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From: gks@vax135.UUCP (Ken Swanson)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Mormonism (part 2 of 4)
Message-ID: <996@vax135.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 4-Apr-85 09:51:55 EST
Article-I.D.: vax135.996
Posted: Thu Apr  4 09:51:55 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 5-Apr-85 03:51:40 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ
Lines: 85

This is the 2nd of 4 postings on the teachings and history of
Mormonism (Doctrine of God, Doctrine of Man, Doctrine of
Salvation, Brief History of Mormonism).
The following information was excerpted from a tract, "The
Mormon Mystique," published by the American Tract Society of
Garland, Texas.
All referenced Mormon documents were either written by Joseph
Smith (founder of Mormonism) or by one of his authorized
disciples, or were published by the Mormon church.
See the article posted recently to net.religion by Rich Wales
on Mormon reference works for more information about the
works referred to in the following excerpts.

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Mormon Doctrine
---------------

	"I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most
	 correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our
	 religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding
	 by its precepts, than by any other book."
					Joseph Smith
					DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF
					 THE CHURCH, Vol. IV,
					 p. 161

	"Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those
	 who take refuge in him.  Do not add to his words, or he
	 will rebuke you and prove you a liar."
					Proverbs 30:5-6


1. Doctrine of Man

Mormonism: Each person's essence, his intelligence, has always existed
	and so was never created. Man is as eternal as God Himself.
	(JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES, X, p. 5, VI, p. 6; THE PLAN OF
	SALVATION [booklet], p. 3; DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS, 93.29).
Bible: All men are a creation of God and had no prior existence
	before their earthly life (Gen 2:18-25; Job 38:1-7).
*
Mormonism: Each person's spiritual body (which looks like his earthly
	body) that clothed his intelligence in the pre-existent
	state was formed by the sexual union of the Father and one
	of His spirit wives (THE SEER, Orson Pratt, p. 37).
Bible: Man did not pre-exist and the Father had no wife (see above
	and Isa 46:9).
*
Mormonism: Adam's fall in the Garden of Eden was a "fall upward"
	that was not sinful, but rather necessary for the
	propagation of the human race (JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES, V. 13,
	p. 145, V. 10, p. 312; PEARL OF GREAT PRICE, Moses 5:10-12;
	DOCTRINES OF SALVATION, V. 1, pp. 114-115).
Bible: Adam's sin in the Garden of Eden caused spiritual and physical
	death for all persons (Gen 3:16-24; Rom 5:12-21).
*
Mormonism: Adam's fall in the Garden of Eden "became a necessary,
	honorable act in carrying out the plan of the Almighty"
	(JOSEPH SMITH - SEEKER OF TRUTH, p. 160).
Bible: Man's sin is not the result of the plan of God (Jam 1:13-17).
*
Mormonism: Man has the potential of becoming God, just as Christ
	did; man is king of kings and lord of lords in embryo
	(TIMES AND SEASONS, Aug. 1, 1844; JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES,
	V. 10, p. 223; HISTORY OF THE CHURCH, V. 6, p. 306;
	DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS, 132.20).
Bible: God alone has been and always shall be God (Isa 43:10, 44:8,
	46:9). Man has been punished because he thought he could
	make himself God (Ezek 28:1-10).
*
Mormonism: A baptized Mormon convert has his Gentile blood purged
	and replaced by the blood of Abraham via the Holy Spirit.
	Thus he becomes the actual offspring of Abraham (HISTORY
	OF THE CHURCH, V. 3, p. 380; JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES, V. 2,
	p. 269).
Bible: True believers in Jesus Christ become Abraham's "offspring"
	in the sense that they become heirs of the promises of God,
	as did Abraham (Gal 3:26-29).

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Ken Swanson
AT&T Bell Labs
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