Category: Bible
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Does Amos 8:11-12 Support the Great Apostasy?
Amos 8:11-12 is often cited by Mormons to support the concept of a Great Apostasy. However, BYU professor Charles Harrell argues that this passage reflects ancient Israel’s impending spiritual famine due to wickedness and apostasy, specifically in relation to the Assyrian conquest. It warns of the loss of divine guidance rather than a universal authority…
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Does Isaiah 24:5 Support the Great Apostasy?
Isaiah 24:5 says, “The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.” According to some Latter-day Saints, this refers to an event called the Great Apostasy. The everlasting covenant described here is certainly a reference to the Mosaic law, which would have…
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Citations on the Bible
The following are sections out of Bill McKeever’s book In their Own Words: A Collection of Mormon Quotations. Standard Works “And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible” (The Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 29:3).…
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Combating Poor Biblical Exegesis: The Putting-Verses-Back-Into-their-Context Approach
Summary While the Bible is a part of the official canon of the LDS Church, many verses are badly mishandled by some Mormons when making their case. By understanding biblical verses in context, the Christian can provide an intelligent response to help the Mormon see that the Bible, when properly interpreted, does not support Mormonism.…
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Real People and Real Places: The Biblical Archaeological Approach
Summary When it comes to archaeology, there is a major difference between the support for the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Plenty of evidence shows that the Bible describes real people and real places, so most biblical events require very little faith. However, there is little to no support for anything described in the…
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Four episodes with Joel Kramer from 2018 (Israel)
These videos feature biblical archaeologist Joel Kramer as he leads our group in February 2018: For more videos, visit here.
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The Dead Sea Scrolls: It’s time for LDS laypeople to stop using these manuscripts as support for Mormonism
Check out a February 19, 2018 Viewpoint on Mormonism podcast series dealing with this topic by going to Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Mention the Dead Sea Scrolls to a Mormon and a Christian alike and it is likely both will have at least some familiarity with the topic. The first cave containing…
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Isaiah 29:14: Marvelous Work and the Restoration
Isaiah 29:14 says, Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Apostle LeGrand Richards writes, Well did Isaiah predict: ‘For the wisdom of their…
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A Mormon Apostle’s Evasive Answer
On 18 September 2017, the LDS Church’s Deseret News reported on LDS Apostle Russell M. Nelson’s recent devotional address directed at young Mormon adults. In that address, Mr. Nelson spoke of his appreciation for the Bible and invited his audience to join him in studying that volume of scripture insofar as it speaks to ideas…
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Does James 1:5 Teach About Praying for a Testimony?
This article first appeared in the Practical Hermeneutics column of the CHRISTIAN RESEARCH JOURNAL, volume 37, number 06 (2014). There is nothing more important to a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, Mormon) than having a personal “testimony” confirm the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and, ultimately, Mormonism. James…
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Matthew 5:48: Is Perfection an Achievable Goal?
This article first appeared in the Practical Hermeneutics column of the CHRISTIAN RESEARCH JOURNAL, volume 39, number 06 (2016) Jesus taught in Matthew 5:48, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father, which is in heaven is perfect” (KJV). This verse has been quoted many times over the years by top leaders of The Church of Jesus…
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10 Favorite Twentieth Century Biblical Archaeological Discoveries in Israel
All photos were taken by the author during one of his many trips to the Holy Land. 1. The Dead Sea Scrolls The Dead Sea Scrolls is, in many scholars’ opinions, the most important biblical archaeological discovery of the 20th century. Copies of ancient documents were discovered in eleven caves along the northwestern shore of…
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What a Charred Lump of a 2,000-Year-Old Scroll Can Tell Us About Mormonism
In June of 1843 Mormonism’s founder, the Prophet Joseph Smith, told his followers, “There are many things in the Bible which do not, as they now stand, accord with the revelations of the Holy Ghost to me.” (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 310. See also History of the Church 5:425) Four…
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Acts 2:36: Was Jesus Created by the Father?
Acts 2:36 says, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Some have pointed to this verse as evidence that Jesus was created by God the Father. Actually, the King James Version does a good job explaining that Jesus was…
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Why do Christians consider the Bible to be the exclusive source of truth?
The following was part of an email addressed to MRM’s Eric Johnson, dated 9/14/16, regarding the Bible. My question for you is how you view the Bible as a whole. To me, it doesn’t really make sense to view the Bible itself as a final and ultimate source of religious truth (obviously), but not just…
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Ephesians 2:20: Is the Mormon Church true because it’s built on apostles and prophets?
A common verse used to support the idea that the Mormon Church is true is Ephesians 2:20. It reads: And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; The Christian church has been likened to a building (1 Cor. 3:9). Verses 10 and 11 read:…
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Does Romans 8:17 Support Becoming Worshipped?
“… and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” Romans 8:17 Three reasons why our inheritance in Christ does not imply equality with Jesus or a future of being properly worshipped by others: 1. Since our inheritance in…
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Mormonism’s View: The Bible We Have Today “Is Rather Incomplete.”
Mormonism has always held to the position that the Bible we have today has been corrupted. In 1st Nephi 13 the Book of Mormon talks about the “many plain and precious things taken away from the book”; that is, the book identified in the Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual as the Bible (see…
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What if the Bible Was Translated Correctly After All?
The eighth of Mormonism’s thirteen Articles of Faith found at the end of the Pearl of Great Price says, “We believe the Bible to be the Word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.” In other words, Mormons are taught to accept…