Ask A Mormon

[TexanKnight]

The thread is entitled “Ask a Mormon,” an apologist response is perfectly legitimate as a way to explain what Mormons think of an issue. If you wanted to know what Ford thought of their own cars then their website would be a good place to start.

nice try. The thread was started by a Mormon to ask THAT mormon questions. It was not titled “ask a Mormon a question so we can direct you an apologist website when we have no answers”

Now, if you can point us to a neutral website instead of acting like a chevy pointing us to a chevy website, be my guest.

Problem is, you can’t…because no sane scientist who is not LDS supports anything you say

and THAT should tell you something

 

[TexanKnight]

Thank you. I agree.

I also think that this shows that that specific apologetic argument (that the Catholics changed baptism from immersion to pouring (again noting that the Catholics accept both), therefore that’s a sign of apostasy) is flawed, as it can be applied to the LDS Church itself as well, in the case of the temple Initiatory washing and anointing, and the Endowment.

and changing unleavened bread and wine to wonder bread and water

 

[zaffiroborant]

Is FAIR an official representative of the LDS church? Do they have the authority to speak for the LDS church?

FAIR admits it is not an official representative of the LDS church and they have no authority to speak for the church.

FAIR is staffed completely by volunteers. It is not owned, controlled by, or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All research and opinions provided on this site are the sole responsibility of FAIR and should not be interpreted as official statements of LDS doctrine, belief, or practice

 

[Nita]

Thank you Erin and Stokemeister for your patience.

As a result of a couple posts I made on other threads concerning the LDS, I’ve spent yesterday evening and most of today trying to find out just what LDS doctrine is. My source has been the Encyclopedia of Mormonism on the BYU edu. site. (eom.byu.edu/index.php/) I hope that’s a trustworthy source.

There are a few questions I’ve been unable to find answers for. I’ll start with this one.
(I realize it would not apply to God the Father of our universe, since LDS teaches that prior to becoming God the Father he was a premortal spirit and then a human)

My question.
Do LDS believe there is a God:

1. who exists, has existed, and will exist as God, and only as God, for all eternity? (Never existed as a premortal spirit body or human)?
2. who is supreme over everything that exists - all universes and the gods therein; who would be supreme over God the Father of our universe?

 

[Porknpie]

I’d really appreciate an answer from a current Mormon to the question on thread # 96.

:curtsey:

 

[zaffiroborant]

Thank you Erin and Stokemeister for your patience.

As a result of a couple posts I made on other threads concerning the LDS, I’ve spent yesterday evening and most of today trying to find out just what LDS doctrine is. My source has been the Encyclopedia of Mormonism on the BYU edu. site. (eom.byu.edu/index.php/) I hope that’s a trustworthy source.

There are a few questions I’ve been unable to find answers for. I’ll start with this one.
(I realize it would not apply to God the Father of our universe, since LDS teaches that prior to becoming God the Father he was a premortal spirit and then a human)

My question.
Do LDS believe there is a God:

1. who exists, has existed, and will exist as God, and only as God, for all eternity? (Never existed as a premortal spirit body or human)?
2. who is supreme over everything that exists - all universes and the gods therein; who would be supreme over God the Father of our universe?

From the encyclopedia’s home page:

Lest the role of the Encyclopedia be given more weight than it deserves, the editors make it clear that those who have written and edited have only tried to explain their understanding of Church history, doctrines, and procedures;** their statements and opinions remain their own**. The Encyclopedia of Mormonism is a joint product of Brigham Young University and Macmillan Publishing Company, and** its contents do not necessarily represent the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.** In no sense does the Encyclopedia have the force and authority of scripture.

 

[fredystairs]

D&C 91 is a revelation dictated by Joseph Smith that speaks of the Apocrypha. Joseph Smith also did a long review of the King James Bible, what is referred to as the Inspired Translation. It is not published regularly as an independent volume by the LDS Church but references to it are noted in the footnotes of the LDS publication of the King James Bible. Many of the revelations of Joseph Smith came through that review process as he questioned the Lord in prayer about the meaning of passages.

OK so we have a message concerning the aporypha. What about the rest of the books in the Bible and those that did not make the grade?

I’ve read histories concerning the development of the canon of scripture and it is very complicated concerning which books were to be included in the Scripture. It was not until 390 or thereabouts at a council at Hippo that the canon as it is now in the Catholic Bible was defined. For the Catholic Church, its been that list ever since.

Now back to my original question – did the Mormon Church review the other books that did not make it and reject them? Or did they accept the Catholic Bible, except the Apocrypha? And if they did accept the Catholic Bible, why would they accept the Scripture as handed down by a church that was in Apostasy?

 

[fredystairs]

1. The following sections from the Book of Mormon contain references to chariots: Alma 18: 9, 10, 12: 3 Nephi 3:22 and 21: 14.
   Chariots, by definition, have wheels. When the first European explorers came to the Americas after Columbus’ discovery, they remarked that the native population did not use wheels, except as ceremonial devices. I understand that the Book of Mormon tells of a massive battle and many people died. Even so, it seems strange to me that the remaining native populations would lose the knowledge of wheels, since they are so simple (as opposed to, say, the internal combustion engine) and so superior to the sledges that the European explorers noted that the native population were using. What does the Mormon Church and its archeologists say about the loss of this knowledge?

I think it is a problem of translation into English and the revelation going through the mind of Joseph Smith who communicated those revelations in the scriptural language he knew - that of the King James Bible. In the case of chariots in the Book of Mormon I think it is interesting to note how rare they are mentioned, that they are no mention of wheels, no description of being pulled by an animal, that they are not described when talking about journeying and are only associated with kings and war. So I think it is a case of modern readers imposing images of Ben Hur and the Romans as they read the text. I think the real activity behind the translation was probably something more akin to a litter or king carrier. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litter_(vehicle

Here is a thorough response about chariots: en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Mormon/Anachronisms/Chariots

You state that there was no mention of wheels associated with chariots. I do not find that unusual since by definition a chariot has wheels. When I mention an “army tank” I do not mention that it has an engine or treads – those are given, based on a definition of a tank.

You state that there is no mention of them being pulled by an animal, but in every passage I cited above, “horse” was mentioned within just a few words of “chariot.” (That there were no horses in the Americas when the Europeans arrived is an entire new thread.)

You state that “chariot” was only mentioned in regards to kings and war. That makes sense to me, since a chariot was primarlily used as a weapon and thus the king would have them going to war.

In addition to the cites in my orignal thread, I found another cite concerning wheels: 2 Nephi 15:28 “Whose arrows shall be sharp, and all their bows bent, and their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their** wheels **like a whirlwind, their roaring like a lion.”

Clearly, in the Book of Mormon shows that wheels were used. This also makes sense to me, since in the book of 1 Nephi, Nephi leaves during the reign of King Zedekiah. Chariots, and by extension wheels, had to have been well known to Nephi and knowing their importance, he would have used that knowledge in the Americas. As I quoted above, wheels are mentioned in the Book of Mormon. So, I’ll ask the question again. When did the peoples mentioned in the Book of Mormon lose the knowledge of wheels?

 

[lax16]

I make this thread in the hopes that as a whole, we can better understand someone’s religion who is still affiliated with them. I’ve noticed a lot of threads about the Mormon Church and so I wanted to start this thread to answer any questions that someone might have about the faith.

I am a return missionary currently attending BYU, was born and raised in the covenant and attend church every week. I will do my best to answer any question to the best ability of a typical mormon. I’ll be truthful with my answers and won’t sugar coat anything. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll tell you. You can know what the church is teaching now, what it taught, and why the changes.

Hi EGB - How did all of the BoM peoples travel to America? How many were there and how many ships did it take to carry them all?

 

[ErinGoBragh]

Erin,

Do you believe that Christ taught the apostles without error? That is, if we could sit down with any of the apostles, we would hear the true Word of God as revealed to the apostles from Christ, without error and before any apostasy?

Sorry everybody, i’m currently in the middle of traveling for a school class, i can only answer a few questions today but i’m happy to see other LDS members answering questions in my absense.

PorknPie I 100% agree with this statement.

 

[ErinGoBragh]

Here is a question I just thought of (forgive me if I’ve asked this before, but it’s a really important question and point to me):

LDS believe that one of the signs of the Great Apostasy is the changing of ordinances/sacraments. For example, LDS point to baptism as performed in the New Testament, and say that it was immersion. When pouring was introduced as a method for baptism, this is viewed as a sign of apostasy. There are multiple sources by LDS apologists and scholars, as well as official sources, that point to this as an important evidence of the restoration, since LDS allegedly restored the true original practice of baptism by full immersion (ignoring of course that Catholics/Orthodox have always practiced baptism by immersion, allowing pouring to be an additional mode, as we see in the East baptism are practically all practiced by immersion, so it was never lost).

The problem with this is that the LDS Church itself has had various evolutions in ordinances throughout its short history. For example, the Initiatory washing and anointing is not performed in the same manner today as it was performed prior to 2005. There is a clear change in the form or mode of performing the washing and anointing (I won’t get into it in this thread since some LDS may view that as too much info, however I’m sure the LDS and ex-LDS posters know what I’m talking about), just like the alleged change from baptism by immersion to pouring. So, how do you view that comparison in changing of an ordinance? Is this a sign of the LDS Church being in apostasy since it has changed various ordinances, ordinances believed to have been revealed by God?

If the answer is, the LDS Church has the authority to make those changes, and that presumably they were revealed changes, then why can’t the Catholics similarly claim that they had/have the authority to make changes to the ordinances/sacraments in the same way?

This is a very good point. How can a church reconcile their words in claiming that a church has corrupted a church doctrine when the same church seems to change it’s doctrine also? And you have infact answered that very question yourself. Members of the LDS faith believe that the church is the true church of Christ “restored”. and that the “authority” to act in God’s name has been restored along with it. The church then has the power (as long as God approves of course) to make alterations as He see’s fit. The catholic church or any other church can make the same claim of having the authority of Christ. What it comes down to, is who are you going to believe?

That is a journey only you and God can finish together. There are lots of sources out there and many churches that you can attend for answers. Ultimately, it needs to come down to your study of the scriptures and prayer. Through enough study and prayer, God will guide you to His true church. I guarantee it.

 

[ErinGoBragh]

To quote Tootsie Pops, “The world may never know”

That said, I actually do have a few questions:

1. It’s been mentioned before, but how do Mormons justify the Book of Mormon with Galatians 1:8? The same question can be asked of Revelation 22:18. Our point is just that the Book of Mormon seems like an addition to the Bible, which would go against these verses

[BIBLEDRB]Gal 1:8[/BIBLEDRB]
[BIBLEDRB]Rev 22:18[/BIBLEDRB]

1. How do Mormons justify the King Follett discourse? Specifically with Isaish 44:6. God makes it clear that he is the only God.

[BIBLEDRB]Is 44:6[/BIBLEDRB]

1. What do Mormons believe about evolution v. Young-Earth Creationism?
2. On a similar note, what do they think of a round Earth v a flat Earth? I ask because one of my friends back home is Mormon and believes in a flat Earth, so I’ve been wondering the official position

With the first question, here is how the church views it.

The bible is not One book but rather a collection of books bound together. With revelations, we simply justify it by saying that John was only talking about the book of Revelations. We are also taught that the book of revelation was technically not the last book ever written in the bible (not sure if catholics believe this too or not).

second question, The church justify’s this by saying that the God of the old testmament is Jehovah or Christ. At the time, this is the only God they needed to know about. When Christ came, He told us that we should only worship the God in Heaven, His Father. For us, God is the Only God that we will ever worship, from beginning to end. So you are correct, God is the Only God that we will worship.

third question, thats still a debatable theology within the church, there are members that believe in evolution and there are members that don’t believe in it. As for me? I believe in evolution through God. But this doctrine is not openly preached within the church.

as for the last question, i can honestly say, any educated Mormon will tell you the world is round.

 

[ErinGoBragh]

Thank you Erin and Stokemeister for your patience.

As a result of a couple posts I made on other threads concerning the LDS, I’ve spent yesterday evening and most of today trying to find out just what LDS doctrine is. My source has been the Encyclopedia of Mormonism on the BYU edu. site. (eom.byu.edu/index.php/) I hope that’s a trustworthy source.

There are a few questions I’ve been unable to find answers for. I’ll start with this one.
(I realize it would not apply to God the Father of our universe, since LDS teaches that prior to becoming God the Father he was a premortal spirit and then a human)

My question.
Do LDS believe there is a God:

1. who exists, has existed, and will exist as God, and only as God, for all eternity? (Never existed as a premortal spirit body or human)?
2. who is supreme over everything that exists - all universes and the gods therein; who would be supreme over God the Father of our universe?

For question number 1, yes to everything except for “only as God”. We believe that he was once a mortal man just like you and me and through many many many many trials and tribulations and (i would assume eons of time) became the God that we know today.

1. For us, the only supreme being and leader of our universe is God, The Father.

 

[Nita]

From the encyclopedia’s home page:

Lest the role of the Encyclopedia be given more weight than it deserves, the editors make it clear that those who have written and edited have only tried to explain their understanding of Church history, doctrines, and procedures; their statements and opinions remain their own

Thanks zaffiroborant. I didn’t notice the home page connect to a “Preface”. In addition to the above, I found the following which encourages me that what is presented is reasonably accurate.It presents the work of hundreds of Latter-day Saint (LDS) lay scholars and others from throughout the world and provides a comprehensive reporting of Mormon history, scripture, doctrines, life, and knowledge, intended for both the non-Mormon and the LDS reader.
….
When Macmillan Publishing Company asked authorities at Brigham Young University whether they would be interested in developing an encyclopedia about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Jeffrey R. Holland took the query to his Board of Trustees. They instructed him to proceed. Working closely with Church authorities and Macmillan, President Holland chose an editor in chief and a board of editors.
……
The Church does not have a paid clergy or a battery of theologians to write the articles.** It functions with a lay ministry**, and all members are encouraged to become scholars of the gospel. Over 730 men and women were asked to write articles on **topics assigned because of previous interest and study. **

 

[Nita]

…
2. For us, the only supreme being and leader of our universe is God, The Father.

Thank you.
Regarding number 2 - I guess I wasn’t clear enough.
a) Do you believe there are other universes where other God’s are the supreme beings, but only over their particular universe? (I thought this was an LDS belief. If I’m wrong, I’d like to know.)

b) If so, my original question was whether LDS believes there is one truly (so to speak) Supreme Being who has authority, or is supreme, over all the individual Gods who rule in their particular universes.
Or is that possibility something that LDS does not address?

 

[ErinGoBragh]

Thank you.
Regarding number 2 - I guess I wasn’t clear enough.
a) Do you believe there are other universes where other God’s are the supreme beings, but only over their particular universe?

b) If so, my original question was whether LDS believes there is one truly (so to speak) Supreme Being who has authority, or is supreme, over all the individual Gods who rule in their particular universes.
Or is that possibility something that LDS does not address?

Yes we do believe that there are “other gods” out in the universe who are supreme beings to those things that that “god” created. However, do no not worship or acknowledge there power because they did not create us.

Also, if you are wondering if God has a “God” so to speak then yes. But again, we are taught and told to only obey and worship our God, The Father.

However, our minds and current knowledge can’t grasp something so wide and “impossible” so we just stick with teaching about our God because that is who we are subject to.

But if you think it about, if our God has a God, then his God has a God and so on. This is to deep to really teach or have a grasp on so the church doesn’t really have official doctrines about this other then the king follett discourse and abraham.

 

[bzkoss236]

1. For us, the only supreme being and leader of our universe is God, The Father.

He is asking, who was the first god, the god of all gods? It cannot be an infinite regression. There had to be a first.

 

[Nita]

Originally posted by Nita

Did he undergo these many trials only when he existed as a mortal man?
If so, you mention “eons of time”. Would that mean he took mortal flesh more than once? – or lived on earth for an extremely long period?

If the trials were not only while he lived on earth in mortal flesh, when would they have taken place and in what state/s of existence would he have been in when he experienced them?

(I hope you know these are honest questions. I have no intention of disputing any replies; I just want to understand what you teach and believe. I have one of those minds that is always coming up with questions. Thank heavens for Google. It helps a lot, but I can’t always find all the answers via it.)

 

[Nita]

Yes we do believe that there are “other gods” out in the universe who are supreme beings to those things that that “god” created. However, do no not worship or acknowledge there power because they did not create us.

Also, if you are wondering if God has a “God” so to speak then yes. But again, we are taught and told to only obey and worship our God, The Father.

However, our minds and current knowledge can’t grasp something so wide and “impossible” so we just stick with teaching about our God because that is who we are subject to.

But if you think it about, if our God has a God, then his God has a God and so on. This is to deep to really teach or have a grasp on so the church doesn’t really have official doctrines about this other then the king follett discourse and abraham.

Thank you very much.

 

[CaptBell800]

I live in California and I have seen some women around where we live wearing 19th century style clothing. Like, long dresses with bonnets. Are these women Mormons? If so, why do they dress like that? Thank you.