Apologetics and Evidence

I think the English language should adopt ( or perhaps commandeer for Harry Potter fans ) a new word...   Obliviate .   verb . Definition: When one party (A) is trying to productively converse with a person (B) but the other (B) is  oblivious  of how their blathering effects the other party (A). As in, one's (A) focus is  obliterated  through (B's) lack of linear logic. Combine the two words,  oblivious  and  obliterate  and this is what you get... Obliviated.   Example: “ He was going on and on to the point of obliviation .”   Inflections:  Obliviated Obliviator Obliviates Obliviation   But seriously, how does one handle such a situation? I frequently run into this when having discussions with cult members or with those who condone such. The lack of linear logical structure to their monologuing makes it feel like there is nowhere else to go.  But there is something we can do. While it is difficult to get a word ...

I frequently run into the discussion with Christians that some cult members seem to produce spiritual fruit, and this brings into question for them whether or not such people are actually saved.  In their minds, a person could not produce spiritual fruit unless they were actually saved. Jesus’ words, “You will know them by their fruit” is often referenced and the question arises, how is it that some Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses seem to produce spiritual fruit if they are not saved? Because, on the one hand it really seems like some of them truly have their lives in order and appear to live biblical lives.   Jesus says, in Matthew 7:15-20,   “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad...

It means that not all hope is created equal . I was invited recently by Jehovah’s Witnesses to come to a celebration of the life of Jesus. The way they describe the Death and Resurrection of Jesus is very different than what the Bible teaches. They believe and teach that Jesus, when He was resurrected, was resurrected as a spirit only, and not with a physical body. I think this presents several problems.    I am often confronted when I say that Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses believe in another Jesus, with, "That is ridiculous... there is only one Jesus." Though they have an agenda of finding common ground,  people in cults are often adamant that there is only one Jesus, but the Bible teaches otherwise . In 2 Corinthians 11:4, we find that Paul talks about the Corinthians falling prey to another Jesus. “For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel...

Is it   safe   to conclude that because there is no archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon that it is false?   The most highly prized, primary text in Mormonism (The Book of Mormon) makes the claims that there have been vast amounts of people (Jarom 1:8), involved in great wars in North America (Mormon 6:6-15), with swords, arrows, darts, javelins, etc. made of steel (Ether 7:9; Jarom 1:8), also having farming equipment made of steel (Jarom 1:8), and numerous minted coins of various worth (Alma 11:4-19). This is not even close to being an exhaustive list of archaeological issues found in the Book of Mormon. We could go on discussing chariots, horses, wheat, the use of Early Modern English in the Book of Mormon, and many others… Argument from silence or the burden of proof? “The book of Mormon makes some extraordinary claims about there being wars with large numbers of warriors in the Americas. The problem with this is that there has been no archaeological evidence...

How and Where to Make Divisions... Sometimes, I get asked “Why do you get so up at arms about other religions?” or, “Why do you pick on other religions so much?” I think the following will help you see where I’m coming from, before I spill the beans on such.   We have difficulty sometimes in discovering where to make divisions when considering where to spend our money, and who to support, where to make purchases, and where not to do such. We also often have difficulty on how to know if a church or a congregation is a place where someone can actually become saved. Like, how can we know that a Mormon is likely not saved but we can know that a regular church attender at a gospel sound church is likely saved? What is it that would make my church attendance at a specific body no longer appropriate? Both answers to these questions deal with doctrine. If a company is pushing false doctrine using their influence and power to push a heretical doctrine or teaching, this is often when the red...

I find that Mormons frequently claim that they are Christians, and that they want to be referred to as Christians, and that they have even recently sought to distance themselves from the word “Mormon.” The problem is, they worship another Jesus, and here is how to show them the difference between the Mormon Jesus and the Biblical Jesus. Before we get to that, some clarifications are necessary. Specifically, that they cannot even distance themselves from being called "Mormons."   The former Mormon President Russell Nelson said,    “What’s in a name or, in this case, a nickname? When it comes to nicknames of the Church, such as the “LDS Church,” the “Mormon Church,” or the “Church of the Latter-day Saints,” the most important thing in those names is the absence of the Savior’s name. To remove the Lord’s name from the Lord’s Church is a major victory for Satan. When we discard the Savior’s name, we are subtly disregarding all that Jesus Christ did for us—even His Atonement.”...