ANSWER by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM on June 17, 2004

Dear Claire: My first thought is that this Mormon has no right to tell Catholics what is permissible or not permissible to us. Even if the Catholic Church was not the True Church and the Mormons a false church, each and every group has a right to believe what it believes, even if we disagree. Th Catholic Church can refuse communion to whomever she wishes in accord with charity and Canon Law. I have to sigh about your boss and his ignorance. He may be a wonderful man, but not so wonderful a Catholic to think that the Book of Mormon can possible be legit let alone compatible to Catholic theology. Nevertheless, at least he is open to correction. A view points to consider (a presume I do not need to quote Scripture to refute these Mormon beleifs. The list of some of their beliefs should be clear on its face as being ridiculous): Mormons believe in a plurality of gods. They believe that the present gods were once mortals who became gods through "exaltation". This is similar to New Age ideas of human beings evolving into gods, or becoming enlightened to a point that they become gods. Mormons believe that we all can become gods if we are faithful to Mormon teachings. Mormons believe in baptism for the dead. It is considered a mortal sin for a Mormon not to be baptized for the dead. This baptism of the dead is for those persons who died without the opportunity to join the Mormon Church. It does not apply to those who knew about the Mormon teachings and rejected them. In essence this practice allows dead people to join the Mormon Church and thus to enter heaven. Mormons believe in three places in the afterlife: Telestial Kingdom: for nonbelievers Terrestrial Kindgom: for "good" non-Mormons and lukewarm Mormons Celestial Kingdom: for righteous Mormons only The highest place for a Mormon is the Celestial Kingdom (roughly equivalent to heaven). The Celestial Kindgom has three levels of glory. A Mormon must reach the highest level of glory to become a god. The requirements to enter this highest level of glory in the Celestial Kingdom are: receive Mormon baptism devoutly follow all Mormon teachings marriage is a requirement (which eliminates Jesus and Paul) one's marriage must be sealed "for time and eternity" in a Mormon Temple. Those Mormons who meet these requirements reach the highest level of the Celestial Kingdom and become gods. The man and his wife, forever married, will continue to beget "spirit children" by means of physical intercourse. These "spirit children" when then someday take on a human body. These "spirit children" will worship their parents in the same way we worship God the Father. Mormons believe in a Celestial Marriage by which one is in a state of marriage forever, and continue to beget children through physical intercourse (see above). This doctrine is derived and dependent upon the false doctrines of many gods and the three kingdoms described above. Mormons believe that Satan and Jesus are brothers. Need more be said? There is a LOT more weirdness about the Mormons that could be listed, but the list above should convince any Catholic with an IQ of 25 or above that Mormonism cannot possibly be compatible with Catholicism, and more, that Mormonism is not compatible with any form of legitimate Christianity. In fact, since Mormons do not believe in the ONE God in three persons, the Trinity, and do not baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with the correct thinking of who the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are, Mormons are not Christians at all -- no matter how much they say they are. To be minimally Christian one must be validly baptized and affirm at least the Apostle's Creed. Mormons do neither. To your specific questions: --Was I wrong in accepting this book? No, it was not wrong to accept the book. The book can be useful in apologetics, but even at the least, it is an act of respect to accept the book especially if you wish to keep dialogue open. --How can I show my Catholic boss that this is not a bible and that there is contradictory and false teachings in this book? See my essay above... --How do I (and should I) witness about our Faith? Well, you must stand your ground and not let the fact that these men are decent and good men, honest and trustworthy and caring, to get in the way. You can express the truth of the Catholic Church in a gentle manner, but you cannot backoff from that teaching. In the long run division could be created because some people do not want to accept the truth. Jesus Himself said that He did NOT come to bring peace, but division. Then our Lord described how even families will be ripped apart because of Him. Truth matters and we must affirm, defend, and stand-up for that truth, even if it means losing a friend, or even losing a job. This does not mean we have to be a bull in a china shoppe, but it does mean that we are not to be ashamed of our faith and to be timid about our faith. St. Paul told Timothy that, "God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." While you should do the best you can to keep the peace, that peace ought never be maintained in compromise. Sooner or later, if the topic of conversation continues, push may come to shove. I am reminded of a different kind of workplace situation that I experiences. I was working for a Copy Shoppe on the night shift. Sometimes Planned Parenthood would come in at 3am to have us copy off and bind manuals for a workshop they would hold at 8am. My boss asked what I was going to do when that happened. I said, "well, I can call you at 3am and have you come down and do the job, but that I will never work on Planned Parenthood materials due to the moral repugnacy of that agency." My boss made noises of firing me. I replied, "I would rather be fired by you than to be fired by God. You do what you will." I was never fired, but I did lose promotions, pay raises, and was ridiculed by co-workers and even had my car vandelized by a co-worker. I ended up leaving the company, but on my own terms -- I was taking vows as a brother and would not be working in a secular job like that anymore. Anyway, we will pray for you and this situation, pray for your boss, and pray for this Mormon. Here is an article about Mormonism at Catholic Answers: Gods of the Mormon Churche and an article from the 1912 Catholic Encyclopedia: Mormonism God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary