Category: Standard Works
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The 1830 Book of Mormon: Joseph Smith’s Rough Draft
6 June 2021 Last month (on 25 May 2021) LDS Living reprinted an essay from the book, “Know Brother Joseph,” by Angela Hallstrom. In this essay, the LDS author explains that the very existence of the Book of Mormon is a “vital” and “foundational” aspect of her testimony of the validity of The Church of…
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Abraham 1:26 and the Priesthood Ban
Note: The following was originally printed in the November/December 2020 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. In his book The Church and the Negro, LDS author Dr. John Lewis Lund cited a letter written by ninth LDS President David O. McKay. Dated November 3, 1947, McKay gave a lengthy response to…
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The Book of Mormon and Three Degrees of Glory
By Bill McKeever Note: The following was originally printed in the September/October 2020 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. A criticism that I share with many Christians is the lack of unique Mormon doctrine in the Book of Mormon. If Nephites really existed, why is it we do not see them believing…
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Introducing Christianity to Mormons–Chapter 2: The New Testament: Trustworthy and Reliable
Chapter Preview There are abundant copies of ancient manuscripts containing the New Testament, including more than 5,000 written in Greek. This is better evidence than for any other ancient text, including works by Homer and Caesar. A popular skeptic says that there are more variants than there are words in the entire New Testament. Regardless…
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Introducing Christianity to Mormons–Chapter 1
Return to Introducing Christianity main menu Chapter 1: The Bible: God’s Special Revelation Summary According to Mormonism, the Bible is true only “as far as it is translated correctly.” If this claim means that ancient scribes intentionally corrupted the biblical text, then the word “translated” is not the correct term. Rather, “transmitted” would be more…
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Consider David Whitmer’s Testimony
The February issue of Liahona magazine (published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) includes a supplement to the church’s religious study curriculum, “Come, Follow Me.” The magazine article looks briefly at two Book of Mormon witnesses, David Whitmer and Martin Harris–both of whom, along with Oliver Cowdery (a third Book of Mormon…
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Book of Mormon Translation: Though Questions Persist, One Thing is Clear
How was the Book of Mormon translated from the Reformed Egyptian found on the gold plates into English? Despite available eyewitness accounts and an official position stated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints itself, Mormons don’t seem to know the answer. The process Joseph Smith used to produce the Book of Mormon…
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10 Common Mistakes Latter-day Saints Make When Reading the Bible
Listen to a Viewpoint on Mormonism podcast series that played Feb. 8-12, 2021. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 While the Bible is part of the four Standard Works, there are some common mistakes Latter-day Saints sometimes make that result in an improper understanding of biblical verses and passages. Let’s take…
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Why Inerrancy of the Bible Is So Important to Evangelical Christians
There is a term called “inerrancy of the Bible” that is considered a most important belief by those calling themselves Evangelical Christians. Many Latter-day Saints criticize those who hold to this view, pointing out that their church’s Eighth Article of Faith says in part that the Bible is true “only as far as it is…
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Why Should You Trust the Bible When It Has So Many “Contradictions”?
By Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson The following is from chapter 26 in Answering Mormons’ Questions (Kregel, 2013). To get additional help in answering LDS questions, we recommend purchasing the book. Click here to see more. Biblical “contradictions” are often cited by skeptical Latter-day Saints as evidence that the Bible should not be considered trustworthy. While there are…
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Doesn’t the book of James say that “faith without works is dead”?
The following is from chapter 19 in Answering Mormons’ Questions (Kregel, 2013). To get additional help in answering LDS questions, we recommend purchasing the book. Click here to see more. Leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint throughout the years have stressed the importance of good works in order to become exalted and…
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Book Review: Jesus’ Resurrection and Joseph’s Vision: Examining the Foundations of Christianity and Mormonism
Authored by Robert M. Bowman Reviewed by Eric Johnson Listen to a 5-part Viewpoint on Mormonism podcast as Bill and Eric interview the author from July 27-31, 2020: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 A disclaimer should be included on the first page of a 2020 book written by Dr. Robert Bowman,…
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Honoring the Bible, Mormon Style
11 May 2020 Last month Meridian Magazine (for Latter-day Saints) published an article online titled, “Putting the Bible in its Honored and Rightful Place.” Author Wallace Goddard notes that evangelical Christians hold the Bible in high regard and goes on to explain that Mormons do, too, but: “we don’t believe that it does the work…
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A “Victory for the Book of Mormon”? Think About It.
According to Mormon apologist Dan Peterson, an article in the January/February 2020 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review presents a “victory for the Book of Mormon.” The gist of his argument is this. He writes, “One of the criticisms often leveled against the Book of Mormon is that no Jew would have built a temple outside…
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10 Verses from the Standard Works Why I am Not a Mormon
“…king Mosiah had a gift from God…” (current edition); “…king Benjamin had a gift from God…” (1830 edition). This illustrates just one of many substantial changes made to the original Book of Mormon (the original was said to have been revealed and translated by the power of God, see History of the Church 1:54-55). A few additional examples of changes:…
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Four Episodes from Joel Kramer 2017 (Israel)
For more videos, visit here.
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The Book of Mormon Is Not Fully Understood by LDS Leaders
On January 18, 2020, Peggy Fletcher Stack and the Salt Lake Tribune published an article titled, “Error in printed LDS Church manual could revive racial criticisms.” It seems that the print edition of the LDS church’s 2020 Sunday school manual, Come Follow Me, includes an outdated teaching on a racist passage found in the Book…
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Footsteps of Paul Short Videos
Videos from Footsteps of Paul Trip March 2019 Istanbul Nicaea/Istanbul Philadelphia/Sardis/Thyratira Hierapolis Laodicea/Colossae Ephesus Smyrna Pergamum Delphi Athens Pozzouli Corinth Pompeii Vatican City Paul in Rome Rome
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Matthew 5:48 and C.S. Lewis
What did C.S. Lewis mean when he wrote “Be ye perfect” is not idealistic gas? In his chapter 9 of “Beyond Personality: Or First Steps in the Doctrine of the Trinity,” which can be found in his masterpiece Mere Christianity, Christian author C.S. Lewis wrote, The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor…
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Crash Course Mormonism: Scripture
While Christians may use the word “scripture” when speaking to Latter-day Saints, they ought to understand that Mormonism holds to more than just the Bible as scripture. Let’s take a look at the different meanings that could be understood by Mormons with the word scripture. Standard Works The four scriptures–also known as the Standard Works–are…
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