Mormonism – NSU Course Video

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Mormonism

Travis Agnew taught a NSU course on Mormonism on Jan. 11, 2015.  You can watch the video above or read the notes below.

History

  • Mormonism’s founder is Joseph Smith, Jr. born in Vermont 1805.
  • His father was known for hunting buried treasure and his mother was highly superstitious.
  • He was disturbed by the numerous denominations of Christianity and wanted to know the correct group.
  • At age 14, he went into the woods to pray concerning this matter, and he said that God the Father and Jesus met with him and told him not to join any churches.
  • At age 17, an angel called Moroni called Smith to translate the Book of Mormon from golden plates hidden in New York.
  • John the Baptist appeared to him and instructed him to restore the true church by preaching the correct gospel which had been lost from earth.
  • The Book of Mormon is the account of the Nephite leader, Mormon (Moroni’s father), concerning their culture, civilization, and the appearance of Jesus to the Americas.
  • It describes how a group of Jews fled persecution in Jerusalem and came to America led by a man named Nephi.
  • This Jewish group divided into two groups known as the Nephites and the Lamanites who fought each other.  The Nephites were defeated in 428 AD.
  • The Lamanites continued and are actually the American Indians.
  • Due to deviant beliefs from Christianity such as polygamy (Smith had 27 wives), him and his followers endured persecution.
  • Smith and his brother went to jail after destroying a printing press that published harmful information against Mormonism.
  • A mob eventually broke into the jail and killed the brothers.
  • After Smith’s death, the church divided into two groups: 1) The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints led by a widow, and 2) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints led by Brigham Young and moved to Utah.

Beliefs

  • There are many gods.
  • God used to be a man on another planet and became a god by obeying the laws of his god on his home world.
  • If you are a good Mormon, you have the potential of becoming a god of your own planet.
  • God resides near a star called Kolob.
  • The Trinity is three separate gods.
  • God is increasing in knowledge.
  • God the Father has a body of flesh and bones.
  • God is married to his goddess wife and has spirit children.
  • God the Father had physical relations with Mary to conceive Jesus.
  • Jesus was born, got married, and had children.
  • We were all first begotten as spirit children in heaven and then born naturally on earth.
  • Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers and we were all born as siblings in heaven to them both.
  • Jesus endorsed the Father’s plan for salvation. Those with him get the privilege of being born in races and locations that are relative to their condition and choice made in the spirit realm.
  • Those who rebelled with Satan are demons and can never be born in human bodies.
  • There is no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet of God.
  • You can help your family members experience baptism for the dead.
  • “As god once was, man is.  As God is, man may become.”
  • If a good Mormon successfully accomplishes all the tasks of various oaths and secret rituals, the person is permitted entrance into the highest level of heaven and can become a god.
  • Since 1830, there have been 3,913 changes in the Book of Mormon.

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