False Teachers

I chose to study about false teachers because I think there are many who proclaim to teach how to get to peace and truth.  I watched this movie today - "Pray, Eat, Love"  and while I enjoyed some of the ideas and themes this lady traveled around the world trying to find happiness.  The video started because this palm reader and healer told her she would have two marriages and she decided she would divorce her husband.  She listened to this "prophesy" and left her husband.  This was a false teacher telling her the wrong way to happiness.  In the end she listened to him again and decided to marry a new gentleman based on his advice.  She said if you take a journey you should follow all things as a sign or a clue as to where you should go.  But the only problem in that is that many forces are trying to lead you the wrong way.  I was so grateful that I have the revelations and true and real prophets and also personal revelation.  I don't have to go searching for it in the wrong places.  So on the mood of that movie I would like to learn about teachers today!

Characteristics of False Teachers 
Peter gave a list of characteristics of false teachers in 2 Peter 2:1-19

1. Deny the Lord (v.1)
2. Speak evil of the ways of truth, or try to make the way of truth sound bad (v.2)
3. Make money off of you (v.3)
4. Speak evil of things they don't understand, things of the Lord (v.12)
5. Commit adultery and cannot cease from sin (v. 14)
6. Pleasure in riot or being loud and contentious (v. 13)
7. Covetous (v 14)
8. Will speak pleasing things to you that feed your vanity and make you feel okay about your unrighteousness (v18)
9. Promise liberty and freedom, but are in bondage to their inequity (v. 19)

These scriptures - with the help of the Holy Ghost- can help us recognize false teachers.  It is nice because it gives us some specific signs of a false teacher.  One that really is a counterfeit of repentance and peace is telling us that what we do is okay.  This makes us feel okay (for a short time) about our sins and may make us feel as if we are at peace. If at any time someone gives you a reason that your sins are okay you know they speak falsehood.  You will never feel true happiness and peace until that sin repented of and wiped clean by the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. If you read these scriptures with the Holy Ghost it may lead you to know if you have false teacher in your life. You can just know that if anyone does any of these things they are a false teacher.

Dangers of the pollution of the world
Some scriptures that talk about the dangers of the pollution of this world are 2 Peter 2:20-22 and D&C 82:3, 7.  I am including a link here but I am just going to talk about the dangers of returning to or going to the pollution or corruptions of the world after you have accepted Christ.  In 2 Peter it talks about how you are worse off as if you had never known about Christ if you reject him.  This is like learning about a better way to live and then turning away from it.  Knowing a truth and turning away.  Living a lie.  It uses the phrase "The dog is turned to his own vomit agin."  Why after knowing the way to peace, happiness, and eventual perfection you turn to your old ways!  In Doctrine and Covenants it says that to whom much is given much is required - So if you receive truth you are expected to follow it.  If you are given knowledge - You should follow it! If you are told something is wrong you know it's wrong and should be expected not to do it.  How would you feel if you told a child not to do something and they did it anyways as compared to a child who was not told.  The Lord also said that when we start to sin - even if we have repented of previous sins all sins return on our heads.  So you can't be guilty of just some sins if you continue sinning!