Category: Mormonism
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Crash Course Mormonism: First Vision
The First Vision is a crucial event that must be historical if Mormonism should be considered a true religion. According to LDS Church teaching, founder Joseph Smith, Jr. was 14 years old in the spring of 1820 when a Christian revival took place in the area of upstate New York where he lived during the…
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10 Reasons to Reject the First Vision of Joseph Smith
The historical First Vision is for Mormonism’s case. If the First Vision did not occur, then Mormonism is nothing more than fiction, as attested to by these important leaders. However, there are problems with the First Vision account, as summarized in the following 10 reasons. 1. It is impossible for anyone to see God the…
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Quotations from Discourses of President Gordon B. Hinckley Vols. 1 & 2
The following quotes come from the book Discourses of President Gordon B. Hinckley, volumes 1 and 2. These were employee gifts at Christmas by the First Presidency in 2004 and 2005. To visit the site with all of the books and quotes from these, go here. Abortion “Abortion is an ugly thing, a debasing thing,…
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“#Hear Him.” Mormon Prophet Invites Members to Listen to the Lord.
16 March 2020 Russel M. Nelson, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, recently released a video invitation to his friends. Leading up to Easter and in accordance with the church’s 2020 focus on Joseph Smith’s First Vision, President Nelson said, “My dear friends, today I wish to share with you…
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Following the Prophet’s “First Vision” Example
The February 2020 issue of Ensign magazine, an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, includes an article written by Henry B. Eyring of the church’s First Presidency. In keeping with the church’s 2020 emphasis on Joseph Smith’s First Vision (due to the traditionally-accepted 200th anniversary of the event), President Eyring…
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8 Questions Every Latter-day Saint Needs to Answer about the First Vision
Do you believe in the official “First Vision” account of God the Father and Jesus appearing to Joseph Smith, Jr. in the spring of 1820? Do you believe it was a historical event? Most Latter-day Saints can answer “yes” to both questions. It’s important, they say. The account is emphasized in the church from Primary…
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Christianity Index
Apostasy Christianity
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So What About the $100 Billion? It’s Probably Legal for the Church To Stockpile, but How Much Is Too Much?
$100 billion. That’s how much is in the reserve coffers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to a report by two former employees who had worked with Ensign Peak Advisors, which is the investment division of the church’s cash and short-term investments. The report was released on December 17th, 2019. (For…
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The Four Fundamental Cornerstones of Mormonism
The president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Russell M. Nelson, is currently on a four-nation tour of Southeast Asia. Reporting on President Nelson’s visit to Cambodia, the church’s newsroom website recounted, “The 95-year-old prophet also noted the coming bicentennial of Joseph Smith’s vision of the Father and the Son, known by…
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Book Review: The Next Mormons: How Millennials are Changing the LDS Church
Authored by Jana Riess Check out the 15 episodes Viewpoint on Mormonism podcast series that aired September 30-October 18, 2019: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Jana Riess, 49, is a popular LDS…
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Citations Concerning the Word of Wisdom
The following citations are documented in Bill McKeever’s book In Their Own Words concerning the Word of Wisdom. Prophets/Presidents Joseph Smith: “No official member in this Church is worthy to hold an office after having the Word of Wisdom properly taught him; and he, the official member, neglecting to comply with and obey it” (Teachings of the…
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Crash Course Mormonism: Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith (1805-1844) is the founder and first president/prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While he is not worshiped by followers of the church, he is certainly the most highly esteemed leader this religion has ever had. First Vision According to the official account told by the church, Joseph Smith saw…
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Of Martyrs and Lambs
In June 1844 Joseph Smith, the founder and first Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was shot dead by a mob of vigilantes. He was incarcerated in Carthage Jail at the time, awaiting action on a charge of treason sworn against him.1 This is what happened: Carthage, June 27th, 1844. A shower…
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Revisiting a Fundamental Disagreement between Mormonism and Christianity
7 June 2019 About a year ago here at Mormonism in the News, I addressed an article about the doctrine of the Trinity by LDS scholar Daniel Peterson. Dr. Peterson has recently reposted his 2018 article. Because links to that recent repost keep popping up in my news feed, I thought it might be helpful…
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Crash Course Mormonism: God the Father
God the Father has several different names in Mormonism, including Heavenly Father or Elohim. A good picture of this version of God can be seen in founder Joseph Smith’s statement from what is known as the King Follett Discourse: I will go back to the beginning before the world was, to show what kind of…
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Crash Course Mormonism: Priesthood
Mormonism teaches that the authorized priesthood was restored to Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in 1829, the year before he founded his church. Today two kinds of priesthood are available to eligible males but not to females. The first priesthood is called the Aaronic Priesthood. Smith…
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Crash Course Mormonism: Great Apostasy
The Great Apostasy is the idea that true Christianity lost God’s authority soon after the death of Christ’s apostles, which made it necessary for God to restore the true church through Joseph Smith and the founding of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830. If there had been no Great Apostasy, there…