If not, where is it way off,twisting or misrepresenting Mormon Lds Doctrines? Thank you.
I would like to know what the LDS Mormon faith actually teaches
2007-10-02 09:25:28 · 11 answers · asked by James O 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I find CARM to be unreliable.
I looked up my own religion,Catholic Christianity ,about which i know a good deal, and CARM does not even present primary sources in context when they cite primary sources at all.
i urge everyone to go to primary sources and not to "anti' groups which seem intentionally to distort and misrepresent
2007-10-03 13:40:25 · update #1
Your very question is skewed. You ask if the Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry twists or misrepresents LdS doctrine, and if so, where is it WAY OFF. If it's inaccurate, it's inaccurate.
Before addressing individual items, please note that the book Mormon Doctrine by Bruce R. McConkie was written before McConkie was made an Apostle, and that he published against the direction of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve. Over 1000 doctrinal mistakes were found in the first edition. There are some good entries in the current edition, but watch out for McConkie's own opinions.
3. Bible / 4. Book of Mormon.
The site paraphrases official doctrine to make it appear that we do not trust the Bible. The truth is that there are many translations and interpretations of the Bible out there, so some are better than others. Since the Book of Mormon is a relatively recent publication (1830) not as many translation-related errors have crept in.
5. The Devil
B. weird wording. We believe that all spirits, - including Jesus, Satan, and us - are spirit children of the Father.
6. God
G. We believe that God is the Father of Jesus' physical body. We do not know if God just commanded an embryo to be present in Mary's womb or if there was a sexual act. Besides, even the BIble calls Jesus the Only Begotten.
7. God, becoming a god
A. As children of God, we ALL have the potential to become like Him.
8. Gods, many gods
A. the book Mormon Doctrine is not sufficient a source on its own.
B. Even the creation account in Genesis uses plural when referring to Deity.
12. Heaven
A. Better to cite D&C 76 than the book Mormon Doctrine
14. Jesus
B. Repeat of 5B
E. Rewording of 6G
F. Rewording of 14E and 6G
15. Joseph Smith
A. Through Joseph Smith, Jr, the fullness of the Gospel was restored. Also, Joseph restored the Priesthood which was lost shortly after the Apostolic Age.
16. Pre-existence
Better to reference the Book of Abraham. Compare it to Jeremiah 1:5
17. Prophets
The site leaves off how heavenly communication was also needed in the New Testament.
18. Salvation
B. Repeat of 5C
C. Repeat of 14C
D. "Faith without works is dead" In practice, this means that some ordinances (such as baptism) are required to enter the Celestial Kingdom
I. Depends on how you read that verse. I take it to mean that even after we do everything humanly possible, we still rely on grace for salvation.
2007-10-02 10:06:21 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 9⤊ 0⤋
Mormons are christians, however they're not real popular among "mainstream christians" for various reasons (that I won't go into here).
A site like this (and many others) takes obscure ideas, quotes, or teachings, and acts as though they're front and center when it comes to Mormonism.
That's like saying:
"Christians mainly believe in and support the destruction of all Canaanite's men, women, children, and animals"
It is true that God commanded the children of Israel to kill the Canaanites in this manner, but would you call that a main tenant or summary of Christianity?
There are some truths and some doctrines that are not easy to understand, especially out of context.
The LDS church has 13 "Articles of Faith" or main tenants of their belief:
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/a_of_f/1
In a nutshell they believe that God called prophets to teach his words in Ancient days. These prophets wrote down their words, and their words are scripture.
There were prophets in the Americas who did the same, and we have that book today known as "The Book of Mormon".
After the death of all the apostles, Christ's church disappeared from the world (and slightly later in the America's). In the 1800's God called Joseph Smith to be a prophet and to restore Christ's church on the earth, to bring to light additional ancient scripture, and to continue to teach God's children about his will.
His story and experience can be read here:
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/js_h/1
Mormons believe that Christ is their Saviour and redeemer.
They are not (and cannot be) Polygamists FYI
They believe in the Bible
They believe in the Book of Mormon
They believe that families can be together eternally and emphasize family relationships.
They (should) abstain from alcohol, illegal drugs, smoking, coffee, tea, and immorality.
In general, they are normal, good people that include politicians, businessmen, musicians, athletes, etc.
Feel free to email me if you have any more specific questions.
.......and please ignore all the people trying to spread lies and misunderstandings.
2007-10-03 08:35:28 · answer #2 · answered by Ender 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Have you ever been to an anti-Baptist or anti-Presbyterian website? No, probably. We LDS do not make up things about other faiths where we feel they have gone wrong. It is a weak religion that feels they have to put down others to advance their ideas.
If you want to learn about the Mormons, ask the Mormons. If you want to know about the Buddists, ask a Buddist. Don't run around writing, lying, and bearing false witness against other beliefs.
We believe you should ask God, the Eternal Father, if something is true and He has promised to tell you, if you have real intent and faith in Christ. Don't rely on those filled with hate and economic objectives.
Sit down with the missionaries and ask them your questions. It is only fair...
2007-10-02 14:34:34 · answer #3 · answered by Warren W- a Mormon engineer 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Admittedly, I didn't go to the website, so I don't know what it says... if I want to know what someone or some religion teaches, I go to the source, not other sources. I second, (or 3rd or 4th) those that have told you to go to www.lds.org or www.mormon.org to find out about LDS beliefs.
2007-10-03 12:22:51 · answer #4 · answered by C T 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Many of the things on the list are correct and fairly portrayed. But there are quite a few that are taken out of context.
If you really want to know what the church teaches, I suggest attending. Our General Conference is this weekend. We will be able to hear from our prophets and apostles. I would highly recommend watching it.
2007-10-02 09:54:07 · answer #5 · answered by Senator John McClain 6 · 9⤊ 0⤋
It's pretty much got it...I've only read down for a few paragraphs...but that's pretty much it so far...
But one thing I find interesting is they only show what Mormons believe and then give Book of Mormon examples. but EVERYTHING we believe is backed up 100% by the bible...
2007-10-02 09:32:59 · answer #6 · answered by Love Yahoo!!! is a prince 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is soooooooooooooo way off it would take weeks of typing to correct all it's lies.
Just go to www.mormon.org or www.lds.org to get the purest information on the Internet
D
2007-10-02 09:31:17 · answer #7 · answered by Dionysus 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
The official website for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is lds.org or mormon.org. Don't accept anything less.
2007-10-02 09:30:25 · answer #8 · answered by Guitarpicker 7 · 7⤊ 0⤋
Carm.org is WAAAAAAY off on EVERYTHING. go to www.lds.org or www.mormon.org for lie-free information
2007-10-02 11:52:35 · answer #9 · answered by Captain Galactic 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
go to lds.org or mormon.org
2007-10-02 09:29:06 · answer #10 · answered by plastik punk -Bottom Contributor 6 · 6⤊ 1⤋