Mormonism - I Introduction  Syllabus  Lsn One Lsn Two Lsn Three  Lsn Four  Lsn Six Lsn Seven  Lsn Eight

LESSON FIVE                               BEGINNING MARKS - II  

[There are (24) responses to this lesson]

Useful links:  Journal of Discourses       Doctrine and Covenants   Book of Mormon

A. THE FLDS 

1. What is the FLDS?

____________________________________________(1)________________________________________

 2. What is meant by the "Short Creek Raid"? 

_______________________________(2)________________________________________

 3. What did the city of Short Creek eventually become?

_______________________________(3)__________________________________________

 4. Where is the most recent settlement of the FLDS church located?

_________________________(4)______________________________________________

 5. What is the distinctive doctrine of the FLDS church? 

____________________________(5)___________________________________________

 6. What is the FLDS "Law of Placing"? 

____________________________(6)___________________________________________

 7.  What is the highest state of salvation a man may achieve? ________(7)________________

 8.  How does he achieve this? 

______________________________(8)__________________________________________

 B. THE RLDS 

 9. What is the RLDS

____________________________(9)_________________________________________

     What is their new name?_________(10)_________________________________________

 10. Where is the headquarters for the RLDS ?

______________________________(11)_________________________________________

 11. Describe the organization of the RLDS church?

______________________________(12)________________________________________

 12.  With whom does Brigham Young compare Joseph Smith? (J of D V.14; p.203 [from 14:201 5th paragraph down])

_____________________________(13)______________________________

 13.  Whose permission is needed before one will ever enter into the celestial kingdom

of God?  (J of D V. 7; p 289 -28th paragraph from top)  __________________________________(14)________________________

 14. From Alma 34:32-35, what is said concerning the possibility of one repenting after death?

_________________________________(15)____________________________________
 

15.  How does this compare with the LDS doctrine of Baptism for the Dead?

_________________________________(16)_______________________________________

16. What will occur following death according to the Bible (Hebrews 9:27)?

________________________________(17)______________________________________

17. What things of man will be judged according to the Bible (2 Corinthians 5:10)?          ____________________________________(18)_________________________________

[The below material is taken from the 2001 Lectureship Book of the Spring Bible Institute, Spring, TX]

18. In the GATEWOOD-FARNSWORTH Debate between brother Otis Gatewood and Kenneth E. Farnsworth in 1942, Farnsworth affirmed that the Book of Mormon was of Divine origin. Among his affirmations were the following points:

      a. “If God’s Spirit moved upon men in time past and since God does not change (being the same yesterday, today, and forever), then He will move upon men today.”

      b. “We have no proof whatsoever to believe that God singled out just one little handful of the Israelitish nation in one particular location and gave all His revelation and inspiration to that little handful of people.”

      c. “The two sticks in Ezekiel 37:15-32 refer to the Bible and the Book of Mormon”

      d. “The ‘other sheep’ of John 10:16 were the people Jesus visited on the American continents which are described in the Book of Mormon.”

      e. “Revelation 14:6 was a reference to the Book of Mormon”

Your responses 19-23 will be refutations of the above affirmations by Kenneth E. Farnsworth.

      a. How does the Spirit of God inform men today? (2 Timothy 3:15-17) You may use as many other sources as you can find

__________________________(19)______________________________________.      

      b. How would you go about proving that God did in fact “single out just one handful of the Israelitish nation”? [Think of a very simple answer. There is at least one.]

____________________________(20)______________________________________.

      c. To what did the two sticks of Ezekiel 37:15-32 refer?

______________________________(21)_____________________________________.

      d. Who were the other sheep of John 10:16? __________________(22)_____________.

      e.  To what does Revelation 14:6 refer?______________________(23)______________.

21. Explain the contradiction between D & C 5:13 and the actions of Joseph Smith regarding who would be permitted to see the "plates"? _______________________________(24)________________________________________

A note of interest: During the 2004 Southern Utah Bible Lectures in St. George, UT a member of the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints rose to ask a question during the closing minutes of the open forum. The man's question was answered by the moderator, brother Eddie Whitten. The Open Forum was completed and the next session began with brother Eddie Whitten presenting the lesson.  The man from the LDS church called out a question. He was told the Open Forum period had ended. The man called out other questions and was encouraged to leave. He challenged brother Randy Mabe to a debate on the Book of Mormon. In the weeks following, arrangements were being made for the debate and the propositions were signed. While in conversation with a Mormon bishop I told him of the upcoming debate. That bishop said Mormons were forbidden to debate and the man who agreed to do so did not have permission to debate or to represent the LDS church and that the LDS church would not support anything he might say and they would not permit us to use their premises for part of the debate. The debate was never conducted because the LDS church would deny anything that came out of it and we determined that the man's disruptive behavior would not make for a useful discussion. As brother Lester Camp noted in his "Introduction" to the Gatewood-Farnsworth debate, that it is "No doubt the Gatewood Farnsworth Debate (1942) contributed to this change in attitude of the Mormons toward debating brethren."