Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Anti-Mormons successful: “adieu” in the Book of Mormon causes church membership to plunge

SALT LAKE CITY, UT- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which last year surpassed the 13 million mark in membership, has taken a sharp turn for the worse in recent weeks. Anti-Mormon groups worldwide are claiming responsibility for this plunge in membership, crediting their discovery that the appearance of the word “adieu” in the Book of Mormon is anachronistic, thus proving the church to be a fraud.

The appearance of “adieu” (or as opponents of the church call it, “The Smoking Gun”) occurs just once in the Book of Mormon, at the end of the book of Jacob, in which Jacob writes “to the reader I bid farewell, hoping that many of my brethren may read my words. Brethren, adieu.” (Jacob 7:27)

However, anti-Mormons say this single appearance is one too many.

“This proves Joseph Smith wasn’t who he said he was,” said Ted McGinley, President of We Know What You Believe Better Than You Do Ministries, a group that specifically points out the flaws of Mormonism. “Adieu is a French word. French didn’t exist when this Jacob character allegedly wrote the Book of Mormon.”

The extreme drop in membership has taken place over the past few weeks. Preliminary surveys show that there may be as few as 5 million Mormons left, and many of those who remain have gone inactive.

“I can’t believe how foolish I was to believe in such a thing my whole life,” said Marley Sorter, 39, of St. George, Utah. “I want to sincerely thank the anti-Mormons for opening my eyes.”

Tonya Hedgewick, 24, of Beaver, Utah, left the church immediately upon hearing the news of adieu appearing in the Book of Mormon. “All these years, I was taught to pray about the truthfulness of this book,” she said. “But now, seeing that Joseph Smith used a word from a language that didn’t exist during Jacob’s time, I think to myself, what’s the point?”

Membership is expected to continue to plunge into 2009, with the possibility the church could be defunct by 2012. There remain some, however, who have remained staunch members of the church, and continue to hold out hope.

Rebekah Corsyn, 30, of Los Angeles, has not left the church, and insists the adieu problem can be worked out. “I’m not sure why this is such an issue,” she said. “Remember, Joseph was translating the Book of Mormon into English, which didn’t exist in Jacob’s time either. Adieu was simply a word he used to best convey what Jacob was saying.”

McGinley points out that attitudes like Corsyn’s are dangerous. “There are still a lot of stubborn Mormons who fall back on ‘logic’ and ‘reason’ to deny our smoking gun evidence,” he said. “Some even tell me they have a ‘testimony’ that it’s true anyway. When will they realize the only way to the truth is to ruthlessly attack your opposition and worry about all that other stuff later?”

4 comments :

Anonymous said...

haha oh brother these are great! you should also do one explaining how
Zarahemla will be found and it will prove all those unbelievers wrong!

Keep up the work!

Cristofer Urlaub said...

It is now 2012 and the church is clearly now defunct, proving the prophesy true that if the church ever falls again it will be due to its own people.

There's a word for that, but ironically, I have forgotten it.

Anonymous said...

Behold, I have had a sore battle with the Anti-Mormons, in which we did not conquer; and we have lost a great number of our choice men. I fear lest the Anti_Mormons shall destroy this people; for they do not repent, and Satan stirreth them up continually to anger. For so exceedingly do they anger that it seemeth me that they have no fear of death; and they have lost their love, one towards another; and they thirst after blood and revenge continually. And the husbands and fathers of those women and children they have slain; and they feed the women upon the flesh of their husbands, and the children upon the flesh of their fathers; and no water, save a little, do they give unto them. And notwithstanding this great abomination of the Anti-Mormons, it doth not exceed that of the people at Lighthouse Ministries. For behold, many of the daughters of the Anti-Mormons have they taken prisoners; and after depriving them of that which was most dear and precious above all things, which is chastity and virtue—And after they had done this thing, they did murder them in a most cruel manner, torturing their bodies even unto death; and after they have done this, they devour their flesh like unto wild beasts, because of the hardness of their hearts; and they do it for a token of bravery. Behold, I am laboring with them continually; and when I speak the word of God with sharpness they tremble and anger against me; and when I use no sharpness they harden their hearts against it; wherefore, I fear lest the Spirit of the Lord hath ceased striving with them. And thus did pass away the two thousand and ninth year; and also the two thousand and tenth year; and also the two thousand and eleventh year; and also the two thousand and twelfth year. And now I make an end; for I durst not speak further as yet concerning these things.

Unknown said...

Well put, if that scripture applies! Well I an a Mormon, and I believe! English not existing, and French also not existing at the time Jacob would have "written" the "record" are good, valid points. I was looking up the word adieu(s/x) this morning to send it in a message to a friend. There are different spellings- but before I came across your website, I saw that it is latin based- pretty old language- and means to God