I was in an LDS bookstore browsing through the greeting cards. Nestled amidst the birthday, baptism, missionary, and priesthood cards I came across a card (blank-inside) depicting Joseph Smith cradling his brother, Hyrum, who had just been shot. The art on the card is a reproduction of a painting by LDS artist Liz Lemon Swindle…

February is Black History Month. In the United States, the observance is primarily a remembrance of the important people and events in African-American history. On February 7 (2008) a Black History Month symposium lecturer at BYU suggested that the “Atonement is [the] Key to Quiet Misgivings” people may have about the Mormon Church’s previous ban…

In January Deseret News ran a story titled, “LDS Church terms no longer in use.” The article listed some of the old names and abbreviations the Church once used, but which have become outdated as the Church has made changes. For example, 10- and 11-year-old girls in Primary used to be called Bluebirds. Their boy…

Another thought, continued from Wednesday’s post… Regarding Dr. Dursteler’s remarks in “Attacks on Islam, Mormonism spring from the same dark well”, it is incorrect to give the impression that Christians are the only ones who have used the type of rhetoric Dr. Dursteler criticizes (i.e., describing an adversary with phrases like “a criminal, a fraud…

The Salt Lake Tribune ran an interesting opinion piece last week (22 January 2008) written by Eric Dursteler, an associate professor at BYU. Describing himself as “a Mormon and a historian,” in “Attacks on Islam, Mormonism spring from the same dark well” Dr. Dursteler draws a parallel between the vitriolic language sometimes used to describe…

On January 16th the Associated Press provided interested readers a short list of the Key Tenets of [the] Mormon Faith. The list is comprised of these six items: Nature of God: God once was a mortal who became an eternal being after a great trial. Jesus Christ: Christ was God’s first-born spirit child, his only…

I just finished reading When Salt Lake City Calls by Rocky Hulse. Published late in 2007, the book addresses the question, “Is there a conflict between Mormonism and the public trust?” Mr. Hulse was born and raised a 6th generation Mormon. He remained in the LDS Church until he came to saving faith in Christ…

Mormons seeking to prove that Latter-day Saints (and the LDS Church) are Christian often resort to a certain apologetic argument that is woefully lacking in substance; nevertheless it continues to be bandied about with reckless abandon. LDS Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley uses this argument, and it is unendingly repeated by Mormons in manifold venues. Here…

The LDS Church has posted a 10 minute video on its web site titled, “Myths & Reality.” Originally produced to answer common questions from journalists during the 2002 Olympics, the video has been updated and is now available to the public. “Myths & Reality” opens with a minute and a half of man-on-the-street clips of…

On your repentance page quiz, everything you said about mormonism was correct and redundant. As a mormon I agree with everthing you said, your argument isn’t an argument, it’s barely even anti-mormon. It’s basically mormon. Thanks for getting your facts right and not saying crazy stuff, except you interperted the quote from The Miracle of…

I had to chuckle as I read an article in the online Wall Street Journal December 7th. “What Iowans Should Know About Mormons” by Naomi Schaefer Riley has received attention from several bloggers for various reasons, but what caught my attention was this: “Once Mormons complete their missionary service, they are not obliged to proselytize,…

Errol Louis, columnist for the New York Daily News, wrote an opinion piece about Mormonism for the online publication last Sunday (25 November 2007). More specifically, the article was about Mitt Romney’s Mormonism; but in the course of Mr. Louis’ remarks, he provided some basic information about the LDS belief system. Though not LDS himself,…

In an article posted last week on The New Republic web site (November 12, 2007), journalist Josh Patashnik took a look at Mitt Romney’s tendency to distance himself from LDS doctrine for the sake of his presidential campaign. Mr. Patashnik wrote, “But seeking common ground with adversaries [i.e., evangelicals suspicious of Mormonism] doesn’t always endear…

Back in April (2007) LDS Apostle M. Russell Ballard talked in General Conference about “The Miracle of the Holy Bible.” He spoke highly of the Bible, expressing his love for “its teachings, its lessons, and its spirit.” In his Sunday morning talk he said, “How grateful we should be for the Holy Bible. In it…