296 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
296 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
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"CORRECTLY TRANSLATED"
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When we visited Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, we were told
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several things concerning the book of Mormon. We were told by our
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Mormon tour guides...
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'That there was nothing written in the Book of Mormon that would
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contradict with the Holy Bible. We were told that the two books were
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in total agreement with each other. In fact, that the two books
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compliment each other.'
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We also saw engraved on fine stone the 'Articles of Faith'
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that the Mormons believe. Article of Faith, number 8 reads,
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'We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is
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translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the
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Word of God.'
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Upon returning home we began to examine the Book of Mormon with
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the Holy Bible to see if these things were true. Were there no
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contradictions? Is the Mormon doctrine 'correctly translating'
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the Word of God? The answer to these two fundamental questions is
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examined below.
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THE FALL OF MAN
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What we found is that the Book of Mormon and the Holy Bible
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contradict each other starting in chapter 1 of Genesis. We hadn't even
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gotten started and already we found a sinful contradiction in
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the Book of Mormon. For we read in the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 2:18
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and 22-25,
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"Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent who is the
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devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said 'Partake of the
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forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God,
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knowing good and evil...And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed
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he would not fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden.
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And all things which were created must have remained in the same state
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in which they were after they were created; and they must have
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remained forever, and had no end. And they would have had no
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children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence,
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having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they
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knew no sin...Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might
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have joy."
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WHAT THE BOOK OF MORMON IS SAYING
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Mormons and the Book of Mormon are saying,
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1. That man had no choice but to sin if we were to have babies and fill
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the earth with humans. In short, there would be no sex without the
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fall.
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2. That without the fall, man had "no joy".
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3. Without man sinning we could not do any "good" and would not have any
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knowledge on how to grow into the image of God.
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In summary, the book of Mormon is saying Adam fell that he might gain
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a wisdom on how to have babies with joy and to be able to do good.
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WHAT MORMON's SAY
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Upon investigating the theology of the Mormons we find them being in
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agreement with the book of Mormon and the 3 points listed above. They
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state,
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"Adam fell, but he fell in the right direction...toward the goal...he
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fell upward." -Sterling W. Sill, Assistant to the Council of the Twelve
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"It is necessary for man to learn by actual experience the
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difference between good and evil...He must feel the influence and
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power of death before he can appreciate eternal life. He must
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comprehend the effects of sin before he can enjoy the rest
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promised to the faithful..." -The Plan of Salvation
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It is easy to see that Mormons agree with the 3 points listed above.
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THE IMAGE OF GOD
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Not only does the Mormon doctrine teach that Adam and Eve could
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not have physical children before the Fall, (Moses 5:11), but that
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before the Fall we would have no opportunity to become as God, that
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is, to be a God ourselves. We have been told by Mormons that the
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goal of every good Mormon man is to become a God himself, and
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the goal of every good Mormon wife is to become a goddess. Together
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they will rule over their own earth. They will be God to that earth.
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They say Satan was not lying when he said that they "would be like God".
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Indeed, for them to have the opportunity to be a God they must fall
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and then prove their worthiness by obeying the Mormon church. So if
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all goes well they too will not only be in the image of God, they will
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be a God!
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President Spencer W. Kimball has said, "This progress toward
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eternal life is a matter of achieving perfection. Living all
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the commandments (there are over 4300 in Mormonism) guarantees total
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forgiveness of sins and assures one of exaltation through
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that perfection which comes by complying with the formula the Lord
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gave us." It follows then, that if each of you can become a God, then
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God was human like us at one time too. That He too had to obey the
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laws of godhood if He was to be exalted. In fact, one of the favorite
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sayings within the Mormon church is..."As man is, God once was; and as
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God is, man may become."
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The President of the Mormon Mission in England puts it this way:
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"As one of our great prophets and President of the Church has
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indicated, 'As man is, God once was; and as God is, man may become.'
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So you see why the Temple is so important to the LDS; because if he
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is worthy to go into the Temple and there receive the secret
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ordinances and covenants and keep them, he can eventually grow into
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becoming a god himself." -Dr. Harold Goodman
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Because the temptation and fall of man was such a blessing we now
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have the opportunity to become a god if we join the Mormon
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church. Mormon President Spencer W. Kimball whose picture is
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displayed in Salt Lake City Utah said in 1974, "In each of
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us is the potentiality to become a God - pure, holy, true,
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influential, powerful...Man can transform himself...he has in him the
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seeds of Godhood that can grow." To the Mormon, Satan is telling the
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truth when he says, "ye shall be as God." Is all this true? Will the
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Holy Bible support the first teachings of Mormonism? Have they
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"correctly translated the Bible"? Are the Holy Bible and the Book of
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Mormon in agreement? We were told to check it out and so we shall.
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THE HOLY BIBLE
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"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the
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Lord God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God really say, `You
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must not eat from any tree in the garden?' The woman said to the
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serpent, 'We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did
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say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of
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the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die." "You will
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not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 'For God knows
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that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be
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like God, knowing good from evil." -Genesis 3:1-5 NIV
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POINT #1
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Remember point #1 of Mormon teaching? "That man had no choice but to
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sin if we were to have babies and fill the earth." This cannot
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possibly be true! Adam and Eve knew "how" to be fruitful in
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producing babies. For on the 6th day when God made Adam and Eve what
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did he tell them?
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"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created
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him; ...male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to
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them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue
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it...God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was
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evening, and there was morning-the 6th day."
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-Genesis 1:27-31
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No fall of man had taken place yet, and God told them to "Be
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fruitful and increase". Adam and Eve already had the knowledge of
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sexual reproduction otherwise God would be asking the impossible. In
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fact, if you will read all of Genesis 1 you will find that things
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were already reproducing according to their "own kind" right after
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their creation. Let us read in Genesis 1:11,
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"Then God said, 'Let the land produce vegetation: seed-
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bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed
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in it according to their various kinds.' And it was so."
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Already the vegetation and trees are reproducing, for God
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had given such wisdom to plants and trees when He made them saying,
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"seed-bearing"! In addition, when God first created birds and the
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creatures in the sea He said,
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"God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and increase in number
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and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the
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earth." -Genesis 1:21
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Now this all took place on the 4th and 5th days, a full day
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before man and woman were created by God. A full day before Adam and
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Eve the birds and bees were already busy. Yet Mormonism tells
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us that things would have "stayed the same for eternity". That
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is, the same number of things would always be if the fall had not
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taken place. Indeed, man knew how to make babies, the big difference
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was he was naked and intimate, but he felt no shame for his natural
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condition.
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"The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame."
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-Genesis 2:25
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The only thing Satan brought was the twisted perspective that the
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way God had made things was shameful! To sinful man sex is not
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pleasurable unless it is shameful. It is from this shameful desire
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for sex that polygamy and eternal maro and the
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ells adict each other starting in cMptuallu<6C>prehend the effec6Ghat7had not tfudam hable ut wits shameful! To sinful man sex isy". That
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had g the earth with humans. In short, there would be no sex ort, there would be no s and menn howis the
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deaGod.
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In summary, the lit # now e things wa how to make b<>who is theIifference
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was he was nas shameful!pordingd increase ant to t asust not eat fr7ave "staye no sex ort,be ahadx weIit isence
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was he wd intimate, but only be in the image of God, they will
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be a God!
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Procence,
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having no jlem?
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n od from evil." -Genesis 3:1-5 NIV a thLIIIIIII^ight direction...toward the goal...he
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fell upward." -Sterlin5 Tempf man had tld be no sex ort, there would be no s and menn howis the
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OF GO<47> no s fall
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and then prove their worthiness by obeying the Mormon chen;issiong, and there was morningl good and evil...He must feel the influence and
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power l tha
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ear man had Iow to maknying not tmin saying Adam fellom on how to haveSAYING
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Morhe Book of Moreci
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ells adict each other starting in cMptuallu<6C>sistan oal...he
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, and
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the goal of every good Mormon wife is to become a goddesseIifference
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was he was nas shame:1-5 NIV after the big difrth. theIGod first created birds a our great prophets and President of the Church has
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indicam?
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"So God created man in his own i will read saC inPresident of the Church has
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indicam? EIs the MormoA<6F>he 3 points listed above. They
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staDerekas
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indicam? <20>ood and evil...He must feel the influence and
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power l tha
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earon e. He must
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comprehend the effects of sinsinsind theAM<41>d that bear fruit with seed
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orhe Book of Morehemlrmon e
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"I
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earon
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cr
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cr
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cr
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ul and increase". Adam and EvILet us read in Genesis 1:11,
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"Then God said, 'Let the landearon
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cr
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cr
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cCouard." -Sterling W. Sill, Assistanu will find thatI of every good Mormon <20> ut wits shamefnce auDaSterlinwilwheeir own earth. They will
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before the Fall we woulrmons agree with the 3 points
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indicated, 'As man is, God once was; anlrt,be ahadx weIll has sa<73><61>n earth.5make ind tf the Church has
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indicam?
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"So God created man in his own i will read saC inPresident of the Church has
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indica of Mormonism? Have they
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"correctade. He said to the woman, 'Did God re<72>u will
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not surely die," the serpent sThe<68>as God, that
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is, to be a God ourselves. We have been told by Mormons that the
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goal of every good Mormon man is to become a God himself, and
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the goal of every good Mormon wife is to
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c witsrmons that the
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goal of every good Mormo
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goal of every good Mormon man is to become a God himselfhy to go inoly Bible support thereat 7then prove their worthiness bIf every good Mormo
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goal of every good Mormon Have they
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"c God "So God cn eartheir worthinesll
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before the Fall we wo<77>l and increase". Adam and Eve formula the Lord
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gave us." It follows then, that if each of youwouormon President Spencer Wy will
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be a God!
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President SpencerLord
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ge Temple is so important to them and said to<74> 'As manFman, 'Did Gection. Living irrecta the sIof th
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"So God created man in his own i will read saC inPresideh is..."As man is, GoLDS; because if he
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is worthyssu[mple and there receive the secret
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ordinances and covenants manFman00 in Mormonism) guarantees toVecome but he ft not eat fruit from g with the formula the Lord
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gave us." It follows then, that if each of you can become a God, then
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God was human like us at one time too. That He too had to obey the
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laws of godhood if He was trmosihis wr fruit fr, was t God knowsdicam? eroducs wr their LDSs andPsalm 16d t be a God ourse3 be a Go3 we wo<77>ecauseve knew s 2:25
es. Forantees ormol ite; fill Spencermol ite; fduc, 'Did Godd trees whene made themnd irds inomprshible supy tree in t Fond
, 'Didmixsihisheir madetoVein hiJesent AdamttoVecome'NO"r madeegetatnditiNONE! -John 8:4nd td beesmoloe saids wr fattoVaron
dwe now
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h GodwhemonoVerthere recranteesbegint eat g thes i to haveSAr madThe womanVecome bu madeege thfore Jesentint Adees wheVecome bucing wo
m g madeGod
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but not m g witave "stayedon
dwe n! plants anhe
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ltartin toVe e. id Gect irds inomprr
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ALL l LIE ForanteesDOWN TO BASICSoranteesWhem
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plants is..." -Stercasthe
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oand Thnf th
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e thion. L W. miof th
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Morecie ldir whees whduc, 'Diddmust notful man sex hetimatjom thnd thmmefnce au" Thiss, f t-Il rari1ism2-15d tf evyoo. Thawardllces and d Thn, O no sex lrmVarso wife is dawn! too. Thale"? W.asthdo had t wa how t,sex orho
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evenil realace on nerLors! too.gs w plants wr hhow esicret
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asceearto d Thn;ecret
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rat dimis weachng e sam and ErmVoducing,;ecret
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s Evtayachngdy
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staDmou had m
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idembo th
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staDutman d heirswife is samandDmou h tht foret
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asceear
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sam and topswife is clouds;ecret
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t themye ve LIKE
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MOST HIGH (yitaveed-bearing"! I).'Buucs whyssuthe serpdo had t wa gr Th,ad t wa depths knew how ps t
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ells ad, 'Did God.asthdo had t wa depths knehow ps dent oek to havnceeed
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in it "a the Lod tf thpris mefncea seriINT #1
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pi in
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ltary to goill reade s but on!follows readpi in
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come a Gingchris inr
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Adamm."
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aring"! InForanteesollows rearoon
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comw place.cdllcave th was; t witm." Mormo That
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