Why Do Biblical Christians Think God Doesn't Inspire the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

[drumdude]

If Latter-day Saints are deceived, then there is no way to find anything out about God.

That’s a pretty bold claim…

[huckelberry]

Elder Bednar was asked recently what he thought of most Christian religions and he said they are deceived. And when pressed about his own beliefs being deceived he just said you have to have faith.

I can't speak for David Bednar, but I wonder if he would agree with me that the critical difference is just what one has faith in. Biblical Christians believe the Bible tells the truth about God. Latter-day Saints believe God loves us, and wants us to know about Her/Him. If Biblical Christians are deceived, then there still might be some other ways to find out about God. If Latter-day Saints are deceived, then there is no way to find anything out about God.

kevin, why are you talking about deception? In what way do you see traditional Christians as deceived? I thought LDS view was that traditional Christians had human errors and limited information but more importantly do not have primary authority.

[Moksha]

If Latter-day Saints are deceived, then there is no way to find anything out about God.

The South Park creators would suggest going down the list and filling in the names of different churches till you found the one with the most laughs. They found that Latter-day Saints edged out Scientology by a margin of guffaws and a smattering of titters.

[IHAQ]

Elder Bednar was asked recently what he thought of most Christian religions and he said they are deceived. And when pressed about his own beliefs being deceived he just said you have to have faith.

I can't speak for David Bednar, but I wonder if he would agree with me that the critical difference is just what one has faith in. Biblical Christians believe the Bible tells the truth about God. Latter-day Saints believe God loves us, and wants us to know about Her/Him. If Biblical Christians are deceived, then there still might be some other ways to find out about God. If Latter-day Saints are deceived, then there is no way to find anything out about God.

That is such an arrogant (or childishly naiive) and close-minded view on faith and deity it beggars belief. "God" comes in many forms for many different people, it's time for you to look beyond the end of your own nose Kevin...

The above notwithstanding. Relying on what the LDS Church tells you is, well, unreliable. You don’t know that what you’re told about God today will be disavowed tomorrow, nor if the Prophet you’re told today can be trusted to tell the truth, won’t be made into a liar after he’s dead. You don’t know how to tell if what you’re hearing is God’s truth - does God speak via a burning in the bosom, a still small voice, immediately, over time, through others, not at all if He’s told you before…and on, and on, and on…

If the 15 old guys in SLC were making things up as they went along, trying to appear inspired but not being. In what way would the delivery of those 15 old guys be any different than what we see before our very eyes?

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

If the 15 old guys in SLC were making things up as they went along, trying to appear inspired but not being. In what way would the delivery of those 15 old guys be any different than what we see before our very eyes?

This is one of those testimony killers if a morgbot could think outside its own programming for a hot minute. The zombie brain answer, of course, is a jumble of vague assertions and a testimonkey thrown in to boot. However, if they were being honest they’d see the obvious answer and bounce, but, you know, here we are watching a man talk about obligations to future humans or whatever.

- Doc

[Physics Guy]

Latter-day Saints believe God loves us, and wants us to know about Her/Him. If Biblical Christians are deceived, then there still might be some other ways to find out about God. If Latter-day Saints are deceived, then there is no way to find anything out about God.

A majority of human beings believes that God loves us and wants us to know about Her/Him. It's a basic tenet of all flavors of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Bahai'i and Judaism. Buddhists generally believe something comparable about the compassion of bodhisattvas, so if we're willing to stretch the loose term "God" that much then we can even lump Buddhists in, too. By no means is this belief in God's love and will to communicate a unique feature of Mormonism. Yikes.

To be Mormon you have to believe a lot of other stuff beyond that as well, stuff that does not follow logically at all from just that one basic belief. You have to believe in Joseph Smith's authentic prophethood, in Mormon priesthood as a real and important thing, and so on. None of that just follows as a logical consequence from God's wish for us to know God. It's all extra stuff that only Mormons believe, even though billions of people believe that God wants us to know God.

If Mormons are deceived about their specifically Mormon beliefs, there are no consequences whatever for the human ability to find out things about God.

Mormonism is anything but a last-bastion, final hope for faith in God. It's an unusually high-demand offshoot of Christianity with a lot of specific beliefs that go far beyond just believing in God, and saying that there is no hope to find out about God if Mormonism is wrong is like saying that you'll have to starve if you don't like anchovies. There are plenty of anchovy-free options even just among pizzas.

[dastardly stem]

Meh...I think believing in God at all because you really really want a non-entity super-dude to love you, in particular, and condemn others is a silly idea born thousands of years ago for humans to get by. When religions start fighting about whose god is better it's like watching a cartoon where characters are fighting over whose cartoonist is best. Uh it's the same artist numbskull. If there is a God we're wanting to pretend in such different unknowable realms the argument just sounds silly. We can start by asking what is God or who is he and see the nonsense descriptions that come out--"he's beyond space and time, a body-less mind" one may say, describing this beloved super power as nothing. "he's an advanced man who got a perfect body and knows as much as can possibly be known and lives yonder in the heavens' pointing skyward. We all imagine silly things, I mean just imagine playing out our dreams for the world to see, but believing these silly things because we can imagine them is perhaps man's greatest reach towards selfishness and arrogance. And the plague persists because it feels good individually...."God loves me...God loves Bill Craig" says William Lane Craig while denouncing all other religions, as does KevinSim and Elder Bednar.

[dastardly stem]

Latter-day Saints believe God loves us, and wants us to know about Her/Him. If Biblical Christians are deceived, then there still might be some other ways to find out about God. If Latter-day Saints are deceived, then there is no way to find anything out about God.

A majority of human beings believes that God loves us and wants us to know about Her/Him. It's a basic tenet of all flavors of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Bahai'i and Judaism. Buddhists generally believe something comparable about the compassion of bodhisattvas, so if we're willing to stretch the loose term "God" that much then we can even lump Buddhists in, too. By no means is this belief in God's love and will to communicate a unique feature of Mormonism. Yikes.

To be Mormon you have to believe a lot of other stuff beyond that as well, stuff that does not follow logically at all from just that one basic belief. You have to believe in Joseph Smith's authentic prophethood, in Mormon priesthood as a real and important thing, and so on. None of that just follows as a logical consequence from God's wish for us to know God. It's all extra stuff that only Mormons believe, even though billions of people believe that God wants us to know God.

If Mormons are deceived about their specifically Mormon beliefs, there are no consequences whatever for the human ability to find out things about God.

Mormonism is anything but a last-bastion, final hope for faith in God. It's an unusually high-demand offshoot of Christianity with a lot of specific beliefs that go far beyond just believing in God, and saying that there is no hope to find out about God if Mormonism is wrong is like saying that you'll have to starve if you don't like anchovies. There are plenty of anchovy-free options even just among pizzas.

Except all religions believe additional things tagged on to believing God loves you. This is not an exclusively Mormon thing at all. You have to believe in Jesus and Catholic Priesthood, or Jesus and sola scriptura...or...plenty of other silly things. Admittedly I can't make heads or tails of KevinSim's comment but I don't see how Mormonism is any more silly or unbelievable than the rest to be honest.

[Kishkumen]

Kishkumen, your response along with Physic Guy's succinct and 'on the money' reply a couple of posts before yours really do tell it all.

People do find their own paths and adhere to their own views - hopefully, with respect for others. Though the 'respect' part can be questioned, I see. What about conspiracy theories? What about views that cause obvious harm as Jim Jones and David Koresh led their followers to their deaths?

Perhaps that's why the golden rule ("Do unto others ...) and even the Hippocratic oath ("Above all else, do no harm") are universal and have stood the test of time.

I think it is fine to question on what basis one group criticizes others. It is fine for Mainstream Christians to question the basis upon which LDS Christians view other churches as apostate. It is fine for LDS Christians to question the place of the Bible in much of Protestant Christianity. Still, a lot can be said without getting too caustic or insulting.

Generally speaking, I agree with you that societies should judge groups generously, only intervening when objective harm is being done as a result of the group's fundamental teachings and practices. That does not mean all tragedies will be avoided, but a reasonable and salutary balance can be struck between freedom of worship and the safety of society.

The only constraint I see placing on groups is when their activities cross the line into criminal territory. I tend to be more sympathetic toward New Religious Movements and their leaders. It is not infrequently the case that suspicion and paranoia about "cults" is a big factor in exacerbating the negative features of these groups. When the larger community or state authorities are too invasive, that can be its own source of problems. Still, groups can't have a blank check to do whatever they want. They must still follow the law.

Conspiracy thinking? What to do about it? I don't know. We have a real mess on our hands. The eagerness to embrace the latest online rumor that flatters one's own viewpoint is a problem that has gotten away from us. I don't think we have yet found any good solutions to this crisis of information.

[Physics Guy]

Except all religions believe additional things tagged on to believing God loves you. This is not an exclusively Mormon thing at all. You have to believe in Jesus and Catholic Priesthood, or Jesus and sola scriptura...or...plenty of other silly things.

It‘s true that most religions believe their own sets of additional things, but since I never said anything about how much other religions believed, the “except” is a non sequitur.

If we’re now raising the question of how much other religions believe beyond God loving us, though, then it’s really not true that they all require believing the same amount of additional stuff.

Some denominations of some faiths are explicitly quite limited in what they profess. Most others may officially have longer lists, but require such modest participation from their adherents that in practice nobody has to think too much about what exactly they believe. Some people do consciously believe a lot of detailed doctrines, of course, but many members of large religions really do not.

Mormonism, at least in the largest CoJCoLDS branch, seems to be on the high end of the demand spectrum. And a lot of the demands for time and money seem to be absurd unless you take things like the Mormon priesthood quite seriously.

One can say it with admiration, that Mormons take their beliefs seriously and act accordingly. That does also have a downside from some points of view.