. See Source 1 and Source 2. Jewish mysticism can be traced back to the Bible (Daniel) as well as 100 BCE Merkabah Judaism, 12th century Kabalistic Judaism and 18th century Hasidic Judaism. Mormonism indoctrinates and few Mormons are informed about the current dynamics of the Christian faith, especially its positive aspects. A broad religious world view is discouraged, hence Mormons may not now anything about new apostolic leaders that change the world. For example Heidi Baker in Mozambique, who has been dubbed the new Mother Teresa that changes the nation of Mozambique, Africa and the world. See this 10 minutes CBN clip as well as a 90 minutes full Documentary (2014) narrated by Reinhard Bonnke.
Does the LDS church grow slower now and will they do so in future (Yes / Yes) ?
In the latter part of the 20th century the Mormon faith has come under severe scientific attack and the spread of information has been accelerated by the advent of the internet some 20 years ago. The slow down does show to some degree in the LDS growth statistics. Other opinions are that saturation effects come to bear as well. Nowadays in 2014 I do not expect any further dramatic disclosures. However the information already available will slowly filter through the Mormon system and reach the 95% of LDS that are only marginally informed about the challenges their faith faces. The Mormon Church will continue to adapt and the real Joseph Smith will be viewed as Saint and Sinner . Increasing awareness will become a catalyst for further change. A full confession by the LDS leaders and radical change could trigger a large scale exodus or spin off. Doubting members seek transformation within the LDS church and on their own. As a Christian I esteem truth and faith equally high. Catalysts for slow down are saturation, fundamental discrepancies and dissemination of information (new media). The LDS church embraces modern media to combat the internet damage to the faith, but has yet to prove that throwing vast resources at a very hard to defend position in the digital age information war will work on a large scale as well as on a small scale. I personally doubt it and belief that hard facts will ultimately impact on 1/3 of its base as well as 1/3 of its convert pool. This may however take a whole new generation to fully eventuate (20 to 50 years).
Evolution of Mormonism - The mystical projections of Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith Phase 1 - A defence of Christianity based on pious fraud (The Book of Mormon is an apocrypha / midrash)
Young Joseph has been accused of pious fraud and was facing charges for engaging in magical treasure hunting for money in 1826 (SLT, ULM) at the same time he claimed to have divine and angelic visitations (1820,1823,1827) to commission him to write scripture. The very scripture he wrote was giving him enough credibility to catapult him into a new prophetic role. Originally however he wanted to sell the copy right of the Book of Mormon and cash in his chips. He also flirted with the idea to join the methodists. So he was quite mixed up and had a checkered reputation as we can see.
Joseph Smith Phase 2 - Add Masonry, Paganism, Fertility Cult and Esoteric Revelations in the name of Jesus
Nowadays we know a lot more about his innovation, character flaws and instability thanks to his diaries and excellent modern record keeping. His excesses, polygamy and cover ups have got him jailed in 1844 and have contributed to his assassination. Today's Mormonism can be described as an attempt by the current LDS leaders to keep their faith and their members faith and to sanitize and rationalize Josephs legacy while preserving its predominantly Christian roots and its cherished less offensive unique Mormon doctrines. The buddhist concept of creating a tulpa helps us understanding the magical mystical process Joseph may have employed and has been demonstrated by researcher Alexandra David-Neel.
Origin
Mormonism has its origin in the visions of the teenage mystic Joseph Smith starting in 1820 and is his attempt to fix Christianity in context with 18th century Enlightenment and 19th century Revivalism in the US. Josephs Father was leaning towards Deism and sought to reconcile science and religion. The culture did embrace a widespread rejection of prophecy, miracle and revealed religion. Joseph Junior was familiar with Thomas Paine (1737-1809) and the "The Age of Reason" , but he did not resonate with Thomas Jefferson in his short Jefferson Bible from which all supernatural aspects were removed. He was a defender of the Christian faith until he embraced masonry and polygamy. Josephs mother Lucy's leaning was towards revivalism and she joined the presbyterians. One of the biggest shake up in Josephs formative years was his brother Alvins death and the reverends announcement that he has gone to Hell, which for Deists is a rather offensive New Testament concept.
Joseph Smith by his own testimony was conflicted.
Confused by religious controversy and applying the wisdom scripture in James he sought direct revelation from God Almighty to solve his dilemma. This process is taught to all Mormon proselytes. What is not taught is that Joseph was coming from an occult (spiritist) background has been inclined to seek revelations to improve and expand Christianity. His quest for certainty and security combined with his propensity for lying and pious fraud has given the world a deviant form of exclusive Christianity with a strong millennialist kingdom orientation. Apocalyptic Millenialism and absolute exclusive authority are usually the marks of cults. The LDS church claims exclusive truth covering salvation, priesthood authority, scripture, doctrine and a political kingdom. Smith died before succeeding. Such claims have become increasingly difficult to sustain in the information age. Mormonism is a very young and extremely well documented religion, which makes it very vulnerable to scrutiny. As the solid material truth becomes more widely known the LDS church must transform further or risk to regress. Cosmetic renovations appear to be hypocritical and will not be enough. Since the arrival of the internet LDS membership growth has dramatically slowed down. After loosing faith in Mormonisms exclusive claims some LDS members leave while others stay. 50 % of returned missionaries become inactive within 2 years. But the vast majority of LDS members are not aware of the full magnitude of problems surrounding the Mormon claims to truth.
A beautiful new LDS video about Jesus has been posted on youtube and it has reached 4 Million views on youtube by Easter Monday. The Church continues to propagate a main stream Christian image by means of orchestrated media campaigns and paid advertising. In addition it now mobilises its 5 million active members to utilize social media (facebook) with the hash tag campaign #becauseofhim which I have used as well now to post my comments on LDS turf.
The Essence of Mormonism
Mormonism is complex and embraces Christian Magic, Mystic, Myth and unfortunately deliberate Misinformation in producing and maintaining a new faith culture with a strong and positive communal experience characterized by vibrancy, dynamics and controversy. It has earned a certain level of merit and acceptance in spite of its unorthodoxy and controversy which do produce substantial risks in matters of faith. Having said that the webmaster of this site does acknowledge that the historical Jesus may be viewed as a mystic by some as well. See Source 1 and Source 2. Jewish mysticism can be traced back to the Bible (Daniel) as well as 100 BCE Merkabah Judaism, 12th century Kabalistic Judaism and 18th century Hasidic Judaism. Mormonism indoctrinates and few Mormons are informed about the current dynamics of the Christian faith, especially its positive aspects. A broad religious world view is discouraged, hence Mormons may not now anything about new apostolic leaders that change the world. For example Heidi Baker in Mozambique, who has been dubbed the new Mother Teresa that changes the nation of Mozambique, Africa and the world. See this 10 minutes CBN clip as well as a 90 minutes full Documentary (2014) narrated by Reinhard Bonnke.
Does the LDS church grow slower now and will they do so in future (Yes / Yes) ?
In the latter part of the 20th century the Mormon faith has come under severe scientific attack and the spread of information has been accelerated by the advent of the internet some 20 years ago. The slow down does show to some degree in the LDS growth statistics. Other opinions are that saturation effects come to bear as well. Nowadays in 2014 I do not expect any further dramatic disclosures. However the information already available will slowly filter through the Mormon system and reach the 95% of LDS that are only marginally informed about the challenges their faith faces. The Mormon Church will continue to adapt and the real Joseph Smith will be viewed as Saint and Sinner . Increasing awareness will become a catalyst for further change. A full confession by the LDS leaders and radical change could trigger a large scale exodus or spin off. Doubting members seek transformation within the LDS church and on their own. As a Christian I esteem truth and faith equally high. Catalysts for slow down are saturation, fundamental discrepancies and dissemination of information (new media). The LDS church embraces modern media to combat the internet damage to the faith, but has yet to prove that throwing vast resources at a very hard to defend position in the digital age information war will work on a large scale as well as on a small scale. I personally doubt it and belief that hard facts will ultimately impact on 1/3 of its base as well as 1/3 of its convert pool. This may however take a whole new generation to fully eventuate (20 to 50 years).
Evolution of Mormonism - The mystical projections of Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith Phase 1 - A defence of Christianity based on pious fraud (The Book of Mormon is an apocrypha / midrash)
Young Joseph has been accused of pious fraud and was facing charges for engaging in magical treasure hunting for money in 1826 (SLT, ULM) at the same time he claimed to have divine and angelic visitations (1820,1823,1827) to commission him to write scripture. The very scripture he wrote was giving him enough credibility to catapult him into a new prophetic role. Originally however he wanted to sell the copy right of the Book of Mormon and cash in his chips. He also flirted with the idea to join the methodists. So he was quite mixed up and had a checkered reputation as we can see.
Joseph Smith Phase 2 - Add Masonry, Paganism, Fertility Cult and Esoteric Revelations in the name of Jesus
Nowadays we know a lot more about his innovation, character flaws and instability thanks to his diaries and excellent modern record keeping. His excesses, polygamy and cover ups have got him jailed in 1844 and have contributed to his assassination. Today's Mormonism can be described as an attempt by the current LDS leaders to keep their faith and their members faith and to sanitize and rationalize Josephs legacy while preserving its predominantly Christian roots and its cherished less offensive unique Mormon doctrines. The buddhist concept of creating a tulpa helps us understanding the magical mystical process Joseph may have employed and has been demonstrated by researcher Alexandra David-Neel.
Origin
Mormonism has its origin in the visions of the teenage mystic Joseph Smith starting in 1820 and is his attempt to fix Christianity in context with 18th century Enlightenment and 19th century Revivalism in the US. Josephs Father was leaning towards Deism and sought to reconcile science and religion. The culture did embrace a widespread rejection of prophecy, miracle and revealed religion. Joseph Junior was familiar with Thomas Paine (1737-1809) and the "The Age of Reason" , but he did not resonate with Thomas Jefferson in his short Jefferson Bible from which all supernatural aspects were removed. He was a defender of the Christian faith until he embraced masonry and polygamy. Josephs mother Lucy's leaning was towards revivalism and she joined the presbyterians. One of the biggest shake up in Josephs formative years was his brother Alvins death and the reverends announcement that he has gone to Hell, which for Deists is a rather offensive New Testament concept.
Joseph Smith by his own testimony was conflicted.
Confused by religious controversy and applying the wisdom scripture in James he sought direct revelation from God Almighty to solve his dilemma. This process is taught to all Mormon proselytes. What is not taught is that Joseph was coming from an occult (spiritist) background has been inclined to seek revelations to improve and expand Christianity. His quest for certainty and security combined with his propensity for lying and pious fraud has given the world a deviant form of exclusive Christianity with a strong millennialist kingdom orientation. Apocalyptic Millenialism and absolute exclusive authority are usually the marks of cults. The LDS church claims exclusive truth covering salvation, priesthood authority, scripture, doctrine and a political kingdom. Smith died before succeeding. Such claims have become increasingly difficult to sustain in the information age. Mormonism is a very young and extremely well documented religion, which makes it very vulnerable to scrutiny. As the solid material truth becomes more widely known the LDS church must transform further or risk to regress. Cosmetic renovations appear to be hypocritical and will not be enough. Since the arrival of the internet LDS membership growth has dramatically slowed down. After loosing faith in Mormonisms exclusive claims some LDS members leave while others stay. 50 % of returned missionaries become inactive within 2 years. But the vast majority of LDS members are not aware of the full magnitude of problems surrounding the Mormon claims to truth.
Mormon leaders face a tough challenge.
The Mormon Church maintains its claims while sanitizing its doctrines. More honesty is required to save the church long term as Mormonism as we know it needs to be dismantled, but if they move too fast then there may be a major fall out with many members loosing all faith and becoming agnostics while others become fundies and if they move too slow they face an erosion of trust. See also our Page - Mormon Court Cases.
Mormon followers face a tough challenge as well.
If they employ historical and scientific scrutiny to Mormonism they discover fraud and delusion. For deliberate fraud there is no excuse, but Mormons realise that full scrutiny on matters of faith and delusion will also undermine the Christian basics of their faith. Concepts, such as death prior to Adam and Eve, bodily resurrection and Hell remain controversial concepts and some ex-Mormons have turned atheist or agnostic.
My family converted to Mormonism in 1969.
And I prayed in 1972 and followed believing that Joseph Smith was an honest man. At 19 (1969) I was a nominal Christian teenager who's family converted to Mormonism. I became a devout Christian by 1972 and liked where I was, but the Mormons succeeded in getting me to question my salvation by convincing me that a divinely authorized fully immersed baptism was a necessary prerequisite. I did not want to ignore or offend God when he chooses to commission his own church. For me this started a long process of thought reform that ultimately did not stand the test of time. Mormonism provides "God in a box" , but truth seekers must look over the fence and find him personally after all churches have failed to justify their claims to sole truth and exclusive priesthood authority.
It was the Christians who made me doubt my Mormon salvation in 1995, so I converted once more. And nowadays in 2014 a new breed of radicals once more sows the seeds of doubts about salvation to a slack and self indulgent Christianity. And then there are the Ex-Mormon atheists, who have turned their new found investigation skills on all aspects of faith.
So Christianity has its own credibility challenges, but historically its is far more sustainable and defensible than Mormonism. Even in today's age its core remains alive and well thanks to ongoing visions and miracles. Biblical Christianity provides a far better prospect for salvation, purpose in life and making a difference in this world. The LDS church is a very wealthy corporation and while it claims a monopoly on the divine apparently it gives less than 1% to charity.
The Painful Truth
I have come to the conclusion that Honesty and Scrutiny in Search of Truth will most likely destroy faith in Mormonism and at the same time severely undermine Faith in Christianity. I have embarked my journey with a resolution to defend and maintain my former Christian Faith and most likely this is the main reason that I have not drifted into atheism as so many others have done. With this objective in mind I have founds enough substance to maintain a faith based on a world view that has shifted from black and white to the full colors of the spectrum that God has created. Freedom comes at a price - it is not always easy, especially if you have been institutionalized and conditioned life long for the (artificial) security of certainty of belief (aka spiritual knowledge) in matters of salvation.
Restoring our Faith in True Christianity.
Questioning is painful, because one we embark on this path as Mormons the questioning extends to Christianity as well. Check out True Christianity.
The Mormon Church maintains its claims while sanitizing its doctrines. More honesty is required to save the church long term as Mormonism as we know it needs to be dismantled, but if they move too fast then there may be a major fall out with many members loosing all faith and becoming agnostics while others become fundies and if they move too slow they face an erosion of trust. See also our Page - Mormon Court Cases.
Mormon followers face a tough challenge as well.
If they employ historical and scientific scrutiny to Mormonism they discover fraud and delusion. For deliberate fraud there is no excuse, but Mormons realise that full scrutiny on matters of faith and delusion will also undermine the Christian basics of their faith. Concepts, such as death prior to Adam and Eve, bodily resurrection and Hell remain controversial concepts and some ex-Mormons have turned atheist or agnostic.
My family converted to Mormonism in 1969.
And I prayed in 1972 and followed believing that Joseph Smith was an honest man. At 19 (1969) I was a nominal Christian teenager who's family converted to Mormonism. I became a devout Christian by 1972 and liked where I was, but the Mormons succeeded in getting me to question my salvation by convincing me that a divinely authorized fully immersed baptism was a necessary prerequisite. I did not want to ignore or offend God when he chooses to commission his own church. For me this started a long process of thought reform that ultimately did not stand the test of time. Mormonism provides "God in a box" , but truth seekers must look over the fence and find him personally after all churches have failed to justify their claims to sole truth and exclusive priesthood authority.
It was the Christians who made me doubt my Mormon salvation in 1995, so I converted once more. And nowadays in 2014 a new breed of radicals once more sows the seeds of doubts about salvation to a slack and self indulgent Christianity. And then there are the Ex-Mormon atheists, who have turned their new found investigation skills on all aspects of faith.
So Christianity has its own credibility challenges, but historically its is far more sustainable and defensible than Mormonism. Even in today's age its core remains alive and well thanks to ongoing visions and miracles. Biblical Christianity provides a far better prospect for salvation, purpose in life and making a difference in this world. The LDS church is a very wealthy corporation and while it claims a monopoly on the divine apparently it gives less than 1% to charity.
The Painful Truth
I have come to the conclusion that Honesty and Scrutiny in Search of Truth will most likely destroy faith in Mormonism and at the same time severely undermine Faith in Christianity. I have embarked my journey with a resolution to defend and maintain my former Christian Faith and most likely this is the main reason that I have not drifted into atheism as so many others have done. With this objective in mind I have founds enough substance to maintain a faith based on a world view that has shifted from black and white to the full colors of the spectrum that God has created. Freedom comes at a price - it is not always easy, especially if you have been institutionalized and conditioned life long for the (artificial) security of certainty of belief (aka spiritual knowledge) in matters of salvation.
Restoring our Faith in True Christianity.
Questioning is painful, because one we embark on this path as Mormons the questioning extends to Christianity as well. Check out True Christianity.
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“God created man in His image, and man has returned the favor.” (Mark Twain)
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"If we don't leave the church, then we don't have to concentrate on all the bad stuff just so we can justify our choice to leave." (New Order Mormons) |
