Does the LDS Church Blame Jesus for Joseph Smiths Fake Translation?
Christina R Darlington
Joseph Smith claimed he translated the Book of Abraham (one of the four Mormon books of "scripture") from ancient Egyptian papyrus manuscripts obtained from Michael Chandler, an antiquities dealer visiting Smith's area in 1835. Egyptologists today have since examined Joseph Smith's "translation" of the text and found it to be completely false, with no reference whatsoever to the original meaning of the text. His inability to accurately translate these documents, puts into question Joseph Smith's ability to translate any document at all, even the Book of Mormon which he claims he translated from Reformed Egyptian plates.
If he couldn't accurately translate the Egyptian papyrus of the Book of Abraham, how do you know you can trust anything else he has created? What's worse is instead of admitting to Joseph Smith's fraud with the Book of Abraham, the LDS Church blames Jesus for his fake translation and claims "God gave to Joseph Smith a revelation about the life of Abraham, even if that revelation did not directly correlate to the characters on the papyri." (Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham) So the excuses for Joseph Smith’s lies continue to abound in Mormonism.
For more information, see our tract: What Does the LDS Church Now Admit About the Book of Abraham?
3 Keys of All Faiths - Marshall Almarode
July 1, 2022 • Marshall Almarode
Picking topics to discuss when witnessing to Mormons, it's important to recognize the 3 keys to understanding all faiths: 1.) What is Their Source of Truth? 2.) Who is God? 3.) How is Salvation Obtained? This training was presented to a youth group in Utah that was preparing to witness to Mormons.
Discussing the Mormon Jesus and First Vision
July 7, 2022 • Marshall Almarode
Talking to a group of youth in Utah, Marshall explained the differences between the Mormon Jesus and the Biblical Jesus. He also discussed problems in Joseph Smith's First Vision and the Mormon claim that there was a total apostacy of Christianity that required the faith to be restored by Joseph Smith.
There are two separate points Marshall Almarode makes in this video. The first one is about the Mormon view of Jesus and how their descriptions of Him are different from the views of Christians. Unlike the Christian teaching that the human body of Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, Mormons leaders have taught that Jesus Christ was conceived in the typical way a human father impregnates his wife. This false view of the conception of Christ stems from the Mormon teaching that God the Father is nothing more than a glorified (exalted) man, so the Mormon "God" cannot supernaturally impregnate Mary. He had to physically do it. Such teaching runs contrary to God's Word that says the Christ was "conceived...of the Holy Ghost" not the Father (Matthew 1:20).
Now it's important to point out that the average LDS person you meet today doesn't know about this Mormon teaching that was popularized under Brigham Young and revived under Bruce R. McConkie. It is quite possible your LDS friends would strongly disagree with LDS Apostle Bruce R. McConkie if you were to read to them his statements in Mormon Doctrine and other books. Yet, he was a leader in the Church and the LDS Church has never repudiated this doctrine officially.
The second point Marshall makes is that Joseph Smith’s First Vision In Pearl of Great Price talks about total apostasy – the idea that the truth left, disappeared, and then the truth came back, which is what Mormons call the restoration of the Gospel. Yet, there are real problems with this LDS Claim and Marshall discusses these in this video.
The Mormon Gospel - Restoration or Reinvention?
September 24, 2022 • Christy Darlington
Joseph Smith claimed that the Gospel was lost needing restoration. Yet when we examine the Mormon "Restored Gospel" we find that it "reinvents" a gospel that was not practiced by Jesus or His apostles. Mormonism Distorts the Gospel 4 ways: 1) Adding to the Gospel Scripture of Christ which essentially calls Jesus a liar, 2.) Adding temple rituals that neither Christ or His followers practiced, 3.) Reduces God to man to exalt men to God, following the lie of Satan, 4.) Subtracts from the Sufficiency of the Atonement by adding filthy rags of works (Isa 64:6).
Presenting the Gospel of Grace to Mormons
July 8, 2022 • Christy Darlington
What do you say when your Mormon friend tells you that grace is too easy? In this presentation to a group of youth in Utah, Christy Darlington shows you how you can you bring a Mormon to the end of the LDS gospel law requirements to recognize his or her need for grace alone in Christ. You can download the "Are You Prepared to Meet God" tract referenced in this video at: https://www.4mormon.org/are-you-prepared-to-meet-god/http://www.4mormon.org/are-you-prepared-to-meet-god
Answering 3 Mormon Purpose-of-Life Questions
July 8, 2022 • Christy Darlington
In this training, Christy Darlington contrasts the Mormon View of Life with the Christian view of life based upon the teachings of the Bible. This presentation shows the vast differences between Mormonism and Biblical Christianity. You can download the Purpose of Life - Mormon Questions Answered article at: https://www.4mormon.org/purpose-of-life-mormon-questions-answered/
Is Book of Mormon Archaeology in North America?
July 1, 2022 • Chip Thompson
While Mormon archaeologists have searched in vain to pinpoint an exact location for the Book of Mormon events, recent speculation among Mormon laity surrounds the North American model which places the events in the Ohio River Basin with the Hopewell and Adena cultures. Chip Thompson examines what trained archeologists have to say about these claims. Learn more at http://trigrace.org
Archaeology and the Book of Mormon
July 1, 2022 • Marshall Almarode
In this video, Marshall discusses the problems with fitting the geography of the Book of Mormon to the traditional central American view believed by many Mormons.
How Do We Know the Bible is Accurate?
July 1, 2022
This Bible Museum collected by Chip Thompson of TriGrace Ministry in Ephraim, Utah is one of the best displays of Biblical Archaeology, demonstrating that not only has the Bible been preserved throughout the centuries, but many key events in the Biblical events have been substantiated. Learn more at https://trigrace.org/
Book of Abraham Examined with Marshall Almarode
July 1, 2022 • Marshall Almarode
The Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price Scripture of Mormonism is one of the key sources Mormons use to define their beliefs. In the introduction to the Book of Abraham, Joseph Smith claims he "translated" the Book of Abraham from an Egyptian papyrus he obtained in the 1800s. At the time that he claimed to have "translated" it, no one knew Egyptian, so there were no experts to confirm or refute his "translation", but now experts have revealed the truth that Joseph Smith completely misrepresented the text of the papyrus.
Presenting Joseph Smith's Book of Abraham
July 1, 2022 • Marshall Almarode
The Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price is one of the most obvious fabrications of Joseph Smith. Even the LDS Church admits: “None of the characters on the papyrus fragments mentioned Abraham’s name or any of the events recorded in the book of Abraham. Mormon and non-Mormon Egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do not match the translation given in the book of Abraham, though there is not unanimity, even among non-Mormon scholars, about the proper interpretation of the vignettes on these fragments. Scholars have identified the papyrus fragments as parts of standard funerary texts that were deposited with mummified bodies. These fragments date to between the third century B.C.E. and the first century C.E., long after Abraham lived.” (Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham, Posted at http://lds.org July 8, 2014)
Significant Changes in the Book of Mormon
August 27, 2022 • Marshall Almarode
Joseph Smith taught that the Book of Mormon he published in 1830 was "the most correct of any book on earth" and that it was "translated" by the "gift and power of God" from Reformed Egyptian text engraved on Gold Plates, that Joseph Smith dug up in upstate New York. His scribe, Oliver Cowdry explained that the words of the translation illuminated the "seer stones" in a hat to dictate the specific translation of the book, yet significant changes exist between the handwritten, printer's manuscript, 1830 Book of Mormon and the one that is printed today. With such a precise method of translation, how did the original version get the characters in the story and the identity of Christ mixed up, needing correction?
How Heavy Were Joseph Smith's Plates?
September 12, 2022 • Bill McKeever
One of the questions Bill uses to get Mormons to re-evaluate Mormonism is this question: "How heavy were Joseph Smith's gold plates?" Challenging an LDS person to consider the illogicalness of the Joseph Smith story is one way to wake them up to the fact that Mormonism isn't true. Visit http://mrm.org and order their books for more questions like these to start conversations with your Mormon friends.
First Vision - Foundation of Mormonism
Marshall Almarode
Joseph Smith's First Vision account separates Mormonism from every Christian denomination when it claims that God commanded Joseph Smith not to join any church because "they were all wrong" and "all" their creeds were an abomination to him. Stating that priesthood authority was lost on earth when the apostles died, the Mormon Church justifies their "authority" to operate the saving ordinances of the gospel through the restoration of the priesthood they claim was given to Joseph Smith. However Mormon Scripture claims some of Jesus' apostles never died so there couldn't be a total apostasy of the church needing "restoration" through Joseph Smith.
Joseph Smith's First Vision Like You've Never Seen Before
July 1, 2022 • Marshall Almarode
The First Vision of Joseph Smith forms the foundation of the Mormon Church. Yet, not only are there nine different versions of the First Vision, if you simply look at the authorized version of the First Vision told today, there are many aspects of it that do not make sense. Watch this video to see the First Vision in a "New Light."
