Questions For Mormons
1. How could Yeshua's words in Matthew 16:18 be correct if the church would soon go into complete apostasy? Do you think Yeshua was wrong in what He said? Or is, perhaps, the mormon church wrong?
2. Does it sound like Yeshua knew there would come a total apostasy in Matthew 28:18-20? How long would Yeshua remain with His followers after His ascension into heaven? How could Yeshua's words be true if a complete apostasy of the entire church was to come soon? Was Yeshua wrong in making His statement in Matthew 28:18-20 to His followers? Or is the mormon church wrong?
3. How could God be glorified in the church "throughout ALL ages" [Ephesians 3:21 ] if the entire church fell into apostasy?
4. Is it not clear that Ephesians 4:11-16 speaks of the Christian church growing to spiritual maturity, not spiritual degeneracy?
5. Did you know that in Galatians 1:8 the apostle Paul was talking about a specific historical situation in which Judaizers had infiltrated the church in Galatia and had convinced people that besides believing in Yeshua Mashiach, they must also be circumcised to gain salvation? According to Galatians 1:6-9, what is Paul's response to this gospel of works? Do you see that if someone presents a gospel that goes against the authoritative gospel already handed down (in the New Covenant ), it's to be rejected and is accursed by God?
6. Does it seem to you as if the author of Hebrews in Hebrews 12:28 thought there could be a total apostasy? How could there be a total apostasy if Christians belong to a kingdom which cannot be moved?
7. In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, does the apostasy spoken of in this passage culminate in the 2nd coming of Messiah, or the founding of the mormon church?
8. Did you know that 3 Nephi 28:1-8 makes reference to 3 faithful Nephite disciples who have never died? Did you know that Doctrine and Covenants 7:1-8 teaches that the apostle John never died? If these individuals are still alive, as mormon scriptures teach, then how can anyone say that a complete apostasy came upon the entire church and Christianity vanished from the face of the earth?
9. According to 1 Timothy 4:1, how many will abandon the faith?
10. Did you know that the introduction to the History of the Church says that "nothing less than a complete apostasy of the Christian religion would warrant the establishment of the Church of the Latter-Day Saints?" Since the passages we've looked at indicate not total apostasy but only partial apostasy, does this mean that the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints wasn't necessary after all?
11. Did you know there are seven angels mentioned in Revelation 8:2 and there is reference to "another angel" in both Revelation 8:3; 10:1? If you are so sure the angel in Revelation 14:6 is Moroni, then who are all these other angels? If you are not so sure who these other angels are, then, to be consistent, shouldn't you admit that you don't know who the angel of Revelation 14:6 is?
12. According to Revelation 14:7, what is the content of the angel's message? Since the primary role of angels in the book of Revelation is to announce or carry out various judgements, doesn't it make sense to interpret Revelation 14:6 in the same way, that is, as an angel speaking about God's judgment? With that in mind, does this sound like the mormon gospel to you?
13. Did Joseph Smith say that all churches were an abomination in God's sight and that God instructed him not to join any of them? Why, then, is the mormon church becoming increasingly involved with the Interfaith movement, working with protestants, catholics, and others on joint ventures like the VISN Cable Network and disaster aid? Does this mean that protestants and catholics are less an abomination to God than before, or does it mean that the mormon church was wrong about the protestants and catholics all along?
14. Did you know that Joseph Smith once prophesied that the United States government would be overthrown in the 1800's? Did you know that Joseph Smith once prophesied that the New Jerusalem would be built in Missouri in his generation? Did you know that Brigham Young once prophesied that the Civil War would fail to end black slavery? Did you know that Brigham Young said that both the moon and the sun were inhabited?
15. Why didn't God reveal to the mormon prophet in the early and mid-1980's that Mark Hofmann's documents were forgeries? The church paid 100's of 1,000's of dollars for those forgeries and announced them as true documents. Why didn't God tell the mormon prophet that Mark Hofmann was going to murder tow innocent people, including one who was a mormon bishop involved in purchasing the forged documents for the church?
16. When the LDS prophet becomes mentally incapacitated--as happened with Ezra Taft Benson--how can he possibly know the secrets God is trying to reveal to him? How can he function as "God's mouthpiece" on earth?
17. What do you think Ephesians 2:20 means when it says that God's household is built on the foundation of the prophets and the apostles? Once a foundation is built, does it have to be built again, and again, and again?
18. Did you know that according to the Bible, an apostle had to be an eyewitness of the resurrected Yeshua Mashiach [1 Corinthians 9:1; 15:7-8 ]? Did you know that the words of the biblical apostles were all confirmed by miraculous works [Acts 3:3-11; 5:15-16; 9:36-42; 20:6-12 ]? 2 Corinthians 12:12 says, "Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and might deeds." What is the "sign" of an apostle? Can mormon apostles do the kinds of miracles, signs, and wonders that the biblical apostles did? In view of the Bible's clear teaching on apostles, is it right to claim that the mormon church has living apostles who are on a par with the biblical apostles?
19. According to Jude 3, what do you think "the faith" is referring to? Did you know that Greek scholars tell us that the original Greek of the text literally says this "faith"--or body of apostolic truth--was given once for all, never needing to be given again? Did you know that Greek scholars say the word for "delivered" is an aorist passive participle, which means he "delivering" was completed in the past?
20. Would you please show me in the Bible where the primitive church had the offices of "First Presidency," "Patriach to the Church," and "High Priest," like the mormon church presently has? How can the mormon church claim it's restoring the original church structure and organization when such an organizational structure is nowhere to be found in the Bible? Is it correct to say that in the mormon church prophets are first and apostles are second? Does not 1 Corinthians 12:28 indicate that the first century pattern was apostles first and prophets second? How do you explain this?
21. According to John 16:13-15; 1 John 2:27, what is one of the ministries of the Holy Spirit in our lives today? With the Holy Spirit as our Teacher, as promised in scripture, how can anyone say that we remain in darkness (or apostasy ) without a prophet of God on the earth? Would you say that the Holy Spirit is incapable of keeping us out of darkness?
22. Why is it that God's alleged prophet Joseph Smith went from belief in only one God in the Book of Mormon to an unspecified number of gods in Doctrine and Covenants and Gods in the Book of Abraham? Why is it that the prophet Joseph Smith went from teaching that God is a personage of Spirit in the "Lectures on Faith" [lecture 5 ] to teaching that God has a body of flesh and bone in Doctrine and Covenants 130? Why is it that Joseph Smith first said David and Solomon's possession of many wives and concubines was abominable in the Book of Mormon, then later said they were justified in the very same behavior in Doctrine and Covenants?
23. Did you know that Brigham Young repeatedly and officially taught that Adam was literally God the Father? Did you know that Brigham Young claimed his sermons were on par with Scripture? Did you know Deuteronomy 13:1-5 says that any supposed prophet who seeks to lead YHWH's people after false gods was to be put to death? What do you make of all this?
24. Does it bother you when mormon leaders like Joseph Smith and Brigham Young make major changes in doctrine? Does it bother you when certain mormon church leaders tell you that you are not to express concern about this because the thinking has already been done for you?
25. Do you believe the proclamations of the mormon church's president/prophet are more authorative than scripture? Which mormon prophet do you think was right: Joseph F. Smith, who said the teachings of the prophet should be tested against scripture, or Ezra Taft Benson, who elevated the authority of the prophet over scripture? Was one of these mormon prophets--as "God's mouthpiece"--in error? Which one?
26. Does it make sense to you that God would not want His Word added to or subtracted from by finite and sinful human beings? Deuteronomy 12:32; 18:20; Jeremiah 26:2. Interpreted in the larger context of the whole Old Testament, isn't it clear that Deuteronomy 4:2 wasn't forbidding further revelation from God, but was rather simply forbidding human beings from adding anything to it on their own? For the sake of argument, if the Book of Mormon is not a God-inspired book, but is, in fact, a manmade book, what implications would Deuteronomy 4:2 then have for the Book of Mormon?
27. Ariel in Isaiah 29:1, is identified as "the city where David dwelt." Where was that city? 2 Samuel 5:6-9, in context, Ariel is Jerusalem. Can you see that as a result of Sennacherib's siege of the city in 701 B.C., Jerusalem had been humbled such that their speech was "out of the ground," or "low out of the dust"?
28. Did you know that every single reference to a "familiar spirit" in the Old Covenant relates to necromancy or spiritism? Did you know that in passages like Deuteronomy 18:9-12, God condemns anyone who relates in any way to a familiar spirit? In view of this, what do you make of the claim by mormon leaders that the Book of Mormon has a "familar spirit"?
29. How could Professor Anthon say the translation was correct when all he could assess were some of the characters drawn on a piece of paper by Joseph Smith? In Isaiah, the book went to the learned men first and then to the unlearned. But the mormon story has the book of gold delivered first to the unlearned Smith, and then a paper with characters copied from the plates delivered to the "learned" Anthon. How do you explain this discrepancy? In Isaiah, the book was delivered to the unlearned man, who simply said, "I am not learned." He made no effort to read or translate it. But Smith claimed he did read the book, even though he was unlearned. How do you explain this discrepancy?
30. Did you know that the Bible is actually a collection of 66 different books written by dozens of writers? Can you see, then, that in terms of the gospel of Messiah alone, we already have multiple witnesses--such as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John?
31. Which Book of Mormon should we pray about? The 1830 edition? The 1921 edition? Or today's edition which has over 4,000 changes from the original 1830 edition?
32. Since Revelation 22:18 commands against adding to or subtracting from the Book of Revelation---and since Joseph Smith, in fact, did add to and subtract from the book of Revelation to produce his so-called Inspired Version---then hasn't Joseph Smith violated this stern injunction? Do you really want to place your eternal destiny in the hands of a man who so blantantly violated this injunction?
33. Did you know that the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon had the following words at 1 Nephi 11:21: "And the angel said unto me, 'Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the eternal Father"? Yet later editions of the book of mormon read, "And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea even the son of the eternal Father". Did you know that the 1830 edition of the book of mormon had the following words at Mosiah 21:28: ".... King Benjamin had a gift from God, whereby he could interpret such engravings"? Yet later editions of the book read, ".... King Mosiah had a gift from God, whereby he could interpret such engravings." How do you explain these major changes in the Book of Mormon?
34. The Book of Mormon was written sometime between 600 B.C. and A.D. 421, the King James Version was first published in A.D. 1611, if the Book of Mormon was written between 600 B.C. and A.D. 421, how could it contain such extensive quotations from the A.D. 1611 King James Version, which was not to come for another 1200 to 2000 years? Mormon apostle Orson Pratt said,
Quote: "Who, in his right mind, could, for one moment, suppose the Bible in its present form to be a perfect guide? Who knows that even one verse of the Bible has escaped pollution?"
Hmmm, putting two and two together, it makes you think. Based on Doctrine and Covenants, Bruce McConkie concluded that "men are saved by giving heed to the words of the prophets and apostles sent among them and are damned for failure to heed the inspired testimony." Since the Book of Mormon quotes virtually hundreds of verses directly from the KJV of the Bible, what does Orson Pratt's statement about not being able to rely upon a single verse of the Bible say about the Book of Mormon? Do you see any conflict here? Is it possible to say what Orson Pratt said about the Bible without saying something negative about the Book of Mormon?
35. If there were large-scale wars, culminating in a conflict in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed in A.D. 385 near Hill Cumorah in present-day New York State, wouldn't we find some archaelogical evidence--from non-mormon archaeologists--that such a conflict occured?
36. Do you find it curious that archaeologists at one of the most respected institutions in the world--the Smithsonian Institution--see no archeological support for the Book of Mormon, or for a migration from Israel to America?
37. Did you know that even a Mormon scholar at Brigham Young University--Dr. Ray Matheny--said there is a great lack of archaeological evidence for historical account in the Book of Mormon?
38. How can the Mormon church claim that the Book of Mormon is the "fullness of the everlasting gospel" when so much important Mormon doctrine is missing from it?
39. Why do so many present-day Mormon beliefs contradict the Book of mormon? Are we to conclude that the Book of Mormon is wrong? Or is present-day Mormon leadership in error? Which is it?
40. If the books cited in Scripture represented lost books of the Bible, as the Mormon church claims, then why weren't they restored to the Bible when Joseph Smith [under "divine inspiration" ] corrected the King James Version of the Bible? If Joseph Smith did not restore these books to the Bible, does that mean mormon authors are wrong in saying that they are lost books of the Bible? Where are the lost books of the Bible found in the book of mormon, the "most correct of any book on earth?"
41. Does it strike you as odd that while it took a large group of the world's greatest Bible scholars years to finish their work on the King James Version, it took Joseph Smith a mere three years to complete his work--despite the fact that he had no knowledge of the biblical languages?
42. Does it strike you as being even slightly suspect that Joseph Smith inserted a passage into the King James Version of the Bible that prophesied his own coming?
43. Since in your own History of the Church it says that Joseph Smith claimed in July 1833 to have completed "the translating of the Scriptures," why hasn't the mormon church ever published the Inspired Version?
44. How could Joseph Smith claim the authority to do something that Messiah couldn't--namely, the authority to change the text of Scripture? Why was it necessary for Joseph Smith to make changes in the Bible when Yeshua said, "Verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." [Matthew 5:18 ]?
45. What do you think Revelation 22:18-19 tells us in regard to Joseph Smith adding to and subtracting from the Book of Revelation? How do you reconcile Yeshua's statement in Matthew 24:35, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away"---with Joseph Smith's work on the Inspired Version?
46. There are 24,000 partial and complete manuscript copies of the New Covenant. Is there even a single extant plate supporting the Book of Mormon? What do you think this says about the Bible as opposed to the Book of Mormon?
47. Would it surprise you to learn--according to Bible scholars---out of the 150,000 variations that exist in the 1,000's of New Covenant manuscripts, only about 50 have any real significance, and even those don't affect a single doctrine?
48. The Bible has more manuscript support than any other ancient document. What does this say to you? Is it not clear that the Bible is the best-attested ancient piece of literature in existence anywhere? Did you know that---according to scholars---the time span between the writing of the original biblical documents and the manuscript copies was very short? What does this say to you?
49. Did you know that there are enough quotations from early church fathers that even if we did not have a single manuscript copy of the Bible, scholars could reconstruct all but 11 verses of the entire New Covenant?
50. Did you know that the Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in 1947 at Qumran, contained a copy of almost every Old Covenant book? Did you know that the Old Covenant manuscripts discovered at Qumran date 1,000 years earlier than the previous manuscripts we possessed? Did you know that when scholars compared the two sets of manuscripts--one set dating around A.D. 900, the other around 150 B.C.---they found almost no differences? What does this tell you about the reliability of how the biblical manuscripts were transmitted?
51. Messiah Himself used manuscript copies of the Old Covenant---copies that were far removed from the original biblical documents. Yet He clearly trusted their reliability. What does this tell you about Messiah's attitude toward manuscript copies? Does this not indicate that manuscript copies can faithfully reflect the original text and therefore function authoritatively?
52. Does Genesis 11:8-9 say the language of most of the people was confounded, or does it say the language of all the people of the earth was confounded? Did you know that Joseph Smith's Inspired Version says "all" the people were confounded in Genesis 11:8? If the language of all the people was confounded, how can the Book of Mormon claim that God made an exception with Jared and his brother?
53. Who were the disciples to proclaim the good news to in Matthew 10:5-6? Is it not clear from the context that the disciples fulfilled Messiah's instructions not by traveling to America to preach to "lost sheep" there, but rather to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Lost Jews ) in Palestine? Can you see that these "lost sheep of the house of Israel" are the same "lost sheep" Yeshua mentions in Matthew 15:24?
54. Since Yeshua's words in John 10:16 were addressed specifically to Jews, does it not make sense that when He referred to "other sheep" who were not "of thise fold," He was talking about non-Jews who were not of the "fold" of Judaism?
55. If the Nephite and Lamanite nations really had huge populations that lived in large, fortified cities, don't you think there would be substantial archaeological evidence for their existence? Can you show me such evidence from non-mormon archaeologists? If there were large-scale wars, culminating in a conflict in which 100's of 1,000's of people were killed in A.D. 385 near Hill Cumorah in present-day New York State, wouldn't we find some archaeological evidence--heaps of skeletons, human remains, ancient weapons---that such a conflict occured?
56. Is it true, according to Mormon theology, unless a person is properly baptized by someone who has the authority to baptize, then that baptism is of no effect? Since Joseph Smith had not yet been baptized, how could he have had the authority to baptize Oliver Cowdery? Since Oliver Cowdery was improperly baptized, how then could he have had the authority to baptize Joseph Smith? If the priesthood in modern times came down to us through two improperly baptized men, then how can any Mormon claim to have the restored priesthood?
57. Where in the Bible do we find that Melchizedek conferred the priesthood on Abraham? If that is not in the Bible, then doesn't that mean the Mormon church's position is unbiblical? Since the name "Melchizedek" indicates an individual who is a righteous King/Priest of peace, we must conclude that anyone who claims to be in the Melchizedek priesthood is in fact a righteous King/Priest of peace---just like Yeshua Mashiach is described in Hebrews chapter 7. Tell me, do you think you are a righteous King/Priest of peace?
58. Where does the New Covenant say that Peter, James, and John held the Melchizedek priesthood? Where does the Bible say that any of the disciples or apostles ever held the Melchizedek priesthood? Where does the Bible say that anyone but Melchizedek and Yeshua ever held the Melchizedek priesthood?
59. Why were mormon males of African descent not allowed in the priesthood up until 1978? Does it make you at all uncomfortable being part of a church that taught this horrendous and hurtful doctrine for so long?
60. Did you know that in Hebrews 7:23-24, the Greek word for "unchangeable" means "without successors," "intransmissible," and "untransferable"? What is Hebrews 7:24 telling us when it says that Messiah's Melchizedek priesthood is "without successors", "intransmissible", and "untransferrable"? Isn't it clear from Hebrews 7:24 that Messiah's Melchizedek priesthood is "unchangeable"---and therefore unattainable by you and me---because "he continues forever"? How do you explain the absolute lack of Old or New Covenant references to any ordination to, offices in, or duties of the Melchizedek priesthood (or to anyone else's holding it but Melchizedek and Yeshua?
61. In Hebrews 7:11-12, what does the text mean when it says the priesthood was "changed"? Doesn't a plain reading of the text indicate that the Aaronic priesthood was superceded by something better---the eternal priesthood of Yeshua Mashiach?
62. Did you know that, according to the Bible, all those who were ordained to the Aaronic priesthood had to be physical descendants of Aaron (Numbers 3:6-12 ) ? Since Mormons aren't physical descendants of Aaron, how can they possibly be ordained to the Aaronic priesthood? Allow me to quote to you from Numbers 3:10:
"Thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death."
Does this divine rule permit anyone else to enter this exclusive priesthood---then or now? Does this verse concern you?
63. Did you know that according to the Bible, those who became Levitical priests were all required by explicit divine command to submit to ceremonial washings, the slaying of a bullock, the sprinkling of its blood, the burning of a sacrifice, separation from people for 7 days, and other ceremonial rites? If the LDS church has "restored" the Aaronic (Levitical ) priesthood---meaning that it claims to have the exact same priesthood---why are their priests not "set apart" in a similar fashion? Does this sound like a real "restoration" to you?
64. Were you aware that the Book of Abraham said all Egyptians were cursed and could not possibly hold the priesthood (1:21-22,27 )? Since Joseph Smith claimed he was a descendant of Ephraim---and since Ehraim was half-Egyptian---doesn't that disqualify Joseph Smith from the priesthood? Since the Book of Mormon people were from the tribe of Manasseh (Alma 10:3 ), doesn't that mean they could not possibly hold the priesthood either?
65. Did you know that John 4:23-24 says that God the Father is Spirit? Did you know that in Luke 24:39, Yeshua said a spirit doesn't have flesh and bones? If God the Father is Spirit, and if a spirit doesn't have flesh and bones, then doesn't this mean that God isn't flesh and bones? Can you see that if God is Spirit and does not have flesh and bones, then clearly a physical image is not being referred to in Genesis 1:26-27?
66. Doesn't Numbers 23:19 and Hosea 11:9 draw a clear distinction between God and man?
67. How do you interpret the words, "that thou wast a spirit, and that thou art a spirit, and that thou wilt be a spirit forever" (Alma 31:15 )? This verse says God is a spirit and not a glorified man, correct? So, like the Bible, the Book of Mormon doesn't agree with the Mormon view of God, does it?
68. Don't 1 Timothy 1:17; Colossians 1:15; John 1:18 indicate that God the Father is invisible?
69. Does the fact that God is said to have feathers and wings in Psalm 91 mean that God literally has feathers and wings? Why not? In the same way, can you see that the term "face" is used figuratively of God, especially since the Bible says God is Spirit (John 4:23-24 ) and is invisible (Colossians 1:15 )?
70. Did you know that Joseph Smith said that all revelatory appearances to Old Covenant persons like Moses were appearances of Jehovah (or Yeshua ) and not Elohim (God the Father ) ? Did you know Mormon expositors say that in Exodus 33, Moses is dealing with YHWH [Jehovah ], and not Elohim? Isn't it faulty, then, for you to cite a passage dealing with Jehovah (Yeshua ) in order to prove a point about Elohim (God the Father ) ? And, by the way, did you know that the Mormon view that Elohim is the Father and Jehovah is Yeshua is flawed as well?
71. Did you know that Joseph Smith said that a person could see God only if he held the Mormon priesthood? Did you know that Joseph Smith was not yet ordained in the priesthood at the time he claimed to have seen God in 1820? How do you explain this?
72. What does Psalm 102:26-27; Malachi 3:6 say about God? Open up the Book of Mormon to Moroni 8:18 and see if it agrees with Malachi 3:6 and Psalm 102:26-27---that God is unchangable? How do you reconcile these passages with the Mormon idea that God was a man who progressed to exaltation and godhood?
73. If the Father has a physical body of flesh and bones, as the Mormon church claims, then how is it possible for the Father to dwell within Yeshua (John 14:10-11 )?
74. When we say that Robert F. Kennedy was President John F. Kennedy's right-hand man, does that mean he was always at the right side of President Kennedy? The phrase "right-hand man" is a metaphorical term, isn't it? In the same way, can you see that to say Messiah sat down at the right hand of the Father is simply a metaphorical expression stating that Messiah is not in a position of authority?
75. Is it possible to make a literal image of something that is invisible? What do you think Colossians 1:15 means when it says that Yeshua is the "image of the invisible God?" Doesn't it seem like "image" is referring to Messiah's deity and not to any alleged physical body?
76. Can we really trust the "prophet" Joseph Smith's rendering of John 1:18 in view of his many false prophecies? Can we take Joseph Smith's rendering of John 1:18 seriously when there's no evidence for it in the Greek manuscripts, and especially when he proved with the so-called Book of Abraham that he dishonestly "translated" ancient records when he did have the supposed manuscripts?
77. Did you know that the actual ancient Egyptian writings that Joseph Smith called the Book of Abraham were rediscovered in 1966 and have been translated by top modern Egyptologists? Did you know that these Egyptologists identified the materials as coming from ancient pagan funerary texts like the Book of the Dead, and that not one of Joseph's "translations" comes even close to being right?
78. Did you notice that the phrases "our image" and "our likeness" in Genesis 1:26 are explained in verse 27 as "the image of God" and "in His own image"? Do you think it's possible that Hebrew scholars are correct to call the plural form of Elohim a "plural of Majesty"?
79. What do you think about all these verses in the Book of Mormon that say there is "only one true God" (as Alma says )? Tell me, is the Book of Mormon wrong, or is current Mormon doctrine (which teaches the plurality of Gods ) wrong? Didn't Joseph Smith say the Book of Mormon was the most correct book of earth? If it's the most correct book on earth, how could it be wrong in saying that there is only one true God?
80. Did you notice that Yeshua spoke in the present tense in John 10:34--"Ye are gods"? Do you believe you are a God at the present moment? But Yeshua said, "Ye are gods."--as in the present moment. So Yeshua couldn't have intended to communicate that His listeners were actually gods, right? Doesn't it make mroe sense to look at the content in Psalm 82, where we discover that the unjust judges were called "gods" only in irony and judgment? Is it not clear from the context that what the Israelite judges were called in irony and in judgment, Yeshua is in reality?
81. How do you reconcile Isaiah 44:8 with the Mormon claim that God the Father, and the Father has a Father, and so on? Did the God of Isaiah 44:8 forget His own Father? Doctrine and Covenants 96:30 says "the glory of God is intelligence". So the God of Isaiah 44:8 couldn't have forgotten there were other gods, could He? Since there were no gods before YHWH in Isaiah 43:10, doesn't this mean that our Father had no Father-gods or Grandfather-gods before Him? Since no gods will come after God, doesn't this mean that none of His children will become Gods?
82. Where in the text of Acts 7:55-56 do we read that Stephen saw the physical, material body of God the Father? If no man has seen God the Father at any time, as John 1:18 clearly tells us, then how could Stephen have seen the Father? If God the Father is invisible, as Colossians 1:15 clearly says, then how could Stephen have seen Him?
83. Do you believe it's important to consult the surrounding context when interpreting individual Bible verses? Does 1 Corinthians 8:4 support monotheism or polytheism? Does 1 Corinthians 8:6 support monotheism or polytheism?
84. Can you see that there is a big difference between being God and being called a god? What does 1 Corinthians 8:5 focus on-- being God or being called a god?
85. According to Abraham 3:25, isn't taking on a physical body a prerequisite to eternal progression? Doesn't Mormonism teach that Yeshua became a God before assuming a physical body? How do you explain this contradiction?
86. In Revelation, Yeshua receives the exact same worship that is given to the Father. What does that tell us about Yeshua's true identity? What implications does this have in regard to polytheism in the Mormon church?
87. Did you know there are many verses in the Old Covenant that instruct people to pray directly to YHWH [Deuteronomy 4:7; Psalm 5:2 ] ? If we should not pray to Yeshua, then how do you explain Acts 7:59 and Romans 10:12, where prayer to Yeshua is spoken of approvingly? Who do you think is right about prayer to Yeshua---the Bible or the Mormon church?
88. By reading Genesis 27:20, did you know that the Hebrew word for "LORD" in this verse is Jehovah [YHWH ] and the Hebrew word for "God" is Elohim? Doesn't this indicate that Jehovah and Elohim are one and the same God? In Exodus 3:6-7, did you know that the Hebrew word for "LORD" in this passage is Jehovah, and the Hebrew word for "God" is Elohim? Does this not indicate that Jehovah and Elohim are one and the same God?
89. In Jeremiah 32:18, did you know that the Hebrew word for "Mighty God" in this verse is Elohim, and the Hebrew word for "God" is Jehovah? Does this not indicate that Jehovah and Elohim are one and the same God? How does this square with Mormon teaching?
90. Did you know that in Isaiah 40:3, the Hebrew word for "LORD" in this verse is Jehovah, and the Hebrew word for "God" is Elohim? Did you know that according to John 1:23, this entire verse refers to the future ministry of Yeshua Mashiach? Doesn't Isaiah 40:3 indicate that Yeshua is not only Jehovah but is also Elohim? Did you know in Isaiah 9:6, the Hebrew word for "Mighty God" in this verse is Elohim? Doesn't this verse indicate that Yeshua is Elohim?
91. Did you know that the word for "LORD" in Deuteronomy 6:4 is Jehovah and the word for "God" is Elohim? Doesn't Deuteronomy 6:4 indicate that Elohim and Jehovah are one and the same God? The early Jewish Christians---who were clearly comitted to the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4---had no scrupple about applying to Yeshua many Old Covenant texts that were written in reference to the one true God. How do you explain that?
92. From Acts 13:33-34, isn't it clear that scripture itself is interpreting the phrase in Psalm 2:7, "Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee"? Isn't it clear that Psalm 2:7 refers not to the Father's procreation of Yeshua but rather the Father's resurrection of Yeshua from the dead?
93. What do 2 Nephi 27:23 and Mosiah 3:5,8 say about the eternal nature of Yeshua Mashiach? Doesn't this contradict the current Mormon doctrine that Yeshua came into being as a point in time, procreated by the Heavenly Father?
94. What does Matthew 1:18 and Luke 1:34-35 say about the conception of Yeshua? How do you reconcile this with the statement in the Journal of Discourses that Yeshua was not begotten by the Holy Spirit?
95. What does Alma 7:10 say about the conception of Yeshua? How do you reconcile this with the statement in the Journal of Discourses that Yeshua was not begotten by the Holy Spirit?
96. Did you know that the name Yahuweh [or Jehovah ] conveys the idea of eternal self-existence? Is it not clear, then, that Yeshua as Yahuweh is eternally self-existent, and never came into being at a point in time?
97. Did you know that the unity of the human race is consistently affirmed throughout scripture in the creation [Genesis 1:28; 5:1-2 ], the sin problem [Romans 3:23 ], God's love for all men [John 3:16 ], and the scope of salvation [Genesis 12:3; Matthew 28:19; Colossians 3:11 ]? Did you know that Acts 17:26 teaches that God "hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the fact of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation"? What do you think Acts 17:26 means when it says all nations came from "one blood"? Did you know that Revelation 5:9 tells us that God's redeemed will come from "every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation"?
98. Did you know that Hebrew scholars say the word for "know" in Jeremiah 1:5 indicates God's act of making Jeremiah the special object of His sovereign choice? If the Hebrew word for "know" indicates preordination, and not pre-existence, as Hebrew scholars unanimously maintain, then isn't the Mormon church reading an idea into Jeremiah 1:5 that isn't there? Did you know that because of God's foreknowledge, He knows everything and everyone before it occurs or is born (Romans 4:17 ) ?
99. Is it clear from Jeremiah 27:5 that God created man, not procreated him?
100. Doesn't a plain reading of Genesis 2:7 seem to indicate that God created both man's material and immaterial aspects at the same time? Where is there the slightest hint in Genesis 2:7 that a pre-existing spirit-being entered a "tabernacle" of human flesh?
101. Does the Mormon Church teach that all humans have spirit-bodies in the pre-existence, and then they take on physical bodies born on earth? How do you reconcile that with 1 Corinthians 15:46, where Paul tells us about the order in which we receive our natural and spiritual bodies: "Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual"? Doesn't 1 Corinthians 15:46 seem to say that we all take on physical bodies first and later are resurrected with a glorious, spiritual resurrection body?
102. According to John 3:13,31; 8:23-24, can you see that there is a clear dichotomy between the one from heaven and the ones from the earth? Can you see that if we all came from heaven, these verses about coming from above or from the earth would have no meaning?
103. Did you know that according to Isaiah 42:8, God said He would not give His glory to another? Since Messiah has this glory, according to Matthew 17:1-23, what does this tell us about Yeshua Mashiach? Since Yeshua is absolute deity, we would expect Him to be pre-existent, right? But you and I aren't God. So we can't use John 17:5 to support the idea of a pre-existence for us, can we?
104. By looking at the context of Acts 17, isn't it clear that all people are God's "offspring" because God "hath made of one blood all nations of men"? Isn't emphasis in Acts 17 on God's creation, not procreation? Please show me a single reference in any book written by Paul that explicity states that humans pre-exist in spirit-bodies. Please show me a single reference in any book written by Paul that even remotely alludes to a Heavenly Mother. Please show me a single reference in any book written by Paul that says the Heavenly Father had sexual relations with a Heavenly Mother to give birth to spirit-children. By the way, if every Heavenly Father has a Father, who himself has a Father, and so on up the hierarchy, who was the first Father? What "Father" got things started in the very beginning of beginnings?
105. There's a big difference between a natural son [via conception and birth ] and an adopted son, right? Based on Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:5-6; and Ephesians 1:5; how do each of us come into God's family---by conception and birth, or by adoption? Since Paul sets the context of Romans 8:16-17 by referring to adoption in verse 15, it's not accurate for the Mormon church to cite this passage to support the idea that a Heavenly Father and Mother give birth to spirit children, is it?
106. Are you perfect now? Have you considered what James 2:10 says about your present state of perfection? ("Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." ) I will share with you how I have been liberated from this bondage of perfection. It's all based on what Yeshua did on the cross. Hebrews 10:14 says, "By one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified."
107. What was Paul's reaction in Acts 14:8-15 when he understood that the people thought he was a god? Doesn't Paul draw a clear distinction between the one true God and human beings?
108. In Acts 12:21-23, what did Herod do to provoke God's punishment? What was the true God's response?
109. Did you know that in Exodus 9:13-14, the Pharoah was thought to be the incarnation of the Egyptian sun god, ra, and was therefore considered a "god" in his own right? Yet how does the one true God respond to Pharoah? Read Exodus 9:14.
110. How do you reconcile Isaiah 44:8 with the Mormon claim that God has a Father-god, and the Father-god has a Father-god, and so on? Did YHWH of Isaiah 44:8 forget His own Father? Since there were no gods before YHWH, doesn't this mean that our Father had no Father or Grandfather-gods before him (Isaiah 43:10 ) ? Since no gods will come after God, doesn't this mean that none of His children will become gods? Don't these verses clearly show that you and I cannot become gods ourselves?
111. The Book of Mormon has something important to say about attaining godhood. Doesn't Alma 11:22-31 indicate that there is only one God? That being the case, doesn't the Book of Mormon refute the church's later teaching of the doctrine of eternal progression?
112. In John 6:47, did you know that the word "hath" in this verse is in the present tense, indicating that people who believe in Yeshua Mashiach have eternal life as a present possession?
113. Did you know that Greek scholars say the word "for" in Acts 2:38 is a preprosition that can indicate either causality ("in order to attain" ) or a result ("because of" ) ? An example of using "for" in a "resultant" sense is the sentence, "I'm taking an aspirin "for" (as a result of ) my headache." An example of using "for" in a casual sense is the sentence, "I'm going to the office "for" (in order to attain ) my paycheck." What would Acts 2:38 be saying if "for" is being used in a resultant sense?
114. In John 3:5, what two kinds of birth does Yeshua mention? In context, is it not clear that Yeshua defines what He means in verse 5 by the more precise statement in verse 6? That being the case, isn't Yeshua saying that just as a person has had a physical birth ("born of the flesh" ), so also must a person have a spiritual birth if he wants to enter the kingdom of God?
115. According to the last half of Mark 16:16, what is the basis of damnation? According to 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, does baptism save or the gospel? According to 1 Corinthians 1:17, if the gospel saves, and if Paul draws a clear distinction between the gospel and baptism, doesn't that mean that baptism has no part in salvation?
116. James 2:26 says that apart from the spirit, the body is dead, right? By analogy, is it not clear that apart from the evidence of good works, faith is dead? Can you see, then, that good works are the "vital signs" indicating that faith is alive? Read Romans 3:20 and read Ephesians 2:8-9.
117. In Philippians 2:12, can you see that from the contextual and historical points of view, this verse makes great sense when we interpret it as referring to corporate salvation of the church in Philippi--a church that had problems Paul wanted them to solve? Did you know that the same Paul who wrote Philippians 2:12 also wrote Ephesians 2:8-9---"By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any should boast"?
118. Have you ever made the same mistake twice? President Kimball said, "The forsaking of sin must be a permanent one. True repentance does not permit making the same mistake again." Is your life characterized by repentance as defined by President Kimball? How do you interpret James 2:10? "Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."
119. What do you think of Yeshua meant when He said, "Whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly"? Do you agree with Yeshua that it's not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes from his heart that defiles him?
120. In Luke 18:9-14, isn't an unworthy publican welcome in God's temple? What does this tell you about God's view of temple recommends?
121. Why do you think Paul uses first-person pronouns ("we", "ye", "I" ) throughout 1 Corinthians in reference to the Corinthian believers, but then switches to the 3rd person ("they" ) in 1 Corinthians 15:29? If God desired us to practice baptism for the dead, why is it mentioned only here in the Bible (in the 3rd person )---with no other references? Why aren't there any commands dealing with this kind of baptism? Why don't Paul or the other apostles command the practice if it's essential for us (as the LDS church claims today ), and why aren't there any guidelines for conducting this practice?
122. Show me a single clear reference in the Book of Mormon that supports baptism for the dead. If baptism for the dead is not mentioned in the Book of Mormon, and if baptism for the dead is so important in the Mormon plan of salvation, then how can the Book of Mormon be said to contain the "fulness of the everlasting gospel"?
123. If baptism for the dead is the only means of salvation for countless numbers of deceased persons--and an essential means of accomplishing "the greatest responsibility we have in this world" (the redemption of the dead )---why does the Book of Mormon say that the issue of a person's salvation must be determined in this life?
124. According to Genesis 1:28, didn't God command Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply immediately after creating them? Doesn't this mean, then, that Adam and Eve could bear children prior to the fall, which doesn't take place until Genesis chapter 3? According to Genesis 3:16-19, did God think it was good for Adam and Eve to disobey Him?
125. How do you reconcile the Mormon view that there is no original sin with Romans 5:12, which explicitly states that "by one man sin entered into the world"? How do you reconcile the Mormon view that there is no original sin with Romans 5:19, which says that "by one man's disobedience many were made sinners"? Romans 6:23 tells us that the penalty for sin is death. If there is no original sin, why is the death rate still one per person?
126. Read 2 Nephi 2:21; Mosiah 3:19. Since Doctrine and Covenants 20:9 claims that the Book of Mormon contains the "fulness of the everlasting gospel," and since original sin is taught in the Book of Mormon, how can you reject the concept of original sin?
127. If salvation is by faith alone, then isn't Yeshua being deceptive when He states that there is one condition for salvation (faith ) when there are allegedly two--faith AND works? Please read John 6:27-29. How does Yeshua explain the "works" of God?
128. According to Romans 11:6, aren't grace and works mutually exclusive? Read Ephesians 2:8-9.
129. Can you see the difference between the Mormon concept of forgiveness and the Bible's? Wouldn't you like to know for sure that all your sins have been forgiven? Messiah has made this possible for you by His death on the cross.
130. Read Matthew 13:30,49; 25:32; Luke 16:26. Don't all these verses point to two classes of people and two possible destinies?
131. Read Matthew 10:15; 11:2-24; Luke 12:4-48; Hebrews 10:29. Don't these verses tell us that God will judge the wicked according to the things they have done in this life---and He will punish some people more severely than others because of the more heinous things they have done?
132. According to 1 Corinthians 15:35, what questions does Paul seek to answer throughout the rest of 1 Corinthians chapter 15? Since the context clearly shows that Paul is contrasting the earthly (mortal ) body with the heavenly (resurrected, glorified ) body, where do you find three kingdoms of glory in this passage?
133. Isn't it clear from the context that all Paul is talking about is that the differences in splendor between earthly bodies (animals, birds, fish ) and heavenly bodies (sun, moon, stars ) illustrate the differences in splendor between an earthly human body and a heavenly, resurrected human body?
134. Doesn't 2 Nephi 15:35 indicate that there is only a heaven and a hell? How do you reconcile this with the Mormon view of the three kingdoms?
135. In Deuteronomy 11:11, isn't "heaven" in this verse clearly a reference to the atmospheric heaven, from which rain comes? In Genesis 1:14, isn't "heaven" in this verse clearly a reference to the stellar heaven, where God has placed "lights" (stars )? In Isaiah 63:15, isn't "heaven" in this verse the highest heaven where God dwells? Is it not clear from these verses that the three "heavens" are the atmospheric heaven, the stellar heaven, and the highest or 3rd heaven where God dwells?
136. In Matthew 25:46, the same Greek word for "eternal" in the phrase "eternal punishment" is used to describe the eternality of God (1 Timothy 1:17; Romans 16:26; Hebrews 9:14; 13:8; Revelation 4:9 ). Doesn't this indicate that the punishment of the wicked will be just as eternal as God is? Since the same Greek word for "eternal" in the phrase "eternal punishment" in Matthew 25:46 is used in the phrase "eternal life", doesn't this indicate that the punishment of the wicked is just as eternal as the life of the righteous?
137. The Greek words that are used to describe God's eternality in Revelation 4:10 are the same as the Greek words used to describe the "for ever and ever" torment in Revelation 14:11. Doesn't that tell us that the torment of the wicked is just as eternal as God Himself?
"For had ye believed Moses, ye would believed Me: for he wrote of Me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?"-Yehoshuah Mashiach (John 5:46-47)
Good luck on an answer, the ones that came here, when we brought up their doctrine. . . first said. . . no fair, then fled. . . BUT you have some valid questions and points, try to find a few and send them to this page, I would dearly like to hear their answers. . . but they will read it, and not having answers, just move on to spread their lies.
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