Dr Paul Allen

Byzantine icon of the cursing of the fig tree. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Gospel writers Matthew and Mark seem to be chronicling the same event in Jesus ’ life when they tell the story of him cursing the fig tree . However, their accounts appear to differ when it comes to their description of when the tree withered. Matthew 21:19 - And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. Mark 11:14, 20 - And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. … As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. In Matthew’s account, it sounds as if the tree withers just after Jesus curses it, while Mark suggests that it wasn’t until the next morning that the withering was apparent. Are these writers telling two separate stories? Is it the same story but one of them get the facts wrong

Image by dagnyg via Flickr The following is adapted from the section on Mormonism (or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ) in  the ESV Study Bible article on religious cults . The attempt is to be concise yet still accurate. I’ve added questions in bold to break it up a bit. What do Mormons believe about apostasy and restoration ? Mormons claim that “total” apostasy overcame the church following apostolic times , and that the Mormon Church (founded in 1830) is the “restored church.” What’s the problem with this understanding? If the Mormon Church were truly a “restored church,” one would expect to find first-century historical evidence for Mormon doctrines like the plurality of gods and God the Father having once been a man. Such evidence is completely lacking. Besides, the Bible disallows a  total  apostasy of the church (e.g.,  Matt. 16:18; 28:20 ;  Eph. 3:21; 4:11–16 ), warning instead of  partial  apostasy ( 1 Tim. 4:1 ). What do Mormons believe about God? Mormons