Credenda Agenda Probing Mormons on the Atonement
BY ELI BRAYLEY
… [use the]Socratic method: asking questions. Mormons love talking about their religion… they want to evangelize you! So let them! Ask them what their message is… why is there a gospel… what is the problem that the gospel addresses… etc… etc… etc. As they respond, think of related questions to ask that will help them reflect upon their answers. Don’t worry if you aren’t very good at this at first… using the Socratic method will become more natural as you practice talking with Mormons on a regular basis. …
… The place of ultimate tension surrounds the atonement…
The one great question is: “How does a person receive the atonement?” Since a person’s eternal destiny hangs upon this one question, then its answer is of infinite importance. It is at this point that Mormonism fails.
When it all boils down, Mormon doctrine teaches that a person must utterly forsake all of his or her sins in order to receive the atonement. This, of course, is impossible. Their primary manual, Gospel Principles, reads: “We accept Christ’s atonement by repenting of our sins, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and obeying all the commandments. In this way we are cleansed from sin and become worthy to return and live forever with our Heavenly Father… Christ did his part to atone for our sins. Each of us must repent and obey to make Christ’s atonement effective in our lives.” (Gospel Principles, p. 50-51, 1978) According to Mormonism, the forgiveness of sins is not a free gift purchased by Christ for the individual, but something that the individual must earn through personal worthiness by obedience to the commandments of God. Contrariwise, the Bible teaches that eternal life is the free gift of God for sinful men. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) This vital disparity between grace and works is the main point of contrast and conflict between Biblical Christianity and Mormonism and it is this that must be addressed. It is not necessary to discuss baptism or receiving the Holy Ghost (even though Mormons may wish to get sidetracked on these or other like issues) because according to Mormonism repentance must first precede all things. A person must be worthy to even be baptized: “All those who have truly repented of all their sins shall be received by baptism into his church.” (D&C 20:37) Nothing comes for nothing in Mormonism. Even “faith” is described as: “having such trust in Christ that we obey whatever he commands.” (Gospel Principles, p. 118) In Mormonism, the individual’sworthiness through works is clearly the entire matter.
If Mormonism were true, that we “accept Christ’s atonement by repenting of our sins…”, then two obvious questions arise out of this “gospel”: 1) what is repentance? And 2) how good do I have to be to be worthy enough to receive the atonement? As we dig, we shall see how patently impossible it is for Mormonism to save anybody.
One must only look to the official church manuals in order to get into the Mormon mindset and understand how they define their terms. This paragraph from the chapter entitled “Repentance” inGospel Principles, which includes a quote from the founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith, gives us the explanation: “It does little good to admit that we have sinned if we do not stop doing the evil thing. If we truly repent of our sins, we will do them no more. If a person has stolen, he will steal no more. If he has lied, he will lie no more. If he committed adultery, he will stop this evil practice. The Lord said to the Prophet Joseph Smith: “By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins – behold, he will confess them and forsake them.” (Gospel Principles, p. 91, 1978) Spencer Kimball, the late President of the Mormon Church stated: “There is one crucial test of repentance. This is abandonment of the sin… the saving power does not extend to him who merely wants to change his life… nor is repentance complete when one merely tries to abandon sin… to ‘try’ is weak. To ‘do the best I can’ is not strong. We must always do better than we can.” (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 163-165) The Mormon definition of repentance is to actually and permanently forsake one’s sin. Therefore, according to their own doctrine, in order for a Mormon to accept the atonement and receive the forgiveness of sins, he or she must completely come to an end of sinning and keep the commandments of God. …
… God never gives a command that we cannot keep, no matter how difficult or how great. “For I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” (1 Nephi 3:7) Therefore, when God commands us to “deny ourselves of all ungodliness” (Moroni 10:32) and to “repent of all our sin” (Helaman 14:13), we are well able to do it. If we don’t do it, we are to blame, not God. There is no legitimate reason why a person does not keep all the commands all the time in Mormonism. Some Mormons are right now struggling intensely with this very problem. Many others have never connected the dots and still think that as long as they just “try their best” they will be fine. They have conveniently forgotten that to the God of Mormonism, a person’s best is perfection. …
The Mormon “gospel” is a hopeless hamster wheel …
Read the full fascinating post at Credena Agenda HERE
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new eBook by Mike Robinson Critiques Mormon Theology here
