Author: Eric Johnson
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Review of “Gospel Basics” (December 2021 Liahona)
By Mike Rabus Posted March 21, 2022 A recurring column in the Liahona magazine called “Gospel Basics” usually follows the first article written in that month’s edition. The topics in this section are usually covered by just a few paragraphs of text from unidentified writers, providing very simple explanations for some of the unique doctrinal beliefs…
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Joseph Smith: Of Walls and Elevation
By Bill McKeever Note: The following was originally printed in the November/December 2021 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. “Did you know that Joseph Smith was shocked to learn that Jerusalem had walls around it while translating the Book of Mormon?” Such is the opening line of a video produced by…
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Baptism After the Age of 8 Makes the Individual a “Convert”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints keeps careful track of coverts to the church. Whereas the church was growing by more than 4% in the late 1980s, the rate has dropped to less than 1.5% from 2015-2019. In 2020, that figure dropped to under 1%. Church leaders announce general membership numbers every April…
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Review of “Daily Restoration” (Apostle Dieter F. Utchdorf, Oct. 2021 General Conference)
By Mike Rabus Posted February 11, 2022 What does the evangelical-produced New International Version of the Bible (NIV) and the book/movie Jurassic Park have in common? They were both referenced by Dieter F. Uchtdorf in the talk “Daily Restoration” at the October 2021 General Conference! Those who listened to the talk by Uchtdorf live wouldn’t be…
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Was Brigham Young a “Jerk”?
Brad R. Wilcox, a BYU professor and the second counselor in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Young Men general presidency, gave a fireside talk on Sunday, February 6, 2022 to church congregations in Alpine, UT. He claims that members have complained to him about how Mormonism’s authoritative priesthood was not given to…
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Review of “The Greatest Gift of Christmas” (Apostle Dieter F. Utchdorf, Dec. 2021 Liahona)
By Mike Rabus Posted February 7, 2022 In the December 2021 issue of the Liahona magazine, Apostle Dieter F. Uchtdorf wrote an article encouraging church members to renew their focus on Jesus Christ. A few questions I have based on the topics he discussed include: Uchtdorf starts the article by recounting some faith-promoting Christmas memories. On…
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Review of “The Love of God” (Apostle D. Todd Christofferson, Oct. 2021 General Conference)
By Mike Rabus Posted February 4, 2022 For a three-part Viewpoint on Mormonism podcast series on this talk that aired November 22-24, 2021, visit Part 1 Part 2 Part 3. Delivered by Apostle D. Todd Christofferson, the talk “The Love of God” delivered at the October 2021 general conference covers many of the doctrinal topics that come up…
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A Change Made to a Controversial “Policy”: God’s Directive or a Political Adjustment?
The leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon) reversed a church “policy” in 2019 that had been implemented just three and a half years earlier. The original policy made on November 3, 2015 stated how “a natural or adopted child of a parent living in a same-gender relationship, whether…
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Review of “The Greatest Possession” (Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland, Oct. 2021 General Conference)
By Mike Rabus Posted January 17, 2022 Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland gave a talk at the October 2021 General Conference titled “The Greatest Possession” that was published in the November 2021 Liahona magazine. There are two main points that I’d like to share with you from this talk: Holland opened the talk with a reference to…
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Mike Rabus
Mike Rabus has been a student of Mormonism for nearly ten years. He was reading the Apologetics Study Bible when he first heard about the Book of Abraham. He decided to ask a LDS coworker about it-which was the first of many conversations-and led to an in-depth study into the truth claims of the LDS…
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Review of “Pure Truth, Pure Doctrine, and Pure Revelation” (President Russell M. Nelson, October 2021 General Conference)
By Mike Rabus Posted January 10, 2022 The first talk given in the October 2021 General Conference was delivered by 17th President Russell M. Nelson, which is published in the November 2021 issue of the church magazine known as the Liahona. Although it was a brief talk, there are two truth claims made by Nelson…
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Reviews of “Come, Follow Me” Old Testament 2022
For the 2023 Come, Follow Me New Testament curriculum, click here. The series titled “Come, Follow Me,” originated in 2018 when the church put together weekly studies for members of all ages. The topics included doctrinal issues such as the Godhead, the Plan of Salvation, the Atonement, and Ordinances and Covenants among them. During the…
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10 Reasons to Reject the God of Mormonism
Grasping the concept of the true God of the universe is crucial for every seeker after truth. This is certainly the message communicated in the Bible. If the Bible ought to be considered the Word of God–and it should–here are 10 reasons why the God of Mormonism ought to be rejected. 1. The God of…
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Why a Modern Translation of the Bible Can Be Beneficial
Officially The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints encourages its members to use the King James Version of the Bible (KJV). While the KJV was a fine version for its time, it can be difficult for modern English-speakers to understand many parts of what the translation is saying. Many readers skim over the archaic…
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Review: Crossing the Divide: From Baptist to Latter-day Saint
Review: Crossing the Divide: From Baptist to Latter-day Saint (2021) Authored by Bryan Ready Posted October 29, 2021 Several books have been written during the past few years by authors who make a claim of being Christian pastors before converting to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In fact, I have previously reviewed…
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Apostle Provides the Old “Bait and Switch”
Posted October 7, 2021 Note: The following was originally printed in the September/October 2021 edition of the Mormonism Researched, a bimonthly periodical of MRM that is free upon request. To request a free subscription to Mormonism Researched, please visit here. For many years, the bait and switch scam—advertising a product at an incredible bargain price but…
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Why a Fourth Gospel Topics Essay on Plural Marriage?
Note: The following was originally printed in the July/August 2021 edition of the Mormonism Researched, a bimonthly periodical of MRM that is free upon request. To request a free subscription to Mormonism Researched, please visit here. Between October 2013 to December 2015, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints published 13 official “Gospel Topics essays”…
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The Temple Endowment Ceremony
Participation in what is called the temple “endowment” ceremony is an important facet of the LDS faith since it is in this ritual where Mormons learn secret “key words,” “signs” and “tokens” that they hope will help them return to God’s presence. Brigham Young, Mormonism’s second president, claimed, “Your endowment is, to receive all those ordinances…
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Throw Away Kimball’s the Miracle of Forgiveness? A Response to a Utah Area Seventy
A Utah area seventy interviewed two LDS teenagers one day in August 2021 on the issue of LDS repentance. Richard Neitzel Holzapfel spoke at a stake leadership meeting at the Herriman Utah Rose Canyon Stake and told the two students–a male and a female–to be “honest and authentic.” The video published on August 13, 2021…
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Should a Christian school allow a Mormon student to enroll?
Posted 8/15/2021 A disclaimer. For 17 years I was employed at a private Christian school in Southern California, teaching classes in English, Bible, journalism, and yearbook as well as ESL Bible. For the last 6 years at the school (2005-2010), I served as the Bible department head. The experience was awesome and I loved my…
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