Author: Eric Johnson
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Acts 2:38: Baptized For the Remission of Sins
By Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson The following is from chapter 21 in Answering Mormons’ Questions (Kregel, 2013). To get additional help in answering LDS questions, we recommend purchasing the book. Click here to see more. A common passage used to support the view of baptismal regeneration (the necessity to be baptized in order to be saved) is…
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Matthew 5:48: Perfection
By Bill McKeever and Eric JohnsonPresident Spencer W. Kimball told of a man who wanted to make sure he had made final spiritual preparations before undergoing “radical surgery.” Kimball wrote,
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Exodus 33:11: Seeing God
By Bill McKeever and Eric JohnsonProbably the passage most often cited to support people’s ability to see God is Exodus 33:11, which says, “And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” Yet verse 20 reads, “And he [God] said, Thou canst not see my face: for there…
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Ecclesiastes 12:7: Does This Teach Preexistence?
Mormons believe in a preexistence, where spirts once existed in what is known as the First Estate. Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, in part, that “the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” This poetic book is describing how the body decomposes to “dust” and the spirit returns to God for judgment; this does not imply a preexistent…
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Hebrews 12:9: Does This Verse Support the Idea of Preexistence?
Mormons believe in a preexistence, where spirits once existed in what is known as the First Estate. The Ensign magazine cited Hebrews 12:9 to support the doctrine of premortality, saying, “God is our Heavenly Father, a literal spiritual parent.”(“God is Truly Our Father,” Ensign, January 2010, 15). The verse from Hebrews reads, “Furthermore we have had fathers of…
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Jeremiah 1:5: Does This Verse Speak About Preexistence?
By Bill McKeever and Eric JohnsonCertain biblical passages have been used by Latter-day Saints to back premortality, though they have to be taken out of their context to do so. One commonly-used proof text is Jeremiah 1:5, which says,”Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of…
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1 John 3:2: Who are the Sons of God?
According to 1 John 3:2, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” To be “like him” is taken by Mormons to mean that…
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Psalm 82:6 and John 10:34: Ye are Gods
By Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson
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Top 10 List of Topics Most Discussed in Teaching of Presidents of the Church
Since 1998, the LDS Church has producing manuals that the adults cover in Sunday classes during the second and third Sundays of each month. During 2013, they are going through Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow. In 2014, they will cover Teaching of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith. What were the…
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Amos 3:7: Prophets
By Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson
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Ezekiel 37:15-19: Books or Sticks?
By Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson
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Plan of Salvation (Defined)
Plan of Salvation. The: A plan given by God the Father to allow the Children of God to become like Him (see Godhood). As a Spirit Child in the Preexistence, a person who rightly choses Jesus as Savior is given the chance to be born onto the earth with a physical body and has the opportunity…
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Transgression (Defined)
Transgression: A formally prohibited action but not necessarily a sin. See sin. Return to dictionary here.
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Is the “Church” Established on Any Man?
I have just finished reading through the entire gospel doctrine series called “Teachings of the Presidents of the Church” series, including the newest volume dedicated to Joseph Fielding Smith. Smith was known for being a church theologian, penning the massive three-volume set Doctrines of Salvation as well as the five volumes comprising Answers to Gospel…
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Book Review: The Shack
Reviewed by Eric JohnsonVery similar to the Harry Potter phenomenon, The Shack (written by William Young) has taken the book publishing world by storm. First printed at Kinkos and handed out to Young’s friends and relatives, The Shack has been located at the top of the publishing charts for years.
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Is Jesus’ Grace Sufficient in Mormonism?
Brad Wilcox is a religion professor at LDS Church-owned Brigham Young University who also serves on the Sunday School board. He gave a devotional address at BYU on July 12, 2011 that has been widely circulated on the Internet. The talk, titled “His Grace is Sufficient: How does God’s Grace really work?” tries to make…
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Should you pray about the Book of Mormon?
If you’ve ever spoken to a Mormon missionary, there is no doubt that you have been challenged to read the Book of Mormon and pray about its message. A verse in the Book of Mormon, along with a verse from the biblical book of James, is used to support this view. For those Christians who…
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Hymns Teaching False Doctrine
In order to discover new quotes to insert into a revision of our book Mormonism 101, I have decided to read through a number of LDS manuals, including the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church series. Tonight I was paging through the volume featuring the talks and writings of Heber J. Grant and I…
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Review, For the Strength of Youth
For the Strength of Youth is a small 44-page booklet approved by the LDS First Presidency and meant for the young people in the LDS Church covering a variety of issues. According to Sevety Stanley G. Ellis in the last General Conferece, “Along with the scriptures, some great sources for finding the Lord’s way are True to…