March 5, 2007

Dear Family and Friends,

It has recently come to my attention that pictures of me and friends have been put into an LDS video where we are advertising MormonInfo.org as well as JosephLied.com. I guess the intent was to make us look like idiots, but I think it actually is a great advertisement for these web sites. Please click HERE to watch it.



I have also recently learned that Jim Spencer's new DVD--"Mormonism: Has Anything Changed?"--used a picture of me preaching while advertising MormonInfo.org. This is more great advertisement for our site. Jim's DVD is excellent, and we will soon have a review of it up on our MormonInfo.org "Film Reviews" page.

I also added an FAQ to MormonInfo.org on answering an LDS proof-text in which they point to the necessity of the restored Church (Acts 3:19-23). Please click HERE to read it.

I will be hosting a brown bag lunch at Dallas Theological Seminary on March 20th. A good friend of mine there, John Kauer, set this up for me, so I could share about ministry opportunities to Mormons. Please pray this event will go well, and that many will come to join us in ministry.

Regarding the nation-wide outreach to Mormons, the time is fast approaching. Please be in prayer that many LDS will be convicted and come to Christ, and that we will have many workers to aid us. I spent a good deal of time last month writing to various ministry leaders that evangelize Mormons. I was attempting to persuade them to stand together in this project.

Your financial contributions and prayers make this ministry possible. We need your continued support. Please see our "Invest" page on either MormonInfo.org or here at CourageousChristiansUnited.org for how you can get involved. I also need your help in getting myself into your church to share about the cults. This allows increased growth to our financial support base in introducing new potential contributors to this ministry. Thank you so much for your concern and prayers for this ministry, and for those trapped by false religions and philosophies.

Rob Sivulka
President, Courageous Christians United
[email protected]

****MORE PRAYER REQUESTS****

1. For Tara's LDS family, and Jehovah's Witness friends Michelle and Jolee
2. For guidance in developing JWinfo.org
3. For Rob's continued doctoral studies at the University of Utah
4. For more salvations through this ministry
5. For our monthly ex-Mormon meetup group

****MAILBAG****

hi rob, i was wondering if you coauld tell me where i could find in the book of mormon where it states that "jesus is an exalted man and he did works in order to become god". your website "mormon info" says it is in [articles of faith,430] but i could not find it. articles of faith consists of only 1-2pgs at the most. if you could help me find that scripture that would be great!! thanks hope to hear from you soon.

[I responded:] Hi, The Book of Mormon doesn't teach many of the weird doctrines of Mormonism. That came later with the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price scriptures. There's a difference between the Articles of Faith in back of the Pearl of Great Price (13 of them) and a whole book on the subject written by James Talmage--an important LDS figure.

The section on my MormonInfo.org home page that you were alluding to was "Was the God of this world once a man who became God?" I never mention Jesus here since LDS generally don't refer to Jesus as God. God typically refers to the Father. Please check out the other link I have there from The Gospel Principles which is published by the LDS Church. Further, a very famous statement from the LDS Church is I believe found in Talmage's AoF where he quotes a past LDS president--Lorenzo Snow--who said, "As man is God once was, as God is man may be." The "Ibid." I use on MormonInfo.org refers specifically to what is right above that section. So please check out all the references in the sections above. You may also want to look at my tract where I actually quote many of these. It's a the bottom of the chart on the Home page or on my Downloads page.

These are good questions. Hope this helps.

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Hi Rob, I read your comment on your website regarding the argument that we are not Christians. You stated: "If being a Christian was simply a matter of believing in Christ then Muslims would be Christians." I consider your statement not as fair because you forgot mentioning that we believe that Christ died for our sins and transgressions, that he bears all our infirmities that he was crucified on the cross and triumphantly rose after three days and made thus immortality possible for all mankind. Muslims, however, would never agree on these basic points which constitute Christianity. Consequently, your point, as stated above, is not correct.

I know that Jesus is my Savior. I know that he lives. He is the head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Gordon B. Hinckley is truly a prophet of God. May God bless you.

[I responded:] Of course my point was that it's merely insufficient to claim that believing in Christ makes one a Christian. So is your addition sufficient? I don't think so knowing what else LDS teach. I know they don't believe in the same Christ I do who is by nature God, the Creator and Sustainer of literally everything outside Himself. This has been the traditional Christian view that exalts Christ above anything imaginable. Your definition allows one to believe their own mom fulfills it. So if I say my mom is Jesus who died for sins and then rose again, I'd still be a false Christian. I along with Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox think that Mormons are false Christians.
Respectfully, Rob

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you're a funny kid

[I responded:] Thanks! I'll take that as a compliment.
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Ive never seen a site like yours. I was once a mormon brought up into it. My mothers side of the family was raised that way too. Ive recently been studying more on this religion so that I could be a better witness to them. But too many times I find out how brain washed they are. Even as a young child I knew it wasnt the true church. I would say it was because even when your as young as 5 years old they get you up to the podium and they have an adult there to whisper in your ear everything to say. And thats why i say that they are brainwashed. Thank God I went to a penecostal church when I was fifteen and got saved. Thank you also for the evangelizing you are doing its a real ministry. Personally I think its harder to witness to a mormon than it is to witness to a non-believer. You know what I mean by that statement. Keep in touch and I added you as a friend. May God bless your ministry and your new marriage
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Hey Rob, I just spent over 2 hours looking at your blog, then looking up the people you were blogging with - including... drat I forgot her real name (her myspace name is 'dead religion sucks jesus rules') but she had a 10 minute video of her testimony of how she got out of the mormon church, then saw Mitt Romney's interview of a link from your Courageous Christians website.... and more. So much for getting any spanish homework done tonight that's due tomorrow morning... Oh, and the huge discussions on some YouTube videos of "anti-Mormon" people is amazing! I don't know how to explain it, but some pushing is going on right now from God for me to do more evangelism. With who, when, and by what means is unclear at the moment, but when I knw you will know. Anyways, wanted to say hey again, and keep up the great work. Talk to you again soon!
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Hey Rob, Being able to support you is one of the things that makes my nine-to-five worthwhile. You have no idea how much satisfaction it brings me to hear about the good stuff you're doing. I always enjoy getting the newsletters and finding out how God's working. It really pumped me up to hear about you starting Courageous Christians and seeing your dad in there as a part of it was equally cool. You guys are exactly what this world needs more of. Props to you for making a difference! By the way, congratulations on the engagement! Looks like you found yourself a hottie ;-).

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Lara says... (Reply)
":) I will add these prayer requests to my prayers. God bless you and and Tara your ministry.

" (9/10/08)