Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Mormonism 101/Chapter 13


Chapter 12: Heaven and Hell
A FAIR Analysis of:
Criticism of Mormonism/Books
A work by author: Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson
 Chapter 14: The Word of Wisdom

Index of Claims made in Chapter 13: Communion and Baptism

191

Claim
  • The authors start off Chapter 13 by citing one of the favorite anti-Mormon references of all, The Seer by "Apostle Orson Pratt."

Author's source(s)

  • Pratt, The Seer, 255.

Response

  • To give the reader some background, Brother Pratt was ordained an Apostle on April 26, 1835 but was subsequently excommunicated on August 20, 1842 and rebaptized and reordained an Apostle on June 20, 1943. The information in The Seer was published as a periodical in Washington D.C. and Liverpool, England between January 1853 and August 1854. This material was not reviewed by other Church leaders and reflected Orson Pratt's personal beliefs and not LDS doctrinal views. An excellent summary of LDS views regarding the information found in The Seer has been given by W. John Walsh:

The Seer was a newspaper published by Elder Orson Pratt while serving a mission for the Church. In the paper, Elder Pratt gave his viewpoints on a number of gospel principles. When the Church discovered what Elder Pratt had written, he was censured and the writings were officially and publicly condemned for containing false doctrine. In a Proclamation of the First Presidency and Twelve, dated October 21, 1865, the Church said:

"The Seer "contain[s] doctrines which we cannot sanction, and which we have felt impressed to disown, so that the Saints who now live, and who may live hereafter, may not be misled by our silence, or be left to misinterpret it. Where these objectionable works, or parts of works, are bound in volumes, or otherwise, they should be cut out and destroyed; with proper care this can be done without much, if any, injury to the volumes.

"It ought to have been known, years ago, by every person in the Church-for ample teachings have been given on the point-that no member of the Church has the right to publish any doctrines, as the doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, without first submitting them for examination and approval to the First Presidency and the Twelve. There is but one man upon the earth, at one time, who holds the keys to receive commandments and revelations for the Church, and who has the authority to write doctrines by way of commandment unto the Church. And any man who so far forgets the order instituted by the Lord as to write and publish what may be termed new doctrines, without consulting with the First Presidency of the Church respecting them, places himself in a false position, and exposes himself to the power of darkness by violating his Priesthood.

"While upon this subject, we wish to warn all the Elders of the Church, and to have it clearly understood by the members, that, in the future, whoever publishes any new doctrines without first taking this course, will be liable to lose his Priesthood." [1]

  • For the authors to quote this work as representative of LDS beliefs is representative of very poor scholarship.


Remembering the Last Supper

191-192

Claim
  • Returning to the subject of "Communion" or the Sacrament, as Latter-day Saints refer to it, the authors construct a straw man argument [2] regarding LDS usage of water in place of wine.

Response

Claim
  • The authors also quote The Encyclopedia of Mormonism on the subject but fail to quote the part that explains the use of water in preference to wine:

Unbaptized children, however, being without sin, are entitled and expected to partake of the Sacrament to prefigure the covenant they themselves will make at the age of accountability, age eight (see Children: Salvation of Children). In administering the Sacrament, Christ himself used emblems readily at hand at the Last Supper-bread and wine. To Joseph Smith the Lord declared "that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the Sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory-remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins" (D&C 27:2). In typical LDS practice, bread and water are used. [3]


Response


Baptism as Practiced by the LDS Church

193

Claim
  • The authors claim that one must be baptized in the LDS Church to attain "true (salvation) exaltation."

Response

  • The authors describe the ordinance of baptism, noting that it was "not unique to Mormonism." They correctly note that Latter-day Saints believe that baptism must be performed by one who has the authority, and quote several LDS leaders on the subject.
  • For a detailed response, see: Ordinances/Baptism

Baptism as Practiced in Christianity

194

Claim
  • The authors claim that "true Christian baptism" did not commence until the time of John the Baptist, and that baptism is simply a "ceremonial cleansing." The authors discount any idea that the baptismal ordinance is a requirement for salvation.

Response

  • If baptism is nothing more than a "ceremonial cleansing," then why did Jesus Christ consider it to be so important that He had John the Baptist perform the ordinance for Himself?

Bible Passages Used by the LDS

197

Claim
  • The authors proceed to quote Bible verses that they claim are "misused" by Latter-day Saints in order to show that baptism is a requirement.

Author's source(s)

Response

  • It is incredible to see the authors dismiss so many clear and easily understood biblical verses simply on the basis that baptism, because it is a physical act, is "a work," and that it can therefore not play any part in receiving salvation.

Endnotes

  1. [note] This information was published on John Walsh's popular Web site, and until mid-2001 could be found at http://www.mormons.org/response/qa/seer_jd.htm. The Web site has since been discontinued. Additional explanations about The Seer can be found at the FAIR Web site: http://www.fairlds.org/Misc/Is_The Seer_a_Reliable_Source.html.
  2. [note] A straw man argument is a polemical tactic in which a person develops a false argument that is easier to refute than the real argument at hand. Time is spent building up the false argument, which is then easily destroyed. All the while, the real argument still stands, as it has not been directly addressed.
  3. [note] Paul B. Pixton, "Sacrament," Encyclopedia of Mormonism, edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992), 3:1244.

Further reading

FAIR wiki articles

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