Web Newsletter - AUGUST 2005
Dear Friends, I have spent a half day going through the many things happening across the width of our ministry fields and have had a hard time selecting some of it to send. I hope I hit a good mix for you with the articles and information below.
As
we work to respond to all the needs, the massive number of emails and the pressures from
the ministry life please take time out to pray for us. Especially pray for us in the area
of Islam. We receive many threats from those who do not understand that in
We also ask you to please pray about supporting the online ministry of Saints Alive. You can make a donation by clicking on the "Give a Donation" bar on the left side of the Home Page. We urgently need support from the web. Your gift will make a great difference in our ability to respond to the needs that come through this marvelous venue.
During the coming weeks and months, we hope to begin uploading several complete books on Mormonism, Freemasonry and Islam. Many of these are rare, out of print books that sit on collectors’ shelves. The first book going on the website will be: Wife Number 19, written in 1875 by Ann Eliza Young, polygamous wife of Brigham Young. Meanwhile, here below is the link to the next free chapter of my book, My Kingdom Come.
MY KINGDOM COME
THE MORMON QUEST FOR GODHOOD
by Ed Decker
Chapter Four - "Reach Out and Touch Someone"
To read Chapter Four - CLICK HERE Go to My Kingdom Come index page
Where Have All The Mormons Gone?
In my April 2005 Newsletter I talked about the declining expansion rates of both the Mormons and the Masons. My information came from my travels throughout the Web; using figures I was able to pull from many of their own websites.
On
In her excellent article, “Keeping members a challenge for LDS Church - Mormon myth: The belief that the Church is the fastest-growing faith in the world doesn't hold up,” religion reporter, Peggy Fletcher Stack, told the truth about the claims of Mormonism’s vast growth rates throughout the world. Folks, it is not the fastest growing church in the world. Not even close.
Peggy Fletcher Stack reports that since 1990, other faiths - Seventh-day Adventists, Assemblies of God and Pentecostal groups - have grown much faster and in more places around the globe. And most telling, the number of Latter-day Saints who are considered active churchgoers is only about a third of the total, or 4 million in the pews every Sunday.
She goes on to say, according to LDS-published statistics, the annual number of LDS converts declined from a high
of 321,385 in 1996 to 241,239 in 2004. In the 1990s, the church's growth rate went from 5
percent a year to 3 percent. [Ed: Worldwide. Less in
By comparison, the Seventh-day Adventist Church reports it has added more than 900,000 adult converts each year since 2000 (an average growth of about 5 percent), bringing the total membership to 14.3 million. The Assemblies of God now claims more than 50 million members worldwide, adding 10,000 new members every day.
The Ghost Mormons
I have been saying for some time now that there are as many people leaving the Mormon Church each year as the giant Missionary effort brings in. The numbers the Church reports and the numbers in the wards just don’t match up. The meetings are filled with ghosts.
The Stack Report verifies that fully:
When the Graduate Center of the City University of New York conducted an American Religious Identification Survey in 2001, it discovered that about the same number of people said they had joined the LDS Church as said they had left it. The CUNY survey reported the church's net growth was zero percent.
One of the major problems for the church has been the retention of its converts. The warm milk of the fuzzy, happy-families theology thrown at the investigators turns cold to many converts as they sit and listen to someone sharing the joys of proffered godhood with many wives. Most get up and quietly leave.
She quotes David G.
Stewart Jr. who is writing a book on the subject of the LDS Missionary
In fact, in another article, “Unintended consequence of church's 'raising the bar' Diminishing returns: With fewer missionaries going out, converts have slowed as well” Peggy Fletcher Stack reports that there is a major problem with raising up fresh missionaries. The Church no longer wants to let families use the missionary program to send out troublesome youth to repent and get right with the gospel. As a result, the missionary numbers continue to plummet.
In October 2002, LDS Apostle M. Russell Ballard told thousands of Mormons at the church's General Conference that the faith was "raising the bar" on missionary standards. He said nothing about sacrificing quantity for quality.
But two years after that speech, the church's global missionary force has dropped from near 62,000 to about 51,000, a fact that may have contributed to the declining number of new LDS converts from around 300,000 to 241,000 in 2004.
Where Have All the Missionaries Gone?
Think about this. Let’s try to wade through all the figures here and make some sense out it. Within a two year span, 11,000 fewer young Mormons are choosing to go on a mission and that helps drive down the convert rate by almost 60,000 people. The data also says that the work of over 50,000 full time missionaries [and let’s not forget the many thousands of stake missionaries and the efforts of the entire general LDS membership to draw in their families, friends, neighbors and co-workers] only brings in a retained membership increase [20%] of 48,000 new members who haven’t left the church [yet] by the end of the first year. The data does not track the ones who leave the second or third years.
You also need to factor in the fact that 25% of these 51,000 missionaries [about 12,750] will leave the mission field and go home as having failed their calling and 50% of those remaining for the full two years [19,125] will become inactive or leave the church within a year of returning home.
No wonder LDS families are OK with these 11,000 young Mormons staying home instead of going on a mission. LDS families are getting tired of the church burning up their kids for the sake of fewer and fewer converts. When gross rates were over 7 converts per missionary year, it was Ok to lose the kids, but the published gross rate now is half that and falling fast.
That’s a loss each year of 31,875 active young Mormons, kids who have gone through Missionary training, the LDS temple and were deemed worthy to serve their church for two years.
Now bear with me again as we take the net/retained convert base of 48,000 converts and subtract the 31,875 lost Missionaries and end up with a net gain of only a little more than 16,125 people.
Estimates
published by the Associate Press in April 2003 concur with Stack on the low rate of
regular attendance by the Mormon faithful. “While
the church doesn't release statistics on church activity rates, some research suggests
participation in the church is as low as 30 percent.” Patty
Henetz , Associated Press writer,
Let’s bring this to its conclusion. Less than 5,000 of the annual converts actually end up as active Mormons, attending church at least once a month. Figure it out. The net figures say it now takes 10 missionary/years to keep one active Mormon.
One More Look at the Missionary Decline
I
think there is another factor at work here. Twenty-five
years ago, the heavily Mormon /
There are a number of reasons for the dramatic drop. Back a quarter century ago, most LDS mothers stayed at home caring for the kids. Today, because of the immense cost to raise a large family, most Mormon mothers work outside the home and have obviously opted for much smaller families.
After twenty five years of reducing LDS average family sizes by 60%, the pool of available Mormon youth has dried up.
During the 2005 LDS General Conference in April, LDS Apostle M. Russell Ballard urged local leaders in all the church's 26,000 congregations to find "at least one more young man, above those already committed, who can be called to serve."
The fact is they are just not there and those that are, just won’t go.
Author faces charges from Mormon Church
San
Antonio Express-News Web Posted:
SALT LAKE CITY — An Australian
scientist who wrote a book saying DNA evidence contradicts ancestry claims in The Book of Mormon faces disciplinary action in a
separate case that could bring excommunication from the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. Simon Southerton said he's been ordered
to a July 31 hearing before church leaders in
Southerton's book Losing a Lost
Tribe: Native Americans, DNA and the Mormon Church uses DNA data to argue against The Book of Mormon teachings that ancient
Yet Southerton, a plant geneticist in
James A. Garfield and the Mormon Church
From His Inaugural Address
"The
Constitution guarantees absolute religious freedom. Congress is prohibited from making any
law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The
Territories of the
In my judgment it is the duty of Congress, while respecting to the uttermost the conscientious convictions and religious scruples of every citizen, to prohibit within its jurisdiction all criminal practices, especially of that class which destroy the family relations and endanger social order. Nor can any ecclesiastical organization be safely permitted to usurp in the smallest degree the functions and powers of the National Government."
The
Universalism of Masonry
From: Christ
or the Lodge? A Presbyterian Report on Freemasonry
There is a Christian universalism. God has His elect in every age and every nation. Ever since the fall of man the Son of God has been gathering the elect into His church by His Word and Spirit. In Christ Jesus there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female, for all are one in Him (Galatians 3:28). John saw the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders fall down before the Lamb and he heard them sing: “Thou wast slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9).
Masonry also lays claim to universalism, but its universalism differs radically from that of Christianity in that it denies Christian particularism and exclusivism.
Christianity claims to have the only true book, the Bible. Masonry places this book on a par with the sacred books of other religions.
Christianity lays claim to the only true God, the God of the Bible, and denounces all other Gods as idols. Masonry recognizes the Gods of all religions.
Christianity describes God as the Father of Jesus Christ and of those who through faith in Him have received the right to be called the sons of God. The God of Masonry is the universal father of all mankind.
Christianity holds that only the worship of the God who has revealed Himself in Holy Scripture is true worship. Masonry honors as true worship the worship of numerous other deities.
Christianity recognizes but one Saviour, Jesus Christ, the only Mediator between God and man. Masonry recognizes many saviours.
Christianity acknowledges but one way of salvation, that of grace through faith. Masonry rejects this way and substitutes for it salvation by works and character.
Christianity teaches the brotherhood of those who believe in Christ, the communion of saints, the church universal, the one body of Christ. Masonry teaches the brotherhood of Masons and the universal brotherhood of man.
Christianity glories in being the one truly universal religion. Masonry would rob Christianity of this glory and appropriate it to itself.
Christianity maintains that it is the only true religion. Masonry denies this claim and boasts of being religion itself.
From The Mail
-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent:
To: ed@saintsalive.com
Subject: Comment
To Whom It May Concern,
I have just finished reading your web site in detail and I am greatly concerned that there is barely a sentence that is not inaccurate in, misleading or at the very worst a blatant distortion in respect of Freemasonry.
I am likewise concerned at your blasphemous ‘use’ of the Bible and Christianity to attack Freemasons.
Whilst I realise that this email will at best be ignored and make absolutely no difference to the way in which you and your organisation operates. It does at least make me feel as though I have at least attempted to get through to you.
I am a renowned historical author who deals in ‘facts’ as well as being the third most senior Knight in a Christian Order of Chivalry whose heritage goes back to the crusades. I can therefore only pray for your sole as it will otherwise most certainly spend eternity burning in Hades.
Dear N.P. George,
For someone claiming to be an historical author to write such a foolish email is beyond my comprehension. We have been challenged so many times to support our documentation and have done so fully that I wonder if you really know the details of your own craft. Barely a sentence... really? What single sentence of the thousands? [Ed: no reply yet]
Our sources are the very ritual books, manuals of the lodge, documents, private correspondence and former Masonic members and leaders who check and double check the material so that we know what we know.
Since when is it blasphemous ‘use’ of the Bible to reveal what God's word says about secret societies like the Masons? The Bible says we must reveal those hidden things of darkness... and Masonry clearly falls into that category.
I have passed your comments on to two other very 'learned' men who understand the dark depths of the craft and spend their time helping others get set free from its demonic claws. Interesting that your email address includes the demon roots of the organization you tout.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
To: ed@saintsalive.com
Subject: Proof that Masonry's Actual ACTS Are Evil!
I know a lot about what has been written ABOUT Freemasonry While a lot of writing exists which merely repeats (with some interpretation) of what certain "favorite" Masonic writers have written, there appears to be little concrete example of what the Masons actually DO AGAINST SOCIETY that would entitle them to the epithet of EVIL. A belief system, absent of acts that hurt others.
I am not speaking here of WHAT they allegedly worship in symbol or actuality or HOW they worship but of actual acts they perform AGAINST SOCIETY and its SYSTEMS as a unified body of one accord. The Captain Morgan incident--if it can be proved beyond a shadow of a doubt--would be one example of an evil act, but could it be said to be the agreed upon act of the ENTIRE Masonic organization working in one accord? A number of writers have alleged that the Masons were behind the JFK assassination, but their evidence is truly whimsical, and, again, proof that one Lodge of Freemasons committed the act would not be proof that the ENTIRE body of Freemasons were behind such an act or would approve of it.
So, please help me out in understanding your position.
I have my own ministry - In Search Of Light Ministries - in
Additionally; I am actively involved in Ex Masons For Jesus.
Our position is that Freemasonry's belief system most certainly does hurt others.
It hurts those who follow it, and it hurts those its followers witness to.
Regardless if some of the men in lodge call themselves Christians, their witness as
Christians is severely compromised because of their embracing, and promoting, of the
tenets and teachings of Freemasonry.
Individual acts of violence are isolated unto themselves, as you have suggested.
However, the heretical teachings are central Masonic teachings and they are more harmful
than anything that could be done to a person while here on this earth.
Consider if you will, Matthew 10:28: And fear not them which kill the body, but are
not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body
in hell.
Neither the physical harm, nor the physical good done by members of the Craft outside the
lodge room will have a truly lasting effect; not when compared to the harm done for
eternity to people who sell their souls to the heresy of the Craft taught inside the lodge
rooms. Therein, sits the true danger of
Freemasonry.
Blessings,
Ex Masons For Jesus: http://www.emfj.org
THE STRUGGLE WITHIN ISLAM
What is the mindset of
those who would terrorize for Allah?
From an email sent by a friend
By Sam Schlorff
Arab World Ministries
The Rev. Sam Schlorff
(Th.M) is a retired missionary of Arab World Ministries (formerly North Africa Mission).
He served for 36 years in
Ever since the barbaric
attack on the
I can understand that
Muslims in
I can also understand that our government feels a need to make a sharp distinction between Islam and Islamic terrorists, as the President has done in his speeches to the nation. Many of our citizens, as well as many not-yet-citizens in our workforce are Muslims, and we cannot afford to build a wall of alienation between these and other citizens. And we need to speak out and act decisively against all forms of vigilantism that lash out at any who look like they could be Arabs or Muslims. Whatıs more, the government needs desperately to maintain peaceful relations with the some forty Muslim-majority nations of the world, and to obtain the support of as many as possible in the war against terrorism. We must work with them, not against them, if we are to make any headway.
But where does the truth lie? Does Islam sanction such terrorist acts? Or is it truly a religion of peace? That is the question. The answer, however, is not so simple. The truth is that both tendencies exist in Islam in conflict with each other. There are two sides to Islam so to speak, two faces.
On the one hand there is normative Islam; to a majority of Muslims this is what Islam is all about. It involves them in believing in the six articles of Islamic faith and practicing the five required "Acts of Worship" from the five ritual prayers that are performed daily, to the month-long fast of Ramadan, to the pilgrimage made to Mecca at least once in a lifetime, and so on. Between seeking to fulfill these and other duties imposed on them by Islamic Law, participating in various Islamic festivals, and trying to put food on the table, the average Muslim would seem to have little time for much else. But there are those who do know the other side of Islam, but do not want to acknowledge it, or what is worse, do not want the truth to be known.
The truth is that there is another side to Islam, a side that embraces violence "in the way of Allah." As has often been said, Islam divides the world into two zones, Dar as-Salaam ("House of Peace"), and Dar al-Harb ("House of War"). Islam is not just a religion, as I have written elsewhere; it is an ideology with a political agenda. It holds that all men are created to live in submission to Allah, as prescribed by Islamic law. Muslims believe that Islam's destiny is to extend its control until the whole Dar al-Harb is subject to Islamic law in an Islamic state, and this includes the use of force. The word "Islam" does not mean "peace." It is related to the Arabic word for peace (salaam), but it means "to surrender, to submit (as a slave to his master Allah), to make peace by laying down one's arms in submission." It has a militaristic connotation. Herein lie the origins of radical Islam.
It is a fact that killing and violence have always been part and parcel of Qur'anic teaching. This even includes giving oneıs life to advance the cause of Islam. In saying this I do not mean to imply that such acts have always and uniformly been practiced throughout history, at least to the extent of the barbarity seen on September 11th. In our modern world, at any rate, most Islamic nations try to live at peace with other nations and have taken a position against violence and terrorism, but these have been present to a greater or lesser degree from the very beginning of Islam. In a word, one cannot make as hard and fast a distinction between normative Islam and radical Islam as some would like.
One can readily find
passages in the Qur'an that exhort the faithful to fight and kill the
"unbelievers," that is, to wage Jihad (Holy War). Consider, for example, Sura
2:190-191a: "Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin
not hostilities. Lo! Allah loveth not aggressors. And slay them wherever ye find them, and
drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than
slaughter." (See also 2:216-218;
One will, of course, find many apologists who condemn acts of violence. Claiming that Islam has only been extended by peaceful means, they maintain that Muslims fight only in "self-defense," as the verse cited above seems to indicate. It is amazing, however, how far "self-defense" can be stretched.
One could say that Islam
is at war with itself. On the one side are the "moderate" Muslim governments
that are trying to run a modern ship of state within the family of nations, more or less
within the framework of normative Islam. Nearly all have Islam as the "religion of
state" in their constitutions. On the other side are a number of radical Muslim
movements, usually on the outs with their own governments, which are usually headed by
radical Mullahs. These teach that the Muslims are in trouble because they have forsaken
true Islam and that the solution is to return to pure Islam. To these movements, "the
enemy" is mainly the West, especially the
As North American
Christians, what then should be our response to the present situation? First of all, pray.
Pray that our government and its partners act wisely in the war against terrorism; pray
that the actions taken do not anger the masses more and precipitate a rush to the side of
radical Islam. Pray also for the terrorists around the world who have been duped into
thinking that if they become "martyrs" through such acts they go straight to
We should also be reaching out in friendship to the Middle Easterners, Asians and other aliens in our midst, whether Muslim or otherwise. And we should speak out against every form of harassment or violence perpetrated against them simply because they are Muslim, or look like they could be Muslim.
In a word, the churches
of
Prison Ministry
Last month I attended my annual training session that's required for maintaining my state prison security clearance. During the training session there was a presentation by three speakers representing the Roman Catholic, Protestant and Muslim faiths who explained their belief systems. I was particularly interested in what the Islamic Imam had to say.
The Imam gave a great presentation of the basics of Islam, complete with a video. After the presentations, time was provided for questions and answers. When it was my turn, I directed my question to the Imam and asked: "Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that most Imams and clerics of Islam have declared a holy jihad [Holy war] against the infidels of the world. And, that by killing an infidel, which is a command to all Muslims, they are assured of a place in heaven. If that's the case, can you give me the definition of an infidel?"
There was no disagreement with my statements and without hesitation he replied, "Non-believers!" I responded, "So, let me make sure I have this straight. All followers of Allah have been commanded to kill everyone who is not of your faith so they can go to Heaven. Is that correct?"
The expression on his face changed from one of authority and command to that of a little boy who had just gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He sheepishly replied, "Yes."
I then stated, "Well, sir, I have a real problem trying to imagine Pope John Paul commanding all Catholics to kill those of your faith or Pat Robertson or Dr. Stanley ordering Protestants to do the same in order to go to Heaven!"
T
You could have heard a pin drop as the Imam hung his head in shame. Chuck Colson once told me something that has sustained me these 20 years of prison ministry. He said to me, "Rick, remember that the truth will prevail." And it will!
************************************
(c) copyright 2005, Ed Decker, all rights reserved
Saints Alive In Jesus
ed@saintsalive.com
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