Claim: "Joseph Smith was a liar, again and again he lied. Joseph Smith said that there were cities all over America that held many, many people in South and Central America. Not one city has ever been found. Not one crumb, not one remain, and yet in the Bible multitudes of cities have been found just as the Bible said." - Floyd McElveen
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Despite the assertion to the contrary, cities existed throughout South and Central America during the Book of Mormon timeframe and these cities were in fact filled with people. Whether or not Book of Mormon people lived in a particular city is debatable and has been addressed here.
Joseph Smith's conception of what pre-Columbian America was like was unusual for his era. When he discovered an 1842 book describing Central American ruins, he was surprised and pleased to have someone from the secular world confirm the Book of Mormon's portrait of pre-Columbian life. When the Book of Mormon was published, Amerindians were perceived as being generally without "high culture," writing, cities, and other trappings of "advanced civilization."
To read more:
- John E. Clark, "'Archaeology, Relics, and Book of Mormon Belief'," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 14/2 (2005). [38–49] link
- Book of Mormon and Biblical archaeology
- Daniel C. Peterson, "Mounting Evidence for the Book of Mormon," Ensign 30/1 (January 2000): 18.off-site
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Claim: "Joseph Smith was a complete deceiver. He deceived people into believing that he had a revelation from God when he did not. The Book of Abraham has been proven false and Joseph Smith along with it. The DNA evidence showed he was false about what he said that the Lamanites and then the Indians descended from Israel—from the Jews. It was proven that they did not. He lied about that. He was a liar from the very beginning." - Floyd McElveen
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These issues have been addressed in the sections referenced below.
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Claim: "Do you want to know truth about who God is and how to know Him and how to be with Him forever? Then listen to this book, which is free of error because God can’t lie. He makes no mistakes." - Dr. John Whitcomb
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Latter-day Saints accept the Bible as the Word of God. We, like other Christians, believe that studying the Bible will draw us closer to the divine. We also agree that God doesn't lie or make mistakes. Can a book, however, that was written by imperfect mortals, in imperfect languages, copied by imperfect copiest, translated by imperfect translators, and intepreted by imperfect readers be "free of error"? The Bible itself does not claim to be error-free, and studies of the Bible and the inherent ambiguity which exists in all languages demonstrates that no writing is truly free of error.
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Claim: "It’s a question of what the truth is. It’s a question of what the evidence is. It’s a question of, did a man come along 1800 years into the history of Christianity and totally revise what Christianity says and what the Bible says? And that’s what we believe Joseph Smith did." - Dr. Phil Roberts, President, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
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It matters very little what Dr. Roberts, the Baptist Theological Seminary, or the other critics "think" Joseph Smith did. What matters is what Joseph claimed to do, and what the Latter-day Saints believe he did.
Joseph did not claim to "revise" Christianity, or alter what the Bible says. He claimed to restore Christianity to a purer state. LDS doctrine does not alter Biblical doctrines, but it does offer a different interpretation of the Biblical data. Dr. Roberts and his fellows are so utterly convinced that their view is the correct one that they seem unable to even conceive that someone might legitimately interpret the Bible differently.
Yet, Dr. Roberts' Baptist denomination is hardly younger than Joseph Smith's denomination, with historical roots in the 17th century at the earliest. Are we to instead believe that someone could reform Christianity without prophetic authority? Either Christianity persisted, uncontaminated, from the days of the apostles, or it was corrupted. If it became corrupted, by what authority did Dr. Roberts' denomination correct it? And, how can a neutral observer know if that authority is legitimate? The Bible certainly doesn't confer a divine mantle on the Baptists (or anyone else). Since we've been told that a witness of the Holy Spirit is off-limits, the critics have painted themselves into a corner.
[needs work]
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Claim: "I would greatly encourage any Mormon or any person who is thinking about Mormonism to examine objectively the life of Joseph Smith, the reliability and the teachings of the Book of Mormon over against the Jesus of the New Testament and the reliability of the Bible and its truthfulness." - Dr. Phil Roberts, President, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
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It's ironic that Dr. Roberts encourages an objective examination of Joseph Smith's life in a video that is anything but objective. The philosophies of science, history, and scholarship have shown that no one is completely objective, or free from all bias. All of us bring latent prejudices, and preconceived notions to the table when we approach a topic. Critics are already convinced that Mormonism is false before they produce their anti-Mormon material. The information presented in this video, for example, is one-sided, in some cases erroneous, and almost never lets the viewer know that some issues have alternative explanations or that there are rebuttals which adequately deal with their claims.
Latter-day Saints would also encourage Mormons and investigators to examine, as objectively as possible, the life of Joseph Smith. This must be done, however, with an open-mind and all the facts, not with the narrow-minded, dogmatic, and agenda-driven misinformation that is presented in this DVD.
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Claim: "There is a tremendous amount of respect that I have for them and their dedication and how hard they are seeking and the burden that they are willing to carry in their impossible attempt to live up to their impossible gospel demands." - Joel Kramer, Director, Living Hope Ministries
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The reader is invited to consider just how much "respect" the Latter-day Saints and their faith have experienced from Mr. Kramer and his ministry.
Mr. Kramer again presumes to speak for the Latter-day Saints—they do not consider the demands which a merciful Christ puts upon them to be "impossible," or even onerous. As Jesus taught, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11꞉30).
Distorted ideas about the Latter-day Saints' views on salvation have already been addressed here.
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Claim: "Virtually every verse I quote in scripture is [given to my congregation] because you need to go home and check me out. You need to see what the Bible has to say not what John says, not what Joseph says, not what anybody says but God. What does God say about these issues? You need to check these things out. It is your soul—your eternal soul—that is on the line and there is no reset button at the judgment. There is no finger pointing: ‘But he misled me.’ You have an obligation for the sake of your soul as well as to be able to share the truth with your family, people you love, to check out what God’s word has to say on these issues and not what somebody else had to say and the answers are found only in the word of God which is the Bible." - John McCartney, Pastor, First Baptist Church of Tooele, Utah.
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ANSWER
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Claim: "What I’ve discovered is when you counter Mormon theology with biblical fact and you back them up into a corner they most always go back to, ‘Well I’ve experienced a testimony.’" - Roger Oakland, President, Understand the Times
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The reader is invited to consider whether any reply to any of the so-called "facts" presented by the Search for the Truth DVD have been answered with "Well, we at FAIR have a testimony."
Members of FAIR do have testimonies, but there are legitimate Biblical and historical answers to all the questions posed by the critics. No member can answer every objection from a hostile critic, especially one who is so convinced that their interpretation of the Bible is the only way in which a honest, Christian, God-fearing person could understand the text. But, an individual's inability to answer to the satisfaction of self-appointed "Christian" judges says nothing about the merits of any position.
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ANSWER
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Claim: "...when you ask them, ‘Well what do you mean by “the testimony?” Is that the burning in the bosom?’ They say, ‘Yes, of course, and you too could have the experience of the burning in the bosom all you need to do is ask God if what Joseph Smith said is true.’ Now isn’t this amazing? To stake your eternal life based on some kind of a feeling, a subjective feeling? Where would you find that in the scriptures? Absolutely nowhere." - Roger Oakland, President, Understand the Times
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Note that the DVD intro text says: We pray that it will touch the hearts of all who watch through the grace and truth of Christ Jesus.
Aren't feelings in hearts supposed to be unreliable? [needs work]
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Claim: "My faith that I will be spending eternity in heaven with Jesus Christ is dependent upon understanding who He is and what He’s done. The shed blood of Jesus Christ, His life was sacrificed upon the cross, His blood was shed, He died, He is resurrected—He lives today. And if I would believe in Him and who He is and what He’s done and acknowledge who I am and what I’ve done and ask for forgiveness then I can spend eternity with him. It has nothing to do with a burning in the bosom." - Roger Oakland, President, Understand the Times
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ANSWER
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Claim: "All you have to do is believe in Christ and be saved and confess it and then that’s it." - Tim Howard (Former Mormon)
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ANSWER
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Claim: "It don’t have to be I’ve got to join this Church and then on top of that I’ve got to pay my tithing to get a Temple recommend and then I’ve got to have a Temple recommend to get into the Temple and then I’ve got to go to the Temple so that I can live with God so that I can become a God so that I can go have a planet to not be with God. It just don’t make sense." - Tim Howard (Former Mormon)
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ANSWER
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Claim: "Why would you trust Joseph Smith over the Bible?" - Sandra Tanner, President, Utah Lighthouse Ministry
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This is a false dilemma and begs the question. If Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, then we can trust him and the Bible.
Latter-day Saints do not choose between the two, any more than they choose between Peter and Paul, or Matthew and Mark.
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Claim: "What is the criteria for testing a prophet? Let’s look at that and I would hope the person would then be able to see Joseph Smith doesn’t deserve the honor and recognition that they’ve always given to him. He doesn’t measure up against what God said in the Bible." - Sandra Tanner, President, Utah Lighthouse Ministry
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ANSWER
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Claim: "You know, I thought to myself I’m teaching these kids, let alone my own kids, this song about a prophet that I don’t even believe is true." - Karen Howard (Former Mormon)
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This is a bizarre objection. Ms. Howard was teaching her children something she didn't believe? No parent ought to teach children things that they don't believe are true. However, that Ms. Howard did so is no fault of the Church's. The Church constantly emphasizes the necessity of knowing for oneself if one is following the path approved by God.
Ms. Howard's belief or disbelief says nothing about the truth or falsehood of any belief.
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Claim: "My heart, to see that people could know the truth because Jesus said if you know the truth the truth will set you free." - Scott Gallantin, Pastor, Calvary Chapel
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If the truth is all that is necessary to set us free (and Latter-day Saints believe that it is), why has Pastor Gallantin chosen to lend his name to a DVD that distorts and lies about the faith of the Latter-day Saints? Why does he not present all the facts, or refuse to associate with those who will not?
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Claim: "And I’m sure that if you do that if you truly seek Him out in the Bible I’m sure that Jesus would begin to speak to you and you would know the truth." - Scott Gallantin, Pastor, Calvary Chapel
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How does Pastor Gallantin know that Jesus does not speak to the Latter-day Saints as they read the Bible? (According to a Christian research group, a Latter-day Saint is statistically more likely to read the Bible during the week than Catholics or Protestants?) off-site
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Claim: "And so my heart is that any Mormon who would be hearing this would be going back to the scriptures, challenging the words of Joseph Smith, comparing them to the words of Jesus—the one who died for you, the one who loves you. The one who is praying for you right now, interceding, he ever lives to make intercession for you right now."
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Once again, the critics are claiming that the Mormons have some "different" Jesus that they need to abandon, and turn to "Jesus--the one who died for you, the one who loves you. The one who is praying for you right now, interceding, he ever lives to make intercession for you..."
One grows weary of repeating it, but these are all doctrines believed and taught by the Latter-day Saints:
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Claim: "Now I just ask you a simple question, do you want to trust Joseph Smith who is a fraud, a womanizer, many wives, a false prophet, the Book of Mormon? There’s nothing to support it, all the evidence says to the contrary. Or would you trust Jesus Christ who is the Savior, who is God, who became a man?...Now where do you want to rest your hope for eternity? In Joseph Smith or in Jesus Christ and His word?" - Dave Hunt, Author and Founder, Berean Ministries
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Once again this is a false dilemma and begs the question of Joseph's prophetic authority. Was Joseph Smith an imperfect mortal? Certainly. Was Paul an imperfect mortal? Of course. Do we trust Paul's record of his encounter with the divine? Is there evidence to support Paul's theophany? Do we trust Paul instead of Christ? This is the type of silly false dilemma argued by Dave Hunt.
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Claim: "And the Bible is supported by hundreds, even thousands of prophecies, proofs, evidence, history, archaeology—we can prove it." - Dave Hunt, Author and Founder, Berean Ministries
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While Latter-day Saints would agree that there is evidence-- both secular and spiritual-- to support the Bible as a mostly accurate narrative and as the Word of God, it's false to imply that the Bible has been proven to be the Word of God by secular means, and it's inaccurate to claim that we can "prove" the Bible by archaeology and history. Many biblical scholars and archaeologists believe that numerous Bible stories are myths or fabrications. Some question various parts of its history or doubt the reality of miracles and the resurrection. Archaeology and history certainly can not "prove" that Jesus is the Son of God, or that he atoned for our sins.
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Claim: "I was born and raised a Mormon for 37 years...Everything took a back seat to the Church including, as I look back, my family." - Randy Gavin, Former Salt Lake Stake Mission President
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One has to chuckle at the "title" used to identify Mr. Gavin. Non-members may find such a title impressive, but the Latter-day Saints would not. A "stake mission president" is a part-time position held by assignment, for a period of time, in every LDS "stake." A "stake" is an ecclesiastical unit of roughly ten congregations. Thus, in Salt Lake City alone there are dozens of stakes, and hundreds of current and former "stake mission presidents."
If Mr. Gavin put his family in the "back seat" to Church duties, the Church is not to blame for that. In fact, Mr. Gavin violated the clear teachings of the Church by putting family before Church duties. That he did so indicates that he did not understand even the fundamentals of LDS doctrine, regardless of being "raised a Mormon for 37 years." His poor choices in this most vital of matters make him a poor witness for how "Mormons" understand things.
Mr. Gavin and interested readers may wish to review the Church's teachings on family.
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Claim: "I remember sitting on the edge of my bed and weeping as the recognition that I had been lied to crept in upon me." - Randy Gavin, Former Salt Lake Stake Mission President
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If Mr. Gavin believed he was lied to, then he can doubtless understand how offensive it is for the Latter-day Saints when their doctrine and their history is repeatedly lied about over the course of a ninety minute DVD.
What is harder to understand is why Mr. Gavin would participate in a venture which lies about others. One can only hope that he still does not understand LDS doctrine and practice, as he evidently did not prior to leaving the Church.
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Claim: "When Jesus says if the Son set you free you should be free indeed He really means it. The thing that broke forth on me was that the Bible really is the real thing there’s no fantasy to it. It reveals reality to us." - Randy Gavin, Former Salt Lake Stake Mission President
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ANSWER
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