Today, in honor of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, we started a 2 week mini series on Martin Luther. We watched parts 1-3 of Martin Luther the Man:
Here is the note-taking form I handed out before the video:
Martin Luther
Part 1 His Early Life (13 minutes 17 seconds)
The late medieval church was very powerful
No social security in those days, your social security policy was your s________
Luther’s dad wanted him to be a l___________
Luther’s concept of God was influenced by the fact that his father was so strict and he wasn’t sure he l____________ his father at that point (after getting disciplined)
Church’s slogan at that time – do what is i___ y________ and God will not refuse you grace.
If you fail, confession – priest will give you something to do to satisfy the penalty (penance)
If you don’t do enough penance to cover all the sin, the answer was time in p___________
You’re the one earning the f____________, you’re the one paying the price
When studying at university, he found a copy of the B_______________ in the library
It was understood that laymen needed Church’s help to understand/interpret the Bible
Several incidents in Luther’s life caused him to develop a fear of d_______________.
July 2nd 1505, Luther caught in thunderstorm – he cries out “Saint Anne, help me and I will become a m________!”
Shortly after that, Luther entered a very strict m______________ of the Observant Augustinians
Decision to enter monastery motivated in part by what was going to happen after death
Obsessed by g_________ and the f_________ of damnation, Luther was trying in vain to find assurance of his s_______________.
Part 2 – His Monk Life (15 minutes 56 seconds)
He led a very strict, d_________________ life including self-flagellation
He was very concerned about his salvation and didn’t find the s_________ he thought he would
The more he tried to do things right and by the book, the more he realized he was falling s_____
You had to name all sins – both sins you committed and righteous acts you failed to do – under the medieval system of confession and p____________
Not every monk was a priest – he was a man has taken a vow of p_____________ and ch_______________, a priest was one who was trained to handle the sacraments
Luther was ordained in 1507
His greatest fear as a priest was: how could he possibly tr______________ the bread and the wine into the body and blood of Christ?
He was a good monk – especially at m___________________, self-torture – trying to prove to God that you really, truly are sorry for your sins. He whipped himself, walked over stone floors on his knees, laid out in the snow without covering himself.
Study of the scriptures made things worse, because he’s finding the r________________ of God
He felt that God was a t_______________, demanding what could not be given
In 1509, he earned his Bachelor of the Bible degree
In the fall of 1510, he made a trip to R____________ to defend a dispute that arose within the Augustinian Hermits of Germany
He was disappointed when he really saw what Rome was like.
Luther came to his reformation breakthrough as a p________________, not as a single event.
The L___________ V____________ was the official Bible of the Church – it was translated by St. Jerome in 380 AD
Erasmus organized a newer new testament from the older Greek documents and Luther found that St. Jerome had m___________ the word ‘metanoia’ as ‘do penance’ instead of ‘repentance’
Everything changed for Luther when he found out that it’s not about me c____________ up to God, but about God c_______________ to me.
Part 3 – Purgatory & Indulgences (12 minutes 42 seconds)
Purgatory not defined until the Council of Lyon in 1274, but talked about since Augustine (around 4th century AD)
When you went to confession, the priest absolved you, but that absolution only covered the g_____________ of your sins, it did not cover the p__________________ for your sins. You still had to work off the punishment – either in this life, or in Purgatory.
The Pope at Luther’s time was Leo the 10th – needed money to build St. Peter’s Basilica
Pope Leo the 10th instituted the sale of “i___________________”
There was a special kind of indulgence called a Plenary Indulgence – time in Purgatory altogether taken care of.
The “Treasury of Merit” was under the power of the Pope
The indulgences would allow you to escape additional months, years in purgatory if you paid for the indulgence.
To the common people they probably thought this was paying for the f________________ of s__________, but it was not.
John Tetzel, a Dominican monk, was the chief salesman of indulgences in the territory next to Luther’s
How do you get indulgences sold? You make promises, for example if your grandma Schmidt is suffering in purgatory she’ll be freed from her suffering
The infamous phrase in the sales pitch was, “As soon as the c_____________ in the coffer rings, the s_____________ from Purgatory springs.”
Frederick the wise would not let Tetzel sell his indulgences in his territory. Frederick the wise had a collection of relics, which it was said that if you viewed all of the relics (and offer certain prayers) you could earn forgiveness, and you could get 2 million years off of your time in Purgatory!
Some were even showing their indulgences to Luther asking for a s_______________ o________________. People were coming to him and saying I don’t need to go to confession and absolution because I have a “Plenary Indulgence”.
Luther knew that people were being told that they had to pay for God’s m_________________.
Luther drew up a set of theses on the p_______________ and efficacy of indulgences, ninety-five theses. He posted this list on the door of the church in Wittenberg on October 31st, 1517
People got a hold of those theses and translated them from Latin to German and they were being published widely on Gutenberg’s new printing press.
Here are some of the theses:
Luther’s theses started with these words: “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said repent, he willed the entire life of believers to be one of r_______________________. This word cannot be understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, that is, confession and satisfaction as administered by the clergy.”
Thesis 27: “They preach only h_______________ d_________________ who say that as soon as the money clinks into the money chest, the soul flies out of purgatory.”
Thesis 82: If the Pope could redeem souls from purgatory for the sake of money with which to build a church, why did he not free all the needy souls, for the sake of C_________________ l____________?
When Luther posted the theses in 1517, he was still a good C__________________.
Luther was aware there was something really r______________ in the church, and the pope had to do something about it. But Luther found that the pope was actually complicit in all of this.
Discussion Questions
What incident in Luther’s life caused him to want to join a monastery?
Why did Luther enter a monastery and become a monk?
Did Martin Luther have assurance of salvation when he was a monk?
What miracle is every priest expected to perform during the Lord’s Supper?
What is the Latin Vulgate? Who was it translated by?
What mistake was made in the translation of the New Testament in Mark 1:15 by St. Jerome?
What is the doctrine of purgatory?
When was the doctrine of purgatory defined?
When you went to confession, in the Catholic Church, what occurred and what were the results?
What is a Plenary Indulgence? What benefit did this Indulgence have for the believer?
Who is John Tetzel? What was he famous for?
When did Luther make his 95 Theses? Where did he post it?
Did Luther want to leave the Catholic Church at the time when he posted his 95 Theses?
On October 26th at work I had a conversation about religion with a woman who sits next to me at work I’ve known her for over 15 years. She knows that I’m a devout Christian. But we’ve never had a substantial conversation about faith. It started because, over lunch that day, I was reading an article about Karma and reincarnation. So I asked her if she goes to Temple on a regular basis for her Hindu faith? She said she only goes on special occasions like festivals. I asked her why she didn’t go regularly? She said that the parking at her Temple is horrible. She mainly went to the Temple when her kids were young just to teach them about the faith and about all the stories and all the festivals.
I asked her also does she read her scriptures? She said no not really. She said that her parents do. I asked her why she doesn’t read them? She said it’s mainly because of time she doesn’t have enough time.
I then asked her about reincarnation and Karma. I mentioned to her that I had read an article about it today and I wanted to hear from a real Hindu whether these things I read in the article or true. I asked her if she believes in Karma, and she said yes, and that the concept of Karma is very important for Hindus. She said that’s the way she was raised. I asked her do you believe that you will be reincarnated? Again she said that’s the way I was raised. She said she doesn’t really think about it that much. I asked her why. She said she doesn’t like to think about death.
We were talking a little bit about some of the similarities between Christianity and Hinduism. I asked her about the nature of God that this article said that God was really impersonal and that he talked about something called Brahman. She said that there are three main Gods the Creator, the Destroyer and the Comforter. I think it was Vishnu, Shiva and some other name I don’t know if it was Krishna. One of them was like sir Swati or something like that. So that was different from what the article had said.
Then she said she talked about the goal of Hinduism which is to reach… she couldn’t think of the name and I finished her thought: Moksha. She was impressed that I knew the name of that. She asked doesn’t Christianity believe in reincarnation? I said, “No Christianity teaches that you die once and after that you face judgment for sin.” She said, “Oh, so it’s either heaven or hell, right?” I said yes. It depends on whether you believe that Jesus died to pay the penalty for your sins. If you accept that you will go to heaven. If you don’t accept that you will go to hell to pay for your own sins for eternity. We acknowledge that the topic of karma is a little bit similar to sins. In Christianity we have a concept called Grace. I explained what that means to her. Whereas with Karma you’re actually paying for your own sins, in Christianity Christ pays for your sins if you accept his sacrifice on your behalf.
It was a good conversation it was on the way out the door at the end of the day and it probably lasted 15 minutes or so. It was a very cordial conversation and she actually thanked me, because she said you don’t really think about these things trying to explain to your religion to someone unless you have to actually explain it to them. I hope that I’m able to talk to her again in the future.
So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. 2 Peter 1:12-15
Today we continued our series on Islam by watching Nabeel Qureshi /David Wood – (unofficial) Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus series parts 1 & 2:
Here is the note-taking form I handed out prior to starting the videos:
Introducing the Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus Series
We are benefitting from 16 years of the research, dialogue and experience of David Wood and Nabeel Qureshi – no need to “reinvent the wheel”.
There’s no “learning everything in one sitting”, it is better to learn as you go along and respond to the situation you’re in (David Wood)
Nabeel was a devout Muslim – he really believed Islam was the t______ r___________ and that Muhammed was the culmination of all the p____________.
Nabeel’s first book was “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus”. His second book was “No God but One: Allah or Jesus”. Those are both well worthwhile to buy. Make sure to get the Audible versions.
Nabeel’s pinned tweet:
People desperately need to know this information that Nabeel is going to share.
David was an a_____________ and became a Christian based on the e___________________
The Importance of Relationships in Religious Dialogue
This is the best possible approach (building a f_______________) in reaching people.
David and Nabeel met about 3 weeks before ___/______ happened.
Devout Muslims in the West are taught not only, “this is how you’re supposed to be a good Muslim”, but also, “this is why you’re n________ supposed to be a Christian”
Muslims believe that the Bible has been c_____________ – c______________ over time.
The average Christian Nabeel met, when he questioned them about the integrity of the Bible, they would have nothing to give him, but now, in David, he’d met someone who could a_______________
After Nabeel explained his beliefs, David asked him, if you’re w____________, would you want to know it?
They would go to Nabeel’s house and write out their arguments point by point and compare.
David was saying Jesus r__________ from the d__________ and Nabeel was saying He didn’t. David’s future wife was an agnostic who believed that both views could be right (if it’s true for you then it’s true…)
Islam and Christianity are much closer to each other than other world views, but “the d________________ make a d______________”.
Tons of things Islam and Christianity agree on, but 3 main things they don’t agree on:
Jesus’ d_____________ on the cross
Jesus’ r________________ from the dead
That Jesus is G__________
Since they don’t teach the same things on core doctrines, they can’t both be true.
Only 3 possibilities:
Islam is t________ and Christianity is f_________
Christianity is t__________ and Islam is f____________
Both of them are ________________
If Christianity is wrong, then the earliest Christians got the c_______ m____________ about J______________ wrong – they got the peripheral details correct, but the core wrong.
You need to have a “dialogue partner” when searching for t_____________, in context of relationship.
Both Christian and the Muslim are thinking, “Maybe God put us together for a r___________…”
You’re not loving them for the sake of c____________ them, because if that’s your motivation, then, when they say they’re not going to convert, you’re going to drop your love for them. That’s an ulterior motive – that’s not l___________. You love them because they’re created in them i__________ of God.
Christians said to David, stop spending time with this Muslim – he’s not going to convert, you’re w_______________ your t___________…
Not everyone responds quickly like at a Billy Graham crusade… For Nabeel, it took _____ years, for Abdu Murray (another Muslim convert to Christianity) it took ______ years!
Discussion Questions
Is it scary to engage in spiritual conversations with someone of a different belief system? Would you feel prepared to do this? If not, why not?
What are some of the unique challenges in discussing your faith with a Muslim?
Why did Nabeel leave Islam and accept the Gospel? Why did David become a Christian?
What good question did David ask Nabeel, that we could ask any non-believer?
Are you prepared to answer the objection that the Bible has been changed and/or corrupted over time?
Considering all the possible approaches for sharing your faith, which approach do David and Nabeel feel is the best approach? Why? Are all of the other approaches without merit?
What are the 3 main points (about Jesus) that Christianity and Islam do not agree on?
Can Islam and Christianity both be true at the same time? What are your reasons for this view?
In what way did Christians discourage David when he was spending all this time with Nabeel?
Is spending great amounts of time (months or years) to witness to a non-believer, a waste of time? (Especially if you’re seeing no results and even outright refusals to convert to Christianity)
Have you ever been guilty of getting to know someone solely as an evangelism target? If so, how did that work out for you?
Zacharias – from the English Translation of the Greek Septuagint Bible, in the third century before Christ – read Zacharias Chapter 3 and see the real name Jesus in the Old Testament!: http://www.ecmarsh.com/lxx/Zacharias/index.htm
The Potters Hands. The amazing dexterity and sensitivity of the human hand so exemplified by a skilled potter is the envy of robotics engineers. Dubbing it one of nature’s marvels, the human hand remains a stupendous challenge to engineers who would replicate it, despite years of trying. That’s understandable, given the hand has over 30 muscles, along with 29 flexible joints and thousands of specialized nerve endings providing a sensory system that can instantly detect whether an object is hot or cold, its surface smooth or rough, and even how firmly or gently it should be grasped. – creation.com: https://creation.com/potters-hands
How do you discuss hell with a Christian who does not believe in its existence? | Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry: https://carm.org/discuss-hell
When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. Luke 24:50-53
Today in the Apologetics class we continued our study of Islam by having a guest speaker, Dr. Ben Hoffiz (Arabic Professor), present to us. Here is the material he presented to us: Islam in a Nutshell
Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. John 15:20
Today we started a series on Islam by watching a video of Dr. Nabeel Qureshi’s testimony:
Here is the note-taking form I handed out before the video:
Dr. Nabeel Qureshi’s Journey to Christ
Nabeel was very hesitant to write down his story, but he realized it was not his story but G______ story.
Nabeel’s Childhood Story
Nabeel’s sect of Islam (Ahmadi) was persecuted heavily in Pakistan
The Pakistan immigrant community was very tight
Nabeel came from a very d_____ Muslim family (missionaries). He did not grow up as a “passive Muslim”, but Islam was his very identity. He viewed himself as an ambassador for Islam.
In Islam, there’s a tight adherence to t_________ and c_________ – this includes speaking Arabic, because Mohammed spoke Arabic.
Nabeel’s mother taught him to recite many memorized Arabic prayers each day.
There’s a lot of overlap between the stories in the Old Testament and the Qur’an
Nabeel had memorized the final 7 chapters of the Qur’an by the age of 5, because those are part of the 5 daily prayers. By the age of 15, he had memorized the last 15 chapters of the Qur’an.
Nabeel read entire Qur’an in Arabic by age of 5, but didn’t fully know how to read English yet.
Nabeel had been trained from an early age how to respond to Christianity & d__________ Islam
Girl Betsy asks Nabeel if he knows Jesus – he replies, “I do know Jesus”. According to the Qur’an:
Jesus is v__________ b___________
Did m____________ (heal the blind and cleanse the lepers and raise the dead)
He is the M_______________ and will come back at the end of time
But Jesus was not G__________
The Bible is not trustworthy, it has been c________________
Nabeel threw back some objections at Betsy.
Where does Jesus say he’s God? (Betsy replies Jesus & the Father are one – John 10:30)
Nabeel replies “One what?” – Jesus also prayed he and the disciples would be one too.
When Jesus was in Galilee in Mark, he said that he could do no m____________.
When Jesus says, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but G_________”
When Jesus says in Mark chapter 13 that no one knows when the end of times is – not the angels, not the Son, but only the F____________. How could he be God if he doesn’t know something that only God knows?
In John 14:28, Jesus says, “The Father is greater than I”.
If I were you Betsy, I would believe Jesus –that the Father is g___________ than Jesus.
The moment she shared the Gospel, my respect for her went up through the r_________. Here is someone who c__________ enough about her faith to share it with me.
Other Christians never shared. I know what Christians believe, that if you don’t accept Jesus you’re going to go to hell. So, either they don’t b_______ it or they don’t c_____ if I go to hell.
Nabeel asks students – “Do you know w_________ you believe w_________ you believe? Can you give a reason for your faith, that’s compelling?”
Nabeel’s Meets David Wood in College
Nabeel met David Wood on the speech and debate team. They roomed together and he saw David reading his Bible and he was flabbergasted, because he thought all Christians knew that the Bible was c__________. He had never seen a Christian reading the Bible outside C________.
Nabeel’s objection: Bible is in English, Jesus spoke Aramaic, early church spoke Hebrew, NT written in Greek, translated to Latin, then to German (translation of a translation…)
Most people just replied they believe it by f______________ (synonym for ignorance)
David was different. David pointed out that Nabeel is bilingual – what he hears in one language, he can repeat in another language without losing the m_________ and that’s what disciples did.
We have in our possession _,____ manuscripts of the Greek NT – we know what it said.
We have over __,_____ quotations of the NT from the early church fathers w/in 150 years of NT.
Nabeel and David became friends – they did life together, Nabeel knew David c_____ about him.
“Nobody cares what you know until they know that you care”. Friendship is that glue that you need to have in order to sh__________ your m____________ with people.
Investigating the Claims of Christianity
After acknowledging that the Bible is reliable, Nabeel needed to find out where in there does it say that Jesus c__________ to be G________?
“I want to believe what’s true in the world – I want to have reasons for it”
It doesn’t matter if we have warm, fuzzy f__________ about Christianity – if that man Jesus did not rise from the dead, then Christianity is false and we are deluded.
Good case to determine if Christianity is true:
D___________ of Jesus –you’d have to throw out history not to believe this
R____________ of Jesus – the best explanation by far of what happened to Jesus is that He rose from the dead (looking at the evidence as a historian would)
D_____ – Nabeel took the verses out of context that seem to be saying Jesus is not God
Nabeel considered the case for Christianity strong (80-85%), but considered Islam 100%!
David encouraged Nabeel to apply the same level of c____________ to Islam.
Nabeel’s Worldview is Shaken and He is Converted
Nabeel: “The evidence for Islam came nowhere near the evidence for Christianity”
Nabeel: “You can’t just come out and tell your doubts to your parents.”
Muslims often ask for God to give them visions and dreams. 50-70% of Muslim à Christian c______________ had a dream or vision.
God gave Nabeel a vision and 3 dreams to guide him toward Christianity
Nabeel needed time to mourn, since he knew what was going to happen to him and family
Nabeel pulled out the Qur’an and the Bible, looking for comfort – couldn’t find any in Qur’an, only in the Bible. There is not a single verse in the Qur’an to comfort a h____________ person.
God, why didn’t you kill me between the moment I believed and when my family found out?
“It’s not about you” – When Nabeel walked out, the whole world changed, felt c____________.
Discussion Questions
On page 1, point 13, Nabeel comments about so many Christians that never shared their faith with him, saying that either they don’t believe it or they don’t care if I go to hell? How did that make you feel? Is that a true assessment of people who don’t share their faith?
In what ways was David Wood different than other Christians Nabeel had met in the past? What role did David play in Nabeel’s conversion?
What are the “costs” for a Muslim (or someone of another religion) to convert to Christ?
What were the 3 key facts about Christ that Nabeel focused on in evaluating Christianity?
The First Vision: Key to Truth? A Review of Seventy Richard J. Maynes June 2017 Ensign article | Mormonism Research Ministry: http://www.mrm.org/first-vision-maynes
Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags. Proverbs 23:20-21
Today I wrapped up our Mormonism class by reviewing the information we covered in the last 6 weeks. We watched a short video by Bill McKeever on the golden plates:
Here are the slides I used for our recap:
Slide 1 – Mormonism Recap, What did we learn during the last 7 weeks?
Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this class series on Mormonism… Here’s where we’ve been for the last 7 weeks
Slide 2 – Where We’ve Been the Last 7 Weeks:
We started off with the overview video “Good News for LDS”
2009 podcast from J. Warner Wallace, the cold case homicide detective, gave unique, evidential perspective on Joseph Smith and the book of Mormon.
Then watched the hour long film on the Lost book of Abraham
We also watched the Way of the Master episode on Mormonism
We continued with a Mormon role-play with Brett Kunkle of Stand to Reason
And finally, today, we looked at Bill McKeever’s argument concerning the weight of the golden plates
Slide 3 – Topics and Areas We Covered during these weeks:
History of the LDS beginnings
“Translation” process of the Book of Mormon from Golden Plates
The Character traits and motives of Joseph Smith, the founder
The story of the Book of Abraham
Overview of Mormon doctrines, theology and practices
Strategies and approaches in reaching Mormon people
Responding to Mormon claims with grace and truth
Slide 4 – Good News for LDS:
We started this whole series with a 12 chapter video overview of Mormonism
Mormons say Jesus was the first spirit born to our heavenly Father
According to Mormonism, Jesus is the spirit brother of Lucifer (Satan)
Christian view of Jesus – He was God in the flesh, eternal, the uncreated Creator of all things (including angels). (Man à God vs. God à Man)
Who is God?
According to Joseph Smith, the Father has a body of flesh and bones. (D&C 130:22) – read this
According to the Bible, God (the Father) is Spirit. (John 4:24)
God is everlasting (Psalms 90:2)
According to the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, God was once a man.
According to LDS teaching, there are many gods.
According to 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, there is no God but one.
Book of Abraham 2:24 has God telling Abraham to lie, which contradicts Ex. 20:16
How Do We Obtain Eternal Life?
Christian view – belief in Christ as Savior and Lord guarantees eternal life (free gift).
Mormon view – 2 Nephi 25:23b read this
Mormon view – (D&C 76) 3 Kingdoms: Telestial, Terrestrial, Celestial. You have to keep all the commandments, be baptized, etc…
Christian view – all authority is in Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18)
Mormon view – Joseph Smith holds the keys to heaven.
Christian view – we can know that we have eternal life (1 John 5:13)
Mormon view – they can’t be sure if they will make it into the celestial kingdom
Archaeological Evidence:
No book of Mormon location is known with reference to modern topography (Professor Dee Green – BYU)
Biblical archaeology can be studied – we know where biblical places are (e.g. Jerusalem)
Joseph Smith – Prophecies and Revelations
Inhabitants of the Moon – look like Quakers
City of New Jerusalem – to be built in Independence, Missouri
David Patten Mission, but he died at the battle of cricket river in the fall of that year (this was a false prophecy)
See Deut. 13:1-3, a warning against false prophets
Biblical requirement for a prophet – 100% accuracy (Deut. 18:21-22)
Joseph prophesied the coming of the Lord, but Jesus said that’s impossible (Matt. 24:36)
The Character of Joseph Smith
He is portrayed by the LDS church as a virtuous family man who is persecuted for his beliefs, but prevails, due to his tremendous faith and his miraculous works.
At the age of 14, Joseph claimed to have a vision of God the Father and Jesus.
At age 21, Joseph was arrested in Bainbridge, NY for deception of Josiah Stole (a misdemeanor for his “glass looking”)
Joseph Smith committed multiple adulteries. 27 women were “sealed” to him. He revealed the doctrine of “plural marriage” in 1843 after being caught in an adulterous affair with Fanny Alger. He married underage girls & women who were already married.
Warren Jeffs is in prison for the same behavior that Joseph practiced.
The Bible condemns multiple wives. (Deut. 17:17, Mark 10:7-9, 1 Tim. 3:2,12; Titus 1:6)
The First Vision
Joseph Smith recorded several different accounts of his first vision. Some of these accounts have Jesus only, some have an angel, some have multiple angels, but the official version of the LDS church has God the Father and Jesus appearing to him.
Since the official vision was before Smith’s official ordination to the priesthood, this would conflict with D&C84:21-22, which says without the authority of the priesthood, no man can see the Father and live.
There are 9 varying accounts of the first vision. The first vision is considered the foundation and the cornerstone of the Mormon religion.
Joseph was a 14 year old boy when he supposedly first had this visitation.
He was known around the country as a fabricator of stories. Even his father-in-law thought so.
In 1855 Brigham Young preached a sermon in which he denied that the Lord came to Joseph in the first vision, but was rather visited by an angel.
The Occult
Joseph, his father and brother were actively involved in the occult while living in NY
Joseph found his seer stone while money digging. This seer stone was claimed to have been used by Joseph to translate the Book of Mormon from the golden plates.
On March 15th 1842, Joseph Smith joined the Freemasons (believe Jesus is not divine)
Joseph’s Mason membership affected the development of the temple ceremonies
The Jupiter Talisman – one of Joseph’s intimate possessions. Guaranteed the possessor the gain of riches, favor, power, love and peace and ability to influence female love. This talisman was found is Joseph’s pocket the day he died in Carthage.
The Translator
The golden plates were not used during the translation of The Book of Mormon. Rather, it was translated by Joseph looking into a “peep stone” (seer stone) inside a hat.
Oliver Cowdery was primary scribe for Joseph & 1 of “the 3 witnesses” listed in BoM
Joseph Smith boasted that the BoM was the most accurate book in existence.
If this book was translated by the power of God, why thousands of corrections?
The witnesses said that they never physically saw or handled the golden plates.
Paul warns of another gospel in Galatians 1:8 (even from an angel [e.g. Moroni]…)
Kinderhook Plates – a trap set for Joseph, a hoax to expose him as a false prophet.
Lamanites and DNA
Lamanites are described by Joseph Smith as ancestors of the ancient Israelites
DNA testing of > 5000 Native Americans from 150 different tribes has been completed
Not 1 person contained DNA that was of Hebrew descent, but rather of Asian descent.
In order to be a Mormon, one must trust in the “stories” of Joseph Smith
The Book of Abraham has been proven to be completely false. No Egyptologists agree with Joseph’s interpretation of the ancient scroll. Rather, it is a common funeral text.
Conclusion – Jesus Christ vs. Joseph Smith
Joseph claimed that there were many ancient cities in the Americas (38) – not one has ever been found.
DNA evidence disproves his story about Native American origins
He was a liar, a false prophet, a womanizer/adulterer, a fraud.
Examine objectively the life of Joseph Smith and the teachings of the Book of Mormon over against the Jesus of the New Testament and the reliability of the Bible
The Mormons are good people and they’re worth the fight. We love them.
There are no excuses at the final judgement
All you have to do is believe in Christ.
You must choose to follow Joseph or to follow Jesus – you can’t do both. CHOOSE!
Slide 6 – J. Warner Wallace, Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon:
He is a cold case homicide detective and has a very unique perspective in looking at the Mormon issue
Slide 7 – J. Warner Wallace Topics
Evidence Related to Motive:
Sexual Lust
Financial Greed
The Pursuit of Power
Evidence Related to the Timing of the Writing
The Second Great Awakening Swept Through New York
The Great Preachers of the Awakening Left Little Guidance
The Culture Was Fascinated With the Origin of Native Americans
Ethan Smith – “View of the Hebrews”, published 5 years before BoM
The People of Palmyra Were Interested in Treasure-Digging
Evidence Related to the Author of the Book
Joseph was a Local Treasure-Digger
Joseph Used a “Seer Stone”
Joseph Was Charged with Fraud
Evidence Related to the Translation Process
Joseph Translated Just As He Searched for Treasure
Joseph Was Unable to Duplicate the Lost 116 Pages
No One Ever Observed the Plates with Their Natural Eyes (3 witnesses)
Slide 8 – the importance of the 3 & 8 Witnesses
While the Mormon Church often portrays these critical three witnesses as trustworthy and reliable, history seems to indicate something different. Oliver Cowdery was eventually excommunicated from the Church after exposing Smith’s first polygamous relationship to Fanny Alger. Smith described Cowdery as a thief, liar, perjurer, counterfeiter, adulterer and leader of “scoundrels of the deepest degree”. Cowdery later became a Methodist and denied the Book of Mormon altogether and publicly confessed his “sorrow and Shame” for having any connection with Mormonism.
Martin Harris was a member of 5 different religious groups before becoming a Mormon, and he was part of eight different groups after leaving Mormonism. He was also excommunicated from the Mormon Church and later reported that he did not see the plates as Smith described, but only saw the plates three days after Cowdery and Whitmer and then only in a spiritual sense:
“I never saw the gold plates, only in a visionary or entranced state. …In about three days I went into the woods to pray that I might see the plates. While praying I passed into a state of entrancement, and in that state I saw the angel and the plates.” (Anthony Metcalf, Ten Years Before the Mast, n.d., microfilm copy, p. 70-71).
David Whitmer was also excommunicated from the Church and later declared he was himself a prophet of the New Church of Christ. Joseph called him a “dumb beast to ride” and an “ass to bray out coursings instead of blessings”. Whitmer later admitted he saw the plates “by the eye of faith” rather than with his physical eyes and he waffled between three varying accounts of how he saw the plates.
Eventually, Smith decided this group of three “witnesses” was insufficient; he involved eight additional men and recruited them as potential eyewitnesses, forming a group of eleven total witnesses to the golden plates. Smith limited his choices to men who were close friends and relatives. He first involved four brothers of David Whitmer. Smith next recruited his own father, two of his brothers and Hiram Page (who was married to David Whitmer’s sister, Catherine). Even though Smith limited his choices to close friends and relatives, these men also had trouble staying true to the faith founded on the golden plates they claimed to see. Two of these eight men apostatized and left the Church altogether. Another was excommunicated. Of the eleven men who claimed to see the golden plates, only five remained faithful to Mormonism. Three of these five men were blood relatives of Joseph Smith. Martin Harris later reported these additional eight witnesses also observed the plates in a vision and never saw the plates with their “natural eyes”.
Slide 10 – Book of Abraham Points
How he came to possess the scrolls
The book of Abraham is considered inspired Scripture (word of God) by the LDS church.
Joseph Smith translated this from an ancient Egyptian scroll of hieroglyphics (bought in Kirtland, OH 1835) but at that time in America, no one could read Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Joseph Smith purchased the scrolls (and mummies) for $2,400, which he raised from investors.
How he “translated” the scrolls
Joseph started by creating an alphabet and grammar of the Egyptian language. We have his notes for this process.
Joseph created a bank in Kirtland, OH, which failed, after which he fled from there at night.
Joseph and the Mormons moved to Commerce, IL and renamed it to Nauvoo, where he became mayor of the city, had a large militia & even announced his candidacy for president of the US
In Nauvoo, IL in 1842, Joseph published his translation of the book of Abraham.
The book of Abraham includes a creation story “they, that is the Gods, organized and formed…”. See the book of Abraham chapters 4 & 5 – Mormonism is polytheistic.
In June 27th, 1844, Joseph was assassinated while in jail in Carthage, IL
Scrolls were lost:
1846 – 1856: the papyri are lost to the church
In 1846, under the leadership of Brigham Young, the Mormons moved to Salt Lake City, UT
It was assumed that the papyri was destroyed in the great Chicago fire of 1871
3 drawings in book of Abraham misidentified by Joseph, according to Egyptologists.
These drawings are actually, from the “book of the dead” (Egyptian funeral text)
Scrolls found and actually translated
1966 – A dramatic discovery – the papyri was found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY.
1967 – the lost papyri presented to the LDS church along with attesting letter from Emma Smith
Abraham not mentioned once in the papyri. Joseph’s translation was found to be incorrect.
The LDS church claims that a large portion of the scroll is missing, but this is not correct.
Some argue that Joseph may’ve received the translation by direct revelation from God…
According to Joseph Smith’s diary, this is not correct – he was translating it directly.
According to Egyptologists, there is no historical validity to the translations in that book.
Are the Mormon truth claims credible? Are they the kinds of things that we ought to bet our lives on?
Since Joseph’s translation of the book of Abraham, which can be tested, has been found to lack credibility, then how can we accept his translation of the book of Mormon, which cannot be tested?
Slide 12 – Way of the Master Topics
The Mormon Holy Books and Sources of Authority
The Book of Mormon (“the most correct of any book on earth” according to Joseph Smith)
Doctrine and Covenants – a book mostly about theology
The Pearl of Great Price
The King James Bible (in so far as it is translated correctly)
The ultimate authority in the Mormon Church comes from living Mormon apostles and prophets, especially the president, who is considered to be “the voice of God on earth”.
Mormon Teachings about God:
God has not been God from all eternity
Jesus is a god
Jesus is the Jehovah of the Old Testament
They limit Jesus to being the Creator only of this planet
There are an infinite number of gods who created an infinite number of other worlds
God has a body of flesh and bones like us
We can become like God if we adhere to his commandments
God is married and has many wives and they had many spirit babies, resulting in you and I getting here.
It is possible to become a god, reigning over your own planet.
The Mormon Jesus
Law of progression – men and God are of the same species. We are at different point in our progression
God, the Father of this planet is called Elohim
The Mormon God cannot create anything Ex-Nihilo (out of nothing) – he “organized” this earth
The first “begotten” of his spirit children was Jehovah (or Jesus) – we all are the spirt brothers of Jesus.
Another one of the offspring of Elohim was Lucifer – according to Mormonism, Jesus is the spirit brother of Lucifer.
Jesus was not the eternal Creator of all things, who became a man (as the Bible says) – they have it reversed, they believe that man became a god instead
The Mormon Afterlife
Almost a universal salvation – only those who’ve actually had revelation of the truthfulness of Mormonism and reject it have sinned bad enough to merit eternal hell.
There is a temporary hell in Mormonism (the spirit prison) that non-Mormons would go to.
They would not believe Hitler went to hell
4 levels of afterlife:
Eternal (outer) darkness – devil, demons, a few apostate Mormons
2 Nephi 25:23b – “for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do”
Moroni 10:32 – if you “love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you” (vs. 2 Corinthians 12:9)
Spencer Kimball (former president of the LDS Church) – one of the most fallacious doctrines (of the devil) is that man is saved alone by the grace of God.
Witnessing Tips
You must define your terms, because Mormons use all the same terms as Christians, but they have different meanings for those terms
Ask the Mormon first to explain who their God is, who their Jesus is and how salvation is gained
Pose this to a Mormon – “If the Mormon religion is right and I’m wrong, then I go to the 3rd level of heaven. But if the Bible is right and the LDS church is wrong, then you are following a false Jesus and you’ll end up in hell forever.”
Baptism for the Dead
Mormons get baptized for dead people. They use 1 Corinthians 15:29 to justify that.
If anyone dies without believing in Mormonism, they can still make it to heaven if someone is baptized on their behalf. They can accept Mormonism in the spirit world.
The main point in reaching the Mormon is using the power of the Gospel (Romans 1:16).
Slide 14 – Mormon Role Play Points
How would you define a Christian?
Elder Kunkle: You probably believe something like this – Mormons are not Christians
Elder Kunkle: How would you define a Christian, what is a Christian?
Someone answered “Someone who has been saved by Jesus and professes Him as their Lord and Savior”
Mormon definition of Jesus:
“Mormons have a different definition of Jesus” – but Elder Kunkle affirmed that Jesus was:
Born of the Virgin Mary
Is the Son of God
Lived a sinless, perfect life
Died on the cross to atone for our sins
Rose from the dead – bodily
Deity of Christ & the Trinity:
“Jesus claimed to be God” – Elder Kunkle challenged, “Where did Jesus claim to be God?”
Elder Kunkle: the oneness that Jesus is talking about is oneness in unity.
Elder Kunkle: I affirm, “One Lord and One Savior”
Audience member says that his Bible does not say that God was once a man, like Mormonism believes. Elder Kunkle replies, “You don’t believe Jesus was a man?” Person replies, “I’m not saying Jesus, I’m saying God”
Elder Kunkle: we believe in the Father, we believe in the Son, we believe in the Holy Spirit…I believe in the God of the Bible…. But one of the differences we have is the Trinity… the claim of the Trinity is that you have 3 beings in 1 being, but that is a patent contradiction.
One audience member brought up Jesus is considered to be Lucifer’s brother in Mormonism
Elder Kunkle: Colossians 1 – Jesus is the first born of all creation. So, He is the first born Son of God.
Elder Kunkle: If Jesus is God, in Matthew 26 Jesus is praying to God, but if Jesus is God, then He is just praying to Himself.
Elder Kunkle: There’s nowhere you can point to in Scripture to show the Trinity – where is the Trinity in the Bible?
One audience member brought up John 10:30 – I and the Father are one. Elder Kunkle replied that in this church, you probably all consider yourself to be “one”, but not the same being.
Elder Kunkle: where in the Bible does it say that to be a Christian, you have to affirm that Jesus is Yahweh?
Elder Kunkle quotes John 14, where Jesus says, “The Father is greater than I”
Book of Mormon / additional revelation:
One audience member says he has been “taught his doctrine” – he was indoctrinated differently
One audience member said you put your faith in a man who brought an additional book
Elder Kunkle: that’s all the Book of Mormon is – it’s God speaking through a man
Elder Kunkle: Just like God built on the Old Testament and gave us the New Testament, God builds on the New Testament and gives us another testament to Jesus Christ (BoM)
One audience member quotes Revelation 22:19 “If any man shall take away from the words…”
Elder Kunkle replies with Deut. 4:2, which has the same warning.
One audience member quotes John 8:58 – says Jesus claimed to be Elohim.
Elder Kunkle made a case for works salvation (James 2, Philippians 2, Acts 2, Eph. 2 etc.)
Christians inarticulate / apologetics not optional, but required – asked everyone to do a self-assessment
What we wanted to do tonight was provide you a little test.
Most evangelical Christians do not know what they believe or why they believe it
Most Christians are completely inarticulate about what they believe and why they believe it.
We wanted you to take this test here, now, with me before you go out the door and have this test with “the real thing”.
We need to be effective ambassadors for Jesus Christ and being an effective ambassador means that you have to know some things – you have to have knowledge of the truth.
How many of you would be able to make the case that Jesus is God, the Holy Spirit is God and that the Father is God and that those 3 persons are together the one God, who offers salvation solely through faith in Christ by grace alone? Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10.
How well would you be able to reason from the Scripture? How prepared would you be?
2 Timothy 2:15 – how many can say that we are workmen who do not need to be ashamed because we can accurately handle the God’s Word?
Many of you had courage to defend, but many of you did not accurately handle God’s Word
I would much rather have you fail in here, than with your Mormon neighbor.
We Christians spend most of our time talking with other Christians
Many of us are fearful to open our mouths about Jesus b/c we don’t have answers to objections
Apologetics is not some optional thing we do as believers, apologetics is not a club for nerds. Apologetics should be an essential part of our discipleship under Jesus Christ.
It’s not enough to simply be right. Not only need knowledge, but wisdom and character too…
How were you as representatives of Jesus Christ? He came in grace & truth (Jn 1:14) – need both
Sometimes you’ve got to be made uncomfortable before you realize that you need to grow.
John 10:30 – you have to go further in reading that passage in order to make the case from that
Here is the note-taking form I handed out:
Notes for the LDS Recap Session
Bill McKeever – Problems with the Golden Plates
Good News for LDS
Warner Wallace on Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon
The Book of Abraham
The Way of the Master Mormonism Episode
Mormon Role-Play, Brett Kunkle (Elder Kunkle)
Discussion Questions
How has your view of Mormonism changed during this study?
How has your view of the Mormon people changed during this study?
What new information did you learn about Mormonism that will be useful to you?
In your view, what is the most compelling evidence demonstrating that Mormonism is false?
Do you now feel moreorless likely to reach out to Mormons in your circle of influence?
When talking to Mormons, do you think it is more effective to:
Address their non-orthodox theology & doctrines
OR
Talk about Joseph Smith’s character, the translation process of the Book of Mormon and the lack of archeological support
OR
Just share the Gospel
How would you explain to a Mormon why you don’t think Joseph Smith is a prophet of God?
What reason(s) do you have for not accepting the Book of Mormon as Scripture?
Why do we believe Mormon people are not evil enemies to be opposed?
What were the 3 ungodly motivations that drove Joseph to perpetrate his lies?
How do the biblical and Mormon views of the following differ?
Jesus
God the Father differ?
Eternal life (as well as how one obtains it) differ?
Is there any archeological evidence that the Book of Mormon is true? Is there any archeological evidence that the Bible is true?
Has Joseph Smith met the biblical test for a prophet of God? Where is that biblical test found?
How is the Joseph Smith portrayed by the LDS church different than the Joseph Smith of history?
How would you answer the following charges?
“Men of God in the Old Testament had multiple wives, so this must be a practice approved by God”
“Several biblical authors were also sinners (e.g. David, Solomon, Abraham, Moses, Peter, Paul etc.) like Joseph, so we can still believe Joseph’s writings”
How old was Joseph when he supposedly received his first vision?
Were the accounts of Joseph’s vision always consistently told by him?
What is a “peep stone” or “seer stone”? What did Joseph use it for?
Was Joseph ever in trouble with the law? Was he ever arrested? How is this different from the apostles Peter, John and Paul being imprisoned in the book of Acts?
How did Joseph supposedly translate the “Book of Mormon” into English?
What are the “Kinderhook Plates” and what do they tell us about the nature of Joseph Smith?
How does DNA evidence contradict Joseph Smith’s story of Native American origins?
What is the Book of Abraham? What is the story of that book’s origin? What does it tell us about the reliability of Joseph Smith as a translator of ancient languages?
What evidence could you provide to show Joseph Smith is a womanizer and an adulterer?
What circumstances led Joseph Smith to claim that polygamy was a “God-ordained” practice?
1 Peter 4:12-16 