Category: Mormonism
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The 1830 Book of Mormon: Joseph Smith’s Rough Draft
6 June 2021 Last month (on 25 May 2021) LDS Living reprinted an essay from the book, “Know Brother Joseph,” by Angela Hallstrom. In this essay, the LDS author explains that the very existence of the Book of Mormon is a “vital” and “foundational” aspect of her testimony of the validity of The Church of…
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Reasons Why Latter-day Saints Leave their Church
In 2019, Mormon blogger Jana Riess wrote a book titled The Next Mormons: How Millennials are Changing the LDS Church (New York: Oxford University Press, 2019). While what she presents is not as “layperson” oriented as some of her other tomes – including Flunking Sainthood, What Would Buffy Do? and Mormonism For Dummies – Riess compiles important research…
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Heavenly Mother: “A Cherished and Distinctive Belief Among Latter-day Saints”
To coincide with Mother’s Day, on 8 May (2021) The Salt Lake Tribune published an article by journalist Peggy Fletcher Stack titled, “Latter-day Saints are talking more about Heavenly Mother, and that’s where the debates and divisions begin.” Because The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints doesn’t have a systematic theology that includes detailed…
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Trivializing the Unbiblical Core of Mormonism
26 April 2021 In mid-April (2021) Mormonism LIVE! hosts RFM (Radio Free Mormon) and Bill Reel broadcast a program on which LDS apologist, Kwaku El, was their guest. In taking calls from the audience, Mr. El was asked how he knows that Joseph Smith was really acting under God’s direction when he engaged in polygamy,…
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Mormonism’s Confusion Over Christ’s Atonement for Sin
In the April 2021 issue of Liahona magazine, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints explains in its “Gospel Basics” column that “Jesus Christ Saved Us from Sin and Death.” “We refer to Jesus Christ as our Savior. That is because He paid the price for our sins and overcame the power of death.…
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Joseph Smith’s Gift
In a virtual devotional earlier this week (on 7 March 2021), LDS apostle Jeffrey Holland spoke to young adult members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As he encouraged these young adults to get involved in the church’s Institute, a religious education program for college-aged Latter-day Saints, Mr. Holland recounted a story…
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Consider David Whitmer’s Testimony
The February issue of Liahona magazine (published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) includes a supplement to the church’s religious study curriculum, “Come, Follow Me.” The magazine article looks briefly at two Book of Mormon witnesses, David Whitmer and Martin Harris–both of whom, along with Oliver Cowdery (a third Book of Mormon…
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Is Joseph Smith Your Prophet?
January 2021 saw the launch of a new global youth-based magazine published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For the Strength of Youth is aimed at young members of the church, ages 11-18. One aspect of the publication is to “provide additional content that complements the church-supported, home-centered teachings of ‘Come, Follow…
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Membership Growth in 2020 Down by Almost 50% As Decline Continues
For a 4-part Viewpoint on Mormonism series on this topic airing February 15-18, 2021, click these links: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Note: This article was modified on April 4, 2021 Over the first weekend of April, LDS Church leaders announced their lowest baptismal convert rate number in many decades due…
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A Notion of Truth for Questioning Mormons
In the Bible, Pilate famously asked Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). If he had asked that same question of LDS historian Richard Bushman, Pilate would have been told that truth is whatever works to bring any given individual to what they themselves consider “a good life.” In an interview published in The Salt Lake…
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Plural Marriage and Joseph Smith: A PR Nightmare
November 2015 Publicly mention the religion of Mormonism and the first thought to come to mind is “polygamy” or, as it is also called, plural marriage. This common perception linking Mormonism with the practice of one man marrying two or more women has caused the public relations department of The Church of Jesus Christ of…
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Should Mormons be Considered “Christian?”
The question of whether Mormons are Christians is an admittedly sensitive issue. It’s not one I normally bring up in a conversation with Latter-day Saints because it can too easily turn into a “Yes they are!” and “No they’re not!” back and forth dispute that can lead to frayed feelings. Mormons like to insist that…
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For Mormons, Christmastime Is for Honoring Jesus – and Joseph Smith
17 December 2020 ‘Tis the season. Christmastime is here, the holiday celebrated all around the world by Christians and non-Christians alike. The December issue of Ensign, the official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, celebrates the Christmas season with a few holiday-related items. One is a reproduction of the oil painting,…
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The Torment of Mormonism’s Uncertainties
The November (2020) issue of Ensign, an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, contains the church’s October General Conference addresses. One address, given by LDS apostle Dale Renlund, caught my attention. In “Do Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with God,” Mr. Renlund explains what it is to be Christlike,…
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Book of Mormon Translation: Though Questions Persist, One Thing is Clear
How was the Book of Mormon translated from the Reformed Egyptian found on the gold plates into English? Despite available eyewitness accounts and an official position stated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints itself, Mormons don’t seem to know the answer. The process Joseph Smith used to produce the Book of Mormon…
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Mormon Rejection of an Important Aspect of the New Testament Church
LDS scholar Dan Peterson noted in his August 31st (2020) blog, “Attacking Other Faiths,” that his church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, differs from evangelical Christian churches in the way it approaches non-LDS faiths. While Dr. Peterson does not define what he believes constitutes the “attacking” of other faiths, he does point…
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Were the Apostle Paul and Joseph Smith Two Peas in a Pod?
Introduction In the History of the Church 6:408-409, Joseph Smith bragged about his greatness when he said, Come on! ye prosecutors! ye false swearers! All hell, boil over! Ye burning mountains, roll down your lava! for I will come out on the top at last. I have more to boast of than ever any man…
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Effectively Sharing With Someone From the Community of Christ
By Trevor Wolfe from Haven Ministries Check out an article on the overall history and doctrine of the Community of Christ by clicking here My approach to witnessing to followers belonging to the Community of Christ (CoC) is different than when I witness to Mormons, or members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day…