This is an older debate, but Quodlibeta offers some good commentary on Spong’s (erroneous) use of the genre of midrash.

* * * *

I recently listened to a debate between William Lane Craig and John Shelby Spong on the historical Jesus (this was an actual debate, unlike the presentation and response Craig had with Dennett). You can listen to it here. Craig argued that Spong is so insulated that he doesn’t know what scholars outside of his small circle actually say. He points out that a survey of NT scholarship of the last few decades indicates that three-fourths of the scholars writing on the subject accept the historicity of Jesus’ empty tomb, and almost universally accept his post-mortem appearances as historically demonstrable. Moreover, most scholars today recognize that the four gospels are written as historical writing, specifically in the genre of ancient biography — not myth, not legend, not allegory, not midrash (as Spong claims). Spong seems genuinely puzzled by this. It reminds me of something N. T. Wright wrote of Spong in Who Was Jesus?

What is central is that Spong apparently does not know what ‘midrash’ actually is. The ‘genre’ of writing to which he makes such confident appeal is nothing at all like he says it is. There is such a thing as ‘midrash’; scholars have been studying it, discussing it, and analysing it, for years. Spong seems to be unaware of the most basic results of this study. He has grabbed the word out of the air, much as Barbara Thiering grabbed the idea of ‘pesher’ exegesis, and to much the same effect. He misunderstands the method itself, and uses this bent tool to make the gospels mean what he wants instead of what they say.
…
We may briefly indicate the ways in which genuine ‘midrash’ differs drastically from anything that we find in the gospels.
First, midrash proper consists of a commentary on an actual biblical text. It is not simply a fanciful retelling, but a careful discussion in which the original text itself remains clearly in focus. It is obvious that the gospels do not read in any way like this. (Continue)

Have you ever heard claims that Christianity borrowed the virgin birth from Buddhism, or the other elements from pagan religions? Well, Dr. Glenn Peoples has, and he’s prepared a few responses that I thought I would share.

Please note

IF YOU WANT TO REPLY TO THIS POST TO DISAGREE WITH A SPECIFIC CLAIM IN IT THEN PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU CITE THE SAME KIND OF EVIDENCE THAT GLENN USES TO BACK UP YOUR CLAIMS. PLEASE DON’T SUBMIT OPINIONS AND ASSERTIONS AS COMMENTS TO THIS POST.

Mithraism

Glenn introduces the problem as presented by Dan Brown, a non-scholar who writes sensational fiction that is later made into popular movies for mass consumption by those seeking low-brow entertainment (and worse):

He writes:

According to Teabing in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, “Nothing in Christianity is original. The pre-Christian God Mithras—called the Son of God and the Light of the World—was born on December 25, died, was buried in a rock tomb, and then resurrected in three days.”

Regarding the virgin birth, he has this to offer:

As we read in Mithraic Studies, Mithras, “wearing his Phrygian cap, issues forth from the rocky mass. As yet only his bare torso is visible. In each hand he raises aloft a lighted torch and, as an unusual detail, red flames shoot out all around him from the petra genetrix.” [Franz Cumon, “The Dura Mithraeum” in John R. Hinnells (ed.), Mithraic Studies: Proceedings of the First International Congress of Mithraic Studies (Manchester University Press, 1975), 173.

And about the resurrection, he writes this:

This is where things start getting really confusing. None of the Mithras mythology depicts him being killed for humanity. In fact, he is not depicted as being killed at all. On the contrary, it is Mithras himself who does the killing! As is seen in the most widely use image of Mithras, he was said to have slain a great bull. Actually the very earliest reference to this event is from the close of the first century (AD 98-99), so it is post Christian, but setting that aside, Mithras’ death is not depicted at all. For the earliest reference to the slaying of the bull, see R. L. Gordon, “The date and significance of CIMRM 593 (British Museum, Townley Collection),” Journal of Mithraic Studies 2:2. Read it online here. As there is no depiction of Mithras’ death in any ancient mythology, there is likewise no depiction of any resurrection.

Swedish scholar Tryggve N. D. Mettinger (I can only wonder how his first name is pronounced!) is professor of Hebrew Bible at Lund University in Sweden and a member of the Royal Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, Stockholm. Although he claims that there were in pre-Christian antiquity a few cases of myths of dying and rising gods, he makes two important admissions in his monograph, The Riddle of Resurrection. Firstly, he affirms that he is going against a “near consensus,” and a consensus held not by Christian scholars, but by historians in general. Secondly, while he suggests that there existed myths of gods rising from death, he never suggests that the accounts are similar to that of the death and resurrection of Jesus. In fact he concludes the opposite:

There is, as far as I am aware, no prima facie evidence that the death and resurrection of Jesus is a mythological construct, drawing on the myths and rites of the dying and rising gods of the surrounding world.

Tryggve N. D. Mettinger, The Riddle of Resurrection (Stockholm: Almqvist & Wicksell, 2001), 221.

And so on for the other points.

I notice that Glenn cites a lot of peer-reviewed literature in his response. I like to be able to look at evidence when I am deciding what to believe about the world. I think that having solid evidence from scholarly research is a great way to ground a worldview. I definitely do not want to be parroting statements that I heard in a movie as though it were common knowledge, because people might ask me for evidence – and what would I do then if I didn’t have any?

Buddhism

The challenge here is that Christianity stole the virgin birth narrative from Buddhism.

Glenn goes back to the primary sources and looks:

Head over to the sacred texts website and read about the birth of Gautama Buddha (http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/sbe19/sbe1903.htm). Do you see any reference to a virgin birth?

Glenn doesn’t see any virgin birth, but intead finds this:

The reality is, they wrote that he was born to a woman who had been married for twenty years, without so much as a hint that she and her husband were abstaining from sex prior to the birth of the baby.

That doesn’t sound like a virgin birth!

And now I have some advice for skeptics. When you want to believe something, the wise person proportions his belief to the evidence. You don’t choose your beliefs based on non-rational criteria. If you don’t know, then just say “I don’t know”. It’s a mistake to run your life on beliefs that you hold uncritically, just because those beliefs make you feel good.

Osiris

Glenn has a podcast on Osiris here.

What to read to find out more

I recommend these two books. The first is more advanced than the second.

• Ed Komoszewski, James Sawyer, and Daniel Wallace, Reinventing Jesus (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications: 2006).
• Lee Strobel, The Case for the Real Jesus (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 2007).

Note that Lee Strobel interviews scholars in the second book, since he is a journalist, not a scholar.

Related debates with history of religions skeptics

You can see how well the history of religions theories do in formal academic debates. Listen to these two debates with the two best “mystery religions” people, squaring off against William Lane Craig.

• Vs. Robert M. Price
• Vs. Richard Carrier

Neither skeptic lands a glove on Craig – Carrier admitted defeat on his blog, and Price admits in the debate that he is on the radical fringe and virtually no one takes him seriously. This Christ-myth stuff isn’t cognitive, it’s an emotional outburst with a verbal smokescreen.

Related posts

Here are some posts about the historical Jesus:

• What about all those other books that the Church left out the Bible?
• Did the divinity of Jesus emerge slowly after many years of embellishments?
• Richard Bauckham defends the reliability of the gospels against James Crossley
• Assessing Bart Ehrman’s case against the resurrection of Jesus
• The historical criteria and the standard minimal facts case.
• The list of minimal facts that are accepted by all non-Christian scholars.
• The earliest and best source for the minimal facts.
• Some additional details about the empty tomb sources.
• And some details about the first witnesses to the empty tomb.

Some debates on the historical Jesus with a reasonable atheist:

• Richard Bauckham defends the reliability of the gospels against James Crossley
• Richard Bauckham defends the divinity of Jesus against James Crossley
• Crossley debated against William Lane Craig before on the resurrection
• Crossley against Michael Bird on the origins of Christianity, (part 1, part 2)

Check out this post for some historical debates with evangelicals and radical skeptics.

Christian scriptures are the way we learn about Jesus Christ and His gospel. They must testify of Jesus Christ and teach His gospel. The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ is a valuable volume of Christian scripture. It teaches the gospel of Jesus Christ and testifies of our Savior. Here are a few passage of scripture that comes from the Book of Mormon another testament of Jesus Christ.

7 Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to ^acome unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his ^brest, lest by any means he should swear in his wrath they should not ^center in, as in the ^dprovocation in the days of temptation while the children of Israel were in the ^ewilderness.   8 Wherefore, we would to God that we could persuade all men ^anot to rebel against God, to ^bprovoke him to anger, but that all men would believe in Christ, and view his death, and suffer his ^ccross and bear the shame of the world; wherefore, I, Jacob, take it upon me to fulfil the commandment of my brother Nephi. (Jacob 1:7-8)

8 And under this head ye are made ^afree, and there is ^bno other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other ^cname given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.  15 Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in ^agood works, that Christ, the ^bLord God Omnipotent, may ^cseal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who ^dcreated all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen. (Mosiah 5:8,15)

 2 Yea, concerning that which was to come, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and the ^aredemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through the power, and sufferings, and ^bdeath of Christ, and his resurrection and ascension into heaven. (Mosiah 18:2)

33 ^aPreach unto them repentance, and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ; teach them to humble themselves and to be ^bmeek and lowly in heart; teach them to ^cwithstand every ^dtemptation of the devil, with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have you ever had someone tell you that Christianity borrowed from other pagan religions in order to create history out of nothing? Me either. Because the people who make such arguments are all confined to lunatic asylums. Almost no reputable historian makes arguments like this.

Well, Shane over at Caffeinated Thoughts wrote a post to answer the objection. (H/T ECM)

Excerpt:

…the basic premise is that since Horus and Mithra both pre-date the New Testament, Christianity merely borrowed from that mythology ascribing to Jesus the virgin birth, the disciples, the tomb, and the resurrection.

Go here to read the rest.

And then you can see how well these theories do in formal academic debates. Listen to these two debates with the two best “mystery religions” people, squaring off against William Lane Craig.

• Vs. Robert M. Price
• Vs. Richard Carrier

Notice how neither of these debates is even close. Carrier admitted defeat after his debate, and Price admits that  virtually no one agrees with him during his debate. This is fringe stuff that is very interesting to people who have no interest in testing their ideas in debates with professional scholars.

Debates about the historical Jesus are listed in this previous post.

Related posts

• What about all those other books that the Church left out the Bible?
• Did the divinity of Jesus emerge slowly after many years of embellishments?
• Richard Bauckham defends the reliability of the gospels against James Crossley
• Assessing Bart Ehrman’s case against the resurrection of Jesus
• The historical criteria and the standard minimal facts case.
• The list of minimal facts that are accepted by all non-Christian scholars.
• The earliest and best source for the minimal facts.
• Some additional details about the empty tomb sources.
• And some details about the first witnesses to the empty tomb.

UPDATE: Dr. Glenn Peoples has a refutation of the lame Mithra hypothesis here.

While thinking about the story of the birth of the Christ Child, I am filled with excitement. When thinking about the life of Christ I am filled with awe. When thinking about the Crucifixtion of the Redeemer I am filled with sadness. When Thinking about the resurrection I am filled with hope. (Callahan)

Knowing in part How God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ love us should fill us with an undying gratitude. It should stir within us love and joy overflowing. We should want to live our life in a way that pleases our Redeemer so that we may be redeemed and live with Him in the eternities.

Godly Love – How Christ Loves Us

46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail — 47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. 48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

Ending the Journey of a Lifetime at Golgotha

Our last day began with a brief tour of the hospital where Tom Gronewald volunteers as a missionary servant to Israel. It was very enlightening to hear about and to see the medical facilities and preparations done by this hospital.

We went from the hope of holistic medicine to the sobering reality of the Holocaust! Touring the Yad Vashem museum and the atrocities of the Nazi Holocaust leaves you an ache in your heart. The staggering scenes and video-taped interviews with Holocaust survivors left a grim reminder of the evil that is in this world. It ignites the passion for showing love and restoring the dignity and value of every human being. People matter to God and people matter to us too!

Our final journey took us to the Praetorian where Jesus was flogged, mocked and spat upon. He went through all the agony of Gethsemane, the beatings and the crucifixion for us!

Wow, what a Savior!

We wept as we stood on the stones in which Jesus received His cruel thrashing. We followed the Via Dolorosa , the way of suffering where Jesus carried His cross with the help of Simon of Cyrene (Mark 15:21).

Along this busy road we came to Golgotha and the Garden Tomb. We were truly standing on holy ground as we saw the Skull in the rocky cliff and personally witnessed the empty tomb. We gathered to read, worship and celebrate Holy Communion. What a special time of personal renewal and spiritual intimacy with our Lord. Richard played his violin and Kyler led us in worship as we spent an hour and a half just praising God for His gracious sacrifice on our behalf. This is the fitting conclusion to an amazing tour.

Isaiah 53:4-5 reveals the prophetic truth of our Messiah Jesus:

“Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.”

Our group has truly become a family and many are already planning to join us on our next trip to Israel and Greece from July 8-22, 2011. Please pray about joining us as well. You will never be the same!

Shalom!

“Some of the early missionaries, on returning home, were reproved by the Lord in section 84 of the Doctrine and Covenants because they had treated lightly the Book of Mormon. As a result, their minds had been darkened. The Lord said that this kind of treatment of the Book of Mormon brought the whole Church under condemnation, even all of the children of Zion. And then the Lord said, ‘And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon.’ (See D&C 84:54–57.) Are we still under that condemnation?”Reading the Book of Mormon is one of the greatest persuaders to get men on missions. We need more missionaries. But we also need better-prepared missionaries coming out of the wards and branches and homes where they know and love the Book of Mormon. A great challenge and day of preparation is at hand for missionaries to meet and teach with the Book of Mormon. We need missionaries to match our message.”

Ezra Taft Benson, “The Book of Mormon Is the Word of God,” Ensign, May 1975, 65

I am exited to explore in depth the doctrine of Charity, which is the pure love of Christ or the way Christ loves us.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Verses 1-3 tell me how important Charity (Love) is. If we spoke with the tongue of angels or had the gift of prophecy or understood all mysteries, if we don’t have charity then we are as nothing. We need to have charity more than all knowledge or all faith. We can give away everything we have to feed the poor or sacrifice our bodies to be burned but if we don’t live with charity then it is for nothing. If we have all kinds of great gifts bestowed upon us or do any number of great things we are “nothing without charity”. We can’t base our salvation on just one or two things we have to include Charity or it is all in vain.

What is charity? Charity in verse four is broken down in specific attributes so that we may fully understand what charity is.4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Verses 8-13 further illustrate how important Charity is in our lives by comparing it to other important aspects of the gospel of Jesus Christ8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Moroni 10:46-47

46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail — 47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. 48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.This additional Christian Scripture passage adds to the importance of charity and teaches us more about Charity. All things must fail but Charity will never fail. This would indicate to me that we should invest much effort and prayer into obtaining the gift of charity so that it fills our sould and heart to overflowing. Verse 47 tells us that we must pray with all the energy of hear to be filled with this love.

This passage also teaches us that Charity is the pure love of Christ and when He comes again the second time if we are filled with Charity we shall be like Him. Charity is a purifying force as well.

So what exactly is Charity that it is so important? Charity is the “Pure Love Of Christ”. So when you read the word “Charity” substitute the phrase “pure love of Christ”.

Suffereth Long
The “pure love of Christ” suffereth long.

What does “Suffereth long” mean? In short “suffereth long” means patience. Consider the verse 1 Peter 3:20 In part that verse says “when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah…” We also know that mankind was extraordinarily wicked in the days of Noah. God was very patient having Noah call them to repentance before the destruction of the flood. One of the online dictionaries defines “long-suffering” as: “patiently enduring lasting offense or hardship”. There again is the word “patience”. Part of the pure love of Christ (Charity) is patience.

This means that we need to have patience. Patience toward who? We are told to have Charity like Christ does and Christ is patient towards all mankind so that implies that we should also have patience towards all mankind and especially those close to us in our own life like our spouse and children and those people we interact with on a daily basis but not to exclude all others.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) The Lord exerts all the patience He can toward us so that we may have as much time possible to repent and turn to Him.

Is Kind

“The pure love of Christ” is kind.

The one of the online dictionaries suggest that “Kind” means: Affectionate, loving. Of a sympathetic or helpful nature. Of a forbearing nature. Gentle. Arising from or characterized by sympathy or forbearance (a kind act). To give pleasure or relief.

A good or benevolent nature or disposition. A loving person. Having, showing or proceeding from benevolence. Considerate, helpful, humane, mild, gentle, loving or affectionate.

Forbearance means “To be tolerant or patient in the face of provocation.” An abstaining from the enforcement of a right. “A creditor’s giving of indulgence after the day originally fixed for payment.” This descriptions of the word “Kind” certainly sound Christ-like. This kind of kindess is what we should be striving for, even praying for.

Envieth Not

“The pure love of Christ” envieth not.

Envy means a painful or resentful awareness of something enjoyed by someone else as well as a desire to possess the same thing the other person has. So if Charity Envieth not then we should not be resentful toward others but rather we should be happy for the things others possess and share their joy. We cannot envy someone if we have the pure love of Christ in our hearts. We need to have joy in others successes and achievements. If everyone “envieth not” think of the drop in the crime rates.

Vaunteth Not Itself

“The pure love of Christ” vaunteth not itself.

“Vaunt” means to brag or to make a vain display of one self? We should not draw undue attention to ourselves. When we brag about ourselves we are setting ourselves up to appear to be better than others. God loves us all the same. He doesn’t love whatever sin or misdeed we may be involved in but He loves us all the same. We should not seek to make ourselves appear to be better than each other.

Is Not Puffed Up

“The pure love of Christ” is not puffed up.

Puffed up means to speak or act in a scornful, conceited, or exaggerated manner. We should just be ourselves or we should be the person we are trying to be as we seek for Charity in our lives. We need to be humble (teachable) and sincere. If we are locked into Charity as a way of life then we would have no insecurities and have no need to be conceited.

Doth Not Behave Itself Unseemly

“The pure love of Christ” doth not behave itself unseemly.

Unseemly means not according with established standards of good form or taste. In other words we should be vulgar or crude.

Seeketh Not Her Own

“The pure love of Christ” seeketh not her own.
To “seek not her own” means being selfish. Anyone who has Charity or seeking Charity is not selfish. We should repent for any selfish behavior and strive to not be selfish.

Is Not Easily Provoked

“The pure love of Christ” is not easily provoked.

Is not easily made mad or one who is slow to anger. Not resentful. If we considered the life of Christ he was very slow to wrath. The only time he showed wrath was when the money changers we disrespecting the Temple. Even when Christ was be unjustly tried for made up crimes he was not provoked. When He hung from the cross, rather than be mad he ask Heavenly Father to forgive the soldiers who were torturing Him.

Thinketh No Evil

“The pure love of Christ” thinketh no evil.

Evil is the opposite of righteousness. Charity does not think of things contrary to righteousness. Ask yourself what is evil and think the opposite. Think of virtuous thoughts. Ask yourself what would Jesus think about and think likewise.

Rejoiceth Not In Iniquity But Rejoiceth In The Truth

“The pure love of Christ” rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth.

Iniquity is both sin and behavior directly in opposition to righteousness. Charity finds happiness in the truth or rejoices in the truth. Thinketh no evil and Rejoiceth Not in iniquity go hand in hand or are companion virtues. Don’t think evil thoughts and do not rejoice in inquity. Do we watch movies or read books where we find ourselves rooting for the bad guy? Is that Charity?

Beareth All Things

“The pure love of Christ” beareth all things.

What does it mean to “Bear”? Looking up the word “bear” on several online dictionaries came to the following conclusions:

To make one’s way steadily especially against resistance. Continuing firm or resolute through trials and difficulties.

To put up with something trying or painful.

The terms Suffereth (Suffer) and Beareth (Bear) are synonyms in parts of their meanings but they also have some differences in their definitions. From what I can ascertain The phrase “Suffereth Long” is more to do with patience. The phrase “Beareth All Things” deals mainly with faithfully overcoming trials and adversity.

Believeth All Things

“The pure love of Christ” believeth all things

This phrase “believeth all things” has to do with faith. Charity, the pure love of Christ wouldn’t teach to believe all things regardless. For instance. Do we believe the God created the earth or do we believe in junk science that the earth was created from a big bang?

Do we believe God created Man in His own image or than man evolved from apes? We don’t believe all things spiritual and worldly but rather “believeth all things” is to have firm religious faith. To accept the gospel as true, genuine or real. Furthermore it means to have assurance or faith in righteousness. Trust in God. To have a firm conviction as to the goodness, efficacy, or ability of something. If that thing doesn’t have goodness of efficacy then it is evil and not to be trifled with.

Other definitions of “Believeth all things”: To have confidence in the truth,

Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

2 Corinthians 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

Hopeth All Things

“The pure love of Christ” hopeth all things.

To look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence. For instance, to look to Christ for ones salvation. To place trust in or rely in. We need to trust in Christ that He will do what He says he will do. To look to the Gospel of Jesus Christ with confidence.

Endureth All Things

“The pure love of Christ” endureth all things. Here is what some online dictionaries defined Endure as.

To undergo a hardship without giving in. To suffer or endure a great pain. To remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding. To bear without resistance or with patience.

To support adverse force or influence of any kind; suffer without yielding; suffer patiently. The life of Christ is a perfect example of enduring all things.

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

This is the 7th “That’s  a Good Question” article which recently appeared in the Three Hills Capital. The historicity of the resurrection is essential to Christianity, and I consider this article to be the most important piece of the series. As always, your comments are welcome!

That’s a Good Question #7

Is it reasonable to believe in the resurrection?

The resurrection of Jesus is the central miracle of the Bible. It is not an overstatement to say that Christianity rises or falls on the historicity of the resurrection.  The apostle Paul bluntly stated that “…if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” If the resurrection didn’t really happen, then Christians are wasting their time (and I need to get a new job!).  But if the resurrection really happened, then Jesus is alive today and Christianity is proven true.

To consider if the resurrection really happened, I will list five statements about Jesus and the resurrection that are widely considered historical by scholars today, and consider their implications.

First, Jesus lived in ancient Israel in the first century, and second, Jesus died by crucifixion on a Roman cross. These are not particularly controversial statements even for skeptics of Christianity, any more than stating that Alexander the Great was a great ancient military leader in the fourth century BC, or that Augustine was a famous Christian theologian in the fourth century AD.

Third, Jesus’ tomb was found empty after His crucifixion. Even the earliest critics of the resurrection implicitly admitted that the tomb was empty, when they claimed that Jesus’ disciples had stolen His body, and most modern critics accept that the tomb was empty.

Fourth, Jesus’ apostles (and many others) believed that they saw Jesus alive after his crucifixion, on multiple occasions. They spent the rest of their lives preaching about Jesus and the resurrection, and many were killed for their witness. James, the brother of Jesus and Paul the apostle both turned from being skeptics before Jesus’ crucifixion to being leaders in the New Testament church, and also were eventually killed for their witness.

Fifth, the Christian church grew from nothing to spread across the Roman Empire in the first century AD.

These statements are accepted as historical by most scholars, whether liberal or conservative.  The historicity of Jesus’ resurrection would explain the empty tomb, the apostles’ firm belief that they had seen Jesus alive after His crucifixion, their willingness to die for their faith, and the rapid spread of Christianity.  But are there any alternate explanations?

One suggestion is that the resurrection was the result of legendary development. The problem with this idea is that the records of the resurrection are dated much too close to the event itself to have time to develop into a legend, and it does not explain the empty tomb, the many eyewitnesses who believed they saw Jesus alive, and who were willing to be killed for preaching about Him.

Another suggestion is that people who claimed to see the risen Jesus were hallucinating. But this explanation would require believing that large numbers of people hallucinated about the same thing, at the same time, on multiple occasions. Now that would be miraculous! Mass hallucination is not a credible explanation.

A popular solution proposed by many liberal scholars is to argue philosophically that miracles are impossible, so the resurrection did not happen.  It is ironic that Christians are often accused of having faith without reason, when it is in fact liberal scholars like these who have faith in their philosophical presuppositions and neglect to deal with actual evidence.

In summary, there is strong historical evidence to believe in the resurrection, and the best solutions proposed by skeptics are highly improbable, or simply make faith statements while ignoring the evidence. If the resurrection is true, then Christianity is true, and the call of Scripture to believe in Jesus Christ must be taken seriously.

“The Lord said, ‘I will hasten my work in its time’ (D&C 88:73). Surely anyone observing the recent growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is keenly aware of that hastening process. This should make us humbly grateful for the Lord’s omnipotent hand. Obstacles that seemed insurmountable have proven to be merely challenges for the faithful, for ‘with God nothing shall be impossible’ (Luke 1:37). “Inspiration has prepared the way from the beginning, when the Lord impressed the Prophet Joseph Smith to compose the twelfth article of faith: ‘We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.’ This inspired statement was surely written for our day. The Prophet knew that the gospel was ultimately to be taken to all nations regardless of their governmental differences. He knew that the ordinances of salvation and exaltation could bless the lives of people regardless of their politics. And he knew that people who were taught correct principles and who were loyal to their civil leaders and observing of their local laws would be most able to enjoy the blessings of the gospel.”

Elder Russell M. Nelson

This post contains a few quotes from the Prophet Joseph Smith. I invite you to read them with a honest and humble heart. Then afterwords ask yourself how did you feel when reading them? Pray about what is being said. These are words direct from the first modern day Prophet. I humbly ask that you treat them with respect.

“The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it. But in connection with these, we believe in the gift of the Holy Ghost, the power of faith, the enjoyment of the spiritual gifts according to the will of God, the restoration of the house of Israel, and the final triumph of truth” (Teachings: Joseph Smith, 2007, 45-50).

“We deem it a just principle, and it is one the force of which we believe ought to be duly considered by every individual, that all men are created equal, and that all have the privilege of thinking for themselves upon all matters relative to conscience. Consequently, then, we are not disposed, had we the power, to deprive any one of exercising that free independence of mind which heaven has so graciously bestowed upon the human family as one of its choicest gifts” (Teachings: Joseph Smith, 2007, 344-345).

“God Himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by His power, was to make Himself visible,—I say, if you were to see Him today, you would see Him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with Him, as one man talks and communes with another” (Teachings: Joseph Smith, 2007, 40).

“We take the sacred writings into our hands, and admit that they were given by direct inspiration for the good of man. We believe that God condescended to speak from the heavens and declare His will concerning the human family, to give them just and holy laws, to regulate their conduct, and guide them in a direct way, that in due time He might take them to Himself, and make them joint heirs with His Son” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 2007, 66).

Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon see Christ and testify that He lives:

“And we beheld the glory of the Son, on the right hand of the Father, and received of his fulness;…

“And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

“That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (D&C 76:20,22–24).

“I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (Book of Mormon, Introduction).

I fear that much of our zeal has become misdirected; what began as a desire for other believers to know God has become an obsession with recreating other disciples in our own image — the self-made Christian. “If only I can build that ladder to heaven with my own two hands,” we think, “then I will be able to reach God.” Or, as have heard preached: “A relationship with God is like an empty box, you only get out what you put in to it.”

Oh, but I’m happy to remind you that the preacher was mistaken, and that we have been mistaken, and that the Good Book never mentions empty boxes, but it does talk about an empty tomb, and cups so full they runneth over.

That is the vision of divine generosity that took hold of me while I was an undergrad, and that continues to direct both my faith and my art-making.

It happened on a balmy evening in the summer of ‘03. I had installed myself on a pile of rotting railroad ties just outside of a little cemetery, where I batted at mosquitoes and tried to summon the strength to return to my studio and correct my latest round of mistakes. A train whistled in the distance — a long, lonely cry that seemed to echo my own mournful defeat. I felt thoroughly empty, consumed from within by my own failure and unworthiness.

But I’d seen this vibrant hillside from the open door of my basement studio, glowing emerald in the the evening sunlight, with shadows like midnight stretching from below the low-hanging trees. It looked like a place of rest, and I thought perhaps I might find some small peace among the silent stones of those who dreamt within the earth. And so I went, and I sat. I was empty. But here, even the air was full, with moisture and the earthy scents of summer; ripening wheat, blossoming dandelion and magnolia, all manner of living things sprouting upwards from fertile soil. And peace fell like rain on my tired spirit.

I sat, unmoving, until it was fully dark, amazed at this silent field of modest graves bearing witness to the graciousness of a loving God. Like that summer night, the divine richness is so great that God asks nothing in return — only that we come and drink our fill of all that is offered to us. We come absolutely empty, ringing horribly with our own hollowness. We have nothing to bring. But all the same, God gives, and we go away filled to overflowing.

If we then worship, it is only because we have been loved by the God who is love. If we then go to serve others, it is only because we already been served by the greatest Servant. The only empty box is the one we bring to be filled. The only thing asked of us is that we come.

In due time, the heavenly ladder will be provided.

[This post is adapted from a piece I originally wrote in January, 2005.]

Our Father in Heaven is more anxious to bless us than condem us. He’s more anxious to forgive us than to cast us away. But this is no excuse to live a life at odds with His commandments because God cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. (Callahan)

Are Apostles and Prophets still a part of Christian doctrine? Does the Gospel of Jesus Christ have room for Apostles and Prophets? If we accept the Holy Bible (I use the king James version) as the text for Christianity then the answer to these questions has to be YES.

You cannot claim to be a Christian and not accept the fact that Apostles and Prophets are the mouth piece for Jesus Christ.

We’re all familiar (I hope) with many of the Old Testament prophets like Adam, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Isaiah, Elijah, Elisha and Malachi etc. We could write essays or Books on each one. This little post is just on scripturally proving that the Gospel of Jesus Christ includes Prophets and Apostles. Eventually we will tell you where to find them. Not all Christian religions have them, in fact I know of none that have Prophets and Apostles as part of their doctrine.

In Deuteronomy 18:22 it says “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” You can judge a prophet by what he says. If he prophecies and that thing comes to pass it is proof that he is called of God to be a prophet.

1 Samuel 3:20 read as follows “And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.” This is just one of many verses in the Bible talking about the use of prophets in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.

1 Samuel 9:9 refer to the terms of both prophet and seer “(Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.)”

2 Kings 17:13 is evidence of the Lord using the prophets to communicate with His people. “Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.” If the Lord used prophets to communicate with his people back then, why doesn’t he do so today?

In Nehemiah 9:30 the Lord testified against his people, trying to get them to repent and he used Prophets to do it “Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.”

2 Chronicles 29:25 specifically refer to Nathan being a prophet “And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king’s seer, and Nathan the prophet: for so was the commandment of the LORD by his prophets.” Do you know of a modern day prophet by name?

Not only did the Lord use prophets to communicate to His people but got upset with His people for ignoring what the Prophets had to say as it implies in 2 Chronicles 36:16 “But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.”

Have we not shown enough evidence of the Lords use of Prophets? There is more. Keep in mind that there is even more evidence regarding the Lords use of Prophets than what is present in this post.

Prophets are very special people. Yes they are people. They are not Gods they are men called of God to the office of being a prophet as indicated in Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” A prophet is not just a prophet to a group of people but a prophet to the nations of the world.

One of my favorite verses regarding prophets in all of Christian Scripture is found in Amos 3:7 “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” .

Now we move to a few verses found in the New Testament regarding the teaching of the prophets and references to Prophets and Apostles: Matthew 11:13 “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.”

This verse found in the Gospel of Luke talks about God using holy prophets since the world began. Did The Lord use Prophets since the world began only to stop when the Twelve Apostles died off? Luke 1:70 “As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:”.

As I started this Blog and have had numerous feedback I have come to learn that there are Christians out there that do not consider the Old Testament part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They say that Christ fulfilled the Law of Moses and so the Old Testament is worthless. They err in their assumptions. The truth of the Law of Moses in general is a preparation for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Who would dare say that the gospel of the Old Testament has nothing valid for us? Additionally not all the Old Testament was about the Law of Moses. There we the Patriarchs and there teachings before the Prophet Moses.

Having said all that and for the benefit of any who think that way here is New Testament teachings long after the Law of Moses was fulfilled.

One of the first things Jesus did at the start of His ministry was to call twelve Apostles as indicated by Matthew 10:1-4 “And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

One of my other favorite scriptures about Prophets and Apostles is found in the Book of Ephesians. Ephesians 2:19-20 “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;“

This is a powerful verse regarding Prophets and Apostles. This verse calls the Apostles and Prophets the foundation of the gospel or household of God. With Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone.

The foundation of the Gospel or Christianity is built upon Apostles and Prophets with the Savior being the corner stone. Using this scripture can you be a Christian without believing in Apostles and Prophets?

During the time of the Apostles they used the phrase “as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit in Ephesians 3:5 “Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;”

Back in the days of the Apostles and in our day they were and we have “children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive”. The solution is found in Ephesians 4:11-14 where it says “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;”

We need Apostles and Prophets as much now as they did in the primitive Church.

Here are three more New Testament passages of scripture testifying of The Lords use of Apostles and Prophets.

Hebrews 1:1 “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets.”

2 Peter 3:2 “That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:”

1 Corinthians 12:28 “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.”

Besides what we have already learned of the Prophets, being a mouth piece for the Lord we learn from Matthew 16:19 “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Additional duties of Prophets.

From other Christian Scripture we learn more about Prophets and Apostles. Jacob 4: 4 “For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us.”

D&C 1:14 “And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people;”

D&C 1:38 “38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.”

So is there a living Prophet today? Are there Twelve Apostles alive today to lead Christianity? The answer is a resounding yes!

It started with the prophet Joseph Smith when God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph. From that point on, after a long apostacy, the heavens were opened and The Lord once again started speak to men through Prophets and Apostles.

Christmas celebrates the eternal gift of Heavenly Father giving the world the gift of Jesus Christ. The traditional of giving gifts is a grand memorial to the greatest gift ever given in history of the world. But I wonder if, in the hustle and bustle of shopping fever, we forget the meaning of what gift giving is all about?

It is nice to give a gift the receiver will like and it’s important to give a gift you can afford but take time and give the purest gift you can give, a humble and sincere heart to the Lord of Christmas, Jesus Christ. (Callahan)

At Christmas time there are movies that are watched with the theme of believing in the Christmas spirit like we did when we were children. Then the movie reaches its apex with the spirit of Christmas being Santa Claus. Let us teach ourselves and our Children that Santa Claus is a symbol of hope and a symbol of giving but the purest symbol of all Christ like virtues is Jesus Christ himself. (Callahan)

I see nothing wrong with teaching and letting children believe in Santa Claus. But when they learn the truth about Santa let us teach them that Santa Claus is special symbol of  Hope, Peace and Good Will. Those virtues then naturally lead into teaching them the true meaning of Christmas. God The Father giving us His Son, Jesus Christ as an eternal gift to all mankind, Saints and sinner alike. (Callahan)

Christmas is a holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Why celebrate the birth of Jesus? The life and times of Jesus Christ is the great thing to happen to all of humanity. It is therefore natural to celebrate His birth. So why do we confine the celebration of the greatest event to a few short weeks. Let us truley celebrate the spirit of Christmas all year long. Let us truly keep the spirit of Christmas in our hearts all year long and reflect on all Christ has done for us. (Callahan)

QUOTES ABOUT CHRISTIANITY

It amazes me that Christians manipulate the Bible to suit there needs. If the Bible is the source of Christian thought then the teaching of the Bible should be adhered to. (Callahan)

You can take prayer out of schools, you can remove monuments of the Ten Commandments out of public places, you can commericalized Christmas and take Christ out of the festive celebrations but to the faithful you cannot take Christ our of their souls.  (Callahan)

It’s ironic that even among some of the non Christian religions they have regard of Jesus Christ. (Callahan)

You can take the name of the Lord in vain if you like but the Lord, Jesus Christ, will never take your name in vain when He pleads your cause to Heavenly Father. (Callahan)

I am eternally grateful that Jesus Christ loves me without reservation. I am eternally grateful that Jesus Christ made it possible for me to repent and I am eternally grateful or the Mercy and Grace that comes to me from Jesus Christ. (Callahan)

If you want a pure example of loving unconditionally look to the Master teacher, look to Jesus Christ. For He loves unconditionally the saint and the sinner alike. He stands ready to bless the saint and forgive the sinner. (Callahan)

When you think all is lost and you cannot take another step think of how Jesus must have felt when on the Cross the Spirit of His Father withdrew from Him for a time and He literally was alone in the greatest agony ever to have occured in the history of the earth. Surely all is not lost and even though it may take all the energy of you mind and body to take another step, the next step may take you to the dawning of a new morning with renewed hope and the sight of spiritual vistas never before seen. (Callahan)

Mind what you say, think and do for the Lambs Book of Life doesn’t make mistakes when it records your life. (Callahan)

Christ is my way to salvation but I often wonder if everyone in the world practiced the pure essence of their faith or religion, how much better off would the world be? (Callahan)

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live…’”  -John 11:25

“There laid they Jesus, and rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.” Ending of Thomas Jefferson’s “Bible.” No hope.

[via Albert Mohler's Twitter]

As many  people know, and for those who don’t, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) has additional sacred Scriptures. There are those who still think that we do not believe in the Bible. Actually we do believe in the Bible and the Bible is part of our Cannonized set of scriptures.

We call our set of scriptures “The Standard Works” which consists of The King James version of the Holy Bible as well as The Book of Mormon (from where our knick name is derived), The Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price.

Each of these books of scriptures teaches us of Jesus Christ and His doctrine of the Gospel.

Here is just a small example of what they teach.

From the Book of Mormon:

Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest… Wherefore, we would to God that we could persuade all men not to rebel against God, to provoke him to anger, but that all men would believe in Christ, and view his death, and suffer his cross and bear the shame of the world; wherefore, I, Jacob, take it upon me to fulfil the commandment of my brother Nephi. (Jacob 1:7-8)

From The Doctrine and Covenants:

20 And we beheld the ^aglory of the Son, on the ^bright hand of the ^cFather, and received of his fulness; 21 And saw the holy ^aangels, and them who are ^bsanctified before his throne, worshiping God, and the Lamb, who ^cworship him forever and ever.   22 And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the ^atestimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he ^blives!   23 For we ^asaw him, even on the ^bright hand of ^cGod; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only ^dBegotten of the Father—  24 That by ^ahim, and through him, and of him, the ^bworlds are and were created, and the ^cinhabitants thereof are begotten ^dsons and daughters unto God. (Doctrine & Covenants 76:20-24)

From The Pearl of Great Price:
52 And he also said unto him: If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be ^abaptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of ^bgrace and truth, which is Jesus ^cChrist, the only ^dname which shall be given under heaven, whereby ^esalvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you. (Moses 6:52)

We don’t expect anyone to just believe in these additional Christian Scripture, we just ask that you ask with a humble and sincere heart if these books of scripture are true and let the Holy Ghost manfiest the truth of these things to you. For more information on these books of scripture click on WWW.LDS.org.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Llatter-day Saints aka The Mormons, Mormon, LDS, Latter-day Saints believe in Jesus Christ. Our Religion has what we call a set of 13 Articles of Faith, a basic outline of our core beliefs, but by no means is all that we believe.

In these Articles of Faith the first Article states ” We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.”

Of all the Articles of Faith our first and foremost declaration of faith is of Jesus Christ. The Third Article of Faith declares our faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the fourth Article of Faith declares the first principle of our gospel if faith in Jesus Christ.

Here are all 13 Articles of Faith for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Joseph Smith

Mormons Are Christian – Part One

What is a Christian? A Christian is a religion or person who believes in Jesus Christ. There is no standard that all of Christendom can agree on as to what defines the “proper” definition of a Christian. So as far as I am concerned the definition of a Christian can be boiled down to “A Christian is a religion or person who believes in Jesus Christ”.

Why are there so many Christian denominations? Because every religion has there own spin of Christian doctrine. If everyone agreed on christian doctrine there would be fewer religions.

What Christedom should concentrate on is being the best Christian they know how to be and do all with in their power to help and serve the sick and afflicted, the down trodden and poor.

As far as Mormons being Christian we DO believe in the Bible, The King James Version of the Bible. It’s true we have other cannonized Christian scriptures which we will go into detail on in a future post.

The term Mormon is a knick-name derived from the Book of Mormon, one of our Christian Scriptures. We also have other knick-names like The LDS or just LDS. Our true and official name is The Church of Jesus Christi of Latter-day Saints.

Everything we as Latter-day Saints teach and everything we do is to bring us unto Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God and all our beliefs and doctrines focus on Him as our Savior and Redeemer. He is the main focul point of our Church and doctrine.

While we do have a Prophet and Apostles just as in Christ’s time upon the earth, the Prophet is a calling and Jesus Christ is the head our Church.  (see Ephesians 5:23).

When the Nephites disputed what to call the church, Christ said: “And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel” (3 Nephi 27:8).

Look for additional posts that help others to understand that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) are, in fact, Christians.

My comments are in bold.

To those who already know this story know just how fantastic this story is. To believe in this story without praying about it is difficult to do. I urge you to read this story and then with sincere desire and humility pray about it. Pray to know if it is true.

Apostasy
Following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, apostasy gradually became widespread. The Savior’s Apostles were rejected and slain, His teachings were corrupted, and the priesthood of God was taken from the earth. The ancient prophet Amos had foretold a time of apostasy and spiritual darkness: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it” (Amos 8:11–12).

One of those seeking the word of the Lord that had been lost from the earth was Joseph Smith, a young man living in the rural township of Palmyra, New York, in 1820. Joseph was a strong and active young man with fair skin, light brown hair, and blue eyes, the fifth of eleven children in the family of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith. He worked long hours helping his father and older brothers fell trees and plant crops on his family’s thickly wooded, hundred-acre farm. By his mother’s account, he was “a remarkably quiet, well-disposed child,”1 who was “much more given to reflection and deep study” than any of his siblings.2 Young Joseph worked to help support his family and so was able to obtain only enough formal education to know the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic.

During this time, a spirit of religious fervor was sweeping through the region of western New York where the Smith family lived. The Smiths, like many others, attended the revivals of the Christian denominations in the area. While some of his family members joined with one of the churches, Joseph did not. He later wrote about this time:

Young Joseph did not have the time or the education to make up a story like this. He was only 14 years old. I admit this story is hard to believe without prayerful consideration and the Holy Ghost manifesting the truthfulness of it.

“My mind became seriously impressed with regard to the all important concerns for the welfare of my immortal soul, which led me to searching the scriptures, believing, as I was taught, that they contained the word of God. Thus applying myself to them and my intimate acquaintance with those of different denominations led me to marvel exceedingly, for I discovered that they did not adorn their profession by a holy walk and godly conversation agreeable to what I found contained in that sacred depository. This was a grief to my soul. …

“I pondered many things in my heart concerning the situation of the world of mankind—the contentions and divisions, the wickedness and abominations, and the darkness which pervaded the minds of mankind. My mind became exceedingly distressed, for I became convicted of my sins, and by searching the scriptures I found that mankind did not come unto the Lord, but that they had apostatized from the true and living faith, and there was no society or denomination that built upon the gospel of Jesus Christ as recorded in the New Testament, and I felt to mourn for my own sins and for the sins of the world.”3

Young Joseph Smith’s search for truth led him into a grove of trees to ask God for the wisdom he needed. In answer to his prayer, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him, opening the way for the restoration of the gospel in the latter days. This marvelous event is recounted in Joseph Smith’s simple yet eloquent words. Joseph Smith—History 1:5, 7–13:

“There was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It commenced with the Methodists, but soon became general among all the sects in that region of country. Indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties, which created no small stir and division amongst the people, some crying, ‘Lo, here!’ and others, ‘Lo, there!’ Some were contending for the Methodist faith, some for the Presbyterian, and some for the Baptist. …

“I was at this time in my fifteenth year. My father’s family was proselyted to the Presbyterian faith, and four of them joined that church, namely, my mother, Lucy; my brothers Hyrum and Samuel Harrison; and my sister Sophronia.

“During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness; but though my feelings were deep and often poignant, still I kept myself aloof from all these parties, though I attended their several meetings as often as occasion would permit. In process of time my mind became somewhat partial to the Methodist sect, and I felt some desire to be united with them; but so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong.

“My mind at times was greatly excited, the cry and tumult were so great and incessant. The Presbyterians were most decided against the Baptists and Methodists, and used all the powers of both reason and sophistry to prove their errors, or, at least, to make the people think they were in error. On the other hand, the Baptists and Methodists in their turn were equally zealous in endeavoring to establish their own tenets and disprove all others.

“In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?

“While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

“Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.

Much of this story seems like it could be happening today.

“At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to ‘ask of God,’ concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.”4Joseph Smith—History 1:14–16: “So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.

“After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.

“But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.”5 Joseph Smith—History 1:17–20: “

It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!

Jesus Christ appeared to many of the Old and new Testament Prophets and Apostles so why not in  the Latter-days?

“My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.

“I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: ‘they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.’

“He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time. When I came to myself again, I found myself lying on my back, looking up into heaven. When the light had departed, I had no strength; but soon recovering in some degree, I went home. And as I leaned up to the fireplace, mother inquired what the matter was. I replied, ‘Never mind, all is well—I am well enough off.’ I then said to my mother, ‘I have learned for myself that Presbyterianism is not true.’ It seems as though the adversary was aware, at a very early period of my life, that I was destined to prove a disturber and an annoyer of his kingdom; else why should the powers of darkness combine against me? Why the opposition and persecution that arose against me, almost in my infancy?”6  Joseph Smith—History 1:21–26:

“Some few days after I had this vision, I happened to be in company with one of the Methodist preachers, who was very active in the before mentioned religious excitement; and, conversing with him on the subject of religion, I took occasion to give him an account of the vision which I had had. I was greatly surprised at his behavior; he treated my communication not only lightly, but with great contempt, saying it was all of the devil, that there were no such things as visions or revelations in these days; that all such things had ceased with the apostles, and that there would never be any more of them.

“I soon found, however, that my telling the story had excited a great deal of prejudice against me among professors of religion, and was the cause of great persecution, which continued to increase; and though I was an obscure boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and my circumstances in life such as to make a boy of no consequence in the world, yet men of high standing would take notice sufficient to excite the public mind against me, and create a bitter persecution; and this was common among all the sects—all united to persecute me.

“It caused me serious reflection then, and often has since, how very strange it was that an obscure boy, of a little over fourteen years of age, and one, too, who was doomed to the necessity of obtaining a scanty maintenance by his daily labor, should be thought a character of sufficient importance to attract the attention of the great ones of the most popular sects of the day, and in a manner to create in them a spirit of the most bitter persecution and reviling. But strange or not, so it was, and it was often the cause of great sorrow to myself.

“However, it was nevertheless a fact that I had beheld a vision. I have thought since, that I felt much like Paul, when he made his defense before King Agrippa, and related the account of the vision he had when he saw a light, and heard a voice; but still there were but few who believed him; some said he was dishonest, others said he was mad; and he was ridiculed and reviled. But all this did not destroy the reality of his vision. He had seen a vision, he knew he had, and all the persecution under heaven could not make it otherwise; and though they should persecute him unto death, yet he knew, and would know to his latest breath, that he had both seen a light and heard a voice speaking unto him, and all the world could not make him think or believe otherwise.

“So it was with me. I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation.

“I had now got my mind satisfied so far as the sectarian world was concerned—that it was not my duty to join with any of them, but to continue as I was until further directed. I had found the testimony of James to be true—that a man who lacked wisdom might ask of God, and obtain, and not be upbraided.”

This is a fantastic story. Please do not dismiss it without sincere consideration. Ponder it, reread it with sincere desire to know the truth. Do not be afraid of the truth. Pray to  God The Father to know if this is true. Does a loving and merciful God want to communicate with His children in this modern day? Ask God in the name of Jesus Christ if this story of Joseph Smith is true. Listen and feel for the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost manifests the truth of all things. I have prayed about this story and by the manifestation of the Holy Ghost know this story of God and Christ appearing to Joseph smith is true.