The doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)
are very interesting. Most of the 'odd' ones are not initially taught to
potential converts. But they should be. Instead, "they are revealed later as one
matures and gains the ability to accept them."  The LDS Church tries to make its
official doctrines appear Christian but what underlies those Christian sounding
terms is far from Christian in meaning.

Following are the teachings of its officials throughout the years.  Please
note that these teachings are documented from Mormon writers, not anti-Mormon
writers.

Finally, many Mormons respond that most of the citations below are not from
official Mormon writings, as if that disproves the doctrines they teach.  If
they are not official, fine.  But, if not, then why have the Mormon apostles and
high officials taught them, written them, and why are their books sold in Mormon
bookstores?  The truth is, the following is what Mormons are taught.

1. Atonement
   1. "Jesus paid for all our sins when He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane,"
      (Laurel Rohlfing, “Sharing Time: The Atonement,” Friend, Mar. 1989, p.
      39.).
   2. "We accept Christ's atonement by repenting of our sins, being baptized,
      receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and obeying all of the commandments,"
      (Gospel Principles, Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus
      Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1979, p. 68.).
2. Baptism
   1. Baptism for the dead,
      (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. II, p. 141). This is a practice of
      baptizing each other in place of non-Mormons who are now dead. Their belief is
      that in the afterlife, the "newly baptized" person will be able to enter into a
      higher level of Mormon heaven.
3. Bible
   1. "We believe the Bible to be
      the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. . ." (8th Article of Faith
      of the Mormon Church).
   2. "Wherefore, thou seest that
      after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable
      church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book,
      which is the book of the Lamb of God," (1 Nephi 13:28).
4. Book of
   Mormon
   1. The book of Mormon is more correct than the Bible, (History of the
      Church, 4:461).
5. Devil, the
   1. The Devil was born as a spirit
      after Jesus "in the morning of pre-existence," (Mormon Doctrine, p.
      192).
   2. Jesus and Satan are spirit
      brothers and we were all born as siblings in heaven to them both, (Mormon
      Doctrine, p. 163).
   3. A plan of salvation was needed
      for the people of earth so Jesus offered a plan to the Father and Satan offered
      a plan to the father but Jesus' plan was accepted. In effect the Devil wanted to
      be the Savior of all Mankind and to "deny men their agency and to dethrone god,"
      (Mormon Doctrine, p. 193; Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p.
      8).
6. God
   
   
   1. God used to be a man on
      another planet, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 321; Joseph Smith, Times and
      Seasons, vol. 5, p. 613-614; Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses,
      vol. 2, p. 345; Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 333).
   2. "The Father has a body of
      flesh and bones as tangible as man’s..." (D&C 130:22).
   3. God is in the form of a man,
      (Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 3).
   4. "God himself was once as we
      are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!!! . . . We
      have imagined that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea and
      take away the veil, so that you may see," (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph
      Smith, p. 345).
   5. God the Father had a Father,
      (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 476; Heber C. Kimball,
      Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p. 19; Milton Hunter, First Council
      of the Seventy, Gospel through the Ages, p. 104-105).
   6. God resides near a star called
      Kolob, (Pearl of Great Price, p. 34-35; Mormon Doctrine, p.
      428).
   7. God had sexual relations with
      Mary to make the body of Jesus, (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses,
      vol. 4, 1857, p. 218; vol. 8, p. 115). - This one is disputed among many Mormons
      and not always 'officially' taught and believed.  Nevertheless, Young, the 2nd
      prophet of the Mormon church taught it.
   8. "Therefore we know that both
      the Father and the Son are in form and stature perfect men; each of them
      possesses a tangible body . . . of flesh and bones." (Articles of
      Faith, by James Talmage, p. 38).
7. God, becoming a
   god
   1. After you become a good Mormon, you have the potential of becoming a god,
      (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345-347, 354.)
   2. "Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be
      from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above
      all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because
      they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them," (D&C 132:20).
8. God, many gods
   
   
   1. There are many gods,
      (Mormon Doctrine, p. 163).
   2. "And they (the Gods) said: Let
      there be light: and there was light," (Book of Abraham 4:3).
9. God, mother goddess
   
   
   1. There is a mother god,
      (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 443).
   2. God is married to his goddess
      wife and has spirit children, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 516).
10. God, Trinity
    
    
    1. The trinity is three separate
       Gods: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. "That these three are separate
       individuals, physically distinct from each other, is demonstrated by the
       accepted records of divine dealings with man," (Articles of Faith, by
       James Talmage, p. 35).
11. Gospel, the
    1. The true gospel was lost from the earth. Mormonism is its restoration,
       (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 182-185.)
    2. Consists of laws and ordinances: "As these sins are the result of individual
       acts it is just that forgiveness for them should be conditioned on individual
       compliance with prescribed requirements -- 'obedience to the laws and ordinances
       of the Gospel,'" (Articles of Faith, p. 79)
12. Heaven
    1. There are three levels of heaven: telestial, terrestrial, and celestial,
       (Mormon Doctrine, p. 348).
13. Holy Ghost,
    the
    1. The Holy Ghost is a male personage, A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, (Le Grand
       Richards, Salt Lake City, 1956, p. 118; Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p. 179).
14. Jesus
    
    
    1. The first spirit to be born in
       heaven was Jesus, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 129).
    2. Jesus and Satan are spirit
       brothers and we were all born as siblings in heaven to them both, (Mormon
       Doctrine, p. 163; Gospel Through the Ages, p. 15).
    3. Jesus' sacrifice was not able
       to cleanse us from all our sins, (murder and repeated adultery are exceptions),
       (Journal of Discourses, vol. 3, 1856, p. 247).
    4. "Therefore we know that both
       the Father and the Son are in form and stature perfect men; each of them
       possesses a tangible body . . . of flesh and bones," (Articles of
       Faith, by James Talmage, p. 38).
    5. "The birth of the Saviour was
       as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural
       action. He partook of flesh and blood - was begotten of his Father, as we were
       of our fathers," (Journal of Discourses, vol. 8, p. 115).
    6. "Christ was begotten by an
       Immortal Father in the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers,"
       (Mormon Doctrine, by Bruce McConkie, p. 547).
    7. "Christ Not Begotten of Holy
       Ghost ...Christ was begotten of God. He was not born without the aid of Man, and
       that Man was God!" (Doctrines of Salvation, by Joseph Fielding Smith,
       1954, 1:18).
    8. "Elohim is literally the
       Father of the spirit of Jesus Christ and also of the body in which Jesus Christ
       performed His mission in the flesh..." (First Presidency and Council of the
       Twelve, 1916, "God the Father," compiled by Gordon Allred, p. 150).
15. Joseph Smith
    1. If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no
       salvation.  There is no salvation [the context is the full gospel including
       exaltation to Godhood] outside the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
       (Mormon Doctrine, p. 670).
16. Pre-existence
    
    
    1. We were first begotten as
       spirit children in heaven and then born naturally on earth, (Journal of
       Discourse, vol. 4, p. 218).
    2. The first spirit to be born in
       heaven was Jesus, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 129).
    3. The Devil was born as a spirit
       after Jesus "in the morning of pre-existence," (Mormon Doctrine, p.
       192).
17. Prophets
    1. We need prophets today, the same as in the Old Testament, (Articles of
       Faith, by James Talmage, p. 444-445).
18. Salvation
    
    
    1. "One of the most fallacious
       doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone
       by the grace of God; that belief in Jesus Christ alone is all that is needed for
       salvation," (Miracle of Forgiveness, Spencer W. Kimball, p. 206).
    2. A plan of salvation was needed
       for the people of earth so Jesus offered a plan to the Father and Satan offered
       a plan to the father but Jesus' plan was accepted. In effect the Devil wanted to
       be the Savior of all Mankind and to "deny men their agency and to dethrone god,"
       (Mormon Doctrine, p. 193; Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p.
       8).
    3. Jesus' sacrifice was not able
       to cleanse us from all our sins, (murder and repeated adultery are exceptions),
       (Journal of Discourses, vol. 3, 1856, p. 247).
    4. Good works are necessary for
       salvation (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 92).
    5. There is no salvation without
       accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet of God (Doctrines of Salvation,
       vol. 1, p. 188).
    6. "The first effect [of the
       atonement] is to secure to all mankind alike, exemption from the penalty of the
       fall, thus providing a plan of General Salvation. The second effect is to open a
       way for Individual Salvation whereby mankind may secure remission of personal
       sins (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 78-79).
    7. "As these sins are the result
       of individual acts it is just that forgiveness for them should be conditioned on
       individual compliance with prescribed requirements -- 'obedience to the laws and
       ordinances of the Gospel,'" (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p.
       79).
    8. "This grace is an enabling
       power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after
       they have expended their own best efforts," (LDS Bible Dictionary, p.
       697).
    9. "We know that it is by grace
       that we are saved, after all we can do," (2 Nephi 25:23).
19. Trinity, the
    
    
    1. The trinity is three separate
       Gods: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. "That these three are separate
       individuals, physically distinct from each other, is demonstrated by the
       accepted records of divine dealings with man," (Articles of Faith, by
       James Talmage, p. 35.).
    2. "Many men say there is one
       God; the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are only one God. 

Reasons to Reject the Book of
Mormon

1. There is no room for the Book of Mormon because
   the Bible itself claims to be all-sufficient, compete and incorruptible and our
   judge on the last day.
2. The Book of Mormon contradicts the Bible.
3. The Book of Mormon makes many scientifically false
   statements.
4. Absolutely none of the specific historical content
   of the Book of Mormon has been verified through Archeological finds.
5. We do not have the Gold Nephi Plates for the world
   to examine.
6. Although the original 1830 edition of the Book of
   Mormon was alleged to be inspired in its English translation, there have been
   thousands of changes, corrections, additions and deletions. Most Mormons have
   never seen the original 1830 "inspired" edition and would be shocked if they
   did.
7. Although they claim direct guidance by God, the
   Mormon church is among the most divided church in the world with more than 89
   different sects who will not cooperate with each other.
8. The book of Doctrines & Covenants is very
   different depending upon which sect you are talking to.
9. The three witnesses of the B of M were all
   excommunicated by the Mormon church and were of less than ideal
   character.