Category: Mormonism
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Mormonism’s Twist on John Newton’s “Amazing Grace”
The LDS Church is revising its hymnbook, including “Amazing Grace,” a song deeply cherished in Christian worship, though it carries a different understanding of grace in Mormon theology. While Christians embrace grace as a gift, Mormonism ties grace to obedience and effort.
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New York Times 1912 Exposé of the Book of Abraham
The New York Times produced this 1912 exposé based on the three facsimiles included with the Pearl of Great Price within the Book of Abraham.
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“A Look at the Newly Discovered Joseph Smith Manuscripts”
This 1980 issue of Ensign celebrates a manuscript that was later discovered to be a fraud.
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Mormon Quotes on the Regress of Gods
Updated April 21, 2025. As of today there are at least five different positions in the Latter-day Saint tradition on divine ancestry and the regress of gods. Dominant view and modern dissonance “The notion maintained by many early Mormon leaders” Blake Ostler (2001): “The Lectures on Faith are inconsistent with the notion maintained by many…
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Joseph Smith and the Kinderhook Plates
Note: The following was originally printed in the July/August 2024 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are told by church leaders that Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of their religion, had been given the ability by God to make reliable translations…
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On Steve Pynakker
Steve Pynakker is a popular YouTuber from Florida who does interviews with Mormons. He often presents as an evangelical (without qualification) in interfaith dialog with interlocutors of the Latter-day Saint movement. In light of his own words, I submit that Steve is not favorable to nor a faithful representative of evangelicalism. “The evidence leans towards…
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The LDS Temple Endowment Ceremony Changes Again: Mormonism’s Word of God Does Not Endure
The LDS Church has once again revised its sacred temple endowment ceremony, slashing twenty percent of the ritual in 2024 despite past leaders’ claims that it was divinely revealed by Joseph Smith to remain unchanged forever.
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Adam’s Road: A Timeline to Tragedy
We have been devastated by the news of long-standing sexual immorality within Adam’s Road. It is with sadness that we publish the following timeline. It establishes a credible, documented history. Our goal is to bring clarity and demonstrate transparency.
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Official Statement From Eric Johnson Regarding Adam’s Road
I, Eric Johnson, have distanced myself from Adam’s Road Ministry by having the foreword of my book Introducing Christianity to Mormons (Harvest House, 2022) replaced.
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Suffocating Memories of a Mormon Mission
A new “spine-chilling psychological horror” movie starring Hugh Grant is slated to be released in November. Titled “Heretic,” the premise of the film is this: “Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), becoming ensnared in his…
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Mormonism and Christianity: What’s the Difference?
Christianity believes in one eternal God and salvation through grace alone, while Mormonism teaches of multiple gods and exaltation through worthiness.
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Cultic Characteristics of Mormonism
Note: The following was originally printed in the January/February 2024 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. Though the word “cult” has fallen far out of favor, cults and religious sects still exist. Christian author and theologian Roger E. Olson addressed the history of the word and its evolving definition in an…
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When Latter-day Saints Testify That the LDS Church Is True
25 June 2024 After Jesus told Pilate, “I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth,” Pilate famously responded, “What is truth?” (John 18:37-38). The June 2024 edition of Liahona, the official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, tackles a variation of this question: “What do we mean when we say…
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Mormonism’s Eternal Sealings: A Complex Story
3 June 2024 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints devotes considerable resources to seeking after its dead (as the faith’s founder Joseph Smith put it). This includes the genealogical research the church is somewhat famous for, used to first identify deceased people and then provide them with Mormonism’s “saving ordinances” done vicariously for…
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Mormonism’s Gospel Tree
4 April 2024 In recent years The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been working hard at mitigating fallout among its membership that stems from the church’s problematic history. From the publishing of the online explanatory Gospel Topics essays beginning in late 2013, to today’s insistence that LDS church history is not of…
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Continuing LDS Criticism of Other Churches: Greedy Ministers and Lazy Congregants
“Good morning, sir!” Lucifer greeted the minister, “If you will preach your orthodox religion to these people, and convert them, I will pay you well.” The minister was happy to comply, but when he later understood that his employer was the devil, he grew concerned about the arrangement. He fretted, “If I leave his employ,…
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Difficulties in Life Are Part of the “Universal Quest for Godhood,” Notes LDS Apostle
In January (2024) a tragic accident in Huntington Canyon, Utah took the life of a vibrant young woman, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. LDS apostle Jeffrey Holland spoke at the 18-year-old’s funeral, offering much-needed words of comfort to grieving family and friends. The LDS publication Church News reported on President Holland’s…
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The LDS Church Says It’s Now OK To Ask Difficult Faith-Related Questions
Last week, The Salt Lake Tribune published an article about two new Gospel Topics resources produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: “Seeking Answers to Your Questions” and “Helping Others with Their Questions.” According to the Tribune, these guides are meant to help Latter-day Saints navigate through a crisis of faith. Hailed by the Tribune as a…
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Joseph Smith and His Top 10 Boastful/Arrogant Claims
Many of us struggle with pride. As the Bible teaches in Proverbs 16:18, “pride goes before destruction, and an haughty spirit before the fall.” In my life I’ve learned that pride gets me into more trouble than any other sinful attribute ingrained in my sinful life. Joseph Smith, the founder of The Church of Jesus…
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The LDS Church at Christmas: A Cautionary Tale
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presented its 2023 First Presidency Christmas Devotional on December 3rd. This event featured The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square (formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir) and comments by several LDS church leaders. Though church President Russell M. Nelson was present at the event, his address to…