Last revision: July 15, 2018

     Contradictions are a mark of falseness. If two statements contradict each other, then one of them must be false. If both statements come from the same person, then the suspicion must arise that the person is lying (or at least grossly mistaken) in one of them, or perhaps both.

     If both of the contradictory statements are supposed to be from God, or from God's spokesman (a prophet or a scripture) then we are justified in considering this supposed spokesman to be fraudulent, since God is not supposed to lie or to make contradictory statements.

"For I am the Lord, I change not;..." - Malachi 3:6

"God is not a man, that he should lie;.. hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" - Num 23:19

"...with [God] is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." - James 1:17 (see also BoM Morm 9:9, Mosiah 2:22, Alma 7:20)

     Mormon leaders insist that there are no contradictions in Mormonism. Joseph Fielding Smith, the tenth president of the church, said:

If his [Joseph Smith's] claims and declarations were built upon fraud and deceit, there would appear many errors and contradictions, which would be easy to detect. - Doctrines of Salvation 1:188-189

How religious apologists deal with contradictions

     Contradictions do not seem to bother religious apologists, since they have developed very clever ways of dealing with them, primarily by explaining them away with various excuses:

• One of the statements only appears to contradict the other; with the proper spirit and the proper interpretation (usually by the prophet himself, or by a later prophet), and by assigning different (special) meanings to some of the words, the contradiction disappears;
• One of the statements was not intended to be taken literally (this is a variation on the previous excuse);
• The statement the apologist likes best takes precedence over the other one, because:
  • It was made earlier in time and thus has seniority;
  • It was made later in time and thus supersedes the prior one;
  • The other statement was made only to a limited, special audience at a limited time, and thus only applies to them;
• One of the statements is not accurately recorded; the prophet never really said that;
• The prophet was not speaking as a prophet when making the apparently contradictory statement - he was merely expressing his personal (and therefore human and error-prone) opinion;
• This is one of the Great Mysteries, which we will understand in God's own due time. Such mysteries can only make us pause in humility and in admiration of God's wisdom, since only He is capable of understanding them.
• As a last resort, the apologist simply ignores one of them.

Some Contradictions in Mormon Scripture, Teachings and Doctrine

     This listing is by no means complete. It includes only those contradictions which are most difficult for Mormons to explain satisfactorily (except to a faithful and all-accepting fellow Mormon who desperately wants an explanation in order to protect his faith). It generally does not include contradictions with Bible passages, since Mormons consider the Bible to have many translation errors, and since the Bible itself is often ambiguous and subject to varying interpretations.

Abbreviations used:

BoM: Book of Mormon
D&C: Doctrine and Covenants
PoGP: Pearl of Great Price
BoA: Book of Abraham
LoF: Lectures on Faith (until 1921 part of D&C)
HoC: History of the Church
JoD: Journal of Discourses
TJS: Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith
JST Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible ("Inspired Version")
Ensign: Ensign Magazine, official publication of the church

• What is God's attitude toward David and Solomon having more than one wife?

  Notice that it is not a question of whether different people at different times might be commanded or permitted or forbidden to practice polygamy; it has only to do with God's view of specific acts of polygamy. And remember that God is unchanging! (BoM, 3 Nephi 24:6)

  • BoM, Jacob 2:24 says that God considered David's and Solomon's polygamy as "abominable before me." (See also Jacob 1:15, 3:5.)

    BUT:

  • At D&C 132:38-39 God says that David and Solomon did not sin in having more than one wife, and David's wives were "given unto him of me."

  • At 2 Samuel 12:7-8 God says, through the prophet Nathan, that David's wives were given to him by God.

• When did God first appear to a human being?
  • BoM, Ether 3:15 quotes God as saying to the brother of Jared (about 2000 BC): "And never have I showed myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast."

    BUT:

  • D&C 107:53-55 says that three years before the death of Adam, Adam called together Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah to give them his last blessing, and God appeared to them and blessed Adam. This was at least a thousand years before his appearance to the brother of Jared.

  • PoGP, Moses 6:3 says that God "revealed himself unto Seth."

  • PoGP, Moses 7:4 quotes Enoch as saying: "And I saw the Lord; and he stood before my face, and he talked with me, even as a man talketh one with another, face to face;..."

  • Genesis 4:3-5 records God's appearance to Cain, who had killed his brother Abel.

• Does God dwell in man's heart?
  • BoM, Alma 34:36 says that "the Lord" dwells in the hearts of the righteous.

    BUT:

  • D&C 130:3 says that the "idea that the Father and the Son dwell in a man's heart" is false. (D&C 130:22 says that it is the Holy Ghost that "dwell[s] in us.")

• Does God change?
  • BoM Moroni 8:18, Mormon 9:9 say no:

    "For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity." (Moroni 8:18)

    "...God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing." (Morm 9:9)

  • D&C 20:17 says no:

    "...there is a God in heaven, who is infinite and eternal, from everlasting to everlasting the same unchangeable God..."

    BUT:

  • Joseph Smith taught that God was once a human being like us, and became God:

    ""We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see.... God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted Man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens. That is the great secret... It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the character of God and to know...that he was once a man like us..." (from the "King Follett Discourse" TJS 342-343, also JoD 6:3-4)

  • Brigham Young confirmed this:

    "He [God] is our Father - the Father of our spirits, and was once a man in mortal flesh as we are, and is now an exalted being." (JoD 7:333):

• Does God the Father have a body of flesh and bones?
  • D&C 130:22 says yes: "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as a man's; the Son also...".

    BUT:

  • D&C 38:1-7 says that Jesus is invisible: "I am in your midst and ye cannot see me."

    BUT:

  • LoF, Lecture Fifth, says that the Godhead consists of two personages, God the Father and God the Son, "the Father being a personage of spirit...[and] the Son,... a personage of tabernacle... and is called the Son because of the flesh..." The Son possesses "the same mind with the Father, which mind is the Holy Spirit... and these three constitute the Godhead, and are one..." [added emphasis]

    Alma 18:26-28 says God is a spirit, confirming John 4:24 ("God is a Spirit").

    The Mormons try to explain this by saying that of course God is a spirit, we all are "spirit" because we have a spirit. And so does God. However, in the LoF passage, the intent is clearly to differentiate between the Father and the Son, and the difference given is that the Son is "of the flesh."

    Apostle Bruce R. McConkie says that John 4:24 is mistranslated (Mormon Doctrine, "God As A Spirit"), perhaps because in Joseph Smith's "Inspired Verson" of the Bible, that passage is omitted. He says nothing about the translation of the passage in Alma. One must wonder how a passage which is mistranslated in the King James Version appears in the very same words in the Book of Mormon, which was supposedly translated by divine power.

• Is there more than one God?
  • BoM Alma 11:26-29 says there is only one God. Also D&C 20:19, PoGP Moses 1:6, as well as many Bible passages, such as Isaiah 43:10, 44:6, 45:6, to name only a few.

    BUT

  • PoGP Abraham 4:27 refers to "the Gods" as does D&C 132:37. Orson Pratt's statement is typical of Mormon belief:

    If we should take a million of worlds like this and number their particles, we should find that there are more Gods than there are particles of matter in those worlds. - JoD 2:345

• Are God The Father and God The Son separate personages?
  • D&C 130:22, PoGP JS-Hist 1:17ff (Smith's "First Vision"), LoF 5 say yes (see previous item).

    BUT:

  • BoM Mosiah 15:1ff says they are the same.
    BoM Ether 3:14 God says: "Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son."
    Other passages in the first edition of the BoM (1830) said they are the same, but the text was changed in later editions to indicate otherwise, for example:

    BoM, 1830 edition:
    1 Nephi 11:21: "And the angel said unto me: Behold, the Lamb of God, yea, even the Eternal Father!"
    1 Nephi 13:40: "...the Lamb of God is the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world..."

    In present editions, the words "the Son of" have been inserted before "the Eternal Father" in these (and similar) passages.
    1 Nephi 19:11 says that the "God of Abraham" was Jesus who was "lifted up [and crucified]"

• Can one who does not hold the Priesthood see the "face of God"?
  • D&C 84:21-22 (given September 1832) says no:

    "...without the ordinances thereof [i.e. of the priesthood], and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh; 22 For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live."

    BUT:

  • In Joseph Smith's story of his "First Vision" (PoGP JS-Hist 1:17ff, written about 1838), he says that he saw two personages (one of whom he interpreted to be God the Father) in 1820. There is considerable dispute about the exact dates when the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods were restored, but the earliest dates claimed are 1829-1830.

• Can the temple ordinances be changed?
  • Joseph Smith said no:

    "The order of the House of God has been and ever will be the same, even after Christ comes, and after the termination of the thousand years it will be the same;..." (TJS p 91)

    "Ordinances instituted in the heavens before the foundation of the world, in the priesthood, for the salvation of men, are not to be altered or changed." (TJS p 308)

    "...the ordinances must be kept in the very way God has appointed; otherwise their priesthood will prove a cursing instead of a blessing." (TJS p.169)

    See also Isaiah 24:5, Malachi 3:7, condemning those who change God's ordinances

    BUT:

    The Mormon church leaders have made numerous fundamental changes in the temple ordinances:

    • about 1912 - eliminated the "Oath of Vengeance"
    • in the 1930s - softened the wording of the penalties
    • in the 1960s - changed the garment pattern to be worn in the temple
    • 1990 - removed the penalties entirely, changed the Second Sign of the Melchizedek Priesthood, removed the Five Points of Fellowship, changed the Law of Obedience for women
    • 2005 - reduced the actual washing and anointing to a symbolic daubing on the forehead (Details)
    • Hundreds of minor changes have also been made over the years.

• Are "Elohim" and "Jehovah (Hebrew: 'YHWH')" different or the same?
  • In a doctrinal statement by the Mormon First Presidency "The Father and the Son" (cited by Mormon theologian James Talmage in his The Articles of Faith, pp. 465ff, it states that "Elohim" refers to God the Father, and "Jehovah" refers to God the Son.

    This distinction is also portrayed in the Mormon temple ritual, the "endowment," where "Elohim" gives instructions to "Jehovah and Michael" and sends them off to carry them out, which they do.

    BUT:

  • Exodus 6:2 says, translated literally from Hebrew: "And Elohim spoke to Moses, and said to him, I am YHWH [Jehovah]." The Hebrew word "Elohim" means "God" and is translated in most Bibles by "God," whereas "YHWH" - as this passage indicates, is the sacred name of God, and is translated in most English Bibles as "the LORD". In the Old Testament the terms are almost interchangeable, and frequently one version of an Old Testament story refers to the Deity as "Elohim" ("God") and another version of the same story uses the term "YHWH" ("the LORD"). There are hundreds of such examples (it was the different terms used in Hebrew for "God" that first led scholars to surmise that the first five books of the Old Testament are from differing traditions, one that called God "Elohim", and another that called him "YHWH". Here are just a few examples:

    In the Flood story, God is referred to as "Elohim" in Gen 6:9-22; 7:9, 16; 8:1, 15. But God - apparently the same God - is called "YHWH (Jehovah)" in 6:5-7; 7:1-5, 16; 8:20.

    In God's dealings with Abraham, God is called "Elohim" in Genesis 17, but "YHWH" in Genesis 18. It is clear that these are not two different personages, but just one God, referred to by two different terms.

    Hundreds of other examples could be cited. (See any analytical concordance under "God" and "Lord" for a complete listing.)

• Are Adam and Michael the same personages, or different?
  • D&C 27:11 (and the Endowment ceremony in the Mormon temple) says they are the same.

    BUT:

  • In a vision which JS recorded in his diary for Jan 21, 1836, he "saw father Adam and Abraham and Michael...", naming them as separate personages. (This vision was recently included in the D&C as section 137, but the reference to Michael was deleted.)

• Is Adam the same personage as God the Father?
  • Brigham Young on numerous occasions taught this doctrine, which came to be known as the "Adam-God" doctrine. (For citations, click here; for additional information about this doctrine, click here.)

    Apostle Bruce R. McConkie admitted in a private letter that this doctrine was taught by Brigham Young: "Yes, President Young did teach that Adam was the father of our spirits, and all the related things that the cultists ascribe to him [i.e. that Adam is God]. "

    The present prophet Gordon B. Hinckley admitted that Brigham Young had taught this doctrine in an interview with the New Yorker magazine (January 21, 2002, p. 44)

    BUT:

  • Church authorities in recent decades have repeatedly said that Adam is not God the Father. McConkie, in the letter cited above, referred to the "utter absurdity of this doctrine" and called it "totally false," saying that "This [doctrine]... is not true. He [Brigham Young] expressed views that are out of harmony with the gospel."

    See also Doctrines of Salvation 1:96-106, by Joseph Fielding Smith, later president of the church.

• How was Jesus conceived?
  • BoM Alma 7:10 prophesies that Christ would be born of Mary, "...she being a virgin... who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost,..."

    BoM 1 Nephi 11, narrates a vision of Nephi. He sees the virgin Mary (v. 15-18), and then he "beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit;" (v. 19) and after a time he sees her "bearing a child in her arms" (v. 20)

    BUT:

  • Brigham Young's stated: "When the Virgin Mary conceived the child Jesus, the Father had begotten him in his own likeness. He was NOT begotten by the Holy Ghost. And who is the Father? He is the first of the human family... Jesus, our elder brother, was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the garden of Eden, and who is our Father in Heaven.... Now, remember from this time forth, and forever, that Jesus Christ was not begotten by the Holy Ghost." (JoD 1:50-51)

    "The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He ...was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers." (JoD 8:115)

    "The man Joseph, the husband of Mary, did not, that we know of, have more than one wife, but Mary the wife of Joseph had another husabnd... That very babe that was cradled in the manger, was begotten, not by Joseph, the husband of Mary, but by another Being. Do you inquire by whom? He was begotten by God our heavenly Father." (JoD 11:268)

    Apostle Bruce R. McConkie wrote: "Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers." (Mormon Doctrine, 1966 ed, 546-547)

    "He [Jesus] is the Son of God in the same sense and way that we are the sons of mortal fathers. It is that simple." (The Promised Messiah, pp 467-468).

• What happens to those who teach false doctrine?
  • BoM 2 Ne 28:15 says teachers of false doctrine will go to hell: "...all those who preach false doctrines,.., wo, wo, wo, be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell!"

    Joseph Fielding Smith (apostle, later president of the church) says: "There is no greater crime in all the world than to teach false doctrines.." (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:34

    BUT:

  • Apostle McConkie says that Brigham Young will go to the Celestial Kingdom, even though he taught false doctrine (see previous item): "He completed his work and has gone on to eternal exaltation..." (cited letter). When confronted with false teachings of earlier prophets, Mormons usually respond by saying that even prophets make mistakes, no one is perfect.

• Can a revelation contradict or rescind an earlier revelation?
  • Joseph Smith said no: one of the tests of a false revelation is that it contradicts an earlier revelation. (TJS p 215)

    BUT:

  • Apostle Ezra Taft Benson, later president of the church, said in his 1980 sermon "Fourteen Fundamentals" said:

    "Third: The Living Prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet... Beware of those who would pit the dead prophets against the living prophets, for the living prophets always take precedence."

  • Many earlier revelations have been rescinded or withdrawn or otherwise contradicted by later "revelations". Examples:
    • Polygamy, the "New and Everlasting Covenant" (D&C 132) was done away with by a later revelation (D&C OD-1).
    • The United Order (or Order of Enoch) was to be "everlasting" (D&C 82:20, 104:1), but done away with by a later revelation (D&C 104).
    • Brigham Young's revelation that Adam is God the Father is now repudiated by the church.

• Who created the world?
  • PoGP Moses 2 says "I, God [created everything]..." (see also BoM 2 Nephi 2:14, Jacob 4:9, Alma 18:26-32).

    BUT:

  • PoGP Abraham 4 says "they (the Gods) [created everything]".

• What happens to people who die before having had a chance to hear the gospel?
  • D&C 137:7-8 says they will go to the celestial kingdom.

    BUT:

  • D&C 76:71-78 says they will go only to the terrestrial kingdom (a lower kingdom than the celestial).

    BUT:

  • D&C 128 and 138 outline the Mormon "work for the dead," one of the principal purposes of the Mormon temples, to enable all the dead who repent (after death) to attain the celestial kingdom.

    BUT:

  • BoM Alma 34:32-35 says that those who do not repent before death are eternally lost: "...that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world... ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his,... and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked." (See also 2 Ne 9:38 and Mosiah 2:36-39)

    In spite of this clear language, Mormons have devoted much effort to "doing temple work" for millions of dead people, including thousands of unsavory historical figures such as Adolf Hitler.

• What happens in heaven to children who die before reaching adulthood?
  • Joseph Fielding Smith says that those who die as children will be resurrected with bodies "the same size as it was when the child died. It will then grow after the resurrection to conform to the size of the spirit." Doctrines of Salvation, 2:56.

    BUT:

  • Joseph Smith said: "But as the child dies, so shall it rise from the dead.... It will never grow: it will still be the child, in the same precise form as it appeared before it died out of its mother's arms, but possessing all the intelligence of a God. Children dwell in the mansions of glory and exercise power, but appear in the same form as when on earth,... with not one cubit added to their stature." JoD 6:10 (the "King Follett Discourse")

• Is murder a forgivable sin?
  • BoM 3 Nephi 30:2, Alma 39:6 (also the Bible at Matthew 12:31, Jeremiah 33:8) say that murder is forgivable.

    Joseph Smith said: "All sins, and all blasphemies, and every transgression, except one, that man can be guilty of, may be forgiven; and there is a salvation for all men, either in this world or the world to come,... unless he has committed that unpardonable sin [the sin against the Holy Ghost]..." JoD 6:8 (the "King Follett Discourse")

    BUT:

  • D&C 42:18 says murder is not forgivable.

    Joseph Smith said: "A murderer, for instance, one that sheds innocent blood, cannot have forgiveness... They [can] not be baptized for the remission of sins for they [have] shed innocent blood." TJS 339

• Where was the Garden of Eden located?
  • D&C 116 says it was located at "Adam-ondi-Ahman", near Spring Hill, Missouri. (See also D&C 78:15, 107:53-57, HoC 3:35).

    BUT:

  • PoGP (Moses 3:10-15, corresponding to Joseph Smith's "Inspired" translation of Genesis 2:10-15) says it was located in the vicinity of Assyria and Ethiopia and the Euphrates River.

    Comment: Mormons try to explain this by suggesting that those Biblical names were also used in Adam's day to refer to areas and rivers in ancient Missouri. This argument overlooks the fact that the author of Genesis (or the inspired "Book of Moses" - who was the biblical Moses, according to Mormon doctrine) was writing for an audience who knew those names only as designations in the Old World, and would have understood them as such.

• What materials did Nephi have for building his temple?
  • BoM 2 Nephi 5:15 says supplies were abundant: "...all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which were in great abundance."

    BUT:

  • BoM 2 Nephi 5:16 says they were not abundant: "...save it [the temple] were not built of so many precious things, for they were not to be found upon the land."

• What about "the natural man"?
  • BoM Mosiah 3:19 says "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 becomes a follower of Christ]" (see also 1 Cor 2:14)

  • George Q. Cannon (member of the First Presidency) said: "The natural man is at enmity with Christ and with God;..." (JoD 21:79).

    BUT:

  • D&C 84:46–47 says that it is the UNnatural that should be avoided (implying that natural things are good): “(For) every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit avoids every unnatural, unholy, and impure practice, (and) cometh unto God, even the Father.”

  • Brigham Young said: "Paul says in his Epistle to the Corinthians, 'But the natural man receiveth not the things of God,' but I say it is the unnatural man that receiveth not the things of God. That which was, is and will continue to endure is more natural than that which will pass away and be no more. The natural man is of God." (JoD 9:305).

• Should we seek a miraculous sign of the truth of the Book of Mormon?
  • BoM Moroni 10:4 says yes:

    "...ask God...if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost."

    BUT:

  • BoM Alma 32:17-21 condemns those who require a sign to believe; one should simply have faith. See also (condemning those who seek a sign) D&C 63:7-11, Matt 12:39, Luke 11: 29.

• Will people be punished for the sins of their ancestors?
  • The second "Article of Faith" says that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for someone else's transgression. (See also Deut 24:16, 2 Kings 14:6, Jer 31:30, D&C 101:78)

    BUT:

  • The BoM teaches that the Lamanites were cursed with a dark skin because of the sins of their ancestors, a curse which the church teaches is the explanation for the dark skin of the Native Americans, even those who are righteous members of the church

    See also D&C 98:39-46, where the Lord promises to punish to the third and fourth generation the descendants of Joseph Smith's enemies (echoing Deut 5:9 and many other Bible passages).

• Should Mormons obey the civil law?
  • The twelfth "Article of Faith" says: "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law."

    D&C 58:21 says: "Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land." (See also Jesus' teaching, "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's" - Matt 22:21)

    BUT:

  • when it was not convenient for Mormons to obey the law, Mormon leaders often flouted it, usually citing the principle that God's Law trumps civil law. Examples:
    • Joseph Smith performed many marriages without proper authorization from the civil government to do so.
    • Joseph Smith entered into numerous polygamous marriages in violation of the criminal laws at the time forbidding bigamy.
    • Joseph Smith set up a bank in Ohio without a banking license from the state, for which he was fined.
    • At the time of his death, Smith was in prison on a charge stemming from his illegal destruction of a printing press owned by his critics.
    • When laws were passed by the U.S. government forbidding the practice of polygamy in the late 19th century, the Mormons continued to practice it, asserting that the "law of God" superceded any human law.   After the church formally renounced the practice in 1890, in accordance with the law (in order to gain Utah's admission to the Union), many church officials continued secretly to disobey the law by performing polygamous marriages and by entering into such marriages themselves.

• Should there be a paid ministry?
  • D&C 42:71-73 says yes: elders, high priests and bishops should receive support and "remuneration" for their services.

    BUT:

  • BoM 2 Ne 26:31, Mosiah 27:5, 18:24, Alma 1:2-3, 1:20, 30:32-35 (and Bible Acts 20:33-34, 2 Cor 11:9, 2 Thess 3:8) say they should support themselves.

    (The present practice of the church is that only the upper echelons in the church hierarchy receive salaries and other remuneration, as well as those employed as full-time teachers, secretaries, etc. Local-level elders, bishops, high priests, missionaries, etc., support themselves by outside employment.)

• What about tithing?
  • BoM Morm 8:32 says that false churches will tell you that your sins are forgiven if you pay them money.

    BUT:

  • D&C 64:23 says that those who pay tithing (to the church) will "not be burned" (presumably because their sins will have been forgiven).

• Is the Book of Mormon the whole gospel?
  • BoM 1 Nephi 13:24, 10:14, 15:13 imply that the BoM restores the "fulness";
    D&C 20:9 says the BoM contains the "fulness of the Gospel"; also 27:5, 42:12;
    D&C 10:67-68 says the complete gospel is repentance - whoever declares more is "against me";
    2 Nephi 32:3 says that the words of Christ (in the BoM) will tell you everything you must do;
    Mosiah 18:18-20 says to teach nothing but repentance and faith.

    At BoM 3 Nephi 11:31-40 Jesus declares that his "doctrine" is faith, repentance and baptism, and that "whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil..." and will go to hell (v 40)

    BUT:

  • BoM 3 Nephi 26:9 says this is just a test; more will come; and of course many current Mormon doctrines are not in the BoM (eternal marriage, many gods, word of wisdom, Melchizedek/Aaronic priesthood, work for the dead, to name just a few; for a more complete listing, click here).

• Instructions for missionaries: Go singly or in pairs?
  • At D&C 42:6 God commands missionaries to go "two by two" when preaching the gospel (this revelation was given February 9, 1831; see also 52:10). This follows the pattern set by Jesus in sending out his seventy (Luke 10:1).

    BUT:

  • On March 30, 1836, Joseph Smith said (HoC 2:431): "...the Elders would go forth, and each must stand for himself, as it was not necessary for them to be sent out, two by two, as in former times..."

• Instructions for missionaries: Should they take money and provisions ("purse and scrip") along for their support?
  • D&C 84:86, 91 says: "Therefore, let no man among you ... from this hour take purse or scrip, that goeth forth to proclaim this gospel of the kingdom... And he that doeth not these things is not my disciple; by this you may know my disciples." (See also v 78 and D&C 24:18; also Matt 10:9-10, Luke 10:4)

    BUT:

  • All Mormon missionaries now carry money and do not rely on the charity of those to whom they preach for support. Missionaries (or their families) support themselves.

• Instructions for missionaries and speakers: Should they plan what to preach?
  • D&C 84:85 says: "Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say [when preaching]:

    George Q. Cannon (First Presidency) said: "We are commanded to be subject to the direction of the Holy Spirit when we arise to speak; for if we speak as we should do, it is not we who speak, but it is the Spirit of God which speaks through us. On this account, the Elders of the Church do not, at least as a rule, prepare themselves before hand with either written or memorized sermons, for if they were to do so, they would depart from the order of heaven, and would prove utter failures." Ogden, (Weber Stake Conference), Sunday Morning, July 21, 1889

    BUT:

  • Mormon missionaries are trained intensively for several weeks before embarking on their mission in the "Uniform System For Teaching the Gospel," published in a series of booklets (available for $4.50 from the Church Distribution Center, item 33417 000), giving exact wording for six sessions of lessons to be given to prospective converts. The accompanying instructions state (p. 1) that this system "is the approved set of missionary discussions for teaching investigators." For each discussion, the instructions to the missionary are: "Master the information in this column ['Discussion (What You Teach)']." Missionaries are instructed: "Do not digress..." (p. 2)

    Update: In January 2003, the church announced that it was modifying its missionary methods so that missionaries could rely on the "spirit" rather than memorized presentations, thus reversing a practice of over fifty years. It appears, then, that the church has decided to follow its own scriptures in this regard.

    However, the General Authorities do not follow D&C 84:85: their sermons in general conference are carefully prepared beforehand and submitted to a committee for approval. Even the prayers offered during general conference are written ahead of time.

• What did God think of John C. Bennett?

  Dr. John C. Bennett converted to the church at Nauvoo in 1840 and quickly became one of Joseph Smith's closest advisers. He was sustained as "Assistant President" of the church April 8, 1841, a position which he held for over a year. He was excommunicated in 1842 and wrote a book exposing the Mormon practice of polygamy.

  • On January 19, 1841 (notice the date!), God said (D&C 124: 16–17):

    Again, let my servant John C. Bennett help you in your labor in sending my word to the kings and people of the earth, and stand by you, even you my servant Joseph Smith, in the hour of afflictions; and his reward shall not fail if he receive counsel.
    And for his love he shall be great, for he shall be mine if he do this, saith the Lord. I have seen the work he hath done, which I accept if he continue, and will crown him with blessings and great glory. [emphasis added]

    BUT:

  • Joseph Smith reported in the History of the Church, 5:42-43, the following, quoting his letter to the governor of Illinois:

    About the early part of July, 1841, I received a letter from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; in it was contained information setting forth that said Bennett had a wife and two or three children then living. This I read to him, and he acknowledged it was true. ... It can be proven by hundreds of witnesses that he is one of the basest of liars, and that his whole routine of proceedings, while among us, has been of the basest kind.

    Comment: Didn't God know (before July 1841) that Bennett was a lying deceiver?

• What was the name of the angel who appeared to Joseph Smith in 1823 and later delivered to him the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated?
  • Most Mormons believe his name was "Moroni," as reported in modern editions of the PoGP (JS-History 1:33).

    BUT:

  • The earliest reports by Joseph Smith and others gave his name as "Nephi" (a completely different character in the BoM who supposedly lived a thousand years before Moroni), including the 1851 edition of the PoGP, the 1853 biography of Smith by his mother (Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith p 79), and two early Mormon periodicals, The Millennial Star 3:4:53, and Times and Seasons 3:12:753 (the latter personally edited by Smith himself).

• What are the correct words to be used when baptizing?
  • BoM 3 Nephi 11:24-25 says that Jesus commanded as follows:

    "And now behold, these are the words which ye shall say, calling them by name, saying:
    Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

    BUT:

  • D&C 20:73 says that the words should be:

    "[The baptizer] shall say, calling him or her by name: Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

    BUT:

  • When Alma baptized Helam (BoM Mosiah 18:11-14) he said:

    "Helam, I baptize thee, having authority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a covenant to serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body; and may the Spirit of the Lord be poured out upon you; and may he grant unto you eternal life, through the redemption of Christ, whom he has prepared from the foundation of the world."

    Comment: The Church Handbook of Instructions (p. 36, 2006 edition) says: "The baptism must be repeated if the words are not spoken exactly as given in Doctrine and Covenants 20:73," implying that otherwise the baptism is not valid. It would seem that either the BoM baptisms were not valid, or the modern church has changed the ordinance (which they say was established at the beginning of the world - and the true church does not change sacred ordinances).

• Should we "worship" Jesus?
  • The Bible says YES:

    "Thou shalt have no ofher gods before me." (Ex 20:3) Verse 5 implies that only the God giving this commandment should be worshipped. (Mormons believe that Jesus and the Jehovah of the OT are one and the same personage; thus, it is Jesus who gave this commandment.)

    His followers worshipped him, apparently without his rebuking them: "And when they [the eleven disciples] saw him, they worshipped him...." (Matthew 28:17; see also Matthew 8:2, 9:18, 14:13, 15:25,18:26, 28:9, Mark 5:6, Luke 24:52, John 9:38)

  • The Book of Mormon says YES:

    "And they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his [Jesus'] feet, and did worship him; and as many as could come for the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears." (3 Nephi 17:10; see also 3 Nephi 11:17; this also apparently without any rebuke from Jesus).

    BUT:

  • Apostle Bruce R. McConkie says NO:

    "We worship the Father and him only and no one else. We do not worship the Son and we do not worship the Holy Ghost. I know perfectly well what the scriptures say about worshipping Christ and Jehovah, but they are speaking in an entirely different sense -- the sense of standing in awe and being reverentially grateful to Him who has redeemed us" - "Our Relationship With The Lord," a devotional speech given March 2, 1982, at Brigham Young University

  • McConkie says, in the same speech:

    "Another peril is that [they] begin to pray directly to Christ because of some special friendship they feel has been developed. In this connection a current and unwise book, which advocates gaining a special relationship with Jesus, contains this sentence: `Because the Savior is our mediator, our prayers go through Christ to the Father, and the Father answers our prayers through His Son.' This is plain sectarian nonsense. Our prayers are addressed to the Father, and to Him only. They do not go through Christ, ..."

  • The Encyclopedia of Mormonism, article "God the Father" says NO:

    "Latter-day Saints worship and pray to the Father and offer all other sacred performances to him in the name of the Son, Jesus Christ.".

• Should we strive for a "personal relationship" with Christ?
  • Apostle Bruce R. McConkie says NO. "Now, it is no secret that many false and vain and foolish things are being taught in the sectarian world and even among us about our need to gain a special relationship with the Lord Jesus. ... In an effort to be truer than true they devote themselves to gaining a special, personal relationship with Christ that is both improper and perilous." - "Our Relationship With The Lord," (cited above)

  But:
  • General Authority W. Don Ladd says YES: "The most important thing we can do - young or old - is develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ." - "Make Thee an Ark" Ensign (official church magazine), November 1994.

• Is God's love unconditional?
  • The First Presidency said YES:

    To love completely with a wholeness even as Christ loved, to manifest a mature and unconditional love in all human relations, would minimize many fears. [emphasis added] -First Presidency Message: "With an Eye Single to His Glory," Ensign, Dec. 1971

    Elder Ronald E. Poelman (First Council of Seventy) said YES:

    God is our father; he loves us; his love is infinite and unconditional. His sorrow is great when we disobey his commandments and break his laws. He cannot condone our transgressions, but he loves us and wants us to return to him. I know of no greater inducement to repentance and reconciliation with our Father in Heaven than an awareness of his unconditional love for us personally and individually. [emphasis added] - "God's Love for Us Transcends Our Transgressions," Ensign, May 1982, p. 27

    Apostle Marvin J. Ashton said YES:

    The greatest example of love available to all of us is, of course, found in the scripture from John: 'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.' (John 3:16.) By the greatest of all acts of love and by this supreme sacrifice, God set the pattern. He demonstrated to us that His love was unconditional and sufficient to encircle every person. [emphasis added] - "We Serve That Which We Love," Ensign, May 1981, p. 22

    BUT:

  • Apostle Russell M. Nelson said NO:

    Divine love is also conditional. While divine love can be called perfect, infinite, enduring, and universal, it cannot correctly be characterized as unconditional. The word does not appear in the scriptures. On the other hand, many verses affirm that the higher levels of love the Father and the Son feel for each of us - and certain divine blessings stemming from that love - are conditional.
    
    Understanding that divine love and blessings are not truly 'unconditional' can defend us against common fallacies such as these: 'Since God's love is unconditional, He will love me regardless...'; or 'Since 'God is love,' He will love me unconditionally, regardless...' These arguments are used by anti-Christs to woo people with deception.
    
    The full flower of divine love and our greatest blessings from that love are conditional - predicated upon our obedience to eternal law. [emphasis added] - "Divine Love," Ensign, Feb. 2003, p. 20

    Comment: It seems that Apostle Nelson is very close to calling his fellow prophets "anti-Christs".

• What is the "first principle" of the gospel?
  • The "Articles of Faith," Article 4, says that the first principles are: "first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism...; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost."

    BUT:

  • Joseph Smith said: "It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the character of God and to know...that he was once a man like us..." ("King Follett Discourse," Journal of Discourses 6:3-4, also in Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 342-345)

• What are the doctrines of Christ's church?
  • Jesus said to the Nephites that his doctrine consisted of (1) faith; (2) repentance; and (3) baptism. Anyone proclaiming more or less than this "cometh of evil" and will go to hell. (3 Nephi 11: 31-40; see also D&C 10:67-68)

    BUT:

  • The official church website listed the doctrines of the church to include much more:

    1.Godhead
    2. Plan of Salvation
    3. Atonement of Jesus Christ
    4. Dispensation, Apostacy, and Restoration
    5. Prophets and Revelation
    6. Priesthood and Priesthood Keys
    7. Ordinances and Covenants
    8. Marriage and Family
    9. Commandments
    

• Is the Book of Mormon real history?
  • The angel that delivered the plates from which Joseph Smith translated the BoM said YES:

    "He [the angel] said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from which they sprang."(PoGP, JS-Hist 1:34)

  • The official church website says YES:

    "Latter-day Saints also consider the Book of Mormon to be a record of great ancient-American civilizations."

    BUT:

  • Apostle Russell M. Nelson says NO:

    "...invite a friend to read the Book of Mormon. Explain that it is not a novel or a history book."

• Should we "look to the past"?
  • Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley said yes; "It's always good to look to the past."

    BUT:

  • Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley said no: "Forget the past!"

  Update 2/18/10: The video at the above links has been removed because of objections from the LDS church over copyright. It showed Hinckley first addressing a Mormon audience, urging the listeners to be proud of their pioneer heritage and to do their genealogical research. The second video showed Hinckley addressing the audience at a ceremony held at the scene of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, where Mormons in 1857 massacred 120 immigrants headed for California, killing all the adults and the older children. The church has never taken responsibility for the massacre or for the subsequent cover-up, even though there is evidence that top church authorities were involved in both the planning and the cover-up. Hinckley suggested that it was all in the past, and therefore should be forgotten.

• Was Joseph Smith reviled and persecuted because of his telling about the "First Vision" in 1820?
  • Joseph Smith says yes: he says that his telling others in 1820 that he had seen God caused him widespread persecution: “…my telling the story had excited a great deal of prejudice against me… all [the churches] united to persecute me.” (PoGP JS-Hist 1:22-23)

    BUT:

  • Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge, who visited Manchester and Palmyra in December 1830, learned the following: “Upon inquiring among the neighbors concerning the Smith family, they found their reputation had been impeccable until Joseph had made known his discovery of the Book of Mormon [after 1823, at least three years later].” - Church History In The Fulness of Times, 2000 edition, p 82 (lesson manual published by the LDS church)

  • Although Smith encountered much hatred and opposition in the early years of his religious career, and many critical newspaper accounts, pamphlets and books were published during that time, none of them mention Smith's claim to have seen God the Father and God the Son as told in the later official version.

• What is the correct wording of "The Lord's Prayer"?
  • The JST version is identical to the King James Version (Matthew 6:9ff) except for "who" instead of the KJV "which" in v. 9.

    But:

  • In the BoM (3 Nephi 13:9ff) Jesus omits the phrases "Thy kingdom come..." and "Give us this day our daily bread..."

This listing is a work in progress. Many more items can (and hopefully will) be added. Please forward your suggestions.

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