Category: Mormonism
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Mormonism Now and Then
There’s almost nothing in the news these days about Mormonism that isn’t primarily about Mitt Romney. But usually buried somewhere in these articles is at least a short statement about the religion Mr. Romney embraces. This week an article appeared on AmericanThinker.com, “Mitt Romney: A Leader for America” by Amy D. Goldstein. Consider her mention…
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Mitt Romney and Mormonism
There’s a new video produced for online viewing: “Mitt Romney and Mormonism.” The introduction states, [Mitt] Romney is a Mormon Republican who’d like to be the next president. People are asking the question: Will his religion affect whether or not evangelicals vote for him? That’s a good question. But to many of us evangelical Christians…
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Mormonism in the News
There’s been lots in the news lately about Mormonism; mostly related to Mitt Romney’s suitability as a presidential candidate in 2008. But there are some other tidbits that have cropped up as well. If you’re interested, here’s a run down with follow-up links to recent stories.In early November BPNews.net (Baptist Press) published the results of…
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Of Grackles and Bluebirds
Christianity Today posted an article on November 10th by Dr. Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary. Titled Shoot-First Apologetics, Dr. Mouw here recounts a story he once read, written by the late Dr. Walter Martin, about the danger of too quickly labeling someone an “enemy of the gospel.” As the story goes, Dr. D.…
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Adam-God: Another Botched Joke?
BYU professor Stephen E. Robinson made a comment on pages 19 and 20 that appeared in his book Are Mormons Christians? Robinson was trying to fend off criticism toward second President Brigham Young regarding his infamous “Adam-God” sermon. In a conference message on April 9, 1852, Young stated that the first man, Adam, was our…
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Mormon Church and Romney Politics
It’s all over today’s news. Yesterday the Boston Globe reported that the Mitt Romney camp consulted with Mormon leaders to “map out plans for a nationwide network of Mormon supporters to help Romney capture the presidency in 2008.” The Boston Globe suggested the LDS Church is officially involved in supporting Governor Romney’s political campaign. According…
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The Validity of the Mormon Church
Naturally I receive a lot of mail from well-meaning Latter-day Saints telling me how I will never be able to “disprove” the claims of Mormonism. Personally, I find such a comment a tad bit on the arrogant side since it exposes a sense of “omniscience” that no Mormon owns. A recent comment I received stated:…
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A Strange System of Terrorism
This might be old news as the blogoshpere goes, but it’s worth noting nonetheless. About 2 weeks ago (24 September) the Salt Lake Tribune ran an interesting article under the “Living History” banner. Sporting no byline, the article drew comparisons between LDS history and radical Islam. Here are a few excerpts. Early Mormonism and radical…
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Warren Jeffs in Custody
Warren Jeffs, fugitive leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was apprehended last night near Las Vegas, Nevada. The Associated Press reports: The leader of a polygamist Mormon sect, who’s been one of the country’s most sought after fugitives, is now behind bars… Jeffs has been on the FBI’s Ten Most…
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New and Improved King Follett Discourse
In 2004 the LDS Church brought its long-running City of Joseph pageant (Nauvoo, Illinois) to a close. In 2005 a new pageant premiered in the City of Joseph — Nauvoo Pageant: A Tribute to Joseph Smith. Along with the introduction of the new pageant, the LDS Church also offered tourists several historic vignettes which were…
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Mormon Church Growth & Retention
On July 18th the LDS Church released this to the press: SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the second-fastest growing church in the United States, according to the 2006 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, published by the National Council of Churches. After citing some statistics regarding worldwide…
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American Bigotry Toward Mormons
It’s been in the news a lot these past months. Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney may seek the Republican nomination for President of the United States. But he has a huge hurdle to overcome: his membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All the political pundits are asking, “Could a Mormon be elected…
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Review: Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration
I’ve spent the last 4 days in Nauvoo, Illinois, the historic town used by the Mormon Church for faith-promotion and proselytizing. On Sunday, at the LDS Visitors Center (pictured at left), a friend and I viewed the movie, Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration. Produced as part of last year’s celebration of the 200th…
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LDS and FLDS: Kindred Spirits
The Aspen Times is celebrating its 125th anniversary. In conjunction with the Aspen Historical Society, the newspaper is printing some old stories that have appeared throughout its history. The following story was printed in The Aspen Times in 1885: Pugnacious Mormons Our dispatches this morning announce that the Mormons have determined to test the constitutionality…
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Mormon Prophets Known by Their Fruits
Mormons are always telling me that I should know Joseph Smith was a true prophet because (they quote Matthew 7:20) “by their fruits you shall know them.” Then they point out all the good things the Mormon Church is responsible for like humanitarian aid, boy scout training, good citizens with strong work ethics, etc. I…
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LDS Growth Statistics
Last week the Associated Press reported: “The Assemblies of God, the Mormon church and the Roman Catholic Church were the fastest-growing major denominations in the United States last year, according to the just-released 2006 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. “The Assemblies of God, a Pentecostal church, grew 1.81 percent to just under 2.8 million…
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Tarred & Feathered
Last Friday I went to the LDS Church sanctioned Joseph Smith web site. The site has a section titled “On This Day…,” reporting daily events from the life of Joseph Smith. On Friday it said, March 24, 1832Hiram, Ohio. A mob violently tarred and feathered Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon. This is interesting to me…
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FLDS Temple
Tuesday’s Deseret Morning News reported on the new Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ temple currently under construction: “FLDS temple appears complete, Polygamous sect remains silent about its edifice in Texas.” “On a dirt road just a few miles outside of the tiny town of Eldorado, the temple stands out amid the surrounding…
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The Nature of the Godhead
The LDS Church has begun a new series of articles in the Ensign which are for the purpose of “explaining the basic beliefs of the restored gospel, doctrines unique to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” The first article in the series, The Nature of the Godhead appears in the January 2006 issue…
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Worship of Joseph Smith?
Reading the December 31, 2005 issue of Church News I came across this: “As Latter-day Saints we no more worship Joseph Smith than we do Peter or any of the other ancient apostles. Peter, in fact, is an apt comparison. Both Joseph and Peter fearlessly obeyed the Master in conveying His gospel to every nation,…