To 160th Ave Church of Christ

S.R.: 2 Tim. 2:15

1 Peter 3:15

Defending the Faith

• 1 Peter. 3:15– Know what you believe– Defend what you believe

• Why this is important:– 1 Tim. 6:3 (different gospels)– Matt. 7:15 (wolves in sheep’s clothing

• Defending the Faith– Know what you believe

Defending the Faith

• 1 Peter. 3:15– Know what you believe– Defend what you believe

• Why this is important:– 1 Tim. 6:3 (different gospels)– Matt. 7:15 (wolves in sheep’s clothing)

• Defending the Faith– Know what you believe– Know what others believe

Mormonism

• Mormon: member of any of several denominations that trace their origins to a religion founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805–1844), in the United States in 1830.

-Encyclopedia Britanitca

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. • Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter

Day Saints

Defending the faith against Mormonism

• Objectives of this study:• Who is Joseph Smith?• What documents do the Mormon faith adhere

to?• Summary of the Book of Mormon• A foundational Difference• Overall Arguments

Who is Joseph Smith?

Who is Joseph Smith?

• Smith was born in Sharon, Vermont in 1805.• Claimed to receive various visions while growing up in New

York by the age of 14.• Smith claims that an initial vision of a bright light instructed

him not to join any sects because God was about to restore the ancient gospel.

• 3 years later Smith claimed to receive a vision concerning an angel name Moroni, that led him to a buried book of golden plates containing a record of the book of Mormon.

• Smith claims that on September 22, 1827, He was permitted to take the plates and given miraculous ability to translate them.

Who is Joseph Smith?

• Smith Presumably dictated the translation to Oliver Cowdery and other who wrote it down and was completed in 1829.

• On May 15, 1829, Smith and Cowdery claim to have been visited by an angel (John the Baptist) who conferred upon them the Aaronic priesthood.

• Later they claimed to have been visited by Peter, James, and John who conferred the Melchizadek preisthood and gave them the apostleship.

Who is Joseph Smith?

• That same year he organized the “Church of Christ,” calling it a restoration of the early Christian church. It’s initial headquarters was established in Kirtland, Ohio (1831)

• During the 1930’s, Joseph Smith gained a following and moved west where he intended to build an elaborate temple in Independence, MO. He published more claimed revelations and sent out missionaries during this period.

• Smith encountered much opposition and after a failure to construct his temple at MO, Smith and his followers moved to Nauvoo, IL, where his fame and leaderhsip grew.

Who Was Joseph Smith?

• In 1844, Smith and his followers angered non-Mormons by destroying a newspaper that had criticized Smith's power and practice of polygamy.

• After Smith was imprisoned in Carthage, Illinois, he was killed when a mob stormed the jailhouse (June 27, 1844).

• After Smith’s death, Mormons split into several divisions. • The main group followed Brigham Young as the successor

of Joseph smith and Migrated westward settling in Utah. • The “Reorganized” branch has its headquarters in

Independence, MO.

The Book of Mormon

• the story of two groups of people that supposedly traveled by sea from Bible lands to the Americas. – One group, the Jaredites (dated at about 2500 B.C.),

populated Central America but eventually was destroyed.

– The other group, Jewish descendants of the tribe of Manasseh (with whom most of the Book of Mormon deals), came to South America about 600 B.C. and eventually migrated into Central and North America.

– This latter group was divided into two nations, the Nephites and Lamanites.

The Book of Mormon

• Jesus is supposed to have revealed Himself on the American continent, where He preached the gospel and established Christianity.

• After becoming enemies, in A.D. 385 the Lamanites destroyed the Nephites, who were “cursed” with dark skin and became the ancestors of American Indians.

Doctrines and Covenants

• Part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement.

• Originally published in 1835.• contains revelations on numerous topics, most of

which were dictated by the movement's founder Joseph Smith, supplemented by materials periodically added by each denomination.

• Controversy exists over sections that have been added and subtracted over the years.

Pearl of Great Price

• The first paragraph of the Introductory Note in the LDS edition of the Pearl of Great Price states: "The Pearl of Great Price is a selection of choice materials touching many significant aspects of the faith and doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These items were produced by Joseph Smith Jr. and were published in the Church periodicals of his day."

• The name of the book is derived from the Parable of the Pearl told by Jesus in Matthew chapter 13

Articles of Faith

• a creed composed by Joseph Smith as part of an 1842 letter sent to "Long" John Wentworth, editor of the Chicago Democrat, and first published in the Latter Day Saint newspaper Times and Seasons.

• It is a concise listing of thirteen fundamental doctrines of Mormonism.

• Most Latter Day Saint denominations view the articles as an authoritative statement of basic theology.

The Book of Abraham

• work produced by Joseph Smith that he said was based on Egyptian papyri purchased from a traveling mummy exhibition.

• Joseph Smith claims it was a translation of some ancient records ... purporting to be the writings of Abraham, while he was in Egypt

• Smith's translation of the papyri describes a story of Abraham's early life, including a vision of the cosmos.

• This Scroll Really Does Exist

The Book of Abraham

The Book of Abraham

• The Book of Abraham papyri were thought lost in the 1871 Great Chicago Fire. However, in 1966 several fragments of the papyri were found in the archives of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and in the LDS Church archives.

• Upon examination by professional Mormon and non-Mormon Egyptologists, these fragments were found to bear no resemblance to Smith's interpretation, and were identified as common Egyptian funerary texts, dating to about the first century BC.

A Root/Core Argument:Progressive Revelation

Contradictions with the Bible

Joseph SmithA false prophet

A lack of historical/archaeological

evidence

ContradictionsFrom within

Progressive Revelation

Progressive Revelation:

• John 14:26– “teach you all things”

• 2 Peter 1:3– “All things that pertain to life and godliness”

• 2 Tim. 3:15-7– “equipped for every good work”

• James 1:21– “implanted word which is able to save your souls”

• Jude 3– “Once for all handed down to the saints”

• 1 Cor. 13:8– Prophecy, tongues, and knowledge will cease

Apostolic Succession

• Acts 1:15-26; Another apostle chosen– Fulfillment of scriptures

• Prophecy of Judas• Another to take his office (not to continually fulfill the office)

– Qualifications of Apostles • “seen the resurrected Lord”

– Paul the last apostle• 1 Cor. 15:8

– No successor appointed when apostles were killed• Acts 12:1-2 (James is beheaded)

• The Book of Mormon mocks this teaching (2 Nephi 28:29-30; 29:7-10), claims that parts of the Bible have been lost (1 Nephi 13:29), and needs the additional works of Joseph Smith to be complete (1 Nephi 13:39-41).

• How can these obvious contradictions be reconciled?

“Additional Gospels”

• Many “other gospels”/ “additional teaching” from Christ that are claimed– Pentecostalism– The Papacy– Seventh Day Adventist– Christian Science (Mary Baker Eddy)– Islam (Muhammad)