Eds Five Minutes with a Mormon

I received this email a while back and responded with the following. Hope it can help you as well.
Dear Ed.. I want to be a strong witness for Jesus, but when the Mormon Missionaries or the Jehovah witnesses show up at my door I go into a spiritual panic and freeze. How can I handle these false teachers quickly and effectively? Ed: First, study up on their basic doctrine.. Pick 3 of the grosser errors for each and get a quick Biblical response. Make it work in 5 minutes

Before you start

Mormons trained up in a lifetime of 2 minute talks. Short attention spans Each Mormon may have faith anchored on a different LDS Doctrine They have a Mindset that they are the teachers of truths They are Gnostics. Not receptive to being Taught by one of lesser knowledge and authority You must phrase remarks as questions to be really heard.

ONE
The Restoration
Can you Help me understand why the need for a restoration?

It would seem that Jesus /Apostles failed? Jesus said he was establishing a Church and that even the gates of hell could not prevail against it. Doesnt it Seem like it worked? 2000 years later, churches everywhere, preaching Christ and using the same Bible you Mormons use. This is one thing that I am having some real problems with: Joseph Smith said that God and Jesus physically appeared to him Said that all the Christian Creeds were abominations to him [Filthy] Do you agree with that? I grew up in a church where we were taught the Apostles Creed and For the life of me, I cant find anything filthy about it Let me recite it and Id really like it if you tell can me what is filthy The Apostles Creed I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the Holy Christian Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen . Note: You will get a blank stare about now.. and silence.

Time now for you to comment: I am really sorry, but if your entire premise for the establishment of your restoration is based on that being filthy in Gods eyes, you have a serious problem .. and it isnt with me. It is with the Holy God who gave you life.

TWO
Salvation

Im confused were did Jesus suffer for my sins? How are my sins covered? Garden or the Cross? The Bible makes it clear that Jesus prayers in the Garden was the likeness of the Old Testament preparation of the Sin Offering It wasnt the actual offering but the sanctification of the offering. Doesnt it appear that Jesus was cleansing and sanctifying himself in preparation to be the final sin offering? Rather than Suffering for our sins, conditional upon our obedience to sets of laws and ordinances. Especially when we are clearly told that He

Col 2:14 Blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross

The New Testament is filled to overflowing with references to the saving power of the cross.
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Gethsemane is mentioned twice. In both cases, it is mentioned, only as a place where he went to pray. Why does the church deny/ignore/shun the cross? Isnt it the core, pivotal point of the Christian faith?

I fear you have become like those in Romans 1

Rom 1:20-24 they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, 24 Wherefore God also gave them up 1 Cor 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

THREE
The Law of Eternal Progression
Help me understand this core doctrine of Mormonism As man is god once was, as god is man may become Center of the Mormon faith and the work of the LDS temples..
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The Bible says God was God from before eternity and beyond eternity One God.. None besides him, none before, after. 3 times Jesus emphasized that god is spirit. God says that he is Not [never was] a man that he should lie. If you dont trust Bible, BOM says God is not changeable ever. Unchangeable from eternity to eternity.

I cant make your Law of Eternal Progression and these scriptures match up. Help me understand.

Can we pray?

Final Words out the door..

It seems you have a Different God, Different Jesus, Different Salvation , Different heaven, Different hell, Different nature of man Different scripture, Different definitions of Biblical terms in common understanding for thousands of years.