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

[dastardly stem]

That one made me spit up V8 out of my nose. My Hindu, Catholic, and Pentecostal friends, who are very much into spiritual experiences and "confirmations", would take great exception with your statement.

A better way to put it is this: if everyone who has spiritual experiences about (what they think is) God are deceived, then there is no way to find anything out about God. That may actually be true. But just because Mormons are deceived, it doesn't mean everyone else is. Your statement has an unstated assumption: that the method Mormons use to "find out about God" is the only valid (or even a valid) method to find stuff out about God.

Bednar was supposedly asked this question. If a Mormon and a person of another faith use the same epistemological method to arrive at the truthfulness of their faith who is right? He claimed they are all deceived because Mormons have keys and authority. Then he said he had to go.

Lol. It's so silly. Bill Craig was asked this same question too and the example was Mormons. If Mormons have the same method as you and come out saying they are right, how do you know you are right? His answer was basically, well, of course Mormons are wrong...there are just reasons to think that. I have defeaters, he suggested But oddly, his whole point was...even if there is 1 in a million chance Christianity (as he sees it) is true its worth believing. He put the bar for evidence all the way to the floor, suggesting even if there was good reason to think Christianity is not true, he'd still be justified in believing it because he had a witness of the Holy Ghost.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp5MK1GP3OM&t=1164s

For some reason when I hear Bednar speak i think of William Lane Craig often.

[Rivendale]

Bednar was supposedly asked this question. If a Mormon and a person of another faith use the same epistemological method to arrive at the truthfulness of their faith who is right? He claimed they are all deceived because Mormons have keys and authority. Then he said he had to go.

Lol. It's so silly. Bill Craig was asked this same question too and the example was Mormons. If Mormons have the same method as you and come out saying they are right, how do you know you are right? His answer was basically, well, of course Mormons are wrong...there are just reasons to think that. I have defeaters, he suggested But oddly, his whole point was...even if there is 1 in a million chance Christianity (as he sees it) is true its worth believing. He put the bar for evidence all the way to the floor, suggesting even if there was good reason to think Christianity is not true, he'd still be justified in believing it because he had a witness of the Holy Ghost.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp5MK1GP3OM&t=1164s

For some reason when I hear Bednar speak i think of William Lane Craig often.

Craig says the experience of the Holy Spirit does not have a defeater. And that alone is rational enough to assume its validity. Bednar claims there are no other religions that ask the members to seek their own confirmation. Lower the epistemic bar by broadening the types of evidence presented? He wants to include philosophical arguments and inner witness. Mormons get the burning in the bosom but they have no confirmation they will be saved. Mormonism has no chance of being true ......lol. Mormons and Islam have powerful defeaters but there are no defeaters for the Holy Spirit. LOL.LOL.

ETA: From the comments.......

pragmatic justification = Pascal’s wager
And
Epistemic justification = Holy Spirit Presuppositionalism

[bill4long]

Bednar claims there are no other religions that ask the members to seek their own confirmation.

Bednar has apparently never met a Pentecostal. "Receiving the Holy Ghost" and "speaking in tongues" as an experiential phenomenon as a personal infilling and witness of God is the central focus of the Pentecostal sects.

[Philo Sofee]

Bednar claims there are no other religions that ask the members to seek their own confirmation.

Bednar has apparently never met a Pentecostal. "Receiving the Holy Ghost" and "speaking in tongues" as an experiential phenomenon as a personal infilling and witness of God is the central focus of the Pentecostal sects.

It is sooooo astonishing at how so precious little Mormon leaders actually know of other religions... they travel all over the world year in and year out, and all they actually know about is Utah theology.

[KevinSim]

Drumdude, do you think that my faith is fragile?

I don’t know about your faith, I’m speaking about the vast majority of Mormons from my former ward who reflexively shut down anytime something “anti” came up.

Which is exactly what they’ve been instructed to do since childhood by their church leaders.

That's true, Drumdude, I have been instructed to do that since childhood. But that's just not me. I'm not the kind of person that shuts down and stops communicating about almost anything.

[KevinSim]

Why would the Heavenly Father pay attention to only 1 child (Mormonism) and ignore all the others?

Our Heavenly Father pays attention to anyone who asks Him what His will is in her/his life. Is anybody but Latter-day Saints asking Him? And if anybody but them does ask Him, is s/he assuming that God will give His answer through the Bible, or is one of her/his questions asking God if the Bible tells the truth about Him?

[KevinSim]

IHAQ, I have no idea what the difference would be. And therefore what?

Shouldn't there be a significant difference between 15 old guys in SLC making things up as the go along, and 15 Apostles operating under direct divine guidance?

I don't think so. God can inspire those 15 men to do pretty much anything He wants.

[IHAQ]

Shouldn't there be a significant difference between 15 old guys in SLC making things up as the go along, and 15 Apostles operating under direct divine guidance?

I don't think so.

I think this might answer your original question as to why Biblical Christians think The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints isn't inspired by God...

[KevinSim]

I've been looking beyond the end of my nose for a long time, IHAQ. Have you encountered a version of deity that makes more sense than a deity that answers questions, like the Latter-day Saint missionaries describe? If so, please tell me about said deity.

I have yet to find a version of deity that makes sense.

A deity that answers questions doesn't make sense to you, IHAQ? What about such a deity makes you think it doesn't make sense?

Relying on what the LDS Church tells you is, well, unreliable.

What does unreliable even mean?

It means "not able to be relied upon".

What's keeping Latter-day Saints from relying on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? They rely on it, therefore that church is able to be relied upon, therefore it's reliable, by your definition. Relying on that church is reliable for the same reason.

I don't actually care about how reliable the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' teachings are; all I care about is whether or not God has chosen the leaders of that church to speak for Her/Him.

What would be the hallmarks of a leader of a religion that had been chosen by a supernatural, all knowing, all powerful deity ("God")?

IHAQ, I don't believe in a supernatural, all knowing, all powerful deity.

Personally I'd be looking for extreme consistency, unbelievable accuracy, impossible foresight etc.

And if you found one, his characteristics would imply that God sent Him? Why go the indirect route? Why not just ask God if God gave permission to speak for Her/Him?

[KevinSim]

The question is this: why cannot the supposed deity address humanity directly?

Chap, God addressed me directly. I asked God if the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, and God gave me a direct answer.