Category: General Authorities
-
Gospel Topics Essay: First Vision Accounts
A good Mormon will be able to explain Smith’s supposed vision of God the Father and Jesus. As part of the Gospel Topics Essay, Joseph Smith’s First Vision account is described and defended by the LDS Church. But what about the different accounts that provided contradictory details? Did Smith see angels or did he see God…
-
The Salvific Role of Joseph Smith
The Salvific Role of Joseph Smith By Bill McKeever The following was originally printed in the Nov-Dec 2012 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here.
-
Joseph Smith’s Aberrational Marriage Habits
The following was originally printed in the Nov-Dec 2010 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. Mormon Church founder Joseph Smith introduced the doctrine of polygamy to his followers, and led the way by example, wedding over 30 females. According to LDS author and researcher Todd Compton, the ages of Smith’s wives…
-
Book Review: Was Joseph Smith an Abusive Husband? A Review of Mormon Enigma
Was Joseph Smith an Abusive Husband? A review of Mormon Enigma By Bill McKeever The following was originally printed in the Sept-Oct 2009 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here.
-
Mormonism’s 4th Article of Faith
The December 2013 issue of the Mormon Church’s Ensign magazine contains an article by John Welch titled, “The Articles of Faith and the Life of Joseph Smith.” In this article, Dr. Welch goes through the 13 Articles of Faith (canonized in the Mormon scripture The Pearl of Great Price) to help readers see Joseph Smith’s…
-
Isaiah 40:3: Does the Bible speak about Joseph Smith?
According to Isaiah 40:3, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.” Tenth President Joseph Fielding Smith said, “You may apply this to John if you will, and this is true…But I will go further and maintain that Joseph Smith…
-
Does Malachi 3:1 Speak About Joseph Smith?
Malachi 3:1 states: “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.” On page 23 of the January 1989 Ensign, it reads: Malachi prophesied of the…
-
Early Mormon Prophet Led the Church Astray
The Mormon Church very recently posted a new statement on “Race and the Priesthood” at LDS.org in which the blame for the Church’s historic racism is laid squarely at the feet of Brigham Young. According to the statement, the idea to deny Blacks the priesthood and Mormon temple blessings didn’t come from God. Rather, the…
-
Troubled by Joseph Smith’s Polygamy
In this video, a returned Mormon missionary explains how personal revelation helped him on his mission. It seems an investigator was struggling with accepting the LDS Church due to troubling historical information she had learned about Joseph Smith and polygamy. Watch the video to get the background and the greater context of the story. But…
-
Brigham Young In His Own Words
Bart Pascoal at MormonInfographics.com has been producing and posting short videos of dramatic readings of Brigham Young. Watching an actor deliver these words from Brigham Young’s sermons adds a whole new dimension to such statements as: “I say, rather than that apostates should flourish here, I will unsheath my bowie knife, and conquer or die.…
-
The Teachings of Joseph Smith and His Apostles
The following illustration is found in the Instructor’s Guide for the current Mormon Institute manual, “The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, (Rel 211-12)” [The posted scan is from the print edition, page 110]. Found in a section of the manual that is discussing 2 Peter and “Partaking of the Divine Nature of…
-
Is the “Church” Established on Any Man?
I have just finished reading through the entire gospel doctrine series called “Teachings of the Presidents of the Church” series, including the newest volume dedicated to Joseph Fielding Smith. Smith was known for being a church theologian, penning the massive three-volume set Doctrines of Salvation as well as the five volumes comprising Answers to Gospel…
-
True Mormonism
On September 24th Mormon Apostle D. Todd Christofferson spoke to students at BYU-Idaho during the school’s weekly devotional. About halfway through his talk, “The Prophet Joseph Smith,” Mr. Christofferson explained, “Joseph Smith’s prophetic calling is key to our religion. Without his commission from the Father and the Son, without his priesthood ordinations and the keys…
-
Joseph Smith and Honesty
In the July 2013 issue of Ensign magazine, young Mormons are taught about the importance of “Honesty and Integrity.” One suggestion given for use in teaching the youth the principles of honesty and integrity is a 2005 General Conference address given by the current Mormon President, Thomas Monson. The talk is titled, “The Prophet Joseph…
-
Joseph Smith Fooled by the Devil?
In late 1829 or early 1830 insufficient funding held up the first printing of the Book of Mormon. Martin Harris was trying to sell his farm to raise the needed capital, but was not having immediate success. At the urging of friends, Joseph Smith sought direction from God. Placing his trusty seer stone in a…
-
Finding Emma
Last week Jana Riess (Flunking Sainthood) wrote about “The Mormon Reinvention of Emma Smith.” Recapping a recent lecture by Emma Smith’s biographer Linda King Newell (co-author with Valeen Tippets Avery, Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith, 1984), Ms. Riess noted that before the publication of Ms. Newell’s book, “Emma had been largely written out of official…
-
The Importance of Joseph Smith’s First Vision
At the October 1961 general conference of the Mormon Church Gordon B. Hinckley said, “I would like to say that this cause is either true or false. Either this is the kingdom of God, or it is a sham and a delusion. Either Joseph talked with the Father and the Son, or he did not.…