Author: Sharon Lindbloom
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Seeking the God Who Is
When Elijah battled the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18), the LORD was determined to prove He alone was the one true God. “You call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD,” Elijah proposed; “whoever answers by fire, He is the true God.”…
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Too Little Time, Too Much to Do
On October 8th, 1854 Brigham Young delivered a conference discourse in Salt Lake City. After making several preliminary remarks to the congregation he said, “I think these preliminaries will satisfy me, and I feel prepared to take my text: it is the words of Jesus Christ, but where they are in the Bible I cannot…
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The Dark Side of a Dark Doctrine
The Canadian Supreme Court (British Columbia) is currently hearing a case on the constitutionality of Canada’s polygamy laws. On December 2 (2010) the court heard testimony from Utah clinical psychologist Dr. Lawrence Beall, who described the “dark side” of polygamy in “fundamentalist Mormon communities.” Dr. Beall’s remarks focused on the fate and experiences of the…
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Missing the Point
During the April 2010 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Second Counselor in the First Presidency) talked about Mormons being the “hands” of Christ. Mr. Uchtdorf provided lots of good ideas on how people can (and should) emulate Christ by embracing, comforting, serving and loving one…
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Elizabeth Smart a Victim of Mormonism?
The trial of ex-Mormon-turned-Prophet Brian David Mitchell is well underway, and garnering attention outside of the US. Mitchell, you may recall, abducted 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart in 2002, insisting that she was to become his second (plural) wife. Mitchell and his legal wife, Wanda, kept Elizabeth for 9 months, until she was found and rescued by…
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No Sanctuary
A short perusal of the press releases on the LDS Newsroom web site demonstrates the Mormon Church’s commitment to humanitarian aid around the world. The organization’s quick response to areas devastated by floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc., is well publicized and well known. The Church’s web site states, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints…
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Post-Mortal Appearances of Joseph Smith
JT Hillman wrote a letter to the editor of Louisiana’s towntalk.com. In an effort to point people to Christ, JT wrote (in part), “I read in The Town Talk, some dear person was thanking St. Jude. St. Jude cannot help you. Mary, St. Paul, St. Peter, my deceased mother, they are dead. Only Jesus can…
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Christian Church declines Mormon application for Scouting leadership
Earlier this week the Charlotte Observer reported on a controversial decision made by a local Christian church: Christ Covenant Church declined an offer from a Mormon couple who wanted to volunteer as Scout leaders. They were refused because their Mormon faith is “not consistent with historical Christianity.” The pastor of Christian Education and Young Families…
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Worthy or Unworthy
A few months ago, folks here at Mormon Coffee were discussing LDS temple weddings and the difficulties that can arise when the bride and/or groom come from part-member families. Non-Mormons, as well as Mormons who do not possess temple recommends, are not allowed to enter LDS temples; therefore, they are not allowed to attend the temple weddings of their…
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The House that John Built
John Patten, Jr. and Candace Smith were newlyweds when John built their home in Manti, Utah. Constructed in 1854, the Patten home is now a museum that “stands as a symbol for the same industry, faith and hope” as does the LDS temple in Manti, according to Deseret News. The LDS Church-owned newspaper recently highlighted…
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Obedience/Personal Worthiness Familiar Conference Themes
As we head toward the October General Conference coming up, here’s a quick look at a few teachings from the last General Conference (April 2010) as found in the May 2010 issue of the Ensign magazine. “Qualifying for the Lord’s Spirit begins with a desire for that Spirit and implies a certain degree of worthiness.…
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Sister Wives
I know it sounds like a spoof, but it’s not. On September 26th (2010) TLC will premiere a new reality show: Sister Wives. According to ABC News, “The series will follow the fundamentalist Mormon family of Kody Brown and his four ‘sister wives’—Meri, Janelle, Christine, and their new wife, Robyn. Together, they have 13 children…
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The Mormon Kingdom Today
Over at the Mormon Chapbook blog, Mike Tea takes a look at the demographics of Mormonism. Employing a helpful map (below) provided by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Mike argues that the grandiose LDS claims of worldwide Mormon growth and influence are greatly overstated. He writes, Outside these parameters Mormonism is all…
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More on Normal Mormons
Last month I wrote about the new LDS ad campaign tailored to convince people that Mormons are just normal folk. The 30-second commercials continue to flood the airwaves in nine test cities across America. Longer versions of these “I’m [fill in the blank with a name], and I’m a Mormon” videos are found on You…
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“We Do Not Believe…”
In August (2010) Jerry Johnston at Mormon Times wrote about the general negative impression Americans hold in regard to members of the LDS Church. He noted that Mormonism has always been misunderstood, regardless of the Church’s long-standing efforts to put fears about Mormons and Mormonism to rest. Citing Joseph Smith’s Articles of Faith provided to…
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A Willing Blindness
People are always asking me, “With all the evidence that testifies against Mormonism, how can Mormons still believe it?” I recently came across one possible answer to this question in an unlikely place. In Erwin W. Lutzer’s new book, When a Nation Forgets God: 7 Lessons We Must Learn From Nazi Germany, Dr. Lutzer addresses…
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Condemning Unbelievers
Upon hearing the Christian Gospel message, people are sometimes offended at the idea that everyone, themselves included, are sinners. The fact that the Bible is the source for this designation (Romans 3:23) doesn’t usually hinder a quick accusation that the bringer of Good News is being judgmental. A similar misunderstanding is common when the biblical…
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Bells of Hell
In the LDS book Temple Worship Simplified by Terrance Drake it says, “It would be an oversight to discuss effective ways to increase temple activity and not offer this word of warning: with every effort to build temples or to increase temple attendance, forces of evil will inevitably arise to destroy these efforts… “The ‘bells…
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Normal Mormons
The LDS Church has launched a “considerably” expensive advertising blitz in nine markets across America. The city I live in happens to be one of them. The advertising campaign is designed to persuade people that Mormons are nothing special or unique; they are just like everybody else. The television ads feature people from different walks…
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Searching for Answers?
Betty Hollowell didn’t grow up LDS. She converted to Mormonism as a young adult. She told a bit of her life story in the July 2010 Ensign (69). Beginning when she was a young child, she always wondered, “Where did I come from?” Betty wrote, “Deep within my heart I knew I had lived somewhere…
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