Top Anti-Mormon Criticisms
74Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Intro to Top Criticisms About LDS Doctrine and Church
As I have been researching and studying the LDS Church, I have found that there are some sites and anti-mormon literature out there that makes some huge claims against the LDS church. This hub is basically going to look at some of the most frequent that I ran across and give some good links that look at the other side of the issue. Now, I'm not saying this about all of the sites that I ran into, but I found a large number of the anti-mormon sites that would only publish partial quotes and took things out of context a lot. I thought that was a little off. Here's my attempt.
Joseph Smith- Mormon Founder
Joseph Smith Plagiarized! That's How He Wrote The Book of Mormon
So, one of the main themes I have heard in doing my research is that Joseph Smith could have stolen the themes and ideas to come up with writing the Book of Mormon. The top sources that anti mormons have said that he has stolen from was, in no particular order:
View of the Hebrews
Shakespeare
King James Bible
Spaulding Manuscript
George Whitefield
The Golden Pot
James Adair, author of A History of the American Indians
1 and 2 Maccabees in the Apocrypha
The best page that I have found that combats all of these on one page is found at Jefflindsay.com. Another great source is found at Greater Things.
I liked the fact at Greater things that on this page Dr. Ridenhour gives two assignments that show how hard it would be for anyone to plagiarize and write the Book of Mormon.
There are several other sources that refute the plagiarizing theories you can find them in the links section.
DNA Proves Mormon Church is FALSE, Wrong, Terrible, of the Devil!
Okay, so by now many people have probably heard about the bishop that left the LDS church because of DNA evidence that he suggests proves that the Church is not true.
Here is a basic summary of the DNA view from the anti mormons:
"The Book of Mormon has come under heavy fire from critics in light of DNA evidence that is said to refute the Book of Mormon, for the evidence points to Asiatic origins, not Middle Eastern origins of the ancient inhabitants of this continent. Since "everyone knows" that the Book of Mormon teaches that ancient Middle Easterners were the primary ancestors of modern Native Americans, doesn't their Asiatic heritage destroy any case for the plausibility of the Book of Mormon? Absolutely yes, according to many of our critics. (Lindsay)"
That quick recap gives you the basis of their arguments...Now you can read the most up to date information on the debate here:
http://www.fairlds.org/Book_of_Mormon/MisguidedF.html
http://bookofmormonevidence.org/
http://www.greaterthings.com/Book_of_Mormon/DNA/index.html
http://www.fairlds.org/Book_of_Mormon/DNA_and_the_Book_of_Mormon_2.html
http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/woodward01/
And this list could go on and on. Please when researching anti-mormon claims look at the other side of the issue as well. These are very well documented works and give a good insight to the whole issue.
Plants, Animals, in Book of Mormon, Oh MY!
Many critics of the LDS church often bring up the naming of plants and animals in the Book of Mormon as evidence against the authenticity of the Book of Mormon.
Critics of the church say that if there were horses, sheep, elephants, etc there should be archaelogocial evidence to confirm that they were in that place during that time period. Here is a good article to get you started on some heavy duty reading.
("Basic Methodological Problems with the Anti-Mormon Approach to the Geography and Archaeology of the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Vol. 2, No. 1, Spring and Fall 1993, p. 194):
Other sites that deal with the plants and animals in the Book of Mormon are found here:
http://farms.byu.edu/publications/transcripts/?id=129
http://jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/FQ_BMProb2.shtml#naming
http://www.fairlds.org/Book_of_Mormon/AshHorse/
http://www.meridianmagazine.com/bookofmormon/051114horses.html
http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/smithsonian.shtml
This list could also go on and on. Please read any of the above and you'll see that the claim that horses were not here are far from conclusive.
Links to References Refuting Anti-Mormon Claims
- Anti Anti Mormon
Answers to Anti Mormon statements Answers to criticisms of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Mormons and Mormon Beliefs: An Introduction to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the
An Introduction to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often called the Mormon Church) by a member, Jeff Lindsay. - LDS FAIR Apologetics Homepage
FAIR: Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research. A Foundation created to counter the misrepresentation and criticism of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Mormanity - A Mormon Blog: Mormon Apologists: Juggling the Truth?
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ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! first of all science is always changing, second it's a known fact that white people where here even way before the scottish rite (knights templar) and they where here before the vikings, now nobody is doubting that native americans came here from asia during the last great ice age, what the book of mormon says is that nephi and is people just came here, and that NATIVE AMERICANS were already HERE!!!! do some research! and start blamming catholics for the worlds downfalls.
I personally think the Mormon church is a load of shit. I think that Catholics have known what their talking about since year 1. One of the 12 apostles made the church that Jesus wanted. I also think that the Mormon religion is a cult not a religion and not Christian either. So u can tell the Catholics are actually logical because 8 out of 10 people are catholic and like 1 out of 100 are Mormon, don't fight it because you know it is true. So all in all if your Mormon you have serious issues
I find it interesting that this site is titled "Top Anti-Mormon Criticisms" and then mischaracterizes the only three issues it discusses. It also only links to sites also setting up straw man arguments, and failing to really address the issues. For a more complete discussion of both sides of the issue go to mormonthink.org.
make that mormonthink.com
-In my research into Mormonism I have found that in the eleven certain polyandrous marriages of Joseph Smith, ony three of the husbands were non-Mormon (Lightner,Sayers, and Cleveland) and only one was disaffected (Bluell). All other husbands were in good standing in the church at the time that Joseph married their wives. Many were prominent church leaders and close friends of Smith. George W. Harris was high councilor ....a position equivalent to that of a twentieth century general authority. Henry Jacobs was a devoted friend of Joseph and a faithful missionary. Orson Hyde was an apostle on a mission to Palestine when Smith married his wife. Jonathan Holmes was one of Smiths bodyguards and served as a pall bearer after Smiths death. Windsor Lyon was a member in good standing when Smith united with Sylvia Lyon, an he loaned the prophet money after the marriage. What therefore was the purpose of Joseph Smith in marrying these men's wives !?
al jay 3 years ago
come on?????? revelation nga eh