One anti-Mormon ministry suggests 50 questions as a way to deceive Latter-day Saints. These questions feign an interest in learning more about our religion. The real intent is to introduce anti-Mormon material intended to “de-convert” LDS.

This ministry tells its readers their real intent should be to get their Mormon friends “thinking about things they may have never thought about and researching into the false teachings of their church." Thus, the questions are not sincere attempts to understand what the Latter-day Saints believe, but are a smokescreen or diversionary tactic to introduce anti-Mormon material.

This list includes questions about Joseph Smith's prophetic calling, the First Vision, polygamy, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, eternal marriage, baptism for the dead, virtually every area of LDS doctrine, history, and practice.

Faithful Answers to Critical Questions

Usually, the question is presented as a new idea, just recently discovered or formulated Faithful LDS, when first confronted with such anti-Mormon questions, may not know that these questions have been answered. However, anti-Mormon literature tends to recycle the same themes. These questions are not new, nor are they difficult to answer.

An example of 50 questions is this: Why does the Mormon Church still teach that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God after he made a false prophecy about a temple built in Missouri in his generation? (Doctrine and Covenants 84:1-5.)

In September of 1832, Joseph received the word of the Lord concerning building the city of New Jerusalem and the temple.

Obviously those who were alive at the time this revelation was given have passed away.

How Long is a Generation?

Critics insist that the word “generation” indicates that this revelation is a failed prophecy. Even if the revelation was meant as a prophecy, the timeline for its fulfillment depends on what was meant by “generation.” Typically, we consider “generation” to mean the lifespan of those living at the time of the revelation. However, in the scriptures “generation” can indicate a longer period of time.

During his ministry in Jerusalem, Jesus revealed the signs of his second coming, and prophesied that “this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. (Matthew 24:34) All those who heard his prophecy died nearly 2,000 years ago, so evidently Jesus meant “generation” to mean “age” or some other long period of time. It is possible that the use of the word “generation” in this revelation about the Independence temple meant the same thing, and the time period for its fulfillment is still open.

Commandment or Prophecy?

When the Lord declared the “temple shall be reared in this generation,” it is possible that He meant this as a directive. The Saints were expelled from Jackson County in late 1834, before they could make any progress on the temple. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to return to reclaim their lands.

In 1841, Joseph received another revelation relating to the building of the temple. Here the Lord commends the Saints for their efforts and releases them from the earlier commandment to build the Independence temple because the Saints were “hindered by their enemies.” (Doctrine and Covenants 124) Taken together, the two revelations appear to indicate that this was indeed a commandment and not a prophecy.

Common Anti-Mormon Strategies

The 50 questions employ tactics often used by critics of the Church. Virtually all do at least one of the following:

In the example just discussed, official LDS scripture was misread. The difference between a commandment and a prophecy was not understood. Further, by insisting that “this generation” referred to those alive at the time the commandment was given, they commit another error. They fail to apply the same standard to the Bible that they demand of latter-day revelations.

Conclusion

In any attempt to shake the faith of Latter-day Saints, questions can be posed that, at first glance, may cause concern. When exposed to the light of the truth, these questions can be seen for what they are.

In future columns we will answer other questions and issues brought up by critics. Anyone who has encountered such questions can find the answer here at Meridian or at the FAIR website.

These articles have been put together as a collaborative effort by several writers. The topics for Meridian have been chosen and edited by Carolyn Wright. You can find these articles on the FAIR Wiki, a collaborative FAIR Website located at http://en.fairmormon.org.

If you would like to comment on these articles, or request additional topics, you can contact Carolyn here: http://www.fairlds.org/contact.php. Just check the box for the Meridian Article Editor.

The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR) was formed in late 1997 by a group of LDS defenders of the faith who frequented the America Online Mormonism message boards. In defending the Church against detractors there, this small group realized that they had no way of sharing their information with each other, much less the rest of the Church. As a result of this, FAIR was born. Incorporated as a non-profit organization in November 1997, the fledgling organization put up its first Web site in March 1998.

FAIR is staffed completely by students of the scriptures, ancient languages, early Christian history, early LDS history, and LDS doctrine and apologetics. Most all of the staff here at FAIR have been involved in online services and Internet-based LDS apologetics for many years. Many of the members are authors of currently-available apologetic publications.

FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of LDS doctrine, belief and practice. The FAIR Website is www.fairlds.org.