How Biblically Literate are Mormons as a Whole?

[sock puppet]

That Matthew verse is an example. I've had law partners of other Christian faiths that seem to have a much greater understanding of the many, varied Biblical teachings than have my LDS law partners.

that is something I hadn't considered. I can totally see Christian lawyers being more into the scriptures than Mormon lawyers. I was thinking about folks like my right-wing friend who have one of those New Testament only bibles and can barely form a sentence, but yet believe themselves to be quite knowledgeable about the Bible.

The longer they tote that New Testament, the more they know about it.

[msnobody]

I agree with most of what you’ve said, but I do see it as the blueprint for Christianity. Yes, people do seem to twist and cherry pick to try to make biblical scripture say what they want it to say, and even more disconcerting, is a complacent and lackadaisical approach to the God who gave us His Word in whom we say we place our trust.

That is why we need to be like Bereans, comparing Scripture to Scripture, showing one another grace in the negotiables, and stand firm on the non-negotiables, even when His word “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Hebrew 4:12.

When that Word pierces our hearts, it is often difficult to accept what is revealed to us.

I can see where you are coming from. This is an answer that comes from the perspective of active faith operating in the interpretation of the Bible. What is not entirely clear to me is whether the Word is inherent to the Bible or manifest in the faithful interpretation. I can believe that the Bible is the Word of God in every respect, and perhaps it becomes such because the eye of my understanding is opened through faith. Without that higher spiritual guidance, the words on the page would sometimes lack significance. To add more complications, why is the Protestant Bible the Word of God but not the Catholic Bible? Joseph Smith called the Song of Solomon Biblical trash, but I think an allegorical reading can render it quite meaningful. I see scripture as more a tool for receiving revelation than inherently meaningful in and of itself. Revelation can tease out meanings beyond the intentions of the human authors. One might say that God is the author of revelation, and that God is not limited by what is on the page.

Thank God he does reveal himself to us as he sees fit.

[MG 2.0]

Mormons on the whole know very little about the Bible, but they love to cherry pick and use it for passages where they believe it aligns with Mormon doctrine (baptisms for the dead, Stick of Joseph, other sheep I have which are not of this fold, etc).

If there’s any discrepancy between what the Bible says and Mormon doctrine, then any Mormon text is taken over the Bible because "it was corrupted by men” and "isn't translated correctly".

Mormons have an uneasy relationship Bible. It's actually more like a tactical association, but only when it's convenient.

Thanks for announcing on another thread McClellan's new book. Coming tomorrow!

We need folks like Dan and Charlie Harrell to help set things straight. More information is always better.

Regards,
MG

[Everybody Wang Chung]

Mormons on the whole know very little about the Bible, but they love to cherry pick and use it for passages where they believe it aligns with Mormon doctrine (baptisms for the dead, Stick of Joseph, other sheep I have which are not of this fold, etc).

If there’s any discrepancy between what the Bible says and Mormon doctrine, then any Mormon text is taken over the Bible because "it was corrupted by men” and "isn't translated correctly".

Mormons have an uneasy relationship Bible. It's actually more like a tactical association, but only when it's convenient.

Thanks for announcing on another thread McClellan's new book. Coming tomorrow!

We need folks like Dan and Charlie Harrell to help set things straight. More information is always better.

Regards,
MG

Agreed MG.

Want to take a guess what information you’ll learn from Dan McClellan when it comes to homosexuality or abortion and the Bible? How about the ancient temple ceremony or if the Mormon interpretation of baptism for the dead is a correct interpretation?

Can’t wait for you to return and report your findings. You’re right, more information is better.

[sock puppet]

In my experience and observations from them, Mormons as a whole do not have the same familiarity with the Bible as most do the adherents, each taken as a whole, of other self-professing Christian denominations.

Part of the explanation might be that most (all?) other self-professing Christian denominations don't have alternative sets of sect-specific scriptural canon, that they deem "more accurate" than The Bible. Mormons study the Bible once every four years, for everyone else it's all they study. Added to that, Joseph Smith put the notion out there that The Bible wasn't correct in it's translation, he started to re-word it himself, so is it any wonder that Mormon's treat The Bible as a poor relation?

Yea, the Bible is second-tier scripture for Mormons, even if Joseph Smith lifted entire chapters for insertion in his Jesus fan fiction, the Book of Mormon. One thing about Joseph Smith, while a cafeteria Christian, he was not lazy. He wrote his version of his own personal Jesus (1830) even if Smith later disregarded many of the "teachings" in his 1830 novel.

[sock puppet]

I wonder if LDS leaders realize that they've made the Book of Mormon subordinate to the Bible as a "witness" of Jesus Christ. "Another testament"? That impliedly acknowledges the primacy of the Bible.

[Gadianton]

I wonder if LDS leaders realize that they've made the Book of Mormon subordinate to the Bible as a "witness" of Jesus Christ. "Another testament"? That impliedly acknowledges the primacy of the Bible.

In some ways, the Book of Mormon is better than the Bible from a religious perspective. If the Bible were so great, then why are so many New Testament only bibles sold? And why do most Christians, if they are lucky, know what their pastor teaches rather than anything about the Bible per se? For a great deal of evangelical Christianity, you can pull a verse or two from Romans and throw the rest in the trash and you're good. There isn't much from the Bible that any particular sect needs...it needs a handful of proof-texts that justify their slight modification that makes them right and everyone else wrong. And it's not illogical for them to do so. The Bible is a collection of books spanning thousands of years with no coherent message. Why would there be? I assume you've read the Old Testament, I have, there's nothing there of any interest outside of academics. If I dig up a fossil from 300 million years ago, I'm not going to be thinking, how might I apply the lesson of this ancestor of mine to my life? Go ahead and try to find something in Deuteronomy that's going to help you in your life better than any modern storybook. And if you find something, then ask yourself how much you had to filter out and NOT take seriously, that would be very bad to take seriously, in order to get that tiny nugget.

If you put any intelligent person who for whatever reason, knows nothing about Christianity, in a room with a Bible, and tell them to summarize the message; nobody will ever produce Christianity as we know it. People only find the message their church teaches in the Bible because of the absurd amount of setup behind the scenes that prepares them to translate that particular verse in that particular way. I became acquainted with this lady on my mission who was a total nut job. The Lord had healed her allergies and that Lord did this and that, but, she was brilliant. Phd and taught Bible languages at the local university; not the local Bible school, like at a real university. She went off once about how impossible Paul is to understand, wow, she can barely read Paul in Greek because it's so out there. OMG, how humbling to have to teach it this afternoon, better have a cup of coffee first. I get why someone would find that way more interesting than the Book of Mormon. Like, digging up that fossil and behold the jawline, how on earth did it get that? A great puzzle.

But from a religious perspective -- here is this person I'm talking to who has staked her entire life on a handful of verses from Paul and she's freaking out about how she can barely understand him. Yet if it weren't for Paul, there would be literally nothing in the Bible to get her to her worldview. So the Bible really is pretty useless. You can say the Lord guided me to this chapter and verse of the Bible and gave me the right interpretation, but at that point, you could just say the Lord put whatever you wish to believe in your head, no Bible necessary.

Now look at the Book of Mormon. It's relatable because it's a bunch of modern stories written to sound ancient. It would be even better if the stories were better, but as they are, you can get more clarity on matters like following authority figures and nonsense things that religious people care about.

[MG 2.0]

Want to take a guess what information you’ll learn from Dan McClellan when it comes to homosexuality or abortion and the Bible? How about the ancient temple ceremony or if the Mormon interpretation of baptism for the dead is a correct interpretation?

Can’t wait for you to return and report your findings. You’re right, more information is better.

That's why I'm interested in purchasing the book. To see what 'nuts and bolts' make up the Bible. I don't think I received a full picture/rendition of that while attending Seminary and Institute. But I understand, now, why that is/was. And I don't have any problem with that...as apparently you do.

As I've mentioned many times now, you and others here seemingly grew up with a very narrow and constricted view of what 'truth' is. Truth is, it's wide and as broad as the heavens. All truth is part of Mormonism. There is nothing to be afraid of.

Although in your case you could not escape from those fears of your own making.

And so now, you have placed yourself in a position where you lie about having been a Bishop(?) and lie about knowing me as a person in real life. In order to elevate and secure your position as a worthy anti-apologist.

Apparently, here, you have succeeded. I haven't heard ONE PERSON call you out on being a liar in regards to your assertion that you know who I am because you were somehow acquainted with me enough that you could call me a _____________, and then get away with it.

You are a sad character, Wang. And no, I'm not trying to be a good 'missionary' to you. You seem to have fallen off the wagon.

Although, there is always room for repentance!!

Regards,
MG

[Everybody Wang Chung]

So no source? That’s okay MG. Most people here knew you were lying, but I still gave you the benefit of the doubt.

It still kills you that I was a Bishop.

For all the lurkers and fence sitters here that you doing missionary work for, how has the church made you a better person or more happy? All we see is an angry, bitter, sad and lonely person. What benefits has the church provided to you? It sure looks like it has made you bitter and miserable.

Prove me wrong, MG.

[MG 2.0]

So no source? That’s okay MG. Most people here knew you were lying, but I still gave you the benefit of the doubt.

It still kills you that I was a Bishop.

For all the lurkers and fence sitters here that you doing missionary work for, how has the church made you a better person or more happy? All we see is an angry, bitter, sad and lonely person. What benefits has the church provided to you? It sure looks like it has made you bitter and miserable.

Prove me wrong, MG.

As I've said earlier, it would be great to meet some of you folks one on one. You would be right at the top of the list, Wang. I'd buy you lunch. We could kind of get a feel for each other as to whether or not we are level headed and happy.

As it is, all we have to go on is our on screen persona. I would just ask that you look in the mirror and look for the beam.

See it?

Lunch if you're here in Utah? Or when you're passing through? You would then be forced to stop all this judgemental "bitter, miserable, angry, bitter, and lonely" crap. I could show you some pictures of our grandkids! Three of them were over here at the same time this last week.

Chaotic, but fun.

Regards,
MG