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"Momma, The Book of Mormon and Me"
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"1. Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
"2. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. ...
"7. For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.
"8. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
"9. But if they cannot contain, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn."
1 Corinthians 7:1-2, 7-9
(slightly edited before publication by DH)
First letter:
From: Robert Maley
Date: Thurs, Mar 15, 2007
Dear Dr. Helland:
Thank you for taking the time to write me. I enjoyed
reading your personal
testimony and to learn of your experiences reaching back to the days of
Pauline Hancock which is an area in which I am acquainted.
But first allow me to introduce myself. I was born and raised in
Lamoni, IA in 1925 to parents who were converted to the RLDS Church. My
earliest memories are entwined with the leading personalities in that
Church: Smith, Garver, Briggs, Sordon, McDowell, Draper, Anderson, Roth,
Cheville and Williams. I was indoctrinated into that faith and remained a
member of that church until I was 25, married and the father of two
children.
My father was a member of the old Protest Group that objected to the
ways of Fred M. Smith and his policies, so I became familiar with many of
the shortcomings of that faith very early on, long before I ever read the
Book of Mormon and became acquainted with its contents. When at last,
during my tours of military service, I read the Book of Mormon, I discovered
that the
doctrines and policies of the RLDS Church were in diametric conflict with
what that book taught and in the course of time, I left that church and
joined with the Church of Christ (Temple Lot), was ordained and believed that I
had
found a niche where the many traditional wrongs could be made right by
turning away from the traditional writings of Joseph Smith, Jr. and staying
focused on the Bible and Book of Mormon.
You can imagine my dismay when I learned that the powers controlling the
CCTL were equally committed to the doctrines and teachings of Joseph Smith,
Jr. as so many of them had come from the RLDS by transfer during the 1920-25
troubles. In fact, these refugees had become son entrenched in the CCTL
that they adamantly resisted any voice of reform. To make a long story
short, I was disfellowshipped for "Insubordination" and "Unchristianlike
conduct".
Disheartening as that was, those circumstances ushered me into another
plane altogether, which was free and independent of all traditions and
creeds and I was fully able to look at facts as they are and not what we might
wish them to be. I had the good fortune to make acquaintance with persons
who had already “been there, done that,” with whom I was able to
correspond and gain from their experiences. These persons had endured all
of the disillusionments, yet had retained a fervent belief in the Book of
Mormon, like David Whitmer (An Address to all Believers in Christ; An
Address to All Believers in the Book of Mormon). He had survived life-threatening persecutions at Far West, but never wavered from his belief in
the Book of Mormon. Although such persons today do not have a high profile,
there are
a goodly number of them who have no affiliation with any of the church
organizations that uphold and teach the doctrine of Joseph Smith, Jr. In
fact the consensus among them is that Joseph Smith himself is the major
deterrent to the
(belief in and acceptance of the) Book of Mormon. More about this can be
discussed another time.
But having become separated from traditional Mormonism gave me the
opportunity to confront its many problems head-on, and rather than drifting
away from the Book of Mormon, I discovered that there was a message within
it that had never yet been given serious consideration. Unlike the Tanners,
Olive and Gene Wilcox, Ed Decker and others you describe to be like
yourself, I found that the book had been unjustly maligned due to the
traditions and false doctrines of errant churches which fanatically hold to
the doctrines and teachings of Joseph Smith.
I feel confident to say that you are acquainted with many of these
failings and I find it to be unfortunate that persons acquainted with the
Book of Mormon are unable to distinguish between the two. But for the sake
of their traditions and religious beliefs, the Pharisees failed to see
Christ for who He was when they spoke to Him face to face and beheld his
spirit and miracles. So why should I be surprised if Gentiles and their
churches fail to see the spiritual essence of the Book of Mormon when it was
delivered to them as plain as the English language can be written? God has
'strange ways' of dealing with those who cannot see Him for the obstruction
of their 'Religion'.
But that's who I am. I have read all of the anti-Book of Mormon literature
I
could find. I have a file of Gerald and Sandra Tanner's material clear back
to the days when he printed his mimeographed articles under the name of
Modern Microfilm. I have read Ed Decker and Dr. Walter Martin and a host of
other authors. I have had personal discussions with Olive and Gene Wilcox
and read their material advocating a wholesale rejection of the Book of Mormon,
but in
the process came to discover that their major argument is with Joseph Smith,
Jr., not the Book of Mormon. In a general sense, I have found that many of
their
objections are based upon subjective evidence, which although it may be
appealing to an audience interested in sensationalism and unwilling to look
and see for themselves, when the book is investigated independent of these
elements, it has a solid Christian message.
I know you have a busy schedule, but I would be most happy to share with
you my findings and experiences that assure me the Book of Mormon is all
that it claims to be and has many things to bolster modern day Christianity that
is now under attack from without and dry-rot from within,
notwithstanding their claim that their spiritual foundations are rooted in the
Bible.
Robert L. Maley
Second Letter:
April 12, 2007
Dear Dr. Helland:
I am eighty-two-years-old. From the DVD and CDs, I heard the voice of a people who suddenly discover they have been deceived and misled. All my life I have heard this same lament, which echoes from Far West and Nauvoo days. It would be difficult to measure the feelings of disillusionment experienced by the Whitmer and Cowdery families as they were banished from Far West for opposing the presidency of the Church.
Unfortunate as that was, we can only speculate upon whether they would have ever come to realize the extent to which they had been deceived and misled any other way. And unfortunately, the same happens today, and people who have undergone the trauma of the experience grow bitter from all of the emotional stress of having been betrayed by those they trusted to lead them. I speak from experience.
However I came to learn, just as Whitmer and Cowdery did, that deep down in the hearts of church leaders were interests that took priority over the Gospel and particularly the Book of Mormon. In fact, I recently read the confession of a man who once was the pastor of a RLDS church in California who said he was a baptized member of that church for a year before he ever read the Book of Mormon. The Elder in charge of the church court that excommunicated me openly professed that he did not believe in it. So the thought began to take shape in my mind that there was something about that book that Church officials feared and dreaded having exposed to light.
Subsequent studies gave me definite insights into this phenomenon with the discovery that the Book of Mormon itself was the staunchest witness against their craft, reaching clear back to the beginning. And rather than becoming forced off-track by these discoveries, I was increasingly amazed to find the strong Christian voice of the Book of Mormon that has for so long been overshadowed by a personality cult and subsequently been denied its voice in Christian circles at a time when institutionalized Christianity is under assault and is coming apart at the seams.
The Book of Mormon has much wisdom in store for Christianity to learn from if it is ever given a voice and Christian leaders learn to draw a distinct line of separation between it and Mormonism.
Robert L. Maley
Response by Dr. Dean:
Dear Bro. Maley:
As you know, I highly respect you for a number of reasons, one being your keen mind and the benefit of many, many years studying this material. You are truly an expert of experts.
However, as you know, I cannot accept that God would use a man like Joseph Smith to bring forth a book to correct the Bible. I just cannot believe it. Sad as the present state the Christian church may be in, there are still many true believers, as God reminded Elijah when he though he was the only one left.
You think that Joseph Smith could not have thought up the things in the Book of Mormon because his life differed from it so radically. Well, I have thought about it and come to the conclusion that he did not believe a word of it, but was borrowing from the many sermons and writings of the great preachers of the day, which did have great teachings expounded in them. His obsession for the occult is even evident in the Book of Mormon when he speaks about the buried treasures having a curse on them and slipping away when people would dig for them. (Helaman 13:17-21, 31-36; Mormon 1:18-19). These are shades of his pre-Book of Mormon days when he pretended to dig for buried treasure, according to sworn court testimony against him, as you know.
Nevertheless, send me the material you wish for me to read and I will post what I consider relevant on my website. You realize, of course, that most Mormons never even heard of the things we are talking about!
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Dean Helland
Third letter
Dear Dr. Helland:
Joseph Smith, Sr., Hyrum, W.W.Phelps, Dr.F.G.Williams and Heber C.
Kimball were all Freemasons, as was Oliver Cowdery, his father and brother.
In the summer of 1831 a Temple Lot was dedicated at Independence, Missouri
with a dedicatory prayer to the "ruler of the universe" in the presence of a
Masonic quorum of three members.
In 1925 Freemason Otto Fetting revived efforts to build the Temple on that
spot of ground from plans that were a carbon copy of the Masonic Temple in
Kansas City, Missouri. Fetting received his revelations through a 'Messenger'
who claimed to be the resurrected John the Baptist (Patron of the Masonic
Lodge).
Fetting's successor was W.A. Draves (Mason) who also received visitations
from the same 'John the Baptist' whose "Messages" are still taught and
circulated as scripture in The Church with the Elijah Message.
Fred M. Smith was listed in Who's Who in Freemasonry and managed to engage
members of that craft in his priesthood of the Reorganized Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS).
The proposed plans for the Independence Temple, owned by the COCTL, display
the Masonic Pentagram in the floor of the foyer of the eastward facing building.
Freemasonry has played a major role in the evolution of Mormonism from the
very beginning to this very day. But this was not the only source of Smith's
inventive ideas. He was also influenced by Imanuel Swedenborg, Millerism,
Campbellism and even the Jewish Kaballah as he hired two different teachers of
Hebrew who introduced him to it.
The difficulty comes when persons unjustly suppose that the Book of Mormon
is the source of these deviant proceedings. In fact, the Nephite Record (Book
of Mormon) is perhaps the most definitive voice against 'secret abominations'
and 'works of darkness' that is presently in existence.
Once again, was Smith remotely cognizant of what the Book of Mormon taught?
Is it fair to ask that book to answer for the aberrations of Smith?
Robert Maley
Response by Dr. Helland
Dear Bro. Maley:
Thank you for that information which is very accurate, though known by very few in the "Restoration Movement." Of course, I think you underestimate the ambition and deviousness of Joseph Smith before he ever launched out on his Kingdom-building career.
I think David Whitmer was naive enough to go along with things as far as he could, but too proud to humble himself and admit that he had been deluded, too.
Dr. Helland
Prayer of Salvation:
Lord Jesus, I thank you for your Holy Word, the Bible, which reveals the plan of salvation which is so simple. I repent for thinking that a church could save me when you only ask me to come to you in simple faith. Lord, I have heard your knock at the door of my heart. I open that door and ask you to come in. I believe that you lived a sinless life, took my sins upon you when you died on the cross, and are now at the right hand of the Father, praying for me.
I renounce Mormonism and everything associated it. I ask for release from all the spirits of deception I have allowed in my life by doubting your holy Word and following the teachings of men. Cleanse me with your shed blood. I believe. I receive you now as my Lord and Savior. I will seek out a church which teaches the Bible as the guide for my life. I will be water-baptized as a testimony of my new-found faith. I give you my life. Do with me what you will. I promise never leave you, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Thank you, Jesus! Amen!
If you prayed this prayer sincerely, please contact Dr. Dean at the email address below and let him know about it. He will see that you receive the guidance necessary to keep you in the ways of the Lord. Of course, your name and email address will be kept confidential.
Dr. Helland's Articles in English
- My Visit With Two Mormon Missionaries
- Islam, Mormonism and Freemasonry (See its Power Point presentation)
- My Personal Testimony
- When a Mormon Meets Jesus (See its Power Point Presentation)
- What Every Christian Should Know about Mormonism
- Book of Mormon Problems
Other items of interest
- Photos of Dean Helland's recent visit to Arkansas Descendants' Conference SLIDE SHOW
- Free on-line 11- minute Video of "Momma, The Book of Mormon and Me"
Guest Articles
- Counterfeit Currency-- by Eric Johnson