https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2019-01-22/what-to-do-with-your-questions-according-to-1-general-authority-whos-an-expert-on-anti-church-materials-48843?utm_source=Deseret+News&utm_campaign=17373a7a03-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_01_23_04_26&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2e4a89ae88-17373a7a03-585778065

It is clear that the pews will soon be removed from all LDS meeting sites, worldwide.

Is this the final straw... to command that they stand forever?

His audience probably should just stand up. If they take a few minutes to sit down and read all of the established facts about the church and its prophets that he so conveniently ignores, that wouldn't be good for their warm fuzzy feeling.

This man looks ill. Terrible pallor.

First things first huh Elder C?

"Is there a God who is our Father?
Is Jesus Christ the Son of God, the Savior of the world?
Was Joseph Smith a prophet?
Is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the kingdom of God on the earth?
In contrast, the secondary questions are unending. They include questions about Church history, polygamy, blacks and the priesthood, women and the priesthood, how the Book of Mormon was translated, DNA and the Book of Mormon, gay marriage, different accounts of the First Vision and so on.
“If you answer the primary questions, the secondary questions get answered too or they pale in significance and you can deal with things you understand and things you don’t understand, things you agree with and things you don’t agree with without jumping ship altogether,” Elder Corbridge said." "
https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2019-01-22/what-to-do-with-your-questions-according-to-1-general-authority-whos-an-expert-on-anti-church-materials-48843?utm_source=Deseret+News&utm_campaign=17373a7a03-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_01_23_04_26&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2e4a89ae88-17373a7a03-585778065

Q:Is there a God who is our Father?

A: I've no evidence to the contrary but none for the affirmative.

Q:Is Jesus Christ the Son of God, the Savior of the world?

A: I don't believe so.

Q:Was Joseph Smith a prophet?

A: I don't believe so.

Q:Is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the kingdom of God on the earth?

A: Hell NO!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/24/2019 11:36AM by Elder Berry.

<One cannot prove the Church is true by disproving every claim made against it. Ultimately, there must be affirmative proof. With the things of God, that affirmative proof comes by revelation through the Spirit of the Holy Ghost.>

This paragraph towards the end of the article jumped out at me as wrong on so many levels.

<One cannot prove the Church is true by disproving every claim made against it.>

That's a rather convenient declaration considering they have yet to disprove any serious claim against the church. I add the "serious" qualifier to acknowledge that you can find crazy claims against anything. So, the excessively high bar of "every claim" is also convenient.

<Ultimately, there must be affirmative proof.>

Yes, there must be. Where is it?

<With the things of God, that affirmative proof comes by revelation through the Spirit of the Holy Ghost.>

And who is it, within the church, that retains sole authority of what is revelation? It wouldn't, by any chance, be somebody with a vested interest what said revelation may be, would it?

I've asked a number of Mormon in-laws and missionaries whether they've received revelations, and they all say that they have and that it is the gift of the Holy Ghost. I then ask, "Why, if everybody is capable of receiving direct revelation, do you need indirect revelation from your leaders?"

Answers vary.

Some say that President Nelson gets his revelation directly from God and/or Jesus. But isn't the Holy Ghost on the same page with God and Jesus? Shouldn't any revelation from the Holy Ghost line up with revelations from God or Jesus?

That segues nicely with another common answer; that being that "us regular folk" do not know which revelations are of God or of "The Adversary," and that only the prophet would know difference. I found this to be very interesting since Joseph Smith himself said (per David Whitmer when Joe was questioned about a failed revelation) that some revelations are of God, some revelations are of man, and some revelations are of the devil. I imagine the trick is in the discernment, which Joseph Smith supposedly admitted he was incapable of doing with certainty.

Revelation doesn't strike me as reliable evidence of anything but one's current state of mind.

GregS Wrote:
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> Some say that President Nelson gets his revelation
> directly from God and/or Jesus.

What if God hadn't made Apple?? OMG.

Or Android? ;)

Though I do not consider myself a deist, I do enjoy reading their breakdown/takedown of revealed religions and religious texts.

A phrase commonly used by some modern deists is, "God gave us reason, not religion."

We are all capable of thinking for ourselves and do not need to rely on the revelations of others.

GregS Wrote:
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> Or Android? ;)


:)


> We are all capable of thinking for ourselves and
> do not need to rely on the revelations of others.

Unfortunately we need to rely on the revelations of others. We just don't need to rely on the religious revelations of others.

"Unfortunately we need to rely on the revelations of others."

Are you equating generic "revelation" with "inspiration"? If so, I agree with you 100%. I'd be lost without the people inspired to create Apples, Androids, the internet, and so many other "essential" conveniences.

;)

He read through all the "anti" or questions about mormondom that there is. That's amazing!... then start 'splaining, cuz there is a lot of us that have lots of questions, and aren't finding answers.

Forget the BOM. Lets start with the question of church tax filings, and why they don't release any documents. Where are the church investments? Who's benefiting?

One of your"prophets" of God expressly preached for decades that the god to whom we pray and whom we worship was a guy named Adam.

Subsequently, other of your "prophets"" of God said that this was not true. They said we don't pray to Adam and Adam is not the god to whom we pray and whom we worship.

Now, if your prophets can't even agree on who God is, doesn't that seem to be a fatal blow to your whole belief system, starting with authority claims, revelation claims, priesthood claims, etc? I mean if the "prophet" that took over from Joseph Smith (and who essentially became the FOUNDER of your branch of the religion that Joseph Smith started) literally did not know God from Adam, I think your problems are quite serious. It may be time to drop the sophistry and spin and deal with the truth.

Was Joseph Smith a prophet?

The first thing I am told to do is study things out in my own mind and then pray about them. I am not supposed to just pray expecting an answer with no effort at all. So what does that entail? It means reading the Book of Mormon. It means studying the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. And it means looking at Joseph Smith's life to see if he is an honorable fellow. It means actually looking at all of the underlying questions this man is asking us to ignore. After studying these things out, it almost seems as if it is tempting God to ask if Joseph Smith was a prophet because the evidence is so contrary. But go ahead and ask God. Let the buyer beware. I didn't look at all of the underlying questions and it cost me 20 years of my life.

Justin Wrote:
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> I
> didn't look at all of the underlying questions and
> it cost me 20 years of my life.

In confirmation bias supporting social situations one can't be expected to and it isn't something I would think one needs to regret as long as they enjoy a better view of Mormonism. Learning it is a fraud has been one of some of the highest points and lowest points of my life.

They can't stand up either.
Neither can they lie. Ha!

M@t

moremany Wrote:
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> Neither can they lie. Ha!

I thought they would pretty good at it.

No, that would be lying, awake, and can't sleep.

He is pretending that the secondary questions have no bearing on the answers to the primary ones.

But, if the DNA of native Americans resembles that of east Asians rather than Israelites, well then that reflects on the genuineness of the Book of Mormon and hence the honesty of Joseph Smith.

The differing accounts of the First Vision likewise bring the Mormon understanding of who God is into question.

The LDS Church's position on gay marriage speaks to their lack of moral authority, empathy and willingness to follow Christ's admonition to love one another.

Past prophetic pronouncements on race and polygamy call into question the value of putting your reputation and even your life on the line to follow the prophet now (see same sex marriage above).

The "secondary questions" are linked to the primary ones. Don't let this magic trick fool you.

snowball Wrote:
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> The "secondary questions" are linked to the
> primary ones. Don't let this magic trick fool you.

Well, if the evidence points to there being no God then the primary ontological question about God would have to be taken on prescience.

What about sinners?
Can they sit down?

No rest for their wicked.

I read that article. He read most of the anti-mormon stuff he says. He disputes nothing but just gives a round about "place it on the shelf" type sermon.

drilldoc Wrote:
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> He disputes nothing but
> just gives a round about "place it on the shelf"
> type sermon.

Inoculation at its highest levels.