For Mormon Missionaries
Dear Latter-Day Saint Friend

Thank you for your concern for my spiritual welfare.

Because of Jesus' love, I am likewise concerned for you.

I'm concerned for these reasons:

Your prophets, Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and your Scriptures, claim that I am part of a "great and abominable church."  The Book of Mormon explicitly says "that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God . . . because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many stumble."  It also says that "that great pit, which hath been digged by them by that great and abominable church . . . was founded by the devil and his children" so that "he might lead away the sons of men down to hell"  (I Nephi 13:28-29; 14:3).

However, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself told us that  His words would never be taken away:

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away (Matthew 24:35, NIV).

And He also promised that Hell and the devil would never overcome His true church:

I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (Matthew 16:18b).

Contrary to the claims of the Book of Mormon, the Bible plainly and repeatedly defines the simple Gospel—the Good News of how men may be saved:

I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved . . . . For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (see also Isaiah 53:10-12; Luke 24:46-47; Acts 2:22-24; 3:14-16; 10:39-40; 13:26-40; 17:3; 31; 26:23; Romans 1:4; 6:8; 8:34; 14:9; II Corinthians 5:14-15; I Thessalonians 4:14)

Thus, the Bible clearly tells us Christ overcame mankind's two greatest problems—sin and death--by his death for to pay our sins and His resurrection that overcame death.   

The Bible, then warns us that anyone who tries to change this Gospel—even if he is an angel from heaven--is accursed, or eternally condemned:

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!  As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! (Galatians 1:8-9).

The New Testament also plainly declares that this Gospel—the true Christian faith--was handed down to us once for all time and eternity:

Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints (Jude 3)

In addition, Jesus and the Bible plainly and repeatedly say that eternal life comes by faith, and faith alone, in our precious Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior:

For God so loved the world, that He gave His ]only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life  (John 3:16).

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9; see also John 5:24, 6:29; 6:47; 14:1; Acts 10:43; Romans 3:28; 4:6; 11:6; Galatians 2:16; 21; 3:21; Titus 3:5).

By contrast, the Gospel  of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and the Latter-Day Saints is neither plain nor precious, offering changing, often contradictory, sometimes sinful requirements for gaining eternal life.  Faith alone in Jesus is not sufficient for salvation. Instead, the Mormon gospel, as variously announced by Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and the Latter-Day Saint Church, has included such strange requirements as polygamy (Smith, Doctrine & Covenants 132:4a), individual blood atonement—killing individuals so their own blood pays for their sins (Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 1, p. 108; vol. 4. pp. 50, 53-54; 173, 219), obedience to the laws & ordinances of the gospel (Article 3, The Articles of Faith of the Church of the Latter Day Saints), baptism (III Nephi 11:33-34), or baptism for the dead (Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 163; vol. 19, p. 229) and the personal permission of Joseph Smith (Young, Journal of Discourses, Volume 7, p. 289).

For example, Joseph Smith, a documented polygamist, when confronted by his wife Emma about the many other women in his life, conveniently had this revelation in which he rewrote the Bible:

For behold, I reveal unto you a new and everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not in that covenant, then are ye damned (Doctrine & Covenants 132:4a).

Abraham received concubines and they bore him children, and it was accounted unto him as righteousness (Doctrine & Covenants 132:38, compare with Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3 and James 2:23b.)

And let my handmaid, Emma Smith, receive all those that have been given to my servant Joseph, and who are virtuous and pure before me.  (Doctrine & Covenants 132:52a).

Brigham Young, despite the Bible's clear statement that "the blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin" (I John 1:7), stated,

There is not a man or woman, who violates the covenants made with their God, that will not be required to pay their debt.  The blood of Christ will never wipe that out, your own blood must atone for it (Journal of Discourses, Volume 3, page 247, 1956).

I could refer you to plenty of instances where men have been righteously slain in order to atone for their sins (Journal of Discourses, Volume 4, page 220, 1957).

These same men also prophesied Christ would return in 1891 (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Volume 2, page 182, February 14, 1935) and that men were living on the sun and the moon (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Volume 13, page 271, 1870).  Deuteronomy 13:1-5 tells us such false prophesies qualify them as false prophets who should be purged from God's people.

Not only is their Gospel a different gospel from that of Jesus Christ, but so is their Jesus (See II Corinthians 11:3-4; 13-15).  Smith, Young & the Latter-Day Saints have taught that their Jesus is the created, pre-existent offspring of a sexual union between Adam, who became god, and the non-virgin Virgin Mary.  (Young, Journal of Discourses 1:50-51).  Jesus is also said to be the spirit-brother of Satan (Smith, Pearl of Great Price, Moses 4:1-2) and a man who became god by his own achievements (Journal of Discourses 1:123).  He is, thus, just one of an infinite number of gods who at one time were men, and, according to Joseph Smith, we can become gods like him (Doctrine & Covenants 132:20).

The biblical Jesus I worship is the eternal Creator of the heavens and the earth, the only begotten God and only begotten Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, the sinless God/Man who was born of the virgin Mary. (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-3; 14-18; 3:16; 8:58, 12:45; 14:9; 20:28; Matthew 1:18-25; Colossians 1:15-20; 2:9; Hebrews 1:8-10).

I fear for you because of what the true Jesus said keeps many from finding the narrow gate that leads to heaven--false prophets.

"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." (Matthew 7:15-20)

Jesus warned those who would not heed His warnings with these words:

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you, away from Me, you evildoers!"  (Matthew 7:21-23).

It is you, my friend, who are being deceived by a false, confusing, complicated and even contradictory gospel, a false Jesus and false prophets.  Don't be deceived by those who tell you that you are on the right path and dubiously try to explain away or discount what is obviously contradictory and inexplicable. The manifestly false and contradictory prophecies and immoral life-styles of your founding prophets beg you to ask the hard questions.   Seek the truth no matter the cost.

Why not trust in the plain and precious Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ?  Repent of your false beliefs and simply place your trust in the true Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, who died for your sins and rose again to prove it.  He will freely forgive your sins & give you the gift eternal life as a result! (John 4:10; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9).

In the end, it comes down to whom you will believe—the confusing and contradictory lives and declarations of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young or the promises of our Resurrected Lord and Savior, the Jesus Christ of the Bible.

Jesus proved He could be trusted with your eternal destiny by living the greatest life ever lived and then by doing what no other man has ever done, including the Mormon prophets—predicting His own resurrection and fulfilling it—to the day.

So whom will you believe?

Jesus said your eternal destiny depends on it.

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

To come to the true Jesus,

1. 1.  Do what the Bible plainly and simply says to be saved:  "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31b, see also John 3:16; 5:24; 6:29; 6:45; 14:1-6; Ephesians 2:8-10).
2. 2.  Turn from the false teachings, teachers & prophets of the LDS church, and follow God's Word, the Bible, alone (II Timothy 3:16-17; Matthew 5:17-19; II Peter 3:15-17).
3. 3.  Find a Bible teaching, Christ-centered church family to become a part of so that you can grow in your new-found faith.  (See Hebrews 10:23-25; II Timothy 4:1-5).
4. 4.  Trust God to provide for you as you begin to follow Jesus in accord with Matthew 6:25-34.
5. 5.  Tell a true believer in Christ about your choice and ask Him to help you in your newly-found faith.