Mormon Coffee

I was recently reading in The Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith — History regarding the events leading up to Joseph Smith’s First Vision. As Joseph told the story, he talked about his confusion over which church was correct in the things they taught. Or, he wondered, were they all wrong? Joseph said all the different “religionists” were “endeavoring to establish their own tenets and disprove all others” (1:9). He found himself in the midst of a “war of words and tumult of opinions” (1:10). He wrote,

“…unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible” (1:12).

Yet appeal to the Bible he did. Joseph said when he came across James 1:5,

“Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know,… At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs…So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt” (1:12-14).

Joseph had the idea that his spiritual questions could not be settled by an appeal to the Bible due to the propensity of men to interpret the text in different (incorrect) ways, but for some reason he believed he could correctly and adequately interpret James 1:5. It was Joseph’s personal interpretation of this verse from the Bible that sent him into the woods to ask God which church he should join.

But Joseph fell victim to his own fears. He did not correctly interpret James 1:5, and so he looked for his answers in the grove, rather than in God’s Word.

The context of James 1:5 places James’ instructions for seeking wisdom into a very specific situation. James wrote:

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:2-5).

Here James was writing to encourage Christians who were in the midst of suffering intense persecutions for their faith. Against all human wisdom, James told them they were to joyfully recognize their trials as beneficial to their faith. If they had trouble understanding how this could be, James said, they were to ask God for the wisdom to understand His plan in their suffering. Christian theologian John Calvin (1509-1564) commented on this passage:

“As our reason, and all our feelings are averse to the thought that we can be happy in the midst of evils, he bids us to ask the Lord to give us wisdom. For wisdom here, I confine to the subject of the passage, as though he had said, ‘If this doctrine is higher than what your minds can reach to, ask of the Lord to illuminate you by his Spirit; for as this consolation alone is sufficient to mitigate all the bitterness of evils, that what is grievous to the flesh is salutary to us; so we must necessarily be overcome with impatience, except we be sustained by this kind of comfort.’ Since we see that the Lord does not so require from us what is above our strength, but that he is ready to help us, provided we ask, let us, therefore, learn, whenever he commands anything, to ask of him the power to perform it” (Calvin’s Commentaries XXII::281-2).

Joseph Smith decided that the Bible could not provide answers to his questions. Though the Bible is the very Word of God, though God commands us to “Be diligent to present [ourselves] approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), and though God confirms “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17), Joseph disregarded it all.

Having the form of godliness, Joseph did make “an appeal to the Bible.” He chose a verse, removed it from its context, and subsequently pursued a course not supported by scripture. Joseph sought answers apart from God’s revealed Word and in due time came to fulfill the woeful role of false prophet.

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Not long ago a Latter-day Saint left this as part of a comment on Mormon Coffee:

“LDS people don’t believe that you are saved by grace, but by works.”

I’m sure there are some Mormons who would take issue with this Latter-day Saint’s statement of belief. In my experience, most of the Mormons I’ve corresponded with believe salvation (eternal life in the presence of God) is achieved by a combination of grace-plus-works.

Be that as it may, either idea (saved by works or saved by grace-plus-works) is recognized — within the bounds of historic, orthodox, biblical Christianity — as heresy.

For insight on the Christian commitment to salvation by grace through faith, watch this short excerpt of Pastor John Piper (3 minutes) explaining why God decided to save His people by faith alone.

You may ask, “Where, then, do good works come in? For God said we would be judged according to our works” (See John 5:29; 1 Corinthians 5:10). For insight on the Bible’s teaching on this, I invite you to listen to another excerpt from John Piper (4 minutes, MP3).

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I’m excited to announce that MormonInfo.org has been revamped! I promised Rob from Courageous Christians United to help with the site long ago and I’m glad to see it finally come to fruition.

Three videos made by different ministries to encourage Christians to come help evangelize to Mormons at the Manti Pageant in Manti, UT during June 2008.

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On the 4th of July, 1838 the Mormons, gathered in Far West, Missouri, held a celebration. The following is an excerpt from former BYU historian Stephen C. LeSueur’s book, The 1838 Mormon War in Missouri, pages 49-53.

“…at their Fourth of July celebration in Far West, the Mormons staged an ostentatious display of their military force and announced their intention to resist all persecution and mob violence. Several thousand people attended the festivities. [Joseph] Smith presided over the events of the day, which included a parade of the Danite militia, a review of the military band by the Danite generals, the laying of the cornerstone of the Far West temple, and an oration by Sidney Rigdon. Rigdon’s speech represented the highlight of their celebration. …

“After seeing the Church nearly destroyed by apostates in Kirtland [Ohio], Rigdon had come to Missouri with a fierce determination to eradicate all dissent. Perhaps Mormonism’s finest orator, he could stir great excitement with his impassioned speeches. His Salt Sermon in June had spurred the Danites to expel the dissenters from Caldwell County. Now, on the Fourth of July, Sidney Rigdon prepared to announce the Mormons’ ‘declaration of independence from mobs.’

“During his speech Rigdon made the usual references to patriotism, the Founding Fathers, and liberty. He also declared his belief in the separation of church and state. Rigdon then issued a provocative warning to the enemies of the Church. After describing at length the persecution endured by the Saints over the years, he declared that they would endure it no more.

“‘We take God and all the holy angels to witness this day, that we warn all men in the name of Jesus Christ, to come on us no more forever, for from this hour, we will bear it no more, our rights shall no more be trampled on with impunity. The man or the set of men, who attempts it, does it at the expense of their lives. And that mob that comes on us to disturb us; it shall be between us and them a war of extermination, for we will follow them, till the last drop of their blood is spilled, or else they will have to exterminate us: for we will carry the seal of war to their own houses, and their own families, and one party or the other shall be utterly destroyed. –Remember it then all MEN.

“‘We will never be the aggressors, we will infringe on the rights of no people; but shall stand for our own until death. We claim our own rights, and are willing that all others shall enjoy theirs.

“‘No man shall be at liberty to come into our streets, to threaten us with mobs, for if he does, he shall atone for it before he leaves the place, neither shall he be at liberty, to vilify and slander any of us, for suffer it we will not in this place.

“‘We therefore, take all men to record this day, that we proclaim our liberty on this day, as did our fathers. And we pledge this day to one another, our fortunes, our lives, and our sacred honors, to be delivered from the persecutions which we have had to endure, for the last nine years, or nearly that. Neither will we indulge any man, or set of men, in instituting vexatious law suits against us, to cheat us out of our just rights, if they attempt it we say wo be unto them.

“‘We this day then proclaim ourselves free, with a purpose and a determination, that never can be broken, “no never! no never!! NO NEVER”!!!’

“At the conclusion the Mormon people waved their hats high above their heads and shouted, ‘Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna to God and the Lamb!’

“The Saints’ spontaneous, enthusiastic response to Rigdon’s speech pleased their leaders. Joseph Smith and his counselors had carefully prepared the speech and afterward had it published and distributed to their people. Smith recommended that all Church members buy a copy. ‘We are absolutely determined no longer to bear [persecution], come life or come death,’ the Prophet wrote in the August issue of the Elders’ Journal, ‘for to be mobbed any more without taking vengeance, we will not.’ …

“The evidence suggests, however, that the Mormon leaders’ fear of violence was exaggerated, even unfounded, at that time. The journals and reminiscences of the Saints do not mention any trouble with non-Mormons prior to the Fourth of July oration…

“Most Missourians were not aware of any unusual strain in their relations with the Mormons. Many believed that interaction between the two groups had become remarkably friendly. Rigdon’s warnings therefore surprised and alarmed Missouri settlers, who interpreted the speech as an open, defiant declaration of Mormon intentions to set themselves outside the law…

“Reports of Rigdon’s speech spread through the upper counties, increasing suspicions of and reviving old prejudices against the Saints. Mormon leaders had issued the statement as a defensive measure, prompted by their history of persecution. Although they wanted to frighten anyone who might threaten them, they did not intend to begin a conflict with their non-Mormon neighbors. The Missourians, believing the Mormons had no reason to fear persecution from them, interpreted Rigdon’s vigorous warnings as a threat against the citizens and law in northwestern Missouri.”

Real conflict between the Mormons and the Missourians began a short time later. Three months after Rigdon’s speech, at the height of the conflict now known as the Mormon War in Missouri, the governor of that state used the Mormons’ own words when, in response to an armed Mormon attack against a Missouri State Militia, Governor Boggs ordered, “The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary for the public peace–their outrages are beyond all description.” (LeSueur, 152)

Read Sidney Rigdon’s entire Fourth of July oration.

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“The Lost Book of Abraham is an award-winning documentary that investigates the remarkable claim that Mormon founder Joseph Smith translated a lost book of scripture from an Egyptian papyrus scroll he obtained in 1835. Hear the views of Mormon believers and World-class Egyptologists and decide for yourself.” Alternate English links: YouTube, Google Video, blip.tv, Brightcove, Veoh. Alternate Español link: Google Video. For more information on this video, see BookOfAbraham.info. Related articles here and here.

On a related note, a few days ago I was talking with an ex-Mormon Christian named Jennifer who is still in the process of leaving the Mormon Church. She lives next door to her local LDS missionaries and they often have come over to visit with her. Jennifer recounted that one of the missionaries said, “Joseph could have translated the Book of Abraham from a banana.” This of course was a humorous way to emphasize the apologetic defense that the Egyptian papyrus wasn’t necessarily the direct source of the text of the Book of Abraham, and that Smith could have come up with the Book of Abraham by an indirect means of revelation.

So next time you’re eating a banana, think about the Book of Abraham.

“In the land of the Chaldeans, at the residence of my fathers, I, Abraham, saw that it was needful for me to obtain another place of residence…”

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