The God Makers Quotes

“The indisputable fact is that, long before and long after the 1843 "revelation," polygamy was being practiced in secret by Mormon leaders, who compounded their sin by public denials that were just plain lies. At the time of his self-righteous denial and empty threat that he could "prove" his accusers "all perjurers," Joseph Smith had at least four and probably seven times
the seven wives he was accused of having! If he lied about this issue, what else would he lie about? How could anyone accept anything he said?”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“Secrecy is contrary to Christianity. Jesus did not found a secret society. When falsely accused of many things before the Sanhedrin, and when the high priest demanded to know His doctrine, Christ specifically stated: "I spoke openly to the world; I always taught in the synagogue and in the temple where the Jews always resort, and in secret have I said nothing."' Moreover, He warned His disciples against secret doctrines and practices with these words: "For nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest.... Therefore whatever you have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light, and that which you have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops."29 The Bible declares that the "hidden things" are to be reproved and brought to light,' and that anything done in secret will receive special attention in the judgment.31 As for secret revelations beyond those given in Scripture, the Bible clearly rejects this idea by repeated affirmations of its sufficiency and completeness. For example:
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect [mature, complete, lacking nothing], thoroughly furnished unto all good works.32
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue... .33
If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“The implication that Mormons are always laboring to convey is that anything sacred must be kept secret. This would presumably excuse the death oath of secrecy imposed upon Temple Mormons as a legitimate necessity for preserving the sacredness of the ceremonies performed inside Mormon
Temples. However, there is neither biblical nor logical support for this. There is not one example in the Bible (or the Book of Mormon, for that matter) of any ritual, ceremony, or act of worship that was practiced in secret-much less an example of an oath forfeiting one's life for revealing something sacred.”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“In the name of true Christianity, Joseph Smith restored the pagan mysteries in Masonic form. It was necessary for Satan to establish his rival religion under the guise of Christianity, thereby convincing millions that his lie is really the truth. Mormonism teaches that "the Devil told the truth,"' and denies that Adam and Eve sinned when they disobeyed God, proposing instead that "Adam fell in the right direction... toward Godhood.”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“As we shall see, both the Melchizedek Priesthood and the alleged "First Vision" (which, in spite of its nine contradictory versions, is the foundation of Mormonism) show a progression in Prophet Smith's ideas that betrays a definite and growing influence from Masonry.”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“Joseph Smith often referred to himself in his "revelations" as "Enoch,"' claiming that he had been given this name by God. The Enoch of the legend was chosen to recover and preserve for mankind the sacred name of God; and Joseph Smith was allegedly chosen to recover and "restore" the everlasting gospel of God to the earth. Enoch buried the sacred record to preserve it just before a great disaster (the Flood), foreseeing that after the deluge "an Israelitish descendant would discover anew the sacred buried treasure." Enoch "placed a stone lid, or slab, over the cavity into the hill," exactly as Moroni did in the Book of Mormon when he buried his record as the only survivor of the disaster (great battle) that destroyed his entire nation. Joseph Smith, who recovered this record, claimed to be an Israelite, fitting the vision of Enoch even in this regard.”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“However, in 1838 in Kirtland, Oliver Cowdery confronted Joseph Smith with the charge of adultery with Fanny Alger, and with lying and teaching false doctrines." Joseph Smith denied this charge and instead charged Cowdery with being a liar." Church records now show that Miss Alger was Smith's first "spiritual wife." Oliver was telling the truth! 18
Cowdery was excommunicated for this and other "crimes."" Later, as a Methodist, he denied the Book of Mormon20 and publicly confessed his sorrow and shame for his connection with Mormonism.”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“One wonders, then, why God allowed literally tons and mountains of evidence to remain in verification of the Bible. Church leaders have become very concerned by the questions being raised due to the absence of evidence, and the fact that descriptions of cities, rivers, mountains, and journeys in the Book of Mormon cannot be correlated at all with topography and geography. To quiet these questions, for which The Brethren have no answers, an article was published in the Church Section of the Deseret News cautioning Church members about putting too much importance upon facts and evidence:
The geography of the Book of Mormon has intrigued some readers of that volume ever since its publication. But why worry about it?
Efforts to pinpoint certain places from what is written in the book are fruitless.... Attempts to designate certain areas as the Land Bountiful or the site of Zarahemla or the place where the Nephite city of Jerusalem sank into the sea "and waters have I caused to come up in the stead thereof" can bring no definitive results. So why speculate?
To guess where Zarahemla stood can in no wise add to anyone's faith. But to raise doubts in people's minds about the location of the Hill Cumorah, and thus challenge the words of the prophets concerning the place where Moroni buried the records, is most certainly harmful. And who has the right to raise doubts in anyone's mind?
Our position is to build faith, not to weaken it, and theories concerning the geography of the Book of Mormon can most certainly undermine faith if allowed to run rampant.
Why not leave hidden the things that the Lord has hidden? If He wants the geography of the Book of Mormon revealed, He will do so through His prophet....”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“Some Church leaders have come up with ingenious explanations for the complete failure to find any evidence supporting the Book of Mormon. In a March 25, 1964, address, Fletcher B.Hammond said: `:.. The Gentiles have not yet received the Book of Mormon by faith... and until they do... it appears that empirical facts will not be allowed to come forth as evidence of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon... ."'S”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“If Joseph Smith was a true Prophet, why did he mistakenly identify the wrong hill outside Palmyra, New York, as Cumorah? And how did the gold plates get there when they were buried by Moroni (if this was a real event) in the Yucatan? Mormonism stands or falls with Joseph Smith, and we need no further evidence than Cumorah that he was an impostor and that The Brethren are the modern brokers of his pitiful fraud.
Strangely enough, the obvious fact that the Book of Mormon is a fraudulent document seldom causes those who know this to leave the Church. Even Professor Green has said:
I find that nothing in so-called Book of Mormon archaeology materially affects my religious commitment one way or the other, and I do not see that archaeological myths so common in our proselytizing program enhance the process of true conversion....”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“Though divided on much, most (if not all) Mormon archaeologists agree on one thing: The real Cumorah, if there ever was one, definitely was not located where Joseph Smith claimed he discovered the gold plates. If the
Book of Mormon events took place anywhere, it could only have been in the Yucatan Peninsula of Central America. That is where Mormon archaeological activity has been centered for years. Yet The Brethren continue to sponsor the annual pageant in Palmyra that draws huge crowds to the misnamed hill with its monument and huge lettering along the hill's entire side identifying it as "Cumorah.”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“Respected Mormon archaeologist Professor Dee F.Green has said:
The first myth we need to eliminate is that Book of Mormon archaeology exists.... If one is to study Book of Mormon archaeology, then one must have a corpus of data with which to deal. We do not.
... No Book of Mormon location is known with reference to modern topography. Biblical archaeology can be studied because we do know where Jerusalem and Jericho were and are, but we do not know where Zarahemla and Bountiful (nor any location for that matter) were and are.
... A concentration on geography should be the first order of business, but we have already seen that twenty years of such an approach has left us empty-handed.30”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“Joseph E.Vincent gives some insight into the problems this myth has created:
At one time when I was a member of a ward bishopric, one of the counselors said to me: "Why is it we have accurate maps of Palestine and not of the Book of Mormon lands? Why do we know so well where Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth are and do not know where Zarahemla, Bountiful and Cumorah are? Does that mean that actually those places are fictitious as the non-Mormons say they are?"29”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“His further comments in this particular article are significant:
All this criticism may be too narrow. There is plenty of evidence that the Latter-day Saints are gullible on many subjects, not just this one.
President Harold B.Lee expressed impatience with the rumor-mongering which is endemic among Mormons. The too-generous standing ovations at BYU are becoming legendary.
Salt Lake City has earned a nationwide reputation as a center for stock fraud, and Douglas Stringfellow beguiled Utahans for years.27”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“Prophet Smith declared that at His second coming, Jesus Christ would return to Independence, Missouri, in spite of the clear statement in the Bible that He will come back to the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem." The Bible makes it clear that Jerusalem is Zion. That didn't sway Joseph Smith, however, who stuck by his "revelation" that "Zion" is really Independence, Missouri. Unfortunately, the site that Prophet Smith "divinely chose" for the Zion Temple that must be built prior to Christ's return is owned by the Church of Christ-Temple Lot. This”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“Joseph's brother Hyrum taught that "every Star that we see is a world and is inhabited... the Sun and Moon are inhabited, and the Stars... are inhabited the same as this Earth."8 There were even commonly accepted fantasies among the early Mormons about taking trips to these other worlds out in space. Oliver B.Huntington claimed that Joseph Smith's father had prophesied over him at Kirtland in 1837 that he would preach the Mormon gospel "to the inhabitants of the moon...."' A record has been found of a December 15, 1836, blessing that Joseph Smith, Senior, gave to Lorenzo Snow (who later became President of the Church):
Thou shalt have power to translate thyself from one planet to another; and power to go to the moon....”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“The founding Prophet of the Mormon Church also declared that the moon was inhabited by people about six feet tall who dressed like Quakers and lived to be a thousand years old.' Smith's successor, Brigham Young, came forth with an even more amazing revelation-that the sun is also inhabited.”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“If, as the Book of Mormon itself teaches, Satan is luring unsuspecting souls into hell by saying it doesn't exist and that they will be able to repent and join the Mormon Church even after they die, then it is clear that Mormonism, which teaches this, is Satans religion. If Mormonism doesn't tell the truth about hell, can its teachings about heaven be trusted? What about the Mormon "heaven"?”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“The many references to "light" in the stories about these apparitions that circulate among Mormons seem especially significant in view of what the Bible says about Satan transforming himself into an "angel of light.""
Moroni, the key messenger who "restored" truth for Joseph Smith, is usually described as an "Angel of Light."26 Interestingly enough, the reference for "Angel of Light" in the late LDS Apostle/scholar Bruce McConkie's encyclopedic work on Mormon doctrine reads "See Devil." Moreover, the "Personages of light" that brought revelations to Joseph Smith (later identified as the heavenly Father and His Son) are reminiscent of the "being of light" that convinces the "clinically dead" that they aren't really dead and that there is no judgment but only acceptance and love. The similarity between this idea and Satan's lie to Eve that she wouldn't really die is clear.”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“If the spirits of the dead are either in heaven or hell, then appearances in Mormon Temples, as in seances, can only be demons impersonating the dead to foster belief in Satan's denial of death." This is why attempted communication with the dead, which is called necromancy, is absolutely forbidden in the Bible." Here again, in open rejection of the Word of God, Mormonism not only encourages but boasts of alleged contact with the spirits of the dead. At the same 1982 General Conference mentioned above, Elder A.Theodore Tuttle, another General Authority, proudly declared:
On the third of April 1836, one week after the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, the monumental event occurred-the Savior appeared and accepted the Temple!
Moses and Elias also came. Then, Malachi's prophecy was fulfilled, for Elijah the prophet stood before them...?”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“Each wife who has been through the Temple has a secret name that only her husband and she know. He uses this to call her out of the grave on the day of resurrection; and there seems to be no remedy for her if he purposely or forgetfully fails to do so.”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“Thus the Mormon dilemma: Outside the Church is no salvation,' yet inside the Church there is no hope either, for no one who is honest with himself could ever pretend to meet its impossible standards of personal righteousness.”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“Joseph Smith was able to convince his faithful followers that he was even greater than Jesus Christ. He said:
I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me.
Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I!
The followers of Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet.19”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“keeping with thousands of years of pagan tradition, Joseph Smith established himself as the sole authority over all those who were willing to let him interpret "truth and the will of God" for them. Mormons obtain a "testimony," not that Jesus Christ is their personal Savior and Lord, but that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet of God and that the Mormon Church is the only true Church upon the earth. This Mormon "testimony" is not based upon reason, conscience, or agreement with the Bible, but upon a subjective feeling called the "burning in the bosom." When anyone accepts this feeling as the evidence of authenticity, he automatically thereafter accepts whatever Joseph Smith or his successors said or say.”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“Mormons are taught to parrot the LDS Eighth Article: "We believe the Bible to be the Word of God as far as it is translated correctly." How does one know where it is not "translated correctly"? By very definition, that is wherever the Bible conflicts with Mormon doctrine (which is almost everywhere), in which case the latter is followed.”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“Former Mormon President Joseph Fielding Smith made that clear when he wrote:
[There is] no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith. If Joseph Smith was verily a prophet, and if he told the truth when he said that
he stood in the presence of angels sent from the Lord, and obtained the keys of authority, and the commandment to organize the Church of Jesus Christ once again upon the earth, then this knowledge is of the most vital importance to the entire world.
No man can reject that testimony without incurring the most dreadful consequences, for he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“Bill's" wife became a Mormon after they had been happily married for years and had several children. When he wouldn't convert to Mormonism, the local LDS leaders assisted "Diane" in divorcing and relocating in Utah, where she was quickly married to a "righteous" LDS widower. When attempts by both the husband and Diane's family were made to see the missing children, the LDS family disappeared to Alaska.”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“Apostle Pratt wrote,
If we should take a million of worlds like this and number their particles, we should find that there are more gods than there are particles of matter in those worlds. The Gods who dwell in the heaven have been... exalted also, from fallen men to Celestial Gods to inhabit their Heaven forever and ever."
This has been the consistent teaching of Mormonism since Prophet Smith first publicly proclaimed it more than 150 years ago; and it is the very essence of Mormonism today. In”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“On the afternoon of
June 8, 1873, preaching from the pulpit of the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, President Brigham Young declared:
The devil told the truth... I do not blame Mother Eve.
I would not have had her miss eating the forbidden fruit for anything in the world....
They must pass through the same ordeals as the Gods, that they may know good from evil... .27
The belief that Satan told the truth and that Adam and Eve did the right thing in following him instead of God comprises the very heart of Mormonism.”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes

“The central belief both in Mormonism and paganism is the ancient dream that men can become gods. This universal and popular delusion began with Satan's impossible and self-contradictory ambition to be equal with God: "I will be like the Most High!"" How many Most Highs can there be? Satan lured Eve into joining his mad rebellion against the one true God by promising that she too could become a god.”
― Ed Decker, The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes