Talking to Mormons

By Danny LarsenReligion & Spirituality Christianity Education

Talking to Mormons episodes

February 13, 2019 John 2-4 – Come Follow Me
There is so much great material in these three chapters,
but we are limited on what we can cover in this lesson.
We start off with one of the most famous miracles
performed by the Master. It’s the
turning of water into wine.
John 2:1-2 “And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the
mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples to the
marriage.” Some
including, LDS apostles Orson Hyde, Parley P. Pratt, Joseph F. Smith, James E. Talmage have
taught that this was Jesus’ own marriage.
Several factors combine to suggest that this would NOT be the case. For one thing, in that culture, the marriage
would be held at the groom’s home town.
If it were Jesus’ wedding, it would have been held in Nazareth, not Cana. Another thing is that Jesus and His disciples
were invited to attend. This would be a
bit strange if Jesus were the groom. It
says, He left the wedding afterwards with His mother and the disciples, not
with a wife. And if it were Christ’s
wedding, one would expect the Gospel writers to mention it.
It does appear from the next verses that Mary, Jesus’
Mother, had a role in helping to host the guests at this wedding celebration. Perhaps she was a good friend of the
family. Whatever the case, she knew who
her Son was, and when they ran out of wine she requested His help. By-the-way, this was the last recorded words
of Jesus’ mother, Mary in the Bible.
John 2:6-8 There
were six water pots of stone with a total capacity of 100 to a, 150 gallons of
water which Jesus turned into fermented wine.
It was no small miracle! The LDS
want to believe that the word “wine” refers
to non-alcoholic grape juice because God would not want people to be
intoxicated. But Jesus, himself drank
wine during his ministry and had even been accused as being a winebibber (Matthew 11:19). John 2:11 “This beginning of miracles did
Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples
believed on him.” This
was a faith promoting miracle for His disciples.
Matthew, Mark and Luke don’t
include this story in their accounts. Why did John? John wanted to show that Jesus was equating the
red wine with his blood through this metaphor.
The message is – if you really want to get cleansed, it’s not about
water but about the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from sin.
Though it was the “beginning of
miracles” recorded
of his mortal ministry, it is certainly not the Lord’s first miracle – the
first you recall, was when he created the heaven and earth.
Now we enter into the beginning of the Savior’s
three-year public mortal mission. John 2:13 “And the Jews’ Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” Three years from now, at this
time of Passover in Jerusalem, the “Lamb of God,” will present Himself to be
sacrificed that we might be saved.
But, here in John 2:14-23 we read about the first cleansing of the
Temple. He is about to do some “spring
cleaning.” He will cleanse the temple again in three years, during the last
week of His life.
Modern-day LDS temples are vastly different from the
Biblical temple. Not one LDS temple
ceremony was practiced in the ancient temple in Jerusalem. Solomon’s temple was built only for animal
sacrifice as stated in 2 Chronicles 2:6 “But who is
able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot
contain Him? Who am I then, that I should bui
15 min
February 13, 2019 John 2-4 – Come Follow Me
Print

Come Follow Me - John 2-4

This review from the LDS, Come Follow Me manuals for Sunday School, Families and Individuals covers the lesson plan for John chapter 2, 3, and 4.
There is so much great material in these three chapters, but we are limited on what we can cover in this lesson.
We start off with one of the most famous miracles performed by the Master. It’s the turning of water into wine.

Read More
15 min
February 12, 2019 Did Joseph Smith Write Himself into Scripture?

An Interesting Parallel in Mormon Scripture

2 Nephi 3:14-15
“And thus prophesied Joseph, saying: Behold, that seer will the Lord bless; and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise, which I have obtained of the Lord, of the fruit of my loins, shall be fulfilled. Behold, I am sure of the fulfilling of this promise; And his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father. And he shall be like unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation.”

Who is that prophesy referring to?

Read More

Latter-Day Saints believe it was speaking into the future of Joseph Smith.
This passage is from the Book of Mormon for which we know there are no ancient documents or records to verify.
And what’s the correlation?
You’ll need to read from the Joseph Smith Translation Genesis 50:33
“And that seer will I bless, and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise I given unto you; for I will remember you from generation to generation; and his name shall be called Joseph, and it shall be after the name of his father; and he shall be like unto you; for the thing which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand shall bring my people unto salvation.”
3 min
February 12, 2019 Did Joseph Smith Write Himself into Scripture?

An Interesting Parallel in Mormon Scripture

2 Nephi 3:14-15
“And thus prophesied Joseph, saying: Behold, that seer will the Lord bless; and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise, which I have obtained of the Lord, of the fruit of my loins, shall be fulfilled. Behold, I am sure of the fulfilling of this promise; And his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father. And he shall be like unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation.”

Who is that prophesy referring to?

Read More

Latter-Day Saints believe it was speaking into the future of Joseph Smith.
This passage is from the Book of Mormon for which we know there are no ancient documents or records to verify.
And what’s the correlation?
You’ll need to read from the Joseph Smith Translation Genesis 50:33
“And that seer will I bless, and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise I given unto you; for I will remember you from generation to generation; and his name shall be called Joseph, and it shall be after the name of his father; and he shall be like unto you; for the thing which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand shall bring my people unto salvation.”
Do you notice the similarities?
That refer
3 min
February 07, 2019 Matthew 4; Luke 4-5 – Come Follow Me
Print

This review from the LDS, Come Follow Me manuals for Sunday School, Families, and Individuals covers the lesson plan for Matthew 4, and Luke 4 and 5.
In the previous lesson we covered the baptism of Jesus.
Matthew 4:1 “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” The Joseph Smith Translation of that same verse reads, “Then Jesus was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness, to be with God.” Smith was trying to emphasize that the Savior did not go specifically to confront the devil nor be to be tempted by him. Nonetheless, the message to us is that temptation will come to us as a result of being here on earth, but we should not deliberately place ourselves in tempting circumstances.
12 min
February 07, 2019 Matthew 4; Luke 4-5 – Come Follow Me
Print

This review from the LDS, Come Follow Me manuals for Sunday School, Families, and Individuals covers the lesson plan for Matthew 4, and Luke 4 and 5.
In the previous lesson we covered the baptism of Jesus.
Matthew 4:1 “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” The Joseph Smith Translation of that same verse reads, “Then Jesus was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness, to be with God.” Smith was trying to emphasize that the Savior did not go specifically to confront the devil nor be to be tempted by him. Nonetheless, the message to us is that temptation will come to us as a result of being here on earth, but we should not deliberately place ourselves in tempting circumstances.
12 min
February 05, 2019 Testing the Book of Mormon – Part 4
As the third test for the Book of Mormon, let us use the Test of Inspiration. If the Book of Mormon is congruent with the Bible, the words of the Book of Mormon should only confirm what the Bible says, not go against it. Would you agree?
As an
example: The Bible teaches in Matthew 2:1 that
Jesus was “born in Bethlehem of Judea.”
In the Book of Mormon, Alma 7:10 prophesied about 83 BC that Christ would be “born at Jerusalem.”
Aren’t Bethlehem and Jerusalem close to each other?
Yes, but the Bible prophets knew the difference. Bible prophesies are always accurate, not “close.”
Concerning
Jesus’ time on the cross, the Bible says in Mark 15:33 that
there was three hours of darkness.
In the Book
of Helaman 14:20, Samuel the Lamanite prophesied
that the earth would be dark the entire time Jesus was dead. That’s three days, not three hours.
3rd
Nephi 8:33 records that
these three days of darkness supposedly happened around 33 AD, while people
living on the other side of the world experienced only three hours of
darkness.
Another
clear contradiction is on Melchizedek’s priesthood.
The Bible in
Hebrews 7:3 teaches that Melchizedek reigned “without father, without mother, without genealogy.”
On the
contrary, the Book of Mormon in Alma 13:18 claims
Melchizedek “did reign under his father.”
More
significantly, the Book of Mormon is not concerned with accurately representing
the Law of Moses.
According to
Numbers 3:6-7, only those from the tribe of Levi
were permitted to serve in the Aaronic Priesthood.
However, The
Book of Mormon claims in Alma 10:3 that those
people descendant from Manasseh offered “sacrifice and
burnt offerings according to the Law of Moses.” (Mosiah 2:3)
This is just
a sample of the contradictions the Book of Mormon makes with the Bible. With so many we have to concluded that either
the author of these two books was not perfect, Or the one true God is not the
author of both books.
Elder Smith
As far as
inspiration goes, Joseph Smith said the Book of Mormon is “the most correct of any book on earth.”
Chris
Elders, I understand that is what you have to teach in order to be obedient missionaries. But, would you please read 2 Timothy 3:16-17
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto good works.”
As far as the inspiration goes, the Book of Mormon fails the test to measure up to scripture. Therefore, it should NOT be used for teaching, reproof, correction, training in righteousness or any good work.
When one
reads the Bible, he or she begins to understand the character of a perfect,
loving God. The evidence confirms that
the only explanation of the Bible is that it must have come from a truly good,
perfect, and inspiring God.
Elder Young
We think you
can get the same feeling about God when reading the Book of Mormon.
Chris
Before Christ ascended back to Heaven, He commissioned His apostles to go everywhere, preaching the gospel. They did, and they paid for it with their lives. This is a testament to the Bible’s authenticity. These men who witnessed the life, miracles, death, and resurrection of Christ were willing to preach abou
5 min
February 05, 2019 Testing the Book of Mormon – Part 4
As the third test for the Book of Mormon, let us use the Test of Inspiration. If the Book of Mormon is congruent with the Bible, the words of the Book of Mormon should only confirm what the Bible says, not go against it. Would you agree?
As an
example: The Bible teaches in Matthew 2:1 that
Jesus was “born in Bethlehem of Judea.”
In the Book of Mormon, Alma 7:10 prophesied about 83 BC that Christ would be “born at Jerusalem.”
Aren’t Bethlehem and Jerusalem close to each other?
Yes, but the Bible prophets knew the difference. Bible prophesies are always accurate, not “close.”
Concerning
Jesus’ time on the cross, the Bible says in Mark 15:33 that
there was three hours of darkness.
In the Book
of Helaman 14:20, Samuel the Lamanite prophesied
that the earth would be dark the entire time Jesus was dead. That’s three days, not three hours.
3rd
Nephi 8:33 records that
these three days of darkness supposedly happened around 33 AD, while people
living on the other side of the world experienced only three hours of
darkness.
Another
clear contradiction is on Melchizedek’s priesthood.
The Bible in
Hebrews 7:3 teaches that Melchizedek reigned “without father, without mother, without genealogy.”
On the
contrary, the Book of Mormon in Alma 13:18 claims
Melchizedek “did reign under his father.”
More
significantly, the Book of Mormon is not concerned with accurately representing
the Law of Moses.
According to
Numbers 3:6-7, only those from the tribe of Levi
were permitted to serve in the Aaronic Priesthood.
However, The
Book of Mormon claims in Alma 10:3 that those
people descendant from Manasseh offered “sacrifice and
burnt offerings according to the Law of Moses.” (Mosiah 2:3)
This is just
a sample of the contradictions the Book of Mormon makes with the Bible. With so many we have to concluded that either
the author of these two books was not perfect, Or the one true God is not the
author of both books.
Elder Smith
As far as
inspiration goes, Joseph Smith said the Book of Mormon is “the most correct of any book on earth.”
Chris
Elders, I understand that is what you have to teach in order to be obedient missionaries. But, would you please read 2 Timothy 3:16-17
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto good works.”
As far as the inspiration goes, the Book of Mormon fails the test to measure up to scripture. Therefore, it should NOT be used for teaching, reproof, correction, training in righteousness or any good work.
When one
reads the Bible, he or she begins to understand the character of a perfect,
loving God. The evidence confirms that
the only explanation of the Bible is that it must have come from a truly good,
perfect, and inspiring God.
Elder Young
We think you
can get the same feeling about God when reading the Book of Mormon.
Chris
Before Christ ascended back to Heaven, He commissioned His apostles to go everywhere, preaching the gospel. They did, and they paid for it with their lives. This is a testament to the Bible’s authenticity. These men who witnessed the life, miracles, death, and resurrection of Christ were willing to preach abou
5 min
January 29, 2019 Testing the Book of Mormon – Part 3
Another test
we should put to the Book of Mormon is the Test of Archaeology. This would be a test against history.
The Book of
Mormon is full of supposed history – civilizations that lived in and populated
cities in what is known as the Americas.
Though the
Bible wasn’t written as a history book, it also contains much history. When we read of great cities and battles in
the Bible, archaeology continues to prove that the Bible is an accurate
representation of history.
What about the Book of Mormon?
Print
Latter-Day
Saints use Ether 15, where “two million” of the Jaredites were slain in
battle. In this battle, “men, women and children were armed with weapons of war,
having shields, and breastplates, and head plates.”
The previous
chapter says, that “so swift and speedy was the war
that there was none left to bury the dead.”
Bodies were “strewn upon the face of the
land.”
2
Nephi 5:15 “to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of
brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which
were in great abundance.”
In Alma 11:5-6, it explains how the people had their own
monetary system, including unique coins and measurements of gold and silver.
Considering
the cities and millions upon millions of people (Nephites, Lamanites, People of Zarahemla, Jaredites, Jacobites, Josephbites,
Zoramites, Ishmaelites, People of Zeniff, People of Alma, Amlicites,
Amalekites, and others) who had metal weapons, armor, and currency, one would expect the Americas
to be littered with archaeological confirmation.
Is, there
any historical evidences that prove these civilizations existed at all?
Not so far.
As of today, there is zero evidence of any of the groups of the Book of
Mormon.
On the other
hand, every year in the Holy Land, archaeologists are discovering weapons,
coins, animals, cities, and civilizations mentioned in the Bible.
By the way,
where are the gold plates the Book of Mormon was reported to be translated
from?
They were
returned to the angel Moroni by Joseph Smith, when he was finished with the
translation.
In
comparison – the Bible is the most attested book of all antiquity. There is an abundance of Hebrew and Greek
manuscripts that helps us place the Bible in history and show that even though
the Bible is 2,000 years old, we have every reason to believe what we have now
is complete.
How many
Book of Mormon plates do we have access to?
Zero!
Why would
God allow us to find thousands of manuscripts for the Bible, but then claim the
plates for the Book of Mormon were too precious to be kept on earth?
Maybe,
because God wanted us to believe in the Book of Mormon based on faith alone.
They say.
Without a
trace of evidence of its history?
Doesn’t seem logical to me.
One more
thing – the Book of Mormon claims to have originally been written in what
language?
It says in Mormon 9:32 “reformed Egyptian.”
And, no
historian or language expert has ever found evidence of such a language. &nbs
0 min
January 29, 2019 Testing the Book of Mormon – Part 3
Another test
we should put to the Book of Mormon is the Test of Archaeology. This would be a test against history.
The Book of
Mormon is full of supposed history – civilizations that lived in and populated
cities in what is known as the Americas.
Though the
Bible wasn’t written as a history book, it also contains much history. When we read of great cities and battles in
the Bible, archaeology continues to prove that the Bible is an accurate
representation of history.
What about the Book of Mormon?
Print
Latter-Day
Saints use Ether 15, where “two million” of the Jaredites were slain in
battle. In this battle, “men, women and children were armed with weapons of war,
having shields, and breastplates, and head plates.”
The previous
chapter says, that “so swift and speedy was the war
that there was none left to bury the dead.”
Bodies were “strewn upon the face of the
land.”
2
Nephi 5:15 “to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of
brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which
were in great abundance.”
In Alma 11:5-6, it explains how the people had their own
monetary system, including unique coins and measurements of gold and silver.
Considering
the cities and millions upon millions of people (Nephites, Lamanites, People of Zarahemla, Jaredites, Jacobites, Josephbites,
Zoramites, Ishmaelites, People of Zeniff, People of Alma, Amlicites,
Amalekites, and others) who had metal weapons, armor, and currency, one would expect the Americas
to be littered with archaeological confirmation.
Is, there
any historical evidences that prove these civilizations existed at all?
Not so far.
As of today, there is zero evidence of any of the groups of the Book of
Mormon.
On the other
hand, every year in the Holy Land, archaeologists are discovering weapons,
coins, animals, cities, and civilizations mentioned in the Bible.
By the way,
where are the gold plates the Book of Mormon was reported to be translated
from?
They were
returned to the angel Moroni by Joseph Smith, when he was finished with the
translation.
In
comparison – the Bible is the most attested book of all antiquity. There is an abundance of Hebrew and Greek
manuscripts that helps us place the Bible in history and show that even though
the Bible is 2,000 years old, we have every reason to believe what we have now
is complete.
How many
Book of Mormon plates do we have access to?
Zero!
Why would
God allow us to find thousands of manuscripts for the Bible, but then claim the
plates for the Book of Mormon were too precious to be kept on earth?
Maybe,
because God wanted us to believe in the Book of Mormon based on faith alone.
They say.
Without a
trace of evidence of its history?
Doesn’t seem logical to me.
One more
thing – the Book of Mormon claims to have originally been written in what
language?
It says in Mormon 9:32 “reformed Egyptian.”
And, no
historian or language expert has ever found evidence of such a language.
0 min

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