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FAIR Study Aids/Gospel Doctrine/Book of Mormon/Lesson Five

2012-01-28T05:33:45Z

SteveWilloughby: /* Faith Affirmatiosns */ fixed typo

Facts Mormons Won't Tell You When They Call at Your Door

2011-02-27T06:10:48Z

SteveWilloughby: /* */

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__NOTOC__
{{FAIRAnalysisHeader
|title=Answers to "Facts: Mormons Won't Tell You When They Call at Your Door"
|author=Macgregor Ministries
|noauthor=
|section=
|previous=
|next=
|notes=
}}
=Answers to "Facts: Mormons Won't Tell You When They Call at Your Door"=

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they believe your Church is wrong, your Christian creeds are abomination to God, and your pastor or Priest is a hireling of Satan.
|response=
*Joseph Smith went into the grove at age 14 to ask God "which of all the churches is right, and which should [he] join?" He assumed that the Lord's church had continued on the earth, unchanged through the centuries, and just wanted to know which one it was. What he was told by the Father and the Son in his vision appears to have been a surprising answer to him, that they were all wrong. But what he said was that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight, that the professors (as in professional clergy) were corrupt. That's a far cry from saying that there was nothing good or true or of value in those churches, or that their members were going to hell.
*The Church does not teach that the pastors and priests of other churches are "hirelings of Satan."
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that there is salvation only in their church - all others are wrong.
|response=
*{{Detail|Plan of salvation/Salvation of non-members}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that those who have been through their temples are wearing secret underwear to protect themselves from "evil". This "evil" includes non - Mormons like you.
|response=
*This claim is absolutely absurd.
*Temple garments are meant to be a reminder of the covenants that we make with God in the temple. The "protection" that they afford us is the visible reminder of those covenants. We do not believe that they make us invulnerable to "evil."
*Latter-day Saints do NOT consider non-Mormons "evil."
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/Garments}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU about their secret temple rites at all. If they did, you would spot them as non Christians immediately.
|response=
*Latter-day Saints consider the temple ordinances sacred and do not discuss them openly, particularly with those who would mock them. However, they are hardly secret.
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they think "familiar spirits" are good, and that their Book of Mormon has a "familiar spirit". Leviticus 19:31 says familiar spirits defile one, and are to be avoided at all costs.
|response=
*The claim is based upon a passage in the Book of Mormon. Critics ask why, if the words "familiar spirit" in Is. 29:4 refer to the Book of Mormon (as used in 2_Ne. 26:16, why does "familiar spirit" always refer to occult practices such as channeling and necromancy everywhere else in the Old Testament?
*The reason Latter-day Saints won't tell you that "familiar spirits" are "good" is because the subject of "familiar spirits" is rarely, if ever, discussed. Most Latter-day Saints would scratch their head upon hearing this claim.
*{{Detail|Book of Mormon/As a "familiar spirit"}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that women receive salvation only through their Mormon husbands, and must remain pregnant for all eternity.
|response=
*This is definitely one of the more puerile claims we hear from anti-Mormon ministries - the "eternally pregnant goddess." This claim likely originated in the anti-Mormon film "The God Makers." Like many claims in that film, it is based more on sensationalism than in fact.
*The LDS church does not teach that women receive their salvation only through their husbands. In fact, faithful men and women are each judged by God for their individual faithfulness. In order to obtain the highest rewards in the afterlife, Mormons believe that a man and woman need to be married for eternity, and the husband requires his wife every bit as much as the wife requires her husband in that equation.
*{{Detail|Nature of God/"Celestial sex"}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they intend to be gods themselves some day, and are helping to earn their exaltation to godhood by talking to you.
|response=
*Critics claim that the doctrine of human deification is unbiblical, false, and arrogant. Related claims include: 1) Mormons believe they will 'supplant God', 2) Belief in theosis, or human deification, implies more than one "god," which means Mormons are "polytheists," 3) The Mormon concept of "human deification" is a pagan belief derived from Greek philosophy.
*{{Detail|Mormonism and the nature of God/Deification of man}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they intend to have many wives in heaven, carrying on multiple sex relations throughout eternity, until they have enough children to populate their own earth, so they can be "Heavenly Father" over their own planet!
|response=
*Critics claim that Latter-day Saints believe in a practice called "Celestial sex," and that this is the manner in which "spirit children" are formed.
*{{Detail|"Celestial sex"}}
*Critics claim that Mormons believe that they can push themselves higher in a type of 'celestial pecking order.' This is often expressed by the claim that Latter-day Saint men wish to become "gods of their own planets."
*{{Detail|Mormonism and the nature of God/Deification of man/Gods of their own planets}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that you were once a spirit - child of their heavenly father, and one of his numerous wives before you were born on earth.
|response=
*Latter-day Saints ''do'' teach that we are spirit children of our Heavenly Father, and we certainly have no reason not to tell you that "at the door," or anywhere else!
*The part about his "numerous wives" comes from "The God Makers" and is not Church doctrine. This claim is based upon statements made by Brigham Young in which he stated that God the Father had more than one wife.
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that the Virgin Mary really wasn't a virgin at all but had sex relations with their heavenly father to produce the Mormon version of Jesus Christ
|response=
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Conception}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they believe Jesus had at least three wives and children while he was on this earth.
|response=
*The Church takes no position on whether or not Jesus was married, although many Latter-day Saints believe that he may have been.
*The claim that Jesus was a polygamist was made by Orson Hyde, and it appears to be unique to him. The Church does not teach this.
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Was Jesus married}}
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Was Jesus married/Was Jesus a polygamist}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that the "heavenly father" they ask you to pray to with them, is really an exalted man that lives on a planet near the star base Kolob, and is not the Heavenly Father of the Bible at all.
|response=
*The "star base Kolob" comes directly from the anti-Mormon film "The God Makers." It is a term Mormons would generally not even recognize.
*{{Detail|Book of Abraham/Kolob}}
*Mormons genuinely and fully believe that the "Heavenly Father" they refer to is in fact the Heavenly Father of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They couldn't tell you differently because that is their belief. You may disagree with their point of view, but that's not the same as the disingenuous hiding of facts being implied here.
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that Jesus was really Lucifer's brother in the spirit world, and it was only due to a "heavenly council" vote that Jesus became our redeemer instead of Satan!!
|response=
*Latter-day Saints believe that ''everyone'' is a child of God, and therefore are "siblings." Jesus Christ is thus referred to as our "elder brother." However, evangelical critics claim that the LDS consider Jesus and Satan to be "brothers," thus lowering the stature of Christ, or elevating Satan.
*It is not a genuine belief of the LDS church that "only... a heavenly council vote" elevated Jesus to our redeemer. Jesus had an elevated status above all of God's children from the beginning. He was not voted into that position.
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Brother of Satan}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that there are over one hundred divisions in Mormonism. They conveniently "forget" this while criticizing the many denominations within the body of Christ
|response=
*The only offshoot of any significant size is the Community of Christ (formerly Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), which had a total membership of approximately 250,000 in 2008.
*The LDS consider the off-shoot branches that left the LDS church to be as tragic as the fragmentation of the older branches of Christianity. The criticism implies that the LDS somehow view these splinter groups as "peer Mormon factions" or somehow view them differently. In fact, the LDS church considers them to be apostate groups which are not considered part of the same church anymore at all, any more than a Baptist congregation would be considered just another parish of the Catholic church. The LDS church therefore sees these groups the same as any other church, no convenient lapse of memory necessary.
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that all their so- called scriptures such as the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, Doctrine and Covenants, and even their official "Mormon Doctrine" statements contradict each other on MAJOR doctrinal points. The King James Bible is likewise contradicted.
|response=
*Critics present two or more scriptures from LDS scripture, and insist that the scriptures contradict each other. This article examines the supposed contradictions, presents the scriptures cited in context, and demonstrates that claims of contradiction rest on: 1) a misinterpretation of LDS scripture, 2) comparing two verses which are speaking about different things or 3) reading Protestant meanings into scriptural terminology.
*{{Detail|Latter-day Saint scripture/Supposed contradictions}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that the reason the Book of Mormon has no maps is because there is not one scrap of archaeological evidence to support it!
|response=
*Critics charge that what is known about ancient American archaeology is not consistent with the Book of Mormon account. Sectarian critics often add the claim that the Bible has been "proven" true by archaeology, unlike the Book of Mormon.
*{{Detail|Book of Mormon/Archaeology}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that the state of Utah, which is predominately Mormon, has a higher than the national average of wife-beating, child abuse, and teenage suicide.
|response=
*Critics like to use statistical information related to the population of Utah to draw some sort of conclusion about the status or overall health of the Church.
*{{Detail|Utah/Statistical claims}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that their prophet Joseph Smith was heavily involved in the occult when he founded Mormonism.
|response=
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Occultism and magic}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that that they encourage visitations from dead relatives from the "spirit world", a practice forbidden in the Bible. (Deuteronomy 18:10-12.)
|response=
*We are unaware of any teaching of the Church that is designed to "encourage visitations from dead relatives."
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that there are many accounts of Joseph Smith's first vision besides the one they present to you, and all are different
|response=
*The claim simply isn't true.
*See the official Church magazine, the ''Ensign'': [http://lds.org/ensign/1985/01/joseph-smiths-recitals-of-the-first-vision?lang=eng&query=first+vision+accounts Milton V. Backman Jr., "Joseph Smith’s Recitals of the First Vision", Ensign, Jan. 1985, 8]
*See also [http://lds.org/ensign/1996/04/joseph-smiths-testimony-of-the-first-vision?lang=eng&query=first+vision+accounts Richard L. Anderson, "Joseph Smith’s Testimony of the First Vision", Ensign, Apr. 1996, 10], which begins by stating, "The Prophet’s accounts of his first vision offer us a picture that is rich in testimony and supported by history."
*See also the Gospel Study section of the "lds.org" website: [http://lds.org/study/topics/accounts-of-the-first-vision?lang=eng&query=first+vision+accounts Accounts of the First Vision]. "During a 10-year period (1832–42), Joseph Smith wrote or dictated at least four accounts of the First Vision. These accounts are similar in many ways, but they include some differences in emphasis and detail."
*{{Detail|First Vision}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that their secret temple oaths are based on the Scottish Rite Masons.
|response=
*Some critics of Mormonism see similarities between the rites of Freemasonry and LDS temple ceremonies and assume that since Joseph Smith was initiated as a Freemason shortly before he introduced the Nauvoo-style endowment he must have plagiarized elements of the Masonic rituals. This viewpoint leads them, in turn, to conclude that the LDS endowment is nothing but a variant form of Masonic initiation and therefore not from a divine source.
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/Endowment/Freemasonry}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that before 1978 they considered the Negro race inferior, and even one drop of Negro blood prevented a person from entering their priesthood.
|response=
*{{Detail|Mormonism and racial issues/Blacks and the priesthood}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they expect Christ to return to their temple in Missouri, but they haven't built the temple He's supposed to return to, because they don't own the property. (It is owned by the "Temple Lot Mormons" who have plans of their own, and won't let the Salt Lake City group buy it).
|response=
*Regarding the building of a temple in Independence, Missouri, many of our critics obviously think they know the timetable of the Lord. Perhaps it would be advantageous for critics to apply Biblical principles when it comes to understanding the time and seasons of the Lord. Perhaps the critics should read the Bible with regards to this matter of "next generation." After all, as it states in the Bible: And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. ({{s||Acts|1|7}})
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/The role of the Independence temple}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they consider the Bible to be untrustworthy and full of errors.
|response=
*Latter-day Saints revere the Bible as Holy scripture.
*{{Detail|Bible|l1=The Bible as part of Latter-day Saint canon}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that Jesus' death on the cross only partially saves the believer.
|response=
*Critics seriously understate the position of the Church of Jesus Christ with respect to the atonement.
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Atonement}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that that according to Anton Lavey's Satanic Bible, the demon god of the living dead is called "Mormo". Is it just a coincidence that the Mormons are so concerned with the dead?
|response=
*This criticism, straight from the anti-Mormon film "The God Makers" is utterly ridiculous.
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/Baptism for the dead}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that on their Salt Lake City Temple they prominently display an upside-down star which is a Satanic symbol known as the Goat's head. Why?
|response=
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/Inverted Stars on LDS Temples}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they believe the Archangel Michael came down to earth with several of his celestial wives, and became Adam in the garden of Eden.
|response=
*Actually, it was Joseph Smith that taught this. There is no reason that Latter-day Saints "won't tell you" this:
<blockquote>
The Priesthood was first given to Adam. He obtained the First Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the creation, before the world was formed, as in Gen. i. 20, 26, 28. He had dominion given him over every living creature. He is Michael the Archangel, spoken of in the Scriptures. Then to Noah, who is Gabriel: he stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood. {{JDfairwiki|vol=6|disc=40|start=237}}
</blockquote>
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that that they believe the angel Gabriel came down to earth and became Noah in the days of the flood.
|response=
*Actually, it was Joseph Smith that taught this. There is no reason that Latter-day Saints "won't tell you" this:
<blockquote>
The Priesthood was first given to Adam. He obtained the First Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the creation, before the world was formed, as in Gen. i. 20, 26, 28. He had dominion given him over every living creature. He is Michael the Archangel, spoken of in the Scriptures. Then to Noah, who is Gabriel: he stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood. {{JDfairwiki|vol=6|disc=40|start=237}}
</blockquote>
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that their Prophet Joseph Smith prophesied falsely many times. For example, he foretold the second coming of Christ for 1891. The Bible teaches that one false prophecy puts the prophet under death sentence. (Deuteronomy 18:20-22).
|response=
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Prophecies}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that their Prophet Joseph Smith did not die as a martyr as they claim, but was killed during a gun battle in which he himself killed two men and wounded a third.
|response=
*The two men who were supposedly "killed" were later seen quite alive. Joseph did wound several men.
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Martyrdom}}
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Martyrdom/Joseph fired a gun}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU about the Mountain Meadows Massacre in which they brutally murdered an innocent wagon train of settlers, of over one hundred men, women, and most of the children, traveling through Utah.
|response=
*A search of "lds.org" (the official Church web site) turns up many references to the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
*See this article in the official Church magazine, the ''Ensign'': [http://lds.org/ensign/2007/09/the-mountain-meadows-massacre?lang=eng&query=Mountain+Meadows Richard E. Turley Jr., "The Mountain Meadows Massacre", ''Ensign'', Sept. 2007, 14–21]
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that Joseph Smith taught that there were inhabitants on the moon, and Brigham Young taught there were inhabitants on the sun as well!
|response=
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Moon inhabited}}
*{{Detail|Brigham Young/Teachings/Moon and sun are inhabited}}
}}

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Facts Mormons Won't Tell You When They Call at Your Door

2011-02-27T06:07:00Z

SteveWilloughby: /* */

{{Articles FAIR copyright}} {{Articles Header 1}} {{Articles Header 2}} {{Articles Header 3}} {{Articles Header 4}} {{Articles Header 5}} {{Articles Header 6}} {{Articles Header 7}} {{Articles Header 8}} {{Articles Header 9}} {{Articles Header 10}}
__NOTOC__
{{FAIRAnalysisHeader
|title=Answers to "Facts: Mormons Won't Tell You When They Call at Your Door"
|author=Macgregor Ministries
|noauthor=
|section=
|previous=
|next=
|notes=
}}
=Answers to "Facts: Mormons Won't Tell You When They Call at Your Door"=

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they believe your Church is wrong, your Christian creeds are abomination to God, and your pastor or Priest is a hireling of Satan.
|response=
*Joseph Smith went into the grove at age 14 to ask God "which of all the churches is right, and which should [he] join?" He assumed that the Lord's church had continued on the earth, unchanged through the centuries, and just wanted to know which one it was. What he was told by the Father and the Son in his vision appears to have been a surprising answer to him, that they were all wrong. But what he said was that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight, that the professors (as in professional clergy) were corrupt. That's a far cry from saying that there was nothing good or true or of value in those churches, or that their members were going to hell.
*The Church does not teach that the pastors and priests of other churches are "hirelings of Satan."
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that there is salvation only in their church - all others are wrong.
|response=
*{{Detail|Plan of salvation/Salvation of non-members}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that those who have been through their temples are wearing secret underwear to protect themselves from "evil". This "evil" includes non - Mormons like you.
|response=
*This claim is absolutely absurd.
*Temple garments are meant to be a reminder of the covenants that we make with God in the temple. The "protection" that they afford us is the visible reminder of those covenants. We do not believe that they make us invulnerable to "evil."
*Latter-day Saints do NOT consider non-Mormons "evil."
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/Garments}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU about their secret temple rites at all. If they did, you would spot them as non Christians immediately.
|response=
*Latter-day Saints consider the temple ordinances sacred and do not discuss them openly, particularly with those who would mock them. However, they are hardly secret.
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they think "familiar spirits" are good, and that their Book of Mormon has a "familiar spirit". Leviticus 19:31 says familiar spirits defile one, and are to be avoided at all costs.
|response=
*The claim is based upon a passage in the Book of Mormon. Critics ask why, if the words "familiar spirit" in Is. 29:4 refer to the Book of Mormon (as used in 2_Ne. 26:16, why does "familiar spirit" always refer to occult practices such as channeling and necromancy everywhere else in the Old Testament?
*The reason Latter-day Saints won't tell you that "familiar spirits" are "good" is because the subject of "familiar spirits" is rarely, if ever, discussed. Most Latter-day Saints would scratch their head upon hearing this claim.
*{{Detail|Book of Mormon/As a "familiar spirit"}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that women receive salvation only through their Mormon husbands, and must remain pregnant for all eternity.
|response=
*This is definitely one of the more puerile claims we hear from anti-Mormon ministries - the "eternally pregnant goddess." This claim likely originated in the anti-Mormon film "The God Makers." Like many claims in that film, it is based more on sensationalism than in fact.
*The LDS church does not teach that women receive their salvation only through their husbands. In fact, faithful men and women are each judged by God for their individual faithfulness. In order to obtain the highest rewards in the afterlife, Mormons believe that a man and woman need to be married for eternity, and the husband requires his wife every bit as much as the wife requires her husband in that equation.
*{{Detail|Nature of God/"Celestial sex"}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they intend to be gods themselves some day, and are helping to earn their exaltation to godhood by talking to you.
|response=
*Critics claim that the doctrine of human deification is unbiblical, false, and arrogant. Related claims include: 1) Mormons believe they will 'supplant God', 2) Belief in theosis, or human deification, implies more than one "god," which means Mormons are "polytheists," 3) The Mormon concept of "human deification" is a pagan belief derived from Greek philosophy.
*{{Detail|Mormonism and the nature of God/Deification of man}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they intend to have many wives in heaven, carrying on multiple sex relations throughout eternity, until they have enough children to populate their own earth, so they can be "Heavenly Father" over their own planet!
|response=
*Critics claim that Latter-day Saints believe in a practice called "Celestial sex," and that this is the manner in which "spirit children" are formed.
*{{Detail|"Celestial sex"}}
*Critics claim that Mormons believe that they can push themselves higher in a type of 'celestial pecking order.' This is often expressed by the claim that Latter-day Saint men wish to become "gods of their own planets."
*{{Detail|Mormonism and the nature of God/Deification of man/Gods of their own planets}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that you were once a spirit - child of their heavenly father, and one of his numerous wives before you were born on earth.
|response=
*Latter-day Saints ''do'' teach that we are spirit children of our Heavenly Father, and we certainly have no reason not to tell you that "at the door," or anywhere else!
*The part about his "numerous wives" comes from "The God Makers" and is not Church doctrine. This claim is based upon statements made by Brigham Young in which he stated that God the Father had more than one wife.
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that the Virgin Mary really wasn't a virgin at all but had sex relations with their heavenly father to produce the Mormon version of Jesus Christ
|response=
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Conception}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they believe Jesus had at least three wives and children while he was on this earth.
|response=
*The Church takes no position on whether or not Jesus was married, although many Latter-day Saints believe that he may have been.
*The claim that Jesus was a polygamist was made by Orson Hyde, and it appears to be unique to him. The Church does not teach this.
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Was Jesus married}}
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Was Jesus married/Was Jesus a polygamist}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that the "heavenly father" they ask you to pray to with them, is really an exalted man that lives on a planet near the star base Kolob, and is not the Heavenly Father of the Bible at all.
|response=
*The "star base Kolob" comes directly from the anti-Mormon film "The God Makers." It is a term Mormons would generally not even recognize.
*{{Detail|Book of Abraham/Kolob}}
*Mormons genuinely and fully believe that the "Heavenly Father" they refer to is in fact the Heavenly Father of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They couldn't tell you differently because that is their belief. You may disagree with their point of view, but that's not the same as the disingenuous hiding of facts being implied here.
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that Jesus was really Lucifer's brother in the spirit world, and it was only due to a "heavenly council" vote that Jesus became our redeemer instead of Satan!!
|response=
*Latter-day Saints believe that ''everyone'' is a child of God, and therefore are "siblings." Jesus Christ is thus referred to as our "elder brother." However, evangelical critics claim that the LDS consider Jesus and Satan to be "brothers," thus lowering the stature of Christ, or elevating Satan.
*It is not a genuine belief of the LDS church that "only... a heavenly council vote" elevated Jesus to our redeemer. Jesus had an elevated status above all of God's children from the beginning. He was not voted into that position.
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Brother of Satan}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that there are over one hundred divisions in Mormonism. They conveniently "forget" this while criticizing the many denominations within the body of Christ
|response=
*The only offshoot of any significant size is the Community of Christ (formerly Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), which had a total membership of approximately 250,000 in 2008.
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that all their so- called scriptures such as the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, Doctrine and Covenants, and even their official "Mormon Doctrine" statements contradict each other on MAJOR doctrinal points. The King James Bible is likewise contradicted.
|response=
*Critics present two or more scriptures from LDS scripture, and insist that the scriptures contradict each other. This article examines the supposed contradictions, presents the scriptures cited in context, and demonstrates that claims of contradiction rest on: 1) a misinterpretation of LDS scripture, 2) comparing two verses which are speaking about different things or 3) reading Protestant meanings into scriptural terminology.
*{{Detail|Latter-day Saint scripture/Supposed contradictions}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that the reason the Book of Mormon has no maps is because there is not one scrap of archaeological evidence to support it!
|response=
*Critics charge that what is known about ancient American archaeology is not consistent with the Book of Mormon account. Sectarian critics often add the claim that the Bible has been "proven" true by archaeology, unlike the Book of Mormon.
*{{Detail|Book of Mormon/Archaeology}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that the state of Utah, which is predominately Mormon, has a higher than the national average of wife-beating, child abuse, and teenage suicide.
|response=
*Critics like to use statistical information related to the population of Utah to draw some sort of conclusion about the status or overall health of the Church.
*{{Detail|Utah/Statistical claims}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that their prophet Joseph Smith was heavily involved in the occult when he founded Mormonism.
|response=
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Occultism and magic}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that that they encourage visitations from dead relatives from the "spirit world", a practice forbidden in the Bible. (Deuteronomy 18:10-12.)
|response=
*We are unaware of any teaching of the Church that is designed to "encourage visitations from dead relatives."
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that there are many accounts of Joseph Smith's first vision besides the one they present to you, and all are different
|response=
*The claim simply isn't true.
*See the official Church magazine, the ''Ensign'': [http://lds.org/ensign/1985/01/joseph-smiths-recitals-of-the-first-vision?lang=eng&query=first+vision+accounts Milton V. Backman Jr., "Joseph Smith’s Recitals of the First Vision", Ensign, Jan. 1985, 8]
*See also [http://lds.org/ensign/1996/04/joseph-smiths-testimony-of-the-first-vision?lang=eng&query=first+vision+accounts Richard L. Anderson, "Joseph Smith’s Testimony of the First Vision", Ensign, Apr. 1996, 10], which begins by stating, "The Prophet’s accounts of his first vision offer us a picture that is rich in testimony and supported by history."
*See also the Gospel Study section of the "lds.org" website: [http://lds.org/study/topics/accounts-of-the-first-vision?lang=eng&query=first+vision+accounts Accounts of the First Vision]. "During a 10-year period (1832–42), Joseph Smith wrote or dictated at least four accounts of the First Vision. These accounts are similar in many ways, but they include some differences in emphasis and detail."
*{{Detail|First Vision}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that their secret temple oaths are based on the Scottish Rite Masons.
|response=
*Some critics of Mormonism see similarities between the rites of Freemasonry and LDS temple ceremonies and assume that since Joseph Smith was initiated as a Freemason shortly before he introduced the Nauvoo-style endowment he must have plagiarized elements of the Masonic rituals. This viewpoint leads them, in turn, to conclude that the LDS endowment is nothing but a variant form of Masonic initiation and therefore not from a divine source.
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/Endowment/Freemasonry}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that before 1978 they considered the Negro race inferior, and even one drop of Negro blood prevented a person from entering their priesthood.
|response=
*{{Detail|Mormonism and racial issues/Blacks and the priesthood}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they expect Christ to return to their temple in Missouri, but they haven't built the temple He's supposed to return to, because they don't own the property. (It is owned by the "Temple Lot Mormons" who have plans of their own, and won't let the Salt Lake City group buy it).
|response=
*Regarding the building of a temple in Independence, Missouri, many of our critics obviously think they know the timetable of the Lord. Perhaps it would be advantageous for critics to apply Biblical principles when it comes to understanding the time and seasons of the Lord. Perhaps the critics should read the Bible with regards to this matter of "next generation." After all, as it states in the Bible: And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. ({{s||Acts|1|7}})
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/The role of the Independence temple}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they consider the Bible to be untrustworthy and full of errors.
|response=
*Latter-day Saints revere the Bible as Holy scripture.
*{{Detail|Bible|l1=The Bible as part of Latter-day Saint canon}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that Jesus' death on the cross only partially saves the believer.
|response=
*Critics seriously understate the position of the Church of Jesus Christ with respect to the atonement.
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Atonement}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that that according to Anton Lavey's Satanic Bible, the demon god of the living dead is called "Mormo". Is it just a coincidence that the Mormons are so concerned with the dead?
|response=
*This criticism, straight from the anti-Mormon film "The God Makers" is utterly ridiculous.
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/Baptism for the dead}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that on their Salt Lake City Temple they prominently display an upside-down star which is a Satanic symbol known as the Goat's head. Why?
|response=
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/Inverted Stars on LDS Temples}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they believe the Archangel Michael came down to earth with several of his celestial wives, and became Adam in the garden of Eden.
|response=
*Actually, it was Joseph Smith that taught this. There is no reason that Latter-day Saints "won't tell you" this:
<blockquote>
The Priesthood was first given to Adam. He obtained the First Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the creation, before the world was formed, as in Gen. i. 20, 26, 28. He had dominion given him over every living creature. He is Michael the Archangel, spoken of in the Scriptures. Then to Noah, who is Gabriel: he stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood. {{JDfairwiki|vol=6|disc=40|start=237}}
</blockquote>
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that that they believe the angel Gabriel came down to earth and became Noah in the days of the flood.
|response=
*Actually, it was Joseph Smith that taught this. There is no reason that Latter-day Saints "won't tell you" this:
<blockquote>
The Priesthood was first given to Adam. He obtained the First Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the creation, before the world was formed, as in Gen. i. 20, 26, 28. He had dominion given him over every living creature. He is Michael the Archangel, spoken of in the Scriptures. Then to Noah, who is Gabriel: he stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood. {{JDfairwiki|vol=6|disc=40|start=237}}
</blockquote>
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that their Prophet Joseph Smith prophesied falsely many times. For example, he foretold the second coming of Christ for 1891. The Bible teaches that one false prophecy puts the prophet under death sentence. (Deuteronomy 18:20-22).
|response=
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Prophecies}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that their Prophet Joseph Smith did not die as a martyr as they claim, but was killed during a gun battle in which he himself killed two men and wounded a third.
|response=
*The two men who were supposedly "killed" were later seen quite alive. Joseph did wound several men.
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Martyrdom}}
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Martyrdom/Joseph fired a gun}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU about the Mountain Meadows Massacre in which they brutally murdered an innocent wagon train of settlers, of over one hundred men, women, and most of the children, traveling through Utah.
|response=
*A search of "lds.org" (the official Church web site) turns up many references to the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
*See this article in the official Church magazine, the ''Ensign'': [http://lds.org/ensign/2007/09/the-mountain-meadows-massacre?lang=eng&query=Mountain+Meadows Richard E. Turley Jr., "The Mountain Meadows Massacre", ''Ensign'', Sept. 2007, 14–21]
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that Joseph Smith taught that there were inhabitants on the moon, and Brigham Young taught there were inhabitants on the sun as well!
|response=
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Moon inhabited}}
*{{Detail|Brigham Young/Teachings/Moon and sun are inhabited}}
}}

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Facts Mormons Won't Tell You When They Call at Your Door

2011-02-27T06:04:08Z

SteveWilloughby: /* */

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{{FAIRAnalysisHeader
|title=Answers to "Facts: Mormons Won't Tell You When They Call at Your Door"
|author=Macgregor Ministries
|noauthor=
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=Answers to "Facts: Mormons Won't Tell You When They Call at Your Door"=

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they believe your Church is wrong, your Christian creeds are abomination to God, and your pastor or Priest is a hireling of Satan.
|response=
*Joseph Smith went into the grove at age 14 to ask God "which of all the churches is right, and which should [he] join?" He assumed that the Lord's church had continued on the earth, unchanged through the centuries, and just wanted to know which one it was. What he was told by the Father and the Son in his vision appears to have been a surprising answer to him, that they were all wrong. But what he said was that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight, that the professors (as in professional clergy) were corrupt. That's a far cry from saying that there was nothing good or true or of value in those churches, or that their members were going to hell.
*The Church does not teach that the pastors and priests of other churches are "hirelings of Satan."
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that there is salvation only in their church - all others are wrong.
|response=
*{{Detail|Plan of salvation/Salvation of non-members}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that those who have been through their temples are wearing secret underwear to protect themselves from "evil". This "evil" includes non - Mormons like you.
|response=
*This claim is absolutely absurd.
*Temple garments are meant to be a reminder of the covenants that we make with God in the temple. The "protection" that they afford us is the visible reminder of those covenants. We do not believe that they make us invulnerable to "evil."
*Latter-day Saints do NOT consider non-Mormons "evil."
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/Garments}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU about their secret temple rites at all. If they did, you would spot them as non Christians immediately.
|response=
*Latter-day Saints consider the temple ordinances sacred and do not discuss them openly, particularly with those who would mock them. However, they are hardly secret.
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they think "familiar spirits" are good, and that their Book of Mormon has a "familiar spirit". Leviticus 19:31 says familiar spirits defile one, and are to be avoided at all costs.
|response=
*The claim is based upon a passage in the Book of Mormon. Critics ask why, if the words "familiar spirit" in Is. 29:4 refer to the Book of Mormon (as used in 2_Ne. 26:16, why does "familiar spirit" always refer to occult practices such as channeling and necromancy everywhere else in the Old Testament?
*The reason Latter-day Saints won't tell you that "familiar spirits" are "good" is because the subject of "familiar spirits" is rarely, if ever, discussed. Most Latter-day Saints would scratch their head upon hearing this claim.
*{{Detail|Book of Mormon/As a "familiar spirit"}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that women receive salvation only through their Mormon husbands, and must remain pregnant for all eternity.
|response=
*This is definitely one of the more puerile claims we hear from anti-Mormon ministries - the "eternally pregnant goddess." This claim likely originated in the anti-Mormon film "The God Makers." Like many claims in that film, it is based more on sensationalism than in fact.
*The LDS church does not teach that women receive their salvation only through their husbands. In fact, faithful men and women are each judged by God for their individual faithfulness. In order to obtain the highest rewards in the afterlife, Mormons believe that a man and woman need to be married for eternity, and the husband requires his wife every bit as much as the wife requires her husband in that equation.
*{{Detail|Nature of God/"Celestial sex"}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they intend to be gods themselves some day, and are helping to earn their exaltation to godhood by talking to you.
|response=
*Critics claim that the doctrine of human deification is unbiblical, false, and arrogant. Related claims include: 1) Mormons believe they will 'supplant God', 2) Belief in theosis, or human deification, implies more than one "god," which means Mormons are "polytheists," 3) The Mormon concept of "human deification" is a pagan belief derived from Greek philosophy.
*{{Detail|Mormonism and the nature of God/Deification of man}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they intend to have many wives in heaven, carrying on multiple sex relations throughout eternity, until they have enough children to populate their own earth, so they can be "Heavenly Father" over their own planet!
|response=
*Critics claim that Latter-day Saints believe in a practice called "Celestial sex," and that this is the manner in which "spirit children" are formed.
*{{Detail|"Celestial sex"}}
*Critics claim that Mormons believe that they can push themselves higher in a type of 'celestial pecking order.' This is often expressed by the claim that Latter-day Saint men wish to become "gods of their own planets."
*{{Detail|Mormonism and the nature of God/Deification of man/Gods of their own planets}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that you were once a spirit - child of their heavenly father, and one of his numerous wives before you were born on earth.
|response=
*Latter-day Saints ''do'' teach that we are spirit children of our Heavenly Father, and we certainly have no reason not to tell you that "at the door," or anywhere else!
*The part about his "numerous wives" comes from "The God Makers" and is not Church doctrine. This claim is based upon statements made by Brigham Young in which he stated that God the Father had more than one wife.
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that the Virgin Mary really wasn't a virgin at all but had sex relations with their heavenly father to produce the Mormon version of Jesus Christ
|response=
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Conception}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they believe Jesus had at least three wives and children while he was on this earth.
|response=
*The Church takes no position on whether or not Jesus was married, although many Latter-day Saints believe that he may have been.
*The claim that Jesus was a polygamist was made by Orson Hyde, and it appears to be unique to him. The Church does not teach this.
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Was Jesus married}}
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Was Jesus married/Was Jesus a polygamist}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that the "heavenly father" they ask you to pray to with them, is really an exalted man that lives on a planet near the star base Kolob, and is not the Heavenly Father of the Bible at all.
|response=
*The "star base Kolob" comes directly from the anti-Mormon film "The God Makers." It is a term Mormons would generally not even recognize.
*{{Detail|Book of Abraham/Kolob}}
*Mormons genuinely and fully believe that the "Heavenly Father" they refer to is in fact the Heavenly Father of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They couldn't tell you differently because that is their belief. You may disagree with their point of view, but that's not the same as the disingenuous hiding of facts being implied here.
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that Jesus was really Lucifer's brother in the spirit world, and it was only due to a "heavenly council" vote that Jesus became our redeemer instead of Satan!!
|response=
*Latter-day Saints believe that ''everyone'' is a child of God, and therefore are "siblings." Jesus Christ is thus referred to as our "elder brother." However, evangelical critics claim that the LDS consider Jesus and Satan to be "brothers," thus lowering the stature of Christ, or elevating Satan.
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Brother of Satan}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that there are over one hundred divisions in Mormonism. They conveniently "forget" this while criticizing the many denominations within the body of Christ
|response=
*The only offshoot of any significant size is the Community of Christ (formerly Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), which had a total membership of approximately 250,000 in 2008.
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that all their so- called scriptures such as the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, Doctrine and Covenants, and even their official "Mormon Doctrine" statements contradict each other on MAJOR doctrinal points. The King James Bible is likewise contradicted.
|response=
*Critics present two or more scriptures from LDS scripture, and insist that the scriptures contradict each other. This article examines the supposed contradictions, presents the scriptures cited in context, and demonstrates that claims of contradiction rest on: 1) a misinterpretation of LDS scripture, 2) comparing two verses which are speaking about different things or 3) reading Protestant meanings into scriptural terminology.
*{{Detail|Latter-day Saint scripture/Supposed contradictions}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that the reason the Book of Mormon has no maps is because there is not one scrap of archaeological evidence to support it!
|response=
*Critics charge that what is known about ancient American archaeology is not consistent with the Book of Mormon account. Sectarian critics often add the claim that the Bible has been "proven" true by archaeology, unlike the Book of Mormon.
*{{Detail|Book of Mormon/Archaeology}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that the state of Utah, which is predominately Mormon, has a higher than the national average of wife-beating, child abuse, and teenage suicide.
|response=
*Critics like to use statistical information related to the population of Utah to draw some sort of conclusion about the status or overall health of the Church.
*{{Detail|Utah/Statistical claims}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that their prophet Joseph Smith was heavily involved in the occult when he founded Mormonism.
|response=
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Occultism and magic}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that that they encourage visitations from dead relatives from the "spirit world", a practice forbidden in the Bible. (Deuteronomy 18:10-12.)
|response=
*We are unaware of any teaching of the Church that is designed to "encourage visitations from dead relatives."
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that there are many accounts of Joseph Smith's first vision besides the one they present to you, and all are different
|response=
*The claim simply isn't true.
*See the official Church magazine, the ''Ensign'': [http://lds.org/ensign/1985/01/joseph-smiths-recitals-of-the-first-vision?lang=eng&query=first+vision+accounts Milton V. Backman Jr., "Joseph Smith’s Recitals of the First Vision", Ensign, Jan. 1985, 8]
*See also [http://lds.org/ensign/1996/04/joseph-smiths-testimony-of-the-first-vision?lang=eng&query=first+vision+accounts Richard L. Anderson, "Joseph Smith’s Testimony of the First Vision", Ensign, Apr. 1996, 10], which begins by stating, "The Prophet’s accounts of his first vision offer us a picture that is rich in testimony and supported by history."
*See also the Gospel Study section of the "lds.org" website: [http://lds.org/study/topics/accounts-of-the-first-vision?lang=eng&query=first+vision+accounts Accounts of the First Vision]. "During a 10-year period (1832–42), Joseph Smith wrote or dictated at least four accounts of the First Vision. These accounts are similar in many ways, but they include some differences in emphasis and detail."
*{{Detail|First Vision}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that their secret temple oaths are based on the Scottish Rite Masons.
|response=
*Some critics of Mormonism see similarities between the rites of Freemasonry and LDS temple ceremonies and assume that since Joseph Smith was initiated as a Freemason shortly before he introduced the Nauvoo-style endowment he must have plagiarized elements of the Masonic rituals. This viewpoint leads them, in turn, to conclude that the LDS endowment is nothing but a variant form of Masonic initiation and therefore not from a divine source.
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/Endowment/Freemasonry}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that before 1978 they considered the Negro race inferior, and even one drop of Negro blood prevented a person from entering their priesthood.
|response=
*{{Detail|Mormonism and racial issues/Blacks and the priesthood}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they expect Christ to return to their temple in Missouri, but they haven't built the temple He's supposed to return to, because they don't own the property. (It is owned by the "Temple Lot Mormons" who have plans of their own, and won't let the Salt Lake City group buy it).
|response=
*Regarding the building of a temple in Independence, Missouri, many of our critics obviously think they know the timetable of the Lord. Perhaps it would be advantageous for critics to apply Biblical principles when it comes to understanding the time and seasons of the Lord. Perhaps the critics should read the Bible with regards to this matter of "next generation." After all, as it states in the Bible: And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. ({{s||Acts|1|7}})
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/The role of the Independence temple}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they consider the Bible to be untrustworthy and full of errors.
|response=
*Latter-day Saints revere the Bible as Holy scripture.
*{{Detail|Bible|l1=The Bible as part of Latter-day Saint canon}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that Jesus' death on the cross only partially saves the believer.
|response=
*Critics seriously understate the position of the Church of Jesus Christ with respect to the atonement.
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Atonement}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that that according to Anton Lavey's Satanic Bible, the demon god of the living dead is called "Mormo". Is it just a coincidence that the Mormons are so concerned with the dead?
|response=
*This criticism, straight from the anti-Mormon film "The God Makers" is utterly ridiculous.
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/Baptism for the dead}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that on their Salt Lake City Temple they prominently display an upside-down star which is a Satanic symbol known as the Goat's head. Why?
|response=
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/Inverted Stars on LDS Temples}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they believe the Archangel Michael came down to earth with several of his celestial wives, and became Adam in the garden of Eden.
|response=
*Actually, it was Joseph Smith that taught this. There is no reason that Latter-day Saints "won't tell you" this:
<blockquote>
The Priesthood was first given to Adam. He obtained the First Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the creation, before the world was formed, as in Gen. i. 20, 26, 28. He had dominion given him over every living creature. He is Michael the Archangel, spoken of in the Scriptures. Then to Noah, who is Gabriel: he stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood. {{JDfairwiki|vol=6|disc=40|start=237}}
</blockquote>
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that that they believe the angel Gabriel came down to earth and became Noah in the days of the flood.
|response=
*Actually, it was Joseph Smith that taught this. There is no reason that Latter-day Saints "won't tell you" this:
<blockquote>
The Priesthood was first given to Adam. He obtained the First Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the creation, before the world was formed, as in Gen. i. 20, 26, 28. He had dominion given him over every living creature. He is Michael the Archangel, spoken of in the Scriptures. Then to Noah, who is Gabriel: he stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood. {{JDfairwiki|vol=6|disc=40|start=237}}
</blockquote>
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that their Prophet Joseph Smith prophesied falsely many times. For example, he foretold the second coming of Christ for 1891. The Bible teaches that one false prophecy puts the prophet under death sentence. (Deuteronomy 18:20-22).
|response=
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Prophecies}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that their Prophet Joseph Smith did not die as a martyr as they claim, but was killed during a gun battle in which he himself killed two men and wounded a third.
|response=
*The two men who were supposedly "killed" were later seen quite alive. Joseph did wound several men.
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Martyrdom}}
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Martyrdom/Joseph fired a gun}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU about the Mountain Meadows Massacre in which they brutally murdered an innocent wagon train of settlers, of over one hundred men, women, and most of the children, traveling through Utah.
|response=
*A search of "lds.org" (the official Church web site) turns up many references to the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
*See this article in the official Church magazine, the ''Ensign'': [http://lds.org/ensign/2007/09/the-mountain-meadows-massacre?lang=eng&query=Mountain+Meadows Richard E. Turley Jr., "The Mountain Meadows Massacre", ''Ensign'', Sept. 2007, 14–21]
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that Joseph Smith taught that there were inhabitants on the moon, and Brigham Young taught there were inhabitants on the sun as well!
|response=
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Moon inhabited}}
*{{Detail|Brigham Young/Teachings/Moon and sun are inhabited}}
}}

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Facts Mormons Won't Tell You When They Call at Your Door

2011-02-27T05:56:34Z

SteveWilloughby: /* */ Added more re: women saved by husbands

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{{FAIRAnalysisHeader
|title=Answers to "Facts: Mormons Won't Tell You When They Call at Your Door"
|author=Macgregor Ministries
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=Answers to "Facts: Mormons Won't Tell You When They Call at Your Door"=

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they believe your Church is wrong, your Christian creeds are abomination to God, and your pastor or Priest is a hireling of Satan.
|response=
*Joseph Smith went into the grove at age 14 to ask God "which of all the churches is right, and which should [he] join?" He assumed that the Lord's church had continued on the earth, unchanged through the centuries, and just wanted to know which one it was. What he was told by the Father and the Son in his vision appears to have been a surprising answer to him, that they were all wrong. But what he said was that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight, that the professors (as in professional clergy) were corrupt. That's a far cry from saying that there was nothing good or true or of value in those churches, or that their members were going to hell.
*The Church does not teach that the pastors and priests of other churches are "hirelings of Satan."
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that there is salvation only in their church - all others are wrong.
|response=
*{{Detail|Plan of salvation/Salvation of non-members}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that those who have been through their temples are wearing secret underwear to protect themselves from "evil". This "evil" includes non - Mormons like you.
|response=
*This claim is absolutely absurd.
*Temple garments are meant to be a reminder of the covenants that we make with God in the temple. The "protection" that they afford us is the visible reminder of those covenants. We do not believe that they make us invulnerable to "evil."
*Latter-day Saints do NOT consider non-Mormons "evil."
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/Garments}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU about their secret temple rites at all. If they did, you would spot them as non Christians immediately.
|response=
*Latter-day Saints consider the temple ordinances sacred and do not discuss them openly, particularly with those who would mock them. However, they are hardly secret.
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they think "familiar spirits" are good, and that their Book of Mormon has a "familiar spirit". Leviticus 19:31 says familiar spirits defile one, and are to be avoided at all costs.
|response=
*The claim is based upon a passage in the Book of Mormon. Critics ask why, if the words "familiar spirit" in Is. 29:4 refer to the Book of Mormon (as used in 2_Ne. 26:16, why does "familiar spirit" always refer to occult practices such as channeling and necromancy everywhere else in the Old Testament?
*The reason Latter-day Saints won't tell you that "familiar spirits" are "good" is because the subject of "familiar spirits" is rarely, if ever, discussed. Most Latter-day Saints would scratch their head upon hearing this claim.
*{{Detail|Book of Mormon/As a "familiar spirit"}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that women receive salvation only through their Mormon husbands, and must remain pregnant for all eternity.
|response=
*This is definitely one of the more puerile claims we hear from anti-Mormon ministries - the "eternally pregnant goddess." This claim likely originated in the anti-Mormon film "The God Makers." Like many claims in that film, it is based more on sensationalism than in fact.
*The LDS church does not teach that women receive their salvation only through their husbands. In fact, faithful men and women are each judged by God for their individual faithfulness. In order to obtain the highest rewards in the afterlife, Mormons believe that a man and woman need to be married for eternity, and the husband requires his wife every bit as much as the wife requires her husband in that equation.
*{{Detail|Nature of God/"Celestial sex"}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they intend to be gods themselves some day, and are helping to earn their exaltation to godhood by talking to you.
|response=
*Critics claim that the doctrine of human deification is unbiblical, false, and arrogant. Related claims include: 1) Mormons believe they will 'supplant God', 2) Belief in theosis, or human deification, implies more than one "god," which means Mormons are "polytheists," 3) The Mormon concept of "human deification" is a pagan belief derived from Greek philosophy.
*{{Detail|Mormonism and the nature of God/Deification of man}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they intend to have many wives in heaven, carrying on multiple sex relations throughout eternity, until they have enough children to populate their own earth, so they can be "Heavenly Father" over their own planet!
|response=
*Critics claim that Latter-day Saints believe in a practice called "Celestial sex," and that this is the manner in which "spirit children" are formed.
*{{Detail|"Celestial sex"}}
*Critics claim that Mormons believe that they can push themselves higher in a type of 'celestial pecking order.' This is often expressed by the claim that Latter-day Saint men wish to become "gods of their own planets."
*{{Detail|Mormonism and the nature of God/Deification of man/Gods of their own planets}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that you were once a spirit - child of their heavenly father, and one of his numerous wives before you were born on earth.
|response=
*Latter-day Saints ''do'' teach that we are spirit children of our Heavenly Father, and we certainly have no reason not to tell you that "at the door," or anywhere else!
*The part about his "numerous wives" comes from "The God Makers" and is not Church doctrine. This claim is based upon statements made by Brigham Young in which he stated that God the Father had more than one wife.
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that the Virgin Mary really wasn't a virgin at all but had sex relations with their heavenly father to produce the Mormon version of Jesus Christ
|response=
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Conception}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they believe Jesus had at least three wives and children while he was on this earth.
|response=
*The Church takes no position on whether or not Jesus was married, although many Latter-day Saints believe that he may have been.
*The claim that Jesus was a polygamist was made by Orson Hyde, and it appears to be unique to him. The Church does not teach this.
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Was Jesus married}}
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Was Jesus married/Was Jesus a polygamist}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that the "heavenly father" they ask you to pray to with them, is really an exalted man that lives on a planet near the star base Kolob, and is not the Heavenly Father of the Bible at all.
|response=
*The "star base Kolob" comes directly from the anti-Mormon film "The God Makers."
*{{Detail|Book of Abraham/Kolob}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that Jesus was really Lucifer's brother in the spirit world, and it was only due to a "heavenly council" vote that Jesus became our redeemer instead of Satan!!
|response=
*Latter-day Saints believe that ''everyone'' is a child of God, and therefore are "siblings." Jesus Christ is thus referred to as our "elder brother." However, evangelical critics claim that the LDS consider Jesus and Satan to be "brothers," thus lowering the stature of Christ, or elevating Satan.
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Brother of Satan}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that there are over one hundred divisions in Mormonism. They conveniently "forget" this while criticizing the many denominations within the body of Christ
|response=
*The only offshoot of any significant size is the Community of Christ (formerly Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), which had a total membership of approximately 250,000 in 2008.
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that all their so- called scriptures such as the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, Doctrine and Covenants, and even their official "Mormon Doctrine" statements contradict each other on MAJOR doctrinal points. The King James Bible is likewise contradicted.
|response=
*Critics present two or more scriptures from LDS scripture, and insist that the scriptures contradict each other. This article examines the supposed contradictions, presents the scriptures cited in context, and demonstrates that claims of contradiction rest on: 1) a misinterpretation of LDS scripture, 2) comparing two verses which are speaking about different things or 3) reading Protestant meanings into scriptural terminology.
*{{Detail|Latter-day Saint scripture/Supposed contradictions}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that the reason the Book of Mormon has no maps is because there is not one scrap of archaeological evidence to support it!
|response=
*Critics charge that what is known about ancient American archaeology is not consistent with the Book of Mormon account. Sectarian critics often add the claim that the Bible has been "proven" true by archaeology, unlike the Book of Mormon.
*{{Detail|Book of Mormon/Archaeology}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that the state of Utah, which is predominately Mormon, has a higher than the national average of wife-beating, child abuse, and teenage suicide.
|response=
*Critics like to use statistical information related to the population of Utah to draw some sort of conclusion about the status or overall health of the Church.
*{{Detail|Utah/Statistical claims}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that their prophet Joseph Smith was heavily involved in the occult when he founded Mormonism.
|response=
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Occultism and magic}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that that they encourage visitations from dead relatives from the "spirit world", a practice forbidden in the Bible. (Deuteronomy 18:10-12.)
|response=
*We are unaware of any teaching of the Church that is designed to "encourage visitations from dead relatives."
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that there are many accounts of Joseph Smith's first vision besides the one they present to you, and all are different
|response=
*The claim simply isn't true.
*See the official Church magazine, the ''Ensign'': [http://lds.org/ensign/1985/01/joseph-smiths-recitals-of-the-first-vision?lang=eng&query=first+vision+accounts Milton V. Backman Jr., "Joseph Smith’s Recitals of the First Vision", Ensign, Jan. 1985, 8]
*See also [http://lds.org/ensign/1996/04/joseph-smiths-testimony-of-the-first-vision?lang=eng&query=first+vision+accounts Richard L. Anderson, "Joseph Smith’s Testimony of the First Vision", Ensign, Apr. 1996, 10], which begins by stating, "The Prophet’s accounts of his first vision offer us a picture that is rich in testimony and supported by history."
*See also the Gospel Study section of the "lds.org" website: [http://lds.org/study/topics/accounts-of-the-first-vision?lang=eng&query=first+vision+accounts Accounts of the First Vision]. "During a 10-year period (1832–42), Joseph Smith wrote or dictated at least four accounts of the First Vision. These accounts are similar in many ways, but they include some differences in emphasis and detail."
*{{Detail|First Vision}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that their secret temple oaths are based on the Scottish Rite Masons.
|response=
*Some critics of Mormonism see similarities between the rites of Freemasonry and LDS temple ceremonies and assume that since Joseph Smith was initiated as a Freemason shortly before he introduced the Nauvoo-style endowment he must have plagiarized elements of the Masonic rituals. This viewpoint leads them, in turn, to conclude that the LDS endowment is nothing but a variant form of Masonic initiation and therefore not from a divine source.
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/Endowment/Freemasonry}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that before 1978 they considered the Negro race inferior, and even one drop of Negro blood prevented a person from entering their priesthood.
|response=
*{{Detail|Mormonism and racial issues/Blacks and the priesthood}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they expect Christ to return to their temple in Missouri, but they haven't built the temple He's supposed to return to, because they don't own the property. (It is owned by the "Temple Lot Mormons" who have plans of their own, and won't let the Salt Lake City group buy it).
|response=
*Regarding the building of a temple in Independence, Missouri, many of our critics obviously think they know the timetable of the Lord. Perhaps it would be advantageous for critics to apply Biblical principles when it comes to understanding the time and seasons of the Lord. Perhaps the critics should read the Bible with regards to this matter of "next generation." After all, as it states in the Bible: And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. ({{s||Acts|1|7}})
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/The role of the Independence temple}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they consider the Bible to be untrustworthy and full of errors.
|response=
*Latter-day Saints revere the Bible as Holy scripture.
*{{Detail|Bible|l1=The Bible as part of Latter-day Saint canon}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that Jesus' death on the cross only partially saves the believer.
|response=
*Critics seriously understate the position of the Church of Jesus Christ with respect to the atonement.
*{{Detail|Jesus Christ/Atonement}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that that according to Anton Lavey's Satanic Bible, the demon god of the living dead is called "Mormo". Is it just a coincidence that the Mormons are so concerned with the dead?
|response=
*This criticism, straight from the anti-Mormon film "The God Makers" is utterly ridiculous.
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/Baptism for the dead}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that on their Salt Lake City Temple they prominently display an upside-down star which is a Satanic symbol known as the Goat's head. Why?
|response=
*{{Detail|Mormonism and temples/Inverted Stars on LDS Temples}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that they believe the Archangel Michael came down to earth with several of his celestial wives, and became Adam in the garden of Eden.
|response=
*Actually, it was Joseph Smith that taught this. There is no reason that Latter-day Saints "won't tell you" this:
<blockquote>
The Priesthood was first given to Adam. He obtained the First Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the creation, before the world was formed, as in Gen. i. 20, 26, 28. He had dominion given him over every living creature. He is Michael the Archangel, spoken of in the Scriptures. Then to Noah, who is Gabriel: he stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood. {{JDfairwiki|vol=6|disc=40|start=237}}
</blockquote>
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that that they believe the angel Gabriel came down to earth and became Noah in the days of the flood.
|response=
*Actually, it was Joseph Smith that taught this. There is no reason that Latter-day Saints "won't tell you" this:
<blockquote>
The Priesthood was first given to Adam. He obtained the First Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the creation, before the world was formed, as in Gen. i. 20, 26, 28. He had dominion given him over every living creature. He is Michael the Archangel, spoken of in the Scriptures. Then to Noah, who is Gabriel: he stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood. {{JDfairwiki|vol=6|disc=40|start=237}}
</blockquote>
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that their Prophet Joseph Smith prophesied falsely many times. For example, he foretold the second coming of Christ for 1891. The Bible teaches that one false prophecy puts the prophet under death sentence. (Deuteronomy 18:20-22).
|response=
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Prophecies}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that their Prophet Joseph Smith did not die as a martyr as they claim, but was killed during a gun battle in which he himself killed two men and wounded a third.
|response=
*The two men who were supposedly "killed" were later seen quite alive. Joseph did wound several men.
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Martyrdom}}
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Martyrdom/Joseph fired a gun}}
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU about the Mountain Meadows Massacre in which they brutally murdered an innocent wagon train of settlers, of over one hundred men, women, and most of the children, traveling through Utah.
|response=
*A search of "lds.org" (the official Church web site) turns up many references to the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
*See this article in the official Church magazine, the ''Ensign'': [http://lds.org/ensign/2007/09/the-mountain-meadows-massacre?lang=eng&query=Mountain+Meadows Richard E. Turley Jr., "The Mountain Meadows Massacre", ''Ensign'', Sept. 2007, 14–21]
}}

==== ====
{{CountercultQuestion
|question=MORMONS WON'T TELL YOU that Joseph Smith taught that there were inhabitants on the moon, and Brigham Young taught there were inhabitants on the sun as well!
|response=
*{{Detail|Joseph Smith/Moon inhabited}}
*{{Detail|Brigham Young/Teachings/Moon and sun are inhabited}}
}}

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User:InProgress/Common Questions Drafts/Page 5

2010-10-04T18:53:53Z

SteveWilloughby: /* QUESTION 9b: Temples: Garment (What is the purpose of wearing the "Mormon underwear"? */

{{Common Questions Navigation Tool}}

==QUESTION 8b: Did Joseph Smith practice polygamy?==

===Short answer===
Yes, despite his own feelings of “repugnance” at the practice Joseph Smith was certain that God had commanded the practice of polygamy. He obeyed.

===Longer answer===
Yes, despite his own feelings of “repugnance” at the practice Joseph Smith was certain that God had commanded the practice of polygamy. He obeyed.

In April 1839, Joseph Smith emerged from six months' imprisonment in Liberty Jail with a sense of urgency about completing his mission (see History of the Church: c 1831-1844, Ohio, Missouri, and Nauvoo Periods). Since receiving the sealing key from Elijah in the Kirtland Temple (D&C 110:13-16) in April 1836, the Prophet had labored to prepare the Saints for additional teachings and ordinances, including plural marriage.

“Joseph Smith realized that the introduction of plural marriage would inevitably invite severe criticism. After his first experience with plural marriage in Kirtland in the mid-1830s, he knew the tension it would create in his own family; even though Emma, with faith in his prophetic calling, accepted the revelation as being from God and not of his own doing, she could not reconcile herself to the practice. Beyond that, it had the potential to divide the Church and increase hostilities from outside. Still, he felt obligated to move ahead. "The object with me is to obey & teach others to obey God in just what he tells us to do," he taught several months before his death. "It mattereth not whether the principle is popular or unpopular. I will always maintain a true principle even if I Stand alone in it" (TPJS, p. 332).

“Although certain that God would require it of him and of the Church, Joseph Smith would not have introduced it when he did except for the conviction that God required it then. Several close confidants later said that he proceeded with plural marriage in Nauvoo only after both internal struggle and divine warning. Lorenzo Snow later remembered vividly a conversation in 1843 in which the Prophet described the battle he waged "in overcoming the repugnance of his feelings" regarding plural marriage. He knew the voice of God-he knew the commandment of the Almighty to him was to go forward-to set the example, and establish Celestial plural marriage. He knew that he had not only his own prejudices and pre-possessions to combat and to overcome, but those of the whole Christian world…; but God…had given the commandment [The Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow, pp. 69-70 (Salt Lake City, 1884)].

“Even so, Snow and other confidants agreed that Joseph Smith proceeded in Nauvoo only after an angel declared that he must or his calling would be given to another (Bachman, pp. 74-75). After this, Joseph Smith told Brigham Young that he was determined to press ahead though it would cost him his life, for "it is the work of God, and He has revealed this principle, and it is not my business to control or dictate it" (Brigham Young Discourse, Oct. 8, 1866, Church Archives).
“Nor did others enter into plural marriage blindly or simply because Joseph Smith had spoken, despite biblical precedents. Personal accounts document that most who entered plural marriage in Nauvoo faced a crisis of faith that was resolved only by personal spiritual witness. Those who participated generally did so only after they had obtained reassurance and saw it as religious duty.

“Even those closest to Joseph Smith were challenged by the revelation. After first learning of plural marriage, Brigham Young said he felt to envy the corpse in a funeral cortege and "could hardly get over it for a long time" (JD 3:266). The Prophet's brother Hyrum Smith stubbornly resisted the very possibility until circumstances forced him to go to the Lord for understanding. Both later taught the principle to others. Emma Smith vacillated, one day railing in opposition against it and the next giving her consent for Joseph to be sealed to another wife (see comments by Orson Pratt, JD 13:194).” (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1091-1093)

===Additional resources===
* http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Plural_Marriage
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Joseph_Smith_and_polygamy
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Template:PolygamyWiki

==QUESTION 8c: Was Joseph Smith a "gold digger"?==

===Short answer===
Prior to his call as a prophet, Joseph Smith sometimes sought for buried wealth—this was a relatively common practice in the early 1800s. LDS do not claim that prophets must be perfect; therefore this insignificant activity in his youth has no bearing on the LDS belief that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.

===Longer answer===
Prior to his call as a prophet, Joseph Smith sometimes sought for buried wealth—this was a relatively common practice in the early 1800s. LDS do not claim that prophets must be perfect, therefore this insignificant activity in his youth has no bearing on the LDS belief that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God

Some have insisted that Joseph could not be a prophet because of this, or something else they believe was an error or foolish action.

Joseph never claimed to be perfect, or without flaws. The Bible likewise describes prophets who made serious mistakes: Moses killed an Egyptian, Peter denied Jesus, Jonah disobeyed a direct command from God. Only Jesus Christ was perfect.

As with all prophets, the issue is not whether Joseph Smith’s life was perfect, but whether his message comes from God. We bear testimony that God, the only perfect being, will confirm the truth of Joseph’s message, whatever the faults of the messenger.

===Additional resources===
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Joseph_Smith/Money_digging
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Joseph_Smith/Character

==QUESTION 9a: Temples: are they secret?==

===Short answer===
Latter-day Saints prefer using the word “sacred” in reference to temples rather than “secret.” Temples are literally houses of the Lord. They are holy places of worship where individuals make sacred covenants with God. Because making covenants with God is such a solemn responsibility, individuals cannot enter the temple to receive their endowments or be sealed in marriage for eternity until they have fully prepared themselves.

===Longer answer===
Latter-day Saints prefer using the word “sacred” in reference to temples rather than “secret Temples are literally houses of the Lord. They are holy places of worship where individuals make sacred covenants with God. Because making covenants with God is such a solemn responsibility, individuals cannot enter the temple to receive their endowments or be sealed in marriage for eternity until they have fully prepared themselves.

“Temples are places of learning. Their principal purpose is to provide [http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=13bb9daac5d98010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=bbd508f54922d010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD ordinances] necessary for the children of God to enable them to return to dwell with Him. Temple ordinances lead to the greatest blessings available through the [http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=968539b439c98010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=bbd508f54922d010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD Atonement] of Jesus Christ. Everything in the Church—the meetings and activities, the missionary efforts, the lessons taught and the hymns—all lead to the work done in holy temples.

“One ordinance received in the temple is called the endowment. The word ''endowment'' means "gift," and the temple endowment truly is a gift from God. The ordinance consists of a series of instructions and includes covenants to live righteously and follow the requirements of the gospel. The endowment focuses on the Savior, His role in Heavenly Father's plan, and the personal commitment of each member to follow Him.

“Another temple ordinance is celestial marriage. In this ordinance husband and wife are sealed to one another for eternity. A sealing performed in the temple continues forever if the husband and wife are faithful to the covenants they make.

“Children born to parents who have been sealed in the temple are born in the covenant. These children automatically become part of an eternal family. Children who are not born in the covenant can also become part of an eternal family once their natural or adoptive parents have been sealed to one another. The ordinance of sealing children to parents is performed in the temple.

“People who have died without these essential gospel ordinances may receive those ordinances through the work done in temples. Acting in behalf of ancestors and others who have died, Church members are baptized and confirmed, receive the endowment, and participate in the sealings of husband to wife and children to parents.

“Those who enter the temple must be worthy, which means that they keep the commandments and are prepared to make and keep sacred temple covenants. In two interviews—one with a member of a bishopric or a branch president and another with a member of a stake presidency or a mission president—Church members certify their worthiness to enter the temple. In these interviews, the priesthood leader asks about the individual's personal conduct and worthiness. Those who are worthy receive a temple recommend, which allows them to enter the temple.” (http://www.lds.org – gospel topics – temples)

===Additional resources===
* www.lds.org – gospel topics – temples
* http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Temples

==QUESTION 9b: Temples: Garment (What is the purpose of wearing the "Mormon underwear"?==

===Short answer===
White undergarments or simply “garments” are worn by church members who have received the ordinances of the temple. Garments are a symbol and a constant reminder of the covenants made with God in the temple. Wearing the garment is an outward expression of an inward commitment to follow the Savior.

Some people focus on the idea that they are "strange underwear" which gives it a very different apparent intent than is actually the case. The fact that it's worn under everyday clothing is incidental to the main point, which is to stand as a symbol of a covenant. -- [[User:SteveWilloughby|SteveWilloughby]] 12:53, 4 October 2010 (MDT)

===Longer answer===
Medium Answer:

White undergarments or simply “garments” are worn by church members who have received the ordinances of the temple. Garments are a symbol and a constant reminder of the covenants made with God in the temple. Wearing the garment is an outward expression of an inward commitment to follow the Savior.
“The white garment symbolizes purity and helps assure modesty, respect for the attributes of God, and, to the degree it is honored, a token of what Paul regarded as taking upon one the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:13; cf. D&C 27:15).

“The clergy and many of the committed in almost all major faiths wear special clothing. For Latter-day Saints, among whom there is no professional ministry, men and women from all walks of life share in the callings, responsibilities, and blessings of the priesthood. Their sacred clothing, representing covenants with God, is worn under rather than outside their street clothes.

The idea of someone making solemn covenants with God, and using an outward mark to signify that covenant is fairly common in religious practice. In some cases, a permanent marking or changing of the body is done, such as a tattoo or circumcision. In other cases, this covenant relationship is marked by wearing a sacred article of clothing, such as a head covering, outward attire, or as in the case of the LDS temple garment, a simple garment worn under our everyday clothing. In this case, as is the case with (to choose one example) the Jewish practice of circumcision to indicate their covenant relationship with God, it is in a private location, where it stands as a reminder to oneself of how they should be living, without the need to display it openly to the world. In neither case would it be proper to make light of the practice or to ridicule something so deeply meaningful to each group, although in both cases there are obvious ways one might ridicule them if they chose to be so crass. -- [[User:SteveWilloughby|SteveWilloughby]] 12:53, 4 October 2010 (MDT)

===Additional resources===
* http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Garments
* http://byustudies.byu.edu/showTitle.aspx?title=6421

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==QUESTION 8b: Did Joseph Smith practice polygamy?==

===Short answer===
Yes, despite his own feelings of “repugnance” at the practice Joseph Smith was certain that God had commanded the practice of polygamy. He obeyed.

===Longer answer===
Yes, despite his own feelings of “repugnance” at the practice Joseph Smith was certain that God had commanded the practice of polygamy. He obeyed.

In April 1839, Joseph Smith emerged from six months' imprisonment in Liberty Jail with a sense of urgency about completing his mission (see History of the Church: c 1831-1844, Ohio, Missouri, and Nauvoo Periods). Since receiving the sealing key from Elijah in the Kirtland Temple (D&C 110:13-16) in April 1836, the Prophet had labored to prepare the Saints for additional teachings and ordinances, including plural marriage.

“Joseph Smith realized that the introduction of plural marriage would inevitably invite severe criticism. After his first experience with plural marriage in Kirtland in the mid-1830s, he knew the tension it would create in his own family; even though Emma, with faith in his prophetic calling, accepted the revelation as being from God and not of his own doing, she could not reconcile herself to the practice. Beyond that, it had the potential to divide the Church and increase hostilities from outside. Still, he felt obligated to move ahead. "The object with me is to obey & teach others to obey God in just what he tells us to do," he taught several months before his death. "It mattereth not whether the principle is popular or unpopular. I will always maintain a true principle even if I Stand alone in it" (TPJS, p. 332).

“Although certain that God would require it of him and of the Church, Joseph Smith would not have introduced it when he did except for the conviction that God required it then. Several close confidants later said that he proceeded with plural marriage in Nauvoo only after both internal struggle and divine warning. Lorenzo Snow later remembered vividly a conversation in 1843 in which the Prophet described the battle he waged "in overcoming the repugnance of his feelings" regarding plural marriage. He knew the voice of God-he knew the commandment of the Almighty to him was to go forward-to set the example, and establish Celestial plural marriage. He knew that he had not only his own prejudices and pre-possessions to combat and to overcome, but those of the whole Christian world…; but God…had given the commandment [The Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow, pp. 69-70 (Salt Lake City, 1884)].

“Even so, Snow and other confidants agreed that Joseph Smith proceeded in Nauvoo only after an angel declared that he must or his calling would be given to another (Bachman, pp. 74-75). After this, Joseph Smith told Brigham Young that he was determined to press ahead though it would cost him his life, for "it is the work of God, and He has revealed this principle, and it is not my business to control or dictate it" (Brigham Young Discourse, Oct. 8, 1866, Church Archives).
“Nor did others enter into plural marriage blindly or simply because Joseph Smith had spoken, despite biblical precedents. Personal accounts document that most who entered plural marriage in Nauvoo faced a crisis of faith that was resolved only by personal spiritual witness. Those who participated generally did so only after they had obtained reassurance and saw it as religious duty.

“Even those closest to Joseph Smith were challenged by the revelation. After first learning of plural marriage, Brigham Young said he felt to envy the corpse in a funeral cortege and "could hardly get over it for a long time" (JD 3:266). The Prophet's brother Hyrum Smith stubbornly resisted the very possibility until circumstances forced him to go to the Lord for understanding. Both later taught the principle to others. Emma Smith vacillated, one day railing in opposition against it and the next giving her consent for Joseph to be sealed to another wife (see comments by Orson Pratt, JD 13:194).” (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1091-1093)

===Additional resources===
* http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Plural_Marriage
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Joseph_Smith_and_polygamy
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Template:PolygamyWiki

==QUESTION 8c: Was Joseph Smith a "gold digger"?==

===Short answer===
Prior to his call as a prophet, Joseph Smith sometimes sought for buried wealth—this was a relatively common practice in the early 1800s. LDS do not claim that prophets must be perfect; therefore this insignificant activity in his youth has no bearing on the LDS belief that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.

===Longer answer===
Prior to his call as a prophet, Joseph Smith sometimes sought for buried wealth—this was a relatively common practice in the early 1800s. LDS do not claim that prophets must be perfect, therefore this insignificant activity in his youth has no bearing on the LDS belief that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God

Some have insisted that Joseph could not be a prophet because of this, or something else they believe was an error or foolish action.

Joseph never claimed to be perfect, or without flaws. The Bible likewise describes prophets who made serious mistakes: Moses killed an Egyptian, Peter denied Jesus, Jonah disobeyed a direct command from God. Only Jesus Christ was perfect.

As with all prophets, the issue is not whether Joseph Smith’s life was perfect, but whether his message comes from God. We bear testimony that God, the only perfect being, will confirm the truth of Joseph’s message, whatever the faults of the messenger.

===Additional resources===
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Joseph_Smith/Money_digging
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Joseph_Smith/Character

==QUESTION 9a: Temples: are they secret?==

===Short answer===
Latter-day Saints prefer using the word “sacred” in reference to temples rather than “secret.” Temples are literally houses of the Lord. They are holy places of worship where individuals make sacred covenants with God. Because making covenants with God is such a solemn responsibility, individuals cannot enter the temple to receive their endowments or be sealed in marriage for eternity until they have fully prepared themselves.

===Longer answer===
Latter-day Saints prefer using the word “sacred” in reference to temples rather than “secret Temples are literally houses of the Lord. They are holy places of worship where individuals make sacred covenants with God. Because making covenants with God is such a solemn responsibility, individuals cannot enter the temple to receive their endowments or be sealed in marriage for eternity until they have fully prepared themselves.

“Temples are places of learning. Their principal purpose is to provide [http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=13bb9daac5d98010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=bbd508f54922d010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD ordinances] necessary for the children of God to enable them to return to dwell with Him. Temple ordinances lead to the greatest blessings available through the [http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=968539b439c98010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=bbd508f54922d010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD Atonement] of Jesus Christ. Everything in the Church—the meetings and activities, the missionary efforts, the lessons taught and the hymns—all lead to the work done in holy temples.

“One ordinance received in the temple is called the endowment. The word ''endowment'' means "gift," and the temple endowment truly is a gift from God. The ordinance consists of a series of instructions and includes covenants to live righteously and follow the requirements of the gospel. The endowment focuses on the Savior, His role in Heavenly Father's plan, and the personal commitment of each member to follow Him.

“Another temple ordinance is celestial marriage. In this ordinance husband and wife are sealed to one another for eternity. A sealing performed in the temple continues forever if the husband and wife are faithful to the covenants they make.

“Children born to parents who have been sealed in the temple are born in the covenant. These children automatically become part of an eternal family. Children who are not born in the covenant can also become part of an eternal family once their natural or adoptive parents have been sealed to one another. The ordinance of sealing children to parents is performed in the temple.

“People who have died without these essential gospel ordinances may receive those ordinances through the work done in temples. Acting in behalf of ancestors and others who have died, Church members are baptized and confirmed, receive the endowment, and participate in the sealings of husband to wife and children to parents.

“Those who enter the temple must be worthy, which means that they keep the commandments and are prepared to make and keep sacred temple covenants. In two interviews—one with a member of a bishopric or a branch president and another with a member of a stake presidency or a mission president—Church members certify their worthiness to enter the temple. In these interviews, the priesthood leader asks about the individual's personal conduct and worthiness. Those who are worthy receive a temple recommend, which allows them to enter the temple.” (http://www.lds.org – gospel topics – temples)

===Additional resources===
* www.lds.org – gospel topics – temples
* http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Temples

==QUESTION 9b: Temples: Garment (What is the purpose of wearing the "Mormon underwear"?==

===Short answer===
White undergarments or simply “garments” are worn by church members who have received the ordinances of the temple. Garments are a symbol and a constant reminder of the covenants made with God in the temple. Wearing the garment is an outward expression of an inward commitment to follow the Savior.

===Longer answer===
Medium Answer:

White undergarments or simply “garments” are worn by church members who have received the ordinances of the temple. Garments are a symbol and a constant reminder of the covenants made with God in the temple. Wearing the garment is an outward expression of an inward commitment to follow the Savior.
“The white garment symbolizes purity and helps assure modesty, respect for the attributes of God, and, to the degree it is honored, a token of what Paul regarded as taking upon one the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:13; cf. D&C 27:15).

“The clergy and many of the committed in almost all major faiths wear special clothing. For Latter-day Saints, among whom there is no professional ministry, men and women from all walks of life share in the callings, responsibilities, and blessings of the priesthood. Their sacred clothing, representing covenants with God, is worn under rather than outside their street clothes.

===Additional resources===
* http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Garments
* http://byustudies.byu.edu/showTitle.aspx?title=6421

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==QUESTION #7a: Evidence (archaeology, biblical references)==

===Short answer===
There is plenty of ''evidence'' for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, but there is no definitive ''proof''. Belief in the messages of the Book of Mormon is ultimately an exercise in faith, although evidence exists to bolster that faith.
===Longer answer===

Over the past few decades LDS scholars have begun to study the Book of Mormon with the tools of scholarship. With these tools the following insights have been discovered:
# New World archaeology is terribly difficult, and not at all analogous to Old World archaeology. We don’t have very many preserved texts from ancient New World cultures to help us establish the names of cities, languages, or peoples. Old World languages have persisted throughout the centuries, and because of that we can tie ancient cities to cities mentioned in the Bible. New World languages have not survived, and as a result archaeologists don’t know the names of very many New World cities, and so it is incredibly difficult to tie them to Book of Mormon cities.
# Instead of looking for evidence of the Book of Mormon in the New World and/or the Old World, LDS scholars have had much success looking for evidence of the New World and/or the Old World in the Book of Mormon.
# The Book of Mormon contains many literary and cultural details that we should expect from a book authored by New World descendants of Jerusalem.
One example includes chiasmus, an ancient poetic style of writing that existed both in ancient Hebrew and in ancient American tongues. The Book of Mormon contains many chiasmi, some of them very impressive and which could not have been done by accident. See, for example, Alma 36. Many, many more examples are available.
# The Book of Mormon detailed a viable route from Jerusalem across the Arabian peninsula well before this route was know to western scholars. An altar with a Book of Mormon name has even been found in the [[Book_of_Mormon/Geography/Old_World#Nahom|right place]], dating from the right time period.
# As the years have gone by, LDS scholars have only discovered more and more supporting evidence for the Book of Mormon. The majority of the items that seemed foolish to include in a book about ancient America in Joseph Smith’s day have now been discovered to be authentic. The Book of Mormon consistently gets things right which would impossible for Joseph to have guessed.

===Additional resources===
* Chiasmus: http://en.fairmormon.org/Chiasmus
* Archaeology, Relics, and Book of Mormon Belief – An important essay by LDS archaeologist John Clark.
http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/jbms/?vol=14&num=2&id=376
* Basic Methodological Problems with the Anti-Mormon Approach to the Geography and Archaeology of the Book of Mormon, by William Hamblin — In this essay FARMS scholar William Hamblin discusses important geographical and archaeological issues that are often ignored or unknown by critics and members alike. A better understanding of the difficulties associated with geography and archaeology is vital for anyone interested in Book of Mormon evidence.
http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/jbms/?vol=2&num=1&id=25
* Behind the Mask, Behind the Curtain: Uncovering the Illusion, by Brant Gardner — In this essay published by FARMS Brant Gardner reviews a film produced by an anti-Mormon ministry that attempts to pit Book of Mormon archaeology against Biblical archaeology. Brant Gardner reviews their tactics and rebuts their claims about the Book of Mormon, and in the course of doing so he provides a treasure trove of information regarding Book of Mormon archaeology.
http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/review/?vol=17&num=2&id=581
* The Power of Evidence in the Nurturing of Faith — This interesting essay by John Welch of FARMS discusses how to balance faith and science as we seek to strengthen our testimonies.
http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/books/?bookid=8&chapid=60

*[[Book of Mormon/Archaeology|Archaeology]] 
**[[Becoming_Gods/Use_of_sources/Dee_F._Green_on_Book_of_Mormon_archaeology|Book of Mormon archaeology "does not exist"?]]
**[[Book of Mormon/Hill Cumorah/Archaeology|The Hill Cumorah and archaeology]]
**[[Book of Mormon/Archaeology/Human sacrifice during 4 Nephi time period|Human sacrifice during 4 Nephi time period]]
**[[Book of Mormon/Archaeology/Smithsonian statement|Smithsonian statement on Book of Mormon archaeology]]
**[[Becoming_Gods/Use_of_sources/Dee_F._Green_on_Book_of_Mormon_archaeology|Dee F. Green (''Dialogue'' 1969) on Book of Mormon archaeology]]
*[[Book of Mormon/Historicity|Historicity]]
* [[Book_of_Mormon/Geography/Old_World|Old World Geography in the Book of Mormon]]

==QUESTION 7b: Textual changes in the Book of Mormon==

===Short answer===
Mormons do not believe the Book of Mormon to be perfect or infallible because men, some of them uninspired, took part in the recording, copying, and publishing of the first and successive editions of the Book of Mormon. Hugh Nibley has observed that "once the possibility of human error is conceded, why should the idea of a corrected Book of Mormon be offensive? Revised and improved editions of the Bible are constantly coming from the press, and the Mormons have never believed in an infallible book or an infallible anything in which men have had a hand. God allows fallible humans to be co-workers with him on the road to a far-distant perfection, but he expects them to make lots of mistakes along the way" (Since Cumorah, p. 4).

===Longer answer===
Mormons do not believe the Book of Mormon to be perfect or infallible because men, some of them uninspired, took part in the recording, copying, and publishing of the first and successive editions of the Book of Mormon. Hugh Nibley has observed that "once the possibility of human error is conceded, why should the idea of a corrected Book of Mormon be offensive? Revised and improved editions of the Bible are constantly coming from the press, and the Mormons have never believed in an infallible book or an infallible anything in which men have had a hand. God allows fallible humans to be co-workers with him on the road to a far-distant perfection, but he expects them to make lots of mistakes along the way" (Since Cumorah, p. 4).

Book of Mormon authors themselves admitted their own susceptibility to err (1 Nephi 19:6; 2 Nephi 33:11; 3 Nephi 23:12-13; Mormon 8:12, 16-17; 9:31; Ether 12:23-25) and even the Book of Mormon title page admits, "if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore condemn not the things of God....”

Robert J. Matthews notes that during the Prophet Joseph Smith's lifetime, "three editions of the Book of Mormon were printed. Each time he amended the text in a few places to more correctly convey the intended meaning of his translation. Other changes in these and successive editions were made to correct typographical errors, improper spelling, and inaccurate or missing punctuation and to improve grammar and sentence structure or eliminate ambiguity. None of these changes, individually or collectively, alters the message of the Book of Mormon" (A Sure Foundation, p. 34).

Sidney B. Sperry affirmed that, "The sense of the first edition has not been disturbed in later editions, and the thousands of changes are relatively minor in nature, in matters of punctuation, spelling, diction, correction of errors and the like. The thing that counts still remains, the message and sense of the original translation" (Problems of the Book of Mormon, p. 209, as quoted in Stan Larson's Changes in Early Texts of the Book of Mormon, F.A.R.M.S. Reprint).

Gilbert W. Scharffs observed that, "Ninety-nine percent of the original edition of the Book of Mormon has not been changed. Indeed, 4000 changes seems amazingly few.... Dozens of articles and books have been written on the subject of Book of Mormon changes and these changes have logical explanations and almost every change is trivial. It seems inconsistent for the authors to criticize the Book of Mormon that has but a small fraction of the number of changes that have been made in the Bible" (The Truth about The God Makers, p. 160; see also Scrapbook of Mormon Polemics, num. 1, pp. 2-3, Mormon Miscellaneous).

When one considers the fact that the Book of Mormon "manuscript was one solid paragraph, without punctuation mark, from beginning to end" (Nibley, Since Cumorah, p. 4) and that the printer was given free hand with punctuation and spelling, it should not surprise us that corrections were necessary in later editions. In fact, of the nearly 4000 changes noted by our critics, approximately 2000 were grammatical errors (Joseph Fielding McConkie, Seeking the Spirit, p. 38). Lack of standardization of spelling and grammar in those days and the use of multiple scribes in the translation process surely made later changes necessary to improve readability but when these are discounted we still have a small number of textual changes which remain.

===Additional resources===
*[[Book of Mormon/Textual changes|Textual changes]]

==QUESTION 7c: Book of Mormon unusual references (claimed "anachronisms")==

===Short answer===
The Book of Mormon was a translation of an ancient work. Joseph Smith, though translating by the gift and power of God, rendered a translation in his own language using 19th century word that were as close as possible to the intent of the original authors. Words like "adieu" were in common use in Joseph Smith's day. Terms like "horse" were possibly the best translation for an animal that served the same or similar purpose for the people of the Book of Mormon.

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===Longer answer===
The English Book of Mormon is a translation. This means that it is no more likely that the word adieu appeared on the plates than did the words yea, beginning, or sword. Except for proper nouns and a few other possibly transliterated nouns, no word that appears in the English version of the Book of Mormon can be said to have been on the ancient Nephite plates.

Similarly, the phrase "and it came to pass" never appeared anywhere on the Nephite plates. Whatever character, word, or phrase that had been engraved on the plates was translated by Joseph Smith into what he felt was an approximate equivalent in English.

Despite the fact that the word adieu appears in the English translation of the Book of Mormon, the word adieu was certainly not known to any Book of Mormon writer, the word adieu was never used by any Book of Mormon writer, and the word adieu did not appear anywhere on the Nephite plates.

One should not reject the possibility of "loan-shifting," in which a name for a familiar species is applied for a new species. This is a well-known phenomenon — for example, Amerindians called European horses 'deer' when they first encountered them. The classic example is, of course, the hippopotamus, which name the Greeks gave to an animal they called a "river (potamus) horse (hippo)." Critics who scoff should ask themselves how anyone could mistake a hippopotamus for a horse — the answer, of course, is that the Greeks knew perfectly well that the hippo was not a true horse, but the name stuck.

===Additional resources===

* http://en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Mormon/Anachronisms/%22Adieu%22 - for adieu
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Mormon/Anachronisms/Animals#Horse - for horses
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Mormon/Anachronisms - general list of all claimed anachronisms

==QUESTION 7d: How can one know if the Book of Mormon is true?==

===Short answer===
We must read the Book of Mormon, ponder the mercy of the Lord in giving scripture to men, and pray to the Father in the name of Christ asking if these things are not true; with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ.

===Longer answer===
Medium Answer:
We must read the Book of Mormon, ponder the mercy of the Lord in giving scripture to men, and pray to the Father in the name of Christ asking if these things are not true; with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ.
Moroni 10 specifies:
3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
6 And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is.
7 And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever.
It says we must read the Book of Mormon, ponder the mercy of the Lord in giving scripture to men, and pray to the Father in the name of Christ asking if these things are not true; with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ.

===Additional resources===
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==QUESTION 8a: Joseph Smith: Is it true he married a 14-year-old girl?==

===Short answer===
Yes, it is true Joseph Smith married a 14 year-old. It as not uncommon for girls as young as fourteen to marry during this period, particularly if they lived on the American frontier, where Joseph Smith resided at this time.

===Longer answer===
Yes, it is true Joseph Smith married a 14 year-old. This was not uncommon for girls as young as fourteen to marry during this period, particularly if they lived on the American frontier, where Joseph Smith resided at this time. One historian explained that the American frontier produced conditions that encouraged “early and continuous marriage of pioneer women” and “girls married young and were in a constant state of matrimony.” [James E. Davis, Frontier America, 1800-1840: A Comparative Demographic Analysis of the Settlement Process (Glendale, California: Arhur H. Clark, 1977), 52.] In fact, “teenage marriage was over four times more common in Joseph Smith’s America than it is today.” [Craig L. Foster, David Keller, and Gregory L. Smith, “The Age of Joseph Smith’s Plural Wives in Social and Demographic Context,” in Newell G. Bringhurst and Craig L. Foster, eds, The Persistence of Polygamy: Joseph Smith and the Origins of Mormon Polygamy (Independence, Missouri: John Whitmer Books, 2010), 160.]

Thus marrying teenage girls on the American frontier was more common than modern people realize. For example, one non-Mormon pioneer woman was asked to marry while she was still fourteen. She later recalled, “I was nearly fifteen years old and I thought it was high time that I got married so I consented.” Another person later remembered that in 1840s Oregon “the young men began wondering why a girl wasn’t married if she was still single when she was 16.” Limited available statistics from non-Mormon counties near Nauvoo also had a significant number of marriages to teenage brides. In Louisa County, Iowa, for example, between 1842 and 1852, fifty-one percent of marriages were to brides aged nineteen and younger. Seventeen percent of the females married when they were sixteen and younger. Thus Joseph Smith’s marriage to a fourteen year old bride was not out of step with his time-period. On the American frontier in the 1840s, men often married women much younger than themselves, and women tended to marry younger.

In Joseph Smith's case, he married Helen Mar Kimball three months before her 15th birthday. While such a marriage would not be unusual for Joseph's time and place, most historians have concluded that this marriage was intended to link Joseph’s family with his close friend, apostle Heber C. Kimball—it was likely did not involve sexual relations.

===Additional resources===
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Joseph_Smith/Polygamy/Helen_Mar_Kimball
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Mar_Kimball
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Joseph_Smith_and_polygamy/Marriages_to_young_women
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Template:PolygamyWiki
* Craig L. Foster, David Keller, and Gregory L. Smith, “The Age of Joseph Smith’s Plural Wives in Social and Demographic Context,” in Newell G. Bringhurst and Craig L. Foster, eds, The Persistence of Polygamy: Joseph Smith and the Origins of Mormon Polygamy (Independence, Missouri: John Whitmer Books, 2010), 153-184.
* Michael Grossberg, Governing the Hearth: Law and the Family in Nineteenth-Century America (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1988), 106. According to this source, the United States continued to base its marriage laws on the “traditional English common-law nuptial-age demarcations” which allowed marriage at twelve for women and fourteen for men. These same statutes became a part of American common law, and “every American state adopted these age boundaries after the Revolution.”
* S.N.D. North, comp., and Desmond Walls Allen, ed., Marriage Laws in the United States, 1887-1906 (Conway, Arkansas: Arkansas Research, 1993). According to North and Allen, As late as 1906, six states still retained a minimum age of twelve for girls. These states included Kansas, Missouri, and Rhode Island. In 1887, New Hampshire changed the permissible marriage age for girls from twelve to thirteen. Eight other states, including Iowa, Texas, and Utah, had fourteen as the minimum age for girls. As late as 1905, fourteen was the legal marriage age for girls in Illinois. Interestingly, thirteen states, including Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Vermont had no fixed minimum marriage age. (specific references are on pages 32-34, 48, 53-54, 70-71, 75-77)
* Daniel S. Smith, “American family and demographic patterns and the north-west European model,” Continuity and Change 8:3(1993): 389-415.

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==QUESTION 5b: Priesthood: Why were blacks denied the Priesthood?==

===Short answer===
For a time, LDS priesthood authority was not given to men of African descent. The reasons behind this policy are not entirely clear. This policy was rescinded in 1978 and Latter-day Saints rejoiced at this announcement. We are grateful that God has extended this privilege to all worthy men of the Church and hope that every man so blessed will use that priesthood to bless his family, his fellow members, and his community.

===Longer answer===
For a time, LDS priesthood authority was not given to men of African descent. The reasons behind this policy are not entirely clear. This policy was rescinded in 1978 and Latter-day Saints rejoiced at this announcement. We are grateful that God has extended this privilege to all worthy men of the Church and hope that every man so blessed will use that priesthood to bless his family, his fellow members, and his community.

Interestingly, in the early days of the Church, Joseph Smith approved the ordination of blacks, but this was later discontinued. Most early Latter-day Saints were opposed to slavery, and they suffered significant persecution because of this.

Because the Church regards the priesthood as God’s authority, leaders and members did not feel entitled to reverse the priesthood restriction without revelation from God. Many Church leaders had asked the Lord for such a revelation, and it was finally received in 1978 by Church President Spencer W. Kimball, and was then accepted and sustained by other Church leaders and the Church membership in general. Since then, the priesthood has been conferred upon worthy men without regard to race.

Past and present-day leaders of the Church have repeatedly spoken against racism or intolerance as unbecoming true disciples of Christ.
At all points in the history of the Church, members and visitors of all races have been fully welcome to join congregations and worship together, with all the opportunities of Church membership except those of the priesthood and temple. Contrasted to what was common during the same time period elsewhere in the Christian world, where (for example) African Americans were required in many cases to form their own segregated churches, this is an indication that this policy was due to the specific understanding of how priesthood authority was to be administered, not a general feeling of ill will toward members of any particular ethnic group. (Of course, individual members of the Church are as susceptible to prejudice as any other human being is, and such attitudes are officially considered to be undesirable by Church doctrine, and something we should strive to eliminate from our dealings with our fellow men and women.)
-- [[User:SteveWilloughby|SteveWilloughby]] 12:31, 4 October 2010 (MDT)

===Additional resources===
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Blacks_and_the_priesthood

==QUESTION 6a: Nature of God: What does the church believe our potential to become as God is?==

===Short answer===
God has promised that those who have faith in His Son and follow His commandments will become joint-heirs of His Glory with Christ ({{b||Romans|8|17}}). We do not know all that is meant by that, but we know that we will be “like him; for we shall see him as He is” ({{b|1|John|3|2}}).

===Longer answer===
God has promised that those who have faith in His Son and follow His commandments will become joint-heirs of His Glory with Christ ({{b||Romans|8|17}}). We do not know all that is meant by that, but we know that we will be “like him; for we shall see him as He is” ({{b|1|John|3|2}}).

Latter-day Saints believe that all humans are spirit children of God. Like all good parents, God wants us to be happy, and wants us to develop to our full potential. He also knew that we could not do so on our own. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem us from our mistakes and sorrows. Jesus promises us that if we will follow Him and trust Him, He will share everything He has with us. As He said, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne” ({{b||Revelation|3|21}}).

===Additional resources===
Both Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians believe that “theosis” or deification was taught by the apostles and was a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosis and http://www.antiochian.org/node/16916 for examples.

The International Bulletin of Missionary Research (an ecumenical publication) reported in an item in May 2001 that: “There are … somewhat over one billion Roman Catholics … 215 million Orthodox,” 80 million Anglicans, and 342 million “other Protestants.” Since Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox seem to agree with us on this point, there are, according to these figures, roughly 1.2 billion Christians that would take issue with those who condemn “theosis.” Since our critics are presenting an opinion shared by only about 340 million Christians, they are misleading others into believing that their position represents Christianity, when in fact it represents, at best, only about 28% of the total Christians listed above. The ''Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology'' on the subject of “Deification” states:

:Deification (Greek ''theosis'') is for Orthodoxy the goal of every Christian. Man, according to the Bible, is ‘made in the image and likeness of God’.... It is possible for man to become like God, to become deified, to become god by grace. This doctrine is based on many passages of both [Old Testament] and [New Testament] (e.g. {{b||Psalms|82|6}}; {{b|2|Peter|1|4}}), and it is essentially the teaching both of St. Paul, though he tends to use the language of filial adoption (cf. {{b||Romans|8|9-17}}; {{b||Galatians|4|5-7}}), and the Fourth Gospel (cf. {{b||John|17|21-23}}).

:The language of 2 Peter is taken up by St. Irenaeus, in his famous phrase, ‘if the word has been made man, it is so that man may be made gods’ (''Adv. Haer'' [''Against Heresies''], V, Pref.), and becomes the standard in Greek theology. In the fourth century St. Athanasius repeats Irenaeus almost word for word, and in the fifth century St. Cyril of Alexandria says that we shall become sons ‘by participation’ (Greek ''methexis''). Deification is the central idea in the spirituality of St. Maximus the Confessor, for whom the doctrine is the corollary of the Incarnation: ‘Deification, briefly, is the encompassing and fulfillment of all times and ages’,... and St. Symeon the New Theologian at the end of the tenth century writes, ‘He who is God by nature converses with those whom he has made gods by grace, as a friend converses with his friends, face to face.

:Finally, it should be noted that deification does not mean absorption into God, since the deified creature remains itself and distinct. It is the whole human being, body and soul, who is transfigured in the Spirit into the likeness of the divine nature, and deification is the goal of every Christian. (Symeon Lash, ''The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology'', ed. Alan Richardson and John Bowden, Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1983, pp. 147-48; as quoted in Stephen L. Robinson, ''Are Mormons Christian'', p. 62)

==QUESTION 6b: Nature of God: What does the Church believe about the Trinity?==

===Short answer===
The Church’s first article of faith states, “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” These three beings make up what Latter-day Saints call "the Godhead," sometimes called the Trinity. Through modern revelation we know that there are three distinct beings, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, who comprise the Godhead and that they are one in love, purpose, and plan in bringing about the salvation of man.

===Longer answer===
The Church’s first article of faith states, “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” These three beings make up the Godhead, sometimes called the Trinity. Through modern revelation we know that there are three distinct beings, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, who comprise the Godhead and that they are one in love, purpose, and plan in bringing about the salvation of man.

The Bible likewise teaches that there is “one God.” A central issue in Christian thought is how to reconcile these two ideas: How can there be three beings regarded as divine, while there is only “one God”?

Much of modern Christianity descends from groups who approached this problem by applying concepts from Greek philosophy. This approach resulted in the Nicene and other Christian Creeds.

Latter-day Saints believe in the trinity, but do not accept the Nicene or other Christian Creeds as properly resolving the issues raised by the verses of scripture mentioned above. Instead, they regard each of the divine beings as a distinct person. These persons are united in a perfect harmony of intent and love, and may be therefore said to be “One.”

:{{b||John|10|30}} states “I and my Father are one” and Latter-day Saints interpret this to mean that they are one in purpose, similar to what is stated in John 17:11, 21-23:
:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, ''that they may be one, as '''we''' are.''
:21 That ''they all may be one; '''as thou, Father, art in me''', and I in thee'', that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, ''even as '''we''' are one'':
:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (bold and italics added)

===Additional resources===
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Nature_of_God/Trinity/Nicene_creed
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Nature_of_God/Deification_of_man

==QUESTION 6c: Nature of God: Does God have a body?==

===Short answer===
Yes. Latter-day Saints believe that human beings are created in the form and image of a God who has a physical body (Genesis 1:26). In Joseph Smith’s First Vision, he saw that God the Father and Jesus Christ were two separate and distinct beings, each possessing a physical body. As stated in Doctrine & Covenants 130:22, “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s...”

===Longer answer===
Latter-day Saints believe that human beings are created in the form and image of a God who has a physical body ({{b||Genesis|1|26}}). In Joseph Smith’s First Vision, he saw that God the Father and Jesus Christ were two separate and distinct beings, each possessing a physical body. As stated in {{s||DC|130|22}}, “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s...”

In addition to God the Father having a physical body, Jesus Christ has a physical body as well. Like most Christians, Latter-day Saints regard Jesus as God. Jesus was born, lived as a mortal, and then died for the sins of all humanity. One of Christianity’s most joyful messages is that Jesus was resurrected—that is, His spirit returned to his physical body. Jesus took the opportunity to prove to His apostles that He had been resurrected, by having them touch Him and by eating with them ({{b||Luke|24|39-43}}). There is no indication in the scriptures that Jesus later discarded his resurrected body, and Joseph Smith, in his First Vision, clearly saw that Jesus Christ continues to possess a physical body.

===Additional resources===
* http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/God_the_Father
* http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Resurrection
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Nature_of_God/Corporeality_of_God
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Nature_of_God/God_is_a_Spirit

==QUESTION 7: Book of Mormon (What is the Book of Mormon?)==

===Short answer===
We believe the Book of Mormon was written by a group of Israelites who fled Jerusalem just before its destruction by Babylonians. They brought with them scriptures that resemble our Old Testament, and the Book of Mormon was intended to compliment the Old Testament - in particular it describes the relationship these peoples had with God, the covenants God made with them, and the revelations they received through their own prophets. Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of the LDS Church was led to the hiding place of the record, and translated it by the power of God. Today, members of the LDS Church consider the Book of Mormon to be scripture, alongside both the Old and New Testaments.

===Longer answer===
We believe the Book of Mormon was written by a group of Israelites who fled Jerusalem just before its destruction by Babylonians. They brought with them scriptures that resemble our Old Testament, and the Book of Mormon was intended to compliment the Old Testament - in particular it describes the relationship these peoples had with God, the covenants God made with them, and the revelations they received through their own prophets. Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of the LDS Church was led to the hiding place of the record, and translated it by the power of God. Today, members of the LDS Church consider the Book of Mormon to be scripture, alongside both the Old and New Testaments.

In 1821, Joseph Smith was directed to the hiding place of the plates by a visitation from an angel. After he was able to retrieve the plates, he translated them by the power of God into the Book of Mormon text that is used today. Members of the LDS faith hold the Book of Mormon to be scripture with the Old and New Testaments in the Bible, and claim it to be another testament of Jesus Christ. Like the New Testament, the Book of Mormon contains many teachings of the Savior as well as providing other revelations on the gospel and God's plan of salvation for mankind.

The Book of Mormon also excels in leading men to Christ in that it provides us with a clear definition of the Gospel and the plan of salvation (2 Nephi 31; 3 Nephi 27; Moroni 8:24-26; see also Sep 92 Ensign, pp. 7-13). As such it contains the fullness of the Gospel (D&C 20:9; 27:5; 42:12).

===Additional resources===
* www.lds.org – gospel topics – Book of Mormon
* http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Book_of_Mormon
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Mormon_basics

{{Common Questions Navigation Tool}}

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SteveWilloughby: /* Longer answer */

{{Common Questions Navigation Tool}}

==QUESTION 5b: Priesthood: Why were blacks denied the Priesthood?==

===Short answer===
For a time, LDS priesthood authority was not given to men of African descent. The reasons behind this policy are not entirely clear. This policy was rescinded in 1978 and Latter-day Saints rejoiced at this announcement. We are grateful that God has extended this privilege to all worthy men of the Church and hope that every man so blessed will use that priesthood to bless his family, his fellow members, and his community.

===Longer answer===
For a time, LDS priesthood authority was not given to men of African descent. The reasons behind this policy are not entirely clear. This policy was rescinded in 1978 and Latter-day Saints rejoiced at this announcement. We are grateful that God has extended this privilege to all worthy men of the Church and hope that every man so blessed will use that priesthood to bless his family, his fellow members, and his community.

Interestingly, in the early days of the Church, Joseph Smith approved the ordination of blacks, but this was later discontinued. Most early Latter-day Saints were opposed to slavery, and they suffered significant persecution because of this.

Because the Church regards the priesthood as God’s authority, leaders and members did not feel entitled to reverse the priesthood restriction without revelation from God. Many Church leaders had asked the Lord for such a revelation, and it was finally received in 1978 by Church President Spencer W. Kimball, and was then accepted and sustained by other Church leaders and the Church membership in general. Since then, the priesthood has been conferred upon worthy men without regard to race.

Past and present-day leaders of the Church have repeatedly spoken against racism or intolerance as unbecoming true disciples of Christ.
At all points in the history of the Church, members and visitors of all races have been fully welcome to join congregations and worship together, with all the opportunities of Church membership except those of the priesthood and temple. Contrasted to what was common during the same time period elsewhere in the Christian world, where (for example) African Americans were required in many cases to form their own segregated churches, this is an indication that this policy was due to the specific understanding of how priesthood authority was to be administered, not a general feeling of ill will toward members of any particular ethnic group. (Of course, individual members of the Church are as susceptible to prejudice as any other human being is, and such attitudes are officially considered to be undesirable by Church doctrine, and something we should strive to eliminate from our dealings with our fellow men and women.)
-- [[User:SteveWilloughby|SteveWilloughby]] 12:31, 4 October 2010 (MDT)

===Additional resources===
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Blacks_and_the_priesthood

==QUESTION 6a: Nature of God: What does the church believe our potential to become as God is?==

===Short answer===
God has promised that those who have faith in His Son and follow His commandments will become joint-heirs of His Glory with Christ ({{b||Romans|8|17}}). We do not know all that is meant by that, but we know that we will be “like him; for we shall see him as He is” ({{b|1|John|3|2}}).

===Longer answer===
God has promised that those who have faith in His Son and follow His commandments will become joint-heirs of His Glory with Christ ({{b||Romans|8|17}}). We do not know all that is meant by that, but we know that we will be “like him; for we shall see him as He is” ({{b|1|John|3|2}}).

Latter-day Saints believe that all humans are spirit children of God. Like all good parents, God wants us to be happy, and wants us to develop to our full potential. He also knew that we could not do so on our own. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem us from our mistakes and sorrows. Jesus promises us that if we will follow Him and trust Him, He will share everything He has with us. As He said, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne” ({{b||Revelation|3|21}}).

===Additional resources===
Both Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians believe that “theosis” or deification was taught by the apostles and was a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosis and http://www.antiochian.org/node/16916 for examples.

The International Bulletin of Missionary Research (an ecumenical publication) reported in an item in May 2001 that: “There are … somewhat over one billion Roman Catholics … 215 million Orthodox,” 80 million Anglicans, and 342 million “other Protestants.” Since Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox seem to agree with us on this point, there are, according to these figures, roughly 1.2 billion Christians that would take issue with those who condemn “theosis.” Since our critics are presenting an opinion shared by only about 340 million Christians, they are misleading other into believing that their position represents Christianity, when in fact it represents, at best, only about 28% of the total Christians listed above. The ''Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology'' on the subject of “Deification” states:

:Deification (Greek ''theosis'') is for Orthodoxy the goal of every Christian. Man, according to the Bible, is ‘made in the image and likeness of God’.... It is possible for man to become like God, to become deified, to become god by grace. This doctrine is based on many passages of both [Old Testament] and [New Testament] (e.g. {{b||Psalms|82|6}}; {{b|2|Peter|1|4}}), and it is essentially the teaching both of St. Paul, though he tends to use the language of filial adoption (cf. {{b||Romans|8|9-17}}; {{b||Galatians|4|5-7}}), and the Fourth Gospel (cf. {{b||John|17|21-23}}).

:The language of 2 Peter is taken up by St. Irenaeus, in his famous phrase, ‘if the word has been made man, it is so that man may be made gods’ (''Adv. Haer'' [''Against Heresies''], V, Pref.), and becomes the standard in Greek theology. In the fourth century St. Athanasius repeats Irenaeus almost word for word, and in the fifth century St. Cyril of Alexandria says that we shall become sons ‘by participation’ (Greek ''methexis''). Deification is the central idea in the spirituality of St. Maximus the Confessor, for whom the doctrine is the corollary of the Incarnation: ‘Deification, briefly, is the encompassing and fulfillment of all times and ages’,... and St. Symeon the New Theologian at the end of the tenth century writes, ‘He who is God by nature converses with those whom he has made gods by grace, as a friend converses with his friends, face to face.

:Finally, it should be noted that deification does not mean absorption into God, since the deified creature remains itself and distinct. It is the whole human being, body and soul, who is transfigured in the Spirit into the likeness of the divine nature, and deification is the goal of every Christian. (Symeon Lash, ''The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology'', ed. Alan Richardson and John Bowden, Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1983, pp. 147-48; as quoted in Stephen L. Robinson, ''Are Mormons Christian'', p. 62)

==QUESTION 6b: Nature of God: What does the Church believe about the Trinity?==

===Short answer===
The Church’s first article of faith states, “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” These three beings make up what Latter-day Saints call "the Godhead," sometimes called the Trinity. Through modern revelation we know that there are three distinct beings, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, who comprise the Godhead and that they are one in love, purpose, and plan in bringing about the salvation of man.

===Longer answer===
The Church’s first article of faith states, “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” These three beings make up the Godhead, sometimes called the Trinity. Through modern revelation we know that there are three distinct beings, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, who comprise the Godhead and that they are one in love, purpose, and plan in bringing about the salvation of man.

The Bible likewise teaches that there is “one God.” A central issue in Christian thought is how to reconcile these two ideas: How can there be three beings regarded as divine, while there is only “one God”?

Much of modern Christianity descends from groups who approached this problem by applying concepts from Greek philosophy. This approach resulted in the Nicene and other Christian Creeds.

Latter-day Saints believe in the trinity, but do not accept the Nicene or other Christian Creeds as properly resolving the issues raised by the verses of scripture mentioned above. Instead, they regard each of the divine beings as a distinct person. These persons are united in a perfect harmony of intent and love, and may be therefore said to be “One.”

:{{b||John|10|30}} states “I and my Father are one” and Latter-day Saints interpret this to mean that they are one in purpose, similar to what is stated in John 17:11, 21-23:
:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, ''that they may be one, as '''we''' are.''
:21 That ''they all may be one; '''as thou, Father, art in me''', and I in thee'', that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, ''even as '''we''' are one'':
:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (bold and italics added)

===Additional resources===
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Nature_of_God/Trinity/Nicene_creed
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Nature_of_God/Deification_of_man

==QUESTION 6c: Nature of God: Does God have a body?==

===Short answer===
Yes. Latter-day Saints believe that human beings are created in the form and image of a God who has a physical body (Genesis 1:26). In Joseph Smith’s First Vision, he saw that God the Father and Jesus Christ were two separate and distinct beings, each possessing a physical body. As stated in Doctrine & Covenants 130:22, “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s...”

===Longer answer===
Latter-day Saints believe that human beings are created in the form and image of a God who has a physical body ({{b||Genesis|1|26}}). In Joseph Smith’s First Vision, he saw that God the Father and Jesus Christ were two separate and distinct beings, each possessing a physical body. As stated in {{s||DC|130|22}}, “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s...”

In addition to God the Father having a physical body, Jesus Christ has a physical body as well. Like most Christians, Latter-day Saints regard Jesus as God. Jesus was born, lived as a mortal, and then died for the sins of all humanity. One of Christianity’s most joyful messages is that Jesus was resurrected—that is, His spirit returned to his physical body. Jesus took the opportunity to prove to His apostles that He had been resurrected, by having them touch Him and by eating with them ({{b||Luke|24|39-43}}). There is no indication in the scriptures that Jesus later discarded his resurrected body, and Joseph Smith, in his First Vision, clearly saw that Jesus Christ continues to possess a physical body.

===Additional resources===
* http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/God_the_Father
* http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Resurrection
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Nature_of_God/Corporeality_of_God
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Nature_of_God/God_is_a_Spirit

==QUESTION 7: Book of Mormon (What is the Book of Mormon?)==

===Short answer===
We believe the Book of Mormon was written by a group of Israelites who fled Jerusalem just before its destruction by Babylonians. They brought with them scriptures that resemble our Old Testament, and the Book of Mormon was intended to compliment the Old Testament - in particular it describes the relationship these peoples had with God, the covenants God made with them, and the revelations they received through their own prophets. Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of the LDS Church was led to the hiding place of the record, and translated it by the power of God. Today, members of the LDS Church consider the Book of Mormon to be scripture, alongside both the Old and New Testaments.

===Longer answer===
We believe the Book of Mormon was written by a group of Israelites who fled Jerusalem just before its destruction by Babylonians. They brought with them scriptures that resemble our Old Testament, and the Book of Mormon was intended to compliment the Old Testament - in particular it describes the relationship these peoples had with God, the covenants God made with them, and the revelations they received through their own prophets. Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of the LDS Church was led to the hiding place of the record, and translated it by the power of God. Today, members of the LDS Church consider the Book of Mormon to be scripture, alongside both the Old and New Testaments.

In 1821, Joseph Smith was directed to the hiding place of the plates by a visitation from an angel. After he was able to retrieve the plates, he translated them by the power of God into the Book of Mormon text that is used today. Members of the LDS faith hold the Book of Mormon to be scripture with the Old and New Testaments in the Bible, and claim it to be another testament of Jesus Christ. Like the New Testament, the Book of Mormon contains many teachings of the Savior as well as providing other revelations on the gospel and God's plan of salvation for mankind.

The Book of Mormon also excels in leading men to Christ in that it provides us with a clear definition of the Gospel and the plan of salvation (2 Nephi 31; 3 Nephi 27; Moroni 8:24-26; see also Sep 92 Ensign, pp. 7-13). As such it contains the fullness of the Gospel (D&C 20:9; 27:5; 42:12).

===Additional resources===
* www.lds.org – gospel topics – Book of Mormon
* http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Book_of_Mormon
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Mormon_basics

{{Common Questions Navigation Tool}}

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SteveWilloughby: /* Longer answer */

{{Common Questions Navigation Tool}}

==QUESTION 5b: Priesthood: Why were blacks denied the Priesthood?==

===Short answer===
For a time, LDS priesthood authority was not given to men of African descent. The reasons behind this policy are not entirely clear. This policy was rescinded in 1978 and Latter-day Saints rejoiced at this announcement. We are grateful that God has extended this privilege to all worthy men of the Church and hope that every man so blessed will use that priesthood to bless his family, his fellow members, and his community.

===Longer answer===
For a time, LDS priesthood authority was not given to men of African descent. The reasons behind this policy are not entirely clear. This policy was rescinded in 1978 and Latter-day Saints rejoiced at this announcement. We are grateful that God has extended this privilege to all worthy men of the Church and hope that every man so blessed will use that priesthood to bless his family, his fellow members, and his community.

Interestingly, in the early days of the Church, Joseph Smith approved the ordination of blacks, but this was later discontinued. Most early Latter-day Saints were opposed to slavery, and they suffered significant persecution because of this.

Because the Church regards the priesthood as God’s authority, leaders and members did not feel entitled to reverse the priesthood restriction without revelation from God. Many Church leaders had asked the Lord for such a revelation, and it was finally received in 1978 by Church President Spencer W. Kimball, and was then accepted and sustained by other Church leaders and the Church membership in general. Since then, the priesthood has been conferred upon worthy men without regard to race.

Past and present-day leaders of the Church have repeatedly spoken against racism or intolerance as unbecoming true disciples of Christ.
At all points in the history of the Church, members and visitors of all races have been fully welcome to join congregations and worship together, with all the opportunities of Church membership except those of the priesthood and temple. Contrasted to what was common during the same time period elsewhere in the Christian world, where (for example) African Americans were required in many cases to form their own segregated churches, this is an indication that this policy was due to the specific understanding of how priesthood authority was to be administered, not a general feeling of ill will toward members of any particular ethnic group. (Of course, individual members of the Church are as susceptible to prejudice as any other human being is, and such attitudes are officially considered to be undesirable by Church doctrine, and something we should strive to eliminate from our dealings with our fellow men and women.)
[[[User:SteveWilloughby|SteveWilloughby]] 12:31, 4 October 2010 (MDT)]

===Additional resources===
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Blacks_and_the_priesthood

==QUESTION 6a: Nature of God: What does the church believe our potential to become as God is?==

===Short answer===
God has promised that those who have faith in His Son and follow His commandments will become joint-heirs of His Glory with Christ ({{b||Romans|8|17}}). We do not know all that is meant by that, but we know that we will be “like him; for we shall see him as He is” ({{b|1|John|3|2}}).

===Longer answer===
God has promised that those who have faith in His Son and follow His commandments will become joint-heirs of His Glory with Christ ({{b||Romans|8|17}}). We do not know all that is meant by that, but we know that we will be “like him; for we shall see him as He is” ({{b|1|John|3|2}}).

Latter-day Saints believe that all humans are spirit children of God. Like all good parents, God wants us to be happy, and wants us to develop to our full potential. He also knew that we could not do so on our own. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem us from our mistakes and sorrows. Jesus promises us that if we will follow Him and trust Him, He will share everything He has with us. As He said, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne” ({{b||Revelation|3|21}}).

===Additional resources===
Both Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians believe that “theosis” or deification was taught by the apostles and was a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosis and http://www.antiochian.org/node/16916 for examples.

The International Bulletin of Missionary Research (an ecumenical publication) reported in an item in May 2001 that: “There are … somewhat over one billion Roman Catholics … 215 million Orthodox,” 80 million Anglicans, and 342 million “other Protestants.” Since Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox seem to agree with us on this point, there are, according to these figures, roughly 1.2 billion Christians that would take issue with those who condemn “theosis.” Since our critics are presenting an opinion shared by only about 340 million Christians, they are misleading other into believing that their position represents Christianity, when in fact it represents, at best, only about 28% of the total Christians listed above. The ''Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology'' on the subject of “Deification” states:

:Deification (Greek ''theosis'') is for Orthodoxy the goal of every Christian. Man, according to the Bible, is ‘made in the image and likeness of God’.... It is possible for man to become like God, to become deified, to become god by grace. This doctrine is based on many passages of both [Old Testament] and [New Testament] (e.g. {{b||Psalms|82|6}}; {{b|2|Peter|1|4}}), and it is essentially the teaching both of St. Paul, though he tends to use the language of filial adoption (cf. {{b||Romans|8|9-17}}; {{b||Galatians|4|5-7}}), and the Fourth Gospel (cf. {{b||John|17|21-23}}).

:The language of 2 Peter is taken up by St. Irenaeus, in his famous phrase, ‘if the word has been made man, it is so that man may be made gods’ (''Adv. Haer'' [''Against Heresies''], V, Pref.), and becomes the standard in Greek theology. In the fourth century St. Athanasius repeats Irenaeus almost word for word, and in the fifth century St. Cyril of Alexandria says that we shall become sons ‘by participation’ (Greek ''methexis''). Deification is the central idea in the spirituality of St. Maximus the Confessor, for whom the doctrine is the corollary of the Incarnation: ‘Deification, briefly, is the encompassing and fulfillment of all times and ages’,... and St. Symeon the New Theologian at the end of the tenth century writes, ‘He who is God by nature converses with those whom he has made gods by grace, as a friend converses with his friends, face to face.

:Finally, it should be noted that deification does not mean absorption into God, since the deified creature remains itself and distinct. It is the whole human being, body and soul, who is transfigured in the Spirit into the likeness of the divine nature, and deification is the goal of every Christian. (Symeon Lash, ''The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology'', ed. Alan Richardson and John Bowden, Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1983, pp. 147-48; as quoted in Stephen L. Robinson, ''Are Mormons Christian'', p. 62)

==QUESTION 6b: Nature of God: What does the Church believe about the Trinity?==

===Short answer===
The Church’s first article of faith states, “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” These three beings make up what Latter-day Saints call "the Godhead," sometimes called the Trinity. Through modern revelation we know that there are three distinct beings, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, who comprise the Godhead and that they are one in love, purpose, and plan in bringing about the salvation of man.

===Longer answer===
The Church’s first article of faith states, “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” These three beings make up the Godhead, sometimes called the Trinity. Through modern revelation we know that there are three distinct beings, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, who comprise the Godhead and that they are one in love, purpose, and plan in bringing about the salvation of man.

The Bible likewise teaches that there is “one God.” A central issue in Christian thought is how to reconcile these two ideas: How can there be three beings regarded as divine, while there is only “one God”?

Much of modern Christianity descends from groups who approached this problem by applying concepts from Greek philosophy. This approach resulted in the Nicene and other Christian Creeds.

Latter-day Saints believe in the trinity, but do not accept the Nicene or other Christian Creeds as properly resolving the issues raised by the verses of scripture mentioned above. Instead, they regard each of the divine beings as a distinct person. These persons are united in a perfect harmony of intent and love, and may be therefore said to be “One.”

:{{b||John|10|30}} states “I and my Father are one” and Latter-day Saints interpret this to mean that they are one in purpose, similar to what is stated in John 17:11, 21-23:
:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, ''that they may be one, as '''we''' are.''
:21 That ''they all may be one; '''as thou, Father, art in me''', and I in thee'', that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, ''even as '''we''' are one'':
:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (bold and italics added)

===Additional resources===
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Nature_of_God/Trinity/Nicene_creed
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Nature_of_God/Deification_of_man

==QUESTION 6c: Nature of God: Does God have a body?==

===Short answer===
Yes. Latter-day Saints believe that human beings are created in the form and image of a God who has a physical body (Genesis 1:26). In Joseph Smith’s First Vision, he saw that God the Father and Jesus Christ were two separate and distinct beings, each possessing a physical body. As stated in Doctrine & Covenants 130:22, “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s...”

===Longer answer===
Latter-day Saints believe that human beings are created in the form and image of a God who has a physical body ({{b||Genesis|1|26}}). In Joseph Smith’s First Vision, he saw that God the Father and Jesus Christ were two separate and distinct beings, each possessing a physical body. As stated in {{s||DC|130|22}}, “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s...”

In addition to God the Father having a physical body, Jesus Christ has a physical body as well. Like most Christians, Latter-day Saints regard Jesus as God. Jesus was born, lived as a mortal, and then died for the sins of all humanity. One of Christianity’s most joyful messages is that Jesus was resurrected—that is, His spirit returned to his physical body. Jesus took the opportunity to prove to His apostles that He had been resurrected, by having them touch Him and by eating with them ({{b||Luke|24|39-43}}). There is no indication in the scriptures that Jesus later discarded his resurrected body, and Joseph Smith, in his First Vision, clearly saw that Jesus Christ continues to possess a physical body.

===Additional resources===
* http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/God_the_Father
* http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Resurrection
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Nature_of_God/Corporeality_of_God
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Nature_of_God/God_is_a_Spirit

==QUESTION 7: Book of Mormon (What is the Book of Mormon?)==

===Short answer===
We believe the Book of Mormon was written by a group of Israelites who fled Jerusalem just before its destruction by Babylonians. They brought with them scriptures that resemble our Old Testament, and the Book of Mormon was intended to compliment the Old Testament - in particular it describes the relationship these peoples had with God, the covenants God made with them, and the revelations they received through their own prophets. Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of the LDS Church was led to the hiding place of the record, and translated it by the power of God. Today, members of the LDS Church consider the Book of Mormon to be scripture, alongside both the Old and New Testaments.

===Longer answer===
We believe the Book of Mormon was written by a group of Israelites who fled Jerusalem just before its destruction by Babylonians. They brought with them scriptures that resemble our Old Testament, and the Book of Mormon was intended to compliment the Old Testament - in particular it describes the relationship these peoples had with God, the covenants God made with them, and the revelations they received through their own prophets. Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of the LDS Church was led to the hiding place of the record, and translated it by the power of God. Today, members of the LDS Church consider the Book of Mormon to be scripture, alongside both the Old and New Testaments.

In 1821, Joseph Smith was directed to the hiding place of the plates by a visitation from an angel. After he was able to retrieve the plates, he translated them by the power of God into the Book of Mormon text that is used today. Members of the LDS faith hold the Book of Mormon to be scripture with the Old and New Testaments in the Bible, and claim it to be another testament of Jesus Christ. Like the New Testament, the Book of Mormon contains many teachings of the Savior as well as providing other revelations on the gospel and God's plan of salvation for mankind.

The Book of Mormon also excels in leading men to Christ in that it provides us with a clear definition of the Gospel and the plan of salvation (2 Nephi 31; 3 Nephi 27; Moroni 8:24-26; see also Sep 92 Ensign, pp. 7-13). As such it contains the fullness of the Gospel (D&C 20:9; 27:5; 42:12).

===Additional resources===
* www.lds.org – gospel topics – Book of Mormon
* http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Book_of_Mormon
* http://en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Mormon_basics

{{Common Questions Navigation Tool}}

Question: Does FAIR provide "official" answers to questions?

2008-12-24T10:34:10Z

SteveWilloughby: /* Of what value are FAIR's answers if they lack authority to speak for the Church? */ typo

{{FAQPortal}}
{{Question}}

==Question==

FAIR's articles, responses to [http://www.fairlds.org/contact.php "Ask the Apologist"] queries, etc., contain a disclaimer to the effect that FAIR volunteers and authors are not speaking authoritatively for the Church (or even for FAIR itself) but only giving their personal opinion or perspective on each issue or question.

Why should anyone listen to FAIR, then, if they can't speak with authority for the Church? To whom can one turn for the authorized, "final answer" on every topic?

==Answer==

First of all, FAIR is an organization completely independent of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is not owned or endorsed by the Church as an official mouthpiece, so FAIR ''cannot'' claim any official status. From the FAIR [http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAQ article] we read:

<blockquote>
We try very hard to not give the impression that we are speaking for the Church in any way. We are not affiliated with the Church. We therefore try to avoid doctrinal declarations. Most of the time it isn't an issue as we are discussing things from a historical or scholarly point of view. Occasionally we get into discussions of doctrine when we feel our beliefs as Latter-day Saints have been misrepresented. At those times the writers are speaking from their own experience and beliefs.
</blockquote>

This seems to raise two questions in our readers' minds from time to time, which we will address separately below.

===Of what value are FAIR's answers if they lack authority to speak for the Church?===

Only the Church's duly authorized agents can speak officially on behalf of the Church or give official pronouncements which establish doctrine that is binding upon the Church. However, is this necessarily a problem when considering answers coming from a group such as FAIR?

There are many questions that people have, and there is plenty of benefit to having brothers and sisters in the faith "reason together" and learn from one another, and not expect to simply look to someone to give the one, final answer to any question. In this author's opinion, the Lord and Church leaders are wise to leave us to the exercise of working out these things and developing our mental and spiritual capacities to gain more understanding.

While the responses to issues offered by FAIR volunteers are not official statements by the Church, we believe them to be consistent with the Church's official teachings and are given by faithful, active, believing LDS members. These responses need not carry an official endorsement to be true or helpful in answering questions.

It is important to keep in mind that speaking ''as an authorized representative'' is not the same as speaking ''authoritatively.'' FAIR does not present itself as being authorized by the Church to speak on its behalf and declare or clarify points of doctrine and therefore is not an authorized representative of the Church. However, we do attempt to speak authoritatively by providing answers that are timely in terms of comprising the most recent information, and that references the most authoritative statements from our leadership on a particular subject. As such, FAIR attempts to speak authoritatively on matters to the best of our ability but specifically disavows any claim of speaking on behalf of the Church.

FAIR's main mission is to answer criticisms about the Church, and we can certainly do so based on what we know, can study, and reason, as well as what the Spirit guides us to say as we prayerfully consider these issues, without necessarily receiving this as an official calling or going to the First Presidency to speak on each and every issue.

===If FAIR is not an official voice for the Church, to whom do I turn for the official answer to my question?===

In the early days of the Church, it was more commonplace for the local members to ask Joseph Smith for his teachings on various matters. Obviously, the logistics involved in running a church of 500 members is rather different than it is with a church of 13 million, and it isn't possible to expect the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve to be able to teach all the individual members who have questions. The LDS Church, of course, ''does'' make official doctrinal statements but generally only on significantly important "core" issues. There is much room for all of us to study and learn independently and in local groups.

Beyond that, we do not need a "thus saith the Lord" answer to every question. We at FAIR sustain and support the leaders of the Church and follow their direction in matters of doctrine and the operation of the Church, but that doesn't mean we ''must'' look to someone else to simply provide us with ''the'' answer to every question we have. The Lord Himself commanded us:
<blockquote>
For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

Verily, I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. . . .
{{ref|dc1}}
</blockquote>
Is it inappropriate to assume that at least some of these good works that we are to be engaged in include studying the gospel and striving to learn more through the scriptures, personal prayer, discussions with each other, and by reading the best books? Along with not expecting us to remain idle until explicitly commanded to do something, the Lord expects us to seek knowledge and learn and grow without simply being told what to think about everything.

Further,
<blockquote>
Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. {{ref|dc2}}
</blockquote>
An important part of the process of gaining this knowledge and intelligence is working diligently to study and learn, and not simply seek to have someone tell us the answers to memorize.

FAIR, teachers among the membership of the Church, and even our Church leaders have latitude to hold and express their best understanding of various topics, even to publish books (e.g., Elder Bruce R. McConkie's ''Mormon Doctrine''). Since none of these talks, lessons, papers, blogs, conversations, or books have been accepted into the canon, they are not binding as 'the official word of the Church itself.' Does that mean they are useless to help us gain more understanding? No, there's much we can learn from each other, even if we're imperfect in our understanding along the way.

==Conclusion==

FAIR need not speak with the authority of the Church itself, or be an official representative of the Church, in order to provide a useful resource for people to gain a better understanding of Latter-day Saint history and teachings. Further, it is not necessarily correct for us to expect to turn to our Church leaders, particularly the general authorities, for the answer to every single question on a gospel topic.

On many issues, there ''is'' no official Church position, and so there is nothing that an official Church response will provide. In such cases, members are encouraged to use their agency to "study it out in [their] mind" as they seek knowledge and revelation from human and divine sources.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|dc1}}{{s||DC|58|26-28}}
#{{note|dc2}}{{s||DC|130|18-19}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===

===FAIR web site===
[http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAIR FAQ] answers the question "How authoritative are the things that you write?"

===External links===
[http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/approaching-mormon-doctrine Official LDS Church Newsroom Article] emphasizing that not every statement by church leaders is official doctrine, and that individual members are encouraged to study independently and together to find gospel answers, in addition to following the "core" gospel doctrinal statements official endorsed or canonized by the Church.

[http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Truth Encyclopedia of Mormonism] entry for Truth, which provides some interesting thoughts about what "truth" is. We can all come to a greater understanding of life's truths from many places and sources, not all of which must be official church pronouncements to be "true".

===Printed material===

Question: Does FAIR provide "official" answers to questions?

2008-12-24T10:33:41Z

SteveWilloughby: Added paragraph; dropped "Draft" status

{{FAQPortal}}
{{Question}}

==Question==

FAIR's articles, responses to [http://www.fairlds.org/contact.php "Ask the Apologist"] queries, etc., contain a disclaimer to the effect that FAIR volunteers and authors are not speaking authoritatively for the Church (or even for FAIR itself) but only giving their personal opinion or perspective on each issue or question.

Why should anyone listen to FAIR, then, if they can't speak with authority for the Church? To whom can one turn for the authorized, "final answer" on every topic?

==Answer==

First of all, FAIR is an organization completely independent of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is not owned or endorsed by the Church as an official mouthpiece, so FAIR ''cannot'' claim any official status. From the FAIR [http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAQ article] we read:

<blockquote>
We try very hard to not give the impression that we are speaking for the Church in any way. We are not affiliated with the Church. We therefore try to avoid doctrinal declarations. Most of the time it isn't an issue as we are discussing things from a historical or scholarly point of view. Occasionally we get into discussions of doctrine when we feel our beliefs as Latter-day Saints have been misrepresented. At those times the writers are speaking from their own experience and beliefs.
</blockquote>

This seems to raise two questions in our readers' minds from time to time, which we will address separately below.

===Of what value are FAIR's answers if they lack authority to speak for the Church?===

Only the Church's duly authorized agents can speak officially on behalf of the Church or give official pronouncements which establish doctrine that is binding upon the Church. However, is this necessarily a problem when considering answers coming from a group such as FAIR?

There are many questions that people have, and there is plenty of benefit to having brothers and sisters in the faith "reason together" and learn from one another, and not expect to simply look to someone to give the one, final answer to any question. In this author's opinion, the Lord and Church leaders are wise to leave us to the exercise of working out these things and developing our mental and spiritual capacities to gain more understanding.

While the responses to issues offered by FAIR volunteers are not official statements by the Church, we believe them to be consistent with the Church's official teachings and are given by faithful, active, believing LDS members. These responses need not carry an official endorsement to be true or helpful in answering questions.

It is important to keep in mind that speaking ''as an authorized representative'' is not the same as speaking ''authoritatively.'' FAIR does not present itself as being authorized by the Church to speak on its behalf and declare or clarify points of doctrine and therefore is not an authorized representative of the Church. However, we do attempt to speak authoritatively by providing answers that are timely in terms of comprising the most recent information, and that references the most authoritative statements from our leadership on a particular subject. As such, FAIR attempts to speak authoritatively on matters to the best of our ability but specifically disavows any claim of speaking on behalf of the Church.�

FAIR's main mission is to answer criticisms about the Church, and we can certainly do so based on what we know, can study, and reason, as well as what the Spirit guides us to say as we prayerfully consider these issues, without necessarily receiving this as an official calling or going to the First Presidency to speak on each and every issue.

===If FAIR is not an official voice for the Church, to whom do I turn for the official answer to my question?===

In the early days of the Church, it was more commonplace for the local members to ask Joseph Smith for his teachings on various matters. Obviously, the logistics involved in running a church of 500 members is rather different than it is with a church of 13 million, and it isn't possible to expect the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve to be able to teach all the individual members who have questions. The LDS Church, of course, ''does'' make official doctrinal statements but generally only on significantly important "core" issues. There is much room for all of us to study and learn independently and in local groups.

Beyond that, we do not need a "thus saith the Lord" answer to every question. We at FAIR sustain and support the leaders of the Church and follow their direction in matters of doctrine and the operation of the Church, but that doesn't mean we ''must'' look to someone else to simply provide us with ''the'' answer to every question we have. The Lord Himself commanded us:
<blockquote>
For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

Verily, I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. . . .
{{ref|dc1}}
</blockquote>
Is it inappropriate to assume that at least some of these good works that we are to be engaged in include studying the gospel and striving to learn more through the scriptures, personal prayer, discussions with each other, and by reading the best books? Along with not expecting us to remain idle until explicitly commanded to do something, the Lord expects us to seek knowledge and learn and grow without simply being told what to think about everything.

Further,
<blockquote>
Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. {{ref|dc2}}
</blockquote>
An important part of the process of gaining this knowledge and intelligence is working diligently to study and learn, and not simply seek to have someone tell us the answers to memorize.

FAIR, teachers among the membership of the Church, and even our Church leaders have latitude to hold and express their best understanding of various topics, even to publish books (e.g., Elder Bruce R. McConkie's ''Mormon Doctrine''). Since none of these talks, lessons, papers, blogs, conversations, or books have been accepted into the canon, they are not binding as 'the official word of the Church itself.' Does that mean they are useless to help us gain more understanding? No, there's much we can learn from each other, even if we're imperfect in our understanding along the way.

==Conclusion==

FAIR need not speak with the authority of the Church itself, or be an official representative of the Church, in order to provide a useful resource for people to gain a better understanding of Latter-day Saint history and teachings. Further, it is not necessarily correct for us to expect to turn to our Church leaders, particularly the general authorities, for the answer to every single question on a gospel topic.

On many issues, there ''is'' no official Church position, and so there is nothing that an official Church response will provide. In such cases, members are encouraged to use their agency to "study it out in [their] mind" as they seek knowledge and revelation from human and divine sources.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|dc1}}{{s||DC|58|26-28}}
#{{note|dc2}}{{s||DC|130|18-19}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===

===FAIR web site===
[http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAIR FAQ] answers the question "How authoritative are the things that you write?"

===External links===
[http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/approaching-mormon-doctrine Official LDS Church Newsroom Article] emphasizing that not every statement by church leaders is official doctrine, and that individual members are encouraged to study independently and together to find gospel answers, in addition to following the "core" gospel doctrinal statements official endorsed or canonized by the Church.

[http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Truth Encyclopedia of Mormonism] entry for Truth, which provides some interesting thoughts about what "truth" is. We can all come to a greater understanding of life's truths from many places and sources, not all of which must be official church pronouncements to be "true".

===Printed material===

Question: Does FAIR provide "official" answers to questions?

2008-12-24T10:29:28Z

SteveWilloughby: /* Question */ grammar edit

{{FAQPortal}}
{{Draft}} {{Question}}

==Question==

FAIR's articles, responses to [http://www.fairlds.org/contact.php "Ask the Apologist"] queries, etc., contain a disclaimer to the effect that FAIR volunteers and authors are not speaking authoritatively for the Church (or even for FAIR itself) but only giving their personal opinion or perspective on each issue or question.

Why should anyone listen to FAIR, then, if they can't speak with authority for the Church? To whom can one turn for the authorized, "final answer" on every topic?

==Answer==

First of all, FAIR is an organization completely independent of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is not owned or endorsed by the Church as an official mouthpiece, so FAIR ''cannot'' claim any official status. From the FAIR [http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAQ article] we read:

<blockquote>
We try very hard to not give the impression that we are speaking for the Church in any way. We are not affiliated with the Church. We therefore try to avoid doctrinal declarations. Most of the time it isn't an issue as we are discussing things from a historical or scholarly point of view. Occasionally we get into discussions of doctrine when we feel our beliefs as Latter-day Saints have been misrepresented. At those times the writers are speaking from their own experience and beliefs.
</blockquote>

This seems to raise two questions in our readers' minds from time to time, which we will address separately below.

===Of what value are FAIR's answers if they lack authority to speak for the Church?===

Only the Church's duly authorized agents can speak officially on behalf of the Church or give official pronouncements which establish doctrine that is binding upon the Church. However, is this necessarily a problem when considering answers coming from a group such as FAIR?

There are many questions that people have, and there is plenty of benefit to having brothers and sisters in the faith "reason together" and learn from one another, and not expect to simply look to someone to give the one, final answer to any question. In this author's opinion, the Lord and Church leaders are wise to leave us to the exercise of working out these things and developing our mental and spiritual capacities to gain more understanding.

While the responses to issues offered by FAIR volunteers are not official statements by the Church, we believe them to be consistent with the Church's official teachings and are given by faithful, active, believing LDS members. These responses need not carry an official endorsement to be true or helpful in answering questions.

FAIR's main mission is to answer criticisms about the Church, and we can certainly do so based on what we know, can study, and reason, as well as what the Spirit guides us to say as we prayerfully consider these issues, without necessarily receiving this as an official calling or going to the First Presidency to speak on each and every issue.

===If FAIR is not an official voice for the Church, to whom do I turn for the official answer to my question?===

In the early days of the Church, it was more commonplace for the local members to ask Joseph Smith for his teachings on various matters. Obviously, the logistics involved in running a church of 500 members is rather different than it is with a church of 13 million, and it isn't possible to expect the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve to be able to teach all the individual members who have questions. The LDS Church, of course, ''does'' make official doctrinal statements but generally only on significantly important "core" issues. There is much room for all of us to study and learn independently and in local groups.

Beyond that, we do not need a "thus saith the Lord" answer to every question. We at FAIR sustain and support the leaders of the Church and follow their direction in matters of doctrine and the operation of the Church, but that doesn't mean we ''must'' look to someone else to simply provide us with ''the'' answer to every question we have. The Lord Himself commanded us:
<blockquote>
For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

Verily, I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. . . .
{{ref|dc1}}
</blockquote>
Is it inappropriate to assume that at least some of these good works that we are to be engaged in include studying the gospel and striving to learn more through the scriptures, personal prayer, discussions with each other, and by reading the best books? Along with not expecting us to remain idle until explicitly commanded to do something, the Lord expects us to seek knowledge and learn and grow without simply being told what to think about everything.

Further,
<blockquote>
Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. {{ref|dc2}}
</blockquote>
An important part of the process of gaining this knowledge and intelligence is working diligently to study and learn, and not simply seek to have someone tell us the answers to memorize.

FAIR, teachers among the membership of the Church, and even our Church leaders have latitude to hold and express their best understanding of various topics, even to publish books (e.g., Elder Bruce R. McConkie's ''Mormon Doctrine''). Since none of these talks, lessons, papers, blogs, conversations, or books have been accepted into the canon, they are not binding as 'the official word of the Church itself.' Does that mean they are useless to help us gain more understanding? No, there's much we can learn from each other, even if we're imperfect in our understanding along the way.

==Conclusion==

FAIR need not speak with the authority of the Church itself, or be an official representative of the Church, in order to provide a useful resource for people to gain a better understanding of Latter-day Saint history and teachings. Further, it is not necessarily correct for us to expect to turn to our Church leaders, particularly the general authorities, for the answer to every single question on a gospel topic.

On many issues, there ''is'' no official Church position, and so there is nothing that an official Church response will provide. In such cases, members are encouraged to use their agency to "study it out in [their] mind" as they seek knowledge and revelation from human and divine sources.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|dc1}}{{s||DC|58|26-28}}
#{{note|dc2}}{{s||DC|130|18-19}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===

===FAIR web site===
[http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAIR FAQ] answers the question "How authoritative are the things that you write?"

===External links===
[http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/approaching-mormon-doctrine Official LDS Church Newsroom Article] emphasizing that not every statement by church leaders is official doctrine, and that individual members are encouraged to study independently and together to find gospel answers, in addition to following the "core" gospel doctrinal statements official endorsed or canonized by the Church.

[http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Truth Encyclopedia of Mormonism] entry for Truth, which provides some interesting thoughts about what "truth" is. We can all come to a greater understanding of life's truths from many places and sources, not all of which must be official church pronouncements to be "true".

===Printed material===

Question: Does FAIR provide "official" answers to questions?

2008-12-24T10:28:35Z

SteveWilloughby:

{{FAQPortal}}
{{Draft}} {{Question}}

==Question==

FAIR's articles, responses to [http://www.fairlds.org/contact.php "Ask the Apologist"] queries, etc., contain a disclaimer to the effect that FAIR volunteers and authors are not speaking authoritatively for the Church (or even for FAIR itself) but only giving their personal opinion or perspective on each issue or question.

Why should anyone listen to FAIR, then, if they can't speak with authority for the Church? Who can one turn to for the authorized, "final answer" on every topic?

==Answer==

First of all, FAIR is an organization completely independent of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is not owned or endorsed by the Church as an official mouthpiece, so FAIR ''cannot'' claim any official status. From the FAIR [http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAQ article] we read:

<blockquote>
We try very hard to not give the impression that we are speaking for the Church in any way. We are not affiliated with the Church. We therefore try to avoid doctrinal declarations. Most of the time it isn't an issue as we are discussing things from a historical or scholarly point of view. Occasionally we get into discussions of doctrine when we feel our beliefs as Latter-day Saints have been misrepresented. At those times the writers are speaking from their own experience and beliefs.
</blockquote>

This seems to raise two questions in our readers' minds from time to time, which we will address separately below.

===Of what value are FAIR's answers if they lack authority to speak for the Church?===

Only the Church's duly authorized agents can speak officially on behalf of the Church or give official pronouncements which establish doctrine that is binding upon the Church. However, is this necessarily a problem when considering answers coming from a group such as FAIR?

There are many questions that people have, and there is plenty of benefit to having brothers and sisters in the faith "reason together" and learn from one another, and not expect to simply look to someone to give the one, final answer to any question. In this author's opinion, the Lord and Church leaders are wise to leave us to the exercise of working out these things and developing our mental and spiritual capacities to gain more understanding.

While the responses to issues offered by FAIR volunteers are not official statements by the Church, we believe them to be consistent with the Church's official teachings and are given by faithful, active, believing LDS members. These responses need not carry an official endorsement to be true or helpful in answering questions.

FAIR's main mission is to answer criticisms about the Church, and we can certainly do so based on what we know, can study, and reason, as well as what the Spirit guides us to say as we prayerfully consider these issues, without necessarily receiving this as an official calling or going to the First Presidency to speak on each and every issue.

===If FAIR is not an official voice for the Church, to whom do I turn for the official answer to my question?===

In the early days of the Church, it was more commonplace for the local members to ask Joseph Smith for his teachings on various matters. Obviously, the logistics involved in running a church of 500 members is rather different than it is with a church of 13 million, and it isn't possible to expect the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve to be able to teach all the individual members who have questions. The LDS Church, of course, ''does'' make official doctrinal statements but generally only on significantly important "core" issues. There is much room for all of us to study and learn independently and in local groups.

Beyond that, we do not need a "thus saith the Lord" answer to every question. We at FAIR sustain and support the leaders of the Church and follow their direction in matters of doctrine and the operation of the Church, but that doesn't mean we ''must'' look to someone else to simply provide us with ''the'' answer to every question we have. The Lord Himself commanded us:
<blockquote>
For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

Verily, I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. . . .
{{ref|dc1}}
</blockquote>
Is it inappropriate to assume that at least some of these good works that we are to be engaged in include studying the gospel and striving to learn more through the scriptures, personal prayer, discussions with each other, and by reading the best books? Along with not expecting us to remain idle until explicitly commanded to do something, the Lord expects us to seek knowledge and learn and grow without simply being told what to think about everything.

Further,
<blockquote>
Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. {{ref|dc2}}
</blockquote>
An important part of the process of gaining this knowledge and intelligence is working diligently to study and learn, and not simply seek to have someone tell us the answers to memorize.

FAIR, teachers among the membership of the Church, and even our Church leaders have latitude to hold and express their best understanding of various topics, even to publish books (e.g., Elder Bruce R. McConkie's ''Mormon Doctrine''). Since none of these talks, lessons, papers, blogs, conversations, or books have been accepted into the canon, they are not binding as 'the official word of the Church itself.' Does that mean they are useless to help us gain more understanding? No, there's much we can learn from each other, even if we're imperfect in our understanding along the way.

==Conclusion==

FAIR need not speak with the authority of the Church itself, or be an official representative of the Church, in order to provide a useful resource for people to gain a better understanding of Latter-day Saint history and teachings. Further, it is not necessarily correct for us to expect to turn to our Church leaders, particularly the general authorities, for the answer to every single question on a gospel topic.

On many issues, there ''is'' no official Church position, and so there is nothing that an official Church response will provide. In such cases, members are encouraged to use their agency to "study it out in [their] mind" as they seek knowledge and revelation from human and divine sources.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|dc1}}{{s||DC|58|26-28}}
#{{note|dc2}}{{s||DC|130|18-19}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===

===FAIR web site===
[http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAIR FAQ] answers the question "How authoritative are the things that you write?"

===External links===
[http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/approaching-mormon-doctrine Official LDS Church Newsroom Article] emphasizing that not every statement by church leaders is official doctrine, and that individual members are encouraged to study independently and together to find gospel answers, in addition to following the "core" gospel doctrinal statements official endorsed or canonized by the Church.

[http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Truth Encyclopedia of Mormonism] entry for Truth, which provides some interesting thoughts about what "truth" is. We can all come to a greater understanding of life's truths from many places and sources, not all of which must be official church pronouncements to be "true".

===Printed material===

User:SteveWilloughby/Sandbox

2008-12-16T06:40:06Z

SteveWilloughby: Capitalization change

'''Sandbox for "FAIR Does Not Speak For the Church"'''

{{FAQPortal}}
{{Draft}}

==Criticism==

FAIR's articles, responses to [http://www.fairlds.org/contact.php "Ask the Apologist"] queries, etc., contain a disclaimer to the effect that FAIR volunteers and authors are not speaking authoritatively for the Church (or even for FAIR itself) but only giving their personal opinion or perspective on each issue or question. Why should anyone listen to FAIR, then, if they can't speak with authority for the Church? Who can one turn to for the authorized, "final answer" on every topic?

===Source(s) of the criticism===

This appears (either as a criticism or at least a neutral, sincere inquiry) occasionally in letters sent to FAIR in response to the standard disclaimer placed on FAIR's articles and email correspondence.

==Response==

First of all, FAIR is an organization completely independent of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is not owned or endorsed by the Church as an official mouthpiece, so FAIR ''cannot'' claim any official status. <strike>In the interest of full disclosure, and so as not to cause any confusion on this matter, FAIR is careful to explicitly disclaim any such status.</strike> From the FAIR [http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAQ article] we read:

<blockquote>
<strike>We are not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are therefore not doing this under the direction of the priesthood. . . .
</strike>
We try very hard to not give the impression that we are speaking for the Church in any way. We are not affiliated with the Church. We therefore try to avoid doctrinal declarations. Most of the time it isn't an issue as we are discussing things from a historical or scholarly point of view. Occasionally we get into discussions of doctrine when we feel our beliefs as Latter-day Saints have been misrepresented. At those times the writers are speaking from their own experience and beliefs.
</blockquote>

This seems to raise two questions in our readers' minds from time to time, <strike>namely, "What value are FAIR's answers if they lack the authority to speak definitively for the Church?" and "Why does the Church itself leave room for private speculation or discussion on various doctrinal topics rather than give the official answers once and for all?" (Or, to put the second question a different way, "If FAIR isn't an 'official' voice for the church, who else should I turn to in order to get the real, official answer to my question?")</strike> which we will address separately below.

===Of what value are FAIR's answers if they lack authority to speak for the Church?===

Only the Church's duly authorized agents can speak officially on behalf of the Church or give official pronouncements which establish doctrine that is binding upon the Church <strike>(the latter case, specifically coming from the First Presidency)</strike>. However, is this necessarily a problem when considering answers coming from a group such as FAIR?

There are many questions that people have, and there is plenty of benefit to having brothers and sisters in the faith "reason together" and learn from one another, and not expect to simply look to someone to give the one, final answer to any question. In this author's opinion, the Lord and Church leaders are wise to leave us to the exercise of working out these things and developing our mental and spiritual capacities to gain more understanding.

<strike>Does an answer about doctrine or Church history necessarily need to have an official stamp of approval from the Church hierarchy to be helpful, factual or true? Of course not, so there is still much room for organizations such as FAIR to be a great resource without needing to speak ''for'' the Church in some sort of officially binding way.</strike>
While the responses to issues offered by FAIR volunteers are not official statements by the Church, we believe them to be consistent with the Church's official teachings and are given by faithful, active, believing LDS members. These responses need not carry an official endorsement to be true or helpful in answering questions.

<strike>The Church exists to serve an extremely vital role, but a fairly specific and narrowly-defined one. The number of things the Church must take an official position about are limited to the core of the gospel of Jesus Christ and what bears directly on their work in administering the affairs of the Church. That leaves a lot of room for personal study and growth. We think we can help each other with a great deal of that, even if it's not something the Church has felt the need to make a declaration about.</strike>

FAIR's main mission is to answer criticisms about the Church, and we can certainly do so based on what we know, can study, and reason, as well as what the Spirit guides us to say as we prayerfully consider these issues, without necessarily receiving this as an official calling or going to the First Presidency to speak on each and every issue.

===If FAIR is not an official voice for the Church, to whom do I turn for the official answer to my question?===

In the early days of the Church, it was more commonplace for the local members to ask Joseph Smith <strike>various questions and hear</strike> for his teachings on <strike>the matter</strike> various matters. Obviously, the logistics involved in running a church of 500 members is rather different than it is with a church of 13 million, and it isn't possible to expect the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve to be able to teach all the individual members who have questions. The LDS Church, of course, ''does'' make official doctrinal statements but generally only on significantly important "core" issues. There is much room for all of us to study and learn independently and in local groups.

Beyond that, <strike>do we</strike> we do not need a "thus saith the Lord" answer to every question. We at FAIR sustain and support the leaders of the Church and follow their direction in matters of doctrine and the operation of the Church, but that doesn't mean we ''must'' look to someone else to simply provide us with ''the'' answer to every question we have. The Lord Himself commanded us:
<blockquote>
For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

Verily, I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. . . .
{{ref|dc1}}
</blockquote>
Is it inappropriate to assume that at least some of these good works that we are to be engaged in include studying the gospel and striving to learn more through the scriptures, personal prayer, discussions with each other and by reading the best books? Along with not expecting us to remain idle until explicitly commanded to do something, the Lord expects us to seek knowledge and learn and grow without simply being told what to think about everything.

Further,
<blockquote>
Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. {{ref|dc2}}
</blockquote>
An important part of the process of gaining this knowledge and intelligence is working diligently to study and learn, and not simply seek to have someone tell us the answers to memorize.

FAIR, religion teachers among the membership of the Church, and even our Church leaders have latitude to hold and express their best understanding of various topics, even to publish books (e.g., Elder Bruce R. McConkie's ''Mormon Doctrine''). Since none of these talks, lessons, papers, blogs, conversations or books have been accepted into the canon, they are not binding as 'the official word of the Church itself.' Does that mean they are useless to help us gain more understanding? No, there's much we can learn from each other, even if we're imperfect in our understanding along the way.

==Conclusion==

FAIR need not speak with the authority of the Church itself, or be an official representative of the Church, in order to provide a useful resource for people to gain a better understanding of Latter-day Saint history and teachings. Further, it is not necessarily correct for us to expect to turn to our Church leaders, particularly the general authorities, for the answer to every single question on a gospel topic.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|dc1}}{{s||DC|58|26-28}}
#{{note|dc2}}{{s||DC|130|18-19}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===

===FAIR web site===
[http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAIR FAQ] answers the question "How authoritative are the things that you write?"

===External links===
[http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/approaching-mormon-doctrine Official LDS Church Newsroom Article] emphasizing that not every statement by church leaders is official doctrine, and that individual members are encouraged to study independently and together to find gospel answers, in addition to following the "core" gospel doctrinal statements official endorsed or canonized by the Church.

[http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Truth Encyclopedia of Mormonism] entry for Truth, which provides some interesting thoughts about what "truth" is. We can all come to a greater understanding of life's truths from many places and sources, not all of which must be official church pronouncements to be "true".

===Printed material===

User:SteveWilloughby/Sandbox

2008-12-16T06:37:56Z

SteveWilloughby: more suggested pruning

'''Sandbox for "FAIR Does Not Speak For the Church"'''

{{FAQPortal}}
{{Draft}}

==Criticism==

FAIR's articles, responses to [http://www.fairlds.org/contact.php "Ask the Apologist"] queries, etc., contain a disclaimer to the effect that FAIR volunteers and authors are not speaking authoritatively for the Church (or even for FAIR itself) but only giving their personal opinion or perspective on each issue or question. Why should anyone listen to FAIR, then, if they can't speak with authority for the Church? Who can one turn to for the authorized, "final answer" on every topic?

===Source(s) of the criticism===

This appears (either as a criticism or at least a neutral, sincere inquiry) occasionally in letters sent to FAIR in response to the standard disclaimer placed on FAIR's articles and email correspondence.

==Response==

First of all, FAIR is an organization completely independent of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is not owned or endorsed by the Church as an official mouthpiece, so FAIR ''cannot'' claim any official status. <strike>In the interest of full disclosure, and so as not to cause any confusion on this matter, FAIR is careful to explicitly disclaim any such status.</strike> From the FAIR [http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAQ article] we read:

<blockquote>
<strike>We are not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are therefore not doing this under the direction of the priesthood. . . .
</strike>
We try very hard to not give the impression that we are speaking for the Church in any way. We are not affiliated with the Church. We therefore try to avoid doctrinal declarations. Most of the time it isn't an issue as we are discussing things from a historical or scholarly point of view. Occasionally we get into discussions of doctrine when we feel our beliefs as Latter-day Saints have been misrepresented. At those times the writers are speaking from their own experience and beliefs.
</blockquote>

This seems to raise two questions in our readers' minds from time to time, <strike>namely, "What value are FAIR's answers if they lack the authority to speak definitively for the Church?" and "Why does the Church itself leave room for private speculation or discussion on various doctrinal topics rather than give the official answers once and for all?" (Or, to put the second question a different way, "If FAIR isn't an 'official' voice for the church, who else should I turn to in order to get the real, official answer to my question?")</strike> which we will address separately below.

===Of What Value are FAIR's Answers If They Lack Authority to Speak For the Church?===

Only the Church's duly authorized agents can speak officially on behalf of the Church or give official pronouncements which establish doctrine that is binding upon the Church <strike>(the latter case, specifically coming from the First Presidency)</strike>. However, is this necessarily a problem when considering answers coming from a group such as FAIR?

There are many questions that people have, and there is plenty of benefit to having brothers and sisters in the faith "reason together" and learn from one another, and not expect to simply look to someone to give the one, final answer to any question. In this author's opinion, the Lord and Church leaders are wise to leave us to the exercise of working out these things and developing our mental and spiritual capacities to gain more understanding.

<strike>Does an answer about doctrine or Church history necessarily need to have an official stamp of approval from the Church hierarchy to be helpful, factual or true? Of course not, so there is still much room for organizations such as FAIR to be a great resource without needing to speak ''for'' the Church in some sort of officially binding way.</strike>
While the responses to issues offered by FAIR volunteers are not official statements by the Church, we believe them to be consistent with the Church's official teachings and are given by faithful, active, believing LDS members. These responses need not carry an official endorsement to be true or helpful in answering questions.

<strike>The Church exists to serve an extremely vital role, but a fairly specific and narrowly-defined one. The number of things the Church must take an official position about are limited to the core of the gospel of Jesus Christ and what bears directly on their work in administering the affairs of the Church. That leaves a lot of room for personal study and growth. We think we can help each other with a great deal of that, even if it's not something the Church has felt the need to make a declaration about.</strike>

FAIR's main mission is to answer criticisms about the Church, and we can certainly do so based on what we know, can study, and reason, as well as what the Spirit guides us to say as we prayerfully consider these issues, without necessarily receiving this as an official calling or going to the First Presidency to speak on each and every issue.

===If FAIR Is Not an Official Voice for the Church, To Whom Do I Turn for the Official Answer to My Question?===

In the early days of the Church, it was more commonplace for the local members to ask Joseph Smith <strike>various questions and hear</strike> for his teachings on <strike>the matter</strike> various matters. Obviously, the logistics involved in running a church of 500 members is rather different than it is with a church of 13 million, and it isn't possible to expect the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve to be able to teach all the individual members who have questions. The LDS Church, of course, ''does'' make official doctrinal statements but generally only on significantly important "core" issues. There is much room for all of us to study and learn independently and in local groups.

Beyond that, <strike>do we</strike> we do not need a "thus saith the Lord" answer to every question. We at FAIR sustain and support the leaders of the Church and follow their direction in matters of doctrine and the operation of the Church, but that doesn't mean we ''must'' look to someone else to simply provide us with ''the'' answer to every question we have. The Lord Himself commanded us:
<blockquote>
For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

Verily, I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. . . .
{{ref|dc1}}
</blockquote>
Is it inappropriate to assume that at least some of these good works that we are to be engaged in include studying the gospel and striving to learn more through the scriptures, personal prayer, discussions with each other and by reading the best books? Along with not expecting us to remain idle until explicitly commanded to do something, the Lord expects us to seek knowledge and learn and grow without simply being told what to think about everything.

Further,
<blockquote>
Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. {{ref|dc2}}
</blockquote>
An important part of the process of gaining this knowledge and intelligence is working diligently to study and learn, and not simply seek to have someone tell us the answers to memorize.

FAIR, religion teachers among the membership of the Church, and even our Church leaders have latitude to hold and express their best understanding of various topics, even to publish books (e.g., Elder Bruce R. McConkie's ''Mormon Doctrine''). Since none of these talks, lessons, papers, blogs, conversations or books have been accepted into the canon, they are not binding as 'the official word of the Church itself.' Does that mean they are useless to help us gain more understanding? No, there's much we can learn from each other, even if we're imperfect in our understanding along the way.

==Conclusion==

FAIR need not speak with the authority of the Church itself, or be an official representative of the Church, in order to provide a useful resource for people to gain a better understanding of Latter-day Saint history and teachings. Further, it is not necessarily correct for us to expect to turn to our Church leaders, particularly the general authorities, for the answer to every single question on a gospel topic.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|dc1}}{{s||DC|58|26-28}}
#{{note|dc2}}{{s||DC|130|18-19}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===

===FAIR web site===
[http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAIR FAQ] answers the question "How authoritative are the things that you write?"

===External links===
[http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/approaching-mormon-doctrine Official LDS Church Newsroom Article] emphasizing that not every statement by church leaders is official doctrine, and that individual members are encouraged to study independently and together to find gospel answers, in addition to following the "core" gospel doctrinal statements official endorsed or canonized by the Church.

[http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Truth Encyclopedia of Mormonism] entry for Truth, which provides some interesting thoughts about what "truth" is. We can all come to a greater understanding of life's truths from many places and sources, not all of which must be official church pronouncements to be "true".

===Printed material===

User:SteveWilloughby/Sandbox

2008-12-16T06:24:25Z

SteveWilloughby: /* Response */ proposed cleaning up

'''Sandbox for "FAIR Does Not Speak For the Church"'''

{{FAQPortal}}
{{Draft}}

==Criticism==

FAIR's articles, responses to [http://www.fairlds.org/contact.php "Ask the Apologist"] queries, etc., contain a disclaimer to the effect that FAIR volunteers and authors are not speaking authoritatively for the Church (or even for FAIR itself) but only giving their personal opinion or perspective on each issue or question. Why should anyone listen to FAIR, then, if they can't speak with authority for the Church? Who can one turn to for the authorized, "final answer" on every topic?

===Source(s) of the criticism===

This appears (either as a criticism or at least a neutral, sincere inquiry) occasionally in letters sent to FAIR in response to the standard disclaimer placed on FAIR's articles and email correspondence.

==Response==

First of all, FAIR is an organization completely independent of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is not owned or endorsed by the Church as an official mouthpiece, so FAIR ''cannot'' claim any official status. <strike>In the interest of full disclosure, and so as not to cause any confusion on this matter, FAIR is careful to explicitly disclaim any such status.</strike> From the FAIR [http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAQ article] we read:

<blockquote>
<strike>We are not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are therefore not doing this under the direction of the priesthood. . . .
</strike>
We try very hard to not give the impression that we are speaking for the Church in any way. We are not affiliated with the Church. We therefore try to avoid doctrinal declarations. Most of the time it isn't an issue as we are discussing things from a historical or scholarly point of view. Occasionally we get into discussions of doctrine when we feel our beliefs as Latter-day Saints have been misrepresented. At those times the writers are speaking from their own experience and beliefs.
</blockquote>

This seems to raise two questions in our readers' minds from time to time, <strike>namely, "What value are FAIR's answers if they lack the authority to speak definitively for the Church?" and "Why does the Church itself leave room for private speculation or discussion on various doctrinal topics rather than give the official answers once and for all?" (Or, to put the second question a different way, "If FAIR isn't an 'official' voice for the church, who else should I turn to in order to get the real, official answer to my question?")</strike> which we will address separately below.

===Of What Value are FAIR's Answers If They Lack Authority to Speak for the Church?===

Only the Church's duly authorized agents can speak officially on behalf of the Church or give official pronouncements which establish doctrine that is binding upon the Church <strike>(the latter case, specifically coming from the First Presidency)</strike>. However, is this necessarily a problem when considering answers coming from a group such as FAIR?

There are many questions that people have, and there is plenty of benefit to having brothers and sisters in the faith "reason together" and learn from one another, and not expect to simply look to someone to give the one, final answer to any question. In this author's opinion, the Lord and Church leaders are wise to leave us to the exercise of working out these things and developing our mental and spiritual capacities to gain more understanding.

<strike>Does an answer about doctrine or Church history necessarily need to have an official stamp of approval from the Church hierarchy to be helpful, factual or true? Of course not, so there is still much room for organizations such as FAIR to be a great resource without needing to speak ''for'' the Church in some sort of officially binding way.</strike>
While the responses to issues offered by FAIR volunteers are not official statements by the Church, we believe them to be consistent with the Church's official teachings and are given by faithful, active, believing LDS members. These responses need not carry an official endorsement to be true or helpful in answering questions.

<strike>The Church exists to serve an extremely vital role, but a fairly specific and narrowly-defined one. The number of things the Church must take an official position about are limited to the core of the gospel of Jesus Christ and what bears directly on their work in administering the affairs of the Church. That leaves a lot of room for personal study and growth. We think we can help each other with a great deal of that, even if it's not something the Church has felt the need to make a declaration about.</strike>

FAIR's main mission is to answer criticisms about the Church, and we can certainly do so based on what we know, can study, and reason, as well as what the Spirit guides us to say as we prayerfully consider these issues, without necessarily receiving this as an official calling or going to the First Presidency to speak on each and every issue.

===Individual Opinion or Official Answers?===

In the early days of the Church, it was more commonplace for the local members to ask Joseph Smith various questions and hear his teachings on the matter. Obviously, the logistics involved in running a church of 500 members is rather different than it is with a church of 13 million, and it isn't possible to expect the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve to be able to teach all the individual members who have questions. The LDS Church, of course, ''does'' make official doctrinal statements but generally only on significantly important "core" issues. There is much room for all of us to study and learn independently and in local groups.

Beyond that, do we need a "thus saith the Lord" answer to every question? We at FAIR sustain and support the leaders of the Church and follow their direction in matters of doctrine and the operation of the Church, but that doesn't mean we ''must'' look to someone else to simply provide us with ''the'' answer to every question we have. The Lord Himself commanded us:
<blockquote>
For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

Verily, I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. . . .
{{ref|dc1}}
</blockquote>
Is it inappropriate to assume that at least some of these good works that we are to be engaged in include studying the gospel and striving to learn more through the scriptures, personal prayer, discussions with each other and by reading the best books? Along with not expecting us to remain idle until explicitly commanded to do something, the Lord expects us to seek knowledge and learn and grow without simply being told what to think about everything.

Further,
<blockquote>
Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. {{ref|dc2}}
</blockquote>
An important part of the process of gaining this knowledge and intelligence is working diligently to study and learn, and not simply seek to have someone tell us the answers to memorize.

FAIR, religion teachers among the membership of the Church, and even our Church leaders have latitude to hold and express their best understanding of various topics, even to publish books (e.g., Elder Bruce R. McConkie's ''Mormon Doctrine''). Since none of these talks, lessons, papers, blogs, conversations or books have been accepted into the canon, they are not binding as 'the official word of the Church itself.' Does that mean they are useless to help us gain more understanding? No, there's much we can learn from each other, even if we're imperfect in our understanding along the way.

==Conclusion==

FAIR need not speak with the authority of the Church itself, or be an official representative of the Church, in order to provide a useful resource for people to gain a better understanding of Latter-day Saint history and teachings. Further, it is not necessarily correct for us to expect to turn to our Church leaders, particularly the general authorities, for the answer to every single question on a gospel topic.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|dc1}}{{s||DC|58|26-28}}
#{{note|dc2}}{{s||DC|130|18-19}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===

===FAIR web site===
[http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAIR FAQ] answers the question "How authoritative are the things that you write?"

===External links===
[http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/approaching-mormon-doctrine Official LDS Church Newsroom Article] emphasizing that not every statement by church leaders is official doctrine, and that individual members are encouraged to study independently and together to find gospel answers, in addition to following the "core" gospel doctrinal statements official endorsed or canonized by the Church.

[http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Truth Encyclopedia of Mormonism] entry for Truth, which provides some interesting thoughts about what "truth" is. We can all come to a greater understanding of life's truths from many places and sources, not all of which must be official church pronouncements to be "true".

===Printed material===

Question: Does FAIR provide "official" answers to questions?

2008-12-16T00:24:24Z

SteveWilloughby: Replacing page with '''This article has been moved temporarily while it is being edited and will return when ready.'''

''This article has been moved temporarily while it is being edited and will return when ready.''

User:SteveWilloughby/Sandbox

2008-12-16T00:23:51Z

SteveWilloughby: New page: '''Sandbox for "FAIR Does Not Speak For the Church"''' {{FAQPortal}} {{Draft}} ==Criticism== FAIR's articles, responses to [http://www.fairlds.org/contact.php "Ask the Apologist"] queri...

'''Sandbox for "FAIR Does Not Speak For the Church"'''

{{FAQPortal}}
{{Draft}}

==Criticism==

FAIR's articles, responses to [http://www.fairlds.org/contact.php "Ask the Apologist"] queries, etc., contain a disclaimer to the effect that FAIR volunteers and authors are not speaking authoritatively for the Church (or even for FAIR itself) but only giving their personal opinion or perspective on each issue or question. Why should anyone listen to FAIR, then, if they can't speak with authority for the Church? Who can one turn to for the authorized, "final answer" on every topic?

===Source(s) of the criticism===

This appears (either as a criticism or at least a neutral, sincere inquiry) occasionally in letters sent to FAIR in response to the standard disclaimer placed on FAIR's articles and email correspondence.

==Response==

First of all, FAIR is an organization completely independent of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is not owned or endorsed by the Church as an official mouthpiece, so FAIR ''cannot'' claim any official status. In the interest of full disclosure, and so as not to cause any confusion on this matter, FAIR is careful to explicitly disclaim any such status. From the FAIR [http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAQ article] we read:

<blockquote>
We are not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are therefore not doing this under the direction of the priesthood. . . .

We try very hard to not give the impression that we are speaking for the Church in any way. We are not affiliated with the Church. We therefore try to avoid doctrinal declarations. Most of the time it isn't an issue as we are discussing things from a historical or scholarly point of view. Occasionally we get into discussions of doctrine when we feel our beliefs as Latter-day Saints have been misrepresented. At those times the writers are speaking from their own experience and beliefs.
</blockquote>

This seems to raise two questions in our readers' minds from time to time, namely, "What value are FAIR's answers if they lack the authority to speak definitively for the Church?" and "Why does the Church itself leave room for private speculation or discussion on various doctrinal topics rather than give the official answers once and for all?" (Or, to put the second question a different way, "If FAIR isn't an 'official' voice for the church, who else should I turn to in order to get the real, official answer to my question?")

===Are Non-Authoritative Answers Worthwhile?===

Only the Church's duly authorized agents can speak officially on behalf of the Church or give official pronouncements which establish doctrine that is binding upon the Church (the latter case, specifically coming from the First Presidency). However, is this necessarily a problem when considering answers coming from a group such as FAIR?

There are many questions that people have, and there is plenty of benefit to having brothers and sisters in the faith "reason together" and learn from one another, and not expect to simply look to someone to give the one, final answer to any question. In this author's opinion, the Lord and Church leaders are wise to leave us to the exercise of working out these things and developing our mental and spiritual capacities to gain more understanding.

Does an answer about doctrine or Church history necessarily need to have an official stamp of approval from the Church hierarchy to be helpful, factual or true? Of course not, so there is still much room for organizations such as FAIR to be a great resource without needing to speak ''for'' the Church in some sort of officially binding way.

The Church exists to serve an extremely vital role, but a fairly specific and narrowly-defined one. The number of things the Church must take an official position about are limited to the core of the gospel of Jesus Christ and what bears directly on their work in administering the affairs of the Church. That leaves a lot of room for personal study and growth. We think we can help each other with a great deal of that, even if it's not something the Church has felt the need to make a declaration about.

FAIR's main mission is to answer criticisms about the Church, and we can certainly do so based on what we know, can study, and reason, as well as what the Spirit guides us to say as we prayerfully consider these issues, without necessarily receiving this as an official calling or going to the First Presidency to speak on each and every issue.

===Individual Opinion or Official Answers?===

In the early days of the Church, it was more commonplace for the local members to ask Joseph Smith various questions and hear his teachings on the matter. Obviously, the logistics involved in running a church of 500 members is rather different than it is with a church of 13 million, and it isn't possible to expect the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve to be able to teach all the individual members who have questions. The LDS Church, of course, ''does'' make official doctrinal statements but generally only on significantly important "core" issues. There is much room for all of us to study and learn independently and in local groups.

Beyond that, do we need a "thus saith the Lord" answer to every question? We at FAIR sustain and support the leaders of the Church and follow their direction in matters of doctrine and the operation of the Church, but that doesn't mean we ''must'' look to someone else to simply provide us with ''the'' answer to every question we have. The Lord Himself commanded us:
<blockquote>
For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

Verily, I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. . . .
{{ref|dc1}}
</blockquote>
Is it inappropriate to assume that at least some of these good works that we are to be engaged in include studying the gospel and striving to learn more through the scriptures, personal prayer, discussions with each other and by reading the best books? Along with not expecting us to remain idle until explicitly commanded to do something, the Lord expects us to seek knowledge and learn and grow without simply being told what to think about everything.

Further,
<blockquote>
Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. {{ref|dc2}}
</blockquote>
An important part of the process of gaining this knowledge and intelligence is working diligently to study and learn, and not simply seek to have someone tell us the answers to memorize.

FAIR, religion teachers among the membership of the Church, and even our Church leaders have latitude to hold and express their best understanding of various topics, even to publish books (e.g., Elder Bruce R. McConkie's ''Mormon Doctrine''). Since none of these talks, lessons, papers, blogs, conversations or books have been accepted into the canon, they are not binding as 'the official word of the Church itself.' Does that mean they are useless to help us gain more understanding? No, there's much we can learn from each other, even if we're imperfect in our understanding along the way.

==Conclusion==

FAIR need not speak with the authority of the Church itself, or be an official representative of the Church, in order to provide a useful resource for people to gain a better understanding of Latter-day Saint history and teachings. Further, it is not necessarily correct for us to expect to turn to our Church leaders, particularly the general authorities, for the answer to every single question on a gospel topic.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|dc1}}{{s||DC|58|26-28}}
#{{note|dc2}}{{s||DC|130|18-19}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===

===FAIR web site===
[http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAIR FAQ] answers the question "How authoritative are the things that you write?"

===External links===
[http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/approaching-mormon-doctrine Official LDS Church Newsroom Article] emphasizing that not every statement by church leaders is official doctrine, and that individual members are encouraged to study independently and together to find gospel answers, in addition to following the "core" gospel doctrinal statements official endorsed or canonized by the Church.

[http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Truth Encyclopedia of Mormonism] entry for Truth, which provides some interesting thoughts about what "truth" is. We can all come to a greater understanding of life's truths from many places and sources, not all of which must be official church pronouncements to be "true".

===Printed material===

Question: Does FAIR provide "official" answers to questions?

2008-12-15T18:33:54Z

SteveWilloughby:

{{FAQPortal}}
{{Draft}}

==Criticism==

FAIR's articles, responses to [http://www.fairlds.org/contact.php "Ask the Apologist"] queries, etc., contain a disclaimer to the effect that FAIR volunteers and authors are not speaking authoritatively for the Church (or even for FAIR itself) but only giving their personal opinion or perspective on each issue or question. Why should anyone listen to FAIR, then, if they can't speak with authority for the Church? Who can one turn to for the authorized, "final answer" on every topic?

===Source(s) of the criticism===

This appears (either as a criticism or at least a neutral, sincere inquiry) occasionally in letters sent to FAIR in response to the standard disclaimer placed on FAIR's articles and email correspondence.

==Response==

First of all, FAIR is an organization completely independent of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is not owned or endorsed by the Church as an official mouthpiece, so FAIR ''cannot'' claim any official status. In the interest of full disclosure, and so as not to cause any confusion on this matter, FAIR is careful to explicitly disclaim any such status. From the FAIR [http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAQ article] we read:

<blockquote>
We are not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are therefore not doing this under the direction of the priesthood. . . .

We try very hard to not give the impression that we are speaking for the Church in any way. We are not affiliated with the Church. We therefore try to avoid doctrinal declarations. Most of the time it isn't an issue as we are discussing things from a historical or scholarly point of view. Occasionally we get into discussions of doctrine when we feel our beliefs as Latter-day Saints have been misrepresented. At those times the writers are speaking from their own experience and beliefs.
</blockquote>

This seems to raise two questions in our readers' minds from time to time, namely, "What value are FAIR's answers if they lack the authority to speak definitively for the Church?" and "Why does the Church itself leave room for private speculation or discussion on various doctrinal topics rather than give the official answers once and for all?" (Or, to put the second question a different way, "If FAIR isn't an 'official' voice for the church, who else should I turn to in order to get the real, official answer to my question?")

===Are Non-Authoritative Answers Worthwhile?===

Only the church's duly authorized agents could speak officially on behalf of the Church or give official pronouncements which establish doctrine binding on the church (the latter case, specifically coming from the First Presidency). However, is this necessarily a problem when considering answers coming from a group such as FAIR?

There are many questions people have, and there's plenty of benefit to having us as brothers and sisters in the faith come together to "reason together" and learn from one another, and not expect to simply look to someone to give us the one, final answer to any question. In this author's opinion, the Lord and our Church leaders are wise to leave us the exercise of working out these things and developing the mental and spiritual capacities to gain more understanding.

Does an answer about doctrine or church history necessarily need to have an official stamp of approval from the church hierarchy to be helpful, factual or true? Of course not, so there is still much room for organizations such as FAIR to be a great resource without needing to speak ''for'' the church in some sort of officially binding way.

The church exists to serve an extremely vital role, but a fairly specific and narrowly-defined one. The number of things the church must take an official position about are limited to the core of the gospel of Jesus Christ and what bears directly on their work in administering the affairs of the church. That leaves a lot of room for personal study and growth. We think we can help each other with a great deal of that, even if it's not something the church has felt the need to make a declaration about.

FAIR's main mission is to answer criticisms of the church, and we can certainly do so based on what we know, can study, and reason, as well as what the spirit guides us to say as we prayerfully consider these issues, without necessarily receiving this as an official calling or going to the First Presidency to speak on each and every issue.

===Individual Opinion or Official Answers?===

In the early days of the church, it was more commonplace for the local members to ask Joseph Smith many various questions and hear his teachings on the matter. Obviously, the logistics involved in running a church of 500 members is rather different than it is with a church of 13 million, and it isn't possible to expect the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve to be able to teach all the individual members who have questions (which should be about 13 million of them). The Church, of course, ''does'' make official doctrinal statements but generally only on significantly important "core" issues. There is much room for all of us to study and learn independently and in local groups.

Beyond that, do we need a "thus saith the Lord" answer to every question? We at FAIR sustain and support the leaders of the Church and follow their direction in matters of doctrine and the operation of the Church, but that doesn't mean we ''must'' look to someone else to simply provide us with ''the'' answer to every question we have. The Lord himself commanded us:
<blockquote>
For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

Verily, I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. . . .
{{ref|dc1}}
</blockquote>
Is it inappropriate to assume that at least some of these good works we are to be engaged in include studying the gospel and striving to learn more through the scriptures, personal prayer, discussions with each other and by reading the best books? That along with not expecting us to remain idle until explicitly commanded to do something, the Lord expects us to seek knowledge and learn and grow without simply being told what to think about everything?

Further,
<blockquote>
Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. {{ref|dc2}}
</blockquote>
An important part of the process of gaining this knowledge and intelligence is working diligently to study and learn, and not simply seek to have someone tell us the answers to memorize.

FAIR, religion teachers among the membership of the church, and even our church leaders have latitude to hold and express their best understanding of various topics, even to publish books (e.g., Elder Bruce R. McConkie's ''Mormon Doctrine''). Since none of these talks, lessons, papers, blogs, conversations or books have been accepted into the canon, they are not binding as "the official word of the church itself". Does that mean they are useless to help us gain more understanding? No, there's much we can learn from each other, even if we're imperfect in our understanding along the way.

==Conclusion==

FAIR need not speak with the authority of the Church itself, or be an official representative of the Church, in order to provide a useful resource for people to gain a better understanding of Latter-day Saint history and teachings. Further, it is not necessarily correct for us to expect to turn to our church leaders, particularly the general authorities, for the answer to every single question on a gospel topic.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|dc1}}{{s||DC|58|26-28}}
#{{note|dc2}}{{s||DC|130|18-19}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===

===FAIR web site===
[http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAIR FAQ] answers the question "How authoritative are the things that you write?"

===External links===
[http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/approaching-mormon-doctrine Official LDS Church Newsroom Article] emphasizing that not every statement by church leaders is official doctrine, and that individual members are encouraged to study independently and together to find gospel answers, in addition to following the "core" gospel doctrinal statements official endorsed or canonized by the Church.

[http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Truth Encyclopedia of Mormonism] entry for Truth, which provides some interesting thoughts about what "truth" is. We can all come to a greater understanding of life's truths from many places and sources, not all of which must be official church pronouncements to be "true".

===Printed material===

Question: Does FAIR provide "official" answers to questions?

2008-12-15T11:24:26Z

SteveWilloughby: /* Response */ typo

{{FAQPortal}}

==Criticism==

FAIR's articles, responses to [http://www.fairlds.org/contact.php "Ask the Apologist"] queries, etc., contain a disclaimer to the effect that FAIR volunteers and authors are not speaking authoritatively for the Church (or even for FAIR itself) but only giving their personal opinion or perspective on each issue or question. Why should anyone listen to FAIR, then, if they can't speak with authority for the Church? Who can one turn to for the authorized, "final answer" on every topic?

===Source(s) of the criticism===

This appears (either as a criticism or at least a neutral, sincere inquiry) occasionally in letters sent to FAIR in response to the standard disclaimer placed on FAIR's articles and email correspondence.

==Response==

First of all, FAIR is an organization completely independent of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is not owned or endorsed by the Church as an official mouthpiece, so FAIR ''cannot'' claim any official status. In the interest of full disclosure, and so as not to cause any confusion on this matter, FAIR is careful to explicitly disclaim any such status. From the FAIR [http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAQ article] we read:

<blockquote>
We are not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are therefore not doing this under the direction of the priesthood. . . .

We try very hard to not give the impression that we are speaking for the Church in any way. We are not affiliated with the Church. We therefore try to avoid doctrinal declarations. Most of the time it isn't an issue as we are discussing things from a historical or scholarly point of view. Occasionally we get into discussions of doctrine when we feel our beliefs as Latter-day Saints have been misrepresented. At those times the writers are speaking from their own experience and beliefs.
</blockquote>

This seems to raise two questions in our readers' minds from time to time, namely, "What value is FAIR's answers if they lack the authority to speak difinitively for the Church?" and "Why does the Church itself leave room for private speculation or discussion on various doctrinal topics rather than give the official answers once and for all?" (Or, to put the second question a different way, "If FAIR isn't an 'official' voice for the church, who else should I turn to in order to get the real, official answer to my question?")

===Are Non-Authoritative Answers Worthwhile?===

Only the church's duly authorized agents could speak officially on behalf of the Church or give official pronouncements which establish doctrine binding on the church (the latter case, specifically coming from the First Presidency). However, is this necessarily a problem when considering answers coming from a group such as FAIR?

There are many questions people have, and there's plenty of benefit to having us as brothers and sisters in the faith come together to "reason together" and learn from one another, and not expect to simply look to someone to give us the one, final answer to any question. In this author's opinion, the Lord and our Church leaders are wise to leave us the exercise of working out these things and developing the mental and spiritual capacities to gain more understanding.

Does an answer about doctrine or church history necessarily need to have an official stamp of approval from the church hierarchy to be helpful, factual or true? Of course not, so there is still much room for organizations such as FAIR to be a great resource without needing to speak ''for'' the church in some sort of officially binding way.

The church exists to serve an extremely vital role, but a fairly specific and narrowly-defined one. The number of things the church must take an official position about are limited to the core of the gospel of Jesus Christ and what bears directly on their work in administering the affairs of the church. That leaves a lot of room for personal study and growth. We think we can help each other with a great deal of that, even if it's not something the church has felt the need to make a declaration about.

FAIR's main mission is to answer criticisms of the church, and we can certainly do so based on what we know, can study, and reason, as well as what the spirit guides us to say as we prayerfully consider these issues, without necessarily receiving this as an official calling or going to the First Presidency to speak on each and every issue.

===Individual Opinion or Official Answers?===

In the early days of the church, it was more commonplace for the local members to ask Joseph Smith many various questions and hear his teachings on the matter. Obviously, the logistics involved in running a church of 500 members is rather different than it is with a church of 13 million, and it isn't possible to expect the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve to be able to teach all the individual members who have questions (which should be about 13 million of them). The Church, of course, ''does'' make official doctrinal statements but generally only on significantly important "core" issues. There is much room for all of us to study and learn independently and in local groups.

Beyond that, do we need a "thus saith the Lord" answer to every quesiton? We at FAIR sustain and support the leaders of the Church and follow their direction in matters of doctrine and the operation of the Church, but that doesn't mean we ''must'' look to someone else to simply provide us with ''the'' answer to every question we have. The Lord himself commanded us:
<blockquote>
For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

Verily, I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. . . .
{{ref|dc1}}
</blockquote>
Is it inappropriate to assume that at least some of these good works we are to be engaged in include studying the gospel and striving to learn more through the scriptures, personal prayer, discussions with each other and by reading the best books? That along with not expecting us to remain idle until explicitly commanded to do something, the Lord expects us to seek knowledge and learn and grow without simply being told what to think about everything?

Further,
<blockquote>
Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. {{ref|dc2}}
</blockquote>
An important part of the process of gaining this knowledge and intelligence is working dilligently to study and learn, and not simply seek to have someone tell us the answers to memorize.

FAIR, religion teachers among the membership of the church, and even our church leaders have latitude to hold and express their best understanding of various topics, even to publish books (e.g., Elder Bruce R. McConkie's ''Mormon Doctrine''). Since none of these talks, lessons, papers, blogs, conversations or books have been accepted into the canon, they are not binding as "the official word of the church itself". Does that mean they are useless to help us gain more understanding? No, there's much we can learn from each other, even if we're imperfect in our understanding along the way.

==Conclusion==

FAIR need not speak with the authority of the Church itself, or be an official representative of the Church, in order to provide a useful resource for people to gain a better understanding of Latter-day Saint history and teachings. Further, it is not necessarily correct for us to expect to turn to our church leaders, particularly the general authorities, for the answer to every single question on a gospel topic.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|dc1}}{{s||DC|58|26-28}}
#{{note|dc2}}{{s||DC|130|18-19}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===

===FAIR web site===
[http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAIR FAQ] answers the question "How authoritative are the things that you write?"

===External links===
[http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/approaching-mormon-doctrine Official LDS Church Newsroom Article] emphasizing that not every statement by church leaders is official doctrine, and that individual members are encouraged to study independently and together to find gospel answers, in addition to following the "core" gospel doctrinal statements official endorsed or canonized by the Church.

[http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Truth Encyclopedia of Mormonism] entry for Truth, which provides some interesting thoughts about what "truth" is. We can all come to a greater understanding of life's truths from many places and sources, not all of which must be official church pronouncements to be "true".

===Printed material===

Question: Does FAIR provide "official" answers to questions?

2008-12-15T07:18:09Z

SteveWilloughby: /* Are Non-Authoritative Answers Worthwhile? */

{{FAQPortal}}

==Criticism==

FAIR's articles, responses to [http://www.fairlds.org/contact.php "Ask the Apologist"] queries, etc., contain a disclaimer to the effect that FAIR volunteers and authors are not speaking authoritatively for the Church (or even for FAIR itself) but only giving their personal opinion or perspective on each issue or question. Why should anyone listen to FAIR, then, if they can't speak with authority for the Church? Who can one turn to for the authorized, "final answer" on every topic?

===Source(s) of the criticism===

This appears (either as a criticism or at least a neutral, sincere inquiry) occasionally in letters sent to FAIR in response to the standard disclaimer placed on FAIR's articles and email correspondence.

==Response==

First of all, FAIR is an organization completely independent of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is not owned or endorsed by the Church as an official mouthpiece, so FAIR ''cannot'' claim any official status. In the interest of full disclosure, and so as not to cause any confusion on this matter, FAIR is careful to explicitly disclaim any such status. From the FAIR [http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAQ article] we read:

<blockquote>
We are not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are therefore not doing this under the direction of the priesthood. . . .

We try very hard to not give the impression that we are speaking for the Church in any way. We are not affiliated with the Church. We therefore try to avoid doctrinal declarations. Most of the time it isn't an issue as we are discussing things from a historical or scholarly point of view. Occasionally we get into discussions of doctrine when we feel our beliefs as Latter-day Saints have been misrepresented. At those times the writers are speaking from their own experience and beliefs.
</blockquote>

This seems to raise two questions in our readers' minds from time to time, namely, "What value is FAIR's answers if they lack the authority to speak difinitively for the Church?" and "Why does the Church itself leave room for private speculation or discussion on various doctrinal topics rather than give the official answers once and for all?" (or, to put the second question a different way, "If FAIR isn't an 'official' voice for the church, who else should I turn to in order to get the real, official answer to my question?"

===Are Non-Authoritative Answers Worthwhile?===

Only the church's duly authorized agents could speak officially on behalf of the Church or give official pronouncements which establish doctrine binding on the church (the latter case, specifically coming from the First Presidency). However, is this necessarily a problem when considering answers coming from a group such as FAIR?

There are many questions people have, and there's plenty of benefit to having us as brothers and sisters in the faith come together to "reason together" and learn from one another, and not expect to simply look to someone to give us the one, final answer to any question. In this author's opinion, the Lord and our Church leaders are wise to leave us the exercise of working out these things and developing the mental and spiritual capacities to gain more understanding.

Does an answer about doctrine or church history necessarily need to have an official stamp of approval from the church hierarchy to be helpful, factual or true? Of course not, so there is still much room for organizations such as FAIR to be a great resource without needing to speak ''for'' the church in some sort of officially binding way.

The church exists to serve an extremely vital role, but a fairly specific and narrowly-defined one. The number of things the church must take an official position about are limited to the core of the gospel of Jesus Christ and what bears directly on their work in administering the affairs of the church. That leaves a lot of room for personal study and growth. We think we can help each other with a great deal of that, even if it's not something the church has felt the need to make a declaration about.

FAIR's main mission is to answer criticisms of the church, and we can certainly do so based on what we know, can study, and reason, as well as what the spirit guides us to say as we prayerfully consider these issues, without necessarily receiving this as an official calling or going to the First Presidency to speak on each and every issue.

===Individual Opinion or Official Answers?===

In the early days of the church, it was more commonplace for the local members to ask Joseph Smith many various questions and hear his teachings on the matter. Obviously, the logistics involved in running a church of 500 members is rather different than it is with a church of 13 million, and it isn't possible to expect the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve to be able to teach all the individual members who have questions (which should be about 13 million of them). The Church, of course, ''does'' make official doctrinal statements but generally only on significantly important "core" issues. There is much room for all of us to study and learn independently and in local groups.

Beyond that, do we need a "thus saith the Lord" answer to every quesiton? We at FAIR sustain and support the leaders of the Church and follow their direction in matters of doctrine and the operation of the Church, but that doesn't mean we ''must'' look to someone else to simply provide us with ''the'' answer to every question we have. The Lord himself commanded us:
<blockquote>
For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

Verily, I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. . . .
{{Ref}}
</blockquote>
Is it inappropriate to assume that at least some of these good works we are to be engaged in include studying the gospel and striving to learn more through the scriptures, personal prayer, discussions with each other and by reading the best books? That along with not expecting us to remain idle until explicitly commanded to do something, the Lord expects us to seek knowledge and learn and grow without simply being told what to think about everything?

Further,
<blockquote>
Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. {{Ref}}
</blockquote>
An important part of the process of gaining this knowledge and intelligence is working dilligently to study and learn, and not simply seek to have someone tell us the answers to memorize.

FAIR, religion teachers among the membership of the church, and even our church leaders have latitude to hold and express their best understanding of various topics, even to publish books (e.g., Elder Bruce R. McConkie's ''Mormon Doctrine''). Since none of these talks, lessons, papers, blogs, conversations or books have been accepted into the canon, they are not binding as "the official word of the church itself". Does that mean they are useless to help us gain more understanding? No, there's much we can learn from each other, even if we're imperfect in our understanding along the way.

==Conclusion==

FAIR need not speak with the authority of the Church itself, or be an official representative of the Church, in order to provide a useful resource for people to gain a better understanding of Latter-day Saint history and teachings. Further, it is not necessarily correct for us to expect to turn to our church leaders, particularly the general authorities, for the answer to every single question on a gospel topic.

==Endnotes==
#[http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/58/26-28#26 D&C 58:26–28]
#[http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/130/18-19#18 D&C 130:18–19]

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===

===FAIR web site===
[http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAIR FAQ] answers the question "How authoritative are the things that you write?"

===External links===
[http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/approaching-mormon-doctrine Official LDS Church Newsroom Article] emphasizing that not every statement by church leaders is official doctrine, and that individual members are encouraged to study independently and together to find gospel answers, in addition to following the "core" gospel doctrinal statements official endorsed or canonized by the Church.

[http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Truth Encyclopedia of Mormonism] entry for Truth, which provides some interesting thoughts about what "truth" is. We can all come to a greater understanding of life's truths from many places and sources, not all of which must be official church pronouncements to be "true".

===Printed material===

Question: Does FAIR provide "official" answers to questions?

2008-12-15T07:17:11Z

SteveWilloughby: /* Response */

{{FAQPortal}}

==Criticism==

FAIR's articles, responses to [http://www.fairlds.org/contact.php "Ask the Apologist"] queries, etc., contain a disclaimer to the effect that FAIR volunteers and authors are not speaking authoritatively for the Church (or even for FAIR itself) but only giving their personal opinion or perspective on each issue or question. Why should anyone listen to FAIR, then, if they can't speak with authority for the Church? Who can one turn to for the authorized, "final answer" on every topic?

===Source(s) of the criticism===

This appears (either as a criticism or at least a neutral, sincere inquiry) occasionally in letters sent to FAIR in response to the standard disclaimer placed on FAIR's articles and email correspondence.

==Response==

First of all, FAIR is an organization completely independent of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is not owned or endorsed by the Church as an official mouthpiece, so FAIR ''cannot'' claim any official status. In the interest of full disclosure, and so as not to cause any confusion on this matter, FAIR is careful to explicitly disclaim any such status. From the FAIR [http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAQ article] we read:

<blockquote>
We are not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are therefore not doing this under the direction of the priesthood. . . .

We try very hard to not give the impression that we are speaking for the Church in any way. We are not affiliated with the Church. We therefore try to avoid doctrinal declarations. Most of the time it isn't an issue as we are discussing things from a historical or scholarly point of view. Occasionally we get into discussions of doctrine when we feel our beliefs as Latter-day Saints have been misrepresented. At those times the writers are speaking from their own experience and beliefs.
</blockquote>

This seems to raise two questions in our readers' minds from time to time, namely, "What value is FAIR's answers if they lack the authority to speak difinitively for the Church?" and "Why does the Church itself leave room for private speculation or discussion on various doctrinal topics rather than give the official answers once and for all?" (or, to put the second question a different way, "If FAIR isn't an 'official' voice for the church, who else should I turn to in order to get the real, official answer to my question?"

===Are Non-Authoritative Answers Worthwhile?===

Only the church's duly authorized agents could speak officially on behalf of the Church or give official pronouncements which establish doctrine binding on the church (the latter case, specifically coming from the First Presidency). However, is this necessarily a problem when considering answers coming from a group such as FAIR?

There are many questions people have, and there's plenty of benefit to having us as brothers and sisters in the faith come together to "reason together" and learn from one another, and not expect to simply look to someone to give us the one, final answer to any question. In this author's opinion, the Lord and our Church leaders are wise to leave us the exercise of working out these things and developing the mental and spiritual capacities to gain more understanding.

Does an answer about doctrine or church history necessarily need to have an official stamp of approval from the church hierarchy to be helpful, factual or true? Of course not, so there is still much room for organizations such as FAIR to be a great resource without needing to speak *for* the church in some sort of officially binding way.

The church exists to serve an extremely vital role, but a fairly specific and narrowly-defined one. The number of things the church must take an official position about are limited to the core of the gospel of Jesus Christ and what bears directly on their work in administering the affairs of the church. That leaves a lot of room for personal study and growth. We think we can help each other with a great deal of that, even if it's not something the church has felt the need to make a declaration about.

FAIR's main mission is to answer criticisms of the church, and we can certainly do so based on what we know, can study, and reason, as well as what the spirit guides us to say as we prayerfully consider these issues, without necessarily receiving this as an official calling or going to the First Presidency to speak on each and every issue.

===Individual Opinion or Official Answers?===

In the early days of the church, it was more commonplace for the local members to ask Joseph Smith many various questions and hear his teachings on the matter. Obviously, the logistics involved in running a church of 500 members is rather different than it is with a church of 13 million, and it isn't possible to expect the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve to be able to teach all the individual members who have questions (which should be about 13 million of them). The Church, of course, ''does'' make official doctrinal statements but generally only on significantly important "core" issues. There is much room for all of us to study and learn independently and in local groups.

Beyond that, do we need a "thus saith the Lord" answer to every quesiton? We at FAIR sustain and support the leaders of the Church and follow their direction in matters of doctrine and the operation of the Church, but that doesn't mean we ''must'' look to someone else to simply provide us with ''the'' answer to every question we have. The Lord himself commanded us:
<blockquote>
For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

Verily, I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. . . .
{{Ref}}
</blockquote>
Is it inappropriate to assume that at least some of these good works we are to be engaged in include studying the gospel and striving to learn more through the scriptures, personal prayer, discussions with each other and by reading the best books? That along with not expecting us to remain idle until explicitly commanded to do something, the Lord expects us to seek knowledge and learn and grow without simply being told what to think about everything?

Further,
<blockquote>
Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. {{Ref}}
</blockquote>
An important part of the process of gaining this knowledge and intelligence is working dilligently to study and learn, and not simply seek to have someone tell us the answers to memorize.

FAIR, religion teachers among the membership of the church, and even our church leaders have latitude to hold and express their best understanding of various topics, even to publish books (e.g., Elder Bruce R. McConkie's ''Mormon Doctrine''). Since none of these talks, lessons, papers, blogs, conversations or books have been accepted into the canon, they are not binding as "the official word of the church itself". Does that mean they are useless to help us gain more understanding? No, there's much we can learn from each other, even if we're imperfect in our understanding along the way.

==Conclusion==

FAIR need not speak with the authority of the Church itself, or be an official representative of the Church, in order to provide a useful resource for people to gain a better understanding of Latter-day Saint history and teachings. Further, it is not necessarily correct for us to expect to turn to our church leaders, particularly the general authorities, for the answer to every single question on a gospel topic.

==Endnotes==
#[http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/58/26-28#26 D&C 58:26–28]
#[http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/130/18-19#18 D&C 130:18–19]

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===

===FAIR web site===
[http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAIR FAQ] answers the question "How authoritative are the things that you write?"

===External links===
[http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/approaching-mormon-doctrine Official LDS Church Newsroom Article] emphasizing that not every statement by church leaders is official doctrine, and that individual members are encouraged to study independently and together to find gospel answers, in addition to following the "core" gospel doctrinal statements official endorsed or canonized by the Church.

[http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Truth Encyclopedia of Mormonism] entry for Truth, which provides some interesting thoughts about what "truth" is. We can all come to a greater understanding of life's truths from many places and sources, not all of which must be official church pronouncements to be "true".

===Printed material===

Question: Does FAIR provide "official" answers to questions?

2008-12-15T07:05:21Z

SteveWilloughby:

{{FAQPortal}}

==Criticism==

FAIR's articles, responses to [http://www.fairlds.org/contact.php "Ask the Apologist"] queries, etc., contain a disclaimer to the effect that FAIR volunteers and authors are not speaking authoritatively for the Church (or even for FAIR itself) but only giving their personal opinion or perspective on each issue or question. Why should anyone listen to FAIR, then, if they can't speak with authority for the Church? Who can one turn to for the authorized, "final answer" on every topic?

===Source(s) of the criticism===

This appears (either as a criticism or at least a neutral, sincere inquiry) occasionally in letters sent to FAIR in response to the standard disclaimer placed on FAIR's articles and email correspondence.

==Response==

First of all, FAIR is an organization completely independent of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is not owned or endorsed by the Church as an official mouthpiece, so FAIR ''cannot'' claim any official status. In the interest of full disclosure, and so as not to cause any confusion on this matter, FAIR is careful to explicitly disclaim any such status. From the FAIR [http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAQ article] we read:

<blockquote>
We are not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and are therefore not doing this under the direction of the priesthood. . . .

We try very hard to not give the impression that we are speaking for the Church in any way. We are not affiliated with the Church. We therefore try to avoid doctrinal declarations. Most of the time it isn't an issue as we are discussing things from a historical or scholarly point of view. Occasionally we get into discussions of doctrine when we feel our beliefs as Latter-day Saints have been misrepresented. At those times the writers are speaking from their own experience and beliefs.
</blockquote>

This seems to raise two questions in our readers' minds from time to time, namely, "What value is FAIR's answers if they lack the authority to speak difinitively for the Church?" and "Why doesn't the Church itself leave room for private speculation or discussion on various doctrinal topics rather than give the official answers once and for all?" (or, to put the second question a different way, "If FAIR isn't an 'official' voice for the church, who else should I turn to in order to get the real, official answer to my question?"

===Are Non-Authoritative Answers Worthwhile?===

Only the church's duly authorized agents could speak officially on behalf of the Church or give official pronouncements which establish doctrine binding on the church (the latter case, specifically coming from the First Presidency). However, is this necessarily a problem when considering answers coming from a group such as FAIR?

There are many questions people have, and there's plenty of benefit to having us as brothers and sisters in the faith come together to "reason together" and learn from one another, and not expect to simply look to someone to give us the one, final answer to any question. In this author's opinion, the Lord and our Church leaders are wise to leave us the exercise of working out these things and developing the mental and spiritual capacities to gain more understanding.

Does an answer about doctrine or church history necessarily need to have an official stamp of approval from the church hierarchy to be helpful, factual or true? Of course not, so there is still much room for organizations such as FAIR to be a great resource without needing to speak *for* the church in some sort of officially binding way.

The church exists to serve an extremely vital role, but a fairly specific and narrowly-defined one. The number of things the church must take an official position about are limited to the core of the gospel of Jesus Christ and what bears directly on their work in administering the affairs of the church. That leaves a lot of room for personal study and growth. We think we can help each other with a great deal of that, even if it's not something the church has felt the need to make a declaration about.

FAIR's main mission is to answer criticisms of the church, and we can certainly do so based on what we know, can study, and reason, as well as what the spirit guides us to say as we prayerfully consider these issues, without necessarily receiving this as an official calling or going to the First Presidency to speak on each and every issue.

===Individual Opinion or Official Answers?===

In the early days of the church, it was more commonplace for the local members to ask Joseph Smith many various questions and hear his teachings on the matter. Obviously, the logistics involved in running a church of 500 members is rather different than it is with a church of 13 million, and it isn't possible to expect the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve to be able to teach all the individual members who have questions (which should be about 13 million of them). The Church, of course, ''does'' make official doctrinal statements but generally only on significantly important "core" issues. There is much room for all of us to study and learn independently and in local groups.

Beyond that, do we need a "thus saith the Lord" answer to every quesiton? We at FAIR sustain and support the leaders of the Church and follow their direction in matters of doctrine and the operation of the Church, but that doesn't mean we ''must'' look to someone else to simply provide us with ''the'' answer to every question we have. The Lord himself commanded us:
<blockquote>
For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

Verily, I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. . . .
{{Ref}}
</blockquote>
Is it inappropriate to assume that at least some of these good works we are to be engaged in include studying the gospel and striving to learn more through the scriptures, personal prayer, discussions with each other and by reading the best books? That along with not expecting us to remain idle until explicitly commanded to do something, the Lord expects us to seek knowledge and learn and grow without simply being told what to think about everything?

Further,
<blockquote>
Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. {{Ref}}
</blockquote>
An important part of the process of gaining this knowledge and intelligence is working dilligently to study and learn, and not simply seek to have someone tell us the answers to memorize.

FAIR, religion teachers among the membership of the church, and even our church leaders have latitude to hold and express their best understanding of various topics, even to publish books (e.g., Elder Bruce R. McConkie's ''Mormon Doctrine''). Since none of these talks, lessons, papers, blogs, conversations or books have been accepted into the canon, they are not binding as "the official word of the church itself". Does that mean they are useless to help us gain more understanding? No, there's much we can learn from each other, even if we're imperfect in our understanding along the way.

==Conclusion==

FAIR need not speak with the authority of the Church itself, or be an official representative of the Church, in order to provide a useful resource for people to gain a better understanding of Latter-day Saint history and teachings. Further, it is not necessarily correct for us to expect to turn to our church leaders, particularly the general authorities, for the answer to every single question on a gospel topic.

==Endnotes==
#[http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/58/26-28#26 D&C 58:26–28]
#[http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/130/18-19#18 D&C 130:18–19]

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===

===FAIR web site===
[http://www.fairlds.org/faq.html FAIR FAQ] answers the question "How authoritative are the things that you write?"

===External links===
[http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/approaching-mormon-doctrine Official LDS Church Newsroom Article] emphasizing that not every statement by church leaders is official doctrine, and that individual members are encouraged to study independently and together to find gospel answers, in addition to following the "core" gospel doctrinal statements official endorsed or canonized by the Church.

[http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Truth Encyclopedia of Mormonism] entry for Truth, which provides some interesting thoughts about what "truth" is. We can all come to a greater understanding of life's truths from many places and sources, not all of which must be official church pronouncements to be "true".

===Printed material===

Question: Does FAIR provide "official" answers to questions?

2008-12-15T05:53:24Z

SteveWilloughby: New page: {{FAQPortal}} ==Criticism== FAIR's articles, responses to [http://www.fairlds.org/contact.php "Ask the Apologist"] queries, etc., contain a disclaimer to the effect that FAIR volunteers ...

MormonFAQ/Terms

2008-05-03T01:38:35Z

SteveWilloughby: /* S */ typo in link

{{FAQPortal}}

Like all religions, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has terms or expressions which may not be familiar to outsiders. Some of these are described below.

== A ==

;Aaronic Priesthood:This is one of the two Latter-Day Saints priesthoods. It is made up of three offices Deacon, Teacher and Priest each with increasing duties. In the LDS Church it is generally given to young men starting at age 12. In the RLDS and most other restorationist churches, it is generally given to adults. Capitalize both words. See ''priesthood''.
* {{Encyclopedia|article=Aaronic Priesthood|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/doc_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=5438&CISOBOX=0}}

;Aaronic Order:A communal restorationist faith in and around Esk-Dale, Utah. Not part of the Salt Lake City based LDS church.

;anti-Mormon: Those who actively campaign against Mormon beliefs or practices. Merely disbelieving Mormon doctrine, leaving the Church, or disagreeing with Church policy does not make someone anti-Mormon. Some anti-Mormons write books, pamphlets and articles, while others protest outside of church buildings and conference centers while the Mormons worship. For an example of anti-Mormon activities, see: [http://www.fairlds.org/Anti-Mormons/Street_Preachers.html here]. Anti-Mormons generally share one of two ideologies: (a) Evangelical/Fundamentalist Christian groups or (b) secular/agnostic/atheist, usually former members. Authors should be aware that that some who pass themselves off as experts on Mormonism have their own ideologic agendas, and sometimes derive some or all of their income from material attacking the LDS church.
* {{Encyclopedia|article=Anti-Mormon Publications|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/doc_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=5473&CISOBOX=0}}
;apostate: An inflammatory word used by some to denote a person who has been a member of a Church and who has been excommunicated or who has withdrawn from membership because of belief in doctrines that are not compatible with church doctrine. The term, however, should not be used to describe or label any church or person. If a church can trace its origins to another church, then it should be so stated. For example: ''The Restoration Church of Jesus Christ was formed by members of the RLDS Church in 1989.'' If an individual is no longer a member of the church, they should be referred to as a "former member" or some other less inflammatory term.
* {{Encyclopedia|article=Apostate|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/doc_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=5478&CISOBOX=0}}
;Apostle: A calling usually in reference to a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In the RLDS Church it may be used as a title, ''Apostle John Smith''. Use the term Elder in the LDS Church, ''Elder John Smith, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.''
* {{Encyclopedia|article=Apostle|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/doc_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=5479&CISOBOX=0}}
;Area Authority Seventy:

;Articles of Faith: Brief summary of core LDS beliefs, written under direction of Joseph Smith, Jr. Now part of LDS scripture.
* {{s||A+of+F|1|1-13}}
* {{Encyclopedia|article=Articles of Faith|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/doc_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=5486&CISOBOX=0}}

;Auditorium, The: Capitalize when referencing to the building (RLDS) at Independence, Mo.

== B ==

;Baptism for the dead: The practice of baptizing a person by proxy for a deceased person. When used in a sentence do not capitalize. This rite is performed most often in the temples of the LDS Church.
* {{Encyclopedia|article=Baptism for the Dead|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/doc_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=5502&CISOBOX=0}}

;Barlow University: A college in Colorado City, Arizona operated by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Barlow)

;Beehive: A term used for a class of young women age 12 or 13.

;Bishop: A lay person called to oversee the operation of a local congregation (LDS) or to assist in the temporal affairs of the church in a given area (RLDS). Capitalize when part of the title. ''Bishop John Smith'' otherwise lower case as in ''the bishop's storehouse''. In the RLDS and Temple Lot, etc. bishops have the general oversight and responsibility for all the temporal affairs of the church and its members.
* {{Encyclopedia|article=Bishop|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/doc_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=5515&CISOBOX=0}}

;Book of Commandments: A book of scripture first published in 1833, consisting of revelations received by Joseph Smith. It was reissued in 1835 with additional revelations as the ''Doctrine and Covenants''. The ''Book of Commandments'' is still used by the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) and several other restorationist churches.
* {{Encyclopedia|article=Book of Commandments|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/doc_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=5529&CISOBOX=0}}

;Book of the Law of the Lord: A book of scripture translated by James J. Strang in 1851. Used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strang) and related groups.

;The Book of Mormon: A book of scripture used by most, but not all, of the restorationist churches. Translated by Joseph Smith, Jr. it is also known as ''The Record of the Nephites'' by some churches. The LDS Church's media style guide gives the name as ''The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ'' which is rarely used even within the LDS Church. Citing scriptures from the Book of Mormon. Because the Book of Mormon has two different verse numbering systems in use it is important to cite verses from it in a consistent way. The numbering system used by the church about which the story is concerning should be used with the alternate system used afterwards. The two systems are noted as either LDS or RLDS. For example: 1 Ne. 1:1 (1 Ne. 1:1 RLDS) You should do this even in cases where the two numbering systems agree.

* {{Encyclopedia|article=Book of Mormon|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/doc_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=5531&CISOBOX=0}}

Abbreviations of book titles The following are the accepted abbreviations.

*1 Ne. 1 Nephi
*2 Ne. 2 Nephi
*Jacob Jacob
*Enos Enos
*Jarom Jarom
*Omni Omni
*W of M Words of Mormon
*Mosiah Mosiah
*Alma Alma
*Hel. Helaman
*3 Ne. 3 Nephi
*4 Ne. 4 Nephi
*Morm. Mormon
*Ether Ether
*Moro. Moroni

;Branch: Ecclesiastical unit in the LDS Church that is comparable in function to a ward but that is smaller. It is presided over by a Branch President.
*{{Encyclopedia|article=Branch, Branch President|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/doc_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=5559&CISOBOX=0}}

;Brigham Young University: Also known as BYU or "The Y". A University in Provo, Utah operated by the LDS church. It is one of the largest private Universities in the West with approximately 27,000 daytime students. It has received many national recognitions and is ranked high in several categories.
* Website: [http://www.byu.edu www.byu.edu]
* {{Encyclopedia|article=Brigham Young University|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/doc_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=5561&CISOBOX=0}}

;Brigham Young University-Idaho: A University in Rexburg, Idaho operated by the LDS church. Formerly known as "Ricks College."
* Website: [http://www.byui.edu/ www.byui.edu]

;Brigham Young University-Hawaii: A University in Laie, Hawaii operated by the LDS church.
* Website: [http://www.byuh.edu/ www.byuh.edu]

;BYU Jerusalem Center: The Jerusalem Center is Brigham Young University's center for study in Jerusalem. Students enroll through the BYU campus in Provo, Utah, travel to the Holy Land, and live in the Center for programs that extend for two or four months. Students study a core curriculum that focuses on Old and New Testament, ancient and modern Near Eastern studies, and language (Hebrew and Arabic). Classroom study is built around field trips that cover the length and breadth of the Holy Land.

* Website [http://ce.byu.edu/jc/ ce.byu.edu/jc]

== C ==
;Celestial Kingdom: The highest of degree of glory in the LDS concept of heaven. It is compared to the glory of the sun It is sub-divided into three heavens or degrees ({{s||DC|131|1-4}}).

* {{Encyclopedia|article=Celestial Kingdom|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/doc_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=5584&CISOBOX=0}}

== D ==
;Deacon: An office in the Aaronic Priesthood. In the LDS Church this office is generally given to boys at the age of 12. In the Community of Christ (RLDS) it is held by adults, both men and women. This office generally performs non-ecclesiastical duties such as collecting offerings and passing the sacrament (communion) to the congregation.

* {{Encyclopedia|article=Deacon, aaronic priesthood|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/doc_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=5660&CISOBOX=0}}
;Doctrine and Covenants: Scripture used by LDS Church; consists of revelations given to Joseph Smith and a few from his successors. Abbreviated as D&C. See [[MormonFAQ:Terms#B|Book of Commandments]].
* {{Encyclopedia|article=Doctrine and Covenants|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/doc_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=5686&CISOBOX=0}}

== E ==

;Elder: There are three uses for the term "Elder." First it is a level of priesthood that belongs to most male members between the ages of 18 and 50. Secondly, it is the title used when referring to all male LDS missionaries who posses that priesthood. Third, it is the title used when referring to members of the the Quorum of the Twelve, or the Seventy. For example, Dallin H. Oaks may be referred to as "Elder Oaks."
*{{Encyclopedia|article=Elder, Melchizedek priesthood|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/doc_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=5698&CISOBOX=0}}
;Endowment: Ritualistic-drama ceremony given in LDS temples that teaches man about the creation, fall, atonement, and how man may return to God's presence and be exalted.
*{{Encyclopedia|article=Endowment|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=5707&filename=5708.pdf}}
;Exaltation: In LDS belief, exaltation refers to the deification of men and women in the highest heaven of the Celestial Kingdom. This is reserved for those who are heirs of God and join-heirs with Jesus Christ (See [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/rom/8/16-18 Romans 8:16-18]). They will become "gods, even sons of God" (See {{S||DC|76|58-59}}) and thus participate in the Divine Council (See {{s||Psalm 82||}}).
*{{Encyclopedia|article=Exaltation|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3667&filename=3668.pdf}}

== F ==
;Family Home Evening :Monday evenings are set aside for families to meet together, learn gospel principles, and to participate in family activities.
*{{Encyclopedia|article=Family Home Evening|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3679&filename=3680.pdf}}
;Family Prayer: The entire family kneels down together and prays. This typically happens first thing in the morning, and as the last thing at night.
*{{Encyclopedia|article=Family Prayer|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3681&filename=3682.pdf}}
;Fasting:At least once each month, church members skip two meals and pray.
*{{Encyclopedia|article=Fasting|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3685&filename=3686.pdf}}
;Fast Offerings:When a member skips two meals fasting, the money that would have been spent on those meals is given to a fund to help feed the poor.
*{{Encyclopedia|article=Fast Offerings|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3686&filename=3687.pdf}}
;Fast and Testimony Meeting: On the first Sunday of each month, the members of the church fast. Then when they come to church, instead of their usual meeting they have an open pulpit and allow the members to stand and give their testimonies.
*{{Encyclopedia|article=Fast and Testimony Meeting|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3687&filename=3688.pdf}}
;First Presidency: The highest presiding council of the Church composed of the President of the Church who is the Presiding High Priest over the whole Church and usually two counselors who are also High Priests. All three are referred to by the the title of "President." The RLDS and the LDS Churches both have a First Presidency.
*{{Encyclopedia|article=First Presidency|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3700&filename=3701.pdf}}

== G ==

;Garments: After a member of the church goes to the temple, they wear special garments as their under clothing as a sacred reminder of covenants made with God. They are similar in form to boxer shorts and an under shirt. Some anti-Mormons mockingly refer to this as "magic underwear" or other derogatory names which behavior is very offensive to the members of the church.
*{{E|Garments|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3719&filename=3720.pdf}}
;General Authorities: Church Leaders who have authority in the world wide church and who are not restricted in authority to certain geographical regions alone. The First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the First and Second Quorums of Seventy, and the Presiding Bishopric are all general authorities.
*{{E|General Authorities|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3724&filename=3725.pdf}}
;General Conference: The first weekend in April and the first weekend in October, all of the General Authorities of the church will meet in Salt Lake City in the conference center. They will give sermons and talks on a variety of subjects. It is broadcast all over the world and listened to by the members of the LDS church. You can see the talks from General Conference here http://www.lds.org/conference/sessions/display/0,5239,49-1-775,00.html

;Gift of the Holy Ghost: The right to have, whenever one is worthy, the companionship of the Holy Ghost. This right is given only after proper and authorized baptism and is conferred by the laying on of hands by those who hold Melchizedek Priesthood. It acts as a cleansing agent to purify a person and sanctify them from sin.
*{{E|Gift of the Holy Ghost|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3729&filename=3730.pdf}}
;Godhead:
*The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost acting in a quorum. In the LDS teach that "the Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us." ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/130/22#22 D&C 130:22])
*The term "Godhead" as found in the KJV New Testament is archaic and means "godhood"—the quality or state of being divine. LDS do not generally use the term in this fashion although it is in KJV version of the Bible which is used by the Church.
*{{E|Godhead|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3733&filename=3734.pdf}}
;Godhood: The state of being, or becoming, divine.
*{{E|Godhood|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3734&filename=3735.pdf}}

== H ==

;High Priest: This is a level in the LDS priesthood given to many males over the age of 40, or to those who have served in Ward or Stake leadership positions.
*{{E|High Priest|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3758&filename=3759.pdf}}
;Home Teaching: The families in the church are visited by other members each month. This is referred to as "home teaching." The intent of the visit is to make sure things are going well with the family and then to leave a gospel message.
* {{E|Home Teaching|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3772&filename=3773.pdf}}

== I ==

;Institute: Next to various college campuses there are buildings called "Institute of Religion." These are used to teach religious classes and to provide a gathering place. It is open to anyone, but it is designed particularly for those attending college.

== J ==

;Jesus Christ: Our Lord and Savior
*{{E|Jesus Christ|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3818&filename=3819.pdf}}
*{{E|Jesus Christ, Fatherhood and Sonship|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3818&filename=3820.pdf}}
*{{E|Jesus Christ, Names and Titles of|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3818&filename=3821.pdf}}
*{{E|Jesus Christ, Second Comforter|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3818&filename=3822.pdf}}
*{{E|Jesus Christ, Sources for the Words of|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3818&filename=3823.pdf}}
*{{E|Jesus Christ, Types and Shadows of|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3818&filename=3824.pdf}}
*{{E|Jesus Christ in the Scriptures|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3818&filename=3825.pdf}}
* LDS Scripture references to Jesus Christ {{link|url=http://scriptures.lds.org/en/tg/j/18}}
* FAIR Wiki: [[Template:JesusChristPortal|'''Jesus Christ''']]
;Joseph Smith,Jr. : The first prophet and founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

== K ==
;Keys of the priesthood: Authority to direct and administer priesthood responsibilities. The prophet holds all keys; other keys are designated to apostles, stake presidents, bishops, and quorum presidents as needed.
* {{E|Keys of the Priesthood|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3845&filename=3846.pdf}}
== L ==

;Laurel: Young Women who are 16 to 18 years of age are in the Laurel class.

== M ==
;Melchizedek Priesthood: The second, or higher, priesthood (the first being Aaronic.) This is the priesthood held by all elders and high priests in the church.
*{{E|Melchizedek priesthood|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=3917&filename=3918.pdf}}
;Mia Maid:Young Women who are 14 to 16 years of age are in the Mia Maid class.

== N ==

== O ==

== P ==

;Pastor: The leader of the local congregation in the RLDS Church. Also sometimes used as a term to describe a Bishop in the LDS church.

;Patriarch: Man designated within each Stake to give blessings.
*{{E|Patriarch|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4035&filename=4036.pdf}}
;Patriarchal Blessings: Special blessing given by patriarchs to each member. The blessing is written down and is frequently used as a guide for life.
*{{E|Patriarchal Blessings|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4036&filename=4037.pdf}}
;Pearl of Great Price: A book of scripture held sacred by the LDS Church. It contains various texts including:
*The Book of Moses: Joseph Smith's retranslation of the early chapters of Genesis.
*The Book of Abraham: Joseph Smith's translations of some papyrus that was discovered with some mummies by Michael Chandler.
*Joseph Smith - Matthew: Part of Joseph Smith's retranslation of Matthew, chapters 23 and 24.
*Joseph Smith - History: Joseph's account of early events of the Church, taken from his History of the Church. And,
*The Articles of Faith: A brief statment of basic beliefs of the Church, originally part of a letter from Joseph Smith to John Wentworth, Editor of the ''Chicago Democrat'' who inquired of Joseph about the Church.
*{{E|Pearl of Great Price|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4040&filename=4041.pdf}}
;Priest: A level in the LDS priesthood held by young men ages 16-18. It is also often held by newer male converts in the LDS church. In the Community of Christ (RLDS) the office of Priest as with other Priesthood offices is generally held by adults, both men and women.
*{{E|Priest, Aaronic Priesthood|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4079&filename=4080.pdf}}
;Primary: The children's organization in the LDS church.
*{{E|Primary|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4089&filename=4090.pdf}}

== Q ==
;Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: In the LDS Church, the apostles preside following the death of the prophet/president of the Church until a new prophet (usually the senior apostle) is chosen.
*{{E|Quorum of the Twelve Apostles|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4111&filename=4112.pdf}}
== R ==

;Relief Society: the woman's organization within the LDS church. All women within the church belong to this organization.
*{{E|Relief Society|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4121&filename=4122.pdf}}
== S ==

;Sabbath: Mormons generally have their sabbath on Sunday. While there are differences on how each family decides to "Keep the sabbath day holy," it usually involves not working on Sunday, not shopping on Sunday and trying to avoid activities that would cause other people to work. Members who live in areas in which Sunday is not the traditional Sabbath (e.g. Saturday in the State of Israel; Friday in Muslim countries) will observe the Sabbath of their host nation.
* {{E|Sabbath Day|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4147&filename=4148.pdf}}
;Seminary: A class offered to high school youth. In most areas it is early in the morning before school and is five days each week.

;Stake: Ecclesiastical unit comprised of wards and branches and presided over by a Stake President. The term "Stake" is a reference to a stake in the tent of zion.
*{{E|Stake|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4239&filename=4240.pdf}}
;Stake Conference: A meeting of the entire stake. It generally takes place twice a year. No ward or branch meetings are held on the Sunday when Stake Conference is held.

;Stake President: Leader of a stake; analagous to a Catholic "bishop," in that he administers several local worship units.
*{{E|Stake President, Stake Presidency|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4240&filename=4241.pdf}}

== T ==

;Teacher: There are two uses of this word among LDS. The first is the familiar term teacher, as in a Sunday School teacher. The second usage is for a position in the LDS priesthood that is generally reserved for young men age 14-16.
*{{E|Teacher, Aaronic Priesthood|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4263&filename=4264.pdf}}
;Telestial Kingdom: The lowest kingdom of glory in the LDS view of heaven. It is compared to the glory of the stars.
*{{E|Teletial Kingdom|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4266&filename=4267.pdf}}
;Temple: The temple is not a church building for normal Sunday meetings. It is a place of sacred worship and ceremonies performed for the living and on behalf of the dead.
*{{E|Temple|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4270&filename=4271.pdf}}
;Terrestrial Kingdom: The middle kingdom of Glory in the LDS view of heaven. It is compared to the glory of the moon.
*{{E|Terrestrial Kingdom|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4274&filename=4275.pdf}}
;Testimony: This has two uses within the LDS church. First it is a description of belief, as in "He has a testimony of the gospel." Secondly, it is used to describe the verbal expression of that belief, as in "He bore his testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ." Members are encouraged to receive a testmimony for themselves: i.e., they are to petition God for answers about the truth or falsity of the Church and its doctrines, and to receive such answers via personal revelation.
*{{E|Testimony|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4276&filename=4277.pdf}}
;Tithing : Tithing has been defined by the Lord as "one-tenth of [a person's] interest annually" ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/119/4 D&C 119:4]). Generally this has been interpreted to mean "income." The Church has not defined "interest" or "income" specifically, leaving such determination up to each member.
*{{E|Tithing|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4287&filename=4288.pdf}}

== U ==

== V ==
;Visiting teaching: Monthly visit made by two women in the ward to other sister(s) as assigned by the bishop and Relief Society president. Analagous to the male practice of ''home teaching''. The purpose is to share gospel teaching, build and strengthen friendships, and make sure all personal and spiritual needs are being met in each woman's life.
* {{E|Visiting Teaching|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4287&filename=4288.pdf}}

== W ==

;Ward: Ecclesiastical unit presided over by a Bishop. Members are assigned to attend wards by geographical location.
* {{Encyclopedia|article=Ward|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4322&filename=4323.pdf}}

;Welfare: A system of Church assistance, which provides food, clothing, fuel, and sometimes cash to meet basic necessities for those members who are in financial difficulty. The bishop administers welfare at the ward level, and finances come from ''fast offerings.'' Church Welfare is a gift, not a loan. Bishops work with members to help them become financially self-sufficient again, and bishops will almost always assign the member receiving assistance some sort of work, service, or activity so that the assistance is not a "dole."
* {{E|Welfare|2=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4332&filename=4333.pdf}}

;Word of Wisdom : The health code followed by practicing Latter-day Saints (Mormons.) The current interpretation includes not drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, taking illegal drugs, drinking coffee, or black or green tea. Some Latter-day Saints in the United States  have further interpreted this to mean they should not drink any caffeinated beverages, although this is a matter about which the Church has no official stance.

*{{Encyclopedia|article=Word of Wisdom|link=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/doc_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4352&CISOBOX=1}}
*FAIR Wiki: '''[[Template:WoWWiki|Word of Wisdom]]'''

== X ==

== Y ==

== Z ==

;Zion: There are several definitions:

*The name of the people of the Lord ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moses/7/18#18 Moses 7:18]).
*A city built by Enoch and his people that was translated ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moses/7/18-69#18 Moses 7:18-69]).
*The City of Jerusalem ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_sam/5/6-7#6 2 Sam. 5:6-7]).
*The New Jerusalem that is to be built in Jackson County Missouri ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/84/1-4#1 D&C 84:1-4]).
*All of North and South America (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 362).

Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons

2007-12-19T03:01:33Z

SteveWilloughby: fixed typo

{{DoYouHaveQuestions}}

==Answers to 50 Anti-Mormon Questions==

Anti-Mormon literature tends to recycle the same themes. Some ministries are using a series of fifty questions, which they believe will help "cultists" like the Mormons. One ministry seems to suggest that such questions are a good way to deceive Latter-day Saints, since the questions "give...them hope that you are genuinely interested in learning more about their religion."

This ministry tells its readers what their real intent should be with their Mormon friend: "to get them thinking about things they may have never thought about and researching into the false teachings of their church." Thus, the questions are not sincere attempts to understand what the Latter-day Saints believe, but are a smokescreen or diversionary tactic to introduce anti-Mormon material.{{ref|anti1}}

The questions are not difficult to answer, nor are they new. This page provides links to answers to the questions. It should be noted that the questions virtually all do at least one of the following:

# misunderstand or misread LDS doctrine or scripture;
# give unofficial material the status of official belief;
# assume that Mormons must have inerrantist ideas about scripture or prophets like conservative evangelical Protestants do;
# apply a strict standard to LDS ideas, but use a double standard to avoid condemning the Bible or their own beliefs if the standard was applied fairly to both.
__TOC__

==Questions About LDS Prophets==

=== 1. Why does the Mormon church still teach that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God after he made a false prophecy about a temple built in Missouri in his generation ({{s||DC|84|1-5}})===

This was not a prophecy, but a command from God to build the temple. There's a difference. Jesus said people should repent; just because many didn't doesn't make Him a false messenger, simply a messenger that fallible people didn't heed.

''Learn more here:'' [[Independence temple to be built "in this generation"]]

=== 2. Since the time when Brigham Young taught that both the moon and the sun were inhabited by people, has the Mormon church ever found scientific evidence of that to be true? (''Journal of Discourses'' (1870), 13:271)===

In Brigham (and Joseph's) day, there had been newspaper articles reporting that a famous astronomer had reported that there were men on the moon and elsewhere. This was published in LDS areas; the retraction of this famous hoax never was publicized, and so they may not have even heard about it.

Brigham and others were most likely repeating what had been told them by the science of the day. (Lots of Biblical prophets talked about the earth being flat, the sky being a dome, etc.—it is inconsistent for conservative Protestants to complain that a false belief about the physical world shared by others in their culture condemns Brigham and Joseph, but does not condemn Bible prophets.)

In any case, Brigham made it clear that he was expressing his ''opinion'': "Do you think it is inhabited? I rather think it is." Prophets are entitled to their opinions; in fact, the point of Brigham's discourse is that the only fanatic is one who insists upon clinging to a false idea.

* ''Learn more here:'' [[Brigham Young and moonmen]] 
* ''Learn more here:'' [[Joseph Smith and moonmen]]

=== 3. Why did Brigham Young teach that Adam is "our Father and our God" when both the Bible and the Book of Mormon ({{s||Mormon|9|12}}) say that Adam is a creation of God? (''Journal of Discourses'' (1852) 1:50))===

The problem with "Adam-God" is that we don't understand what Brigham meant. All of his statements cannot be reconciled with each other. In any case, Latter-day Saints are not inerrantists—they believe prophets can have their own opinions. Only the united voice of the First Presidency and the Twelve can establish official LDS doctrine. That never happened with any variety of "Adam-God" doctrine. Since Brigham seemed to also agree with statements like Mormon 9:12, and the Biblical record, it seems likely that we do not entirely understand how he fit all of these ideas together.

* ''Learn more here:'' [[Adam-God]]

=== 4. If Brigham Young was a true prophet, how come one of your later prophets overturned his declaration which stated that the black man could never hold the priesthood in the LDS Church until after the resurrection of all other races (''Journal of Discourses'' (1854) 2:142-143)===

Peter and the other apostles likewise misunderstood the timing of gospel blessings to non-Israelites. Even following a revelation to Peter, many members of the early Christian Church continued to fight about this point and how to implement it—even Peter and Paul had disagreements. Yet, Bible-believing Christians, such as the Latter-day Saints, continue to consider both as prophets. Critics should be careful that they do not have a double standard, or they will condemn Bible prophets as well.

The Latter-day Saints are not [[Biblical inerrancy|scriptural]] or [[Fallibility of prophets|prophetic inerrantists]]. They are not troubled when prophets have personal opinions which turn out to be incorrect. In the case of the [[Blacks and the priesthood|priesthood ban]], members of the modern Church accepted the change with more joy and obedience than many first century members accepted the extension of the gospel to the Gentiles without the need for keeping the Mosaic Law.

=== 5. Since the Bible's test of determine whether someone is a true prophet of God is 100% accuracy in all his prophecies ({{b||Deuteronomy|18|20-22}}), has the LDS Church ever reconsidered its teaching that Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were true prophets?===

Believing Christians should be careful. Unless they want to be guilty of a double standard, they will end up condemning many Biblical prophets by this standard.

* ''Learn more here:'' [[Joseph Smith and prophetic test in Deuteronomy 18]]

=== 6. Since the current LDS prophets sometimes contradict the former ones, how do you decide which one is correct?===

Most "contradictions" are actually misunderstandings or misrepresentations of LDS doctrine and teachings by critics. The LDS standard for doctrine is the scriptures, and united statements of the First Presidency and the Twelve.

The Saints believe they must be led by revelation, adapted to the circumstances in which they now find themselves. Noah was told to build an ark, but not all people required that message. Moses told them to put the Passover lamb’s blood on their door; that was changed with the coming of Christ, etc.

No member is expected to follow prophetic advice "just because the prophet said so." Each member is to receive his or her own revelatory witness from the Holy Ghost. We cannot be led astray in matters of importance if we always appeal to God for His direction.

=== 7. Since there are several different contradictory accounts of Joseph Smith's first vision, how did the LDS Church choose the correct one?===

The First Vision accounts are not contradictory. No early member of the Church claimed that Joseph changed his story, or contradicted himself. Critics of the Church have not been familiar with the data on this point.

The shortest answer is that the Saints believe the First Vision not because of textual evidence, but because of personal revelation.

The Church didn't really "choose" one of many accounts; many of the accounts we have today were in diaries, some of which were not known till recently (1832; 1835 (2); Richards, Neibauer). The 1840 (Orson Pratt) and 1842 (Orson Hyde) were secondary accounts of what happened to someone else; the Wentworth letter and letter to the Pittsburgh paper were synopsis accounts (at best). The account which the Church uses is the only one which Joseph Smith actually published (and did so during his lifetime) as part of his personal history. There was never any "choosing," of one account among others, though as new accounts were discovered they were widely published in places like ''BYU Studies'' and the ''Ensign''.

* For the most common claim about a contradiction, see here: [[Only one Personage appears in the 1832 account]] 
* Many questions about the First Vision are addressed here: [[First Vision accounts]]

=== 8. Can you show me in the Bible the LDS teaching that we must all stand before Joseph Smith on the Day of Judgment?===

This is a misunderstanding and caricature of LDS doctrine. There is, however, the Biblical doctrine that the apostles will help judge Israel:

:Ye [the apostles] are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ({{b||Luke|22|28-30}}; see also {{s||Matthew|19|28}})

Since the saints believe in modern apostles, they believe that those modern apostles (including Joseph) will have a role in judgment appointed to them by Jesus.

Those who condemn Joseph on these grounds must also condemn Peter and the rest of the Twelve.

* ''Learn more here:'' [[Joseph Smith's status in LDS belief]]

==Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)==
=== 9. Can you show me archeological and historical proof from non-Mormon sources that prove that the peoples and places named in the Book of Mormon are true?===

This question is based on the mistaken assumption that the Bible message that Jesus is Christ and Lord is somehow "proved" by archeology, which is not true. It also ignores differences between Old and New World archeology. For example, since we don't know how to pronounce the names of ANY Nephite-era city in the American archeologic record, how would we know if we had found a Nephite city or not?

* ''To learn more:'' [[Archeology and the Bible]]
* For physical Book of Mormon evidence specifically, see:
** [[Book_of_Mormon_geography:Old_World|Old World geography]]
** [[Book_of_Mormon_and_warfare|Warfare]]

=== 10. If the words "familiar spirit" in {{b||Isaiah|29|4}} refer to the Book of Mormon, why does "familiar spirit" always refer to occult practices such as channeling and necromancy everywhere else in the Old Testament?===

The term "familiar spirit," quoted in the often-poetic Isaiah (and used by Nephi to prophesy about the modern publication of the Book of Mormon) is a ''metaphor'', not a description of any text or its origin.

* ''To learn more:'' [[Book of Mormon as a "familiar spirit"]]

=== 11. Why did Joseph Smith condone polygamy as an ordinance from God (D. & C. 132) when the Book of Mormon had already condemned the practice (Jacob 1:15, 2:24)===

The critics need to read the next verses. The Book of Mormon says that God may command polygamy, just a few verses later. ({{s||Jacob|2|30}}).

* ''To learn more:'' [[Book of Mormon condemns polygamy]]

Many Biblical prophets had more than one wife, and there is no indication that God condemned them. And, the Law of Moses had laws about plural wives—why not just forbid them if it was evil, instead of telling people how they were to conduct it?

* ''To learn more:'' [[Polygamy not Biblical]]

And, many early Christians didn't think polygamy was inherently evil:

* ''To learn more:'' [[Early Christians on plural marriage]]

=== 12. Why were the words "white and delightsome" in 2 Nephi 30:6 changed to "pure and delightsome" right on the heels of the Civil Rights campaign for blacks?===

The critics have their history wrong. The change dates to 1837. The change was made by Joseph Smith in the 1837 edition of the Book of Mormon, though it was not carried through in some other editions, which mistakenly followed the 1830 instead of Joseph’s change. It was restored in the 1981 edition, but that was nearly 150 years after the change was made by Joseph.

This issue has been discussed extensively in the Church's magazines (e.g. the ''Ensign''), and the scholarly publication ''BYU Studies.''

* ''To learn more:'' {{Dialogue1|author=Douglas Campbell|article='White' or 'Pure': Five Vignettes|vol=29|num=4|date=Winter 1996|start=?}}{{link|url=http://www.geocities.com/marcschindler1/vignette.htm}}

=== 13. If God is an exalted man with a body of flesh and bones, why does {{s||Alma|18|26-28}} and {{b||John|4|24}} say that God is a spirit?===

In Alma, the reference is to Jesus Christ, who before His birth did not have a physical body.

John 4:24 does not say God is "a" spirit, but says "God is spirit." There is no "a" in the Greek. The Bible also says "God is truth" or "God is light." Those things are true, but we don't presume God is JUST truth, or JUST light—or JUST spirit.

As one non-LDS commentary puts it:

:''That God is spirit is not meant as a definition of God's being—though this is how the Stoics [a branch of Greek philosophy] would have understood it. It is a metaphor of his mode of operation, as life-giving power, and it is no more to be taken literally than 1John 1:5, "God is light," or Deut. 4:24, "Your God is a devouring fire." It is only those who have received this power through Christ who can offer God a real worship.''
::- J. N. Sanders, ''A Commentary on the Gospel According to St. John'', edited and completed by B. A. Mastin, (New York, Harper & Row, 1968), 147–148.

* ''To learn more:'' [[God is a Spirit]]

=== 14. Why did God encourage Abraham & Sarah to lie in {{s||Abraham|2|24}}? Isn't lying a sin according to the 10 commandments? Why did God tell Abraham and Sarah to lie when 2 Nephi condemns liars to hell?===

In the Bible, there are accounts of God commanding or approving less than complete disclosure. These examples seem to involve the protection of the innocent from the wicked, which fits the case of Abraham and his wife nicely.

* ''To learn more:'' [[Why would Abraham lie?]]

=== 15. Why does the Book of Mormon state that Jesus was born in Jerusalem (Alma 7:10) when history and the Bible state that he was born outside of Jerusalem, in Bethlehem?===

The Bible also says that Bethlehem ("the city of David") is at Jerusalem. ({{b|2|Kings|14|20}}) Was the Bible wrong? (Bethlehem is in the direct area of Jerusalem, being only about seven miles apart.)

* ''To learn more:'' [[Book of Mormon anachronisms:Jerusalem vs Bethlehem]]

=== 16. If the Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book on earth, as Joseph Smith said, why does it contain over 4000 changes from the original 1830 edition?===

Christians should be careful with such attacks. If they don’t want to have a double standard, they'd have to realize that there are more differences in Biblical manuscripts of the New Testament than there are words in the New Testament! Yet, Latter-day Saints and other Christians still believe the Bible.

Most of the changes to the Book of Mormon were issues of spelling, typos, and the like. A few changes were for clarification, but the original Book of Mormon text would easily serve members and scholars.

* ''To learn more:'': [[Book of Mormon textual changes]]

=== 17. If the Book of Mormon contains the "fulness of the everlasting gospel," why does the LDS Church need additional works?===

The Book of Mormon's definition of "fulness of the gospel" is not "all truths taught in the Church." The fulness of the gospel is simply defined as the core doctrines of Christ's atonement and the first principles and ordinances of the gospel. Critics do not trouble to understand what the Book of Mormon says before attacking it.

* ''To learn more:'' [[Book of Mormon and the fulness of the gospel]]

=== 18. If the Book of Mormon contains the "fulness of the everlasting gospel," why doesn't it say anything about so many important teachings such as eternal progression, celestial marriage, the Word of Wisdom, the plurality of Gods, the pre-existence of man, our mother in heaven, baptism for the dead, etc?===

The Book of Mormon's definition of "fulness of the gospel" is not "all truths taught in the Church." The fulness of the gospel is simply defined as the core doctrines of Christ's atonement and the first principles and ordinances of the gospel. Critics do not trouble to understand what the Book of Mormon says before attacking it. Making the same attack twice (see #17) makes it no more convincing the second time.

* ''To learn more:'' [[Book of Mormon and the fulness of the gospel]]

=== 19. Why do you baptize for the dead when both {{s||Mosiah|3|25}} and the Bible state that there is no chance of salvation after death?===

The passage in Mosiah 3:25, and any passages in the Bible which also imply there is no chance of salvation after death, are clearly addressed to those who have the opportunity to repent in this life. Those who have not, by no fault of their own, embraced the everlasting gospel in this life will have the opportunity to do so after death.

The critics are on thin ice with this attack—do they wish us to believe in a God so unjust that He would damn someone for all eternity, simply because they never had the opportunity to hear about Jesus?

Why ''wouldn't'' members of the Church baptize for the dead, when the Bible teaches this idea? (See {{b|1|Corinthians|15|29}}.)

''To learn more:''[[Template:BaptismDeadWiki|Baptism for the dead]]

=== 20. Since the word grace means a free gift that can't be earned, why does the Book of Mormon state "for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." ({{s|2|Nephi|25|23}})===

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes the same thing about grace that the earliest Christians believed. Modern Protestant ideas are different from earlier teachings, which is fine, but it doesn't make Mormon ideas "false" if we agree with how the earliest followers of Jesus saw the matter.

One Evangelical Christian author wrote of his sudden discovery that his previous beliefs about salvation were very different from those held by the early Christians:

:If there's any single doctrine that we would expect to find the faithful associates of the apostles teaching, it's the doctrine of salvation by faith alone. After all, that is the cornerstone doctrine of the Reformation. In fact, we frequently say that persons who don't hold to this doctrine aren't really Christians…

:Our problem is that Augustine, Luther, and other Western theologians have convinced us that there's an irreconcilable conflict between salvation based on grace and salvation conditioned on works or obedience. They have used a fallacious form of argumentation known as the "false dilemma," by asserting that there are only two possibilities regarding salvation: it's either (1) a gift from God or (2) it's something we earn by our works.

:The early Christians [and the Latter-day Saints!] would have replied that a gift is no less a gift simply because it's conditioned on obedience....

: The early Christians believed that salvation is a gift from God but that God gives His gift to whomever He chooses. And He chooses to give it to those who love and obey him.
::—David W. Bercot, ''Will The Real Heretics Please Stand Up: A New Look at Today's Evangelical Church in the Light of Early Christianity'', 3rd edition, (Tyler, Texas: Scroll Publishing Company, 1999[1989]), 57, 61–62. ISBN 0924722002.

The Latter-day Saints are pleased to be in the company of the earliest Christians. And, the LDS cannot be excluded as Christians because they have not embraced the modified doctrines adopted later.

Further, the phrase "after all we can do" must be interpreted in light of other Book of Mormon passages which define "all we can do" as repentance and being forgiven of sin and cleansed of guilt (see {{s||Alma|24|10-12}}).

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, on of the present day apostles, spoke on these issues and doctrines thoroughly:

* {{Ensign1|author=Dallin H. Oaks|article=Have You Been Saved?|date=May 1998|start=55}}{{link|url=http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=83db605ff590c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}
''To learn more:''
{{GraceWiki}}

=== 21. Does the LDS Church still regard the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price as Holy Scripture even after several prominent Egyptologists proved it was an ancient funeral scroll?===

The LDS Church announced that fragments of the papyrus were from the Book of Breathings within two months of their acquisition.

The big print in the Church magazine published as soon as the scrolls were recovered can be seen [[Search for the Truth DVD:Book of Abraham:Book of Dead Scan (full size zoom)|here]].

Critics often don't tell people that we are missing at least 85% of the scrolls that Joseph Smith had. We don't have papyrus with the Book of Abraham on it (except Facsimile #1) and have never claimed to.

* ''To learn more:'': [[Book of Abraham:Book of the Dead]]

=== 22. Why does the Book of Abraham, chapters 4 & 5, contradict Alma 11 in stating that there is more than one God.===

The term "God" may be used in more than one way. Latter-day Saints are not Nicene [[Godhead_and_the_Trinity|Trinitarians]], but still believe in "one God."

* ''To learn more:'' [[Polytheism]]

=== 23. Why does D. & C. 42:18 say there is no forgiveness for a murderer when 3 Nephi 30:2 says there is forgiveness for him?'===

[http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/42/ Doctrine and Covenants 42] is "the law of the Church" and pertains to those who are baptized members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who by baptism are adopted into the house of Israel. {{s|3|Nephi|30|2}} pertains to those who are still "Gentiles" and who are not yet "numbered with [God's] people who are of the house of Israel." For a member of the Church to commit murder there is no forgiveness, whereas a person who has not yet made baptismal covenants may, under certain conditions, be forgiven. Some Lamanites repented and were forgiven of their murders (see {{S||Alma|24|10-12}}).

=== 24. If the Adam-God doctrine isn't true, how come D. & C. 27:11 calls Adam the Ancient of Days which is clearly a title for God in Daniel Chapter 7?===

Like many Christians, the LDS see many parallels between Christ (who is God) and Adam. Christ is even called, on occasion, the "second Adam." It is thus not surprising that {{s||DC|27|11}} associates Adam with a divine title or status when resurrected and exalted—after all, LDS theology anticipates human deification, so God and Adam are not seen as totally "other" or "different" from each other. This does not mean, however, that Adam and God are the same being, merely that they can ultimately share the same divine nature.

=== 25. Why does the Book of Mormon contain extensive, word-for-word quotes from the Bible if the LDS Church is correct in teaching that the Bible has been corrupted?===

It would be more correct to say that the Book of Mormon teaches that plain and precious things have been removed from the Bible {{s|1|Nephi|13|28}}. The vast majority of that which has remained in the Bible is both true and valuable.

Latter-day Saints take two years of every four in Sunday School studying the Bible. They cherish it. They merely refuse to believe that the Bible is all that God has said, or can say. God can speak whenever He wishes.

* ''To learn more:'' [[Bible basics]]

For extensive evidence that the Bible both underwent change ''and'' deletions in the very early years, see [[Biblical_inerrancy|here]].

* ''To learn more:'' [[Biblical completeness]]

=== 26. Why do the Bible verses quoted in the Book of Mormon contain the italicized words from the King James Version that were added into the KJV text by the translators in the 16th and 17th centuries?===

The italics do indeed identify words added by the translators. They were "added" because they were necessary words for making sense of the translation: in Hebrew and Greek the words are sometimes implied, but necessary for English to make sense. (Italics can mislead us, however, in suggesting that there is such a thing as a word-for-word translation without interpretation, save for the italics.)

Thus, in some cases the italic words are necessary, and Joseph or another translator would have had to put them in. In other cases, Joseph removed the italic words. (It's not clear that Joseph even owned a Bible during the Book of Mormon translation era, much less that he knew what the italics meant.)

This is really a question about why the Book of Mormon text is often very close (or, in some cases, identical to) the King James Version. If Joseph was trying to forge a book (as the critics claim) then why did he quote from the Bible, the one book his readers would be sure to know?

* ''To learn more:'' [[Joseph Smith Translation and the Book of Mormon]]

=== 27. If the Book of Mormon was engraved on gold plates thousands of years ago, why does it read in perfect 1611 King James Version English?===

Because Joseph translated it as King James English.

Why do modern translations of the Greek and Hebrew Bible sound like modern English, even though the texts are hundreds or thousands of years old? Because that's how the translators translated them. It doesn't say anything about what the language is like on the original.

(French translators make totally different translations than English translators, but the manuscripts remain the same!)

Do Christians condemn the Bible as an inauthentic record because their translations sound like 21st century English? This question is a good example of how insincere these "questions" from an anti-Mormon ministry are.

==Questions About the Bible==

=== 28. If marriage is essential to achieve exaltation, why did Paul say that it is good for a man not to marry? ({{b|1|Corinthians|7|1}})===

Paul does not say it is good not to marry, but quotes the ''Corinthian Saints''' comments in a previous letter to him. Paul is responding to this claim, and he critiques it.

* ''To learn more:'' [[Paul says good not to marry?]]

=== 29. Since the Word of Wisdom teaches us to abstain from alcohol, why did Paul encourage Timothy to drink wine for the stomach? ({{b|1|Timothy|5|23}})===

In Timothy's day, water was often not safe to drink. (Historically, it is interesting that the temperance movement opposing alcohol only took off in the United States once relatively clean water supplies were available to most people—prior to that, alcohol mixed with water was a necessary way of keeping water drinkable.)

The Word of Wisdom was given to modern saints as protection against "the designs of conspiring men in the last days." Certainly we don't have to look far to see such conspiracy against the health of customers at work today in tobacco companies or street drug dealers.

This shows why modern revelation is so important—what was dangerous for us in the modern age (cigarette manufacturers, illicit drugs, alcohol marketing, etc.) may need different advice from God than that given 2000 years ago where dying from dysentery transmitted by contaminated water was a far bigger risk than dying of cirrhosis or stomach cancer.

A related question which Christian critics ought to ask themselves might be, "Since we know now that alcohol—including wine—can cause gastritis, ulcers, or stomach bleeding why did Paul (a prophet!) tell Timothy to use it?"

This is a lot like earlier questions about Joseph Smith or Brigham Young expressing a false, though popular, opinion about scientific matters. Paul isn't any less an apostle because he expressed a false idea about the benefits of alcohol on stomach problems.

''To learn more:'' [[Wine for the stomach and the Word of Wisdom]]

=== 30. If obeying the Word of Wisdom—which tells us to abstain from coffee, tea, alcohol and tobacco—is important for our exaltation, why did Jesus say that there is nothing that can enter a man to make him defiled ({{b||Mark|7|15}})?===

The Word of Wisdom says nothing about such substances "defiling us." Members believe it is important to obey the Word of Wisdom because God has commanded us not to do something, and we have promised not to do it. We should keep our promises to God.

The Jews promised not to eat pork, and so it was a sin for them not to eat pork—not because pork contaminates or "defiles" them, but because disobedience (that which comes OUT of us, as Jesus said) shows we do not love and trust God.

The underlying principle here is obedience to God, not the Word of Wisdom, ''per se.''

''To learn more:'' [[Template:WoWWiki|Word of Wisdom]]

=== 31. If Jesus is the Jehovah of the Old Testament and Elohim is referred to as God in the Old Testament, can you explain Deuteronomy 6:4 to me "Hear, O Israel: the Lord (Jehovah) our God (Elohim) is one Lord (Jehovah)?===

An alternate translation of the passage is "Hear, O Israel: The LORD [Jehovah] is our God[Elohim], the LORD alone" (ESV footnote). In this case, "Elohim" is used as a title meaning "God" while "Jehovah" is used as a proper name. This translation also would suggest the possibility of other gods for other non-Israelite nations as seen in Deuteronomy 32:8-9.

Moreover, we must not make the mistake of thinking that the name-titles "Jehovah" and "Elohim" had those meanings anciently, or were always used that way in scripture—they did not, and were not.

These titles as used in the LDS Church for the Father and the Son are modern (i.e., 20th century) and are used for clarity when distinguishing members of the Godhead. It is not to be expected that ancient writers used the terms always in the same way. The use of the term such as "Elohim" could mean, depending on the context and grammar, "God," "gods," or even what would be better termed "angels" or "heavenly beings."

* ''To learn more:'' [[Elohim and Jehovah]]

=== 32. Why does the Mormon Church teach that we can be married in heaven when Jesus said in {{b||Matthew|22|30}} that in the resurrection man neither marry, nor are they given in marriage?===

Marriages persist after resurrection if done by proper authority; they are not entered into after the resurrection. Yet, the Bible teaches that men and women are not complete before God without each other (See {{s|1|Corinthians|11|11}}).

The Church teaches that marriages need to be performed either in person or by proxy here on the earth. Thus all such marriages will be arranged either here or in the spirit world, and conducted either now or during the millennium on earth.

''To learn more:'' [[Marriage not needed for exaltation]]

=== 33. How can worthy Mormon males become Gods in the afterlife when God already said that before him no God was formed, nor will there be any Gods formed after him ({{s||Isaiah|43|10}}).===

Critics often misunderstand the doctrine of [[Deification_of_man|''theosis'', or human deification]]. Yet, it is a doctrine shared by many early Christians and much of modern Eastern Christianity (e.g., Eastern Orthodox).

However, the question asked here represents a misunderstanding of the Isaiah scripture in its ancient context when compared with the rest of the Bible.

* ''To learn more:'' [["No God beside me"]]

=== 34. If God had a father who was a God, how come Isaiah 44:8 says that he doesn't know him?===

Again, the interpretation of this verse is mistaken.

* ''To learn more:'' [["No God beside me"]]
* ''See also:'' [[Infinite regress of Gods?]]

=== 35. If God was once just a man who progressed to becoming a God, how do you explain Psalm 90:2:…"even from everlasting to everlasting, thou are God"===

The only aspect of this about which we are certain is that God the Father underwent a mortal experience like Christ did. Jesus was, however, God before He underwent His mortal experience, and the Father may have been too. We simply don't know.

* ''To learn more:'' [[Unchanging Nature of God]]

=== 36. How can God be an exalted man when Numbers 23:19 says that God is not a man?===

The verse actually says (NET Bible version):

:God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a human being, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? ({{B||Numbers|23|19}})

Thus, the teaching here is that God is not a fallible mortal who will change his goals or say He will do something and then not do it. There is, by contrast, abundant Biblical evidence of God's physical form upon which man's body was patterned:

* ''To learn more:'' [[Corporeality of God]]

=== 37. Why does the Mormon Church teach that Elohim had sexual relations with Mary to produce Jesus when both Matthew and Luke teach she was a virgin (''The Seer'', January 1853, p. 158)? ===

''The Seer'' was a publication that was [[The_Seer|officially disavowed]] by the First Presidency soon after it was published. So, this is not LDS doctrine. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes in the virgin birth of Christ, but has no doctrine about ''how'' such a miracle occurred.

* ''To learn more:'' [[Jesus Christ's conception]]

=== 38. Why does the LDS Church teach that Jesus paid for our sins in the garden of Gethsemane when {{b|1|Peter|2|24}} says that it was on the cross? ===

The atoning sacrifice began in the Garden of Gethsemane and culminated on the cross. We can see from the Gospels that the suffering began in the Garden and went on until Jesus said on the cross "it is finished." Neither aspect was unimportant, and both involved suffering which we cannot fathom (see {{S||DC|19|18}}). The LDS Church has no quarrel with this doctrine. This hostile question seems to be an attempt to suggest that Latter-day Saints do not value or appreciate Christ's saving death on the cross, but this is false.

It may be that the Church sometimes emphasizes Gethsemane, because traditional Christianity has long focused on the cross in art, iconography, and ritual. Yet, Gethsemane must not be overlooked, where Christ "sweat...as it were great drops of blood" for the sins of all humanity ({{b||Luke|22|44}}; see also {{s||Alma|7|11}}, {{s||DC|19|18}}).

* ''To learn more:'' [[Was Jesus crucified on a cross?]]

=== 39. Why did Bruce McConkie write that a man may commit a sin so grievous that it will place him beyond the atoning blood of Christ (''Mormon Doctrine'', 1979, p. 93) when the Bible says that the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin ({{b|1|John|1|7}})?===

"Mormon Doctrine" is not an [[Fallibility_of_prophets#Standard_of_doctrine_in_the_Church|official publication]] of the LDS Church.

In this case, however, Elder McConkie is in good company since Jesus taught that there was an unforgivable sin:

:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
: 32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, '''it shall not be forgiven him''', neither in this world, neither in the world to come. ({{s||Matthew|12|31–32}}, emphasis added)

Thus, it seems that 1 John is best interpreted as meaning that any forgivable sin is cleansed through—and only through—the blood of Christ. Latter-day Saints understand the "blasphemy against the Holy Ghost" to be rejecting the atonement of Christ when one has a perfect knowledge of it.

John later qualifies his statement making clear there is a sin that is unforgivable.

:If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_jn/5/16#16 1 John 5:1].

The counsel here is to pray for those who sin unless they have committed the "sin unto death" which cannot be forgiven. Obviously, if one rejects the atonement of Christ, one cannot be saved by it, and so one will not be forgiven for that sin.

* ''To learn more'': [[Unforgivable sin]]

=== 40. Why does the LDS Church teach that man first existed as spirits in heaven when {{b|1|Corinthians|15|46}} says that the physical body comes before the spiritual?===

1 Corinthians is not talking about the order of creation, but is talking about the regeneration of the wicked person into a spiritual, born again person. Thus, of course the physical (i.e., carnal) person comes first, and the spiritual (i.e., born again) person comes next when regenerated through Christ.

Biblical statements indicate that God is the father of our spirits and we were known to him before our birth (e.g., {{s||Jeremiah|1|5}}).

* ''To learn more'': [[First Corinthians 15 and spirit bodies]]

=== 41. Since Jesus statement, "be ye therefore perfect" ({{s||Matthew|5|48}}) is in the present tense, are you perfect right now? Do you expect to be perfect soon? According to {{s||Hebrews|10|14}}, how are we made perfect?===

In this life, perfection is something that can only be achieved by God's grace and '''in Christ'''. His perfection becomes ours through our covenant relationship with Him.

:Yea, come unto Christ, and be '''perfected in him''', and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be '''perfect in Christ'''; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are '''perfect in Christ''', and deny not his power, then are ye '''sanctified in Christ''' by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot. [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/10/32-33 Moroni 10:32-33]

However, Matt. 5:48 suggests there will be a time when we will actually and independently be perfect like God. This, however, is not to be achieved in this life nor for a long time after death.

*''To learn more'': [[Deification of man|''Theosis''/deification of man]]

=== 42. Why do Mormons say the sticks in Ezekiel 37 represent the Bible and the Book of Mormon when Ezekiel 37:20-22 tells us that the sticks represent two nations, not two books?===

The two symbols are not exclusive. The sticks can be nations, and each nation has a witness of Christ which helps in restoring scattered Israel. The use of the Ezekiel passage is a modern one for Latter-day Saints. It does not mean that this is the only interpretation, or the use to which Ezekiel intended it to be put.

* ''To learn more:'' [[Book of Mormon as the stick of Ephraim]]

=== 43. Why does the LDS Church teach that Jesus and Lucifer are spirit brothers when both the first chapter of John and Colossians teach that Jesus is the Creator of all things, including Lucifer?===

This is another question intended more to sensationalize beliefs and polarize rather than lead to meaningful communication. Presumably, something akin to guilt by association is intended. The short answer a similarly rhetorical statement—the critic, Judas, and Hitler are brothers too! But the reality of that relationship obviously need not taint the good standing of the critic. All sons of Adam (including all subsequent generations) are brothers.

Latter-day Saints do indeed believe that in a meaningful sense Jesus, angels (including the fallen angel Lucifer), and Adam and all his sons are sons of God—and hence, brothers. The Bible corroborates our respective sonships. No Christian should disagree with that. Perhaps the criticism stems from the fact that Latter-day Saints happen to believe that all the sons of God existed together pre-existently? However, this belief need not change the general equation for brotherhood upon which all Christians agree. Suffice it to say that Latter-day Saints believe Jesus Christ had a unique status as God in the pre-existence—a status other sons of God did not have! Jesus Christ's earliest introduction in Scripture uniquely embraced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints makes that clear—''... one among them that was like unto God'' -- [http://scriptures.lds.org/abr/3/24#28 Abraham 3:24–28]). None other had Christ's status. And that unique status Jesus Christ had in the in the pre-existence means Lucifer's brotherhood and our brotherhood with Him there were exactly the same as our common brotherhood with Him is based on His dwelling on the Earth. Brothers yes. Different yes.

* ''On Colossians, see:'' [[Creation in Colossians 1:16]]
* ''To learn more:'' [[Jesus Christ is the brother of Satan]]

:Also, note a caution on uses of the word on "all" in scripture from Evangelical leader, Charles Spurgeon:

::"The whole world is gone after Him." Did all the world go after Christ? "Then went all Judea, and were baptized of him in Jordan." Was all Judea, or all Jerusalem baptized in Jordan? "Ye are of God, little children," and "the whole world lieth in the wicked one." Does "the whole world" there mean everybody? If so, how was it, then, that there were some who were "of God?" The words "world" and "all" are used in seven or eight senses in Scripture; and it is very rarely that "all" means all persons , taken individually. (''Particular Redemption'', 28 February 1858)

:In other words, if the Bible is to be deemed to be ''always'' plain/perspicacious, if such a philosophically absolute interpretation of the word "all" were intended by John or Paul, they would certainly have provided the necessary academic/philosophical clarification, in the immediate context, and the Bible would be much more of a systematic theology and less of a compilation of religious history and moral teaching, and simple witness of God's existence and love.

=== 44. Why do worthy Mormon males hold the Aaronic Priesthood since {{b||Hebrews|7|11-12}} clearly teaches that it was changed and superseded by something better?===

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles illustrated the doctrine clearly:

:Since all priesthood is Melchizedek, the Aaronic Priesthood being a portion of it, one does not lose the Aaronic Priesthood when he is ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood [...]

The Church uses the Aaronic priesthood as a "preparatory" priesthood, but has no disagreement with the idea that the Melchizedek priesthood contains greater power and authority, and is vital to the government of the Church of Christ.

It should be noted that all priesthood was not equivalent in the New Testament Church either. For example, many members had been baptized with water (an ordinance of the Aaronic priesthood) but had not yet received the Holy Ghost until one of the apostles laid hands upon them (a Melchezedek priesthood function). (See [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/acts/8/15-19#15 Acts 8:15–19], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/acts/19/2-6#2 Acts 19:2–6]).

* ''To learn more:'' [[Hebrews 7 and the Aaronic Priesthood]]

=== 45. If your leaders are correct about the complete falling away of the true church on earth, was Jesus in error when he said that the gates of hell would not prevail against it ({{b||Matthew|16|18}})===

The critics again make a mistake by misunderstanding the original Greek text. In this case, "hell" is not a reference to the powers or evil, or Satan.

The word translated as "hell" in the KJV is actually ''Hades'', the dwelling place of all departed spirits. For the gates of Hades to not prevail against the could mean that the gates would not be able to stop the church from entering therein. (By comparison, in ''The Gospel of Nicodemus'' the "gates" mentioned in Psalm 24 refer to the gates of Hades and the attempt made there to keep out Jesus in the period between his death and resurrection. [See ''The Gospel of Nicodemus'', Part II, 6 in ANF 8:436-437.]) In other words, Christ’s Church, his disciples, would preach the gospel not only among the living, but also among the dead—not even the gates of Hades could keep them out.

Another interpretation is that "prevail" has reference to keeping inhabitants inside. In this thought, gates could only prevail against something that is already inside of them and not external to them. This interpretation would be that Christ was saying that His Church would soon be inside the gates of the spirit world alone because of apostasy on earth, but that the Church would later come out from the world of the dead and back to earth—that His Church would shortly be confined to the spirit world, held back by its gates, but that later, members of Christ's Ancient Church (such as Peter, James, and John) would come, by revelation, out from behind the gates of Hades to restore the gospel to the earth.

Both of the above readings are distinct possibilities. Both reconcile all the Biblical data.

* ''To learn more:'' [[Apostasy and the "gates of hell"]]

==Miscellaneous / General Questions==

=== 46. If having a physical body is necessary to become a god, how did Jesus become a god before he had a body?===

Having a body is necessary for a fullness of joy ({{s||DC|93|33}}). It was necessary that at some point Jesus receive a body, but the timeframe in which He did so is not particularly important. (To travel to another country, one needs both a passport and an airplane ticket. It doesn't matter in which order one gets the passport or the ticket, but one must eventually have both in order to reach one's destination.) If correct sequence is an imperative, the question is begged how Christ's atonement could be efficacious to those who were born, lived, and died prior to His crucifixion. The fact that it was should blunt any feigned requirement for sequence concerning Christ's receipt of a physical body.

=== 47. Do you think the LDS Church will reconsider its teachings that the American Indians are descendants of the Jewish race now that DNA has proven that they are actually descendants of the Asian race?===

It was never LDS doctrine that the Book of Mormon peoples were "Jewish." They were from Ephraim and Manasseh, two other tribes of Israel, but not Judah explicitly.

LDS doctrine only holds that some of the ancestors of the Amerindians were from the Middle East of circa 600 BC. Most scholarship on this matter since at least the 1950s (and stretching back to the turn of the century) has seen the Nephite contribution as numerically small.

If Lehi existed, however, and has any descendants at all, then all Amerindians share Lehi as an ancestor.

There is a huge literature on this matter:

* [[Amerindians as Lamanites]]
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence]]
* [[Book of Mormon and DNA evidence:Geography issues|Geography and DNA]]

=== 48. If polygamy was officially re-instituted by the Mormon Church, how would your wife feel about you taking another woman?===

This is obviously a leading question—entirely hypothetical and intended to be negatively emotive. The general principle, however, is that each member always has the responsibility to determine if new policies are from God, and then to act accordingly. This has always been so. People had to decide whether to listen to Moses when he told them what the Lord wanted them to do. People had to decide whether to listen to Samuel, David, or Elijah when they told them what the Lord wanted. They had to decide whether to heed Jesus Himself who, when many chose to stop following Him, asked the apostles, "Will ye also go away?" ({{b||John|6|67}}.)

Obedience is always an individual decision.

=== 49. Since the LDS Church teaches that there was a complete apostasy of the true church on earth, does that mean that the 3 living Nephites and the Apostle John went into apostasy also?===

No. "Apostasy" merely means that no organized Church on the earth had the full authority or doctrine necessary for salvation for mortals. The Nephites and John were not exercising their priesthood authority for others in a church setting. There was no mortal priesthood authority, and no Church authorized to act in God's name.

''To learn more:'' [[Template:EarlyChristianityPortal|Apostasy portal]]

=== 50. Why are Mormon Temple ceremonies secret to the public when the Old Testament temple ceremonies were open to public knowledge?===

Large portions of LDS temple ceremonies are publicly discussed in orthodox publications such as the ''Ensign'', the ''History of the Church'', and the ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism''. There are, however, certain aspects of temple worship that are considered to be of such a sacred character that they are not to be viewed by, nor discussed with, the uninitiated. The same was true with the biblical temple of ancient Israel -- Gentiles were never allowed into the three main temple areas (outer court, holy place, holy of holies) and the entrances throughout the temple complex were guarded by porters and shielded by veils. The majority of the Israelites were never allowed to view the ordinances that took place in the temple proper (holy place, holy of holies).

Many early Christian groups had ceremonies or services (frequently referred to as the "mysteries") that were only open to those who were faithful members in good standing. Would the critics also condemn them?

Jesus also taught his apostles things which they were not permitted to teach to everyone, and this was done in [http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/basic/christ/forty_day_ministry.html private].

The Latter-day Saints are merely following a pattern of respect for holy things laid down by Jesus and the early Christians ({{b||Matthew|7|6}}). It is ironic that their critics have lost this aspect of Christian life and worship, clearly spelled out in history and scripture.

''To learn more'': Hugh W. Nibley, "Evangelium Quadraginta Dierum," ''Vigiliae Christianae'' 20 (1966):1-24; reprinted in {{Nibley4|article=Evangelium Quadraginta Dierum: The Forty-day Mission of Christ-The Forgotten Heritage|start=10|end=44}}{{link1|url=http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?id=114&table=transcripts}}

{{DoYouHaveQuestions}}

==Footnotes==
#{{note|anti1}} Tower to Truth Ministries, "50 Questions to Ask Mormons," ''towertotruth.net'' (accessed 15 November 2007).

Talk:Temples facing east

2006-08-21T00:38:18Z

SteveWilloughby:

It appears that the URL for the last two temple maps are both for Los Angeles.