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”

Thomas Monson's "Abundant Life"

Thomas Monson’s Message "Living the Abundant Life"

Compared to the Bible by Connie Raddon

“I challenge Latter-day Saints everywhere to undertake a personal, diligent, significant quest for what I call the abundant life…”  President Thomas S. Monson, January 2012 Ensign, pg 4

Color Key:

Quotes from the Ensign in blue.

Quotes from the Bible in red.

All my own words are black.

One of the monthly sections of the Ensign is the “First Presidency Message”.  In the January 2012 issue, this article is written by the president of the LDS Church, Thomas Monson.  It is found on page 4-5.

Since it’s the beginning of a new year, Monson challenges the members of his church to take a personal, diligent, and significant quest for the abundant life.

Monson goes on to explain that an abundant life is “a life filled with an abundance of success, goodness, and blessings.”

The first thing I notice is how vague this is.  What exactly does he mean by success?  How much goodness counts for an ‘abundance’?  What blessings is he talking about?

Well, in Mormon culture, the measure of success, goodness, and blessings is really not that vague. All you have to do is look around and see which members consistently get the more respected assignments (ie, presidents of organizations, bishops, etc). They are the people who are baptized, are Eagle Scouts, are married in the temple, have served missions, appear to be financially stable, have nice, clean homes, and who openly bear their testimony that the LDS Church is true.

There is very rarely any mention of Christ, or their relationship with Him.

It is a horribly sad cycle of failure when your abundance of blessings and success is measured by these external, very visible accomplishments.  I personally know many parents who feel like failures as parents because their children haven’t completed these things. 

One LDS woman I know couldn’t even bring herself to show up for her own Mother’s Day dinner one year.  She left a note for her family explaining that she felt like a failure as a mother.  And yet here were all her children and her husband gathered together to spend time with her, and each other.  How sad.  Imagine the pain she was in – and the message that she sent to her children that day – you aren’t good enough, therefore, I am not good enough.

Now before anyone gets too upset with me, I do recognize that the Bible mentions abundance:

Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Ephesians 3:20   Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

3Jn 1:2   Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

            “Verses such as these, IF they were ALL that the Bible said on the subject, one would surely think that God’s plan for believers is to give them all kinds of worldly things.  As it is, it is NOT all that the Bible says on the subject.  Context is the key to all understanding from any writing, and is especially important when dealing with things of such utter importance as our spiritual lives.”  Art Haglund (research partner)

            Let us look at these verses, which are almost always  and conveniently ‘forgotten’ when this heresy is spoken of:

Luk 12:15  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Mat 8:20  And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

Mat 10:24  The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

Mat 10:25  It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

We see from these verses that God does not consider the abundant life to be equal to many possessions, or success in a career. 

Monson never mentions that the abundant life he refers to is in heaven.  From reading his entire article, it is clear that he means success, goodness, and blessings will come in this life.

In the book of Luke, there is a story of a rich man, and a beggar named Lazarus.  After they both die, the rich man is in torment and the beggar is in Abraham’s bosom.  The rich man asked Abraham why… Luke 16:25  But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.” 

The rich man had success, goodness, and blessings while on earth.  But that did nothing for his eternal life.  Lazarus did not have success and blessings on earth, but he gets comfort in heaven.  Now the Bible isn’t necessarily saying that if you have blessings on earth, you won’t go to heaven – I am not saying that.  God, of course, can bless anyone with abundance and success.  The Bible teaches that our heart should not be placed on the things (success and goodness) of this world, but completely on God.

Luke 10:27  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

But Monson is encouraging Mormons to seek after success and goodness – NOT GOD.  Not only that, he is telling them to seek after this abundant life with a “personal, diligent, and significant quest”.  It sounds a lot like giving your heart, soul, strength and mind to living the abundant life – not loving God.

This is exactly opposite of what the Bible teaches – as we can see in Matthew.

Matt 6:19-21  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Monson continues, “Just as we learned the ABCs in school, I offer my own ABCs to help us all gain the abundant life… A in my ABCs refers to attitude… B is for believe – in yourself, in those around you, and in eternal principles…C is for courage.”

Once again, God is not mentioned – in fact Monson himself takes credit for his own ABCs to help gain the abundant life.  He is teaching us to rely on our attitude, belief in ourselves, and our own courage.  With this approach, any blessing, success, or good thing that comes our way will be credited to us, not God (at least in most people’s minds). 

To support his message, Monson includes quotes from William James (an American psychologist and philosopher), Charles Swindoll (an author educator, and Christian pastor), William Shakespeare’s “King Henry the Eighth”, Thomas Fuller (an English churchman and historian who lived in the 17^th century), and Ralph Waldo Emerson.  He does not ever quote Jesus, or even the scriptures – not even the LDS scriptures! 

At one point, he refers to David fighting Goliath, but credits the win to David not to God.

Monson’s final words are,  “May we remember these ABCs as we begin our journey into the new year, cultivating a positive attitude, a belief that we can achieve our goals and resolutions, and the courage to face whatever challenges may come our way.  Then the abundant life will be ours.”  

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

Even the "Fundamentals" are a Fraud

The January 2011 issue of the “Ensign” has an article by Dallin H. Oaks entitled “Fundamental to our Faith”.  I was quite happy to see him explain how the Mormon Church is different from general Christianity in their ‘fundamental premises of faith’ which are:

1.      The Nature of God

2.      The Purpose of Life

3.      The Threefold Sources of Truth about man and the universe

I was happy because it’s not very common that the leaders of the Mormon Church openly admit that they are different from Christians in their beliefs.  However, I believe when they say different, they mean “more right”.  When I say different, I mean “unbiblical”.

The Nature of God

Oaks explains, “For us the truth about the nature of God and our relationship to Him is the key to everything else.  Significantly, our belief in the nature of God is what distinguishes us from the formal creeds of most Christian denominations.”

I could not agree more.  And more importantly, the Bible teaches the same thing!  The Bible teaches that the truth about the nature of God and our relationship to Him is key to everything else.  And since the Mormon belief about the nature of God is not taught in the Bible, Mormon beliefs are definitely distinguished from the rest of Christianity.

Oaks continues, “We have this belief in the Godhead in common with the rest of Christianity, but to us it means something different than to most.  We maintain that these three members of the Godhead are three separate and distinct beings and that God the Father is not a spirit but a glorified Being with a tangible body, as is His resurrected Son, Jesus Christ.  Though separate in identity, They are one in purpose.”

Bible:  “God is a spirit…”  John 4:24

Oaks:  “Our unique belief that ‘the Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit’ (D & C 130:22)  is vital to us.”

“God the Son told the young prophet that all ‘creeds’ of the churches of that day ‘were an abomination in his sight’… Joseph Smith’s First Vision showed that the prevailing concepts of the nature of God and the Godhead were untrue…”

‘The prevailing concepts of the nature of God’ that he is referring to is the Biblical teachings that God is only one God in three persons.  Mr. Oaks is reminding us that Joseph Smith’s First Vision is declaring the Bible to be untrue.

Oaks, referring to the Book of Mormon: “This new book of scripture is a second witness of Jesus Christ.  It affirms the biblical prophecies and teachings of the nature and mission of Christ.”

So does the Book of Mormon affirm the Mormon beliefs about the nature of God, or the Biblical teachings about the nature of God? 

First of all, remember that the Bible teaches that nothing can be added to it, or taken away.  (Revelation 22:18-19).  So the fact that the Book of Mormon is a “new book of scripture” should be a HUGE red flag for anyone seeking truth. 

Second, it does not live up to Oaks claims:  It does NOT affirm any biblical prophecies of Christ.  It does NOT affirm biblical teachings of the nature of Christ.  And it does NOT affirm biblical teachings of the mission of Christ. 

As Oaks describes the LDS testimony of Jesus Christ, he says, “He is the Savior, whose atoning sacrifice opens the door for us to be forgiven of our personal sins…”  The LDS Church teaches that Christ only “opened the door” to forgiveness.  We are responsible to follow a series of steps in order to repent and earn that forgiveness.  In other words, Christ made it possible, but we must do the work.

The Bible teaches that we are completely forgiven when we believe in Jesus Christ and accept the work that HE did FOR us.

Bible: John 5:24 “Whoever believes in the Son, has eternal life.”

Oaks goes on to quote the 3^rd Article of Faith:  “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.”

Bible: Ephesians 2: 8-9 “For by grace ye are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:  It is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

The Purpose of Mortal Life

Oaks: “Our theology begins with the assurance that we lived as spirits before we came to this earth…”

There is not even a mention or suggestion of this in the Bible. 

Oaks: “Our highest aspiration is to become like our heavenly parents, which will empower us to perpetuate our family relationships throughout eternity… by obedience to the laws and ordinances of His gospel [we] qualify for the glorified celestial condition and relationships that are called exaltation or eternal life.”

The Bible teaches that we are not the same nature as God. 

John 8:23 “"You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.”

It also teaches that God is unchangeable and everlasting.

Psalm 90:2  “Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”

If we can become “like our heavenly parents” and achieve Godhood then we would not be “everlasting”, which is the nature of God.  We would become a God, then five minutes later, we would have only been a God for five minutes – not eternally, and not everlasting.

And once again, Oaks emphasizes obedience is required to gain eternal life.  This belief keeps Church members under the bondage of the “Church” as an organization – to keep them obedient, paying tithing, and recruiting new members – who in turn will be obedient, pay tithing, and recruit new members. 

Oaks: “Under the great plan of the loving Creator, the mission of His Church is to help us achieve exaltation in the  celestial kingdom, and that can be accomplished only through an eternal marriage between a man and a woman (See D & C 131:1-3)”

Bible: Matt 22:30 “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.”

Oaks:  “We affirm that marriage is necessary for the accomplishment of God’s plan…”

The Bible teaches that God is all powerful – beyond our wildest dreams!  But the LDS church is suggesting that this mighty, miraculous, wonderful, inconceivable God’s plan is somehow crippled unless we get married???  This minimizes God – His power, His holiness, and His nature.

Oaks: “[God] requires His children to obey His laws because only through that obedience can they progress toward the eternal destiny He desires for them… we will all be assigned to the kingdom of glory that is commensurate with our obedience to His law.

In his second letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul told of a vision of a man “caught up to the third heaven” (2 Cor. 12:2).  Speaking of the resurrection of the dead, he described ‘bodies’ with different glories, like the respective glories of the sun, moon, and stars.  He referred to the first two of these as ‘celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial’ (1 Cor. 15:40-42).”

These verses from the Bible are either misunderstood or intentionally twisted in order to fit the doctrine of the Mormon Church.  The “third heaven” is referring to the heaven where God is.  The second heaven was understood as the stars and planets.  The first heaven is the atmosphere including clouds, birds, etc.

The celestial bodies Paul was referring to can be understood in context of the entire chapter.  Paul was talking about resurrection – and explained that there are celestial bodies (of heaven) and terrestrial bodies (of earth).  He was NOT teaching about different degrees of heaven.

Oaks: “For us, eternal life in the celestial, the highest glory, is NOT a mystical union with an incomprehensible spirit-god.”

Being in the presence of my “Spirit-God”, Savior, King and Redeemer is the only kind of heaven I want. 

The LDS Church minimizes the wrath of God for sin by denying the Biblical teaching of hell…

Oaks: “ With only a few exceptions, even the very wicked will ultimately go to a marvelous – though lesser – kingdom of glory.”

Sources of Truth

The Church teaches that the prophet of the church today has the same kind of communication with God as the prophets in the Old Testament.  Oaks quotes a verse that is commonly used to support this notion:  “the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7)”

But under the new covenant, God no longer speaks through prophets to lead his people as a whole unit.

  Heb 1:1-2 “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets…in these last days has spoken to us in His Son…”

Oaks goes on to explain that in addition to prophets, “each person can receive personal revelation for his or her conversion, understanding, and decision making.”

The Bible teaches that this is very dangerous because Satan can create feelings or impulses, or even a burning in the bosom. 

Of course, the Church makes revelation conditional on obedience.  “Revelation comes when we keep the commandments of God and thus qualify for the companionship and communication of the Holy Spirit.”

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 January 2011 issue of the Ensign, the LDS religion fails this test.