CHRIST drew the hearts of His hearers to Him by the manifestation of His love, and then, little by little, as they were able to bear it, He unfolded to them the great truths of the kingdom. We also must learn to adapt our labors to the condition of the people—to meet men where they are."—Evangelism, p. 484.
The truthfulness of these words has If we hope to win these people we must understand them, their way of thinking, talking, and living.been demonstrated to me repeatedly while I have been working with the Mormon people. If we hope to win these people we must understand them, their way of thinking, talking, and living. Minds that have been kept in spiritual bondage may not appreciate the value of liberty. It is difficult to draw them to investigate Bible truths.
Much depends upon the first contact. Begin with subjects that do not involve controversy; meet your hearers on common ground. Christ's regard for the human soul is reason enough for using divine tact when making the initial visit.
We must make allowance for those who do not have a background of scripture. From childhood they have been taught to believe that "the Bible is the Word of God only as far as it is translated correctly." They believe the Bible is true only when it agrees with the teachings of their own sacred volumes and prophets. They use the prophets to test the Bible; not the Bible to test the prophets.
They consider as scripture the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price. If there is a variance between the Bible and these books, they are instructed to take their own scriptures.
The Book of Mormon is a record of a people who fled from Jerusalem at the command of God in 606 B.C. They were commanded of God to build a boat, and God directed the boat to the American continent. These people are the forefathers of the American Indians. They believe that the Book of Mormon is the Bible for the people on this continent and in this "dispensation." The Bible, they believe, is for the people of the old world.
The Doctrine and Covenants is a book of the revelations of Joseph Smith concerning the plan of salvation. The Pearl of Great Price is supposed to be the five lost books of Moses.
They claim that these five books are missing from our Bible. Allegedly they were found in Egypt and translated by Joseph Smith.
Occasionally you hear mentioned The Inspired Bible. It is a Bible that was translated from the King James Version by their prophet Joseph Smith. He was killed before its completion. This so-called Inspired Bible is not used by the official group of Mormons except for an occasional reference among their own people. It is used to some extent among the Reorganized Church of Latter-Day Saints.
Our method of presenting prophecy in a simple and effective manner does much to establish belief in the Word of God. From here we must build wisely, avoiding unkind thrusts and insinuations, especially in our literature. We must refrain from attacking personalities, and never censure or ridicule Mormon people who are deceived and are groping their way out of error. We must always reveal the spirit of Christ in exposing error, with pitying tenderness. It is important to answer their questions, which to them are vital. It is equally essential to know the correct meaning of some of the expressions used by them. They have a unique vocabulary. For instance, when they speak of the "Spirit of prophecy," they call it "Latter-day revelation." They have a health reform, only to them it is known as the "Word of Wisdom." The "remnant church" to us is to them the "restored church."
Mormonism From Within
One of the first questions asked is, "Where do you get your authority?" And, "Do you believe in vicarious works for the dead?" In connection with this they will ask if we believe in "celestial marriage" and "eternal progression to Godhood." These questions must be answered, and explained in terms Mormons understand. It is necessary to take the initiative in the studies, for they are an aggressive people. A positive and explanatory method is better than an argument. Never raise objections for discussion; let the people do that. A great deal is involved in answering their questions. They cannot be understood unless the proper foundation is laid from the Bible. I have found it most effective to let them write down the questions they would like explained, and to build answers around them. This provides an excellent opportunity to become acquainted with their thinking and doctrinal needs.
A deep love and an understanding of the Mormon's need is essential. One who has grown up in Mormonism and understands their thinking, especially on their peculiar doctrinal problems, is best able to help them.
The stanch Latter-Day Saint can never remember a time when he has not known of Joseph Smith. He cannot remember the first time he heard of his "visions" and his "golden plates," and of the "glorious ancestry" from which he came. The stories of the pioneers, their trials and victories, are related repeatedly. He is very much aware of his duty to the dead, those who have not had the opportunity to go through the temple, and therefore have not received "full salvation."
Soon after baptism at the age of eight, a Mormon is instructed how to search out his genealogy so that someday soon he will be able to receive a recommendation from his bishop that will enable him to go to one of the various temples to be "baptized for the dead." To attain one of these recommendations he must attend church regularly and pay his tithe.
It is a happy day when he with the other members of his Sunday school class arrive at one of the temples. As he enters the temple he is told to remove his shoes for this is a "holy place." He is also instructed not to be frightened if a personage from the dead should appear to him expressing his gratefulness for the work he is about to do for the dead. The number of times he is baptized depends on how many names his group has on the temple record requiring officiation. He then leaves the temple with a strong determination to be faithful to the church so that he may be married for time and eternity when he is older. He also goes through the complete temple service for many of his dead relatives.
Mormon families are very closely knit together. The church supplies not only their religious life but the social as well. They are taught from early childhood that because they are Mormons they are superior to other people. They are brought up to revere the authority of the leaders of the church. To them the Latter-Day Saints Church is the only true church, because of the manner in which it came into existence and the organization upon which it is founded. The Mormon people are a self-satisfied people.
Christ does not have His proper place in the thinking of this people. In His rightful place is a man-made priesthood that carries full "authority and salvation." Because of this, Mormons are not aware of their need of Christ, and are ignorant of His atonement. The Mormon believes that he is to become a god, that he has something within himself that is immortal, that existed in the pre-earth life, and will continue to exist eternally through progression until he becomes a god. The position and the relationship between man and God is not understood. Nor is the Mormon disposed to consider it as a confusion since he is well satisfied that his religion is right.
Divisions in Mormonism
Within the Mormon Church there are several groups, or offshoots. The official group known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has at times been referred to as "the Brighamites." The term "Brighamite" has been used to describe this group by persons outside of the Mormon Church. It was this group that accepted Brigham Young as their prophet and leader after the death of Joseph Smith. They followed Brigham Young to the West, and settled Utah, or what is known to them as Zion.
The Josephite Mormons are the ones who are called the Reorganized Church of Latter-Day Saints. They are the ones who claim to be the real and first group of Latter-Day Saints, or Mormons. They believe the priesthood and authority was to be handed down from father to son, and would remain in the Smith family after the death of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon Church. They do not accept Brigham Young as a prophet. Nor did they follow him to the West when he settled Utah.
The Fundamentalists are a reform group. They claim that the church as a whole has apostatized from the early revelations and teachings of their prophets. It is their aim to bring these teachings and revelations to the attention of the people. They are a very radical group and hard to work with. The Fundamentalists have little or no faith in the Bible. They believe that Adam was selected by God the Father to be the god of this earth. Adam came into this world in a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him. Adam is Michael the Archangel. They are taught that they, like Adam, will become gods of other worlds, creating and "peopling" them. They, like Adam, must have many wives if they are to people other worlds and become gods. These wives must be selected while they are still in their mortal state.
They do not believe that Christ is divine but that He is the offspring of Adam, that Christ and His Father both lived and practiced polygamy.
Mormonism a Form of Spiritism
Mormonism is a form of spiritism. Mormons are taught not to rely upon fact but upon feeling and signs. They are told that if they doubt the doctrine of the church they are to ask of God and He will send a person from the "spirit world" or a "sign" to prove things are so.
Spiritism is also strongly woven into the Fundamentalists' doctrines. The belief is that Peter, James, and John, and the Three Nephites, have been ordained of God to appear wherever necessary to strengthen the brethren.
Working with this group presents unusual problems. It necessitates the use of much material taken from their own books to be compared with the plain and logical teachings of the Scriptures. Much prayer and patience must be used in working with them. It is possible to win them only when there is a deep desire and need for God. It is beneficial in working with this particular group to use their own Temple service, comparing it with the sanctuary service of the Bible, pointing out to them that it is Christ who holds the Melchizedek high priesthood and who is now officiating for us in the true and only temple in heaven.
History bears out that both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were installed as Apprentice Freemasons just six weeks prior to Joseph's supposed revelation from God setting forth the Mormon temple ritual. This service performed in the Mormon temples is nothing more than the first three degrees of Masonry. The three death oaths of secrecy used in the Masonic ritual have been duplicated in the Mormon service, binding the people in fear. It takes much of the grace of God to overcome the influence of these devilish teachings and take a stand for Bible truth.
To work effectively with the Mormon people we must understand them and their doctrines. To help our workers as well as the laity to become acquainted with the doctrines of Mormonism, a set of 36 lessons has been prepared. These lessons deal with the unique teachings o£ Mormonism, and give the student the Bible answer to this doctrine. These lessons have been used throughout the Nevada-Utah Conference for the past two years with a measure of success. In building this set of lessons it was my deepest hope and prayer that these dear people could be reached and won to Christ. You will note that many strong statements and quotations are used. The reason for this is to acquaint the Mormon people in general with their own beliefs that have been so carefully concealed from them. The lessons may be obtained by writing to: The Home Bible Study Crusade, P.O. Box 31, South Salt Lake Branch, Salt Lake City 15, Utah.
Gospel workers must be aware that the Mormon problem in evangelism here in the United States and elsewhere is similar to the challenge of the mission fields abroad. The State of Utah has become the center of this great deception of the "everlasting gospel." The errors of heathenism must be dealt with. We have endeavored to share with the field at large materials we have discovered or provided to help these dear Mormons, many of whom are sincere, to find the true gospel. There is a great work to be done by Adventists who can help to meet the challenge. Our approach to this people should be with understanding, tact, and courage, and in complete confidence in the power God has provided in earth's last warning message.
