General Conference
I had a great time at General Conference witnessing with my dad. He asked me where that Book of Mormon passage was about the curse of dark skin being taken from the Lamanites (2 Ne. 2:14-16), so he started asking people for their take on it… including a group of black guys from another country (see 2nd picture). My dad said it really flustered one of them, and he finally told my dad to pray about it. Another simply said that God changed His mind. In the third picture, the guy just didn't know what to say about it.
My dad brought the passage up again to a couple missionaries that we were walking with after the conference. They said the curse wasn't dark skin. We read the passage to them again, and then I read Alma 3:6, which is also clear about the curse being a mark of dark skin. They had to go, and one said, "I don't know everything, but I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God." I told him, “It's the word of a white-supremacist, racist God.”
My dad had me come over to talk to a guy named Donald, who used to be Baptist. We had a good long talk with him and it was nearing the end when Mike Norton (NewNameNoah and originator of JosephLied.com--4th picture) came by and got Donald to leave when he didn't know what to say about Joseph Smith taking 14-year-old Helen Mar Kimball as a wife.
I went from 33 users of MormonInfo.org on Friday to 91 Saturday and 91 again on Sunday!
Here's a video of some of the preaching I did.
Faith After Mormonism Conference
I attended the leader’s forum for the Faith After Mormonism Conference and was able to video three ex-Mormons sharing their testimony of how they left Mormonism and came to Christ. This was very encouraging!
MeetTheExMormons.org
We had a friend from church, Vaughn Huffman, share his story about coming out of fundamentalist Mormonism and giving his life to Christ at our monthly Feast and Testimony meeting. Vaughn gave a lot of good information on understanding fundamentalist Mormonism. Please click on the link to see the video and pictures.
Mormons for Dinner
We also practiced friendship pre-evangelism by having a handful of mostly Mormons over for dinner. These were fellow students with Tara in the Occupation Therapy grad program at the University of Utah. I prayed over the food and prayed that God would all help them get through this very difficult first semester. We had a great time simply getting to know each other.
Halloween
We were able to get a lot of gospel tracts out in English and Spanish to all the trick-or-treaters. Yes, we gave candy out too!
We Need Your Partnership!
We not only need your prayers, but we need your financial partnership as well. Keep in mind that your investment is not simply for us, but for the lives of others we reach with the gospel. The standard way to financially invest is by writing a tax-deductible check to Courageous Christians United (CCU). For more information on various ways to invest in this ministry, including online giving, please see our “Invest” page on our sites. Please keep in mind we have no financial guarantees each month. Ministry partners come and go. If you’re not a partner and are blessed by these monthly updates, please consider joining our team and let us know soon. We’d love to be your missionaries here in Utah. Many thanks to those of you who hold us up in prayer and/or in your financial giving!
We expect God to provide for our needs through you. Why? Because the Bible is clear: “the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:14).
Be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:6)!
Rob Sivulka
President, Courageous Christians United
(801) 792-6373 (leave message)
MormonInfo.org
MeetTheExMormons.org
JWinfo.org
MuhammadLied.Info
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Are you aware of any research conducted which compares JS writings to BOM/D&C in conjunction with same wording, syntax and style?
[I replied:] 10-12 parts...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utDU45lm210
Sandra Tanner said there isn't much out there on this topic, at least in any great detail. She did do some of it in "Joseph Smith's Plagiarism of the Bible."
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I’m having dinner with a guy and was asking an easy way to explain Mormonism to elementary age kids—ie. easy way to understand what they believe and how it is opposed to our Biblical beliefs.
Do you have something that would help with this?
[I replied:] Not quite sure. This sounds like it would make for a great book. However, I'd simply walk the kids through the basics and point out how we disagree. My kids know that Joseph Smith is a false prophet, since he taught a false god, false Jesus, had false prophecies, and false scriptures. My kids know that salvation, forgiveness of sins isn't a matter of us doing all we can do (cf. 2 Nephi 25:23). They know that we believe there's only 1 God who created and sustains literally everything, but Mormonism denies that and thinks that God had to grow up to become a God by following some other God and that the heavenly Father had to even get a wife before He
Classmate dinnercan become God. They know that we can and do pray directly to Jesus, but Mormons don't and can't. That should be good enough for kids.
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you tend to caricature LDS people in your post. like we're all angry and hate your very cute girls. and anyone nice, like Mo, is the exception. maybe they are reacting to your abrasive non-relational approach. there are plenty of angry mad born again Christians, esp. in Utah! very different than your average UK or European Christian.
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OK, having now experienced one of these [our MeetTheExMormons.org Feast and Testimony Meeting] personally and first-hand, I've just got to say it: If you're not attending these you are missing out - big time!
These people are wonderful and I learned SO much from them!
I left walking on Cloud Nine I was so blessed and encouraged.
If you live in the West Jordan area (I think I got that right, Rob) I strongly, strongly, strongly (did I mention that I strongly?) encourage you to make this part of your monthly routine.
You'll thank me later.
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I was a member of the LDS faith for 20years and have since left. I am wondering I have given 10s of thousands of dollars in tithes over that time. My question is can we sue the “church” for reimbursement? Isn’t it like a Ponzi scheme where they told a knowing lie for money? I await your response thank you for your time.
[I replied:] You'd have to ask a lawyer, but here's something to get you started.
Thankful that God has mercy on you to get you out of this cult. I pray that you'll "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus" (2 Pe. 3:18).
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On the upside, in my opinion, angry Mormon members are a sign of attention. What you are saying is sinking in, which leads them to investigate, which leads them to wanting to prove you wrong and then Christian conversion.
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Thanks for the great newsletter. Your openness and honesty really touched me as you explained how the enemy attacks us so fiercely before effective ministry. Thanks for your faithful heart and God bless you and your family.
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I have been, with heart intent, making efforts to reach people in false religion cults for over 30 years now. I have many family members who are Mormons. My efforts and success in pulling individuals out of false religions have seemed to be minimally successful until I discovered your videos. I just want to let you know that I greatly appreciate you and I would love to meet you someday. I live in Louisiana. My wife and I are preparing to move back down south in the coming months. I will be and culture contact with my Mormon family members. Be in agreement with me to reach them and all others that the Lord may put me in contact with. Peace to you brother you are a great encouragement!
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Bless you for the work you’re doing! Awesome!
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I love you Rob hope to meet you someday keep it up, everyone is reached differently.
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