It’s heartbreaking to have another disparager among the ranks of the ex-Mormons – Rob Johnson of The Truth Shall Set You Free Ministries, an ex-Mormon after 40 years who served a mission and had many callings. He can’t leave Mormonism alone and simply walk away:
The mind can’t let go what the heart knows: The Book of Mormon is True!
There is sufficient derogatory evidence on Joseph Smith and the Mormon Church for ex-Mormons to use without risking their eternal salvation by disparaging the only book that confirms the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Mormon Church does not adhere to the teachings in the Book of Mormon and Christians are asked to start using it to challenge Mormons.
God gave them over to a reprobate mind. (Romans 1:28)
Consider the mind that turns on the Second Witness of Jesus Christ, and views something God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16) as a thing of naught (1 Nehi 19:7) who teaches others to turn away from the truth (2 Tim. 4:4). This is an example of a reprobate mind. The following errors every ex and anti-Mormon would do well to disregard and choose instead the incontrovertible evidences against Mormonism.
DOESN’T TRUST EMOTIONS
“So the Word of God itself is the Standard of Truth. Deviate from it, and we have gone away from Truth towards the darkness – to what is not of God or His Truth. Your feelings are not the test of truth” (Rob Johnson, The Truth Shall Set You Free Ministries).
Johnson, like many, confuse the error. It was not their emotions that deceived them, it was trusting in a dishonest church.
Faith is a real phenomenon just like love is. Both invoke an emotional response that affects the body. The Spirit of God likewise can affect the body, ask anyone who has experienced a divine healing. To show the reprobateness of Johnson’s mind consider the verse he used to counter trusting emotions:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:16-25).
Johnson says:
“So, rather than demonstrating a test of truth by warm feelings, Galatians 5 teaches how those who are Christ’s shall live and be known.” (Ibid)
Really? How dishonest. The reprobate mind is precisely the reason one needs an emotional confirmation. It’s called a “conscience.” Has Johnson seared his conscience (2 Tim. 4:2) or maybe he is “past feeling” (1 Nephi 17:45) like the Gentiles (Eph. 4:17-19) and unable to feel the “still small voice”:
He hath spoken unto you in a still small voice but ye were past feeling that ye could not feel his words. (1 Nephi 17:45)
When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. The Book of Mormon is an awesome teacher of Jesus!
Notice that at least three of the Fruits of the Spirit listed by Paul are what? Emotions, which Johnson missed. Is Johnson past feeling?
For behold the Spirit of Christ is given to every man that he may know good from evil wherefore I show unto you the way to judge for every thing which inviteth to do good and to persuade to believe in Christ is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ;wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God. (Moroni 7:16)
The Spirit of Christ IS your conscience. Children know when they lie. The entire Book of Mormon is pro-Jesus and contains not a single teaching contrary to him which is something Johnson ignored. In fact, the spirit telling Johnson and other anti-Book of Mormon advocates is clearly anti-Christ as the Book of Mormon is the only book that confirms the virgin birth, death and resurrection of Jesus and there is one spirit that doesn’t want that – anti-Christ (1Jn. 4:3).
I guarantee that on Johnson’s mission or while he was in the Missionary Training Center he received a spiritual, i.e., an emotional witness of the Book of Mormon, whether he remembers it 40 years later or not. Most missionaries keep journals, and just like angels both for us and against us keep track of our thoughts, spoken words and actions, so too did Johnson record his thoughts, testimonies and actions and if not, his companions could cite the times he did in fact experience the “fruit of the Spirit” or confirmation of the Holy Spirit the Book of Mormon was true.
And they said one to another, Did not our HEART BURN within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he OPENED TO US THE SCRIPTURES? (Luke 24:32)
Of course anti’s ignore this verse entirely. Their talk of respecting scripture evaporates in an instant.
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the HOLY GHOST and with FIRE (Mat. 3:11)
On and on the supports go:
For the Lord thy GOD is a consuming FIRE. (Deut. 4:24)
DISPARAGES DAVID WHITMER
“The angel that showed the Three Witnesses the Gold Plates had no shape or appearance and that the experience was an ‘impression’ (and thus not a physical occurrence). When asked in 1880 for a description of the angel who showed him the plates:
Whitmer replied that the angel ‘had no appearance or shape.’ Asked by the interviewer how he then could bear testimony that he had seen and heard an angel, Whitmer replied, ‘Have you never had impressions?’ To which the interviewer responded, ‘Then you had impressions as the Quaker when the spirit moves, or as a good Methodist in giving a happy experience, a feeling?’ ‘Just so,’ replied Whitmer (Whitmer interview with John Murphy, June 1880, in EMD5: 63 (http://www.truthshallsetufree.com/I_Know_It_Is_True.html).
Nothing new here but the same old regurgitations by other dishonest disparagers. Cherry picking quotes by second, third and hearsay sources is dishonest, particularly when first hand primary sources exist.
Johnson cites David Whitmer from his booklet Address to All Believers when it’s convenient but he obviously has not taken the time to read it in full. Nor has he accounted for the twenty witnesses of the dictation process and the eight witnesses who saw and handled the plates.
BIRTHPLACE OF JESUS
“The Book of Mormon prophesied that Jesus would be born in Jerusalem. Alma 7:9-10. God’s Word: The coming of the Messiah was central to the message of the prophets of Old Testament. The bible and actual history both make clear that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, of the kingly lineage of David, in direct fulfillment of the bible prophesy” (https://truthshallsetufree.com/A_Different_Jesus.html).
For a returned missionary to use such an alleged inconsistency means Johnson either did not serve a mission, or he was like the majority of missionaries who were half asleep. The city Bethlehem was in the land Jerusalem (see Land).
Our advice: Stop disparaging the Book of Mormon and its witnesses and save your soul; attack using their D&C.