Frequent readers know that, for over thirty years, I was a member of the Mormon “church.” They know that I joined the Catholic Church on Easter Vigil of 2022. I did not leave my former “religion” formally until a few months ago. But why would I leave?
Why would I give it all up (supposedly being married for eternity, for example)? Well, I did it because I no longer believe any of what the Mormons believe. To be honest, I never fully did. For the past decade or so, I’ve been playing the part of a good little Mormon boy for the benefit of my wife. Well, no more.
Here’s a list of some of the many reasons that I left:
- There is no proof that the Book of Mormon is true. The only evidence that would satisfy me is seeing the golden plates and having them verified by three separate and non-biased scholars. Oh, but, wait…the plates mysteriously disappeared when an angel took them away. Convenient. Also, numerous people wrote statements claiming that they “witnessed” the plates. Problem is, most of them ended up leaving the “church” after seeing through its lies. Besides, anyone can claim that they witnessed anything. That doesn’t make it so.
- Neither God nor Jesus visited false prophet Joseph Smith. If they had, then that would have qualified as Jesus’ Second Coming and we all know that that hasn’t happened yet. He supposedly saw them in a grove in Palmyra, New York in 1821. He then made a written accounting of what he saw. No, wait, make that two accounts. No, wait, three, four…eight different accounts! The truth only needs to be told once. Also, his story changed with each written account.
- Although the practice seems to go back to biblical times, polygamy has never been condoned by God. Even so, Smith claimed that an angel with a flaming sword commanded him to bring polygamy into the mix. Smith then used that supposed angel’s command to marry multiple females, including a fourteen-year-old girl. No, wait, make that at least two girls that age, and several more who were under the age of seventeen. He also married women who were already married to other men. In all, Smith is said to have been married to at least forty women at the same time. And people wonder why he had so many enemies.
- The “church” was forced to abandon polygamy in 1890, not because God said so, but because if they didn’t abandon the practice, Utah would not be able to become a state. Another reason they unwillingly stopped is because church leaders believed that if they didn’t stop, their “temples” would be destroyed. Even so, the “church” still practices polygamy to this day. To be fair, though, they only do it in their temples. The “church” says that a man can be sealed to multiple women, albeit one at a time. For example, their current false prophet Russell M. Nelson is sealed to two women, meaning that he’ll supposedly have two wives in the hereafter. Furthermore, the “church” teaches that there will be polygamy in the next life. What this means is that Mormons condone polygamy and, if the law allowed it one day, they would happily start right up again.
- The hymn Praise To The Man is a worship song. Despite what Mormons will tell you, the hymn was written to worship Smith on the same level that they worship God or Jesus. Also, none of the things that the hymn said would happen happened. The biggest thing that didn’t happen is that no king has ever extolled him, nor has any nation revered him. You’ll have to read the article I just linked you to in order for that to make sense.
- Smith was a criminal who had to flee everywhere he went. Even as a young adult, he found himself at odds with Johnny Law. Some of the crimes he committed were: glasslooking, disorderly conduct, assault, illegal banking, conspiracy to commit murder, and fraud, to rattle off just a few. He tried to flee Illinois but was rightfully placed into jail. He was then justly killed by an angry mob. A true prophet wouldn’t have a criminal record like he did. A true prophet would not have a need to flee. Smith had to be put down. He just had to be!
- Smith was a false prophet. There are way too many ways to prove that, but to me, the biggest failure was when he swore that the Second Coming would happen within 56 years beyond February 14, 1835. Fail. If he had been a true prophet, he would have gotten it right. Also, he had a criminal history relating to glasslooking and fraud. How, then, could anyone believe a word that he said?
- The “church” teaches that the Garden of Eden was in what is now Jackson County, Missouri. The members believe that they will all return there before the Second Coming. Of course, these claims are schizophrenic.
- The “church” teaches that its men hold the priesthood, and that allows them to act in God’s name. Not so!
- They say that the church’s “apostles” and “prophet” visit with Jesus in their temples.
- In their temples, they claim sacred and secret things go on. But what goes on inside is up for grabs by anyone, as this simple YouTube search shows.
- The “church” teaches that Christ is our literal brother, which means that Satan is too.
- The “church” believes that God was once a mortal man like us. He was known then as “Elohim.” At some point, our God became exalted. This, therefore, means that Mormons believe that all worthy men will get their own planets and become gods over those worlds. One of the “church’s past “prophets” said, “as God now is, man may be.” It makes sense, then, that Mormons believe that God had a God and His God had a God, etc. Thus, Mormons and Mormons alone believe in multiple gods.
- They teach that God currently lives on a planet called Kolob. What we know as earth was once located by Kolob and God magically moved it to its current position. The “church” teaches that what we know as Polaris (the “north star”) is actually Kolob.
- Mormons believe that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three separate and distinct holy beings, which of course is pure poppycock.
That’s not an exhaustive list. But it’s good enough to show why I left and why you should too. If you’re not a member, run far and run fast from the Mormon “church.”
The fact that I left the Mormon church officially a few months ago and that I was baptized Catholic in April of 2022 has put a strain on my marriage. My wife is still Mormon. So, the agreement is that Mormons aren’t welcome in our home and, to be fair, neither are Catholics. Fair is fair. Our home is religiously neutral, and that’s helped.
Now, I could go on and on with what’s wrong with the “church,” but there’s a site that’s done it for me. If you want to read everything that’s wrong with Mormonism, visit The CES Letter.