Saints Alive in Jesus

Letters from the Mailbag 3

Subject: Masonic resignation

Dear Ed;

I was recently asked to be a table leader at Men's Discovery Weekend. I gladly accepted. Then I was told that there was one more thing. I was a mason. I asked, so what? Then they told me and gave me a brochure by you, Ed Decker. I immediately submitted this resignation letter and asked God to forgive me for my ignorance for these last twenty years.  God Bless You Ed Decker  In His Service

Tony

June 24, 2001

Pascagoula Lodge # 419

3015 Market Street

Pascagoula, MS 39567        

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

I am submitting this as a letter of resignation, effective immediately, for any and all affiliations with this or any other Masonic organization, including but not limited to blue lodge, Scottish rites and Joppa temple shrine.

I have been involved in this organization for about twenty years. I joined in good faith and thought I knew what I was joining. Most all of the men I knew who were “masons” were honorable people. This is still true today. My father, my father’s father, and a number of my family were in this organization during their lives.

However; I did not know until recently that the organization was in such conflict with the Holy Bible and the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. I began my walk with Jesus much later in life. Nevertheless, I now know the true meaning of life. After reviewing the principles of freemasonry and the Bible, I see the contradictions. I could reference many scriptures, but that could go on for a long while. Those who are truly familiar with the Holy Bible know the ones to which I refer. However, for the benefit of those who may not, I reference:

Ø      Freemasonry teaches that members must swear oaths on the Bible that involve mutilation and murder of human beings. But, the New Testament forbids the taking of oaths (Matthew 5:34-37; James 5:12) The Bible also forbids taking God’s name in vain and committing murder (Exodus 20:7,13).

Ø      Freemasonry teaches members should address their leaders with titles like “Worshipful Master” and kneel before them. But, the Bible commands us to call no one master save Jesus (Matthew 6:24; 23:8-10) and to worship none except God (Matthew 4:10; Revelation 22:8,9).

I renounce, reject, repent of every word that has ever proceeded out of my mouth against My Lord or His Holy Word. I cancel its power and dedicate my mouth to speak right things. My mouth shall utter truth. I break any and all bonds or oaths that were taken by me while a member of this organization, during the three degree periods of study or any other time whatsoever.

I break the power of any curses or oaths that any member of my family may have spoken in the Masonic lodge, whether in this generation or in generations past. I release any and all promises of allegiance to freemasonry in its entirety and in any form whatsoever.

It is not my intention to offend anyone affiliated with freemasonry. Each man must choose his own direction. I have lived for many years on my own. I now choose to walk with the Lord and none other. My desire is no longer to please man, but to please God.

In Christ  Tony.

DEAR ED,

I JUST WANTED TO WRITE AND GIVE YOU SOME GOOD NEWS. SEVERAL YEARS AGO I CONTACTED YOU AND ASKED PRAYER FOR MY WIFE WHO WAS A MORMON. IN MAY OF THIS YEAR SHE FINALLY ACCEPTED CHRIST AS LORD AND SAVIOR. I HAVE WITNESSED A GREAT CHANGE IN HER LIFE {2 CORINTHIANS 5:17} I PRAISE GOD FOR ANSWERING PRAYERS. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR THE PRAYERS AND FOR THE MINISTRY IN WHICH YOU SERVE. MAY GOD BLESS YOU GREATLY AND YOUR MINISTRY.

LOVE IN CHRIST,  MARLON

The fly no flag issue may go back to something that happened when the then, President Teddy Roosevelt was visiting SL City. 

He was at temple square and when he pointed to the temple and suggested the church leaders also show him that building, they kindly refused and let him know it was only for worthy Mormons.

 Teddy told them to take the American flag that was flying from it and remove it. If the President of the USA wasn't good enough to go into that building, it wasn't a place that deserved to fly the flag...

 It came down and never went back up on the building..  I pray that every Person in Utah fly a flag from his/her home, car, place of business and let's all be Americans first.  And Mormons should take the encouragement of the US President and get back into the economy and  In Christ, your brother  Ed

Mr. Decker,

I just wanted to thank you for the timely reply. I have 5 sisters 3 of us are "Ex-Mormons for Jesus" 4 of us live in Utah. In order to effectively witness for Christ you have to stay educated in the "Ever changing world of Mormonism". Most of the time that load is very heavy. But nothing surpasses the moment of seeing a soul come to Christ, I do not think there is a greater reward on this earth. You have in a very direct way been responsible for my finding the Lord and my husband as well. This has been more than 15 years ago

I do not know why the No Flag issue was bearing heavy on my heart but it was, I never knew about President Roosevelt and his visit to SLC. As I said I do not know why that was/is heavy on my heart but I am sure the Lord has put it there for a reason. Again Thank you for your reply and most of all THANK YOU for helping us sever our church ties and find JESUS CHRIST! God Bless.

Dear Saints Alive:

You must be kidding, right?  Harry Potter?  He's not a Wiccan, pagan, or any other modern day equivalent.  There is nothing in any of the books or the movie that suggests a belief or practice that is actually involved in modern day witch craft.  I have been a serious student of all religions, finally settling on the one true faith, Christianity.  I do not believe in observing Halloween, Christmas, or any other pagan-related Holiday.  I know what paganism and witchcraft entail, and Harry Potter isn't it. 

 The only thing I can see that the author, J.K. Rowling is guilty of is imagination.  The things that go on in the books and the movie are pure fantasy.  Any serious student of Christianity knows that none of those things are possible without the help of G*D.  Paganism and Wicca are empty religions that don't get results.  That is why so many Pagans and Wiccans turn from the "craft" and become born again Christians.  If you are a genuine seeker of Truth, you will only realize that there is one true path, and it is holding the hand of G*D. 

There is nothing to fear from the likes of Harry Potter; if you accuse people of saying you and your organization are "intolerant" it is because you are flying off the handle in a most uneducated and ridiculous manner.  Allowing your fear that something "might" happen is blinding you to the good qualities in the movies and books: parents are spending time with their children, children are learning about bravery and friendship (I'm certain these qualities were very important to Jesus Christ), and people are finding a commonality that allows them to love themselves and each other.  These are all very special and important for people who are learning how to be good Christians.  with due Concern, Helene

And The Word Became Flesh>>>>>

Thank you so much for all the work you did in putting together Scripture in one place and making it easy to read by "dividing" it into parts so it makes it easier to understand.

We know it must have taken a lot of time, and just wanted to let you know that the time and work is greatly appreciated!!

In Christ,

Roxanne

Dear Ed,

I know that you have received a lot of criticism, for leaving the Mormon  Church. I think everyone who has left receives it now and then. I am an  Ex-Mormon and a RM (returned missionary). I am the last of five siblings to finally leave the teachings of Joseph Smith. I met a dear friend of mine on  the Mormon Trail Wagon Train. He was not LDS. We have become very close and  talk about religion all the time. In one of our many conversations, we were talking about a book he was reading. "No Man Knows My History." 

He wanted to see if I disagreed with what the author was saying. As he was reading I found no fault, but wanted to read it for myself. So he sent me a copy. I was in shock and felt sick. As I got further into the book I became scared and wanted to know if God was going to condemn me for what I had done in while I was a Missionary. I led others astray and felt very guilty for it. He said “No, God is not going to punish you for that, you are innocent”. I threw away my LDS scriptures and burned my temple garments.

I know I have done the right  thing. I know, because my testimony is based on Jesus Christ and not on Joseph Smith. Jesus Christ is my best friend and I gained that relationship while I was a Missionary. God works in mysterious ways :)  As I would share my testimony I would talk about my relationship with Jesus Christ and I would get these looks from the members like, she didn't mention Joseph Smith like it was a bad thing. Go figure?  Then as I read the book more I became spiritually hungry, does that make sense? I wanted to know the truth and I was seeking it. I read books on the Christian belief, and wanted more.

I feel like the LDS Church cheated me and feel disappointed. All this time (28 years) I felt I was doing what Heavenly Father wanted me to do and felt I was worshipping Him. My eyes have now been opened to know I was not worshipping Him, but I was worshipping the God of this world. That scares me to know that. It makes me sick. I am now looking into the Orthodox Church and I can say I am very happy.

                                         Thank You, Amy,

Dear Ed:

I am very glad that I sent off a letter today

to Gordon B. Hinckley.  Since late last year, I have

known in my mind and heart that the Mormonism that I

once would have died for is a false religion. 

But, in order to keep peace with my zealot wife, I went ahead and put on an act pretending to be a devout elder in

the church.  Well, I had a long talk with my bishop

and home teacher about Brigham Young's and Joseph

Smith's views on Adam as the Mormon heavenly father.

It seemed as though I was talking to an automaton.  He

essentially said, "Well, so what if they did?  We

don't do it any more."  He asked me what I was looking

for in life.  I told him I was looking for truth and

that I've made a covenant to support a lie.  Then he

began with an accusation that I have strayed far from

Jesus Christ and his doctrines.  I replied that I've

never been closer to the Lord. 

Ed, I've never doubted the Bible.  My mother on her

death bed told me that Mormonism was wrong.  But I

didn't listen to her, and accepted the Mormon

interpretation of Biblical scriptures.  But I do know

that Mormonism is a deceitful religion that has distorted

the very essence of Christianity.  Like I told you, I have,

over twenty-five years, brought 65 people into the

Mormon Church. 

I know that I was blinded by my own desire for Mormonism

to be true, but I lied to those people. 

Some came into the church because I swore in

the name of Jesus Christ that Brigham Young never

taught the Adam-God doctrine.  Now that I know that

Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were false prophets, I

feel much better, but am very sad that I deceived

those people who were looking for the truth. 

The letter I wrote and mailed tonight expressed my

heartfelt desire to do what is right and let the

consequence follow. I felt very good when I mailed it,

and hope that my name will not be defamed by the

hierarchy of the Mormon Church. 

Your friend, Rusty

Dear Ed Because of you,

I have heard something in a Baptist church that I had not heard for over eight months in a Mormon church.  I heard, the truth, and the true word of God from the Bible.  I feel that a weight has been lifted off of me, and I have Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ to thank foremost for the truth.  I also have to thank you for inspiring me to seek the truth in the Bible

Thank you! Richard

********************************************************

Dear Ed,

 My wife and I want to thank you, your internet site has helped us leave the Mormon church We were both born and raised in it. we were married in the temple 13 years ago, we did it because of family. pressure, but with your help I have been able to show my wife we were wrong in doing that, thank God i found you and your teachings it really opened our eyes and has saved our souls, I pray for you and you family. thank you, thank you.

********************************************************

Ed,

My husband and I just finished reading your book...We could not believe what we were reading, you were right on with how the LDS church and Temple runs.  After My husband and I  watched the Passion of Christ I had this feeling right after walking out of the theater that I wanted nothing to do with the Mormon church.

 I felt like the movie spelled it out about what it's all about.  I told my husband it's not about the church or the temple etc...My husband and I are not active members and haven't been for six years.  Three days ago we wrote a letter to the church requesting to have our names and two children removed form there records. 

We have accepted Christ into our hearts and will never partake in Satan's church ever again.  We wanted to thank you for publishing this book it has helped us to be on the right path of understanding.

   Take care, Deanna,

********************************************************

Hey Ed-

Do you know what category your book the God Makers fits into?? Sensationalism!!! I cannot believe that the Christian community takes that as any kind of authority on Mormonism, given how slanderous, rude and obnoxious it is. Just a thought.. Jack

Ed Responds:

What a rude, obnoxious and slanderous comment. Are you trying to be sensational or what? Talk about beating on a dead horse...
 
The God Makers certainly was and still is Sensational because it removed the party mask of Mormonism and told the whole world the truth about Mormonism, using its own leaders' words as proof.

The God Makers book has been in print for over 20 years and sold many hundreds of thousands of copies. It was the number one best seller in the entire religious book market for many months and stayed on the best seller list for over a year.

Today, its revised and expanded, updated release still sells at the level of a new book and will continue to be the benchmark book on Mormonism for years to come. Them's just the fax, Jack....

It could never be that if it was based on hype and lies and not facts. With well over 1,000 certified references, most of which are legal LDS documents, it has withstood years of controversial challenges and will continue to do so.

It has been instrumental in leading tens of thousands of Mormons to take another look at the doctrines and practices of Mormonism and choose the real Jesus over that brother of Lucifer one you call your elder brother.

I personally doubt that you ever even read the book you are blindly condemning.

Only fools do that...I suggest that you not be of that nature and study things for yourself at the site you just visited. Then pray about it and ask the Father if these things are not true.....oh well...you know the rest... Ed

********************************************************

Dear Ed;

You are obviously an ex-Mormon who left because of disagreement with their doctrines... so let me ask you the same question I am asking the Mormons.. and get your perspective...
 
My church is a regular Christian church and we use either of two creeds as a statement of our faith... The Nicene and the Apostles' Creeds.

The LDS missionaries have told me that God and Jesus told Joseph Smith that all the creeds of Christianity were abominations in his sight and that they chose Joseph to come and bring the real truth to the world.

In the dictionary, abomination means, hateful detestable, loathsome.

Here are the creeds of my church.. What SPECIFICALLY about them is filthy to God?

THE NICENE CREED, AD 381

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, Begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, By whom all things were made;

Who for us men and our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; And He shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spake by the prophets. And I believe one holy Christian and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism unto the remission of sins, And I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

THE APOSTLES CREED, AD 340

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the Holy Christian Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

Thank you for your help. Either these two young men are foul liars or there is something about the God I know that is so bad I can't imagine it. I am in such turmoil... name withheld

Ed Replies: Dear name withheld:

Well, there is the rub... In one missionary visit, you have hit on the crux of the problem. The Mormon people are in a real bind here.

They have been told that wonderful story from the day they can remember yet they are also being told that they are "Christian" but just have a lot more of the hidden or deleted gospel than the rest of the Christians.

However, those two creeds contain the very essence of Christianity and to say that they are filthy in God's eyes is horrible enough, but to then claim membership in that same body of Christianity wow! .... they are caught in a paradox of faith.

As you said, how does one deal with the "we are Christians" thing and the First Vision statement (by Christ) to Joseph Smith, "Their creeds were an abomination in His sight, that those professors were all corrupt", One Mormon writer responded, " all worship is precious. It's not the Christians, but the founders of the religions who did not know the true God of Israel, etc."

He missed the 19th century definition of 'professors', which is simply, those who profess. He was speaking of the Christians themselves, not just their leaders!  He wanted to parrot the LDS position that I'm OK, you're OK, but I'm a lot more OK than you!

LDS scripture clearly stated in I Nephi 14: 10:

"And he said unto me.- Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abomination; and she is the whore of all the earth. "

And in the Doctrine and Covenants, 29:21 we read: "And the great and abominable church, which is the whore o all the earth, shall be cast down b ' y devouring fire, according as it is spoken by the mouth of Ezekiel the prophet, who spoke of these things, which have not come to pass but surely must, as I live for abominations shall not reign".

Apostle Orson Pratt, in The Seer, page 255, summed it up this way:

"Both Catholics and Protestants are nothing less than the 'whore of Babylon' whom the Lord denounces by the mouth of John the Revelator as having corrupted all the earth by their fornications and wickedness".

Play with the words anyway you want, it still comes up with the same contempt for Christianity as we saw in the little melodrama between Adam, Lucifer and the Christian Minister played out during the Temple Ceremony, [when Lucifer hired the minister to preach the "orthodox" religion]  until it was recently removed from the ritual. I wonder why? see the annotated temple ritual at http://www.saintsalive.com/mormonism/temple_ritual.htm

They can't have their cake and eat it. Either they ARE liars and deceivers or your faith and mine is the tool of Satan himself and then they are absolute fools for hiding their hatred for our faith and trying to snuggle up to us pretending to be what they are not.

Ed Decker

********************************************************

Dear Ed,

First I want to thank you for this site.  I wish there had been something like this when I was searching for the truth.  I am a 5th generation Mormon.  20 years ago I had been excommunicated and my life was in a mess.  I moved to Idaho to start over and thought that if I got the Mormon Missionaries to teach me I could then get back into right standing with God. 

The first night I met my neighbor Mary next door to me she was on the porch playing the most beautiful music that I had ever heard.  Song to Jesus, just her voice and the guitar. 

After I listened to her for a while and cried at the beauty of the words, she stopped playing and asked me which church I went to.  I told her that I was going to the LDS church down the road, She said, "You know that the Mormon Church is a cult don't you?"  I said "NO!"  She asked me if I would like to come over to her house in the mornings for a Bible study and she would show me. 

     Now in my mind I was thinking, being the good Mormon missionary that I was (all Mormon's are to consider themselves missionaries) , I will convert Mary and show her the truth and she will become a Mormon  So I said yes.

      This began a three month journey and sometimes it was a painful journey, that lead me to Jesus.  It opened my eyes to the love of God and how I could trust the Bible to be His word.  It gave me a freedom from all the years of never being good enough.  Jesus took me right where I was ad He has brought about spiritual growth in my life over the past 20 year of my walk with him,

     Now to the main reason for my letter to you.  Being raised in a cult many of us have left the LDS church with many hurts toward family and friends or other church members because of the way we were treated.  Example, my mother died when I was 12, and my father remarried after one year to a very active Mormon women.  We were Mormon, just not active.  All that changed the day my mother died.  Grandma was also very active in the church.

Anyway when Dad and my step mother came home from the honeymoon, ground rules for the family were put into place.  Rule one the word Step was never to be used. Two...My step mother said that she couldn't compete with a dead women so my mother was not to be mentioned...there would be no saying things like "When my real mother was alive we did this or that" From that day on it was like to everyone else that my mother had never been.  I hated her for that.  I was not an easy teenager and many of the problems we had were because she didn't know any other way to deal with my real mother. 

      God showed me something the other night that really helped me and I think will help other ex-Mormons to forgive what happened to them while they were in the church and even now to help them have compassion for the family member still in the cult.  God told me that my step mother could not have done anything different other then what she did, because she didn't know any better.  But, more than that she doesn't have the Holy Spirit to guide her and teach her how to love. 

See, if my step mother had know the true God and then had the Holy Spirit living in her she would have been able to help me mourn for my mother and find peace with the new family.  God would have helped us all.  But without him Satan had free rein.  That is why there are so many broken families in the Mormon church.  Yes, people do know how to be good parents but knowing how to be good parents and having the Holy Spirits guide them makes the difference between broken families and families that walk in God presents.

       This has really helped me in forgiving my step mother for all the hurtful things that she did.  Also, it has helped me see that we need to have compassion for the people who are living their lives thinking they have God in it when what they really have is a wanna be god....who's real name is Satan.

       Thank you for letting me write this.  God is so wonderful and has blessed me greatly in my life and having set me free yet again from the bondage of resentment toward 33 years of living in a cult.  I always thought of those years as wasted year.  I now know that God has a plan for me and I needed those year in the Mormon church to do what ever it is that He has prepare for me to do.  I pray that when He calls I will answer and do all for the Glory of God.

Love,  your sister through Jesus Christ our Healer,   Vicki

*******************************************************

Dear Ed,

What does the Bible say about women in the church? Are they permitted to teach?

Adam

Dear Adam, thanks for writing and bringing up this often confusing issue. If a Church is to be a Bible based church, then it needs to use the Bible in context and not out of order with the perspective and the environment within the Bible. At our church, we certainly encourage every person to use the gifts and skills that they have been entrusted with by God and not bury their ‘talents’ for fear of being unbiblical. That includes women called to minister and teach.

Let’s look at what the Bible really says about women in ministry.

Old Testament history includes accounts of strong female leadership. Miriam was a prophet, one of the triumvirate of leaders God sent to Israel during the Exodus period (Exodus 15:20). Deborah, as prophet and judge, led the army of the Lord into successful combat (Judges 4 to 5). Huldah, also a prophet, authenticated the scroll of the Law found in the temple and helped spark the great religious reform in the days of Josiah (2 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 34).

The New Testament also records ministering women in the Church Age. Tabitha (Dorcas) is called a disciple and had a ministry of helps (Acts 9:36). Philip had four virgin daughters who prophesied (Act s 21:8,9). Euodia and Syntyche were Paul's coworkers who shared in his struggle to spread the gospel (Philippians 4:2,3). Priscilla was another of Paul's exemplary "fellow workers in Christ Jesus" (Romans 16:3,4, NIV). In Romans 16, Paul greets a multitude of ministering persons, a large number of them women.

Phoebe, a leader in the church at Cenchrea, was highly commended to the church at Rome by Paul (Romans 16:1,2). Unfortunately, biases of modern English translators have sometimes obscured Phoebe's position of leadership, calling her a "servant" or "helper", etc. Yet Phoebe was diakonos of the church at Cenchrea. Paul often used this term for a minister or leader of a congregation and applied it specifically to Jesus Christ, Tychicus, Epaphras, Timothy, and to his own ministry.

 Depending on the context, diakonos is usually translated "deacon" or "minister." Though some translators have chose n the word deaconess (because Phoebe was a woman), such a distinction is not in the original Greek. It seems likely that diakonos was the designation for an official leadership position in the Early Church.

Junia was identified by Paul as an apostle (Romans 16:7). But many translators and scholars, unwilling to admit there could have been a female apostle, have since the 13th century masculinized her name to Junias. The biblical record shows that Paul was a strong advocate of women's ministry.

The instances of women filling leadership roles in the Bible should be taken as a divinely approved pattern, not as exceptions to divine decrees. Even a limited number of women with scripturally commended leadership roles should affirm that God does indeed call women to spiritual leadership.

Of primary importance in defining the scriptural role of women in ministry is the biblical meaning of "ministry". Of Christ our great model, it was said, "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). New Testament leadership, as modeled by Jesus, portrays the spiritual leader as a servant. The question of human authority is not of primary significance, though it naturally arises as organization and structure develop.

Some expositors have taught that all women should be subordinate to adult men because Eve was created after Adam to be his helper ("help meet", KJV). Yet the word ezer ("helper") is never used in the Hebrew Bible with a subordinate meaning. Seventeen out of the twenty times it is used, it refers to God as the helper. Instead of being created as a subordinate, Eve was created to be a "suitable" (kenegdo) helper, or one "corresponding to" Adam.

Some argue that God created men and women with different characteristics and desires, and that these differences explain why leadership roles should be withheld from women. Others attribute these perceived differences to culture and social expectations imposed on children from birth to adulthood. Physical differences and distinctive biological functions are obvious; but it is only by implication that gender distinctives can be made to suggest leadership limitations.

You might be thinking that the Bible bans women from speaking as  ministers? Perhaps you are thinking that although we have laid a biblical foundation for "neither male nor female" in Christ, certain verses in the New Testament still seem to ban women from ministry positions in the church. Let's examine these verses for the true interpretation.

"Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law" (1 Corinthians 14:34).

"Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence" (1 Timothy 2:11-12).

In these verses, Paul cannot be addressing women who were in the ministry, but rather those in the congregation who were out of order. How do we know this? We have many such proofs, many from Paul himself as he often spoke of women who were all in influential positions of leadership in the early church.

I hope that answers your question regarding our position and perhaps,  I have given you a bit more insight to the biblical context  of the issue.

In Christ, your brother, Ed Decker

********************************************************

Sir:

When I was a Mormon I felt the Mormon Spirit, and I remember believing that it had told me that the Mormon Church was true. I remember believing that I had received a spiritual witness as to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. I went on a mission and I bore my Mormon testimony to others, and I believed what I was telling them was true, and I believed that I did feel the Mormon Spirit as I was telling other people about the Church.

Now that I have left the Church I no longer believe that the Mormon Spirit has any validity. Rather I now maintain that it was all a kind of software for my brain - Mormon Brain Software. The feelings I had were the result of my presence in the culture, and my desire to fit in.

Also now that I have left I have shared with many hundreds of people detailed information about the Mormon Temple ceremony, and I have shared with many people my secret Temple name. And also I now do all I can to convince other people to either leave the Church or to stay away.

Well, I would like to know if you think that from the perspective of a believing Mormon that I will probably be a Son of Perdition and go to Outer Darkness?

What is Outer Darkness like? Will I still get a resurrected body there?

Anon....

Dear Anon....First, understand that the Mormon Temple ritual is not even remotely a Biblically true rite of the faith. The blood oaths and secrecy there are elements of darkness...

What you have done and others [myself included] is open up the hidden things of darkness. There is great Biblical precedence for doing what you have done...In fact, the Word of God admonishes you to do just what you have done.


8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),

10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.

13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says:

"Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light."
NKJV Eph 5:8-14

Here are a quick series of scripture I just pulled together to let you know that the outer darkness is reserved for those who have not been partakers of truth and the light of Christ, not those who have exposed the dark things of some mystery ritual:

Col 1:12-15
12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. NKJV
 

John 3:16-21
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." NKJV
 

John 12:46
46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. NKJV
 
Acts 26:17-18
I now send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.' NKJV

Hope that helped. Bless you as you walk in the freedom and light of Jesus Christ!

Ed Decker Ex-Mormon Christian One in a Million

********************************************************

Dear Ed, When you left the Mormon Church, what are some reasons you left?

I left the church when I realized that in spite of the Mormons being a wonderful people, the core doctrines of Mormonism: ie: god having been a man and we men becoming gods,.. were terribly out of sort with simple biblical doctrine. I had to choose between the doctrines given to me by Joseph Smith and the doctrines of the bible.

They could not both be true.I chose the doctrines of the bible. When I went to my bishop and others and asked them to help me work through these irreconcilable differences and help me firm up the foundations of my faith, they had no answers except to tell me to stop studying the bible and that I was becoming an apostate by continuing this line of inquiry.

I gathered a ton of questions and went to SLC and studied many of the early church documents that were then available and well...the rest is history...

I eventually compiled them into the book, The God Makers and have become one of the most hated persons to ever have been a Mormon...

Well, that is not quite true... Tens of thousands of other Mormons who were going through the same battles I had been going through were finally able to understand why they were so troubled and chose the bible over Joseph as I did. These people really like me.

Did you know that there are over one million ex-Mormon Christians like me and the others who have responded? We are actually a real live peoples group. We are not all evil Ed Deckers. .We are real people, who love God and trust in Christ only for our salvation..

You can read my entire testimony at http://www.saintsalive.com/mormonism/edstestimony.htm

Hope that helped you understand the reasons why some Mormons choose to leave the church.... I have been told that there are about as many Mormons quietly leaving the church today as there are joining it.

A report from New Zealand stated that the church has lost 15% of its membership in the last five years. I haven’t been  the  only one..

Ed

********************************************************

Hi,

 Please, please read this. 

 I'm embarrassed to "tell" my story...mainly b/c it makes me look incredibly stupid and weak.  Which, in all reality, is most likely true.  But I need to do this.  I was raised United Methodist, moved away for college and then joined a non-denominational church.  After graduation I became a missionary with an interdenominational group called "YWAM". 

I served God as a missionary both here in the U.S., and abroad, for 4 years.  Due to some changes in my personal life, I decided to go back to school for my Masters.  I had to leave and go to  a treatment center in Orem, UT after my first year, b/c I became sick with anorexia (I've had an eating disorder for 15 years and have been in and out of several hospitals and treatment centers over the years). 

After I got out, I decided to hold off on completing my second year of graduate school, and moved here to Salt Lake where I had a good support system to help me in my recovery.  I had learned about Mormonism being a cult when I was a missionary, and while in treatment friends sent me some anti-Mormon literature.  I was very vocal in my beliefs, but also wanted to learn more about "the Mormons" so that I could better understand my friends and adapt to the culture...as Mormonism is definitely a "culture" here in UT. 

I allowed missionaries to give me the discussions.  Several times.  I lived with a friend's family for a short time....the father is a general authority, and was taught even more.  During this time is when I was probably at one of my lowest moments.  I was in recovery (for the sixth time), had just moved to a new city and state where I knew only a handful of people (all LDS), was extremely insecure with myself, felt alienated from the culture, and so I dipped my toes in Mormonism...but this time I went too far. 

Bottom line....and I hate to admit this....I wanted to be accepted.  I needed help....spiritually, emotionally, physically, and financially, and the church not only gave me instant "friends", but helped in these other areas as well.  So, combine this with my "exploration", and you have a sucker for conversion.  While living at the home of the general authority, he came home from work (he works in the church office bldg.) and handed me a letter and gift from President Hinckley. 

Apparently my friend's dad had mentioned me in one of his private "meetings" with Hinckley.  And sadly, this was all it took.  I fell for it.  I got baptized and confirmed several days later.  I knew then, as I do now, that I didn't believe everything that I had been told....however, through becoming a member I hoped I would eventually learn more, so that one day I may be able to believe.  I was desperate and unfortunately, needed a "quick fix." 

When I was under the water being  baptized, I remember feeling a horrible "dread" inside my heart.  I was terrified spiritually....I wanted to "take it all back, " but in that moment, didn't have the emotional or spiritual strength to do it.  It was supposed to be a "happy" day with church members and friends gathered at the house to have a celebratory party. 

 All I felt was heaviness and emptiness, but I pretended that I was happy.  Inside my mind I couldn't comprehend what I had just done.  I had done what I had cautioned others against!  I had done what I had said I'd never do.  And on top of it all...I had betrayed my God.  So, for the next year and a half, I lived out a lie.  I did get new friends and the "help" and support that I had needed.....but my spirit died. 

There were times during that year when I would "believe a little more" than before.. and there were times when I looked at the LDS church with disgust.  Overall, I was very confused.  I came to a point where I didn't know what I believed in anymore. 

During this confusion, I was adopted into a friend's LDS family.  I'm an adult, which I know makes it very weird, but I don't have a family of my own anymore and I desperately wanted to be a part of one.  I had no idea at the time, but my friend's parents had been praying about whether to adopt me into their family or not. 

They approached me later with an invitation to join their family.  I jumped at the opportunity.  This family that I'm now a part of, is extremely LDS.   They are very active in their ward, do temple work every week, and have sent all their sons on missions.  7 of the 12 have graduated from BYU, and according to church standards, "live righteous lives."  It was a shock entering into not just a new family, but a Mormon family.  I immediately felt the pressure.  It was a decision I made, so I don't blame anyone....but I regret being adopted.  Now I not only feel the pressure from my friends, bishop, and ward to be "the perfect obedient Mormon," but my family now expects it. 

They are constantly encouraging me to go through the temple so that I can then be sealed to them.  The whole idea of being a part of a family for time and eternity is very enticing to me, as I've never felt that way, and so I've actually entertained the thought of going through the temple for just this purpose. 

2 weeks ago I spent 2 hours sitting in my car in a parking lot, late at night, praying.  Not to the LDS 'god" but to MY God.  The REAL God of this universe.  For the first time in my life, I truly knew the Holy Spirit was with me....surrounding me.  I asked forgiveness for turning my back on the truth, and promised to begin turning my life back TO the truth.  I've stopped participating in church activities.  I ripped up my leather bound set of the bible, book of Mormon, doctrine and covenants, and the pearl of great price. 

And yes, I even threw away that mass production picture of "Jesus" that all "good Mormon" people have.  I wouldn't ordinarily throw away a picture of Jesus, as I DO believe that Jesus is the savior, but this "Jesus" was what I call the Mormon Jesus, and I didn't want to be reminded of the LDS church every time I looked at my wall.  I also went through my home and threw out all my Mormon literature and videos. 

 It was amazing how much stuff I had collected over the year!  I felt such genuine relief as I rid myself of all this false doctrine.  It actually felt cleansing.  I also felt extremely happy (something I haven't felt in years...true happiness).  I noticed I had a huge smile on my face the entire time.  I've since "rededicated" my life to Christ and the TRUTH. 

However, making this decision personally was a lot easier than proclaiming it to all I know.  I know I need to....and I really want to.....but I'm scared.  Again, I've gone to my old insecure thoughts, and am terrified of being "abandoned" and shunned by not just my friends, but now my new family as well.  I tell myself that this is good.....that telling them will actually HELP me....but my fear keeps me stuck in a rut of insecurities. 

 I've prayed to God that He'd help me find the courage and faith to share this experience with my friends and family.  I've written about it in my journal.  I've even practiced what I would say in the mirror (yikes).  And I realized I've just been procrastinating.  I think to myself...if I truly believed, I wouldn't fear telling people.  But I have to be honest.....I do fear. 

 I fear the rejection mostly.  I fear once again being alone.  I'm ashamed of myself for not having the faith to take this step.  However, I also realize that these fears are not from God.  So, may I ask you to pray for me?  Not only that I'll be able to share this truth with my friends and family, find a new and supportive church, but also that I'll grow in my faith and knowledge of the truth?  I feel like I'm blindly stumbling along right now.   

 So, there it is.  The story that no one else on earth but me, and now you, know.  I'm embarrassed and ashamed of what has taken place over this past year and a half, but I take comfort in the knowledge that I can now move forward and live an honest Christ-filled life.  I guess, through this email, that what I really wanted to do was share my experience with someone for the first time.  I wanted someone, other than me, to be aware of this new change in my life.  I also wrote it b/c I desperately need prayer, for I don't want to fall into the same trap twice.   Thank you for taking the time to read this. 

********************************************************

To Ed, I have just started reading your web site and find the material helpful and thought provoking. However I did not notice anything about video games and their impact on children and youths. Do you think that it is appropriate for Christian parents to allow their children to play games on machines such as Playstation 2 and Nintendo game cube. I am really struggling with this issue as I have a 10 year old son who likes video games.

Ed’s Answer

Play station 2 and other video game systems have all centered on the more aggressive/the more popular the game. Therefore most kids want the more aggressive games because those are the ones their peers all talk about..

Messing with acts of killing and maiming  and zapping off the planet other players or characters will never do a single positive thing for a child,

Hours of playing, isolated from the ‘outside’ world, bring a sense of separation from relationships and reality  to the child and that will determine his or her approach to real life situations in school, at home and in church..

The real world, to the gamer, is the insides of the game, the computer screen and his ability to cope is tied to his/her adeptness at controlling the game.

A false world and a dangerous one.

We removed that stuff after a few weeks of the old Mario’ game when our [grown] sons were just kids. I recommend that parents get that stuff away from their children and replace it with a lot of face to face interaction.

They are most likely addicted to it as much as a person can be addicted to porn or narcotics.  It will be hard to get them off it, but far better the temporary struggle than a life ruined ...

It is a time for the parents to step into the battle, realizing the time the child has spent at the game controls, he/she has been in a separation mode...  It will require a lot of TLC and interaction...  Ed

********************************************************

Decker!

Yeah, Why did you take so much stuff out of context? We believe that Joseph smith did more to save the souls of man, Save it be Jesus Christ. We believe god has only one wife. We don’t believe God had sex with Mary, He is all powerful so why would he be bound by the natural laws we have to follow? We don’t know if Jesus married Mary Magdalene or however you spell her name.

We also do not believe that blacks are a result of the war in heaven which I believe was a war of ideas and no physical violence. We believe they are Descendants of Cain, and the reason they are black was because it was the mark of the curse that god placed on Cain for killing his brother( meaning black skin wasn’t the curse)

The devil didn’t change his form neither did the 1/3 that followed him. They just never got bodies. Also Heavenly father and heavenly mother did not have sex, Why would they need too? It seems you think they are basically From Greek mythology having to have sex to create something. As for the comment of Multiple gods, we believe they are there but we don’t worship them they are just there. They didn’t create us Our heavenly father did. Also God made this universe, and all the planets there in.

Also we do not believe that Joseph Smith will be judging us at the Great Judgment.

Kolob is the star, remember that. God lives in the Celestial Kingdom. While I don’t know any specifics about the star or anything else, I do know that you need to do more research on Mormonism. Meaning Read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. Just getting information from Anti-Mormon sites is not to bright if you wish to get a clear view. There where multiple other errors in that obviously biased video. But whatever.   Bob

********************************************************

Please send us your email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
We receive a very large amount of email, and while
we may not be able to answer them all,
we do promise to read each and every one we receive.
We'll do our best to get back to you! Thanks!