Their growth has continued steadily upward here in the US, and experiencing phenomenal growth in 3^rd world and non English speaking countries. In the Philippines membership has gone from 43,000 to 280,000 in Mexico 248,000 to 670,000in Brazil it went from 99,000 to 400,000. (Elkinton manager of management information center, Beehive newspaper, may 1993 p.3)

Their estimates are 12 million members by the year 2,000 35 million by 2020 and 157 million by middle of the next century (the Beehive Newspaper). I would think they could reach these numbers by their own family’s alone . Remember it is requirement to have as many children as possible for the celestial kingdom.

Someone joins this church every minute and 55 seconds. Who sat down to calculate those figures ? (Larry Elkinton Beehive Newspaper, May 1993)

Believe it or not half the new converts are from Christian denominations, 100,000 from Baptists each year, next in line are Catholic’s , then Presbyterians, very few Jewish people enter for good reason, the pluralistic teaching of God. The Church’s major audience is not to unbelievers but among Christian believers. They come to remove the ungrounded, those who are nominal or new.

Maybe you have noticed their change of advertisements on TV, Instead of putting the book of Mormon next to the bible as another testament , they now just advertise the Bible so they can come to your house as being representatives of Christianity. Recently the LDS Church has carried its bait and switch campaign to new heights. The New television ads offer listeners a free copy of a King James Bible. This too will be hand-delivered simply by calling a toll-free number.

When the missionaries come to your door they don’t tell people about their real view of the bible that its corrupted.

What they also don’t tell people is what the Mormon leaders and the Mormon Scriptures actually say ? And for good reason, most who read the bible would throw them right out. You see they want to be accepted today as Christians without adhering to any Christian doctrine. Instead they want to replace it all with new revelation from their modern prophets.

In its general public statements about the Bible today The Mormon Church cites its own Articles of Faith, found in its Scripture, the Pearl of Great Price. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly;... (Articles of Faith, #8). When it comes down to it, the Bible is never translated right. If there is a choice between what their book says and Gods Holy word, there's not much guesswork which will be chosen.

The Mormons most reliable way to measure the accuracy of any biblical passage is not by comparing different texts, but by comparison with the Book of Mormon and modern-day revelations.  (Church News, June 20, 1992, page 3, a letter from the First Presidency (Presidents Benson, Hinckley, and Monson) dated May 22, 1992, to all members of the Church)

So instead of using the Bible to appraise Mormonism they reverse this and use Mormonism (the Book of Mormon) to judge the Bible. When speaking honestly, Mormon leaders view the Book of Mormon as more reliable than the Bible because of its inferiority.

"Unlike the Bible, which passed through generations of copyists, translators, and corrupt religionists who tampered with the text, the Book of Mormon came from writer to reader in just one inspired step of translation. ("The Keystone of Our Religion", Ensign, by President Ezra Taft Benson, January 1992, page 5).

I [Joseph Smith] believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.327) Mr. Smith wrote his own translation to correct the errors not by looking at the manuscripts but by his own subjective leading which he thought was God.

     The Book of Mormon itself claims important parts of the Bible have been removed such as the gospel. That it was needed to restore the full and true gospel.

...It was after a conference in Amherst, Ohio, February 16, 1832, that Joseph said it was apparent to him, "from sundry revelations which had been received, "that "many important points touching the salvation of man had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled." (Preface to D&C 76.)   

But if the Book of Mormon is the fullness of the gospel as claimed then why are there so many other essential doctrines for salvation found outside it , in their other books?

"...the God whom the 'Christians' worship is a being of their own creation..." (Apostle Charles W. Penrose, JD 23:243)

How anyone can say these things and publish them with a straight face is beyond me. The pagan concept is multiple Gods exactly what they believe, also they have in their writings that Adam was God and God was once a man who progressed to be God and that is the God they worship, that is worshipping a god of their own creation, god made in the image of man, a creature who is not God at all.

When a Mormon speaks about the Gospel it is not the Christian Gospel but the restored one of Joseph Smith, you can join the Mormon church and not believe Jesus is the Son of God but you cannot join unless you accept Joseph Smith as a prophet of God. "If we ask who will stand at the head of the resurrection in this last dispensation, the answer is-Joseph Smith, junior, the prophet of God. He is the man who will be resurrected and receive the keys of the resurrection, and he will seal this authority upon others, they will hunt up their friends and resurrect them." (Discourses of Brigham Young p.116)

[Joseph Smith speaking] I have more to boast of than any man ever had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet. (HOTC, vol.6, p.78. Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Volume 6, Page 408-409)

"If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation, There is no salvation outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." (Bruce R. McConkie Mormon doctrine p.670)

"If we get our salvation, we shall have to pass by him, if we enter our glory, it will be through the authority he has received. We cannot get around him. (Pres. George Q. Cannon 1988 Melchezedik Priesthood Guide p.142)

I have read the Bible a number of times and have not found Mr. Smiths name in it.

"….and he that confesseth not that Jesus has come in the flesh and sent Joseph Smith with the fullness of the Gospel to this generation, is not of God, but is anti Christ." (J & D vol.9 p.312) Here they change the Bibles words and definition of 1 Jn.4:1, this is blatant and intentional.

God so loved, that he made provision for a 2^nd chance and all will receive that opportunity.

Elder and apostle of The Church Bruce R. McConkie, called the doctrine of salvation by grace without works, "the second greatest heresy" of Christianity during Brigham Young University's opening devotional Tuesday. The first great heresy, he said, pertains to the nature of God, the doctrine of the trinity. (Staff Report, The Herald, Provo Utah, 1/12/1984)

The nature of God in Christianity and the persons involved also have to do with salvation.

For salvation, the Mormon church has always upheld mans own obedience merits him right standing with God, whoever that god is, I still haven’t figured out which one (since Brigham young said it was Adam). The Gospel of Mormonism is "faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands, morality, loyalty, tithing, word of wisdom, duty, celestial marriage (Articles of faith)

They try to sound Christian to replace what has been here for 2,000 years they consistently attack Christianity but are repulsed when we defend ourselves by showing them their own quotes. "What does the Christian world know about God? Nothing...Why so far as the things of God are concerned, they are the veriest fools; they know neither God nor the things of God." (John Taylor, JD 13:225)

Or when we are called by them"...the great apostate church as the anti-Christ...This great antichrist...is the church of the devil." (Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine p.40)

"After the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized, there were only two churches upon the earth. They were known respectively as the Church of the Lamb of God and Babylon. The various organizations which are called churches throughout Christendom, though differing in their creeds and organizations, have one common origin. They belong to Babylon." (George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truth, p.324)

James Talmage, who many considered Mormonism's greatest theologian, explained Jesus' atoning work on the cross. Talmage wrote, "We believe that through the sufferings, death and atonement of Jesus Christ all mankind, without one exception, are to be completely and fully redeemed... [of] Adam's transgression..." (Articles of Faith, p. 477).

Thus, the atonement and death of Jesus on the cross actually only forgives mankind of Adam's original sin. How then is man forgiven of his own personal sin? In the Improvement Era, an official periodical of the LDS Church, Joseph Fielding Smith, tenth prophet, explained the solution. "Our Eternal Father would have every soul saved if that were feasible. Salvation, however, is based on merit and obedience to divine law and therefore is only obtained through compliance with divine commandments" (Nov. 1965, p. 962).

"Men have work to do if they would obtain salvation." Doctrines of salvation vol.3 p.91)

"Individual (salvation) that which man merits through his own acts through life and by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel." (Doctrines of salvation vol.1 p.134)

The forsaking of sin must be a permanent one. True repentance does NOT permit making the same mistake again (Spencer W. Kimball, Repentance Brings Forgiveness, Page 7)

"We also have to forsake the sin and never to repeat it not even in our minds, in order to remain forgiven we must never commit the sin again (Mormon Missionary Discussion F, Uniform systems for teaching families p.35-36)

11 Nephi 25:23 says that in order to be saved you must do all that you can do. Are you doing all that you can do? Have you repeated your sin? The idea of perfection in this life has been proposed by numerous people over the centuries, and while our weakness is not a legitimate excuse for practicing sin in reality no one has the ability not even monks to rid themselves of sin or not repeat it. Doctrines like this operate from pride. As soon as one thinks they have become humble walking in perfect obedience they have pride which is the basis of operation from almost all sins especially false doctrine.

Joseph Fielding Smith Under the sub-heading "Misinterpretation of Texts," Smith discussed Ephesians 2:8-10 in this way: "There are various opinions concerning the virtue and requirements of salvation. Misinterpretation of Paul's words has led to much confusion and rejection of the full gospel plan.

"Failure to comprehend the two-fold purpose of the atonement has caused many to believe that all that is essential for salvation is to confess the name of Jesus Christ." "Those who teach the doctrine of `faith alone' are searching for an `easy road to heaven.' ... Someone has referred to them as Bible Christians - their religion is in the Bible and not very much in themselves," (Religious Truths Defined, 1961 ed., p. 267).

Smith is correct. As Biblical Christians we do put our faith in the teachings of the Bible and not in our own works. But it was not an easy road, because Christ had to suffer through his life and especially on the cross to obtain it for us. They practice a crossless Christianity. And we are to walk in his footsteps by denying self. Mormonism operates on the very opposite basis that all is done so one can obtain the right to be a god on their own planet just as all other gods before them. So they are striving for an illusive butterfly. You can say their prophets over promises and their religion falls way short of its delivery.

What can one say to a Mormon who comes to their door without it taking hours having only one chance to challenge them.

When I’m in a discussion I have them commit to saying they are a Christian. Then I pose a question to them in this manner.

What if I said I was a Mormon and that I can join any church that teaches the bible. I also don’t believe J. Smith was a true prophet or that their are modern day prophets and apostles. I don’t believe Jesus is an angel in the Spirit family of the Devil, nor that God gives new revelation adding to scripture nor that I can progress to be god of my own world

They would answer, then you are not a Mormon

I would then ask why not ? Their reply would be, Because you do not believe what Mormons believe, our priesthood our prophet you don’t believe in eternal progression, or new revelation in scripture!

My reply would then be, This is exactly why you are not a Christian. You don’t believe in one God, the finished revelation written by the true prophets, that Jesus is the one true God and that man is a sinner, in need of redemption never to progress to be God !

We do want Mormons to be included in Christianity but they need to come the same way we all did by a new spiritual birth, not by the laws and ordinances of the church. One is born into the kingdom Jn.1:12 not by working they're way.