Benjamin Tanner

@sola_chad James

What’s an underrated book of the Bible that needs to be preached from more often?

“A person filled with the love of God is not content to bless only family and friends, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human family.” That’s how the Restoration allows millions to reach billions.

@The2nd1776 If you want to read the real Book of Mormon here is a free copy: Book of Mormon go.churchofjesuschrist.org/x/bhI6

Read the title carefully.

@The2nd1776 Nice try.

For nearly 200 years, critics have claimed Joseph Smith “wrote” the Book of Mormon. Okay. Then prove it. Not with assumptions. Not with ridicule. Not with recycled anti-LDS theories that collapse every few decades. Actually prove HOW he did it. Show the drafts. Show the outline. Show the research notes. Show the source manuscript. Show the co-authors. Show the revision process. Because what we DO know is this: A 23-year-old frontier farm boy dictated ~500 pages in roughly 60 working days with: • no formal education • no manuscript in front of him • no rewrites • no library surrounding him • no modern editing tools And somehow produced: • complex narrative arcs • hundreds of interconnected names • intricate Hebraic literary structures like chiasmus • ancient Near Eastern themes • internally consistent geography, politics, theology, and chronology Critics have proposed dozens of theories: • Spaulding theory • plagiarism theory • conspiracy theory • “he was a genius” theory And when those fail, some even claim: “The devil did it.” But that creates an even bigger problem. The Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ constantly. In fact, the name “Jesus Christ” appears more frequently in the Book of Mormon than in the Bible when adjusted for length. Its entire stated purpose is to bring people unto Christ, teach repentance, condemn sin, strengthen faith in the Savior, and testify that Jesus is the Son of God and Redeemer of the world. So the argument becomes: Satan inspired a book whose entire purpose is to convince people to follow Jesus Christ? That completely contradicts scripture itself: “Satan divideth against himself and against none else.” (3 Nephi 18:20) The Book of Mormon leads millions to: • pray more • repent more • worship Christ more • read scripture more • strengthen families • abandon addictions • serve others • seek holiness That is the exact opposite of the fruits Christ warned us about when describing false spirits. Critics have spent nearly 200 years attacking Joseph Smith, yet they still cannot explain where the Book of Mormon actually came from. At some point, dismissing Joseph Smith requires more faith than listening to him. Because if he didn’t translate it… Where exactly did the Book of Mormon come from? One thing critics rarely acknowledge: The Book of Mormon is not just “about Jesus Christ.” It is saturated with Him. Jesus Christ is referenced 3,925 times in the Book of Mormon — roughly once every 1.7 verses. And that matters because some critics literally claim: “The devil inspired the Book of Mormon.” Think about that for a second. The same book that: • teaches faith in Jesus Christ • teaches repentance • condemns sin • calls people to baptism • strengthens families • teaches charity • testifies of Christ’s atonement • invites people to pray • repeatedly declares Jesus is the Son of God …is supposedly satanic? That argument collapses under its own weight. Critics still cannot explain how Joseph Smith produced the Book of Mormon naturally: • no drafts • no outline • no manuscript • no formal education • dictated in roughly 60 working days • deeply Hebraic literary patterns • internally consistent narrative structure So when natural explanations fail, some jump to: “Well maybe Satan did it.” But Christ Himself taught: “A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.” Why would Satan inspire a book whose entire purpose is bringing people TO Jesus Christ? At some point, critics have to do more than mock Joseph Smith. They need to explain the Book of Mormon itself.

@Joshua_M_Hump Don’t worry we’ll print more.

The hotel we’re staying at left some kindling for me.

@XGolemgesk7208 @Mormonger This is simply reading your presumptions into the text. The text at face value says nothing about two natures, and the first omnipresence of the Father.

@Mormonger He is sprsking in His humanity and not His divinity here. which we know because in the same passage He says He is "going to the Father". but the divine nature is omnipresent. so He is clearly refering to His humanity here.

If the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-equal… Why does Jesus say: "My Father is greater than I"? - John 14:28 Greater in what sense?

@Boomstick44 @coininfish That would be partialism

Do Trinitarians believe Jesus is literally God's Son or are the more metaphysical things going on?

@FatherChrisVor1 That is the worst reading of Hebrews 1:1-2. I’ve ever heard. You should take a reading comprehension class. My 7 year old can read that and see it has nothing to do with closing down prophets, but rather that Jesus (The Son of God) was the most recent to talk to them.

A Mormon recently asked: “If God had a prophet on the earth today, what would he talk about?” That is actually a very important question, and one Christians should think carefully about. When we open the Scriptures, the prophets were not endless figures appearing century after century to reveal new doctrines, new priesthoods, or new covenants. The prophets belonged to a particular age of salvation history. They called Israel back to faithfulness and pointed forward to the coming of the Messiah. And then Christ came. This is why the ancient Church understood Jesus Christ Himself as the fulfillment of the prophets. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.” (Hebrews 1:1-2) Notice the language carefully. Not “another prophet.” Not “a restored prophet.” His Son. The Fathers of the Church taught that the age of shadows and preparation reached its fulfillment in Christ and the apostolic faith handed down once for all to the saints. (Jude 1:3) This does not mean Christians believe God stopped guiding His people. Far from it. The Church has pastors, bishops, teachers, saints, councils, martyrs, monks, theologians, and holy men and women through every century. But historic Christianity did not expect a new Moses to arise nearly two thousand years later with new scriptures, new priesthood claims, temple rites, and new doctrines unknown to the apostolic Church. The Christian claim is actually much simpler and much more radical: God has already spoken fully in Jesus Christ. The prophets pointed toward Him. The apostles testified of Him. The Church preserves what was received from Him. And that is why Christians do not spend their lives waiting for a modern prophet to reveal the faith anew. “The faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 1:3)

@GoWithJordan_ You are mistaking repentance for exaltation with repentance for salvation. When a person is in a covenant relationship through Baptism, they are saved. (As long as they don’t rebel against God) After that they are repenting to become sanctified and eventually exalted.

Remember, you can't have eternal life without repentance... In the LDS system you must stop sinning for your repentance to be complete. What a burden... yes I want to stop sinning and try my hardest not to sin but I will never be free of sin in this life. I am eternally thankful for the imputed righteousness of Christ that has been credited to my account 🙌

@danjamin18 You can believe what you want. We’ll keep following Jesus.

This is unreal. Another bitch slap and block. Me: Joseph Smith had underage wives. Mordor Boy: You’re a real creep! Mormons defending the wholesomeness of a man who was caught having sex with a teenager behind his wife’s back… Btw: I never once said “child molestation”.

@StallionCornell Every church that goes the way you are suggesting is dying or is already dead. I’ll follow you he Prophets and Apostles instead.

Yeah, the Church’s problem is just too much acceptance. 🙄 As voluminous research suggests active Church participation in rapid decline, so much of the online Church community thinks the solution is actively working to drive more people out of the Church.

@surskitmaxxing You can believe what you want. We’ll keep following Jesus.

Jacob Hansen cannot conceive of having any kind of purpose in life that doesn't ultimately come down to prostrating yourself before your priesthood leaders and obeying them really hard

@Apologetics941 This is not a prophecy it’s a command. Nice try. Way to not show the actual text. How do you sleep at night? You claim to be representing the truth yet you lie.

False prophecy of Joseph Smith of the day. Far West Temple to be built speedily!

@synthenergy You can believe what you want. We’ll keep following Jesus.

This is the exact same "largest must be true" fallacy used by Roman Catholicism to claim monopoly over broader Christianity, a metric of sheer size and continuity that restorationists themselves reject. "BoM true = TCOJCOLDS true" is a classic "golden slope" fallacy. It …

@Truth_matters20 You can believe what you want. We’ll keep following Jesus.

Religious people HATE Sola Scriptura because it makes the Bible the authority and NOT their man-made religious system.

@surskitmaxxing You can believe what you want. We’ll keep following Jesus.

Mormons like to talk about their “testimony” But a testimony is built on meaningful connection with God Being manipulated as a child to associate positive feelings with experiencing God’s presence is not the same thing as meaningfully connecting with God Somewhere deep down…

@Apologetics941 You can believe what you want. We’ll keep following Jesus.

The next time a Mormon tells you that the church is growing you need to understand something. The Mormon church is declining in America. Why? Access to information. The Mormon church is growing in countries without internet access. That should tell you something.

@John_Stone_ You can believe what you want. We’ll keep following Jesus.

As a new Orthodox Christian who was born and raised in a devout LDS household, there is a stark difference between Mormonism and Orthodox Christianity that has been weighing on my mind heavily lately. The difference is how Mormonism and Orthodox Christianity prioritize the truth versus the preservation of mortal life. I am reminded of the Christian student at Columbine High School who, seconds before she was shot, was asked: “Do you believe in God?” Her truthful “yes” answer resulted in her being shot. Having grown up in a devout LDS family, my sense is that most Mormons would justify, excuse, or rationalize away a dishonest “no” answer to that question by arguing that such dishonesty would have been justified to avoid physical harm and/or loss of life. By contrast, as an Orthodox Christian, I understand there has been 2,000 years of history of honest Christian martyrs refusing to deny Christ at the cost of their lives. The lesson there is that the truth is more important than the preservation of mortal life. Orthodox Christians know that death is an illusion. Thanks to Christ, there is no death. So, we cannot feel justified in lying to avoid the illusion of death. Truth must prevail, at all costs, including the cost of our own mortal lives. And Christ is the Truth. This major difference in how Mormonism and Orthodox Christianity respectively prioritize truth versus the preservation of mortal life has major implications. When Mormon apologists attempt to justify Joseph Smith lying to his wife and his followers by dishonestly denying his secret practice of polygamy, arguing that honesty about his secret polygamy would have cost him his life—i.e., prioritizing the preservation of his mortal life above his speaking the truth—Orthodox Christians are understandably unconvinced. They know about the countless Christian martyrs who, for 2,000 years, prioritized speaking the truth above the preservation of their mortal lives.