I mentioned last week in another thread that some Mormons were to be coming by. The way all this came about was that, in late April, my wife and I went to Las Vegas for a few days. She was assigned by her company to attend a conference there, and, since I had never been more than a few miles west of the Mississippi River, decided to tag along to see the sights.
Anyway, she was free for one full day while we were there, and I rented a car, and we drove up I-15 through a corner of Arizona, then took a detour through the mountains and ended up in St. George's, Utah. I was amazed at the number of Mormon churches there. We'd drive by a Mormon church, see a steeple a few more blocks down the road, and, lo and behold, another Mormon church! As we were heading down the road, my wife spotted a sign that said "Temple," with an arrow pointing the way. The temptation was too much to resist for a counter-cult type like me. I followed the arrow, and drove up in front of a Mormon temple. So I stopped the car, and we walked into the Visitor Center, where we had the staff busily trying to convert us for the next hour or so. They told us all about the history of the temple and how it was built, which was pretty interesting. They also showed us a movie about Joseph Smith's first vision. I knew all about that, but I was playing dumb. They told us how great the church was, and if only we were members, we could go into the Temple and engage in the ceremonies and be married eternally etc. etc. Anyway, they said they thought I'd really enjoy these free videos they offer, and would I like to give them my name and address so they could get them to me? Hence, the visit from the missionaries.
Well, as promised, the missionaries stopped by last night. It was a rather pleasant visit, lasting just over an hour. During that time, I basically held their feet to the fire as far as producing any evidence for the Book of Mormon being scripture or Joseph Smith being a true prophet. They tried offer me the usual counsel, which goes something like, "pray about it and God will give you a feeling that it's true." One of them actually described the feeling as "sort of a warm fuzzy." I told them that feelings can be deceiving, and that I once had a strong feeling that JW's had the truth - but I was wrong. I also pointed out several scriptures about testing teachings by scripture ("prove all things," "test the spirits," the Bereans, etc.). To my surprise, one of the missionaries agreed with me (after some haggling) and said that I should test the Book of Mormon by comparing it to the Bible. Exactly the opening I was hoping for. He also said that there was archaeological and physical evidence for the BOM, and that he'd be happy to get me some sources. He claimed that some of the Latin American Indian groups had legends that were "remarkably similar" to the BOM stories.
So that's the assignment for next time: I am to start comparing the BOM and the Bible (and I already have lists of contradictions, in fact PFO actually published a booklet of them). And they are to come up with a source of archaeological evidence for the BOM. They said that there is actually a video they might be able to get about evidence for the BOM. Supposedly, when they have their ducks in a row, they will call to set up the next appointment. I'm curious whether they will call, or write me off as a poor prospect.
In addition to the above, I picked apart the leaflet they distribute, The Testimony of Joseph Smith, about the early visions and the appearance of the angel Moroni. I pointed out how Joseph at one place predicted severe judgments from God that would come upon the United States "within this generation." (the generation when he was speaking, in the 1820's). I pointed out that that generation was long gone, and where were the judgments? They tried to spiritualize the generation, saying that it could still happen (sound familiar?). I told them that a generation is a specific thing, that it's not the same as saying "soon". I even told them about the Watchtower's "generation of 1914" prophecy. The discussion on that topic basically ended with them saying they didn't have an answer.
Also in the leaflet, Moroni is said to have quoted from the Bible, but with slight variations from what the Bible said. I referred them to Galatians 1:8, and asked them what sort of angel would alter the words of scripture. They appeared to swallow hard, and again had no answer.
Last, I got around to asking them about their teaching that God was once a man. I said, "So that means he was born as a baby?" They said yes. I asked to whom he was born, and they said that had not been revealed, but maybe it was to another god, who was born of another god, who was born of another god, ad infinitum. I asked them if they realized how far this teaching deviates from what regular Christianity and the Bible teach. They said they did. I asked them on what basis they believed it, and they responded that it had been revealed to their prophets. And how, I said, do you know that your prophets are true prophets? Then, finishing my own thought, I said, "so, really, you believe all this based on a warm fuzzy feeling?" At this point, they tried to backpedal a bit, and insisted that it wasn't just a warm fuzzy, but that God actually put it into their hearts to know that it was true. To which I responded, "in the same way that I once knew that Jehovah's Witnesses had the truth?"
Reading what I've written, I may have made the visit sound more tense and confrontational that it was (of course, I can't speak for the missionaries ). It was actually pretty friendly and relaxed. Both of them were very nice young men. But I hope that I've given them some things to think about. I do hope that they call again, because I would really relish seeing them try to explain some of the discrepancies between the BOM and the Bible. Not to mention that, if there really is a video that tries to demonstrate serious evidence for the BOM, I'd love to get a copy.
Note to Francois: I didn't forget your questions. I asked them about the salamander, and they both snickered and looked at me as if I was from Jupiter. It was the angel Moroni who delivered the plates to Joseph, not some lizard (There was something called a salamander letter, but I don't remember what it was, I'd have to look it up again - but it was obvious that these guys had no clue about it). And neither of them had ever read The Mormon Murders, so they had no thoughts to offer.