John Milholland
Liberty, Missouri
Grace Accepted
I was baptized into the RLDS religion at the age of 8. I remember my mom taking my two sisters and me to an RLDS church when we were little. Sometimes we had to leave early because we were ’too much’ for her to handle. My mom was RLDS and my dad was a non-church member. Starting in ninth grade I attended a small private school in Independence that was managed by an RLDS family. It was at this time that I really started to learn about the RLDS religion. I was involved in a lot of activities. We truly believed that Zion would be built soon and that we were living in the last days. We thought that it was our responsibility and often wondered if we were ‘doing enough’ towards that goal. One of our instructors (whom I will tell more about later) was a person with a very persuasive personality. His influence over people was great.
After Doctrine & Covenants Section 156 allowed women to hold priesthood offices I noticed lines drawn between the ‘fundamental’ and the ‘liberal’ RLDS. I sided with the fundamentals, as did many of the people that attended the private school. The instructor previously mentioned eventually persuaded some families to move onto his property. He was going to establish Zion on his property. Many fundamentalist RLDS were looking for the ‘One Mighty and Strong’. A dominant personality led by the devil is a dangerous thing. He even persuaded some of them to believe that the ‘gold plates’ were buried on his property. A Book of Mormon character supposedly buried the gold plates. He had also talked a single woman into selling her home and giving him the money so he could build her a house on his property. Unknown at that time, some of the other members of that group were involved in child molestation and pornography. I was supposed to move out to his place and live in a bus the summer after my freshman year in college, but rainy conditions prevented me. I didn’t realize at the time that by preventing my moving to his property God had saved me from a terrible pit. I was involved with this ‘remnant’ group for about two years. Because I was away at college, the time I spent with them was mostly on the weekends. One of the girls I dated in high school was a foster child. Her foster parents divorced and her foster mom became involved in the Lundgren cult that ended up murdering a family. She is now in prison for her crime along with the other cult members. The group I was involved with and the Lundgren group claimed to be the ‘true church’ that followed true RLDS doctrine. They put personal spiritual experiences and feelings above what the Bible says and allowed themselves to be led by Satan. The idea of ‘Sanctification’ was important to both groups. The ‘spiritual’ leaders were led by the wrong spirit and were truly wolves in sheep's clothing according to Matthew 7:15-20. We are not in a physical battle but a spiritual one (Ephesians 6:12).
During my sophomore year in college I studied about Zion and the temple that the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) talks about in Independence. I tried to cross reference the Bible with the D&C. The Bible was the only book that explained itself and actually made sense. The D&C contradicted itself. I even read the book No Man Knows My History, by Fawn Brodie. I felt guilty for reading a book that refuted the teachings of Joseph Smith. I also studied about the Masonic Order and how some of their teachings parallel the RLDS’.
I continued attending RLDS churches and married an RLDS girl just before I graduated from college. After college I had several different jobs. One of them involved driving a delivery truck. I drove close to 300 miles a day and my route took me through a lot of country roads and some stops were close to an hour between. I had a lot of time to listen to tapes as I drove. My mom had left the RLDS church several years prior to me and she had sent me several tapes to listen to while driving. One of the tapes was from a Promise Keepers Conference. The speakers name was Blue and he had terrible grammar. He sounded like a pretty rough character. He detailed how his life was a monument to how horrible and hateful a person could be. He then told how he had met Jesus and experienced forgiveness and the love of Christ. His testimony left me in tears. As I drove across the countryside I prayed for forgiveness and accepted Christ as my savior. For the first time in my life I felt loved and forgiven by a living God.
I was eventually ‘called’ to the RLDS priesthood as a priest. My youngest son was born in 1996 and my mom came to stay with us for a week or so. She brought with her some books and pamphlets that detailed why the RLDS religion is considered false. I read all of the books and studied the pamphlets. I came to the conclusion that I could not stay involved with the false teachings. If you are raised to believe that the color red is not red but purple, you will believe it until someone shows you evidence to the contrary. One of the most complete books I read about RLDS beliefs is Part Way to Utah, by Paul Trask. It was through this book that I began to understand why the RLDS priesthood system is blasphemous. It is hard to defend such a disjointed belief system. Paul Trask’s explanation of true priesthood is fascinating and clear. Red is red.
During this time there was a popular Christian song on the radio. I don’t remember the title but remember that it talked about standing at a crossroad. It talked about trusting God in your decisions. I knew that if I left ‘the church’ that it would possibly damage my relationships with family and friends that were still members. God showed me the truth and I left the RLDS faith in search of a Bible believing church. I came to the conclusion that I could not stay involved with the false teachings. Leaving the RLDS faith was a liberating experience.
I thank God for the truth and for his plan for my life. God has set me free from a false religion. Before I had accepted the true Christ I had trouble with depression. Not a deep depression but a constant aching in my heart. I have not experienced this problem since.
I did not write this testimony to preach to you. I wrote it because I want you to know that God loves you. He is a very personal God. He would not lead you to destruction with lies. If you are questioning, I would encourage you to read all of the material you can get your hands on. Do not allow your family to dissuade you from pursuing the truth and the true love of God. It is easy to stand for the truth because it stands on its own. I learned the difference between true Christianity (a relationship with Christ) and the false teachings of a false religion (doing enough to earn your way to heaven). Grace vs. Works. Love vs. Shame.
Although I left ‘the Church,’ some of my family members have not. Breaking the social and family ties was very painful, but God has supplied me with a church family at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, in Liberty, Missouri.
The freedom that I feel from being released is at times overwhelming. I realize that there are different degrees of RLDSism. Some groups have discounted the D&C. Some have accepted it only before the 1835 revisions. Most believe in the Book of Mormon. If you take away Joseph Smith you have nothing. You don’t need Joseph Smith to tell you what to believe. You need Jesus and His Bible.
John Milholland
You can send John an email by clicking cadtchr@yahoo.com.