Tag: mormon salvation
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Latter-day Saints’ Ultimate Reckoning with God
In a devotional at BYU, Seventy Jörg Klebingat dismissed Jonathan Edwards’ fiery sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” as a misunderstanding of God’s character.
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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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LDS Church Vacillates On a Matter of Eternal Significance
The first full article in the print issue of July’s Liahona magazine is headlined, “Our Heavenly Father Wants Us to Be Happy.” This “Gospel Basics” article presents an overview of the plan of happiness (aka the plan of salvation) according to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the sub-section titled “Death Isn’t…
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The Testimonies of Two Apostles – New Testament vs. LDS
28 June 2021 The New Testament apostle Paul told the Corinthians, “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:1-2) Paul’s faith and testimony…
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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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Mormons Urged to Keep on the Covenant Path
22 January 2018 On Friday, January 12 (2018) the 16th LDS President, Thomas Monson, was laid to rest. On Sunday, January 14, Russell M. Nelson was set apart as the new President, Prophet, Seer, and Revelator of the LDS Church. On Tuesday, January 16, the Church’s newly formed First Presidency (Russell M. Nelson, Dallin H.…
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Finding Grace in Mormonism
According to a recent Deseret News article, back in 1980 it became apparent that Mormons didn’t understand that “grace” had a place in their religion. Latter-day Saints who had been interviewed for a Newsweek article titled, “What Mormons Believe,” so described their Mormon faith that the journalist concluded, “Mormons believe that men are born free…
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Only “After All We Can Do”
LDS author and blogger Mette Ivie Harrison recently addressed the question, “Can Christ Love Me In My Sins?” From a traditional Mormon perspective, the answer would be “No.” But Ms. Harrison is not a traditional Mormon. For her, unlike many other Latter-day Saints who actually hold to the teachings of the Mormon Church, the answer…
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Mormon Children on the Path to Heavenly Father
The July issue of Friend, a magazine for children published by the LDS Church, includes an activity for children titled, “Your Path to Heavenly Father.” Presented as a board game, the instructions explain, “Your path back to Heavenly Father has some necessary steps. It also has other experiences that are not necessary but that help…
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This is eternal life.
Jesus said in John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” When I read this Bible verse, I usually think about the imperative call to know the only true God; eternal life is tied to the true God, and none other.…
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Two Views of Eternal Life
Former Mormons who are now Christians say that this 21 minute video has been instrumental in helping them recognize the differences between the biblical view of salvation and the Mormon view of eternal life. It helped them understand what God has done to rescue them — to rescue all of us — from the consequences of our…
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“Utter Nonsense” Presented at the April 2015 Mormon General Conference
It’s like an April Fools joke, but nobody’s laughing. Instead, people are scratching their heads. During the April 2015 Sunday morning General Conference session, Mormon Apostle Dieter F. Uchtdorf (of the First Presidency) gave a talk that just a few decades ago would have been described by LDS Church leaders as one of “such utter…
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Jesus Came to Save Sinners
While reading the October 2014 General Conference addresses, I was interested to read that Mormon apostle D. Todd Christofferson said, “So God does not save us ‘just as we are,’ first, because ‘just as we are’ we are unclean, and ‘no unclean thing can dwell…in his presence.’ [Moses 6:57]” (“Free Forever, to Act for Themselves,”…
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How Good is Good Enough?
About a week after the April 2014 General Conference of the Mormon Church the (Provo, Utah) Daily Herald published an article by correspondent Steve Densley titled, “How Good is Good Enough?” Mr. Densley began, “The semiannual conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came to a close last week. I watched intently…
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Mormonism’s 4th Article of Faith
The December 2013 issue of the Mormon Church’s Ensign magazine contains an article by John Welch titled, “The Articles of Faith and the Life of Joseph Smith.” In this article, Dr. Welch goes through the 13 Articles of Faith (canonized in the Mormon scripture The Pearl of Great Price) to help readers see Joseph Smith’s…
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Mormon.org’s Plan of Salvation
Mormon.org includes a section titled, “God’s Plan of Salvation.” This section systematically presents Mormon beliefs related to eternal life. It goes like this (my summarization of each point in parentheses): The Mormon plan of salvation is presented with broad strokes, consistent with an Internet environment. The reader gets glimpses of distinctive Mormon doctrine (e.g., God…
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Flying First-Class — Mormon Style
In reading the July 2013 Ensign, I came across a thoughtful story written by Bonnie Marshall in the Latter-day Saint Voices section of the magazine. Mrs. Marshall tells of a long flight she and her husband took when they returned to Utah from their mission at BYU-Hawaii. Because Mrs. Marshall’s husband was a large man,…
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The Distinctive Restoration Plan of Salvation
On May 16, 2013 Meridian Magazine (online) published an article by Mormon author Wallace Goddard titled, “The Restoration Plan of Salvation: ‘It Came From God!’” Dr. Goddard’s article is aimed at proving the superior beauty and cohesiveness of the Mormon gospel as compared to any others. He writes, “It is my intent to help us…
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How to Spend Eternity With Heavenly Father
I stumbled across a pro-Mormon YouTube channel (a Vlog) called inZionTV. On January 6th (2012) inZionTV posted a video (embedded below) in which two Mormon missionaries answer the question, “What do we need to do to live with Heavenly Father after we die?” The 10 minute and 40 second video provides a pretty detailed answer…
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Are Mormons Saved?
Mormon Times recently ran an article that asked — and answered — that question. According to LDS guest writer William Monahan, when people ask if Latter-day Saints are saved or born again, the answer is a resounding “yes.” Even so, citing the Mormon Church’s 3rd Article of Faith, Mr. Monahan confirms that LDS salvation is…