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I was reading the question "Is this site just for Bible-based questions and answers?" and I answered it with this question, so I thought it might be better suited as its own question.

If a question is asked that does not does not specifically say "what does the Bible say about X" would an answer that quotes from a non-Biblical Christian source of scripture be welcome? For example if the answer was given based on the Book of Mormon (the book of scripture, not the musical)?

Likewise, if a question was asked about a point of teaching in the Book of Mormon, would that be considered on topic? I picked the Book of Mormon because it specifically says "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" on the cover, but yet is only accepted as such by a small minority of Christian faiths. I am sure there are other books that are considered to be Christian scripture by members of some faith's but not others.

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    The Apocrypha, The Gospel of Thomas, and The Gnostics Gospels come to mind as other examples.
    – Flimzy
    Commented Aug 26, 2011 at 18:26
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    @Filmzy Yes, other great examples.
    – Jim McKeeth
    Commented Aug 26, 2011 at 18:39

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I think that when a question does not specify which scripture(s) it is asking about, that anyone ought to be free to offer a view based on any of these scriptures, or any other source (including Tradition, Christian history, scholars, or personal opinion), as long as they cite their source. The voting system will weed out the good answers from the bad.

I think this question ought to be the same question as "Is it appropriate to answer a question from any book of the Bible?" And the answer is, "Yes, unless the question is only asking for answers from the (Old Testament, Epistles, Gospel of Mark, etc)."

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Yes, I think there is a place on this site for answering using non-Biblical reference texts.

In particular, if a question is asked about about other faiths that base their beliefs on extra-Biblical texts or traditions that place special value on apocryphal texts, quoting those respective texts when providing answers would be very appropriate. I think this can be taken a step farther: I have quoted the Qur'an in an answer.

Additionally, if anybody wants to provide perspectives from other faiths or traditions to questions (that do not specify) then, as long as they identify the perspective they are answering from, I think they should be welcome to provide answers that include non-Biblical texts as references.

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    I completely agree. I'd say the same goes for important texts in church history, faith, and order, like the Westminster and Augsburg Confessions, the 1629 Anglican Prayer Book, and the Catholic Catechism. If you quote a not-so-well-known text, a link to it is a good idea.
    – user116
    Commented Aug 28, 2011 at 1:03

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