List of Doctrines on "Sin: Worshiping False Gods"
787. We are not to worship any other being but God.
788. Whatever we set our hearts and our trust in most becomes, in a sense, our god; if our god is not the true and living God of Israel, we are laboring in idolatry.
789. We are not to worship idols.
787. We are not to worship any other being but God.
Joseph Smith
Recorded in Exodus
Recorded in Exodus
Alma, the younger
Recorded in Deuteronomy
Related Witnesses
Bruce R. McConkie
Jesus
Joseph Smith
And gave unto them commandments that they should love and serve him, the only living and true God, and that he should be the only being whom they should worship. (Revelation on Church Organization and Government, April 1830) D&C 20:19
Recorded in Exodus
I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (The Lord reveals the first of the Ten Commandments to Moses ) Exodus 20:2-3
Recorded in Exodus
For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: (The Lord commands Moses for Israel) Exodus 34:14
Alma, the younger,
quoted by Mormon
quoted by Mormon
But behold, I trust that ye are not in a state of so much unbelief as were your brethren; I trust that ye are not lifted up in the pride of your hearts; yea, I trust that ye have not set your hearts upon riches and the vain things of the world; yea, I trust that you do not worship idols, but that ye do worship the true and living God, and that ye look forward for the remission of your sins, with an everlasting faith, which is to come. (Alma to the people in Gideon, about 83 B.C.) Alma 7:6
Recorded in Deuteronomy
And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.
20. As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God. (Revelation to Moses for the children of Israel) Deuteronomy 8:19-20
Related Witnesses:
Bruce R. McConkie
True and saving worship is found only among those who know the truth about God and the Godhead and who understand the true relationship men should have with each member of that Eternal Presidency.
It follows that the devil would rather spread false doctrine about God and the Godhead, and induce false feelings with reverence to any one of them, than almost any other thing he could do. The creeds of Christendom illustrate perfectly what Lucifer wants so-called Christian people to believe about Deity in order to be damned. ("Our Relationship with the Lord," Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year, 1981-82, p. 97) TLDP:751
Jesus,
recorded in Matthew
recorded in Matthew
Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9. And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (The devil tempts Jesus) Matthew 4:8-10
788. Whatever we set our hearts and our trust in most becomes, in a sense, our god; if our god is not the true and living God of Israel, we are laboring in idolatry.
President Spencer W. Kimball
Elder Spencer W. Kimball
James E. Talmage
Bruce R. McConkie
Related Witnesses
Joseph Smith
Daniel
Nephi, son of Lehi
President Spencer W. Kimball
Few men have ever knowingly and deliberately chosen to reject God and his blessings. Rather, we learn from the scriptures that because the exercise of faith has always appeared to be more difficult than relying on things more immediately at hand, carnal man has tended to transfer his trust in God to material things. Therefore, in all ages when men have fallen under the power of Satan and lost the faith, they have put in its place a hope in the "arm of flesh" and in "gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know" (Daniel 5:23)—that is, in idols. . . . Whatever thing a man sets his heart and his trust in most is his god; and if his god doesn't also happen to be the true and living God of Israel that man is laboring in idolatry. ("The False Gods We Worship;" EN1976Jun:4) DCCH:6
Elder Spencer W. Kimball
Modern idols or false gods can take such forms as clothes, homes, businesses, machines, automobiles, pleasure boats, and numerous other material deflectors from the path to godhood. What difference does it make that the item concerned is not shaped like an idol? Brigham Young said: "I would as soon see a man worshipping a little god made of brass or of wood as to see him worshipping his property."
Intangible things make just as ready gods. Degrees and letters and titles can become idols. Many young men decide to attend college when they should be on missions first. The degree, and the wealth and the security which come through it, appear so desirable that the mission takes second place. Some neglect Church service through their college years, feeling to give preference to the secular training and ignoring the spiritual covenants they have made.
Many people build and furnish a home and buy the automobile first—and then find they "cannot afford" to pay tithing. Whom do they worship? Certainly not the Lord of heaven and earth, for we serve whom we love and give first consideration to the object of our affection and desires. Young married couples who postpone parenthood until their degrees are attained might be shocked if their expressed preference were labeled idolatry. (Miracle of Forgiveness, pp. 40-41) DCSM:4-5
James E. Talmage
The great trouble with the world today, as I understand it, is that it has become idolatrous. We read of idolatry and think of it as a practice or series of practices in the past. This is an idolatrous generation, defying the commandment written by the finger of God—"Thou shalt have no other Gods before me." . . . Men are praising the gods of silver and of gold and of all the other valuable commodities that make up wealth, and the God in whose hand their breath is . . . they will not recognize. Do you wonder that wickedness and crime have increased to terrifying proportions under those conditions? The prophets of old foresaw it. They spoke of the days of wickedness and vengeance immediately precedent to the second coming of the Lord. . . .
. . . . Are we worshipping the true and living God, or are we going idolatrously after the gods of gold and silver, of iron and wood, and brass, diamonds and other idols of wealth? Are we worshipping our farms, our cattle and sheep? Who is our God? To whom are we yielding homage, allegiance and worship? Not worship by means of words only, in ritualistic form, but worship in action, devotion, and sacrificial service? CR1930Oct:71,73
Bruce R. McConkie
Fornication, adultery, and whoredoms, these are the terms the prophets use to describe the false worship, the devil's way of worship, the worship that is not of God. They are the most grievous of all sins save murder only, and they are used to denote the most degenerate of all states that can befall man save only his death and destruction, and that state is to worship false gods and thereby be cut off from any hope of salvation. . . .
False worship brings damnation. (The Millennial Messiah, p. 435) TLDP:751
Related Witnesses:
Joseph Smith
They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own God, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall. (Revelation received during conference of elders of the Church, Nov. 1, 1831) D&C 1:16
Daniel
But hast lifted up thyself against the LORD of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: (Daniel reproves King Belshazzar for pride and idolatry) Daniel 5:23
Nephi, son of Lehi
O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm. (Nephi writes on plates shortly after the death of his father Lehi, 588-570 B.C.) 2 Nephi 4:34
789. We are not to worship idols.
Jacob, brother of Nephi
Recorded in Exodus
Recorded in Deuteronomy
Paul
Recorded in Leviticus
Related Witnesses
Recorded in Judges
Recorded in Deuteronomy
Recorded in 1 Chronicles
Recorded in 2 Chronicles
Paul
John
Jacob, brother of Nephi,
quoted by Nephi
quoted by Nephi
Yea, wo unto those that worship idols, for the devil of all devils delighteth in them. (Jacob to the people of Nephi, 559-545 B.C.) 2 Nephi 9:37
Recorded in Exodus
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6. And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (The Lord reveals the second of the Ten Commandments to Moses ) Exodus 20:4-6
Recorded in Deuteronomy
When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:
26. I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. (Moses to the children of Israel) Deuteronomy 4:25-26
Paul
Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. (Letter to the Church at Corinth, Greece, about A.D. 55) 1 Corinthians 10:14
Recorded in Leviticus
Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God. (Revelation to Moses ) Leviticus 19:4
Related Witnesses:
Recorded in Judges
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:
12. And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. (The children of Israel after the death of Joshua) Judges 2:11-12
Recorded in Deuteronomy
They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger.
17. They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. (Moses to the children of Israel) Deuteronomy 32:16-17
Recorded in 1 Chronicles
For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods.
26. For all the gods of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. (David delivers a psalm of thanksgiving) 1 Chronicles 16:25-26
Recorded in 2 Chronicles
And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem. (Josiah, son of David, reigns in righteousness) 2 Chronicles 34:7
Paul
As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
5. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) 6. But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. (Letter to the Church at Corinth, Greece, about A.D. 55) 1 Corinthians 8:4-6
John
And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: (John sees the wars and plagues before the Lord comes) Revelation 9:20
