Category: Mormon Theology
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Matthew 5:48: Is Perfection an Achievable Goal?
This article first appeared in the Practical Hermeneutics column of the CHRISTIAN RESEARCH JOURNAL, volume 39, number 06 (2016) Jesus taught in Matthew 5:48, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father, which is in heaven is perfect” (KJV). This verse has been quoted many times over the years by top leaders of The Church of Jesus…
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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…
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Will Families Be Together Forever?
The following is taken from chapter 23 of the 2013 book Answering Mormons’ Questions: Ready Responses for Inquiring Latter-day Saints by Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson, pages 184-185. To purchase this valuable resource, click here. Check out a two-part Viewpoint on Mormonism series airing August 24-25, 2020. Part 1 Part 2 Some Mormons have created…
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“Credit for Trying:” A Loophole for Latter-day Saints?
Listen to a week’s worth of Viewpoint on Mormonism broadcasts that aired starting June 20, 2016 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 In the last message of the April 2016 General Conference, Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland attempted to provide encouragement to those Latter-day Saints who become discouraged in their struggle to do everything that is commanded…
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7 Ways Mormon Leaders Aren’t Budging on Traditional LDS Doctrines
There are some Christians—including those possessing Ph.D.’s—who have come to the conclusion that Mormonism has moved ever so close to Christian orthodoxy in recent years. While some folks—including a few BYU professors and LDS apologists—appear seem to delight in allowing this impression to be made to the outside world, this isn’t what I am finding when I listen…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Mormon Rebels and Eternal Punishment
On February 4, 2016 the Huffington Post published an article by Mormon author and blogger Mette Ivie Harrison: “Do Mormons Believe in Hell?” She writes, “The short answer to this is simple: No.” Ms. Harrison goes on to explain that though the Book of Mormon speaks of Hell, it is “largely metaphorical.” She says, “But…
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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…
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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…
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The New and Everlasting Covenant: A Review
Link to the December 2015 article by Seventy Marcus B. Nash: The New and Everlasting Covenant Listen to an 8-part podcast series that aired January 18-27, 2016: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Note: This article—repeated word-for-word here—was written by Seventy Marcus B. Nash and printed in the December 2015 Ensign magazine…
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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…
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This is eternal life.
Jesus said in John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” When I read this Bible verse, I usually think about the imperative call to know the only true God; eternal life is tied to the true God, and none other.…
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Does Romans 8:17 Support Becoming Worshipped?
“… and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” Romans 8:17 Three reasons why our inheritance in Christ does not imply equality with Jesus or a future of being properly worshipped by others: 1. Since our inheritance in…
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The God of Isaiah vs. Gods of Mormonism
Isaiah 55:8-9 reads: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Here are some reasons why, in the context of the book, I don’t…
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Gospel Topics Essay: Mother in Heaven
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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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…
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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)…