A few days ago I was listening to my local Christian radio station, they were talking about all the things people were doing to protect themselves a few short years ago from Y2K. I thought back to that time when I was still a member of the Mormon Church.

     I remembered the added stress from my local church leaders to make sure our food storage was in order.  Food storage and preparedness are topics which never seem to go out of style and are sure to end up being reemphasized at General Conference or during a Sunday morning service. With all their faith and trust being focused on what they can do to sustain them in difficult times I have to wonder where does their faith in God fit in their daily life? Where is their faith and trust in God that he will do as he has promised us? In Philippians 4:19 we read:

             “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches

                                     in glory by Christ  Jesus.”

     During my journey in and out of Mormonism I’ve seen countless examples of how their religion shifts the spotlight off of Jesus Christ and onto themselves. It has always and will always be about what they are doing. Until they place their salvation, and trust completely in the hands of Jesus Christ, they will continue to carry in their hearts and minds many unnecessary burdens. There is no way for us to know and to be able to account for all the obstacles that we will encounter in this life. God on the other hand is omniscient, all knowing, he can account for those things that we won’t see coming. I’ve often wondered why the Mormons look to themselves instead of going exclusively to Him for all their needs. I would like to ask them: Why are you so fearful of what’s to come? God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear.  2 Timothy 1:7 tells us:

      For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love,

                                     and of a sound mind.

     He’s given us his Word, the Holy Spirit, and a “sound mind”.  Through his Holy Spirit we are able to let his Word penetrate our minds as we read, and we are fed spiritually. It can be scary when we turn on the news and see the current events unfolding around us. At the same time its vital that we still have faith that He is the one who is ultimately in control.

     Through ministry I’ve had the opportunity to hear many stories from people who have left Mormonism. Sadly I’ve encountered one too many stories of people who have left Mormonism to become Atheist. The answer to why this happens is both simple and heart wrenching. It starts at the very beginning, and has to do with where they were taught to place their faith as a child born into the church or as an adult convert.  Elder Jeffery R. Holland said:

“To consider that everything of saving significance in the Church stands or falls on the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and, by implication, the Prophet Joseph Smith’s account of how it came forth is as sobering as it is true. It is a ‘sudden death’ proposition. Either the Book of Mormon is what the Prophet Joseph said it is, or this Church and its founder are false, a deception from the first instance onward. (Christ and the New Covenant)”

     Unfortunately, as Elder Holland said their faith rests and falls on Joseph Smith and his “first vision”. For this reason once they learned Mormonism and everything surrounding it was a fraud their faith in God crumbed. There is nothing for them to hold on to once they know the truth about Mormonism. Their faith was tied to a mortal man, and the false god he created. Sadly, Atheism has become one of the many deplorable fruits of Mormonism.

     There is only one place and one person we should put our faith, trust and hope. It’s not ourselves, religion, or a mortal individual, but on Jesus Christ.

In Christ,