"Special Witnesses"-Written By Ray, an avid Mormon Truth Reader, Listener and Supporter. We'll just Call it Ray #1.Thanks Ray for your contribution!!

I have encouraged all Mormon Truth readers and listeners to send me anything that they have written, that they want published and finally, one of you has taken me up on this. Ray, who is a great regular reader and listener, has sent me these comments regarding "special witnesses" and I think it's an awesome post and very powerful and well deserving of being on my blog for all to read and ponder. I couldn't have expressed these views any better myself and I'm proud to post his words on my blog.

I hope that Ray will become a regular contributor as I know he has a lot to say and express, just like I do. I hope that this will inspire and encourage more of you to send me your thoughts and writings that you want published. We get between 5,000-10,000 hits a month on Mormon Truth, so you will get a good audience and be able to help many people and I will always give you full credit. Take care everyone and enjoy this great post and feel free to leave your comments, as Ray will be sure to respond to everyone and will look forward to what you have to say, as will I.
======================================================

"Special Witnesses"

I come from a family that is TBM as far as I can see. Both sides of the family. My father buys into the whole church thing and just loves a good FPR. (faith promoting rumor) Nothing like a good story to prove, once again, that the church is true. My aunt (my father's sister) is staying with him while serving a service mission somewhere on temple square. Not long ago, she came home with a great story about Henry B. Eyring.

Please keep in mind that I was not personally at this meeting so I do not know all that was said. This is a second hand story so take it as you will. She (my aunt) attended some type of meeting where Henry B. Eyring was the featured speaker. As he began to speak, he talked about the need for the members to practice being more Christ-like. A courteous driver is Christ-like. Then he adds this little comment: "This isn't what I was going to speak about but I feel impressed to say this. I don't know where this is coming from."

Is it just me or does that phrase just rub you the wrong way? Are Apostles required to take a humility class where they learn how to be humble and at the same time hint about how inspired they are? They are all very good at it.

"I don't know where this is coming from." What the hell? Of course, he is hinting that he is receiving revelation right there on the spot, in a humble way, of course. The next part of the story really gets me. He even had tears in his eyes! Wow! What an act! Are Apostles also required to take acting classes where they learn how to produce tears on demand? Of course, TBM father and aunt buy into the whole story with complete conviction that it's all 100% true. It never even occurs to them that the guy is putting on a great show.

I know this has been said before, but I need to say it again. What exactly are these guys a "special witness" of? If they are a witness, how come they are not allowed to tell it? Of course, they all hint that they have personally seen Jesus Christ, but they can't actually say it. So here, I see a problem. If Joseph Smith claimed to see God and did so very openly (that's what they teach although we ex-mo's know that he never did), why can't they do the same? Why is it too sacred for them to say it but not Joseph Smith? Isn't he (Joseph Smith) the ultimate example of truth and right? Why then, won't they follow his example?

Why do church leaders hate being asked if they have seen God? Before I left the church, I was afraid to ask this very important question. I remember hearing stories of people asking this question and the person who asked was publicly rebuked for having no faith. Sorry, but I don't remember specific examples. Apostles won't admit to having seen God, but they won't deny it either.

Is this because they haven't seen, but can't let the faithful members know this? Having such an open ended answer is very convenient. They are not actually lying about it since they have never actually claimed it! How convenient. And yet they ask (or rather demand) for complete obedience to them. Why should I follow a "special witness" who will neither admit nor deny this very fundamental question? "Have you seen God?" In essence, they basically answer by saying, "Duh! Isn't it obvious?"

Even President Hinckley, when asked by a reporter if he is really a prophet, gives the same open-ended answer (and I paraphrase): "That's what every one seems to think. Laugh." And when asked, "Does God talk to you?" he replies (and I paraphrase again): "Yes, I talk to Him by praying." Well sorry, buddy, but that doesn't answer the question. You were asked if he talks to you, not if you talk to him. They all dance around and avoid the question. Why? I'll speculate on that for a moment.

Perhaps they know they are deceiving the people but are justified (as I hinted before) by not actually claiming to it. If it is later proven that they don't see God, they can state that they never actually claimed it. If it is later proven that they do see God, they can state, "See? I told you I was a special witness!" Once again, a perfect example of why the open-ended answer is so convenient: it leaves them guiltless and right either way.

Perhaps, they really have seen God and have had great things revealed to them that man-kind is not ready to receive. In being fair in our criticism of the church, we have to accept this as a possibility, however unlikely it may be. After all, we expect the TBM's to accept the church not being true as a possibility. But my rebuttal to this possibility is, if man-kind is not ready to receive it, why doesn't God reveal it to future Apostles in the time when the world is ready? After all, aren't the revelations of God supposed to be for the benefit of man-kind? So, if it doesn't apply to man-kind, why bother to reveal it?

Joseph Smith taught that the gospel can never change. So does this discredit "revelations" that change doctrine? How can one special witness claim it can never change, and then another special witness can claim that it can? Is it apostasy or revelation? Are these two witnesses getting their inspiration from the same source? It depends, the way I see it. If it outright changes an established doctrine, then it is apostasy. If it adds to a doctrine and expounds further upon it, then I could accept it as a revelation. That is a very fair statement and I believe that even most TBM's would agree with it.

So what about Joseph Smith teaching in the Fifth Lecture on Faith that "the Father [is] a personage of spirit"? Is it a doctrinal change when that statement is removed from the D&C and is replaced with "God has a body of flesh and bones"? It certainly appears so to me. One of these "special witnesses" is wrong. One (and I'm not suggesting which because it could be either) has received a revelation that contradicts the other. If they both have their revelation from a true source, why do they contradict each other? Why did the doctrine change? This very question bothered Book of Mormon witness David Whitmer so much that he left the church because of it.

He later wrote:

"Is it possible that the minds of men can be so blinded as to believe that God would give these revelations...and then afterwards command them to change and add to them some words which change the meaning entirely? Is it possible that a man who pretends to any spirituality would believe that God would work in any such manner?" (An Address to All Believers in Christ, 1887)

Let the TBM answer this question: is this apostasy or continuing revelation? (They won't answer it though; they'll just dance around the question like their leaders do (because they know the answer and don't want to admit it)). In this case, it is obvious that the doctrine has changed, not been expounded upon. If it was expounded upon, the Lectures on Faith would have been left in the current version of the D&C. But they have been removed and the church conveniently never talks about it.

In fact they claim that the church has always taught that God has a body. This is obviously changing doctrine and is proof that the church itself is apostatizing. Since this is the case, the leaders can't possibly be inspired, at least not by God because apostasy is of the devil. Whew!

As a member of the church for many years myself, I never once, ever heard that the church's official doctrine, for 86 years (from 1835 to 1921), was that God is a spirit! The church claims that they do not hide anything, and that may be true (I say "may" but strongly disagree with it), but they certainly make no effort to inform the members of the things they don't want remembered.

The leaders know this is faith destroying and makes them look foolish, so they give their best effort to make sure no one knows about it. How? By dictating approved reading and studying materials. By warning members to avoid reading too deep into church history. By teaching that anti-Mormons are full of satan and can only lie to you. And lastly, by teaching that your "testimony" is more proof of the church than you will ever need.

I heard many times, "A witness of the Holy Ghost leaves a more lasting impression on the soul than an actual eye-witness". In other words, facts don't matter if they contradict the Holy Ghost. This looks to me like not only hiding the truth, but also brainwashing the members.

Okay, maybe I am starting to run in circles, but I will make my point, which I believe is very powerful. If it is necessary for church leaders to hide and suppress damaging information about the church, doesn't that tell you right there that they know it's not true? So why do they continue to promote it? Money and power. What else could it be? I mean, they elevate themselves to near God-hood, which is nearly unlimited power. All they have to do is speak and the world obeys without question. Money and power. The very thing which they condemn from the pulpit. Hypocrites! Damn good hypocrites!

We don't have a living prophet; we have a living God (fifteen of them; three in the First Presidency and 12 in the quorum of the twelve)! And they can't lead us astray because whatever they say is God's will (therefore, suggesting, again, that they are God). No wonder they worship Joseph Smith. He is the God of Mormonism. Brigham Young should have taught the Joseph Smith - God theory. Then there would be no need to hide it and denounce it!
=======================================================

All I can say Ray, is AMEN brother!! You nailed it perfectly and I don't need to add anything to what you just thoughtfully, clearly and perfectly explained. I hope that some TBMS will respond to this, especially McKay, who left comments on the last blog entry. I don't know how anyone can argue with his logic, unless they slip into the infamous Cog Dis of Mormonism and cults.

Take care everyone and I sincerely apologize for my lack of posts and podcasts, as I've been very busy with the "summer family get togethers." I appreciate everyone's participation, patience and concern, but I'm fine and you'll be hearing plenty from me very soon. Thanks again Ray for your contributions and for this great post!!

Samuel the Utahnite

Mormon Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, Mocking And Ridiculing Missionaries!! He Was Trying To Be Funny And Impress Mike Wallace. It's Not Funny Pal!!

I came across this video a long time ago, sometime last year, when I first started my journey to the truth and I saved it. I think that this is a very accurate display of what Hinckley and the rest of his cult cronies think about Mormon missionaries. Look at the face of the missionary at the very end...does he look like he is laughing like Hinckley is?!! Also, Mike Wallace is sitting in the front row, as this appears to be part of the 60 minute special where Wallace interviewed Hinckley.

About 2 weeks ago, I put it up on YouTube and it has gotten quite a bit of response. Last week, it was honored as the 43rd most popular video discussed, under the "people" category. I just want to get the word out there of what a cult leader this Gordon B. Hinckley really is. I also wanted to give Mormon Truth readers the chance to weigh in and comment on this video, Hinckley and the overall treatment of missionaries; as nothing more than pieces of meat that they don't give a damn about.

This post is basically a follow up to the last post I made, which I ended with comments about missionaries and then the comment section also went in that direction. I just felt that this would definitely be an appropriate follow up to where that discussion led. I want to really thank Lori, Ray and John in London, for their comments, as this is a very passionate subject for me, knowing how I and so many others are and have been treated and abused on their missions. It is truly a travesty!!

These young men and young women, along with their families, deserve much more than this for the 2 years of sacrifice and $11,000-12,000 they have to fork out, for the honor of being an "abused Mormon missionary."

Then again, what can we expect from an organization/cult that doesn't care when a missionary gets raped, beaten, deathly ill or killed and can only say that "the work must go forward, it's the safest place to be in the world, we don't care how many get sick or die in the future, they are now doing missionary work on the other side, they couldn't have died in a better place then serving Jesus", etc?!!

It truly is sick and twisted and quite frankly, it's shocking to me that more people can't see this for what it is. When a missionary from Bountiful, Utah dies, they bring out the big guns; Hinckley and Ballard show up(in their Lexus), reassure everyone that the mission field is very safe, that the deceased missionary is now in a much better place, died for a great cause and so on.

Then, they just head on back to the holy of holies and have a good laugh about what a bunch of dumb asses the members are, to fall for their bullshit. Oh yeah, and they check in with the financial department before they head up there, to see how many millions have rolled in that day. It is truly just a sick and demented world they live in and I'm so happy to no longer be a part of it.

Take care everyone and feel free to leave your comments here or over on YouTube(you have to register), as I look forward to what everyone has to say about this video.

Samuel the Utahnite

Mormon Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley's Testimony And What He Expects His Members To Actually Believe And Accept!!

Look into my eyes and repeat after me:

I know the Church is true.

I know that Joseph Smith is and was a Prophet of God.

I know that Gordon B. Hinckley, yeah me, is a Prophet of God.

Please sing "we thank thee O God for me...er..I mean a Prophet, in these latter days.

I know that the Book of Mormon is the most correct book on earth and was translated by the power of God, through Joseph Smith.

I love my Bishop and sustain all my leaders, no questions asked, or I will be excommunicated.

I know that when the GA's speak, the thinking is done.

I know that some truths are not important.

I know that we still believe and teach, that God was once a man and lived on an earth just like us, all the way back to Joseph Smith; but I'm going to lie about it and pretend it isn't true and you will all support me in that lie, because I can't lead you astray. God would remove me if I tried to do that. Lying for the Lord is fine, so get over it!!

I know that we really aren't just an alternative religion, but I'm going to tell the world that we are, just to get more converts and tithing money.

I know that women wearing 2 earrings is wrong and of the devil and his angels.

I know that tattoos are pure evil.

I know that Brigham Young once saw Bigfoot and identified him as Cain. He was as tall as Brigham was, and Brigham was sitting on his horse.

I know that Cain...Bigfoot, stunk really bad, was really sad and covered in hair and couldn't get any babes.

I know that if given a choice of giving me...I mean Christ's Church, tithing money or feeding your family, you should always pay your tithing.

I know that all Apostates, Ex-Mormons and Anti-Mormons, are surrounded by darkness and that they punch a time clock for Satan now, and that they are DISEASE GERMS and most importantly, Sons of Perdition in embryo.

I know that Satan has great, amazing, incredible power, and can appear as an angel of light and will seek to rob you of your testimony that Joseph Smith was a Prophet and that the Mormon Church is the only true and living Church in the galaxy.

I know that Joseph Smith was commanded of God to be a polygamist and marry girls and virgins, as young as 14 years old, in exchange for eternal life for their entire family.

I know that if Joseph Smith had not become a polygamist, he would have been slain by a homicidal angel, sent from God, with a flaming sword.

I know that despite the first vision, Joseph Smith prayed in 1823 to know if there was such a thing as a divine being...but so what?!!

I know that Joseph Smith was involved in a dirty, nasty, filthy affair with Fanny Alger, their maid, behind Emma's back, as witnessed to by Oliver Cowdery.

I also know that Oliver Cowdery deserved to be excommunicated for revealing that dirty, nasty, filthy affair, because after all, it was inspired of God and enforced by said angel who was ready to kill if Joseph didn't do it.

I know that Zelph was a great, WHITE, Lamanite warrior and fought very valiantly right up to his death.

I know that the Jaredites came across the ocean in wooden submarines, that were filled with animals and their feces, in a journey that took almost a year. What faith they had...wow!!

I know that despite not one shred of archaeological evidence in or around the Hill Cumorah or anywhere else, that millions of people died there, exactly in that spot, in great and horrific battles. It brings tears to my eyes, it really does.

I know that overcoming pornography addiction is far worse and harder to do, than overcoming drug addiction to things like cocaine and any other hard drugs. Just ask that dude that sent us a letter from prison....yeah, he told us straight up that he'd rather be addicted to drugs than that Playboy.

I also know that Marriotts have both booze and porno in their hotels, but hey, it's just a business decision, not a moral one and besides, the tithing money is awesome and very plentiful.

I know that faith is all that is required and seeking signs or actual evidence of anything to do with the so called Lamanites or Book of Mormons peoples, is from Satan, who has such amazing, incredible power to deceive the world. He really is amazing that Satan...damn...I mean dang.

I know the Church is true...oh wait, I already said that.......say it again everybody...again....again!!

I know that we worship Joseph Smith, because he was the greatest man that ever lived on the planet earth, including Jesus Christ, because Joseph said so himself.

I know that Joseph Smith translated the book of Mormon by sticking his head in a hat, and reading words and phrases off of a seer stone, that he found in a ladies well, while digging with his brother Hyrum. It was impossible to make any errors, therefore it is perfect, because it wouldn't let him continue, until all mistakes were corrected. Grammar, punctuation and any other words that needed to be fixed don't count, because the printer made the errors not God or Joseph.

I know that Joseph Smith was a convicted criminal for his fraudulent treasure hunting scams and that he also defrauded all the Saints in a big failed bank scam, but that it was all approved of and ordered by God.

I know that Joseph Smith was commanded of God, to call men on missions and then snag....I mean marry their wives, as soon as they were gone, even if they were pregnant. God wanted Joseph to keep them happy and take care of them and so he complied with the orders of God, reluctantly of course.

I know that Joseph Smith was commanded of God to marry sister and mother combinations, in addition to the little teenage girls.

I know that even though the entire foundation of the Mormon Church, was once based on gratuitous sex, pedophilia and polygamy, that God changed his mind at some point and now even dirty thoughts or masturbation will get you into some serious trouble. Please, if anyone out there has dirty thoughts, or is masturbating, please go talk to your Bishop and begin that long road back to righteousness.

I know that masturbation leads to the sin of gross homosexuality and perversion and is very very dangerous.

I know that even though we preach against all forms of alcohol consumption, we want a vibrant downtown nightlife and have no problem allowing it to flow freely and be served in our billion dollar malls. Again, just a business decision that has nothing to do with morality and besides, we sold the individual pieces of land within our mall, to the restaurants, so it isn't us selling the alcohol at all. Alcohol is pure evil and destroys families and we'd never be a part of that, especially right across the street from temple square.

I know that pornography addiction is worse than cocaine, Heroine, or any hardcore drug addiction....wait...I already said that, sorry!! I'm getting older and sometimes I don't remember things very well.

I know that despite being against pornography, we profit from it every single day, through our investments with Direct TV and Comcast, and as I mentioned above, all of the tithing we accept from Willard J. Marriott, who profits millions every year on hard-core porno. I know that it's all up to God and that this is his call, not ours. We just obey God's command!!

I know that we are against gambling in any form, even though we have a Stake President who owns a casino in Nevada and Senator Harry Reid, was once the head of the Nevada gaming commission. These people need to make a living, right?

I know that despite our very strong public stance against alcohol and tobacco, privately, we are proudly invested in the companies that make and sell these evil products, because this is the Lord's Church and he commands it. It's okay to profit from the sales of such evil things, just don't partake of them, because they are of the devil and will destroy your lives. Well, don't partake of them if you are a member....non-members can drink and smoke all they want, at least until they are converted, because we need the cash and they are God's investments, not ours.

I know that Jesus commanded us to spend 1.5 billion dollars on shopping malls.

I also know that in recent years, in addition to our new shopping malls, God/Jesus/Adam or whoever is up there in the big sky, through my burning bosom, has commanded us to buy or build the following things: a $500 million + conference center, a $30 million luxury resort in Hawaii, over 600 more acres of land in Laie to build a large housing development, a cattle ranch in Nebraska, gaming preserves, an office building in Ogden, more development of downtown Salt Lake, in addition to the billion dollar malls, reconstruction of downtown Mesa, Arizona, and many other things that the Lord will not allow me to mention at this time. They "Ought not to be revealed at the present time." Also, If the world can find out these other things, so let it be. They will be given in the own due time of the Lord-AMEN!!

I know that Brigham Young, ordered the slaughter of the innocent men, women and children at the Mountain Meadows Massacre, under the direct order of God, but God also asked him to lie about it and pretend that he had nothing to do with it, along with all future Mormon Hierarchy, since we all know the real truth. If you have issues with it, ask God, it's his fault and we just did what he commanded us to do.

I also know that when Brigham Young personally went to the place where the massacre took place, that he tore down the monument that the US Government had built, as a tribute to the innocent lives that had been taken, in such a horrific manner. Again, he just did what God commanded, because he was a Prophet of God and had to be exactly obedient.

I know that blacks were forbidden to have the Priesthood until 1978, since they are the seed of Cain, but I just can't figure out where all of this racism comes from as I stated in the last Priesthood session. It shocks me and saddens me, that people have a problem with God and his commandments and teachings, especially the "death on the spot" teaching. If you really have a problem with it, then your problem is with God, not us in the Hierarchy, because we only do and say exactly what God commands us to do.

I know that interracial marriage is awful and forbidden by God, unless you are an exception, which can only include Mormon General Authorities, because we have that direct pipeline to God and he has given us permission to marry people of other colors, but not you guys.

I know that gay people have a problem and need to be fixed, even though I don't know if they were born that way or not. One of these days, when I'm kicking it with Jesus in that holy holy place, I might ask him about. Then again, I don't really care and we enjoy excommunicating any sexually active homosexual, because we expect them to live a celibate life. After all, that's not much to ask, a lot of people never marry, gay or straight and they live celibate lives, right?

I know that gay marriage is from the Devil himself, the master of all that's evil, Satan, the brother of Jesus Christ and Son of God, who is trying to destroy the concept of family....you know, the whole Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve...yeah, that's right, but ask God if you have an issue with it, as I'm just the messenger.

Finally, I want to thank all the missionaries and their families out there for paying their own way, in order to be treated like crap and live in dumps, while being bullied by their mission Presidents, who take direct orders from God. Keep in mind, that a sick missionary is a worthless missionary and he screws up the whole process and brings it to a halt.

I know and testify in the name of Jesus Christ, that if you live worthy and obey every commandment with exact obedience, you won't be getting sick all the time, despite eating spoiled food, drinking parasite water and taking cold showers using nothing but bug/parasite infested water, with a bucket and a sponge. You need to have more faith, that's all!!

Also, we don't care if you missionaries die or get sick, get attacked, raped, etc, because the work must roll forward and baptisms and tithing dollars is all that matters anyway. It's just a big numbers game and if you die, we'll just plug someone else in. Also, if you get raped, attacked or severely injured on your mission, once you heal up PHYSICALLY, we expect you to finish your mission and so does Jesus. Please don't let Joseph and Jesus down or disappoint them, okay?

Again, if you have an issue with any of this; get down on your knees and ask God about it, because it's his plan, not mine and I'm just obeying him, so that he won't remove me as the Mormon Prophet.

You will be blessed with an inner piece and burning bosom, that will confirm every word I just said as the honest God's truth and you will not argue or question anything that is ever said by one of God's anointed, special witnesses and mouthpieces of Jesus Christ. We are the ultimate truth, the speaking has been done and the cool thing is, we don't even have to say, "thus saith the Lord!!"

Isn't it wonderful....just wonderful?!!

In the name of Joseph....I mean Jesus Christ, AMEN!!

Samuel the Utahnite

My Review Of The New "OxyMormonic Podcast". All I Can Say, Is That I Hope It Gets Better For All the Listeners.

I submitted this review twice to iTunes and for some unknown reason, they won't publish it. Maybe they are massively back-logged on posting reviews, who knows? Anyway, listening to episode one was not a very enjoyable experience and in fact, quite painful at times.

Most everyone already knows my issues with Eric, but for the record, I have no issues with Brian, other than the fact that he fully supports Eric and his "blanket condemnations" of innocent people that don't believe as they do.

If Brian doesn't believe as Eric does, then he can so state it, in their next "OXYMORMONIC Podcast." I somehow don't think that will happen, but there's always hope. In any case, there is something entertaining about 2 die-hard Christians, sitting around, "exploring Mormonism", condemning Mormons and acting as if they know everything about Mormonism, when neither one was ever a Mormon.

It is somewhat comical, as they also claim to have no agenda whatsoever, when in fact, their agenda is to convert everyone to their belief system, for fear of them "losing their soul forever."

If they were never Mormon, thus have no emotional attachment, and also have no agenda; just why the hell would they put in the time to create blogs and podcasts to "explore or expose Mormonism?" Now, that is a true oxymoron, isn't it? Can't they see how transparent they are? For anyone with half a brain, they can see what is going on here and it's not rocket science guys.

I have a very deep emotional investment in Mormonism and probably always will, due to being raised Mormon my whole life(up until a year ago), and also my 2 year mission and friends and family that are still true-believing Mormons and some that always will be. Most of these guys have none of this.

Eric's Dad is Mormon and that is his only REAL connection and as Eric admits, his dad's soul is in grave danger now, as a true believing Mormon. Eric also says, that according to his God, he(Eric) is a "PILE." So either your soul is in danger of being "lost forever" if you don't follow Eric, or you are a "PILE" in the eyes of your Creator God.....hmm....which should I choose? LOL!!

It's good to know that someone has all the answers and has figured out all the difficult questions of life, like why are some people homosexual, etc. Where would we be without these incredible insights and knowledge? It's like we have access to "little Man-Gods", running around teaching us the truth. Of course, everyone knows I'm being sarcastic, right? Okay, good, I just wanted to make sure...LMAO!!

I encourage everyone to listen to this podcast and decide for yourself. I really don't think anything in this review is incorrect, as I try to stick to the facts and reality, like I normally do. Eric has felt free to tell everyone what he now thinks of my podcasts and blogs, so I felt that I should feel free to offer my opinions on his business as well. The difference is, I use the truth and facts and he uses.....well....whatever the hell he wants, that has no basis in reality or truth.

Anyway, here was my "never to be posted" review of "OXYMORMONICS:"

Okay, first of all, this podcast is by two Christian guys, who have never been Mormon and don't and never will know what that entails. They only want to convert everyone that is Mormon, to their personal belief system within Christianity, as they have THE ONLY TRUTH, while criticizing Mormons for making the same exact claim. The difference is, they are right, Mormons are wrong, no questions asked. Second of all, the audio quality is just awful and very hard to listen to.

Thirdly, it was very poorly planned, if planned at all and very unorganized. They are trying to figure out what to talk about next, or what scripture to read, with no prior planning. You could tell that they never put in any prep time or went over anything beforehand, in order to be on the same page and that they were just winging it as they went along. I actually felt embarrassed for them. I found it to be boring, lacking any energy or passion and a waste of my time.

Also, Eric Hoffman, didn't even know the correct address of the website that he was trying to give everyone, that wants to resign from the Mormon Church, and have their name officially removed from the records of the Church. Again, poor or no planning ahead, in order to have your facts correct and know what you are actually going to share with the listening audience.

Just to help everyone out, that actually wants to do that, and would like to know the correct place to go to for information; the address is:

http://www.mormonnomore.com/

Eric said it was nomoreMormon.com, which I guess is close, but no cigar. Also the name of "the woman", is Kathy Worthington and she is a wonderful lady that has helped a lot of people. Any Ex-Mormon, that has been researching or over on RFM, would know that. It was funny and a little awkward and painful, when Eric tried to ask Brian to help him verify that the web address was correct and Brian had no clue, knew absolutely nothing about it and Eric responded with "Oh, okay, I'm just going off on my own here......" and laughed. I was laughing too.

I mean come on guys, know your stuff, plan ahead and at least share accurate information, if you plan on pumping a website and truly want to help Mormons so much, as you claim. Spend some time planning before the show, so that it doesn't appear to be two complete strangers, trying to co-host a show together, while sharing incorrect information as true facts.

So, good luck with your new Oxy-Moronic podcast(Eric can't even keep the name straight) as you guys have a lot to work on, before it is even worth listening to. Maybe it will get better, as I've only listened to episode 1, but my recommendation to everyone, is to not even bother checking it out, as you will just be wasting your time. Then again, everyone can form their own opinion of course, as I’m just trying to help those people out, that don’t have a lot of free time to blow.

I'll end this review with the exact words of Eric Hoffman, from the ending of his living Truth Podcast #3 and then you can all decide if he really wants to help Mormons, if he really has a such a huge heart for them as he claims, or if it is really all about his personal agenda of converting them to his “one and only truth.”

Eric said:

"As long as you believe Joseph Smith and believe his lies, YOU WILL LOSE YOUR SOUL FOREVER.....Believing this false doctrine that Satan taught and that Joseph Smith believed and that Brigham Young carried out to all the rest of the Prophets, WILL KEEP YOU OUT OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN FOREVER. These are dangerous grounds folks; to believe in Mormonism, it really is........"

Does this sound like love, compassion, understanding and a huge heart for Mormons?

Well, there you have it and I stand by every word. I sincerely hope that #2 is better than #1 and you would think that Eric would bring with him his experience of recording 23 episodes on his "Living Truth Podcast." That didn't seem to be the case to me in part #1. Good luck guys in your attempt to cut down Mormonism, in order to bring people to your "one and only 3 in 1 Jesus/God/Holy Ghost trinity package."

I guess if one good thing can come from these die-hard Christian activists; it would be that they are exposing Mormonism and maybe helping some people to see the truth, at least from a doctrinal standard; that Mormonism is a fraud.

Despite what their "real agenda" is for doing what they do and the fact that they pretend to have no agenda, other than to help them; hopefully most people will take away their truth about Mormonism and then walk away, ignoring the rest of their personal agenda and converting to their individual cults.

I hope that more good is coming from them than bad, but then that's why I'm here, to help people see and know the truth and expose their agendas, that they claim don't even exist. I will always call a spade a spade and if you don't like that type of honesty, and my passion, then my podcasts and blogs aren't for you and Eric is probably more your style, which is fine with me.

Samuel the Utahnite

Are Die-hard Christian Zealots Or Apologists Worse Than Their Counterparts In Mormonism? Hell Yeah They Are!!

MP3 File

***The above Audio clip, is of Eric Hoffman, from "One Living Truth", on his "living truth podcast", using very strong words, to condemn ALL MORMONS, that do not follow him in his Christian beliefs and ideas. I encourage everyone to listen, and hear his offensive words for themselves, in order to understand why I had to address this issue of "blanket condemnation."

I don't care who it is, Eric or some other right-wing, fanatical Christian/SDA/JW/Mormon, or any other religion, condemning all good Mormon people, or anybody else, even an Atheist..gasp, just because they don't follow you and what you believe; it is offensive and wrong!! These people must be stood up to, just like the Mormon Hierarchy and that is what I have done in this instance.***

All I can say guys is that I had been missing something that was right in front of me, right under my nose, but now I can see the light perfectly. Die-hard Christians or Christian activists, are even worse than Mormons with their blanket condemnations toward all those that don't believe exactly as they do. At least most Mormons don't come right out and actually condemn everyone, even though we know that is what they truly believe.

These die-hard Christians though, just say it like it is, in their eyes of course, without caring how hurtful their words are. I mean let's be honest, the Mormon Church also condemns all other religions and has called them abominations, corrupt and false, since the First Vision supposedly occurred and Jesus said this to Joseph Smith, but they just have a nicer presentation and way of saying it.(I should know, I did it for 2 years on my mission.) They just claim that they have the only truth and then you can surmise on your own, what that actually means.(That your Church is an abomination, with corrupt preachers and false doctrines.)

The past few weeks, as I've become increasingly disturbed by the hateful rhetoric, coming from Christian activists, I decided to re-visit some of Eric Hoffman's podcasts, where I seemed to remember him using blanket condemnation for all Mormons and everybody for that matter, that didn't come to his Jesus, or beliefs specifically. Eric and I have been friends, done podcasts together, talked and chatted for hours and hours, etc, so it really wasn't a task that I was looking forward to, but one that had to be done, in my further search for truth, common decency and justice.

I didn't start my blogs or podcast as some type of popularity contest or to only do what doesn't offend anybody, or to make everyone love me, rather a place to seek out and present the truth, with facts to back it up, which I have done for over a year now and will continue to do. I have just as many people or more that love what I do, as compared to people that hate me, hate my passion, hate what I do, hate what I write, hate my podcasts, my style and everything about me, while insulting me with many colorful, offensive terms, but do I care? No, I don't!!

This blog, along with my others blogs and podcasts are for truth and were first created as a place for ME, to express MYSELF and feelings freely and openly, without censorship and secondly, to help other people to know the truth and that someone is out here, that understands their pain. In other words, I'm helping myself and others at the same time and if you don't like it, don't read it and don't listen to me and go live your life. This blog is not for people that have no passion or desire to know the truth.

I don't care who you are, whether you are the Mormon Hierarchy or my former friend Eric Hoffman, you start lying about me publicly, and condemning innocent people that I love and want to help and are now claiming that you have "the only truth on the planet", I 'm gonna call your ass out, every single time. So again, is it a popular thing to do? No!! Would it be easier to say nothing? YES!! Do I care that many Christians, especially Eric Hoffman supporters and followers now hate me and condemn me for speaking the truth? Nope, not one bit and I'd do it all over again, especially knowing what I now know.

Speaking the truth, most times, is not an easy or popular thing to do and is hard for those to handle, that are being exposed, especially when they didn't think that anyone would have the courage to do so and stand up to them. I get my strength from all of you supporters out there and I thank you guys for that support and strength. I just do what I do, because it needs to be done and I believe so strongly in truth and justice, especially after 30 + years of being stuck in a cult.

Now, Eric, who has never been Mormon in his life, claims to love the Mormon people and care a great deal about them, so much so, that he dedicates a lot of time in telling them how wrong and evil their Church is, through his blogs, podcasts and now his new website and podcast. So what is his motive, what is his agenda, if he has one? He of course claims that he has no agenda and does everything for the love that he has for the Mormon people and out of his heart.

My agenda, is to simply preach the truth about Mormonism and this huge fraud/cult to all that want to listen and I don't force it upon anybody, as they are free to come and go from my sites, my podcasts, etc. Eric on the other hand, uses different tactics, which I would never use, while at the same time, claiming that he has no agenda whatsoever, which I consider to be laughable, ridiculous and an outright lie. Talk about cognitive dissonance at a grand scale!! If somebody even has a pea sized brain, they can clearly and easily see why he is doing what he is doing and what he hopes the end result will be; conversion to his "one and only truth."

Eric and many of the Christian activists, like to go handout their pamphlets all over the place, like for example: at temples, as good Mormons come out to leave, the Manti Pageant(where Eric went a few weeks ago), temple open houses(Eric already can't wait for the Draper temple open house, as stated in his podcast), General Conference(but respectfully Eric says), and any other places, where they can harass and bother the good Mormon people, that are just trying to live their life and be happy and worship the God that they believe in.

Hey Eric, if they want to know what you've got to say, let them find you on their own, instead of having some pamphlet stuck in their face, right after they came out of what they consider to be a very holy, spiritual and sacred place. Place classified ads in the newspaper or run TV ads, just leave them alone, in their places of worship. You are offending them and embarrassing yourself, all in your quest to convert them to your Christianity.

Personally, I think these tactics are extremely offensive and devoid of any value and only make Christians and Christianity as a whole, look very very bad. What effectiveness would or do they have? I know how I felt about these people when I used to wait in line for General Conference; I used to believe that they were from the Devil, evil, inspired by Satan, etc, because that is what I had been taught in the Mormon Church.

I wouldn't even look at them, talk to them or allow them to talk to me, at all. These Christian activists think that these kinds of public displays, are going to bear fruit and bring people to their Church or Christianity? Get a clue guys, you are wasting your time!! Eric claims that I'm wasting my time, while he condemns anyone that doesn't follow him. Who's wasting time?

So, as I mentioned, in my quest for greater understanding, a few weeks ago, I went back and listened to some of Eric's podcasts and at the end of podcast 3, I found what I was looking for(the audio above), unfortunately, as I really wished that I hadn't. So, I wrote down the quote and shared it with Eric, over on his blog and asked him if he still stood by the quote and sadly, he does, admitting that even his father was in danger. I'm now going to share the exact quotes, word for word(and you can listen to them for yourself with the above audio player) and then the post that I wrote Eric and what his response was.

Interestingly, not one person, not one of his avid Christian supporters, weighed in with a defense of Eric, or his condemning words, as he was on his own for this one. I find that to be very interesting and it tells me that most of the Christians that support Eric, and what he does, do not stand by or support his highly offensive comments, which specifically condemn all Mormons with a great big blanket, unless they come to his specific Jesus.

If they do support him, most would be embarrassed to admit it publicly, because the comments are so offensive and just morally wrong in every way. Now, he does have a few supporters, including himself and Joe McCormick, his local preacher/cult leader and right hand man, but outside of that, not too many people are getting in line to support his blanket condemnations.

If they are supporting him, I certainly haven't seen it anywhere. Many say to stop picking on Eric, leave him alone, etc, but not one of those people, have actually defended his comments and outright condemnations. Instead, they just ignore them and pretend as if he didn't say them by not addressing them at all or using the famous Cognitive Dissonance, that is used by so many Mormons, to overcome their screwed up teachings and history.

The reason that I posted a comment on his blog, asking for clarification, was to give him every chance to change his awful, offensive comments, before I wrote this post. Since we've been friends, I wanted to be fair and give him a chance to say, "I misspoke, I got carried away, I'm sorry, etc," which sadly didn't happen. If anything, he just stood by them even stronger and confirmed that he meant every word of what he said and that it is truly what he believes, very sadly I might add.

So, after giving him a chance to recover and strike those words from the record, only to find out that he truly believes what he said, it has forced me to write this post, in the interest of all that is decent, to expose Eric, for once and for all, for his condemning ways, motives and agenda. Oh yeah, but just remember how much he loves the Mormon people and how big his heart is for them. In fact, he loves them so much, that he is willing to condemn them if that is what it takes. Kind of sounds like Brigham Young and Blood Atonement, and the quotes that Eric recently and ironically shared on a podcast, doesn't it?

Brigham Young said:

The way to love your neighbors is to kill them:

“THIS IS LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR AS OURSELVES; if he needs help, help him; and if he wants salvation and it is NECESSARY TO SPILL HIS BLOOD on the earth in order that he may be saved, SPILL IT. Any of you who understand the principles of eternity, if you have sinned a sin REQUIRING THE SHEDDING OF BLOOD, except the sin unto death, would not be satisfied nor rest until your blood SHOULD BE SPILLED, that you might gain that salvation you desire. THAT IS THE WAY TO LOVE MANKIND.” (Sermon by Brigham Young, delivered in the Mormon Tabernacle, Feb. 8, 1857, printed in the Deseret News, Feb. 18, 1857; also reprinted in the Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, pp. 219-220) and:

“All mankind love themselves, and let these principles be known by an individual, and he would be GLAD to have HIS BLOOD SHED. That would be loving themselves, even unto an eternal exaltation. Will you LOVE your brothers or sisters likewise, when they have committed a sin that cannot be atoned for without the SHEDDING OF THEIR BLOOD? WILL YOU LOVE THAT MAN OR WOMAN WELL ENOUGH TO SHED THEIR BLOOD?... “I COULD REFER YOU TO PLENTY OF INSTANCES WHERE MEN HAVE BEEN RIGHTEOUSLY SLAIN, IN ORDER TO ATONE FOR THEIR SINS....(Sermon by Brigham Young, delivered in the Mormon Tabernacle, Feb. 8, 1857, printed in the Deseret News, Feb. 18, 1857; also reprinted in the Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, pp. 219-220)

Now Eric obviously isn't promoting blood atonement, in any way shape or form for anybody of course, thank God, but is suggesting a spiritual death or "non-existence", absolutely awaits anyone that doesn't accept his view of God/Jesus and Christianity, thus the comparison is effective for the point at hand. If you lose your soul forever and are banned from heaven forever, as Eric says, where will you go, what will happen to you? I'm guessing that means either HELL or ceasing to exist, doesn't it? What other options are there?

Anyway, here are the comments by Eric, from "The Living Truth Podcast", word for word and then my question for him and his exact response:

"As long as you believe Joseph Smith and believe his lies, you will lose your soul forever."

And:

"Believing this false doctrine that Satan taught and that Joseph Smith believed and that Brigham Young carried out to all the rest of the Prophets, will keep you out of the Kingdom of Heaven forever. These are dangerous grounds folks; to believe in Mormonism, it really is........

====================

My comment on Eric's "living Truth Podcast blog:"

Hey Eric,

I just had a question for you and some other comments; do you stand by your statements at the end of podcast #3?

As a reminder, here were your quotes and exact words in question:

"As long as you believe Joseph Smith and believe his lies, you will lose your soul forever." And:

"Believing this false doctrine that Satan taught and that Joseph Smith believed and that Brigham Young carried out to all the rest of the Prophets, will keep you out of the Kingdom of Heaven forever. These are dangerous grounds folks; to believe in Mormonism, it really is........ I haven't seen or heard any public statement from you, regarding these quotes that I had mentioned in my comment section and I just thought this would be a good place and time for you to respond.

I know that we've been friends Eric, but I can't stand by and let you condemn all Mormons with a blanket and for that matter, anyone else that doesn't believe as you do, while claiming how much you care about them and how much you want to help them.

To me, it seems very hypocritical and insincere and like a one way street; either my way or no soul or heaven for you, for all eternity? Isn't that what Mormons teach, which you condemn of course?

I found these comments from you to be very disturbing and I just thought that everyone might want to know how you really feel. Did you mean it, did you misspeak, did you get carried away, do you regret it and finally, would you like to retract them?

You claim to be all about helping Mormons, and that you are so concerned about them, while condemning them at the same time? What's up Eric? This condemnation doesn't flow with a lot of what you say, about wanting to help them so much and not having any agenda.

I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt Eric, by asking for a clarification or retraction.

Everybody, at some time or other, says things they don't mean or gets carried away in the moment and hopefully this was the case with you.

Also, you do realize that your statement, directly condemns me, right? If you meant what you said, I guess I appreciate you being friends with someone, that you actually condemn.

I know that you weren't always a Christian Eric, at least the way you are now and maybe you need to reflect back on those times, in order to try to connect with those of us that don't believe what you believe.

If you hadn't converted and been "born again", would you have lost your soul forever? Where you a horrible, vile person, destined to never taste of heaven? Then one day, you believe in Jesus and it was all cured?

What if you had died before you figured it out and found this only true path? Would you have been doomed for all Eternity and "lost your soul forever?" Good thing that didn't happen, isn't it? So much for those that didn't figure it out before they died, right?

What about your Dad, that you've talked about in your podcasts. He's a Mormon, goes to the temple, pays tithing, etc.

If he never leaves the Mormon Church, no matter what his reasoning is and never comes to your side, is he gonna "lose his soul forever?" Do you know anybody else that doesn't believe what you do? Do they know that you condemn them and that they are on the verge of "losing their soul forever?"

So, great people that don't believe in your Jesus, are screwed? I don't find this to be very loving, comforting, compassionate or understanding Eric. Do you?

I can honestly say, that I feel there is a huge, massive disconnect between us, if this is truly what you believe and I can't remain quiet. I did not realize that you felt this way, when we first became friends.

You always say that you want people to correct you if you are wrong and to leave their comments, so this is mine and I look forward to your response, as I'm sure many others do.

Just a hint Eric; if you really want to help Mormons, don't condemn them again, since they are already trying to escape lifelong condemnation, at the hands of their cult hierarchy and leaders.

If your goal, which it clearly is, is to convert them all and everybody else in the world to your brand of Christianity and beliefs(or else lose their souls forever); starting off with blanket condemnation and instilling the fear of your God/Jesus in them, isn't the right tactic or the way to go.

I just thought I'd try to help you out man and try to steer you in a better, kinder, loving direction. I know your gung-ho and want everyone to feel what you feel, but your freedom in Christ, maybe be captivity to someone else and your blanket condemnation, is outright offensive.

If you back off on the condemnation, you may actually help people and get more support from those that you have truly helped, rather than just those that already agree with you and support you 100%.

I just think you are way off base Eric, but now is your chance to correct it, if you didn't truly mean what you said.

Anyway, I leave these comments as a way to try to understand you Eric, what you believe and what your true motives are for why you do what you do.

I also appreciate F2K's honesty, when he says that he is absolutely biased. At least he can admit it...thanks F2K.

I think F2K is strong in his beliefs, but I don't hear him or read on his blog, where he is condemning anyone who doesn't believe as he does. Maybe you do feel that way F2K, but I get the feeling you don't.

You just seem to truly desire to share the happiness that you've found, which I have no issue with whatsoever. Now, if you start to condemn people to "losing their souls forever", as Eric has done, then I'll have an issue with you too.

Who is anyone, to force their beliefs on anybody and start condemning the average person, just trying to get through life the best way they know how. What makes you so right Eric and everyone else, like me, so wrong?

How did you get the market on correctness and who gave you that authority, or did you just create it?

I served a 2 year mission for the Mormon Church and believe me; I know what that's all about,(the judging people, telling them that their path and Church is wrong, corrupt, etc) better than most of you Christians, that were never even Mormons, but act as if you know everything about the Church and what we went through, etc.

Believe me, no matter how much you study and learn, you will never, EVER, know what it was truly like and will never fully understand or comprehend what it was like to be a lifelong missionary, or Mormon, indoctrinated by a cult from birth.

If you think that you understand the emotions, pain and psychology involved, think again Eric and all of you other "never Mormon Christians."

It's real easy for you guys to act like authorities about something that you don't really have a clue about, isn't it?

Didn't you hear Grant Palmer Eric, in the John Dehlin interview, part 4, when he said that his discoveries about the Mormon Church, were more devastating and painful, than losing his beloved wife and having cancer and the chemo that followed? He said that no other single thing was as painful as that was.

Ponder that and think about it, the next time you want to start condemning people to "losing their souls forever."

Best wishes and I look forward to your response Eric.

Samuel

4:02 PM

Kolage said... Samuel, Let me explain something to you. When Adam and Eve believed Satan that they could become gods and be like God if they ate from the Tree of Knowledge...what happened to them? They were kicked out of the garden for eternity. Mormons believe you can become gods...So I stand by what I say. Yes...even my dad is on dangerous ground. Only the Lord God truly knows what is in every man's hearts. But according to scripture....yes a different Jesus and another Gospel...Galatians 1:8.

I have no idea what you believe Samuel. It seems to be rather post modern....but more important than that, I could care less if you think I am preaching false doctrine. I have a heart for the Mormon people...I am not here to convert or save anyone...that's up to God...I just spread the Gospel. As for me...if I had not been born again would I have been saved? Well...I was agnostic...which means "without knowledge." Once I looked into God's word I did not reject it.

If I had rejected...yes my soul too would have been in great jeopardy. This is not "my" religion or "my" side. It is the word of God.....I am tired of typing...call me. Cell is still the same #. I can share with you in more detail all the things you have addressed.

4:50 PM

So that was our exchange as I gave Eric a chance to recant his blanket condemnation of all Mormons, in my comment section and then in his comment section and he didn't do that, rather he said, "So I stand by what I say. Yes...even my dad is on dangerous ground......but more important than that, I could care less if you think I am preaching false doctrine. I have a heart for the Mormon people."

So, your Blanket condemnation of all Mormons stands, sadly, and reveals your true nature and heart, along with lack of compassion, love and tolerance, specifically for the Mormon people, that you are supposedly trying to help. The "heart" that you supposedly have for the Mormons, means nothing, and is a moot point, because you condemn them if they don't follow you and your ideas and beliefs and they are indeed "yours" by the way.

You have found beliefs that you like, for your life, your family and your kids, that make your bosom burn and you latched onto them, became "born again" and made them YOURS and now want to force them upon the whole world, while threatening them with no soul and no heaven. Is that Christlike in your world Eric or anybody else that believes this? So, don't run from your beliefs Eric, by saying, " This is not "my" religion or my" side. It is the word of God." It is your interpretation, that you have accepted, of what you consider to be the "word of God", for YOU, personally.

Come on Eric, it is your belief, due to your personal confirmation and experiences, that what you believe is the "word of God" and that makes you no different than the Mormons, the JW's, SDA's, etc, who feel the same things and confirmations that you claim to feel. Can you seriously not see this and the extreme hypocrisy that is involved with what you and others say, versus what you do and say in your own personal life, including your condemnation of Mormons, who are saying the same thing you are?

My suggestion is, if you are so worried about everyone "Losing their souls forever", that you go after all the religions and all cults, such as SDA's, JW's, Catholics, Moonies, etc. Why single out Mormons, since you haven't been any of those religions (except for Catholic), including Mormon. Don't hold back and tell everyone that "they will lose their soul forever" if they don't follow you. Start your very own ministry, build a following and grow it worldwide and make it your life. You can become the next Chuck Smith, who started you Church in 1965.

The bottom line guys, is that people are entitled to believe what they want, without being condemned by somebody that claims to have "all the truth" or "the only truth." As I mentioned above and in many posts and podcasts, the Mormon Church does indeed claim to be the "one and only true and living Church on the face of the earth" and so does about every other Church out there, including Eric's.

They are all mind-controlling, destructive cults and if anyone wants to look into Eric's Church, you will find the same problems, at it's core, as you do in Mormonism or most other Churches. Joe McCormick, the pastor of Eric's Church is just another cult leader, who I'm sure never discusses the problems of the Church or of the founder of the Church, Chuck Smith, such as predicting more than once, when Christ will return.

With the men that run the Church, which was started in Costa Mesa, CA in 1965, there have been sex scandals, financial scandals and I'll get more into this in a future post, but again, suffice it to say, the Calvary Mountain View Church, in American fork, is just another cult, in a network of some 1,300 cults, in a world full of cults.

I appreciate everyone's support in my efforts in exposing cults(mainly Mormonism), that are destroying lives and families, one by one, every single day. I have much more to write about this "Calvary Mountain View Church" and its network, but that will be in another post. Anyone that is a member of this Church, certainly cannot condemn Mormons, along with everybody else, while calling them DEMONIC, without looking like a huge hypocrite.

For now, those that want to know more about this Calvary Church, please look back in the comment section of the last post I made and you can start with the words of the post from "Scientist" and on down, which also includes the words of Beth, a former member of the Calvary Church. She left a great link to Rick Ross' website on cults, regarding comments from former Calvary members and what their experience was like.

Looking at the above graph, if Eric is right, and we include all Christians, that would mean that at least 4+ billion people are currently at risk for "Losing their soul forever." Now, if we filter out all of the Churches that are listed above under Christian,(basically all of them) that Eric considers to be false, including Mormons, Catholics(over a billion people), etc, we are now getting closer to Eric condemning almost the entire worlds population or 6 billion + people.

Wow, now he sounds just like Mormonism, who with 12,250,000 members worldwide, claim to have the only truth and account for like .0005% of the worlds population, when taking into account the 3,000,000 or so that are actually active. Eric's church isn't even a blip on the radar, compared to Mormonism and doesn't even rank in the top 13 of US Churches.

It's hard to tell exactly how many members there are in Eric's cult, but I'm estimating that his Church is probably like .00000005% or less of the worlds population or some very minuscule percentage. From what I can gather, there are maybe 100,000-200,000 members or close to that. This just goes to show how narrow minded cults brainwash people, as Churches with such small percentages of believers, actually believe, with all their heart, that THEY, have the only truth. Pretty sad, isn't it?

I used to be a part of this nonsense, as you all know, but now I'm free, living in reality, with freedom of thought and expression. To be honest, I now feel bad for Eric Hoffman, because he is stuck in a cult, just like I was and doesn't even know it. Hopefully somehow, he will get the help he needs, wake up and be able to see his cult for what it is and get out sooner than later, for his sake and that of his family. Good luck Eric in your journey to free yourself from a cult; it isn't easy!!!

I thank everyone for their support!!

Samuel the Utahnite

Fanaticism, Blanket Condemnation And A Saint Called Eric Hoffman!! Eric Says, "As long as you believe Joseph Smith...you will lose your soul forever!!

Just to fully quote Eric Hoffman, at the end of his "living truth podcast #3", he said, word for word:

"As long as you believe Joseph Smith and believe his lies, you will lose your soul forever."

And:

"Believing this false doctrine that Satan taught and that Joseph Smith believed and that Brigham Young carried out to all the rest of the Prophets, will keep you out of the Kingdom of Heaven forever. These are dangerous grounds folks; to believe in Mormonism, it really is........

Today I received an Email from a person named Martin, who has had personal correspondence with Eric and his preacher buddy, over on Eric's new website and Martin has now been officially banned, for disagreeing with Eric and his preacher and for using an occasional bad word, which Eric uses all the time in his personal, "Not doing a Christian podcast or blogging" life.

Martin basically called Eric and his gang out and they couldn't and wouldn't respond, couldn't take the heat, so they booted him. So much for Eric saying and basically pleading, "Please Email me, leave a comment, if I have said or taught anything that is wrong or false, please let me know, I want to hear from you...everyone." So he begs for people to call him out or correct him and when they do, like Martin has done, he boots your ass right out of there, after grilling you on your motives, purpose, etc.

In any case, Martin entitled this article he wrote, "Fanaticism and a Saint called Eric Hoffman" and I added a few things to the title of my choosing. I'm giving Martin a forum and place to post his comments, since Eric will not allow him to post them there any longer. Again, Eric's hypocrisy shines bright, as he complains about how awful and judgmental Mormons are, how they excommunicate them, toss them aside, etc, while he is busy booting anyone out of his forums, that just disagrees with him. What a joke!! What a hypocrite!!

Just so everyone knows; anyone that is booted from Eric Hoffman's website, for simply having a different opinion(or for saying damn, hell or shit), that have something they want to say about him or his words and condemnations, are welcome to have me post them here, for all to read. Eric can shut you guys down in his little pathetic Christian world of condemnation and his little website, but he cannot silence you here and let me know if I can be of any help, to make sure that he doesn't silence you and that you are able to get your words out there.

Anyway, here is the unedited, word for word article by Martin:

Fanaticism and hypocrisy:

Mt 23:24-25-"Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess."

Mt 15:18- "Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man."

In his time, Jesus met many people who were zealous in their strife for religious purity. However, Jesus did not agree to their zeal. Instead of striving for what is right and just, the Pharisees stressed things which are really unimportant. Instead of caring about purifying their hearts, they just strived for outward cleanliness. Being fanatic about unimportant things, while neglecting what is really important, is called hypocrisy.

I experienced one example of modern day hypocrisy recently, when I started to listen to Eric Hoffman's podcast, "Living truth podcast". I am a Protestant, not an LDS, but I was and am interested in Mormonism, as it can show how a religion develops from its beginnings; we have many good external sources about how the LDS faith evolved from its foundation in 1830, but we only have fragmented and mostly unobjective sources for the beginnings of Christianity.

When I listened to Eric's podcast, I was quite startled. On the one hand, he used many arguments Samuel also used in his podcast, but on the other hand, he always contrasted this with an idealized and white-washed version of Christianity which is scientifically untrue. As I have studied the origin of the Bible and Bible history from a scientific perspective a bit, I was amazed how biased his view on the Bible was.

Indeed, when I studied Mormonism, I recognized that most problems faced in this faith (and which e.g. Samuel complains about in his podcast) are also present in Christianity. Archaeological problems, problems with immorality of church officials, the general involvement of Christianity in wars, torture, human rights violations, etc. In many of these aspects, Christianity is not any better when compared to Mormonism.

However, as I listened to Samuel's podcast, I recognized that the LDS faith really has some aspects which are troubling, especially the psychological manipulation of its members, e.g. when men are brainwashed from childhood on to go on a mission. Samuel's podcast, at least in my point of view, has two main goals:

To point out the psychological manipulations and other injustices the Mormon church performs (he uses words like "cult" etc. to refer to this manipulative abuse of LDS members), thus also helping current members to recognize these topics; the other objective is to work things out for himself, for the experience that one has been betrayed almost one's whole life, by a group which one holds so dear is a great shock, which has to be mentally processed. I think the foul language he sometimes used is just an expression of this anger. In this point, his podcast is also "therapeutic" for himself.

Back to my main topic, the Pharisee Eric Hoffman:

Eric's approach is very different. Instead of pointing out the negative "cult attributes" of the LDS faith or working on his personal life story, Eric's only aim is to convert LDS members to his own notion of Christianity. However, as he does so, he develops the very same negative attributes he attacks in the Mormon church.

Absolute truth claim:

Eric claims to have THE correct interpretation of the Bible. When I presented him the fact that the Bible has numerous different interpretations and that indeed modern science often can show that the Biblical texts are not literally/historically true, but meant symbolically, Eric got extremely nervous and tried to change the topic as fast as possible, accusing me of bad motives, asking me why I was posting on his blog,etc. He did so because he could not answer my questions or refute my claims.

In this aspect, Eric Hoffman does not differ an inch from the absolute truth claim of the LDS church. He seems to believe that he is some kind of Pope. By doing a bit of reading in some conservative Christian commentaries on the Bible, he thinks he knows everything about the historical background necessary for understanding the Bible. The fact that he chooses the commentary and thus influences his own image of the Bible is not recognized by him.

Intolerance:

When Joseph Smith claimed that God told him all other denominations were an abomination in God's sight, Eric thinks this to be a big scandal.
However, Eric is amazingly intolerant towards the LDS faith. The statement that they will "lose their souls forever" is, in my personal opinion, totally unacceptable, in every moral regard.

And this is where the quotes from Jesus step in:

Eric claims that the denomination you belong to and the theological details you believe in, determine whether you get into heaven or hell.

It is not important how you act, because it only depends on Eric's personal image of God, whose grace can save you.

Eric complains that the Mormons believe to be saved by grace "after all they can do". Eric's own personal Evangelical, right-wing God, does not save anyone by grace either.

Instead, this right-wing God, only saves by grace "after they believe in exactly the same doctrine as Eric Hoffman". Thus, Eric as the sole interpreter of the Bible puts himself to be the greatest man on earth, far greater than Jesus, whose words Eric interprets according to his personal opinion.

Mission activities:

One aspect which makes the LDS church suspicious is its aggressive mission activities. Stories like "bogus baptisms" or "Blitz-baptisms" show that many converts are not informed sufficiently, before being baptized. Many converts have not read all the Canonical works before the baptism is scheduled.

Eric starts to imitate this mission behavior in a similar way when talking to LDS people in front of the MTC(Mission Training Center), or other places to prove his point.

While it is totally ridiculous to prove any point by asking a random person on the street (I bet I could do very funny and embarrassing interviews on the Trinity by randomly asking people on the street for explanations...), he doesn't care for relevancy as long as he can make his point. Actually, I found that in many interviews, his opponents where making as good of an argument as he did (or as bad of an argument as he did; that depends on your point of view).

Fanaticism, intolerance against other opinions:

As I made statements which did not agree with his view on the trinitarian right-wing Bible interpretation, Eric got extremely angry, trying to drive me away from his board, first by changing the topic and asking me about my belief, why I post on his blog, etc. I recognized that while on the facade, he claimed to be open for debate ("open forum"), he actually only wants to convert everyone to HIS PERSONAL faith, and does not tolerate any other opinion.

By now, he has banned me from his forum, probably for posting a link to a pornographic website, with some bikini girls on it. You might guess which porno-site I mean... So the name "open forum" is actually a lie.

Moreover he has published other posters' private emails on his blog without asking them (at least, one listener complained about this), while stating on his website that "all mails are confidential."

To put it in a simple and biblical term: He is a liar.

This is just another facet of his hypocrisy. While every nice Mormon housewife who raises a bunch of kids, giving all she can, being faithful, loving towards her whole family, always helpful to neighbors, nice and tolerant even to Non-Mormon people, this person whom anyone knowing her, would call an "angel" and imagine her to sit on an honored seat at Jesus' table, when she will one day pass away. Of course this woman, will burn in hell and "lose her soul forever", because she doesn't believe in the very notion of God that his only Prophet on earth, Eric Hoffman believes in, while a person like Eric, is lying, deceiving, condemning, betraying, and abusing. This person, Eric Hoffman, is of course saved by the grace of the Jesus of his own personal Bible interpretation, which all of humanity has to bow down to.

It is only my personal opinion on the topic, but this is my prophecy:

Eric, you will wonder on the day of judgment, you will wonder how many Mormons will actually enter into the glory of heaven, you will wonder how many homosexuals will enter into the glory of heaven, and then you will say:

"What, I should enter into that place? A place full of Catholics, Mormons, fags, Muslims,...? What the f... I'd rather go to hell." (Oops, you said the 4-letter word, Eric, that may cost you your soul forever...) And God, in his almighty mercy, will grant you this very last wish...

The aim of my post is not just to rant against Eric (OK, I am guilty on this point), but to warn everyone not to become a religious fanatic like him. As Samuel pointed out, some months ago, Eric was a nice and decent man, but in a short time, the circumstances and his belief in absolute truth, turned him into a religious fanatic ,who shares all the attributes of a cult member.

While it is true that Mormonism contains many bad aspects which justify Samuel categorizing it as being a cult, the LDS people are human beings like you and me, and many people are doing their best and living according to their ideals.
They don't drink coffee and alcohol, but who cares?

I think it is most appropriate just to criticize the negative aspects like indoctrination and restraint of personal freedom (e.g. by letting them wear corporate identity underwear), but accept and love them for the persons they are.
Instead of fighting against special denominations, we should focus on fighting against injustice, fanaticism and intolerance in every part of society. All these aspects are the evils of society, they are e.g. the roots of terrorism we nowadays experience in the Islamic world, but they can really be found everywhere.

Terrorism starts when you condemn your Mormon neighbor.
Terrorism starts when you as a Priesthood holder abuse your power.
Terrorism starts when you as an Atheist disrespect all believers.
Terrorism starts when tags like "Evangelical", "Baptist", "Mormon", "Catholic" become more important to you than the people behind these tags.
Be aware about the terrorism that starts in your own home.
By changing your own heart, we can make a start for more tolerance, mutual understanding, peace and harmony in the world.

Martin
=============================================

Well, there it is guys and I think Martin did an awesome job, articulating, exactly what is wrong with Eric Hoffman's and others fanatical views of absolute truth and condemnation of anyone that doesn't believe as they do. There is no place for this and it helps no one and it must be stood up to, whether they are Mormon, Christian or any other religion.

Thanks Martin for writing this and for allowing me to share it with Mormon Truth readers/listeners and I hope that people, especially those like Eric Hoffman, or those that support his condemning ways, will pause to ponder, if that is the best way to show people the true love, understanding and compassion, that they profess to stand for. Like Martin phrased perfectly, we simply want to "warn everyone not to become a religious fanatic like him", and that is our goal.

Best wishes everyone and as always, thanks for your support and Emails of encouragement, they mean a lot to me.

Samuel the Utahnite

The Perfect Example Of What Die-hard Mormons And Christians, Like Eric Hoffman, Think Will Happen To Everyone That Doesn't Follow Them!!

I thought that you guys would really enjoy this!! I added it permanently to my sidebar in all of my blogs, so that everyone can see how judgmental and condemning these people are. I don't speak of the average Mormon or Christian, rather the die-hards, like the Mormon Hierarchy and the Christian activists like Eric Hoffman, that say, "we will lose our soul forever", if we don't follow them. It is pathetic, but this video clip, is the perfect display of what they actually believe and how they feel toward us and the 70% + of the world, that doesn't believe as they do.