Category: Mormon Theology
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The Doubling Down of the LDS Church: The Word of Wisdom Ain’t Going Away, At Least for Now
(Revised 8/27/2019) Prior to the April 2019 General Conference, there were some who were predicting a possible change in Mormonism to allow coffee and tea, both of which are banned in the Word of Wisdom. Imagine the rejoicing of retail establishments such as Starbucks and Beans and Brews throughout Utah, Idaho, Arizona and Wyoming if…
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Joseph Smith and Luke 10:22
The official History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka History of the Church or HOC) reproduces Joseph Smith’s journal where he stated: “This winter [1832-33] was spent in translating the Scriptures…I completed the translation and review of the New Testament, on the 2nd of February, 1833 and sealed it up, no more to be opened till…
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Choosing the “Easier” Commandments
Note: The following was originally printed in the November/December 2018 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. If you were to ask any Latter-day Saint if they are keeping all of the commandments or have repented of all their sins, the answer you are likely to hear is, “I’m doing my best” or…
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2 Nephi 25:23: Saved by Grace “In Spite Of” All We Can Do?
Note: The following was originally printed in the November/December 2018 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. At a recent church meeting where I spoke about The Miracle of Forgiveness evangelistic approach described in a chapter found in Sharing the Good News with Mormons (Kregel, 2018), two young male LDS missionaries approached my…
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Citations on Salvation
The following are sections out of Bill McKeever’s book In their Own Words: A Collection of Mormon Quotations. Standard Works “For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (The Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 25:23). 2nd President Brigham Young “To explain how much confidence we should…
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Citations on Repentance
The following are sections out of Bill McKeever’s book In their Own Words: A Collection of Mormon Quotations. Standard Works “Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the…
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Citations on Preexistence/Premortality
The following are sections out of Bill McKeever’s book In their Own Words: A Collection of Mormon Quotations. 7th President Heber J. Grant “We of this Church have been told of the Lord that before we came to this earth we had a life running back to the remotest stretches of eternity; that as spirits…
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Citations on Obedience
The following are sections out of Bill McKeever’s book In their Own Words: A Collection of Mormon Quotations. Standard Works “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that…
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Citations on Marriage
The following are sections out of Bill McKeever’s book In their Own Words: A Collection of Mormon Quotations. Standard Works “And again, verily I say unto you, that whoso forbiddeth to marry is not ordained of God, for marriage is ordained of God unto man” (Doctrine and Covenants 49:15). Joseph Smith “Except a man and…
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Citations on Jesus
The following are sections out of Bill McKeever’s book In their Own Words: A Collection of Mormon Quotations. Standard Works “Now Zeezrom saith again unto him: Is the Son of God the very Eternal Father? And Amulek said unto him: Yea, he is the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth, and all things…
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Citations on Grace
The following are sections out of Bill McKeever’s book In their Own Words: A Collection of Mormon Quotations. Standard Works “For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are…
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Citations on Godhood / Exaltation
The following are sections out of Bill McKeever’s book In their Own Words: A Collection of Mormon Quotations. Standard Works “And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the…
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Citations on God
The following are sections out of Bill McKeever’s book In their Own Words: A Collection of Mormon Quotations. Standard Works “For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity” (The Book of Mormon, Moroni 8:18). “And the king said: Is…
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Citations on Exaltation
The following are sections out of Bill McKeever’s book In their Own Words: A Collection of Mormon Quotations. The full book of 400 pages is available at Mormonism Research Ministry or Amazon.com. Standard Works “Therefore, I must gather together my people, according to the parable of the wheat and the tares, that the wheat may be secured in the…
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Citations on Eternal Progression
The following are sections out of Bill McKeever’s book In their Own Words: A Collection of Mormon Quotations. 2nd President Brigham Young “Brother Kimball sometimes brings up the figure of the potter putting fresh clay into the mill and grinding it to use in his business, to illustrate the influx of the brethren and sisters…
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Citations on Doctrine
The following are sections out of Bill McKeever’s book In their Own Words: A Collection of Mormon Quotations. Standard Works “O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the…
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Worthiness Interviews in the Mormon Church Lead to Trouble
In August the Mormon Mental Health Association (not officially affiliated with the Mormon Church) released a position statement regarding LDS worthiness interviews. In a nutshell, the MMHA’s professional opinion is that worthiness interviews are not a good idea. In the LDS Church, members are called to meet with their ecclesiastical leaders to determine if each…
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If Mormonism Is True, Heaven Could Be Very Disappointing
Note: The following was originally printed in the May/June 2018 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. Ask just about any New Testament Christian what they look forward to after this brief life is over, and they will tell you of the anticipation of being in the presence of a personal savior who…
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Sin, Trespass, and Transgression
Writing to the Christian church in Rome, the apostle Paul notes that “sin came into the world through one man” (5:12). The context clearly shows that the “man” Paul had in mind was Adam (5:14). This event, known as the fall, is described by Paul as a negative event in humankind’s history. Writing for the…
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Mormonism’s Infinite Regression of Gods
On June 16, 1844, eleven days before Joseph Smith would be killed while incarcerated at the jail in Carthage, Illinois, Smith preached his last public sermon. In this controversial message, dubbed The Sermon in The Grove, Joseph Smith spoke to a group of followers in Nauvoo, Illinois, where he made it abundantly clear that he…