From Joseph Smith to Jesus Christ
by Jina Jumper
On the surface, life among the “Latter-Day Saints” in Utah seemed like the Promised Land: warm neighbors, strong community bonds, solid morals, healthy living. But the spiritual reality was much more complex, and eventually this family of six who had practiced the Mormon faith for many years found the situation deeply troubling. Take a look behind the scenes of the LDS with a woman whose parents went searching for answers — and found the Catholic Church.
My father grew up as the oldest of five boys in a California household. When he was small, his little brother died in his mother’s arms while recovering from tonsillectomy and pneumonia. Missionaries from the Mormon church, otherwise known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or LDS), came by to comfort her, saying she could be with her son again. My grief-stricken grandmother leapt at the chance, and they joined the Mormon church. Dad remained an active Mormon throughout high school. He went to Brigham Young University in Utah, dropped out after eighteen months, came home, and started working at a bank, where he met my mother.
My mother was the youngest of three children. Her family attended the Lutheran Church regularly when she was young, but stopped going when she grew older. When she was eighteen years old, my grandfather died of cancer. Mom says she felt strange attending his funeral, not knowing anyone at the church. She recalls: “I knew I did not belong there, and I was yearning for something.”
By both accounts, when Mom and Dad met it was “love at first sight.” In 1964, after a whirlwind courtship, Dad’s Mormon bishop married them. Dad asked Mom to consider taking the Mormon conversion lessons. Eager to please him, she agreed. She found the Mormon religion to be strange and confusing, but the Mormons “spoke similar and familiar Bible words … and they were so loving and friendly.” Wanting to make Dad happy, she accepted the teachings and was baptized.
Life As an Active Mormon
For several years, my parents did not practice their faith. But after I turned six, Mom and Dad started taking us kids to church. Our entire family became active Mormons and a year later, Mom and Dad decided to get “married” in the Mormon temple, with the three children getting “sealed” to them.
Two years later my youngest sister was born and we moved to Utah. We bought a house in a nice small town and settled into the “ideal” Mormon life. We grew up attending services weekly, maintaining various positions within the church, and being a good Mormon family.
There is intense social pressure for every Mormon to fit the mold and conform to expectations, especially in Utah. Looking back, Mom and Dad realize they “were trying to live the religion on the outside. But at the same time, trying to keep a little bit of our individuality in our home with our children.”
The Mormon religion can be broken down into two main areas: lifestyle and theology. The lifestyle offered is one of strong family values, conservative morals, and healthy, wholesome living. The Mormons are masters at promoting this image to the world, and it is attractive to people. The Mormon church offers a complex support and educational structure with a number of social networks; this gives every family member a strong sense of belonging. Mormon doctrine is taught and reinforced at every turn, and once a family becomes entrenched questions are usually suppressed and theological inconsistencies ignored.
Growing Discomfort
As time passed my parents became uncomfortable with what can be termed the coercive aspects of the Mormon family life. Every year each family meets with their bishop to review their contributions of time and money to the church. The Mormon church requires ten percent tithing of all gross earning by everyone (including kid’s allowances). No matter how well we had complied, sitting on the “hot seat” in front of the bishop was embarrassing at best.
More problems emerged. Mom returned to the workforce when my sister entered third grade. Soon she began feeling the strain of work, running the household, and being an involved parent. After much thought and prayer, my parents decided that Mom should cut back on long-held church assignments. Dad, as the family “priesthood” holder, made this request of our bishop, who reluctantly agreed. But later in the week the bishop’s counselors came to our home to tell Mom she had been “called” by God to another leadership position.
Dad was home from work that day, overheard the conversation, and walked into the room, surprising the counselors. After a disagreement, the incident ended with Dad asking them to leave. My parents were upset at what they felt was an attempt to undermine their marriage relationship.
We were uncomfortable with the way the Mormon religion permeates every aspect of life in Utah. Mom recalls that during a business seminar one of the speakers, also a high-level church leader, said, “Read what we tell you to read, do and act as we tell you, and you will be saved. We love you and would never lead you astray.” She had heard this in church, but found it incredible to hear such a statement in a business setting. Other tensions developed as well. I was an “A” student in a public high school with scholarship offers from colleges throughout the country. My school counselor told me not to consider going out of state because chances were high I could lose my “testimony” and leave the Mormon church.
From Discomfort to Disillusionment
By the time I left for college, Mom and Dad felt disillusioned. One day they did something they hadn’t done for years: they had a cup of coffee. Since drinking coffee is against church rules, they wondered, “With this cup of coffee, will we lose our salvation?”
Most people they knew seemed to have lost their sense of self in pursuit of Mormon perfection. Utah reportedly has some of the nation’s highest rates in teen suicide, female depression, spouse abuse, and child abuse. My parents knew something was wrong, but weren’t sure what it was, or where to turn. It seemed they needed a final push.
That push, which proved to be the catalyst for our family’s journey into the Catholic Church, came a few days later. Mom, who worked as a bank manager, was taken hostage in an armed robbery at her bank. As the man held Mom at gunpoint and threatened to kill her, bank employees retrieved money from the vault. The man took the money and fled.
Although Mom escaped unscathed physically, the episode was traumatic for her. She looked for answers in the Mormon faith and saw two psychologists, but still felt an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. “It became clear to me that I had not lived a life good enough in Mormon terms,” says Mom. “If I had died, I knew I would not go to the celestial [highest] kingdom of heaven and never see or be with my family again, ever!” Could this really be God’s plan?
Looking Elsewhere for Answers
Dad was the first to look elsewhere for answers. He initiated conversations with a Lutheran minister, a Greek Orthodox priest, a Catholic priest, and another Protestant pastor. This scared Mom, since Mormonism teaches that it is the only true religion, and that all others are an “abomination.” However, as Dad began seeing a difference between Mormon beliefs and Christian teachings, Mom reluctantly agreed to join him.
They spent time with a pastor who was a knowledgeable apologist and familiar with the twists and turns of Mormonism. They spent hours discussing the Bible and learning about the Holy Trinity, a concept foreign to Mormons. We kids had no idea what they were doing at this point.
Mom and Dad took a long weekend driving across the Nevada desert to northern California and back, calling it their “trek across the desert.” During this trek they did much praying, soul searching, and reading from the Bible and other recommended books.
“It was as if someone opened the floodgates,” says Mom. They felt so many emotions, from amazement at what they were learning to anger for all the lies they had followed. In comparing the teachings of God to the Mormon scriptures, they found “glaring errors, omissions, and plain untruths.”
A Family Decision
After this trek my parents held a family conference. Although we were a very close and loving family, my parents were apprehensive about the potential damage to family relationships. All my teenage siblings’ friends, schoolmates, and social activities centered on the Mormon church.
Mom and Dad were concerned that if my siblings followed them out of Mormonism their lives would become very difficult. Yet they were even more fearful that if any of their children remained Mormon, it would split the family. Not knowing what to expect, but feeling their very salvation depended upon it, they met with my siblings while I was away at college in Salt Lake.
My parents were pleasantly surprised to find out that all three children at home were also unhappy with the church, although unsure why. Slowly, each of my siblings opened up, explaining that they were uncomfortable with some church teachings and had been afraid to speak about their feelings. There were stories of terrible nightmares and strange — even frightening — comments made by religion teachers.
That night my family decided to walk their spiritual journey together. They began attending different Protestant churches, but never quite felt at home. They researched the Bible and sought out books and organizations that could help them find the truth, discovering that Mormon theology often ascribes double meanings and very different definitions to common Christian terms. The differences between the Mormon religion and Christianity grew more and more clear.
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Several months later, Mom and Dad finally discussed everything with me. I was skeptical and leery of “anti-Mormon” literature, but I agreed to consider what they were saying because I respected them and because I had met resistance within the church to my own inquisitive nature.
From the start I acknowledged two things. First, the Mormon mantra — “If you pray about it, and your spirit is ready, you’ll know it’s true” — was a self-fulfilling prophecy. Second, I had always been bothered by the teaching that the Bible is incorrect. It was providential that the first book my mother asked me to read was one that objectively compared the Bible to the Book of Mormon, a book that Mormons revere as sacred scripture. Amazed at the vast array of inconsistencies in the Book of Mormon, I started my own journey.
One evening I went with my parents to a talk by the late Dr. Walter Martin, a leading Christian authority on cults, whose book Maze of Mormonism demonstrates the theological flaws of Mormonism. With him was a former Satanist whose presentation on the similarities between Satanism, the Masonic Order, and Mormons — which included diagrams of satanic symbols found on Mormon temples — sent shivers down my spine. This information was confirmed by trips to a Mormon temple and to the library.
The Authority of the Bible vs. Mormon Scriptures
Our family’s combined search focused on several points. First, we had to evaluate the authority of the Bible in comparison to the authority of Mormon scriptures. The LDS church recognizes four books as scripture: The Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Bible.
The Pearl of Great Price and Doctrine and Covenants are writings and “visions” of early Mormon leaders. Mormons claim that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. It contains the alleged history of a people who lived on the American continent during Old Testament times who were supposedly visited by the resurrected Jesus.
Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon religion, claimed that God told him where to find the original golden plates inscribed with the text of the Book of Mormon. According to his testimony, he translated them, then lost or reburied them. Mormons claim this book is the pure word of God, but that the Bible has gone through many inaccurate translations — therefore the Book of Mormon is preferred to the Bible. One of the Mormon “Articles of Faith” states: “We believe the Bible to be correct in so far as it is translated correctly.” This leaves the door open for changes in the meanings of biblical words to fit Mormon teachings and practices, something we had witnessed many times.
Mormons also believe that the leader of their church is a living prophet who can change doctrine or scripture at any time to comply with cultural or theological trends. But my family, after coming to understand how the Bible originated and was translated, realized that the Bible is the unchanging word of God and cannot be revised in that way.
Salvation, Heaven, Polytheism, and the Trinity
In the Mormon scheme of things, the doctrines of salvation, heaven, and multiple gods are closely related. Mormons have two definitions of salvation. The first is that salvation is resurrection, made possible by the atonement of Jesus Christ. This means that Christ suffered every human’s sins on the cross and everyone will be resurrected. The second definition of salvation is that by good works, as defined by complete obedience to “all the laws and ordinances of the [Mormon] gospel,” you can attain godhood. Only the very bad people of the world — such as killers, rapists, and any man who has held the Mormon priesthood and rejected it — will be cast into “outer darkness,” the Mormon version of hell.
Everyone else will go to one of three heavenly kingdoms. The lowest kingdom, the telestial, is where most of the world will go. Mormons teach that this kingdom will be just like our earth, except there will be no evil in it.
The highest kingdom, the celestial, is where all good Mormons end up, with the best attaining salvation at the highest degree: the opportunity to become an “exalted” man — that is, a “god” of your own world. As a god, you become “omnipotent” and have your own “spirit children” (including your own sons, just as God had the sons Jesus and Satan).
Lorenzo Snow, an LDS prophet, said in the late 1800s: “As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may become.” The ultimate goal of all Mormons is to be a god in their own right. To support this belief they teach that God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are separate beings. The concept of the Trinity is rejected. Jesus is not, as orthodox Christian doctrine teaches, fully God and fully man. Instead, he is half man, half god. Mormons believe that the god of this earth, an “exalted” man from the planet “Kolob,” had physical sex with Mary to conceive Jesus. They all but ignore Mary’s role, and in a crass stab at humor many refer to her as the “immaculate reception.”
Mormons also claim that Jesus was imperfect. They teach this in their temples in literature that claims Jesus erred on the cross about the thief being with him in paradise. We were surprised to learn that Mormons are really polytheists, believing in many gods. As Mormons we thought we were Christian and had assumed that this core belief in Mormon theology clarified what the rest of the Christian world believes. By studying the teachings of the Bible we discovered that Mormon concepts of salvation, heaven, and God was incorrect.
The Authority of the Church and Priesthood
While active Mormons, we had been told that the Mormon church is the only true church on the face of the earth, that all others are “abominations before God,” and that “the whore of Babylon” is the Catholic Church. These teachings reflect the beliefs of Joseph Smith. Smith claimed that as a boy of fourteen in upstate New York during the early 1800s he had a vision from three personages, two of which were God the Father and Jesus Christ. He said they told him that the church Christ set up had become corrupt after his death and eventually God took it away.
Smith claimed that he was the one chosen to restore that authority and true church to the earth. So he is considered the first “prophet” of the “latter day” Mormon church. It is even taught that he will stand next to Jesus during the final judgment. The various levels of “priesthood” held by Mormon men, starting at age twelve, are supposedly derived from the authority given by God to Smith.
After Smith died, the Mormons established a line of “prophets” in succession from Brigham Young down to their present leader. Each of these men is considered a “Prophet, Seer and Revelator” with ongoing direct communication with God. Although paintings of Jesus is displayed everywhere, Mormon churches actually spend little or no time preaching about him and his teachings. It was apparent to us that the main emphasis of the Mormon church is on Joseph Smith and subsequent prophets rather than on Jesus.
Growing up I remember wanting to learn more about Jesus, but I rarely was given the opportunity. We recognized that instead of being Christ-centered, the Mormon Church is institution-centered.
Temple Ceremonies
My parents, like most good Mormon couples, would occasionally go to the Mormon temple in Salt Lake City. However, they were increasingly uncomfortable with the “highly sacred,” or secret ceremony, that takes place there. Most of the work done in Mormon temples is for the dead — those who have died without having a chance to become Mormon. After a “proxy” earthly baptism they may choose to become Mormon in the afterlife. This is the motivation for the well-known Mormon interest in genealogical research. Mormons believe that every spirit needs to have its “ordinances” — baptism, confirmation, and a temple marriage — performed in an earthly body in order to reach godhood. A common practice (and considered an honor) is for Mormon teenagers such as my siblings and I to perform baptisms for the dead.
Married couples perform marriages for the dead. Missionaries and widows or widowers work in the temple and participate in the temple ceremony. My parents were always disturbed with two aspects of the ceremony. First, they disliked the ritual mocking of a Catholic priest or Protestant minister, portrayed as being paid money by Satan to preach the Bible to the world. Second, the blood oaths in the ceremony were particularly scary. In these they pledged their own deaths, either by disemboweling or having their throats slit, if they revealed any details of the ceremony. To this day you will not find a believing Mormon who will discuss this temple ceremony or even acknowledge its existence.
To my parents’ shock, their research revealed that Joseph Smith had been a high-ranking Mason at the same time he ran the church. Many of the Masonic secret rituals are similar, and in some cases identical, to the Mormon temple “sacred” ceremonies.
Shunned As New Christians
A year later our family decided to be baptized as Christians at the Lutheran church we had been attending. My parents and siblings were enthusiastic. I agreed to be baptized only after Mom pleaded with me. At that point I felt skeptical and spiritually numb. It was difficult to believe in anything once I saw that the belief system I had poured my heart and soul into all my life was false. My mother, however, called it “a glorious day!” She and my dad felt comfortable knowing that they and their children could be saved and together again with Jesus. My mom says she knew then that everything would be all right and that God was in charge.
Our spiritual journey to this point had been conducted quietly. Family friends and neighbors knew only that we were no longer attending the Mormon church. At college I had developed a diverse group of friends; it was uneventful when I quit practicing the Mormon religion. But my family, living in a small town, was fearful of repercussions.
In the LDS community, to be a non-Mormon or a “Jack Mormon” (a Mormon who believes but doesn’t live the lifestyle) is more acceptable than to be an ex-Mormon. Most Mormons cannot fathom that a once-active Mormon could come to disagree with their theology. They assume those who leave the church do so because they want an immoral lifestyle, seeking alcohol, tobacco, or non-marital sex. They are strongly discouraged by church leaders to engage in conversations with ex-Mormons about theological issues.
My long-time Mormon friends quickly changed the subject when I told them I no longer believed in Mormon doctrine. Those I’ve maintained contact with still avoid the issue. The Mormon church preaches free agency, yet there are consequences for adults who question or disagree with church teachings.
“People are told not to question, and why should they?” says my dad. “Since their parents and grandparents believed, they assume it must be right.” We had all heard countless stories, and witnessed a few personally, about church leaders encouraging divorce, ostracism, job discrimination, and other forms of disassociation from those who left the church.
Believe It or Not
Finally, my father, trying to be fair and honest with those priesthood members he been close to for so many years, spoke with the bishop and then the stake president (a regional church leader). He asked specifically about the Trinity, discrepancies between Mormon teaching and Scripture, and temple rituals. Both church leaders told him they could not answer his questions and ultimately stated, “Either you believe it, or you don’t.”
My dad told them it was apparent that the Mormon church believed that Jesus wasn’t smart enough to establish His church on this earth without error and that the Jesus Christ of the Mormon church was not the same Jesus Christ of the Bible. He suggested they read the Book of Galatians, where St. Paul warns about false Christs who teach a false Gospel.
At this point my parents really began to worry. Friends and neighbors were shunning them. Odd things started happening, such as neighbors digging through their trash. Lifelong friends of my siblings quit socializing with them and they were being ostracized at school.
Becoming Catholic
In the spring of 1988, my parents felt God was guiding them to leave Utah for their spiritual, emotional, and financial well-being. They were concerned that one of their children would be pulled back into Mormonism through peer pressure or marriage. One of my sisters had just graduated from high school, my brother was entering his senior year, and my younger sister her sophomore year. Another family conference ensued and my family decided to move away. Although my youngest sister was hesitant she finally agreed. I had just graduated from college and was moving to California. My family quickly sold their home and moved to California as well.
Upon arriving, my family decided to investigate a large Catholic parish that Mom remembered visiting as a child. “I had always been drawn to the peace and spirit present there,” she remembers. They met with the Monsignor, a “wonderful, spiritual, and loving man.” He answered all their questions about the Catholic Church in a way, say my mom, that “spoke to our spirit.”
In their questions my family focused on such issues as the authority of the Church, the Bible, and the Mass. The Catholic Church had more answers than the Protestant churches they had attended. My recognized that all the Protestant denominations had at one point broken off from the Catholic Church. “We knew we had found Jesus’ original church,” says Mom. My brother appreciated that the teachings centered on the Bible and the life of Jesus. My family saw that the Catholic Church really emphasizes living a Christ-like life.
Around this time, I moved away and married my college sweetheart — a non-practicing cradle Catholic. I had no interest in joining any religion at that point. However, my parents and siblings attended the RCIA program and were received into the Church in 1989.
On reflecting back on our spiritual journey, we now realize how incredible it was for our entire family to leave the Mormon church. “Mormonism is a danger because it leads so many good people away from the true Christ,” my mom observes. “Most Mormons don’t really know their religion, nor do they want to know,” says my father sadly, who still has family members that are Mormons. My parent’s careers have taken them back to Utah, where they are practicing the Catholic faith. In fact, they have found that the Catholic population in Utah is growing tremendously.
After the Cynicism Subsided
It took almost ten years for my spiritual numbness and cynicism to subside. A few years ago my husband and I felt moved to make religion a part of our lives. We went through the RCIA with a wonderful priest, were confirmed, and are now raising our children Catholic.
The Catholic Church is so rich in its traditions that I sometimes find it almost overwhelming. But I’ve jumped in with an ever-increasing hunger for knowledge. And I am sometimes surprised, and always pleased, to discover that the more I study, the deeper my faith becomes.
This item 6085 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org
