Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
I have read a number of books in the “A Very Short Introduction” and I always enjoy them. While there are limitations of how much you can get across in such a small format, they are great resources. Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction by Richard Lyman Bushman is no exception. Bushman is writing from a … Read More “Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction – Review” »
I have long been interested in groups that are considered sects or cults, especially those with a connection to Christianity. One of those groups is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly called the Mormons. I find Mormonism to be a bit of an enigma. On the one hand, I find their theology … Read More “Sharing the Good News With Mormons – Review” »
I always prefer hearing directly from people what they believe about God rather than just a summary by a critic. So, how do Mormons and Christians compare when it comes to an understanding of God? We both use the term “Godhead” but don’t necessarily use it in the same way. Historical Christianity has understood the … Read More “Joseph Smith, Mormons and the Godhead” »
I recently came across an article titled, Defending the Faith: Creating a Cumulative Case for the Book of Mormon, written by Daniel Peterson. It is an attempt to respond to critics who argue that the Book of Mormon is not genuine. Let me make something clear, I am not anti-Mormon. Mormons are lovely people and … Read More “The Cumulative Case Against the Book of Mormon” »
That is rather harsh isn’t it? However, saying that Brigham Young was a false prophet is more than just anti-Mormon bias. What is the test of a prophet? “But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of … Read More “Brigham Young Was a False Prophet” »
What are the Doctrines and Covenants? The D&C is a book that is considered scripture by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the Community of Christ. A large portion of this book are writings that Joseph Smith, Jr. claimed that he received by prophecy. If you are looking for theological insight … Read More “Doctrines and Covenants” »
I have been enjoying a podcast called Viewpoint on Mormonism. You can also get it on iTunes here. It is put on by Mormon Research Ministries. What I enjoy about this podcast is that they focus on primary sources from Mormon writers and even more that they go out of their way to be respectful … Read More “Viewpoint on Mormonism” »
One of the methods that Mormon missionaries use is to get people to read the Book of Mormon and then to pray and ask if it was true. If one receives the “burning in the bosom,” that is God’s way of telling you that you should become a Mormon. Whatever doubts you have about the … Read More “Mormonism, Christianity and the Role of Experience” »
Joanna Brooks writes in the Washington Post about five myths of Mormonism. This is an important topic as it becomes more and more likely that the U.S. will one day have a Mormon president. You can read the article here. It is worth reading to see how Mormons see themselves. I would agree with each … Read More “Mormon Myths” »
What do Mormons believe? A good place to start is their Thirteen Articles of Faith. I would like to respond to them briefly here. 1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. That almost sounds good, except it is clear that only the Father is … Read More “Mormons and The Thirteen Articles of Faith” »
One of the beliefs of Mormonism is that natives Americans are the descendants of Israelites. One of the problems of this is that there have been people in North America since long before these Israelites supposedly arrived. This article speaks of a 4,600 year old grave in Ontario, Canada. As someone from Ontario, I found … Read More “Mormons and the Natives” »
Next we are going to take a look at the Mormon understanding of the Restoration of the Gospel. This article is correct that it was a time of great religious excitement at the time Joseph Smith lived. But it is strange that he would say that every minister and every church had a different claim … Read More “Mormons and the Restoration of the Gospel” »
Our next section looks at the concept of the Great Apostasy. According to Mormons, soon after the death of Jesus, the church fell into a great apostasy. Reformers such as Luther and Calvin knew there was something wrong but without proper understanding, they were unable to restore the Gospel. Now, Christians would agree that throughout … Read More “Mormons and the Great Apostasy” »
Our next section is on the issue of Jesus Christ Establishing His Church. If you read any of the history and background of Mormonism, you will quickly find that positions, titles and offices are very important. I have a few issues with this. First of all, the core message of Jesus was not the establishment … Read More “Mormons, Jesus and the Church” »
The next section that we are going to look at is the Heavenly Father Reveals His Gospel to All. There is a very subtle movement in this section. They begin with looking at Old Testament prophecy and then the way God worked in the New Testament. It is argued that if God worked through a … Read More “Mormons on the Prophets” »
Mormons stress the importance of families as seen in their comments about the Gospel That Blesses Families. This is one of the areas in which Mormons are strong. Even if people have theological questions about Mormonism or archaeological doubts about the events described in the Book of Mormon, many people are still attracted to the … Read More “Mormons and the Blessing of Families” »
Mormons proclaim that God is your loving Heavenly Father. No Christian would disagree with that statement. While there is something suspicious with the reasoning that God is Father because he is father of our spirits, I am not going there yet. Rather I want to comment on the claim that the Father has a body … Read More “Mormons and the Heavenly Father” »
I am starting a series on the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am going through their beliefs as stated on their official web page. The first part deals with their understanding of the Restoration of Truth. At first glance, there is a fair bit that most Christians would … Read More “Mormons and the “Restoration of Truth”” »
