If you’ve ever spoken to a friend who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), or to a Mormon missionary at your door, you’ve probably been asked by them to read the Book of Mormon (BOM) and then pray about its divine authenticity. They will often times give you a BOM with Moroni 10:4 underlined, which reads,
“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.”
However, there are a couple reasons why this is a poor test for determining the truth of the BOM.
(1) The first reason why this is a poor test for determining if the BOM is Scripture surfaces when we ask where the test comes from. If we assume that the test is valid, we must first posit that the book where the test is found is valid. But that’s what we’re trying to determine. So, if the book is false, then we have no good reason to trust the test which is found in the book. In logic, philosophers call this “begging the question.” Put simply, this is when the conclusion is assumed in the question being asked.Â
(2) The second reason that we should be highly suspicious of this test for determining whether or not the BOM is divinely inspired is that the Bible has already laid down a conflicting test for this very question (how to recognize new Scripture). In Acts 17:11, Luke tells us that, “the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” When I think about what is written here, I am a bit shocked. Luke tells us that the Christians in Berea did not unquestioningly receive even the Apostle Paul’s teachings (imagine that, Paul, who wrote nearly 2/3 of the New Testament is being questioned!). Yes, the Bereans were “eager” to receive truth, but they used a test for determining new Scripture for which they were labeled “more noble” than other churches. What was that test?Â
The test which the Christians in Berea used was one of comparing new teachings with what they already knew to be true—the Old Testament. And here’s lies the big difference between the biblical and Mormon tests. The biblical test of using a standard that was sure (the OT) is an objective test, whereas the Mormon test of looking for feelings within ourselves is a subjective test. An Objective test doesn’t rely upon the feelings and leanings of the questioner. Rather, it’s based upon hard data—in this case, ‘Does the new information line up with the old information?’ If they’re from the same divine author, they had better agree!
To this objection, a Mormon might reply, “Yes, but I can be sure that this testimony I receive (a subjective test) is from God because it makes me feel warm, wholesome, and pure. It makes me want to do good things. So, isn’t that clearly a sign that it is from God?” No, not necessarily. We must remember that God tells us that our enemy, the devil, “masquerades as an angel of light.” So, if it were a demon giving you this “testimony” about the BOM, what sort of feelings do you think you’d have? Hence, the danger of a “deception”.Â
Further, Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:1, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” This tells us that demons actually teach false doctrine. And if there are millions of demonic spirits and only one Holy Spirit, the chances of getting the right spirit based upon our feelings alone are . . . a million to one! Are those the sort of odds with which you want to trust your feelings as the indicator of truth?
For a good overview and assessment of the Mormon faith see: Watchman Fellowship’s Profile on Mormonism.
6 Comments on “What’s wrong with the Mormon test for Scripture?”
I grew up in the LDS religion. I was also baptized when I was 8. My wife and I recently became baptized at Timberline church. I would be intrested in talking to you about the LDS religon.
Chris, I’d love to sit down and talk with you as well. I’ll be out of the office until the week of Nov 13. Please feel free to call my office and set up an appointment–let Carine know what works for your schedule. I’d be very interested to hear about your journey. Thanks, Chris.
Hi Brent,
I was born and Raised in Salt Lake City, Ut. although not a Mormon. Not only have I always questioned their religion and beliefs but
it was a very difficult time for me when I lived there and I have developed quite a few negative feelings about the religion because of how they treated me and my family when I was there. Utah is a very different state and has a different attitude compared to that of mormons I have met outside of there. It was because of the thoughts, beliefs and judgments they have– that my mom and I moved to Fort Collins. (She is now a timberline member and my boyfriend and I attend with the hopes of joining soon)
You wrote above about some questionable things that are written in the BOM, and I have always had these same questioning thoughts about many things in the religion itself. (one particularly being, why do they believe what was written by Joseph Smith in the BOM over the word of God and the bible itself?? They do reference that they use the bible– but they only use one version..(New King James I believe.)
I know some things about the mormon church’s beliefs having been surrounded by it for most of my life and my mother also studied it through our church so that she would be more understanding of her environment with raising children there; but because of what little I know (and who knows if it’s all right or true) my boyfriend and I both would be interested to learn more about the religion just in general just to get a better understanding of it. We frequently still visit some of my family that is still there and I also would like to learn more in the hopes that it may help get rid of the bad feeling I have overall about the religion.
Thank you!!!!!
LeAnn, yes, for the Mormon the Bible is only the Word of God as far as it agrees with LDS doctrine. So the BOM’s authority trumps the Bible. This practice is not based on study that has led to their conclusion that the Bible has been corrupted. Rather, it’s simply based on dogmatic assertions. I usually teach a class at Timberline in which we touch on the Mormon faith for several weeks. As I wrote earlier, I’d be interested to talk with you and your boyfriend anytime. Just let me know!
I am interested in this class you teach. When does it start and when is it? I am not a member of your church, but I am interested in learning more about your church.
Brent,
I appreciate your views and your rationale for the point of view you take against the Mormon Church. I have explored these issues at great length and have come to different conclusions. Through reflection upon life’s experiences, the study of the Holy Bible (King James Version), the Nicean Creed, and the writings of early Christian Church historians, the study of the writings of Muhammed, the study of Hinduism, and many others, I have come to the conclusion that there are many faiths taht draw near to the “truth.” I have also come to the coclusion that when one faith claims to know more “truth” than another, it fulfills the claim of the “pot calling the kettle balck.”
Your beliefs are valid. I, like you, have accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. I believe that through His Grace, I am saved and because of the choices I make in living the commandments, I may have Eternal Life. Part of His teachings include the idea that we should love and (to expand on the virtues He taught) uplift all mankind. Referring to Mormon missionaries as demons doesn’t help any of us understand what they stand for.
True, they are trying bring converts into their Church. But, as you profess, they believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. They believe the Book of Mormon affirms the mission of Jesus Christ and is a record of different people than the Jews.
I think you and all of us should do as Paul writes about and the Bareans demonstrated, the teachings found in the Old Testament to those that are taught in the Book of Mormon. I’m not an expert on the Book of Mormon, but I think it begins in the Old Testament times. I also think the first writer in the Book of Mormon refers to prophets in the Old Testament and gets some of their writings.
In regards to the argument of “begging the question. . . ”
The author of the writings in the Book of Mormon proclaims they are true, just as many authors proclaim in the Bible. The author simply states that if you are unsure of its truthfulness, you need to take it to the Lord.
If you want “hard data” on any aspect of the Christian faith, I would like to know where you found it. All aspects of the Christian faith and for that matter, all other faiths/religions, are subjective. Otherwise, we would have no need for the principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, FAITH. If you believe the Bible provides the truth of how we should believe and live, then you should know that we should act according to our Faith (as the Bible defines as a hope in things which are not seen which are true). This faith, which the Mormons, I guess, have in another book that professes that Jesus Christ is our Savior, seems to be a central theme in all the world’s religions.
Brent, you are a great man. I can feel your passion for these matters in your words. But please follow the admonition of Christ, love thy neighbor as thyself, including the Mormons.