09.29.08
Did Kirk Cameron Kiss Another Woman in Fireproof?
Kirk Cameron and wife Chelsea
I went to see the new movie, Fireproof, last night. Great movie with a clear gospel message! I was a little confused at the end when it appeared Kirk Cameron was kissing another woman besides his lovely wife of 17 years…
So I came home and googled the matter and was happily satisfied to learn there was some ‘movie magic‘ involved in the kissing scene so that it only appeared that he was kissing his co-star. Really, it was his wife playing a stunt-double! Just google “kirk cameron kissing” and you will find it being discussed all over the web. He refuses to kiss anyone but his wife.
Ahhh… that is very satisfying for a hopeless romantic like me who has never been kissed and hopes to only ever be kissed by my future husband (if God has one for me).
09.28.08
Q: "What About Native Americans' DNA?" – LDS Missionary: "I Have No Idea!!!"
I was chatting with an LDS missionary recently and I asked him what the LDS Church’s position was on the lack of historical and archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon. He told me it’s true there really isn’t much evidence, that’s why we need faith and the Holy Ghost, but that they do believe the Aztec temples in Mexico provide evidence that ancient peoples lived there. He then proceeded to explain to me that the Native Americans are the descendants of the Lamanites (one of the Judeo-Israelite groups that the Book of Mormon says were the early inhabitants of the Americas).
I then asked what the LDS church’s position was regarding the DNA research that has shown that Native Americans are not of Jewish ancestry. He said “I have no idea!!!” and then abruptly changed the subject and asked me if I had ever tried to write a book of scripture. I explained that I had not, but from what I have studied of Joseph Smith’s “translation process” he had some help from a magic rock.
It surprised me that the LDS missionary did not have an answer on the DNA issue. In fact, it almost appeared that this research was a complete surprise to him. I would think this DNA issue would be a big dilemma for the LDS church and that they would be educating their members regarding this issue and deciding what the official church position will be. I see that Mormon apologists are attempting to address the issue by questioning the reliability of DNA research.
I think it would be more prudent for LDS to consider the DNA evidence along with the many other evidences that God has been providing to clearly show people that Joseph Smith was a false prophet. I long for the Mormons that I love to find the truth in God’s Word that will set them free (John 8:32).
09.24.08
Are We All Heavenly Father's Children or Not?
This question, posed by a former Mormon over on Runtu’s Rincon, is one I have mulled over in my mind related to Mormonism. I was never taught from the Bible that we are all God’s children prior to becoming born again (John 3). As this ex-Mormon blogger was pointing out, this teaching introduces confusion related to the significance of Christ’s sacrifice. If we are all God’s children, why would Christ need to die?
I know Mormons cite a NT Scripture that says God is the “Father of our spirits” (Hebrews 12:9), but when you look at this verse in context it is referring to those who have received Christ by faith.
The Pharisees and Sadducees were very concerned about keeping an external appearance of good works and they even added requirements to the law in their efforts to make themselves righteous before God, but was Jesus impressed with their efforts to “do their best” to follow the teachings of Heavenly Father? Not at all. He told them “Ye are of your father the devil” (John 8:44) Why did Jesus say this? Jesus told them “because ye cannot hear my word” (John 8:43).
If Mormons are relying on “modern revelation” for this belief that we are all Heavenly Father’s children, are they really hearing Christ’s words that say we are not?
One of the major components of the gospel, according to the Bible, is that all human beings are sinners. We are dead in trespasses and sins before coming to faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Before we are born again, our father is the devil. So, why are Mormon missionaries asking people who are dead in sin, whose father is the devil, to pray to their father about whether the Book of Mormon is true?
09.23.08
Evidences that Convinced an Atheist to Believe in Jesus Christ
Former atheist, Lee Strobel, spent a year and and 9 months doing investigative research before coming to the conclusion that the evidence-scale tips to the side of the Bible truly being the Word of God, Jesus Christ being the Son of God who fulfilled the OT Messianic prophecies, died for our sins, and was resurrected. I have decided to post some short videos that highlight some of the compelling evidences that resulted in his conversion to Christianity.
What I love about Strobel is that he didn’t allow his biases against Christianity to prevent him from examining the evidence with an open mind. It’s plain from many of the atheist sites on the internet that many who are claiming to be “truth-seekers” haven’t really done very much in-depth investigating before forming their opinions.
Lee Strobel’s Testimony
The Case for Christ from Archeological and Historical Records
The Case For Christ From Early Recorded Accounts
More Evidence from History: The Records of Ignatius
I think Ignatius is compelling evidence outside the Bible because he knew the apostles who were eye-witnesses to the life of Jesus Christ.
I know that I am personally impacted by eye-witness accounts that are told to me by those that I trust and respect. For example, my mom relayed a story to me about a family friend whose leg had been miraculously healed. Because my mom has always been honest and trustworthy, I believed her account of what she saw even though I did not personally see the healed leg myself. I believe it happened because my mom saw it and I believe my mom.
One of the common atheist objections to Christianity is, how can a loving God send people to hell? Strobel shares on the following video clip why the doctrine of hell is not so inconceivable as it once was to him:
How Can A Loving God Send People to Hell?
09.22.08
More Questions for Hard-Core Skeptics – Did Jesus Fulfill Messianic Prophecies?
Okay, if you have made it this far through my posts directed at ex-Mormon atheists, I hope you have discovered strong evidence that suggests an Intelligent Designer, Jesus Christ really lived, and the NT documents OT Messianic prophecies that Jesus Christ fulfilled.
For the really hard-core skeptics among us, I would like to go back to the argument regarding fulfilled prophecy to address the question of whether the NT writers could have fabricated a history and intentionally deceived people into believing that Jesus fulfilled the OT Messianic prophecies.
Some may point out that there is no archaeological evidence linking Jesus’ birth to the town of Bethlehem, but I would ask what archaeological evidence we might possibly expect to find for a baby born in a manger? While archeology has verified and confirmed many Bible accounts, are we going to find evidence for every single detail buried in the dirt and sand?
What about oral tradition and historical evidence? According to this article, there is only one tradition concerning Jesus’ birthplace and that is the town of Bethlehem which was prophesied about in Micah 5:2 in 710 BC.
There is a Church of the Nativity built there and a star on the floor marking the spot where it is believed that Jesus was born:
One of the most convincing prophecies, though, for hard-core skeptics has to be the Daniel 9 prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah because the NT authors do not appear to recognize the fulfillment of this prophecy (at least they do not refer to it directly). Jesus alludes to it in Luke 19:42-44, but if Luke were aware of the mathematical calculations predicting the exact year or exact day according to some calculations, you would think he would have pointed this out in his efforts to convince people that Jesus fulfilled the OT Messianic prophecies. He never directly makes this link, though.
Scholars, following in the example of Daniel, who “understood by the books” the exact time frame of Jeremiah’s prophecies (Daniel 9:2), have set themselves to understand the exact time frame predicted in Daniel 9:24-27 for the coming of the Messiah. One such argument for an exact date is provided in the link above.
Even the most liberal scholars date the book of Daniel at 165 BC (since they do not believe he could have prophesied so many specific details about the Alexandrian empire before these events transpired). There is no question then, even from the most liberal scholars, that the prophecy was written at least 195 years prior to Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a donkey.
If it is true, as skeptics assert, that the NT authors fabricated the story about Jesus fulfilling OT Messianic prophecies, what was their motive? What did they get out of it?
And how did they gain any acceptance among the people? If Jesus did not rise from the dead, wouldn’t it have been fairly simple for unbelievers to produce the dead body and silence the annoying Christians who were claiming that He resurrected? And wouldn’t the Jews who did not believe Jesus was their Messiah have had strong motivation to silence such a claim?
More evidence and arguments for the resurrection here.
09.18.08
More Evidence for My Ex-Mormon Atheist Friends – Did Jesus Christ Really Live?
I recently read an article “Did Jesus Christ Really Live?” as suggested by my ex-Mormon, atheist blogger friend. I responded with some evidence against the author’s assertion that the Jesus of the Bible never even existed. First of all, I would like to know what the author’s credentials are in ancient Greco-Roman history. I need to look into that…
In the meantime, his claim that the gospels are the only sources of authority on the existence of Christ is false. Josephus, the most well known Jewish historian, referred to Jesus in these sources outside the Bible:
http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/josephus/ant18.html (see chapter 3.3)
http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/josephus/ant20.html (in chapter 9.1)
More extra-biblical sources here: http://www.thedevineevidence.com/jesus_historicity_christian.html
And here: http://www.carm.org/bible/extrabiblical_accounts.htm
And here: http://www.christian-thinktank.com/jesusref.html
More evidence from history here: http://www.tektonics.org/jesusexist/jesusexisthub.html
My ex-mormon friend told me the last link has the best arguments. See especially the notes on the conversations between Justin Martyr and Trypho and the notes at the bottom regarding the scant historical information available from this time period. The fact that we have so much historical evidence for Jesus is remarkable considering the very limited documents from antiquity. A few paragraphs might be ample proof for some to say that a person existed, but when it comes to the historical evidence for Jesus no amount of proof is sufficient for some apparently.
I suppose someone could allege that the original NT writings weren’t written until the date of the earliest copies we have (130 AD), but it feels a little biased to me when we don’t do this with other works of antiquity. The earliest copy we have of Homer’s writings is 400 BC, yet scholars date the originals (which we don’t have) at 900 BC. That’s a 500 year gap whereas with the NT we have less than a 100 year gap between the earliest copy and the originals.
It also feels a little biased to me to hear allegations that the people who claimed to write the NT actually didn’t. We don’t have original copies of many writings from antiquity, but I don’t hear people making the claim that someone else wrote Plato or Aristotle’s writings. The article also implied that the writers of the NT didn’t claim to be eye-witnesses. Yes, they did (John 1:24, 1 John 1:1-2, II Peter 1:16).
The attacks on the Bible’s authenticity and reliability are not new, they’re thousands of years old. Considering the tremendous opposition and scrutiny imposed on the Bible by hard-core skeptics over the past 2000 years, the fact that anyone still believes it is indeed phenomenal (supernatural?) or, perhaps it’s because, upon further investigation of the evidence, it stands up against the alleged “evidence” against it.
Of course I am not going to argue that faith doesn’t come into the equation though. The Bible does have one unified theme throughout its pages from OT to NT – justification is only possible through faith in the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The disciple John, who claimed to be an eye-witness, said he wrote his book (the gospel of John) so that we would believe “that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31). Jesus said “when the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8
As we near the close of the first decade in the new millennium, I often consider the Biblical prophecies related to the end times and I see so many things lining up for the end and I believe Jesus could return at any time, but I suppose it’s possible I am just one of many being swept along by some gigantic myth that is headed nowhere… Or, it could be that the Bible is true and I will be happily satisfied to have given my heart to the Man that some are now saying never even existed…
09.17.08
Response to Ex-Mormon Atheists Part 2
This blog has mostly focused on my exploration of the teachings of Mormonism and comparisons between Mormonism and Biblical Christianity. As I’ve been exploring Mormonism, however, I have discovered a disturbing trend all over cyberspace. Many of the “anti-Mormon” sites are fueled by disillusioned ex-Mormons who have discovered in their late twenties or thirties that “Santa Claus isn’t real” and now they are coming to the conclusion (a little hastily perhaps? without full investigation of the evidence?) that all religions are based on myths and legends.
This blog is part 2 of my attempt to address this crowd and is in direct response to my friendly atheist blogger who appears to be a most pleasant chap 
Part 1 of my case against atheism is here.
I would like to invite anyone who is sincerely interested in investigating the truth to weigh the objective evidences for the reliability of the Bible. There are many sites on the internet that set forth the arguments regarding the faithful transmission of the OT scribes and the fact that the NT manuscripts are in 99.5% agreement. There is strong evidence that we have a faithful rendering of the original translation with minor, insignificant, copyist variations.
However, for those who believe the Bible may be reliable, but is merely a fictional story, I have a few questions related to Fulfilled Prophecy. How does an atheist/agnostic intellectually contend with the modern science of probability?
The following probabilities are taken from Peter Stoner in Science Speaks (Moody Press, 1963) to show that coincidence is ruled out by the science of probability. Stoner says that by using the modern science of probability in reference to eight prophecies, “we find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 1017.” That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. In order to help us comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it by supposing that “we take 1017 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep.
Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man.”
Stoner considers 48 prophecies and says, “we find the chance that any one man fulfilled all 48 prophecies to be 1 in 10157, or 1 in
100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000, 000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
The estimated number of electrons in the universe is around 1079. It should be quite evident that Jesus did not fulfill the prophecies by accident.
(from http://www.carm.org/bible/prophecy.htm)
Here are just a few of the very specific prophecies that Jesus fulfilled:
(1) Some time before 500 B.C. the prophet Daniel proclaimed that Israel’s long-awaited Messiah would begin his public ministry 483 years after the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25-26). He further predicted that the Messiah would be “cut off,” killed, and that this event would take place prior to a second destruction of Jerusalem. Abundant documentation shows that these prophecies were perfectly fulfilled in the life (and crucifixion) of Jesus Christ. The decree regarding the restoration of Jerusalem was issued by Persia’s King Artaxerxes to the Hebrew priest Ezra in 458 B.C., 483 years later the ministry of Jesus Christ began in Galilee. (Remember that due to calendar changes, the date for the start of Christ’s ministry is set by most historians at about 26 A.D. Also note that from 1 B.C. to 1 A.D. is just one year.) Jesus’ crucifixion occurred only a few years later, and about four decades later, in 70 A.D. came the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus.
(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 105.)*
(2) In approximately 700 B.C. the prophet Micah named the tiny village of Bethlehem as the birthplace of Israel’s Messiah (Micah 5:2). The fulfillment of this prophecy in the birth of Christ is one of the most widely known and widely celebrated facts in history.
(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 105.)
(3) In the fifth century B.C. a prophet named Zechariah declared that the Messiah would be betrayed for the price of a slave—thirty pieces of silver, according to Jewish law-and also that this money would be used to buy a burial ground for Jerusalem’s poor foreigners (Zechariah 11:12-13). Bible writers and secular historians both record thirty pieces of silver as the sum paid to Judas Iscariot for betraying Jesus, and they indicate that the money went to purchase a “potter’s field,” used—just as predicted—for the burial of poor aliens (Matthew 27:3-10).
(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 1011.)
(4) Some 400 years before crucifixion was invented, both Israel’s King David and the prophet Zechariah described the Messiah’s death in words that perfectly depict that mode of execution. Further, they said that the body would be pierced and that none of the bones would be broken, contrary to customary procedure in cases of crucifixion (Psalm 22 and 34:20; Zechariah 12:10). Again, historians and New Testament writers confirm the fulfillment: Jesus of Nazareth died on a Roman cross, and his extraordinarily quick death eliminated the need for the usual breaking of bones. A spear was thrust into his side to verify that he was, indeed, dead.
(Probability of chance fulfillment = 1 in 1013.)
(from http://www.reasons.org/resources/apologetics/prophecy.shtml)
If someone believes the Old Testament prophecies were written AFTER Jesus fulfilled them, the scientific process of Radio Carbon dating shows the Dead Sea Scrolls to be written prior to Jesus’ birth. Further, the Jews who do not believe Jesus is the Messiah are the keepers-of-record for the OT and they would never have allowed a revision of their OT texts to corroborate the Christians’ “story.”
If someone believes Jesus set out to fulfill the OT prophecies on purpose, please explain how it is possible to choose where you will be born or under what type of circumstances.
Finally, if it was all just made-up, what motivated the early followers of Christianity to endure horrible Roman persecutions and death for a fictional story?
09.16.08
LATTER-DAY RESTORATION OR END-TIMES DECEPTION?
Jesus warned us that in the last days false prophets would come and “deceive many” (Matthew 24:11). Mormons believe this prophecy was fulfilled back in the 1st or 2nd century after the apostles were killed. Rather than only “many” being deceived (Matt. 24:11) or “some” (I Timothy 4:1), they believe all Christians became deceived and that original Christianity went missing from the face of the earth until Joseph Smith restored the true gospel. Since the basis of Mormonism is the belief that the true gospel has been restored to the earth, it is understood that orthodox Christians have “another gospel.”
The question is, which of us (Mormons or orthodox Christians) has “another gospel” spoken of in Galatians 1? And did Christianity go missing in the 2nd century or is the prophecy about false prophets in the latter days being fulfilled now – in these latter days?
Jesus said, “Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?’ And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me…” (Matthew 7:22-23).
This passage should be scary to ANYONE who claims to be a Christ-follower! Just because we claim to know Him and do good works in His name, how do we know whether we REALLY know HIM – the true Jesus of the Bible? Especially in the context of the passage where Jesus is warning that false prophets would come. How do we know whether someone is a false prophet? According to what Mormons have told me, we are to pray and ask Heavenly Father (who is, according to them, “the Father of all of our spirits”) who will show us whether or not Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God and whether or not the Book of Mormon/Mormon church is true. From the experiences I have had with Mormons, they place their confidence on the subjective experience of their “testimony” and that of others in the Mormon church.
Is this experience a Biblical “litmus test” for discerning what is of God?
The Biblical record opens (Genesis 3) with the story of how humans were first deceived by Satan. Throughout the pages of Scripture warnings are given to Christians about Satan, demons, and the nature of spiritual deception. Here are just some of the warnings given:
Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them (Deut. 11:16)
Jesus said, “Take heed that ye be not deceived” (Luke 21:7-9)
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever (Rev. 20:10)
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him (Rev. 12:9)
It’s interesting to note what God has to say about the human heart and it’s capacity for being deceived:
God said “for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Gen. 8:21)
God said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
Jesus said, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matthew 15:19)
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Considering this, is a “burning in the bosom” necessarily a reliable source for discerning truth?
We are warned that “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (II Cor. 11:14) and that we are to beware of “seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (I Timothy 4:1) and we are admonished to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour…” (I Peter 5:7-9)
The Pharisees and Sadducees were the religious people in Jesus’ day. They were very concerned about keeping an external appearance of good works and they even added requirements to the law in their efforts to make themselves righteous before God. Was Jesus impressed with their efforts to “do their best” to follow the teachings of Heavenly Father? Not at all. He told them “Ye are of your father the devil” (John 8:44) Why? Jesus told them “because ye cannot hear my word” (John 8:43).
I wonder about this in the context of the Mormon religion because of the Mormon teaching on the Bible. The LDS 8th article of faith states:
The Church…regards the Bible to be the word of God, “as far as it is translated correctly.” Accordingly, Church members believe that during the centuries-long process in which fallible human beings compiled, translated and transcribed the Bible, various errors entered the text.
It appears to me that Mormonism teaches that an experiential knowledge of God is superior to revealed truths in His written Word. Further, it appears that the founder(s) of the LDS church were attempting to undermine faith in God’s Word by this insinuation that the Bible has not been translated correctly and, subsequently, the implication is – it cannot be trusted. This mistrust in God’s Word is necessary since the Bible speaks against and refutes Mormonism’s claims. Joseph Smith’s book, on the other hand, translated with the use of a seer stone, is deemed more trustworthy. For a comparison of the Bible vs. the Book of Mormon, please see this link [1].
Final questions: If Jesus said the Pharisees were of their father the devil because they did not believe on Him and could not hear His words, why has it been told to me by Mormons that Heavenly Father is the father of all of our spirits? Where is this found in the Bible? I only see where He becomes our Father when we are born again (John 3, John 14:6, Eph. 5:8).
If, before we are born again, our father is the devil – is it very wise to pray to our “father” and ask whether the Book of Mormon is true?
09.13.08
Are Mormons Giving Me the Silent Treatment?
Ever since I have started studying Mormonism and trying to understand how and why Mormons believe what they do, I have been frustrated with the lack of answers I get from Mormons on my honest questions. Lately, I’ve been getting what I feel equates to a silent treatment.
- An LDS person told me recently in an email that he had “enormous amounts of historical and archaeological evidence” for the Book of Mormon. When I replied and asked him for this evidence, he did not respond and quit emailing me.
- An LDS visiting teacher provided me a handout to support her belief in the Book of Mormon which included such claims as “thorough investigation, scientific evidence, and archaeological discoveries” have proven “even the minutest details” of the Book of Mormon to be “perfectly true. “ When I asked for some evidence to support these astounding claims in the un-referenced handout, she told me it would take a couple of weeks to do some research and respond. It’s been over 4 weeks and I am still waiting…
- When I brought up the Book of Mormon passages on repentance with a couple of bloggers online, one of them did not respond (someone on this blog), the other one left the blog where we had been having our discussion and told me I mis-understood how the Mormons interpret these passages, but she said it would take too long to explain to me how I mis-understood.
I just have some honest questions for Mormons and I don’t feel I am getting the same treatment that I give out when people ask me honest questions or have doubts about what I believe.
The other day my co-worker told me she had doubts that the New Testament could be trusted because she thought maybe a group of men had gotten together in the 1st or 2nd century and “re-wrote” the Bible. So, I provided her with some evidence to support my belief that the Bible has not been re-written.
What she does with this information is of course up to her, but I responded to an honest questioning of my beliefs with “a reason” (I Peter 3:15).
Isn’t that what we are supposed to do when someone questions us about what we believe?
Why am I not getting the same treatment when I ask Mormons some honest questions on issues that make me doubt what they believe?
09.06.08
The Really, Really Good News for Mormons
As I’ve been trying to study and understand the Mormon faith over the past several months, a theme has started to emerge in my life. I have been well aware over the years of a difference existing between Mormons and Christians related to grace and works, but unless you are actively engaging in discussions with Mormons, it can be easy to take for granted the glorious rest that we have in Christ. In contrast with the Mormon gospel that “we are saved by grace, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23), the Bible clearly teaches that justification is through faith alone.
“For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:2-5).
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1)
“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified” (Galatians 2:16).
“For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
I can testify that my faith in the Jesus of the Bible has resulted in a change in my desires. Because of the transforming power of God’s Holy Spirit, I am motivated to live a life that pleases Him. My outward manifestations of “good works” are a result of true faith in the Jesus Christ revealed in Scripture who is co-eternal and co-equal with God the Father, and in the finished work that He has done for me. I am not striving to earn a “free gift” that cannot be earned. Heaven is not a reward I am working toward. It is a free gift God gives to those who cease from their own self-improvement efforts and place their faith in Jesus Christ alone for their justification and sanctification.
One of the great preachers and writers of the 1800’s, Andrew Murray, said this regarding the life of faith:
“the one daily and unceasing duty of the disciple is to believe, because believing is the one channel through which divine grace and strength flow out into the heart of man”
Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
I was blogging with an LDS blogger this week who came to an understanding of the Biblical doctrine of grace because of dialogues her husband was having online with evangelical Christians.
She said, “It still disturbs me that I had to learn this from sources outside the Church. In fact, when I compared my newfound understanding with everything I’d learned about salvation from my Mormon upbringing, I almost left the Church entirely. The works-centric vocabulary…the constant injunctions to “be worthy”…and that incomprehensible scripture in 2 Nephi that still gives me heartburn: “After all we can do…”
I told my new friend that it surprises me that she hasn’t left the church yet after finding the true gospel outside the church. It seems clear to me that if the Mormon church is not teaching the Biblical gospel then it’s “another gospel” that Paul warned about (Galatians 1:6-9).
09.02.08
Adam's Road Band
Click below to listen to Adam’s Road sing Truest Friend
For some reason, the link for the above picture is broken, but you can click here to visit their myspace page.
Adam's Road (Ex-Mormon, Christian band)
In a Salt Lake Tribune article last week (8.23.08), and in various sites on the internet a story broke about 5 former Mormons (some of them were missionaries) who are now traveling the country as born-again Christians in a Christian band called Adam’s Road. One of the band members, Micah Wilder, was the first to discover major differences between the Mormon gospel and the gospel of the Bible when he took on the challenge of trying to prove to an evangelical pastor that Mormonism was Biblical. After finding that the Bible’s message was salvation by grace alone through faith alone, Micah placed his faith in the Jesus of the Bible and started sharing with his missionary friends what he was discovering in the NT that contradicted Mormon teachings. He and his friend Joseph shared in a YouTube interview about how they were both demoted from leadership positions on their mission because they were pointing people to Christ instead of the LDS church. Micah’s parents followed their son’s promptings to study the NT as well as Mormon history, and they have now both left the LDS Church after being active Mormons for 30 years. Micah’s mother gave up a tenured position at BYU.
09.01.08
Magic and The Book of Mormon
In an article entitled How to Get Personal Revelation, Mormon elder and apostle Bruce R. McConkie suggested a formula for obtaining personal revelation from God. He listed 3 things a person must do to become “personally involved with God”: 1) search the scriptures, 2) keep the commandments, 3) ask in faith… In sum, he stated, “We need to do what the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “gaze five minutes into heaven.”
I would like to compare McConkie’s formula for receiving personal revelation to the one used by Joseph Smith in the translation of The Book of Mormon to see if Joseph Smith was really in a position to receive revelation from God.
The internet is a helpful resource for documentation of Joseph Smith’s occult activities as well as his conviction in Bainbridge, New York, on March 20, 1826, for swindling an employer by claiming he could find buried treasure with his seer stone. What is significant about this court record is the timing of the conviction. Joseph Smith was convicted after he supposedly had a vision of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the angel Moroni, but before the translation of The Book of Mormon.
This court record sheds new light on the possible motivations behind Joseph Smith’s decision to translate The Book of Mormon. Another possible motivation may have been the disapproval of Emma Hale’s father to their marriage. Isaac Hale did not want his daughter married to someone who was employed in the business of treasure-seeking so Joseph Smith promised his father-in-law he would end this form of employment. One month later he announced that he had found the gold plates…
The translation process for The Book of Mormon is also well-documented on the internet. In contrast with the limited information provided to members or investigators of the LDS church, the details of the translation process can now be found with a couple clicks of the mouse so that the method of translation is no longer a disputed fact between the LDS and non-LDS (although the responses to this information still vary considerably).
While LDS publications portray the gold plates available during the translation process, the actual witnesses describe the process much differently:
Joseph’s wife, Emma Hale Smith, gave her testimony to her son Joseph Smith III: “In writing for your father I frequently wrote day after day, often sitting at the table close by him, he sitting with his face buried in his hat, with the stone in it, and dictating hour after hour with nothing between us” (8 vols. (Independence, Missouri: Herald House, 1951), “Last Testimony of Sister Emma,” 3:356 as cited on irr.org)
David Whitmer, one of the 3 witnesses of The Book of Mormon translation process, stated: “I, as well as all of my father’s family, Smith’s wife, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris, were present during the translation …. He [Joseph Smith] did not use the plates in translation” ( David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ, Richmond, Missouri: n.p., 1887, p. 12)
Isaac Hale, the father of Emma Hale Smith, stated in an 1834 affidavit: “The manner in which he pretended to read and interpret, was the same as when he looked for the money-diggers, with a stone in his hat, and his hat over his face, while the Book of Plates were at the same time hid in the woods” ( Affidavit of Isaac Hale dated March 20, 1834, cited in Rodger I. Anderson, Joseph Smith’s New York Reputation Reexamined, Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1990, pp. 126-128 as cited on irr.org).
According to the historical research of members of the LDS church, Joseph Smith would never give details about his process of translating The Book of Mormon. He would only say that he did it by the ‘gift and power of God’. In October 1831, at a general conference of the church in Orange, Ohio, Hyrum Smith asked his brother to give details of the BOM translation method. Joseph replied that “it was not expedient for him to tell more than had already been told about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, and it was not well that any greater details be provided.”
In considering the occultic methods used in the formation of The Book of Mormon (according to the eye-witnesses), I am of course skeptical (and rightfully so!) of the final product. The Scriptures say:
There shall not be found among you any one that…useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch… (Deuteronomy 18:10).
Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart (Jeremiah 14:14).
Even The Book of Mormon identifies magic and sorceries with the work of the evil one (Mormon 1:19, Mormon 2:18).
How am I to understand that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and not one of the false prophets Jesus warned us would come (Matthew 24:11, 24-26)?
