Sharing the Good News with Mormons

Summary

A twenty-first-century Christian does not have to live in a Mormon-dominated state to have positive conversations with Mormons. With discussion groups, Internet evangelism can be effective in causing Mormons to think through their faith and even consider clear reasoning. But watch out for land mines!

Introduction

According to Acts 17, the apostle Paul waited in Athens for his colaborers Silas and Timothy to rejoin him. Never one to be idle, Paul “reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there” (verse 17). Interested in what Paul had to say, they asked him in verses 19 and 20, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.”

Not long after, Paul stood on Mars Hill reasoning with the best and the brightest philosophers. According to verse 30, he declared that the only true God wants people to put away their idols and worship only Him. While the message hasn’t changed, Mars Hill has. In fact, I maintain that Internet discussion boards are today’s Mars Hill, a place where it’s possible to openly discuss competing ideas. If this approach is used correctly, the Christian who engages nonbelievers on the Internet can make valid points to those who have never been challenged elsewhere.

Prep Work

Like the Athenians of Paul’s day, many Mormons are bright, articulate, and well trained in their worldview and religion. If there are any holes, gaps, or weak spots in the Christian’s worldview or religious training, these deficiencies will be quickly exposed. This should be considered a gift of God! For example, I thought that I had a pretty good grasp of the doctrine of the Trinity until my first set of discussions with a Mormon.1 Once this chink in my armor was uncovered, I made corrections. I am now able to explain Trinitarianism with some small degree of skill and finesse.

Another surprise was the realization that dialoguing with Mormons also means having to reason with agnostics, atheists, and skeptics. Actually, the biggest shock in sharing my faith with Mormons was how often they utilize atheistic arguments. This is because modern LDS culture has become increasingly atheistic in private while church members continue to confess theism in public. As one Christian researcher of Mormonism explains:

The religion of Mormonism is hollowing out…there is a mass apostasy going on, intellectually and mentally speaking. People are leaving the LDS Church without leaving the LDS Church. Without asking probing questions, I can’t assume any Mormon I talk to even believes in the existence of God or the resurrection of Jesus. Even the Mormons who aren’t closet atheists are largely latent atheists (or agnostics) without knowing it.²

Often a Mormon’s arguments are borrowed from well-known atheists and skeptics. To successfully engage, the Christian needs to understand current LDS theology and culture better than Mormons themselves do. Perhaps there is no better place to get accurate doctrinal information than the official church website (www.lds.org). This is the Christian’s best ally since it is a source that cannot be disputed. However, the official church website is filled with whitewashed, spin-doctored, and largely incorrect accounts of Mormon history. This “official history” is not a small matter. As noted by two renowned journalists:

There is a very real sense in which the [Mormon] church’s history is its theology, and that not merely the supernatural events surrounding the church’s beginnings with the Angel Moroni and the golden plates at Hill Cumorah. In a body that believes itself the recipient and expression of continuing revelation, it is everything that has happened to the church ever since. And just as creedal churches have official statements of faith, the Mormon Church tends to have official versions of sacred history.³

This means that one must go beyond the LDS Church website to learn what has come to be known as “New” Mormon history, which is much more honest and accurate when compared to the heavily propagandized “faithful” history officially taught by the leadership. A rich treasure trove of such resources is as accessible as an Internet search engine or bookstore.⁴ It should be remembered that Mormonism is not relegated to an individual Mormon’s private, unorthodox beliefs. Because Mormons may sincerely hold ideas that they don’t realize contradict their church’s leadership, it is important for the Christian not to tell them what they believe. Still, Mormons who hold unique beliefs should be pressed on why they disagree with official church doctrine.

It is also important to create and maintain research archives of useful material since many Mormons tend to repeat the same arguments. With this information readily available, one can make timely, powerful arguments that can be customized as needed. Further, the Internet is so dynamic that there’s no guarantee that content available today will still be there when it’s needed later. A person can create one’s own research archive by placing a folder on one’s computer and storing files there. These can include digital images, downloaded articles, eBooks, and other content that can be copied and pasted into a discussion board or email correspondence as supporting evidence for the arguments. Having these archives on cloud storage is even better since they can be accessed from all electronic devices. With these tools and the type of spiritual preparation that comes only through prayer, it’s time to enter the forum.

Welcome to Mars Hill—Please Watch Your Step!

Internet discussion groups exist so people can, as Acts 17:21 puts it, “spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new” and then debate it endlessly. Various forums are available on the Internet, including these that were active at the time of the writing of this book and, of course, are always subject to change:

• Mormonism Discussed: https://discourse.mrm.org

• B.C. & LDS (aka “Biblical Christians and Latter-day Saints”): www.facebook.com/groups/christian.and.mormons

• Mormons and Biblical Discussion Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/659429537470202/

• Mormon Discussion (the “Celestial Forum” is recommended as a starting point): http://mormondiscussions.com

• Mormon Debate (start in the “Moon” forum): www.reddit.com/r/mormondebate

To get started, open a web browser and type in a link. Some groups allow the user to view the content without signing in first; however, most sites require the user to set up an account before commenting on existing discussions or beginning a new thread. It’s very common for “newbies” to make a fatal mistake when entering a new Internet discussion group by saying too much too soon and too loudly. As a result, they may end up stepping on sensitive toes, making a bad first impression. That’s why it’s recommended to make a long, slow study of the group before contributing anything.

To start, it is important to read the group rules, which are there for everyone’s protection, including yours. Second, it’s wise to identify and acquaint yourself with the group’s administrators. Doing so will build a foundation of resources in case problems arise in the future. Further, reading a few of their posts will provide a good model for how they expect members to behave in the group. Third, I recommend silently “lurking” for a while to get the feel for the group’s culture while learning the various personalities on the board. Doing so will also answer the most important question of all: Is this a place where I’m truly called? If not, it’s not a problem to quietly leave the group and move to the next one. Over time, it is possible to find a discussion board that is best suited to one’s personality and gifts.

As a matter of fact, I’ve exited far more Internet discussion groups than I’ve stayed in. For example, I spent a lot of time in ex-Mormon groups when I first began because it seemed reasonable that former members would be a better source for information on Mormonism. But what I didn’t know is that between 50-60 percent of Mormons who leave the LDS Church end up converting to atheism.5 As a result, many of these ex-Mormons are openly hostile to theism in general and Christian theism in particular. They may be very angry, bitter, and profane while taking great delight in attacking theists of all flavors. Many ex-Mormons are quite open on these boards about their desire to disabuse all theists of their “psychosis.” After a while, I found that I was only welcome in these groups if I kept quiet about my Christian beliefs and agreed to toe their atheist line. If I didn’t, it was clear that I would be cyber-bashed into silence.

This leads to the subject of Mormon bashing, which can be defined as the use of derogatory language, put-downs, and mockery of Mormonism and/or the LDS Church. It is unfortunate that some Christians resort to these off-putting tactics. In some groups, the administrators are the worst of the bunch! This is completely unbiblical. Christians have been given a mandate in 2 Timothy 2:25 to correct their “opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.” Paul also wrote in Colossians 4:6, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” And Peter explained in 1 Peter 3:15 how the Christian must “honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (italics added).

The way I apply the principles embedded in those passages is to use even-toned, scholarly language in every argument, reply, and comment. I sometimes fail, but I still know what the Master expects of me nonetheless. Unfortunately, some Mormons do not feel the need to return the favor. It is not uncommon to be on the receiving end of a string of insults, personal attacks, condescension, fight baiting, mockery, or worse.

For many Mormons, anyone who fails to speak about their religion and culture in absolutely glowing, positive terms is an “anti-Mormon” and, therefore, an enemy of the “only true and living church” on earth. Most Christians are shocked that they would be so villainized just for disagreeing with Mormonism, but for these Latter-day Saints, this is war! When this happens, the Christian’s calling is clearly stated in 1 Peter 3:9: “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.”

When attacked, it’s important to assume an even more scholarly tone. Staying focused on a particular topic is crucial because there will be some who will want to “rabbit trail” the discussion into the weeds and then constantly change the subject so that nothing gets accomplished. While remembering the command to be respectful and gentle, when this happens we need even more logic, more reason, and more evidence. Reasoning with Mormons on the Internet requires a thick skin and utter dependence on God. This approach is not for the faint-hearted or thin-skinned. Anyone who is called to this type of ministry will need an asbestos suit.

Preaching from an Asbestos Suit

With the prep work complete, it’s time for the initiatory post or comment. In framing an argument, it’s best to focus on the top five issues that surveyed former members have said were the reasons they abandoned the LDS Church:

• Doctrine/theology

• Church history

• Joseph Smith

• The Book of Mormon

• Lost trust in the church leaders 6

I recommend stealing a page from Socrates’s playbook and framing arguments in the form of questions. This is done for reasons that Os Guiness explains well:

Questions…are powerful for two reasons. First, they are indirect, and second, they are involving. A good question will never betray where it is leading to, and it is an invitation to the listener to pick it up and discover the answer for him- or herself. This constructive use of questions is often traced back to the great Greek gadfly Socrates, whose probing questions stung his generation into thinking, and exposed the illogic and complacency of their unthinking.⁷

For example,

• If I want to challenge the Latter-day Saint’s faith in the Book of Mormon, I might ask, “Here’s a link to Biblical Archaeology Review’s list of its Top 10 discoveries of the year. What were the top Book of Mormon archaeological discoveries this year?”⁸

• If I want to challenge the faith-promoting version of Mormonism’s history, I ask, “If Joseph Smith and his associates didn’t have a profit motive, why did they try to sell the copyright for the Book of Mormon in Canada?”⁹

• If I want to challenge their faith in church leaders, I could ask, “Why does the LDS Church donate less than 1 percent (0.7%, actually) of its annual income to charity while the United Methodist Church gives about 29 percent?”10

• If I want to challenge Mormon doctrine or theology, I’ll ponder, “How can Mormons claim to believe in monotheism when their church teaches that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate gods?”¹¹

When making an argument, it’s vital to provide credible supporting evidence. This is not optional. Whenever possible, this evidence should originate from official LDS Church sources by utilizing the church’s website and manuals along with LDS scripture. The burden of proof is on the one making the claim, so the more easily verifiable one’s evidence is, the stronger the assertion will be. Nevertheless, it’s likely that any argument—no matter how strong, cogent, or persuasive it might be—will result in attacks upon the person who is delivering the evidence rather than the evidence itself. This is an ad hominem (Latin for “to the man”) logical fallacy that fails to directly address the argument.

Never forget that many Mormons use emotional reasons to remain in their church, despite any amount of logic, reason, or evidence. As one former Mormon put it, “As long as people want the Mormon Church to be true, more than they are willing to face the possibility that it is not, they will not entertain evidence or reason. Delusion becomes a choice.”¹² Past experience has shown that five to ten quality contacts are needed before the Mormon will even begin to question the church. (I can’t prove this statement, but it does ring true in my experience with Mormons.) And even then, it may take several more years with many more contacts before the person will finally leave. While those who share their Christian faith may never know which contact number they are, it really doesn’t matter. As the apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:7, “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”

Conclusion

Because reasoning with Mormons on discussion boards can be difficult, time-consuming, heartbreaking, and surrounded by almost constant acrimony, I’m often asked, “Why do you do it?” Sometimes I wonder that myself. Then, once in a while and out of the blue, a Mormon will tell me privately how he or she is having real doubts about Mormonism due to something that was presented on the Internet. When that happens, all the insults, rancor, endless effort, frustration, and bruises to personal pride melt away. It may not be easy, but it’s worth it. With that, I’ll see you on Mars Hill!

Fred W. Anson (Lake Forest, California) is the founder and publishing editor of the Beggar’s Bread website (www.beggarsbread.org), which features a rich potpourri of articles on Christianity with a recurring emphasis on Mormon studies. Fred is also the administrator of several Internet discussion groups and communities, including several Mormon-centric groups.