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Show additional scriptures are found in the book of Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price; that Joseph Smith and his successors, the presidents, prophets, seers, and revelators of the Mormon church, have authority to receive and give forth additional oral or written revelations for the guidance of the church of Christ on earth, and that the revelations given through these living oracles have full and final authority for the church of Christ today. All these assumptions are accepted and taught as truth by the present-day authorities of the Mormon church. It is also true that the teaching of these Mormon prophets, seers and revelators that there are many gods, that these gods have bodies of flesh and bone as tangible as man's and are male and female, are reaffirmed by the apostles of today. Moreover, they still teach that man and God are of the same species and that men are gods in embryo. <br> In this watering down of the conception of revelation or inspiration until it means little more than the last word of the president of the Mormon church, in this carnalizing of the idea of God until we have simply a magnified Joseph Smith or Brigham Young, in this Moslemizing of the conception of marriage until it degenerates into a mere modification of promiscuity and dreams of polygamous gods in a polygamous heaven, and in this magnifying of the all too human ego until its thought of God is egotheistic and its dream for itself is deification, we have Mormonism as it was, as it is, and as it will be unless the leopard changes its spots. <br><br> Many Mormons Better Than Mormonism <br> And this change is going on. Many of the Mormons are better than Mormonism; many of the Mormon people have not taken oaths in the temple, and many Mormons care little for the peculiar tenets of Mormonism. They are making less and less of testimony that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and have little use for the so-called "revelations" peculiar to Mormonism. The majority of the present-day Mormons never practiced polygamy, and many of them do not believe that the principle is holy and right, though they are not yet free to say so right out in meeting. These Mormons do not expect to become gods and do not think of the world to come as under the control of an aggregation of male and female deities. They are ridding themselves of theories, teachings and practices which are basic in Mormonism. Our desire is to help such Mormons out of Mormonism and into fellowship with those whose inspirations for service and hope of eternal life are based on the redeeming passion of God in Christ through the Holy Spirit. <br><br> Overcoming Through the Gospel of Christ <br> Are we discouraged? Far from it. The peculiar claims of the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenant, and the Pearl of Great Price, and the claims of the president <br> [Continues on next page.] <br><br> |