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Claim the Book of Mormon is “inspired fiction” & still be exalted to Celestial Kingdom?


Choose You This Day!  

38 members have voted

  1. 1. Grant Hardy (FAIR Presentation)

    • I’m LDS and I believe Grant Hardy is WRONG—among other things, one must affirm belief in historical “Nephites” to inherit the Celestial Kingdom
      4
    • I’m LDS and I believe Grant Hardy is RIGHT—one can believe the Book of Mormon contents to be “inspired fiction” and still inherit the Celestial Kingdom
      19
    • I’m LDS & and this poll makes me uncomfortable and/or I think the pollster is incompetent, doesn't understand Mormonism, etc.
      7
    • I’m not LDS
      8


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Peppermint Patty's thread, "Grant Hardy's Presentation on The Book of Mormon" got shut down before salgare's question to Scott Lloyd ("can one claim the BoM is inspired fiction and still be exalted?") could be clearly & concisely answered--so I thought I'd turn it into a poll. 

What do you think? 

--Erik

Edited by Five Solas
Patty, not Paddy - so embarrassed!
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Did Grant Hardy actually say that one could believe the BofM to be inspired fiction and still be exalted?  I don't recall the quote, and I was there.  Perhaps you could give us the verbatim quotation.  Otherwise your questions are based on a false claim -- unless you believe that a fictional claim is as good as a true one, and therefore any unscientific poll would be just as valid.  How about it, Erik.  Did you think this through?

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I'm just relying on the previous thread, Robert.  No, I wasn't there (Utah doesn't suit me, I only go there for family reasons).  But please feel free to make a contribution to my thread by citing whatever words you may have heard on the subject. 

--Erik

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I cannot answer the poll as there is not an option for me.

Quote

Affirm belief in historical “Nephites” to inherit the Celestial Kingdom is NOT a requirement.

One can believe the Book of Mormon contents to be “inspired fiction” and still inherit the Celestial Kingdom

Believing what God and his prophets have said about the Nephites is.
Joseph Smith met Moroni.  Therefore I either believe Joseph was lying or Moroni was a historical character.

I do believe that following the gospel restored by Joseph Smith (including his visions and revelations) is a requirement for the Celestial Kingdom. 
So doubting his visitation from the very historical Moroni (and Moses, and Elijah, and Christ) and implying a deceit to him or by him could be a bar to the Celestial Kingdom.

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27 minutes ago, bluebell said:

I voted for the third option, even though it doesn't really fit my thoughts that great.  

In my view though, in this life we can believe the BOM is historical or not and I don't think that will impact our salvation if we are sincere and desire to keep our covenants with the Savior.  However, I don't think that anyone will inherit the Celestial kingdom while still affirming an untruth.  Therefore, if the BOM is in fact true, no one will believe that it's not in the Celestial kingdom.  They will have learned the truth sometime after death and modified their beliefs accordingly.

I guess that anyone who had ever heard of the Book of Mormon and Moroni but not believe would have cause for serious reflection for a paradigm shift if he or she were to actually meet Moroni in the next life, which leaves me with the question as to just who those in spirit prison will see and will be taught by in that sphere.

Glenn

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13 minutes ago, Glenn101 said:

I guess that anyone who had ever heard of the Book of Mormon and Moroni but not believe would have cause for serious reflection for a paradigm shift if he or she were to actually meet Moroni in the next life, which leaves me with the question as to just who those in spirit prison will see and will be taught by in that sphere.

Glenn

To be sure... 

;0)

And you might take it back one step further and challenge your own assumption concerning "spirit prison"--a Mormon construct, although some say it's borrowed from the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory.  Either way, it's not Biblical (an "intermediate state" is not easily reconciled with Hebrews 9:27).

--Erik

Edited by Five Solas
parenthesis
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55 minutes ago, Glenn101 said:

I guess that anyone who had ever heard of the Book of Mormon and Moroni but not believe would have cause for serious reflection for a paradigm shift if he or she were to actually meet Moroni in the next life, which leaves me with the question as to just who those in spirit prison will see and will be taught by in that sphere.

Glenn

The spirit world is an imaginary realm where cartoon characters, like Popeye the Sailor and SpongeBob SquarePants, seem to preach the gospel to spirits who believe they really do exist, though in reality they are nothing more than figments of imagination that exist only in God's mind. While there these imaginary spirits, who think they exist but actually don't, frequently break into song singing the following words:

"Let me take you down cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields, NOTHING IS REAL, and nothing to get hung about..."

Edited by Bobbieaware
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17 minutes ago, Bobbieaware said:

The spirit world is an imaginary realm where cartoon characters, like Popeye the Sailor and SpongeBob SquarePants, seem to preach the gospel to spirits who believe they really do exist, though in reality they are nothing more than figments of imagination that exist only in God's mind. While there these imaginary spirits, who think they exist but actually don't, frequently break into song singing the following words:

"Let me take you down cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields, NOTHING IS REAL, and nothing to get hung about..."

I'm not sure what your post has to do with anything, Bobbieaware.  But as thread author--let me make Tom Waits in reply:

"You'll go waltzing Mathilda with me..." 

Enjoy!

--Erik

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If I were stranded on a deserted island and a Book of Mormon (without chapter headings, introductions, or modern annotations) fell from the sky, I think I would probably give it several thousands of readings. I'd probably have no clue where the setting was, I'd have some decent guesses based on mentions of elephants, horses, steel, silk etc., but wouldn't worry that much about it. Why would it matter?

Since I'm on a deserted island, I'd have nothing better to do than read and pray as the book recommends, and if I received a confirmation of its truthfulness I'd do my best to abide by the teachings. I'd hope that would be enough to be worthy of salvation.

To be honest, I'd be pretty frustrated if I were rescued by Mormon missionaries who insisted that the Book of Mormon was a historical account of Hebrews in the New World. Odd, after thousands of readings I didn't find that claim anywhere in the book, and I never concluded it was a book about America, but now all the sudden my salvation is dependent on that belief?

 

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4 hours ago, Robert F. Smith said:

Did Grant Hardy actually say that one could believe the BofM to be inspired fiction and still be exalted?  I don't recall the quote, and I was there.  Perhaps you could give us the verbatim quotation.  Otherwise your questions are based on a false claim -- unless you believe that a fictional claim is as good as a true one, and therefore any unscientific poll would be just as valid.  How about it, Erik.  Did you think this through?

Please give us your opinion on the question regardless of what Grant Hardy said, to ask this plainly. Robert do you believe a fully worthy orthoprax member who publicly announces they do not believe in a historical BoM, and remain with that disbelieve be Exalted in the Celestial Kingdom?

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4 hours ago, bluebell said:

I voted for the third option, even though it doesn't really fit my thoughts that great.  

In my view though, in this life we can believe the BOM is historical or not and I don't think that will impact our salvation if we are sincere and desire to keep our covenants with the Savior.  However, I don't think that anyone will inherit the Celestial kingdom while still affirming an untruth.  Therefore, if the BOM is in fact true, no one will believe that it's not in the Celestial kingdom.  They will have learned the truth sometime after death and modified their beliefs accordingly.

Do you believe there is no orthodoxy in the Mormon Church?  Do you follow the Nuanced Mormonism where its all about orthopraxy?

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6 minutes ago, salgare said:

Please give us your opinion on the question regardless of what Grant Hardy said, to ask this plainly. Robert do you believe a fully worthy orthoprax member who publicly announces they do not believe in a historical BoM, and remain with that disbelieve be Exalted in the Celestial Kingdom?

Changing the goal posts yet again, I see, salgare.  You have no shame.  An honest man would want to know why the poll questions are formulated with Grant Hardy making a declaration.  You don't care.  Your only purpose here is to sow discord and confusion, so that everyone can be like you.

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1 minute ago, Robert F. Smith said:

Changing the goal posts yet again, I see, salgare.  You have no shame.  An honest man would want to know why the poll questions are formulated with Grant Hardy making a declaration.  You don't care.  Your only purpose here is to sow discord and confusion, so that everyone can be like you.

No, I did not ask/give the poll question.  My question, that inspired the poll did not mention Grant Hardy.  But I see you are going to continue to insult me.  Is that because you dare not answer the question?

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14 minutes ago, salgare said:

No, I did not ask/give the poll question.  My question, that inspired the poll did not mention Grant Hardy.  But I see you are going to continue to insult me.  Is that because you dare not answer the question?

No.  It is simply because I've got your number and know what your stated intentions are.  You have no real interest in actual discussion here, only in making a mockery of honest engagement with the issues.  I'd like to see you repent and become an honest man.

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How much of the Bible is historical and how much is inspired fiction? Was there a Noah, an Abraham, a Moses? Was there a Daniel, an Isaiah , a Malachi ? Was there a Christ, a Peter, a Paul? Was there a creation, a flood, a Sodom ?

As for the OP , we are told one cannot be saved in ignorance. Exaltation will take place after much is revealed and not upon entering paradise. Also , I don't believe that spirit prison is a purely Mormon construct.

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5 hours ago, Five Solas said:

I'm just relying on the previous thread, Robert.  No, I wasn't there (Utah doesn't suit me, I only go there for family reasons).  But please feel free to make a contribution to my thread by citing whatever words you may have heard on the subject. 

--Erik

The speech and the subsequent Q&A were recorded and will presumably be placed on the FairMormon website.  Maybe we can go over the matter then.  In the meantime, it might be well to simply ask the question, rather than attributing such a position to Grant Hardy.  I already summed up what Hardy had to say here on this board recently, on page 1 of http://www.mormondialogue.org/topic/67909-grant-hardys-presentation-on-the-book-of-mormon/ .

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10 minutes ago, Robert F. Smith said:

No.  It is simply because I've got your number and know what your stated intentions are.  You have no real interest in actual discussion here, only in making a mockery of honest engagement with the issues.  I'd like to see you repent and become an honest man.

Thank you for not insulting me as much this time Robert.  Actually I mostly come to keep up on new issues.  Perhaps you notice I really don't hang around much and for too long.  Same is true for the trailer park actually.  It sounds to me like the Grant Hardy talk is quite significant for those here that support [insert non offensive label here] Mormonism and I'm interested to see the opinions here. 

 

 

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