Who identifies and interprets the canon?
Sola scriptura depends on a canon and an interpretive method that the Bible does not supply by itself.
A Latter-day Saint field guide
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Hear the objection in its strongest form. See the short answer. Read the passages in context. Then ask the question that tests the critic's assumptions.
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How do Latter-day Saints understand the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost?
The New Testament teaches the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, their real distinction, and their perfect unity. Latter-day Saints accept those claims while disputing that the fourth-century Nicene formula is the only faithful way to hold them together.
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Does the Bible teach Scripture alone?
Paul teaches that inspired scripture equips believers for good works. He also tells Christians to hold to apostolic teaching received in writing and by word of mouth. To establish that Scripture alone became the final rule after the apostles died, you need an argument for that change. Latter-day Saints trust the Bible and believe Christ restored living prophetic authority.
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Are Latter-day Saints Christians?
Latter-day Saints worship Jesus Christ as the divine Son of God, risen Lord, Redeemer, and only source of salvation. Other Christians may reject LDS theology, but disagreement over later creeds does not make devotion to Christ disappear.
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What do Latter-day Saints mean by the Great Apostasy?
The "gates of Hades" in Matthew 16:18 are the power of death, not a guarantee that every later church office would continue without interruption. Christ broke those gates through His Resurrection. The verse promises death will not hold His people; it does not settle the separate historical question of apostolic authority.
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What do Latter-day Saints believe about grace and works?
Latter-day Saints do not teach that anyone earns resurrection or forgiveness apart from Christ. Covenants, baptism, and obedience are ways of receiving and living in His grace, not a competing source of saving power.
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What do Latter-day Saints mean by “as far as it is translated correctly”?
Latter-day Saints affirm the Bible as God’s word and recognize that copies and translations can vary. Evangelical inerrancy also distinguishes the original text from copies. If we disagree about a verse, we can compare the evidence for its wording and ask separately what authority later revelation has.
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Do Latter-day Saints believe in more than one God?
Latter-day Saints worship the Father through Jesus Christ and believe the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three distinct beings united as one Godhead. Exaltation means receiving divine glory through Christ. The Father remains our God. Isaiah affirms the Lord’s unique power to save, while the Latter-day Saint teaching on exaltation also draws on modern revelation.
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Does Revelation 22 rule out new scripture?
The warning in Revelation 22 concerns adding to that prophecy; it never says God has finished revealing scripture. The Bible contains no inspired table of contents and no verse announcing that future revelation has ended.
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The offensive side
Check the assumptions underneath it
Many objections only work after a disputed assumption has been granted. These are the pressure points worth slowing down and examining.
Which Christianity counts as original?
Later creeds may organize Christian thought, but their categories should not be smuggled back into every first-century text.
Does the standard survive the Bible?
Tests aimed at Joseph Smith, modern prophets, or additional scripture should also be applied to biblical prophets and institutions.
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Browse by doctrinal question
Topics group connected claims so you can see how one assumption about authority, God, or revelation creates several objections at once.
27 answers
Apostasy & Restoration
The Great Falling Away
20 answers
Joseph Smith
The Prophetic Case
19 answers
Defending the Faith
Responding to Common Criticisms
11 answers
Plural Marriage
Sealings, Evidence & Moral Questions
10 answers
Nature of God
Physical Form & Deification
9 answers
Sola Scriptura
Scripture & Church Authority
6 answers
Epistemology & Testimony
How We Know Truth
4 answers
Priesthood & Authority
Restored Divine Authority
4 answers
Salvation & Grace
Grace, Works & Agency