Author: Sharon Lindbloom
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Mormonism, the Bible, and God the Father
The January 2014 Ensign magazine includes an edited version of a General Conference talk given in 1986 by (now deceased) Gordon B. Hinckley of Mormonism’s First Presidency. The 2014 “Gospel Classic” is titled, “The Divine Godhead.” In it Mr. Hinckley explains what he believes about God the Father and relates an experience he had while…
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We Thank Thee, O God, for…
Once-official LDS history and doctrine is undergoing some hefty rewrites via the new Gospel Topics essays at LDS.org. As previously little-known information about Mormon history and doctrine has become available online, many Latter-day Saints are experiencing crises of faith when they learn of major discrepancies between what they have always been taught in the Church…
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“The Fulness of His Kingdom” – Mormons Becoming Like God
On February 25th (2014) the Mormon Church posted a new article in its Gospel Topics section: “Becoming Like God.” Deseret News says this essay accomplishes “explaining the faith’s doctrine” on the topic, and the Salt Lake Tribune likewise says it “explains Mormon teaching” on humans becoming like God. The essay is 3,500 words long, includes…
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Mormonism’s 4th Article of Faith
The December 2013 issue of the Mormon Church’s Ensign magazine contains an article by John Welch titled, “The Articles of Faith and the Life of Joseph Smith.” In this article, Dr. Welch goes through the 13 Articles of Faith (canonized in the Mormon scripture The Pearl of Great Price) to help readers see Joseph Smith’s…
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Passing the Torch of Mormonism’s Historical Racisim
[In honor of Black History Month 2014, each Monday in February Mormon Coffee’s blog post has addressed a topic related to racism in Mormon history. Today is the final post in the series.] Institutionalized racism in the Mormon Church spanned nearly 150 years. It began with the religion’s founding prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. Smith’s prophet-successor…
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Mormonism’s Scarlet Letter of Apostasy
Last month (30 January 2014) Newsweek published an article about Mormons leaving the LDS Church. Though Journalist Hannah Miet writes about some of the difficulties people have had in leaving Mormonism, she really misses the depth of emotional struggles attendant with becoming ex-Mormon. Unfortunately, Ms. Miet devotes 25% of her article to something she treats…
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Mormon Prophet Summoned to British Court
Yesterday (5 February 2014) The Arizona Republic reported: “The leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been ordered to appear before a magistrate in England on fraud charges filed by a disaffected ex-Mormon who disputes fundamental teachings of the religion, according to documentation obtained by The Arizona Republic.” Thomas Monson has…
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Glenn Beck Perpetuates Mormon Myths
In a 2012 Blaze TV segment, Glenn Beck aimed to dispel Mormon myths but instead reinforced inaccuracies about polygamy, persecution, and historical events. His narrative omitted crucial facts about the LDS Church’s past and practices.
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Mormon Historian Responds to Tough Questions
On December 16, 2013 the reddit exmormon forum held an AMA (Ask Me Anything) Q&A with highly respected Mormon historian Richard Bushman. Following are a few forum-member questions, along with Dr. Bushman’s answers (in no particular order). You will also find a few excerpts from a lengthy statement Dr. Bushman addressed to the forum members.…
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“Some Have Claimed That the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Is Not a Christian Church.”
A few weeks ago Larry Richman at LDS Media Talk (“not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”) brought up the persistent question, “Are Mormons Christian?” After having affirmed that Mormons say they are Christians, and having provided some reasons to support that position, Mr. Richman wrote, “In recent decades,…
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Mormon.org’s Plan of Salvation
Mormon.org includes a section titled, “God’s Plan of Salvation.” This section systematically presents Mormon beliefs related to eternal life. It goes like this (my summarization of each point in parentheses): The Mormon plan of salvation is presented with broad strokes, consistent with an Internet environment. The reader gets glimpses of distinctive Mormon doctrine (e.g., God…
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Teaching Mormon Children:
Jesus is God’s Only Begotten Son — In the FleshThe December (2013) Visiting Teaching Message found in Ensign magazine focuses on Jesus Christ as God’s only begotten Son. The message begins, “Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is called the Only Begotten Son because He is the only person on earth to be born of a mortal mother and an immortal Father…Modern prophets have testified: [Jesus…
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Early Mormon Prophet Led the Church Astray
The Mormon Church very recently posted a new statement on “Race and the Priesthood” at LDS.org in which the blame for the Church’s historic racism is laid squarely at the feet of Brigham Young. According to the statement, the idea to deny Blacks the priesthood and Mormon temple blessings didn’t come from God. Rather, the…
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Troubled by Joseph Smith’s Polygamy
In this video, a returned Mormon missionary explains how personal revelation helped him on his mission. It seems an investigator was struggling with accepting the LDS Church due to troubling historical information she had learned about Joseph Smith and polygamy. Watch the video to get the background and the greater context of the story. But…
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Rejecting the Book of Mormon
Early Mormon apostle Orson Pratt sometimes found himself in trouble with leaders of the LDS Church because of things he had written. Mr. Pratt was a prolific writer, and freely expounded on Mormon doctrine, as he understood it. The First Presidency of the Mormon Church issued a Proclamation in 1865 wherein the Latter-day Saints were…
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Mormons and Evangelicals Talk of Christ
On November 15 (2013), evangelical author (and seminary president emeritus) Richard Mouw addressed 2,000 young Mormons at Utah Valley University. As reported in the Deseret News’ “Evangelical leader says commonality with Mormons deeper than differences,” Dr. Mouw emphasized his discovery that between Mormons and evangelicals, “there’s more commonality than we realized in the way we…
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Undeserved Riches
We came into this world empty-handed. But few of us are empty-handed today. Everything we have—all things material and immaterial—must inspire us to offer profound thanksgiving to our gracious and benevolent God. We deserve none of the gifts He has given. We deserve nothing. But God’s grace is surprising and amazing. Read on, and give…
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More on Exalted Mormons Creating and Populating Worlds
Mormonism Research Ministry’s website contains a 2011 article sparked by Mormon denials (including a pointed and clear denial found on lds.org) of the long-standing doctrine in Mormonism that exalted Mormons will one day create and populate their own worlds. The article contains many quotes from Church manuals and Church leaders that prove the doctrine is…
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Brigham Young In His Own Words
Bart Pascoal at MormonInfographics.com has been producing and posting short videos of dramatic readings of Brigham Young. Watching an actor deliver these words from Brigham Young’s sermons adds a whole new dimension to such statements as: “I say, rather than that apostates should flourish here, I will unsheath my bowie knife, and conquer or die.…
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“Absolutes” About the Mormon Gospel
In 1999 James E. Faust, member of the Mormon Church’s First Presidency, counseled new mission presidents at the annual Mission Presidents Seminar in June of that year. According to LDS Church News, Mr. Faust told the mission presidents “missionaries need to teach absolutes about the gospel.” As Church News reported, “These absolutes, he explained, are:…
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