I don’t know everything. I don’t even know half of everything. So help me out here and answer some of my questions. Of course, some of these questions are asked with a bit of sarcasm. That is, I don’t think you have a good answer. But who knows, maybe you can surprise me and come up with something good and then we can have a nice discussion and hopefully be mutually benefited by it. In other cases, I know what I believe, but I sincerely want to know what you believe or what your religion teaches on a certain subject.
As I read in 1 Nephi 17 this morning I’m struck by how dumb the children of Israel who were led by Moses through the wilderness appear to be. As Nephi says in verse 30: And notwithstanding they being led, the Lord their God, their Redeemer, going before them, leading them by day and giving … Read more
If something is temporary does it matter? I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and it has been on my mind a bit more the past 24 hours as my brother in law lies in a hospital bed in an induced coma after a terrible motorcycle accident. I’ll warn you ahead of time the … Read more
This post is not an answer to the broader and really altogether different question “Do Mormons baptized dead people?” which I’ve already answered here. Rather it’s a question I’m asking. In recent years there has been some controversy over posthumous baptisms being performed by Mormons on behalf of deceased Jewish persons, including Anne Frank. I’ve … Read more
This is a survey. If you consider yourself an active, faithful member of the LDS Church please do not comment on any of the responses unless you are seeking clarification, and then only seek clarification and no more. I will do the same. This is just for me to learn, although I may use what … Read more
These are not rhetorical questions, nor questions designed to get someone into a debate/argument. I’m just curious as to what answers people might have, because as a Mormon I don’t have to disbelieve in the concept of evolution. Could man have evolved from lower life forms and the gospel still be true? I don’t see … Read more
I’ve heard the LDS Church and Mormons generally come under condemnation by some for not mentioning Christ more in lessons, talks, books, etc. One person on this blog told me they were going to visit a Mormon church meeting and count how many times Christ was mentioned by name, skeptical that the number would be … Read more
If you spent more than 15 minutes last month trying to convince someone who is not a family member or friend that some aspect of the Mormon faith isn’t true, then I’m labeling you an anti-Mormon. I just throw that out there so you can understand the definition I’m using for the purpose of this … Read more
Does anyone know how much anti-Mormon material is out there? When I was a missionary back in 1995, I taught a man in a remote city in Brazil. He had been looking for “the right religion” to join for years. He had gone to every church he could find, even the one that drank something … Read more
Disclaimer: If you think I’m saying the Bible is false, you’re wrong. That’s not at all what I’m saying. Read on. I’ve been having an extensive discussion with two chaps on another post on this blog, and they have posited that if the Book of Mormon were true, then there would surely be physical evidence … Read more
For the sake of this post, forget everything you already know about God. All your preconceptions, everything that comes to mind automatically, everything you’ve been taught, etc. If Bible passages or creeds come to mind, ignore them for this brief moment, just for fun, and tell me what you would want God to be like? … Read more
From Jeff Lindsay’s site, where he asks the question “If the gold plates never existed, how did Joseph get numerous witnesses to stand by their stories until their dying day, even when some of them later became angry with Joseph and left the Church?” This is a common question asked by Mormons, but I have … Read more
Many have interpreted Matthew 7:15 which read “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” as applying to Joseph Smith, the alleged “prophet” of the Mormons. This scripture is often coupled with others mentioning false prophets, such as: Mark 13:22 – For false Christs and false … Read more
This question is borrowed from Jeff Lindsay’s page that asks “How did Joseph know so much about the Arabian Peninsula, including specific names and places that were not known in his day?” To quote from Jeff’s website: Related questions: Was it just blind luck that the rare place name Nahom in the Book of Mormon, … Read more
From a question asked by John on 10 May, 2010 here: And, what, if anything would lead you to the conclusion that Mormonism’s foundational stories, personalities and writings are not what they claim to be? Yes, there is. What leads me to believe they are true is God telling me so, and so the way … Read more
From a question asked by John on 10 May, 2010 here: You and I were both born into the church to LDS families. If Mormonism is the one true church, wow…..we really hit the jackpot. Extremely lucky, right? Out of the billions and billions of humans that have come and gone over the last 50,000 … Read more
“I have tried for a number of years to get the minds of the Saints prepared to receive the things of God; but we frequently see some of them, after suffering all they have for the work of God, will fly to pieces like glass as soon as anything comes that is contrary to their … Read more
There is a certain group of Christians that believe in “biblical inerrancy” or the idea that the Bible is 100% perfect. Mormons believe the Bible is true “inasmuch as it is translated correctly.” That is, Mormons believe the Bible was perfect as it was written by the pens of the original authors, but that through … Read more
If you believe in the Bible, answer me this–where are the prophets and apostles? From Adam down to Jesus Christ there were prophets. It’s how we got the Old Testament. After Christ there were the apostles, and Peter was essentially a prophet as well. But somewhere in the hundred or so years after Christ the … Read more
A friend of mine on Facebook put out the question: What is your interpretation of Hebrews 6:4? Here is Hebrews 6:4-6 4 For it is impossible for those who were once aenlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have atasted the good word of … Read more
Speaking of evolution, I’ve got a question for those of you who believe that humans descended from apes or cavemen or whoever, in the same evolutionary process by which all other species appear to have originated. This isn’t a contentious, argument-starting, type of question. I really am curious to know if somebody has an explanation … Read more
Critics say the Book of Mormon is not the word of God, that it is a fraud and false. So then what is your explanation for the existence of the book? It must have come from somewhere. Joseph Smith had an elementary school education and wasn’t known for having great writing skills. Did he write … Read more
I know what Mormons believe, but I want to know what you believe. What do you think happens after we die? Assuming you get to heaven, what are you going to do there for the next 1,000,000 years?
“God’s Word does not need verification. It simply is true.” I’m trying to wrap my head around this statement and I just don’t get it. I don’t see any logic here. I mean, of course God’s word is true, but how can a person figure out which words are God’s and which aren’t? I could … Read more
I was just reading a logical proof that Mormonism is false and it seems to go like this: Mormons believe that God was once a man, and that man can become like God, spawn more men, who can also become Gods, or in other words, Mormons believe in an infinite regression of men becoming Gods. … Read more
Jesus worshiped from time to time in a temple, which was a substantially different building than what we would call a “church” today. Some people claim that “the [temple] rituals have been done away with with the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem“. What evidence is there that these rituals were not part of the … Read more
If you belong to a church that teaches you are saved by faith alone, and that “faith” can be defined as nothing more than a verbal pronunciation of “I accept Christ” then I’d like to learn more about your perspective on a few things. I know, I know, you’ll think I’m just attacking you, but … Read more
It seems to me that many atheists are atheists because they don’t find religion to be logical. I can understand that point of view. If I weren’t already a Mormon I’d probably think it was downright crazy too. But it seems to me that as illogical as belief in God may seem, it actually is … Read more