Category: Standard Works
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Inaccurate Presentations of Mormon History Persist
On Sunday (7 May 2017), LDS General Authority Kim B. Clark of the Seventy addressed young adult members of the Mormon Church in a Worldwide Devotional. Within his talk, Elder Clark spoke a great deal about the history surrounding the Book of Mormon translation. To augment his talk, Elder Clark introduced dramatic video clips, saying,…
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The Creator-Gods of Mormonism
The LDS Church has recently released new scripture-themed coloring and activity books for children. One is an updated version of an older Book of Mormon coloring book, while the other is based on the Mormon scripture volume, Pearl of Great Price. Both are available to download for free. The books are intended to not only…
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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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Two Sets of Official Book of Mormon Witnesses
In his continuing effort at “Defending the [LDS] Faith,” BYU professor Daniel Peterson has recently tackled the testimonies of the eleven Book of Mormon witnesses. He notes that the two signed testimonies appearing in the front of each Book of Mormon (one signed by three witnesses, the other signed by eight witnesses) are “distinctly different…
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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 D&C References to Use with Latter-day Saints
There are many Doctrine and Covenants passages I like to use when I am witnessing to Mormons. Here are the 10 of the most common passages I cite regularly. After referencing the verse(s), I will, in about 100 words, explain how each can be used. Verses are cited in their order as found in the Doctrine and Covenants. The…
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10 Book of Mormon Passages to Use with Latter-day Saints
There are many Book of Mormon passages I like to use when I am witnessing to Mormons. Here are the 10 of the most common passages I cite regularly. After referencing the verse(s), I will, in about 100 words, explain how each can be used. Verses are cited in the order they are listed in the Book of Mormon. In…
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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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Selected Testimonies of the Book of Mormon
LDS Church News published an opinion piece yesterday (4 August) that notes a few “Testimonies of the Book of Mormon” wherein people “witnessed the power of God working through” Joseph Smith during the book’s “translation” process. Included are the testimonies of: Each of these testimonies are subjective in nature: Emma held the opinion that Joseph…
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Why Don’t Christians Accept the Book of Mormon?
At a meeting in Baltimore, Maryland in 1998, then LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “I can’t understand why those of other faiths cannot accept the Book of Mormon. One would think that they would be looking for additional witnesses to the great and solemn truths of the Bible.” (The Ensign, 6/00, p. 18) President…
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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 the Book of Mormon Support the Idea of the Trinity?
This is one in a series on the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. To see MRM’s website page on the Trinity to see other resources, please click here. The Book of Mormon does not support the Christian view of the Trinity. Nor can it be cited to support the LDS view of tritheism. Here are some quotes…
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The Mormon Amazon Challenge
March 1, 2016 The LDS volume of scripture, the Book of Mormon, is available on Amazon.com. As with all things for sale at Amazon, the book is open to reviews. The Book of Mormon had apparently not been faring well enough, receiving too many negative reviews. According to KUTV.com in Salt Lake City, local LDS…
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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…