Author: Sharon Lindbloom
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Sexual Morality in Old Mormon Nauvoo
Sexual morality in early 1840s Nauvoo, Illinois, the City of Joseph [Smith], was enough to make most people blush. John C. Bennett, who had for 18 months been a member of Joseph Smith’s inner circle and close confidante, left the Mormon Church in May of 1842. He subsequently exposed “Joe Smith as the seducer of…
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Messing with the Gospel doesn’t make you wrong…
…it makes you an evildoer. In this sermon on Philippians 3:1-3, Christian Pastor Troy Dobbs examines the Apostles Paul’s warning to watch out for “the dogs” –religious people who “mess around with the Gospel.” “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is…
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Praise to the Man: Joseph Smith
The September issue of the Ensign magazine includes an article celebrating the 30th “birthday” of the LDS hymnbook, Hymns (74-75). Even though the Ensign clearly states “there are no plans at this time for a new edition,” rumors are circulating to the contrary. Why the Mormon community would think a new edition is in the…
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When Moroni’s Promise is Broken
Most people who have experienced Mormon proselytizing are familiar with “Moroni’s Promise” found in the Book of Mormon: “And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a…
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Mormonism:
Jesus Is the Literal “Bodily Offspring” of God the FatherI was just paging through an old book I found at a used bookstore. It’s titled Principles of the Gospel, published in 1961 by the Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and contains an opening note to “Brethren” of the armed services from the First Presidency (David O.…
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From the Mailbag (17 Points of the True Church)
Please pray for me as i am trying to leave mormonism. My husband is very active in church and he sent me this. What do you think. Thank you.Connie FROM THE BIBLE: 17 Points of the True Church of Christ [1] Christ organized the Church (Eph 4:11-14)[2] The true church must bear the name of…
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Mormons, Take Courage
In February 2015 a small Facebook group of former Mormons was asked, “What is the #1 or main reason you left the LDS Church? What started your journey out of Mormonism?” This is what they said: “Discovering that it was false. I actually watched a speech by Lyndon Lamborn which opened my eyes.” “Going to…
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Theosis: “The Mormon View Is Altogether Different.”
This has been going on for far too long. BYU Professor Robert Millet, as part of his continuing apologetic for the Mormon doctrine of exaltation (i.e., faithful Mormons becoming Gods), perseveres in asserting that this doctrine did not originate with Mormonism, but was taught by the early (Christian) church fathers. Dr. Millet said as much…
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You Have 90 Seconds – Describe Mormonism
In June (2015) Deseret News posted a light-hearted article recounting journalist Jerry Johnston’s encounter with a street poet. The poet sits on the sidewalk with a sign that says, “Pick a topic, get a poem.” For a donation of any amount, the poet will spend 90 seconds of his life writing a custom-made poem for…
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The Indefensible Book of Mormon
Evangelical professor and author Philip Jenkins, in addition to teaching and authoring books, blogs at The Anxious Bench. He has published an interesting series of articles over the past few months that examine the Book of Mormon as a historical text. The series began when he used the Book of Mormon as an illustration of…
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Mormonism hurts
The topic of the Mormon Church and race has been in the news again this summer. The June anniversary of the Church’s 1978 lifting of the priesthood ban passed mostly unnoticed, but a week and a half later, when the Church announced plans to index the records of 4 million freed slaves, people started talking.…
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Mormon Church-Approved Outreach
Mormon missionaries have been responding to the Broadway show, “The Book of Mormon,” all across the country. The Fresno Bee recently explained that Mormon missionaries stand outside of the theatre before and/or after the show to answer people’s questions and hand out copies of the actual Book of Mormon. This news story stood out to…
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Tithing: A Necessary Expense?
The following was originally printed in the March/April 2015 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. On March 4, 2013, the U.S. Tax Court ruled that Mormon plaintiff George Thompson would not be allowed to consider his church tithe a “necessary expense” as he negotiated paying back taxes owed to the government. The IRS looked…
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Joseph Smith’s Gold Plates
Joseph Smith, the first Mormon Prophet, claimed he was divinely guided to a set of gold plates that were buried near his home in the state of New York. After taking possession of these plates, according to the official LDS account, Joseph translated the ancient writing they contained, which resulted in the Book of Mormon.…
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Mormonism 201 (Apostasy): Response to Barry R. Bickmore
To visit the list of rejoinders, go here. In order to make this review easier to read, all original quotes from the Mormonism 201 rebuttal are boldfaced and italicized to separate these from the rest of the rejoinder. Joseph Smith, the first Mormon prophet, said, I have more to boast of than ever any man…
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Two Views of Eternal Life
Former Mormons who are now Christians say that this 21 minute video has been instrumental in helping them recognize the differences between the biblical view of salvation and the Mormon view of eternal life. It helped them understand what God has done to rescue them — to rescue all of us — from the consequences of our…
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In the Line of Duty: The Mountain Meadows Massacre
“There was a massacre in these hills.…” (Stewart Lee Udall, The Mountain Meadows [1990], from a poem written by Udall, a descendant of John D. Lee, and read at the reinterment of victims bones at Mountain Meadows, September 1999) It was spring of 1857. Promises of a bright future in the west beckoned. A collection…
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Mormons Don’t Deserve This
Chris Duckworth, a Lutheran pastor in Indiana, wasn’t happy when a 12-page advertising supplement arrived on his doorstep last week. The “Non-Mormon Temple Visitors Guide” was published by Tri-Grace Ministries and distributed to communities in preparation for the LDS Temple Open House event scheduled to begin on July 17th (2015). On his blog, Reverend Duckworth…
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The Wives of Joseph Smith Visit Manti
The annual Christian outreach at the Mormon Miracle Pageant in Manti, Utah concluded about 2 weeks ago. During this year’s outreach, 34 women, dressed in pioneer clothing, each took on the identity of a wife of Joseph Smith. This was a powerful visual representation that helped Mormons better understand what 34 wives actually looks like.…
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Why Mormon Art Sometimes Misrepresents Mormon History
Assistant BYU professor, author, and artist Anthony Sweat created the “feature image” for a new book (From Darkness Unto Light, by Michael Hubbard MacKay and Gerrit J. Dirkmaat) that depicts the translation of the Book of Mormon. His painting includes the historically accurate image of Joseph Smith preparing to gaze into a hat, where his…
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