THE CASE AGAINST THE MORMON CHURCH

Mormonism is an original American religion that is becoming increasingly popular all over the world. Unlike most major religions, though, it relies heavily on the truth of archaeological and historical claims which can be reasonably checked against the fact - and the two don't entirely match.

Archaeological Fallacies:
The BoM [Book of Mormon] makes mention of various technological products which were unknown to Mesoamerica. These include chariots (Alma 18:9) when there were no wheeled vehicles of any kind, steel swords (Ether 7:9) when there was neither steel nor swords, bellows for blacksmithing (1 Nephi 17:11), and silk (Alma 1:29). The BoM describes a vast civilization of millions who inhabited cities for hundreds of years, yet no ruins from even a single BoM city have ever been identified. No BoM place-names were in use when Europeans arrived in the New World.

Anthropological Fallacies:
The culture described in the BoM conflicts radically with that of the actual inhabitants of Mesoamerica. The BoM peoples had a seven-day week (Mosiah 13:18), but no Mesoamerican calendar matches this. And Nephi, who came to the New World from Jerusalem, never bothers to contrast these strikingly different places. Most stunning of all, the BoM never once indicates that the American continent was anything but uninhabited when the refugees from Jerusalem arrived. Of course, there were actually millions of Native Americans occupying the land from one coast to the other.

Biological Fallacies:
The BoM refers to a host of animals that did not exist in the pre-Columbian Americas or had been extinct in that region for thousands of years preceding the period described in the book. These include the ass, bull, calf, cattle, cow, domestic goat, horse, ox, domestic sheep, sow, swine and elephants. Several common animals that actually existed in Mesoamerica (deer, jaguars, tapir, monkeys, sloths, turkeys, llamas, alpacas, guinea pigs) are never mentioned. Also described are crops that didn't exist, such as wheat (Mosiah 9:9) and barley (Alma 11:7) Indeed, the agricultural techniques required to produce those crops didn't exist either. Once again, crops that were commonly known to Mesoamerica (chocolate, lima beans, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, manioc) are not referenced. Perhaps the gravest blunder of all is the BoM's assertion of a Hebraic origin for the American Indians. In Joseph's Smith's day, the now firmly-established Asiatic origin for Native Americans was known only in some scholarly circles.Linguistic Fallacies: There are no examples of "reformed Egyptian" (the language Joseph claimed was written on the plates) in Mesoamerican history. And no Native American language is related to either ancient Egyptian or Hebrew, whereas a relationship does exist between Native American languages and Asian (Siberian) languages. Furthermore, no BoM proper names (Nephi, Laman, Zarahemla) appear in any of the many Mesoamerican writings that have been discovered. And speaking of proper names, Greek names such as Lachoneus, Timothy and Jonas appear in the BoM, but Nephi and his family left Jerusalem in 600 BC, long before Greek culture would have had any impact on the Hebrews.

There is simply no getting around the fact that demonstrably untrue things are claimed — and claimed in a work that supposedly came from God, even if written down by someone else. What, didn't God proof read the Gold Plates?

An additional point of interest occurs to me: if so many people could follow a religion that is so recent but with so many factual holes in it, how much easier would it be to follow a religion that would be much harder to fact-check, assuming that anyone was even inclined to do so in the first place? One of the claims made on behalf of Christianity is that the events upon which it was founded were so recent for so many people that they wouldn't have followed if the claims weren't true. After all, it would have been too easy to check. Here, however, we have an example of a religion making claims that can be checked, have been checked, and have been shown to be false — and it doesn't change a thing. Why, then, expect Jews and Gentiles in the 1st century Roman Empire to be any more skeptical and doubtful?
BIBLICAL CONTRADICTIONS TO THE BOOK OF MORMON:Mormons believe the Bible and the Book of Mormon to be the word of God, yet there are many contradictions between the two. Several passages in the Book of Mormon are completely opposite to ones in the Bible. Bible: Isaiah 2:9 "And the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not." Book of Mormon: II Nephi 12:9 "And the mean man boweth not down, and the great man humbleth himself not, therefore, forgive him not." / Bible: Isaiah 3:6-7 "When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand: In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people." Book of Mormon: II Nephi 13:6-7 "When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, and shall say: Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let not this ruin come under thy hand- In that day shall he swear, saying: I will not be a healer; for in my house there is neither bread nor clothing; make me not a ruler of the people." / Bible: Luke 11:13 "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Book of Mormon: Moroni 7:10 "Wherefore, a man being evil cannot do that which is good; neither will he give a good gift." The Bible states that after the death of Jesus there was three hours of darkness: Luke 23:44 "And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour." The Book of Mormon claims that after the death of Jesus there was three days of darkness: Helaman 14:27 "And he said unto me that while the thunder and the lightning lasted, and the tempest, that these things should be, and that darkness should cover the face of the whole earth for the space of three days." The Bible states that the word 'Christian' was first used at Antioch (about 50 AD): Acts 11:26 "And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." The Book of Mormon claims that the word 'Christian' was first used in 73 BC: Alma 46:15 "And those who did belong to the church were faithful; yea, all those who were true believers in Christ took upon them, gladly, the name of Christ, or Christians as they were called, because of their belief in Christ who should come." The Bible states that children do sin: Psalms 51:5 "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God..." The Book of Mormon claims that children cannot sin: Moroni 8:8 "Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them; and the law of circumcision is done away in me." The Bible, in Isaiah 9:1, reads "...and afterward did more grievously afflict her by way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations." The Book of Mormon, in II Nephi 19:1, reads "...and afterwards did more grievously afflict by the way of the Red Sea beyond Jordan in Galilee of the nations." When the Book of Mormon named the sea it made a serious geographical error, because the sea that Isaiah was talking about was actually the Sea of Galilee. It is beyond Jordan and in Galilee, while the Red Sea is below Jordan and obviously not in Galilee. The Book of Mormon, in Alma 7:10, reads "And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem, which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin..." First, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem. Matthew 2:1 "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea..." Second, in none of the Bible's predictions is a name given, why then is Mary's name given in the Book of Mormon?

Mormons believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. Doctrines and Covenants 59:23 "But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come." In other words, they believe that good works are necessary in order for one to receive eternal life. The Bible constantly disagrees with this Mormon belief. John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." It is by believing in Jesus that we have eternal life, and not by our good works. Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast." John 3:36 "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:14-15 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." Titus 3:4-7 "But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." All of the above verses state that it is only by faith in Jesus Christ that we receive eternal life.

Mormons believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression. Romans 5:18-19 says "Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." According to this passage of Scripture all are condemned because of Adam's transgression. Because of Adam's transgression, death came to all men. Romans 5:14 reads "Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come."

Mormons believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory. This belief has several contradictions with the Bible. In the book of Revelation, John lists the number of people that will be sealed from each tribe, and there are twelve tribes listed, not ten. Revelation 7:5-8 "From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000, from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000, from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000, from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000." The Bible never says that Christ will return to America or any other foreign land, and it mentions specifically where He will be on the day of His return. Zechariah 14:4 states "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south." Revelation 21:1 reads "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." The American continent is defined by the seas around it. If there will be no more sea, then there will be no distinction between continents, and thus there will be no more "American continent". Also, the American continent is part of the first earth. The first earth will pass away, so the American continent will also pass away.

Mormons believe that before you were born, you lived as a spirit with God, your Heavenly Father. You came to Earth to learn to be more like God. When your life on Earth is over, you can return to live with your Heavenly Father. If we lived with God before we came to Earth then why don't we remember it? Why would God send us to Earth, away from Him, to learn to be more like Him? Wouldn't we learn to be more like God being right there with Him? The Bible never mentions this "previous life". 1 Corinthians 15:46 says "The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual." If the natural is first then how could we have lived in heaven as spirits? 1 Corinthians 15:48 says "As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven." The "earthly man" refers to Adam, and "those who are of the earth" refers to those who are living on the earth. We live on the earth so we are of the earth; we are not of heaven. The Bible states that not all people are God's children. 1 John 3:10 reads "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother." How can a person have God as a Heavenly Father and the devil as a father? John 1:12 "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name..." If God gave them power to become His sons; that means that they weren't His sons before.
The best way to explain the fallacy that IS the Mormon religion is that their entire religion is based upon being taught that they must “become perfect” by obeying the laws found in the Book of Mormon. Yet, there are countless scriptures in the God breathed Bible that contradicts this statement:

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
(Acts 4:12)

Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
But we believe that through the grace of the LORD Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
(Acts 15:10-11)

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
(Romans 5:8-10)

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved . . . For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
(Romans 10:9 & 13)

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
(Ephesians 2:8-9)

That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(II Thessalonians 2:12-14)

Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
(I Timothy 2:4-5)

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
(II Timothy 1:9)

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
(TITUS 3:5-7)

By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
(Hebrews 10:10-18)