Today I read an article in the Deseret News of a newly published book called “52 Life Changing Questions from the Book of Mormon” written by BYU Professor Brad Wilcox and John Hilton III, an institute teacher for the LDS Church.
The article said Mr. Hilton “was awakened six or seven years ago by a curiosity to know how many questions existed in the Book of Mormon… He discovered there are 543 questions in the Book of Mormon.”
I like things like this and go out of my way searching for the answers about God in the Bible or questions I have about Mormonism in the Book of Mormon. I’ve always found that I can learn a lot by looking up each time a subject or word is listed as I dig deep to learn more about the Lord.
This particular story caught my attention for that reason so I’d like to publicly ask these two gentlemen and all Mormons a few questions of my own. First of all Mr. Wilcox said;
“As you see people struggling to maintain faith, I think these questions become more important than ever,”…. “These aren’t just questions from hundreds of years ago, these are questions people are asking now. That’s the power of the Book of Mormon, it was written for our day.”
I find it really sad anyone is struggling to maintain faith. I’ve found that with the Mormon people this is truer than ever before since I’ve been in ministry. It saddens me deeply to see the pain people go through as they discover the lies that the Church continues to harbor and propagate about the Lord and even their own history. This brings me to another question I have.
Mr. Wilcox said the Book of Mormon “was written for our day” so I’m wondering how it can fill such a monumental role when the Church maintains the Bible can’t.
When I read that comment from him in the Deseret News my mind immediately went to something said by Mormon Apostle Orson Hyde;
Journal of Discourses 2:75-76; “The words contained in this Bible are merely a history of what is gone by; it was never given to guide the servant of God in the course he should pursue, any more than the words and commandments of God, given to a generation under one set of circumstances, would serve for another generation under another set of circumstances…The Bible is not a sufficient guide; it is only the history of the people who lived 1800 years ago. The history of our Church in this day, presents the scenes and transactions of this people—the revelations and words of God to them…” – Orson Hyde, Salt Lake City, October 6, 1854
So are the words of Mormon, Alma or Moroni only for their time or for the time in the nineteenth century? Can the words from the Book of Mormon truly be for Mormons today and if so how? If the Bible’s words can’t serve Mormons today then how can the BoM, when in fact much of what’s found in the BoM is actually plagiarized from the Bible?
Finally and most importantly what about God and what He said?
1 Peter 1:25; “But the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”
Does God’s word last forever in your eyes? If not, why not?
Exactly what happened to nullify the statement made by Peter two thousand years ago?
Who changed it and when?
What did it say originally and where can we find what it should say?
If you’re LDS, please know that we’re praying for you and we do mean that with all sincerity. I don’t do this to bash or ridicule the Mormon people as I haven’t the time, strength nor desire to engage in such a thing. I remember very well what it was like being LDS and didn’t appreciate anyone who patronized me for my faith.
I also know that while it angered me anyone would question the Church, I knew inside the Church’s theology wasn’t found anywhere in the Bible.
We hope to hear from you!
With Love in Christ;
Michelle
1 Cor 1:18
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