friend trapped in Mormonism

I have been praying for a high school friend who is trapped in Mormonism. Thank you for your great info on this topic---I have stayed away from the topic of religion because she is so argumentative with Christian views, especially when it comes to belief in the Trinity. I'll study your [recommended] sites. If you have anything to add that would help me to show her the errors in Mormonism, please feel free.

Thanks again,
M___

Response:

Hi M___,

Our website is a good one to help you understand Mormonism better. Other useful sites are www.hismin.com and www.witforjesus.org. A good site for your friend to look at when she is ready and open would be www.utlm.org. As long as a Mormon believes the Bible is mistranslated and missing many important doctrines, he or she will not be receptive to what the Bible has to say about anything. One must establish the credibility of the Bible to lay a foundation for truth.

A great opportunity to tell your LDS friend about the accuracy and authenticity of the Bible in a non-threatening way is to discuss the current fad, "The DaVinci Code;" either the movie or the book. I need to say up front that I do not recommend giving Hollywood one dime for this movie, nor putting money into Brown's pocket by purchasing the book. But if your friend is somewhat familiar with the book or movie, this is a great way to show her---without directly attacking LDS beliefs---all the evidence for the Bible. Refuting the claims author Dan Brown is making is a wonderful way to teach LDS people how the Bible was really put together. Perhaps you could start the conversation by saying something like this; "There's been a lot of discussion at our church about the Davinci Code. Has your church came out and said anything about it?" Then you can tell her about the concerns of the Christian community and how the movie might shake the faith of those who don't really know much about Jesus or the Bible.

You can show her what REALLY happened at the Council of Nicaea. Mormons have been taught that the Council of Nicaea was where a bunch of guys got together and voted on which books to include in the Bible and whether or not Jesus was divine. That is the same false claim "The Da Vinci Code" makes.

The Da Vinci Code tries to prove that Jesus was married with children. That is also a Mormon teaching (not currently taught, but is
found in the writings of early LDS leaders). You can present the evidence that Jesus was NOT married and how that would have actually
hindered His purpose for coming to earth as a man.

You might say, "You know, there are a few things that really bother me about The Da Vinci Code. First off, Dan brown tries to make it look
like the books of the Bible were voted on. That is simply not true. The Old Testament was very carefully preserved by Masoretic priests who respected and revered God's word so much, that they copied text letter for letter and then added the values across and down (Hebrew alphabet is numerical) to make sure there were no mistakes. If even one mistake was found, they would throw away the whole page and start over! Another thing that bothers me is that Brown claims that the books of the New Testament were voted on. Again, that is simply not true. The four gospels and all of Paul's letters were already considered scripture by the end of the second century. The other writings---Peter's, James, and Jude's epistle, had already been included in the canon of sacred writings long before the Council of Nicaea. That council was called because writings that could not be authenticated had begun to circulate throughout the church by false teachers. All the council did was officially ratify what had already been accepted as scripture by Christians."

Can you see how this would teach truth without directly coming against LDS teachings? Try to get your friend to THINK and REASON. Bear YOUR testimony; tell her how thankful you are that God has made sure that plenty of evidence exists for Him, His word, and Jesus' divinity so that no one is left with an excuse for unbelief at the judgment bar. If you feel bold enough you can ask why no such evidence exists for the Book of Mormon.

M___, I commend you for loving your lost friend enough to try to reach her with truth. Just remember that it is the Holy Spirit Who convinces a person, not us. We need to do our part by speaking truth and sharing God's word and then letting God bring about the harvest. What you say may not take effect for years---remember, leading someone out of a false belief system is a process. Try not to get discouraged.

Let me know how things go or if I can help in any other way!

Tracy

Thank you so much for caring, so much, Tracy. The info you have sent is absolutely necessary for my being able to even begin a conversation on this topic. You have a special gift of ministry in this area, don't you? I thank the Lord that He has finally answered these questions for me, and He even sent a person who knows firsthand what info I would actually need. God is good.

Thank you again for your precious time,
M___