Carrie Crawford Blackman was raised in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and always considered herself to be a Christian. After attending Fellowship of Grace church with her husband, God opened her eyes to the false teachings of Joseph Smith and to the true meaning of salvation found in Romans 10:9-10. As a result she received the gift of salvation, was re-baptized, and now serves the Lord in oneness with her husband. This is her testimony.

Parkville, Mo.

I was raised in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (4th generation on my Father’s side), and always considered myself a Christian. I learned to pray to my Heavenly Father in Jesus’ name, and was baptized into what I thought was the one true and accurate church at the age of 8 years old. While not Biblical, the RLDS faith teaches that 8 years old is the age of accountability – the youngest age at which one could understand the scriptures and be held accountable for his/her sins. I never fully understood why the crucifixion was necessary, but learned the 6 principles of the gospel to attain eternal reward: 1) Faith in God, 2) Repentance from sin, 3) Baptism by emersion, 4) Laying on of Hands to receive the Holy Spirit, 5) Resurrection from the Dead, and 6) Eternal Life. According to the Book of Mormon, I was saved “after all I could do (2 Nephi, 11:44),” and learned from the Doctrine & Covenants that salvation was a covenant: “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say, but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise (D&C 81:3b).” Such statements placed a heavy responsibility still on my own shoulders. It was not until my faith was challenged that I came to a true understanding of how Biblical salvation actually occurs.

About 6 months after our oldest son was born, my husband and I decided to find a church closer to home that taught the Bible in a way we both felt was true to Christ’s teachings. While I agreed to visit and even join a non-RLDS church on paper, I still held to what I felt was true in the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Inspired Version of the Bible. I refused to take communion at the churches we visited even after joining Fellowship of Grace Church, because I saw 1) the covenant I made with Christ different than those around me and 2) those serving the communion as not having true authority from God.

After attending fellowship of Grace for a couple years, my husband and I felt led to volunteer to serve in a leadership role. But my Pastor was hesitant, since my RLDS faith conflicted with the church’s core beliefs. I first felt under attack and started researching to defend my faith. My husband began researching with me, since he had never fully accepted the RLDS teachings and wanted to be supportive in my journey toward truth and Biblical salvation. When discovering Utah Mormon doctrine, I immediately separated myself, since I never considered myself a “Mormon.” It was only when I came across websites and research written by former RLDS members that I started to listen and do my own exploration: www.help4rlds,com and www.lifeline2rlds.org.

As I first mentioned, I always considered myself a “Christian,” and tried to follow Biblical principles, and turned to Christ for help, guidance, and peace. While I know that many times my prayers were answered, it was not until I discovered how the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Inspired Version of the Bible included false teachings that my relationship with Christ began to grow and deepen like never before. The false teachings of Joseph Smith distort the road to salvation – which is the most dangerous aspect of his false teaching. Yet, the true Biblical view of salvation is found in Romans 10:9-10, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Paul makes it clear that salvation has nothing at all to do with what I can DO-even baptism is an act of obedience, not an essential element of salvation. If I could do anything to earn or even lose salvation, Christ died in vain.

Once I came to an understanding of true Biblical salvation, and learned, as evidenced through the Dead Sea Scrolls, that the Bible had not been corrupted over the ages and did not need restoring, I could seek a version of the Bible to study. I went to a local bookstore and compared several versions, and settled on the NASB study Bible. Knowing it was a word-for-word translation calmed my fears about why there were so many versions. As I studied, I learned that what I once thought was agreement between the three books of RLDS scripture was actually no more than sloppy plagiarism! By “restoring” offices and laws rooted in the Old Testament, Joseph Smith brought his people back to the days of the Pharisees – again, discounting everything fulfilled by Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.

I also learned the Book of Mormon was not translated with the Urim and Thummim, but actually by a Seer Stone. Even more amazing was to learn that this truth had been recorded by Joseph’s wife Emma to her son (Joseph Smith III) and can be found today in RLDS Church History, volume 3, pages 356-357. Even Joseph Smith’s founding testimony in the grove was recorded several different ways, and has confused many of his followers regarding the doctrine of the trinity.

Many RLDS and LDS claim the Book of Mormon to be a second testament of Jesus Christ, yet, the Jesus of the Book of Mormon (3 Nephi, 4) revealed Himself in a manner uncharacteristic of the Biblical Jesus. There Jesus destroyed entire civilizations for their wickedness before giving them an opportunity to learn of His saving grace.

After praying for forgiveness and accepting the gift of salvation which I could never earn, I felt free and complete. I was now able to serve and love in oneness with my husband, and teach our children with consistency and truth. When I chose to be re-baptized (as an act of obedience and symbol of new life), I came up from the water with a peace like nothing I have ever experienced. I knew God had led me to this place and time, and would forever change my family tree toward Him.

In the fall of 2011, shortly after my conversion, my husband and I were called to lead the logistics ministry for our church. Being a church without a building means moving the entire set up in and out every week, and coordinating individuals to serve in various ministries to ensure a positive experience for visitors, members, and regular attenders. While we had both already been serving in ministries, understanding how they all work together to invite the community through yard sign placement every weekend to setting up and greeting visitors, put into perspective what really goes into making Sunday services happen. My ministry expanded again when I was invited to join the offering team, and again learned more about stewardship and tithing and how a fiscally responsible and ethical church operates.

While in the Restoration, I saw little focus on evangelism and outreach beyond what happened with formal missionary efforts, usually to other countries or underserved areas and populations far from our own community. As I learned more about how many in my home county did not know Christ, and how the local church could truly reach out in love, simply attending church and serving Sunday mornings was not enough. My family and I helped canvass neighborhoods to invite families to a block party and services, my husband traveled on a mission campaign to an orphanage in Haiti, and I was excited to see new faces at church and lives coming to know Christ. In 2012, I had the opportunity to serve at a local boys’ home, organizing and inventorying their pantry. It was amazing to hear the stories of the boys who lived there, and I was able to work alongside others who were doing projects to benefit the ministry.

As I’ve grown in my relationship with Christ, I’ve also overcome the fear of sharing the gospel with others. I prayed about starting a prayer group at work, and when the restaurant where we first met closed, I was able to approach the organization President about meeting on site. To my surprise, God opened the doors! As I meet with individuals and co-workers about other topics at work, I’m now more willing to follow God’s prompting to share His truth in love. While the message is not always well received, I’ve been happy to find new friendships with fellow believers along the way and know sometimes planting the seed and praying is my role.

I look forward to future opportunities to serve the Lord, see His Kingdom grow, and raise my boys to know and love Him. Seeing all things from a child’s eyes adds perspective, and challenges me to explain the Word and God in a way they can understand. When my two year old asked where Jesus is, I was happy to share he can ask him to be with him, trust Him, and pray in all things. When the nightmares and fears happen, he’s learning to pray and know God will chase away the monsters and be right there with him. It is my prayer we can all chase away the enemy and false teachings with the truth and love of Christ!