Texas LDS deal with confusion

SAN ANGELO, Texas — Shortly after the raid began on the Fundamentalist LDS Church's YFZ Ranch, a group of Mormon missionaries sat down to eat at a restaurant here. A man shouted out "compound!"

"There was this guy. He held up a knife and yelled at us," said Elder Tyler Duffy from Orem.

Some of the fallout from the raid on the YFZ Ranch is being felt by members and missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While the FLDS Church is not connected in any way to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, some Mormon faithful have said they feel they are being found guilty by association.

"There are some people here that believe anything bad about Mormons and that's what they're going to do," said Charles L. Webb, who serves as president of the Abilene, Texas, stake.

The LDS Church's presence in this part of Texas is small. The Abilene stake covers an area 25,000 square miles in size with about 3,000 members. There are only two LDS chapels in San Angelo, but a number of Baptist and other evangelical Christian churches. It's the polar opposite of Utah, where the LDS Church is the dominant faith.

In repeated statements, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have differentiated between the two faiths and expressed disappointment that some news media outlets have lumped the two together.

"Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often called Mormons, do not practice polygamy and they have not practiced polygamy for over a century," Elder Quentin L. Cook, an LDS apostle, said in a video clip the church recently posted on YouTube. The LDS Church has said there is no such thing as a "fundamentalist Mormon," although an estimated 37,000 people who practice it consider themselves as such. Fundamentalists argue that the LDS Church has strayed from its original doctrine by abandoning the practice of polygamy in 1890.

Here in the Bible belt, many LDS members have had to explain the differences in their faiths — the practice of polygamy being the chief example.

Clinton Hudson, a student at Sonora High School, is a member of a Christian student fellowship. During a lunchtime meeting, he said one student said they should pray for the children taken in the raid. Another student said they should "pray for the Mormons."

"I approached her and said, 'They're not Mormons. They're fundamentalists. They broke off from the church' and described our history and how they broke off. It really helped a lot," Hudson said Sunday. "It was a great opportunity to get them to understand there's a difference between them and us."

Duffy said he was speaking with a man interested in converting to the LDS Church. After the raid, the man gave them back a copy of the Book of Mormon, saying he did not want to hear from them again.

As they go door-to-door, the missionaries have had to alter their introductions a little to clarify the differences between the two faiths.

"We're not from the church in Eldorado, but we share this message," said Elder Nicolas Librandi, from Murray.

Some have lashed out at the missionaries, blaming polygamy and allegations of child-bride marriages on the LDS Church. But some say there is more interest in the mainstream church, and its message.

"The purposes of God won't be frustrated," said Elder Ryan Bartley, from Carmichael, Calif.

Webb said he has discouraged members from helping out in the name of the LDS Church to avoid confusion between the two faiths, but said they should offer their services as individuals. The local Baptist congregations have contracts to provide relief services in disaster situations.

San Angelo 2nd Ward Bishop Jeffrey Bushman was contacted by a chaplain helping the FLDS women when they were being housed at Fort Concho. The women had requested copies of the Book of Mormon.

"They didn't have anything or bring anything with them, I guess, and they wanted some scriptures and they asked for the Book of Mormon," Bushman said. "I didn't mind. We don't ever mind giving out (copies of the) Book of Mormon to people."

U Said: Uh, the only mention of a place called Nahom is in the book of Mormon. Period. There are no other mentions of a place called Nahom in any other credible archaeological sources. The only archaeologists actively pursuing anything about Nahom are LDS archaeologists.

So the only valid evidence of Jews living in Jerusalem is that found and published by arabs, right? The only valid archeological evidence of the Bible is published by Islam, right? Logic would dictate that only those actually looking for evidence will find it. Rejection of all evidence except that found by those who are not looking for it is an illogical position to try to hold.

U Said: As for Lehi stopping there to bury the dead...well, I'm leaning towards Nehom was imaginary to begin with, so...

If you dismiss all evidence then it must be made up...

U Said: So, overall, I AM disputing a place called "Nahom."

So, I have presented evidence dating back to 700 BC (alters that were buried) and your evidence that they do not exist would be?

U Said: I am also disputing that Joseph Smith couldn't have known about it, because I am leaning towards "Joseph Smith pulled it out of his arse or made it up out of whole cloth."

LOL! You ask for evidence and then refuse to hear it when it arrives, why not be honest and say I am not open to evidence.

Of course you won't want to hear this:

To date, the critics have been unable to explain how so much of First Nephi has become so plausible in recent years. Showing a 1780 map in Europe that has the name Nehem in Arabia does very little to explain the accuracy of Nephi's journey as described in the Book of Mormon. It does not explain the accurate description of places that our critics have long claimed did not even exist, such as the River Laman and the Valley Lemuel or the place Bountiful. It does not explain the plausibility of details such as the place Shazer or the accurate route that includes a plausible due-east turn at Nahom that bypasses the empty quarter and provides a plausible route to Bountiful. Issues that they raised to discredit the Book of Mormon have now become some of the most impressive evidences supporting the authenticity of the text.

From Nahom in Arabia: Responding to Critics Here is one more "Mormon study" for you to dismiss Arabia and The Book of Mormon

and another Video which mentions the Germans who found the first alter with NHM written on it.

here is a video that talks about Radio carbon dated horse skeletons in the Americas: Horses and the Book of Mormon
Here is a video that talks about how Archeology is proving the book of Mormon true Book of Mormon, being confirmed?

I don't expect you to rush out ands seek the nearest Missionaries for more, however, an honest look a the evidence no matter who found it would be refreshing.

Nice try, mormon, but I’m not angry with you. Far from it. But you show your cult’s tendency to mischaracterize scripture is ingrained even in lawyers who are mormons. BTW, try reading Matthew 19 without the ‘divorce’ word in it, as if there is no way a first marriage could be anulled. Do you see why we’ve told you that Jesus taught that more than one wife, unless ‘legally’ the first wife was set aside IS ADULTERY?... Apparently, sadly, you can’t afford to see the truth that more than one wife is adultery (not polygamy, adultery), it would blow your cult into the dustbin it’s headed for.

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