Criticism of Mormonism/Books/One Nation Under Gods/Absurd claims


Loaded and prejudicial language
A work by author: Richard Abanes

Absurd claims

The following claims (highlighted in bold) are simply absurd.

Reference The claim... The rest of the story... Use of sources

23

 "LDS documents are strangely silent about their prophet's activities during the three years immediately following his 1820 First Vision." Why would there be any "LDS documents" dealing with Joseph's life between 1820 to 1823? The Church didn't even exist until 1830, and Joseph wrote the stories of his First Vision and Moroni's visit well after 1823. The author simply wants to dramatically set the stage to talk about Joseph's money digging activities. None

74

 The author claims that the Book of Mormon "describes Arabia as being 'bountiful' because of its fruit and wild honey. The fact is that Arabia has never had bountiful supplies of either fruit or honey." This is an absurd statement to make. The Book of Mormon does not describe Arabia as being bountiful in fruit and honey. It talks of a specific place within the Arabian peninsula which was bountiful in fruit and honey—such a location does indeed exist.
  • No source provided.

51

 "Until well into the late 1800s it was widely understood that Smith found the golden plates not by a dream, or a ghost, or a vision—but by looking into his peep-stone and seeing where they had been deposited. (emphasis added)
  • Widely understood?? The author cites several second-hand sources...from 1850s!
  • By the "late 1800s" there were many published accounts of Moroni's visit, including the "official" 1838 version that was printed in the Pearl of Great Price! It is therefore absurd for the author to claim that it was "widely understood" that the plates were found using the seer stone "well into the late 1800s."
  • Orasmus Turner, History of the Pioneer Settlement of Phelps and Gorham's Purchase, and Morris Reserve. (1852)

287

 "More spirit children means more power, which in turn pushes a Mormon male further up the hierarchical ladder of gods in our universe."
  • Where did this idea come from? This is never taught in Church...
 None

288

 "Unlike most men, however, Jesus did not need these wives, nor temple rituals to become a god. He became a god before coming to earth through perfect obedience to Elohim's commands. For others the road to godhood is far more difficult and takes considerably longer."
  • The author has no idea how Jesus Christ became a god, and his statement actually implies that Latter-day Saints believe that it is more difficult for men to achieve such a thing than it was for Jesus Christ himself! This is an arrogant statement. In his effort to ridicule the statements of past LDS leaders such as Orson Pratt, the author makes a comment which completely ignores Christ's suffering for us through His atonement.
  • No source provided.

302, 582n109 (PB)

 "Because the counsel of church leaders was to acquire plural wives, to do otherwise was tantamount to apostasy, a crime worthy of death."
  • This claim is ridiculous—there are no primary sources that link failure to obtain plural wives to the application of such a penalty.
  • Marie Cornwall, Camela Courtright, and Laga Van BeekHow, "Common the Principle?: Women As Plural Wives in 1860," Dialogue: a Journal of Mormon Thought (Summer 1993), vol. 26, 142.

381, 601n26 (PB)

 "The Christian gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor. 15:1-4). Compare this message with that of early LDS authority George Q. Cannon, who, after saying that the Saints believed in the "evolution of man until he shall become a god," revealed: "That is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, believed in by the Latter-day Saints."
  • This claim is absurd—the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is central to Latter-day Saint belief and worship. The administration of the Sacrament each Sunday in Sacrament Meeting is enough evidence to counter this claim. Note that the author had to work hard to find a quote by George Q. Cannon to mine in order to produce his contrasting "LDS view."
  • George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truth, vol. 1, 9.

400

 "[T]he LDS hierarchy will have to at some point, once and for all, completely sever its ties with Christianity. Only by taking such an approach will Mormonism be able to forever distance itself from the "cult" label and claim for itself some degree of legitimacy and integrity in the eyes of many religion researchers, especially those adhering to the historic Christian faith." The idea that Latter-day Saints will ever disassociate themselves from Christ is an absurd claim.
  • Author's opinion.

Further reading

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