Category: General Authorities
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Citations on First Vision
The following are sections out of Bill McKeever’s book In their Own Words: A Collection of Mormon Quotations. Standard Works “And he said unto Moses, Thou canst not see my face at this time, lest mine anger is kindled against thee also; and I destroy thee, and thy people; for there shall no man among…
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The Boast of Joseph
By Eric Johnson Joseph Smith, the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, made this boast a month before he was shot to death in a gun battle at the Carthage Jail: “Come on! ye prosecutors! Ye false swearers! All hell, boil over! Ye burning mountains, roll down your lava! For I will…
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Paying Allegiance to Joseph Smith
The dictionary defines “allegiance” as “loyalty or commitment of a subordinate to a superior or of an individual to a group or cause.” Mormons are often quick to deny that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worship their founder, Joseph Smith. Technically, this is true if the definition of worship is…
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Examining Mormonism’s Founder: The What-Did-Joseph-Smith-Lie-About Approach
By Rob Sivulka Summary A question I am often asked while holding up my “JosephLied.com” website sign [1] is, “What did Joseph lie about?” The question is like having a fish bite on the bait. When that happens, it’s time to set the hook and reel it in! While many issues may be brought up, I…
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Joseph Smith’s Remarks on Happiness
The Mormon Church talks a lot about happiness. For example, the Church calls its restored gospel “The Plan of Happiness.” LDS leaders have taught that “the very purpose of our lives can be defined in terms of happiness,” and “the things of the earth were created for our happiness.” In the October 2008 General Conference,…
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On the Death of the Mormon Prophet
Thomas Monson, the 16th prophet of Mormonism, died at 90. While he was revered for his leadership and personal stories, his passing raises concerns about false prophecies within the LDS Church.
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Joseph Smith and the Seer Stone: The Art of the Book of Mormon Translation Process
This article was revised on 9/25/24 Art can be very powerful. It tells a story. For instance, what is your idea when you see this photograph from June 1989 regarding the issue of China and democracy? This image had a powerful effect on many who knew little about the details of the June 1989 student…
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Whatever Happened to Emily and Eliza Partridge?
Note: The following was originally printed in the September/October 2017 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. In early Mormonism, you might say some of the women who became plural wives were kept as a set. Several Mormon leaders, including Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, married sisters. When Edward Partridge, Mormonism’s first bishop, died…
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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…
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The First Vision: Key to Truth? A Review of Seventy Richard J. Maynes’ June 2017 Ensign article
There are two cornerstone events in the history of the Mormon religion that are as important as the literal resurrection of Jesus is to Christianity. Remember how the apostle Paul testified to the historicity of the raising of Jesus from the dead? He claimed in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8: 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance…
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“Additional Perspectives and Insights” on Joseph Smith’s First Vision?
The LDS Church released a new video of Joseph Smith’s First Vision a few weeks ago (an explanation of this Vision can be found here). “Ask of God: Joseph Smith’s First Vision” begins with the explanation that, as there are “at least nine accounts” of this visionary experience recorded by Joseph Smith and “some of…
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An Alarming Misunderstanding of Joseph Smith’s Significance to Christianity
An article appeared online this week with a title that grabbed my attention. In “The Alarming Truth Behind Anti-Mormonism,” LDS author Dustin Phelps tells his readers, “I intend to expose what anti-Mormonism is and what its objectives really are.” What follows is a lengthy argument against Atheism; it’s the way Mr. Phelps ties Atheism…
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Robert D. Hales Obituary (1932-2017)
Robert D. Hales, an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, passed away at 85 on October 1, 2017, after a 40-year career as a church leader and general authority.
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M. Russell Ballard Obituary (1928-2023)
M. Russell Ballard (10/8/1928-11/12/23, a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who served as an apostle and the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, died on November 12, 2023. Ballard was married to Barbara, with whom he had seven children. They had a total of 43 grandchildren, 105 great-grandchildren,…
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Thomas S. Monson Obituary (1927-2018)
Thomas Spencer Monson (1927-2018), the sixteenth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints died of natural causes on January 2, 2018 at the age of 90. Except for a short stint in the military, Monson was employed for his entire life by the LDS Church. He will be replaced by senior-ranking Apostle…
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“Because Joseph Smith was a prophet…”
Mormonism was in the news a lot last weekend. Saturday and Sunday were the days of the LDS Church’s October General Conference. During the Church’s semiannual conferences, leaders of the Church are understood to encourage, challenge, and educate Mormons with inspired spiritual talks. Last Saturday morning the talk by Craig C. Christensen (of the…
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Mormonism’s “Near Deification” of Joseph Smith
Mormon blogger Mette Ivie Harrison posted an intriguing article on August 23rd at Huffington Post. She titled it, “Do Mormons Worship Joseph Smith?” In the article Ms. Harrison expressed her dismay that some non-Mormons might misunderstand the way modern Mormons feel about the faith’s first prophet and wrongly conclude that Mormons worship Joseph Smith. Latter-day…
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