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==Quick Navigation==
*[[Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons/Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)#Response to claim: 9. "Can you show me archeological and historical proof from non-Mormon sources that prove that the peoples and places named in the Book of Mormon are true?"|Response to claim: 9. "Can you show me archeological and historical proof from non-Mormon sources that prove that the peoples and places named in the Book of Mormon are true?"]]
*[[Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons/Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)#Response to claim: "10. If the words 'familiar spirit' in Isaiah 29:4 refer to the Book of Mormon, why does 'familiar spirit' always refer to occult practices such as channeling and necromancy everywhere else in the Old Testament?"|Response to claim: "10. If the words 'familiar spirit' in Isaiah 29:4 refer to the Book of Mormon, why does 'familiar spirit' always refer to occult practices such as channeling and necromancy everywhere else in the Old Testament?"]]
*[[Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons/Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)#Response to claim: "11. Why did Joseph Smith condone polygamy as an ordinance from God (D. & C. 132) when the Book of Mormon had already condemned the practice?|Response to claim: "11. Why did Joseph Smith condone polygamy as an ordinance from God (D. & C. 132) when the Book of Mormon had already condemned the practice?]]
*[[Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons/Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)#Response to claim: "12. Why were the words 'white and delightsome' in 2 Nephi 30:6 changed to 'pure and delightsome' right on the heels of the Civil Rights campaign for blacks?"|Response to claim: "12. Why were the words 'white and delightsome' in 2 Nephi 30:6 changed to 'pure and delightsome' right on the heels of the Civil Rights campaign for blacks?"]]
*[[Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons/Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)#Response to claim: "13.  If God is an exalted man with a body of flesh and bones, why does Alma 18:26-28 and John 4:24 say that God is a spirit?"|Response to claim: "13.  If God is an exalted man with a body of flesh and bones, why does Alma 18:26-28 and John 4:24 say that God is a spirit?"]]
*[[Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons/Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)#Response to claim: "14. Why did God encourage Abraham & Sarah to lie in Abraham 2:24?"|Response to claim: "14. Why did God encourage Abraham & Sarah to lie in Abraham 2:24?"]]
*[[Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons/Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)#Response to claim: "15. Why does the Book of Mormon state that Jesus was born in Jerusalem (Alma 7:10) when history and the Bible state that he was born outside of Jerusalem, in Bethlehem?"|Response to claim: "15. Why does the Book of Mormon state that Jesus was born in Jerusalem (Alma 7:10) when history and the Bible state that he was born outside of Jerusalem, in Bethlehem?"]]
*[[Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons/Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)#Response to claim: "16. If the Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book on earth, as Joseph Smith said, why does it contain over 4000 changes from the original 1830 edition?"|Response to claim: "16. If the Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book on earth, as Joseph Smith said, why does it contain over 4000 changes from the original 1830 edition?"]]
*[[Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons/Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)#Response to claim: "17. If the Book of Mormon contains the "fulness of the everlasting gospel," why does the LDS Church need additional works?"|Response to claim: "17. If the Book of Mormon contains the "fulness of the everlasting gospel," why does the LDS Church need additional works?"]]
*[[Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons/Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)#Response to claim: "18. If the Book of Mormon contains the 'fulness of the everlasting gospel,' why doesn't it say anything about so many important teachings such as eternal progression, celestial marriage, the Word of Wisdom, the plurality of Gods, the pre-existence of man, our mother in heaven, baptism for the dead, etc?"|Response to claim: "18. If the Book of Mormon contains the 'fulness of the everlasting gospel,' why doesn't it say anything about so many important teachings such as eternal progression, celestial marriage, the Word of Wisdom, the plurality of Gods, the pre-existence of man, our mother in heaven, baptism for the dead, etc?"]]
*[[Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons/Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)#Response to claim: "19. Why do you baptize for the dead when both Mosiah 3:25 and the Bible state that there is no chance of salvation after death?"|Response to claim: "19. Why do you baptize for the dead when both Mosiah 3:25 and the Bible state that there is no chance of salvation after death?"]]
*[[Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons/Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)#Response to claim: "20. Since the word grace means a free gift that can't be earned, why does the Book of Mormon state "for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do?"|Response to claim: "20. Since the word grace means a free gift that can't be earned, why does the Book of Mormon state "for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do?"]]
*[[Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons/Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)#Response to claim: "21. Does the LDS Church still regard the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price as Holy Scripture even after several prominent Egyptologists proved it was an ancient funeral scroll?"|Response to claim: "21. Does the LDS Church still regard the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price as Holy Scripture even after several prominent Egyptologists proved it was an ancient funeral scroll?"]]
*[[Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons/Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)#Response to claim: "22. Why does the Book of Abraham, chapters 4 & 5, contradict Alma 11 in stating that there is more than one God?"|Response to claim: "22. Why does the Book of Abraham, chapters 4 & 5, contradict Alma 11 in stating that there is more than one God?"]]
*[[Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons/Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)#Response to claim: "23. Why does D. & C. 42:18 say there is no forgiveness for a murderer when 3 Nephi 30:2 says there is forgiveness for him?"|Response to claim: "23. Why does D. & C. 42:18 say there is no forgiveness for a murderer when 3 Nephi 30:2 says there is forgiveness for him?"]]
*[[Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons/Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)#Response to claim: "24. If the Adam-God doctrine isn't true, how come D. & C. 27:11 calls Adam the Ancient of Days which is clearly a title for God in Daniel Chapter 7?"|Response to claim: "24. If the Adam-God doctrine isn't true, how come D. & C. 27:11 calls Adam the Ancient of Days which is clearly a title for God in Daniel Chapter 7?"]]
*[[Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons/Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)#Response to claim: "25. Why does the Book of Mormon contain extensive, word-for-word quotes from the Bible if the LDS Church is correct in teaching that the Bible has been corrupted?"|Response to claim: "25. Why does the Book of Mormon contain extensive, word-for-word quotes from the Bible if the LDS Church is correct in teaching that the Bible has been corrupted?"]]
*[[Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons/Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)#Response to claim: "26. Why do the Bible verses quoted in the Book of Mormon contain the italicized words from the King James Version that were added into the KJV text by the translators in the 16th and 17th centuries?"|Response to claim: "26. Why do the Bible verses quoted in the Book of Mormon contain the italicized words from the King James Version that were added into the KJV text by the translators in the 16th and 17th centuries?"]]
*[[Countercult ministries/Tower to Truth Ministries/50 Questions to Ask Mormons/Questions About LDS Scripture (excluding the Bible)#Response to claim: "27. If the Book of Mormon was engraved on gold plates thousands of years ago, why does it read in perfect 1611 King James Version English?"|Response to claim: "27. If the Book of Mormon was engraved on gold plates thousands of years ago, why does it read in perfect 1611 King James Version English?"]]
{{parabreak}}
==Response to claim: 9. "Can you show me archeological and historical proof from non-Mormon sources that prove that the peoples and places named in the Book of Mormon are true?"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=9. Can you show me archeological and historical proof from non-Mormon sources that prove that the peoples and places named in the Book of Mormon are true?
}}
{{misinformation|
This question is based on the mistaken assumption that the Bible message that Jesus is Christ and Lord is somehow "proved" by archeology, which is not true.  It also ignores differences between Old and New World archeology.  For example, since we don't know how to pronounce the names of ANY Nephite-era city in the American archeological record, how would we know if we had found a Nephite city or not?
}}
{{:Question: What criticisms are raised with regard to Book of Mormon archaeology compared to that of the Bible?}}

==Response to claim: "10. If the words 'familiar spirit' in Isaiah 29:4 refer to the Book of Mormon, why does 'familiar spirit' always refer to occult practices such as channeling and necromancy everywhere else in the Old Testament?"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=10. If the words "familiar spirit" in {{b||Isaiah|29|4}} refer to the Book of Mormon, why does "familiar spirit" always refer to occult practices such as channeling and necromancy everywhere else in the Old Testament?
}}
{{propaganda|The claim is based upon a passage in the Book of Mormon where the appearance of the book is foretold by a prophet writing centuries before the birth of Christ. The use of the term "familiar spirit" is used as a poetic simile.  {{scripture||2Ne|26|15}}  Its use is not meant to be taken literally.  All it is meant to say is that the voices of prophets and people who were long dead and forgotten will be heard again through the words they wrote in the Book of Mormon being miraculously revealed through a new prophet, thousands of years later.  The same simile is used in the Bible by the prophet Isaiah. {{scripture||Isa|29|4}}  It is also a prophecy of lost scripture being restored.  The notion that term "familiar spirit" can only be used to refer to occult practices is overly literal and simplistic.  

The reason Latter-day Saints won't tell you that "familiar spirits" are "good" is because the subject of "familiar spirits" is rarely, if ever, discussed. Most Latter-day Saints would scratch their head upon hearing this claim.
}}
{{:Question: Does the term "familiar spirit" in the Book of Mormon refer to occult practices?}}

==Response to claim: "11. Why did Joseph Smith condone polygamy as an ordinance from God (D. & C. 132) when the Book of Mormon had already condemned the practice?"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=11. Why did Joseph Smith condone polygamy as an ordinance from God (D. & C. 132) when the Book of Mormon had already condemned the practice (Jacob 1:15, 2:24)
}}
{{misinformation|
The critics need to read the next verses.  The Book of Mormon says that God may command polygamy, just a few verses later.  ({{s||Jacob|2|30}}).

Many Biblical prophets had more than one wife, and there is no indication that God condemned them.  And, the Law of Moses had laws about plural wives—why not just forbid them if it was evil, instead of telling people how they were to conduct it?

And, many early Christians didn't think polygamy was inherently evil:
}}
{{:Question: Does the Book of Mormon condemn polygamy?}}

==Response to claim: "12. Why were the words 'white and delightsome' in 2 Nephi 30:6 changed to 'pure and delightsome' right on the heels of the Civil Rights campaign for blacks?"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=12. Why were the words "white and delightsome" in 2 Nephi 30:6 changed to "pure and delightsome" right on the heels of the Civil Rights campaign for blacks?
}}
{{misinformation|
*The critics have their history wrong.  The change dates to 1837.  The change was made by Joseph Smith in the 1837 edition of the Book of Mormon, though it was not carried through in some other editions, which mistakenly followed the 1830 instead of Joseph’s change.  It was restored in the 1981 edition, but that was nearly 150 years after the change was made by Joseph.
*This issue has been discussed extensively in the Church's magazines (e.g. the ''Ensign''), and the scholarly publication ''BYU Studies.''
* ''To learn more:'' {{Dialogue1|author=Douglas Campbell|article='White' or 'Pure': Five Vignettes|vol=29|num=4|date=Winter 1996|start=?}}{{link|url=http://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V29N04_131.pdf}}
}}
{{:Question: Why was the phrase "white and delightsome" changed to "pure and delightsome" in the 1840 edition of the Book of Mormon?}}

==Response to claim: "13.  If God is an exalted man with a body of flesh and bones, why does Alma 18:26-28 and John 4:24 say that God is a spirit?"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=13.  If God is an exalted man with a body of flesh and bones, why does {{s||Alma|18|26-28}} and {{b||John|4|24}} say that God is a spirit?
}}
{{information|LDS accept these scriptures, but (like many conservative Christian commentators) do not believe that they are statements about God's nature.|
In Alma, the reference is to Jesus Christ, who before His birth did not have a physical body&mdash;though this is likely not the intent of the verse, since it involves a missionary teaching a non-believer, for whom the missionary describes God as the equivalent non-believer's "Great Spirit."  It is misleading to see this attempt to build on common beliefs as a definitive statement about the nature of God.
*John 4:24 does not say God is "a" spirit, but says "God is spirit."  There is no "a" in the Greek.  The Bible also says "God is truth" or "God is light."  Those things are true, but we don't presume God is JUST truth, or JUST light—or JUST spirit.

As one non-LDS commentary puts it:
<blockquote>
''That God is spirit is not meant as a definition of God's being—though this is how the Stoics [a branch of Greek philosophy] would have understood it. It is a metaphor of his mode of operation, as life-giving power, and it is no more to be taken literally than 1John 1:5, "God is light," or Deut. 4:24, "Your God is a devouring fire." It is only those who have received this power through Christ who can offer God a real worship.''<br>
&mdash;J. N. Sanders, ''A Commentary on the Gospel According to St. John'', edited and completed by B. A. Mastin, (New York, Harper & Row, 1968), 147&ndash;148.
</blockquote>
}}
{{:Question: Does the Mormon doctrine that God has a physical body contradict the Bible's statement in John 4:24 that "God is a Spirit"?}}
{{:Source:Webb:BYUS:2011:6:Mormons retrieved early Christian beliefs rejected by creeds}}

==Response to claim: "14. Why did God encourage Abraham & Sarah to lie in Abraham 2:24?"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=14. Why did God encourage Abraham & Sarah to lie in {{s||Abraham|2|24}}? Isn't lying a sin according to the 10 commandments? Why did God tell Abraham and Sarah to lie when 2 Nephi condemns liars to hell?
}}
{{misinformation|
This is not the only scriptural reference where God instructs someone to lie. These examples seem to involve the protection of the innocent from the wicked, which fits the case of Abraham and his wife nicely.

Other examples of God instructing others to hide the truth include:
* Moses regarding "borrowing treasure from the Egyptians" ({{s||Exodus|12|35-36}})
* Egyptian midwives lying about Hebrew children ({{s||Exodus|1|15-22}})
* God to Samuel to avoid Saul ({{s|1|Samuel|16|1–2}}):
<blockquote>
1 And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.
2 And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord.
</blockquote>
}}
{{:Question: Why would God tell Abraham to lie about his wife Sarah?}}

==Response to claim: "15. Why does the Book of Mormon state that Jesus was born in Jerusalem (Alma 7:10) when history and the Bible state that he was born outside of Jerusalem, in Bethlehem?"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=15. Why does the Book of Mormon state that Jesus was born in Jerusalem (Alma 7:10) when history and the Bible state that he was born outside of Jerusalem, in Bethlehem?
}}
{{misinformation|
The Book of Mormon does not say that Jesus would be born in Jerusalem; it says that Jesus would be born in the "Land of Jerusalem." Bethlehem is seven miles from Jerusalem.  El Amarna letter #287 reports that "a town of the land of Jerusalem, Bit-Lahmi [Bethlehem] by name, a town belonging to the king, has gone over to the side of the people of Keilah."  Thus, The Book of Mormon gets the ancient usage exactly right. There was an ancient "Land of Jerusalem" and Bethlehem, Jesus' birthplace, was in it.  

Note also {{s|2|Kings|14|20}} and {{s||Luke|2|4}}:

<blockquote>
And they brought [Amaziah] on horses: and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David" (2 Kings 14:20)
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (Luke 2:4)
</blockquote>

Therefore Amaziah was buried AT Jerusalem, in the city of David (which is called Bethlehem). The Savior was born AT Jerusalem (in the city of David, which is called Bethlehem).
}}
{{:Question: Why does the Book of Mormon say that Jesus would be born "at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers" when the Bible states that he was born in Bethlehem?}}

==Response to claim: "16. If the Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book on earth, as Joseph Smith said, why does it contain over 4000 changes from the original 1830 edition?"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=16. If the Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book on earth, as Joseph Smith said, why does it contain over 4000 changes from the original 1830 edition?
}}
{{misinformation|
Christians should be careful with such attacks.  If they don’t want to have a double standard, they'd have to realize that there are more differences in Biblical manuscripts of the New Testament than there are words in the New Testament!  Yet, Latter-day Saints and other Christians still believe the Bible.

Most of the changes to the Book of Mormon were issues of spelling, typos, and the like. A few changes were for clarification, but the original Book of Mormon text would easily serve members and scholars.
}}
{{:Question: Why were textual changes made to the Book of Mormon over the years after it was first published?}}

==Response to claim: "17. If the Book of Mormon contains the "fulness of the everlasting gospel," why does the LDS Church need additional works?"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=17. If the Book of Mormon contains the "fulness of the everlasting gospel," why does the LDS Church need additional works?
}}
{{misinformation|
The Book of Mormon's definition of "fulness of the gospel" is not "all truths taught in the Church."  The fulness of the gospel is simply defined as the core doctrines of Christ's atonement and the first principles and ordinances of the gospel.  Critics do not trouble to understand what the Book of Mormon says before attacking it.
}}
{{:Question: What does it mean when it is said that the Book of Mormon contains the "fulness of the gospel?"}}

==Response to claim: "18. If the Book of Mormon contains the 'fulness of the everlasting gospel,' why doesn't it say anything about so many important teachings such as eternal progression, celestial marriage, the Word of Wisdom, the plurality of Gods, the pre-existence of man, our mother in heaven, baptism for the dead, etc?"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=18. If the Book of Mormon contains the "fulness of the everlasting gospel," why doesn't it say anything about so many important teachings such as eternal progression, celestial marriage, the Word of Wisdom, the plurality of Gods, the pre-existence of man, our mother in heaven, baptism for the dead, etc?
}}
{{misinformation|The Book of Mormon's definition of "fulness of the gospel" is not "all truths taught in the Church."  The fulness of the gospel is simply defined as the core doctrines of Christ's atonement and the first principles and ordinances of the gospel.  Critics do not trouble to understand what the Book of Mormon says before attacking it.  Making the same attack twice (see #17) makes it no more convincing the second time.
}}
{{:Question: What does it mean when it is said that the Book of Mormon contains the "fulness of the gospel?"}}

==Response to claim: "19. Why do you baptize for the dead when both Mosiah 3:25 and the Bible state that there is no chance of salvation after death?"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=19. Why do you baptize for the dead when both {{s||Mosiah|3|25}} and the Bible state that there is no chance of salvation after death?
}}
{{misinformation|
The passage in Mosiah 3:25, and any passages in the Bible which also imply there is no chance of salvation after death, are clearly addressed to those who have the opportunity to repent in this life.  Those who have not, by no fault of their own, embraced the everlasting gospel in this life will have the opportunity to do so after death.

The critics are on thin ice with this attack&mdash;do they wish us to believe in a God so unjust that He would damn someone for all eternity, simply because they never had the opportunity to hear about Jesus?

Why ''wouldn't'' members of the Church baptize for the dead, when the Bible teaches this idea?  (See {{b|1|Corinthians|15|29}}.)
}}

==Response to claim: "20. Since the word grace means a free gift that can't be earned, why does the Book of Mormon state "for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do?"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=20. Since the word grace means a free gift that can't be earned, why does the Book of Mormon state "for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." ({{s|2|Nephi|25|23}})
}}
{{misinformation|
The Book of Mormon does <i>not</i> state that "all we can do" is a way of <i>earning</i> the grace of Christ. And there is not one member of the LDS church who believes that our obedience can ever be payment in full for the free gift of the atonement. By the same token, we reject the "cheap grace" ideas suggested by many modern Protestant churches that seem to require no effort on the sinner's part. The correct meaning of the Book of Mormon phrase "after all we can do" is clear in light of other Book of Mormon passages which define it as repentance and being forgiven of sin and cleansed of guilt (see {{s||Alma|24|10-12}}). 

In fact, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes the same thing about grace that the earliest Christians believed.  Modern Protestant ideas are different from earlier teachings. They are entitled to their opinion, but it doesn't make Mormon ideas "false" if we  agree with how the earliest followers of Jesus saw the matter.

One Evangelical Christian author wrote of his sudden discovery that his previous beliefs about salvation were very different from those held by the early Christians: 
<blockquote>
If there's any single doctrine that we would expect to find the faithful associates of the apostles teaching, it's the doctrine of salvation by faith alone. After all, that is the cornerstone doctrine of the Reformation. In fact, we frequently say that persons who don't hold to this doctrine aren't really Christians…
<br><br>
Our problem is that Augustine, Luther, and other Western theologians have convinced us that there's an irreconcilable conflict between salvation based on grace and salvation conditioned on works or obedience. They have used a fallacious form of argumentation known as the "false dilemma," by asserting that there are only two possibilities regarding salvation: it's either (1) a gift from God or (2) it's something we earn by our works. 
<br><br>
The early Christians [and the Latter-day Saints!] would have replied that a gift is no less a gift simply because it's conditioned on obedience.... 
<br><br>
The early Christians believed that salvation is a gift from God but that God gives His gift to whomever He chooses. And He chooses to give it to those who love and obey him.<br>
&mdash;David W. Bercot, ''Will The Real Heretics Please Stand Up: A New Look at Today's Evangelical Church in the Light of Early Christianity'', 3rd edition, (Tyler, Texas: Scroll Publishing Company, 1999[1989]), 57, 61–62. ISBN 0924722002. 
</blockquote>

The Latter-day Saints are pleased to be in the company of the earliest Christians. And it is ridiculous to try to exclude LDS from the community of Christians because they have not embraced the modified doctrines that were clearly adopted later.

The LDS doctrine of salvation and grace are thoroughly explained in the 1998 conference talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, one of the present-day apostles. We advise any who want to find out what Mormons truly believe on this subject, instead of some caricature of our doctrine, to read his talk at: 

{{Ensign1|author=Dallin H. Oaks|article=Have You Been Saved?|date=May 1998|start=55}}{{link|url=http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=83db605ff590c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1}}
}}

==Response to claim: "21. Does the LDS Church still regard the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price as Holy Scripture even after several prominent Egyptologists proved it was an ancient funeral scroll?"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=21. Does the LDS Church still regard the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price as Holy Scripture even after several prominent Egyptologists proved it was an ancient funeral scroll?
}}
{{propaganda|
The LDS Church announced that fragments of the papyrus were from the Book of Breathings within two months of their acquisition.

The big print in the Church magazine published as soon as the scrolls were recovered can be seen [[Search for the Truth DVD:Book of Abraham:Book of Dead Scan (full size zoom)|here]].

Critics often don't tell people that we are missing at least 85% of the scrolls that Joseph Smith had.  We don't have papyrus with the Book of Abraham on it (except Facsimile #1) and have never claimed to.
}}
{{:Question: Was the Church forthright in identifying the rediscovered papyrus prior to their examination by non-LDS Egyptologists?}}

==Response to claim: "22. Why does the Book of Abraham, chapters 4 & 5, contradict Alma 11 in stating that there is more than one God?"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=22. Why does the Book of Abraham, chapters 4 & 5, contradict Alma 11 in stating that there is more than one God.
}}
{{misinformation|
The term "God" may be used in more than one way.  Latter-day Saints are not Nicene [[Godhead_and_the_Trinity|Trinitarians]], but still believe in "one God."
}}

==Response to claim: "23. Why does D. & C. 42:18 say there is no forgiveness for a murderer when 3 Nephi 30:2 says there is forgiveness for him?"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=23. Why does D. & C. 42:18 say there is no forgiveness for a murderer when 3 Nephi 30:2 says there is forgiveness for him?
}}
{{misinformation|
[http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/42/ Doctrine and Covenants 42] is "the law of the Church" and pertains to those who are baptized members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who by baptism are adopted into the house of Israel. {{s|3|Nephi|30|2}} pertains to those who are still "Gentiles" and who are not yet "numbered with [God's] people who are of the house of Israel."  For a member of the Church to commit murder there is no escape from some consequences of that act, whereas a person who has not yet made baptismal covenants may, under certain conditions, be forgiven and inherit celestial glory.  For example, some Lamanites repented and were forgiven of their murders (see {{S||Alma|24|10-12}}), though their sins were committed, to an extent, in ignorance.
}}

==Response to claim: "24. If the Adam-God doctrine isn't true, how come D. & C. 27:11 calls Adam the Ancient of Days which is clearly a title for God in Daniel Chapter 7?"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=24. If the Adam-God doctrine isn't true, how come D. & C. 27:11 calls Adam the Ancient of Days which is clearly a title for God in Daniel Chapter 7?
}}
{{misinformation|
Joseph Smith is one source for this view of Adam:
<blockquote>
"‘Ancient of Days’ appears to be his title because he is ‘the first and oldest of all.'<ref>{{TPJS1|start=167}}</ref>
</blockquote>
}}
{{:Question: If the Adam-God doctrine isn't true, how come D&C 27:11 calls Adam the Ancient of Days which is clearly a title for God in Daniel 7?}}

==Response to claim: "25. Why does the Book of Mormon contain extensive, word-for-word quotes from the Bible if the LDS Church is correct in teaching that the Bible has been corrupted?"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=25. Why does the Book of Mormon contain extensive, word-for-word quotes from the Bible if the LDS Church is correct in teaching that the Bible has been corrupted?
}}
{{misinformation|
The Church does not teach that the Bible is "corrupted." It would be more correct to say that the Book of Mormon teaches that plain and precious things have been removed from the Bible {{s|1|Nephi|13|28}}. The vast majority of that which has remained in the Bible is both true and valuable.  

Latter-day Saints take two years of every four in Sunday School studying the Bible. They cherish it. They merely refuse to believe that the Bible is all that God has said, or can say. God can speak whenever He wishes.
* ''To learn more:'' [[Bible basics]]
*For extensive evidence that the Bible both underwent change ''and'' deletions in the very early years, see [[Mormonism and the Bible/Inerrancy|here]].
* ''To learn more:'' [[Mormonism and the Bible/Completeness]]
}}

==Response to claim: "26. Why do the Bible verses quoted in the Book of Mormon contain the italicized words from the King James Version that were added into the KJV text by the translators in the 16th and 17th centuries?"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=26. Why do the Bible verses quoted in the Book of Mormon contain the italicized words from the King James Version that were added into the KJV text by the translators in the 16th and 17th centuries?
}}
{{information|
The italics do indeed identify words added by the translators. They were "added" because they were necessary words for making sense of the translation: in Hebrew and Greek the words are sometimes implied, but necessary for English to make sense. (Italics can mislead us, however, in suggesting that there is such a thing as a word-for-word translation without interpretation, save for the italics.)

Thus, in some cases the italic words are necessary, and Joseph or another translator would have had to put them in. In other cases, Joseph removed the italic words. (It's not clear that Joseph even owned a Bible during the Book of Mormon translation era, much less that he knew what the italics meant.)

This is really a question about why the Book of Mormon text is often very close (or, in some cases, identical to) the King James Version. If Joseph was trying to forge a book (as the some claim) then why did he quote from the Bible, the one book his readers would be sure to know?
}}
{{:Question: Why does the Book of Mormon match the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible so closely?}}

==Response to claim: "27. If the Book of Mormon was engraved on gold plates thousands of years ago, why does it read in perfect 1611 King James Version English?"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|claim=27. If the Book of Mormon was engraved on gold plates thousands of years ago, why does it read in perfect 1611 King James Version English?
}}
{{propaganda|
Why do modern translations of the Greek and Hebrew Bible sound like modern English, even though the texts are hundreds or thousands of years old? Because that's how the translators translated them. It doesn't say anything about what the language is like on the original. The Book of Mormon sounds the way it does because Joseph translated it as King James English. 

French translators make totally different translations than English translators, but the manuscripts remain the same!

Do Christians condemn the Bible as an inauthentic record because their translations sound like 21st century English? This question is a good example of how insincere these "questions" from an anti-Mormon ministry are.
}}

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{{endnotes sources}}

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