Evangelical scholars like Richard Mouw have said much popular anti-Mormon material, including Ankerberg & Weldon’s “Behind the Mask of Mormonism,” often misrepresents LDS beliefs by relying on distorted quotes, outdated sources, and conspiracy framing instead of primary documents or current teachings.
Mouw publicly apologized in 2004 for evangelicals “bearing false witness” by telling Mormons what they believe without first asking, demonizing them, and offering oversimplified accounts.
Carl Mosser and Paul Owen argued in 1998 that such approaches were ineffective and that evangelicals were neglecting serious LDS scholarship, calling instead for accurate theological critique paired with gentleness and real dialogue.
@StNickRespecter@KramersFaith@BowieTheus@emuse1955@ThoughtfulSaint You could say that. You could even include it within Jacob's debate prompt. Nothing would be stopping Ethan from doing so and nothing would be stopping Blake from attacking the framework by which Ethan is interpreting the BofM.
@StNickRespecter@KramersFaith@BowieTheus@emuse1955@ThoughtfulSaint It can be true, but if you're interpreting the"one God" scripture in the BofM through a trinitarian lens then that needs to be addressed. And that will inevitably lead to attacks on Classical theism
@StNickRespecter@KramersFaith@BowieTheus@emuse1955@ThoughtfulSaint We can, but it requires us to deconstruct your Classical interpretations first in order to do so. Once you strip away Classical theism as a hermeneutic for the BofM, it becomes very similar to LDS theology.
@StNickRespecter@KramersFaith@emuse1955@BowieTheus@ThoughtfulSaint Mmm but apparently Jimmy Akin wanting to debate Robert Boylan on the "Validity of Mormon Scripture" isn't too large. These two debate topics already have tons of overlap. If the BofM is just plagiarizing then it might as well be the same topic.
@StNickRespecter@KramersFaith@BowieTheus@emuse1955@ThoughtfulSaint Claiming the Trinity is taught in the BofM demands that you interpret those verses in the BofM the same way you interpret alleged trinitarian verses in the Bible. Therefore attacking the Trinity in the Bible is necessary to refute that it is taught in the BofM
@StNickRespecter@KramersFaith@emuse1955@BowieTheus@ThoughtfulSaint It's not too large. Jacob's point is that if the Book of Mormon is just plagiarizing the Bible (as Ethan claims) then addressing classical theism for both books should be just addressing the same thing. This new prompt gives both sides the ability to defend and attack.
@emuse1955@KramersFaith@StNickRespecter@BowieTheus@ThoughtfulSaint That's total mind reading and you know it. The dude has debated William Lane Craig before. Why would he be afraid to debate the likes of you. Your whole point is refuted by the fact that he got roped into this by Jacob. He didn't start openly challenging anyone to debate. You did
@StNickRespecter@BowieTheus@emuse1955@KramersFaith@ThoughtfulSaint You're begging the question. Whether that is the weakness of Mormonism needs to be demonstrated. He's more than capable of demonstrating it with the new debate prompt because it still includes his original debate proposal in it.
@StNickRespecter@BowieTheus@emuse1955@KramersFaith@ThoughtfulSaint Again, if you're the one claiming that our theology is easily refuted then put your money where your mouth is. Stop demanding your preferred debate topic. If you're not willing to do that then maybe you don't actually believe that our theology is easy to refute.
@StNickRespecter@BowieTheus@emuse1955@KramersFaith@ThoughtfulSaint If Ethan actually believed that our theology was so easy to refute then he should be able to do so with both hands tied behind his back. If he demands having his preferred debate prompt then he needs to be a bit more humble.
@BowieTheus@emuse1955@KramersFaith@ThoughtfulSaint If Mormonism is so easily refuted then Ethan should be able to refute it with both hands tied behind his back. No haggling over debate prompts needed.