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Category: Anti-Mormonism
What motivates anti-Mormons?
If you spent more than 15 minutes last month trying to convince someone who is not a family member or friend that some aspect of the Mormon faith isn’t true, then I’m labeling you an anti-Mormon. I just throw that out there so you can understand the definition I’m using for the purpose of this post. Why do I exclude those who are trying to convince friends or family that the Mormon faith is false? Because I can see where they might be coming from. Your brother or sister, husband or wife, suddenly is interested in this strange religion and … Read the rest of this entry »
How much anti-Mormon material is out there?
Does anyone know how much anti-Mormon material is out there?
When I was a missionary back in 1995, I taught a man in a remote city in Brazil. He had been looking for “the right religion” to join for years. He had gone to every church he could find, even the one that drank something hallucinogenic and had “visions”. Then he started talking to us Mormons. What convinced him to join the LDS Church? Well, primarily it was a lot of study and prayer, but he mentioned something else that has stuck in my mind. He said that when he … Read the rest of this entry »
An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins – Book Review
This is a review of the book An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins by Grant H. Palmer. With this post I delve into new territory. Although I’ve read plenty of online anti-Mormon material, this is the first time I’ve actually read a printed book allegedly of that genre.
Now, as a first matter, it is my understanding that the author is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was an employee of the Church Educational System (CES) for 34 years, and that in writing this book it was the author’s stated intent “to increase faith, … Read the rest of this entry »
The Lost Book of Abraham YouTube Video
On another post where I asked people why they had left the LDS Church, a commenter named Max said this as part of his comment:
About two years ago I came across a video on youtube called “The Lost Book of Abraham.” In a period of 1 hour, my faith and belief in the church was utterly shattered and I could no longer believe. It cost me my marriage, my relationship with my children, my relationship with my brother and my sisters. It cost me the relationships with my parents and my friends.
The video can be found here… Read the rest of this entry »
My definition of “Anti-Mormon”
In response to a question posed by a commenter on this site, I figured it was fair to provide an answer since I do use the term rather broadly at times. I see there being multiple types of anti-Mormons:
1. The Professional anti-Mormon. These are folks like Jerald and Sandra Tanner who have dedicated their lives to anti-Mormonism as though it were its own religion.
2. The Amateur anti-Mormon. These are the people who attack the Mormon church, but on a part-time basis, when it’s convenient or when they get particularly riled up, but they have day-jobs and lives … Read the rest of this entry »
How did Joseph Smith carry home the golden plates of the Book of Mormon, and how did the witnesses lift them so easily?
The full question asked as part of many anti-Mormon pamphlets is:
How did Joseph Smith carry home the golden plates of the Book of Mormon, and how did the witnesses lift them so easily? (They weighed about 230 lbs. Gold, with a density of 19.3 weighs 1204.7 lbs. per cubic foot. The plates were 7″ x 8″ by about 6″. See Articles of Faith, by Talmage, page 262, 34th ed.)
I’d love to give my own answer to this, but it’s already been answered by others. Here is a link to the standard LDS response about the weight of the … Read the rest of this entry »
Hebrew DNA Found in South America?
Anti-Mormons are generally more interested in the matter of Hebrew DNA (or lack thereof) in the America’s than Mormons are, since anti-Mormons rely on it as evidence of the falsity of the Book of Mormon and LDS faith whereas most Mormons don’t rely on it in the slightest to prove their religion. So might the recent discovery of Hebrew DNA markers in living populations of native Americans reverse things? Probably not. There may be a few Mormons who get excited and blow this discovery out of proportion, and there may be a few anti-Mormons who start getting worried that this … Read the rest of this entry »
Is Mormonism a Cult?
A lot of people say that Mormons belong to a cult. Is that true? First, it depends on what your definition of a cult is. Here are a few definitions culled from the web. If you have others feel free to add them.
1. Followers of an exclusive system of religious beliefs and practices.
2. Followers of an unorthodox, extremist, or false religion or sect who often live outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
3. A religion or sect that is generally considered to be unorthodox, extremist, or false; “it was a satanic … Read the rest of this entry »
Anti-Mormon Modus Operandi
I’ll admit I’m a novice when it comes to anti-Mormons. I can’t claim to have studied their methods for more than a week or two as of the writing of this post, although during that time I’ve read quite a bit. In everything I’ve read, there seems to be one similarity as to how anti-Mormons work when it comes to their mission of disproving LDS Church theology, and that would be to take things out of context and twist meaning.
It’s one thing to have a factual disagreement. For example, Mormons believe that God has a physical, tangible body. Not … Read the rest of this entry »
Is CARM.org accurate?
“If you cannot find an LDS source that contradicts us then we can assume we are correct until an LDS statement comes out in direct contradiction of any statement on the CARM website.” – CARM Representative
One of the more visible anti-Mormon resources online is the CARM.org website, which has a fairly extensive section dedicated to proving that Mormonism is false. However, I recently found a factual inaccuracy on the site and have had an interesting email dialog with one of the people responsible for the content on the site. Through this conversation it has become clear that all … Read the rest of this entry »
If Joseph Smith was a fraud where did the Book of Mormon come from?
Critics say the Book of Mormon is not the word of God, that it is a fraud and false. So then what is your explanation for the existence of the book? It must have come from somewhere. Joseph Smith had an elementary school education and wasn’t known for having great writing skills. Did he write it on his own? Could you, even with the help of your college education and the Internet write such a book? Before you answer, have you actually read the book from cover to cover? The idea that Joseph Smith, or any other person or group … Read the rest of this entry »
Anti-Mormons vs. Logic
I’ll admit it, I like to debate. I don’t mean I like being in heated, emotional arguments, I mean I like to debate facts and present evidence in a cool and calm manner. For me, the value of debate is not in proving one’s point, but learning. I don’t enjoy debating anti-Mormons because I think I can prove they are wrong or because I like to annoy them, I debate them because it forces me to more closely examine what I believe through which I learn quite a bit about myself and my own religion, and because I like to … Read the rest of this entry »
Archaeological Evidence for the Book of Mormon
While Mormons base their belief in the Book of Mormon on direct communication with God regarding the matter, it’s still fun to see archaeological evidence that supports the Book of Mormon, and a lack of such evidence is commonly used by anti-Mormons as proof that the Book of Mormon is false, and that Mormons are sneaky monkeys who shouldn’t be hired for your next archaeological expedition.
Here are a few links to various webpages containing information regarding archeology and the Book of Mormon:
Mike Sageloff’s photo pages one, two, and three.
Jeff Lindsay’s Book of Mormon evidences … Read the rest of this entry »
Honeybees in the Book of Mormon
Refutation of claim on the CARM website.
Claim: The Book of Mormon talks of honey bees, but honey bees were introduced to the Americans by the Spanish. Therefore the Book of Mormon is false and you should not hire Mormons for any of your pollination needs.
Reference: Ether 2:3 – “And they did also carry with them deseret, which, by interpretation, is a honey bee; and thus they did carry with them swarms of bees…”
Explanation: There’s no two ways about it–this claim is simply false. The fact is, there is plain evidence of honey bees in the Americas … Read the rest of this entry »
Does the Book of Mormon teach that Jesus was born in Jerusalem rather than Bethlehem?
Refutation of a claim on CARM’s website.
Claim: Alma 7:10 contradicts the Bible in Matt. 2:1, therefore the Book of Mormon is false and Mormons are sneaky monkeys.
References:
Alma 7:10 – “And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers…”
Matthew 2:1 – “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea…”
Explanation: This one’s pretty simple. There is “the city of Jerusalem” and “the land of Jerusalem” which encompasses many cities. For example, I was born in a hospital in Pasadena, CA although my parents lived in Arcadia at … Read the rest of this entry »
Do Mormons believe that God had sex with Mary?
No. Mormons do not believe any such thing. This is a myth perpetuated by anti-Mormons in order to make the Mormon church look like a bunch of crazy lunatics. We believe that Mary was a virgin before and after she gave birth to Jesus as stated in the Book of Mormon in 1 Nephi 11:18-20:
And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh. And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she … Read the rest of this entry »
Difficult Questions for Mormons
Rats, I was just looking forward to having some fun answering the Difficult Questions for Mormons but I found that the folks over at SHIELDS have already done it.
As they point out, none of these questions is particularly difficult to answer with a little research, although I suppose they may be difficult for most Mormons to answer off the cuff.
Update: I’m trying to answer the difficult questions for Mormons myself, just for fun.… Read the rest of this entry »
Do Mormons attack Christianity like Christianity attacks Mormons?
According to some, the answer is yes. “the Mormon church clearly condemns other religious systems. Those Mormons who complain about poor treatment should familiarize themselves with their teachers’ words.”
However, the statements made by LDS Church leaders about other religions are of quite a different nature than that which is said about the LDS Church, and the LDS Church never comes out and criticizes another specific religion. Mormons do not picket other churches. Mormons do not go around condemning members of other churches, saying that they are going to hell. But all this is done on a frequent basis … Read the rest of this entry »
Is anti-Mormonism it’s own religion?
As I’ve researched anti-Mormon materials online I’ve been amazed by the sheer amount of it and it makes me wonder if Mormons are targeted more than other religions, even those religions that are substantially larger than Mormonism. For example, there are about 13 million Mormons in the entire world. But there are around 1 billion Hindus, and similar numbers of Muslims, Catholics, and Buddhists. And yet if I do a search on Google for “mormonism false” I get 1.8 million results, whereas if I do a search for “islam false” I only get half a million … Read the rest of this entry »