I am trying to figure out why people are able to so easily believe the bible, but are unwilling to even consider the chance that the book of mormon might be true as well. Broadways funny, jawdropping, controversial, irreverent, noholdsbarred blockbuster the book of mormon, the 2011 tony award winner for best musical, brings its satirical shock and awe to the schuster center tuesday, aug. The book of mormon promises that all who receive and act upon the lords invitation to repent and believe in his son become the covenant people of the lord 2 nephi 30. So, i decided to read the book first, paired with the soundtrack. The choreography is both great and plays up the humor. Cement the book of mormon as the keystone of your testimony with this uplifting and informative volume. It lists several reasons, regardless of the truth, that someone might want to be a member of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Lawrences nationwide study published in his recent book, how americans view mormonism. Ive looked at what the apologetics have said about it, then how those arguments have been countered, and it just seems asinine to me to believe in something that cant be backed up as credible. Rob sivulka lectures on 10 reasons christians do not believe the book of mormon at the ephraim church of the bible on june 21, 2012. The only bible that joseph smith relied on was the king james version.
The mormon church is nothing but a thriving business that steals your money. For now im a member by only being on roster, but i dont really believe in it. Music, lyrics and book by trey parker, matt stone and robert lopez. Yesterday i received an email from lee and kathy stating they were meeting with a college student who was on the 2 nd week of the missionary lesson plan. Mormons believe that god reestablished the early christian church as found in the new testament. Indeed, i believe that there are very good evidences supporting 1 the verisimilitude and 2 historicity of the book of mormon, as seen in works such as parry et al. Therefore, if the book of mormon is the word of god, and not just some well intentioned fictional account spanning years of native american history then the mormon faith becomes not just christian, but christlead. Herewith is a copy of my recent 1975 paper on book of mormon matters it was one of several presented in a written symposium on book of mormon geography sic. The mormon church, in what i think is a pretty savvy public relations response, bought ad space in the playbill, stating the book is always better. Again and again the book of mormon acts as a confirming, clarifying, unifying witness of the doctrines taught in the bible so that there is only one lord, one faith. I believe from the book of mormon musical on the 65th tony. Should we trust the book of mormon, or the missionaries. These three phrases are also, of course, found in the king james version of the bible, which is no doubt why joseph smith used them so often in the bom. A mormon explanation of the i believe book of mormon.
However, these two arguments or variations of them, that i have covered in my last two posts are the big ones that i wanted to address. At the end of this lesson, students will have an opportunity to bear testimony of how the book of mormon has helped them. Ive experienced god there are lots of other reasons people give for the existence of god besides the cosmological or teleological arguments. Why i believe the book of mormon is true a blog for those. Again and again the book of mormon acts as a confirming, clarifying, unifying witness of the doctrines taught in the bible the book of mormon. The old testament prophet ezekiel predicted that this record would be kept, moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, for judah, and for the children of israel his companions this is the bible. After reading this book, and reading the book of mormon with a renewed perspective, we could write our own books 25 reasons to read the book of mormon. Smith, they will say, translated the book of mormon from golden plates he dug up in a hill in new york in the early 1800s. I am lds mormon and have read the book of mormon countless times, it is true. This play isnt for the faint of heart or easily offended. It presents twelve simple statements that identify as succinctly as possible each of the twelve reasons. When the book of mormon was first published critics dismissed it saying there was no proof of highways between cities as the book mentioned.
Gods wife, the mysterious mother of mormons tresa edmunds. Book of mormon thought false by lds memberarchaelogist. The book of mormon is said to have been discovered and translated by the mormon prophet joseph smith in the early 1800s. I know there is a god, and also that christ shall come alma 30. The ardently devout and comedically challenged are sure to disagree. Church members believe that the book of mormon is more correct than the bible because the bible was the result of a multiplegeneration. If the book of mormon is true, then joseph smith was a prophet. Some people loved itand some people hated itbut at the end of the day, the experiences i shared are so tangible to me that ill never be able to forget or deny their. The best reason to see this play is that it is handsdown the funniest musical youll ever see.
In this way, the mormon system is expanded to other planets. And i believe that the garden of eden was in jackson county, missouri. I was raised mormon and didnt really challenge my upbringing til i was in my mid 30s. Yes, believe it or not, there is fantastic dancing in the book of mormon. The web page you linked to is clearly about the book of mormon and not the kjv. So i watched the tony awards last night, where the book of mormon musical cleaned up. Rtbs mission is to spread the christian gospel by demonstrating that sound reason and scientific researchincluding the very latest discoveriesconsistently support, rather than erode, confidence in the truth of the bible and faith in the personal, transcendent god revealed in both scripture and nature. There are 60 items mentioned in the book of mormon that were seen as anachronistic when the book of mormon was published. David stewart examines the issues surrounding dna studies used to condemn the book of mormon. For example, critics of mormonism have shown convincing proof that the book of mormon is a synthesis of earlier works written by other men, of the vivid imaginings of joseph smith, and of plagiarisms from the king james bible. Ask a non mormon living in utah, or a person of any color living in utah. Part 2 pragmatism in part 1 of why we believe i talked about the role that socialization plays in the formation of our religious beliefs. Feb 14, 2012 the book of mormon, a musical from the creators of south park, won a grammy for best musical theater album on sunday, shortly after topping the broadway box office for the first time.
The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to. The book of mormon is another testament that jesus is the christ, in addition to the bible. In addition to rejecting the book of mormon for such reasons, the book of abraham and other mormon religious texts are rejected on similar grounds. From the book of mormon to the book of mormon slate magazine. One of the central purposes of the book of mormon is to invite all people to come unto christ, and be perfected in him moroni 10. The book of mormon opened on broadway in 2011 and has continued to delight audiences around the world through two american tours, a continuing run on londons west end, a chicago staging, and an upcoming stint in australia though this 2011 best musical winner has celebrated over five years on the great white way, it remains anything but dated. Jun 12, 2017 here are five very, very good reasons why you need to see the book of mormon in san jose this july. For a fuller but still brief explanation of each point, you can click on the opening sentence to jump to the. In the category of serious, the book of mormon contains modalistic language that militates against the biblical doctrine of the trinity ether 3. The argument reportedly comes from his greatgreat grandfather willard richards, an apostle in the lds church under both. Ive previously posted on it came to pass in the book of mormon and ive highlighted the occurrences of that phrase, along with exceedingly in the sabom. Jun 14, 2011 the article starts out by quoting a former missionary, who has since left the church, who says that his children who he has kept information about his past life growing up in the church a secret from learned more from the book of mormon musical about the lds church than he has ever told them. There is a major misunderstanding in the world that mormons only believe in book of mormon, or as you put it.
Book of mormon performance at the 2011 tony awards youtube. Jun 24, 2011 mormons believe in christ, but are not true christians. Indeed, oneinfive mormons surveyed in 2011 said they have such. But it is not the religions that believe in the book mormon mostly, you need to read it to receive a personal witness it is true. Mormons read and believe the bible just as much as the rest of the christianity.
In the book of mormon, when alma was confronted by korihor, he bore a strong, direct testimony, declaring. Youtube 2012 tony awards book of mormon musical opening number hello duration. I believe that jesus has his own planet as well and i believe that the garden of eden was in jackson county, missouri if you believe, the lord will reveal it and youll know its all true, youll just feel it youll be a mormon and, by gosh, a mormon just believes a mormon just believes just believe, a mormon just believes oh, i believe. The book of mormon as the keystone of church administration. Im wondering why i should believe in the book of mormon when there is absolutely no evidence for it at all. Everyone is invited to know for themselves if the book of mormon. The book of mormon miracle presents twentyfive compelling reasons why the miraculous translation was the only possibility and why that matters. Even seemingly innocuous details, such as geographical features, technology, animals, and fauna can have a profound impact on a holy book s claim to. Whether or not the book of mormon is true is also an important topic, but i wasnt then, and am not now satisfied that the reason we need the book of mormon is simply because its true. Mormons believe that the book of mormon confirms information found in the. Moreover, in making such use of the book of mormon, the early saints were following the example set by their prophetleader.
Here in part 2, i will discuss how religion provides many useful benefits for the believer, and how this is a powerful motivation to believe and evangelize. Can we come up with a profaith show, thats profaith broadly, and in. It might be the funniest thing in the world to me when someone tells me with absolute certainty that the book of mormon isnt true after having admitted never actually reading the book themselves. When mormon missionaries properly called latter day saints or simply lds come to your door, they will often offer a free copy of the book of mormon and tell you about its author, joseph smith. Great aunt beatrices gardening diary i hope i dont really have a great aunt beatrice. If you are to ask most professing christians, they will tell you that they believe the bible to be the infallible word of god. This is a potent reminder that neither riches nor lineage nor any other privileges of birth should cause us to believe that we are better one than another alma 5. Let me first state that i am an active member of the lds faith and accept the historicity of the book of mormon. And so we decided, lets do a story that talked about mormonism and. If you have a testimony of its truthfulness, everything else about the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, it must follow, is true also. See all 4 formats and editions hide other formats and editions.
Part of the reason why a wicked movie has still yet to be made. Congrats on being strong enough to stand up for what you believe at such a young age. Review of broadways the book of mormon the washington. Mar 21, 2011 something as highprofile as the book of mormon musical has a shot at really making a mark in the social consciousness.
Reasons for this disbelief include issues with anthropological, linguistic, archaeological, and genetic evidence against the book of mormon in the new world. Its interesting how the creators of south park and avenue q influenced each other in a circular fashion, leading to the conception of this musical. Thanks to justin alves for lyrics the book of mormon the musical i. Whatever god commands is right, no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof till long after the events transpire. The book of mormon claims to be the history of the inhabitants of the western hemisphere from about 2200 bc to. However, some individuals have drawn and widely publicized conclusions far beyond those validated by existing data. Joseph smith continued to be involved with and to make use of the book of mormon long after it was translated and published. I believe that god lives on a planet called kolob i believe that jesus has his own planet as well and i believe that the garden of eden was in jackson county, missouri if you believe, the lord will reveal it and youll know its all true, youll just feel it youll be a mormon and, by gosh, a mormon just believes i believe. Reproduced in dan vogel editor, early mormon documents salt lake city, signature books, 19962003, 5 vols, 1. As we exercise faith and lay hold upon every good thing, we can become the children of christ see moroni 7.
Callister is a member of the presidency of the seventy in the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. In his general conference address on october 2, 2011, callister presented an argument in support of his theme, the book of mormona book from god. But theres another that should be added to the list. Reasons to believe asserts that religious claims can, and should, be put to the test. Trey parker and matt stone talk about why the book of mormon isn. Jul 06, 2011 the doctrine of heavenly mother offers hope for the position of women within the mormon church wed 6 jul 2011 05. Everyone scholar or no can access the power of the book of mormon, and make their own discoveries, not only of facts and patterns, but of guidance in living this life. Where do exmomons believe the book of mormon came from. The godordevil dilemma argument for the book of mormon. Why is it important to have both the book of mormon and the bible as witnesses of the doctrines of the gospel of jesus christ. I havent seen the musical so i couldnt make this comparison. Threequarters of those surveyed associated our church with high.
Original broadway cast recording i believe performed by andrew rannells. Dec 07, 2014 the book of mormon miracle presents twentyfive compelling reasons why the miraculous translation was the only possibility and why that matters. Cement the book of mormon as the keystone of your testimony when it comes to the origin of the book of mormon, there are two possibilities. Mormons pride themselves on being american citizens, but do not believe in freedom for all. In the articlei gave my personal experience with the book of mormon in my college years and also laid out some of the logical reasons why i believe the book to be true. Testimonies of book of mormon witnesses, deseret book, 2011, p. Reasons to not be mormon guest contributor friendly. However, if the bible possesses attributes that are superhuman, then the bible proves itself to be of supernatural origin and has indirectly proven the existence of the supernatural author. A fifth of mormons express doubts about some church teachings. One of the reasons for this is that they have heard that we use the book of mormon and not understanding what it is and represents then wrongly assume, or are wrongly informed that as a consequence of us using the book of mormon, the bible is devalued and the book of mormon deemed to be more important. Served a mission etc because the pressure to conform is so strong. First, while smith referred to the book of mormon as the most correct of any book on earth and the keystone of our religion, its flaws run the gamut from the serious to the silly. Great aunt beatrices gardening diary i hope i dont really have a great aunt beatrice is also true, but that doesnt mean we need it.
As of 2011, more than 150 million copies of the book of mormon had been printed. The book of mormon is coming to town in a few months, and i wasnt sure if it was worth shelling out a bunch of money to see, especially since my wife doesnt like crude humor. Simply because a person claims to have revelation from a supernatural creator does not make it so e. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the book of mormon miracle. The marvel of the book of mormon is that even as it profanes some serious articles of faith, its spirit is anything but mean. So this was sort of this conundrum that we like to talk about we think what they believe is really, really ridiculous, and yet they. The book of mormon is referred to as the keystone of the mormon faith, and its doctrine. Something as highprofile as the book of mormon musical has a shot at really making a mark in the social consciousness. The book of mormon, the new musical that theyve written in collaboration with robert lopez, the cocreator of the. This article provides an overview of twelve major reasons why biblebased christianity is true but the mormon religion should not be accepted as true christianity.
Even seemingly innocuous details, such as geographical features, technology, animals, and fauna can have a profound impact on a holy book s claim to historical, and theological, accuracy. Book of mormon creators on their broadway smash npr. Youll be a mormon and by gosha mormon just belieeeeeeeeves. However, these two arguments or variations of them, that i have covered in my last two posts are the big ones that i. Jun, 2011 a mormon explanation of the i believe book of mormon musical number from the tonys. Aug 10, 2005 why i believe the book of mormon is true in response to my recent post about the thief who was converted by a stolen book of mormon, one critic whose comment was deleted for her inarticulate use of profanity was shocked at my gullibility. The recent explosion of molecular dna data has led to a considerable increase in knowledge about our roots.
Trey parker and matt stone talk about the book of mormon, their. I believe the book of mormon andrew rannells tony awards 2011. They sent the note asking if id look over the list of book of mormon scriptures pointing out that god is eternal and triune. Reasons to believe putting the book of mormon to the. Music, lyrics and book by trey parker, matt stone and. Mormonism is the predominant religious tradition of the latter day saint movement of. Bennion and england may have been writing within the church, but for whatever reason, their writings are largely unknown to the membership, at least where im from.
May 02, 2011 the number 3,900 that youve quoted i believe is in reference to changes made to the book of mormon since its first publication, not to what is called the joseph smith translation of the kjv. Aug 16, 2011 one of the reasons for this is that they have heard that we use the book of mormon and not understanding what it is and represents then wrongly assume, or are wrongly informed that as a consequence of us using the book of mormon, the bible is devalued and the book of mormon deemed to be more important. He drew on the witnesses of the prophets, as found in the scriptures, and taught that all things denote there is a god alma 30. The most well known scripture of the mormon church is the book of mormon, even though most mormon theology does not derive from this book. In fact, it has a creative musical namely the book of mormon entirely in its honor. According to smith, god the father and jesus appeared to him in a vision and told him that the christian church had been corrupted and they were giving him a new revelation so that he might lead the church back into the truth. If you believe the bible, then why not the book of mormon. Church members believe that the book of mormon is more correct than the bible because the bible was the result of a multiplegeneration translation process and the book of mormon was not.