Seeking the God Who Is

When Elijah battled the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18), the LORD was determined to prove He alone was the one true God. “You call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD,” Elijah proposed; “whoever answers by fire, He is the true God.”

Baal’s prophets prepared an offering, but their god failed to respond to their pleas. So Elijah prepared an offering for his LORD, and then demanded it be drenched with water. When the water began to run down around the altar, Elijah bowed before God asking two things: “Let it be known that You are God, and turn the hearts of the people back to You.”

Fire fell from heaven, consuming the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and even the water that ran around the altar. As a result, the Israelites cried, “The LORD, He is God!”

Why did Elijah pour water on the altar? To ensure that God’s people would recognize the LORD as the only true God. God used that water to turn straying hearts back to Him.

Christian pastor and author John Piper wrote,

“The main reason God has given us minds is that we might seek out and find all the reasons that exist for treasuring him in all things and above all things. He created the world so that through it and above it we might treasure him.”

Here is a New Year’s resolution worth making (and keeping):

In this year, 2011, I will intentionally seek the one true God; I will seek the God Who is.

May God bless you to know Him and love Him — to treasure Him — more and more throughout the coming year.

Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, LORD, do I seek.”

(Psalm 27:7-8)

About Sharon Lindbloom

Sharon surrendered her life to the Lord Jesus Christ in 1979. Deeply passionate about Truth, Sharon loves serving as a full-time volunteer research associate with Mormonism Research Ministry. Sharon and her husband live in Minnesota.
This entry was posted in Truth, Honesty, Prayer, and Inquiry and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

33 Responses to Seeking the God Who Is

  1. falcon says:

    Elijah knew God! The false prophets of his day, like the false prophets of today, don't know God. Mormonism claims as its god, a former sinful man who through concerted effort and works, purified himself and achieved deity status. This Mormon god has as company, many wives and other gods who did the same presto chango and morphed into a god. Mormons claim that this god is their literal spiritual father as he procreated them through Celestial sex with one of his many wives. Mormons also claim "spiritual" experiences provided by this "god" that confirms and reinforces their belief and devotion to him. The problem that Mormons face however, is that the entire Mormon god narrative can't be found in God's Word the Bible. They claim knowledge of their god based on claims of revelation from men they deem as prophets. These Mormon prophets are much like the prophets of Baal that Elijah confronted.
    As Christians we need to continually point out to Mormons the falseness of this god they think is going to assist them in also becoming gods. This is a false god, a false religion with a false hope of personal deification.

  2. f_melo says:

    This post reminds of the patience and love God has for all. God always gives people time to repent and turn to Him.

    Luk 6:35 "But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil."

    Mormonism only pays lip service to Jesus, they are guilty of the very thing they accuse everyone else – to turn to God with their mouths but their hearts are far from Him. I remember as a mormon reading those words(in Luke) and not being able to make anything of it, because they don´t fit in the mormon gospel, you have a law already laid out for you, all you have to do is try to follow that and that´s it – you´re not saved by faith, the fruits of the Spirit are reduced to the status of subjective feelings.

    To follow the true God is not an easy thing. To leave the things of the world behind and to start thinking and acting with Spiritual eyes is something that requires great faith. All you have to do is to pay close attention from the time Jesus gave His disciples authority " over all devils, and to cure diseases" in Luke 9. How at the same time they performed miracles they still very much doubted Jesus´ power, and at one time their lack of faith kept them from removing an evil spirit. It was a struggle at first but with time things started coming together, and the day of Pentecost when Jesus gave them the Holy Ghost finally sealed the deal, and that ultimately lead most of the apostles to their deaths. For a regular person that sounds absurd, but when you consider the truth of Eternal Life with God, those things make sense as difficult to deal with as they may be.

    If i was with Jesus on that boat, in Luke 8, would i be like the Apostles, and go running over to Jesus in fear, would i be rebuked by Him who asked "Where is your faith?" Do i love my possessions more than i love Jesus, would i be like the rich young man?

    Luk 6:46 "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" That, for me is a question that always pops up when i meditate if my life is reflecting the change it should be reflecting by being saved by grace – if the fruits of the Spirit are really being manifested in my life, or if i am once again just paying lip service.

    As a mormon, it was ok to pay lip service to Jesus, it was ok to not really love people with sincerity as long as i was keeping the "law", you know, i went to do home teaching on the last sunday of the month, not because i really cared about that family, but to be able to report something to the elder´s quorum president. Now as a Christian i´m seeking the face of the Lord because this has to be for real, this is not the law anymore, and i trust the Lord to guide me as He did with His apostles.

    Those are the things that come to mind when i read that Psalm, specifically the words "You have said, “Seek my face.”My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”

    Happy New Year everyone!

  3. Harvest Church Central says:

    I am a Christian and I have accepted Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. The only "Law" that I follow as a Christian is the Bible. You have to have a personal relationship with the LIVING GOD…. False Gods will only take us to one place… If you are interested in finding a church here are some tips. 🙂 http://hubpages.com/hub/Finding-a-Church-in-Virgi

  4. falcon says:

    I try to put these events into real time context. So my question is, what happened to the prophets of Baal after the fire came down and consumed the contents of the alter? Think about it. I know just the power of the explosion and the concussion would be enough to knock a person on their back. That would be a physical response. But what was the emotional and spiritual response of the false prophets? Did they give-up their false god and turn to the Lord or did they find some convenient rationalization that would allow them to continue to worship Baal? After all, they would have to give up their false prophet status and their standing in their religious community.
    There is a cost to following Christ and often it may mean being rejected by one's family and religious community. It may have financial repercussions; deciding to follow Christ. Jesus spoke about this giving up and told his listeners that they would gain far more by leaving and following him, than staying in their current situation.
    To me it's never seemed as much of a bargain to reject Christ in order to gain some temporal earthly reward. Eternity's a long time and betting on the wrong God has serious forever implications and consequences. I wonder what path the prophets of Baal decided to follow?

  5. wyomingwilly says:

    f-melo, thanks for your participation here this year.It's been interesting to read of your experiences,
    and especially now as a Christian who knows the One True God. Happy New Year to you as well.

    ww

  6. f_melo says:

    It´s been great to be able to share my experience here this year!
    I´m really impressed with the effort and dedication the guys in the MRM put into this, and it´s great to be able to contribute a little tiny bit, and thanks also to everyone that posts here, i really learned a lot!

    "especially now as a Christian who knows the One True God"

    Amen! You have no idea how much i thank God for that, to be free from that lie and to be able to enjoy a true relationship with Him!

  7. falcon says:

    The fact of the matter is that false prophets, like those promoted by the LDS faith are more comfortable with a false god than God. The false god of Mormonism has promised Mormon males that they too can become gods if they do the "right" things and follow the proper procedure. That's pretty heady stuff. Not only is the Mormon given the opportunity to become a god but he can do a lot of the work himself thus taking credit for what he has made of himself.
    There's no amount of convincing by appealing to emotion, common sense or evidence to sway the diluted Mormon that what he believes is not reality. Mormons have invented a narrative that takes the Bible out of the equation as revelatory proof that what they believe is false.
    The false prophets of Baal had a demonstration of the power of God take place right in front of their eyes. I can imagine these diluted false prophets asking Elijah, "What's the trick?" The "trick" within Mormonism is a mind-set that is willing to accept any form of rationalization for proof of what they believe. It's hard to reconcile that type of mind-set or figure it out, but that's the effect the desire to believe something has. Desire is a strong emotion and it will cause folks to go over a cliff to destruction believing all the while in a soft landing.

  8. Dale says:

    What a thought-provoking, wonderful post! Thanks for sharing it, and I love the stained-glass depiction of Elijah. I've never seen a depiction of him in that medium before.

    May the new year give us more chances to seek, understand, and worship God.

  9. falcon says:

    The NT also has an account of what happens when a false prophet meets a true disciple of the living God. We read in the Book of Acts chapter 13 beginning with verse 6:
    "And when they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Surgius Paluus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for thus his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze upon him, and said,
    'You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.'
    And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord."
    This is what we would call a power encounter between the spirit of darkness and the Spirit of the Lord. The false prophet was up against it when he encountered a true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. He couldn't stand up to either the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ or the power of the Holy Spirit.
    False prophets are very cunning and at times they can even tap into occult power to amaze and impress people who are willing to be manipulated. The Book of Romans tells us that the truth about God is self-evident. It is apparent for anyone who is willing to see it. But the prince of this world will blind people to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with cleverly manufactured imitations and promises of personal glory (to those willing to embrace the lie).
    The false prophets of Mormonism, starting with Joseph Smith and continuing up to today, are crafty, self-diluted, and more then willing to ignore the truth. They are in a position of power and are afforded adulation by their followers. This is intoxicating and not easily given-up.
    The false prophet that Paul smote with blindness now had a physical blindness to accompany his spiritual blindness. The account said he was thus afflicted for "a time". As with the false prophets of Baal, I wonder what this false prophet did as a result of his encounter with God. Did he continue in his unbelief or did he denounce his error and pagan ways and come to faith in Christ.
    The man he was trying to influence saw clearly the difference between this false prophet and the apostle Paul and the gospel he preached. Mormons face the same challenge. Will they turn from their false prophets of their pagan gods or will they come in faith to God?
    Believing in any god will not result in eternal life. Having faith in the Living God is the only pathway to salvation. A choice needs to be made……..no matter what the cost!

  10. falcon says:

    There's an interesting account in Acts chapter 14 where Paul is preaching a sermon in the town of Lystra.
    "And at Lystra there was sitting a certain man, without strength in his feet, lame from his mother's womb, who had never walked. This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who, when he had fixed his gaze upon him, and had seen that he had faith to be made well, said with a loud voice, 'Stand upright on your feet.' and he leaped up and began to walk."
    The response of the crowd was quite interesting and given their belief system probably not all that unusual.
    "And when the multitudes saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycanonian language, 'The gods have become like men and have come down to us.' And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds."
    So there you have it, pagans thinking that men were gods. I guess this concept has been around for centuries and that the Mormons really don't have anything on these people since Mormons believe also that they will become gods and join the pantheon of gods that, in their religion, populate the cosmos. These Mormon gods discovered the secrets of the universe and by following certain rules and performing various religious rituals, will secure their own futures as deities.
    Paul and Barnabas became so frustrated that we are told that they tore their own robes and rushed out into the crowd, "crying out and saying, 'Men why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to a living God……" Paul went on to explain who God was but despite his efforts the crowds still wanted to offer sacrifices to he and Barnabas.
    The gospel that Paul was preaching was the gospel that is revealed in the Bible and has been preached by the Christian Church since the time of the ascension of Our Lord. Mormons have fallen prey to false prophets whose gospel isn't any better than the one preached by the followers of Zeus at Lystra that Paul confronted. Mormons insist on offering sacrifices to false gods in their temples made by men in hopes that these vain repitious rites might bring them into oneness with the "gods" of the universe.
    I often feel like Paul and Barnabas sitting here at my computer mentally ripping my "robes" in frustration trying to turn Mormons from their pagan belief in a non existing god, to the true and Living God. While Mormons may gain a certain amount of emotional satisfaction thinking that putting on costumes, wearing sacred underwear, and performing endless rituals will provide some benefit for them, the truth of the matter is that these rituals have no spiritual benefit. In fact they insult God because they are performed for a false pagan god.
    The only "ritual" that counts in God's eyes, is the ritual Jesus performed on the cross when he shed his blood for our sins. Mormons want to claim a restoration of original Christianity but the fact of the matter is that what they do and believe never existed in the first century Church. Mormonism was the invention of a man, Joseph Smith, who rejected God and created his own religious system; one in which he became honored as the gateway to a false kingdom. He became the person that Mormon men have to please in order to become gods because he stands at the gates of the Mormon Celestial Kingdom.
    A pagan religion that worships a pagan god and glorifies sinful men thinking that they will become gods, is not the key to eternal life.

  11. RalphNWatts says:

    Hey Falcon,

    You want to know what happened to the priests of Baal next? They didn't have a chance to do much as Elijah commanded that all 400 or so of them be slaughtered down by the river. None were spared and allowed to change their 'religion' as far as the Bible records.

    To all – Just remember, from our perspective you are the ones following the false god and we are trying to call you to the one and only true God.

    It's already Saturday here so have a great New Year to everyone.

  12. wyomingwilly says:

    Ralph , you said, " To all–just remember, from our perspective you are the ones following
    the false god snd we are trying to call you to the one and only true God. "

    Ralph, this is strange indeed since you have " gods" , not God . It's also ironic to hear this coming
    from someone who last year admitted that he could attain to be an Almighty God and be worshipped
    as such one day. So I guess you'll be " the one and only true God " ,one day yourself ! Ralph, you
    don't deserve to be worshipped one day. But in this coming year may you come to realize just how
    majestic and really unique the true Creator is, and bow before Him so you can be released from
    looking to any other " gods" . So with this hope for you , I wish you a life -changing new year . Take care

  13. f_melo says:

    "To all – Just remember, from our perspective you are the ones following the false god and we are trying to call you to the one and only true God. "

    I´ll go with Jesus as recorded in the Bible, you can keep worshiping God according to Joseph Smith, i don´t have to convince you, God will manifest truth to those who ask in faith.

    Happy New Year, Ralph!

  14. falcon says:

    Ralph,

    You've picked your god and your fate. It seems that the false prophets of Baal did not repent of their sin of rejecting god. You do have a chance and a choice.
    My prayer for you in this new year is that you will come to the Living God who alone can provide you with eternal life. I will continue to pray for you that you will be delivered along with your family.

    Happy New Year to you also.

    falcon

  15. wyomingwilly says:

    To Bill, Eric, Sharon, and Aaron : Thank you for your dedication this past year to helping the precious Mormon people see that there is indeed a vast difference between the religion of Joseph Smith, and a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ . May this next year see many more LDS come to follow Jesus alone. Heb.7:25 Happy New Year to all . ww

  16. Sharon Lindbloom says:

    Thank you, friend. We very much appreciate you and your partnership as we serve our Lord together.

  17. falcon says:

    As our Mormon poster Ralph pointed out, the false prophets of Baal were taken out and killed. That's a pretty heavy penalty for being a false prophet, physical death. That was the OT penalty I guess for worshiping and promoting a false god. It doesn't quite work that way at least in America today. People are pretty much free to say and do as they please as we are guaranteed the freedom of religious expression.
    There is a pretty severe penalty, not secular but spiritual, for being a false prophet and promoting a false god. It's spiritual death and separation from God for eternity. The Bible teaches that there is a hell, a most unpleasant result of rejecting God. But false prophets and their followers have rejected the notion that there is a hell and so they exude the false confidence that comes with "knowing" what they believe is true.
    The problem for Mormons, as has been pointed out by other posters in the past, is that if Christians have it wrong about God as Mormons suppose, it's no big deal because our penalty is not becoming gods which none of us has an interest in anyway. If Mormons have it wrong, there is no second chance after death. The Bible tells us that it is appointed once for a man to die, then the judgment. There is only one right answer when it comes to who God is. Everybody who holds various beliefs, can't be right.
    Let's be plain, again. There is one God, eternal, unchanging, and sovereign. He does not tolerate false prophets and false gods. Mormonism with its false prophets and false gods will not provide for its adherents what has been promised.

  18. Ralph,

    Others have commented on this before me, but I'd like to reiterate what they wrote.

    You wrote

    To all – Just remember, from our perspective you are the ones following the false god and we are trying to call you to the one and only true God.

    To which I say "which 'god'?" Jesus? Heavenly Father? Heavenly Father's Father? Heavenly Father's Father's Father etc?

    You've given us quite a dilemma – we're only allowed to pick one. Could you give us some guidance?

  19. wyomingwilly says:

    falcon, you aptly warn people of the danger of following false prophets. This is serious . Jesus
    took the time to issue a similar warning — Matt 7:15 . I wonder ,if in our dialogue with LDS , that
    we need to articulate that by saying Mormon leaders are "false" prophets that does'nt necessarily
    mean that these men are immoral etc. I think all to many LDS reason that we are saying just this.
    They think a false prophet is a Brian David Mitchell [ the latter day prophet who kidnapped Elizabeth
    Smart ]. Mormon leaders look and act like your grandfather, and I feel LDS see them that way. Since
    these men seem to be moral , humble leaders, they just can't be false prophets . By saying they're
    false prophets we're saying they have claimed to be accurate in their doctrinal teachings about God
    and how to receive salvation, but in fact they have not been accurate at all on these vital issues. This
    behavior is not new for men who claim to be prophets, and it can be spiritually lethal to submit to the
    authority of these men, no matter how moral of a lifestyle they live.

  20. falcon says:

    Excellent point WW.
    I think we've witnessed Christians, some in leadership, who get their theology about God right but whose behavior doesn't reflect what they believe. So we're dealing with two separate issues. Atheists can be moral, but their upright behavior, while laudable, won't get them saved.
    The goal is to have the behavior and the belief consistent with each other. James put it pretty well when he talked about people who "say" they have faith but have no works. He was of course talking about how people should have an outward expression of an inner reality.
    BTW, my understanding when reading about the Mormon culture in Mormon densely populated areas is that they keep a pretty close watch on one another and have a tendency to blur the lines of privacy. So with such a great premium placed on right behavior, it's easy to start feeling pretty smug and OK or to feel defeated because the Bible tells us that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God.
    So can someone be moral and not be saved? Absolutely! That's why it's important to know who God is and knowing that, live a transformed life.

  21. falcon says:

    WW,
    I'm trying to remember that line you wrote sometime ago that went something like, "cultists believe that their personally held deep convictions are the revealed truth". I think you said it better than that but coupled with one of my other favorites, "the more convoluted an idea, the more a cultist thinks it's true" really gets to the gut of Mormonism. The Mormon "knows" something is true because they thought it and felt it and that equals revelation from God. So it's true regardless of the historical evidence or what is plainly taught in the Bible. So those of us who insist on something more than "knowing" are viewed as spiritually not quite up to the level of those who suppose they are receiving on-going direct revelation.
    So these folks are prime marks for religious con artists masquerading as prophets. The historical record and the Bible and religious customs and traditions are all quite clear as to who the Jews and early first century Christians believed God to be. He was One, in fact in Isaiah God says He is God and knows no other. Now unless someone subscribes to the Mormon belief as pronounced by BY, that God is constantly evolving in wisdom and knowledge, we have to assume that God knew what He was talking about. There is none other but Him. Is there no greater attack but on the Person and nature of God? Mormons minimalize God and shrink Him down so that He isn't much more than what they are now, just at a higher level of progress.
    Deeply held convictions, though wrong, are right to those holding them. As Christians we point to the Word of God that clearly shows who God is. He tells us plainly. It must annoy God that there are people who desire Him to be someone He isn't.

  22. wyomingwilly says:

    falcon, the signs are there for the Mormon people to see how they've been misled by their
    prophets/apostles, if they would stop and look .They're so busy with church work . One
    example: Joseph Smith claiming to be the prophet of God all of a sudden taught that
    LDS ( and everyone else) have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity,
    but that was a wrong belief as he would now introduce the truth about God being once a man.
    Now where did the people get their erroneous belief that he just refuted ? From the Bible
    ( Psalms 90:2 ) and even the Book of Mormon ( Mormon 9:9-10 ) ! Do LDS care about this
    behavior ? May they read 2 Peter 2:1 , and be true to God .

  23. falcon says:

    WW,
    Revelation does not demand evidence. It just requires "faith". Now this type of faith isn't really faith because it has no solid foundation on which it builds. What is required is that people just blindly follow and obey and not really question their "prophets". I can't relate to Mormons in my present walk with the Lord. When I was growing up as a Catholic kid, what the priest or nuns said was the end of the conversation. The Catholic church was a very legalistic, top down management organization. We weren't even encouraged to read the Bible because it was too complicated and might be misinterpreted. It was the priests' job to provide the interpretation. Now I think it would have been productive to teach people how to read and interpret the Bible, using tried and true methodology, historical perspective as well as tradition which adds to context. I remember picking up a Living Bible after I got saved in my mid-twenties and thinking, "Where did all of this come from, it's really good!" I was like a kid with a free pass to a candy store.
    Years later I really got into it studying Christian doctrine, theology, and church history. I also delved into the topic of spiritual dynamics as they relate to people receiving direct revelation and super natural occurrences. That's why I get so frustrated with Mormons. They've built there "knowing" on a feeling regardless of evidence and that's thought to be good. In fact evidence is thought to be the wisdom of men in their paradigm. Religious/spiritual experiences are accepted without the slightest attempt to use discernment and question there validity. The idea that a person or group can create spiritual experiences isn't even considered.
    But here's what I "know". God blew-up the altar of Baal and He will metaphorically or actually blow-up the false religion of Mormonism either collectively or individually, one Mormon at a time. Calvin talked about irresistible grace and God's election. I think there's something to what he postulated. God won't tolerate false gods especially when false prophets try to redefine who He is.

  24. wyomingwilly says:

    falcon, when we see Jesus' words of warning about future false prophets arising and
    manipulating people to follow them, it can serve as a sobering fact for us since the
    Mormon people are by and large a good people, they're sincere in their striving to
    serve God, they love their familes and are patriotic. Knowing this about them makes
    it all the more sad to see how ordinary people can be convinced that the N.T. church
    of Jesus has been re-definded to make it mandatory for people to submit to a prophet
    in order to please God and thus not jepardize their place in heaven with God. The
    warnings to faithful LDS to submit and keep in line are clear. One example : [cont]

  25. wyomingwilly says:

    cont.

    " …..any Latter-Day Saint who denounces or opposes whether actively, or otherwise
    any plan or doctrine advocated by the Prophets,Seers, and Revelators of the Church
    is cultivating the spirit of apostacy….." [ Deseret News, 5-26-1945 ]

    May the Mormon people come see the sufficiency of the Lord Jesus Christ to meet
    there every spiritual need. He is THE Prophet , and He is able to save anyone to the
    uttermost who come straight to Him, no submission to a end-time prophet necessary
    to gain God's gift of eternal life and to be personally with Him in heaven. Matt 24:11, 24
    Heb.7:25

  26. falcon says:

    There's always at least a kernel of truth in what false prophets proclaim. It's that kernel of truth that hides the deception and to which some people fall prey. When Joseph Smith started out, he was pretty conventional in his doctrine. However as he gained confidence and followers, he slid into apostasy, error and might I say, just plain goofiness. As he advanced his own agenda and solidified his power, some of his followers called him on it, left and formed their own group. They weren't buying his power move. The problem is that false prophets like Smith, spawn more false prophets. If Smith could receive direct revelation from God, why couldn't they? If he could come up with creative doctrine they could also.
    A good book that chronicles this phenomenon within the LDS religion is Jon Krakauer's book "Under the Banner of Heaven". The book is about Mormon fundamentalists and gives a good picture of Mormonism on steroids. One review praising the book said "……an arresting portrait of depravity." Another said, "….the creepiest book anyone has written in a long time-and that's meant as the highest possible praise."
    This is the book that caused Lyndon Lamborn (google) to begin to learn about the faith he had spent his life in as a faithful member. Lyndon is a very bright articulate individual and I wondered how he could have not known about Mormonism until he was in his forties. Raised in the religion and from generations of Mormons going back to the handcart days, my guess is that he had no reason to doubt or investigate his (religion). A nonMormon coworker mentioned the book in passing one day and simply said, "There's some interesting things about your religion in the book." Lyndon had read a previous book by the author and liked it so he picked up "Banner" and read it. His journey led him to a situation in which he was excommunicated from the LDS church and quite a stir was made by the fact that the authorities were going to announce his excom publicly in Sunday services. The newspapers picked-up the story and it makes interesting reading.
    What I find fascinating about these stories of how people find their way out of the clutches of religions promulgated by false prophets is the very idea that faced with the facts some leave while others cling to the hand rails of a sinking ship of faith.
    I know Mormons will have their ready made pat answers for this generally along the lines of "they were offended by someone", meaning of course they are weak or that "they have fallen into sin" meaning they are weak. It never occurs to the true believer that maybe, just maybe this religion that they are pouring they lives into, investing their hopes, dreams and eternal destiny in, is false. It's called "rescuing your equity" and with what some have invested in the cult in terms of time, treasure and emotion is just too big a stake to let go of.
    Jesus talked to the rich young ruler who was unwilling to give-up his valuables and follow Jesus. Jesus said that no one would give up anything that they wouldn't be compensated for in abundance by following Him. The problem with Mormonism, and here's where the kernel of truth comes in, is that they use terms like Heavenly Father and Jesus and grace etc. but they mean far different things than the Gospel of Truth that Jesus, as the Christ, proclaimed.
    Mormonism can't make good on its promises any more than the false prophets of Baal could make good on theirs'.

  27. setfreebyJC says:

    Hi everybody. Hope y'all are off to a great start, this new year.

    I just had one contribution to this thread.

    Ralph said (and several people responded): "To all – Just remember, from our perspective you are the ones following the false god and we are trying to call you to the one and only true God."

    What makes this comment particularly interesting is that it is Ralph's response to this passage of scripture. We need to look at the Hebrew words in the passage. Are you willing to do that, Ralph???

    1 Kings 18:24
    "And call ye on the name of your gods (Hebrew: elohei) and I will call on the name of the LORD (Hebrew: Yahweh/Yehovah/Jehovah) and the God (Hebrew: elohim) that answereth by fire let him be God (elohim). And all the people answered and said 'It is well spoken' (see http://biblos.com/1_kings/18-24.htm)

    then the prophets of Baal can't conjure up a fire no matter how hard they try, and it becomes Elijah's turn. Fire from heaven consumes his sacrifice and water and altar, and in awe (and agreement),

    1 Kings 18:39
    "And when all the people saw it they fell on their faces and they said The LORD (Yahweh/Yehovah/Jehovah) he is the God (elohim), the LORD (Yahweh/Yehovah/Jehovah) he is the God (elohim)." <a href="http://(http://biblos.com/1_kings/18-39.htm)” target=”_blank”>(http://biblos.com/1_kings/18-39.htm)

    Do you understand Ralph? "Elohim" is a word ascribed to things believed to be God/gods, even when they are not. The ONLY TRUE ELOHIM IS JEHOVAH/YAHWEH!!!!!

    So here's the deal. By means of the Bible, and Elijah, and the prophets of a false elohim named Ba'al, we know that the only true God is Yahweh.

    Will you not bow to Him, yet?

    "Jehovah, he is elohim; Jehovah, he is elohim"

    Deut 4:35 "Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that Jehovah, he is elohim; [there is] none else beside him."

  28. f_melo says:

    Not forgetting also that mormons believe Jehovah is Jesus. Funny thing how mormons make sure to say they worship God the father, and not Jesus, yet Jesus, in their theology, was the one worshiped all the time in the Old Testament. If you understand the doctrine of the Trinity though, there are no problems and no confusion on who should you worship or not.

  29. falcon says:

    Nice job liv4jc.
    I was talking to Berean about Ralph's post and he reminded me that Ralph has had significant exposure to the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the more he hears it, the harder his heart becomes.
    People of all religions think that their god is "God" and believing in this god makes it true for them. I think it would be a good time to discuss "election" but it would result, I'm sure, in more heat being generated than light. However, if God is calling Ralph, or any Mormon for that matter, they will respond. Faith is a gift of God.
    Just on an intellectual level, discount the spiritual, Mormonism is easy to take a part and discard.
    Prayer is the answer. Four years ago, I watched a man come to Christ on his death bed. I knew of all of the prayers that had been said for him over several decades and the witness in words and deeds of the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't think we should ever stop praying for those who are in bondage to a false god or gods. But trying to persuade them into the kingdom is a low probability activity.

  30. Violet says:

    Lyndon explained his heart-wrenching journey and it is on youtube at an ex-mormon conference.

  31. openminded says:

    I can't believe I used to believe the same exact stuff.

    I even posted here for a while. I see falcon still likes to spew out words whenever humanly possible 😉

    Best wishes to the new year for everyone, I ended up finding God was not in the Bible. I just think it's ironic looking back on how, just a year ago, I was just as much of an evangelical as a lot of the people here.

  32. f_melo says:

    "I ended up finding God was not in the Bible"

    Ok, so where is God then? I´m sure if you´re willing to preach about it, you have strong evidence for your claims.

    Happy new year for you too!

  33. openminded says:

    Ha, well. I only have evidence to the contrary that God can be found in the bible.

    I could go through a list of things, but I don't think this is the best place to start a debate on the origins of the bible.

    I'm definitely willing to preach and defend it though.

    I'll be upfront, however: after over a year of debate with Mormons, including research into my own faith, I've become agnostic. I'm still very open to any corrections to my thinking, though.

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