Category: Mormonism
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“Mormonism’s king was dead.”
On 27 June 1844 Mormonism’s founding prophet, Joseph Smith, was killed. Much has been written about the death of Joseph Smith, accounts written from every perspective imaginable. In 1994 historian D. Michael Quinn, a former BYU professor and former Mormon, published The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power. In this book, Dr. Quinn carefully documented the…
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The Red Herring of Article Six
Responding to those who are not comfortable with the idea of a Mormon becoming president in 2008, supporters of Mitt Romney have, on numerous occasions, cited Article Six of the United States Constitution. This three-paragraph Article states in part that, “…no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public…
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Joseph Smith on Humility, Innocence and Truth
One hundred and sixty-three years ago tomorrow (June 7, 1844) the one and only issue of The Nauvoo Expositor was published in Nauvoo, Illinois. The newspaper was intended to be the voice of the Reformed Mormon Church, a dissident religious group led by former counselor in the LDS First Presidency, William Law.The members of the…
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The White Horse Prophecy Rides Again
“Romney candidacy has resurrected last days prophecy of Mormon saving the Constitution,” reads a headline today in The Salt Lake Tribune. The article, written by journalist Thomas Burr, discusses the so-called White Horse Prophecy which was purportedly received by Joseph Smith in 1843. The article states, It’s Mormon lore, a story passed along by some…
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Really — What is Mormonism? Most Evangelicals Would Be Surprised.
On May 31st Christianity Today online posted an article which addresses the issue of Mitt Romney and Mormonism, asking, “Can conservative Protestants vote for a member of what they consider a cult?” The article is co-written by Mormon professor Robert Millet and Christian author Gerald McDermott.Of particular interest in this article is where it addresses…
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Is Frank Pignanelli Saying Mormons Are Bigots?
I apologize. I really was hoping to move on from this soapbox, but I could not pass up commenting on a recent article that appeared in the Deseret News titled “Romney campaign has LDS in spotlight.” Here, Frank Pignanelli starts off the piece by saying: Pignanelli; “A person extremely intolerant of creeds, beliefs, etc., other…
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Joseph Smith for President
There’s another movie about Mormonism in the works. A French magazine reports, A Mormon President, the first documentary film to explore the Mormon Prophet, Joseph Smith’s campaign for the US Presidency and its implications for the candidacy of another Mormon, Mitt Romney, has begun production and is slated for a fall 2007 release. Filmmaker Adam…
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The Awful Works of Abraham
A decade after plural marriage was announced publicly in a special session of conference, Brigham Young declared, “Why do we believe in and practise polygamy? Because the Lord introduced it to his servants in a revelation given to Joseph Smith, and the Lord’s servants have always practiced it. ‘And is that religion popular in heaven?’…
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Shame on Sharpton, Shame on Romney
There are times when listening to people in the public arena that I feel like I’m back on the playground at Bostonia elementary school in the 1960s. Case in point: the “Reverend” Al Sharpton decides to take a swipe at Mormon presidential candidate Mitt Romney by saying, “as for the one Mormon running for office,…
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Book Review: A Mormon in the White House? 10 Things Every American Should Know About Mitt Romney
By Hugh Hewitt Review by Eric Johnson
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Validating Post-Mormons
The LDS Church has had a rough month. It started with the March 25th outreach effort of Christians across the nation distributing thousands of DVDs on doorsteps which compared Mormonism with the Bible. Soon after that, the Church released a statement of their concern over the content of an upcoming PBS series titled “The Mormons”…
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Mormon Behavior, Mormon Speak
Today’s (9 April) New York Times carries an op-ed piece by Kenneth Woodward about Mitt Romney and Mormonism. A large portion of the article is dedicated to understanding why Americans are uncomfortable with Mr. Romney’s religion. Mr. Woodward writes: Among the reasons Americans distrust the Mormon church is Mormon clannishness. Because every worthy Mormon male…
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Disruption by Revelation
John Singer was a Mormon with seven children. He and his wife, Vickie, lived west of Salt Lake City on their 2.5 acre farm in Marion, Utah. Dissatisfied with the public school system in the 1970s, Mr. Singer confronted school officials after seeing a picture in one of his children’s textbooks. It was a photo…
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Should We Dwell On Similarities?
In recent years some within the Christian and Mormon community have been espousing a method of mutual understanding that urges dialogue revolving around common ground rather than discussions that make a clear distinction between Mormonism and the Christian faith. To imply that a Mormon could be wrong and run the risk of offense is considered…
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LDS Church Reports Growth
The National Council of Churches Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches 2007 edition has just been released, reporting new church membership numbers and growth trends on 224 “national church bodies.” An online press release provides a taste of the information contained in the 439-page Yearbook, including membership and growth statistics for 25 of the largest…
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Priesthood Restored or Retrofit?
By Lane Thuet Listen
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Mormon Polygamy: Comedy or Tragedy?
All over the news this weekend, all across the globe, was an Associated Press article about the polygamy of Mitt Romney’s ancestors. Journalists Jennifer Dobner and Glen Johnson have written an article that not only details the multiple marriages of Mr. Romney’s great- and great-great grandparents, but also takes a look at the history of…
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“We’re Christians just like you!”
By Bill McKeever
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The "Anti-Mormon" Tactic
Over the weekend the Salt Lake Tribune posted an opinion piece titled “Romney candidacy will stir up anti-Mormon feeling”. The author, Tom Williams, begins, Am I the only practicing Mormon who’s not excited about Mitt Romney’s run for president? It’s not like his first order of business will be a $10,000 tax credit for all…
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Brigham Young’s Lecture at the Veil
It was 130 years ago today that LDS recorder L. John Nuttall, by order of Brigham Young, transcribed the Lecture at the Veil in the St. George, Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Lecture at the Veil was a lesson at the end of the LDS endowment ceremony which…