Prophets and Ex Mormons

[Faded]

I'm new here. Just to preface, I am a Convert of five years, and for the first time I am concerend about my testimony...working on this by asking questions.

My husband shutters to think I do this, but I second guess decisions past prophets have made. I also anticipate future prophets possibly making mistakes. These chosen men are human. They are not perfect. What a huge responsibility it must be. We are taught to follow the prophet. What if the prophet is wrong about something? We are told to follow them anyway...I think that is the answer, but it's a hard answer for me to accept. I often wonder if past prophets were wrong about certain issues....for example not allowing black men to hold the priesthood...I know that's a whole other can of worms I'm sure.

Second thing. I would like advice on how to repel the lurings of anti Mormon websites. I do NOT seek them out. But I am currently having such a hard time...mentally and spiritually. I was trying to find more info on priesthood blessings, and came upon a website I thought was Mormon friendly, but of course it was some ex Mormon. Right away on the website it had a section of fast facts about the church....things like Joseph Smith had a slave sealed to him, etc...some things were so silly, but I admit other "facts" that popped up made me wonder. It's the LAST thing I needed to see considering I am fighting a fading testimony...trying to hold on to it, make things better.

Thoughts?

I'm sure many of you are rolling your eyes as I am surely another typical convert asking age old questions. Please know I am sincere in trying to learn as much as I can by going to the source...in this case, hopefully other faithful members who can offer their advice.

One thing that should actually build your faith more than almost anything else is the existance and persistence of ex-Mormons who are anti-Mormons. Seem confusing? I'll explain. A friend of Joseph Smith was talking with him and the topic of the ex-members came up. A HUGE part of the leaders of the mobs and militias who attacked the early Church were ex-Latter Day Saints. More often than not, they were the most instrumental in organizing mass violence and driving the Latter Day Saints from state to state, harassing, tormenting, raping, murdering all the way. The gentleman in question (I don't remember the name) said to Joseph, (paraphrasing) 'If I ever fall away, I will go away quietly, leave the Saints alone and not behave that way. I will not behave in such a despicable manner.' Joseph's response was very interesting. "Brother, you may leave the Church but you will never be able to leave it alone." There was more to the conversation, and I'd have to go find it to offer the whole thing, but that much is sufficient for my point. People who fall away from other faiths seem to be able to just walk away and leave well enough alone. A HUGE number of ex-LDS will dedicate their entire lives to destroying the LDS Church in any way they can. There are numerous organizations created for this purpose alone. They probably don't know that they are fulfilling Joseph's prophecy, but it's true: They can't leave the Church alone.

That does not apply to all ex-Latter Day Saints, but it is astounding how many it DOES apply to. And what are they after? The LDS faith teaches faith in Christ. It teaches people to do good and to look out for each other. It brings people closer to God. Latter Day Saints are good people trying to follow Jesus Christ and trying to good to others. One might wonder why they don't spend their considerable efforts on something more obvious. Satanism or paganism or voodoo or gang violence or starving people in 3rd world countries. But the are obsessively focussed on destroying the LDS faith and nothing else.

There is a method behind their madness. Their goal is simple: All they have to do is get you to doubt one or two things. Second guess yourself. Put a thread of doubt in your mind. Once they succeed in doing that, and they can begin to dismantle your faith in the Restored Gospel, bit by bit. The one thing they all have in common: They lie. They deceive. They will tell you 10 truths to get you to accept one falsehood. Their tactics mirror Satan so perfectly, it's kinda creepy. They've been at it for almost 200 years, so they've got a lot of very old sources that were also lying.

The answer is a lot simpler than you might imagine. Read the Book of Mormon -- I would say for 30 minutes to an hour every day. Pray about it. Renew and strengthen your testimony in the truthfulness of it. You do not need to have answers to all the questions. All you need to know is this: Was Joseph Smith of true prophet of God? Were the things he taught from God? Only God can answer that, and he will through the Holy Spirit. There are answers to the never-ending stream of questions you may get from those ... colorful organizations. But first and foremost, restore and strengthen the foundation: The Book of Mormon is true. Joseph Smith is a true Prophet of God. The Church God establish through him is the true Church of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ leads this Church today.

Edited March 4, 2009 by Faded

[cjmaldrich]

Thank you...each and every one of you.

I hope I have not offended anyone. I do not wish to disrespect our current Prophet or those who came before.

My journey as a member of this church is what I make it. This, I know...just need to remind myself.

These questions have never shaken me until now, and it is my desire to find a way to address them....I have moments where I doubt, and I am not one who can keep that doubt tucked away. It's like addiction...often the best way to stay out of trouble is to talk about it....I have always enjoyed every side of the story. In every other aspect of life, when I am making a decision I look at every option, every view point, every possibility. With the gospel, I have done the same thing. I see that only God can give me the answers I truly desire.

I know as a member of this church I need to learn how to better run on faith and lean not on my own understanding...something that is hard for me, but that's part of my journey I suppose.

I still wonder....when non members ask me about church history, things the prophets have revealed...I stumble....will I ever be able to answer their questions without feeling completely stupid and regretful the next day? I don't know how the missionaries do it, I really don't. I would be a TERRIBLE missionary in that regard. When others challenge my faith in this gospel, I immediately go on the defense, but ultimately feel defeated. How can I answer these questions when I am so far from knowing how to answer them for myself? And even when I do know the answers, I am not eloquent in my response. Some may think five years in the church is a long time...it often still feel so new to me. I am not a scholar in any way, shape, or form.

When I joined the church, I joined on blind faith. THings are different now. I need to adjust and adapt.

I know members who get angry at questions I have put out there, but I never mean harm. Sometimes we have to stumble and make fools of ourselves before we can walk without shame. For an adult, I sure feel like a kid...just blurting out questions that come to my mind...I just want to know. I'm sure God never intended for us to know everything.

You are all right about the anti sites. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to run into them. There was a time when I would be able to spot them, and instantly look away. It is amazing to me that people spend so much time and energy with what they hate rather than advertising what they love.

Finally, I think I need to work on strengthening my testimony of Joseph Smith and go from there. Boy there is so much to learn, so little time...

You know, I just thought of something that helped me... I don't know whether it will help you or not, so you have to be really careful with it...

Before I joined the church, everything that I knew about the church came from the plethora of online sources that are out there... Typically anti- or ex- Mormon resources at that... This left a LOT of questions even after I joined the church. Anti material is like pornography; it gets burned into your memory and pops up at random inappropriate times (Sacrament meeting, for example)...

So I set out on a quest to debunk every anti-Mormon thing that I had heard, and every bit of information that I thought was strange. It's taken a while, but I've learned so much about the church and about how God and Christ work and my testimony has never been stronger...

For specific questions, I'd recommend FAIRLDS.org, FARMSResearch.com, LDS.org, and of course the Spirit of the Holy Ghost... I guarantee you there are fair, reasonable explanations for whatever bothers you.

Where you have to be careful, though, is HOW you study these things out. A ton of people leave the church over things that they read about Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, church history in general, etc... If you believe that the church is true, then it's true regardless of its history, right? If something in its history or something that a prophet did made the truth void, then it wouldn't be true today... If you choose to study such things, it's important to do it in the spirit of trying to understand your own religion more. If you're looking for things that can rip your testimony apart and disprove the church, that's what you will find. If you're looking for things to boost your testimony and help you understand, your testimony will become huge.......... And you'll learn a lot of interesting things in the process :)

[Faded]

Thank you...each and every one of you.

I hope I have not offended anyone. I do not wish to disrespect our current Prophet or those who came before.

My journey as a member of this church is what I make it. This, I know...just need to remind myself.

These questions have never shaken me until now, and it is my desire to find a way to address them....I have moments where I doubt, and I am not one who can keep that doubt tucked away. It's like addiction...often the best way to stay out of trouble is to talk about it....I have always enjoyed every side of the story. In every other aspect of life, when I am making a decision I look at every option, every view point, every possibility. With the gospel, I have done the same thing. I see that only God can give me the answers I truly desire.

I know as a member of this church I need to learn how to better run on faith and lean not on my own understanding...something that is hard for me, but that's part of my journey I suppose.

I still wonder....when non members ask me about church history, things the prophets have revealed...I stumble....will I ever be able to answer their questions without feeling completely stupid and regretful the next day? I don't know how the missionaries do it, I really don't. I would be a TERRIBLE missionary in that regard. When others challenge my faith in this gospel, I immediately go on the defense, but ultimately feel defeated. How can I answer these questions when I am so far from knowing how to answer them for myself? And even when I do know the answers, I am not eloquent in my response. Some may think five years in the church is a long time...it often still feel so new to me. I am not a scholar in any way, shape, or form.

When I joined the church, I joined on blind faith. THings are different now. I need to adjust and adapt.

I know members who get angry at questions I have put out there, but I never mean harm. Sometimes we have to stumble and make fools of ourselves before we can walk without shame. For an adult, I sure feel like a kid...just blurting out questions that come to my mind...I just want to know. I'm sure God never intended for us to know everything.

You are all right about the anti sites. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to run into them. There was a time when I would be able to spot them, and instantly look away. It is amazing to me that people spend so much time and energy with what they hate rather than advertising what they love.

Finally, I think I need to work on strengthening my testimony of Joseph Smith and go from there. Boy there is so much to learn, so little time...

The best and most obvious way to turn an anti-Mormon attack on their head is this:

Key To Conversion It's a short read and it covers what I already mentioned in greater detail: Redirecting every complicated question back to whether or not the Book of Mormon is true. Pearson does a much better job that I ever could. The funny thing is, it teaches you to unravel even the most complicated of attacks and come back to the same thing: The Book of Mormon is True.

A missionary could know virtually nothing else, but have a testimony of the Book of Mormon, and he can and will succeed. But bear in mind (since you mentioned it) as a missionary, when encountering anti-Mormon people or materials, I simply walked away. Time spent arguing against a Mormon-hater is time that could have been better spent trying to find and teach someone who is actually interested.

The favored tactic of Anti-Mormons is to launch their attacks at our history. There is a TON of bogus and completely false history about us, and it's often very difficult to sort the facts from the fiction. The first thing you'd want to do there is brush up your Church History knowledge.

1.) Lucy Mack Smith, the mother of Joseph Smith, had a LOT to say that you won't find anywhere else. Amazon.com: The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother: Lucy Mack Smith: Books

2.) Also, the History of the Church manual for Institute Classes is really really good. If you live anywhere near a distribution center, just go get yourself one. If not, do some asking around. When I was a missionary, we had access to a supply of institute manuals. If you can actually take the Church History institute class, that's even better.

3.) For an easier "spoon fed" version Church History, watch "The Work and the Glory" and preferably, read the books Mormon Literature Database - The Work and the Glory These books take a fictitious family through the real and documented early Church History. Fiction though it might be, I was amazed at how many direct quotes from the official histories are in this series. The whole point of the books was to put the History of the Church in a more interesting format, so Lund remains very true to the actual events.

Any or all of the above would bring you up to speed on the history. If you want to know what the anti-Mormon folks are really up to and how they behave: They Lie In Wait To Deceive was an excellent book -- and now it's a series of books. If takes on a lot of the most frequently quoted anti-Mormons point by point and basically exposes them for what they are.

[blusun7]

I dont mind cj.

Hey lily let me tell you something. I have been with the church all my life. I didnt get to go on a mission cause of the doubt of the church. People would ask me things and i would be like you, stumble and Then more doubt would come upon me. I thought i knew truth but far from. I thought i had a testimony. That is was just given to me when i did good or read a scripture, help someone out or just going to conference. By allowing this kind of behavior i slowly fell away and soon into bad behavior.

If you want to prepare yourself read "preach my gospel" on the LDS.org site. Turn off the tv and read scripture. I have started to do this and you know what i dont miss tv and im growing a testimony.I finally am feeling what others feel about the church. Take a topic from the typical guide and study it in the bible and confirm it with the book of mormon or however you want.Study things you know people will ask about. Prepare with scriptures from the bible as they are the word of god. The gospel in the bible is the gospel in the book of mormon. You have to really want to learn that topic. Have a notebook to write notations on a subject. Then keep study and reading and when you come across certain subjects you notate the scripture verse under that subject such as, Gospel,Priesthood,Prophets,GodHead etc.

Faith. I struggled here but now i understand. Dont pray and exect answers. Allow due time for them cause you must be patient. It is at the will of the lord to give answers. Sometimes he will answer and sometimes he wont.I think cause sometimes we already know and sometimes he wants us to raise the bar. you know. You normal dont worry. It doesnt make you a bad person and there is no such thing as a bad member. Ask as many questions as you can but prayer really helps before and after scripture reading.

[Faded]

I know as a member of this church I need to learn how to better run on faith and lean not on my own understanding...something that is hard for me, but that's part of my journey I suppose.

The beautiful thing to realize is that you do not need to have an answer for every challenge you face and you don't need to be an all-knowing super-scholar. Heavenly Father is all knowing. He never asked you to be. Do not let yourself feel inadequate or foolish. That's Satan's influence and he wants you to doubt yourself.

Reinforce the basics. The best resource for realizing how the basics can answer any question is the book I've already referenced:

the Book Of Mormon: Key To Conversion

by Glenn L. Pearson

Looks like it's $4.00 and it would be money well spent. It does a better job of helping you realize that you don't actually have to know everything and that you don't have to go to tremendous efforts every single time someone challenges your beliefs.

God bless you and keep you!

Faded

[rameumptom]

Do an inventory of faith. Look at what you do believe in right now. Do you have a testimony of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost? Do you have a testimony of the scriptures (Bible, Book of Mormon, etc)? Do you have a testimony of modern prophets - Joseph Smith, Thomas S. Monson?

I'm not asking you to determine if you have a knowledge of these things, or if you have doubts, but whether you have a testimony. Most of us have doubts on certain things, while still having a testimony of the key things. That's okay. Doubt can be a good thing, if we don't allow it to overwhelm our testimony we currently have. Little by little, doubt can dissipate as we grow our testimonies.

[Vort]

I'm new here. Just to preface, I am a Convert of five years, and for the first time I am concerend about my testimony...working on this by asking questions.

My husband shutters to think I do this, but I second guess decisions past prophets have made. I also anticipate future prophets possibly making mistakes. These chosen men are human. They are not perfect. What a huge responsibility it must be. We are taught to follow the prophet. What if the prophet is wrong about something? We are told to follow them anyway...I think that is the answer, but it's a hard answer for me to accept. I often wonder if past prophets were wrong about certain issues....for example not allowing black men to hold the priesthood...I know that's a whole other can of worms I'm sure.

Lily,

Good for you for caring enough about your testimony to ask about it! Let me offer a few thoughts:

• In Alma 32, Alma discourses on how the word of God is planted and grows in our hearts. Like any living thing, it needs to be nurtured and protected while young and tender, but eventually will grow into a great, strong, solid thing that we can rely on. As a five-year convert, you are still relatively young in the gospel, and your testimony is likely still more of a sapling than a mighty oak. Protect and nurture that testimony, as some of the following will do.
• Listen to the General Conference archives from last conference. Do it more than once -- I aim for listening to the most recent General Conference at least once a month.
• Read from the scriptures daily.
• Pray at least twice a day, and with real intent. Be sure to follow Elder Bednar's counsel about prayer in the last General Conference; it was supremely wise and helpful. (Don't remember that talk? Listen to it again!)
• Ask yourself: Realistically, what might the prophet ever ask you to do that you should not do? Is he going to ask you to kill someone? Marry lots of people at once? Cheat on your taxes? Even if we assume for the sake of argument that the prophet tries to implement a non-inspired idea, how would it ever hurt you to follow his directives?

Second thing. I would like advice on how to repel the lurings of anti Mormon websites.

Avoid them like you avoid pornography. That is what they are; spiritual pornography, inculcating in your mind a warped and false view of what Mormonism is and should be.

The time will come that you will be strong enough in your faith and testimony, and well enough educated in the gospel and LDS history, that few or none of the antiMormons' arguments will have any effect on you. You will immediately see the falseness of what they say, the error in their logic or the outright (often subtle, sometimes not) misrepresentation of facts and history. When you reach that point, you will ignore antiMormons because they have nothing of value to add to your life and you dislike dealing with their dishonesty. Until then, ignore them because they want to feed you poison.

The bottom line is: Ignore them. Don't wonder about them. Don't take any of their assertions or "facts" to heart. Don't even listen to their ideas. I mean, come on. "Mormons teach that Jesus and Satan are...BROTHERS!!!!" This should tell you everything you ever need to know about the mentality and honesty of antiMormons. In the immortal words of Nancy Reagan: Just Say No.

I'm sure many of you are rolling your eyes as I am surely another typical convert asking age old questions.

Not at all. You are engaged in a struggle to understand and come to Christ, which ultimately is a struggle for your soul. We wish you only the best. No apologies necessary.

[Maureen]

LDSVALLEY said:

...Perhaps I am mistaken but I thought the revelation that gave the priesthood to blacks was not about blacks at all. Prior to the late 1970's 78? 79?, the priesthood was only given to male members of two tribes. As a white male not of either tribe if I had joined the church then I also would not have the priesthood...

I don't want to hijack this thread but I'm curious about what LDSVALLEY posted. Could someone clear this up. I have never heard about this before; I believe LDSVALLEY is indeed mistaken.

[Vort]

LDSVALLEY said:I don't want to hijack this thread but I'm curious about what LDSVALLEY posted. Could someone clear this up. I have never heard about this before; I believe LDSVALLEY is indeed mistaken.

This is incorrect. Before June 1978, those with black African ancestry could not hold the Priesthood or enjoy temple ordinances. Those without black African ancestry could, regardless of skin color.

[Elgama]

This is incorrect. Before June 1978, those with black African ancestry could not hold the Priesthood or enjoy temple ordinances. Those without black African ancestry could, regardless of skin color.

my understanding was also white males of the ancestry could also not hold the priesthood. I read that on the Elijah Abel website many years ago. It wasn't restricted to colour rather lineage.

-Charley

[Vort]

my understanding was also white males of the ancestry could also not hold the priesthood. I read that on the Elijah Abel website many years ago. It wasn't restricted to colour rather lineage.

-Charley

Not sure of your point, Charley. How does what you say differ from what I said?

[Elgama]

Not sure of your point, Charley. How does what you say differ from what I said?

sorry maybe i misread yours, except you added regardless of skin colour to your second sentence and not your first

-Charley

[LDSVALLEY]

I researched into it off the Official Church Website, this is in the Institute manual.

In June 1978, President Spencer W. Kimball received a revelation extending priesthood ordination to all worthy males of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Official Declaration 2). Before that time only worthy male members who were not of black African descent were ordained to the priesthood.

I didn't find an answer to it but I still believe that the early days of the church the Priesthood was only available to those in or of two of the tribes. Again I could easily be wrong on that as well.

The logic still holds for me however about it making sense to restrict the Priesthood from everyone before the time of easy communications in a global setting. The priesthood could not have been kept on track.

Sorry for putting out incorrect information.

[Elgama]

of course there was Elijah Abel who because of his faith the priesthood could not be withheld from him and broke the curse for his descendants

-Charley

[WillowTheWhisp]

of course there was Elijah Abel who because of his faith the priesthood could not be withheld from him and broke the curse for his descendants

-Charley

and that was way before David O. McKay

[Elgama]

and that was way before David O. McKay

lol just by one or two year^_^

-Charley

[Vort]

of course there was Elijah Abel who because of his faith the priesthood could not be withheld from him and broke the curse for his descendants

As far as I know, there has never been an official, First-Presidency-approved explanation for why those of black African descent were denied Priesthood and temple blessings beyond baptism and confirmation. I have never found any teaching of Joseph Smith on the matter, or any idea that such a restriction was enforced in his day. That doesn't mean I disbelieve the divine nature of the restriction, just that I don't understand its genesis.

But whatever the reasoning was and is, it's now moot. As of 1978, the restriction no longer exists and is but a historical artifact. Some day we will know the whys and wherefores; for now, we can simply rejoice in the blessings we enjoy today.

[Moksha]

Having been to the ex mormon sites as well, I can tell you that you'll find very few answers to what you're seeking there.

Good point. They will tell you things but seldom explain the milieu in which they happened.

[ninjormon]

Hi Lily, I am also a convert of 5 years, (actually 5 years 5 months and one day) I had some problems with temple work and temple ordinances/rituals so I went to some websites that told me what happened in them (or thier version of what happened) and I looked at some of the other anti sites, I looked and looked but none of them ever felt partially right, I knew that not only were they wrong but also that it was wrong for me to be looking, but it did make my convictions stronger. As far as the prophets being wrong, sometimes they speak as people and not as the prophet even though they are the prophet at the time. For the decisions of Church leaders I say that ultimately they are the right choice, even if we cannot understand why at the time.

[Michael_Newman]

I would like advice on how to repel the lurings of anti Mormon websites. I was trying to find more info on priesthood blessings, and came upon a website I thought was Mormon friendly, but of course it was some ex Mormon.

Example:

Visiting pornographic websites to find an answer on how to meet people of the opposite sex is (in my belief) the same as visiting any website whose mission statement allows for anti-Christian and anti-LDS advertising. Simply stay away from those sites. There are PLENTY of other internet resources where you will get honest and uplifting advice. All you need to do is ask your priesthood leaders.

I am a Convert of five years,

That is wonderful. Recall your testimony and write in your journal so that you can relive the testimony to give you confidence as your are faced with the challenges of the world.

I second guess decisions past prophets have made.

Why? Since you became a member of the church, you are guided by a living prophet today and not in the past. Past prophets guided members for those times. No one knows all of the reasons given to a prophet by Jesus Christ, unless the prophet is directed by our Saviour to reveal all of the reasons and details.

As our last prophet said to a 60 Minutes Television interview, past prophets who guided the members in the past were for those members at that time. Today the guiding hand of a living prophet is for today.

I second guess decisions past prophets have made. I also anticipate future prophets possibly making mistakes.

You will always have the right and privilege to fast and pray for a confirmation from Jesus Christ of any decision placed upon you by our living prophet.

Here is one such link you can use:

http://www.lds.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=9&pictureid=79

Encyclopedia of Mormonism Link

Also, the Holy Ghost does not communicate on the internet. The Spirit is only present in person. And it is the Spirit that needs to bear testimony to you or a visitor. The Spirit does not bear witness through internet rhetoric, debate, or factual texts.

Last night I was home teaching one of my families (the brother is also my priesthood leader). When I mentioned the wonderful service offered by this site, he was cautiously grateful to hear of it. But he also said the presiding priesthood is not present on a web site - only in person.

He did encourage me to encourage others to actively seek out and take part in the local activities and church resources where the Spirit and the Priesthood is present. I agreed.

If this forum can lead you and visitors to attend a local activity or church priesthood leaders where the Holy Ghost is present - then this forum will serve a greater purpose.

I wish you the best,

Michael

[rameumptom]

So, you are saying that if I read the General Conference talks on LDS.ORG, I can't feel the Holy Spirit?

I'm thinking that a person CAN feel the Spirit on the Internet, just as one can while reading a book, or a Conference talk on the Internet.

[Michael_Newman]

. . . the Holy Ghost does not communicate on the internet. The Spirit is only present in person. And it is the Spirit that needs to bear testimony to you or a visitor. The Spirit does not bear witness through internet rhetoric, debate, or factual texts.

Last night I was home teaching one of my families (the brother is also my priesthood leader). When I mentioned the wonderful service offered by this site, he was cautiously grateful to hear of it. But he also said the presiding priesthood is not present on a web site - only in person.

He did encourage me to encourage others to actively seek out and take part in the local activities and church resources where the Spirit and the Priesthood is present. I agreed.

So, you are saying that if I read the General Conference talks on LDS.ORG, I can't feel the Holy Spirit?

I'm thinking that a person CAN feel the Spirit on the Internet, just as one can while reading a book, or a Conference talk on the Internet.

Sorry Rameumptom;

But I think you missed my point. Allow me to offer more clarity:

Joseph Smith taught that the influence of the Holy Ghost, which is the convincing power of God of the truth of the gospel, can be received before baptism. But the Gift of the Holy Ghost, or constant companionship, which comes by the laying-on of hands, is obtained only after baptism.

If faithful members and visitors gather together for a weekend of General Conference broadcast, they can experience the Holy Ghost among themselves within the confines of the chapel which is showing the broadcast.

If only one member watches the broadcast on their laptop, they too can experience the Holy Ghost.

If a non-member watches a broadcast or reads a web page, they can experience at least the Light of Christ which is given to all, or the Holy Ghost if testifying to the truth of the gospel.

However, I am confident that if someone were to view or read contentious comments within the core of a worthy topic, then the Holy Ghost may remove itself at the moment. To invoke the Holy Ghost in the opening post of a new topic would be, in my opinion, without merit.

Thank you for mentioning the comment,

Michael

PS: Here is BYU link that contains the teachings of the church:

http://www.lds.net/forums/picture.php?albumid=9&pictureid=79

Encyclopedia of Mormonism Link