Saints Alive May - June 2007 Newsletter

It has been hard to get this newsletter out. So much is going on and things change on a daily basis. With Mitt Romney’s candidacy for President, every day is a Mitt Romney day. Even Rev. Al Sharpton got into the fray and for once, I agreed with him, especially when he spoke about the LDS racism toward Blacks until the LDS God forgave them near the end of the Civil Rights era.

PBS ran a two night, 4 hour special on Mormonism that started out well, but ended like an LDS Temple Visitor Center Video, with all the solemn Temple background music and low, sweet sounding LDS representatives, extolling their quaint differences from ‘other Christians.’

Carol and I returned to the States after a busy two months’ trip through Australia and New Zealand. At a University presentation on the Book of Mormon, one professor who had told his students that the Book of Mormon was ‘probably’ as much scripture as the Bible, commented to me that my presentation had slashed the underbelly

of the Book of Mormon as well as Mormonism itself. I will put my notes up on the web this summer…after I finish the rest of my on-line book, My Kingdom Come.

Perhaps none has been stronger than Bill Keller of www.LivePrayer.com who emails a daily prayer and commentary letter to about 2,400,000 people. In a recent one, he said that a vote for Romney was a vote for Satan. Hard stuff but sadly true.

Pat Robertson needs to read Bill’s email. He sat there next to Romney at the Regent University commencement, knee to knee, touching those covered in sacred, secret undergarments. Romney, a Mormon High Priest, wears them, his breasts, navel and knee covered with Masonic talismanic, occult markings. Wake up, Pat!

Pray for me as I complete the My Kingdom Come book this month and do numerous radio programs. And pray for our finances as well. June begins the summer ‘draught’ in ministries such as ours and yet we are the busiest we have been in a long time. If you can send in a special gift, it will be a real blessing and benefit to our work

My good friend, Jim Spencer at http://www.mazeministry.com recently published an article about me, Travels With Eddy that was a real blessing to me. It really captured my broken heart for the Mormon people. Living out a ministry like this for the last 30 years has brought a lot of criticisms from many Mormons and even some Christians who say that I am unloving, uncaring and abuse truth to make my points.

Yet, the uncounted, many thousands of Mormons who found the real Jesus in our work talk mostly about gratitude.

After so many years of trying to answer my many critics and only rarely finding something I have said or published that needed further evidences, I had given up trying to get some people to understand what I am really about concerning Mormons and Mormonism.

Jim hit the nail on the head…and he forwarded an email he received from a lady in the Utah area who has been in the middle of the outreach to Mormons for years. Please forgive me for taking time out to share her kind letter and my heart with you.

Your newsletter, the article about Ed Decker, was great .For several years I have had the pleasure of speaking to groups, mostly in the Southern Baptist Church. Since Ed played such a big part in my search for the truth, I've talked about Saints Alive often. There is always someone in the group who thinks Ed hates Mormons. I'm sure you've heard it all.

Several years ago while I was praying about how to explain Ed's love for the Mormon people, God impressed upon me this message. Since then I have always started out with it:

Think of a trailblazer, a pioneer who is the first one into an area. This trailblazer must slash and burn to clear the land so others may settle in. To some people this might seem harsh, but it is needed to allow for new growth, new life. The second wave of pioneers coming in can then plant and build. As this new growth starts the third wave can come in to shape and mold the land.

Ed Decker was the trailblazer in Utah. Others had talked about Mormonism but never came in to clear the land. As Ed began clearing this area some felt he was being too harsh, but without this trailblazer the land would still be overrun. As Ed fought to clear small patches others came in and began to plant.

Now in Utah you can see the third wave of ministries that are able to shape and mold the area. God knows what He is doing. Ed’s love for the Mormon people was so strong that he was able to ignore the critics, to keep on fighting to clear the land, so others could come in and share Gods Salvation. Look around you today. The true gospel of God’s grace is being shared in Utah like never before. People sharing God’s love and grace are everywhere...We can rejoice that the truth is being preached, but please don't forget the trailblazer that God used to clear the way in Utah.

“Forty-seven percent (47%) of the text of the New Testament documents is negative in character and apologetic by design…

Dear Ed, Can you tell me where I can find prophecies of Joseph Smith that proved to be false, out of a book published by the Mormon Church?

Ed: They don't have any book with his prophecies because so many ended in failure.

If he was a true prophet as the missionaries claim, they would give you a list instead of asking you to pray by faith for a burning in the bosom that would prove he was a prophet. In fact, he was a prophet, a false prophet.

And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously; thou shalt not be afraid of him. Deuteronomy 18:20-22

A true prophet of God cannot utter a single false prophecy, not one! He cannot give out a "Thus saith the Lord" and have it not come to pass. Joseph Smith gave approximately 64 prophecies. 64 times he said, "Thus saith the Lord."

If even one single one of these prophecies failed to come to pass, the scriptures call Joseph a false prophet. Some very comprehensive research has gone into this area. It is easy to do research on historical events. Out of 64 prophecies, 58 of them fail the test! Only six of them came to pass!

But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. Deut 18:20

I have recently been reviewing many of the LDS books, magazines, documents, articles and pieces of correspondence we have gathered over the years. The material is vastly divergent but through it all is one central theme that leaps from the pages. I guess I’d call it the “How could anyone in their right mind believe that??” question.

This is not meant to be some railing complaint against the mind set of the Mormon people. Just about any time someone in our ministry asks this kind of question, we are severely chastised for being unkind to the very people to whom we claim a ministry calling.

That kind of response has held back some serious analysis of the problems dealing with the simple absurdities of the LDS gospel. How do seemingly intelligent, well educated, normal people end up with a complicated belief system that is more in line with Star Wars than in Biblical and historical evidences of faith?

Several years ago, I quietly slipped into an LDS Fast And Testimony Meeting. I went to just sit and listen. I was transfixed by the testimonies I heard there. They were the exact wording of so many of those I had heard and shared myself while an active Mormon years before.

“I bear you my testimony that I know the Book of Mormon is true (or the Word Of God), I know that Joseph Smith is a true Prophet of God (and that Ezra Taft Benson is the true prophet of God today) and I know that the Church is the only true church on the face of the earth today, and I know that Heavenly Father’s priesthood is on the earth today and I thank my Heavenly Father that I am a member of this church (and or priesthood) and for the Bishop and for family home evening (the temple, Relief Society, genealogy, pick one) and I am so grateful for my home teachers(visiting teachers, priesthood leaders, the Stake Presidency, pick one) because (tell quick little faith promoting story) and I say these things in the name of thy son, Jesus Christ, Amen.”

While I sat and listened, I realized that there was a subtle mind-warp taking place in that meeting. Only two testimonies were more than a few words of out sync. One lady who was obviously not a member of the IN crowd, apologized in tears for not being worthy enough, as the rest of the Ward sat nodding their heads in agreement. A little girl stood on the pew and gave a very sweet and halting rendition of the above and everyone sighed happily with her beaming, teary eyed parents.

My mind went back to an encounter I had some years earlier. I was asked by a local Pastor to go with him to a Mormon Bishop’s office. It seems that the Pastor had led a young neighborhood girl to the Lord. The girl had been coming to his church with a few of her friends. The girl was an inactive member of the LDS church and when she had shared the joy of her new found faith with her family, they were frightened and immediately called in the Bishop. The Bishop demanded that the errant Pastor come to his office and get straightened out.

When we arrived, the Bishop was there with the girl and her parents, but when he recognized me, he phoned someone and left his office until two other men arrived, apparently skilled in running off infidels. The meeting was difficult at best, but what made it so unique was that during their defense of the only true faith, one of the men backed himself into a non-defendable corner from which there was no possible escape.

He then did what every single Mormon will do in a similar situation. He started to “Bear His Testimony”. Except that this time I was sitting at a desk with my face just 15 inches from his. As he began his recitation, I noticed that his eyes had dilated just as though he were hypnotized. He was at the part where...“I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God...” and I slapped my hands together right in front of his nose and loudly asked, “What proof do you have that it is the word of God?” The man bounced back, his eyes slowly returning to normal and he sat there, confused and stuttering. He had no answer.

I had broken through what I call the mind warp of the LDS testimony and he was through for the rest of the meeting. The Pastor was able to reinforce that special experience for the young girl and with love and true spiritual authority, brought Christ’s Words home to those in the meeting.

I had learned a valuable lesson that night and have used that knowledge during literally scores of similar encounters since then. You see, what actually happens at every LDS Fast and Testimony meeting is a form of group hypnosis and a key part of the answer to this mysterious question of how so many people could be so misled.

I know some will say I am being sensational, but the fact is, it is true! Every single member of the LDS church listens to those words being repeated over and over and over again with almost no variation. After years of this being done during a time of sacred fasting and the avowing of one’s reason for faith in the supposed presence of one’s god, it becomes bedrock truth!

It often seems that only when a Mormon is confronted or shocked with the real truth that we are able to get past the powerful control of their testimony and get down into the level of reason and analysis. Perhaps that is why “The God Makers” book and film have been so effective....and why so many active Mormons hate even the name of the book/film/authors.

Look at the words of the Mormon testimony. They testify of the church, its authority, its scripture, its true prophet leader. No one talks of a relationship with God through Christ (As Jesus himself points to in Scripture) but their connection to God (and Godhood itself) is only to and through the LDS System. The testimony will override every bit of logic, evidence, or Scriptural truth that would challenge the faith of someone who had been brought through the mind-warp techniques above. It is the same kind of system used on POW’s, the same kind used by the Hard cults, the same techniques used by the New Age mind development programs. They all use it because it works effectively upon every surrendered mind it touches.

Look at the subjects of the LDS Testimony. How can anyone irrefutably know that the Book of Mormon is true, when it defies every historic and anthropological kind of evidence. Not only does scientific evidence refute any kind of Book of Mormon civilization, it give concrete evidence of a totally different civilization in its place. Yet, any faithful Mormon KNOWS it is true.

Every true Mormon will testify that Joseph Smith was/is a true Prophet of God, yet I doubt if one Mormon in a thousand can accurately recite any 5 of this great Prophet’s actual prophecies. Shouldn’t that raise some eyebrows?? Wouldn’t you think a church that bases its very existence on a latter-day-prophet would gladly publish an official book that lists every one of his sacred prophecies? Not the Mormons! For good reason!

Not when you understand that almost every prophecy Joseph Smith uttered failed to come to pass. Yet, over 12 million people place their eternal salvation on the line in their testimony that he was/is the one.... who reigns in courts on high...to plead their cause above.....NO! they are not singing about Jesus......but Joseph.

Mormon kids are taught from the pre-school age that they will be called on a mission from God and that it is their responsibility to go where and when God wants them. Parents and the kids also put money away for the mission trips even when they are babies....On their departure, they speak to the local ward and get all kinds of pats on the back and the parents are beaming at the holy righteousness of their family.

It is a rite of passage for every obedient young man and now, even the young women are pressured. It would be an unfaithful family not to send their youth out and a bit of a disgrace to the family if the kid says no, or comes home early.

The ones who make it all the way are feted when they come home, usually to a young Mormon girl awaiting her hero and they quickly have a temple marriage and then the next generation starts some 9 months later.

Going on the mission is a necessary step in the LDS goal for exaltation. The numbers are not that important. Actually a full term 2 year mission only grosses an average of 14 converts, usually counting the kids of their adult converts.

In reality, 80% of the converts leave the church within the first two years. A huge drop-out rate caused by the things the missionaries 'don't tell' them about, like becoming gods.

On top of that the church is struggling to get the kids to go on missions anyway... the numbers in the fields has gone down by almost 20,000 in the last 5 years or so... and 25% of them leave the mission early.. Kids who go home in disgrace...

Those who do the two years have another great drop. 50% go inactive or leave the church within 2 years of their return.

While a zealous Missions president may tell the missionaries that each convert counts in their exaltation, the brethren are willing to lose one young man to gain his 14 converts...less 80%= a net gain [including the lost missionary] of 2 converts who stay. That’s the hidden reality...and the shame of Mormonism.

After adding his warm welcome Dr. Robertson began his introduction of the Honorable Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts. "He is a person of great distinction," Dr. Robertson said, highlighting Gov. Romney's proven leadership in business, in government and in repairing the 2002 Winter Olympics. "He is an outstanding American."

What a shame that Pat Robertson would go against even his own knowledge that Mormonism is a cult and Romney, a Temple Mormon, High Priest leader in it would bring a false god into the presidency. Makes you wonder what Pat Robertson’s motivation is??

Practically every cult has certain characteristics that can tell the careful observer that something is wrong.

For instance, what does a group think about Jesus? Jesus Christ is God, Lord of all, the only source of salvation. Invariably, a cult will put something else on an equal footing with Christ. It will have a ritual that is equal to Christ, or it will have a doctrine equal to Christ, or it will have a leader who is equal to Christ. In other words, even if it acknowledges Christ as Savior, it will say that you need something else before you can get into heaven. Cults teach that salvation comes through Christ, plus their little unique way. Some cults do not acknowledge Christ at all. They may make Him coequal with their religious teachers or with certain great men of history. The quickest way to recognize a cult is by its treatment of Jesus.

Second, cults frequently attempt to instill fear into their followers. The followers are taught constantly that salvation comes only through the cult. "If you leave us, you will lose your salvation," they say.

The third area has to do with the exaltation of the leader of the cult. Cults often center around a man or woman who is trying to gain power, money, or influence from manipulating people. This appears to be the case in the Unification church with Sun Myung Moon. In the Children of God, Moses David Berg is an autocratic leader. In the People's Temple, Jim Jones drew attention to himself and asked his followers to die with him. A true leader who serves Jesus Christ has one goal, and that is to exalt and manifest Jesus. When someone says he has unique insight into God or is the special one that God has anointed to reach the world, you are dealing with cultic behavior.

A final mark of a cult is the unwillingness of the leaders to let the people grow up. A true shepherd will do everything he can to bring Christian people to maturity as quickly as he can. He will not seek to avoid necessary teaching, nor will he try to keep people from maturity. Many cults perpetuate spiritual dependence so that their followers lose the ability to make independent, rational decisions. Often techniques of brainwashing are used to create robotlike behavior.

Although there are other marks of cultic behavior, these seem to be the ones that stand out.

Mormons are some of the most exemplary human beings, especially in regard to their behavior patterns and their adherence to the fundamental values of our society. But their religious beliefs are, to put is simply, wrong. They believe that an angel named Moroni left some gold tablets in upstate New York and that these tablets were discovered by a man named Joseph Smith. From these tablets, Joseph Smith "translated" the Book of Mormon, which is the foundation upon which Mormonism is built. Mormons also consider two other books, Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price, to be divinely inspired.

Mormonism differs from biblical Christianity in several areas. Mormons do not believe, for example, that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Mormons must work their way to heaven. (B. R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine (Salt Lake City:1958), p. 191.)

Mormonism teaches that God is not the only deity and that we all have the potential of becoming gods. (Ibid., p. 576.) (Remember that Satan's fall came about because he wanted to be like God.) God, according to Mormons, is not just Spirit but has "a body of flesh and bones as tangible as a man's." (Doctrine and Covenants, 130:22.) They teach, "As we are, he was. As he is, we shall become." (Joseph Smith, "The King Follett Discourse," p. 9.) There has been constant revision of Mormon doctrine over the years, as church leaders have changed their minds on a number of subjects including polygamy, which was once sanctioned by the church.

In summary, the Mormon church is a prosperous, growing organization that has produced many people of exemplary character. But when it comes to spiritual matters, the Mormons are far from the truth.

New York, March 6, 2007 -- The National Council of Churches' Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches 75th edition reported that:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 5,690,672 members,
an increase of only 1.63 percent.

The figures are based on general growth and that includes “Children of Record.” The Mormons are really in a loss position, since they have such a high birth rate and every year, at least a few hundred thousand kids must become 'children of record', as they call them, so... a small gain of 1.6 % growth is actually a loss of adult members.

The Palestinian militant organization Hamas not only wants the elimination of the state of Israel, but also the extermination of the Jews, according to the group’s newspaper.

"The extermination of Jews is Allah’s will and is for the benefit of all humanity, according to an article in the Hamas paper Al-Risalah,” the Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) reported on May 4^th.

The author of the article, Kan’an Ubayd, explains that the suicide operations carried out by Hamas are being committed solely to fulfill Allah’s wishes. Furthermore, Allah demanded this action, because ‘the extermination of the Jews is good for the inhabitants of the worlds.’”

Riddles In Stone: Secret Architecture of Washington, D.C.", explores the fascinating history behind the origins and secret Masonic focus of the world's most powerful nation: America.

Why was this nation founded? How was the precise location of Washington, D.C., determined? What is the meaning of the seemingly countless occult images in our nation's capitol?

It zeroes in on the Masonic & Rosicrucian influence so prevalent amongst our Founding Fathers as they planned, and began to implement, the layout of America's Capitol. For years, extreme controversy has abounded as to the exact meaning of the occult symbols found within the street layout, the buildings, and the monuments of Washington, D.C.

Is there really an inverted Pentagram formed by the street layout just north of the White House? We have discovered the esoteric reason why this Pentagram is missing one segment.

Was this city laid out to reflect the vision of a Masonic Christ foreseen by Sir Francis Bacon? Is it true that America's capitol was laid out "according to the stars", i.e., in the astrological shapes of certain planets and stars so revered by occultists?

Why did our Masonic Founding Fathers perform "Corn, Wine, and Oil" ceremonies at cornerstone layings and at the dedication of the finished structure? Does this occult "wisdom" represent the interests of America, or a hidden agenda?

Riddles In Stones, dealing with the “Secret Architecture of Washington, D.C. They came to Seattle and interviewed me as part of the process. The DVD literally rips open the very bowels of Masonic secrecy and their ties to the early USA government and the secret layout of the city and buildings of Washington D.C.

This is the best work out yet on the dark history of Freemasonry and its intrigue and deception. I was happy to be part of it.

You can pick up a DVD of this vital study by going to our online bookstore or by calling 1-800-861-9888.

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