Dear Praying Friends,
Jude 3-4: Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Christians are called to “make disciples” and among other responsibilities, “contend for the faith”. God has led our Ministry to ‘contend for the faith’ to Mormon Fundamentalists: polygamists. We do this through podcasts, video programs, personal conversations, handouts, social media etc. Sometimes we hear from people who have been following our messages for many, many years, and have just begun to do their own research and discover the Bible IS true and Mormonism is not. This Thanksgiving, we are thankful for every opportunity to share, and are thankful for every seed planted that God gives growth. We also thank YOU...
We thank you for your support and prayers that enable us to continue to bring Biblical truths to polygamists!
MORMON POLYGAMY HISTORY
~ It all began with Joseph Smith ~
From the book, Mormon Portraits by Wilhelm Ritter von Wymetal 1838-1896, SLC: Tribune Printing & Pub
“Mormonism has too long fooled the world, the new and the old. It has too long claimed immunity as a "religion," as an honest religious faith, with the known and long-established facts attending its original fabrication and its appalling development. Is it not indeed puerile for the great Government of the United States to still continue tampering and temporizing with the outrageous fraud as it has hitherto done? You prattle of “polygamy" and refuse to see the constant rebellion and treason; you see a tree and are blind to the forest. … America stands a giant gagged and pinioned with red tape and circumlocution, helpless before that of King John Taylor”.
“But enough of this. I simply transcribe in my book what my witnesses have told me, respectable and respected people, who have been connected with Mormonism for fifty, forty and thirty years. I have not doctored one fact set forth in "Mormon Portraits." Let the Mormon leaders try to prove that I have lied or exaggerated, but do it in a decent manner, gentlemen, if you please. Don't get angry when a man expresses his honestly acquired conviction.” (Pg. 13)
“Stories and reports of the criminal conduct of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and their henchmen, did not rise from nothing, but are found to have had their origin in facts, which can be fully established and proven under the rules of historical investigation and criticism.” (Pg. 16)
“There are two things you would naturally expect from a prophet. First, a belief in some sort of a religion, and then a belief in his own particular shop. Now, Joseph Smith didn't believe in any religion, he had no hopes of a future life, and as to Mormonism, he laughed about it just as you would expect from an impostor who had, as he said himself, "fixed the damned fools," and "wanted to carry out the fun." The only thing the Prophet believed in was astrology. This is a fact generally known to old "Nauvoo Mormons." Wm. Clayton, his chief clerk, used to cast figures and make calculations for him. Brigham Young copied Joseph in this as in many other things.”
(Pg. 19)
Brigham Young said:
“We shall pull the wool over the eyes of the American people and make them swallow Mormonism, polygamy and all.”
- Prophet Brigham Young, July 12, 1875, quoted in E.A. Folk, “Story of Mormonism,” see Abanes, One Nation Under Gods, p. 281
FROM OUR MAILBOX
“Thank you for this, Joseph Smith went against God, thou shall not commit adultery. I appreciate this video regarding polygamy in Mormonism. In Ephesians we are supposed to expose the darkness, Mormonism seems to ignore the New Testament in many things, Mormon-ism is unbiblical." --HV
“Sad really not much of life to try and demean a religion." --BT
“Interesting how all your evidence for proving your case comes from an anti-Mormon source. Try historical best practices of quoting original proven sources and you would have something worth listening to." --WP
RESPONSE: Someone once said that the Mormon church cannot be trusted to be honest with their own history. We find this is true. If we quote from early Mormon history, we get a better view of their doctrine and behavior than contemporary church leaders’ explanations of their early history.
“I noticed men struggle with this more than anything...they have such a false idea of heaven. Also, we don't have one first-hand account of Joseph teaching or practicing polygamy, all decades after his death when Brigham Young and William Clayton re-wrote Joseph history for their own gain. We do however have many first-hand accounts of him denying it, preaching against it. Brigham had to make up loads of fake documents so he could collect women and young girls." --SM
RESPONSE: We have addressed this false idea several times, namely that it was not Joseph Smith who started polygamy, but Brigham Young with the help of William Clayton. Suffice to say that there are too many newspaper articles, court cases, personal diaries and journals and historical accounts as solid evidence that Joseph Smith introduced polygamy into Mormonism, he taught it and practiced it.
MY SHELF GOT SO HEAVY IT FELL WITH A BIG CRASH!
Most people have heard of the ‘Shelf’; it’s a place where unanswered questions and illogical answers are placed until a reasonable answer is found. This happens most often in religions but instead of finding answers the shelf eventually crashes. One person said the problem with the way Mormon church leaders approach discovering truth is that they are hermetically sealed systems of thought that lead to closed minds, incapable of seeing answers beyond the approved ones. This is certainly true both with Mormon and polygamy doctrine.
Many who have left the LDS church or polygamy later say that their shelf got so heavy, it crashed. They could no longer be honest with themselves by remaining in their church, so they left.
Many just threw out the baby with the bathwater – rejecting all religious ideas – while other’s began a journey seeking for truth.
Some went straight for the Bible to learn what it really has to say about Mormon claims.
Some of the “shelf” items we have heard people discuss are:
1. The identity of God.
2. Not understanding why Joseph Smith's bible is so different from the Bible concerning the identity of God.
3. Who was the first God? How did He come to be God? Who designed the first God or first human?
4. Not sure why Joseph failed to recognize the Kinderhook plates were false.
5. Believing we are no position to criticize Joseph Smith, or question his character. There must be a good reason for his behavior we just don't know it.
6. The Trinity—just too confusing to understand or accept.
7. No DNA evidences for claims of Native American people being Jewish.
8. If the Christian view of judgment is true rather than the Mormon one (where almost everyone is universally saved in a kingdom), how can God be okay with so many people
living and dying without the Word and going to hell - it doesn't seem fair.
We will address these in future newsletters.
TERMINOLOGY DIFFERENCES:
GOD / The GODHEAD
Mormonism:
GOD: One of the countless gods in existence. God is an exalt-ed man who’s name is Elohim. He became a god by following the laws and ordinances of his god on another world, he has a body of flesh and bones.
GODHEAD: An office held by three separate Gods, Father. Son and Holy Spirit. D&C 130:22-23
BIBLE: There is only one God who had no beginning. (Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 44:6,8).
The Godhead is not an “office”. Three persons are one GOD. A Trinity. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
THEY SAID THAT?
“I want to prophecy that all men and women who oppose the revelation which God has given in relation to polygamy will find themselves in darkness; the Spirit of God will withdraw from them from the very moment of their opposition to that principle, until they will finally go down to hell and be damned, if they do not repent… Now, if you want to get into darkness, brethren and sisters, begin to oppose this revelation.”
Orson Pratt, October 7, 1874, Journal of Discourses 17:225
POLYGAMY IN THE NEWS:
Update on the Samuel Bateman Trial
Self-proclaimed FLDS prophet was arrested on charges of transporting minors across state lines, sexual assault of minor children and other crimes. On October 3rd, two Bistline brothers who were involved with Bateman's sex schemes, were found guilty of aiding and participating in Bateman’s polygamous child sex abuse ring for three years across multiple states.
"Bateman regularly raped his ten child brides, two of whom were as young as nine when he married them and ten when he raped them, in the name of spiritual atonement. Bistline Jr. watched, sometimes on a video call and at least one time in person, as Bateman had sex with children, evidence throughout nearly three weeks of trial revealed.
The jury found him guilty of eight total charges, including transporting a minor for sexual activity and receipt of child porn." https://www.tucsonsentinel.com
Prosecutors said Torrance Bistline gave large financial gifts including luxury vehicles to Bateman to promote his religious mission, and raped by sodomy a 13-year-old bride of Bateman's in one of his "atonement" ceremonies.
"Torrance Bistline also destroyed evidence by deleting messages after Bateman was arrested in a traffic stop in late August 2022. He was convicted of six counts including using interstate commerce to entice a minor and obstruction of justice. The jury took less than two hours to reach a verdict."
https://www.tucsonsentinel.com
Samuel Bateman pleaded guilty and admitted to regular sex with his child brides, he is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 28th. The Bistline brothers will be sentenced in December 2024.
Praises and Prayer Requests:
There are several people we have been asking prayer for who are beginning to question their Mormon and Fundamentalist beliefs. Please continue to pray for them.
Also, please add these to your prayers:
• Please pray for “L”. We helped her escape from the FLDS several years ago. She married and started a family, now finds that her husband has been unfaithful.
• Please pray for “MG” - she left the polygamy group several years ago and rejected Biblical Christianity. She has recently been in touch again, pray for her eyes to be opened to Jesus.
NTERNET BROADCAST:
ALL of our programs (past and present) are available for viewing online directly from our website, (www.whatloveisthis.tv) or they may be viewed on your TV via a Roku device (If you have a Roku account, you can add Polygamy What Love Is This to your channel list at this link). Other Internet-to-television devices (Chromecast, many wi-fi-ready Blu-Ray players and gaming consoles) may also stream our programs directly to your TV from our YouTube or Vimeo channels.
Donor Options:
General Donations to A Shield and Refuge:
For other donation options, or to contribute to specific needs, visit: www.shieldandrefuge.org/support
If you would like to support A Shield and Refuge through automatic bank withdrawal, you can download the necessary form at the above link, print it out, fill it in, and either fax or mail it to us per the instructions on the sheet.
Checks can be made out to:
A Shield and Refuge Ministry
and mailed to:
PO Box 651292
Salt Lake City, UT 84165
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us!
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