Click here to see Mormon chief apologists, and amateurs "prove" that Mormonism is God's True religion and defend criticisms against it. All fundamental One and Only True Religions have a website with this exact purpose.
Mormons believe that their church is "the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth" (D&C 1:30), the only organization authorized by the Almighty to preach his gospel and administer the ordinances of salvation, the only Church which has power to save" (Mormon Doctrine; 1977 ed, p. 136).
An excerpt from official Mormon history, authored by founding prophet Joseph Smith:
"I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!
My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.
I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.
He again forbade me to join with any of them...
Quotes from the Mormon official website:
"The Book of Mormon concludes with a great promise that those who read it and sincerely pray about it can know by the Holy Ghost that it is true" (Moroni 10:4).
"The priesthood is the authority to act in God’s name. The same priesthood authority that existed in the original Church established by Jesus Christ exists in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today. The Church is directed and led through this authority"
"Throughout history, God has chosen prophets, such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, and others, to teach the gospel and direct His Church (Amos 3:7). It is no different today. We all need God’s guidance in a world that is sometimes confusing. Because God loves His children, He continues to send living prophets. Joseph Smith (1805–44) was the first prophet of our time. Gordon B. Hinckley is God’s chosen prophet today."
The following are extracts from, "Instructions for the Discussions" used by every Mormon 19-23 year old missionary who knocks on your door:
"Your goal is to help investigators become converted [to Mormonism] by the Spirit...To do this you must help them feel and recognize the influence of the Spirit. As they feel the Spirit, you will be able to help them make and keep the commitments that lead to conversion and baptism [into the Mormon church]."
"First you prepare the investigators to feel and recognize the Spirit. When they feel the Spirit, invite them to make a specific commitment."
"... help them feel you are interested in their good. As they feel greater trust in you, they will feel greater confidence in what you teach them...building a relationship of trust must be a constant concern.
"When you use the scriptures in your teaching...Help the investigators understand the context and meaning of [them]. Use them to promote spiritual feelings, not to prove a point."
Great emphasis is placed on the promises of Mormon scripture that truth is confirmed through feelings. First through Moroni's promise:
"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost." - Moroni 10:4, (emphasis added)
I was born and raised Mormon. I served a faithful two year Mormon mission. I brought over 30 people into the Mormon church during that time. I know how that system operates. I understand how a faithful Latter Day Saint can say that he or she "knows" that the Mormon church is the only TRUE church on earth. I know what that means, I understand the implications of it. Having now studied various religious exclusivity claims in great detail, I can no longer say the mantra "I know this church is true".
CONTROVERSIAL CATHOLIC RULING:
Normally, a Christian who later converts to Catholicism does not have to be re-baptized in process. If a Mormon wants to convert to Catholicism, that is not the case. The Vatican does not recognize the Mormon baptism as legitimate:
The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith declared that baptisms in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are "not the baptism that Christ instituted."
The ruling was a departure from the Catholic Church's usual practice of recognizing the baptisms of converts from most other churches. The Vatican held that the Mormon view of the nature of God was too different from Catholicism's.
It was the second time in as many years that a major Christian church had ruled that Mormon converts must be rebaptized. Last year, the United Methodist Church, the nation's second-largest Protestant denomination, took a similar stand.
Dan Wotherspoon, editor of Sunstone Magazine, an independent journal of Mormon life and issues published in Salt Lake City, said, "Clearly, the LDS church still has their work cut out for them in this effort to be known as a Christian church."
In Salt Lake City, Latter-day Saints spokesmen sought to minimize the importance of the Catholic decision, or its possible effect on efforts by the church to present itself as a Christian church.
In Rome, the Vatican congregation indicated that radically different theological views of God and Jesus Christ necessitated the rebaptism of Mormon converts.
Source: Vatican Will Not Accept Mormon Baptisms, Los Angeles Times, July 20, 2001
