Author: Eric Johnson
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Gospel Topics Essays Reviews Catalog
Podcasts and Articles Introduction According to the LDS Church website, the original Gospel Topics Essays that were produced between 2013-2105 are official, authoritative, and ought to be considered seriously. One page on the church’s website reads: These essays complete a series of 13 that the Church began publishing in 2013 to provide an accurate resource…
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The Garden? Calvary? Tomb? Just Where Did the LDS Atonement Take Place?
Viewpoint on Mormonism shows on this article aired March 31-April 2, 2021. Listen to them here: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Over the years, leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have stressed the importance of the Garden of Gethsemane as the place where Jesus atoned for sins. In earlier times, Gethsemane…
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Are Mormons Christian? A Review of Chapter 1 in The LDS Gospel Topics Series
Review of Chapter 1: Are Mormons Christian? (The LDS Gospel Topics Series, Signature Books, 2020) Authored by Craig Blomberg, New Testament professor at Denver Seminary NOTE: Click here for an introduction and a short review of each of the 13 chapters in the book The LDS Gospel Topics Series: A Scholarly Engagement (edited by Matthew…
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Membership Growth in 2020 Down by Almost 50% As Decline Continues
For a 4-part Viewpoint on Mormonism series on this topic airing February 15-18, 2021, click these links: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Note: This article was modified on April 4, 2021 Over the first weekend of April, LDS Church leaders announced their lowest baptismal convert rate number in many decades due…
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Plural Marriage and Joseph Smith: A PR Nightmare
November 2015 Publicly mention the religion of Mormonism and the first thought to come to mind is “polygamy” or, as it is also called, plural marriage. This common perception linking Mormonism with the practice of one man marrying two or more women has caused the public relations department of The Church of Jesus Christ of…
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Responding to Scott Adams: His Criticism of My Portrayal of Mormonism
(Note: This and the linked articles were published before the December 29, 2020 dialogue between me and Scott Adams, with Sean McDowell as the moderator. As it can be seen, the video of Scott and idea was untimely delayed, so I recommend listening to the podcast rather than watching it) On Wednesday, December 9th, I…
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Should Mormons be Considered “Christian?”
The question of whether Mormons are Christians is an admittedly sensitive issue. It’s not one I normally bring up in a conversation with Latter-day Saints because it can too easily turn into a “Yes they are!” and “No they’re not!” back and forth dispute that can lead to frayed feelings. Mormons like to insist that…
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Mormonism 101: Russian Version
This edition of Mormonism 101: Examining the Religion of the Latter-day Saints (Baker, 2015) is a translation into Russian. MRM would like to thank Paul Carden and his team at The Centers for Apologetic Research for their extensive work on this project. This PDF is available free of charge for download, so if you have…
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Why the LDS Church Needs To Take a Tougher Stance on the Issue of Abortion
I believe the LDS Church should take a tougher stance on the issue of abortion. According to the the church’s website, most types of abortions are wrong but there are three exceptions: Church leaders have said that some exceptional circumstances may justify an abortion, such as when pregnancy is the result of incest or rape,…
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10 Common Mistakes Latter-day Saints Make When Reading the Bible
Listen to a Viewpoint on Mormonism podcast series that played Feb. 8-12, 2021. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 While the Bible is part of the four Standard Works, there are some common mistakes Latter-day Saints sometimes make that result in an improper understanding of biblical verses and passages. Let’s take…
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Why Don’t Latter-Day Saints Pray to Jesus?
Latter-day Saints are taught to pray to God the Father (Elohim or Heavenly Father) and not to Jesus. Beth T. Spackman, a seminary teacher in Midnapore, Alberta, said Jesus should not be prayed to in her answer to a question in the June 1988 Ensign magazine. She wrote, In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus…
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Why Inerrancy of the Bible Is So Important to Evangelical Christians
There is a term called “inerrancy of the Bible” that is considered a most important belief by those calling themselves Evangelical Christians. Many Latter-day Saints criticize those who hold to this view, pointing out that their church’s Eighth Article of Faith says in part that the Bible is true “only as far as it is…
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10 Reasons why the Multiple LDS Temples Have Nothing to do with the Biblical Temple in Jerusalem
Check out Viewpoint on Mormonism’s 10-part series on the temple that originally aired from July 26-30, 2021: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Many Mormons assume that the temples built and operated by their church are based on biblical precedent, as per the teachings of their leaders. For instance, Apostle Mark…
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Were the Apostle Paul and Joseph Smith Two Peas in a Pod?
Introduction In the History of the Church 6:408-409, Joseph Smith bragged about his greatness when he said, Come on! ye prosecutors! ye false swearers! All hell, boil over! Ye burning mountains, roll down your lava! for I will come out on the top at last. I have more to boast of than ever any man…
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The Allow-the-LDS-Leaders-to Say-It-Themselves Approach
Summary Sometimes one of the most powerful apologetic approaches a Christian can offer is to allow LDS leaders to speak for themselves. While a layperson Latter-day Saint may say that their view “is just their opinion,” this should not be the case when the leader is speaking at General Conference or is writing in an…
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Effectively Sharing With Someone From the Community of Christ
By Trevor Wolfe from Haven Ministries Check out an article on the overall history and doctrine of the Community of Christ by clicking here My approach to witnessing to followers belonging to the Community of Christ (CoC) is different than when I witness to Mormons, or members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day…
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Splinter Group: The Community of Christ
Summary The Community of Christ is the largest church following Joseph Smith after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). This is a religion that does not place much emphasis on theology as much as it does on social justice issues, including an emphasis on striving for world peace, feeding the hungry,…
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4 Important Reasons Why Nobody Should Pray About a Personal Testimony…Ever
There appears to be nothing more important to a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than having a personal “testimony” confirming the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and, ultimately, the LDS religion itself. Some refer to receiving this personal testimony as a “burning in the bosom.” The term comes from…
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Splinter Group: Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS)
Viewpoint on Mormonism did a three-part series on the FLDS that aired on September 2-4, 2020, including an interview with missionary Brodie Olson who lives among the FLDS people. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Introduction The face of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) has changed dramatically since Warren Jeffs,…
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Splinter Group: Apostolic United Brethren
Updated 5/21/2025 Check out a 2-part Viewpoint on Mormonism series that originally aired September 28-29, 2020 Part 1 Part 2 Church Name Apostolic United Brethren. Other names include “Allred Group,” “AUB,” “The Work,” “The Group,” and “The Priesthood” Founder Rulon C. Allred (1906-1977) in 1954 Current Leader Lynn A. Thompson (1940-2021) was the leader from…