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Please note: Deseret News is owned by the Mormon church.

From the article:
...A frequently cited passage in LDS scripture identifies The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth”(...Doctrine and Covenants 1:30). “What does this mean?” asked Elder Tad R. Callister of the church’s Presidency of the Seventy during a devotional for college-age church members Sunday evening....this is THE ONLY CHURCH that has all the truth that has been revealed thus far in this dispensation — THE ONLY CHURCH that has the ordinances necessary for exaltation, and the only church that has the priesthood of God to perform those ordinances with divine validity.”

IoW: All other churches performing "ordinances" ("sacraments" is what some churches also go by) are invalid except the Mormon Church!

Even worse, when this Mormon general authority says the Mormon church is "THE ONLY CHURCH that has the ordinances necessary for exaltation...", he is actually making a claim that only certain Mormons have a gateway to living forever with Heavenly Father!

The "key to the Mormon code" here is understanding how Mormonism defines "exaltation"; yes, Mormons teach a near universal "salvation" of heaven -- but for most, it would be a Heavenly Fatherless "heaven"...

Documentation for Lds definition of "exaltation":

Excerpt from: THE TOP TEN MOST SURPRISING 'MORMON TEACHINGS' ABOUT MORMON HEAVEN and AFTER-LIFE

Posted on FR as a thread in July 2012: THE TOP TEN MOST SURPRISING 'MORMON TEACHINGS' ABOUT MORMON HEAVEN and AFTER-LIFE [Vanity]

What's especially relevant to THIS thread is the 1st, 4th and 5th items I listed in the chart at the above link...

And the key one is this: Mormonism teaches the ONLY temple Mormons (about 15-20% of all LDS) get to live forever in the presence of Heavenly Father.

If you're forever single, too bad. Even Lds & single! If you're NOT a temple Mormon, too bad.

What Lds don't seem to understand is, if Heavenly Father isn't there -- it isn't heaven!

They somehow think that a Fatherless 'heaven' is heaven!

"Eternal life" is redefined to be an exclusive term that applies to temple Mormons ONLY! "Eternal life" is thus reserved for legalistically abiding Mormons ONLY. "Eternal life" does NOT = ALL living forever with Heavenly Father; 'tis ONLY applies for those who EARN exaltation...and "exaltation" is a Mormon by-word for becoming a god!Hence, to the Mormon, resurrection alone does not = eternal life.

Yes, Mormons believe that just about all people become immortal due to the resurrection. But "eternal life" is ONLY for those who live in the presence of Heavenly Father -- and become "gods" themselves (what Mormons call "exaltation"...To Mormons, "exaltation" and "eternal life" are interchangeable terms...but "eternal life" and heaven-as-a-residence for non-Mormons are not interchangeable terms..."eternal life" is ONLY for Mormons! * ”Eternal life is a term which always means ‘exaltation,’ when used in the Scriptures (John 3:15; Romans 6:23; 1 John 1:2; 2 Nephi 2:28; D&C 5:22; 18:8; 131:5; 138:51; Moses 1:39).” (David R. Ridges, Mormon Beliefs and Doctrines Made Easier, p. 88) Sub-title: “WHAT IS EXALTATION? Exaltation is eternal life, the kind of life that God lives.” (Older 1970s version, p. 289) * ”Exaltation is a synonym for eternal life. Exaltation comes only to those who inherit the highest degree within the celestial kingdom…it consists in the continuation of the family unit throughout eternity; it is the type of life that is lived by our Heavenly Father.” (Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Doctrines and Covenants, 2:85) * “Exaltation is eternal life, the kind of life God lives. He lives in great glory. He is perfect. He possesses all knowledge, and all wisdom. He is the Father of spirit children. He is a creator. We can become like our Heavenly Father. This is exaltation.” (Gospel Principles, 1997, p. 302) * “Eternal life…In fact…means exaltation. He who receives the greatest portion of eternal life becomes a God.” (Milton R. Hunter, an LDS Seventy, The Gospel Through the Ages, p. 11) * ”Exaltation means godhood, creatorship. ‘As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may be” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 53) * “Exaltation is the greatest of all the gifts and attainments possible. It is available only in the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom and is reserved for members of the Church of the Firstborn. This exalted status, called eternal life, is available to be received by a man and a wife. It means not only living in God’s presence, but receiving power to do as God does, including the power to bear children after the resurrection.” (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 2:479 Quote for resurrection alone not = 'eternal life': * “…resurrection alone does not qualify us for eternal life in the presence of God…we need His grace to purify and perfect us ‘after all we can do’ (2 Nephi 25:23).” (Truth to the Faith: A Gospel Reference, Intellectual Reserve, 2004, p. 77)

Mormonism Research Ministry has an interesting well-researched piece entitled The Great Apostasy...

The initial three paragraphs of this piece are as follows:

"Around the world the fame of Christ spreads. Men and women lift their hands to praise the name of Jesus, worshiping him as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Full of the Holy Spirit, they lift him up as their savior, redeemer, and advocate. His gospel is preached, his word is believed, and his death and resurrection are celebrated in the Lord's Supper. Millions are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, trusting in the person and work of Christ for forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and the transformation of their heart. Hundreds of millions of Christians gather to fellowship over the risen Christ."

"Yet Mormonism pats these Christians on the heads and pities them. The 'one true church', Mormonism says, is found nowhere in non-Mormon Christendom. The gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit is found nowhere outside Mormonism. The God of Mormonism recognizes no missionary work, no baptism, and no communion outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as authorized. Despite patronizing us with the uninteresting affirmation that all religion has some truth in it, Mormonism still teaches that God told Joseph Smith:

"I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: 'they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.'" (Joseph Smith—History) Mormonism teaches that Christ's church fell into what has been described as a complete and universal apostasy.

So here we have a Mormon church that claims...:

a. gift of indwelling Holy Spirit to be found NOWHERE outside of Mormonism;
b. It ALONE is the "one living & true church on the face of the earth" (Lds scripture D&C 1:30
c. "...all systems of worship outside of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would be classified as 'the church of the devil'" (See "Watch and Remember": The New Testament and the Great Apostasy [Non-Lds worship 'church of...devil']
d. Marriages performed by priesthood (or ministry) outside of the Mormon church is "presumptuous and blasphemous" (See last book listed here by lds.org: The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. by Edward L. Kimball. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982, page 494)
e. All baptisms and communion/Lord's Supper/Eucharist served outside of the Mormon church is both "presumptuous and blasphemous" (Lds "prophet" Spencer W. Kimball, the man who approved black priesthood in the Mormon church) and "will highly offend God" (Lds "apostle" Orson Pratt, the man who set the chapter-and-verse divisions in the 1879 Book of Mormon still in use today) [See: Last book listed here by lds.org: The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. by Edward L. Kimball. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982, page 494 and Lds "apostle" Orson Pratt's The Seer, page 255, column 2 [Please note, Pratt had such authority in the Mormon church that Pratt's 1879 chapter and verse divisions in the Book of Mormon is what Mormons still use today]
e. No missionary work outside of Mormonism is recognized as divinely authorized
f. No spiritual gifts outside of Mormonism is recognized as divinely given Lds "apostle" Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, pp. 67-68
g. Although the apostle Paul wrote about prophetic gifts to the Corinthians (which is distinct from any official "OFFICE" of prophet as we find in the Old Testament), Mormonism claims no one but their top etchelon speaks prophetically any more as guided by the Holy Spirit. [Ironically, many Mormon apologists and writers have attempted to belittle Christianity for saying God doesn't reveal revelations any more; yet, these very advocates of Mormonism have "bottled up" God from speaking to anyone beyond a few who happen to live in Salt Lake City!]

...The Mormon church has made sure that over these past 62 years its missionaries emphasize a so-called "UNIVERSAL" (complete) apostasy by the Christian church shortly after the apostles died.

Since 1952, the Lds church has sent out about a million missionaries...[Lds has boasted of over a million in its entire history; the largest swath have come in the last 60 years]. They work 70-hour weeks. That's a LOT of "apostasy" mongering...especially given the 80,000 Lds missionaries out & about daily.

And that doesn't include their 24/7 online accusations...
...their books published in who knows how many languages...
...their curricula...
...their published articles...
...their broadcasts...

Snapshot of Joseph Smith’s Slanderous Invectives vs. Christian Sects	Mormon Source [Note: Most of these are Mormon ‘scriptures'. In fact, First three rows below are Lds 'scripture' & therefore cannot be rug-swept any more than a Jew might try to take three commandments off of the very tablets of stone Moses brought down from the mountain]
“...which of all the sects was right… must join NONE of them, for they were ALL WRONG… those professors were ALL CORRUPT…”	Joseph Smith – History vv. 18-19. – Lds "scripture" Pearl of Great Price
...“which of all the sects was right…ALL their CREEDS were an ABOMINATION in his sight…they teach for doctrines the commandments of MEN…”	Joseph Smith – History vv. 18-19. – Lds "scripture" Pearl of Great Price
Mormon church the only ‘Christ-sanctioned’ church on earth: “…the foundation of this [Mormon] church…the ONLY true and living church on the face of the whole earth” [Obvious ‘scorched earth’ implication: All other churches are false and dead]	Lds “scripture” Doctrines & Covenants 1:30
Direct question asked of Joseph Smith: 'Will everybody be damned, but Mormons?" Answer from Lds "prophet" Joseph Smith: 'Yes, and a great portion of them, unless they repent, and work righteousness."	Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 119 [Not “scripture” – but still publicly spoken by the Mormon ‘living prophet’ and published by a later Mormon ‘living prophet,’ Joseph Fielding Smith – via a publisher owned by the Mormon church – Deseret News Press, 1938]
“In 1952…the first official proselyting plan was sent to missionaries throughout the world…It included seven missionary discussions that emphasized…[four topics, one of them being]…THE APOSTASY* and Restoration…”* [This makes it 60 years that Mormon church missionaries, soon to number 85,000, have formally emphasized in its training & door to door saturation a priority in bashing the worldwide Christian church as “apostates” (100% AWOL)]	Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints p. 116, 1996

From the excerpted article:

Christ’s blueprint...is very specific regarding ordinances that are to be performed...particularly baptism. “Once someone crosses the doctrinal bridge and acknowledges that baptism is essential for salvation (which it is), then logically he is led to believe in baptism for the dead — there is no escaping it,” Elder Callister said. “Otherwise, how does one answer the difficult question: What about those who died without the opportunity to be baptized?”...

Tell me, Elder Callister:

How does Mormonism begin to answer all the following NINE difficult questions re: Baptism of the Dead!!!

#1

Do you think pre-Gutenberg printed records will drop out of the sky, or be dug up etched in golden plates in Hill Cumorahs all over the world?

#2

You seriously think that the vast records of people in the Dark Ages and before the Dark Ages, down to their very birth name (required for Lds baptisms), will be found? (If not, then drop this silly idealism of "saving" whoever has ever lived!!! It's a false ideal part of a false hope of a false gospel)

#3

Given that Lds leaders tend to make this magnanimous appeal to "fairness" that ALL will have the opportunity to receive the "Mormon gospel" in the after-life, why don't you talk about the "Mormon fine print here?" (Like, "uh, yeah, it's kind of dependent upon us finding all their birth records & such, doesn't it?...you know B.C...early A.D....dark ages...illiterate people...etc. etc. etc.")

#4

How are Mormons going to be able to baptize people they never knew existed...? (Most people who have ever lived have fallen beyond "recorded history")

#5

Given that the necro-baptism "beast" that needs to be fed includes...
...full names...
...date born; date died...
...where are Mormons going to secure this info for the vast numbers of people who've lived in history?

#6

What % of all the people who have ever lived are even in your data banks?

#7

Hasn't the scandal of baptizing Jewish holocaust victims (and other celebrities) made it even more difficult for Mormons to proxy-baptize non-relatives? (Once the baptism of Jewish holocaust scandals was revealed -- along with other embarrassing celebrities and infamous (Hitler) necro-baptisms -- the Mormon church insisted to its members new "guidelines" that these members were only to proxy-baptize their own relatives...further making it highly improbable that not very many non-Americans and non-Europeans would be necro-baptized)

#8

Lds apologist Daniel C. Peterson appealed to "fairness" in this article: Defending the Faith: What about those who have never heard? [How Lds promote baptism of dead]. Yet, as we can see here, the Mormon church has a terrible "logistical" issue here that Mr. Peterson didn't bring up over that lunch with a Protestant clergyman and his wife: Lds are 1.7% of the U.S. population...but that includes inactive "jack" Mormons still on the books. And worldwide, that % shrinks to morsel level...especially when you consider the Muslim world, the Communist world, the African world, and the Asian world. So...imagine you're part of a group that has less than 10 million active members worldwide...and only a few million that claim active access to your inner sanctum temple. And then, I as your "prophet" tell you that you only have to come up with the names and birth and death records of the billions of people who've ever lived...including pre-Gutenberg times (pre-1456). Tell us, Mr. Peterson: How "fair" is that to all those who left no trace of their existence? (What? Does the Mormon god favor only the literate? What? Does the Mormon god favor primarily those who lived in literate areas beyond Gutenberg times? Or does the Mormon god favor only the church members of the 17th & 18th & 19th centuries for which the Lds church is more likely to glean records than most public sources?)

#9

Why did Lds apologist Daniel Peterson -- and the formal Lds church -- accuse the Christian God in the article linked in question #8 of being "unjust"? To cite Peterson: "Our conversation...turned to the ultimate fate of the unevangelized...To make the question specific, I proposed the hypothetical case of a medieval Chinese peasant who...had never traveled more than perhaps 20 miles from his home and who had never so much as encountered the name of Jesus. 'He’s damned,' the clergyman said...I responded that such a fate seemed terribly unjust, since this Chinese peasant had never had a fair chance — actually, he’d had no chance at all — to hear the gospel...."

Note: In place of what Christians believe about those outside of Christ, Peterson offered the supposed Mormon view -- Baptism of the dead -- which allegedly offers "a fair chance" for such a "medieval Chinese peasant". Peterson ended his commentary by claiming that the Mormon belief "in the vicarious redemption of the dead" is somehow "a fair and solid solution to" this "problem."

First of all, what is Peterson the Mormon apologist presuming about this "medieval Chinese peasant" -- from a Mormon baptism of dead perspective, anyway?

Well, Lds don't baptize nameless phantoms of the past en masse. No, that's what their massive genealogical enterprise is all about: Capturing govt records; capturing church history rosters; capturing names & dates off of tombstones.

So Peterson makes up this spotlight about some medieval Chinese peasant. Yet how many birthnames & birth-death dates does the Mormon church really have about medieval Chinese peasants -- many/most of whom were likely either illiterate or highly illiterate???

Several years ago on a thread, one FREEPER pointed out that: "Very few of the humans who have inhabited this earth were buried in graves - with head stones or plinths" -- so even recovering such names from the pre-Gutenberg era becomes a major challenge for anybody, especially the Mormon genealogical enterprise.

Lds apologist Peterson's problem goes beyond the tombstoneless dead of history. I mean, the Lds church can't even tell you everybody who's alive on the planet now -- even 100 years from now, they won't be able to name even close to all those who lived in the year 2013 on Planet Earth.

Yet, Mormons claim proxy baptism is universal (or will be).

Have Mormons bothered to ever do the math?

Let's go with a young earth math theory for the moment -- that the earth is only 6,000 years old.
#1 A few experts have concluded that if this is the case, we may have had still 30-60 billion people who have ever lived on the earth.
#2, Now, if the Earth suffers few major catastrophes over the next almost 1,000 years, how many people could the earth have by the year 3,000? (One estimate from WikiAnswers suggests 80-110 billion).
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_people_will_there_be_in_the_year_3000
#3 Now, toss in perhaps another 400-450 billion people who will have lived and died in the year 2000, 2100, 2200, etc. before the year 3,000 comes upon us.

My point? By the year 3000 Mormons may have to smoke their computer genealogical war machine room to accommodate 500-600 billion plus people who lived from 4,000 B.C. to 3,000 A.D.

Now, since Lds believe that such baptisms aren't done other than by proxy, please, Mr. Peterson, provide for us a "mathematical breakdown" of how this is supposedly "fair."

For example, tell us: How many proxy baptisms will the average Mormon teen-ager have to perform in the temple over the next 13 generations (keep in mind the exact % of Mormon teens even involved in this process) to crank up the Mormon necro-baptism number to an eventual 500-600 billion?

You see, Mr. Peterson, this is what happens when you let incredulity rule even basic logic. Mormons are "sold" on the "fairness" & "Justness" & "equality" argument that the door is (or eventually will be) "open" to "all."

But when you start asking them to define "all," they slouch away.
By "all," do you mean the pre-Gutenberg billions? (Uh...)
By "all," do you mean the "no records exist" for those who lived in the teen A.D. centuries? (Uh...)
By "all," do you mean the lack of worldwide temples & manpower mandated to even meet the current Lds fastfood Necro baptism machine need? (Never mind that no matter how many volunteers they grind up in their computer appetite clamoring for "More food...More food," it'll never ever catch up)

So, do tell Mr. Peterson of your "math formula" for necro-baptizing the billions and billions and billions of known people ... never even mind the 30-60 billion who have already lived & whom you can't find any extant records for!

Bottom-line: You, see...in Mormonism, Christ as THE Savior gets diluted by sheer ritualism...genealogy...an unhealthy obsession with the dead...and then usurped as THE Savior!

Excerpt from: THE TOP TEN MOST SURPRISING 'MORMON TEACHINGS' ABOUT MORMON HEAVEN and AFTER-LIFE

Snapshot of Joseph Smith’s Slanderous Invectives vs. Christian Sects

Mormon Source

How does Mormonism begin to answer all the following NINE difficult questions re: Baptism of the Dead!!!

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9