What Might Jesus Say to a Mormon?

"For even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." (2 Corinthians 11:14)

The founding of the Mormon religion goes something like this. As a teenager, Joseph Smith, Jr., became troubled by what he saw as the divisiveness of the Christian Church. And so he sought answers and began to pray.

Now praying is okay as long as one knows to whom he's praying to. Just because one "prays" doesn't necessarily guarantee that the being on the receiving end is God. And if you add to that you're not even a believer in the first place, well, it's a disaster in the making.

Joseph Smith was not a Christian. Therefore, when he prayed to "God," he was an easy target for deception. Yes, there is a devil. (John 10:10a) Yes, he seeks to deceive. (Revelation 12:9) And yes, if you are susceptible to believing a lie and available to promote that lie to others, Satan will come knocking at your door. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)

Smith's deceptions came in the form of supposed "visions," the first of which was when, while in "prayer," he perceived "[two] personages (supposedly God the Father and God the Son) [standing] above [him] in the light." (The Pearl of Great Price, 17-19; Understanding the Cults by McDowell and Stewart, pg 84) These "personages" told him that he shouldn't join any Christian denomination for they all were wrong. Instead, they directed him to found his own church, the likes of which would be the only true church of God.

Now in a second vision about three years later, Smith was again visited by a being who this time had a name. The exchange between him and "Moroni" is also recorded in the Mormon document: "The Pearl of Great Price." There, Smith says...

I had a second vision. A personage appeared at my bedside who was glorious beyond description. He said that he was a messenger sent from the Presence of God, and that his name was Moroni; [and] that God had a work for me to do. ...He told me that a book had been deposited, written on golden plates, giving account of the former habitations of this continent (America) and containing "the fullness of the everlasting Gospel" as delivered by the saviour to the ancient inhabitants of this land. ...I was shown exactly where the plates had been deposited. That same night the heavenly messenger appeared again twice, each time repeating the same message. The next day I went to a hill outside the village where we lived...and found the golden [plates] in a stone box. (The Pearl of Great Price, 50-54; Understanding the Cults by McDowell and Stewart, pg 84-85)

It was from these "plates" that Joseph Smith ultimately translated what was to become known as the book of Mormon, a book that is supposedly an additional testament of Jesus Christ. And a new religious system was born.

And so what might Jesus say to Joseph Smith (Mormonism's founder)? I believe Jesus might answer with a Bible verse found in the New Testament book of Galatians...

But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8)

How could Jesus say such a thing? I thought Jesus was a nice guy. I thought Jesus was tolerant. I thought Jesus loved everybody. Well, He does love everybody, but not with the kind of "love" that most often the world portrays. Jesus' love speaks the truth. Jesus' love is not politically correct. In the end the masses will not accept it. (John 1:11; Matthew 7:13b)

(Picture above in the public domain: click here.)

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