Ron Rhodes - Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Mormons

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

Eugene, Oregon 97402

The Scripture quotations in this book are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Cover by the Dugan Design Group, Bloomington, Minnesota

REASONING FROM THE SCRIPTURES WITH THE MORMONS

Copyright 1995 by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

http://www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Rhodes, Ron.

Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Mormons / by Ron Rhodes and Marian Bodine.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN 978-1-56507-328-9 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-3901-0 (eBook)

1. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day SaintsControversial literature. 2. Mormon ChurchControversial literature. 3. Witness bearing (Christianity) 4. Apologetics. I. Bodine, Marian, 1930. II. Title.

BX8645.R48 1995

All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of authors and publishers rights is strictly prohibited.

To Jerry Bodine

Jerry, my friend and colleague, you are truly appreciated! Thanks for your many faithful years of service.

Ron Rhodes

To my husband, Jerry, for all the years you spent in careful research and verification of documentary evidence in the field of Mormonism. Only eternity will reveal the fruit of your labors.

Marian Bodine

We are truly appreciative for the pioneering work Walter Martin did in the field of Mormonism. Though he is no longer with us, he continues to bear fruit in his writings and tapes. We are also appreciative to the leadership and staff of the institute he foundedthe C HRISTIAN R ESEARCH I NSTITUTE . God has blessed this ministry in a marvelous way.

A special thanks goes to Bob Hawkins, Jr., Eileen Mason, Steve Miller, and the entire staff of Harvest House Publishers for getting behind this project. Their commitment means a lot to us.

Last, but by no means least, we want to sincerely thank our families for their sacrificial support during the significant time it took to write this book.

Contents

When I wrote Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Jehovahs Witnesses in 1993, I did not anticipate the tremendous volume of mail the book would generate. Many of those who wrote asked for a similar bookwith the same unique user-friendly formatdealing with the Mormons. That request is now fulfilled with the publication of this book.

I am joined by an able colleague, Marian Bodine, who has many years of experience in witnessing to Mormons. I am thankful for her participation.

It is our collective prayer that God would use this book for His glory and for the extension of His kingdom.

Ron Rhodes, Th.D.

I t used to be that the Mormon church was a small cult

There are presently over four million Mormons in the United States. This represents impressive growth. Indeed, in 1950 there were only one million Mormons in America. (That works out to more than one new Mormon per minute, 24 hours each day.) Today there are close to nine million Mormons worldwide. Such growth is not surprising, since the Mormons now boast of over 50,000 full-time missionaries.

The Incredible Wealth of the Mormon Church

Without a doubt, the Mormon church is one of wealthiest religious bodies in the world. It takes in an estimated $4.7 billion per year, controls at least 100 companies or businesses (including a $300 million-a-year media conglomerate), and has an investment portfolio in excess of $1 billion. Thats a lot of money for a cult to control.

The Arizona Republic also reports that the Mormon churchs business subsidiaries generate an additional $4 billion per year in sales, which, if counted in the total, would make [it] an $8 billion-a-year corporation, comparable with Union Carbide and Borden Products.

Such wealth is a key factor in the steady growth of the church and its penetration of mainstream America. The Mormon church spends an estimated $550 million per year on its missionary efforts.

The Mormon Media Empire

The Mormon church makes as effective use of media as any religious group in the world. Researchers who have studied the Mormons use of media say the church responds to public relations problems as quickly as any image-conscious corporation. It commands a powerful public relations apparatus that smoothly markets Mormonism to the world. Mormon media outlets include television, print ads, radio, and much more.

Television

The New York Times reports that the Mormon church pays for an extensive campaign of television commercials that

What are these commercials like? In one of the new Mormon commercials, an attractive female librarian is pictured saying that of all the great books written by great authors, she prefers to read about the Savior. She then explains that, besides the Bible, theres another testament of Jesus Christthe Book of Mormon.

Another major Mormon commercial portrays Christ as a baby and then continues with His life until the crucifixion. It concludes that after Christs resurrection His ministry continued and it didnt end with the Bibleit ended with the Book of Mormon.

Still another series of Mormon television ads is called Homefront. These commercials show poignant and humorous vignettes of domestic life. Encouraging patience and understanding between parents and children, they end with: A thought from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsThe Mormons.

Many Mormon commercials provide toll-free phone numbers that viewers can call to receive a free copy of the Book of Mormon, which is often hand-delivered by a pair of smiling Mormon missionaries. Of course, people love to call in for free books!

The question is, How effective have these Mormon commercials been? The Mormon Church News reports that the results of the commercials are impressive. Mormon leaders say the commercials make it much easier for church missionaries to accomplish their task in local communities. People seem to be more receptive to the missionaries after having viewed the wholesome, positive commercials.

Ads in Publications

The Mormon church has also purchased advertisements in popular publications such as Readers Digest and TV Guide . These ads typically portray the church as a wholesome, all-American institutionfocusing on their apparently virtuous lifestyles instead of setting forth their cultic doctrines.

Mormon sources report that these ads are bringing significant increases in missionary work. Like their television commercials, Mormon ads in publications offer a free copy of the Book of Mormon.

Radio

The Mormons also make effective use of radio. At any given moment during the day, virtually millions of adults across America are listening to Mormon-owned radio stations.