Universalism

Why are Latter Day Saints so hostile to ex-LDS?

There is hostility between LDSaints and the Book of Mormon. If somebody leaves the Church because of the irreconcilable doctrinal differences in doctrine, then the hostility is taken with them. This is not bad. When former members point out the differences that led them out of the Church, they are attacked or ignored. Former members are accused of being hostile, however, if they really care about the salvation of souls, they will do what prophets do. That is, they will share the truth "with the intent that perhaps we might save some few of their souls" (Alma 26:26).

Perhaps an clear example from the Book of Mormon is in order here.

There was a member of a church in Ammonihah. The church there was after the order of Nehors. The member's name was Amulek. He was a hard worker, was successful and had many friends.

All was well with him until he met a holy man, Alma, and together with divine enlightenment, Amulek was taught the truth. He rejected prior beliefs. Now, if he were to follow the advice of the LDSaint types, he would leave his church, the Order of Nehors, and leave it alone. But that was not what he was told to do.

Alma 9:1 And again, I, Alma, having been commanded of God that I should take Amulek and go forth and preach again unto this people, or the people who were in the city of Ammonihah....

Of course, we see what is expected when one follows the Lord's direction. Hostility.

Alma 9:1 ....it came to pass as I began to preach unto them, they began to contend with me.

The Doctrine of the Order of Nehor

Now what was the point they contended about? We have to look at the doctrine of Nehor.

Alma 1:4 And he also testified unto the people that all mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they need not fear nor tremble, but that they might lift up their heads and rejoice; for the Lord had created all men, and had also redeemed all men; and, in the end, all men should have eternal life.

Aaron, later, encountered this order, this church. This will give some insight as to the doctrine of the Nehors.

Alma 21

4. And it came to pass that Aaron came to the city of Jerusalem, and first began to preach to the Amalekites. And he began to preach to them in their synagogues, for they had built synagogues after the order of the Nehors; for many of the Amalekites and the Amulonites were after the order of the Nehors.
5. Therefore, as Aaron entered into one of their synagogues to preach unto the people, and as he was speaking unto them, behold there arose an Amalekite and began to contend with him, saying: What is that thou hast testified? Hast thou seen an angel? Why do not angels appear unto us? Behold are not this people as good as thy people?
6. Thou also sayest, except we repent we shall perish. How knowest thou the thought and intent of our hearts? How knowest thou that we have cause to repent? How knowest thou that we are not a righteous people? Behold, we have built sanctuaries, and we do assemble ourselves together to worship God. We do believe that God will save all men.

We can see how this doctrine of Nehor is closely resembles the doctrine of the Latter-day Saints. They build sanctuaries to teach doctrine even though they believe that all will be saved in the Kingdom of God, and will receive an eternity that is so wonderful that it is beyond anything we can imagine.

Dallin Oaks made this clear in the April 2022 Conference:

"A loving Heavenly Father has a better plan for His children. The revealed doctrine of the restored Church of Jesus Christ teaches that all the children of God—with exceptions too limited to consider here—will finally wind up in a kingdom of glory. 'In my Father’s house are many mansions,' Jesus taught. From modern revelation we know that those mansions are in three different kingdoms of glory. In the Final Judgment each of us will be judged according to our deeds and the desires of our hearts. Before that, we will need to suffer for our unrepented sins. The scriptures are clear on that. Then our righteous Judge will grant us residence in one of those kingdoms of glory. Thus, as we know from modern revelation, all 'shall be judged … , and every man shall receive according to his own works, his own dominion, in the mansions which are prepared.'”

All will be glorified in the end. They will be saved in the Kingdom of God. This concept is also seen in the book "True to the Faith", regarding hell.

"[Hell] is a temporary state in which spirits will be taught the gospel and have the opportunity to repent and accept ordinances of salvation that are performed for them in temples (see D&C 138:30–35). Those who accept the gospel may dwell in paradise until the Resurrection. After they are resurrected and judged, they will receive the degree of glory of which they are worthy. Those who choose not to repent but who are not sons of perdition will remain in spirit prison until the end of the Millennium, when they will be freed from hell and punishment and be resurrected to a telestial glory (see D&C 76:81–85)".

Even the filthy, whore-mongers, cheats, rapists, child traffickers and murderers will be glorified. They promote this as the most loving plan every taught.

It should be noted that Ammonihah, as a city, was steeped in this false doctrine.

Alma 14:16 Now this judge was after the order and faith of Nehor, who slew Gideon.

Alma 14:18 And when they had been cast into prison three days, there came many lawyers, and judges, and priests, and teachers, who were of the profession of Nehor;.

Alma 15:15 But as to the people that were in the land of Ammonihah, they yet remained a hard-hearted and a stiffnecked people; and they repented not of their sins, ascribing all the power of Alma and Amulek to the devil; for they were of the profession of Nehor, and did not believe in the repentance of their sins.

Alma and Amulek saw that this doctrine of universal salvation was the root of much evil. This doctrine was the fount from which spewed putrid waters that flooded Ammonihah and corrupted them beyond being saved.

Despite the teaching that they should just leave and leave it alone, Alma "unfolded the scriptures" to demonstrate that this doctrine of Nehor, that all would be saved except for a few (with exceptions too limited to consider) was “false and vain and foolish doctrines” (2 Nephi 28:8–14). Alma taught that not all will be save but only the righteous who believe in Christ. The debate was intense. "the people were more angry with Amulek, and they cried out...But Amulek stretched forth his hand, and cried the mightier unto them...

Alma and Amulek Teach the Plan of Salvation

The prophets taught that one cannot be saved in their sins. They taught that if one dies in their sins, they cannot be redeemed, that is inherit the kingdom of God. Instead of being saved with everyone else who repented, were baptized and called upon the name of the Lord for salvation and the wicked will reap damnation and be subject to the captivation of the devil. This constitutes the antithesis of universal salvation.

Alma 9:12 Behold, now I say unto you that he commandeth you to repent; and except ye repent, ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.

Alma 9:17 ...they will be brought to believe in his word, and ...many of them will be saved, for the Lord will be merciful unto all who call on his name.

Alma 9:27 And behold, he cometh to redeem those who will be baptized unto repentance, through faith on his name.

Alma 9:28 ...all men shall reap a reward of their works, according to that which they have been--if they have been righteous they shall reap the salvation of their souls, according to the power and deliverance of Jesus Christ; and if they have been evil they shall reap the damnation of their souls, according to the power and captivation of the devil.

Zeezrom goes right to the crux of the matter.

Alma 11

34. And Zeezrom said again: Shall he save his people in their sins? And Amulek answered and said unto him: I say unto you he shall not, for it is impossible for him to deny his word.
36. Now Amulek saith again unto him: ...I said he shall not save his people in their sins.
37. And I say unto you again that he cannot save them in their sins; for I cannot deny his word, and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins.
40. And he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else.
41. Therefore the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made...

Alma reinforces this very point.

Alma 12

16. And now behold, I say unto you then cometh a death, even a second death, which is a spiritual death; then is a time that whosoever dieth in his sins, as to a temporal death, shall also die a spiritual death; yea, he shall die as to things pertaining unto righteousness.
17. Then is the time when their torments shall be as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever; and then is the time that they shall be chained down to an everlasting destruction, according to the power and captivity of Satan, he having subjected them according to his will.
18. Then, I say unto you, they shall be as though there had been no redemption made; for they cannot be redeemed according to God's justice;
33. But God did call on men, in the name of his Son, (this being the plan of redemption which was laid) saying: If ye will repent and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten Son;
34. Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest.
35. And whosoever will harden his heart and will do iniquity, behold, I swear in my wrath that he shall not enter into my rest.

It should be clear to those who study the Book of Mormon and especially the chapters cited here (Alma 9-15) that the teachings of the Order of Nehor and the Latter-day Saints is contrary to the Teachings of the Book of Mormon. I am convinced all of the encounters with the Order of Nehors in said book were placed there to warn Latter-day Saints (who supposedly carry and believe the Book of Mormon) against the universalism of Nehors found among them, placed by Living Oracles. He who has ears to hear, let them hear.

Mocking the True, Limited Plan of Redemption

How was this teaching of Alma and Amulek received? The universalist Nehors mocked these truths. They mocked the truth of the redemption from hell. They mocked salvation. They mocked faith in Christ as the requirement for salvation. Look at the thrust of the Universalist when they visited Alma and Amulek in the prison. As you know, they were thrown into prison after watching women and children burning in fire. Babies were thrown into the fire to mock the concept of a fiery hell. They mocked damnation. They mocked the idea of the torment, the gnashing of teeth, of the damned.

Mocking a Hell of Fire

14. Now it came to pass that when the bodies of those who had been cast into the fire were consumed....he smote them with his hand upon their cheeks, and said unto them: After what ye have seen, will ye preach again unto this people, that they shall be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone?

Mocking Faith and Salvation

15. Behold, ye see that ye had not power to save those who had been cast into the fire; neither has God saved them because they were of thy faith.

Mocking the Torment of Hell

21. And many such things did they say unto them, gnashing their teeth upon them, and spitting upon them, and saying: How shall we look when we are damned?

Dallin Oaks, in the same conference sermon, mocks the plan put forth by Alma and Amulek. He distorts the their doctrine to make it sound terrible. (Alma nor Amulek never teach that "those who cannot keep all the commandments required for heaven will necessarily be forever destined for hell").

D. Oaks said:

"A common misunderstanding of the judgment that ultimately follows mortal life is that good people go to a place called heaven and bad people go to an everlasting place called hell. This erroneous assumption of only two ultimate destinations implies that those who cannot keep all the commandments required for heaven will necessarily be forever destined for hell. A loving Heavenly Father has a better plan for His children. The revealed doctrine of the restored Church of Jesus Christ teaches that all the children of God—with exceptions too limited to consider here—will finally wind up in a kingdom of glory."

Repentance in Ammonihah

Alma 14

1. And it came to pass after he had made an end of speaking unto the people many of them did believe on his words, and began to repent, and to search the scriptures.
2. But the more part of them were desirous that they might destroy Alma and Amulek; for they were angry with Alma, because of the plainness of his words unto Zeezrom; and they also said that Amulek had lied unto them, and had reviled against their law and also against their lawyers and judges.
3. And they were also angry with Alma and Amulek; and because they had testified so plainly against their wickedness...

And so it always ends. Some few souls will believe and receive the truth and begin to search the scriptures. The most part, will conclude that their doctrine is being reviled against and become angry. They will cling to their false doctrine until destruction comes upon them. They will refuse to read scriptures that contradict their tradition.

Alma 16

9. ....the people of Ammonihah were destroyed; yea, every living soul of the Ammonihahites was destroyed, and also their great city, which they said God could not destroy, because of its greatness.
10. But behold, in one day it was left desolate; and the carcasses were mangled by dogs and wild beasts of the wilderness.
11. Nevertheless, after many days their dead bodies were heaped up upon the face of the earth, and they were covered with a shallow covering. And now so great was the scent thereof that the people did not go in to possess the land of Ammonihah for many years. And it was called Desolation of Nehors; for they were of the profession of Nehor, who were slain; and their lands remained desolate.

And so we see how clearly the Book of Mormon sets up a stark contrast between the universalism of the LDSaints/Nehor doctrine and the hostility that invariably ensues and the final results. Alma and Amulek were not hostile. They cared and, additionally, were sent by God to correct the city of Nehor-belief.

Alma 8:14 ...being weighed down with sorrow, wading through much tribulation and anguish of soul, because of the wickedness of the people who were in the city of Ammonihah....Alma was thus weighed down with sorrow..."

And so it is. Love, concern, sorrow and an effort to preach repentance is mistaken for hostility.

Don’t be a citizen of Ammonihah. Rather, repent and search the scriptures to see if these things are so. (Acts 17:11)