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As members of the church we recognize that the Book of Mormon was written for us and for our day and age. No earthly Nephite, other than Mormon, and perhaps Moroni, ever read the Book of Mormon in its entirety. It was edited by the Prophet Mormon under the direction of the Savior with the intention of articulating doctrine, events and experiences that relate to our times and circumstances. We live in a time of endemic warfare, and as Joseph Smith prophesied on Christmas Day 1832, from that time forth, "war shall be poured out upon all nations" until the...

A friend of my daughter recently said she could not understand why Mormons baptize children at such a young age, 8 years old. This got me thinking. ...We do not baptize infants or little children because, as taught in section 29 of the Doctrine and Covenants, "little children are redeemed" through Christ and "cannot sin, for power is not given unto Satan to tempt little children until they begin to become accountable before me." But why do we baptize at the young and tender age of 8? Why not wait until they are older and, as some would argue, more...

The LDS Church - and many of its members - objected last spring when HBO's hit series "Big Love" depicted a plural wife participating in a temple ceremony, calling the episode an offensive act that trivialized a sacred practice. But an entire context is needed to sanctify an image, gesture, ritual or event, said Alex Caldiero, and without its unique context, the sacred cannot be violated. "The sacred sort of protects itself against any inappropriate, any misuse or any foul play by being so protected and encased in a context," said Caldiero, artist-in-residence at Utah Valley University in Orem. "What...

Dear Seeker of Truth, I am a former Mormon missionary and apologist (defender of the faith). I wrote a book defending the Church against anti-Mormon attacks ("The Gainsayers" 1989). I spent many years of my life in research, hoping to find evidence for The Book of Mormon, and to counter anti-Mormon claims. I studied Book of Mormon archaeology and also Mormon history far more intensively than 99% of other Mormons. I did this because I wanted to defend the Church. Ultimately, I discovered the truth. I resigned from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1996. Below is...

Dear Seeker of Truth, I am a former Mormon missionary and apologist (defender of the faith). I wrote a book defending the Church against anti-Mormon attacks ("The Gainsayers" 1989). I spent many years of my life in research, hoping to find evidence for The Book of Mormon, and to counter anti-Mormon claims. I studied Book of Mormon archaeology and also Mormon history far more intensively than 99% of other Mormons. I did this because I wanted to defend the Church. Ultimately, I discovered the truth. I resigned from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1996. For those...

The Book of Mormon has undergone thousands of changes through the years as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has corrected typos, grammatical errors and mistaken words. Brigham Young University professor Royal Skousen highlights some of the most significant changes in his latest book, The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text. Several examples are listed below: 1 Nephi 13:24"It contained the fullness of the gospel of the Land." (original manuscript)"It contained the fullness of the gospel of the Lord." (printer's version, 1981 edition)"It contained the fullness of the gospel of the Lamb." (BYU Critical Text Project)1 Nephi 17:48"Whoso...

The 8th Article of Faith states: "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God." In the title page of the Book of Mormon, we read, "...if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God." Lastly, we read the words of Moroni shortly after he took over his father's record: "Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him...

...The Joseph Smith Papers, Revelations and Translations, Volume 1: Manuscript Revelation Books will be in bookstores on Sept. 22. It is the second book to be released in the anticipated 30-volume comprehensive scholarly set that will cover more than 2,000 documents in the Prophet's personal papers. Of necessity, the latest volume is larger and more expensive than the others. This is because it contains a full-color photo image of each page of two important manuscript collections produced by the Prophet and his scribes: the Book of Commandments and Revelations and the Kirtland Revelation Book. "Coupling them together, we're presenting one...

SNIP Sharing testimonies is an important part of the Latter-day Saint experience. We bear testimonies in many settings — in the home with family and among friends and associates or in missionary experiences. In Church, one Sunday is set aside every month for the bearing of testimonies during sacrament meetings. SNIP In his address at the October 2004 general conference, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve...said that his experience throughout the Church leads him to worry that too many members' testimonies linger on "I am thankful," and "I love," and too few are able to say...

Bob Bennett has a challenge for those who reject The Book of Mormon as a fanciful work of fiction...In a new book, Leap of Faith: Confronting the Origins of The Book of Mormon, the lifelong Mormon and grandson of a church prophet, argues that the foundational book of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints cannot be dismissed so easily. SNIP ...Terryl Givens, a Mormon and a professor of literature and religion at the University of Richmond, notes that The Book of Mormon has not undergone much if any scrutiny by scholars outside the faith. "The story of its...

Phoenix » Some north Phoenix residents are voicing strong opposition to a proposed Mormon temple, saying it would be an eyesore and would disrupt their mountain views. The four-story, all white, 9,500-square-foot temple would rise from the desert floor near 51st Avenue and West Pinnacle Peak Road.

First in a series of four articles Somewhere among the varied coasts of the two American continents was landfall for a small group of ancient Israelite seafarers led by a prophet named Lehi. Whether they stepped upon the sands of an empty or crowded continent is at the heart of the DNA debate over the historical nature of the Book of Mormon. Ugo Perego, an Italian-born researcher in human genetics, tries to look with a scientist's eye at the controversy surrounding DNA and the Book of Mormon. He is a bit impatient with some of the strong conclusions of some...

Sept 17, 2009 — Readers of this headline may say it is not news to say that intelligent design has been found in DNA. Others may be ready for a fight on that issue. But in this case, the design has been verified beyond any shadow of doubt. The designers are not who you may be suspecting. They are...

.Some time ago, I called needhim.org to discuss the Trinity and find out if I’m missing something or if Christians really just can’t count. The lady who answered the phone, Donna, described the Trinity as “really cool”, and told me that the Father = God, the Son = God and the Holy Ghost = God. I was a little confused and tried to explain the biblical narrative in these terms. The Holy Spirit (God) has sex with the Virgin Mary to impregnate her with Jesus (God). Later, Jesus (God) is sacrificed by the Father (God) to save us from… God?...

The official Mormon religion -- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- doesn't allow plural marriage anymore, but that didn't stop a local Florida State fan from lampooning the religion's polygamist past as the Seminoles prepare to travel to Brigham Young Saturday for a game against No. 7 Brigham Young. The avid FSU fan's name is Jim Lory, whose late father John Lory was a loyal Florida State supporter whom I've written about in the past. Several years ago before he passed away, John bought a giant theater marquee and put it in front of his old workshop...

Tipping its hat to the power of the Internet, Deseret Management Corp. is creating a new business unit to manage the Web sites and other operations of digital-media properties owned by the LDS Church, including DeseretNews.com. Deseret Digital Media will take over the online sites of Deseret Book, Deseret News , KSL television and KSL NewsRadio. The sites are deseretbook.com, deseretnews.com, ldschurchnews.com, mormontimes.com and ksl.com. The creation of Deseret Digital Media "is driven by a belief that we can be more effective in growing our Internet businesses if we set them up in a separate division," Mark Willes, president and...

“HI, we’d like to talk to you about Jesus Christ!” Standing tall, two young and well-dressed American boys at my door broke the ice instantaneously. Happy to see them, I said that we were Christians too. What happened next, however, took me by surprise and left me scrambling for words. Stating that they were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they said they wanted to talk about a prophet and a book given to the prophet by God. Though a little shaken, I refused to hear their ideologies — they left only to return another day...

What Nick Vujicic lacks in stature, he makes up for in faith. Vujicic, a 26-year-old man born without arms or legs, spoke about hope and faith in Jesus Christ to approximately 5,000 people at the Salt Palace Convention Center on Saturday night. Vujicic is using his unique situation to spread the message of being born again in Christ. An Australian native, Vujicic now resides in California where he runs his Christian ministry Life Without Limbs. “The world sees something special in a man without arms and legs,” Vujicic said. “I love being able to be used by God.” People’s reasons...

Spanish Fork » Joseph Smith may have called The Book of Mormon the "most correct of any book on Earth," but that doesn't mean it couldn't use some correcting -- even now, 179 years after it first came off the press. Regarded by a worldwide faith of nearly 14 million members as Holy Writ, the book is not wholly without errors -- typos, omissions, grammatical goofs and altogether wrong words. Mistakes have crept into the text since LDS Church founder Joseph Smith dictated the original manuscript, which he says he translated with God's help from gold plates. Truth is, the...

Settlement papers show Mormon church leaders agreed to return more than $202,000 in tithing money paid by a man convicted of bilking investors out of more than $142 million. U.S. District Court filings show Val Southwick paid The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints $202,761.74 between 2001 and 2006. In 2008, the LDS Church Corporation of the Presidency agreed to return the money as part of a Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement action. Spokesman Scott Trotter says the church has a policy of not profiting from alleged ill-gotten gains. Southwick was convicted of securities fraud and is serving nine...

by Kent Ponder, Ph.D.          Many say that religious faith and reason are essentially incompatible -- that theological faith and sensible reason function as largely separate modes of mental and emotional behavior. LDS people, though, very often say that the Mormon faith is unusually reasonable and sensible.         Is it? As a test, let's consider the Jaredites and their ocean-going barges, described in Ether of the Book of Mormon. If you've read it, did you do it with the "eye of faith," or with the "eye of reason" (and common sense)? The LDS...

I came across some interesting Book of Mormon geography theories. Some of which I was familiar with and a few that were new to me. I found them interesting to read through. I’m sure there are more theories out there, but here are a few for you to read through. I’ve included links for more information on each theory on the titles of the theory. Mesoamerica Theory 1: Isthmus of Tehuantepec As you can see in this map, this theory is the one in which people believe the main location for the Book of Mormon is in Central America and...

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (GINA) -- Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon at a post-Cabinet press briefing on Thursday said that the Mormons are not the only persons who have flouted immigration laws, by overstaying their time in Guyana. He recalled that similar issues had arisen in the past with Hindu and Muslim Missionaries. Guyana's Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon Luncheon asserted that much idle speculations surrounded an action that is taken regularly in every country in the world, once immigration laws are breached. He maintained that “if you flout immigration laws, this course of action will be applied.” He...

In 1916 a church asked the Salt Lake City Council to allow them to build a huge cross, "the symbol of Christianity," on Ensign Peak. "We would like to construct it of cement, re-enforced with steel, of sufficient dimensions that it can be readily seen from every part of the city," the request read. That request came from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The cross was to honor the Mormon pioneers. Even though the proposal was approved by the City Council, the monument was never built. Today, there are no crosses on Mormon temples. Yet two are...

Joseph Smith was just one of a proliferation of preachers and prophets who found God along the stony ridges and narrow lakes of western New York in the first half of nineteenth century. It was a place and a time of intense interest in religion: pathways to paradise ran in all directions. Prospective pilgrims had a choice, and many a wanderer journeyed a little way down first one path and then another testing alternate routes to heaven. The story of the strange systems and unusual faiths that resulted is essentially a record of unsuccessful experiments with religion. Some survived for...

September 11th marks the gruesome day when 152 years ago, some 120 men, women, and children were slaughtered in cold blood by a group of Mormons. The Mountain Meadows Massacre would be the "worst incident of organized mass murder of unarmed civilians" until the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995. To understand how this happened, we must understand the relationship between the early Mormons and the rest of the nation Shortly after being organized as a church, Joseph and his two hundred or so followers settled in Kirtland, Ohio. The church grew, but by 1837 many had begun to lose faith....

Today, Mormons work hand-in-hand with other faiths at the Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County to feed the hungry throughout an area of some 280,000 people. But it has not always been that way. In 1992, Kristina Manning approached the "Loaves & Fishes" organization and asked to be a volunteer. But Manning, a new LDS convert, was turned down. Two members of her bishopric at the time in the Paso Robles 1st Ward of the San Luis Obispo California Stake paid a visit to Loaves & Fishes and tried to resolve the situation. After being told they were...

In his commencement speech at Brigham Young University Thursday, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints urged Latter-day Saints to...avoid being defensive. “In our interactions with others are we expecting always to have to defend ourselves? If so, I think we need to make a course correction.” Elder Ballard said. “It is inconsistent with where we are today..." Elder Ballard referred to recent research that suggested Mormons can sometimes appear defensive to those who are not members of the Church. The study said that when Mormons are...

When I was growing up in Utah, Calvin Rampton and Scott Matheson were our Governors, Frank Moss was one of our Senators, and Gunn McKay was our Congressman. All were Mormon Democrats. My father was a steelworker who believed that the Democrats were the party that ended the Depression, won the War, and fought for the rights of working people. Evidently many Utah Mormons agreed with him. It was not until the mid- to late-1970s that the Democratic party fell out of favor among Utah Mormon voters. That shift resulted, I believe, because the public debate about morality became more...

There is a serious threat against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It has a name. The name is Andrew Price. He belongs to an evangelistic group that goes about teaching against all other churches. This group has a website and on this website you can click on a myriad of different religions and read what this church teaches against any specific religion. The name of the online church is being withheld because this article will not be used as a forum for that church. Several different ministers, preachers, pastors,in other words, paid clergy for that church...

There are wolves in sheep's clothing and I want to bring up two specifically. One is an organization called MormonThink.com. Okay. I don't know if you're familiar with it. I bring it up only as a warning voice. MormonThink.com presents itself as an open environment where we can discuss principles of the gospel and the teachings of the gospel from an open perspective where the truth is really found out, let the chips fall where they may. I will tell you right now that there is an agenda of those that operate that website. Their objective is not to give...

Six years. In the thousand-year span of the Nephite people, that’s the time on stage for a prideful group known as the king-men. The last fourth of the book of Alma, in which the king-men story is imbedded, is a sharp break from the doctrine-laden chapters of the first three-fourths of the book, as Mormon turns to stories about war strategy and political happenings. Why did Mormon include this story of arrogance? Is it a parallel for our time, a warning, something we should learn? I think so. Because Mormon saw our time, what he decided to include in his...

The idea for this talk came from reading some critics about the Book of Abraham. The critics were discussing an Egyptological issue on the internet. You all know these type of critics, the ones who have not the courage of their convictions sufficient to sign their real name to their opinions. [SNIP] Contemporary hostile non-Mormon eyewitnesses (surely the gold standard of evidence for present-day hostile non-Mormon critics) as well as Mormon eyewitnesses identify the Book of Abraham as coming from the long scroll in Joseph Smith's possession. The eyewitnesses force us to focus on the long roll, whichever that may...

I want to talk...about the reliability of Mormon history produced by the Church. I think there has been in years past the sentiment that the Church hedged on the way that it did business; that it was not forthright in what was published; that it was afraid of its past and unwilling to hold our heritage and our historical past up to the kind of scrutiny that other disciplines were subjected to. [SNIP] (Q:1) A major recurring criticism we see is that the church doesn't discuss difficult or controversial historical events in classroom manuals and even, for example, discourages the...

When confronting the doctrinal issue of polygamy, Greg Smith posed the question; “Do you trust Father?” He taught members of the Church that as they turn to their Father in Heaven and trust in His love and mercy, the challenging doctrines of the gospel will become less of a struggle. Smith mixed humor with testimony while addressing the tough topic of polygamy to audience members during the 11th Annual Mormon Apologetics Conference presented by the Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR). The conference was Aug. 6-7 at the South Towne Exposition Center in Sandy. Smith said some of the...

The biggest problem with the Book of Mormon is that it exists, says Sen. Bob Bennett...The Republican senator from Utah is the author of "Leap of Faith," which was recently released by Deseret Book...Bennett didn't like the way the Book of Mormon was represented in media coverage leading up to the 2002 Winter Olympics... "The tenor of the articles that kind of started me on this was that no one of any intelligence could believe the incredibly outlandish story about angels and gold plates, that any person with the slightest bit of education would reject this out of hand," he...

Followers of Emanuel can be saved by grace through an investment in obedience which determines the willingness and desire to live back within the presence of God. In 2 Nephi 25:23 it states: “for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” This commonly referenced scripture was the basis for Brad Wilcox’s Tuesday lecture, “After All We Can Do,“ from the series “Using the Atonement to Turn Weakness into Strengths.” “This is a source of discouragement if not understood,” said Wilcox, an associate professor of teacher education at BYU. Wilcox focused on...

Authorities in Guyana grew "uncomfortable" with the presence of Mormon missionaries who have been ordered to leave the South American country, a governing party leader said Thursday.About 40 missionaries were briefly detained Wednesday and told to leave within a month as authorities said their travel documents were out of date.Comments by Donald Ramotar of the governing People's Progressive Party, however, suggested the crackdown went beyond immigration issues.-SNIP-Church spokesman Leslie Sobers also raised the issue, saying he thought the government might have been uneasy over perceived links between the Mormons and the opposition. He said opposition legislator Volda Lawrence traveled...

If you asked me who some of my favorite artists are right now, without hesitation I would say Natalie Grant, Nichole Nordeman and Britt Nicole. I know many of my friends haven't heard of them. I love to introduce people to these artists because they just might love their music too. Grant, Nordeman and Nicole are widely known in the mainstream Christian contemporary music world. There is so much talent in and outside of the church. This week, I wanted to share some artists with you who are not LDS but are fellow Christians with a faith-promoting message. In addition,...

  Russell M. Nelson, “A Treasured Testament,” Ensign, Jul 1993, 61 Adapted from an address given 25 June 1992 at a seminar for new mission presidents, Missionary Training Center, Provo, Utah.The Book of Mormon stands as another testament of Jesus Christ. The power of its message will transform the lives of all who earnestly study its precious pages. Its very reality is an inspiring fact. Many of you are experienced in the difficult task of translating written text from one language to another. I am intrigued, as you are, with the process Joseph Smith used to translate the Book...

One of the attractive components to Mormon theology was the notion that Mormons were a chosen people, and both figuratively and literally part of the House of Israel.  The Book of Mormon also offered the idea that Israel was all over the earth throughout time in various times and places and that they are always the chosen people.  Mormon youth (and adults) who receive a Patriarchal Blessing are personally informed of their own lineage as a member of the House of Israel.  So, how does this compare to other religions’ views of Israel and Judaism?Christian sects have a Jewish problem. ...

Review "Royal Skousen has single-handedly brought the textual analysis of the Book of Mormon to a professional level on par with the finest classical and biblical scholarship. This volume is the culmination of his labors, and it is the most textually significant edition since Joseph Smith's work was first published in 1830. It takes us back to the original manuscript (as best we can reconstruct it) and sometimes beyond, to the very words that were first spoken by Joseph Smith to his scribes."-Grant Hardy, from the Introduction (Grant Hardy ) Product Description First published in 1830, the Book of Mormon...

Twenty years ago today in Mormon history . . . . . Elder George P. Lee, the first American Indian General Authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was excommunicated. In 1975, after Lee served as a mission president in Arizona, he became a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, one of the presiding bodies of the LDS church. Lee was 32. His autobiography proved to be popular. "Silent Courage: An Indian Story: The Autobiography of George P. Lee, a Navajo" went through nine printings. Lee felt a kinship president of the church Spencer W....

On his own dime, Mark Paredes is headed to Europe to try and explain Jews and Judaism to Mormons and to reassure Jewish people that they have a friend in Mormonism. Paredes, who currently is the president of the Los Angeles office of the Zionist Organization of America and a high councilor in the Santa Monica California LDS Stake, plans to speak in Holland, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Slovenia and Austria starting on Aug. 29. Earlier this year, he did a similar tour in Norway and Sweden. Paredes believes he is being spiritually urged to visit Europe and speak in support...

The Prophet Joseph Smith cautioned latter-day saints to avoid undue political partisanship because it didn't amount to much more than giving one side or another the rope with which to hang us. [SNIP] Liberals accuse Mormons of being too conservative on abortion. However, we believe abortion may be prayerfully considered in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger. It is the individual's choice, but that choice should be made after serious reflection, prayer, and receiving guidance through the Holy Spirit. This more moderate position causes the religious right to label us as "flip-floppers."......

PROVO, Utah -- It isn't very hard to imagine what the subscribers of the Rochester (N.Y.) Gem thought about Mormons a month after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized. You can almost picture them gathering around while someone read aloud the May 15, 1830, edition story titled "Imposition and Blasphemy!! -- Money-diggers, &c." "Some months ago a noise was made among the credulous of the earth," the article began, "respecting a wonderful production said to have been found as follows. An ignoramus near Palmyra, Wayne county, pretended he had found some 'Gold Plates,' as he is...

70 years ago today in Utah History --- Heber J. Grant writes Twentieth Century Fox "I hope we shall not appear to you to be over anxious ... but we are tremendously concerned..." But nearly a year later the Mormon church president declared "This is one of the greatest days of my life." His involvement in helping with the film "Brigham Young" influenced the making of the movie and subsequently the public perception of the LDS Church. Early movies depicting Mormons were not flattering. In 1910 the first anti-Mormon film, 'Victim of the Mormons' was "publicly condemned by Apostle David...

It's not certain whether the late Sen. Ted Kennedy would be more palatable to conservative Utah Republicans if he were a Mormon, but it appears someone tried to make that happen.Just one day after Kennedy died, someone apparently posted his name on an LDS Church database to have him placed on the list to be posthumously baptized.That posting was uncovered by researcher Helen Radkey, who has been critical of the church practice. But, alas, Kennedy won't become a Mormon anytime soon. Whoever placed his name on the list was not authorized to do so, and the church's database security...

The LDS Church’s Public Affairs Department has joined the lively, often contentious world of Mormon blogging. The blog — at LDS Newsroom — will include “commentary, additional context, localized stories and background to help the news media and the public better understand news and issues related to the church,” Lyman Kirkland, the department’s manager of social media, wrote on the site. The information, managed and written by the church’s public-affairs staff, will be “reliable and accurate,” Kirkland wrote, but “should not necessarily be viewed as official statements from the [LDS] Church.” In addition, the blog’s tone will “more conversational” than...

Two by two: Missionaries teach the Word of God in Lufkin By BRITTONY LUNDThe Lufkin Daily NewsSaturday, August 15, 2009In his first week in Lufkin, LDS missionary Elder Josh Nielsen, 19, of Moses Lake, Washington, has had doors slammed in his face, people tell him he doesn't believe in the Bible and has rescued his companion missionary, Elder Sawyer Prestwich, 21, of Orem, Utah from getting punched.The Lufkin Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints welcomed four new missionaries to Lufkin this past week. Elder Justin Esplan, 19, of Nephi, Utah and Elder Matthew Bird, 21, of Wenatchee,...