One-Minute Answers to Anti-Mormon Questions

by Stephen W. Gibson

Criticisms of the LDS Church are frequently based on intentional misinterpretations of Mormon doctrine. This book provides useful clarifications and rebuttals of many of those misrepresented doctrinal and historical areas. It gives simple but authoritative answers to more than sixty often-asked questions posed by anti-Mormon detractors. The answers are direct and nonconfrontational, providing readers with a friendly, teaching way of responding to those who question them. The author points out pertinent biblical parallels to many situations. His answers are supported by appropriate scriptures, statements of modern prophets, writings of ancient Christian leaders, and corroborating findings by modern non-LDS scholars. Brother Gibson encountered his first anti-Mormon book while serving in the Scottish-Irish Mission in the early 1960s. Disturbed by what he read, he and a fellow missionary analyzed the inconsistencies in the book. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in communications. He and his wife, Bette, were married in the Salt Lake Temple. They are the parents of four children. His hobbies include mentoring several small businesses, reading, teaching, and speaking. He has served in numerous Church callings, including two bishoprics. From Clergy to Convert is his first book.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Steven H · Rating 2 out of 5]

A SERIES OF BRIEF PROPOSED RESPONSES TO "ANTI-MORMON" OBJECTIONS

The author writes in the Introduction to this 1995 book, "This book was written for you--an average member of the Church who may have come across an anti-Mormon tract somewhere along the way and have not taken the time to search out the answers to some of the questions posed in it... This book contains concise, easy-to-understand answers to questions frequently found in anti-Mormon pamphlets today."

Here are some quotations from the book:

"B.H. Robert's conclusions (in 'Studies of the Book of Mormon') were that IF Joseph Smith had written the Book of Mormon himself, he certainly could have gotten some of his ideas from View of the Hebrews 1825. The author agrees with that conclusion. However, B.H. Roberts had strong faith in the divine origin of the Book or Mormon..." (Pg. 30)
"The Lord did not require the Saints of the 1830s to build the Temple in Missouri, but he also did not retract his declaration that it would 'be reared in this generation' (D&C 84:4). We simply do not know the length of that generation, and we have good reason to assume that this temple will yet be built." (Pg. 74)
"If one compares the 1833 Book of Commandments with the current edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, one will discover various textual differences... words, or even whole paragraphs, have been added... Can a true prophet of God add to a God-given revelation? If the answer is 'yes,' then the fact that Joseph Smith expanded some of the revelations he received is evidence for, not against his prophetic calling." (Pg. 82)
"(I)t appears that Brigham Young held the view ... that God the Father became Adam to begin the human family... It is certain that neither Brigham Young nor any of his successors ever considered the Adam-God theory to be an official or unofficial doctrine of the Church." (Pg. 117-119)
"(W)hy do these few passages in Isaiah assert that the Lord is the only God, and that there is only one God? ... The monotheistic flavor of the identified verses in these four chapters of Isaiah must be interpreted in the light of the dozens of passages cited above which give clear evidence of a plurality of Gods." (Pg. 146)
"The traditional view held by LDS scholars has been that the Book of Abraham papyri are among those fragments which are still lost. An alternate view ... is that the text of the Book of Abraham was not actually contained in the papyri purchased by the Saints... Because the three Book of Abraham facsimiles also contained many ancient symbols and allusions to this primary document, Joseph Smith used them to illustrate his Abraham text." (Pg. 176-177)

[Kc · Rating 3 out of 5]

This month I read a book called One Minute Answers to Anti-Mormon Questions by a guy named Sephen W. Gibson. If you're only giving "one minute answers" to anti-Mormon Questions you have to cherry pick for some of the easier ones, but he still did a pretty good job. I found the chapter on the Book of Abraham enlightening. You can actually read the entire book from the link above.