Was the Pentagram inscribed on King Solomon's Ring?

Many Mormons have claimed that the inverted pentagram was inscribed on King Solomon's ring, and that it was the official symbol of the city of Jerusalem. They claim that the pentagram was used on ancient Christian Churches in Europe. Some have gone so far as to attach religious meaning to the pentagram on the recently re-constructed Nauvoo Temple.

Is this true? Where did they get this information?

Unfortunately, the problem with making such claims is that they are attempting to use segments from various fables, legends, and bedtime stories and reporting them as factual.

Some say the Talmud refers to the legend of a magical ring of Solomon, engraved with a five pointed star "Seal of Solomon", given to him by the Archangel Michael, in which he uses it to subdue demonic evil spirits and force them to build the Temple at Jerusalem. Both the Talmud and the works of Flavius Josephus, declare the ring to have a five-pointed design, but do not describe it as a pentagram. The only work describing this as a pentagram, are certain versions of a Greek work titled "The Testament of Solomon," which is widely considered a work of fiction falsely posing as a Biblical book.

According to one of the legends from these varied books, King Solomon captures an evil Babylonian spirit named Ashmedai, who is king of the demons, which Solomon uses to build the Temple at Jerusalem. Ashmedai steals Solomon's magical ring and throws it into the sea, and then proceeds to steal Solomon's kingdom. Solomon later finds the ring in the belly of a fish and retakes his kingdom by exposing Ashmedai as an imposter because Ashmedai has the feet of a chicken.

According to Muslims, the Qur'an teaches that King Solomon used his magical powers to capture genies and use them to build his construction projects. Unbeknownst to the genies, Solomon died while leaning on his wooden staff. The genies continued to work for Solomon until a worm began to gnaw through his staff. In the work "Thousand and One Nights", King Solomon imprisons a genie in a bottle.

See www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/Shokel/940602_Genie.html

All of these accounts were written many centuries after King Solomon had died, and not a single one can be sustained by the Bible. They may be held as valid religious beliefs by certain sects and religions and should be respected as such, but they certainly should not be taken seriously by Mormons, who have the greater light of Scripture. People can't believe that the pentagram was the official seal of Judaism without also believing Solomon used evil spirits to build the Temple. They can't pick and choose which portions of the story to believe.

Many Jews protest the repeated attempts throughout history by non Jews to link them to magical superstitions and the occult by the use of these symbols. They protest the vain attempts by some who try to attach religious meaning to various symbols, without any scriptural basis. Many if not all of these legends originated from non-Jewish sources. One Jewish man correctly quotes Deuteronomy 18:10-14 that witchcraft, and mysticisms, and the occult are abominations to God and are not to be trifled with:

"There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. 13 Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God. 14 For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do."

And he also quotes Duet. 12:29-32. "When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; 30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. 31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

see www.seedofabraham.net/stardavd.html

Mormons should also know that these commandments not to worship others Gods, apply today just as they did then; that they are not to trifle with strange beliefs outside of their religion. All of these legends are in direct conflict with the principles taught in LDS Scripture, and should not be trifled with. Mormons should know to trust only in the traditions revealed from God, and not try to incorporate ancient symbols into their religion, based on flawed historical research, and the opinions of man. The Book of Mormon warns us not to put our trust in the arm of flesh. We are building our houses on the sand if we do, and when the storm of scrutiny comes, we will not be able to stand, but will be confounded.

It seems by these accounts that the Devil has been working just as hard at disinformation throughout all of history as he is today. The Jews in ancient times were surrounded by these strange beliefs, but were forbidden by God to trifle with any of them. Today, there is absolutely no evidence that the pentagram was officially used as a Jewish symbol, except for these silly legends. Unfortunately, many Jews then, just like many Mormons today, were known to be susceptible to these pagan, and superstitious influences. The Bible gives us ample evidence to the apostasy of the Jews, when the prophet Elijah sorrowed, because he alone was left of all the house of Israel who still worshipped the true and living God, and God showed him that seven thousand of the Children of Israel had not bowed the knee unto Baal. Just seven thousand out of an entire nation is not very many!

The problem with the pentagram on some ancient church in Europe is the Christian Church in Europe had apostatized. This has long been the position of the LDS church, since Joseph Smith first founded it. Joseph was told by God to "join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: "They draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof."

The Emperor Constantine, was well known for sending Gladiators to their death in the arena. After the Nicene council, the Christian world was forbidden to believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, but that he was the "Trinity" - the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost all in one personage, without "body, parts or passions". To this day this concept remains as one of the primary points of contention between Latter-day Saints and Old Christendom. More Christians and Jews were murdered in the century after the Roman Empire supposedly became Christianized, then in the years before.

Christmas, and Easter were both Pagan holidays, before they were incorporated into the Roman Catholic Church and given religious significance, hundreds of years after the death of the Savior. The cross, and the fish are both presumed to be pagan symbols, but are now Holy symbols of Christendom. So having pentagrams on ancient churches, really doesn't mean anything, or add any validity to the pentagram in the least.

It is a shame that so many Mormons try so hard to link the LDS Church founders to the occult, most notably the Hoffman forgeries. We have witnessed throughout ancient history the apostasy that eventually takes control of the Church established by God according to the free agency of man. It would be naive to think that the LDS Church is immune to these same influences which caused the prophet Elijah to sorrow, and led to the apostasy of the Gentile church in Europe. The current LDS Church leaders are pro-abortion, in direct conflict with the admonitions of all the early church leaders, and all the commandments in the D&C about the consequences of shedding innocent blood and taking a human life. Their pro-abortion stand in which they state that abortion is permissible after counseling with the Bishop or Branch President and receiving divine confirmation through prayer is an abomination in God's sight. So we have to conclude that abortion, trifling with the Hoffman forgeries, and pentagrams on the temples are all sure signs of apostasy in the LDS Church.

Latter day Saints have such a greater light with the fullness of the Gospel, it seems so sad that so many of them are quick to cling onto these things of the occult, such as pentagrams and white salamander spirits, etc. Why is it that so many Mormons go to such extremes to believe in and promote such evil things as the Hoffman forgeries? What purpose do they have in rejecting their own religion in favor of these slanders against the Church?