Silencing the Stones

Every Moment is His

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:03:00 +0000

I love it when God touches you at the most ordinary, mundane moments and claims them for Himself.

This morning our local Christian radio station interviewed Chris Tomlin, and he talked, among other things, about a new Christmas album he has released for this holiday season. I need to get my hands on this one!

One moment in the interview that I cannot get out of my mind came when he was discussing the lyrics to one of the songs, Emmanuel (Hallowed Manger Ground). He talked about how God was silent to his people for about 400 years between the Old and New Testaments. Then the silence was broken...by the sound of a crying baby.

What a beautiful picture that painted.

Thank you for sharing that, Chris. God spoke to me in my car through your words and made my daily commute extraordinary today.

It Speaks to Me...

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:09:00 +0000

This song really speaks to me right now.

Too Big for Our Britches

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:52:00 +0000

We are quite arrogant, aren't we?

How many times have I said, "no" to the Creator of the Universe? How many times have I ignored Him or put Him off or tried to wriggle my way out of something He wanted me to do?

He gave us the free will to do what we choose, and too often we choose to tell Him, "No."

How is it that the Voice that spoke creation into existance can have such a minute impact on our lives? His very voice put the planets in orbit. His voice placed every one of the billions of stars in the sky. His voice created the delicate ecosystem we reside in. His voice created all of the intricate biological functions that make us function as the superior earthly beings. And we tell Him, "No."

I think we are a bunch of arrogant fools sometimes...too often, really.

Tuesday Tunes - I Will Rise by Chris Tomlin

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Love it!

Tuesday Tunes - The Motions by Matthew West

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:00:00 +0000

I had no idea of the story behind this song until I went to find the video for this post. What a great song!

Whiny Brats

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:42:00 +0000

Since becoming a parent I have had more revelations about God than in my previous 26 years. Could it be that I am more mature spiritually and emotionally and therefore more observant? Maybe. Could it be that now that I am raising children that I am SEEKING more revelations from God? Very possibly.

However, I have another, more likely, theory.

I think it has to do with the fact that I now how someone to look at in the way that He looks at me. Someone who I love more than I can describe; someone who I truly want the best for; someone I never want to see hurt; someone I am teaching; someone I am holding on to; someone I have to let make his own mistakes; someone who I will love regardless of the mistakes he makes; someone I could not stop loving regardless of how much he ever hurt me; someone I would die for without second thought.

It's funny how we try to teach our children life lessons that we have a hard time dealing with ourselves.

The most recent example is an everyday occurrance in the life of parents of a preschooler. He wants to do things with his own ideas and interests in mind. There are times that we are glad to let him explore and learn. There are times that we let him work it out alone because if we constantly get involved he will never learn to do things on his own. Then there are times when we say, "No!" We try to explain to him that we'd don't tell him "no" because we don't want him to have fun. We don't tell him "no" just because we get kicks out of doing it.

We tell him "no" because

we can see the outcome of that decision and it will hurt him
we can see the outcome and it could hurt someone else
we can see the outcome and it is not a wise decision
we have other plans for him to pursue that will result in his happiness

We tell him "no" because we have a better view from where we are (experience, more developed logic, etc).

And what does he do? He gets mad. He sometimes goes ahead with his plan anyway. And often when he proceeds, he says, "see, I didn't get hurt that time!"

But God's rules are just to make sure that no one gets hurt. And He can see a bigger picture than I can from His perspective. And because He knows what will truly make me happy.

But I still get mad. And sometimes I do it anyway. And sometimes I even say, "see, I didn't get hurt that time!"

So when I was scratching my head the other day over my son's refusal to listen to me and understand that I had his best interests in mind, my "why?!" was answered with an "Oh, yeah."

Photo credit

If you're here via the Carnival, thanks for stopping by. Sorry I'm in a bit of a writing rut, but I'm working on getting back into it. I got pretty burned out after writing this huge series. Anyway, hope you enjoy your stay.

If you're not visiting via the Carnival, go over to Brain Cramps for God and check out some awesome posts!

Get Out Your Tissues...

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:06:00 +0000

As His Glory Passes

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:58:00 +0000

Recently I was listening to our local Christian radio station and a small snippet of a lesson from Beth Moore was played for a 1 minute segment. It has stuck with me so vividly that I need to share it with you too!

In you grew up in Sunday School, let's think back to the story of Moses in the cleft of the rock. If you didn't, you'll be up to speed really soon. =)

In Exodus 33 Moses is talking with God and trying to convince God that he and the Israelites need evidence that they are a special and select group of people to Him. God is pleased with Moses, so agrees to comply with some of his requests. Then Moses threw a big one at God:

Show me Your glory. (v 18)

Wow. Brave man, this Moses was. Did he really know what he was asking for. I have asked this of God before, but He didn't, and I'm pretty sure it is because I couldn't handle it.

In fact, He says as much to Moses in His response:

You can not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. (v 20)

However...and here's the kicker...God agreed to let Moses see His back.

So God told Moses to go to a particular location and when God was ready to pass, He would place His hand over Moses in the cleft of a rock so that Moses could not see His full glory. Once God had passed, He would remove His hand and allow Moses to see His back.

Have you ever been in that kind of situation? Think about it....

Have you ever asked God to come near to you and to work in your life or to deal with a particular situation? There are so many times that we don't see what He's doing or how He's handling our requests. However, many times we do see Him after He's passed. We see the evidence that He was really with us. We see His back as He is passing by.

Why didn't we see Him while He was there? Well, my friend, that's because He had His protective hand covering us through the entire ordeal.

Hand of God photo courtesy of National Geographic.

Cherokee Youth Ritual

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:06:00 +0000

I have no idea if this is factual, but it was a very touching email that was sent to me some time ago. I apologize if it is not accurate, but it is inspiring nonetheless:

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!

Finally, after a horrific night, the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, our Heavenly Father is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.
Moral of the Story: Just because you can't see God, doesn't mean He is not there. "For we walk by faith, not by sight." ~ 2 Corinthians 5:7 ~

What Was Jesus Actually Saying?

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:31:00 +0000

So, I have to make a comment about the video I posted yesterday. Yes, I like Stephen Colbert. Yes, I (sometimes) watch his show. He truly cracks me up. I have no idea what his personal relationship with Christ is, but he frequently makes Christian-centered comments and does not apologize for them. Since that really isn't a good way to be popular in mainstream media in America, I have to believe that he believes himself to be a Christian. It's really between him and God though.

Now, one thing that stood out to me during the interview was Bert Ehrman's use of the crucifixion stories as defense of his argument. I agree that none of the gospels tell the exact same story, but I've never really had a problem with that. If four people witness a lecture of any topic, they will all remember different points that stood out in their minds as informative, important, or just mind-provoking. I feel this is the same thing with this particular historical and spiritually monstrous event. One of the scriptures he used in his defense stood out to me.

A few Easters ago, the pastor at the church we were attending did a series of the "Seven Sayings of Jesus from the Cross" leading up to Easter Sunday. It was quite informative, I remember, and I was caught up in every detail he was teaching. However, only one of those sermons stuck with me for the next 3 (I think?) years...the one concerning "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)

I had always read it for what it said and taken it for Jesus being in pain and bearing the weight of our sin and enduring the hardship of taking on a physical body to save our miserable selves. There was suddenly a new perspective after this particular sermon though.

Let me preface this by saying that yes...Jesus must have been in terribly excruciating pain. He was not happy about his current situation although He was there willingly. Maybe God did have to turn His back on His Son for a short time because Jesus became sin. Maybe Jesus did feel abandoned. If God had turned His head for those moments, it must have been terribly lonely for Jesus who was enduring not only the physical anguish, but spiritual and emotional anguish for being apart from His Father for the first time. That all makes sense. I won't deny that was happening.

However, maybe either separately or in addition to those things, something else more profound was happening.

Maybe Jesus was telling His followers (and those who were just onlookers) something along the lines of, "Remember who I am."

How so?

Well, He was quoting scripture.

You must remember that the Bible had not been compiled in its current form so there were no chapters and verses to quote scripture by. The psalms were a well-known, often-recited collection of poems that were not organized in any real order. The Jewish people knew them, typically, by the first line of the Psalm itself. For instance, the 23rd Psalm was known as "The Lord is My Shepherd" psalm and so forth.

Did you know that Psalm 22 starts with the very words "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" Everyone of the Jewish faith looking on would know this. Maybe His words were meant to bring their attention back to these words. Why would He do that? Lets look at the prophecy contained within those verses (the highlighted items are evidence that things are occurring to Jesus just as David's psalm declared):

Psalm 22
To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Deer of the Dawn." A Psalm of David.

1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?
2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;
And in the night season, and am not silent.
3 But You are holy,
Enthroned in the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in You;
They trusted, and You delivered them.
5 They cried to You, and were delivered;
They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.
6 But I am a worm, and no man;
A reproach of men, and despised by the people.
7 All those who see Me ridicule Me;
They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying
8 “He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him;
Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”
9 But You are He who took Me out of the womb;
You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts.
10 I was cast upon You from birth.
From My mother’s womb
You have been My God.
11 Be not far from Me,
For trouble is near;
For there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have surrounded Me;
Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me
13 They gape at Me with their mouths,
Like a raging and roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water,
And all My bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It has melted within Me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And My tongue clings to My jaws;
You have brought Me to the dust of death.
16 For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet;
17 I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.
18 They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.
19 But You, O LORD, do not be far from Me;
O My Strength, hasten to help Me!
20 Deliver Me from the sword,
My precious life from the power of the dog.
21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth
And from the horns of the wild oxen!
You have answered Me.
22 I will declare Your name to My brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
23 You who fear the LORD, praise Him!
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He hidden His face from Him;
But when He cried to Him, He heard.
25 My praise shall be of You in the great assembly;
I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.
26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will praise the LORD.
Let your heart live forever!
27 All the ends of the world
Shall remember and turn to the LORD,
And all the families of the nations
Shall worship before You.
28 For the kingdom is the LORD’s,
And He rules over the nations.
29 All the prosperous of the earth
Shall eat and worship;
All those who go down to the dust
Shall bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep himself alive.
30 A posterity shall serve Him.
It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation,
31 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born,
That He has done this.

So, my personal conclusion, which others also share is this: yes, He most definitely was in deep anguish in ways that we will never understand. However, I think that in His final moments before death, He was still bringing the message that He was God's Son...He was making it clear, that He was the long awaited one. He was still about His Father's business.

Stephen Colbert Makes a Stand

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:03:00 +0000

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Bart Ehrman

colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

NASA Name Contest

A Little Help for My Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:44:00 +0000

Several people I know are having some particularly difficult times right now. Please pray for them.

Keri is a bloggy friend of mine. She and I share an Alma mater, which is how I found her blog. Her brother has just had a terribly improbable accident which needs our prayer. He is recovering, but I am truly flabbergasted that this could even happen! Please extend your prayers to him and her.

MyKidsMom and I have also become really good bloggy friends. Strange how you can feel a connection with someone that you have never met and who happens to live on the complete opposite corner of the U.S. But it happens. She's been fighting a tooth battle that needs healing.

A former coworker of mine just found out that his wife has a brain tumor. They don't know a lot about it yet. She'd been having headaches lately and yesterday when he got home from work she didn't know who he was. Then did scans and such and found a mass. That's all of the update that I have, but I am seriously praying for them. They have a 4 year old daughter, a 2 year old son and they are both younger than 30.

Heather also writes for a blog that I follow as well as maintaining her personal blog. She had a huge scare with her daughter this previous weekend and she's still shaken by it. Pray for her and her family.

A major employer here in laying off 1200 jobs in the near future. Many of those are contract workers, but about half are full-time employees. I have several neighbors, friends, and acquaintances that work there. They are understandably concerned.

My sister, who has Parkinson's, has started a new medication. It's supposed to treat an anxiety disorder that often comes with the disease. I can honestly (yet not judgmentally) say that she needs this type of meds. When I last spoke with her, she actually sounded a bit dingy, so the meds have obviously begun working. Pray that not only will these medicines help her deal with her symptoms, but that ways can be found to eliminate many of the symptoms altogether!

Okay...so that's my list for now. I know you don't know these people, but please think of them during your prayer time and send up some special requests on their behalf.

Study of the LDS Church - 7.3 How to Know/Defend the Bible is True - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:00:00 +0000

For the final lesson in this study, we're going to examine sources that further prove the inerrancy of the currently studied Bible of Christianity in order to further support its validity and dependability.

Unlike the Book of Mormon, there is much verification of the Bible that can be found in archaeology by Christian and non-Christian scientists. The customs, places, names, and events mentioned in the Bible have been validated over and over again. In fact, there is no archaeological discovery that has ever refuted a Biblical reference, according to Nelson Glueck in his work Rivers in the Desert (p.31). As noted earlier in this study, no site mentioned in the Book of Mormon has ever been convincingly located by archaeologists, although this is not due to lack of effort on their part.

As mentioned yesterday, there are many early Christians that have been found quoting scriptures, as we still know them today, as far back as the first and second century after Christ's life on earth. Clement, a leading elder in the first Christian churches in Rome, cites portions of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Justin Martyr, the "foremost apologist of the second century" considered all four Gospels to be Scripture. Polycarp, a disciple of John the Beloved quotes portions of the other three Gospels and refers to them as Jesus' very words. Irenaeus, a disciple of Polycarp, quoted from all but four of the New Testament books (excluding only Philemon, James, 2 Peter, and 3 John).

However, to further support the accuracy of the Bible, there are many non-Christian sources that refer to events and people that are featured in the scriptures. Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (born A.D. 37) made reference to "Jesus, the so-called Christ." Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus (born A.D. 52) wrote of "Christus" who was "put to death by Pontius Pilate." Pliny the Younger (A.D. 112) spoke of the "troublesome sect of Christians." Suetonius (A.D. 120) spoke of disturbances over "Chrestus." These men obviously had no agenda in perpetrating tales that were untrue, but only speaking about events and people who were contemporaries of their own.

Lastly, I will observe what is further support from within the Bible that unifies it as the absolute and infallible account of God's plea to mankind...the fulfillment of ancient prophecies within the life of Jesus Christ himself. For this, I will point you directly to a list of 365 prophecies in Jewish scripture fulfilled by Jesus himself. This is full support of the correlation between the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, and thus further supports their validity.

No further questions or thoughts today. I just wanted to give you more information that would help support your stance of your faith. I pray that throughout this study, you have come to a better understanding not only of the LDS faith and its inaccuracies, but have grown in your own faith. My hope is that through this study you were able to grow closer to God and more dependent on Him for your peace and in the assurance that He truly He who He tells us He is in the Bible.

If you have any questions regarding any part of this study, please feel free to comment anywhere throughout on this blog or email me at mrsnespy @ hotmail.

Study of the LDS Church - 7.2 How to Know/Defend the Bible is True - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:00:00 +0000

So we've spent many weeks now examining how the Book of Mormon and the other LDS books of their "holy" canon (including the editing version of the KJV Bible) are a collection of false doctrine created by a series of men, beginning with Joseph Smith. These "scriptures" have fooled many into believing what the LDS church teaches and are well clung-to by its faithful members, which number in the millions.

How then do we know the Bible is true? We'll spend the next two sessions dealing with this topic so that when you are challenged by this question from any skeptical friend, you can feel more prepared to answer this question that seems quite difficult to field.

Today we will look at how the manuscripts from which the Bible was compiled were collected, examined and interpreted in order to create the Holy Bible, as we know it today. Tomorrow we will look at other sources that point to the accuracy of this book as the very word of God.

One major difference in the Book or Mormon and the Bible of the Christian faith is the number of manuscripts available for examination. There are more than 24,000 partial and complete manuscript copies of the New Testament and some 86,000 quotations from the New Testament found in works of early Christian leaders. The Book of Mormon plates, however, were "taken to heaven" by Moroni, leaving no evidence of the source of Joseph Smith's writings.

Are their variations in the Biblical manuscripts? Yes. Mormons like to cite that there are 150,000 "variants" in New Testament manuscripts. This seems breath-taking until you look into these variations further. There are 99 of which that hold no significance whatsoever. Many involve a misspelled word or a reversal of terms (ie "Christ Jesus" vs "Jesus Christ"). In fact, only about 50 hold any significance at all. Even then no doctrine of the Christian faith or any moral commandment is affected by them (Rene Pache, The Inspiration and Authority of Scripture, 1978, p. 93). In fact, compiling the most probable wording of the original document is not as hard as one might imagine. Here is an example given in Rhodes book:

Manuscript #1: Jesus Christ is the Savior of the whole world
Manuscript #2: Christ Jesus is the Savior of the whole world.
Manuscript #3: Jesus Christ s the Savior of the whole world.
Manuscript #4: Jesus Christ is th Savior of the whole world
Manuscript #5: Jesus Christ is the Savor of the whole world.

By looking at these, it is clear that you can decipher what the original text would have been with a high degree of certainty.

It also is noteworthy that, according to Norman Geisler, "There are more [New Testament] manuscripts copied with greater accuracy and earlier dating than for any secular classic from antiquity." However, we have no problem believing that these texts are the "original." For instance, there are only 643 known copies of works from Homer, which are copied at 95% accuracy. There are 10 copies of works from Julius Caesar, with the earliest copy being cited from A.D. 900--their accuracy is completely unknown. With the New Testament, there are over 5000 copies copied at 99+% accuracy with the earliest copies being from approximately A.D. 130.

So we've covered some evidence of the New Testament support. What about the Old Testament? Well, thanks to the Dead Sea Scrolls, there is now much evidence to support the validity of the Old Testament as well. The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the mid-20th century in some caves in Qumran. These manuscripts were written approximately 1000 years earlier than any previously known copies of the texts. One fine example of the consistency is in the book of Isaiah. Dr. Gleason Archer said, "Even though the two copies of Isaiah discovered in Qumran Cave 1 near the Dead Sea in 1947 were a thousand years earlier than the oldest dated manuscript previously known (A.D. 980), they proved to be word for word identical with our standard Hebrew Bible in more than 95 percent of the text. The 5 percent variation consisted chiefly of obvious slips of the pen and variations in spelling." (A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, 1964, p. 19, as seen in Rhodes book, p. 170)

It is also important to know how these ancient manuscripts were copied. They went to incredible lengths to preserve what they believed to be the true and infallible Word of God. Every line, word, syllable, and letter were counted to ensure accuracy. If an error were found, the manuscript would be completely discarded and started again.

It is also noteworthy that Christ used copies of the Old Testament in his teachings--copies that were much older than the original texts, and had no problem with their reliability. Since he was the very Word made flesh, this should tell us something about the accuracy and care in the preservation of the ancient texts used to compile the Bible.

No questions today. Just read and digest. I'll be back for the next installment, which will wrap up our study of the LDS faith.

It's Coming...

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:09:00 +0000

Tomorrow I will write the next to last of the Study of the LDS Church Series. I plan on finishing the entire series by the end of the week.

I apologize for the delay in completing this task. Life has been overwhelming lately and although I never intended to drop this by the wayside, it was abandoned until I could catch up for a little while.

Thanks for hanging in there with me!

A Post of Interest

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:57:00 +0000

I know, there's supposed to be an LDS Study post here today. And there might be later today. However, I just ran across an article that I wanted to share with you, as I thought it might interest you...

Republicans Ask Obama to Back Down on Pro-Abortion Freedom of Choice Act

Study of the LDS Church - 7.1 What LDS Members are Taught about the Bible

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 12:00:00 +0000

The next three sections will be taken largely from Ron Rhodes book. It has provided a wealth of information throughout this study and is the best reference for the information contained in the next three sections of this study in my opinion.

So what do LDS members think about the Bible? Well, it is one of the books in their canon of works, correct? Doesn't that mean that they must hold it in high regard? Well, sort of. However, the Bible is only to be trusted "as far as it is translated correctly." (Articles of Faith #8). It does not compare to the validity and sacredness of the Book of Mormon, which they feel is complete and the "fulness of the everlasting gospel."

The Bible, they are told, has been corrupted throughout the ages via possible lost books, intentional additions and omissions, and poor transmission of the original texts. Therefore, the original transcripts of the Bible were correct, but today's version of what is accepted as the Bible has been tainted. The Book of Mormon supports this belief in 1 Nephi 13:26 by teaching, "And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of that great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away." Since the Book of Mormon is a directive from God to Joseph Smith, it therefore is more reliable than this book that has been altered.

They also believe that there are entire books missing from the original scriptures and use the Bible to attempt to defend these beliefs. Verses they use include Luke 1:1 (Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,), the mentioning of the book of Jashar in both Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18, and Numbers 21:14, which mentions the "book of wars of the LORD."

It seems that in the 1830s, Joseph Smith attempted to correct the flawed King James Version of the Bible, as it is stated in the History of the Church (vol. 1, p. 368), "this day finished the translating of the Scriptures." This is known as the Inspired Version of the Bible. It has not, however, been canonized as part of the LDS scripture, which seems a bit peculiar for a correct version of the Bible. In this version, there were several thousand changes to the KJV at what the LDS members believe to be a directive from God to Smith. It must be noted that Smith did not study any manuscripts, but simply rewrote passages as directed by God. Although the LDS church still prints the KJV Bible, it must be noted that their published versions have footnotes included that point out some of the changes via the Inspired Version.

LDS apostle Orson Pratt even once said, "Who, in his right mind, could, for one moment, suppose the Bible in its present form to be a perfect guide? Who knows that even one verse of the Bible has escaped pollution?" (Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon, p. 47).

********************
There is much evidence to support the currently published (unaltered) KJV Bible. We will look at this evidence in the next two sections. For now, lets debunk what the LDS members are taught about the Holy Book even before getting into the hard details.

********************
Yes, there are books mentioned in the Bible that are not books of the Bible. The fact that a book is referenced by the Bible does not necessarily mean that it was even meant to be part of the Bible. In fact, if they did belong in the Bible, why weren't they restored when Joseph Smith was inspired to change the KJV?

It took Joseph Smith three years of "listening to God" to rewrite the Bible. It took Bible scholars who referenced manuscripts and spoke Greek and Hebrew years to complete the original text of the King James Bible. Note that Smith had no knowledge of ancient languages.

Smith claimed an impossible ability--the authority to alter the text of scriptures. Jesus stated in Matthew 5:18, "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." You can find reassurance of Jesus' belief in the absolute authority of scriptures by pointing out that when Jesus was tempted for 40 days in the wilderness, satan misquoted scripture in an attempt to hinder Jesus. Jesus responded however by using the phrase, "It is written..." (Matthew 4). Other scripture backs up this emphasis on the everlasting nature of the Word of God such as Isaiah 40:8 and Matthew 24:35.

You can also note that some of the changes to the KJV Bible by Smith were in the book of Revelation. For example compare the KJV of Revelation 19:15 to the Inspired Version (or Joseph Smith Translation-aka JST). He even changed the number of horns and eyes of the Lamb representing the Spirits of God in Revelation 5:6, a change that cannot be passed off as insignificant. He therefore, brings himself under the judgement cited in Revelation 22:18-19, which states, "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

Although all of these alterations are noteworthy, I want to specifically point out one interesting addition via Joseph Smith. In Genesis 50, it seems that the JST predicts the coming of Joseph Smith himself! It seems incredible to me that of all of the people mentioned throughout the Bible that this one person would be omitted and later would be the one to restore it himself. In the JST version of Genesis 50:33, you can find this verse: And that seer will I bless, and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise I give unto you; for I will remember you from generation to generation; and his name shall be called Joseph, and it shall be after the name of his father; and he shall be like unto you; for the thing which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand shall bring my people unto salvation. Don't try to compare this to your KJV, as it stops at verse 26. You can read the entirely altered text of Genesis 50 here. Note the non-italicized words are the same as the KJV that Christian faiths use.

You can view the JST footnoted changes to the KJV here.

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Questions for your LDS friends:

Do you read the Bible? Why?
Do you agree with Pratt (see quote above) that not even a single verse of the Bible may be reliable? (If yes...) How can the LDS church publish its own version of the KJV for use in good conscience? (If no...)So do you, as a member of the church, have the freedom to disagree with your own general authorities?
Since the Book of Mormon quotes the Bible extensively, what does Pratt's statement say about the Book of Mormon? Do you see the conflict here? Is it possible to say this without saying something negative about the Book of Mormon?
Are there lost books of the Bible? (If yes...) Why didn't Joseph Smith then restore them when he was writing the Inspired Version? Why aren't these lost books then compiled into the Book of Mormon, which is the "most correct of any book on earth"?
Does it strike you odd that Joseph Smith was able to completely rewrite the Bible (he was done according to the quote above from the History of the Church) in three years what it took scholars who knew ancient languages years to do?
Do you find it peculiar that Joseph Smith inserted a prediction of his own coming into the Bible? Why was this particular prophecy left out so long ago if it is original?
If the Inspired Version was completed, why has it never been published?
Why were changes made to the Bible when Jesus himself said that nothing would be changed till all be fulfilled?
What do you think about Revelation 22:18-19 in regards to Joseph Smith altering the book of Revelation?

A Call to Action

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:52:00 +0000

Hurry over to Call Her Blessed for this post. It is of dire importance.

Study of the LDS Church - 6.13 Emotions as Evidence

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 12:00:00 +0000

There is nothing I can add to this article, so I'm going to point you directly to it (although I will add questions at the bottom):

Emotionality as Evidence

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Since many LDS missionaries will ask you to pray about the Book of Mormon to know whether it is from God before making any judgments about it (by using Moroni 10:4 as justification of this request), you can point them to the following scriptures of the LDS church itself:

Doctrine & Covenants 9:8: But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.

Notice that this tells them to study it out in their mind first and then ask if it is right. So therefore, if it doesn't settle in your mind, it seems that you are under no obligation to ask if it is right.

It seems that their famed 2nd prophet Brigham Young challenged the LDS church to test the LDS works against the Bible and see how it held up ("Take up the Bible, compare the religion of the Latter-day Saints with it, and see if it will stand the test." Journal of Disclosures, vol. 16, p. 46, Brigham Young, 1873). So let's take President Young's advice and do that now:

Point them over to Jeremiah 17:9: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

It seems that we truly cannot trust the feelings within us. That therefore cannot be a good way to choose a faith. This is confirmed in Proverbs 14:12 with "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

The Apostle Paul praised the Bereans in the book of Acts for not simply taking the teachings at word, but comparing them to the scriptures that they already had. There were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. --Acts 17:11.

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Questions:

Have you ever prayed about the Koran, the Jehovah’s Witness Bible or Avesta? Should you pray about robbing a bank and giving the money to the poor?
The obvious answer is, there is no need to pray about anything that is not Biblical and is outside of God’s will, including all of those. Because these things are unbiblical, if God would answer that prayer, it would always be in accord with His written word. But to ask God in prayer something he has already spoken about can be testing God, which is also forbidden.
Which Book of Mormon would you like me to pray about: The 1830 edition or today's edition that has changed more than 4000 times from the original documented words of Joseph Smith?
Where did you get the idea to pray about the Book of Mormon (The answer will be Moroni 10:4-5 if they have not already told you this)? So the idea to pray about the Book of Mormon came from the Book of Mormon itself, right? Suppose the Book of Mormon is not true, just for the sake of argument. Who then would be behind its creation (Satan?)? If Satan were the one to tell you how to determine if the book is true, he would then give you the answer, right? That's why it is dangerous to pray about whether it is true. To pray for an answer about it is to ignore what God has already said (in Galatians 1:6-8), which is to dishonor Him. You must then rely on the authority of the Bible itself to prove all things. (cited source).

Study of the LDS Church - 6.12 The Remaining Apostles

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:00:00 +0000

As we near the end of this study, for the sake of brevity, I'm going to cover this topic as a summary of what I've previously stated throughout parts of this study and point you to some well-written articles concerning it.

I've noted previously that the LDS church teaches that both the Apostle John (of the Bible) and the three Nephite Apostles never died. However, this is not supportive of the idea that there was a complete apostasy. How did the True Christian Church of the New Testament fall if these three guys were still around doing their jobs? Does this seem nit-picky to you? Well, it might, but remember that LDS members insist that the only reason for a need to restore the True Church (aka--which they believe to be the LDS church these days) was because everyone had fallen away.

As I asked earlier: If John and the 3 Nephites did not die, as indicated in D&C and the 3rd book of Nephi, where are they now? Why did a total apostasy happen if they are still proclaiming the gospel? Why aren’t they members of the LDS church? Why isn’t John the Prophet (since he was Jesus’ best friend and all)?

Here are another resource that supports the same beliefs but is written an author much more eloquent than myself:

Four Apostles Discredit the Concept of a "Complete Apostasy"

Even Brigham Young made a statement that suggested that if these men were still alive that there would be no issues with there being any apostasy:

How vain are the imaginations of the children of men, to presume for a moment that the slaughter of one, two or a hundred of the leaders of this church could destroy an organization, so perfect in itself and so harmoniously arranged that it will stand while one member of it is left alive upon the earth. Brethren be not alarmed, for if the Twelve should be taken away still there are powers and offices in existence which will bear the kingdom of God triumphantly victorious in all the world. This church may have prophets many, and apostles many, but they are all to stand in due time in their proper organization, under the direction of those who hold the keys. (Brigham Young, History of the Church, Aug. 15, 1844, 7:250)

So there either aren't four apostles remaining or there was not a total apostasy. Or both. None of those options would set really well inside the current LDS teachings. It seems that these teachings have backed them into a corner that they themselves have trouble talking themselves out of. To many of them, it is only a mystery that cannot be answered on this earth. To me, it is further proof of the invalidity of the LDS church. Hopefully, it will help plant a seed of doubt in the minds of the LDS members you come in contact with and give them something to ponder.

Study of the LDS Church - 6.11 The Eleven Witnesses

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Please don’t think I’m just lazy. Maybe that is a bit of my inspiration, but honestly, I will credit posting yet another part of this series that is mainly just a link to another document is done because the document I’m linking to is so well written and so well researched by its author that there is nothing I could add to it. In fact, by trying to paraphrase, I am afraid that I would do it a complete injustice and lose some of the important information that is currently contained therein.

Therefore, today we are going to look at another author’s take on the 11 Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. If you open the cover of a Book of Mormon you will find two sets of proclamations that the book is true. The first is signed by 3 Witnesses and the second by 11 Witnesses.

The first one is as follows:

THE TESTIMONY OF THREE WITNESSES
Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come: That we, through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of Jared, who came from the tower of which hath been spoken. And we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true. And we also testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon the plates; and they have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man. And we declare with words of soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings thereon; and we know that it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld and bear record that these things are true. And it is marvelous in our eyes. Nevertheless, the voice of the Lord commanded us that we should bear record of it; wherefore, to be obedient unto the commandments of God, we bear testimony of these things. And we know that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our garments of the blood of all men, and be found spotless before the judgment-seat of Christ, and shall dwell with him eternally in the heavens. And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen.
OLIVERY COWDERY
DAVID WHITMER
MARTIN HARRIS

THE TESTIMONY OF EIGHT WITNESSES
Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come: That Joseph Smith, Jun., the translator of this work, has shown unto us the plates of which hath been spoken, which have the appearance of gold; and as many of the leaves as the said Smith has translated we did handle with our hands; and we also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship. And this we bear record with words of soberness, that the said Smith has shown unto us, for we have seen and hefted, and know of a surety that the said Smith has got the plates of which we have spoken. And we give our names unto the world, to witness unto the world that which we have seen. And we lie not, God bearing witness of it.
CHRISTIAN WHITMER
JACOB WHITMER
PETER WHITMER, JUN
JOHN WHITMER
HIRAM PAGE
JOSEPH SMITH, SEN
HYRUM SMITH
SAMUEL H. SMITH

Now there have been several accounts of the defense and evaluation of the legitimacy or reliability of these testimonies. You can Google it and see that for yourself. Howveer, some of the most convincing evidence for me has been found at the following two sources:

The Three Witnesses

The Book of Mormon Witnesses

One sidenote item of interest:

Although the LDS church does not believe in the Trinity, it seems like they once did when you read the last line of the testimony of the Three Witnesses.

Prayers Needed

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:51:00 +0000

I have a request for any/all who might actually read this blog.

There is a young man who was part of the inspiration for all of my postings regarding the LDS church. He was a missionary for the LDS church who I spoke with and defended my faith to.

He is currently thinking of leaving the LDS church. He wants to take time away to really look at things and think about things. He has a lot of questions and he's frustrated at the lack of answers he's getting from people he trusts.

His family is quite unhappy. They have told him that they would disown him if he leaves the church.

I can't imagine having to make that decision.

Please pray for him. Pray for his family to see the error of their ways (of desiring to disown him if he choose to leave). Pray that God will guide him to the truth. Pray that God will give him the strength to make whatever decisions he has to in order to follow God's plan for his life.

Also, know that he has been offered a place to stay to get things straightened out if he has no where else to go by a friend of mine.

His name is Nathan, and he needs our support right now.

Study of the LDS Church - 6.10 Peculiarities from the Book of Mormon

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:00:00 +0000

There are some things in the Book of Mormon that just do not make sense. They defy logic and are really hard to wrap my mind around. It is unclear whether the author was uncertain as to the true definition of a word was or if slang from the era worked its way into the scripture, but I just cannot figure it out.

See if you can.

Study of the LDS Church - 6.9 Plagiarisms from the KJV

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Joseph Smith, like many people in the 19th century, was familiar with the Bible--the King James Version. In fact, he was so familiar with it that scripture from it found its way directly into the Book of Mormon.

Some LDS members will tell you that since the two books were inspired by the same God that there would be some repetition. I agree that would be true. I also will state here that I am not referring to instances where a character in the Book of Mormon is quoting a Biblical character and/or prophet. These are instances of completely different situations using something that no English teacher would let pass for anything other than plagiarism.

Go have a look for yourself.

Study of the LDS Church - 6.8 Grammatical Errors in the Book of Mormon

noreply@blogger.com (Kaye) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 12:00:00 +0000

If you are to believe that the Book of Mormon was the very word of God, you must believe that God doesn't speak English really well. He obviously speaks more like a farm boy with little education would...like Joseph Smith would.

Here is a link to some of the problems with grammar from the original copies of the Book of Mormon.