Appendix Definitions Part 1

Answering questions by Bill McKeever during Johnson deals with 36 commonly asked questions by your LDS friends and neighbors. It's a great resource for Christians want to share their faith with friends and loved ones. We should pick up your copy today that your favorite Christian bookstore viewpoint on Mormonism program that examines the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective viewpoint on Mormonism sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect.

And now, your host for today's viewpoint on Mormonism so glad to be with us for this edition of viewpoint on Mormonism. I'm your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry and with me today is Eric Johnson. My colleague at MRM yesterday show I brought up an example where Eric was confronted by a latter-day St. who said that he was misrepresenting his faith. And this is all tied into an interview that Eric did with Sean McDowell, Sean McDowell and Eric were co-editors of the book sharing the good news with Mormons. Practical strategies for getting the conversation started, so they were talking about some of the issues of Mormonism and this individual. His name is Scott objected to some of the things that Eric was saying. Eric ended up doing a show with Scott and Shawn and that's available on our website.

If somebody wants to go see that Eric very quickly was the address for that MRM.org/Scott SCO TT will there was another individual and this seems to be tied together having to do with the book sharing the good news with Mormons and this is an individual, latter-day St., who I've met personally. Again, he's a very nice gentleman but he had some objections to what was written in the book sharing the good news with Mormons in appendix 2, which is titled 101 Mormon terms define this LDS man said, I do not know who compiled the article on Mormon terminology, but I will definitely say that the author does not have much comprehension of many Mormon terms and for that matter. He does not have much comprehension of some terms.

As used in the Bible as written. Some of the terms are very deceiving of the actual truth about what Mormons believe this man goes on to say I started to make you a list of corrections, but I decided it is not worth the time or effort, and I doubt that the author would make the corrections in the next edition. If I did tell him the errors.

Then he goes on to say, I found the rest of the book to be very informative, well let's look at that statement where he says I started to make a list of corrections in this kind of a case. I really wish they would. It's hard to defend against a blanket accusation without having some specifics. I remember having a back-and-forth with a latter-day St. not too terribly long ago who had said that one of our authors, Sharon Lynn Bloom had written some things that he thought were not very nice they were. They were mean-spirited and so I asked him for an example, will he couldn't give me one. Why should I take those kind of criticism seriously if they can't provide an example of an infraction over the years I've learned not to take those kind of accusation seriously.

Although initially we will because it means a lot to us to try to be as accurate as possible when explaining to people what we believe latter-day Saints are supposed to believe this kind of response though when you say I decided it was not worth the time or effort.

What is that imply that implies were dishonest that we wouldn't make a correction. Now you and I Eric were talking off error about the fact that we have had Mormons challenge some of the things that we have set our website and we do go back and we look at what they say and we look at what we've said and if there is a way that we could've worded it to where the misunderstanding would never come up, then yes were going to make a change were not afraid of doing that we have made edits over the years we have been on the web since the mid-1990s. So there's a lot of material at there and it's been scrutinized by Latter Day Saints for many years now, were not afraid of doing that, let's do this. He says whoever compiled the article on Mormon terminology does not have much comprehension of many Mormon terms and for that matter.

He does not have much comprehension of some terms.

As used in the Bible. So here's what we thought we would do. Certainly this appendix.

In the book sharing the good news with Mormons.

It's a pretty long appendix. The title is 101 Mormon terms define we do not have the time to go through each and every one of the terms that you defined and since we don't have a specific list from this individual work is going to go through some of them and see if what you said is not fit with the definition that the Mormon church or Mormon leaders have given over the years I went through these again with you and I not seen the accusation being made here is been true.

I just don't see it. I think what you did was incredibly amazing, really because in less than 100 words. You define what this term means according to Mormonism, and I think you did an excellent job really because it's hard to define something so precise and concise. You did it and I don't see how this accusation being made by this Latter Day Saints is valid.

I appreciate that Bill and I want to emphasize the first part of his letter where he said that he thought that the rest of the book was fine and that makes me feel good, at least because this is not my book. This is a compile relation of 24 different chapters written by 26 different people. Bill you are one of them. Mark Middleburgh Sean McDowell Matt slick Rob Bowman Jay Warner Wallace Cory Miller Chip Thompson, I mean I can go through the names of some very dear people, Sandra Tanner. These people know their stuff. So he's not criticizing the majority of the book.

I appreciate that and I'm going to say a little plug in for this book that came out 2018. If you don't have a copy, and you would like to learn how to share the good news with Mormons you want to get this book and not every chapter is going to maybe hit you the same way another chapter. Well 24 different ideas written by all these different people, but I did write appendix to that was my doing, and so again as we talked about yesterday was Scott's accusation that I'm not accurate in how I portray Mormonism. Here again we have the same kind of accusation I take that very seriously. So when I put these together.

I did my best not to use any quotations I tried not to use exact wording from other sources, but let me tell you I did look@churchofjesuschrist.org I use that I use true to the faith, and other resources to make sure that my definition was within bounds will let's look at some of them and if you are a Latter Day Saints or even a former Latter Day Saints. I would hope that you would pay close attention to what Eric said regarding these various terms as I mentioned earlier, when I went through them again. I could see nothing wrong and if you're a former Mormon, or even if you're a latter-day St. today. Ask yourself, is Eric really misleading people with these definitions that are certainly very concise, very short, but I don't think there off the mark as to how these terms have been defined in LDS sources. The first definition I give is ironic priesthood and this is what I write the authority to perform certain ecclesiastical tasks allegedly bestowed by John the Baptist on to Joseph Smith and his friend Oliver Cowdrey on May 15, 1829 baptized Mormon males 12 years and older are eligible to receive this priesthood. When you go to the church manual true to the faith.

This is an official manual published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It came out in 2004.

They have the subject of Aaronic priesthood does say on page 3 that it was on May 15, 1829 that Joseph Smith and described Oliver Cowdrey did inquire of the Lord concerning baptism. He goes on to say in the church today were the male members may receive the ironic priesthood beginning at age 12. That definition sounds very similar to what you said. I want to bring out something that has changed in the church because at the time I wrote this in the time it was published in the middle of 2018 baptized more males 12 years and older were eligible to receive this priesthood.

The church changed its policy, it was announced in the middle of December 2018 that starting January 1, they would allow young boys of 11 to receive the priesthood of their birthday was that year so they were, let's say, a September birthday. They would, at the age of 11.

So it actually has changed from 12 to 11, but it's not something that was not true at the time I wrote that and also through the faith says 12 when the book comes out before that changes made. It would be hard to make a case that you're trying to misrepresent and this is really a minor issue. If you asked me and I don't know if that's the issue that this writer is talking about again because he does not give us any specifics. Another definition agency the ability to choose right from wrong, referring to both people on the earth today, as well as all spirits in the preexistence. Again, I don't see any problem with that, according to true to the faith. On page 12 it says you had the power to choose even before you were born in the pre-mortal counsel in heaven.

Heavenly father presented his plan which included the principle of agency Lucifer rebelled and sought to destroy the agency of man. Now again, you're not trying to go into a lot of detail you're trying to be very concise here, but it does say under that same heading your heavenly father has given you agency the ability to choose and to act for yourself that you say to choose from. Right or wrong will is that kind of implied in that sentence. Of course it is. It is implied in that sentence one other anti-Mormon and I said it was usually a pejorative term used to refer to those typically Christians who are critical of Mormonism and therefore are considered hateful by many Mormons. It can also refer to any information from any source that places the LDS church in a bad light.

I don't know what difficulty this individual would have with that definition. I don't recall all the times that I've been called an anti-Mormon that it was meant to be a flattering title for me it always comes across as pejorative, we don't like the term anti-Mormon. We think it's misleading. We are certainly not against the Mormon people that we do have a disagreement with Mormonism, or the teachings of the LDS church. An article in the September 2018 & magazine was written by Sarah Keenan in the article titled when anti-Mormon material, shook my faith were quick. I just want to read the first paragraph it says a few months before I left on my mission. I stumbled upon some anti-Mormon articles. These articles presented misconstrued information about church history, and Joseph Smith that left my testimony shaken, so misconstrued information information that's made the debts of made or is intended to make the church look bad is how they're portraying it here and that's very typical what we hear on the street and usually it's again a blanket accusation without any particulars being mentioned. It's not that a person can't get it wrong. They most certainly can't get it wrong. In some cases but I don't think that's generally what people like ourselves are going to do an individual who hasn't studied it very well might make a mistake, at least give a little bit of grace, that we wouldn't condone whatever they're saying.

If it's an accurate like she said in that article she saw things that shook her faith, but were the things that she saw really inaccurate. She doesn't give a list and again it makes it very hard to rebut if we don't know specifically what exactly is being talked about here.

Tomorrow we're going to continue looking at some of the things that Eric wrote in appendix 2 of the book sharing the good news with Mormons. Practical strategies for getting the conversation started. Thank you for listening you would like more information regarding this research ministry. We encourage you to visit our website www.mrm.org you can request a free newsletter Mormonism research.

We hope you will join us again as we look at another viewpoint