Author: Sharon Lindbloom
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Before You Visit Temple Square…
Tuesday’s Seattle Post-Intelligencer carried an Associated Press article about the LDS Church’s Temple Square, located in Salt Lake City. Touted as “Utah’s hottest tourist destination,” the article notes that Temple Square receives 3 to 5 million visitors each year while Utah’s five stunning national parks put together had only 5.3 million visitors in 2005. The…
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Wedding Bells for LDS Apostle
Since we’re on the topic of polygamy, here’s a bit of news that raises a question or two. In 1945 LDS Apostle Russell M. Nelson married his first wife, Dantzel, “for time and eternity” in the Salt Lake Temple. They made their life together for almost 60 years; Dantzel passed away in February 2005. However,…
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Mormon Prophets Known by Their Fruits
Mormons are always telling me that I should know Joseph Smith was a true prophet because (they quote Matthew 7:20) “by their fruits you shall know them.” Then they point out all the good things the Mormon Church is responsible for like humanitarian aid, boy scout training, good citizens with strong work ethics, etc. I…
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Mormonism Gathering Illegal Immigrants to Utah
There’s been a lot in the news this week about illegal immigrants; this promises to be a topic that will continue to receive much attention in the months (or years) to come. One article of interest appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune last weekend: “Many illegal immigrants feel right at home in Utah.” Reporter Michael…
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Mormon Bookstores Compete in Nauvoo
On March 31st, LDS Church-owned Deseret Book announced plans to open a new store in Nauvoo, Illinois as early as June of this year. On Sunday (April 9th) the Illinois Quincy Herald Whig carried an article about retailers in Nauvoo and how they feel about the competition. You have to understand that Nauvoo is a…
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LDS Growth Statistics
Last week the Associated Press reported: “The Assemblies of God, the Mormon church and the Roman Catholic Church were the fastest-growing major denominations in the United States last year, according to the just-released 2006 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. “The Assemblies of God, a Pentecostal church, grew 1.81 percent to just under 2.8 million…
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A Cuppa Mormon Tea
I have always had trouble understanding the Word of Wisdom. As it reads in the 89th section of Doctrine and Covenants, observance of the following things are required by God: It seems clear enough, but apparently it does not actually mean what it says. Mormons who affirm that they obey the Word of Wisdom do…
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Mormon News
There have been a few things in the news lately that have caught my attention. The Salt Lake Tribune from March 30th reported on an email campaign that is underway to encourage HBO to cancel “Big Love,” the new series about polygamy. Allow me a couple of observations. The email circulating on the internet complains…
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Racism Reveals False Disciples
This past weekend marked the 176th General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints. On Saturday evening President Gordon B. Hinckley addressed the priesthood holders of the Church (men and boys 12 years old and up). Mr. Hinckley stated that racism, even among Church members, still “lifts its ugly head.” Deseret Morning…
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A Rarely Discussed Mormon Doctrine
Deseret News reported today on the first session of a two-day conference held at Utah Valley State College, “Mormonism and the Christian Tradition.” According to the report, “Participants in a panel discussion representing various perspectives shared their thoughts on a host of doctrines that mainstream Christian faiths and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day…
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A Typical Mormon Worship Service
The March 24th Molokai Island Times carried a story about a journalist’s first visit to an LDS Sunday service. Following are a few quotes from the article. The journalist seems to have recognized the LDS worship service’s heavy emphasis on Joseph Smith. I’m glad he included that in his article. I think it’s interesting, too,…
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Tarred & Feathered
Last Friday I went to the LDS Church sanctioned Joseph Smith web site. The site has a section titled “On This Day…,” reporting daily events from the life of Joseph Smith. On Friday it said, March 24, 1832Hiram, Ohio. A mob violently tarred and feathered Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon. This is interesting to me…
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Preaching Mormonism in Taiwan
The March 11, 2006 issue of LDS Church News reports there will be a “worldwide” commemoration and celebration later this month. Several planned events will mark a “historic milestone”–namely, “The 50th anniversary of the beginning of the preaching of the gospel in Taiwan.” I was surprised to see the claim that the gospel had only…
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Son of Ham: Withholding the LDS Priesthood
I read a press release today about a relatively new book which claims it is “Changing the World’s Concept Concerning the People of African Lineage and the Mormon Priesthood.” Son of Ham Under the Covenant is written by Latter-day Saint Luckner Huggins. According to the press release, “Perhaps for the first time in the Church’s…
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What Happens When Mormons Reject Core Principles of the LDS Church?
Buckley Jeppson, lifelong member of the LDS Church, has been all over the news this past week. Buckley’s ‘claim to fame’ is his 2004 Toronto wedding to partner Mike Kessler. The Deseret News reports: “A gay man who is a lifetime member of the LDS Church could be facing disciplinary action and excommunication after legally…
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Families are Forever; Unless…
I came across an LDS online magazine for teen and young adult women *Jen*. A press release dated March 17th says: Jen Magazine contains the same kind of articles you would find in the popular women’s magazines except that they match the values of the Latter-Day Saints (and most other Christian denominations). There are articles…
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The Bible in Mormonism
Continuing with my defense against accusations leveled at me by “Trevor,” today I want to blog a bit about the LDS view of the Bible. In my previous two posts I have explained Trevor’s accusations and dealt with what I perceived to be one of them. For this background, please see Searching for Salvation: The…
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After All We Can Do
Last week I wrote about “Trevor,” a man who took issue with a comment I left at a news web site. My comment set Ephesians 2:8-10 (“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves…”) against a Book of Mormon passage, (2 Nephi 25:23: “…for we know that it is…
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Searching for Salvation: The Bible or TV Guide?
There’s an LDS film out called New York Doll. By all accounts the movie is a moving portrayal of the story of Arthur “Killer” Kane, the bass guitarist for the ’80s glam band, New York Dolls. Mr. Kane led the stereotypical self-destructive life of a rock star. When he finally hit rock-bottom, he turned to…
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The Mormon "Alternative"
Back on November 1st, 2005 the Today Show ran a week-long series focusing on “Mysterious Faiths.” The first faith they examined was The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I had not heard about this Today Show segment until today; even though it’s “old news,” I want to make one observation relative to the…