Category: Jesus
-
Joseph Smith Is Needed if the Atonement To Be “Fully Efficacious”
Note: The following was originally printed in the May/June 2017 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. In the first volume of Doctrines of Salvation, tenth Mormon President Joseph Fielding Smith made it very clear that there is “no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith” (1:188). While some might think that Mormonism has matured…
-
For Mormons, It’s Not Jesus’ Birthday
December Christmas celebrations notwithstanding, according to LDS leaders past and present, Jesus was born on 6 April 1 B.C. This fact was pointed out recently at LDS Daily in an article titled, “Was Jesus Christ Really Born in December?” Here journalist Aleah Ingram noted that James Talmage, a now-deceased apostle of The Church of Jesus…
-
Does the Bible Really Say That Jesus Is God?
This is one in a series of articles on the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. To see MRM’s website page on the Trinity to see other resources, please click here. The Bible teaches in many different ways that Jesus is God. It is the centerpiece of the Christian faith. Without this, Christians would be in error to…
-
Mormon Apostle Urges Gaining a Sound and Sure Knowledge of the Atonement
In preparation for Easter, the LDS Church’s March Ensign magazine includes a “Gospel Classic” article titled, “The Three Gardens of God.” Originally titled, “The Purifying Power of Gethsemane,” this was a General Conference address delivered by LDS Apostle Bruce McConkie in April 1985. The March 2016 Ensign article is significantly shorter than Mr. McConkie’s original…
-
LDS Leaders Speak More of Jesus
Mormon blogger Jana Riess at Flunking Sainthood interviewed Gordon and Gary Shepherd regarding their research into the themes presented at the LDS Church’s General Conferences. The Shepherd brothers have performed a detailed analysis of all past General Conference talks and published their findings in a newly updated book, A Kingdom Transformed: Early Mormonism and the…
-
Mormon Apostle Discusses “The Essential Doctrine of Christ”
Last week Deseret News reported on an address Mormon apostle Dallin Oaks delivered to LDS missionaries during a worldwide missionary broadcast. Reaching an audience of 75,000, Mr. Oaks chose to define “Our message for missionaries.” Deseret News explained, “Following a period of dramatic changes in the number of missionaries serving in the world, the Church…
-
Who Supplied the Y-Chromosome in Jesus’ Conception?
Christianity: The Spirit created it by an effortless, touchless, omnipotent act. “That which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:20; cf. Luke 1:35) 100% of the DNA was mortal, and none of the DNA was transferred from any divine being. 20th century Mormonism: Heavenly Father (Adam’s spirit father) did via natural…
-
What Child Is This? The LDS Christmas Story
It was long ago, two thousand years, when sweet baby Jesus was born. Although every baby is cherished by his parents and grandparents and siblings and cousins, this little boy was precious to all the world. The story began in Nazareth… The Old Testament patriarch Noah, who had died long ago and been resurrected as…
-
Jesus Wasn’t Married in Cana
Updated on March 12, 2018 Mormon leaders Orson Hyde and Joseph F. Smith taught that Jesus was married at the “wedding at Cana in Galilee” in John 2.1 This is a foolish interpretation for at least ten reasons: 1. John introduces the wedding with a kind of “there happened to be” kind of attitude: “On the…
-
Why Does the Mormon Church Ignore Jesus’ Role as Prophet of God’s Church?
Check out a week-long Viewpoint on Mormonism series on The Role of Revelation that aired from September 9-13, 2019 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Mormon Apostle James Talmage once wrote: … the Church holds itself in readiness to receive additional light and knowledge “pertaining to the Kingdom of God” through divine revelation…. We rely…
-
Mormonism:
Jesus Is the Literal “Bodily Offspring” of God the FatherI was just paging through an old book I found at a used bookstore. It’s titled Principles of the Gospel, published in 1961 by the Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and contains an opening note to “Brethren” of the armed services from the First Presidency (David O.…
-
Mormonism’s “Different Jesus”
On Monday I blogged about my disagreement with Mormon bishop Nate Sharp’s implication that because there is “one and only one Jesus Christ” the idea that Mormons believe in a “different Jesus” is a myth. Today I want to look again at his blog article and very briefly examine a few of the attributes Dr. Sharp…
-
Is It Wrong Say Mormonism Embraces a “Different Jesus”?
Mormon bishop Nate Sharp wrote a blog article aimed at “Dispelling 5 More Myths About Mormons.” I want to take a look at the first ”myth” he tackled: “Myth #1: Mormons believe in a ‘different Jesus.’ “One myth about Mormons is the notion that we believe in a ‘different Jesus.’ In reality, of course, there…
-
He is Risen! A message from the Garden Tomb
The most important holiday for Christians all over the world comes this Sunday. MRM’s Eric Johnson shares what this holy-day means for him.
-
Is the LDS Jesus Different From What Is Taught in the Bible?
A Mormon writes us to say that the Jesus of Mormonism is the same Jesus of the Bible. How accurate is this? We respond with three reasons why this is not true.
-
10 Reasons to Support the Story of the Resurrection
10 Reasons why the Resurrection is true1. The empty tomb.2. The transformed lives of the disciples.3. The testimonies given in the Gospel accounts.
-
Only Jesus did his best
What do people mean when they say, “their best”? “I did my best to make it on time.” “I did my best to get good grades.” “I do my best to be a good person.” Normally, this functions as hyperbole or socially acceptable exaggeration. It is often feel-good language for moral failure. When pressed, people…
-
Why Christians Glory in the Cross
Why Christians glory in the cross By Bill McKeever The following was originally printed in the May-June 2005 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. https://mrm.org/newsletter
-
Why Not Gethsemane?
Why Not Gethsemane? By Bill McKeever Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Mormonism Researched, May-June 2005. Where Christ actually took upon Himself the sins of mankind has been a bone of contention between Mormons and Christians for decades. In their book Third Nephi 9-30: This Is My Gospel, Mormon authors Monte S. Nyman and…
-
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…