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Understanding and Answering

Understanding and Answering. Mormons. Larry King Interviews Mormon leaders — such as President Hinckley. Steve Young. Donny Osmond / Marie Osmond. Roseanne Barr. Gladys Knight. Glenn Beck. Harry Reid. Mitt Romney. Current Statistics on the Mormons. Membership over 14 Million

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Understanding and Answering

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  1. Understanding and Answering Mormons

  2. Larry King Interviews Mormon leaders — such as President Hinckley

  3. Steve Young

  4. Donny Osmond / Marie Osmond

  5. Roseanne Barr

  6. Gladys Knight

  7. Glenn Beck

  8. Harry Reid

  9. Mitt Romney

  10. Current Statistics on the Mormons • Membership over 14 Million • Take in $4.7 billion per year • Investment portfolio — $1 billion. • Land holdings - all 50 states. • $550 million / year - missionary efforts. • Today, 60,000 full time, converting 300,000 per year.

  11. In The Beginning • Joseph Smith was born in 1805 • In 1820 he supposedly prayed for wisdom for which church to join • Was answered in a vision – LDS position is: God & Son visited him (14 yrs old) • The Son told him that all churches were wrong, corrupt, an abomination • Joseph told nine conflicting accounts “diaries & journals of Joseph Smith”

  12. In The Beginning September 21, 1823 Moroni, a messenger from God, told him of a book written on golden plates. (Smith 17 yrs old) • The book gave an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and it contained the gospel.

  13. In The Beginning • In 1823 Moroni directed him to a hill (Cumora) near Palmyra New York where he saw the stone box that the plates were buried in. He was directed there once a year for four years. • In 1827 Moroniallowed him to retrieve the plates that were written in Reformed Egyptian. (Smith now 21) • Put the plates in pillow case and carried them home • He supposedly receives the golden plates 7 yrs after the vision (1820), and 4 yrs after the 1stMoroni visit (1823)

  14. Hill Cumora

  15. Translating the Book • Smith used a seer stone to translate the book. It was a small stone placed in the bottom of the hat. • He didn’t even use the plates to do the translation , but rather a magical stone • He claimed to see a character from the plates with an English translation • He would tell it to Cowdery the scribewho would record it.

  16. In The Beginning • After the translation, the golden plates were removed by Moroni and are unavailable for inspection. (no pictures) • May 1829 (2 yrs later) John the Baptist appeared to Smith & Cowderyand conferred the Aaronic priesthood upon them. • Later (1829) Peter, James and John appeared to them and conferred the Melchizedek priesthood upon them.

  17. In The Beginning • The book of Mormon was published in March 1830 • April 6, 1830 Joseph Smith and five others organized the “One True Church” in Fayette, New York. • Joseph was called to be a seer, translator, a prophet, and an apostle.

  18. Summary to point • 1820 - 14 yrs old – In a Vision, God told him that all the churches were corrupt, abomination - He told nine different conflicting accounts of this story, vision - Said he saw God, yet in D&C 84:21,22 says you can’t W/O priesthood - Brigham Young said that only an angel appeared to Smith (one of these prophets is wrong) • 1823 - 17 yrs old - Moroni showed him where golden plates were buried • 1826 - Arrested for using seer (peep) stone to deceive Josiah Stolle looking for treasure • 1827 - 21 yrs old - Moroni allowed him to retrieve and take the plates • 1827 - Translation of plates – but did not use the plates. - Used magical stone (seer) stone that he had used before to look for treasure. Then the plates disappeared. • 1829 - Aaronic priesthood conveyed on them by John the Baptist • 1829 – Melchizedek priesthood conveyed on them by Peter, James & John • 1830 – Church was founded and the Book of Mormon published

  19. Summary Continued • Joseph Smith, admitted to using a peep stone to find buried treasure and other lost items. • He confessed that he sometimes pretended to see treasure while looking at his stone. (1826 arrest) This after he supposedly met Jesus & the father • He was known and sought after as a money-digger/glass-looker. • It was in this contextthat Joseph Smith announced he had found ancient plates of gold buried in the earth which contained the very words of God. • Only Smith saw the golden plates – When pressed, the others said they only saw the plates through the eyes of faith • He did it again! – 1835 - Kinderhook plates translation fraud

  20. Troubles Necessitated Constant Traveling • Trouble followed them wherever they went • Fayette , New York - 1830 • Kirtland, Ohio - 1831 • Independence, MO - 1833 • Nauvoo, Illinois - 1838 • Trouble escalated • Dissident Mormons published grievances against Smith in the Nauvoo Expositor • Church finances • Polygamy

  21. Trouble Continued • Smith’s team retaliated • Destroyed printing press • Smith jailed! • Mob formed • Stormed jail • Smith was shot and killed. June 1844 – 14 years after the church was founded

  22. Brigham Young Takes Over • Young assumed command as prophet • Led 80,000 Mormons on horseback, in covered wagons, and on foot to Salt Lake City • 6,000 died en route • Arrived 1847

  23. Book of Mormon Story • BOM is an abridged account of God’s dealing with the original inhabitants of the American Continent from 2247 BC to AD 421 • 2247 BC - After the tower of Babel, Jared and his brothers family sailed from middle east to America. 1st migration • Prepared eight vessels/barges and in 344 days they arrived in the promised land, the American continent. • They multiplied and covered the face of the land, but disputes and wars broke out and eventually “everyone” was killed. (These battles took place in Palmyra, NY)

  24. Book of Mormon Story • Second Migration • 600 BC the Jewish prophet Lehihad a vision from God of the pending captivity. He preached to his countrymen, but was ignored. • Seven years later he and his brothers (Laman, Lemuel, and Sam) were instructed to build a ship and with the help of a heavy wind arrived at the promised land, the American continent in about 589 BC

  25. Book of Mormon Story • In this second migration they multiplied and split into two nations, Nephites and Laminites. • They had huge populations that lived in large fortified cities. • BOM mentions 38 Nephite cities alone and the buildings covered the face of the earth.

  26. Book of Mormon Final War • They waged large scale wars for hundreds of years. • Tens of thousands killed in a final conflict in A.D. 385 near Hill Cumorah in Palmyra New York. Mormon 6:9-15. Same place as the 1st migration final war. • Only the Laminite nation survived

  27. Book of Mormon History Problem • No Archeological evidence from any of these cities or wars has every been discovered. These wars were fought for hundreds of years and the final battle killed tens of thousands near Palmrya New York, but there is no evidence of this to be found. • The BOM discusses: metals used in weapons, coins, buildings, chariots, swords, breastplates. Why is there not even one piece of archaeological evidence supporting the Book of Mormon? Compare to the Bible, there are millions. • During the time period described in the BOM the America’s did not have the ability to produce the metal weapons described • The Laminites were said to be dark skinned and the ancestors of today’s Indians, which would make the Indians of Jewish decent. • Problem: There is no Jewish / middle eastern DNA in today’s Indians, just an Asian DNA connection.

  28. DNA – video clip

  29. Book of Abraham • Go to web to watch the you tube video

  30. Archeology – video clip

  31. Character of Joseph Smith • Video Clip

  32. Contradictions in BOM • BOM – One God -Alma 11:27-39,44; Nephi 31:21; Mormon 7:7 • D&C – Plural gods – Section 121:32; 132:18-20,37 • BOM – God is Spirit – Alma 18:26-28; 22:8-11 • D&C – God has a body – Section 130:22 • BOM – Polygamy Condemned – Jacob 1:15,2:24,3:5, Mosiah 11:2; 2 Nephi 26:31; Mosiah 27:5 • D&C – Polygamy Commanded - Section 132:1, 37-39,61

  33. BOM Insurmountable Problems • First vision credibility – 9 different versions – 14 yrs old • Golden plates authenticity – no plates, no witnesses –Weight of the plates - Magical stone to translate • Kinderhook plates- Smith’s character, treasure hunter • Over 4,000 changes in the BOM between 1830 edition and today’s edition. Can’t be “the most correct book” • Massive plagiarisms from the A.D. 1611 KJV (27,000 words) KJV - Even KJV italicized words plagiarized • BOM plates were from 600 AD yet they contain word for word plagiarisms from the 1611 AD KJV • Book of Abraham proven to be a fraud – what about BOM ? • No DNA or Archeological support despite cities & wars • Current Mormon doctrine contradicts BOM

  34. Mormon Recognized Authority • King James Version of the Bible • The Book of Mormon • Doctrine and Covenants – 138 revelations • Pearl of Great Price – Smiths religious history, the Articles of Faith, Book of Abraham, and the book of Moses.

  35. The Bible is the Word of God, but only insofar as it is translated correctly – Mormons say: • Faulty transmission • Large portions lost • Errors introduced by unscrupulous scribes • Mormon apostle Orson Pratt once went so far as to ask, “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?”

  36. So why the Mormon Church? • Joseph Smith said the church went into total apostasy after the death of the apostles. • “Without the apostles revelation to guide the Lord’s church, it ceased along with authority to operate it” So, from 90 A.D. to 1830 the church ceased to exist • The Bible became corrupt, was not translated correctly • Joseph Smith provided the revelation to guide this Restored Church

  37. Bible Corrupted? • Per Smith the Bible became corrupt only after all the apostles died (approx 90 A.D) • The dead sea scrolls were discovered in 1947 and were written (100-200 BC) long before the apostles died, so according the BOM , these scrolls had not been corrupted yet , they were accurate. And, these dead sea scrolls agree with the OT Bible we have today. Therefore the OT we have today is accurate , is not corrupted. (Even by Smith’s own std’s) • NT writings were completed within the lives of the apostles, by 70 AD. The eyewitnesses were still alive then and could see if the manuscripts were incorrect and call for their correction. No need, they were accurate. • We can recreate the entire NT except for 11 verses just from the writings of the early church fathers, and these agree with the early manuscripts • We have 5,000 Greek NT that agree with one another! Evidence shows that the Bible is NOT corrupted! If the bible is not corrupted , we don’t need Joseph Smith.

  38. The Mormon Church is the Restored Church • Total apostasy in early church. • Claims to be the restored church. • Has restored the priesthoods. • Has restored prophets and apostles. • Has restored the true gospel. • “Nothing less than a complete apostasy from the Christian religion would warrantthe establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS. There was no other possible excuse for the introduction of a new Christian sect ”. • No evidence of total apostasy of early church

  39. The Priesthood • Along with this “restoration of the church”, came the restoration of the priesthood -1829 (Aaronic and Melcheizedek) as mentioned earlier. • With the sacrificial death of Jesus there was no need for a priest to approach God. • Smith rejected this and established himself as a priest or mediator between God and his church.

  40. Priesthood Per the Scripture • Christ is the only one of the order of the Melchizedek priesthood (Heb 5-8) Peter, James and John never held the Melchizedek priesthood to be able to confer it to others • Christ’s priesthood is unchangeable and can’t be transferred – Heb 7:24 – holds his priesthood permanently • To be under the Aaronic priesthood of the OT you had to be a descendant of Aaron (Num 3:6-12). Smith was not a descendant of Aaron. • Aaronic priesthood served the one true God of the Bible – They were monotheists, not polytheists like the Mormons.

  41. Prophets • Was Joseph Smith a Prophet? • Did his prophesies come true? • What does the scripture say about prophets?

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