I am a practicing Catholic, but am not close-minded.  I have read the Book of Mormon, having been told by Mormon missionaries that if I read it with an open mind and prayed for guidance, God would reveal to me that it truly is His word.  Instead, after reading and prayer I had a bunch of suspicions about the book.  Two of the easiest to repeat are:\n   1.  During the exodus, pharao's chariots were destroyed.  Therefore, at the time of the exodus, the Israelites knew about the wheel.  If a group of them left the middle east at a later date and settled in the Americas, why did native Americans know nothing of the wheel when Columbus arrived?  I cannot fathom an entire civilization forgetting about the wheel.\n   2.  If one searches the Bible for occurrences of the word, "smoke," one finds that the only person who smokes in the Bible is God the Father, in Psalms 18 or 19, depending on which Bible translation you use.  If God the Father smokes, why are Mormons are so opposed to smoking?
205769
check out a few of these"PRO" pages\n\nhttp://www.lightplanet.com/response/answers/contents.htm\nhttp://www.fairlds.org/apol/morm201/m20100a.html\nhttp://www.geocities.com/promormon/index.html\nhttp://www2.ida.net/graphics/shirtail/linksto.htm\nhttp://www.aros.net/~wenglund/Point.htm\nhttp://www.adherents.com/people/pt/Jerald_Sandra_Tanner.html\nhttp://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/FQ_BMProb2.shtml\nhttp://www.jefflindsay.com/myturn.shtml
574946
I also have an argument....why is it that the Mormons did not allow African Americans to sit in their funky little churches until the late 60s, saying it was the word of God?  If what you claim is the word of God, why is it that one minute you make Him all powerful and the next you make Him change His word?  Why one minute African Americans are beneath you and the next you say that it is allowed for them to worship along side you.  The word of God dose not and I repeat dose not change with the times.
448791
Hi there!  It's me again!  \nYou know, I think the thing to look at in the Mormon religion is again, the verifiable concrete stuff. (no pun intended ha ha ha)\nDid you know that while archeologists use the bible to find places and things (Rockefeller used the bible to locate OIL, remember Noah and the PITCH he used on the inside and outside of the ark?  DING?!?!? ) they have been QUOTED saying that they have tried finding the places mentioned in the Book of Mormon and THEY CAN'T FIND any of the sites.  And Joseph Smith said that the new Jerusalem would be built in the midwest and, like it never happened.  ANd he said that Native americans were a lost tribe of the Hebrews.  And thanks to DNA testing it was like completely shot down too.\nNOW do Mormons suck?  NO WAY!!!??!!! Not at all but are they deceived?  YES  The reason I say this is again.  DUDE if you are a Prophet of GOD.  YOU don't get ANY prophecies wrong.  You don't have gramatical errors in your text.  And DUDE you are not MORE HOLY because of the special underwear bro.  \nNOW Joseph Smith mentioned stuff about concrete, COOL.  I'm glad he got that right but sad that it would bring someone to believe that he would have the answer of how to get closer to God.  Mormons are very wonderful thoughtful people.    But so are Christians and NO Mormons are NOT Christians.  They do not believe that Jesus did the redemptive work at the Cross. And that it's WORKS that gets you to your own planet when you die.  WHAT?!?!?\nYes, that's right I said it. PLA-NET. Here's the thing Texas Toast.  I don't know what church you have been attending, but you know what it looks like they havent been teaching you the TRUTH.  That Jesus LOVED PROSTITUTES AND MURDERERS and SINNERS, His Apostles DISSED HIM until AFTER He was resurrected and appeared to them.  He's not the JERRY FALWELL loving-tie wearing- O'Reilly watching-Republican.  He loves me a SINNER and YOU and the MORMONS too!!!!, and by His death I am able to come before a HOLY GOD and say WHASSSS-UPPPP!!!  \nThis is sooooo cool that you want to ask questions and think about who it is that you are Worshipping and praying to.  RIGHT ON!  Don't give up and keep asking questions and the REAL GOD will stand up!
593565
Someone posted a question trying to justify incest with his daughters using the OT example of Lot as an example. I spent quite a time answering this, only to find the next morning that the question had been removed. Just in case anybody else has problems with the passage, here's my answer anyway.\n\nLot and his Daughters\n\nThank you for raising this question, it's caused me to get my Bible out and read the story again for myself. If anybody is actually interested in understanding it properly, they need to go back to Genesis 11 and start from the beginning.\n\nAn old pagan called Abram is worshipping one day at the local ziggurat in Ur of the Chaldees and Yahweh comes and reveals Himself to him. The Bible doesn't tell us that Abram did anything special to earn or merit this revelation, just that God, for His own reasons, chose to reveal Himself to him. This really upset the religious locals, who followed a mixture of astrology and Babylonian mystery religions. Abram was rejecting their pantheon of Gods and going round telling people there was only one true God. Talk about upsetting the neighbours. And you should have heard the gossip!\n\nAbram leaves Ur with his father Terah, his nephew Lot and their households. They passed through the Euphrates (a type of baptism) and arrived at Harran, where they got too comfortable and stayed until Terah dies. At this point Yahweh gives Abram a kick up the backside and points him towards the Promised Land.\n\nSome time after they arrive in Caanan there is a famine, and what happens next has a direct bearing on Genesis 19 as cited.\n\nAbram, taking Sarai his wife and Lot with him, goes down into Egypt (always a type for the world). Here they encounter all the corruption of Pharaoh’s court and the fleshpots of the most advanced nation on earth. After moving back to Caanan, Lot sits round the campfire and dreams of the forbidden things he has seen. If you carefully read the start of chapter 13, you will see that when Lot separated from Abram, he looked to the east, towards Sodom, and chose that because it reminded him of Egypt and the forbidden pleasures that he had been dreaming of.\n\nFast forward now to chapter 19 and Lot has given up farming on the plains outside of Sodom and has allowed the lure of sin to draw him inside the city. Lot had abandoned his God to the extent that he was prepared to allow his daughters to marry those that God called detestable, but even so, God did not abandon him.\n\nWe know what happened next, but if you really think that God condoned the sin you have to be crazy. The offspring of those illicit unions went on to form the Moabites and the Ammonites, two of the most cursed tribes in history.\n\nThis is a classic morality tale of reaping that which you have sown and is recorded not only as historical truth, but as an admonition to all of us. Genuine queries on any of this are welcome.
651553
To me, it would appear that they read Matthew 5:17 and stop at the first 2 words: "Think not".\n\nThey have that down to a science, they just don't think.\n\nIn context Matthew 5:17-20 says:\n"Think not that I am come to destroy the Torah, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  For truely I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, not one iota (or Yud in the Hebrew Alephbet) or one tittle (the "crowns" or Taggin) shall in any way pass from the Torah, till all be fulfilled.  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say unto you, That unless your righteousness shall exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."\n\nThe Christians are supposed to be following Torah even more righteously than the rabbis of the time! Of course, Talmud doesn't think much of that generation of rabbis, saying it was their "baseless hatred" that caused the Temple to be destroyed.\n\nPerhaps Christians get around this by saying that Heaven and Earth have passed away?  As far as I can tell they are still here.  Perhaps it is that old "think not" thought process of theirs.  I suspect that a better translation would be "even if heaven and earth pass...." since Torah is eternal in nature.\n\nThey don't realize that for one to violate a command of Torah it is as though he had destroyed it.  Likewise, they don't understand the concept of what the word "fulfilled" means.  I try to tell them that when I pull up to a full and complete stop at a stop sign, I have fulfilled the law concerning stop signs.  But the fact that I have fulfilled the law doesn't mean that everyone else is now free to run the stop sign.  (If they were consistant in their reading of this passage that is exactly how they would have to apply the words.)\n\nThe passage isn't saying that he came to do away with Torah or anything.  It isn't saying he was going to violate the requirements of Torah in anyway.  He was going to keep every command of Torah that applied to him and he wanted his followers to do the same.\n\nSo they should be out teaching each other to keep even the smallest of the commandments.  Why aren't they doing this?  Because they "think not".
130454
First of all, you are to be commended for struggling to find the truth amidst misinformation and predjudices! Titus 2:7 says in "all things show yourself uncorrupted in your teaching,showing seriousness and speech which cannot be condemned, so that the man on the opposing side may get ashamed,having nothing vile to say about us." So keep up the good work!     When I study my Watchtower, I read it once, just to read it.Then I go through it with my daughter and we answer the questions together. The third time I go through it, I look up the scriptures mentioned and usually write them in the margins of my magazine. That way,even later, I can always go back and look in that magazine and see at a glance what scripures were brought out,the definitions of any words I did not understand or the pronunciation of any Biblical name I couldn't get right( which I also write in the margins) I also underline in pencil (I use colored pencils,different colors have different meanings for me)the scriptures in the Bible that have any sort of special meaning for me.  These are just MY studying methods;you will come into your own in time!! Good luck to you,and your efforts to come into the truth please Jehovah God more than you could know!!  By the way, real Christian-like ,your comments,Rev,Kipp. I'm sure God is real proud of you...
88869
From my point of view and my opinion Joseph Smith was a great con man who roped people into believing a lie.  Those 'documents' that came from those god tables were proven to be hieroglyphics that he turned this way and that.  Everyone who purported to have seen those tables later recanted.  There is no evidence in this hemisphere that those civilizations existed.  Horses and elephants he described in those books didn't exist here until Europeans came.  DNA proved there is no link to the American Indians and Israelites.  None of it existed beyond his imagination. Add to that those books have been changed, and NOT to correct spelling, over 4000 times.  There is an easy way to prove that one, and other holy books as well, in the US copyright runs out 70 years after the author died.  The only thing that stops the clock on it is changes to it.  Then copyright restarts from the year of the change.  Look at copyright dates.  That will tell you if and when they are changed.  Not only that there is a lot in the Book of Mormon that was out and out plagiarized from the Bible its self.  See the following links for articles I just sited.
285704
OK, I'm a Mormon (convert of ten years) and am amazed at the level of ignorance shown here. Here's how it really is:\n\nWe DO NOT believe that God had sex with Mary. (Pernicious falsehood started by anti-Mormons)\n\nWe DO believe "that Jesus is Lord and that He died on the cross and he rose from the dead on the third day". [c.f. "Jesus_is_awesome"]\n\nWe believe that Jesus and satan are spirit brothers ONLY IN THE SENSE that everyone and everything, even satan, are created by God. People created by the same father are brothers.\n\nWe DO believe in salvation by grace, and we DO NOT believe that our good works save us. However, when we confess faith in Jesus Christ we promise to follow him. "If ye love me, keep my commandments". Our works are what show that He is Lord of our lives. If we deliberately fail to live according to his will we cannot really have meant that prayer. (But we know we can repent when we make a mistake.)\n\nI recently asked "What must I do to be saved?" I had 33 answrs, all of which said something along the lines of "Accept Jesus Christ and repent of your sins." I have done that, therefore I am saved and going to heaven. I also happen to be a Mormon.
109794
I am not a Mormon, but in the studies I have done, I have found that Mormons believe in the Torah and the NT>  The problem is, they believe in it so long as it is correctly interpreted...by the leaders of the church.  Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, said that the Bible and all it's teachers were corrupt.  He claimed to have been given a new testament of Jesus Christ.  The Mormons use th Book of Mormon and The Pearl of Great Price as their ultimate authority on everything, including the OT and NT.  There were literally thousands of errors in the original Book of Mormon when Joseph Smith recieved the Divine revelation.  Those have been corrected, for the most part.  There is also the contradictions of scripture and revelation that have taken place since then.  At one point, the prophet, Joseph Smith and then the presidents of the church...Brigham Young, etc., stated as prophecy that Mormons will practice polygamy...that this was a commandment that shall be everlasting.  After the US government told them that they will abandon that belief or get kicked out of Utah and the US, a new, everlasting commandment, came down from God to the president of the church saying you shall not commit polygamy.  I hate it when gods are afraid of the gvernment. ;)  Sorry, my Christian bias came through there.
284578
You have a lot of time on your hands, to come up with all that internal dialogue. Anyway, not that's not how I would answer. I would answer like this:\n\nI could give you a very short answer like: \n\n1- And who is it that teaches man not to pray? \n2- How did you come to know that the bible is true? \n\nOr how about this:\n\nThe Book of Mormon (Moroni 10:3-5) doesn't simply say to pray about the Book, but to ponder it, to study it, and then with faith in Christ to seek divine understanding of it through the power of the Holy Ghost. It's sad to see fellow Christians demeaning the quest for revelation from God through the power of the Holy Ghost as a "warm fuzzy feeling" that can lead to great deception. How can anyone have a testimony of Christ as the Son of God unless the Father reveals it? (See Matthew 16:15-17; Rev. 19:10; 1 Cor. 2:10-11.) Such prayer and inquiry is part of what all Christians should do in their quest to understand the truth. Relying on human logic and reasoning alone is guaranteed to be fallible, for people get things completely wrong, like the multiple errors in the rather silly attack about honeybees in the Book of Mormon. Those who seek revelation from the Father, combining thought and study with faith in Christ and the influence of God's Spirit, will be able to know the divinity of Jesus Christ in spite of all the arguments against Him, and just might be able to withstand the many human arguments against the divinity of the Bible - and the Book of Mormon. \nDo you remember what Christ said when he praised Peter for his testimony of the Savior? It's in Matthew 16: 15-17: \n\n15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?\n16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.\n17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.\nPeter's knowledge of Christ as the Son of God was not based on a factual analysis of Old Testament scriptures; it was not based on archaeology or genetic science or the opinions of learned scholars of his day; he did not survey the rabbis to find of there was consensus among leading authority figures about the divine status of Christ; it was not based on impressive miracles or other tangible evidences. Flesh and blood had not revealed the divinity of Christ to Peter. Then where did Peter gain that testimony? Through REVELATION from God the Father. \nThe critics of Christ during His ministry demanded "flesh and blood" evidence, refusing to listen to he Spirit - and ultimately sought the very flesh and blood of Christ Himself. Today our critics ask their victims to rely only on flesh and blood and NOT to seek revelation from God the Father to know if the Book of Mormon is true. Whose voice are they echoing? \n\nThe Book of Mormon is another testament of Christ, filled with the Gospel of Christ. Praying about it is not like praying about whether to commit adultery. It claims to be from God, to teach of Christ, and offers powerful evidences for its divinity (many witness and much empirical evidence). It should be a subject of study and prayer - if it really contains the words of Christ, wouldn't you want to treasure them? The quest for truth is nothing like praying about whether or not to commit sin! But oh my, wouldn't the world be a better place if people contemplating sin would pray for guidance? Would that all adulterers would pray about what they are doing. Would that all people contemplating sin would stop and pray and give God a chance to reiterate His will and enlighten the darkened mind. There would be much less sin in the world! So, fellow sinners, take my advice: pray! \n\nDo you wonder why those critics vehemently warn against praying about the message of Mormon missionaries? There is a being who teaches men not to pray, who will use every artifice of logic and intimidation to ke
219062
Let me give you a bit of background that - although is controversial - is accepted to some extent.\n\nThe first 5 books of the Bible known as the Penteteuch - were "compiled" by Moses - however, I don't agree that he wrote them all. What's accepted is that the Levites and the tribes of Israel wrote different portions - however many Biblical classes will accept that Moses "wrote" them. \n\nThey used Hebrew - in fact, most of the OT is written in Hebrew sans a few written in Aramaic. (I know Daneil was written in Aramaic)\n\nAs for where it was written - this is total conjecture and speculation. \n\nThe NT was written by the apostles - and the latter chapters following the gospel were mostly written by Paul, some Peter with the help of other apostles. \n\nThe Epistles for most part were written by Paul - and when he wrote them is pretty clear - around 50 AD. Revelation is written near 100 AD by John who wrote it on Patmos. \n\nThe NT was written in Greek. \n\nHope that helps.
540302
It's more poetic junk in the Bible that you can really interpret to whatever you want it to be.  This bit seems to be more threats of hellfire for those outside the group.  Religion likes to use the carrot and stick approach to gaining and keeping converts.  This is one example of a stick.  On the carrot side of it, they'll talk about "God's love" and such (ignoring, of course, such contradictions as this).
290492
i think it's misunderstood.\n\ni believe that most, if not all the books in the apocrypha were really intended to be included in the "official" bible, but were omitted by people in positions of oversight solely because these books, when taken in context with the rest of the bible, take the emphasis away from *organized* christianity, and put it on the individual to "realize god". those stories (like the gospel of nicodemus, the gospel of mary, little genesis, etc) actually serve to direct people in a sane way towards realizations of felicity and temperance... but because they do so without compelling people to tithe and suffer and bow to a church, they're discredited as "lies". \n\nit's a pity, because the world might not have turned out to see such a shortage of common sense if they'd been recognized from the start.
28484
^\n^\n^\n^\n\nBut if the whole bible is the word of God,why would you disregard certain parts.\n\nI agree.people pick and chose what they will follow and disregard others.\nThe bible said it was an abomination unto God for two men to have sex,but what about tatoos being prohibited,certain foods not to eat because the bible claimed it was unclean.Back then it probably was unclean to eat certain animals because they didn't have reservers that we have today,but that doesn't apply to now.The bible also said not to shave or trin your hair,it prohibited piecings,it said that it is degrading for a man to grow his hair.\n\nChristians disregard all of those laws,but speaks against homosexuality.If you christians believe that the bible is the word of God,why do you pick and chose.\n\nDid you all know that in the bible,David and Jonathan were lovers.If you don't believe me look it up for your self.Search on the internet to make it easier.\n\nNo matter how we prove that the bible is man's word not God's the more scriptures you all quote.\n\nGod condons slavery\nsexism\nwar\n\nAccording to the bible he does.A loving God condons slavery?\n\nI surely hope one day you all come to your senses.
591497
Wow, this is an easy question. I think you know the answer already, but basically this is simple combination of ignorance, brainwashed mindsets, and fear.\n\nThrough these qualities they foolishly think the bible is the literal word of god, so they just blindly follow that no matter how absurd out-dated their reasoning is.\n\nhere is a great list of absurdities listed in the bible:\nhttp://skepticsannotatedbible.com/abs/long.htm
659166
I think it's important to first say that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints (aka LDS or Mormon). My beliefs come from that doctrine, which I believe is true. Also, I do not wish to confuse you further, but instead commend you on trying to search for the truth. \n\nJesus Christ is the Jehovah spoken of in the Old Testament. He built this world and all that are in it. God, meaning, God the Father, or Heavenly Father is an entirely different person altogether, and the Holy Ghost is also a separate being. He/Christ is the only literal/physical Son of God, however, we are all (the good and the bad) Heavenly Father's children, because He made us spiritually before we were made physically by our parents. \n\nAs for the Trinity doctrine, it seemingly got its start when people mistranslated the Bible. The passage most often quoted is something to the effect that God is Christ in human form and His(Christ's) spirit is the Holy Ghost. What I believe was trying to be said (and may have been said, but just not translated correctly) is that God (Heavenly Father) is perfect, He knows all and is all powerful. Through His plan He wants us all to return to Him, however, He knew that we would mess up and that a Savior (Christ) would be needed to provide a way back through the Atonement. Christ, being the first spiritually born and the only physically born of God desires only to please His Father, so He did what needed to be done out of love for His Father, as well as love for us/all mankind.\n\nI'm afraid I don't have Bible references for this, however, there are scripture references found in The Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrine & Covenants, which are books of scripture found in the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. I have linked to the website containing The Pearl of Great Price.
110388
I am a Mormon and will try and answer your question.\nYou said in your question to use the Holy Bible and not the Book of Mormon by john smith. I assume you mean Joseph Smith Right?.\n\nWhen the Church was restored many things that were lost were also restored see the references from the Holy Bible below.\nI hope this answers your question.The term mormon is slowly giving away to latter day saint.