Bible
1. Why are Mormon leaders so quick to state that the Bible is "translated wrong"
2. Why have the Mormons not produced a correct translation of the Bible?
3. Why is the inspired version not regarded as scripture?
4. Why do Mormons not study Hebrew and Greek ?
5. Why do Mormons insist that Ezekiel 37:15-22 is about two books?
6. Why do Mormons lay the foundation of the church over and over again?
7. Aren't the "First Presidency," a "Council of the Twelve," a "Seventy," all just modern inovations of the Mormon Church?
8 The "falling away" as talked about by Paul
9. The "falling away" and a universal apostasy.
10. Why was Jesus INVITED to His own wedding?
11. How do Mormons explain the scripture in Galatians 1:8-9?
12. Why does the New Testament tell Christians to avoid genealogies?
1. If Mormonism is the restored church which is based upon the Bible, why are Mormon leaders so quick to state that the Bible is "translated wrong" when faced with some conflict between the Bible and Mormonism?
A: Because in some places it is translated wrong. Many people of different Christian religions also believe that the Bible is not completely translated correctly. Many times when discussing a passage of scripture, preachers of other faiths will refer to certain words and argue about how some other word or phrase would be a "better" translation from the original Hebrew or Greek word in order to prove a point. The LDS Church is no different except that it has made an official statement explaining our position on this issue(Article of Faith #8), and Joseph Smith provided us with a more correct translation of the Bible.
If the Bible is inerrant with no translation problems, then why are there so many contradictions throughout the Bible? Consider only a few of them:
MAT 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I
am well pleased.
LUK 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon
him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son;
in thee I am well pleased.
To whom was the Father speaking?
MAR 6:8 And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey,
save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse:
LUK 9:3 And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves(plural of staff),
nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.
Should they take a staff or not?
MAR 16:1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of
James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint
him.
LUK 23:56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the
sabbath day according to the commandment.
When did they buy the spices, before or after the Sabbath?
MAT 27:9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet,
saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was
valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;
MAT 27:10 And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.
ZEC 11:12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if
not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.
ZEC 11:13 And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price
that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and
cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.
ZEC 11:14 Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break
the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
Zechariah wrote it not Jeremy(Jeremiah)
Matthew 4:12,17
12 ¶ Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
John 3:22 - 24
22 ¶ After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
23 And John also was baptizing in AEnon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.
24 For John was not yet cast into prison.
Did Christ begin to preach before or after John's imprisonment?
Matthew 21:19
19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.
20 And when the disciples saw [it], they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!
Mark 11:13,14,19,20,21
13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not [yet].
14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard [it].
19 And when even was come, he went out of the city.
20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
Did the fig tree wither away immediately or later on prior to the next morning?
John 15:15
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
John 16:12
12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Did Christ tell the Apostles all He knew?
James 1:13 "Let no man say . . . I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man."
Genesis 22:1 "And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham."
Does God tempt man?
SAM 2 6:23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of
her death.
SAM 2 21:8 But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom
she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the
daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the
Meholathite:
Did Michal have children or not?
Matthew 1:16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
Luke 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli
Who was Joseph's father, Jacob or Heli?
Matthew.27:5 And he [Judas] cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
Acts 1:18 Now this man [Judas] purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
How did Judas die?
Hebrews 6:1 "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto
perfection."
Did Paul really want us to leave the principles of the doctrine of Christ? How can a man be saved without those principles?
The restored gospel (not Mormonism) is based on the Bible(as far as it is translated correctly) and the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price and Latter-day revelation, all of which come from God.
2. IF the Bible is not entirely translated correctly and IF the Mormon church really has a prophet, seer, and revelator, why have they not produced a correct translation of the Bible.
A: Joseph Smith did produce a more correct translation of the Bible, although it was not completely finished before he died. We don't really need it anyway since we have living prophets who can provide us with the correct understanding of any of its verses.
3. If God called the Inspired Version his "holy word" (Doctrine and Covenants 124:89), why is it "not regarded as scripture" by the Church?
A: We do regard it as scripture, however we do not use it as the official Bible of the church for the following reasons:
1. The Reorganized Church holds the publication rights to the Inspired Version of the Bible. It would be illegal for the LDS church to publish and print copies for its members.
2. Joseph Smith never had the chance to completely finish it.
3. We don't really need it. The King James version is sufficient for our needs. It gives our missionaries something to use that most other Christians can relate to.
4. The more recent LDS publications of the King James version do have some of the more significant verses of the Inspired Version either in the footnotes or at the end of the book for readers to refer to.
4. Why do Mormons not study Hebrew and Greek so that they can intelligently discuss the accuracy of the translation of the Bible?
A: No time for it. No need for it. We have prophets and apostles who have already done that for us. Joseph Smith already retranslated most of the Bible. We also have other scriptures and latter-day revelation.
5. Why do Mormons insist that Ezekiel 37:15-22 is about two books instead of about two kingdoms as God Himself explained in verse 22?
A: Because it is. In verses 15-17 he is talking about books or scripture. He gives the explanation in verses 19-20. In verse 22 he is talking about two kingdoms that will be united together because of the two "sticks" which will be "before their eyes "(verse 20).
Verse 16: "Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, (how would someone "write" upon a nation? this is about a record) For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and [for] all the house of Israel his companions:
17. And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. (how does a nation become one in someone's "hand"? ...yet a book HAS become one in our hand, and it is the Book of Mormon and Bible which literally has been bound together in our scripture, in literal fulfillment of prophecy).
18. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou [meanest] by these?
19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which [is] in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, [even] with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. (how would a "nation" be in the "hand" of Ephraim, and the tribes?)
20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. (If a stick was a nation, then how could they be written upon, be in someone's hand, and see themselves before themselves in someone else's hand?)
21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: (an obvious reference to the gathering now taking place, and just before the Millennial reign of Christ)
22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:" (and who will this King be, other than Jesus Christ?)
6. "If the Church is built upon a foundation of Christ and the apostles(Eph. 2:19-21), why do you continue to keep laying the foundation over and over again?" Mormonism, with its concept of continuing apostleship has produced, so far, about 103 "apostles" since the founding of the LDS church.
A. We are not laying the foundation over and over again. If a foundation of a single building is made up of 12 stones and one of them becomes dammaged or can no longer support the building, it is removed and replaced by another stone. What ever grouping of stones happens to be there at the time is the foundation. So it is with the church. The current group of apostles, called the "Council of Twelve Apostles", is the foundation of the living church today. The foundation is built on the "council" of twelve and not upon all the individual apostles that have ever lived. If one of the twelve apostles dies, he is replaced by another thus maintaining the same foundation that the church can continue to build on.
7. Ephesians 4:11-14, says that the apostles and prophets were important in bringing about a unity of the faith. However, the passage does not speak of apostles and prophets in the modern LDS sense at all. Paul had no concept of a single prophet, a "First Presidency," a "Council of the Twelve," a "Seventy," and so forth. These are modern innovations of Mormonism.
A. No! They are modern inovations of God revealed to His latter-day prophets to help maintain order and leadership in a growing Church. By the way, just because something is not written in the scriptures does not mean that Paul had no concept of it.
8. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, makes reference to a "falling away." However, Paul does not just talk about the falling away; he says, "for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." The falling away predicted is connected with the revelation of the man of sin. Has the man of sin been revealed, the anti-Christ who sits in the place of God (v. 4)?
A. The man of sin(i.e. son of perdition) talked about here is Satan, not the Anti-Christ.
The falling away is a result of Satan gaining a hold on the inhabitants of the earth causing the original church to fall. It is this falling away that reveals Satans power and influence.
9. Saying there will be a falling away is not the same as saying there will be a universal apostasy. Just because there are defections from the Christian faith, that doesn't amount to a universal and full apostasy in the Church as a whole.
A. The falling away does not limit itself to defections of individuals from the Christian faith. More importantly it refers to the gradual falling away from the truths and doctrines as originally taught when Christ was on the earth.
10. If Jesus was being married to Mary and Martha in Cana (John 2:1,2), why was He INVITED to His own wedding? (see J. of D. Vol. 1, page 210).
A: We don't know for sure that He was getting married to anyone in Cana. He may have already been married much sooner than that. A few speculative remarks from early LDS leaders regarding Jesus having married and fathered children is thought to be official Church doctrine, which it is not. However such a doctrine would not be un-Christian, since the Bible is silent on the subject. Just because it is not mentioned in the Bible does not mean that it didn't happen. Consider the following scripture:
And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his
disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are
written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
(John 20:30)
According to the laws and customs of his day, Jewish men married at sixteen or seventeen years of age, almost
never later than twenty; and women at a somewhat younger age, often when
not older than fourteen. Jesus Christ did not begin his ministry until his
early 30's. If Christ were unmarried at this age, then his enemies could
have proven that he did not obey the laws and customs of his day. Keep in
mind that the Jews accused him of breaking tradition at every opportunity.
Each time he was able to prove that his violation of their tradition was
not really a violation of God's commandments. As far as the commandment to
"multiply and replenish the earth", the Jews did not even bother to accuse
him of violation. Why? Perhaps it was well known that he kept this
commandment of his Father as he had kept all others? While there is no
definitive proof available that the Jesus was married, the evidence might
lead one to that conclusion.
(See Note above on the J. of D.)
11. How do Mormons explain the scripture in Galatians, where it says that "even if an angel" preaches another religion, it is to be considered false? (Gal 1:8-9)
A. In this scripture Paul is saying if any angel or anyone else preaches "another" gospel
"let him be accursed". It is a good warning and is still applicable to our day. However, it does not apply to the LDS church. We do not preach another gospel, we preach the same gospel that Paul taught and that was revealed to him by Christ(Gal 1:12). It only seems different to some because through present day revelation we have received more of it than was recorded in the Bible. Jesus said to His apostles, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." (John 16:12) He never did tell them what those things were. Most likely those "many things" are some of the newer doctrines revealed by Him to our latter-day prophets.
12. If genealogies are important, why does the New Testament tell Christians to avoid them? (1 Timothy 1:4; Titus 3:9)
A: Paul was simply telling Timothy and Titis that it was more important to spend what little time they had in teaching and "godly edifying" the people rather than in talking about genealogies. Back then people liked to waste time discussing their genealogies with each other which was "unprofitable", their motive being to increase their self-importance. Today latter-day Saints don't waste time talking about it, we do something with it. The main reason we do it now in the Church is for the redemption of the dead. If the New Testament tells Christians to avoid genealogies then how do you explain the following scriptures: (Mat. 1:1-17, Gen. 5:3-32) .
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