Beck: An Inconsistent Mormon

For all the comment about Glenn Beck and his astoundingly successful “Restoring Honor” rally in Washington D.C. one glaring truth and inconsistency must be addressed.  This involves the inconsistent position of Glenn Beck’s religious organization, the Mormons, and his own ecumenical approach on the stage that day with the introduction of his Black-Robed Regiment.

Glenn Beck is a professing Mormon (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints).  Though the group refers to itself as a Christian church, it is largely rejected, and rightly so, as a church with orthodox beliefs.  The Jesus of Mormonism is not the Jesus of the Bible and the historic Christian church.

The Mormon faith was brought to us by a man named Joseph Smith.  Smith tells us in his own writings that at the age of 14, after struggling to know which church to join, he received a vision from God in which he was told that no church on the face of the earth was true.  Joseph Smith wrote in the Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith History,

18 My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.

  19 I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”

  20 He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time. When I came to myself again, I found myself lying on my back, looking up into heaven. When the light had departed, I had no strength; but soon recovering in some degree, I went home. And as I leaned up to the fireplace, mother inquired what the matter was. I replied, “Never mind, all is well—I am well enough off.” I then said to my mother, “I have learned for myself that Presbyterianism is not true.” It seems as though the adversary was aware, at a very early period of my life, that I was destined to prove a disturber and an annoyer of his kingdom; else why should the powers of darkness combine against me? Why the opposition and persecution that arose against me, almost in my infancy?

As a Mormon, Beck has surely read this account and been made familiar with it.

Further, Brigham Young, the second prophet of the Mormons, succeeding Joseph Smith at his death, wrote, 

"Should you ask why we differ from other Christians, as they are called, it is simply because they are not Christians as the New Testament defines Christianity" (Journal of Discourses 10:230).

Orson Pratt, an early leader of the Mormons and an member of the original Quorum of Twelve Apostles, a select group of the highest leaders in the LDS organization,  proclaimed: 

"Both Catholics and Protestants are nothing less than the 'whore of Babylon' whom the Lord denounces by the mouth of John the Revelator as having corrupted all the earth by their fornications and wickedness. Any person who shall be so corrupt as to receive a holy ordinance of the Gospel from the ministers of any of these apostate churches will be sent down to hell with them, unless they repent" (The Seer, p. 255).

The foundation of Mormonism was Joseph Smith’s belief that all churches except his are apostate. 

The Mormons believe that Joseph Smith is a true prophet.  In fact, members of the church must publicly affirm that they believe in Jesus Christ and affirm their belief that Joseph Smith was a true prophet.

If the organization that Glenn Beck affirms as a church is true, then his public display of ecumenical zeal, commendations for the faith of those who do not share his faith, and praise for non-LDS churches around the nation should be an abomination to the Mormons.  If he truly rejects the position of the Mormon churches and the opinions of Joseph Smith, then he should not be a member of the Latter-Day Saints organization either. 

The display at Beck’s rally with the hundreds of clergy from around the United States as his backdrop would have been an abhorrent scene to Joseph Smith.  Yet Beck proposes this to be the reason for hope in America—the unity of Christians.  The only unity Joseph Smith ever called for in Christendom was to see all churches repent and become believers in Mormon doctrine.   The message of Beck would not have resonated with Joseph Smith.

Further complicating Beck’s cause is the unfulfilled prophecies of his prophet, Joseph Smith.  In his lifetime, Smith prophecied that Jesus Christ would return before he was 85 years old.  Smith never lived to be 85 and Christ did not return.  Among many other unfulfilled prophecies of Smith was the British involvement in the civil war.   In fact, he predicted that all nations would be involved in the war.  History teaches the British never intervened in the civil war and it did not precipitate the first world war.  

There are far more problems in all of this than this blog-entry has time to deal with, but it is clear from Scripture that the Mormons have obvious problems here.  The Mormons attest to the King James Version of the Bible so I will quote from it in regard to the prophets:  “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…”  Deuteronomy 18:22 

Joseph Smith was a false prophet, yet the Mormons continue to believe Smith and Beck with them.  Joseph Smith is a fraud and so is the religion he founded.  Beck’s speech and display leaves discerning minds with more questions than answers.

How can Beck believe that hope for change in America is found in faith and its churches, when the churches he espouses as our houses of hope are by his own faith founders’ accounts apostate and whores?  Does Beck not really believe what his religious organization and those it reveres teaches? 

Does Beck agree with his own church?

If he doesn’t agree with his own church, why would he stay with them?

Let me say that Beck is partly right.  America’s hope will spring forth from the churches which boldly and rightly preach from the Word of God and when we place our faith in God.  He is not right that the pulpit should be used for preaching right government.  Rather, the pulpit should be used for preaching the right Christ.

It may begin to sound like a Beck-bashing blog here, but it should not be so.  Like most conservative Mormons, I agree with Beck on a host of political and social issues.  Like most Mormons I know, Beck has life marked by charity and good works.   Beck has a lot of things right just not the most important thing.

He is just not right on this most important matter of faith.  He said it was all “about going to a church or mosque or synagogue—just so you believe.”  That is not a Christian position or a Mormon position either.  The Christian knows that salvation is found in faith rightly placed in Christ alone.  He is the only One that brings real hope and change.

I wish Beck would be true to whatever he believes.  If he really believes Mormonism, then live it completely, openly and consistently.  I will not deny him that right.  But if he does not agree with them and embraces the fundamental, orthodox doctrine of so many of the churches represented in the Black-Robed Regiment, then leave the LDS.

The church should be a beacon of hope for a lost and dying world, and its members should be sounding forth the Gospel loud and clear.  But not everything that calls itself a church is a church and Beck’s Black-Robed Regiment is confusing on many fronts.