I have a sixth and final question. Your religion teaches there are three heavens, as it were: The “telestial”, the “terrestial”, and the “celestial”.
Those who are Christians but are not Mormons will be in the terrestrial; those who are not even that will be in the telestial, as it were, condemned; but those who follow the teachings of the Church of Latter-day Saints will be in the celestial kingdom. But to arrive in the celestial kingdom you must keep the celestial law, which requires perfection – sinless perfection. Not only utter sanctification, but something beyond that because according to the celestial law once you achieve it, if you sin, all your other merits of everything you've accomplished are counted null and void. This “perfection” – how can you get this perfection?
Can you find me a single Mormon – a bishop, a priest, I don’t care who he is – one who has never sinned as a Mormon? The New Testament says all have sinned, all fall short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23) If we say we haven't. we are a liar according to First John. (1 Jn. 1:10) Can you show me one who has achieved this? Because in order to enter the celestial kingdom you must achieve it. Now the New Testament says no one has ever achieved such a standard except Christ. Are you sure you are without any sin when the Scriptures say allhave sinned, all full short of the glory of God? “None is righteous, no not one.” (Rom. 3:10) Are you sure that you’re the exception, that you’ve kept the celestial law? How can you be assured of salvation? That’s an important question.
I am told that Mormonism stresses family values and morality, and that its prophets and revelators like Mr. Hinckley have a direct relationship with God that others don't have. If you remember The Salamander Text, the Mormon letters, Mr. Hinckley said they were authentic from Joseph Smith. They were proven to be forgeries and a Mormon began blowing people up with terrorist bombings to try to cover it up. Why was Mr. Hinckley wrong if the texts really were from God via Joseph Smith?
I'm looking at Utah, I have been there. I know that the Mormons strongly stress family values, family and morality, raising your children to be godly. Can you tell me, please, why of the 50 American states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia the highest suicide rate among teenagers is in Utah where 70% of the population are Mormon? What could devastate a family more than the suicide of a child, of a teenager? If your family values are so strong, can you account for the suicide rate, can you account for the reason why the highest divorce rate in America – a country riddled, rife with divorce – is in Mormon Utah? The Church of Latter-day Saints professes a higher degree and standard of morality than others. I'm willing to listen; show me the proof. Divorce, suicide? There’s a problem.
We both know there are many people who are simply what you call “Jack Mormons”. It is their culture. They write “LDS” – Latter-day Saints after their name to get a job or to keep one in Utah and certain Western American states but they really don't believe it. And they‘re made out to be bad Mormons. Are they bad Mormons because they don’t believe there’s Quakers living on the moon? Are they bad Mormons because they don’t believe black people are ugly, depraved, and mischievous and you should be shot if you marry one of them? Are they really bad Mormons because they believe in the scientific evidence of mitochondrial DNA which is conclusive? Does that make somebody a bad Mormon? Or is a bad Mormon somebody who gets divorced or takes their own life as a child? Is a bad Mormon somebody who practices racism? Is that a bad Mormon? I only want to know. Do you really believe this?