I was talking with some LDS missionaries on my back porch as we were finishing up dinner. I said something along the lines of, “I want to follow the evidence wherever it leads.” Then one of them challenged me and asked, “Well what evidence is there for the atonement?” I generally listed off a fewContinue reading “The 3 Witnesses – Can We Trust Their Testimonies?”
Tag Archives: mormon
The Three LDS Conversions: A Primer for the Befuddled
There are three conversions in Mormonism: social, doctrinal, and spiritual. Doctrinal Conversion is to believe that the tenets of Mormonism are true, along with The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Social Conversion is to believe that the LDS church is a godly institution, its leaders are inspired, and its founder,Continue reading “The Three LDS Conversions: A Primer for the Befuddled”
The God Who Abandons: Why Mormonism Makes No Sense
When I was a child, I frequently fought with my younger brother. I’m not talking about play battles, I mean we were trying to destroy each other. My parents had tried to make us stop, to no avail. One night, amid World War 3, my mother made a startling announcement: she and our father hadContinue reading “The God Who Abandons: Why Mormonism Makes No Sense”
Conquering the Cheap Grace Rabbit Hole
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with himContinue reading “Conquering the Cheap Grace Rabbit Hole”
Failing Godhood: Why the Mormon god is a Seven-Point Failure
“You therefore must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” -Jesus (Matthew 5:48 ESV) The God of Christianity is a flawless Being of perfect righteousness. If there is one unholy speck in His countenance, or one fallibility, He does not qualify as God. This is unfortunate for Latter-day Saints, as their God has sevenContinue reading “Failing Godhood: Why the Mormon god is a Seven-Point Failure”
The Outer Darkness Dilemma
2 Corinthians 11:14 “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” In 2 Nephi chapter 2, Lehi tells Jacob there’s a punishment affixed that is opposite to the happiness prepared for the righteous. If you’re LDS and you think the punishment is Outer Darkness, you might want to reconsider. ForContinue reading “The Outer Darkness Dilemma”
Defects of an Open Canon
Ask a Latter-day Saint about their faith, and they’ll proudly proclaim that God has given them new scripture. In addition to the Bible, they have The Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Their modern-day prophets and apostles also speak scripture over the pulpit twice a year at GeneralContinue reading “Defects of an Open Canon”
The 8 Witnesses – Can We Trust Their Testimonies?
I am going to start by repeated my opening statement that I made in my article pertaining to the 3 Witnesses: “When talking about the reliability of Joseph Smith’s testimony of the gold plates and the Book of Mormon, a big pillar of truth for LDS members is what is written in the first coupleContinue reading “The 8 Witnesses – Can We Trust Their Testimonies?”
How Did We Get The Book Of Mormon
An LDS missionary friend of mine once asked me, “Paul, I got a question for you: Where do you believe the Book of Mormon came from?” To start, we know that Joseph Smith was the seer/translator while Oliver Cowdry, John Whitner and Emma Smith were the scribes. However, I believe that a fair and unbiasedContinue reading “How Did We Get The Book Of Mormon”
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