PROBLEMS WITH
THE MORMON/LDS SCRIPTURES
Do
Contradictions Exist
By Eric V. Snow
Here, listed below, are potential
contradictions in the LDS scriptures that would need explaining:
Ive chosen to limit myself to the
revelations of Joseph Smith and others found in the Standard Works.
1.
Was polygamy condemned in the Old Testament period by God?
Jacob 2:24, 27-28 says it was: Behold, David and Solomon truly had many
wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord. . .
. Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have
save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none. For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity
of women. And whoredoms are an
abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts.
Doctrine and Covenants 132:37-39 says it
wasnt: Abraham
received concubines, and they bore him children; and it was accounted unto him
for righteousness, because they given unto him . . . David also received many
wives and concubines, land also Solomon and Moses my servants, as also many
others of my servants, from the beginning of creation until this time; and in
nothing did they sin save in those things which they received not of me. Davids wives and concubines were given unto
him of me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant . . .
2.
Is polygamy permitted today for New Testament Christians by God?
Doctrine and Covenants 132:51 says it
was: Verily, I say
unto you: A commandment I give unto
mine handmaid, Emma Smith, your wife, whom I have given unto you, that she stay
herself and partake not of that which I commanded you to offer unto her . . .
And let mine handmaid, Emma Smith, receive all those that have been given unto
my servant Joseph, and who are virtuous and pure before me; . . . And again, as
pertaining to the law of the priesthood--if any man espouse a virgin, and
desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse
the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then is he
justified; he cannot commit adultery for they are given unto him; for he cannot
commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else. And if he have ten virgins given unto him by
this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given
unto him; therefore is he justified.
Wilford Woodruffs Official
Declaration 1 says it isnt: I, therefore, as President of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
do hereby, in the most solemn manner, declare that these charges are
false. We are not teaching polygamy or
plural marriage, nor permitting any person to enter into its practice, and I
deny that either forty or any other number of plural marriages have during that
period been solemnized in our Temples or in any other place in the [Utah]
Territory. . . . There is nothing in my
teachings to the Church or in those of my associates, during the time
specified, which can reasonable construed to inculcate or encourage polygamy;
and when any Elder of the Church has used language which appeared to convey any
such teaching, he has been promptly reproved.
And I now publicly declare that my advice to the Latter-day Saints is to
refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by the law of the land.
3.
Is God a Spirit Being?
John 4:24 says He is: God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him
in spirit and in truth.
I Corinthians 15:45 agrees: And so it is written, The first man Adam
was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
Alma 18:24-29 agrees also: And Ammon began to speak unto him with
boldness, and said unto him: Believest
thou that there is a God And he answered,
and said unto him: I do not know what
that meaneth. And then Ammon said: Believeth thou that there is a Great Spirit And he said, Yea. And Ammon said: This is
God. And Ammon said unto him again: Believest thou that this Great Spirit, who
is God, created all things which are in heaven and in the earth And he said: Yea, I believe that he created all things which are in the earth
. . .
Doctrine and Covenants 130:22 says He isnt: the Father has a body of flesh and bones
as tangible as mans; the Son also . . .
4.
Are angels made out of spirit or
flesh?
Hebrews 1:7 says they are made out of
spirit: And
of the angles he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a
flame of fire.
Doctrine and Covenants 129:1-2 says they
are made out of flesh: there
are two kinds of beings in heaven, namely:
Angels, who are resurrected personages, having bodies of flesh and
bones--For instance, Jesus said: Handle
me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
5.
Were people with dark skin cursed by God?
Moses 7:8 says yes: For behold, the Lord shall curse the land
with much heat, and the barrenness thereof shall go forth forever; and there
was a blackness came upon all the children of Canaan, that they were despised
among all people.
2 Nephi 5:21-23 agrees: And he caused the cursing to come upon
them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts
against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were
white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing
unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them. .
. . And cursed shall be the seed of him that mixeth with their seed; for they
shall be cured even with the same cursing.
And the Lord spake it, and it was done.
Alma 3:6 agrees also: And the skins of the Lamanites were dark,
according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon
them because of their transgression and their rebellion against their brethren,
who consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Same, who were just and holy
men.
3 Nephi 2:14-15: And it came to pass that those Lamanites
who had united with the Nephites were numbered among the Nephites; And their curse was taken from them, and
their skin became white like unto the Nephites . . .
Official Declaration 2 says no by
implication: Accordingly,
all worthy male members of the Church may be ordained to the priesthood without
regard for race or color.
Jacob 3:9 implies no also: Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you,
which is the word of God, that ye revile no more against them because of the
darkness of their skins; neither shall ye revile against them because of their
filthiness; but ye shall remember your own filthiness, and remember that their
filthiness came because of their fathers.
6.
Is God one?
James 2:19 says yes: thou believest that there is one God: thou
doest well: the devils also believe,
and tremble.
Deuteronomy 6:4 agrees: Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!
Gal. 3:20 also agrees: Now a mediator is not a mediator of one,
but God is one.
Isaiah 44:6, 8: thus saith the Lord the King of Israel,
and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; Iam
the first, and Iam the last; and beside me there is no God. . . . ye are even
my witnesses. Is there a God beside me
yea, there is no God; I know not any.
Isaiah 45:5, 21-22: I am the Lord, and there is none else,
there is no God beside me: I girded
thee, though thou has not known me: . . . have not I the Lord And there is no God else beside me; a just
God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
I Kings 8:60: that all the people of the earth may know
that the Lord is God, and that there is none else.
II Sam. 7:22: Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is
there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with out ears.
3 Nephi 11:27: And after this manner shall ye baptize in
my name; for behold, verily I say unto you, that the Father, and the Son, and
the Holy Ghost are one; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the
Father and I are one.
3 Nephi 11:36: And thus will the Father bear record of
me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the
Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one.
Mormon 7:7: . . . to sin ceaseless praises with the
choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which
are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end.
Ether 2:8: . . . should serve him, the true and only
God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon
them.
Alma 33:1: Now after Alma had spoken these words,
they sent forth unto him desiring to know whether they should believe in one
God . . .
Mosiah 15:5: And thus the flesh become subject to the
Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation . . .
Doctrine and Covenants 132:19-20 says no: . . . and they shall pass by the angels,
and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things,
as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a
continuation of the seeds forever and ever.
Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they
be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be
above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the
angels are subject unto them.
Doctrine and Covenants 132:37 agrees: . . . they have entered into their
exaltation, according to the promises, and sit upon thrones, and are not angels
but are gods.
Abraham 4:1-7 is clearly polytheistic: And then the Lord said: Let us go down. And they went down at the beginning, and they, that is the Gods,
organized and formed the heavens and the earth. . . . the Spirit of the God was
brooding upon the face of the waters.
And they (the Gods) said: Let
there be light: and there was light.
And they (the Gods) comprehended the light, for it was bright; and they
divided the light, or caused it to be divided, from the darkness. And the Gods called the light Day, and the
darkness they called Night. . . .And the Gods also said: Let there be an expanse in the midst of the
waters, and it shall divided the waters from the waters. And the Gods ordered the expanse, so that it
divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were
above the expanse; and it was so, even as they ordered.
7.
Can God change?
Malachi 3:6 says no: For I am the Lord, I change not;
therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Hebrews 13:8 agrees: Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to
day, and for ever.
Moroni 8:18 agrees also: For I know that God is not a partial God,
neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all
eternity.
Doctrine and Covenants 20:17: By these things we know that there is a
God in heaven, who is infinite and eternal, from everlasting to everlasting the
same unchangeable God, the framer of heaven and earth, and all things which are
in them;
Yet, traditional Mormon theology says God
was once a man. This is implied by
Moses 7:35: Behold,
I am God; Man of Holiness is my name; Man of Counsel is my name; and Endless
and Eternal is my name, also.
8.
Are the dead conscious in heaven or hell?
Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, 10 says no: For the living know that they shall
die: but the dead know not any thing,
neither have they any more a reward for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their
envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any
thing that is done under the sun. . . . Whatsoever they hand findeth to do, do
it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom,
in the grave, whither thou goest.
Psalms 146:4 agrees: His breath goeth forth, he returneth to
his earth; in that very day his thoughts [or plans
admittedly] perish.
John 3:13: And no man hath ascended up to heaven,
but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man . . .
Acts 2:34: For David is not ascended into the
heavens: but he saith himself . . .
Psalm 115:17: the dead praise not the Lord, neither any
that go down into silence.
Alma 40:11-14 says yes: Now, concerning the state of the soul
between death and the resurrection--Behold, it has been made known unto me by
an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this
mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are
taken home to that God who gave them life. And then shall it come to pass, that
the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness,
which is called paradise, a state or rest, a state of peace, where they shall
rest from all their troubles and from all care and sorrow. And then shall it come to pass, that the
spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil--for behold, they have no part nor
portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather
than good; therefore . . . these shall be cast out into outer darkness . . .
Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state
of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon
them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise,
until the time of their resurrection.
Mosiah 2:41 agrees: For behold, they are blessed in all
things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end
they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state
of never ending happiness.
9.
Does God or Christ live within Christians?
John 14:23 says yes: Jesus answered and said unto him, If a
man love me, he will keep my words: and
my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with
him.
Col. 1:27 agrees: Christ in you, the hope of glory;
Rom. 8:9-10 agrees also: But ye are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of
his. And if Christ be in you . . .
II Cor. 13:5: Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; . . . Know ye not
your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except yet be reprobates
Phil. 2:13: For it is God which worketh in you both
to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Alma 34:36: And this I know, because the Lord hath
said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth
he dwell;
Doctrine and Covenants 130:3 disagrees: . . . the idea that the Father and the
Son dwell in a mans heart is an old sectarian notion, and
is false.
10.
Is baptizing little children proper?
Moroni 8:8 says it isnt: Listen to the words of Christ . . .
wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing
sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no
power over them . . . I know that it is solemn mockery before God, that ye
should baptize little children. Behold
I say unto you that this things shall ye teach--repentance and baptism unto
those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents
that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little
children, and they shall all be saved with their little children.
Doctrine and Covenants 68:25-27 says it
is: And again,
inasmuch as parents have children in Zion . . . that teach them not to
understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living
God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the
hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents. . . .
And their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight
years old, and receive the laying on of hands. [While
little children
is a subjective term, does one
seriously think someone eight years old
can have a serious personal conviction of sin]
11.
Did the Fall cause all mankind to become sinners by the doctrine of the
Original Sin?
Mosiah 16:3 says yes: For they are carnal and devilish, and the
devil has power over them; yea, even that old serpent that did beguile our
first parents, which was the cause of their fall; which was the cause of all
mankind becoming carnal, sensual, devilish, knowing evil from good, subjecting
themselves to the devil.
Mosiah 3:19 agrees: For the natural man is an enemy to God,
and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he
yields to the enticing of the Holy Spirit and putteth off the natural man . . .
2 Nephi 2:21 agrees also: For he gave commandment that all men must
repent; for he showed unto all men that they were lost, because of the
transgression of their parents.
Alma 12:22: Now we see that Adam did fall by the
partaking of the forbidden fruit, according to the word of God; and thus we
see, that by his fall, all mankind became a lost and fallen people.
The second Article of Faith disagrees: We believe that men will be punished for
their own sins, and not for Adams transgressions.
Eze. 18:20 also disagrees: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the
father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be
upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
12.
Did God create the universe from nothing, or from pre-existing matter?
Romans 4:17 says the former: [God] calleth those things which be not
as though they were.
Hebrews 11:3 agrees: though faith we understand that the worlds
were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made
of things which do appear.
Doctrine and Covenants 93:33 says the
latter: the
elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a
fulness and joy.
Abraham 3:24 implies the former also: And there stood one among them that was
like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there,
and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these
may dwell.
13.
Will Christians be married after being resurrected?
Luke 20:34-36 says no: And Jesus answering said unto them, The
children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to
obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are
given in marriage: Neither can they die
any more: for they are equal unto the
angles; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.
Doctrine and Covenants 132:19-20 says
yes: And again, verily
I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the
new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of
promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the
keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them--Ye shall come forth in
the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next
resurrection . . . it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my
servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity . . . Then shall
they be gods, because they have no end; therefore they be from everlasting to
everlasting, because they continue . . .`
14.
Must people get saved in this life to avoid eternal condemnation?
Alma 9:24, 27 say yes: And we see that death comes upon mankind,
yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death;
nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent;
therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God;
a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which
is after the resurrection of the dead. . . . But behold, it was not so; but it
was appointed unto men that they must die; and after death, they must come to
judgment, even that same judgment of which we have spoken, which is the end.
Alma 34:31-35 imply yes: Yea, I would that ye would come forth and
harden not your hearts any longer, for behold, now is the time and the day of
your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts,
immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you. For behold, this life is the time for men to
prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to
perform their labors. . . . I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the
day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is
given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while
in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor
performed. . . . For behold, if ye has procrastinated the day of your
repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subject to the spirit of
the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath
withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over
you; and this is the final state of the wicked.
Doctrine and Covenants 128:15, 22 say no: . . . let me assure you that these are
principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed
over, as pertaining to our salvation.
For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul
says concerning the fathers--that they without us cannot be made
perfect--neither can we without our dead be made perfect. . . . Let the dead
speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained,
before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their
prison; for the prisoners shall go free.
15.
TWO SHAKY PROPHECIES OF JOSEPH SMITH ANALYZED
Doctrine and Covenants 87--the
Civil War Prophecy
The problem here is that Joseph Smith in
v. 2 predicted the American Civil War would involve all nations: And the time will come that war will be
poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place. Instead, this war stayed confined to the
U.S. Great Britain did not intervene
(against v. 3), despite being tempted to.
Basically only American died in this war, not those of other nations,
hence, this war [wasnt] poured
out upon all nations.
Further, this war leads up to Second Coming as Joseph Smith saw it
(verses 6-8). A full
end of all nations has not occurred, although this war has
been over for over 130 years.
Pointing to South Carolina as the place
the Civil War would start didnt require the inspiration of God when this
prophecy was given (December 25, 1832).
At that very time the Nullification crisis was raging, in which South
Carolina wanted to nullify the tariff law of 1832 by its own legislative powers
canceling out federal law. November 24,
1832 was when a special convention in South Carolina passed an
Ordinance of Nullification, which was to take effect February 1,
1833. On December 10, 1832, President
Andrew Jackson made a proclamation to the South Carolinians concerning this
crisis, telling them (among other things): Disunion
by armed force is treason. Are
you really ready to incur its guilt
Hence, with this crisis in the air at the same time this prophecy by
Joseph Smith was given, it wouldnt take the inspiration of God to see the
South Carolinians as a bunch of hotheads who might start a civil war, but some
basic political analysis (i.e. human reason).
Doctrine and Covenants 84--the
City and Temple Prophecy
Here it is predicted that within the time
of the generation then living that a city and temple would be built (v.
3) in the western boundaries of the State of
Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom
the Lord was well pleased.
Here it is clearly said it has to be done within the time of the people
then living (v.4-5): verily;
this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the
gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple,
which temple shall be reared in this generation. For verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house
shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall
be even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house. Note also v. 3l: . . . the sons of Aaron shall offer an
acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord, which house shall
be built unto the Lord in this generation, upon the consecrated spot as I have
appointed.
To explain this prophecy away by saying
it can refer to any generation runs into
the problem that various Mormons over the decades since this prophecy was given
still thought it would be fulfilled in their lifetimes, such as Apostles George
Smith, Orson Pratt, Lorenzo Snow, and Joseph Fielding Smith. It wasnt conditionalized upon persecution
occurring, etc., but contains flat statements of prediction.
Deuteronomy 18:21-22: And if thou say in thine heart, How shall
we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing
follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken,
but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously:
thou shalt not be afraid of him.