The 12 Signs of a true church?

I have just viewed a YouTube video that attempts to explain why the LDS (Mormon) church is the only true church. (By the way, you can view it for yourself here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCTZVh3l3ZA. The video, most likely posted by an LDS zealot (it claims not to speak officially for the church itself), lists the 12 reasons by which we will know the "true church." After viewing this video, I quickly realized the LDS church fails ON ALL 12 COUNTS!!! Let's look at them:

1. The LDS Church has a prophet and twelve apostles, as did the Savior's ancient church.

As we turn to the Bible (which the Mormons claim they believe), we find in Ephesians 2:20 that the church was built on the foundation of apostles and prophets. That foundation was laid 2,000 years ago. After the foundation of a house or other building is laid, you don't lay another one. Christian (not Mormon) churches today were indeed built on a foundation of apostles and prophets, but we don't need to lay the foundation again.

2. LDS priesthood holders can trace their authority directly to Jesus Christ.

The problem here is that no man (sorry, ladies) in the LDS church holds the Melchiszedek priesthood. Hebrews 7: 21-25 is very clear when it says that Jesus holds the priesthood forever and it cannot transferred to another person. Verse 24 uses the Greek word "aparabatos" to describe Jesus' priesthood. That word (used only once in Scripture) means "incapable of being transferred." It cannot mean anything else.

3. The LDS Church is guided by continuous revelation through its prophet, as was the New Testament church.

Jesus told us specifically that ALL Old Testament-style prophets (which the LDS claim to have) ended with John the Baptist (Matthew 11: 3 - note the word "all"). The writer of Hebrews in chapter 1, verse 1 tells us clearly that although God did speak before through prophets, He now speaks only through Jesus Christ (Christ's word, of course, is the Bible).

4. The LDS Church understands and teaches the biblical doctrine that God and Jesus are separate and distinct divine beings, who communicate with each other, who are aware of each other's existance, and who work in perfect harmony with each other.

Biblical? This is IN NO WAY a Bible doctrine. This doctrine NEVER existed in the Christian church. No one ever heard of it until the Mormons came along in the early 19th Century. Matthew closes his gospel by quoting Jesus' commandment to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Mt. 28: 19). "Name" NOT "names." There is ONE God who reveals himself in three persons. This is the God of the Bible.

5. The LDS Church affirms that the Savior was literally resurrected, and that he lives today.

This goes nowhere to prove the LDS is the only true church. Almost every Christian church believes this (of course, the "Savior" the LDS believe in is not the Jesus of the Bible. The Mormon Jesus was a created being. The Biblical Jesus is eternal and created all things (Colossians 1:16)).

6. The LDS Church obeys the law of tithing.

There is no "law of tithing." All Old Testament laws were nailed to the cross and fulfilled in Christ (Col. 2: 14; Romans 10: 4). Many Christians go well beyond "tithing" when it comes to giving to the Lord.

7. The LDS Church possesses the additional scripture prophesied of in the Bible.

The only thing in the Bible the LDS can REMOTELY point to as a "proof-text" for additional scripture is Ezekiel 37: 16, 19, the stick of Judah and the stick of Ephraim. If you read this portion of the Bible IN CONTEXT, you find Ezekiel is prophesying about Israel becoming a consolidated nation again. The word "stick" is never used in the Bible as a type of anything written, and especially not scripture. Actually, the Bible has strick warnings about anyone making additions (Deuteronomy 4: 2; 12: 32; Proverbs 30: 5, 6, et. al.).

8. The LDS Church is a missionary church, as was the Savior's ancient church.

This proves absolutely nothing. Almost every church has missionaries.

9. The LDS Church has a lay local clegy. Leaders are not salaried.

This an amazing smoke screen. Yes, no one in the local ward receives a paycheck, but the leaders of the church are the HIGHEST paid clergy on earth. I once worked for the Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (now known as Deseret Management Corporation -- parent corporation of major insurance, banking and broadcasting companies, to name a few). Their board members just happen to be the First Presidency and the 12 apostles of the LDS church. Having "been there," can tell you the dividends they receive are every bit as high as those of the board of General Motors or Microsoft.

10. The LDS Church teaches that baptism is essential for salvation. As did the ancient church and Prophets.

The "ancient church and Prophets" as well as the Bible do NOT teach that baptism is essential for salvation . There is no Scripture (or even concept) in the Bible that teaches, "he who is not baptized is damned." Titus 3:5 says, "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his own mercy has he saved us, by the washing of regeneration (new birth -- NOT baptism)...." (see also Galatians 2: 21; Ephesians 2: 8,9, et. al.)

11. The LDS Church teaches that our thoughts and actions play a role in our salvation.
Conversely, the Bible teaches that our thoughts are evil and what separates us from God (Jeremiah 17: 9); and our actions are incapable of obtaining salvation (see #10 above).

12. The LDS Church can answer the three great questions of life: "Where did I come from?" "Why am I here?" "Where am I going after death?"

Almost all Christians churches, in fact just about every religion, address these questions, so this statement provides no proof the Mormon church is the true church. In fact, the Bible actually has completely different answers to these questions from LDS doctrine.

A. Where did I come from? LDS: A pre-existance in which our station in this life was determined by how valiantly we fought in a war in heaven. Bible: Life begins at conception. God first knew us in the womb (mentioned 23 times in the Bible).
B. Why am I here? LDS: To work your way to exaltation. Bible: To glorify God.
C. Where am I going after death? LDS: To one of three heavens, depending on which one you earned in this life. Bible: Eternal life in Heaven with God or eternal death in Hell without Him, based on grace through faith and God's mercy.

Like I said at the outset, the LDS church fails on ALL 12 precepts. The real problem here is that when it comes to eternal things, the Mormons have asked the wrong question. It is not "which church is true," but rather "which plan of salvation is true." The Mormon plan of salvation is a complicated religious system involving good works and exalting yourself to godhood (if you're a guy...again, sorry ladies). The Biblical plan of salvation is recognizing that you are lost in your sins (Rom. 3:23), you need to be saved from God's wrath toward sin to come (Mt. 3: 7; Luke 3: 7; I Thessalonians 1: 10), you are under the penalty of death (Rom. 6: 23a), you can only be saved by the GIFT of eternal life through Christ (Rom. 6: 23b) and you must personally receive Christ (John 1: 12).

The question is not "which church is right," but rather which Savior is right. And that's the Biblcal Jesus, the second person of the Godhead, the very God Himself.

Ciao for now,
Dave