Thomas S. Monson's Conference Address April 2012

“The Race of Life” by Thomas S. Monson

“Where did we come from?  Why are we here?  Where do we go after this life? 

No longer need these universal questions remain unanswered.”

Compared to the Bible by Connie Raddon

Color Key:

Quotes from the LDS Ensign in blue.

Quotes from the Bible in red.

All my own words are black.

The May issue of the Ensign contains all of the talks given by the leadership of the LDS Church during April’s General Conference.  This talk was given by the president of the Church, Thomas S. Monson.  It is found on pg. 90-93.

Mr. Monson explains that the LDS Church provides answers to three questions:

1.      Where did we come from?  LDS Answer:  A previous existence as literal spirit children of God.

2.      Why are we here?  LDS Answer:  To be tested to see if we will qualify for the blessings of heaven.

3.      Where do we go after this life?  LDS Answer: We want to earn a celestial glory to be in the presence of God.

For this article, I want to focus on the second question, “Why are we here?”  Monson repeats the concept many times that we are here to become worthy for what God holds for us in the next life.  He doesn’t always say the word “worthy”, but he uses terms and phrases that mean the same thing such as “qualify”, “become perfect”, “successfully cross the finish line”,  and “earn”.

“How grateful we should be that a wise Creator fashioned an earth and placed us here, with a veil of forgetfulness of our previous existence so that we might experience a time of testing, an opportunity to prove ourselves in order to qualify for all that God has prepared for us to receive.”

First, our Creator actually “CREATED” the earth.  To say He “fashioned” the earth implies that He merely molded it, or gave shape to it. 

The Bible says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  Gen 1:1

Second, there was no “veil of forgetfulness” because we did NOT exist previous to our earthly existence.

Third, and on the topic of Monson’s “worthiness”, our purpose here is not for a “time of testing” or to “prove ourselves”.  If that is the case, then everyone has failed.  Absolutely no one will qualify for presence in God’s glory. 

“There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.”  Romans 6:10-11

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Romans 6:23

“By obedience to God’s commandments, we can qualify for that “house” spoken of by Jesus when He declared:  ‘In my Father’s house are many mansions’.”

We cannot “qualify” by keeping God’s commandments.  We get into that “house” spoken of by Jesus by grace alone – being justified through our faith alone.

“knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ…for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.”  Galatians 2:16

(“Justified” means to be declared free of blame – in other words, God declares us blameless.)

“…for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”  Galatians 2:21

Monson also says, “God, our Father, and Jesus Christ, our Lord, have marked the way to perfection.  They beckon us to follow eternal verities and to become perfect, as They are perfect.”

Mr. Monson misquotes the Bible here when he says “become perfect”.  The Bible says, “BE perfect”, not “become”.  This is not a process, but a command to be perfect right now.  How do we do that?  Not by our own works, that’s for sure.  Jesus is the only person who lived perfectly.  When we are born again, not only are we forgiven of all sin through Christ’s atonement, but his righteousness is applied to us so God can look at us and count us as perfect.  Right now.  When God “justifies” us, it is like declaring us to be perfect.  Keep that in mind when reading these verses:

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Romans 5:1

See how this says we have already been justified?  We are already seen as perfect… we don’t have to “become” perfect, or “become” justified.

“Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”  Galatians 3:24

Monson continues, “…and I do not overlook the holy scriptures, which contain the word of the Lord and the words of the prophets – provided to us to help us successfully cross the finish line.”

In 1 John chapter 5 is God’s witness to us that if we believe in the Son, we have eternal life.  God does not witness to us that he will provide help for us to achieve eternal life, He says that those who believe HAVE IT now. 

“It is the celestial glory which we seek.  It is in in the presence of God we desire to dwell.  It is a forever family in which we want membership.  Such blessings are earned through a lifetime of striving, seeking, repenting, and finally succeeding.”

When the Bible speaks of “eternal life” or being “saved”, it is referring to living in the presence of God, with all the blessings of heaven.  The Bible says these blessings cannot “be earned” like Monson says.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9

The teachings in the May 2012 issue of the Ensign

are NOT Biblical, and therefore,

NOT consistent with Christian beliefs.

Brigham Young issued a challenge on May 18, 1873 (as recorded in the Journal of Discourses, Vol. 16 p. 46):  “Take up the Bible, compare the religion of the Latter Day Saints with it, and see if it will stand the test.”

I have accepted that challenge from Brigham Young.

In the May 2012 issue of the Ensign, the LDS religion FAILS this test.

Resources used for this article:

The Word of God (The Bible)

The LDS magazine, “The Ensign”

Color Key:

Quotes from the Ensign in blue.

Quotes from the Bible in red.

All my own words are black.

Work First, Atonement Second?

By Connie Raddon

One of the monthly sections of the Ensign is “We Talk of Christ”.  In the December issue, this article is written by Michael D. Woodbury. 

Woodbury states, “Because of the Atonement, I will be resurrected and any physical pain will be wiped away.  My wife, children, and I are sealed together as an eternal family.  The Atonement made that possible too.”

This goes against what the Bible teaches.  The Sadducees were questioning Jesus. They posed a hypothetical situation about a woman who married each of seven brothers after the previous one died.  They asked who she would be married to after she was resurrected.  “Jesus said to them, "Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” Mark 12:24-25

Woodbury goes on to say, “IF we move forward with FAITH in our Savior as we pass through the TRIALS of life and ENDURE to the end, the Atonement will provide the path we need to follow, with the glorious promise of eternal life waiting at the end.”

Notice how all these things are based on what WE do.

WE have faith… WE pass through trials…WE endure to the end…

The “glorious promise of eternal life” that Woodbury refers to depends on…

1.      Moving forward with FAITH in our Savior. 

2.      Passing through the TRIALS of life.

3.      ENDURING to the end.

When the LDS leadership talk about “passing through trials” and “enduring to the end”, it’s not very clear what they mean.  When I was a Mormon, I understood that “enduring to the end” meant overcoming all the trials in life by remaining obedient to all the laws and ordinances of the Mormon Church.

The following paragraphs will explain what the Bible says about FAITH, passing through TRIALS, and ENDURING to the end.

FAITH: The Bible teaches that faith is something that we can’t get for ourselves.  It is a gift from God.  1 John 5:4  “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.  And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.”  Our faith is born of God.  We can’t even take credit for our faith because IT is a gift from God.

TRIALS: The article says that we must overcome our trials.  The Bible also teaches that we will have trials.  The difference is the LDS teach that you must overcome your trials in order to prove yourself worthy of the benefits of the atonement, and eternal life. The Bible, on the other hand, teaches that once you are born again, the Holy Spirit is with you always – renewing you and strengthening you.  All the glory and all the credit goes to God when you overcome a trial.  If you believe you overcome it on your own strength, all the glory and credit goes to YOU. 

Jesus is speaking to his disciples in John Chapter 15 about how we must rely on Christ.  John 15:5  “I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in Me, and I in him bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”  Trials are overcome with the power of God.  The glory is His.  We don’t deserve the credit, God does.

ENDURE:  Like I said before, most Mormons understand this to mean overcoming your trials on a continual basis by obeying all the laws and ordinances of Mormonism.  In the Bible, Paul speaks to the Philippians about how he has learned to be content no matter what happens.  Christ will give him whatever he needs.  Phil 4:13 “I can do all things through Chirst who strengthens me.”  We endure because God gives us every single thing that provides endurance.  To take any credit is to rob God of His glory.

So, this article explains that you must have faith, overcome your trials, and endure to the end FIRST.  THEN you will have earned, or been “worthy” to receive the benefits of the atonement.  And according to Woodbury, the atonement will provide the path.  This means your work is not finished.  The atonement only provides “the path we need to follow.” In Mormonism, following that path means to obey all the laws and ordinances of Mormonism, like going to the temple, paying a full tithing, obeying the Word of Wisdom (dietary laws), just to name a few. 

So let me point out that if the promise of eternal life comes to us after we have done all these things to earn it, then the credit and glory for this accomplishment would be ours.

The Bible says something very different:

Ephesians 2:8-9  “For by grace we are saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one can boast.”  In the Bible, “saved” means the same thing as “eternal life”, or “exaltation” in Mormonism.  Paul is trying to teach the believers in Ephesis that they do not need to earn eternal life through obedience to laws.  He says that eternal life can’t come from works, because then people would be able to boast and take credit for it.

So once again, let’s review what Woodbury said.   “If we move forward with faith in our Savior as we pass through the trials of life and endure to the end, the Atonement will provide the path we need to follow, with the glorious promise of eternal life waiting at the end.”

He says the promise of eternal life comes after our trials, endurance, and obedience.  But the Bible says we can be saved right now… immediately… currently… in the present. 

John 5:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”

This means that once you believe, or have faith, you have eternal life immediately.  You just happen to be spending the first few years of your eternal life here on earth. 

Notice how Jesus does not say that he who believes WILL HAVE everlasting life.  He says instead, he who believes HAS everlasting life, and HAS PASSED from death to life. 

The teachings in this article are NOT Biblical, and therefore,

NOT consistent with Christian beliefs.

On May 18, 1873 (as recorded in the Journal of Discourses, Vol. 16 p. 46), Brigham Young issued a challenge:  “Take up the Bible, compare the religion of the Latter Day Saints with it, and see if it will stand the test.”

I have accepted that challenge from Brigham Young.

In the December 2011 issue of the Ensign, the LDS religion FAILS this test.

October 2011 Conference Issue: Thomas Monson

Color Key:

Quotes from Thomas Monson in blue.

Quotes from the Bible in red.

All my own words are black.

Stand in Holy Places

By Connie Raddon

The November 2011 Ensign is entirely dedicated to the messages that were given in the October 2011 sessions of General Conference.  The leadership of the LDS Church give talks on different subjects that they feel the general LDS population needs to hear.  I would like to focus on what their prophet, Thomas S. Monson had to say in his talk entitled, “Stand in Holy Places”.

The article begins by explaining the moral decay that is going on in society today.  He says that “Behaviors which once were considered inappropriate and immoral are now not only tolerated but also viewed by ever so many as acceptable.”

The Bible also tells of societies which fell into moral decay – Genesis 18 and 19 tell of the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah.  In the book of Judges, the Israelites “did what was right in their own eyes” and were told by God how unrighteous they were.

Both the LDS Church and the Bible point out that immoral behavior and wickedness exist.  Monson, however, turns away from Biblical teachings when he explains that righteous “moral behavior” comes by way of us taking control of our lives, controlling our behavior and our environment.

“…there is nothing which can bring more joy into our lives or more peace to our souls than the Spirit which can come to us as we follow the Savior and keep the commandments.  That Spirit cannot be present at the kinds of activities in which so much of the world participates.”

The Bible teaches that once the Holy Spirit dwells in us, He will never leave.  He is not limited to being present only when we are at the right kinds of activities.

John 14:16:  “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.” 

These were the words of Jesus.  He also said, (Matt.28:20) “…and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

“The apostle Paul declared the truth: ‘The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.’  The term natural man can refer to any of us if we allow ourselves to be so.”

We are all “natural man” until we accept Christ’s righteousness in substitute of our own and turn our lives over to Him.  Then the Holy Spirit moves in permanently and changes us.

2 Corinthians 5:17-18  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.  Now all things are of God…”

God changes us.  We cannot take any credit.  We don’t have the power to “allow ourselves” to flip flop between having the Holy Spirit in us and not; between being a “natural man” and being a “spiritual man”.  That power is God’s alone.

ETERNAL LIFE:

The Bible teaches that eternal life in the kingdom of God is not ours to surrender – it is a gift from God. 

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life;…”

God’s grace is what gives us eternal life in the kingdom of God.  He gives that freely as a gift to those who believe. 

But Monson claims that moral behavior is necessary for eternal life in the kingdom of God.

“We must be vigilant in a world which has moved so far from that which is spiritual.  It is essential that we reject anything that does not conform to our standards, refusing in the process to surrender that which we desire most: eternal life in the kingdom of God.”

Monson’s teachings are NOT Biblical, and therefore, NOT consistent with Christian beliefs.

  

On May 18, 1873 (as recorded in the Journal of Discourses, Vol. 16 p. 46), Brigham Young issued a challenge:  “Take up the Bible, compare the religion of the Latter Day Saints with it, and see if it will stand the test.”

I have accepted that challenge from Brigham Young.

In the November 2011 issue of the Ensign, the LDS religion FAILS this test.

I sincerely thank my research partner, Art Haglund.