Category: Standard Works
-
Exodus 33:20: Is it possible to see God?
Many skeptics and cultists have compared this verse with verse 11, which says Moses saw God “face to face” (also see Gen 32:30; Deut. 5:4). It is, they say, a contradiction. However, some passages in the Bible are not meant to be taken literally, including the expression “face to face.” This figuratively means that God…
-
Genesis 2:17: Did the serpent tell the truth?
God promised Adam and Eve that they would surely die if they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Because they did not physically die right after they ate, some skeptics like to say this is a contradiction. Yet the majority of Jewish and Christian commentators agree that, while both Adam…
-
Why Are There So Many Translations of the Bible?
Why are there so many Translations of the Bible?By Eric Johnson
-
80+ Verses to Use in Apologetic Encounters
Have you ever tried to memorize scripture but it was just too hard to remember all the words in a verse? Or have you ever been in a witnessing situation and wanted to use a particular verse–it’s at the tip of your tongue–but you forgot where it was located? (“It’s in the Bible…somewhere.”) Consider learning…
-
The Inspired Version: Why Isn’t It Officially Used Today?
According to Mormonism history, Joseph Smith was commanded by God to make a new translation of the Bible. Then, a few years later, these compiled changes were finished in 1833. While Mormon leaders continually cite from Smith’s work, the Joseph Smith Translation (or Inspired Version) is not officially used by the church. Instead, the King…
-
Should LDS Church Art Coincide With the Facts?
For many years the LDS Church has used staff artists to provide illustrations for its church manuals and magazines. Book of Mormon and Bible stories are commonly depicted, as well as historical church events. One favorite scene for LDS articles is Joseph Smith’s translation of the Book of Mormon. For example, the front cover of…
-
Acts 1 and the issue of “12” apostles
Acts 1 and the issue of “12” apostles By Eric Johnson When faithful Latter-day Saints are asked about their church’s authority, they will very often point to Ephesians 2:20, which says, “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” According to Mormonism, the “Great…
-
Romans 8:16-17: Are we heirs with God?
Romans 8:16-17 By Eric Johnson Romans 8:16-17 have been used by some Mormons to support the idea that there is such a thing as “preexistence” and “exaltation” as gods. It reads, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and…
-
Acts 17:29: Are we the offspring of God?
In Acts 17:16-34, Paul addresses the philosophers and leaders of Greek gods and goddesses at Mars Hill in Athens. Instead of worshipping the “unknown God,” he explains in verse 23, his desire is to share the Lord of heaven and earth. In order to make his point, he uses no support from scriptural passages, only…
-
2 Peter 1:4: Can People Become Divine?
As with everything else, Bible verses taken out of their context. We must understand several things: 1) When a person becomes a Christian through faith in Christ, he/she becomes a child of God (John 1:12; Romans 8:9-21). This is called justification, which happens only through belief. 2) When a person is a believer, good works…
-
1 Corinthians 8:5: Are there other gods?
First Corinthians 8:5 says, “For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God.” Third President John Taylor explained, “…it may be well enough to say at the outset that Mormonism embraces a plurality of…
-
Isaiah 40:3: Does the Bible speak about Joseph Smith?
According to Isaiah 40:3, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.” Tenth President Joseph Fielding Smith said, “You may apply this to John if you will, and this is true…But I will go further and maintain that Joseph Smith…
-
Does Malachi 3:1 Speak About Joseph Smith?
Malachi 3:1 states: “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.” On page 23 of the January 1989 Ensign, it reads: Malachi prophesied of the…
-
Does 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Support The Great Apostasy?
2 Thessalonians 2:3 says, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first . . .” This verse is sometimes used to support the idea of a Great Apostasy. However, the context is not explaining that there would be a complete apostasy. As…
-
Are Racist LDS Scriptures Still Deemed “Utterly Reliable” and “Pure Truth”?
In the recently released statement on lds.org on Race and the Priesthood, the modern Mormon Church disavows “that blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else…” This unequivocal truth, that no race or ethnicity is superior to another, is something that Spain (1542), Quakers (1600s), Pennsylvania…
-
Rejecting the Book of Mormon
Early Mormon apostle Orson Pratt sometimes found himself in trouble with leaders of the LDS Church because of things he had written. Mr. Pratt was a prolific writer, and freely expounded on Mormon doctrine, as he understood it. The First Presidency of the Mormon Church issued a Proclamation in 1865 wherein the Latter-day Saints were…
-
"The Land of Jerusalem" and the Dead Sea Scrolls
By Bill McKeeverIn an article titled “Mounting Evidence for the Book of Mormon,” Dr. Daniel Peterson from BYU states, “Alma 7:10 predicts that Jesus ‘shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers.’ Is this a mistake? Everyone knows that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, not in Jerusalem.
-
The Dead Sea Scrolls Q&A
An exhibit containing 10 fragments along with other artifacts from the Dead Sea Scrolls will be coming to the Leonardo (www.leonardo.org) in Salt Lake City, UT beginning Nov. 22, 2013 and staying until April 2014. We encourage every Christian believer to see this exhibit. Bill and Eric will be discussing these scrolls on their Viewpoint…
-
The Late War and the Book of Mormon
A 19th century book, The History of the Late War Between the United States and Great Britain, has been mentioned before now as a possible source for the Book of Mormon, most notably by Rick Grunder in his 2008 work, Mormon Parallels: A Bibliographic Source. But the suggestion that Joseph Smith may have used this…
You must be logged in to post a comment.