Author: Sharon Lindbloom
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Statement on the Grand Blanc LDS Chapel Tragedy
We at Mormonism Research Ministry are deeply grieved by this horrific act of violence. Our hearts ache for the lives cut short, the wounded who now suffer, and the families left shattered in its wake.
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LDS Apostle Calls a Long-Standing Mormon Doctrine into Question
Dieter Uchtdorf’s claim that no one is beyond Christ’s forgiveness clashes with Mormonism’s own scriptures and leaders, who insist murder is an unforgivable sin.
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Mormonism and the Dangers of Historical Fiction
Netflix’s “American Primeval” has sparked a rare rebuke from LDS Church, which slams the series for its “dangerously misleading” portrayal of Brigham Young.
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“American Primeval” and the Mountain Meadows Massacre
Netflix’s American Primeval takes a wildly fictional swing at the Utah War, portraying Mormons as bloodthirsty villains in a brutal massacre of a U.S. Army camp that never happened.
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Latter-day Saints’ Ultimate Reckoning with God
In a devotional at BYU, Seventy Jörg Klebingat dismissed Jonathan Edwards’ fiery sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” as a misunderstanding of God’s character.
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Mormonism’s Twist on John Newton’s “Amazing Grace”
The LDS Church is revising its hymnbook, including “Amazing Grace,” a song deeply cherished in Christian worship, though it carries a different understanding of grace in Mormon theology. While Christians embrace grace as a gift, Mormonism ties grace to obedience and effort.
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The LDS Temple Endowment Ceremony Changes Again: Mormonism’s Word of God Does Not Endure
The LDS Church has once again revised its sacred temple endowment ceremony, slashing twenty percent of the ritual in 2024 despite past leaders’ claims that it was divinely revealed by Joseph Smith to remain unchanged forever.
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Suffocating Memories of a Mormon Mission
A new “spine-chilling psychological horror” movie starring Hugh Grant is slated to be released in November. Titled “Heretic,” the premise of the film is this: “Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), becoming ensnared in his…
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Cultic Characteristics of Mormonism
Note: The following was originally printed in the January/February 2024 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. Though the word “cult” has fallen far out of favor, cults and religious sects still exist. Christian author and theologian Roger E. Olson addressed the history of the word and its evolving definition in an…
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When Latter-day Saints Testify That the LDS Church Is True
25 June 2024 After Jesus told Pilate, “I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth,” Pilate famously responded, “What is truth?” (John 18:37-38). The June 2024 edition of Liahona, the official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, tackles a variation of this question: “What do we mean when we say…
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Mormonism’s Eternal Sealings: A Complex Story
3 June 2024 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints devotes considerable resources to seeking after its dead (as the faith’s founder Joseph Smith put it). This includes the genealogical research the church is somewhat famous for, used to first identify deceased people and then provide them with Mormonism’s “saving ordinances” done vicariously for…
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Mormonism’s Gospel Tree
4 April 2024 In recent years The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been working hard at mitigating fallout among its membership that stems from the church’s problematic history. From the publishing of the online explanatory Gospel Topics essays beginning in late 2013, to today’s insistence that LDS church history is not of…
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Continuing LDS Criticism of Other Churches: Greedy Ministers and Lazy Congregants
“Good morning, sir!” Lucifer greeted the minister, “If you will preach your orthodox religion to these people, and convert them, I will pay you well.” The minister was happy to comply, but when he later understood that his employer was the devil, he grew concerned about the arrangement. He fretted, “If I leave his employ,…
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Difficulties in Life Are Part of the “Universal Quest for Godhood,” Notes LDS Apostle
In January (2024) a tragic accident in Huntington Canyon, Utah took the life of a vibrant young woman, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. LDS apostle Jeffrey Holland spoke at the 18-year-old’s funeral, offering much-needed words of comfort to grieving family and friends. The LDS publication Church News reported on President Holland’s…
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The LDS Church Says It’s Now OK To Ask Difficult Faith-Related Questions
Last week, The Salt Lake Tribune published an article about two new Gospel Topics resources produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: “Seeking Answers to Your Questions” and “Helping Others with Their Questions.” According to the Tribune, these guides are meant to help Latter-day Saints navigate through a crisis of faith. Hailed by the Tribune as a…
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The LDS Church at Christmas: A Cautionary Tale
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presented its 2023 First Presidency Christmas Devotional on December 3rd. This event featured The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square (formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir) and comments by several LDS church leaders. Though church President Russell M. Nelson was present at the event, his address to…
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The LDS Church’s Groundless Celebration of Moroni’s Visitation
Church News, a weekly publication by and about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, recently noted, “The gospel Restoration [Mormonism] started on Sept. 21, 1823, when a heavenly messenger appeared to Joseph Smith and said: ‘My name is Moroni. Let’s get to work’” (as paraphrased by LDS church historian Kyle McKay in Church News,…
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Putting “History” Back in the LDS Church’s News Release on Historic Kirtland
Kirtland, Ohio was once the headquarters of what is today known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From February 1831 to January 1838 the church’s founder, Joseph Smith, lived in Ohio while directing the church’s affairs. The Kirtland years were very important in laying the foundation of the Mormon church. One LDS…
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Mormonism’s “Only True Church” Doctrine “Does Not Feel Loving.”
Earlier this month LDSLiving online posted an article titled, “What does it mean to believe the Church is ‘true’?” In this article, LDS author and historian Kate Holbrook (1972-2002) began by presenting two questions posed to her by a friend who was relatively new to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dr. Holbrook…