The Latin root for testimony is testis, meaning “witness”.
Table of Contents
A Biblical Basis for Testimony
From the first biblical writer to the last, the Word of God teaches us to find and establish truth using the Bible as an authoritative standard. Deuteronomy 13:1-5 provides an understanding of the methods to test for false gods. Deuteronomy 18:20-22 establishes a means by which we might test for false prophets and false prophecy. Acts 17:11 teaches that nobility before God is achieved by testing every new teaching against the truths God previously revealed in scripture. Galatians 1:6-9 teaches that we may recognize those who pervert the gospel by comparing their words to the gospel as contained in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
In conclusion, 1 John 1:4 demands that we test every spirit. In short, we must test every teaching and every claim against what God previously revealed. God will not change his mind because He is not a God of confusion, 1 Corinthians 14:33.
Testing the Mormon Testimony
The Mormon testimony is a statement of faith in which a person bears a sure witness of things they claim to know are true. This article will test a few statements commonly found in a Mormon testimony.
“I Know Joseph Smith was a True Prophet of God”
Mormonism, as it is called, must stand or fall on the story of Joseph Smith. He was either a prophet of God, divinely called, properly appointed and commissioned, or he was one of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen. There is no middle ground.
Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation 1:188
I would like to say that this cause is either true or false. Either this is the kingdom of God, or it is a sham and a delusion. Either Joseph talked with the Father and the Son, or he did not. If he did not, we are engaged in blasphemy.
Gordon B. Hinckley, Conference Reports, October 1961, p. 116
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…Joseph must be accepted either as a prophet of God or else as a charlatan of the first order…
Jeffrey R. Holland, “Christ and the New Covenant,” quoted in Ensign, September 2002, 14
Marriage
God has established a single acceptable pattern for marriage.
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Genesis 2:24 KJV
Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away…
Deuteronomy 17:17a KJV
We know that some Old Testament patriarchs and kings accumulated wives and concubines. However, no biblical passage commands men to take multiple wives. Nor can we find a single passage where God endorsed or approved the practice.
All men sin! This is true of us, and it was true of Old Testament polygamists. God allows us to choose for ourselves, and we often get it wrong, as did they.
Does their departure from God’s pattern give us a license to do the same? If the ancient people had applied biblical answers to the cultural traditions of their day, would they have rejected ancient polygamy as the abomination it is?
The Bible and Mormon doctrine provided additional prohibitions that should have kept Joseph Smith from practicing polygamy.
Inasmuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy: we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband, except in case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again.
Doctrine and Covenants, 1835 to 1876, Section 101. & History of the Church, vol. 2, pg. 247
Jesus reaffirmed the validity of God’s only acceptable pattern for marriage.
And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Matthew 19:4-5 KJV
In a letter to Timothy, Paul defined the qualities of a leader.
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife…
1 Timothy 3:2a KJV
Joseph did not simply restore the Old Testament practice of polygamy, he took it to a new level.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Exodus 20:14 KJV
… thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife…
Exodus 20:17 KJV excerpt
Regarding the number of wives taken by Joseph Smith, the Mormon church states, “Careful estimates put the number between 30 and 40“,(https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/topics/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo?lang=eng). Approximately one-third were married to other men when they married Joseph Smith. Many claim that these were eternal sealings only and did not include the possibility of sexual relations. However, testimony from several of Smith’s wives disproves the assertion. Consider this single case in point.
Sylvia Porter Sessions was married to Windsor Lyon on April 21, 1838, in a ceremony performed by Joseph Smith. In late 1842 or early 1843, she married Joseph Smith while still married and living with Lyon.
Josephine Lyon was born on February 8, 1844, to Sylvia Sessions. The primary evidence of sexuality is a 1915 document by Josephine. It recounts an event shortly before the death of Sylvia in 1882. Sylvia called Josephine to her side; “She then told me that I was the daughter of the Prophet Joseph Smith.”
DNA testing later proved that Josephine was the daughter of Windsor Lyon. However, Sylvia’s belief that Josephine was the daughter of Smith, evidenced by Josephine being named after him, suggests that Sylvia Sessions was sexually active with both men simultaneously.
Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none; For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things.
Book of Mormon, Jacob 2:27-30
To suggest Joseph Smith was not sexually active with all his wives is to condemn him for violating Mormon doctrine. According to the Book of Mormon, God prohibits polygamy except when He needs to raise up seed to Himself quickly. Therefore, if Joseph Smith took plural wives and failed to do all in his power to produce children, he would be in open rebellion against the Mormon god!
If the Mormon people were to hold Joseph Smith up to established doctrines of the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants, would he be revealed as a false prophet?
The Way, the Truth, and the Life
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 14:6, KJV
If no man can come to the Father but by Jesus, then He is not only the Way, Truth, and Life; He is the only Way, Truth, and Life.
Sarah Ann Whitney
Joseph Smith married seventeen-year-old Sarah Ann Whitney on July 27, 1842. The parents of Sarah were compelled by direct revelation from God, according to Joseph Smith. Smith promised a reward of honor, immortality, and eternal life for the entire Whitney household, both old and young.
Verily, thus saith the Lord unto my servant N. K. Whitney, the thing that my servant Joseph Smith has made known unto you and your family and which you have agreed upon is right in mine eyes and shall be rewarded upon your heads with honor and immortality and eternal life to all your house, both old and young because of the lineage of my Priesthood, saith the Lord, it shall be upon you and upon your children after you from generation to generation, by virtue of the holy promise which I now make unto you, saith the Lord.
Todd Compton, In Sacred Loneliness, Revelation for N. K. Whitney, father of Sarah Ann Whitney, p 499 and Joseph Smith Papers, revelation, 27 July, 1842, p 1
Lucy Walker
Joseph Smith married seventeen-year-old Lucy Walker on May 1, 1843. He persuaded young Lucy to accept his proposal with a promise of an everlasting blessing to her father’s house.
He fully explained to me the principle of plural or celestial marriage. Said this principle was again to be restored for the benefit of the human family. That it would prove an everlasting blessing to my father’s house. And form a chain that could never be broken, worlds without End.
Todd Compton, In Sacred Loneliness, Writings of Lucy Walker, p 463 and Lyman Omer Littlefield, Reminiscences of Latter-day Saints: Giving an Account of Much Individual Suffering Endured for Religious Conscience (Logan: Utah Journal Co, 1888), 46–48; see also testimony in Andrew Jenson, “Plural Marriage,” Historical Record 6 (July 1887): 229–30.
Helen Mar Kimball
Joseph Smith married fourteen-year-old Helen Mar Kimball sometime in May of 1843. He persuaded this barely pubescent girl to marry him with the promise of her eternal salvation & exaltation and that of your father’s household & all of her kindred.
After which he said to me, ‘If you will take this step, it will ensure your eternal salvation & exaltation and that of your father’s household & all of your kindred.’ This promise was so great that I willingly gave myself to purchase so glorious a reward.
Todd Compton, In Sacred Loneliness, Writings of Helen Mar Kimball, p 499 and Helen Mar Kimball Whitney, “Autobiography, 30 March 1881,” MS 744
In every case, Smith placed the burden of a family’s salvation on a teenager’s willingness to accept polygamy and become part of a rapidly growing harem. As troubling as this may be, it is more distressing to realize that Smith claimed to have the power to save and exalt people as only Jesus can. Smith claimed to be the Way, Truth, and Life by which entire families would be saved.
If any of you think we misunderstand what Joseph Smith was doing, we turn to Brigham Young for clarification.
Joseph Smith holds the keys of this last dispensation, and is now engaged behind the vail in the great work of the last days. I can tell our beloved brother Christians who have slain the Prophets and butchered and otherwise caused the death of thousands of Latter-day Saints, the priests who have thanked God in their prayers and thanksgiving from the pulpit that we have been plundered, driven, and slain, and the deacons under the pulpit, and their brethren and sisters in their closets, who have thanked God, thinking that the Latter-day Saints were wasted away, something that no doubt will mortify them – something that, to say the least, is a matter of deep regret to them – namely, that no man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith. From the day that the Priesthood was taken from the earth to the winding-up scene of all things, every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are – I with you and you with me. I cannot go there without his consent. He holds the keys of that kingdom for the last dispensation – the keys to rule in the spirit-world; and he rules there triumphantly, for he gained full power and a glorious victory over the power of Satan while he was yet in the flesh, and was a martyr to his religion and to the name of Christ, which gives him a most perfect victory in the spirit-world. He reigns there as supreme a being in his sphere, capacity, and calling, as God does in heaven. Many will exclaim – “Oh, that is very disagreeable! It is preposterous! We cannot bear the thought!” But it is true.
Journal of Discourses 7:289 (Oct 9, 1859
False Prophesy
Joseph Smith prophesied that a temple would be built in a specific place and by a specific date. That date came and went, and no temple was erected. To this day, the temple lot remains nothing more than an empty field.
1 A revelation of Jesus Christ unto his servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and six elders, as they united their hearts and lifted their voices on high.2 The word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem. 3 Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased. 4 Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation. 5 For verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house.
Doctrine & Covenants 84:1-5
God has clearly described the fate of any man who, in the name of the living God, prophesies falsely. That man shall die!
20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. 21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? 22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
Deuteronomy 18:20-22, KJV
Other Gods
At various times and in different ways, Joseph Smith defined God.
And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God…
Book of Mormon Title Page
In order to understand the subject of the dead, for consolation of those who mourn for the loss of their friends, it is necessary we should understand the character and being of God and how He came to be so; for I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see.
King Follett Sermon, Joseph Smith at the April 7, 1844
God made Aaron to be the mouth piece for the children of Israel, and He will make me be god to you in His stead, and the Elders to be mouth for me; and if you don’t like it, you must lump it.
Joseph Smith, History of the Church, vol 6, pages 319-320 & Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith p .363, emphasis added
God has clearly spoken against men who lead the people after other gods. Are the two versions of God, as described by Joseph Smith, the same, or are they different gods?
1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. 5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the Lord thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5
Once again, God has declared that anyone guilty of this blasphemy must be put to death. This clearly indicates how seriously God condemns those who trifle in this sin.
“I Know This is the Only True Church on the Face of the Earth”
If you claim to know the church is true and cannot reconcile Joseph Smith with the Bible and with Mormon scripture, how is it true? Upon what standard do you know the church is true?
Questions for Mormon Bishops
- If you claim to know the church is true and are unable to reconcile Joseph Smith with the Bible and with Mormon scripture, can the church be true? Upon what standard do you know the church is true?
Gaining a Testimony
Another way to seek a testimony seems astonishing when compared with the methods of obtaining other knowledge. We gain or strengthen a testimony by bearing it.
Dallin H. Oaks How to Gain a Testimony, April 2008 General Conference
It is not unusual to have a missionary say, ‘How can I bear testimony until I get one? How can I testify that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that the gospel is true? If I do not have such a testimony, would that not be dishonest?’ Oh, if I could teach you this one principle: a testimony is to be found in the bearing of it!
Boyd K. Packer, The Quest for Spiritual Knowledge, New Era, Jan. 2007, 6
Is there ever a time when bearing a sure witness of something unknown is the right thing to do? Perjury in a court of law carries with it fines and imprisonment. If perjury is held in such contempt in the courts of man, how much more condemned will it be in the court of God?
Mormon parents lead small children to the pulpit and coax them through a standard Mormon testimony. Just as soon as children can speak, the indoctrination begins. Little children are led to testify of things they cannot possibly know or understand at a very young age. For their lies, parents give hugs, the bishop gives a strong and somber handshake, and the congregation proudly pats them on the head.
Repetition breeds familiarity. Familiarity breeds acceptance. Accepted things feel like truth. People of every false religion believe so strongly in their faith that they willingly die for it. The Mormon people are no different. Ultimately, they bear a strong witness to what they have been conditioned to believe. Yet, their statement of faith is never based on God’s established pattern for discerning truth and error.
Why is this Important
The Mormon people are my people, just as the Jews were Paul’s. To express the desire of my heart, I echo this great apostle;
Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for
Romans 10:1-3 KJV, Modified to illustrate the longings of me heartIsrael(the Mormons) is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:31-32 KJV
Questions for Mormon Bishops
- Can you establish your testimony according to the God-given tests found in Deuteronomy 13:1-5, Deuteronomy 18:20-22, Acts 17:11, Galatians 1:6-9, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, and 1 John 1:4?
- If you are unable to establish your testimony according to the pattern established by God, what evidence do you have that your testimony is valid?
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