jinc1019

I do understand that...yes! I appreciate your contribution

Thank you for sharing. Are you saying that Bible prophecies about the last days confirmed the truth about Mormonism because something in them pointed to Smith? I haven't heard that before.

Your story is quite inspiring and exceptionally well-written! I enjoyed it a lot. Thank you again for sharing it with me.

Very nice piece of scripture...Thank you for sharing it.

Are you eternal? I would say no. Eternal, as far as I know and have ever known, means everlasting, forever, just like "eternity." I believe the Bible to be true because I believe the evidence of the early Church is quite profound. It is said that Christianity was built on the backs of martyrs, and I believe that to be true. Many of the earliest leaders of the church (nearly all) were killed in horrific ways for their beliefs. And the evidence (as far as ancient evidence goes) is quite expansive that Jesus really did exist and claimed to be God. Is it possible I am wrong? Yes. I freely admit that. The weight of the evidence, however, says otherwise in my estimation. The reason I believe the Old Testament is true (and I do believe a great deal of it is true but not in a historical sense) is because Jesus taught that it was true. Without that, I don't think that I would honestly. Those may not be incredibly enlightening answers, and they are the VERY short version of what I believe and why, but it is a solid summary for the purposes of this forum and it's honest.

If you don't mind me asking, how did that testimony come? It's perfectly fine if you are not comfortable sharing that.

That's a great point and a very interesting story! However, if Moroni made a trip like that, why didn't he record it?

I know this may sound like an odd question...but I am curious what each of you find to be the best, or favorite, piece of evidence that you have found that helps to show Joseph Smith is a true prophet. I have been praying on the issue and attended an LDS service today, but still remain uncertain and would like to know what evidence all of you found to be most convincing. I know that for many of you, this evidence is likely the Holy Spirit, but I was hoping to hear more general pieces of evidence rather than personal testimonies, although those are welcome too of course. Thank you all for your time! Justin

All plausible within the framework of Mormonism...thank you!

I will, thank you.

One of things I have found most confusing about Mormonism is that it seems as though most scholars are quite convinced that the events of the Book of Mormon occurred in Mesoamerica, but as everyone knows, the plates were allegedly found in New York. How do Mormons reconcile this problem?

Very interesting stuff...I have found all of this to be particularly interesting. I hope to learn more about it in the coming days, weeks, and possibly months.

Ok, I understand what you are saying now. Thank you for explaining those points further...A lot gets easily lost when communicating in forums like this.

I have never heard that "eternal" in Hebrew meant "very long." Where did you hear that? I am not saying you are wrong, only that I have never heard it.

You brought up many excellent points, but the one referenced above is one that needs to be explained further. Are you saying that not every word of the D&C is deemed to come from God as absolutely true and prophetic? It sounds like you are suggesting that the main concepts are revealed but that many of the details delivered by Smith may have been interpreted incorrectly or purely speculative. Do I have that right?

Absolutely! No one is saying otherwise.

Absolutely correct! Thank you

The Bible seems rather clear that God is eternal: Ten Bible Verses: God is eternal | Thoughtful Faith As such, it stands to reason that God has always existed, even before all other things were created, as the lone entity (if you can even call Him that) that did not require a creator. Obviously this is just my opinion, but it also happens to be the view held by the majority of Jews, Christians, and even Muslims since there were Jews, Christians, or Muslims. I think it makes sense, I think it's scriptural, and I have a hard time believing anything else could logically exist. With that said, I realize I am a fallible human being and could be wrong.

Ok...so the Garden of Eden (it appears) was definitely said to be located in Missouri by Smith, but there is no clear statement of that in the D&C. However, the evidence does suggest within the D&C Smith revealed that Adam would return to a location in Missouri, and that location is said to be near the Garden of Eden. I think I have it down...but correct me if I am wrong.

Is this in the D&C or is this just tradition or in some other form of writing?

I have read through these yes, and if one is willing to accept Joseph Smith as a prophet, then there is nothing in there that I would disagree with. For the most part, it's reasonable. To address your point about the various kinds of prophets, I think you make good points. The problem though is that every non-Mormon needs to understand WHY we should believe Joseph Smith is a real prophet, and real prophets generally do not give false prophecies...even small ones. That's why I think people focus on these issues Mormons don't think are important. Maybe the Garden of Eden was in Missouri, how the heck do I know! But when all of the evidence says otherwise (what little evidence there is), non-Mormons look at that and wonder how Smith could be a real prophet then. Just so I am totally clear here though...The belief that the Garden of Eden is in Missouri...is this contained in the D&C or is it just a tradition? I know the vast majority of Mormons seem to accept it, but I would still like to know if it is actually apart of Mormon scripture (written) or not.

No, Matter MUST be created...otherwise it's impossible for matter to exist. The very fact that matter exists is proof that it was created. This is common sense. With all of that said, I tend NOT to rule things out. I think the Mormon perspective on all of this is really unique and, in some ways, more thought out than the orthodox Protestant perspective. Catholics and Orthodox have also dealt with these issues as well, but neither of them claim Divine revelation like Mormons do (on this issue). Thank you very much for sharing this.

I think I understand the Mormon position now.

I think that's a pretty good explanation of a chief difference between Mormons and Protestants! I am not one of those people who believes in a literal Garden of Eden anyway, so it's not a big deal to me...I did, however, find it interesting because it seems like Joseph Smith was a believer in a literal Garden of Eden and the way he approached the issue certainly has led to problems for those who support the view, even if those problems are very small. I am not sure how I feel about this. I will have to think about it more deeply.

Fair point! But I think you are forgetting that it was a prophet (at least based on your beliefs) that told you those things in the first place! If God didn't want you to know, why did a prophet tell it to you?