A Response to FARMS Critique of Questions to ask your Mormon Friends

Does the word of God change?

Responding to the idea that Mormons should remember the past unique teachings from their early leaders, Jacobson writes:

Yet, presumably, McKeever and Johnson do not make regular burnt offerings of a dove or lamb to the Lord, nor is it likely that they believe that male children must be circumcised. One might say that McKeever and Johnson are distancing "themselves from past teachings" of the Bible by not following the Mosaic law. (pg. 163)

The difference between our situation and the LDS situation is that Jesus Christ came between the Old and New Covenants to fulfill the law. Jacobson is correct in that we do not sacrifice animals any more. This is because Jesus paid the full price with His atoning death and therefore took away the temple rites that prefigured the final sacrifice. Because of this, New Testament Christians do not practice like Old Testament Jews. Jacobson, however, fails to answer the real issue we raised on page 37, and that is, "If both [prophet and written word] are inspired, there should be no contradiction." Mormon leaders have a propensity to contradict each other as well as the Bible, making it necessary for Latter-day Saints to choose which one to believe.