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Introduction The Purpose of this Book, 1 A Word of Caution—Ravening Wolves, 2 Avoid the Spirit of Contention, 3 Seek Learning by Study and Faith, 3 Developing Skills of Scriptural Exegesis, 4
Part 1. Latter-day Saints and Christianity 1. Are Latter-day Saints Christian?, 5 2. Do biblical tests exclude the LDS Church from Christianity?, 8 3. Do Latter-day Saints believe in "another gospel"?, 12 4. Do Latter-day Saints believe in another Jesus?, 14 5. Does the LDS Church have secret social and political objectives?, 15 6. Why do Latter-day Saints believe there can be only one true church?, 19
Part 2. Apostasy and Restoration 7. Why does the LDS Church claim to have power and authority which Catholics and Protestants do not?, 20 8. Why do Latter-day Saints teach that an apostasy and restoration occurred when the Bible says that the gospel was "once delivered unto the Saints" (Jude 1 :3)?, 22 9. Didn't the Savior say he would build his church upon the "rock" of Peter (Matthew 16:18)?, 25 10. Why do Latter-day Saints believe in an apostasy when Christ taught that the Gates of Hell would not prevail against his Church (Matt. 16:18)?, 28 Fate of the Early Christian Apostles and Leaders, 29
Part 3. Prophets and Apostles 11. Why do Latter-day Saints teach that the foundation of apostles and prophets had to be laid again a second time?, 33 12. How can Latter-day Saints accept Joseph Smith as a prophet when he received the Book of Mormon from an unknown and possibly false spirit?, 35 13. How can Latter-day Saints accept Joseph Smith as a Prophet when he made mistakes and admitted he was a sinner?, 37 14. How can Latter-day Saints accept Joseph Smith as a prophet when he destroyed the Nauvoo Expositor press after it criticized him?, 38 15. How can Latter-day Saints accept Joseph Smith as a Prophet when he was a money-digger and dabbled in magic?, 39 16. How can Latter-day Saints accept Joseph Smith as a Prophet when he prophesied falsely?, 41 17. How can Latter-day Saints accept Joseph Smith as a Prophet when he attacked all Christians and their churches?, 43 18. How can Latter-day Saints accept Joseph Smith as a Prophet when he failed to document his first vision until years later?, 44 19. How can Latter-day Saints explain Joseph Smith's and Brigham Young's comments about the moon and the sun being inhabited?, 45 20. Can Joseph Smith meet the biblical qualifications of a prophet?, 47 21. Can LDS apostles meet the qualifications in Acts 1 :21-22?, 49
Part 4. Modern Revelation 22. Is revelation still necessary?, 51 23. Has the LDS Church changed its beliefs and teachings about the gathering of the Saints?, 55 24. Has the LDS Church changed its beliefs and teachings about Adam-God?, 57 25. Has the LDS Church changed its beliefs and teachings about plural marriage?, 60 26. Has the LDS Church changed its beliefs and teachings about blacks and the priesthood?, 61 27. Do Bible teachings contradict modern revelation regarding a need for the priesthood and temples?, 63 28. Do Bible teachings contradict modern revelation regarding family history work?, 65 29. Do inspired teachings and practices change?, 66 30. Which is the correct Sabbath Day—Saturday or Sunday?, 68
Part 5. The Godhead 31. Is the God of Mormonism a changeable God?, 71 32. Do Latter-day Saints believe in the Trinity?, 74 33. Do Latter-day Saints believe in one God or three?, 76 34. Are Latter-day Saints polytheists?, 80 35. Are God and Christ separate beings?, 81 36. Do God and Christ resemble each other?, 83 37. Are God and Christ identical in knowledge?, 84 38. Is God a spirit?, 84 39. Can God or Christ dwell in our hearts?, 87 40. Is God omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent?, 87 41. Doesn't a belief that God has a physical body like a man's make Him a finite God?, 89 42. How do you explain the fact that Isaiah 9:6 calls Christ the Father?, 91 43. Why do Latter-day Saints teach that God is the Father of our spirits?, 93 44. Is Jesus our spirit brother?, 93 45. Was Jesus begotten of the Father or of the Holy Ghost, and by what means?, 95 46. Do Latter-day Saints believe Christ was God prior to his birth into mortality?, 98 47. Do Bible scriptures support the belief that Jesus Christ was Jehovah of the Old Testament?, 99 48. Doesn't the Old Testament identify Jehovah and Eloheim as the same person?, 104 Hebrew Titles for Deity in the Old Testament, 105 49. Did Jesus Christ attain godhood status at some point in time?, 107 50. Was God once a man?, 108
Part 6. The Plan of Salvation 51. Does the Bible teach that man may become like God?, 109 52. Why do Latter-day Saints accept Satan's lie to Eve that man may become as Gods?, 113 53. Is the LDS belief in the pre-existence of man biblical?, 114 54. Aren't angels a different species of creation from man?, 116 55. Why does Paul seem to be teaching predestination in Romans 8 and Ephesians I?, 117 56. Was Adam's fall part of God's plan?, 120 57. What is salvation?, 121 58. What must we do to be saved?, 123 59. Is baptism essential to salvation?, 124 60. Do Latter-day Saints believe Christ's sacrifice was essential to salvation?, 128 61. Why don't Latter-day Saints still use wine in their sacrament? (Is it because they don't rely on Christ's atoning blood for salvation?), 131 62. In view of David's forgiveness in Psalms 16:9-11 and other scriptures, does Christ's sacrifice extend to murderers?, 133 63. Do Latter-day Saints believe in salvation by grace through faith alone?, 134 64. Is salvation a free gift to all?, 138 65. Do Latter-day Saints believe in assured salvation?, 140 66. Is salvation instant?, 142 67. Do Latter-day Saints believe a man can save himself by his own works?, 145 68. Do works precede salvation or are they a product of salvation?, 149 69. Is perfection attainable by man?, 151 70. How can Latter-day Saints believe in eternal marriage in view of Matthew 22:29-30 and other similar scriptures?, 152 71. Don't the spirits of the dead go directly to heaven or hell after death?, 154 72. What Bible scriptures justify a belief in salvation for the dead?, 156 73. Where does the Bible indicate that the temple was part of the New Testament church?, 159 74. Do Latter-day Saints believe in an eternal hell as described in the Bible?, 160 75. Does the Bible speak of more than one kingdom in heaven (degrees of glory)?, 162 76. Will there be a rapture, and when will it occur?, 165
Part 7. Scripture 77. Why don't Latter-day Saints accept the Bible to be inerrant and infallible as most Protestants do?, 170 78. What are some of the errors in our Bible?, 175 79. Are portions of scripture missing?, 178 80. Don't newly discovered manuscripts prove the Bible is inerrant?, 182 81. Why don't Latter-day Saints accept Bible scripture as complete and sufficient for salvation?, 184 82. Is the Bible always accurate in scientific matters?, 187 83. Why don't Latter-day Saints study Greek and Hebrew texts to discern the true meaning of the scriptures?, 188 84. Does Isaiah 29 refer to the Book of Mormon, or is it just pronouncing various woes on Ephraim and Jerusalem for trusting in foreign alliances?, 189 85. Is it true that the Book of Mormon contains no new doctrine and few unique teachings?, 191 86. Why does the Book of Mormon borrow extensively from the Bible, and why are so many quotes from Isaiah identical to the King James version?, 193 87. Are there any scientific or historic proofs of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon?, 196 Anachronisms , 197 Other Evidences 200 88. Could the Book of Mormon have been taken from either the Spaulding Manuscript or Ethan Smith's View of the Hebrews?, 205 89. Why were nearly 4000 changes made in the Book of Mormon between the 1830 edition and present-day editions?, 208 90. How do Latter-day Saints explain the fact that the papyri from which the Book of Abraham was translated have been shown to be an Egyptian Book of the Dead?, 211 91. Why don't Latter-day Saints use the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible?, 214 92. Why was additional scripture given?, 215
Part 8. Specific Modern Scriptural Difficulties 93. Isn't the name Sam, used in the Book of Mormon, an American and not a Jewish name (1Nephi 2:5)?, 217 94. Why does the Book of Mormon describe a river which emptied into the Red Sea when none exists today (1 Nephi 2:8)?, 217 95. Why does it seem that many Book of Mormon passages are identical to passages from the King James New and Old Testament?, 218 96. How could a devout Jew not know which tribe he was from (1 Nephi 5:14)?, 222 97. Why does Lehi use the Elizabethan poetic word "methought" in 1 Nephi 8:4?, 223 98. Aren't titles such as "Son of God" and "Lamb of God" New Testament terms?, 223 99. Why was faith given to the ball in 1 Nephi 16:28-29 and not to God?, 223 100. Wasn't the Jewish "land of promise" the land called Canaan (2 Nephi 1 :3)?, 224 101. Did Joseph Smith borrow 2 Nephi 1:14 from Shakespeare?, 224 102. How could the love of God cause flesh to be consumed (2 Nephi 4:21)?, 225 103. How could Lehi's family grow into two nations so quickly, and how could they build a temple within thirty years (2 Nephi 5)?, 225 104. Doesn't 2 Nephi 5:21-23 indicate racial bias?, 226 105. Isn't 2 Nephi 10:7 a false prophecy since the Jews are back in their own land but in unbelief?, 226 106. The name "Jesus" was not known in Old Testament times, and "Christ" was not a name but a title. Why does 2 Nephi 25:19 refer to the name "Jesus Christ" more than 500 years before his birth?, 227 107. Doesn't 2 Nephi 28:8-9 contradict the Latter-day Saint doctrine of repentance after death?, 227 108. Why was the French word "adieu" used in 544 BC (Jacob 5:27)?, 228 109. How could Nephites offer sacrifices when Exodus 28:41 and Hebrews 7:5-14 say that only Levites could perform this ordinance?, 228 110. "Alma" in Hebrew means "betrothed virgin." Why was this name given to a man?, 229 111. Why does the Book of Mormon say that Jesus was born in Jerusalem (Alma 7:10)?, 230 112. Why do Latter-day Saints say Ezekiel 37:15-20 is a prophecy of the Book of Mormon when Lehi was a descendant of Manasseh, not Ephraim (Alma 10:3)?, 230 113. Why does the Book of Mormon say there were Christians in the New World (Alma 46:15)?, 231 114. Doesn't Samuel the Lamanite contradict the Bible's account of Christ's death (Helaman 14:20, 29)?, 231 115. Why wasn't 3 Nephi 13:12 changed as it was in the Joseph Smith Translation?, 232 116. Why did one of the Lord's disciples have the Greek name Timothy (3 Nephi 19:4)?, 232 117. Why did 4 Nephi 6 require 57 words to say that 59 years had passed?, 233 118. If the Jaredites were to become a great nation, where are they today?, 233 119. How could the brother of Jared be so bold as to instruct the Lord (Ether 2)?, 233 120. How could the brother of Jared be redeemed without Christ's sacrifice (Ether 3:9-13, 19)?, 233 121. How could the canopic jars in the Book of Abraham facsimiles 1 and 2 look alike, yet have different meanings?, 234
Part 9. The Holy Ghost and Truth 122. How should scriptures be interpreted?, 235 123. How may a knowledge of truth be obtained?, 236 124. What is the Holy Ghost?, 237 125. Why is the gift of the Holy Ghost necessary, and why do Latter-day Saints believe it must be given by the laying on of hands?, 239 126. Why do Latter-day Saints believe in a "burning in the bosom" when it doesn't seem to be a biblical principle?, 241 127. Why do Latter-day Saints say that the gift of the Holy Ghost follows baptism when Cornelius and others received it prior to baptism?, 243 128. What is the unpardonable sin?, 244 129. What does it mean to be born again?, 245
Part 10. Testimony 130. What is a testimony?, 248
Bibliography, 255 Index, 265
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