tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-288086522012-02-16T16:53:02.254-06:00Mormonism - Fact Over Fiction is a blog intended to post the facts of LDS doctrine in order to answer questions of those who oppose the LDS church and its members. These groups usually baring false witness of doctrines that the LDS either do not believe or twist doctrines into unrecognizable forms. All comments are welcome here Pro, Anti and Neutral. Open discussions are held at <b> <A HREF="http://groups.msn.com/MormonChat">MSN Group Mormon Chat</A></b>Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.comBlogger421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-2695535161314145962008-05-04T22:28:00.006-05:002008-05-05T08:40:02.446-05:00

The recent raids on the FLDS church in Texas once again brought the attention of the public back to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at a time when things had begun to quiet down after Mitt Romney dropped out of the presidential race. The fact that journalists and other media figures have sometimes called the members of the FLDS church Mormon has led to confusion, and this in turn

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-14856152369339153632007-12-29T13:31:00.000-06:002007-12-29T13:36:31.220-06:00

I cannot tell you how many times I have received this same question. As well as the kind words that Elder Ballard has mentioned here in this You Tube Video; I would caution those that ask this question to judge the Bible on the same standard from an Athiestic point of view. Can one PROVE without a shadow of doubt that Jesus rose from the dead, and accended to his father. A book unto itself

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-26452822974360613722007-03-12T12:05:00.000-05:002007-03-12T12:10:34.055-05:00

Most people are aware there is a Mormon running for President. I thought this might be a humorous way to look at ourselves while in the public spotlight. Somtimes one needs to reflect inward and laugh with the crowd. Top Ten Reasons to Vote for a Mormon President10) The National Cathedral could be renamed the National Tabernacle. 9) NASA could commission a satellite to "hie to Kolob". 8) The

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-65431594037154337192007-03-04T17:16:00.001-06:002008-05-11T03:47:39.851-05:00

"Doctor" Walter R. Martin was the founder and director of the Christian Research Institute in San Juan Capistrano, California. His books The Maze of Mormonism and The Kingdom of the Cults" have been common sources for sectarian world to turn to when seeking knowledge about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Martin's books appear well documented, and his type of writing was bombastic

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-66253795978549018802007-02-03T22:20:00.000-06:002007-02-03T22:27:26.133-06:00

The above statement is often used by anti-Mormon detractors in an effort to make the LDS Church appear to be a non-Christian sect or cult. But it serves to highlight a significant difference between Bible doctrine and the views of "orthodox Christians." The Bible clearly indicates that God the Father is the father of the spirits of all mankind, and that both Jesus and Lucifer are also among his

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-57939669054924696632007-01-14T21:59:00.000-06:002007-01-14T22:03:54.770-06:00

I will be looking forward to reviewing this for content.Jan 14, 2007 4:35 pm US/MountainPBS Film Aims To Debunk Myths About MormonismSALT LAKE CITY The filmmaker behind a new four-hour documentary about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said she hopes her work will debunk some myths about the Utah-based church. “I hope that most of the stereotypes ideally, all of them will be blown

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-6702503497668391722007-01-02T03:55:00.000-06:002007-01-02T17:37:57.353-06:00

Latter-day Saints emphatically affirm our reliance on the atoning blood of Christ for the remission of sins, as attested to in the bible [Col 1:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 1:7; Rev 7:14] and modern scripture [1 Nephi 12:10; Mosiah 3:7, 11; 4:2; Alma 5:21, 27; 21:9; 24:13; 34:36; Helaman 5:9; Esther 13:10; Moroni 4:1; 5:2; 10:33; D&C 20:40; 27:2; 76:69; Moses 6:62].Even the sacrament prayer for

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-79533014165162059272007-01-01T13:58:00.000-06:002007-01-01T14:44:44.414-06:00

Proponent's of biblical inerrancy often imply that the Dead Sea Scrolls prove that our Bible today has changed very little, even after centuries of recopying. They usually point to the relatively infrequent differences which exist between the Isiah text and Modern Hebrew version of Isaiah. We are also led to believe that the Dead Sea Scrolls prove the accuracy of the entire Old Testament - but

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-67527549481379157292006-12-31T14:56:00.000-06:002006-12-31T15:04:32.271-06:00

Just a simple note to say I wish everyone a happy New Year and may all have a better year than last year. It is my hope that all people of all nations will come closer to Christ and bare witness of his greatness and atoning grace. I continue that thought with my hope that all will be blessed with health and happiness of all that read this and their families and friends. May any financial

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-10635128163879219182006-12-31T14:07:00.000-06:002006-12-31T14:55:32.337-06:00

Some denominations today believe that much of Christianity is observing the wrong day of the week as the Sabbath. They contend that Saturday is the seventh day of the week and should, according to Bible scripture, be observed as the true Sabbath [Ex 16:29-30; 20:8-11; Lev 23:1-3; Deut 5:12-15]. There are several flaws with this assertion:The research of Samuel Walter Gamble, a Methodist minister,

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-13378539258645902322006-12-30T15:44:00.000-06:002006-12-30T20:19:23.198-06:00

In 1 Nephi 13:24-26 we have a claim by Nephi that portions of the gospel were lost.Many scriptures mentioned in the modern Bible either no longer exist or have been altered to the point they are no longer accepted as authoritative. These include:The book of the covenant - Ex 24:4, 7*The book of the wars of the Lord - Num 21:14The manner of the kingdom recorded by Samuel - 1 Sam 10:25*The book of

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-69964497320708679522006-12-28T02:29:00.000-06:002006-12-28T14:40:03.187-06:00

Critics of Joseph Smith sometimes cite Deuteronomy 18:20-22 and state that God's test for a prophet requires 100 percent accuracy in fulfillment of his prophecies or the prophet is a false prophet. D&C 84:2-5 is occasionally used as an example of what they consider to be false prophecy. It is asserted that this prophecy predicated that the New Jerusalem would be built in Joseph Smith's day.

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-45834519069811147142006-12-28T02:18:00.000-06:002006-12-29T15:22:50.896-06:00

For centuries Bible scholars have written volumes documenting the errors, omissions and contradictions found in the Bible after the "plain and precious" parts were removed [1 Nephi 13:26-40]; yet today some are still unaware that errors have crept into the modern biblical texts. These errors may have been introduced inadvertently because of imperfect sight, inattentiveness and copyists, human

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-54155847160989114352006-12-27T09:49:00.001-06:002006-12-27T14:07:34.972-06:00

Detractors of the LDS faith incorrectly assume that every Christian is automatically a member of the priesthood. They cite 1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:4-6 and Hebrews 7:21 as proof texts, asserting that all Christians are now priests and that Christ is the one and only high priest forever. Some claim there is no official priesthood in the New Testament. They ask why we would need official priests

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-52923374553058917202006-12-25T08:40:00.000-06:002006-12-25T09:00:04.728-06:00

As I spend time with my family this Christmas morning I am thinking of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and the wonderful gift he has given us. Coming to Earth and dying for our sins so that we all have the opportunity to accept his gift of salvation. His Virgin Birth a miracle by a pure vessel Mary who was foretold by angles and prophecy. The day of his birth marked by a bright star in

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-43277226255077472702006-11-28T16:26:00.000-06:002006-12-01T11:05:46.134-06:00

It is widely believed by other Christians that God is a spirit essence without shape for form that fills the immensity of space and is everywhere present. This doctrine, which has very little scriptural support, was devised by councils in the early days of apostasy following the death of the apostles and prophets. Most protestant scholars today refuse to base any doctrine on only one scripture,

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-71798132081614795922006-11-25T16:17:00.000-06:002006-11-25T17:55:56.355-06:00

Jacob, the Old Testament prophet, equated the "house of God" to "the gate of heaven". [Gen 28:17] Modern revelation affirms that in a very real sense, the highest kingdom of heaven can only be obtained through the ordinances of the temple. [D & C 131:1-2] Although most Christians today recognize the importance of the temple to ancient Israel, they seem to ignore references to temple worship in

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1160350885399885232006-10-08T18:17:00.000-05:002006-10-09T11:02:19.623-05:00

Detractors of the LDS faith have always attacked the first vision of Joseph Smith. One such question asked is "How can Latter-day Saints accept Joseph Smith as a prophet when he received the Book of Mormon from an unknown and possibly false spirit?2 Corinthians 11:13-15 states: "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1160343498558645112006-10-08T16:38:00.000-05:002006-10-08T16:38:19.780-05:00

LDS Stake Growth 1830-2004Can anyone really deny the growth of the LDS Church? One just needs to look at the last 25 years to understand the work has increased and the numbers are rising.

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1160238246660130972006-10-07T11:07:00.000-05:002006-11-28T16:23:53.740-06:00

Some Protestants believe that the foundation of the church spoken of in Ephesians 2:20 was meant to be laid only once and was not intended to last any longer than the original apostles. One detractor of the LDS faith asked, How many foundations can a house have?" The answer to this is clear to those who truely understand the extent to which the apostasy destroyed the original Church.Just as

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1157579277375888762006-09-06T16:46:00.000-05:002006-09-13T16:41:45.633-05:00

Detractors of the LDS faith often cite Psalms 82:6 and John 10:34-35 and attempt to rationalize these teachings. Typical of this is the "ye are gods" passage found in Psalms 82:6 and cited by Jesus Christ in John 10:34-35. The usual rationalized explanation is that Psalms 82 refers to Israelite judge who by virtue of their position represent God and are therefore referred to as gods in a

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1157350130466712802006-09-04T01:08:00.000-05:002006-09-09T02:52:45.626-05:00

Something for Latter-day Saints to remember.

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1157128249459580592006-09-01T11:28:00.000-05:002006-09-03T16:54:46.456-05:00

Most modern scholars admit that the biblical conception of God presuppose his human form, or more correctly stated, man’s divine form. Eugene Search has observed:In the Old Testament, the Israelites likewise “conceived even with Jahweh himself as having human form”. [Gerhard Von Rad, Theology of the Old Testament, 1:145]. For This reason, “a doctrine of God as spirit in the philosophical sense

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1156894767191154322006-08-29T18:11:00.000-05:002006-08-29T18:52:06.826-05:00

We believe, as was taught by Joseph Smith, that "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sites enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the viel were rent today, and the great God who hold this world in its orbit, and who upholds all the worlds and all things by his power, was to make himself visible, I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1156621696066123232006-08-26T14:47:00.000-05:002006-08-29T10:36:18.113-05:00

Those outside the LDS Church contend that the LDS belief that there are three Gods in the Godhead makes us polythiests. Though dictionaries "basing defintions on term defintions devised by many years ago in theological seminaries", generally define polytheism as a belief in the extistence of more than one god. As a LDS Member I refuse to accept this description of our religious beliefs based on

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1156217083388156022006-08-21T21:28:00.000-05:002006-09-08T10:52:30.340-05:00

The first vision of Joseph Smith represents to Latter-daySaints the beginning of the revelation of God to man in the final dispensation. Knowledge pertaining to the nature of God - his character, personality, divine attributes, powers, and purposes - have been known to latter-day prophets, and some of the knowledge obviously stands in contrast to what many in the Christian world would believe

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1155424732678486612006-08-12T18:03:00.000-05:002006-08-12T18:18:52.693-05:00

wer62 Does the New Testament define Christianity? Several leading anti Mormons cite as their mandate against the LDS Church Jude 3-4 which states:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 4 For there are certain

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com97tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1155241685852150832006-08-10T15:25:00.000-05:002006-08-12T18:03:36.166-05:00

Detractors of the LDS faith in their quest to attempt to prove Mormonism false have sought creative ways to attack the Church and its doctrine. One such area that these detractors attempt to attack is the eleven witnesses of the Gold plates. They question the testimony of the witnesses because the record was shown unto us by the power of God and angle came down from Heaven and laid before our

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1155080076782327252006-08-08T17:04:00.000-05:002006-08-08T20:07:29.156-05:00

No original sources verifying this have been found of which I am aware. There however is an 1881 jounal entry, published in 1892 by Oliver B Huntington who claimed Joseph Smith said there were moonmen. Oliver Huntington would have been about 10 or 11 years old at that time if he had heard it from Joseph Smith directly. Indications are that Oliver Huntington heard this claim secondhand at

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1154295202022992962006-07-30T16:08:00.000-05:002006-08-09T14:06:47.076-05:00

by Wer62Writers past current have practiced the art of creating the "straw man's argument". This type of argument is done in hopes that the reciepiant of the message will be confused and unable to respond or in extreme cases even come over to that persons way of thinking based on a false premise.The straw man argument seems to be mandatory in attacks against the LDS Church. The Adam God Doctrine

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1153701847456446492006-07-23T19:21:00.000-05:002006-07-23T19:49:38.473-05:00

I believe in taking opportunities to teach where possible. Rick, the person I helped when attacked, does not believe I was an example of a good Samaritan based on Acts 17:11. Acts 17:11 merely states that we should search the scriptures daily. I did this to Rick's plight and came up with the Good Samaritan parable. While Rick did not reason beyond Acts 17:11 I would like to take this opportunity

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com71tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1153448926202072952006-07-20T21:12:00.000-05:002006-07-20T22:48:32.710-05:00

by Wer62 (Ed)Introduction:It is a sad state of affairs when people attack others for their religious beliefs. I do not understand people who attack other people for having a differing opinion by derailing message threads instead of taking the opportunities to teach what you believe. Those that read this site and Rick Beaudin's site may be aware of some attacks against Rick and his beliefs. As

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1152402791048012872006-07-08T17:19:00.000-05:002006-07-18T23:48:34.610-05:00

The problem with the conspiracy theories concerning the LDS Church is that the detractors of the LDS faith do not accept history unless it fits their preconceptions. An honest reading the Bible, the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price and Doctrine and Covenants as well as LDS Church history reveals there was no effort to cover up anything. For example, if I had been writing the Bible I might

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1151878714118306892006-07-02T16:57:00.000-05:002006-07-29T15:36:38.466-05:00

by Wer62It has been posed by detrators of the LDS faith that the LDS membership worships Joesph Smith. One such detractor asked made the following statement and asked a question:The year 2005 is the 200th anniversary of the LDS Prophet Joseph Smith's birth. Latter-day Saints are using this anniversary year to honor their Prophet in special ways; but, according to the Chicago Tribune, this

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1151284185129321022006-06-25T20:06:00.000-05:002006-06-25T20:09:45.130-05:00

The claim made by detractors of the LDS faith states the following:A false prophesy exists in 1 Nephi 19:10. It predicts the crucifixion of Jesus and the three days of darkness that would follow His death. According to Luke 23:44, there were three hours of darkness.Detractors to the LDS faith have always come up with inventive ways to attempt to destroy the faith of others. This claim is no

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1151278235458439092006-06-25T18:24:00.000-05:002006-06-25T20:03:56.913-05:00

An LDS Reply to those who seek to shake the faith of others:Written by Wer62Evangelical religious groups often times will hunt for hard questions for LDS members to answer in order to shake the faith of those who may not be as secure as others. One such question was posed based on Spencer W. Kimballs book "Miracle of Forgiveness"A central teaching in the LDS Church is that forgiveness from God is

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1151275448779578992006-06-25T17:41:00.000-05:002006-09-07T04:31:00.116-05:00

An LDS perspective to Faith and Works and their Role in Salvation!by Wer62Many detractors of the LDS faith state without hesitation that the LDS teach that works save us. In response to their claim I would state that those individuals have not spent much time reading the Gospel Principals Manual. The Manual clearly states the role of works in which all Christian religions practice even if it is

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1150166359924147462006-06-12T20:54:00.000-05:002006-06-21T04:32:15.170-05:00

The Bible is the most misused and misunderstood book ever written. It has been used to justify all manner of impropriety, wickedness, and falsehood. Every spiritual fraud ever prepetrated in the history of Judaism or Christianity has claimed support from the Bible. On the authority of the Bible the Jews crucified Christ, stoned Stephen, and imprisoned and beat the Apostles. With the Bible as

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1149443020847459412006-06-04T12:42:00.000-05:002006-08-09T13:59:55.343-05:00

What is Considered LDS Doctrine by Wer62 (Ed)Often times when confronted with those who oppose the LDS faith system people will quote the Journal of Discourses in order to prove a point not understanding what the Journal of Discourses represents or who published it. So what constitutes genuine Mormon Doctrine? What is the LDS equiveaient of "nihil obstat" and "imprimatur"? What do Latter Day

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1149412547199462692006-06-04T03:52:00.000-05:002006-06-04T04:15:47.230-05:00

As I go through and makes posts on Mormonism - Fact Over Fiction I will attempt to classify the type of fiction the authors against Mormonism have used in order to justify their position. Often times by attacking a doctrinal point or comment the authors are stating that the LDS Church is not a Christian Religion and certainly not one authorized by God. This in effect attempt to exclude the LDS

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1148741383088395852006-05-27T09:38:00.000-05:002006-05-27T10:10:36.393-05:00

Discerning Fact from Fiction can be an overwhelming task. It is important before spreading stories that we have all the facts. All too many times people jump in with blinders on seeing only what supports what they believe. This is true for the LDS membership as well as other Christian groups that oppose the LDS Church. There are all kinds of people in the world. Those who are optimists,

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28808652.post-1148681725004254952006-05-26T17:07:00.000-05:002006-09-07T04:15:20.253-05:00

Mormonism - Fact over Fiction by Wer62I started this site simply because there is a lot of mis-information concerning the LDS and their beliefs. I will be writing articles to hopefully help some understand and give others food for thought, while also providing a target for those who want to contend. I converted to Mormonism from being a Southern Baptist. I found that the truth is a balance of

Wer62http://www.blogger.com/profile/17646517190835878864noreply@blogger.com12