Why I, as a Latter-day Saint, am Helping Evangelicals Create the Hit TV Series THE CHOSEN

110 thoughts on “Why I, as a Latter-day Saint, am Helping Evangelicals Create the Hit TV Series THE CHOSEN”

1. 

   Julie

   February 28, 2023 at 8:23 pm

   @Mary Carfagna, thank you for putting these words here! You are so right and we all need reminders!
2. 

   Julie

   February 28, 2023 at 8:16 pm

   I love The Chosen series! I personally am grateful to all those who are bringing Jesus to the world! Everything in the show might not be exact to how I as a latter-day-saint know it to be but this is perfect for those who want to get to know more about Jesus! I myself know when something comes up that isn’t correct to my beliefs but I have also learned so so much from this show! Every once in awhile a phrase will be said that really resonates with me and makes me want to try harder and do better each day! It has really brought my Savior to life for me in a good way! I personally don’t worry about what the faith of Dallas Jenkins is. He is doing a great job with this show. The important part is that we need Jesus in our lives and learn to love and forgive and serve and treat others as He did during His life’s ministry and continues to in heaven! To be Christ-like is the one thing that Christian’s of all faith can have in common to help make the world a better place! I have watched through the three seasons probably 20 times! I love and enjoy watching this series so much! I’m very grateful for all who are involved!
3. 

   Joel

   January 6, 2023 at 8:09 pm

   In the beginning of the Book of Mormon, right before the table of contents, in “A Brief Explanation about the Book of Mormon,” it says, “About this edition: Some minor errors in the text have been perpetuated in past editions of the Book of Mormon. This edition contains corrections that seem appropriate to bring the material into conformity with prepublication manuscripts and early editions edited by the Prophet Joseph Smith.” There are actually around 4,000 of changes to the Book of Mormon (see the Tanner’s “3,913 Changes in the Book of Mormon”). For example, consider the rather significant change from “King Benjamin” to “King Mosiah” (cf. the 1830 edition p. 200 with the current Mosiah 21:28 and also cf. the 1830 edition p. 546 with the current Ether 4:1).

   Of course even the Book of Mormon claims there are imperfections in the record. Mormon 8:12 says: “And whoso receiveth this record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it.” So perhaps God finally fixed the problem in the modern version of the Book of Mormon and now it is more of the word of God than it was previously. That seems possible even though a simpler explanation is that men are fixing it and making the story more coherent as they go along.

   However, consider the change from “the mean man boweth down” to “the mean man boweth not down” (2 Ne. 12:9 was changed from the 1830 edition p. 87). Here you have the word of God certainly going to the word of man. Why? The beginning of this chapter affirms that this is the “word that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw.” The end of 2 Nephi 11 says, “I write some of the words of Isaiah.” 2 Nephi 12:9 is quoting from from Isaiah 2:9… and in King James, 17th century English no less! (Recall that the Book of Mormon was published in the 19th century.) The original 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon got it right, because Isaiah always read that “the mean man boweth down.” How do we know that? Because there is no Old Testament Hebrew manuscript (or any other ancient text in any other language for that matter), early Church father citing, or early lectionary that says what the Book of Mormon now says in 2 Ne. 12:9. These sources all say the exact opposite! That demonstrates that there is no good reason to buy the Book of Mormon here and there are all sorts of reasons to reject the Book of Mormon here. The Book of Mormon cannot claim to be the word of God. At best, the Book of Mormon contains some of the word of God, namely the part of Isaiah that it faithfully copied!

   Keep in mind that if one adds to the word of God, Proverbs 30:6 says that he will be proven to be a liar. Well, I just proved it! Once again, one should not trust the LDS Church.
4. 

   Joel

   January 6, 2023 at 8:07 pm

   The LDS Church is the only true church.

   The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church (Doctrine and Covenants [D&C] 1:30); all other churches (Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists are specifically mentioned in Joseph Smith, History 1:9, Pearl of Great Price) are “wrong,” “all their creeds were an abomination,” and “those professors were all corrupt” (Joseph Smith, History 1:19). Those of creedal or traditional Christianity have adopted “pagan beliefs” and are part of “false Christianity” (Gospel Principles [2009], 92). One either belongs to “the church of the Lamb of God” or to “the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth” (1 Nephi 14:10).

   Joseph Smith taught that everybody but faithful Mormons will be damned (History of the Church 3:28). Brigham Young, second prophet of the LDS Church, taught that “[t]he Christian world, so called, are heathens as to the knowledge of the salvation of God” (The Journal of Discourses 8:171), and also said, “With regard to true theology, a more ignorant people never lived than the present so-called Christian world” (Ibid., 8:199). Apostle John Taylor preached, “We talk about Christianity, but it is a perfect pack of nonsense. …[I]t is corrupt as hell; and the Devil could not invent a better engine to spread his work than the Christianity of the nineteenth century” (Ibid., 6:167). Apostle Orson Pratt taught, “But who in this generation have authority to baptize? None but those who have authority in the church [sic] of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints : all other churches are entirely destitute of all authority from God ; and any person who receives Baptism or the Lord’s supper from their hands will highly offend God ; for he looks upon them as the most corrupt of all people. Both Catholics and Protestants are nothing less than ‘the whore of Babylon’… any person who shall be so wicked as to receive a holy ordinance of the gospel from the ministers of any of these apostate churches will be sent down to hell with them, unless they repent” (The Seer, 255). This is why LDS scripture teaches that there is no forgiveness for breaking the oath and covenant of the priesthood even if one follows Christ in some other church (D&C 84:40-1).

   “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is absolutely indispensable to our salvation. No supposed personal relationship with Jesus, no commitment to the gospel, no high level of Christian conduct in society can compensate for what is to be found in the Church” (Robert Millet, Alive in Christ: The Miracle of Spiritual Rebirth [Salt Lake City: Deseret, 1997], 140).

   The Church is a body of various believers and groups of believers.

   The one true Church is the universal Body of Christ in heaven and on earth made up of all those true believers from various local denominations or churches (historically represented as Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant). The body is an organism, not an external organization.

   Unity in this body does not demand complete uniformity in its various manifestations. God loves diversity. Yet the Church’s unity is in Christ, who is the vine.

   People in various denominations who are committed to the Vine are the branches; no one particular manifestation of the Church is the vine (Matthew 16:18; 15:5; Acts 15:35-41; 20:28; 1 Corinthians 11:19; 12:13ff.; and Ephesians 4:1-13). These branches at least all hold to what C. S. Lewis popularly referred to as “Mere Christianity.” This is “the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times… that there is one God and that Jesus Christ is His only Son” (Lewis, Mere Christianity [N.Y.: Collier, 1960], vi).

   As such, the Church has every right to defend itself (it is even commanded for this end in Jude 3) and to state through its creeds what it believes. The following statement from Church history ought to be kept in mind: “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, but in all things charity.”

   Great Apostasy?
   There was a complete and universal apostasy.

   There must have been a complete and universal apostasy where the gospel and authority of God was lost from the earth in order to justify the claim that the LDS Church is the only true Church “restored” on the earth for these latter days (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 42-46; Doctrines of Salvation 3:265-326; and History of the Church 1:XLII-XLIII).

   There was never and never will be a complete and universal apostasy.

   Though there are obviously times of apostasy in its history, the Church, the gospel, and the authority of God continue throughout all generations. Thus, though there may be times of reformation, there will never be a time of restoration for the Church (Psalm 12:6-7; Isaiah 9:6-7; 40:8; Mat. 16:18; 24:35; John 10:35; Eph. 3:20-1; and 1 Peter 1:25).

   What happens after death?
   Individuals go to more places than either with Christ or with the devil and his angels.

   Depending on how good non-LDS members are in this life and the next determines their place in one of two lower heavenly kingdoms or “degrees of glory”–the telestial and terrestrial kingdoms–both of which are still outside the presence of God in His celestial kingdom (D&C 76). Both of these lower kingdoms are an eternal damnation of sorts, since, as certain general authorities have taught, there is no progression among all the kingdoms throughout eternity (Apostle Bruce McConkie, The Seven Deadly Heresies, Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 50, and Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation 2:31).

   The Book of Mormon teaches that if an individual doesn’t repent in “this life,” then one is sealed to the devil and “this is the final state of the wicked” (Alma 34:32-5). For LDS, this passage typically means that individuals who willfully deny Christ and His Church after given an opportunity to be a part of it end up forever excluded from the presence of God in His kingdom. McConkie said that only those who never had the opportunity in this life to be part of God’s celestial kingdom, and who would have received it, are the ones who will have that opportunity in the next life (The Seven Deadly Heresies, cf. D&C 137:7-8). Nonetheless, all children who die before the age of accountability go to the celestial kingdom (D&C 137:10).

   Prior to the final judgment, all individuals go to one of two places: paradise or spirit prison. LDS go to the former and non-LDS go to the latter. LDS will go and preach to those in spirit prison (Alma 40:12-4 and D&C 138:30). Spirit-prison is a temporary hell. For those here who repent, they go to one of three degrees of glory after the judgment. For those here who don’t repent, they go to a permanent hell or outer darkness (“Hell,” Guide to the Scriptures).

   Within the celestial kingdom, there are also three degrees of glory. The highest is reserved for those who are sealed in marriage for time and all eternity (D&C 131:1-4). McConkie was also clear that simply having this celestial marriage is no guarantee of exaltation (The Seven Deadly Heresies).

   Finally, there are angels who worship before the throne of God, who never received a celestial marriage and are thus single (D&C 76:21 and 132:15-17).

   Individuals go to be either with Christ or with the devil and his angels.

   Those who are part of the body of Christ should know they have eternal life (1 Jn. 5:10-13). They are in Christ’s and the Father’s hand, and no one can pluck them out of it (Jn. 10:27-30). Christ went to prepare a place for them in His Father’s house, but until then the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit take up residency in their lives (Jn. 14:1-3, 23-6). For believers, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:6; and Philippians 1:21-5).

   The Bible is clear that paradise is the third heaven–the dwelling of God (2 Cor. 12:1-4). The first heaven is the earthly atmosphere (Acts 14:17) and the second heaven is outer space (Jeremiah 8:2).

   At the judgment, there are those who go with the devil and his angels, and there are those who go to life eternal (Mat. 25:31-46).

   What is divine salvation?
   Divine salvation is unconditional for resurrection and conditional for eternal life.

   In one sense, salvation is universal immortality and resurrection to live in one of three degrees of glory and this is by grace alone. It is given to everyone except certain apostates who really knew better. In another sense, salvation is making it into the highest kingdom–the celestial kingdom. The latter is dependent on grace through faith and one’s works (2 Ne. 25:23; D&C 76:40-4; and Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 669-71, and 746).

   Divine salvation is always conditional.

   Divine salvation is always from sin and its consequence of separation from God. This salvation is always conditioned upon faith. Until this occurs, God considers the individual dead. When this salvation occurs, one has eternal life and there is nothing separating the believer from God’s fellowship (Jn. 5:24; Romans 5; Eph. 2:1-10; and 1 Jn. 5:10-3).

   What role do good works play with our standing before God?
   Good works are meritorious for right standing before God only after all one can do.

   Good works of all one can do are a necessary requirement before one receives God’s full salvation and right standing before Him (1 Ne. 3:7; 2 Ne. 25:23; Alma 5:27-8; 11:37; 34:33-5; Moroni 10:32; D&C 1:24-33; 25:15-6; 42:18-29; 58:34-43; 82:5-7; and 3rd Article of Faith). There is no initial justification through simple faith alone in this life, since, according to late LDS President Spencer W. Kimball, true repentance is a perfected process of not only faith, but sorrow, confession, restitution in so far as possible, and total abandonment of sin (including any urges to sin) in keeping the commandments. “Nor is repentance complete when one merely tries to abandon sin” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, 164). “The forsaking of sin must be a permanent one. True repentance does not permit making the same mistake again” (Kimball, Repentance Brings Forgiveness) and it “spreads to all areas of [one’s] life” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 43).

   He also taught, “This progress toward eternal life is a matter of achieving perfection. Living all the commandments guarantees total forgiveness of sins and assures one of exaltation through that perfection which comes by complying with the formula the Lord gave us. …Perfection therefore is an achievable goal” (The Miracle of Forgiveness, 208-9).

   Further, in describing “the repentance which merits forgiveness[,] the… transgressor must have reached a ‘point of no return’ to sin wherein there is not merely a renunciation but also a deep abhorrence of the sin–where the sin becomes most distasteful to him and where the desire or urge to sin is cleared out of
   his life” (Ibid., 354-5).

   Joseph Fielding Smith said, “Therefore the words of James are true. Unless a man can abide strictly in complete accord, he cannot enter there, and in the words of James [2:10], he is guilty of all. In other words if there is one divine law that he does not keep he is barred from participating in the kingdom… So in the celestial kingdom, we must be worthy in every point, or we fail to receive the blessing. The kingdom of God must exist in absolute unity. Every law must be obeyed, and no member of the Church can have a place there unless he is in full accord” (“Answers to Gospel Questions,” 3:26-7).

   “[G]race is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts. …[G]race cannot suffice without total effort on the part of the recipient. Hence the explanation, ‘It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do’ (2 Ne. 25:23) (“Grace,” LDS Bible Dictionary, 654).

   Exaltation into the presence of God must be earned (Thomas S. Monson, “An Invitation to Exaltation,” Ensign [May 1988], 56; Richard G. Scott, “First Things First,” Ensign [May 2001], 9; and James E. Faust, “Dear Are the Sheep That Have Wandered,” Ensign [May 2003], 62). Prophet Joseph Fielding Smith clearly taught, “The Father… through his Son, made known to us the plan of salvation. …We were told that many would fail because they would yield to sin and would reject the councils of the Father, for their exaltation could only come on merit. …The Savior, in presenting the plan, said… ‘[A]nd they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.’ – Abraham 3:24-26″ (The Way to Perfection [1935], 30-1).

   Good works are not meritorious for right standing before God only after all one can do.

   Salvation is a free gift that must be received through faith, not of works, since no one is good enough to earn it from an all-holy Judge. Using good works to redeem from all the evil we have done are as filthy rags. Salvation occurs before and after all one can do. The believer has been saved, is being saved, and will one day ultimately be saved (Mat. 10:22; 24:13; Rom. 5:9; 8:30; 1 Cor. 1:18; 15:2; 2 Cor. 4:17; Eph. 2:8-10; 1 Tim. 4:16).

   If this is genuine faith, then it is automatically demonstrated by the overall good life produced by it (Ibid.; Isa. 64:6; Rom. 3:23-28; 4:5; 11:6; Gal. 3:11, 23-6, and 5:6; and James 2:14-26, NAS).
   Where is the cross?
   The symbol of the cross is absent.

   Since the Savior lives, LDS focus on his life rather than his death. Though He suffered for our sins on the cross, the greater pain was in the Garden of Gethsemane where the atonement was initiated. Ezra Taft Benson taught that “it was in Gethsemane that Jesus took on Himself the sins of the world, in Gethsemane that His pain was equivalent to the cumulative burden of all men, in Gethsemane that He descended below all things so that all could repent and come to Him” (Come Unto Christ [1983], 7.) D&C 19:16-8 claims that the suffering for the sins of the world took place in the garden where he bled from every pore prior to drinking the bitter cup of death. The emblem of the cross is not to be revered, and its display is “very strange” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Symbol of Our Faith,” Ensign, Apr 2005, 2-6; McConkie, “The Purifying Power of Gethsemane,” Ensign [May 1985], 9; Mormon Doctrine, 172 and 555; The Promised Messiah, 337 and 552; The Mortal Messiah, 127-128; Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 4:15-8; “Cross” and “Atonement of Christ,” LDS.org).

   The symbol of the cross is central.

   Simply because Jesus lives forevermore is no reason to minimize the means by which He paid for our sins. The Bible never teaches that the atonement began in the garden. Rather, it teaches that the atonement happened on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24).

   Just because Luke reported that Jesus’ sweat in Gethsemane “was as it were great drops of blood” (22:44) is no reason to think an atonement happened then. Regardless of whether that is to be taken literally like hematohidrosis or not, the Bible is clear where the atonement took place. Jesus could have and probably did bleed at some other point in His life. That doesn’t entail that an atonement happened every time He bled.

   The cross is foolishness to the perishing, but the power of God to them being saved (1 Cor. 1:18). There is nothing else that deserves boasting except the cross of Christ (Galatians 6:14). The cross symbolizes a way His followers are to live (Luke 9:23).

   Even the first century Christians used the symbol of the cross as archeology has revealed.

   Did Christ die for all sins?
   Christ did not die for all sins.

   Christ did not atone for the murderer, since there is no forgiveness for him “in this world, nor in the world to come” (D&C 42:18). Late Apostle Bruce McConkie taught a murderer “cannot join the Church by baptism; he is outside the pale of redeeming grace” (“Murderers,” Mormon Doctrine, 520). Christ also did not pay for more than a one-time offense of adultery, since such violators cannot be forgiven either (D&C 42:25-9).

   Actually, according to one apostle, Christ atoned simply for Adam’s sin, and left “us responsible only for our own sins.” This apostle goes on to quote the 2nd Article of Faith that claims “men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression” (Le Grand Richards, A Marvelous Work and a Wonder [1976], 98).

   Other LDS prophets have taught that there are certain “sins” that one may commit that are beyond the atonement of the Son of God, and one’s own blood must be shed in such cases (Brigham Young, The Journal of Discourses 3:247; 4:53-4; 4:219-220; and Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation 1:133-6).

   Christ did die for all sins.

   With the exception of blaspheming the Holy Spirit (which is probably the persistent state of being in absolute rebellion against the Spirit’s work in drawing people to the Lamb of God, e.g., Mark 3:28-30), Christ atoned for all sins–Adam’s as well as everyone else’s. The Lord Jesus took the punishment of everyone on the cross. The debt we could never pay has been completely paid by the Lamb of God, and to those who receive this gift, they are declared “justified” or “not guilty.” This is the good news (the gospel) for everyone, including the adulterer and the murderer (2 Samuel 12:13; Isa. 53:3-12; Mt. 18:21-2; Rom. 3:24; 4:5; 5:1-2; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; 15:3; 2 Cor. 5:14-21; 1 Pt. 2:24; and 1 Jn. 1:8-2:2).

   What is the New and Everlasting Covenant?
   The New and Everlasting Covenant is the fullness of the gospel of Jesus with all its external laws and ordinances.

   Even though the covenant is popularly known as temple marriage (Spencer W. Kimball, “First Presidency Message Temples and Eternal Marriage,” Ensign, Aug 1974), it is “[t]he fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ (D&C 66:2). It is new every time it is revealed, especially following a period of apostasy. It is everlasting in the sense that it is God’s covenant and has been enjoyed in every gospel dispensation where people have been willing to receive it” (“New and Everlasting Covenant,” The Guide to the Scriptures).

   It incorporates all the external laws that must be kept in order to gain salvation and exaltation. As such, “The temple ordinances become the crowning blessings the Church has to offer” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “New Temples to Provide ‘Crowning Blessings’ of the Gospel,” General Conference, 1998).

   The Old Covenant was given through the prophets prior to Christ, but has had “plain and precious truths” taken from it. As such, the New and Everlasting Covenant was long before the law of Moses (“Old Testament,” The Guide to the Scriptures; “New and Everlasting Covenant” and “Old Testament,” Encyclopedia of Mormonism; Gib Kocherhans, “Reflections on the Law of Moses: Old Testament Apostasy in Context,” Ensign [June 1981]; and “Set Your Sights,” New Era Poster [May 2002]).

   The New and Everlasting Covenant is being completely forgiven through Jesus’ blood without submission to external law. Rather, this covenant is based on an internal relationship, namely, the love of Jesus and His presence in one’s life.

   It is a series of divine promises regarding the forgiveness of sins through the sufficient and worthy blood of the Lamb of God. The covenant is accepted simply through faith which expresses itself through love, not of obedience to an external law of stone as was the case through the Old Covenant.

   This Old Covenant was good in that it informed us of the difference between right and wrong, but it could never justify us, since we all fall short of keeping it; we are all guilty. As such, the point was to drive us to Christ for mercy.

   The New Covenant naturally desires to please the One who is loved. The Old Covenant was the first covenant, and the prophesied New Covenant was second and final one. It was not a restoration of the Old Covenant, but a new arrangement of fulfilling it and replacing the law of Moses (Gen. 22:18; Isa. 55:3; Jer. 31:31-34; Mat. 5:17; 26:28; Lk. 24:44-47; Acts 13:32-39; Rom. 3:10-23; 8:9-11; Gal. 3:16-29; 5:6; Eph. 2:8-10; Col. 2:10; Heb. 8-10:22; and “Looking Unto Jesus”).

   Can marriage be eternal?
   Marriage may be eternal through the New and Everlasting Covenant.

   Marriage may be sealed for “time and all eternity” for those who are worthy enough to go through the temple. This is so families may be populated in other worlds. This sealing is provisional on individuals continuing to live worthy and keeping all their covenants (Spencer W. Kimball, “First Presidency Message Temples and Eternal Marriage,” Ensign [Aug 1974]; The Latter-day Saint Woman: Basic Manual for Women, Part A, Lesson 10: Eternal Marriage; and D&C 132).

   Marriage is only until death.

   Even though husbands and wives may continue to be together in the after-life, they no longer function as husband and wife, since the Bible has never taught eternal marriages and our Lord expressly taught that marriage was only for this life. If there were eternal marriages, then He could have very easily answered whom of the seven brothers was going to be married to the woman in the afterlife.

   Further, the Bible never teaches that temples were used for marriages anyway. Their purpose was already clearly defined in the law of Moses (Mat. 22:23-30 [cf. D&C 132:17]; and Rom. 7:2-3).

   Baptism for the dead?
   Baptism for the dead is required.

   Baptism in place of the dead is an essential ordinance done in LDS temples on behalf of those who died not receiving the benefit of LDS baptism (D&C 128 and Gospel Principles [2011], 233-9). Prophet Joseph Smith said, “The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead” (Fielding Smith, The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith [1977], 356). Prophet Joseph Fielding Smith said, “[I]f we willfully neglect the salvation of our dead, then also we shall stand rejected of the Lord, because we have rejected our dead; and just so sure their blood will be required at our hands. …But the greatest and grandest duty of all is to labor for the dead. …[B]ecause we cannot be saved without them” (Doctrines of Salvation 2:145 and 149).

   Baptism for the dead is not required.

   The only biblical passage that mentions baptism for the dead was most likely done by those outside of Christianity, since the Apostle Paul made a contrast between what “they” do and what “we” do. Paul said that even those who do baptism for the dead believe in the resurrection. How much more should we, who do not baptize for the dead and are led by apostles who were eyewitnesses of Christ’s resurrection, believe in the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:29-30).

   Even if some of the Corinthians were performing baptisms for the dead, there is no reason to think the practice was understood to be a means of salvation. Further, even though baptism is normal and a believer should be baptized, it is not essential for salvation since individuals have obviously been saved without it (e.g., Lk. 23:32-43; Acts 10:44-8; and 1 Cor. 1:17).

   Finally, there is no second chance for salvation to those who reject it in this life (Lk. 16:19-31; and Hebrews 9:27).

   Are there other Gods?
   There are many Gods for other worlds, and each God is equal to the God of this world in terms of His nature.

   Even though God created “worlds without number” (Moses 1:33), there are many gods who create and rule over other worlds, and on those worlds, worship excludes the God of our world. So there is only one God for us, and this God is typically referred to as the Heavenly Father. Mormons may also speak of the term “God” in reference to “the Godhead,” which is a team or council of separate Gods (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 576-7; Joseph Fielding Smith, ed., The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith [1977], 346-7; Abraham 4:1, Pearl of Great Price; and “God,” LDS Bible Dictionary). Prophet Joseph Smith put the matter this way: “In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people it” (The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith [1977], 349).

   There is only one God for all worlds.

   There is only one God who created and rules over everything in existence. LDS simply devalue and weaken God when they think that He did not create something like some other world (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 4:39; 10:14; Nehemiah 9:6; Ps. 96:5; Isa. 40:12-26; 43:10; 44:6, 8, and 24; Jn. 1:1-3; and 17:3).

   The Trinity?
   The Trinity means three separate Gods, who are one in their nature and become one in purpose.

   The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate gods, who are one in purpose and nature, but not in a being they share eternally (Ibid; Fielding Smith, The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith [1977], 372). There was a time when the person of the Father (Elohim) was without the person of the Son (Jehovah) as His Son. Thus, there was a time in which Elohim was not the Father.

   The Trinity means three inseparable Persons, who are eternally God in purpose, nature, and being.

   The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three distinct or different persons, who are eternally and inseparably one in purpose, nature, and being (Ibid.; Isa. 48:12-7; Mt. 3:16; 4:10; and 28:16-20). So the Father is not the same person as the Son, and the Son is not the same person as the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the same person as the Father, but nonetheless, each Person eternally makes up the only Being of God there is.

   Are humans and God the same nature or species?
   Humans and God are of the same nature or species.

   The nature of these gods is identical to the nature of man, and as such, these humans had to become gods; they haven’t always been gods (Fielding Smith, The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith [1977], 345; Thomas C. Romney, The Life of Lorenzo Snow, 46; D&C 76:23-4; and Abraham 3:18-28).

   Humans and God are not of the same nature or species.

   God has His own unique nature that man, a created being by definition and not the originator of literally everything else, cannot ever have. God is God by nature, and not by obtainment (Numbers 23:19-20; Ps. 90:2; Ezekiel 28:2 and 9; Hosea 11:9; Acts 14:15; Gal. 4:8; and 2 Pt. 1:3-4).

   Does God in His nature have flesh and bones?
   God is an exalted man with flesh and bones.

   God the Father and Jesus Christ have tangible bodies of flesh and bones, but the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit. Personages of spirit are still material with a certain form or shape, but they are not as tangible as the bodies of those who are sent to a mortal planet (Ibid.; D&C 130:22; 131:7-8; and “Spirit” in the LDS Bible Dictionary).

   Apostle James Talmage taught that “the Father is a personal being, possessing a definite form, with bodily parts. …It has been said, therefore, that God is everywhere present; but this does not mean that the actual person of any one member of the Godhead can be physically present in more than one place at one time. …His powers of transferring Himself from place to place are infinite; plainly, however, His person cannot be in more than one place at any one time. …If God possesses a form, that form is of necessity of definite proportions and therefore of limited extension in space. It is impossible for Him to occupy at one time more than one space of such limits” (Articles of Faith, 41-3). Prophet Brigham Young made a similar, but more succinct statement when he said, “Some would have us believe that God is present everywhere. It is not so” (Journal of Discourses 6:345).

   God is not an exalted man with flesh and bones.

   Since He is the Creator of all things outside of Himself (e.g., the entire material universe), God is not limited to a body. He created matter, and does not need a body or anything else to operate anywhere in all of creation. He is all powerful, and as such, He can take any type of form or nature to show up any way He wants to (1 Kings 8:27; Jer. 23:24; Luke 3:22; and Jn. 4:21-4).

   Can humans become Gods for other worlds as God is God for this world?
   Humans may become Gods for other worlds as God is God for this world.

   Worthy Mormons may become gods to create, rule over and receive worship from their own worlds some day. They will do this exclusively as the god or the team of gods for that world or that set of worlds (like the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are for this world or this set of worlds), and thus the God of this world will not perform those functions there (Ibid; D&C 76:50-8 and 95, 132:15-23, 29, and 37; The Latter-day Saint Woman: Basic Manual for Women, Part A, Lesson 10: Eternal Marriage; Becoming Like God; and Gospel Principles [1997], 302).

   Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “When men begin to live by faith they begin to draw near to God; and when faith is perfected they are like him; and because he is saved they are saved also” (Lectures on Faith 7:8). Apostle Bruce McConkie taught, “This Holy Man, the Father of us all, who reigns supreme and is a saved being, ordained and established a plan of salvation so that his Firstborn and all his spirit children might advance” (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, 704).

   Humans cannot become Gods for other worlds as God is God for all worlds.

   When all believers become what some Christians such as C. S. Lewis call “gods” in heaven (although the Bible never uses this language of glorified individuals), they are still dependent and human “gods,” and not God by nature, who alone is eternally the Author and Sustainer of literally all that is outside Himself. He is the only God in this fundamental sense of the term (Ibid.; Lewis, Mere Christianity, vi, 160, 172; and Robert M. Bowman, Jr., Ye are Gods? Orthodox and Heretical Views on the Deification of Man).

   Was the God of this world once a man who became God?
   The God of this world was once a man who became God.

   God is an exalted man, who needed to do certain things in order to become God for this world (Ibid.; and James Talmage, Articles of Faith, 430). Prophet Joseph Smith clearly taught, “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! …I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form–like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; …I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith [1977], 345).

   The God of this world is the God for all worlds, so He never was a man who had to become God.

   God has always been God, and thus is not so needy (Ibid.).

   Does the Father have a Father?
   The Heavenly Father has a Heavenly Father before Him.

   Prophet Joseph Smith clearly taught that God the Father has a Father whom He followed as Jesus had followed His Father in order to become a god (Fielding Smith, The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith [1977], 373). Apostle Orson Pratt said, “We were begotten by our Father in Heaven ; the person of our Father in Heaven was begotten on a previous heavenly world by His Father; and again, He was begotten by a still more ancient Father and so on, from generation to generation, from one heavenly world to another still more ancient. …But why does man seek for a first, when revelation informs him that God’s works are without beginning? …[W]hy, then, do you seek for a first personal Father in an endless genealogy ? or for a first effect in an endless succession of effects?” (The Seer, 132).

   There was no Heavenly Father before the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

   There is no other God before God. He is not so weak that He needed to serve and receive counsel from some other God in order to become God; He always was God (Ps. 90:2; Isa. 40:12-26; 43:10; and Rom. 11:33-6).

   Does God need a wife to become God?
   God needs a wife to become God.

   God the Father has at least one wife that He needed in order to become exalted to Godhood, and by at least one wife we on this world were all literally born as spirit children prior to taking on our tangible bodies of flesh and bones via our mortal parents (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 516-7; Young, The Journal of Discourses 1:50; Gospel Principles [2011], 8-12; Mother in Heaven; and the popular hymn “O My Father”).

   God does not need a wife to become God.

   Since God is not a man by nature it is impossible for Him as the eternal God to even enter into a human marital relationship that He would need to become God and sexually produce us. It is just as impossible for God to lie. He does not need anything, let alone a wife, to become God.

   If it were even possible for the Father to strive to exaltation, then we would expect God’s courtship and marriage to be a perfect one in which He received counsel from the other partner(s). But what kind of God would this be? As the All Perfect Being by nature, it is also impossible for God to receive any counsel (Ibid; 1 Kings 8:27; and Heb. 6:18).

   Did humans exist prior to this earthly life?
   Humans existed prior to this earthly life.

   Humans were all born to heavenly parents in the celestial kingdom prior to this earthly life (Abraham 3:22–6).

   Humans did not exist prior to this earthly life.

   With the exception of Jesus, humans are not from heaven or from above, but from the earth or below, and have never seen the Heavenly Father (Jn. 1:1-3, 14-18; 3:13, 28-31; 6:38-46; and 8:23).

   Is there anything that the Father did not create?
   There are things that the Father did not create.

   Thus God the Father did not create the planet that His Father had already created. No God for any world created all worlds. No God for any world created intelligence, matter, or the laws that govern them. These are eternal. Any person, including a God for any world, eternally existed as intelligence, and not as God (Fielding Smith, The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith [1977], 373; D&C 93:29-35; 131:7-8; and Abraham 3:18-28). This is why the Prophet Joseph Smith taught that “God never had the power to create the spirit of man at all. God himself could not create himself. Intelligence is eternal and exists upon a self-existent principle. It is a spirit from age to age, and there is no creation about it” (The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith [1977], 354).

   There is nothing that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit did not create.

   There is only one Being who created and rules over everything in existence. LDS simply devalue and weaken God when they think that He did not create something like some other world (Gen. 1:1; Deut. 4:39; Isa. 40:12-26; 43:10; 44:6, 8, and 24; Jn. 1:1-3; Acts 17:24-8; Rom. 11:36; and 1 Cor. 8:6).

   Is there anything that the Son did not create?
   There are things that the Son did not create.

   Jesus being the literal son of exalted human gods obviously did not create all things either. For example, He did not create the planet He was born on as a spirit child (Ibid.; Gospel Principles [2011], 13-6; and 22-5).

   There is nothing that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit did not create.

   Prior to becoming man, Jesus existed as “the only begotten God” (Jn. 1:18, New American Standard [NAS] and in the best Greek manuscripts). As such, He created everything that was ever created from the very beginning (Jn. 1:1-3, 14 and 1 Cor. 8:6).

   When LDS relativize His creation to only concerning the things of this world or this set of worlds–i.e., not literally all worlds, this devalues and cheapens Jesus, who has not only the nature of man (1 Timothy 2:5), but also the nature of “God over all blessed forever” (Rom. 9:5, emphasis added).

   Are Jesus and Lucifer spirit-brothers?
   Jesus and Lucifer are spirit-brothers.

   Jesus was the first one born of heavenly parents, and Lucifer was a younger sibling. Jesus is referred to as Lucifer’s, as well as our, elder brother in the pre-earth life. They are both sons of God (Ibid.; Milton R. Hunter, The Gospel through the Ages, 15; Abraham 3:22-8 with Moses 4:1-4; The Pearl of Great Price Student Manual/The Book of Moses [2000], 1:12-22; and Jess L. Christensen, “I Have a Question,” Ensign [June 1986], 25-6]).

   Jesus created Lucifer.

   For LDS to think that Christ is simply our and Lucifer’s elder brother in some supposed pre-earth life is blasphemous devaluing of Christ’s divine nature. Christ may rightly be referred to as a brother in our humanity, but in addition to that, He is our Creator… and not simply of our bodies (Ibid.; Colossians 1:13-8; Heb. 1:2 and 6-14; and 2:6-18).

   Has Jesus always been God?
   Jesus has not always been God.

   Jesus, like all other gods before Him, had to become a God. He is the literal Son of God like we are children of God, but He’s without sin (Fielding Smith, The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith [1977], 346-7).

   Jesus has always been God.

   Jesus has always been the only God there is along with the Father and Holy Ghost (Ibid; Isa. 43:10; Mt. 28:19; Jn. 1:1-3 and 14; and 8:56-9).

   Should the Son receive the same worship as the Father?
   The Son should not receive the same worship as the Father.

   Jesus is not worshiped equally with the Father, since Jesus is not our begetter. Jesus is not even directly prayed to. Prayer is directed only to the Father in the name of Jesus (Gospel Principles [2011], 34-8; McConkie, “Our Relationship with the Lord,” BYU Devotional [March 2, 1982], 17, 19, and 20).

   The Son should receive the same worship as the Father.

   Since Jesus is God by nature, He is worshiped equally with the Father. Jesus receives both worship and prayer, and we are commanded to do so (Mt. 4:10; 28:16-20; Jn. 5:18-23; 14:14, NAS and in the best Greek manuscripts; Acts 7:59; 1 Cor. 1:2; and 1 Jn. 5:13-5).

   Was Jesus born of a virgin?
   Jesus may not have been born of a virgin.

   Even though Mormons are usually quick to say they don’t know how the conception of Jesus took place and allow for the possibility of something like artificial insemination, they all claim that Jesus had the Heavenly Father and Mary as parents. So the Father’s seed was somehow implanted into Mary, His spirit-daughter.

   Mormon general authorities on the other hand have claimed that the conception of Jesus was perfectly natural despite the Book of Mormon teaching that Mary was a virgin when Jesus was born (1 Ne. 11:18-21; Alma 7:10; The Complete Discourses of Brigham Young 1:321; Young, The Journal of Discourses 1:50-1; 8:115; Heber C. Kimball, 211; Orson Pratt, The Seer, 158-9; Family Home Evening Manual [1972], 126; and McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 546-7, and 742-3).

   Jesus was born of a virgin.

   Just because Jesus was eternally the Son of the Father does not entail that Jesus was not the Son of the Holy Ghost when He was born of Mary. The act of conception was of the Holy Ghost, and not of a man. Mary was with child and still a virgin (Mt. 1:18-25; and Lk. 1:26-35).

   Who is the Holy Ghost?
   The Holy Ghost is a man and son of God.

   “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that the Holy Ghost is a spirit man, a spirit son of God the Father. It is fundamental Church doctrine that God is the Father of the spirits of all men and women, that Jesus is literally God’s Son both in the spirit and in the flesh, and that the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit separate and distinct from both the Father and the Son. The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Eternal Godhead, and is identified also as the Holy Spirit, Spirit of God, Spirit of the Lord, and the comforter” (Encyclopedia of Mormonism 2:649; cf. D&C 130:22-3; “Holy Ghost” in the LDS Bible Dictionary).

   The gift of the Holy Ghost is only given to those who have been baptized and are confirmed by the laying on of hands (Gospel Principles [2011], 120-4).

   The Holy Ghost is God by nature.

   Since the Holy Ghost is the inseparable third person of the only Being of God there is, He is not a man by nature that became exalted into a separate god for a Godhead team (2 Samuel 23:2-3; Mt. 28:19; Acts 5:3-4; and 13:2).

   Gentiles clearly received the gift of the Holy Ghost prior to being baptized. They simply believed and spoke in tongues without the laying on of hands (Acts 10:44-8).

   Racism?
   God curses certain individuals with dark skin.

   Up until recently, the races were thought to be determined by how worthy individuals were prior to this mortal life. Blacks were not as faithful in their first estate (Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation 1:61-7; McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 527-8; 1st Presidency Statement, August 17, 1949).

   The Book of Mormon still teaches white superiority. Here God cursed certain Israelite American Indians with dark skin, and this was meant to keep them from interbreeding with their white brethren. This scripture also teaches that God blessed some who repented with white skin (Alma 3:6-9; 1 Ne. 12:23; 2 Ne. 5:21-4; Jacob 3:8; and 3 Ne. 2:14-6).

   The Book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price teaches that the curse of Cain was a seed of blackness. This seed was excluded from Zion, the future abode of God (Moses 7:8, 21 and 22).

   The Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price teaches that the curse in the land of Egypt kept the people there from having the priesthood (Abraham 1:21-7).

   Nothing concerning the LDS “revelation” in 1978 to give “all worthy males members” the priesthood invalidates these beliefs. However, LDS.org (the official website of the Church) now states, “Today, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, or that it reflects unrighteous actions in a premortal life; that mixed-race marriages are a sin; or that blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else. Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form” (“Race and the Priesthood”).

   God does not curse anyone with dark skin.

   God blesses humanity with different colors of skin, and no skin color is more favorable to Him than another. Race is not the real issue anyway, for we are all one in Christ (Gal. 3:28). “God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him” (Acts 10:34-5). Since this is true, there was no good reason to not allow blacks to attend BYU in the 1960s or exclude blacks from holding the priesthood until 1978.

   The mark of Cain was not a curse, but a blessing. It was for his good to protect him from anyone who wanted to kill him. Nothing is said about this mark being passed onto his descendants, nothing is said about it being a color of skin, and nothing is said about it barring him or his seed from Zion, the future abode of God (Gen. 4:15).

   Finally, dark skin is never changed into white upon repentance (Jer. 13:23).

   Polygamy?
   God approves of polygamy in the Old and New Testaments, but has temporarily suspended the practice.

   Holy men were allowed to practice plural marriage in times past only upon the Lord’s command (Fielding Smith, The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith [1977], 346-7; and Jacob 2:27-30). These who kept this command, as well as other commands, became gods in the celestial kingdom (D&C 132).

   Brigham Young taught that the only ones who became gods are those who enter into polygamy (The Journal of Discourses 11:269). This explains why early leaders of the LDS Church were all polygamists. Joseph Smith had 34 wives, 11 of whom were currently married to living husbands at the time he took them as wives (WivesOfJosephSmith.org; and FamilySearch.org).

   Even though the Salt Lake City based Mormon Church suspended the practice in 1890, the late General Authority Bruce McConkie said it would obviously “commence again after the Second Coming of the Son of Man” (Mormon Doctrine, 578).

   However, temple-worthy LDS widowers may still practice plural marriage today by getting sealed for “time and all eternity” to another temple-worthy woman who is not sealed to another. So it’s still practiced today with only 1 living wife (e.g., LDS Prophet Russell M. Nelson and Apostle Dallin Oaks).

   God always disapproves of polygamy even when He allowed it.

   Simply because something is the case doesn’t entail that it ought to be the case. So just because individuals were polygamists in the Bible doesn’t entail that they should have been. People murdered in the Bible, but that doesn’t justify murder.

   The ideal of the one-flesh unit was given from creation (Gen. 2:24), and there are various indications in the Old Testament against polygamy. Nonetheless, God may have at times accommodated Himself to a temporary, fallen Near Eastern social structure (Paul Copan, Is God a Moral Monster?: Making Sense of the Old Testament God [Grand Rapids: Baker, 2011], 58-62, and 110-7). Similar to Jesus’ teaching on divorce, it was given due to the hardness of their hearts (Mat. 19:8).

   Regardless of the Old Testament practice, the New Testament is clear that the church leaders, who we are called to emulate, are to be husbands of one wife (1 Tim. 3:2, 12; and Titus 1:5-6). We are still in the New Testament, and thus, there is no excuse for Mormon Church leaders entering into polygamy.

   Finally, Jesus taught that we won’t be married in the afterlife anyway, but will be like the angels (Mat. 22:23-30).

   The Priesthood?
   The Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods are offered to worthy male members.

   There are two forms of the priesthood: the Aaronic (the lesser one) and the Melchizedek (the greater one). Without the authority of the priesthood, no man can see God and live.

   It is available for all worthy male members of at least a certain age, who desire to act legally in the name of the Lord. This was extended to those males with black ancestry in 1978 (D&C, Official Declaration–2; 84:6ff.; and Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation 3:80).

   The Aaronic priesthood was done away at the cross and the Melchizedek priesthood is unique to Christ.

   The Aaronic priesthood was done away at the crucifixion of Christ, since He has become our permanent high priest. There is no more need for Levitical priests to offer imperfect sacrifices on behalf of the people in the temple.

   Jesus alone is worthy to hold the Melchizedek priesthood. He is our great High Priest that continues to intercede for us before the Father.

   Any believer today who has been called out of darkness into the light, regardless of age, race, or sex, is a member of the holy and royal priesthood. The believer operates in the highest authority that is offered today, viz., that of being a child of the Lord Omnipotent. Christians have the true priesthood, since they have the true God who gives it to them (Jn. 1:12; Gal. 3:26-9; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 4:14; 5:9-10; 7:11-8:2; 9:24; 1 Pt. 2:5 and 9; and Rev. 1:6; 20:6).

   The Temple?
   The temple functions today.

   “The temple, or the house of the Lord, is the place where we go to prepare for exaltation in the celestial kingdom. There we learn more about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We make covenants with Them, and They promise wonderful blessings to us. …Today, the members of the Church are counseled to become worthy to attend the holy temple” (Endowed from on High: Temple Preparation Seminar Teacher’s Manual).

   Temple rites include washing and anointing of each patron, clothing them in the temple garment to be worn “night and day” (Temple Recommend Questions), and participation in an endowment ceremony to learn tokens (handshakes), oaths, and names at the veil. In addition to these rites, special ceremonies are offered, which include baptisms for the dead (see above), eternal marriages, and eternal sealings of parents to children.
   The temple does not function today.

   The function of the temple was for the Old Covenant and no longer applies in the New Covenant. In the latter, the Body of Christ, which is made up of believers, is the temple of God (1 Cor. 6:19-20 and 2 Cor. 6:16).

   God tore the veil in the temple (“top to the bottom” in Mat. 27:51), which represented the completion of the Old Covenant sacrificial system. The point of this system was to foreshadow the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world (Heb. 9-10).

   There was only one temple, the work was always for the living, not the dead, there was no endowment ceremony, nor were there any marriages or sealings. Christ’s death put an end to the law for those who believe (Rom. 10:4). As a result, He did not institute a new external law of temple requirements.

   The Bible?
   The Bible is unreliable and incomplete for faith.

   The Bible is the word of God only as it is translated correctly (8th Article of Faith). Evidently, it was not translated very well since Joseph Smith’s translation (JST) is quite a bit different from all other versions (also cf. 1 Nephi 13:23-42 where the Bible is corrupted after the founding 12 apostles).

   Smith arrogantly said, “I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors” (The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith [1977], 327). Apostle Orson Pratt proclaimed, “But the Bible has been robbed of its plainness ; many sacred books having been lost, others rejected by the Romish Church, and what few we have left, were copied and re-copied [sic] so many times, that it is admitted that almost every verse has been corrupted and mutilated to that degree that scarcely any two of them read alike. The original manuscripts of the books of the Old and New Testament are no where to be found ; all we have left are mutilated copies containing an incredible number of contradictory readings. From these, uninspired men have translated by their own human wisdom our present version of the Bible, which is so indefinite that it leaves room for different opinions, clashing one against the other” (The Seer, 213). Nonetheless, LDS use the King James Version.

   Smith taught that the Book of Mormon, not the Bible, “was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (Introduction to the Book of Mormon).

   In addition to the Bible and the Book of Mormon, LDS have two other books of Scripture–the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. The Book of Mormon calls those “fools” who claim they have a Bible and “need no more Bible” (2 Nephi 29:3-14).

   Despite these claims that the Bible is unreliable and incomplete, Smith taught that only LDS believe the Bible and “all other sects believe their interpretations of the Bible, and their creeds” (History of the Church 3:28). However, Brigham Young said that we are to use the Bible to see if the LDS Church stood the test (Journal of Discourses 16:46).

   The Bible is reliable and complete for faith.

   The Bible claims to be the word of God, and the Bible promised that it would be faithfully preserved. The general consistency of the Septuagint, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the thousands of other ancient manuscripts, lectionaries, and citations from early church fathers all attest to this fact.

   Just because we don’t have the original writings of the biblical authors doesn’t entail they can’t be trusted today. They are trusted on the basis of the proximity from the originals to the earliest manuscripts as well as the general consistency of all the manuscripts. Both these components are far better than any other ancient work where the originals are missing (e.g., Illiad, Odyssey, Nicomachean Ethics, etc., etc.). This is why the Bible is by far the best attested work of antiquity. So if you want to throw out the Bible since we don’t have the originals, you also have to throw out all other ancient works which don’t have original writings from their authors. Dr. Corey Miller and Dr. Lynn K. Wilder put it this way with regards to the New Testament (NT),

   “The Greek manuscripts and ancient versions alone consist of nearly twenty-five thousand manuscripts. Further, if all of the NT manuscripts were destroyed, the NT could still be reconstructed merely by the thirty-two thousand citations from early second- and third-century church fathers, who quote from all but eleven verses of the NT. It is widely known among scholars in the field that the manuscript evidence of the NT is proven to be more numerous, earlier, more widely distributed, better copied, and written by more people who were closer to the events than for any other piece of ancient history, which provides scholars the opportunity for virtual reconstruction of the original text. To reject the NT is to reject all of ancient history by comparison. …In conclusion, the Bible that we have today is essentially the same as what they had in the generation that walked with Jesus” (Leaving Mormonism: Why Four Scholars Changed Their Minds [Grand Rapids: Kregal, 2017], 297).

   The Bible is archaeologically, historically, prophetically, and scientifically accurate. Jesus was the smartest person who ever lived, and He believed the scriptures were accurate and would be faithfully preserved (Mat. 5:18; 24:35; Jn. 10:35; 14:26; and 17:17). He fulfilled prophecy and the best case of history demonstrates that He rose from the dead. As such, He ought to be believed. Consequently, since the Bible contradicts all the other scriptures of the LDS Church, including Joseph Smith’s translation, they should all be damned (Ps. 12:6-7; Proverbs 30:6; Isa. 40:7-8; and Gal. 1:6-9).

   There is absolutely no objective reason to trust Smith got his translation right and all sorts of objective reasons why he got it wrong.

   For answers to LDS critiques that support their faith, see our Frequently Asked Questions. For reasoned defenses of the Christian Faith, see J. Warner Wallace’s Cold-Case Christianity, Dr. Hugh Ross’ Reasons to Believe, Dr. John Lennox, Dr. J. P. Moreland, and Dr. William Lane Craig’s Reasonable Faith. Also see a dozen reasons “Why Christianity Is True but Mormonism Is Not” by the Institute of Religious Research, and for more detail, see Dr. Robert M. Bowman Jr.’s “Jesus’ Resurrection and Joseph’s Visions: Examining the Foundations of Christianity and Mormonism.”
5. 

   Joel

   January 6, 2023 at 8:03 pm

   The Chosen has a gross disregard for Christ and makes light of Him throughout the show. If there were no other point, this would be enough to discard it as a grave and dangerous error. Yet there are dozens of such points. Where the Bible leads us to salvation, The Chosen leads us to lightly regard truth, repentance, and Christ’s sacrifice for us, while seeing Him as a common man. Portions of Scripture that are essential and reveal conversion are twisted to amuse and entertain.

   There is no light in this satanic portrayal and twisted humanist production. Those who care about preparing for Jesus’ coming should shun the works of darkness.
6. 

   Joel

   January 6, 2023 at 7:51 pm

   My first concern is the subtle (or not-so-subtle) Scriptural inconsistencies. The most blatant one is the way the show pushes a feminist agenda. We first glimpse this when Jesus asks Mary Magdalene to lead in prayer and Scripture reading before a sabbath dinner. This is a historically impossible scenario and totally inconsistent with first century Jewish culture. Mary Magdalene is also seen throughout the show as “the 13th disciple” and travels around with Jesus and His disciples. It would have been both culturally and morally inappropriate for a single woman to travel around with a bunch of men. And if she had, her virtue and the intentions of Jesus and the disciples would have been called into question. And finally, in episode 6, we see Tamar and Mary Magdalene carry the paralytic man through the crowd. This is in direct contradiction to the story in Luke 5 where it clearly states “some men” carried the paralytic man (see verse 18). The writers are clearly trying to appease the feminist American culture even at the expense of changing the words of Scripture.

   Another error is found when Jesus is conversing with Nicodemus and asks him, “what does your heart say?” I can tell you– beyond a shadow of a doubt–Jesus never would have said that (Jeremiah 17:9). They also portray Matthew as having Asperger’s Syndrome. You can’t find any proof for this scripturally and, again, it feels as though they’re simply pandering to the current American culture.

   My second concern is that this show will affect the way people approach Scripture. The writers obviously take a lot of liberties with the story of Jesus, the disciples, and other biblical characters to create a multi-season series. You might think it’s not a big deal; that it’s just entertainment. But this show adds details, attributes, and circumstances that aren’t in the Bible to Bible characters and Bible stories. Don’t you think that those things might paint an inaccurate picture that will affect the way you read God’s Word?

   Quotes like “I came to know Jesus better through this show” and “I feel like I’ve been reading my Bible in black and white all these years and now it’s in color” have been circulating on social media by both the creators and fans of the show. The creator says he’s “trying to tell God’s stories in a fresh way” and “enhancing Scripture”. Those are all incredibly dangerous statements. Do you need something other than God’s Word to know Jesus? No. In fact, God’s Word is the only way we can know Jesus. Do we need anything to enhance God’s stories or tell them in a fresh way? Absolutely not. Only the Bible is the inspired Word of God and it needs no enhancing or modern re-telling by fallible men.
7. 

   Kari Matadobra

   January 4, 2023 at 9:38 pm

   @William, Jesus loves you. And He loves Jeffrey Harmon. The first part of the sermon of the mount is where Jesus says “Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are the poor in spirt [those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever]. Matthew 5:3 AMP
   I haven’t read the book of Mormon, though I do mean to someday. I know that there is much evidence for the Bible. Thank you for sharing your views, and thank you, Jeffrey for sharing your views and your heart.
   The truth is out there, we just have to be humble. There are also many, many people sadly who hate Jesus and his followers, so this is really the time to band together where possible and continually seek after the Lamb. I just wanted to be a peacemaker here, and also say thank you for sharing your heart, Jeffrey Harmon.
   “For as the rain and snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth, making it bear and sprout, And providing seed to the sower and bread to the eater, [2 Cor 9:10] 11 So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; It will not return to me void (useless, without result), Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” -Isaiah 55:10-11
8. 

   Marissa Harris

   May 15, 2022 at 8:59 am

   @William,

   I think if you were to read the Book of Mormon and and truly understand what we as the church of of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints believe your opinion would change. The Israelites had to just look at the serpent to live, they just needed simple faith. There are evidences, all you need to do is do more searching. All my studies in this religion have done nothing but bring me closer to Jesus Christ, the rest we learn in simply in support of that. Becoming more like our savior.
9. 

   William

   May 9, 2022 at 12:23 am

   I am an Evangelical Christian and have been my entire life. I was with you through this whole article, up until you started quoting from the Book of Mormon and talking about Nephi in a historical sense as a Jewish man. The book of Nephi was not written by Nephi… it was written by Joseph Smith, as was the entire Book of Mormon. I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard of “No Man Knows My History” by Fawn M. Brodie – I’m sure it has been written off by LDS as blasphemy or whatever… But, there is no evidence whatsoever in the history of the world that shows the Book of Mormon as inerrant scripture or anything close to what the Bible is. The Book of Mormon has been changed and rewritten so many times since Joseph Smith made it up that it boggles my mind that anyone could believe in it – just do a little bit of your own research and you will see. The evidence to support the accuracy of the True Scripture, the Bible, the Holy Word of God is insurmountable. People like Josh McDowell and Lee Strobel and others who set out to prove the Bible as false end up becoming believers because of the evidence throughout history that the Bible and the resurrection of Christ is Truth. I don’t hate, and have never hated, Mormons – I just feel sad for them that they are so deceived into thinking that your church is just another denomination of Christianity – it is not. My hope and prayer is that through being involved with The Chosen you will come to know the Truth.
10. 

    Joey

    April 30, 2022 at 1:00 pm

    Thank you for sharing this article. I think the Chosen really has created a huge opportunity for all Christians to participate and express their love for Christ from one another and even learn to exchange and share their beliefs both different and similar. I’m gonna be honest, when I first heard of the show, I did struggle a bit with feelings of distrust. I was afraid that it would only represent the viewpoint and feelings of a single church and veer away from the gospel that’s taught from the scriptures. When I later found out that it was produced by VidAngel I was relieved but I realized that was kind of wrong. I shouldn’t just throw off something about Jesus in the first place just because I thought it was probably made by some baptist church or something. Now please understand, I do not hate other Christians and I am not opposed to attending or exploring other church celebrations and meetings with my friends and sharing our beliefs and Faith in Christ. I actually love that. However, living as Latter Day Saint in a country where so many seem either indifferent or completely opposed to my faith or even me just briefly expressing my beliefs is hard and it has created a serious distrust with many people outside of my faith. It’s hard to open up when many people suddenly treat you either like some poor grown up child, or some sort of freak. Sometimes I really felt what most Latter Day Saints feel when they say that everybody hates us. I feel like this show has helped me learn to open up a bit more. I feel like this show should also teach us that we all have a lot more in common than not. I felt the same spirit from this show that I feel when I study the scriptures and learn about the Lord’s gospel, and it was made by an Evangelist. I’m not here to say which church is right or not. Our beliefs and our conversion is between ourselves and God and nobody else. However, I would like to encourage all Christians to please stop arguing over who’s right and who’s wrong and instead rejoice and serve and love together as Jesus Christ wanted. That is what true Christians do and that is what true christianity is about. Furthermore, I’d like to encourage us to not exclude people of other faiths from our fellowship. Christ taught us to love everyone and to be kind to everyone. So please don’t alienate or exclude people just because they don’t believe in Christ. Everyone is a child of God and everyone has the ability to hear the spirit. Love them, be their friend, help them, share with them, invite them. You can give people opportunities to feel the spirit and learn about Christ without giving them a lecture or constantly trying to make them see what you see. Just love them and share the things that you love. They may not understand but they can feel the spirit and if they listen and follow God’s voice, they’ll find Jesus Christ. If they don’t, then that’s their choice. It’s not your fault and the Lord will give them other opportunities to feel the Spirit. I realize I’ve said a lot and taken up a lot of space. Lol. Sorry everyone. I just want to say thank you to Jeffrey Harmon and Dallas Jenkins. What you guys are doing is amazing and I hope you will be able to continue producing the Chosen series.
11. 

    Coleen Goree

    April 30, 2022 at 10:48 am

    I love “The Chosen” in part because it creates conversation between me and my family. For example; I tell them I don’t think John the baptist would ever not know his place. It seems as though he doesn’t take council from the Lord but instead gives council to Christ.
12. 

    author-avatar Praise HaShem

    April 23, 2022 at 8:00 am

    @Liza, i would make a suggestion. for the most part part, the bible falls silent on detail. specifically on the daily activities of jesus. sure we have plenty of canonized scripture to validate his claim. but i appreciate both superstar and the chosen’s focus on his humanity ‘god with us’ …or shall i say ‘god like us’. it is not blasphemy to expose jesus’ vulnerabilities as a member of humanity. honesty, that is the mystery, which, despite what the religious elite might claim, is incomprehensible. he is both god, the son of god, and to complete the trifecta, the son of man….all in all, he is the ALL, adam 2nd, brought into this world to lead a sinless life, and offer himself up as a redeeming sacrifice to purchase back the deed of creation that mr. adam 1st so carelessly gave away. i love the chosen for it’s creative effort to bring us all ‘back in time’. in the end it is just another entertainment series, but with the benefit of having to offer (counter cultural to the world) pure, uplifting content. tbh, i’d rather watch this series, with its supposed lack of respect for the the ‘real’ ‘divine’ jesus, than all of the other filth, trash, garbage out there (esp. on netflix). we have enough of the world seeking access to pollute our minds. why are we shooting ourselves in the foot arguing about this series when in fact it is opening the eyes of the blind imo?
13. 

    Praise HaShem

    April 19, 2022 at 12:05 pm

    There is one comment Mr. Jenkins made that has me concerned: “I also have a hesitation toward scenes that are overtly supernatural in nature because I feel like the audience is watching them just to analyze how we did it.” UMMMM, the whole concept of a divine Savior is supernatural Mr. Jenkins. Please don’t limit yourself and others to this Reality.
14. 

    Praise HaShem

    April 19, 2022 at 11:29 am

    @Andrew, once again, i would object to your ‘cheesy’ claim. but then again, you give yourself an escape clause ‘most’. lest we all be reminded, back in 2004 mel gibson offered up a shocking piece of art that made us all rethink the person who we assumed was an effeminate blue-eyed italian. let’s give credit to the man who blazed the course 15 years earlier. the chosen is not without its cheesy moments for sure. but i do FULLY recommend it, but not without my own personal criticism. i’ve made it through the first two seasons, and have seen enough of jonathan roumie’s ‘cheesy’ cutie-pie winks. hey dallas if you are reading this…enough is enough please.
15. 

    Praise HaShem

    April 19, 2022 at 11:20 am

    @Andrew Jacobson, i would express disagreement in your depiction of the lack of accuracy regarding the biblical proposition of a triune god. ie, while the developed doctrine of the trinity is not explicit in the books that constitute the New Testament, the New Testament contains a number of Trinitarian formulas, including Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14, 1 Corinthians 12:4-5, Ephesians 4:4-6, 1 Peter 1:2 and Revelation 1:4-5. may we all be diligent in our studies, and more importantly, our humble quest for truth.
16. 

    Praise HaShem

    April 19, 2022 at 11:02 am

    @Jan, what really creeps me out most about the mormon scripture is the hymn book. specifically rev. kane singing…. “God is in his holy temple. Earthly thoughts, be silent now….” wow, just so creepy. Anyway, this discussion was getting too serious, so I thought I would lighten it up a bit with a more upbeat topic.
17. 

    Praise HaShem

    April 19, 2022 at 10:46 am

    @Elaine Mary Williams, well i really don’t want to bring clouds over your rainbow message, but the bible and JESUS are explicitly clear. while we ALL are created in the image of the living GOD, we all are NOT children of the living god. in fact, Jesus says to the Pharisees, they are of their father, the devil. the bible message is not complex, but certain theological doctrines may require more intense study and prayers for understanding.
18. 

    Praise HaShem

    April 19, 2022 at 10:39 am

    @Brad, CS’s greatest inspiration and mentor was a fella name George MacDonald from Scotland. MacDonald was more or less a universalist and did NOT believe in the penal substitution theory as a means of atonement. Now I personally disagree with both of his positions. But I have resigned to accept that certain interpretations of scripture require respect, unless as the apostle Paul says, those who preach deliberate perversion of the ‘pure’ gospel message should live under a curse. And so it comes back full circle to us….how we are to interpret the ‘pure’ gospel message. May the spirit guide each of us, and unify us. Speaking of Paul….hey Dallas how about a new series? maybe “The Persecutor” idk, I’m not very clever with words.
19. 

    Joan F Williamson

    March 10, 2022 at 10:54 pm

    I wish to add my amen to the many kind remarks.. you are doing a great work and you cannot come down to delay the work. “For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God. ”
    And as the Lord himself said “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples—that you have love one to another. ” Go for the billion!
20. 

    Craig

    January 17, 2022 at 10:09 pm

    @Norton Nowlin, Thank You so much for sharing the “truth” about Mormonism. I worked with the late Dr Walter Martin who warned all throughout his life of the sly efforts of the mormon church to work diligently to get evangelical Christians to accept them as a legitimate denomination. Again, Thank You!!
21. 

    JoEllen Langford

    January 12, 2022 at 11:44 am

    @Mary Carfagna, Very well put! We know WHO WILL do the weeding! Let’s make Heaven crowded!
22. 

    Beverly

    January 11, 2022 at 1:32 pm

    Thank you for your beautifully-written article. I am an evangelical Christian, and I am truly interested in the way others view what I consider to be the greatest visual adaptation of the lives of Jesus and His followers. I pray this will touch the hearts of many, and that we all may seek a closer walk with Jesus through this film series and God’s Word. Bless you, my friend.
23. 

    Brad

    December 28, 2021 at 7:26 pm

    Loved the heart of this article. The divisions within Christianity serve Satan’s plan, not the Saviour’s. Did C.S. Lewis have a perfect understanding of every gospel doctrine? Yet he has been quoted by General Authorities. Did Billy Graham bring millions closer to Christ?. If the fullness of the gospel is to go to all nations and people they need to be prepared. With the stories of spiritual inspiration and spiritual unity surrounding this project, from Dallas himself to General Authorities, who is to say The Chosen is not a inspired part of the Saviour’s plan for the gospel to reach all nations and a new, less believing, generation. God bless them.
24. 

    Mary Carfagna

    December 28, 2021 at 7:18 pm

    All who have commented that love the Lord (whether you love this series or not) – greetings and wishing you all peace (LDS, Protestant, Catholic). If you have the inclination and a moment, check out Luke 9:50, also Luke 10:25-37, also Matthew 13:24-30. Remember who will be doing the “weeding”. Practice the greatest gift. Let’s leave conviction/judgement to the Spirit who knows the heart. If this series leads to closer relationship with the Lord for ANYONE, then it is furthering the kingdom.
25. 

    Brad

    December 28, 2021 at 6:17 pm

    @Brian Cooper, Umm…there are no maps in the Bible…they are explanatory teaching aids added onto the scriptures. There is a lot of archeological evidence piling up in support of the Bible though, which has shown some Bible critics to be hasty in their judgements. Remember how the prophet Joseph Smith was ridiculed for claiming an ancient record was written on metal plates when that was unheard of? Well there are evidences for the Book of Mormon and, like the Bible, there will be more over time. That said, God doesn’t prove everything to us scientifically, He asks us to Go to Him for spiritual truth. The Book of Mormon is scripture every bit as spiritually amazing as the Bible.
26. 

    Brad

    December 28, 2021 at 5:35 pm

    @Norton Nowlin, The critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints love to trot out their own lurid version of of the Church’s teachings regarding how God became God and how as the Eternal Father He has an eternal family, but these are just dishonest caricatures of things that are not even routinely taught or considered fully revealed even within the Church. The purpose is to confuse and scare people. Still, why ridicule what you don’t understand when what you think you do understanding of the workings of Heaven and eternity are so limited?. You say God was always God and have good scriptural support for that position. The Church of Jesus Christ has good scriptural support for it’s teaching that Christ was God from eternity yet came to earth to do the will of The Father and that through perfect obedience took His place at the right hand of The Father. Whether we have a Mother in heaven or not does not validate nor invalidate either understanding.
27. 

    Brad

    December 28, 2021 at 5:08 pm

    @Norton Nowlin, I think you will find that the Bible teaches that Jesus is the first born son of God spiritually, and the only begotten son in the flesh…that’s why it is the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ.
28. 

    Brad

    December 28, 2021 at 5:03 pm

    @Norton Nowlin, Thanks, but The Church of Jesus Christ can explain it’s doctrine directly from the Bible without any reference to Greek Myths.
29. 

    Brad

    December 28, 2021 at 4:56 pm

    @Liza, OK but, the goal is to bring the Christ of the gospels not only to Christians, but to people of every nation, and after they have enjoyed the movie to read the book.
30. 

    Brad

    December 28, 2021 at 4:52 pm

    @Phillip Elrod, “Any LDS doctine which contradicts the Bible are satanic deceptions” let’s be honest about this. Unless you are saying you speak for God what you are really saying is any LDS doctrine which contradicts YOR OWN INTERPRETATION of the Bible are satanic deceptions. It is incredible and telling that the very young and inexperienced missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ are so easily able to defend their teaching against that of all other denominations by using only the Bible. Calling the beliefs of other sincere followers of Christ satanic is probably not going to help them see things the way you want them to.
31. 

    Brad

    December 28, 2021 at 4:33 pm

    @Sally, Believe what you will but condemning others for believing in Christ differently than you do is a harsh thing. Do you ever consider that the interpretations of scripture you have been taught may contain some errors?. Can some man’s interpretation of a verse of scripture stop God speaking again through prophets and revealing more truth?. And you will find ‘nothing is to be added or taken away’ in Deuteronomy also, which, by your interpretation, would cancel almost all of the Bible.
32. 

    Brad

    December 28, 2021 at 4:19 pm

    @Fred, No, the Latter Day Saints believe God and Christ are eternal beings. We do believe God dwells in an an actual location and that women are at the centre of heaven though, so got some thing sort of right. Cheers.
33. 

    Brad

    December 28, 2021 at 4:02 pm

    @JoAnn, Of course Angie is speaking from the viewer’s perspective, not God’s..
34. 

    Brad

    December 28, 2021 at 3:54 pm

    @Phillip Elrod, I don’t know about ‘restoring’ the Bible, but the Latter Day Saints do believe the Bible to be the word of God, although with some translation error. You do point out translation differences yourself. This is not a very controversial understanding and is shared with many other Christians. The spirit of this article isn’t asking you to change your beliefs at all but to promote the Gospel, as you understand it, united where possible, with other believers. What I’m seeing is a humility that is allowing Christ’s followers to love and even be willing to learn from each other, and I support that. The Chosen just tries to be true to the Bible and bring souls to Christ. Didn’t Jesus say we would know the wolves from the sheep by their fruits…as in, ‘just watch it’.
35. 

    Ben Arkell

    December 28, 2021 at 1:03 pm

    @Phillip Elrod, have you ever read the Book of Mormon? I would invited you to open up your Bible, open up the Book of Mormon and study them together and see if they don’t bring you closer to Christ as you do so. I know it will.
36. 

    Aimee

    December 21, 2021 at 12:06 am

    Thank you for following the Holy Spirit and doing all you can to make this absolute blessing of a show a reality. I appreciate your take on God calling His first disciples from all different backgrounds and how you see Him doing that here. I am Eastern Orthodox and I love the show and each one of the people in it and involved with it, because the Spirit is there and the fruits are clear. I love my evangelical, low and high church protestant, LDS, and Catholic friends and I am thankful for the love of Jesus that unites us together in a beautiful, heavenly way that, in moments of real worship and love between one another, gives us a taste of that oneness and unity that Jesus prayed His followers would have. I look forward to the day when that’s fulfilled completely. Until then, I am thankful for all we have in common, and right now, making known the name, power and love of Christ is a wonderful thing to have in common. So let’s keep up the good work together with the Spirit and trust the Almighty’s vision. Praying for you all!
37. 

    JoAnn

    December 17, 2021 at 9:03 am

    @Angie, I’m concerned with your statement that “”you had no idea that there were cliffhangers in Christ’s life? There were none dear one. Christ was fully God and man. There was never anything Jesus did not know before it happened. And please keep in mind The Chosen has made up-taken dramatic license- with most of the material to fill in the lives of the characters we don’t know about. And their disclaimer at the start of Episode 1, Season 1, should be shown, I believe, at the front of every episode, so people don’t take everything they watch as true about the events or the people. Be blessed in Christ.
38. 

    Josh

    December 16, 2021 at 12:08 pm

    @Glen Danielsen, Speaking of verbal gymnastics…. Impressive rhymes. I’m honestly jealous you’re able to make that just happen.
    I can’t say I agree on everything you say, but I agree that we ought to contend for the faith and be kind and gentle with one another. If there’s a falsehood, call it out honestly and give the honest truth.

    On a different note…
    I like the Chosen! It is not the Gospel (it’s a TV show), but I think it’s a pretty good depiction of the Gospel so far, and I’ve not had a problem with any of it’s messages so far.
39. 

    Phillip Elrod

    December 16, 2021 at 10:50 am

    @Jan, – Any LDS doctine which contradicts the Bible are satanic deceptions.. The last time Mormon missionaries spoke with me, about three years ago, within the first fifteen seconds of their sharing they said the Bible needed to be “restored” (it doesn’t, issues of which versions are better translations than others aside) – core Mormon doctrine badly contradicts much Scripture, and saying the Bible needs to be restored is just a dodge to avoid holding Mormon doctrine to account against the Bible. Scripture says “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Timothy 4:16). Life, and sound doctrine. You don’t have to stay on that false path; prayerfully read the New Testament for yourself – it’s 100% sound.
40. 

    Phillip Elrod

    December 16, 2021 at 10:43 am

    @Fred, – The last time Mormon missionaries spoke with me, about three years ago, within the first fifteen seconds of their sharing they said the Bible needed to be “restored” (it doesn’t, issues of which versions are better translations than others aside) – core Mormon doctrine badly contradicts much Scripture, and saying the Bible needs to be restored is just a dodge to avoid holding Mormon doctrine to account against the Bible. Scripture says “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Timothy 4:16). Life, and sound doctrine.
41. 

    Phillip Elrod

    December 16, 2021 at 10:39 am

    From the interview, “Evangelicals believe in the Bible like we do.”; that’s not true. The last time Mormon missionaries spoke with me, about three years ago, within the first fifteen seconds of their sharing they said the Bible needed to be “restored” (it doesn’t, issues of which versions are better translations than others aside) – core Mormon doctrine badly contradicts much Scripture, and saying the Bible needs to be restored is just a dodge to avoid holding Mormon doctrine to account against the Bible. Scripture says “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Timothy 4:16). Life, and sound doctrine.
42. 

    Cecille Alivio

    December 11, 2021 at 8:28 am

    No human will ever be in control. GOD is always in control.
43. 

    Jill

    November 23, 2021 at 10:45 pm

    @Bonnie R Frimet, this is a confusing message. Consider these scriptures when speaking with other children of God: Ephesians 4: 1-3- “….walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

    “Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right response for everyone”. Colossians 4:6
44. 

    Annette Atwood

    October 17, 2021 at 1:21 pm

    There is good and truth in all churches. Though Christ’s church is continuously restoring those truths, powers, and ordinances, and it is the ONLY LIVING Church with prophets who receive that revelation.
    Traveling the world and viewing others beliefs, (Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, and various Christian sects) it is beautiful to see the way each one worships. The string of truths that connect us and the desires to love and care for one another. I’ve learned fellowshipping from Jehovah Witnesses, prayers of the heart from protestants, hospitality, from Muslims, honor and diligence from Jews, sacredness from Catholics and a respect for others and living things from Buddhists. There is greatness when we come together in love and don’t let prejudices or preconceived notions block us from loving the other children of God on this beautiful earth.
45. 

    Jenna

    September 23, 2021 at 8:09 am

    Thank you so much for working on this show. We love it. We watch it often, we support the show. We are thrilled there are people from our church, like you, involved in making this show possible. Get used to different everyone.
46. 

    Elaine Mary Williams

    September 23, 2021 at 6:13 am

    @Charlene Suapaia, THANKYOU! XX YES, We should love one another, ALL those who believe in Christ, no matter our differences of doctrine, we each have some truth, according to our search for truth.
47. 

    Elaine Mary Williams

    September 23, 2021 at 5:57 am

    @Darryl, Thankyou for your imput, it is true, Jesus recognises and uses all those who do good, whatever religion they may be.
48. 

    Elaine Mary Williams

    September 23, 2021 at 5:21 am

    Jesus loves all of us us, and uses good people of other religions, to share what they know, we may have different beliefs, but all share the same belief in God and in His son Jesus Christ. we all know that they are, and that they know us, and there is nothing that they dont know, about us and about everything, we know that he has told us to love our neighbour as ourselves, our neighbours include those of different religions, nationalities, political leanings, and even non believers. that doent mean we cannot love others who think differently to us, we learn to love without agreeing on every thing, we love God and that is what counts, let us stop and think, are we not ALL children of God? I love all people, whether I agree with them or not, let us all focus on what we DO have in common, we love God and the Saviour, we want to help others to know them, then we all stand together and rejoice, in their love. <3
49. 

    Bonnie R Frimet

    September 14, 2021 at 6:46 am

    @Sally,
    AMEN
50. 

    Bonnie R Frimet

    September 14, 2021 at 6:44 am

    Dear Sir
    You have this backwards. It is Dallas gentleman. That is deceiving people. This is not The Word Of Our LORD JESUS CHRIST.
    What y’all have is Sense Knowledge. ( what you see, hear and touch. That is Not Faith In CHRIST JESUS and HIS FINISH WORK ON THE CROSS.AND Rose again the third day. That is Revaluation Knowledge In CHRIST JESUS alone.
51. 

    Ben Arkell

    September 13, 2021 at 8:34 am

    Sandy, it’s not blasphemy, it’s truth. You see it as blasphemy, and that’s OK. We are all allowed to worship how, where, and what we want.

    If you think the Bible is clear on so many things, good. I prefer Joseph Smith’s first-hand witness of the the reality of God and Christ over a biblical record that is anything but clear on the trinity or nature of God.
52. 

    Sandy

    September 13, 2021 at 6:30 am

    @Ben Arkell,
    I was once a mormon, but through prayer and the Holy Spirit, my eyes and my heart were opened to the truth of the saving grace of Jesus. As a former mormon, I understand what @Norton Nowlin is saying. Similarly, Gordon Hinckley, former president of the mormon church once said, ‘God was once a man, and through his good works he became a god, and you, too, through your good works can become a god.’ This is blasphemy. This belief is in direct conflict with the the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are of one substance, three persons in one, the Trinity. No one completely understands this – it is a mystery, but there is plenty of evidence in scripture that there are three persons in one Godhead. When are mormons going to wake up to the fact that they are following a religion of works? It’s legalism. The Holy scriptures are very clear about this. If you believe you can ‘earn your way to heaven’ you disregard the work of the cross and Jesus died for nothing.
53. 

    Martin Whitrock

    September 8, 2021 at 10:01 am

    @William Mack, Judge not, that ye be not judged. You might want to read all of Matthew 7. I won’t bother with the rest of your comment. We all have enough to do without judging others on matters of FAITH. If you bother watching this MARVELOUS series and it doesn’t touch your heart and fill your soul with love (not judgement), then there is no point even attempting to have a discussion. Just focus on your own soul. Leave judgement to God and his Beloved Son. As Jesus says in this series, we’ll work out the rest later.
54. 

    Andrew

    August 22, 2021 at 6:41 pm

    @Liza, I don’t think you and I are watching the same show. Most gospel based media comes across as cheesy. This one definitely doesn’t and actually is very impactful as it demonstrates plausible back stories to those who first chose to accept His request to “follow me”.

    I really liked the Bible shows that the church made, and even got excited when they announced the making videos about The Book of Mormon thinking I could share them with friends (assuming they would be as good as the church’s Bible videos). They ended up being extremely cheesy and I wouldn’t recommend them even to church friends. The Chosen has taken bible stories to a whole new level. It connects the common person to the power and love of the Savior. If only Dallas Jackson would make it church videos about The Book of Mormon.
55. 

    Angie

    August 16, 2021 at 12:08 pm

    I LOVE THIS SHOW! I am a member the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My husband and I enjoy this show very much. After watching the final episode of season 2, I told my husband that I had no idea there were cliff hangers in Christ’s life. What a way to keep us in suspense!

    Thank you for showing up for what God has called you to do. We encourage our kids, family and friends to watch THE CHOSEN. I’m really enjoying how it is all playing out.
56. 

    Daron L Goslin

    August 16, 2021 at 12:02 pm

    @Brian Cooper, You do realize that these cities were destroyed because of extreme wickedness, right? And also after thousands of years, decay would take its toll.

    In The Book of Mormon in 3rd book of Nephi, after Jesus Christ was crucified, He came to America to teach the same gospel He taught in Jerusalem. But for the people in America that weren’t near Jesus concerning distance to know He was crucified, there had to be a way for them to know that has been crucified; that way was known through much tumultuous storms, earthquakes, floods, fires, and other extreme happenings to indicate it. The final indication was a black smoke and mentions that it was so unquenchable and impenetrable, not even fire could be seen in it; no light whatsoever could be seen at all in it and also it mentions that it was so thick you could feel it.

    The people in the midst of this smoke and after the tumults, would hear Jesus’ voice crying repentance and declaring that the great cities were destroyed and obliterated that there was nothing left.

    There’s ‘no evidence of the cities’ because they were destroyed. Also, try reading The Book of Mormon with a willing and prayerful heart, not looking for the bad and you just might see the truth that really is in The Book of Mormon. It really is the word of God and is in tandem with The Holy Bible, teaching that Jesus IS The Christ and I know it 100%.
57. 

    Mevashir

    August 12, 2021 at 11:12 am

    @Fred, https://coldcasechristianity.com/tag/mormonism/
58. 

    Mevashir

    August 12, 2021 at 11:12 am

    The dangerous lies of the Mormon Movement: https://coldcasechristianity.com/tag/mormonism/
59. 

    Fred

    August 3, 2021 at 10:52 am

    Well there is a large difference. Your god was born in the universe and created the Earth. Our God existed forever, created the Universe, the Earth and created your god.

    Our Jesus is eternal only his body came into existence 2000 years ago, yours is not. His body and soul came into existence after his father was born on the planet Kolob and your god consumated a physical relationship with his mother.
    So as much as I care and love LDS, our God cannot be your god and our Jesus cannot logically be your Jesus.
60. 

    Andrew Jacobson

    July 17, 2021 at 10:46 am

    @Norton Nowlin, That’s quite a falsehood you’re promoting. Having been raised as a Protestant and studied various religions, sects, and denominations, I can declare with full confidence that Latter-day Saints esteem Jesus more highly than any other people. Why do I say that? Because Latter-day Saints alone regard Jesus of Nazareth to be Jehovah, the Creator and God of the Old Testament. Any and every Latter-day Saint can confirm that. Your description is filled with so many false claims that there’s no room to untangle them here. Clearly, you have confined any study of the Church entirely on recycled content from apostates, just as the deplorable Walter Martin did, instead of taking the time to learn directly from the source.

    I hope other readers are wise enough to learn what people believe from the believers themselves. How would evangelicals feel if others explained that Protestants believe in a cosmic soup, which is a pretty accurate description of the incomprehensible, non-biblical Trinity? How would Catholics feel if others claimed that they were worshipping Mary? Of course, you speak of that cosmic soup with reverence, ridiculing Latter-day Saints believing that the resurrected Jesus Christ is literally instead of figuratively at the right hand of God the Father. Likewise, Catholics would be quick to point out that their veneration and reliance on intercessors does not constitute worship of them.
61. 

    Jan

    July 9, 2021 at 7:13 pm

    @Sally, Almost every page in the Book of Mormon mentions Jesus Christ. The book is about Jesus Christ and his work with people on this earth. Read it and see. It brings light and peace to our hearts.
62. 

    M

    June 28, 2021 at 4:42 pm

    @Brandon, are you unaware of, or leaving out multiple New Testament books which warn of this very thing, including the very last part of the very last book (i.e. Revelation)? [Here is where I could be snarky … “I’m guess you are not a student of Scripture”]
63. 

    Ben Arkell

    June 17, 2021 at 11:12 am

    @Cynthia Sherstad, No one is being deceived – and Dallas has written the script without any Mormon input. FYI.
64. 

    Ben Arkell

    June 17, 2021 at 11:09 am

    @Norton Nowlin, “The Mormon Jesus, the Jesus of” The Chosen”, is presented as a man, a mere mortal who was not not born completely God and completely a human being, but a mere man who would eventually become (a) god through death and resurrection”

    That is not Mormon doctrine. Christ was the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. Whoever you learned that from, it wasn’t a Mormon. Christ was a God before coming to this earth. He created the earth and everything in it.
65. 

    Cynthia Sherstad

    June 17, 2021 at 3:56 am

    @Joann, same here. Wrong spirit.
66. 

    Cynthia Sherstad

    June 17, 2021 at 3:56 am

    @Norton Nowlin, thank you for speaking truth about the differences between the Christian faith and the beliefs of the LDS. I praise God that you were given truth by the power, grace and mercy of the Holy Spirit through the Blood of Jesus Christ.

    I too have wondered why Dallas Jenkins decide to compromise and blend into a false doctrine. I believe he exchanged Biblical Truth just to produce his film. He allowed himself to be deceived.
67. 

    Diane Anderson

    June 15, 2021 at 2:25 pm

    I am loving “The Chosen”! I love Jesus Christ, and all he teaches us about loving others. This show has helped turn my day to day thought more towards Him. The Chosen is an inspired series!! Thank you for your efforts!
68. 

    Brandon

    June 3, 2021 at 10:37 am

    @Sally, I’m guessing you are not a student of history. The book that was written in was written before many of the books of the New Testament. Are you suggesting they be invalidated as well?
69. 

    Sally

    May 31, 2021 at 11:12 pm

    The BIBLE clearly states that nothing is to be added or taken away.Any religion/ group that follows teachings of a person, other than Jesus Christ..is cult.The blasphemous book of mormon is just that. Repent before it is too late.
70. 

    Liza

    May 16, 2021 at 1:17 pm

    The Chosen has a Jesus Christ Superstar feel to it, even when it seems that the sincere intent was to make him more mortal and more accessible for people to understand His mission in life. Unfortunately, for me, He comes off more as a cult figure, rather than the sacred figure He truly was. Imo, the Jesus portrayed in the Chosen lacks the defining God-like qualities that made the real Jesus, the actual Savior of the world!

    So, the spirit is lacking, but not because the creator of the show is evangelical, it’s because he simply doesn’t have access to modern day revelation, which further testifies of Jesus Christ’s divinity, and it does it through modern day scripture, ie, the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price, and the Doctrine and Covenants, and the famous book, “Jesus the Christ.”. Knowledge is so important when depicting a historical or religious figure. When trying to capture the spirit of a God who was born into mortality to save the world from it’s sins? Knowledge is everything!

    But I do appreciate the talent that went in to making the Chosen, for the acting opportunities it gives, for the cinematic talents behind the camera, and for their humble motives in trying to bring the Life of Christ onto the big screen. Good news is, nobody has been able to do it. There’s a damn reason for that!
71. 

    Norton Nowlin

    May 13, 2021 at 7:58 pm

    The Mormon Jesus, the Jesus of” The Chosen”, is presented as a man, a mere mortal who was not not born completely God and completely a human being, but a mere man who would eventually become (a) god through death and resurrection. The whole film is slanted toward Mormon theology. The Mormon Church would not have invested as much money in its production, filming, cast, and overture if it did not benefit Mormon theology, and Mormon theology is as much Christian as Greek mythology. You see, Mormon theology fundamentally states that the Mormon Jesus was sired as the first-born spirit son of the once-human Mormon father-god and once-human Heavenly-mother goddess, the father-god’s wife during mortality, and that the second-born spirit son was Lucifer, Satan, a brother to the Mormon Jesus. These facts are never told to Christians who are being courted for Mormon membership and Mormon baptism by the Mormon full-time missionaries, also that the Mormon father-god has a wife who is a heavenly-mother goddess. The Mormon hierarchy wants Christians to falsely think that the Mormon Church worships the same Jesus worshipped by Christians; so they produce films like “The Chosen” to give the Mormon Church a false-front of Christianity. The film makes Jesus seem like “just one of the guys” instead of the one and only Christ, the Son of the living God, from birth.

    I have no idea why Dallas Jenkins, supposedly an evangelical Christian, would consent to direct a film totally financed by the Mormon Church and based on LDS theology, unless he has been deceived, as Franklin Graham was deceived by Mitt Romney in 2012 to delete from his BGEA website the “fact” that Mormonism is a cult. Or has Jenkins been completely turned to Mormonism? I am writing this commentary as a former 30 year elder and senior ward missionary, a ward mission leader, of the Mormon (LDS) Church, who found the saving grace of Jesus in the year 2000, and have been actively ministering for the Lord Jesus since then.
72. 

    From Joseph to Jesus

    April 27, 2021 at 8:35 pm

    @Eran,
    18 My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.
    19 I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”
    Joseph Smith History 1:18-19
73. 

    From Joseph to Jesus

    April 27, 2021 at 6:12 pm

    @Glen Danielsen,
    18 My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.
    19 I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”
    Joseph Smith History 1:18-19
74. 

    Joann

    April 23, 2021 at 1:08 pm

    I started watching it, but am not sure I will continue. There is an uneasiness in my spirit while watching, but that is MY conviction.

    I pray that men’s eyes will be open to the truth and that God would use this to reveal truth, to shine light into the darkness.
    Be like the Bareans my brethren!
75. 

    Damon Whitsell

    April 17, 2021 at 1:09 pm

    Because the bible also talks about another and false gospels, spirits and Christ that are no gospels, spirits or Christ at all. Paul also said let them that come with false gospels, spirits and Christ be anathema (condemned to hell).

    And it also says many false Christ shall come. And if you have the wrong gospel and Jesus, you cannot be saved because they cannot save a soul, you cannot be saved without the real gospel and the real Jesus.
76. 

    Kahea Kaopua

    April 16, 2021 at 2:39 am

    This is such a BEAUTIFUL series that has inspired me (and my family) to dive deeper into the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. “If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”

    You’re helping millions of people from all walks of life come to know the Son of God. How can anyone believe that isn’t WONDERFUL?
77. 

    Eran

    April 9, 2021 at 1:51 am

    @Eran, I forgot to mention one more thing in relation to the discussion of condeming entire belief systems. One of my favorite verses in NT is where Christ shows that the Jews did not understand what it meant to be a good person.

    The underlying assumption to me seems to show a belief at that time that the Levite and priest were somehow automatically the good ones (because they either went to church or held offices in their church), however, was the the true neighbor (love) was the one who acted to show care for someone else, and this person belonged to a competing religious system. So I can assume if a Muslim or non-believer has more live for his neighbor than I, then their religion is real and mine is in vain.
78. 

    Eran

    April 9, 2021 at 1:41 am

    @Brian Cooper,

    I think you may suffer from “everyone other religion is wrong except mine” which thought is held by members of every denomination, according to a social science survey ( LDS members do it too I’m sure), and thats okay. There are numerous books on why “Christianity is false” (including pretty much every event in the OT and NT), and other books on why “all religion is false” (some very popular books exist today on the topic), so you should probably spend your time defending your faith instead of minimizing or shooting down the faith of others. If you were genuinely interested and had questions, okay, but I just dont sense that with your comments. Correct me if I am wrong.

    And while it’s easy to see the mote in other’s, I could use the same claim and say that all sorts of historical events of “your religion” is not supported by hard science, but that is really SHALLOW, WRONG, and persuades people to NOT believe in Christ/God.

    IMO. E.g. Like saying Noah’s ark was impossible because no one found the actual ark (and from a scientific perspective the entire flood story requires incredible leaps of faith), or there is no evidence for Moses in Israel, nor evidence of Jesus’ resurrections, Gospels may have been written later, multiple Genesis accounts, blah blah. Where is the Biblical map for the garden of Eden again? I just sense your trust in the Bible is really mechanical–because it has maps of real places where these people lived, therefore it’s automatically true.

    On a purely logical level one can deduce that if no evidence exists for a particular historical event, then there is no proof that it never existed. And if your faith in scripture is simply based on artifacts and maps, then what is your faith composed of? artifacts and maps. Really, there will never be an end to disagreements about historical events, ever……. esp. if they happened more than a few minutes ago (did Trump collude with Ukraine?, did Clintons knock off a bunch of people? ideological roots most likely at the root of these claims, just like ideological attacks on religions/denominations).

    Besides, even if some sort of evidence were ever found, and assuming it translated to English the same way as the BOM, not sure why a ton of people would just change their mind. There are an infinite number of reasons one may use to challenge the BOM, or the Bible, or religion in general. I could write a book about any one.
79. 

    Eran

    April 9, 2021 at 1:04 am

    @Trey Rogers,

    Thanks. You know, in a world full of competing Christian denominations, its natural for so many churches to be so competitive which leads to negative approaches unfortunately (shooting down the other’s beliefs). It’s very immature.

    (and if Christianity weakens, there will likely be a re-banding at some point which may be happening a bit already).
80. 

    Eran

    April 9, 2021 at 1:01 am

    @Glen Danielsen,

    Genius.

    You know, one reason I dont like so many other churches is because they simply attack other churches, which is very un-christian like to me.

    They spend their time not promoting their beliefs but shooting mine down. So backwards.
81. 

    Eran

    April 9, 2021 at 1:00 am

    @William Mack,

    Bro, where’d you learn that? your church?
    Haha, like listening to a Ford salesman tell me why Toyotas are so inferior.
    Every man should be responsible to himself, which means we should “Test all things; hold fast what is good.” especially on a spiritual level, not a fact-driven level (same reason Jews had a hard time with Jesus with all their scriptural expertise).

    Second, I have met with countless Christians, religious, and even non-religious people as I travelled the country. Try not condemning an entire belief system. I doubt God is going to exalt or condemn someone merely because they were born in a certain church. That’s like sending all babies and non-christians to hell because they werent baptized (really?). Or conversely, saving Hitler because he was baptized into a mainstream Christian faith. I think cares more abut the character as men gain knowledge of right and wrong, and obedience to God’s light in their personal life. Returning to my initial point: you are not evil because you go to the wrong church. With 1000s of Christian denominations alone, that would mean anyone’s chances are almost zero ( a major complaint from atheists too that they dont know how to pick “the right one”). So in looking for people that claim to teach of Christ, I follow this advice:

    “Ye shall know them by their fruits,” he said.
    “Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?”
    “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruits; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
    “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit; neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
    “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them”

    ——–
    BTW, I read through the original nicene creed:

    “We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible.

    And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father [the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God,] Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;

    By whom all things were made [both in heaven and on earth]; by whom all things were made;

    Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man;

    He suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven;

    From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

    And in the Holy Ghost. ”

    ——————————-

    So unless I am missing something, we believe in all those points. You could always just talk with missionaries though about all the scripture you might be missing…
82. 

    Kait

    April 5, 2021 at 10:32 pm

    Thank you for sharing this. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I have loved the opportunity to watch The Chosen. Thank you to all those who are working so diligently and willing to put aside difference to bring something so needed to the world.
83. 

    Darryl

    March 31, 2021 at 2:50 pm

    I have very much enjoyed The Chosen…..as well as my children, which are eager to watch.
    I am a Member of the Restored Church of Jesus Christ.
    Jesus said(to His Twelve Apostles): whosoever believeth you, believeth Me, and whosoever believeth Me believeth My Father, and whosoever believeth My Father, recieveth all that My Father hath.
    Whosoever believeth a RIGHTOUS man, in the name of a RIGHTOUS man, shall recieveth a RIGHTOUS man’s reward; but he that recieveth a PROPHET, in the name of a PROPHET’s reward.
    I would seem that neither the RIGHTOUS man not the PROPHET are promoting evil……just different levels of rewards that can be had.
    Another example is the returning Apostles report to Jesus that they saw some “casting out devil’s in Thy(His) name” and wanted to forbid them (presuming only their acts of good works should be recognized, under their Athority)……Jesus said “forbid them not”……”for he that is with me is not against me”…… while possibly not having Athority, Jesus still reconizes their motivation to doing good……and will always juage the intentions of the heart.
    The only record of rejection we have in the New Testiment mirroring this is when “Some Vagabond Jews” tried casting out a devil…..and it was the devil that recognized they had no Athority…..and he took them to task.
    So my overall view is the light of Christ shines in this Work, it matters not if it carries the Fullness of That Light, it’s a good seed and will yeld good fruit if it’s brings one to the path of Truth and Light.
84. 

    Charlene Suapaia

    March 19, 2021 at 2:51 pm

    @Brian Cooper, Nobody asked you to become anything. All God and Christ asks of us….is to love one to another. He said, “As I have loved you, love one another, this new commandment, Love one another. By this shall men know, we( all of us who believes in Christ) are his disciples, IF YE HAVE LOVE, ONE TO ANOTHER.”

    What ever trials, discomforts, and evidence you need to seek, ask in the name of Christ if the things you are seeking are true. (James 1:5) let the Holy Ghost fill you with the spirit.

    “Aloha Kekahi e kekahi”
    Aloha wau iā oe!
85. 

    Glen Danielsen

    March 12, 2021 at 3:15 pm

    @William Mack, My gosh William! We Latter-day Saints are a cult? Well, keep watch then. You may see us all move to Guyana and drink delicious Jonestown Kool-Aid while the Tabernacle Choir hums cryptic music from the hinterlands. Or if like Branch Davidians, that will be one heck of a fire! Bring your camera then.

    Aside from this, brother, the Saints are used to these kinds of hand-grenade love notes. I hope we can yet be friends tho. Still, this is how we might respond to kindness so fond:

    Why not make a new standard, a whole new paradigm — one of respect and civil discourse. Polite is right. We Latter-day Saints have seen so much thought rot — the dominant pattern of Evangelicals attacking others’ Faiths. It is long-standing Evangelical spectacle. On the net and in their bookstores, we see landfills of anti-Latter-day Saint wordcraft. By contrast, visit any Latter-day Saint bookstore or website; you will not see a single anti-Evangelical book or piece of scrap paper, nor website or video. Evangelicals routinely use glib ridicule, smooth dishonest exposition, rant with slant, playground mockery, accusations that distort and omit context, half-truths, outright deceit, flat falsehoods, cherrypicked quotes from pioneer Church leaders’ personal opinions, and fragmented quotes and ellipses used to change meaning. They edit to discredit. They don’t want to convert, they want to hurt. They don’t want answers, they want to rapid-fire smear.

    You see, misrepresenting someone else’s Faith is not ‘speaking the truth in love.’ And being rude is not being ‘bold,’ it’s just being rude. You guys, if you have Christ then share Christ, not slander. In the eyes of God, lying about sacred things is a heavy matter. Propagandist brother Walter Martin and others have tried to justify spitting spite and sarcasm by using New Testament verses that mention “contend for the faith.” But reread those narratives; they don’t advocate assaulting others’ beliefs, but rather to contend *for* one’s Faith. Evangelical assassin brother, efforts at justifying inane behavior by proof-texting it in holy writ only makes hypocrisy more abhorrent. There is fault when you exalt assault. Misunderstanding Latter-day Saints is excusable; evil speaking is not. We suggest James 3 for thee.

    Cheers to you anyway, brother with fourth-century view from the pew, of non-apostolic creed, of Nicene scream, of grace-only Lutherspeak. We disagree a wee, but I hope we can be friends with our pens and civil with our drivel. Instead of a beatdown, share Christ if you have Christ. You will never win anyone over by spitting on their cherished beliefs and using dishonest verbal gymnastics misrepresenting their history and teachings, using deceptive spins or sly lie. (I mean, do we really have to ask you not to lie?) To malign is a bad sign. Reflect on respect. Now go out and sniff seasonal air, but stay out of trouble. (I myself have trouble staying out of trouble). Again let’s be a friend.
86. 

    Brian Cooper

    February 27, 2021 at 1:04 pm

    There are many reasons why I am not a Mormon. Millions have expressed various doctrinal differences between Christians and Mormons. I agree with most of those concerns. But many of these issues are regarded by Mormons as being a “matter of interpretation.”
    What is not up for interpretation is the fallibility or untrustworthiness of the Book of Mormon (BOM) itself.
    I could go on and on about various theological issues, but this issue is core: No maps in the BOM. Why is that such a huge issue? The BOM claims to be the history of the Israelites in America, from 600 BC to 421 AD. The BOM mentions several exclusive cities in the Americas (of hundreds of thousands of people), mentioned nowhere else in any other writings.
    The reason there are no maps in the BOM, is because no one has ever found any of these cities. Not one. Joseph Smith himself when he was in Missouri, said, “Theses are the plains of the Nephites.” The LDS are currently looking in Central American for evidence of these BOM cities, but that would contradict their “prophet’s” description of their location. They are looking in Central America, because they found nothing in North America to back up the BOM.
    There is only one logical conclusion: the BOM is fiction.
    If you disagree, find ONE single city mentioned in the BOM, and show it to me on a map. Can’t do it? That’s because they don’t exist.
    Look in your Bible. Maps galore! Why? Because the Bible is true and trustworthy.
87. 

    William Mack

    February 18, 2021 at 7:53 pm

    Mormonism IS a cult; an anti-Christian belief. They do NOT believe in a triune God as evidenced by their distain for the Nicene Creed. They believe that Jesus “came from another world before coming to the earth”; the brother of Satan! They do NOT believe that Jesus was eternal God when He was born. I could go on and on but suffice it to say, Mormons are headed for Hell. Stay AWAY from their works-righteous CULT!
88. 

    Jana OConnell

    February 18, 2021 at 2:38 pm

    Do you mean Evangelical Christians? Or Evangelical LDS?
89. 

    Christina N

    February 8, 2021 at 3:47 am

    Brother Harmon this is just what I needed to read! Myself and a few friends are coming down to Texas to be extras in The Chosen for the Sermon on the Mount scene. I was feeling SO worried as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints coming in to this huge group of Evangelicals. But reading your post has taken away that fear and increased my desire to support The Chosen.
90. 

    Maria

    February 4, 2021 at 4:16 pm

    Love all of this! We have just finished watching the whole season and your insights have just made me appreciate this show even more. Looking forward to more seasons!
91. 

    Hillary Green

    January 24, 2021 at 12:10 am

    From Brigham Young:

    Be willing to receive the truth, let it come from whom it may; no difference, not a particle. Just as soon receive the Gospel from Joseph Smith as from Peter, who lived in the days of Jesus. Receive it from one man as soon as another. If God has called an individual and sent him to preach the Gospel that is enough for me to know; it is no matter who it is, all I want is to know the truth (DBY, 11).

    “Mormonism,” so-called, embraces every principle pertaining to life and salvation, for time and eternity. No matter who has it. If the infidel has got truth it belongs to “Mormonism.” The truth and sound doctrine possessed by the sectarian world, and they have a great deal, all belong to this Church. As for their morality, many of them are, morally, just as good as we are. All that is good, lovely, and praiseworthy belongs to this Church and Kingdom. “Mormonism” includes all truth. There is no truth but what belongs to the Gospel. (DBY, 3).
92. 

    Glen Danielsen

    January 2, 2021 at 1:17 am

    I think The Chosen is going to actually lead Evangelicals to the True and Living Church—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is helpful for me to bear in mind that Evangelicals as a group or a culture are not the entity producing The Chosen—rather, it is an individual, Dallas Jenkins himself. Part of his genius has been to gather support and help from Evangelicals and a sampling of others. His own personal disposition is seen in the fact that he has invited some participation by one or two Latter-day Saints.

    This is all just marvelous. I love Dallas’ vision, and his view from his pew. He is showcasing a plausible, wider view of the Savior. I see Jenkins *apart from* the Evangelicals, whose culture has been so characterized by shelf-fulls of deceiving anti-LDS propaganda in nearly all of their stores, church libraries, and media. They clearly teach a false gospel. I personally believe that Dallas might have invited more direct involvement from the Saints, but perhaps understood that it would have resulted in waves of bigotry from his own people. I love his sincerity, demeanor, heart, and vision. And I love that the series is a top seller already at Deseret bookstores.
93. 

    Kyle D Mayer

    December 20, 2020 at 4:56 pm

    I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ and our family LOVES The Chosen series! Everyone we’ve mentioned it to also loves it. For any member of our church that says they won’t watch or support it because it comes from Evangelicals, I ask this question: Do you have a Netflix subscription? What about Amazon Prime? Or Disney+? Maybe you should look at what you are supporting there and stop being a hypocrite and actually support something GOOD in The Chosen-a beautiful depiction of the Savior and his ministry on the Earth.
94. 

    Mike

    December 16, 2020 at 7:06 pm

    @Ben Arkell, I have always wondered about the little things in Christ life… cuts, bruises, hitting his thumb with a hammer as a carpenter. The Chosen brings ordinary circumstance into the saviors life, and I am loving every minute of it. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and I applaud the joint effort of all to make this series such a wonderful gift to all the world!

    Mike
95. 

    Trey Rogers

    November 7, 2020 at 8:17 pm

    I am a convert of 35 years to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I was a grandson of a Baptist Minister and studied to be a Baptist Minister myself. I worship the exact same Jesus Christ now as I did being a Baptist. On the important matters we and other Christian denominations don’t believe all that much different, we just use different terminology that when studied means almost the same thing. No one will ever convince me great men such as Billy Graham are not inspired by the works they accomplished. All good people must stand against evil. We can agree to disagree on a few doctrines and still stand United. The Chosen shows that we can all work together for a common good!
96. 

    Bryan

    October 29, 2020 at 4:21 pm

    I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My initial thought while reading the tittle of the article was ‘Why would you not want to be a part of “the Chosen” just because it is not an LDS production?’ After reading most of the article, I have found an even appreciation for what you are doing. It might even be a possible bridge that helps the Evangelicals change their views about us.
97. 

    Gary Edmonds

    August 16, 2020 at 7:48 pm

    You misinterpret Nephi. You should know better. The official doctrine of the church is that the two groups are th “Church of the Lamb of God” which is The Church of Jesus Christ of latter day Saints, and the church of the devil, which is ALL OTHER CHURCHES, GROUPS, etc. You praise evangelicals, yet they do not believe in the true Godhead at all. They do not have an understanding of the atonement, therefore they do not understand the mission of Christ. One of the things you do is to take away some of the holiness and power of Christ. Even in the flesh he was still the great Messiah, the God of the Old Testament, the creator of this world And other worlds without number etc., etc. By Coming to earth he did not give up his Godhood.None of this should be taken away by someone who thinks they can portray his life in an appropriate way.
98. 

    Phil

    August 12, 2020 at 8:03 pm

    What good is the bread without the leven? We need to be a part of the mix to make it whole. Go forth and fill that role.
99. 

    Christy Johnston

    August 11, 2020 at 8:25 pm

    I LOVE The Chosen, I am LDS and every single one of my LDS friends LOVES this show and recommends it to everyone! I haven’t heard one critical or negative comment from another LDS person or seen anything on the show that i disagree with concerning doctrine. We are all Christians, whether others acknowledge that or not makes no difference! I will be donating to this amazing cause too!!
100. 

     Meg

     August 11, 2020 at 4:58 pm

     Our family absolutely LOVED watching The Chosen! I admit I was a little nervous to let my kids watch something that might confuse them if it had incorrect doctrine but it didn’t take long for me to call them in, rewind and start all over with us all gathered around. We binge watched it just before Easter. What a beautiful show. I loved how it gave the apostles personalities and of course we all loved Jesus in the show. We can’t wait for the 2nd part to come out! My kids ask all the time if it’s out yet. The Chosen is absolutely an inspired production! The music, the acting, the story… bring your box of tissues and be prepared to fall in love!
101. 

     Haze Kompelien

     August 6, 2020 at 8:25 pm

     This series is wonderful. And, as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ… I support it financially (a little bit, due to my $ circumstances) and wholeheartedly.

     The way it brings stories and characters to life is impressive.
     And, I love that the organizers and script writers openly encourage viewers to go back to the original scriptures for further insights and knowledge.

     We should support good things.
     We (I) waste enough time on meaningless and not so good things.

     Please support The Chosen so season 2 can be completed!
102. 

     Anonymous

     August 6, 2020 at 8:22 am

     I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I think that during the Pandemic, this series couldn’t have come along at a better time. I absolutely love how they portrayed every single character. Everything that is good in the world comes from God. This series is certainly something good.
103. 

     Susan Morgan

     August 6, 2020 at 8:08 am

     My husband and I love the series and have watched all 8 episodes 4 or 5 times. I love the portrayal of Jesus. I love that he is also a man, who grew up with other kids, and music and dancing. I love thinking about him like this. It draws me closer to him. Plus, I really love how Jonathan wants to be better and more Christ like in his own life. I’ve loved watching the interviews and behind the scenes shots. All of it makes me happy and I want to be more like a Jesus. I think Heavenly Father is delighted with it.
104. 

     Gordon

     August 5, 2020 at 10:22 pm

     Feel the same way. Loved it. If there is anything virtuous lovely or of good report, we seek after these things.
105. 

     Ben Arkell

     August 5, 2020 at 11:42 am

     Awesome! So glad you are loving it as much as we have. It’s such a great way to share the message of Christ with others.
106. 

     Ben Arkell

     August 5, 2020 at 11:41 am

     If you want a DVD, I’ll send you one for free. Email me at info@calledtoshare.com with your mailing address and I’ll send it to you if you are interested.
107. 

     Ben Arkell

     August 5, 2020 at 11:40 am

     Louene, it sounds like you have caught the “bug” like many of us have! Once you see it, you want to share it. I am waiting for 50 DVD’s to come in the mail so I can give them to friends and family who are less inclined to watch through the app or on a smart TV. Thank you for spreading the word!
108. 

     Louene Perry

     August 4, 2020 at 10:30 pm

     I am currently serving a Senior Mission and in December I noticed one of our elders “liked” The Chosen on FB. I started curiously watching and by episode 3 seeing Jesus and the children–I was hooked! I have shared it with all that I know, purchased DVDs for my grandchildren back home, paid it forward many times and even purchased merchandise. The spirit has witnessed to me many times the powerful messages of truth found in the realistic and beautiful Bible portrayals of this amazing show and its ability to invite all who will watch to come closer to Christ. Thank you to those who so carefully, artistically and faithfully use their talents in its production to bless so many throughout this ever troubled world.
109. 

     Martha Fish

     August 4, 2020 at 9:21 pm

     Thank you. Without this article I might have continued to dismiss The Chosen. Rethink that. Mmmmm
110. 

     Teresa Jamile

     August 4, 2020 at 4:50 pm

     Love this series. We have watched most episodes two or three times. The more I watch, the more I insite I gain. We have been able to watch it with family members who are not our religion and everyone loved it.