True or not true? Why? Why believe A New Hope and the Empire Strikes Back but not Return of the Jedi?
TRUE! I have prayed about its truthfulness and have had confirmation from the Holy Spirit that it is true.
All evidence that I have seen points to false. The Hoth battle scene is lightyears beyond those silly Ewoks.
I've heard the arguments before, but I'm curious what evidence you've come across that points to its falsity? I'm not trying to be argumentative, I'm just interested in your experience.
I subscribe to the belief that the amount of evidence required for any claim should be commensurate to the scale of the claim being made, and I simply have never seen any evidence that comes anywhere close to sufficient for Joseph Smith's story. I don't fault others for believing him or for following his teachings, and by and large I've found LDS folks to be good, friendly individuals, but I see no real reason to accept his book as fact.
[video=youtube;n3BqLZ8UoZk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3BqLZ8UoZk[/video] I think it's also important to note that Joseph Smith was known as a great storyteller in his lifetime.
THIS is exactly why I can never be friends or hang out with anybody on S2.... A whole 'nother level of geek!
I've had mormons try to explain it to me and it just comes off as a cult, although I'm sure Catholicism probably would seem like a cult too if it hadn't been around so long.
The part that I had the most trouble with was the council of elders or whatever, and how there's the one guy at the top who is "chosen" to speak directly to god. And that's the guy who talks to every temple on TV once a year or something like that. Maybe some mormons from the community could set me straight on that, but that's the gist of what I was told.
The Bible is attested to by history, prophecies, archaeology, historians, and the historical Jesus event. The Book of Mormon is attested by one man who claims to have found secret hidden golden tablets and is known for his tall tales.
