Author: Eric Johnson
-
Does Amos 8:11-12 Support the Great Apostasy?
Amos 8:11-12 is often cited by Mormons to support the concept of a Great Apostasy. However, BYU professor Charles Harrell argues that this passage reflects ancient Israel’s impending spiritual famine due to wickedness and apostasy, specifically in relation to the Assyrian conquest. It warns of the loss of divine guidance rather than a universal authority…
-
Does Isaiah 24:5 Support the Great Apostasy?
Isaiah 24:5 says, “The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.” According to some Latter-day Saints, this refers to an event called the Great Apostasy. The everlasting covenant described here is certainly a reference to the Mosaic law, which would have…
-
Crash Course Mormonism: Preexistence / Premortality
Preexistence, also known as premortality, is the belief that God the Father and Heavenly Mother(s) produced spirit children in a spirit world. According to third President John Taylor, “We know that our spirits existed with the Father before we came here” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 2001, p. 187). According to Mormonism,…
-
Crash Course Mormonism
Understanding the ABC’s of Mormonism An short overview of the different aspects of Mormonism around 1,000 words per article. Beginnings Authority The Godhead Salvation Church Ordinances / Practices The After-Life See also
-
Crash Course Mormonism: Creation
According to Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, matter is eternal. Creation in Mormonism took place “ex materia,” or out of material already present. Because God did not have power to create anything out of nothing, He had to reorganize elements that were already present and have no beginning or end ; these elements cannot…
-
Covenants and Repentance Emphasized by Nelson, Oaks at April 2019 General Conference
Check out a 5-part podcast series airing July 29-August 2, 2019, titled Where is My Family? Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Next week we’ll take a closer look at Oaks’ talk. President Russell M. Nelson and Dallin H. Oaks, the first counselor in the First Presidency, emphasized covenants, repentance, and…
-
Mormonism, the Afterlife, and Striving After Godhood
By Eric Johnson January 2017 Most religions have clear teachings on what happens to a person after death. For example, Eastern philosophies such as Hinduism and Buddhism explain how one’s behavior in a previous life (karma) affects the next life. Muslims are supposed to observe the Five Pillars of Faith and Muhammad’s teachings in order to…
-
The Fruit of Mormonism: A Look at Seventy Mathias Held’s talk at the April 2019 General Conference
On July 8-9, 2019, Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson took a closer look at this talk on Viewpoint on Mormonism. Check them out her: Part 1 Part 2 Summing up Seventy Matthias Held’s talk at the April 2019 General Conference (“Seeking Knowledge by the Spirit”) is this subheading: “We should learn to discern the truth not…
-
“We Have To Be Clean”: Does Mormonism Offer a Biblical Solution?
Seventy Allen D. Haynie gave a talk at the October 2015 General Conference titled “Remembering in Whom We have Trusted.” It was originally published in the November 2015 Ensign on pages 121-23. Apparently his church’s leaders thought highly of this talk because it was condensed into one page and then published on page 80 of…
-
The Bible and the Practice of Polygamy
By Eric Johnson Nobody doubts that polygamy played a vital role for the second half of the nineteenth century in the religion of Mormonism. Because the practice sounds unnatural, many Latter-day Saints are very protective of this teaching. A common tactic that is used is to utilize the Bible to show how the biblical saints married…
-
Did Jesus Believe “Families Are Forever”?
Note: The following was originally printed in the March/April 2019 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. Check out a two-part Viewpoint on Mormonism series airing August 24-25, 2020. Part 1 Part 2 One of the key doctrinal issues that leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have emphasized throughout…
-
The Photo of the Statue of the Apostle Peter and LDS President Russell M. Nelson
During the weekend of March 10, 2019, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints flew all fifteen of its general authorities to Rome, Italy–a nation where up to 85% of its residents are Roman Catholics–as the newest temple built by the 16-million member church was officially dedicated. Among other events that weekend, President Russell…
-
The Doubling Down of the LDS Church: The Word of Wisdom Ain’t Going Away, At Least for Now
(Revised 8/27/2019) Prior to the April 2019 General Conference, there were some who were predicting a possible change in Mormonism to allow coffee and tea, both of which are banned in the Word of Wisdom. Imagine the rejoicing of retail establishments such as Starbucks and Beans and Brews throughout Utah, Idaho, Arizona and Wyoming if…
-
Are Rome and Salt Lake City on the Same Page?
They say a photo is worth a thousand words, and certainly this photo from the Vatican is worth double that amount. With Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church looking on, the LDS First Presidency presented a Christus statue at the Vatican in Rome, Italy on Saturday, March 9, 2019. The occasion for the LDS…
-
Suicide and Mormonism
Suicide is a growing problem in American society today. Many people have been greatly affected in one way or another by this issue, having lost a friend, family member, or coworker who, for whatever the reason(s), decided to end their life. In this article we will take a closer look at the issue of suicide…
-
2 Nephi 25:23: Saved by Grace “In Spite Of” All We Can Do?
Note: The following was originally printed in the November/December 2018 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. At a recent church meeting where I spoke about The Miracle of Forgiveness evangelistic approach described in a chapter found in Sharing the Good News with Mormons (Kregel, 2018), two young male LDS missionaries approached my…
-
Quotations from the Teachings of Thomas S. Monson
The following quotes come from the book Teachings of Thomas S. Monson, quotes from sixteenth president Thomas S. Monson, originally published in 2011 by Deseret Book. This was an employee gift by the First Presidency in 2014. To visit the site with all of the books and quotes from these, go here. Eternal life “It is…
-
Quotations from The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff
The following quotes come from the book The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, which were citations from the fourth president of the church and edited by G. Homer Durham, originally printed by Bookcraft, Inc. in 1946. This is the second collector’s edition published in 1995 and was given by the First Presidency in 1997 to other…
-
Quotations from Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson
The following quotes come from the book Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1973). This was an employee gift by the First Presidency in 2011. To visit the site with all of the books and quotes from these, go here. Dating “Some…
-
Quotations from The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter
The following quotes come from the book The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1997). This was an employee gift by the First Presidency in 2002. To visit the site with all of the books and quotes from these, go here. Agency “Agency played an important part in the premortal world.…