I would suggest you talk to them about leaving. They are very nice people. But they are very nice people who have been deceived. And you don't need to join them in that.
You might ask them about this...Mormons (LDS) believe Jesus is the spirit-brother of Satan, as are we all! Mormons confuse the description of Jesus as the ?only-begotten? Son to mean, ?first-created? son. Fact is, Jesus is never spoken of as being **created**. And no other ?son? of God (us, or Satan) is ever spoken of as being the ?only-begotten? of the Father, except Jesus. Calling Jesus the **first-created** son of God is a blasphemous denial of the Savior?s deity and His atoning, substitutionsRyacrifice for your sins(even though Mormons claim to ?believe in Jesus?).
How interesting ~ this mistake is similar to that of Jehovah?s Witnesses and Muslims! If Jesus is just a spirit-sibling or just another created being, then His sufferings on the cross were useless, unnecessary and you can satisfy the Father?s justice (pay, or atone) for your own sins through your good deeds. ~ Except ~ ?It doesn?t work that way.? ~ You can?t.
Our sins, contrary to the beliefs of false religions, are not only against Man, but against our Creator. Even if you make restitution to every person you offend in life, that?s good, but your offences are **also against your Creator** not only against other people. All your restitution, human goodness or religious obedience will never absolve **even one offence** against the infinite, eternal, just Creator! You need a bigger sacrifice, a bigger payment -- much bigger -- than your lifetime could ever produce. Only Your Creator could provide a sacrifice that big ~ which made it necessary for the Creator to **beget Another** who (like an earthly father & son) would share His **same nature & substance**. Only that begotten Son, fully God the Son, could provide the big enough payment to satisfy the infinite, eternal, perfectly just demands of your Creator - your Father in Heaven.
No earthly judge would accept an innocent person to suffer for a guilty person ? no earthly judge would ? but your Father in Heaven offered and is willing to accept Jesus? sufferings for the punishment your sins deserve; you would be very foolish to refuse, even if a sacrifice like that doesn?t seem to ?make sense?! You were created in love to respond to the love your Father in Heaven proved He has for you; but love also demands justice. Your Father in Heaven is merciful and loving; but also just; perfectly, absolutely just. In an astonishing act of grace (undeserved favor) He provided the way for your offences against Him to be removed, when you confess your sins to Him and ask His forgiveness; He will! Then turn from them proving your repentance is real. Trust that His Son Jesus provided the only payment big enough for your sins against took the punishment your sins deserved, on His cross (aka ?believing in Jesus?). I have done this; so can you.
How about THEIR "heavenly father" (they always start with, "Can we tell you what OUR heavenly father has in store for you") -- that's important because THEIR "heavenly father" IS NOT THE GOD OF THE BIBLE. Their "heavenly father" was once the man Adam who worked his way up to godhood ("as man is, god was; as god is, man may become" -- Brigham Young).
How about where Jesus was born? Alma 7:10 says Jesus was born in Jerusalem but the prophecy of the Old Testament and the accounts of Jesus' birth in the New Testament all say He was born in BETHLEHEM.
How about Joseph Smith's failed prophecies (such as how, in 1835, he declared that "the coming of the Lord is nigh, even 56 years should wind up the scene," which means the world was supposed to end in 1891)?
If you are a Christian you need to cancel the meeting. Scripture tells you to not talk to false teachers, "do not take them into your house or bid them 'godspeed,' if you do you participate in their evil." (2 John verses 10-11)
More importantly, what do you expect out of THEM? Are you involved with their church already? Are you a seeker, just curious? They will give you everything you expect. Missionaries are well taught on how to read people, sizing up their weak spots, stubborn areas, suspicions, and especially spiritual lows (just lost a job or loved one, life isn't treating you right). Don't be surprised if you reveal something of this nature even in passing and they pounce on it with gusto, stroking your ego and feelings toward more involvement with their CHURCH, not Jesus Christ. "Their" church helps people more. "Their" church makes people feel good/hopeful/safe/honorable/loved more, etc. <<Jaw cracking yawn>>> No. Only GOD can cause a person to enjoy those fruits, truly enjoy and find contentment in them. God. Anywhere. Any time. He is not fettered by ANYTHING.
They will talk about anything you want to talk about, or whatever they want to draw you into talking about. Most often missionaries present a short history of their book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, and how their church loves everyone, how their church is the only ones who act like Christians should, how their church does this, how their church does that, how their church.... ad museum. (Picture the kid in grade school that constantly bragged about what he had--and you didn't.) They will attempt to make you feel empty, then offer you loving words and actions.
Ask them the plan of salvation, a critically important piece of information (even if you have to look it up on the Internet using crib notes). If they are truly concerned for the state of your soul, then they will share this with you. I've never known a missionary to EVER share the true gospel of Jesus Christ and not sway the conversation repeatedly back to Joseph Smith/LDS/BOM. That person they are talking to could die that night without Jesus, and they would be to blame for not bothering to share the Good News that Jesus Himself told others to spread. Missionary means sharer of Good News. Not push a "LDS Church Glossy Brochure". Why? Because they don't know the true Gospel message themselves. No, the Gospel is not "milk before meat", as they may reply. The Gospel is the ENTIRE ESSENCE of the Christian faith. THE ONLY ESSENTIAL.
The Gospel is not the book of Mormon. The Gospel is not Joseph Smith, their prophet. The Gospel is not membership in the LDS church. The Gospel is Salvation on the Cross of your soul through the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ as Lord of your life no matter who or where you are in life. God loves you, and yearns to help you live life victoriously in HIM. Always remember that it was Jesus Christ who died on that cross, who shed His blood for all, never Joseph Smith. Jesus is central to Christianity, no one else. Ever.
Good gosh these anti-'s get worse all the time, especially C. I was born into the Lord's church so I wouldn't really know but from what I've seen and heard from converts they'll talk about the First Vision, how Christ is the Son of God, baptism, & things of that nature. Don't pay attention to the anti-'s. Email me if you want & if you have any more questions about the church feel free to ask me.
marvel.master@yahoo.com
"How about Joseph Smith's failed prophecies"
I wouldn't use that if I were people. Need I remind them there were prophecies made by prophets in the Old Testament that didn't happen? Prophets are human & make mistakes, they're not perfect. They're OF God, not actually God. If you remember, Jonah was very angry with God for disallowing a prophecy, revealed to Jonah which Jonah taught to the people, to happen. Ezekiel said as a prophecy Babylon would get the riches of Tyre yet Babylon got none. Instead, God gave Babylon the land of Egypt. At one time Christ Himself said a group of people would walk alongside Him yet those very people turned wicked instead. Now do people see the danger of saying someone isn't of God because a prophecy doesn't happen?
They advise you strongly to read the Book of Mormon, want to make you believe they have a better faith derived from what God would have told Joseph Smith (who asked for what church he could attend when an angle suddenly appeared) and that there were true witnesses who saw him have the golden book. Then they propose that you pray over it until you know in your heart that this is true.
I advise you to read both: 1 Timothy 4 and the page http://www.deism.com/mormontodeism.htm
They will refuse hot drinks and will say that is is terrible to burn both mouth and throat. Their prophet strongly advised not to take alcoholics, tobacco and peppered foods but they understood "hot drinks" (meals being drenched in peppers) for high temperature.
The Jesus in the Book of Mormon is clearly not Jesus from the bible and will not get you saved by thanking him. They do not mind and hold on to what they were promised and that is pretty much. Good luck.
Here's a list of things they won't want to talk about, and probably don't understand themselves.
They will try to get you to read the Book of Mormon, because it doesn't contain much information about the current church.
http://www.exmormon.org/tract2.htm
They will attempt to make a fast emotional connection. They'll want to do favors for you so you feel indebted to them and will listen better. They'll try to get you to make small promises so you feel guiltier if you just blow them off. They'll be super nice, because that will encourage you to be so nice that you don't even tell them what you really think.
Watch out, you are about to get a carefully crafted and practiced sales pitch that has been honed over the last 170 years to snare the vulnerable, the careless, and those afraid to simply say 'no thanks'.
I am having my first meeting with Mormon missionaries in a few days. What should I ex
