Posted by:
jw the inquizzinator
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Date: May 24, 2011 12:08PM
For the inquisitive types that visit this board that might want some assistance in finding the facts about Mormonism...these are all easily "goggle-able"...unleash your own questioning mind.
1) What is the date of the First Vision? [When did it happen, when was it recorded? Is there more than one version?]
2) Who killed Parley P. Pratt? [Why?]
3) Did Nephi bring the wheel with him from the Old World? [If so, why didn’t the concept survive?]
4) What is Kolob? [Why is it significant? Can we see it? Has anyone seen it? Who created Kolob?]
5) How old were Brigham Young’s wives and how old was he when he married them? [Is this discussed in Church Manuals? Same question for Joseph Smith and Parley Pratt. Official church resources are just fine to use.]
6) Why was the Expositor’s office and printing press destroyed? [Have you ever read the Expositor?]
7) Does Heavenly Father like polygamy? [Does He practice it right now? Did He approve of it before the 1890 Manifesto and then change His mind, or does He still approve of it? Have any of the former church members who were polygamists had any of their sealings cancelled?]
8) When can you tell if a ‘prophet’ is speaking as a ‘prophet’? [Are there special signs or clues?]
9) What is the Mountain Meadows incident? [When did it happen? Where? What were the ages of those that died? Has there ever been any forensic evidence unearthed? How many people were brought to trial and what was the outcome? Were there LDS Church members involved? If so, what Church disciplinary action was taken?]
10) Were there any abstinence societies around when Joseph received the Word of Wisdom revelation? [Dates of establishment? What were “Cold Water Societies”? When did the Temperance Movement begin?]
11) Did Joseph always translate from the plates the way it is depicted in Church illustrations? [Did he always have the plates present?]
12) Who were Helen Mar Kimball, Fanny Alger, Sarah Ann Whitney, and Flora Ann Woodworth? [What were their ages when they married Joseph Smith?]
13) What does the Supreme Court case of Reynolds v US (1878) have to do with the LDS Church? Who was Reynolds? How is this tied to D&C 132 and the original D&C Section 101 (that has been deleted)?
14) If the President of the Church is a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, how does he accomplish the ‘Seer’ function? [What is a Seer Stone? Does the Church still have any? How were they used? Are they still used?]
15) Has any Prophet of the Church testified before Congress? [When? Why? Is there a transcript?]
16) If the official LDS Church position is that Lamanites used wooden swords with sharp rocks in them (vs. steel or other solid metal—since there is no archeological evidence to support the ‘steel’ weapon claim), then why are all the illustrations shown to Primary Children of solid metal weapons (swords, spears, etc)? [Ammon, Stripling Warriors, Captain Moroni, Samuel the Lamanite, etc.][Won’t that just confuse them later in life when they are confronted by people? Would it be too expensive for the Church to commission an artist to produce ‘correct’ illustrations?]
17) B.H Roberts was elected to the 56th Congress of the United States. Why wasn’t he allowed to serve?
18) If God said (in the Articles of Faith) that Adam's children would not be punished for Adam's transgression, why did He punish Cain's children for thousand of years?
19) If garments are meant to protect you, why are they not given to those who need protection more than anyone...our children?
20) Why isn't there a class in the history department at BYU that addresses the influence of Hebrew on ancient America?
21) Are the Three Nephites in mentioned in 3 Nephi 28 still living? (Where are they, and who saw them last? Why isn’t this discussed in Sunday school, Relief Society, Priesthood meetings, or conferences? When was the last time it was ‘officially’ discussed?)
22) Did Jesus ever mention building meetinghouses, performing temple ordinances, paying tithing, or doing hometeaching/visiting teaching? [Then why are they emphasized so much in current lessons/talks?]
23) If LDS temple clothing is not to be seen outside the temple [since it is ‘sacred’], why do most LDS funerals have the deceased on display in an open casket dressed in temple clothing?
24) If those born with a dark skin were less-valiant in the war in heaven, and are supposedly born with a disadvantage, how could so many infants in Africa die without reaching the age of accountability and be sent directly to the Celestial Kingdom (dark skin and all)?
25) Why did the LDS church change “white and delightsome” to “fair and delightsome” in the Book of Mormon? [2 Ne 5:21, 4 Ne: 1:10; Was Joseph Smith’s translation wrong?]
26) Joseph Smith translated some of the New Testament and added/deleted/changed parts of it [because of ‘revelation’]. Why isn’t that version used as the official New Testament (instead of the ‘wrong/incorrect’ words contained in the KJV)?
27) Isn't asking to feel the 'warm burning in your bosom' seeking a sign? And wouldn't that make you a 'wicked and adulterous' generation? [So how is a 'burning in the bosom' not a "sign"? Wouldn't you have even more "faith" if you didn't need the warm fuzzies?]
28) Has any President of the LDS Church been arrested? When? Why? Why did Heber J. Grant leave the country in 1903?
29) Why does the LDS study the Old and New Testaments when, according to them, they are corrupt? [And exactly which verses are corrupt?]
30) If you have a perfectly restored religion with its accompanying rituals/ordinances (and you claim all other religions are wrong because they have lost these 'precious truths'), why would your rituals, ordinances, and doctrines keep changing?
31) If your leader, a prophet, gets direct communication from the almighty, why would your members still quibble about what is allowed and what is not allowed to be consumed under the provisions of the Word of Wisdom? [Why not publish a list on the internet, update it weekly, and have a 1-800 numbers for those that have questions?]
32) Deleted
33) If you really believe that everyone ought to be allowed to worship in whatever way they please, and believe whatever they want to believe, why do you have such a robust missionary/sales force? [Wouldn’t people just naturally gravitate to your congregations because they are happier, wealthier, and more blessed? Or does the missionary program serve another purpose?]
34) If LDS, inc has earned enough money to provide a BoM to every living human, why haven't they done it?
35) If the BOM was produced to "roll forth unto all the lands" why did the Smiths threaten Abner Cole [Palmyra Reflector] with legal action in 1830 for violating Joseph's copyright?
36) If hospitals are hyper-sensitive to the possibility of getting sued [over anything], and coffee/tea is indeed unhealthy for human consumption, why would they serve it?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2011 01:01PM by jw the inquizzinator.