tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79308657423562285432012-01-31T23:12:11.581ZA Mormon MiscellanyMike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.comBlogger1401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-2829161273587673932012-01-31T19:12:00.001Z2012-01-31T19:12:48.717Z

We’ve all done it, in the retelling added a touch of colour to our lives, gilded the lily as they say to make ourselves look more courageous, more decisive and influential, made ourselves the hero. We’ve also done the opposite, taken colour out to make ourselves look less guilty, conveniently forgotten our culpability. It was our idea, we insist, that saved the day, or, yes, events did take a

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-31579157114842456032012-01-11T00:20:00.000Z2012-01-11T00:20:16.552Z

Three things stand out for me about this new Book of Mormon Study Guide. The first is the promise of "helpful maps and charts." That will be interesting but I imagine they will be the same as the maps in the back of your Bible since there is no Book of Mormon geography. It is always a good question to ask, "Why are there no maps at the back of the Book of Mormon as there are at the back of the

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-69532007804176018162012-01-08T15:49:00.001Z2012-01-08T15:49:28.225Z

A lad lived around the corner from me when I was a boy name of Sidney. I never knew him, I never knew his friends, or if he had any friends and he certainly wasn’t part of our crowd, didn’t attend my school or frequent my usual haunts. He was a mystery to me, still is, but with my simplistic, little boy mind I tried to fill the great gaps in my knowledge with what I thought I did know. His life

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-11815546283058930532012-01-05T17:54:00.001Z2012-01-05T17:54:46.619Z

Is the Book of Mormon a sure guide or simply a Mormon talisman? Dan Peterson regrets that to most Mormons it is the latter: he writes today: "Studies of Latter-day Saint sermons and curriculum from the earliest period of church history well into the 20th century demonstrate surprisingly little use of the Book of Mormon to establish doctrines or as a text from which to preach. Many Saints were

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-54712334361750443972012-01-02T22:40:00.001Z2012-01-02T22:40:39.294Z

Is the church that claimed to reverse the apostasy – apostate? Meridian is an online Mormon magazine that I largely ignore because it is usually trying to sell me food storage racking, cake recipes, tours of “Book of Mormon Lands”, or unmissable business opportunities. Once in a while though it comes up with something worthy of attention and my attention was caught by the promise of 10

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-41166978006883164252011-12-29T19:55:00.001Z2011-12-29T19:55:22.229Z

What do the following have in common and which is the odd one out? Nicolas Copernicus, Victor Hugo, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, André Gide, Immanuel Kant, David Hume, René Descartes, Francis Bacon, John Milton, John Locke, Galileo Galilei, Blaise Pascal, Hugo Grotius, Saint Faustina Kowalska and Adolf Hitler. Index Librorum Prohibitorum In response to the invention of Gutenberg’s printing press and

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-78383129382417398362011-09-03T18:22:00.001+01:002011-09-03T18:22:52.255+01:00

I just got the latest Ensign through my door (September 2011 edition). I always promise myself I will write about something in the magazine but never seem to get around to it. Anyway, others seem to do a good enough job of it so no pressure. But this caught my eye today and I just had to do something with it. We are asking the question, Is General Conference No Ordinary Blessing, as suggested by

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-91871808582201803162011-08-29T22:16:00.001+01:002011-08-29T22:16:54.503+01:00

The Christian Apologist Ask a Bible student to define apologetics and they will likely describe it as a reasoned defence of the faith and that would be a good answer. The New Dictionary of Christian Apologetics describes it as, “The art of persuasion, the discipline which considers ways to commend and defend the living God to those without faith.” It further ascribes to apologetics the task of

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-88942818827343150482011-08-10T10:04:00.001+01:002011-08-10T22:20:43.220+01:00

Three Mormon commentators have helpfully set out to explain their faith and clear up misunderstandings and misconceptions such as Mormon demographics. So if you want to understand Mormonism as they would have you understand it go here http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700169521/Members-respond-to-misunderstandings-about-Mormonism.html In an effort to support this initiative I thought it would

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-64051507758708036482011-07-29T22:08:00.001+01:002011-07-30T11:11:25.043+01:00

Jesus' attitude to the lost is summed up perfectly in John 3:17, a verse perhaps not as familiar as the one preceding it: “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.” (NASB) In any and every aspect of the Christian life it has become commonplace to ask, “What would Jesus do?” But how does this text work out and what would Jesus

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-48220627178712880932011-07-21T17:08:00.001+01:002011-07-21T20:33:16.448+01:00

Should we reconsider our use of the word “cult” in describing the Mormon faith? Michael Otterson, head of public relations at the Mormon Church thinks we should, complaining that “it’s a neat, shorthand and rather lazy way of putting a whole group into a box.” Two Mormon candidates for high office are running in the 2012 US elections and, writing in the Washington Post, Otterson warns, “I have a

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-6518820903799106102011-07-18T12:25:00.004+01:002011-07-29T22:34:02.330+01:00

Last time we looked at some of the dos and don’ts of witnessing to the cults and now we come to the myth of the killer text. “What do you say to a Mormon/JW?” I often get asked this question and my reply is always, “There is no killer text you know.” “I know that”, is the reply, “but what do you say?” It’s a question that troubles me because it betrays a lack of understanding and poor

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-84545869967562765182011-07-07T23:21:00.002+01:002011-07-29T22:30:26.999+01:00

So far we have seen how Christians often fail to see past their preconceptions and judgements when dealing with cults, how the church is often ill-prepared to meet the challenge of the cults, and that anti-cult ministry is sometimes regarded as an inconvenient reminder to the church that it has a responsibility to contend for the faith. Yet a basic approach to witnessing is not difficult. A

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-52734872718408283772011-07-03T15:41:00.001+01:002011-07-04T15:57:37.838+01:00

The universe next door Actually, there are a series of problems with so-called “anti-cult” ministry. The first is that it is so foreign. To paraphrase the opening lines of LP Hartley’s book The Go-Between, “The cults are a foreign country: they do things differently there.”  It is like stepping into a parallel universe. James Sire refers to it, in the title of his book, as “The Universe Next

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-12400082153237983222011-06-28T17:37:00.001+01:002011-06-28T17:37:00.424+01:00

By Ann Thomas Mormonism claims to answer the big questions of life: Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? The answers are called The Purpose of Life, or God's Plan of Happiness. This is how it begins on the official Mormon Church website: Your life didn’t begin at birth and it won’t end at death. Before you came to earth, your spirit lived with Heavenly Father who created you.

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-75749875485960470232011-06-26T16:56:00.001+01:002011-06-26T16:56:59.295+01:00

so how are we doing? I sometimes imagine myself having the opportunity to address church leaders from across the UK on the subject of the cults. I imagine a lively question and answer session during which a hand would go up and someone would ask the question. “How well do you think we are doing in handling the challenge of the cults?” After a pause to gather my thoughts I would reply, “Watching

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-27790020807653331262011-06-20T22:20:00.001+01:002011-06-20T22:20:00.798+01:00

The Pastor’s Tale The young man loiters outside the church office as though in a fog of indecision. Seeming to resolve his apparent doubts, he climbs the few steps leading up to the church building and walks purposefully through the door, not knowing what to expect when he gets inside. He finds meets a young woman, a secretary perhaps, who confidently asks him how she might help. He asks to see

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-88572159273270560382011-05-31T17:44:00.001+01:002011-05-31T17:44:44.617+01:00

The Pharisees come in for a lot of criticism in the New Testament and, picking up on this, Christians down the generations have come to use the name as a byword for someone who is overzealous and legalistic. This is a correct application and you can see why. “When he [John the Baptist] saw the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptising, he said to them; 'You brood of vipers! Who

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-73550295069172374182011-05-26T21:16:00.001+01:002011-05-26T21:16:17.985+01:00

I suppose we all have a general idea of how a wedding is arranged. Two people who epitomise the triumph of hope over experience propose to be married. They may plan a civil ceremony, or they might go for a church wedding but, either way, certain legal requirements must be met. That done the venue is booked – a registry office or a church – and arrangements are made. If a church wedding the

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-34555399973307533172011-05-23T17:42:00.001+01:002011-05-23T17:42:30.994+01:00

Mormons insist that Elijah, whose return is prophesied in the Old Testament book of Malachi, “restored in this dispensation” the doctrine of saving the dead by means of vicarious temple work. Mormons all over the world – but largely in the USA it must be said – spend countless hours doing genealogical work to trace their dead forebears to submit their names to Mormon temples for such work

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-33605023659339945162011-05-16T23:11:00.001+01:002011-05-16T23:11:02.949+01:00

Reason demands that you can examine the arguments from both sides and reach a conclusion based on the facts.  The facts about Mormonism are very clear, and the arguments which they put forward can be shown to be full of holes. Any Mormon who was shown the errors in that faith would leave it – right?  This is plainly not the case. There are of course emotional, social, and cultural reasons which

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-14420887065336590922011-05-03T15:38:00.001+01:002011-05-03T15:38:53.326+01:00

From a breath-taking, revolutionary, controversial start Mormonism has increasingly striven to occupy the colourless, comfortable, safe and predictable middle ground of modern American culture; a place no self-respecting Evangelical Church would be in a hurry to fill. It still holds to those doctrines that mark it out as a cult but Mormons don't talk about these much nowadays. “We are a

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-41833080170742221662011-04-24T20:11:00.004+01:002011-04-24T20:54:33.466+01:00

"Crucifixion" by Carl Bloch As I write this the Christian world celebrates the great good news that on a Friday some two thousand years ago Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, betrayed by a friend, denied by another, abandoned by still more, rejected by a world he created, a people he came to save and to serve, died a terrible death on a Roman instrument of torture and execution, suffered and

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-39346154930311026602011-04-13T21:42:00.001+01:002011-04-13T21:42:30.083+01:00

In an article in the Meridian Magazine the story is told of how Thousands of Hands Brought Joseph Smith’s Descendants Together. It is a powerful story of an apparently Herculean effort to bring the descendants of Joseph Smith together to celebrate his 200th birthday in 2005. A story that testifies powerfully of the exalted place given the man of whom Mormons sing, “Praise to the man who communed

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-58988660758759757682011-04-07T20:02:00.001+01:002011-04-07T20:02:04.928+01:00

Mormons believe and teach that Isaiah 29 prophesies the Book of Mormon: “Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! Add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices. Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel. And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee.

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-5286863116381435172011-04-04T12:03:00.001+01:002011-04-04T12:03:37.343+01:00

In anticipation of the April General Conference just passed the March 2011 issue of the Ensign magazine carried a sickly dull piece entitled How Well Do You Know Our Church Leaders? Alongside a list of the fifteen current leaders of the Mormon church was a list of asinine biographical facts and readers were challenged to match the fact to the man. I cannot imagine anything so mind-numbing as

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-2465297518965748522011-03-21T12:40:00.001Z2011-03-21T12:40:55.820Z

The Mormon missionaries’ “Questions of the Soul” are  meant to demonstrate that the Book of Mormon “answers the great questions of the soul.” These are not presented in any particular order but their order is interesting nonetheless. We have looked at them in this order: God, obedience, faith, eternity, life’s purpose and the problem of evil, infant baptism and the question, “Does God know me?”

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-37207758404924920772011-03-16T20:44:00.001Z2011-03-16T20:44:09.280Z

  Do Mormons worship Joseph Smith? This is a question many Mormons would find laughable and is only something that would be asked by someone with a very limited knowledge of Mormonism surely? This is the response to this question that can be found on some Mormon Websites. This is how Bobby Gilpin starts this well researched and thought-provoking blog post that I think is well worth the time

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-28323684894441809932011-03-14T09:19:00.001Z2011-03-14T09:19:41.579Z

Another Monday Mormon and another look at the Mormon missionary lessons’ “Questions of the Soul.” These are presented such as to imply that the Book of Mormon alone answers these questions but we have seen that fuller, more correct answers can be found in the Bible. Here is this week’s question: Does God Know me? – The Mormon answer given is in Alma 5:38,58. The first verse speaks of Christ

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-32549565764822957512011-03-07T11:30:00.001Z2011-03-07T11:30:35.730Z

Here we are again answering from the Bible the Mormon missionary lessons’ “Questions of the Soul.” These are presented such as to imply that the Book of Mormon alone answers these questions but we have seen that fuller, more correct answers can be found in the Bible. Here is this week’s question: Does my infant need to be baptised? – The Mormon answer is in Moroni 8 where, in a lengthy (30 verse

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-74163866670863927342011-02-28T13:51:00.001Z2011-02-28T13:53:33.274Z

Last time we started answering from the Bible the Mormon missionary lessons’ “Questions of the Soul.” These are presented such as to imply that the Book of Mormon alone answers these questions but we saw that fuller, more correct answers can be found in the Bible. As Mormons present their faith it is a useful exercise to ask what the Bible has to say about the issues they wish to discuss. This

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-26386648268521490852011-02-17T14:53:00.001Z2011-02-17T14:53:00.295Z

Chiasmus is “a figure of speech by which the order of the words in the first of two parallel clauses is reversed in the second” (Oxford companion to English Literature, 1985 ed.). One way of identifying a chiastic quote is to mark the repeated words or phrases with the letters ABBA. To illustrate, one of the most familiar examples of this is the phrase spoken at the foot of the Cross: “He saved

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-30343363602006706042011-02-14T23:41:00.001Z2011-02-17T14:54:54.002Z

Last Monday Mormon we saw that the Mormon missionary discussions present the Book of Mormon in such a way as to suggest that it has answers not found elsewhere. They insist “the Book of Mormon answers questions of the soul” and the unwary can be led to believe that the book might give them access to otherwise unavailable wisdom. However, the “questions of the soul” listed in the lessons can be

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-55532696278692685842011-02-07T15:20:00.001Z2011-02-07T15:20:01.379Z

Last week we saw how the tone, order and in some instances content of the Mormon missionary lessons, Preach My Gospel, have changed and changed again. One thing that doesn’t change is the imperious attitude of Mormons to other believers. Mormons have a high view of their faith compared with the traditional Christian faith. Mormon missionaries are advised: “Although prayer has a role in many

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-88941181273692569872011-01-31T17:30:00.001Z2011-01-31T17:30:24.708Z

We saw last time that missionary lessons/discussions were not uniform until 1952. Different missions provided different schemes for presenting Mormonism. Yet the central themes of Mormonism were always there and, in content, there was a high degree of uniformity and consistency. Prompted by increasing Mormon/Evangelical dialogue and the challenge it posed to the Mormon claim to being a

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-89799310564291767892011-01-27T22:40:00.001Z2011-01-27T22:40:01.329Z

There is a trick I like to play on friends occasionally. I wait until someone consults their watch then ask them for the time. They will almost invariably look at their watch again. “But you just looked at your watch,” I say, “Why did you look at it again?” Of course, they don’t know, it is just something they do instinctively. They may well have very short memories but I think there might be

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-79392362590405895132011-01-24T23:29:00.001Z2011-01-24T23:32:13.560Z

We have looked at how people can use Mormon jargon confidently without having a firm grasp on what Mormonism teaches or of the Christianity they too readily reject. We have studied The Missionary’s Purpose and The Role of the Book of Mormon. Preach my Gospel An October 2004 satellite broadcast introduced the Mormon Church worldwide to the revised missionary lessons Preach my Gospel. It is part

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-74255491381700524372011-01-17T09:06:00.001Z2011-01-17T09:06:59.530Z

Last Monday Mormon we started looking at the role of the Mormon missionary as it is described in the Missionary Service handbook Preach my Gospel. We were asking how people can use Mormon jargon confidently without having a firm grasp on what Mormonism teaches or of the Christianity they too readily reject? How ideas so far removed from biblical Christianity convince people they are Christians?

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-82237568092963898962011-01-10T12:53:00.001Z2011-01-10T12:53:33.351Z

“We as a people have one supreme thing to do, and that is to call upon the world to repent of sin, to come to God. And it is our duty above all others to go forth and proclaim the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the restoration again to the earth of the plan of life and salvation...” (Mormon prophet Heber J Grant, April 1927) I have been leafing through the Mormon Missionary Guide in an attempt

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-5877942261150729262011-01-06T12:12:00.001Z2011-01-06T12:13:20.927Z

“Our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction" (I Thessalonians1:5) I gained a valuable and interesting insight into the thought processes of a Mormon as we discussed the relationship between Scripture and the Spirit. A correspondent wrote of the importance of mystical experience in gaining knowledge of the truth. Arguing from 1

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-18707498308766822162011-01-03T09:46:00.001Z2011-01-03T09:47:59.553Z

It strikes me as quite remarkable the speed and ease with which converts to Mormonism take on and parrot Mormon jargon. It’s an interesting word “jargon.” It describes “the terminology or idiom of a particular activity.” Based on the French for “the twittering of birds” jargon is said to confer two benefits: “the affirmation of the group identity and exclusion of those outside the initiated” (

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-88975620392738776712010-12-30T22:56:00.001Z2010-12-30T22:56:36.140Z

In June 1999 film fans were excited at the release of The Matrix, a film in which a computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers. It is set in a post-holocaust world, and the Matrix is a computer generated world laid over the real world to give the illusion that all is normal and life goes on. In reality, the

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-24549279910399107662010-12-27T09:22:00.001Z2010-12-27T09:22:04.015Z

In the last of our 21 Questions we continue to address the question of family. Mormons lay great store by families, insisting that “families are forever.” But what of those who never marry? Will those who remain single in this life be denied God’s blessings? As before, we will look at the questions (Q) and answers (A) with comments (C) and any quotes (Qu.) Q: Can someone who may never marry in

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-26333988979227830512010-12-21T20:42:00.001Z2010-12-21T20:42:34.328Z

If I were a Lamanite I wouldn’t know right now whether to laugh or cry, whether to have a party or have a quiet little identity crisis. Are my ancestors the primary ancestors of Native Americans or just among the ancestors of Native Americans? Once the Mormon Church taught the former, now it teaches the latter; very confusing. Now the Mormon Church is expunging from Book of Mormon chapter

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-65595745593389944562010-12-20T11:24:00.001Z2010-12-20T11:42:39.524Z

In the latest of our 21 Questions we address the question of family. Mormons lay great store by families and it is one of the things that makes them seem wholesome and right. But what do Mormons mean when they tell us that “families are forever?” As before, we will look at the questions (Q) and answers (A) with comments (C) and any quotes (Qu.) Q: What do the Mormons believe about the family?

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-5678726522277172672010-12-13T12:43:00.001Z2010-12-13T12:43:36.276Z

People are often intrigued by the Mormon “missionaries”, those young pups who go around calling themselves “Elder”, daily keeping a shine on the image of the Mormon Church. In the latest of our 21 Questions we address the question many ask; why do they do it? As before, we will look at the questions (Q) and answers (A) with comments (C) and any quotes (Qu.) Q: Why do Mormons go from door to

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-18339942057155818652010-12-10T18:01:00.001Z2010-12-10T18:01:25.564Z

We have been examining the Mormon view of Scripture and of the Bible in particular. Observing that Mormons believe they work from an open canon we have studied the Mormon view of Scripture in general. Then we looked at the claim that the Book of Mormon contains the fullness of the gospel and is another testament of Jesus Christ. We have met the challenge to pray about this book and asked should a

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-22855258984899056492010-12-06T12:52:00.001Z2010-12-06T12:52:04.591Z

In the latest of our 21 Questions we ask about the peculiar Mormon health code, the Word of Wisdom. It seems strange that a church calling itself Christian should be so regressive as to have a health code that determines a person’s worthiness. Of course Christians believe in being sober and sensible in eating and drinking etc. but we follow Jesus who said: "Don't you see that nothing that enters

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-21101171675944660562010-12-02T09:29:00.001Z2010-12-02T22:00:56.326Z

The Mormon Church claims to have identified at least twenty books they think to be missing from the Bible. We are left in no doubt that these are considered serious omissions. Listing these missing books in his book The Articles of Faith, Mormon apostle James Talmage wrote: “Those who oppose the doctrine of continual revelation between God and His Church, on the ground that the Bible is complete

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-39167065318169071872010-11-29T11:32:00.001Z2010-11-29T11:33:36.924Z

It all started with the claim that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon from Gold Plates delivered to him by an angel. Where are these gold plates? Were there witnesses and, if so, how reliable are they? As before, we will look at the questions (Q) and answers (A) with comments (C) and quotes (Qu.) Q: What are or were the "Golden Plates"? A: The Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-68461177369043792302010-11-27T20:27:00.000Z2010-11-27T20:27:07.270Z

A must see interview with Andreas Kostenberger about his new book. It addresses some of the things discussed in my last post regarding the reliability of the Bible and the integrity of biblical scholarship. A tremendous testimony of the gospel from a top Christian scholar.Video: Köstenberger Discusses “The Heresy of Orthodoxy”

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-67269603126957694442010-11-25T17:46:00.001Z2010-11-25T17:46:28.596Z

Mormons don’t entirely trust the Bible. Their eighth article of faith declares, “We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly.” One of the reasons they give for having this reservation is the apparent evidence, found in the Bible text itself, of missing books. Here is a list from James Talmage’s Articles of Faith: 1. The Book of the Covenant cited in Exodus 24:

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-91681558317548953142010-11-22T10:17:00.001Z2010-11-22T10:17:30.607Z

We have finished with making men into gods with their own planet. In the latest of our 21 Questions we move to the other end of the Mormon social scale and ask what Mormonism teaches about African-Americans and Native Americans. As before, we will look at the questions (Q) and answers (A) with comments (C) and quotes (Qu.) Q: What specifically does the Mormon Church say about African-Americans

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-36453947533710180882010-11-18T07:54:00.001Z2010-11-18T07:54:39.518Z

The Book of Mormon is purported to be “Another Testament of Jesus Christ” and “a volume of Scripture comparable to the Bible.” When people ask whether they should read the Book of Mormon I always ask why they would want to. I understand the fascination Mormonism has for people but its fascination can blind people to its danger. Some think that if they acquaint themselves with the Book of Mormon

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-9042369322584580852010-11-15T08:14:00.001Z2010-11-15T08:14:41.552Z

Last Monday Mormon we discovered that Mormon men intend to become gods. In the latest of our 21 Questions we ask what they expect to do when they are gods. We are getting rather used to the increasingly curt answers given by the Mormon Church but, still, this “No!" is still a bit – short. Oh, and did I mention disingenuous? What do you think? As before, we will look at the questions (Q) and

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-46289710553085901552010-11-12T23:32:00.001Z2010-11-12T23:32:42.174Z

Anyone who has taken lessons with Mormon Missionaries will have met the challenge of the Book of Mormon. “Won’t you pray about this book and ask God if it is true?” They will have heard Moroni’s promise, “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

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-42881853478516477842010-11-10T12:09:00.001Z2010-11-10T12:09:22.618Z

We have seen that here, Beyond the Zion Curtain, our first encounter with Mormonism will be The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Last time we tested the claim in the introduction to the Book of Mormon that it contains, “as does the Bible, the Fullness of the Gospel.” Today we ask if the Book of Mormon is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” testimony “Believe in the Book of

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-35900506197309272010-11-08T10:48:00.001Z2010-11-08T16:18:19.626Z

Here’s something to bend your mind on a Monday Mormon; can men become gods? In the latest of our 21 Questions that is what we ask. So many Mormon leaders have said as much but will today’s Mormon Church give a straight and comprehensive answer to a straight question? What do you think? As before, we will look at the questions (Q) and answers (A) with comments (C) and quotes (Qu.) Q: Does the

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-74877361099885298542010-11-03T10:03:00.001Z2010-11-03T10:03:12.580Z

Here Beyond the Zion Curtain our first encounter with Mormonism will not be the political candidate, the fundamentalist, or the controversialist but The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. It was the 1981 edition that first carried the subtitle, Another Testament of Jesus Christ and included the now familiar introduction written by Bruce R McConkie which begins: “The Book of

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-67297863738345903562010-11-01T08:51:00.001Z2010-11-01T08:51:44.972Z

When you got dressed this Monday Mormon I hope you put on clean underwear because, as my mum used to say, “You never know when you might be in an accident and how embarrassing when they get you to the hospital and find you’re not wearing clean underwear!” This latest in our 21 Questions we talk about Mormon temple garments. As before, we will look at the questions (Q) and answers (A) with

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-33867950377428215142010-10-29T17:56:00.001+01:002010-10-29T19:45:18.943+01:00

“True holiness does not consist merely of believing and feeling, but of doing and bearing, and a practical exhibition of active and passive grace. Our tongues, our tempers, our natural passions and inclinations - our conduct as parents and children, masters and servants, husbands and wives, rulers , and subjects - our dress, our employment of time, our behaviour in business, our demeanour in

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-28190703330337785302010-10-27T15:42:00.001+01:002010-10-27T17:47:35.345+01:00

“For God is not gracious and merciful to sinners to the end that they might not keep his Law, nor that they should remain as they were before they received grace and mercy; but...for the sake of Christ, who has fulfilled the whole Law in order thereby to make the heart sweet...” (Martin Luther) Last time we discovered that Paul doesn’t contradict James that grace is costly and that faith works.

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-31248367522394654572010-10-25T18:55:00.001+01:002010-10-25T18:55:19.870+01:00

Another Monday Mormon and at the beginning of another week women around the world face again the challenge of getting a quart into a pint pot as they juggle family budgets, child-care, health-care, school-runs, parent’s evenings, jobs etc. they might give a thought to the fact that, in the Mormon kingdom, women get to heaven only at their husband’s behest. In this, the latest of our 21 Questions

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-28926147322546979132010-10-22T10:51:00.001+01:002010-10-22T10:51:27.988+01:00

Last time we discussed the problem of sin, the predicament of the lawbreaker and the scandal of the Cross. When we share the scandalous message of grace with Mormons they cite James who insists, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20) In this second post on explaining grace to Mormons we ask whether Paul is contradicting James when he writes: “For there is no difference, for all have sinned

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-82391281571865620462010-10-20T11:46:00.001+01:002010-10-20T11:46:30.361+01:00

Does grace mean I can do what I like and still go to heaven? How does God expect us to be good if we are already saved? Where’s the incentive to be worthy? The great advantage to being here, beyond the Zion curtain, is that, largely unencumbered by the historical and socio-political issues that prevail in Utah, we can get down to the fundamentals. Nothing is more fundamental than the message

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-27340964982994527282010-10-18T12:12:00.001+01:002010-10-18T12:12:35.861+01:00

I hope you had a good weekend. Yes, mine went by too fast too and here we are again with another Monday Mormon. Two more of our 21 questions; one answer – again. Are you getting the picture? You are certainly not getting the answers you expected! As before, we will look at the questions (Q) and answers (A) with comments (C) and quotes (Qu.) Q: Does the Mormon Church believe Jesus appeared in

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-90070847329147572792010-10-15T14:51:00.001+01:002010-10-15T23:25:13.423+01:00

Last time we looked at witnessing to Mormons, which would inevitably involve challenging Mormon claims, without alienating our Mormon friends. We saw that this is a big hill to climb since Mormons will take offense where none is offered. We established that everyone is entitled to their own opinion but not their own truth; that the Bible is there to challenge and not affirm our preconceptions.

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-11763712371692994882010-10-13T16:55:00.001+01:002010-10-13T16:55:55.390+01:00

We have looked at the Mormon kingdom “Behind the Zion Curtain” and seen that the political, social and historical issues preoccupying Mormons there are not the key issues “Beyond the Zion Curtain.” There are, however, many issues that must be dealt with wherever we are and this is one of the more thorny ones; how do we share the truth without causing offence to our Mormon friends? god is

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-80590925991207487012010-10-11T12:02:00.005+01:002010-10-18T22:48:16.291+01:00

Another Monday Mormon and a look at the next of our 21 Question This time its just one question but one that addresses the most basic human instinct. But is it also a basic Divine instinct? Mormonism historically has said unequivocally, Yes! As before, we will look at the questions (Q) and answers (A) with comments (C) and quotes (Qu.) Q: Does the Mormon Church believe that God and Mary had

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-46417795551715158032010-10-07T22:02:00.001+01:002010-10-07T22:02:16.541+01:00

We have talked about the much vaunted “open canon” of Mormon Scripture and found it to be a fiction, discovered that, in the absence of official leading, amateur apologists are forming Mormon thinking. Last time we saw that the typical Mormon apologetic is not so much an exposition of Mormon teaching as refutation of Mormon critics. Now we turn to the fact that Mormonism does not produce the

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-80927330567955039862010-10-06T22:27:00.001+01:002010-10-06T22:27:20.979+01:00

  A recent religious literacy poll done by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life shows that Mormons know more about the Bible and general religion than Catholics, Jews, and Protestant Christians. (See “Survey: LDS know more about the Bible than other Christians,” The Salt Lake Tribune, Sept. 29, 2010, p. A4.) Over on the Mormon Coffee blog Eric Johnson of MRM gives a

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-35297600658731216562010-10-04T11:49:00.001+01:002010-10-04T11:49:43.913+01:00

Another Monday Mormon, another weekend slipped by too fast – I hope yours went well - and another look at our 21 Questions As before, we will look at the questions (Q) and answers (A) with comments (C) and quotes (Qu.) This time two question to deal with and, again, we find the Mormon Church giving a pro forma answer to both; answers that don’t really explain anything. The information is there

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-35753102678916513162010-10-02T16:46:00.001+01:002010-10-03T16:44:14.883+01:00

Last time we discovered that the much vaunted “open canon” of Mormon Scripture is a fiction. Nothing has been added to the corpus of Mormon “revelation” for almost 100 years. We have seen that, in the absence of defining and directive leadership, Mormons are increasingly looking to Para-church organisations to help them develop a Mormon apologetic. The facility to quote the revelations of Joseph

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-60553938422298137502010-09-30T12:23:00.000+01:002010-09-30T12:24:09.965+01:00

We have looked at the Mormon kingdom “Behind the Zion Curtain” and seen that the political, social and historical issues preoccupying Mormons there are not the key issues “Beyond the Zion Curtain.” We have looked at some ground rules that help us focus on those issues that do matter as we compare Mormonism and biblical Christianity. We have also looked at the Mormon attitude to Scripture. Now

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-34669842080110908792010-09-27T10:09:00.000+01:002010-09-28T16:41:15.184+01:00

Its Monday Mormon again, at least it is where I am, and I am sure it will have been, or indeed soon will be, where you are. Aren’t time zones fascinating? We continue to ask some of the 21 questions, indeed this time we deal with three on the same subject – Jesus. The Mormon Church has responded to all three with the same, rather brusque and less than candid answer so lets see if we can squeeze

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-32545541301707231792010-09-25T22:22:00.001+01:002010-09-25T22:22:05.876+01:00

We started this series looking at the Mormon kingdom “Behind the Zion Curtain” and went on to see that the political, social and historical issues preoccupying Mormons there are not the key issues “Beyond the Zion Curtain.” Last time we looked at some basic ground rules that help us focus on those issues that do matter as we compare Mormonism and biblical Christianity. The Mormon doesn’t value

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-11350968163318104322010-09-22T21:42:00.001+01:002010-09-22T21:42:40.023+01:00

We have seen that, despite the inflated ambitions of early Mormonism, the Mormon kingdom is confined to the American Mid-West. We have found that many of the issues, historical, social and political that are bound to preoccupy those ministering “behind the Zion curtain” needn’t concern those meeting and witnessing to Mormons in the wider world. What should concern us? What should be our

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-58200909439321267752010-09-20T12:33:00.001+01:002010-12-20T16:26:08.231Z

In a previous post we saw how politically involved Mormons are in the United States and that a Mormon, Mitt Romney, ran for president in the 2008 elections and will run again in 2012. In the midst of the publicity storm surrounding Mormonism at that time FOX News, at the end of 2007, compiled a list of 21 questions to put to The Mormon Church. I have used these before on my other blog as a

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-32243945630888988152010-09-18T21:04:00.005+01:002010-09-19T22:08:36.911+01:00

Previously we looked at the extent and reach of the Mormon kingdom and found it concentrated in the American Mid-West. People who minister in that kingdom, based in and around the American Rockies, sometimes think of themselves as working “behind the Zion curtain” where the Mormon population can be as high as almost 70%. But we ended by asking what about the rest of America, where the Mormon

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-84853484483985055372010-09-15T11:56:00.037+01:002010-09-27T21:14:11.821+01:00

In May 1844 Joseph Smith declared that he was establishing a kingdom “that will revolutionise the whole world.” (History of the Church, p.365) John Taylor, third president of the Mormon Church stated in 1865, “We do believe it and honestly acknowledge that this is that kingdom which the Lord has commenced to establish upon the earth, and that will not only govern all people in a religious

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-21196998489088390852010-08-21T22:38:00.001+01:002010-08-21T23:20:34.927+01:00

Years ago I held a job selling encyclopaedias (yes that encyclopaedia). Of course we didn’t carry all 32 volumes around, instead having samples from each main section bound into one volume. When I began with the firm I had to do a residential course to learn the benefits and features of the product at a sort of Merchandise Training Centre (MTC). We learned a script that told the story of the

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-55322231989155895652010-08-12T21:29:00.001+01:002010-08-12T21:29:34.902+01:00

The Mormons are rebranding – again. If a commercial enterprise ever felt the need to rebrand as much as the Mormons their stock would surely fall and investors would ask what was wrong. This is an article by Joanna Brooks, a writer with Religious Despatches and a Mormon putting a positive spin on this latest incarnation of Mormonism. It revolves around the new mormon.org website which features “

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-13974399131695532212010-08-06T21:32:00.001+01:002010-08-06T21:32:49.694+01:00

Holmes handed his visiting card to the aristocrat who looked at it, disdainfully observing the address, “Baker Street...221...B. Hardly an address to inspire confidence.” Sherlock Holmes replied, “My Lord, I have more than enough confidence in myself. I do not need to inspire it in others.” It’s one of my favourite exchanges from the Jeremy Brett television series’ of the Sherlock Holmes

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-57394610314048693602010-07-29T00:16:00.001+01:002010-07-29T00:16:15.379+01:00

One of the things I find irritating is the way people assume my opinions are informed entirely by my religion. If I don’t do something, like smoke, or drink, or if I subscribe to particular ideas people tend to say, “Oh, is that against your religion?” Of course, my faith informs my worldview enormously and that, in turn feeds into my view on any single issue, but there are things I consider

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-38275582970352076792010-07-20T20:22:00.001+01:002010-07-20T20:22:50.691+01:00

In an article in the July, 9th 2010 edition of the Financial Times comment editor James Crabtree considers the rising generation of Mormons making major contributions to the business and political elite of America and writes, “The last century saw a Mormon conquest in America. During our lifetimes, we may see the rest of the world follow, too.” He points out that while the most famous Mormon

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-53004406502247266102010-07-13T16:30:00.001+01:002010-07-13T16:30:28.516+01:00

Well, it had to happen eventually so here is my policy on posting comments to this blog. Its not that many people are rude but enough come along who think this is their playground and their ball and insist on playing it their way. I hope this isn’t restrictive in any way and that it helps us focus on issues.   This blog addresses vital issues of faith and especially scrutinises Mormonism from

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-7199827081698922882010-06-22T16:43:00.001+01:002010-06-22T16:43:28.338+01:00

The Mormon religion is consistently, and correctly, accused of violating the injunction of Jesus in Revelation 22:18-19: “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: ‘If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to them the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-61311715403533340232010-05-10T22:07:00.001+01:002010-07-18T18:31:44.535+01:00

Note: I have edited and expanded with illustrations and quotes the section on Creeds and Councils and highlighted the edited section.   In a recent conversation a Mormon stated, “Mormons are First Century Christians, not Fourth Century Creedal Christians.” It is a familiar enough claim and something we increasingly hear from Mormons who follow and delight in what passes for apologetics and

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-19713796816693448562010-05-05T23:21:00.001+01:002010-05-05T23:21:14.803+01:00

The Book of Mormon remains the foundation of Mormon faith and its authenticity still the fundamental test of Mormon claims for their religion. Mormon belief in the Book of Mormon is all the more remarkable given that it is purported to be an historical record but there is not a scrap of evidence to support that claim. The way Mormons get around this is to play on the popular but erroneous belief

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-7421896668220356512010-05-04T00:06:00.001+01:002010-05-04T00:06:46.947+01:00

Something discouragingly familiar has been happening in the Mormon Church in relation to the question of DNA and the Book of Mormon. The traditional Mormon claim is that today’s Native Americans are descendents of the people in the Book of Mormon, who were, in turn, descended from Israelites who migrated to American in 600BC. When, in 2004, anthropologist Thomas Murphy and geneticist Simon

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-35743325540007555412010-04-21T22:52:00.001+01:002010-04-21T22:52:16.373+01:00

This peculiar teaching from early Mormonism is referred to today by Mormons as the Adam/God theory as if it is some vague idea that is easily misunderstood and maliciously misrepresented by opponents of the Mormon Church. It was, however, a doctrine of the church for many years and taught by more than one "prophet". The key to understanding this doctrine is to understand the confusing nature of

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-81927498510257458952010-04-13T23:26:00.001+01:002010-04-13T23:26:03.639+01:00

Seminal – Pertaining to, or of the nature of, the germinating principle The Mormon Church claims to be Restored Christianity and a growing number of people are beginning to think of Mormonism as a legitimate Christian denomination. And yet the seminal events, the germinating principles of the Mormon Church are rooted firmly on the American continent and in the life of Joseph Smith and not, as

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-15870656717973976992010-04-05T21:06:00.001+01:002010-04-05T21:06:02.685+01:00

Its a no brainer really. In the Internet world no one goes looking for “The Church of yada, yada, yada yada.” So, if Mormons go on styling themselves “The Church of yada, yada, yada yada” they will simply disappear from the ether – no bad thing in my view. But we don’t get rid of them that easily. What I want to know is what are they going to find to whine and lecture us about now that they can

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-12733288425220414442010-04-01T23:52:00.001+01:002010-04-01T23:52:58.459+01:00

In my first study we looked at the questionable apostolic claims of Mormon leaders and the way Mormonism demotes Jesus to the status of “a God” in a pantheon. In the last study we looked at who Mormons look to for Salvation – Joseph Smith or Jesus Christ. In this third and final study we look at the Mormon denial of the full efficacy of the Cross and ask whether Mormons are truly Christians, as

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-56658814348865350602010-03-30T21:32:00.001+01:002010-03-30T21:32:55.710+01:00

Last time we looked at the questionable apostolic claims of Mormon leaders and the way Mormonism demotes Jesus to the status of “a God” in a pantheon. This time we test the Mormon way of salvation and compare it with what the Bible teaches and discover the true focus of the Mormon message. Jesus declared "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-17382004839604235232010-03-27T19:51:00.001Z2010-03-27T19:52:32.820Z

This reproduces in three parts an article I wrote in response to a special feature in the April 2001 Mormon Ensign magazine containing the text from a video presentation, Special Witnesses of Christ, broadcast by the leaders of the Mormon Church during their annual convention. The text can be found in the online edition of the April Ensign. From carefully selected locations Mormon leaders spoke

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-18623590886623689182010-03-21T16:26:00.001Z2010-03-21T16:26:53.693Z

In 1969 Spencer W. Kimball published a book entitled "The Miracle of Forgiveness". This book became a classic within the Mormon Church. At the time he was an apostle, one of the Council of the Twelve, second only in authority within the Church to the First Presidency. In 1973 he became President of the Mormon Church, until his death in 1985. This man spoke with authority, and his book has

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-73832162225397177032010-03-16T12:21:00.001Z2010-03-16T12:21:46.478Z

Anyone who has taken “the discussions” (they are now called lessons) with Mormon Missionaries will have met the challenge of the Book of Mormon; “Will you pray about this book and ask God if it is true?” They will have heard Moroni’s promise, “ … 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

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-21299436757403152842010-03-12T20:45:00.001Z2010-03-12T20:45:11.406Z

The April 2002 Ensign magazine of the Mormon Church carried a small piece in which a bishop told of the insight he gained into the depth of the Saviour’s love (p.19). It struck me as an eloquent illustration of the subtlety of Mormon deception. It is a moving story of a man bravely bearing the weight of responsibility for his erring flock but who is aware of his own shortcomings. Reflecting on

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7930865742356228543.post-86962354804150765402010-03-09T23:50:00.001Z2010-03-09T23:53:23.661Z

People sometimes object when I insist on challenging the claim that Mormons are Christians. Mormons object most vociferously. So let me begin by repeating what has been said so often before, that when I declare Mormons are not Christians I am in no way implying that they are not "good people", or "nice to know", which is the way the world defines "Christian". There are many "good people" in

Mike Teahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14505904110015305223noreply@blogger.com0