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A Burning in the Bosom Making
sense out of "Nonsensical arguments When in a discussion with Mormons I often hear that the Bible has mistranslations and is corrupted. The LDS official position states the Bible is correct only insomuch that it is correctly translated. But I have yet to hear from any Mormon the criteria for this statement or present factual proof for this. It doesn’t seem to matter that they will sell or give their book of Mormon incorporated with the Bible. Why do this if it is such a superior book and the Bible is incorrect? The Book
of Mormon quotes hundreds of Bible verses verbatim and cross references the Bible
from their own book. Doesn’t this discredit them if the Bible is inaccurate? Has any Mormon ever gone to a Greek or Hebrew Bible for proof to demonstrate these so called mistranslations? Or have they believed their Church’s tradition that has spread a rumor not based on facts. From their founder Joseph Smith who claimed the Bible is full of errors, “Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg.327). “Thus, the elements of mistranslation, incompleteness, and other errors weaken the Bible”(Encyclopedia of Mormonism , Vol. 1, Bible). Mormon prophet Ezra Taft Benson wrote of “the Bible, which passed through generations of copyists, translators and corrupt religionists who tampered with the text” (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, pg. 53). Apostle Bruce McConkie of the LDS Church said: “Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (known informally by the nicknamed Mormons) believe the Bible. Indeed, so literally and completely do their beliefs and practices conform to the teachings of the Bible that it is not uncommon to hear informed persons say: 'If all men believed the Bible, all would be Mormons.' Bible doctrine is Mormon doctrine, and Mormon doctrine is Bible doctrine. They are one and the same” (What the Mormons Think of Christ, p. 2). If this statement is accepted as true and they readily admit the Bible has numerous errors- what does this mean about their own book. If they insist on saying their book is perfect and Bible is not does this mean as McConkie stated that they are misinformed. The facts show that Joseph took time to copy large portions directly from the King James Version into the Book of Mormon to give it authenticity. For example 19th chapter of 2nd Nephi is slightly altered from Isaiah chapter 9. Joseph made several changes but enough remained to testify that this text was lifted from Isaiah 9. Many examples can be cited “ye must pray always, and not faint” (2 Nephi 32:9=Luke 18:1); “depart into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mosiah 26:27=Matthew 25:41); “the thoughts and intents of his heart” (Mosiah 5:13=Hebrews 4:12) “steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works” (Mosiah 5:15=1 Corinthians 15:58). This points out the fact That Smith was the decider on what was to be incorporated in the book of Mormon and what is not, and what he used as his criteria was the King James Bible. However Smith said “I (Joseph Smith) 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” (History of the Church, Volume 4, Page 461). The Bible which was has a consistent and proven message historically accurate which was written over a span of 1500 years through 40 different authors on 3 different continents. Smith comes along and in a few short years by himself translates a more accurate book of the Bible not by knowing languages but by spiritistic means through seer stones: by sticking his face in a dark hat. (they call this the Urim and Thummim, which was not used by Israel for over two thousand years. Apparently this is the same stone Joseph used to look for buried treasure with his dad). They consider this the great miracle of a young boy with little education translating this book. There is little difference between this concept and the miracle of the Koran. How does a Mormon arrive at the truth of their prophet and their book? They use the Bible which says James 1:5 pray for wisdom. Just as Joseph Smith was reading James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, he determined he would ask God which church to join. So he went into the woods to pray aloud for the first time.They tell the potential convert if you are sincere and ask God which Church is true and if Joseph Smith was true prophet He will answer. Many sincere people pray and have religious experiences, many of which do not lead to the book of Mormon. They will all testify they asked God. Based on their own book Moroni 10:4: “And when ye shall receive these things [the Book of Mormon], I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.” If this asking is to be pursued in truth then it must be examined not from feelings but from facts. Mormons interpret any feelings in their prayer as the Holy Spirit (mostly as a burning). “Did not our heart burn within us”
The Bible teaches the Holy Spirit will bear witness to the truth that is in the Bible itself. John 16:13-14 “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth” Jesus said thy word is truth as it came from the one who is truth incarnate and he commissioned the apostles to write down the teachings so they would be there for time immemorial. To question that truth would come from another source while seeking to know about Christ is to deny everything He said about Himself and the word. Based on their own book Moroni 10:4: “And when ye shall receive these things [the Book of Mormon], I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.” If this asking is to be pursued in truth then it must be examined not from feelings but from facts. Mormons interpret any feelings in their prayer as the Holy Spirit (mostly as a burning in the bosom).A Burning Testimony The apostles on the road of Emmaus met the resurrected Jesus and said “Did not our heart burn within us.”One could assume they had a burning in the bosom experience, a testimony to the truth, but this is not at all what happened. When we read it in context we find “And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32) What they were talking about is found in V.27 “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” Jesus pointed to the Bible for the testimony they needed to know about him. The Bible teaches the Holy Spirit will bear witness to the truth that is in the Bible itself. John 16:13-14 “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth” Jesus said thy word is truth as it came from the one who is truth incarnate and he commissioned the apostles to write down the teachings so they would be there for time immemorial. To question that truth would come from another source while seeking to know about Christ is to deny everything He said about Himself and the word. False teaching will always challenge the word of God, this is done by another's word or by feelings which in the Mormons case is interpreted as the Holy Spirit giving witness.The pressure is then on the potential convert to find the truth by some spiritual means outside the Bible itself and not by the facts. It is set- up, as the Mormons only give the person one way to establish the truth. They certainly don’t want you to go to the Bible to test the claims they present. Proverbs 14:12 tells us, “There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end it leads to death.” There
must be some external standard by which truth can be examined to arrive at a non
prejudicial. God has given a standard in the Scriptures, for He says that His word
changes not God does not have the seeker pray to acquire truth, He says test, (I Thes s. 5:21) not pray. This means to examine, prove, or test to arrive at the truth. It is rational and objective. The Bible is our tool for analyzing what is spiritual truth. Does a person have to pray about committing murder, lying or theft? Why not? Because the Bible teaches what God already spoken. If you are married it would be foolish to pray and ask God to show you whether or not you should be with another man or woman if you had feelings for them. God has given commands and principles on these subjects. And for the seeker of what is true it is already clearly explained in the Bible. Does a person have to pray about committing murder, lying or theft? Why not? Because the Bible teaches what God already spoken. If you are married it would be foolish to pray and ask God to show you whether or not you should be with another man or woman if you had feelings for them. God has given commands and principles on these subjects. And for the seeker of what is true it is already clearly explained in the Bible. Does a person have to pray about committing murder, lying or theft? Why not? Because the Bible teaches what God already spoken. If you are married it would be foolish to pray and ask God to show you whether or not you should be with another man or woman if you had feelings for them. God has given commands and principles on these subjects. And for the seeker of what is true it is already clearly explained in the Bible. Does a person have to pray about committing murder, lying or theft? Why not? Because the Bible teaches what God already spoken. If you are married it would be foolish to pray and ask God to show you whether or not you should be with another man or woman if you had feelings for them. God has given commands and principles on these subjects. And for the seeker of what is true it is already clearly explained in the Bible.It is I John 4:1 that needs to be applied, not praying for wisdom. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” The standard to test anyone’s religious claims, even of the apostles, was always the Bible. God commends them! Paul COMMENDED the Bereans in Acts 17:11-12 when they questioned what he was teaching. Why? Because they went to the Bible that claims to be the word of truth to find whether what Paul spoke was true. Wisdom means to act on knowledge. If a Mormon asks for one to pray James 1:5, to see which “Which church is true?” or, “Is the Book of Mormon true?” “Or if Smith was true prophet.” These are factual questions, pertaining to knowledge, not wisdom. There is no way to find truth by how you feel about them. Neither can one blame the Holy Spirit for the feelings when it is his ministry to testify of Christ and his words in the scriptures by the true apostles ONLY. To use James in such a fashion to pray for wisdom is not wisdom at all. James’ true context is to pray for wisdom so they can know how to respond to trials - vs. 2,3,12. James was promising his readers that God would give them wisdom to understand why they were experiencing the trials and difficulties in which they found themselves presently in. Praying this way is irresponsible and contradicts God's Word! (Gal. 1:8-9) Nowhere are we to seek or recommended to feel a burning by the apostles. How can a burning in the bosom be of God when he never said this? We should be aware of the fiery darts of the wicked one who wants to mislead people by their feelings . As harsh as this may sound it needs to be said. Feelings can easily fall in the realm where Satan rules and he deceives many with a false sign or wonder.( Eph. 6:16; 2 Tim.4:1-2) Once
again I ask you, does a
person have to pray about committing murder, lying or stealing? Why not? Because the
Bible teaches that God already spoken on this. God has given commands and principles on these subjects. From the
book of Proverbs (Hokhmah) known as wisdom to live by, the writer says Prov. 2:1-6 “My
son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, So that you
incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry
out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as
silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear
of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth
come knowledge and understanding;” Prov.
4:4-5 He also taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words;
keep my commands, and live. Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn
away from the words of my mouth. Wisdom is found in the Word of God and it is the Word of God, The apostle Paul said 1 Cor. 1:30 “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God-- and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.” (Col 3:16) What of those Mormons who were convinced of their feelings on the book of Mormon and then looked at the SCRIPTURES (the Bible) and found that their feelings deceived them. The true Holy Spirit bore testimony to the faith delivered once and for all to the saints. Are they now deceived because they went to discover what was true by using objective truth with facts instead of subjective feelings? Jesus said my word is truth. So if we want to find what truth is and we are looking for a testimony of Jesus Christ then we must listen to Jesus. Romans 8:16 “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.” He is also the umpire calling what is true and what is not, using the word of God. The Holy Spirit makes us discern what is true, He is to teach us and lead us into truth which He wrote through the apostles. He is not going to witness as the truth a boy in the occult who is called a prophet who denied everything that the Bible and the Church teaches. How accurate can a feeling, a knowing be and can it ever be as reliable as the word of God?Either the Book of Mormon is true or it is false. If it claims to be another testament of the Bible than it should completely agree with it, but it does not. One must be in a position of not knowing which it is true and seek knowledge first with verifiable facts instead of trusting in something unverifiable, which certainly is not wisdom. We are told by the Mormons to “Keep praying until you get an answer.” But how long should one pray if they believe they received an answer and it is no? Is this answer acceptable to Mormons? Apparently not, they want you to pray until you get the answer they want you to get. When I ask a Mormon what if I already prayed and received a different answer than you which is it right? They are at a loss for words on this since both cannot be true. Both can be false but both cannot be true. How do they know they are right, by their feelings. How do we know we are right because we searched what God has already said about this thousands of years ahead of time. What
about a Christian's testimony, do they not count. We too have a testimony that is
based on feelings but not feeling alone, but facts, biblical facts.
“ I bear you my testimony” the Bible is absolutely true, that Jesus Christ
is the one God who has come from heaven-- becoming a human. That I was saved by
nothing on my own except believe in the Gospel of the Bible. Received the Holy Spirit
like all other Christians have with the proof of his fruit in my life. Now we
have two testimonies from two completely different perspectives. Where do we go to
get an absolute answer to this?
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