Author: Eric Johnson
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Have You Ever Sinned the Same Sin Twice?
When it comes to the area of God’s forgiveness, there is a vast difference between the God of Mormonism and the God of the Bible. Because of the sinful nature that clothes all humans, everyone struggles with sin and temptation. Not even the apostle Paul was exempt from the daily contentions with sin. Though he…
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Do You Really Believe You Can Become a God?
Whereas Christianity has, throughout the centuries, defined salvation as synonymous with eternal life, Mormonism makes eternal life synonymous with becoming a god. According to sixth President Joseph F. Smith, The object of our earthly existence is that we may have a fulness of joy, and that we may become the sons and daughters of God,…
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What Historical Support Does the Mormon Church Have to Justify Baptism for the Dead?
A majority of the work that is performed in LDS temples throughout the world by faithful Mormons is done on behalf of the dead. Besides endowments for the dead, baptisms for the dead are also performed. Ordinances on behalf of such notables as William Shakespeare, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Patrick Henry, Paul Revere, Leo Tolstoy,…
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Is the Mormon Priesthood Really of Ancient Origin?
The authority of the priesthood is so important to the Mormon that without it, male members are not enabled “to act in God’s name for the salvation of the human family” (Gospel Principles, p. 67). Those without this authority are unable to perform any ordinances, as Apostle James Talmage explained: No one may officiate in…
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Why Does the Mormon Church Ignore Jesus’ Role as Prophet of God’s Church?
Check out a week-long Viewpoint on Mormonism series on The Role of Revelation that aired from September 9-13, 2019 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Mormon Apostle James Talmage once wrote: … the Church holds itself in readiness to receive additional light and knowledge “pertaining to the Kingdom of God” through divine revelation…. We rely…
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What if the Bible Was Translated Correctly After All?
The eighth of Mormonism’s thirteen Articles of Faith found at the end of the Pearl of Great Price says, “We believe the Bible to be the Word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.” In other words, Mormons are taught to accept…
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Do the First Vision Accounts Coincide?
Mormons are taught that, as a fourteen-year-old young man, Joseph Smith was visited by both God the Father and Jesus Christ during the spring of 1820. This visitation is known in Mormonism as the First Vision. According to the official LDS version, Smith was perplexed by the behavior of certain Christians in the area where he…
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Is it Possible for Families to be Together Forever?
Editor’s Note: The following was originally printed in the September/October 2015 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 The First Presidency message published in the June 2015 Ensign and written by Henry B. Eyring (“Families Can Be Together Forever”)…
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The Role of the LDS Church in Utah’s Politics: An Insider’s Look
By Carl Wimmer, Former Utah state legislator Editor’s Note: The following was originally printed in the May/June 2015 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. Page 126 of the LDS Church manual titled Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith cites the sixth president of the Mormon Church as saying, “The Church does not engage…
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Sufficiently Humble?
In the August 2015 Ensign magazine is an anonymous article on page 10 titled “We Believe in Being Humble.” On the opposite page are artistic renderings depicting five ways a person “can show humility”: “receiving counsel and correction,” “giving selfless service,” “praying with real intent,” “serving a mission,” and “doing family history work and attending…
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“Mormonites.” Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate (Utica, New York) 2, no. 15 (9 April 1831): 120.
The following is an article titled “Mormonites,” which was written by A.W. Benton and printed in the Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate (Utica, New York), vol. 2, no. 15 (9 April 1831): 120. MORMONITES. Messrs. Editors—In the sixth number of your paper I saw a notice of a sect of people called Mormonites; and thinking…
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Book Review: Talking Doctrine: Mormons and Evangelicals in Conversation
Review of Talking Doctrine: Mormons & Evangelicals In Conversation (IVP Academic, 2015, edited by Richard J. Mouw and Robert L. Millet) Listen to a 5-day Viewpoint on Mormonism podcast series airing in the late summer 2015: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 39, number 2 (2016). The…
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A List of Joseph Smith’s Wives
A List of Joseph Smith’s wives Here is a list of Joseph Smith’s plural wives, each with a name, date, marital status (Single, Married, Widowed), and age when the marriage to Smith occurred: Fanny Alger (1833) S 16 Lucinda Pendleton (1838) M 37 Louisa Beaman (4/15/1841) S 26 Zina Diantha Huntington (10/27/1841) M 20 Presendia…
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Calling the Wife on the Resurrection Day
One of the unique aspects of the LDS temple ceremony is that participants are given new names. This name is to be considered sacred and never to be revealed except at a certain time later in the ceremony. All men entering the temple on the same day are given the same name; the same occurs…
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List of Joseph Smith’s Wives (George A. Smith)
Mormonism’s founder, Joseph Smith, was married to more than 30 women, meaning that Emma was not his one and only wife. Many who know about Smith’s philanderous ways may assume that these women must have been widows or “old maids” and their prophet was doing a favor to them by marrying them. However, the idea that Joseph Smith…
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Gospel Topics Essay: Book of Mormon Translation
To see an introduction to the Gospel Topics essays, click here. The entire essay is printed below, underlined, with my commentary included throughout. Because I will try to be short and to the point as much as possible, a number of sites (many from MRM) to support my disagreement are included. I encourage interested readers to consider…
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Did Joseph Smith Use the Seer Stone…or Didn’t He?
For many years, many Mormons have denied that Joseph Smith used a “seer stone” to translate the Book of Mormon. They were led to believe that he used the “urim and thummim,” special instruments even mentioned in the Old Testament, to aid him in the translation. Tenth Mormon President Joseph Fielding Smith was quite adament…
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Testimony of Brianna
See why Brianna came into a relationship with Jesus Christ.