Category: Mormon Publications
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Gospel Topics Essay: Plural Marriage and Families in Early Utah
Gospel Topics Essay: Plural Marriage and Families in Early Utah To see an introduction to the Gospel Topics essays, click here. The entire essay is printed below, underlined, with my commentary included throughout. Because I will try to be short and to the point as much as possible, a number of sites (many from MRM) to support…
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Gospel Topics Essay: The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage
Gospel Topics Essay: The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage To see an introduction to the Gospel Topics essays, click here. The entire essay is printed below, underlined, with my commentary included throughout. Because I will try to be short and to the point as much as possible, a number of sites (many from MRM)…
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Is it Possible for Families to be Together Forever?
Editor’s Note: The following was originally printed in the September/October 2015 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. Check out a two-part Viewpoint on Mormonism series airing August 24-25, 2020. Part 1 Part 2 The First Presidency message published in the June 2015 Ensign and written by Henry B. Eyring (“Families Can Be Together Forever”)…
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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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Gospel Topics Essay: Book of Mormon Translation
To see an introduction to the Gospel Topics essays, click here. The entire essay is printed below, underlined, with my commentary included throughout. Because I will try to be short and to the point as much as possible, a number of sites (many from MRM) to support my disagreement are included. I encourage interested readers to consider…
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The Miracle of Forgiveness Is Now Out of Print: Why?
Thanks to some sleuthing by former-Mormon-turned-Christian Alex Henriein in mid-July 2015, it has been verified that new print copies of The Miracle of Forgiveness authored by twelfth LDS President Spencer W. Kimball will no longer be available, even at retail outlets such as at LDS Church-owned Deseret Books or Amazon.com. Originally released in 1969 by Bookcraft, the book—which has sold 1.6…
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Gospel Topic Essay (Defined)
Gospel Topics Essays. A series of essays posted on the official lds.org website that mainly deals with controversial issues. While the essays are meant to come clean on topics such as race and the priesthood and polygamy, complete objective information and analysis is not typical. The essays began to be posted one-by-one beginning in late 2013…
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Does Mormonism Really offer a "Gift of Grace"? A review of Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s talk on Easter Sunday 2015
For a 5-part Viewpoint on Mormonism podcast series reviewing this talk, go to “Utctdorf’s Gift of Grace (Is Mormonism coming Biblical Christianity’s Way?)” Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 In what may be the most quoted sermon at a General Conference in recent years, “The Gift of Grace” as delivered by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, the second…
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Mormon Church Essay on Priesthood Ban Banned From Church Classroom
An interesting thing happened to Mormon Sunday school teacher Brian Dawson. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that a student in Mr. Dawson’s youth Sunday school class asked him why his Nigerian wife joined a church that had at one time excluded blacks from the priesthood and Mormon temples. The student wondered where the priesthood ban…
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The Virtue of Joseph Smith
Speaking at the general conference last October, Mormon Apostle Neil L. Andersen gave a talk simply titled “Joseph Smith.” Toward the end of his message, Andersen said, “I give you my witness that Jesus is the Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. He chose a holy man, a righteous man, to lead the Restoration of the…
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What About Those Essays?
When asked by the New York Times why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints decided to post several “Gospel Topics” essays on its official web site, church historian Steven E. Snow said, “There is so much out there on the Internet that we felt we owed our members a safe place where they…
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99 Quotable Quotes from the LDS Church manual Gospel Principles
Beginning February 2, 2015, Viewpoint on Mormonism will feature a chapter-by-chapter analysis of the 2009 LDS Church manual Gospel Principles. Included in this page are 99 of the best quotes from this 47-chapter manual, ordered by topics. In addition, we have compiled overviews of each chapter in this manual. Each chapter is summarized in about 50 words…
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Review of Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson
During 2015, LDS members will be studying the latest manual published by their church,Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson, twice each month. Each chapter is evaluated from a Christian worldview.Chapter 5: Principles of True RepentanceChapter 6: Jesus Christ, Our Savior and RedeemerChapter 7: Joseph Smith: An Instrument in the Hands of GodChapter 8: The Power of the…
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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…
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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…
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Gospel Topics Essay: Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo
On October 22, 2014, the LDS Church published another “Gospel Topics” essay titled “Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo.” There were a number of admissions made. However, all the facts were not included to give a complete picture. The information contained within should be disconcerting for any faithful Latter-day Saint, as history doesn’t lie. A…
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Is the Miracle of Forgiveness Nothing More Than Spencer W. Kimball’s Opinion?
Some people have argued that Spencer W. Kimball’s book The Miracle of Forgiveness is not authoritative because what he wrote is just his opinion. They may even point out that Kimball was “merely” an apostle and not a prophet when he wrote the book. Several points can be given in rebuttal.
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A Closer Look at Spencer W. Kimball’s the Miracle of Forgiveness
MRM has produced a new website centered around President Spencer W. Kimball’s book The Miracle of Forgiveness. The url is www.themiracleofforgiveness.com. We have also produced a Kimball million dollar bill (tract) to be used in conjunction with this website. Check out the website and recommend Kimball’s book to every Mormon you know!
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The Definition of Doctrine
It’s only a short article located in the early pages of the July 2014 Ensign magazine, which is the official monthly organ of the LDS Church. But I believe this piece, titled “We Teach by the Power of the Holy Ghost” and found under the unattributed column “What We Believe,” is consistent with what is…

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