In January 2009 there were 60,500 searches on Google for the word “morman”. But what is a Morman, you ask? Wikipedia says that Morman was a Breton chieftain who was declared King after the death of the Bretons’ Frankish overlord Charlemagne in 814. He is the first personage known by name to be described as … 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
Alright Dallin, so let’s get into the questions. What does it mean to you to be an atheist? How do you see the world and your place in it? Or to put it in missionary parlance, what is the purpose of your life?
I was an official Mormon missionary for two years, from 1994 to 1996. All missionaries are assigned a companion that they stay with 24/7, which is why you never see missionaries walking the streets alone (if you do, that means something’s wrong). If I remember correctly, I had 12 companions during the course of my … Read more
As of this post it has been four months since I launched this blog. The site receives just over 200 visits per month at the moment, with virtually all that traffic coming as a result of the blog ranking in Google for keywords like “mormon beliefs, “mormon culture”, “mormon myths”, “joseph smith is a fraud”, … Read more
The best article from an LDS author on the topic of gay marriage is Homosexual “Marriage” and Civilization by science fiction writer Orson Scott Card. But it’s pretty long and you might have a short attention span so I’ll try to summarize some points from the article along with my own thoughts. So, do Mormons … Read more
Wow, this Prop 8 thing in California has been quite the hot topic lately, and initially I was surprised at how much attention the LDS Church was getting, given that there were plenty of other faiths involved. But upon further reflection it’s not too surprising. The LDS Church is highly centralized compared to most other … 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
First off, it’s helpful to define what is meant by the term “evolution”. If, by “evolution”, we’re talking about the process of natural selection by which species change due to certain members having advantageous traits, then yes, I think it’s safe to say most, if not all, Mormons believe in evolution. However, if evolution means … Read more
A lot of people say that Mormons belong to a cult. Is that true? First, it depends on what your definition of a cult is. Here are a few definitions culled from the web. If you have others feel free to add them. 1. Followers of an exclusive system of religious beliefs and practices. 2. … Read more
Recently a transcript of a talk purported to have been given by Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve in his home ward of Forest Bend has been circulating the Internet via email as well as being posted on various forums. The email starts out like this: I am not one to forward … Read more
I just posted this last week, but in researching the LDS Church’s stance on abortion hadn’t found anything definitive about whether Mormons believe life begins at conception or at some other time. Coincidentally enough, the new edition of the LDS Church magazine, the Ensign, just arrived and what do you know, there’s a big article … Read more
I’ll admit I’m a novice when it comes to anti-Mormons. I can’t claim to have studied their methods for more than a week or two as of the writing of this post, although during that time I’ve read quite a bit. In everything I’ve read, there seems to be one similarity as to how anti-Mormons … Read more
“If you cannot find an LDS source that contradicts us then we can assume we are correct until an LDS statement comes out in direct contradiction of any statement on the CARM website.” – CARM Representative One of the more visible anti-Mormon resources online is the CARM.org website, which has a fairly extensive section dedicated … 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’ve asked myself this question a lot. Do I really care whether someone thinks I’m a Christian or not? After all, there is no objective definition of what a Christian is. When somebody says I’m not a Christian all they’re saying is “You’re not a Christian according to my definition of what a Christian is.” … 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?
I’ll admit it, I like to debate. I don’t mean I like being in heated, emotional arguments, I mean I like to debate facts and present evidence in a cool and calm manner. For me, the value of debate is not in proving one’s point, but learning. I don’t enjoy debating anti-Mormons because I think … Read more
“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
From Mormon Objections Answered: Why do you never hear a Mormon say, “Pray about the Bible to see if it is true.”? This has always puzzled me. God’s Word does not need verification. It simply is true. But the Book of Mormon, on the other hand, must be prayed about (so they say). The primary … Read more
I believe all Christians would agree that following God makes you happy and giving into Satan makes you miserable. So if you were Satan and your goal was to make people miserable, how would you go about it and what would you do first? In high school I had a teacher who was in Vietnam. … Read more
While Mormons base their belief in the Book of Mormon on direct communication with God regarding the matter, it’s still fun to see archaeological evidence that supports the Book of Mormon, and a lack of such evidence is commonly used by anti-Mormons as proof that the Book of Mormon is false, and that Mormons are … Read more
Refutation of claim on the CARM website. Claim: The Book of Mormon talks of honey bees, but honey bees were introduced to the Americans by the Spanish. Therefore the Book of Mormon is false and you should not hire Mormons for any of your pollination needs. Reference: Ether 2:3 – “And they did also carry … Read more
Refutation of a claim on CARM’s website. Claim: Alma 7:10 contradicts the Bible in Matt. 2:1, therefore the Book of Mormon is false and Mormons are sneaky monkeys. References: Alma 7:10 – “And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers…” Matthew 2:1 – “Now when Jesus … Read more
No. Mormons do not believe any such thing. This is a myth perpetuated by anti-Mormons in order to make the Mormon church look like a bunch of crazy lunatics. We believe that Mary was a virgin before and after she gave birth to Jesus as stated in the Book of Mormon in 1 Nephi 11:18-20: … Read more
This comment, from another post, is typical of what I have heard from other people: In 1839, Joseph Smith was asked to describe the difference between his religion and the other religions of his day. Smith replied that the primary difference was primarily in mode of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by … Read more
In another post Matt posted these comments about what was said by Kent P. Jackson, a professor, at BYU, a college owned and managed by the LDS Church. Jackson says that today’s Christian churches are “apostate” Christian churches that do not have the right God, “But God is not at its head, making that church—following … Read more
If Mormons believe the LDS Church is the only true church on earth, does that mean they think they are the only true Christians? Mormons do believe the LDS Church is the only church on earth with the priesthood, or the authority of God, which is necessary for the “legal” administration of ordinances like baptism … Read more
Mormons claim to know that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that the LDS Church is the only church upon the earth with God’s authority through revelation, or direct communication with God. Anti-Mormons claim that Mormons are ignorant or have been misled by the devil. But how can … Read more
Prophet prophesy, right? So if Joseph Smith were a real prophet, couldn’t we verify that by looking at his prophecies and seeing if they came true. Well yes, you can. However, far be it from me to do the research when somebody else already has, which is why I’ll refer you to Jeff Lindsay’s Fulfilled … Read more
If you’ve ever argued with a Mormon over their church’s doctrines then you’ve probably come up against the Mormon concept of “modern-day revelation.” The word revelation simply means that something has been revealed, although when used in the context of the gospel it refers to having something been revealed to man by God. Mormons believe … Read more
Mormons use the word “testimony” so much that many Mormons don’t realize that nobody else knows quite what they’re talking about. Mormons will say things like “I have a testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet” or “I have a testimony that this church is true.” But what do they mean? What are they saying? … Read more
Mormons DO NOT dig up the bodies of dead people and baptize them. Perfectly live and healthy members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are baptized in LDS temples on behalf of people who have already died. Detailed records of baptisms are kept. It’s a very orderly and organized process that sounds … Read more
So if the church of the devil isn’t any specific denomination, is the church of the Lamb of God a specific denomination or not? I don’t know. Maybe somebody else has a reference, but I can’t find anything that states one way or another. But I would speculate that the church of the Lamb of … Read more
In the Book of Mormon it says “Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of … Read more
Rats, I was just looking forward to having some fun answering the Difficult Questions for Mormons but I found that the folks over at SHIELDS have already done it. As they point out, none of these questions is particularly difficult to answer with a little research, although I suppose they may be difficult for most … Read more
According to some, the answer is yes. “the Mormon church clearly condemns other religious systems. Those Mormons who complain about poor treatment should familiarize themselves with their teachers’ words.” However, the statements made by LDS Church leaders about other religions are of quite a different nature than that which is said about the LDS Church, … 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
“No, but we do have pianos and guitars.” is one way Mormons might respond to this question. Or Mormons might say “Yes, just feel my head right here” and invite the questioner to touch some part of their scalp. They would then ask “Do you feel anything?” “No” “Nothing?” “No” “Not even a little stupid?” … Read more
Q: If the Book of Mormon is the “most correct book of any on earth” (History of the Church, vol. 4:461), then why does it not contain essential Mormon doctrines such as… Church organization Plurality of Gods Plurality of wives doctrine Word of Wisdom God is an exalted man Celestial marriage Men may become Gods … Read more
Just for the record, Mormons don’t practice polygamy. About 25-30%% of Mormons back around 1880 practiced polygamy. It hasn’t been practiced by Mormons for over 100 years. If you heard something on the news about Mormons practicing polygamy, either the news is mistaken and is accidentally calling someone who isn’t a Mormon a Mormon, or … Read more
Oh, it’s even worse than that! Joseph Smith said “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” Critics of Joseph Smith, … Read more
A former President and Prophet of the LDS Church, Joseph Fielding Smith, taught “The time of quickening is when the mother feels the life of her unborn infant.” In other words, the LDS Church has no official statement on when life begins, although obviously it is sometime between conception (including the moment of) and birth. … Read more
Yes, in a sense. Mormons believe that we all lived with God before we were born on this earth. We believe that we were all “spirit children” of God (don’t ask me how God “begat” our spirits, I have no idea), and that among that population of spirit children was Satan, then known as Lucifer, … 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
Nope. Mormonism is not part of either Protestantism or Catholicism. We actually see Mormonism as being identical to the original church Christ established while on earth, with prophets and apostles, revelation, priesthood authority, temples, etc. We believe that after Christ, all the apostles were killed off, the priesthood authority was lost, and the church ceased … 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
First of all, they aren’t, just most of them, perhaps. James E. Faust was in the First Presidency of the LDS Church, which means he was in the top 3 as far as leaders are concerned, and he was a Democrat. Harry Reid is one of the most prominent Democrats at the moment, and he’s … Read more
Depends who you ask. Mormons believe they are Christians because their definition of “Christian” is “somebody who believes in Jesus Christ and tries to follow Christ’s teachings.” Other people have different definitions of what the word “Christian” means and therefore they may or may not consider Mormons to be Christians. Since nobody has the ultimate … Read more