Category: Mormon Coffee Blog (2007-2019)
-
Mormons Studying the New Testament in 2015
The Mormon Church’s Sunday School course of study for 2015 is the New Testament. Accordingly, Gig Harbor, WA newspaper columnist Alfred Gunn (LDS) wrote a column for The Peninsula Gateway titled, “The Bible as a treasured course of personal study.” A central point of the article seems to be that of convincing non-Mormons that Mormons…
-
“The sweet dream of a pure minded boy”
In the spring of 1820 Joseph Smith went into the woods to pray. “Humbly kneeling, sweet appealing–‘Twas the boy’s first uttered prayer” says the Mormon hymn (“Joseph Smith’s First Prayer”). Joseph sought to know “Who of all these parties [Presbyterians, Baptists and Methodists] are right; or are they all wrong together? If any one of…
-
Removing the “Doctrine” out of the Doctrine and Covenants
In the “Explanatory Introduction” to the Doctrine and Covenants, the book is described as “a collection of divine revelations and inspired declarations given for the establishment and regulation of the kingdom of God on the earth in the last days. Although most of the sections are directed to members of The Church of Jesus Christ…
-
Is it really a gift?
One of the most remarkable things about the Mormon religion is how its leaders can so badly misinterpret the basic meaning of certain words. Take “gift,” for example. When I think of a “gift,” I think of something given to another at no obligation, even though there still is a cost attached. The payment, however,…
-
Mormonism’s President and the Role of the Angry Mob
In April 2014, at the Mormon Church’s General Conference, President Thomas S. Monson spoke of love being the essence of the gospel. Explaining that Jesus Christ is our great example of love, President Monson said, “The sick He healed; the downtrodden He lifted; the sinner He saved. At the end the angry mob took His…
-
Mormons Don’t Believe In the Trinity
In an October (2014) blog, Latter-day Saint Greg Trimble sought to explain “Why Mormons Don’t Believe In the Trinity.” As Mr. Trimble pointed out, it is imperative that we “know who and what God is,” for Jesus said, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom…
-
The Danger of Mormon Idolatry
In October (2014) Mormon blogger Jana Riess wrote about the “shadow side” of Mormonism: the “tendency to idolize – as in actually make idols of – the men who run our church. An idol is anything we use as a substitute for God,” Dr. Riess wrote, “and I feel that sometimes, we cross that line…
-
Faithful Mormons Respond to News of Joseph Smith’s Polygamy
Shock waves continue to move across the globe as Mormons discover their Church’s recent admissions regarding Joseph Smith’s polygamy. There is much distress evident among Mormons who have always believed (been told) that the kinds of things now disclosed in the Mormon Church essays (i.e., Joseph Smith married up to 40 women, many were quite…
-
Mormon Church Posts Essays on Joseph Smith’s Polygamy
It’s all over the news. The Mormon Church has finally “admitted” long-buried facts about Joseph Smith’s polygamy. The new Church essays were actually posted at lds.org sometime around October 22nd (2014), but for some reason the news only hit the big-time mainstream media this week. Once the New York Times picked up the story, many…
-
Mormon Prophecy: Trying to Keep Up
In September (2014) the Rexburg Standard Journal enjoyed an exclusive interview with Mormon apostle Jeffry Holland. Journalist Emmilie Whitlock reported on Elder Holland’s remarks. One topic the Mormon apostle discussed was the “challenging times” in which we live, especially in regards to the family. “ ‘One thing that is truly unique in our time is…
-
Mormonism’s Sacred Temple Garments
In a move that has surprised Mormons and critics alike, in mid-October the LDS Church’s Newsroom site posted a video that literally looks at Mormonism’s “Sacred Temple Clothing.” Both temple robes (the outer clothing worn by Mormons during a temple endowment ceremony, known as “the robes of the holy priesthood”), and temple garments (worn by…
-
If Mormon Missionaries Were Straightforward About Mormonism…
Though done in a lighthearted manner, this 4-minute video is a fairly accurate depiction of standard Mormon doctrine. It would be nice if Mormon missionaries explained Mormonism as clearly as the characters in this video do, but I imagine that would not foster strong LDS Church growth. Mormon Secrets: What the Missionaries Don’t Tell By…
-
Early Mormon Marriages: Tangled Webs to Sort Out in the Eternities
Many people are aware of Joseph Smith’s practice of polygamy. A subset of those people are also aware that some of Joseph’s plural wives were married to other men at the same time they were married to Joseph. Many of these folks think Joseph Smith was the only Mormon leader to engage in these strange…
-
The Lorenzo Snow Couplet’s Subordination & Dependence Dilemma for Mormons
Given both halves of the Lorenzo Snow couplet: “As man now is, God once was. As God now is, man may be.” (a) If we will forever be dependent on and subordinate to our God, then it stands to reason that God himself remains dependent on and subordinate to his own God (our Heavenly Grandfather).…
-
A Remarkable Prophecy About Joseph Smith?
In Joseph Smith’s official History (found canonized in the Mormon book of scripture Pearl of Great Price), the Prophet relates a prophecy delivered to him by the angel Moroni: “He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name…
-
James Talmage: Almost Charged With Apostasy for Writing That The Holy Ghost was a Person
Excerpted from James P. Harris’ foreword to The Articles of Faith (First Edition): Another theme that occupied Talmage’s attention was related to the Holy Ghost. Talmage wrote: Met with Theological Class Committee and [First] Presidency in lecture work. The subject of “The Holy Ghost” formed the topic. Pres. [George Q.] Cannon in commenting on the…
-
Joseph Smith Wasn’t Arrogant or Boastful?
In a Deseret News article titled “Defending the Faith: Joseph Smith wasn’t arrogant or boastful” (9/4/14), Mormon BYU Professor Daniel Peterson addressed a common criticism used against Joseph Smith: “Some critics like to use a quotation attributed to Joseph Smith as a weapon against him: “‘I have more to boast of,’ he’s reported to have…
-
The Most Difficult Book
I recently discovered a new witnessing tactic. Don’t get me wrong, quoting from Spencer W. Kimball’s book The Miracle of Forgiveness has been used by Christian apologists for quite some time. But instead of just quoting this book, I decided to try to give it away, which has proven to be a very powerful tactic.…
-
The Dedication of Louie B. Felt
In December of 1866, three months after they first met, 26-year-old Joseph H. Felt and 16-year-old Sarah Louisa (Louie) Bouton were married in Salt Lake City. Louie became the first Primary general president in the Mormon Church, serving in that capacity for 45 years. She is featured in an article found in the July 2014…
You must be logged in to post a comment.