Quiz: Islam or Mormonism?

• Their first prophet practiced and approved of polygamy
  
• Their first prophet was married to at least one girl under the age of 18
  
• Their first prophet was supposed to have been uneducated and not knowledgeable enough to have written their “holy” book
  
• Their first prophet supposedly had an angel appear to him who told him of their “holy” book
  
• Their first prophet is highly praised and exalted
  
• After the death of their first prophet the religion had a division on who to follow
  
• Their “holy” book praises Jesus as well as others in the Bible
  
• Their religion claims their prophet was prophesied about in the Bible
  
• Their religion claims that the Bible is the Word of God but that it has been corrupted
  
• Their religion claims to have brought a restoration of the truth
  
• Their religion claims works of righteousness are required to be right with their god
  
• Their religion denies the eternality of the divinity of Jesus

Answer: Both

“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” -Ecclesiastes 1:9

Praying about the Book of Mormon

“Test all things; hold fast what is good“. -1 Thessalonians 5:21

Oftentimes, when Mormons talk to non-Mormons, after they tell them the appealing aspects of Mormonism (being with your family forever, exaltation, etc.), they will encourage them to pray about the Book of Mormon, citing a passage from the end of the Book of Mormon (Moroni 10), telling them that if it’s true, they will get a feeling from God. Is this a legitimate test to see if the Book of Mormon is the Word of God? Should you pray about it?

• We are told not to test God (Deuteronomy 6:16; Luke 4:12).

• Alma 32:17-21 and Doctrine and Covenants 63:7-11 discourage asking God for a sign, essentially stating that if you have a sign, you don’t need faith.

• The Bible warns that our feelings can deceive and mislead us. Jeremiah 17:9 states “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Proverbs 28:26 states “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.” (see also Ecclesiastes 9:3) How much easier would it be for our heart to deceive us if we want something to be true?

• “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” -Proverbs 14:12 see also Proverbs 16:25

• It’s recorded in the Bible that demons possess and control unsaved people, it doesn’t seem that it would be hard for Satan or one of his demons to give you a feeling if you ask. “…For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14)

• Are you more discerning than Joseph Smith? “Joseph …received a revelation that some of the brethren should go to Toronto, Canada, and that they would sell the copy-right of the Book of Mormon… they failed entirely to sell the copy-right, returning without any money… we asked Joseph how it was that he had received a revelation…and the brethren had utterly failed in their undertaking. Joseph did not know how it was, so he enquired of the Lord about it, and behold the following revelation came through the stone: ‘Some revelations are of God: some revelations are of man: and some revelations are of the devil.’ So we see that the revelation to go to Toronto and sell the copy-right was not of God, but was of the devil or of the heart of man.” (An Address to All Believers in Christ by David Whitmer, 1887, p. 31) By the way, how do you know that Joseph’s revelation of the Book of Mormon or anything else he said wasn’t from the devil or from man? He didn’t even know.

• In Acts 17:11, the Bereans are said to be more nobler than the Thessalonians because “…they examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” It doesn’t say they prayed about it.

• Have you prayed about the Koran, the satanic bible, the Hindu Vedas or other supposed sacred writings?

• Which Book of Mormon do you pray about? There have been many changes and many editions; the 1830, the 1920, the 1964, the 1981 etc.

• Which church do you follow? Many claim to follow the Book of Mormon, such as the LDS, the RLDS aka the Community of Christ, the Hedrickites (Church of Christ), the FLDS, the Strangites (the original Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), etc. If you choose based on majority, logically you would become a Catholic or Muslim. Still, how do you even know there is still a true church on the earth to follow? How do you know there hasn’t been a new apostasy and after Joseph died the church fell away from the truth? According to the LDS church, it happened once before even though Jesus said “…I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)

Are you discouraging prayer?

A true Christian can and will pray to God regularly. However, some things don’t need to be prayed about. Open God’s Word to see what’s right and wrong, what’s true and false. You don’t need to pray about if Mohammad was a prophet of God, whether you should look at pornography, whether you should love your spouse, whether a woman should be a pastor, or whether you should steal from the rich and give to the poor. The Bible is clear in all these matters. 

Often homosexuals, adulterers, and many others who are engaged in sin will claim that what they feel leads them to believe that what they are doing is right. Some will even say, God gave them the feelings, and peace about it. The Bible never exhorts us to pray about a book or person to see if they are true. 

You may say, James chapter one says “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally…” (James 1:5). As stated before, a true Christian should pray to God. James was written to believers, the “brethren” (James 1:2; 2:1), those who had faith in Christ (James 2:1), not to unbelievers who were searching. Also, James doesn’t tell them to pray for a feeling to know whether a book is true. 

Whom do you pray to? God. Who is the only one through whom we can pray through to get to God? Jesus said,“…no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” (1 Timothy 2:5). We must go through Jesus Christ, the Son. Which Jesus? Matthew 24:24 and Mark 13:22 warn about false Christs. In 2 Corinthians 11:4, the apostle Paul warned of “another Jesus,” a false Jesus. Consider the Jesus of Islam, who is only a prophet of god, not the Son of God, not God the Son, and not the true Jesus. You have to go through the true Jesus, to pray to the true God. The Jesus of Mormonism is not the true Jesus. He is a created being, like you and I. Just another man, who worked His way to godhood.

Pray to a false god-Through a false Jesus-About a false book

Expect a false answer

Here is what it comes down to, you do not need to pray about something that is contrary to the Word of God, and time and time again, the Book of Mormon is. Not to mention, being contrary to archeological, historical, anthropological, and biological evidence.

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” -Galatians 1:8-9