Category: Mormon Theology
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Sacrament Promises That Will Always Be Broken
By Bill McKeever Each week millions of faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints partake in what they call the sacrament service. Though similar to the Christian tradition of communion in that members are asked to reflect on the life of Christ and His sacrifice, the sacrament meeting does have some…
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Persecution and Polygamy: How Many Mormons Actually Died as a Result of 19th Century Persecution?
By Bill McKeever Listen It is rare to hear a Mormon tell of his church’s history without a reference being made to the persecution the Mormons faced in Missouri and Illinois during the 1830s and 1840s. That Mormons were mistreated is a matter of actual history, and I certainly have no intention to downplay any…
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Worthy or Unworthy
A few months ago, folks here at Mormon Coffee were discussing LDS temple weddings and the difficulties that can arise when the bride and/or groom come from part-member families. Non-Mormons, as well as Mormons who do not possess temple recommends, are not allowed to enter LDS temples; therefore, they are not allowed to attend the temple weddings of their…
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Obedience/Personal Worthiness Familiar Conference Themes
As we head toward the October General Conference coming up, here’s a quick look at a few teachings from the last General Conference (April 2010) as found in the May 2010 issue of the Ensign magazine. “Qualifying for the Lord’s Spirit begins with a desire for that Spirit and implies a certain degree of worthiness.…
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Call Me My Grandpa’s Dad’s Son
During a recent road trip, my family and I decided to stop by the St. George temple visitors’ center, which is located not too far off the main I-15 freeway at the western Utah border near Arizona. Dedicated in 1877, the St. George temple is the oldest temple in the state of Utah, and I…
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All-Knowing God
The Bible reveals God as omniscient; that is, “God, being infinite, is able to be aware of all things, to understand all things, and to comprehend all things. He never learns anything or acquires new knowledge. The future as well as the past and present are completely known by Him.” (R.C. Sproul, Essential Truths of…
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The Other Gods of Deuteronomy
An LDS man who wanted to convince me that the Bible validates the notion of multiple gods used Deuteronomy 32:8 as a proof text. In the RSV (the translation he wanted to use for this verse) it says: “When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of men,…
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Do the Mormon Gods Belong to Multiple Godheads?
If God the Father has a Father, and if the concept of “Godhead” isn’t infinitely expandable to include all Gods, then our Father belongs to two Godheads, one of which Jesus is not a part of. If God the Father does have a Father, and if the Godhead is infinitely inclusive of all exalted Gods,…
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The Law
One significant difference between biblical teaching and Mormonism has to do with the nature of God’s Law. LDS leaders teach that salvation/exaltation is gained through faith plus works. To achieve the celestial kingdom (to spend eternity in the presence of God) one must believe in Christ and also keep the commandments embodied in the Law.…
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Mormon Theism
Christianity is a monotheistic religion, but what is Mormonism? Mormonism has been called monotheistic, polytheistic, henotheistic, tri-theistic, and more recently, monolatristic. I don’t know if there is a defined theistic category that fits Mormonism, but let’s look at what these five are, and see which seems best suited for the LDS belief system. I checked…
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The Nature of God Index
The Mormon doctrine of God is not the same as the historic Christian view. It holds that God and man are essentially of the same human species, and that God the Father is fundamentally a material being with a body of flesh and bones. He is not uniquely self-existent, transcendent, or eternal. Neither is he…
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"Mercy Cannot Rob Justice" — The Need for Mormons to Merit Exaltation
Listen I recall listening on the news to some of the eulogy given at the funeral of a Mormon murder victim. It was not unlike many funeral messages I’ve heard. Much of it dealt with the positive aspects of the deceased’s personality and achievements. It also included a hopeful message that the deceased was experiencing…
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God Never Sinned
God testifies of himself, “Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.” (Isaiah 43:10). Inspired by the Holy Spirit, David testifies of him, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” (Psalm 90:2) It is…
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Heavenly Mother
As Gerald Lund once put it, many members simply assume that “the Church teaches many principles which are accepted as doctrines but which the First Presidency has seen no need to declare in an official pronouncement.” (“I Have a Question,” Ensign, Feb.
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Citations on the Fall
Mormonism teaches that The Fall was a wonderful and fortunate event, empowering man with more liberty to choose (now “knowing good and evil”), with the ability to procreate, and with the opportunity to prove one’s worthiness through a learning process unto personal exaltation and full potential (godhood). This is connected to other Mormon doctrines like…
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What’s the Deal With Caffeine?
Question “I have noticed over the past few years that their abstinence from drinks containing caffeine has changed significantly. They never used to drink any beverage containing caffeine; so they drank only 7-Up, Root Beer, & Postum. Now, my sister’s family, anyway, has started drinking Coke
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The Impact of Mormonism on the Enjoyment of God as an Artist
C.S. Lewis once wrote, “It was when I was happiest that I longed most… The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing… to find the place where all the beauty came from.” – Till We Have Faces In his essay “Christianity and Literature,” he also wrote, “[An] author should never conceive of himself…
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Progression to Godhood — Mormonism’s God
The following quotes are from the LDS Church’s Achieving a Celestial Marriage Student Manual published by the Church Educational System, copyright 1976. — In the relationships of husband and wife and parent and child we begin to approach the divine calling of godhood. Our Heavenly Father and mother live in an exalted state because they…
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Do We Need to Become Children of God?
He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name,he gave the right to become children of God, who were born,not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man,but of God. –John 1:12-13 Brigham…
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The Powers That Be
A poll on the Mormon blog By Common Consent revealed 60% of participants believe Eternal Law is more powerful than God, prompting discussion on interpretations of God’s omnipotence and the nature of Eternal Law within LDS theology.