1. Did Joseph Smith drink wine the day he died? If so, how can he go to Heaven?

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on February 2nd, 2012 Categories: Ask Me Questions Comments: 18

    As asked in a comment thread on this blog…

    Q: “I find it interesting that the day before he was killed that Joseph Smith drank wine and don’t Mormons have to be temple worthy to worship in the temple and one of the things that make them temple worthy is that they can’t drink alcohollic beverages? So wouldn’t that make Smith not be able to enter the Celestial Kingdom when he passed from this earth if he wasn’t temple worthy at the time of his death?”

    A: The simple answer is that drinking wine wasn’t considered a violation of the Word … Read the rest of this entry »

  2. You Have To Want It To Be True to Know

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on January 18th, 2012 Categories: Testimony Comments: 2

    I’ve carried on a few rather extensive conversations on this blog regarding the matter of a testimony of what the LDS Church teaches to be true. Some of the people with whom I’ve been discussing this topic are former members of the LDS Church who have left. Similarly, I’ve had family members, friends, and friends of friends who have either left the Church recently, or are struggling with their belief in the Church. Amongst all these people, perhaps 10 in number, I’ve noticed patterns in the words they use. In many cases the words are so close to being verbatim … Read the rest of this entry »

  3. Don’t Try to Convince Mormons They Don’t Believe the Bible

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on January 18th, 2012 Categories: Bible, Tips for Anti-Mormons Comments: 1

    Ugh, if you’ve ever tried to tell a Mormon they don’t believe in the Bible, you know how frustrating it can be. The main problem, of course, is that they think they believe it! Getting past this can be a real challenge. You tell them they don’t believe it, they say they do, you tell them they don’t, they point out that they spend two out of every four years studying the Bible as part of their official curriculum, you say that doesn’t matter because they don’t teach the truth about the Bible, they point out everybody has their own … Read the rest of this entry »

  4. What’s with Satan and the fruit in the Garden of Eden?

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on January 9th, 2012 Categories: Ask Me Questions, Satan Comments: 64

    In response to a question asked in the “Ask a Mormon Anything” section.

    Q: Mormons think the fall was necessary to bring about God’s plan, so why would Satan encourage the fall? Wouldn’t that be helping to bring about God’s plan? Wouldn’t he have tried to get Adam and Eve NOT to eat of the fruit, so no spirit children would get bodies?

    Also, if God had a plan for all spirit children to come and get a body, but then sent Adam and Eve to earth telling them not to eat the fruit of the tree of … Read the rest of this entry »

  5. Mormons and Isaiah 44:6

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on January 9th, 2012 Categories: Ask Me Questions, Bible, Christianity and Mormons Comments: 4

    As asked in the “Ask Me Questions” portion of this website:

    Q: How do Mormons explain Isaiah 44:6?

    This verse says that God does not even know of another god. Now if Mormons believe that God the Father is married to multiple mother goddesses, who He would clearly know of if He was, then how can the possibly claim to believe the Bible and deny the basic doctrine of Isaiah 44:6.

    A: Let’s start by reading the scripture:

    Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and … Read the rest of this entry »

  6. What Political Party Should a Good Mormon Belong To?

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on December 28th, 2011 Categories: Politics Comments: 5

    Ha, it’s a trick question because there are no good Mormons, they’re just a bunch of anti-Christ-Joseph-Smith-worshipping-cult-polygamist-freakazoids! Ok, now that I’ve said it, nobody needs to plug up the comments section with irrelevant rants.

    Today Mormons in the United States are overwhelmingly Republican. It’s not unusual to get into a political discussion with a group of Mormons and hear someone say “I just don’t understand how someone can be a good Mormon and be a Democrat.” This is due primarily to the contrasting views of the Republican and Democratic parties on abortion, sexual matters, the family, and limited government. … Read the rest of this entry »

  7. Don’t Try to Prove a Negative

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on December 12th, 2011 Categories: Tips for Anti-Mormons Comments: 0

    It’s interesting how many anti-Mormons try to prove a negative, but then react angrily when called out on it. If you’re going to make a claim be prepared to back it up, and since negative claims are incredibly difficult to prove, it’s best not to use them. Here are a few examples:

    • There is no God
    • Mormons are not Christians
    • The Book of Mormon is not true
    • Joseph Smith was not a prophet
    • No one can know the future
    • No one knows what happens after we die

    Can you see why these statements only lead to fruitless, never-ending arguments? Let’s … Read the rest of this entry »

  8. Don’t Argue Like Korihor

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on December 12th, 2011 Categories: Tips for Anti-Mormons Comments: 1

    Many anti-Mormons unwittingly strengthen the beliefs of the Mormons they are arguing against by the things they say and the way they say them. This happens when the words and arguments they use end up being almost verbatim what can be found in the Book of Mormon, and perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in the story of Korihor, an anti-Christ, as depicted in Alma, Chapter 30. I think it’s worth quoting several parts of this chapter to make sure we’re clear on how not to argue and what not to say.

    To give some background first, Korihor is … Read the rest of this entry »

  9. Don’t Try to Convince Mormons They Don’t Believe in Christ

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on December 11th, 2011 Categories: Tips for Anti-Mormons Comments: 1

    As the first in a series of posts dedicated to helping anti-Mormons focus their time more effectively, allow me to start by pointing out the futility of trying to convince Mormons that they are not Christians or that they don’t believe in Christ.

    The problem with this mode of attack is that Mormons sincerely believe they are Christians. You can tell them all day long that they aren’t, but they simply won’t believe you. They’ll tell you that they do believe in Christ, that their church is named after Jesus Christ, that they believe in the Bible, that they believe … Read the rest of this entry »

  10. How to Be an Effective Anti-Mormon

    Reviewed by: Joshua Steimle on December 11th, 2011 Categories: Tips for Anti-Mormons Comments: 3

    It is with great fanfare, or at least the greatest fanfare I can be called upon to muster for such a thing, that I announce a new section of this website, where I will dole out tips for anti-Mormons.

    You see, there are people out there in the world who are quite motivated to work against the LDS Church. These people come from all sorts of backgrounds and are motivated by different things. Some were raised in the LDS Church, some were converts later in life, some have never been members of the LDS Church. Some are angry and bitter, … Read the rest of this entry »