Ed Decker

Ed Decker (born 1935), also known as John Edward Decker, is an American counterculture apologist and evangelist known for his studies, books, and public presentations of the perceived negative aspects of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and Freemasonry. He is a former member of the LDS Church and prominent early member of a Christian group for ex-Mormons called Saints Alive. His most well-known book is The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes, co-authored by Dave Hunt.

Early years

Ed Decker was born to a Jewish mother and Dutch father of the Reformed Christian faith (Calvinist) but raised an Episcopalian. His mother's family was almost all killed during the holocaust with only his mother and a few cousins surviving.^{[citation needed]} While attending Utah State University he married an LDS student and converted to Mormonism. In the LDS Church he served in many roles including Ward Clerk and Counselor to a Bishop.^[1] Decker later divorced his first wife and remarried before deciding that the LDS religion was not for him and became an Evangelical during the 1970s. During an interview with Mormon Expression,^[1] he stated that the main reasons for leaving the LDS faith were disagreement with the Mormon theology especially statements on the Godhead. He also stated that he felt a calling to become an Evangelical minister.

Counterculture apologetics

LDS Church

Decker has authored and co-authored books addressing the inner workings and purported negative aspects of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His book, The God Makers, was followed by The God Makers II.^[2] He released a book in November 2007, titled My Kingdom Come — The Mormon Quest for Godhood.

Additional books written in this genre include Fast Facts on False Teachings, Decker's Complete Handbook on Mormonism, and Unmasking Mormonism. A fictional work by Decker entitled The Mormon Dilemma was added to Conversations With The Cults — the Harvest House series, entitled What You Need to Know About Mormons.

The God Makers, a book about the inner workings of the LDS Church, has been updated and expanded. Attempting to cut through the wholesome image projected by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the book purportedly reveals inconvenient aspects of the beliefs and practices of Mormonism. The God Makers aims to prepare Evangelical Christians for witnessing to Mormons and makes the case that Mormon Christianity is a departure from what Evangelical Christians consider to be "true" or "biblical" Christianity.

Decker participated in the documentary films, The God Makers, The Temple Of The God Makers, The Mormon Dilemma, and The God Makers II. His smaller projects include the booklets And The Word Became Flesh and To Moroni, With Love! and " Understanding Islam", which are distributed by his nonprofit organization.

Decker states that My Kingdom Come: The Mormon Quest for Godhood is his final book to be presented on the subject of Mormonism. In this book, he dedicates an entire chapter to Mitt Romney and the Mormon beliefs about the future of the United States.^{[citation needed]}

Freemasonry

Decker speaks out against Freemasonry and has written What You Need To Know About Masons and The Dark Side of Freemasonry, and the booklet entitled The Question of Freemasonry.

Criticism

Decker's work has attracted criticism not only from Latter-day Saints,^[3] but also from religious scholars of other faiths.^[4]

Jerald and Sandra Tanner and Bob Passantino have said that his writings grossly misrepresent Mormonism, and thereby dilute his message and offend Mormons without attracting them to evangelical Christianity. The Tanners, themselves prominent critics of the LDS Church, have noted what they contend are inaccuracies and errors in some of Decker's works.^[5]

One of Decker's associates offered to exorcise the Tanners' demons, and expressed great sadness when they refused.^[6] Ed Decker has also co-written a book with Ron Carlson called Fast facts on false teachings, which deals with what he believes to be various false systems of worship, including Roman Catholicism, Mormonism and the Word of Faith movement.

Works

Books

• The God Makers: A Shocking Expose of What the Mormon Church Really Believes, avec Dave Hunt, Harvest House Publishers, 1997, ISBN 978-1-56507-717-1
• The God Makers II
• My Kingdom Come - The Mormon Quest for Godhood, 2007
• Fast Facts on False Teachings
• Decker's Complete Handbook on Mormonism
• Unmasking Mormonism
• The Mormon Dilemma
• What You Need to Know About Mormons
• What You Need To Know About Masons
• The Dark Side of Freemasonry, Huntington House Publishers, 1994.

Movies

• The God Makers
• The Temple Of The God Makers
• The Mormon Dilemma
• The God Makers II

Leaflets

• And The Word Became Flesh
• To Moroni, With Love!
• The Question of Freemasonry

See also

• Anti-Mormonism
• Ex-Mormon

References

External links

• FAIR - Mormon/LDS site index for topics relating to Ed Decker
• Profile of Ed Decker
• Saints Alive Ministry - Decker's ministry