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...Bruce R. McConkie was a boy growing up in Monticello, Utah... ...the son grew to be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve from 1972 until his death in 1985, well respected and remembered for his written and spoken discourses in which he taught the doctrines of the gospel with clarity and power. The above...was recounted by Elder McConkie’s son Joseph Fielding McConkie on April 11 in an address in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square in Salt Lake City for the monthly Men and Women of Faith Lecture Series sponsored by the Church History Library. His topic was...

Bill Maher on HBO's Real Time Friday made a statement that will make the Right cheer as the left predictably cringes. After his guest Brian Levin - the director of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino - said of the Boston bombings and how it relates to radical Islam, "We have hypocrites across faiths, Jewish, Christian who say they're out for God and end up doing not so nice things," Maher marvelously responded, "That’s liberal bulls--t right there" (video follows with transcript and commentary): Maher to Guest Defending Islam in the...

Hundreds of Snow College students, alumni, employees, and community members gathered in the Heritage Plaza on November 1 for the dedication of the Karen H. Huntsman Library, Snow College’s new state-of-the-art facility. President Scott Wyatt welcomed those in attendance and discussed the importance of tradition at Snow College. SNIP “When I see my name on the building, it doesn’t seem quite right,” said Karen H. Huntsman, who recognized her husband, Jon M. Huntsman, Sr., and her ancestors who lived in Sanpete County as those who should share the honor with her. SNIP Jon M. Huntsman Sr., a General Authority of...

College changes policies to settle Alliance Defending Freedom lawsuit Attorney sound bite: Travis BarhamSALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s Snow College has changed several policies to restore greater religious freedom to its campus and settle an Alliance Defending Freedom lawsuit filed in October of last year on behalf of a Christian student group. In light of the settlement and corrected policies, the group has voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit. College officials banned the Solid Rock Christian Club from including religious speech as part of a homecoming event. The college, located in the town of Ephraim, also denied the club benefits that it...

On April 6, 2013 Grant Palmer, former CES teacher and author of two outstanding books (1 & 2) on issues in the LDS church, released a statement through an anonymous blog about his meeting with mission presidents and a first quorum of the seventy member of the LDS church. Many many people have called the account fable and rumor. I’ve heard these experiences since last November, and Grant alluded to them (with the mission presidents) in the exmormon foundation conference (where he also mentioned my public resignation) last October (2012). Late Sunday (April 7), Grant reconfirmed to me personally that...

Editor Comment: Grant waited 6 months before releasing this report to the public because he wanted to make sure this is what the GA believed. In mid-October 2012, a returned LDS Mission President contacted me to arrange a meeting. Several days later, he called again and said that a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy also wished to attend. He said the General Authority would attend on condition that I not name him or repeat any stories that would identify him. He explained that neither of them, including the GA’s wife, believed the founding claims of the restoration...

SNIP Young women, their mothers and leaders recently participated in the annual Young Women meeting in the Conference Center and in thousands of meetinghouses across the world. The Church’s Young Women organization provides instruction, encouragement and support in living the gospel of Jesus Christ for teenage girls ages 12 to 17. SNIP The Young Women program emphasizes eight values — faith, divine nature, individual worth, knowledge, choice and accountability, good works, integrity and virtue — each represented by a different color, as in these flags...

I just wanted to share with you my story of grace so you can more fully understand why we do what we do. Rob Sivulka is definitely more on the truth end of things and I am on the grace end, but whatever the approach our goal is the same. I pray that you would read my testimony and not go by emotions, but by the facts. I know some of what I say will well up anger or frustration in some of you (it did in me when I was first confronted that Mormons are not Christian), but please...

The grand council of atheist Mormon bishops have met and codified the Creed of Practical Mormon Atheism, a list of things that both atheists and Mormons can largely affirm together: Even if Mormonism is false, it is still worth believing and ought not be refuted.Faith is ultimately irrational.Even if you don’t believe in God, you should still stay on the membership rolls and consider yourself a Mormon.If the LDS Church isn’t true, there is no God.How you live your life is more important than what you believe.I can’t believe in a God who demands worship.It doesn’t matter if it’s true....

On this day – April 4, 1981 (32 years ago) – Mormon church president-”prophet” Spencer W. Kimball made an announcement about what the three-fold MISSION was of the Mormon church. In other words, these three things were not “minor fair,” and the first two were not surprising for any given “church” (proclaim the gospel, and perfect the saints). What was the third part? Per Kimball, it was to “redeem the dead.” (Source: On This Day in the Church: An Illustrated Almanac of the Latter-day Saints, Eagle Gate Publishing, Salt Lake City, 2000, p. 65) A previous string of Mormon “prophets”...

In the nineteenth century, the courts agreed that it was necessary for the State to acknowledge the biblical requirement of monogamy over against polygamy (many wives). Marriage is by definition a union of one man and one woman. The courts justified their rulings because of moral absolutes found in the Christian religion. What was true of polygamy was equally true of homosexuality since homosexuality was illegal in all the states, including the Mormon-populated state of Utah. The arguments against polygamy applied to homosexuality with little or no debate. In The Late Corporation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day...

Author: B. Carmon HardyReviewer: Lowell C. BennionCategories: History of the Church, Pioneer PeriodJournal: 33:2In recent years, studies of Mormon plural marriage have multiplied almost as rapidly as polygamous families did more than a century ago. With this book, Cartoon Hardy, who teaches American history at California State University in Fullerton, has made a major contribution to our understanding of the solemn covenant of plurality. His study, The Mormon Polygamous Passage (1831–1911), began with his 1963 dissertation on "The Mormon Colonies of Northern Mexico," and he has steadily expanded that research ever since. Solemn Covenant, Hardy's first book, serves as a...

During its first several decades, LDS Church leaders included an “Article on Marriage” in the faith’s Doctrine and Covenants. Penned by early church leader Oliver Cowdery, it stated, in part, “Inasmuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy: we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband, except in case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again.”It sounds pretty simple, albeit a bit clumsy in the wording. Some have surmised that the slight difference in the words “man should have...

(This was actually a reply to another thread but thought I'd re-post it as its own thread) I think I was at least partially responsible for approximately 10 friends and my entire family (parents & siblings). I may have lucked out but some things to note that I think helped me was: 1) I never came across as angry or bitter. I was always nice, friendly and self assured (but not arrogant or condescending) 2) They all knew I was a "good" Mormon so they were all very curious as to why I left when it wasn't because of being...

SNIP Surely we must appear at times to be very amateurish when compared to the professional clergy of other churches. One doctrine presents a particular challenge. It is our firm conviction that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is...“the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth.” (D&C 1:30) This doctrine often generates resistance and repels the casual investigator. Some have said, “We want nothing to do with anyone who makes so presumptuous a claim as that.” The early Latter-day Saints were...the butt of many clever stories. We, of course, are not free from...

SNIP The position that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church upon the face of the earth is fundamental. Perhaps it would be more convenient and palatable and popular if we were to avoid it; nevertheless, we are under a sacred obligation and a sacred trust to hold to it. It is not merely an admission; it is a positive declaration. It is so fundamental that we cannot yield on this point. Now to those who think us uncharitable, we say that it was not devised by us; it was declared by Him, for...

Most religious traditions begin with or develop a mystical tradition—a tradition given to the study and direct encounter with the divine, the ineffable, or the transcendent. Somewhat surprisingly, the theme of the mystical has in recent centuries been as prevalent outside of the religious sphere as inside, suggesting that it may be fundamental to the human experience generally. Mysticism leaves its traces in the arts and cultures studied by the humanities. We also might ask what role mysticism plays in Mormonism. Is there a mystical tradition per se in Mormonism? Are mystical texts present in Mormon scripture? Are there mystical...

Mormon leaders have written an italicized intro to each chapter within the Book of Mormon. With Easter approaching, it's interesting what the Latter-day Saint “snapshot” is of the crucified Jesus – per the Book of Mormon. If you have a Book of Mormon, you can turn to 3 Nephi chapters 8 and 9 and read the Mormon leader intro to these two chapters: Chapter 8: Tempests, earthquakes, fires, whirlwinds, and physical upheavals attest to the crucifixion of Christ – Many people are destroyed – Darkness covers the land for three days—Those who remain bemoan their fate. Chapter 9: In the...

As Easter approaches, think of this question: Does it make a difference which Jesus you believe in? The "Jesus" of the Marharishi of Transcendental Meditation is a Jesus who never suffered -- at odds with the cross. The "Jesus" of Guru Maharaj Ji supposedly merged with Krishna, Ram and Buddha -- at odds with the uniqueness of Jesus. The only difference between the Moonie "jesus" and the rest of us, said, Sun Myung Moon, is that Jesus had no original sin nature. The "Jesus" of Christian Science think of themselves as "Christian," yet they don't believe Jesus is God. The...

Springtime seems to be the season when strange things happen – or controversial occurrences – happen in connection with temples within the church system of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons). The chart at the end of this article highlights “15 occultic and controversial facts you may want to know about Lds temples.” Thirteen of those 15 “Facts” relate to the Lds church history of its temples, and strangely the overwhelming “dates” associated with these occur in mid to late March and the months of April or May. Why? Perhaps it goes back to the original...

Free Republic can no longer post Salt Lake Tribune based threads...but we can still link to them. Just last week, the Trib ran this very significant article: Mormons increasingly drawn to Holy Week rituals In other words, Mormons are attending Christian church services during Holy Week! (And they love the services there!) To understand this, you have to understand the backdrop -- the vacuum of Jesus and the cross within Mormonism: 1. BYU study: Disconnect between Mormons and Easter In this article, published by the Mormon church owned Deseret News, it said that Easter has ”only 'lightly more planning than...

Easter EssaysThis had to be one of the most blessed and exciting Holy Week and Easter celebrations IÂ’ve experienced since I was saved on Palm Sunday in 1993. I had the opportunity to mentor several brand new Christian ex-Mormons. It was completed in a hap-hazard way, but it gave me much insight for next year. The blessing was in seeing and witnessing via e-mail and phone how wonderful their lives are now that they are saved. The assurance God gave them and the rest they now feel in their hearts has started to settle in for them. They finally heard...

I did not expect to meet so many atheists when I moved to Utah seven years ago. But I should have known better: America as a whole is secularizing, and Mormonism itself has a “scorched earth policy.” My Mormon girlfriend in high school once essentially said, “If the LDS Church isn’t true, I don’t know that I could ever believe in God.” Mormonism already is a form of atheism: it denies the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing, first, most high God, and instead teaches a kind of naturalism or materialism: everything is matter, even spirits, and everything is subject to...

Readers along Utah’s Wasatch Front will have a rare opportunity to hear from the foremost expert on the history of the text of the Book of Mormon between late February and the middle of March. In a series titled “25 Years of Research: What We Have Learned about the Book of Mormon Text,” professor Royal Skousen will discuss “The Original and Printer’s Manuscripts” (Tuesday, Feb. 26), “The Printed Editions” (Tuesday, March 5) and “The Nature of the Original Text” (Tuesday, March 12). A professor of linguistics and English language at BYU, Skousen is the founder of the “analogical modeling” approach...

Over the years I have repeatedly discussed with LDS members Mormonism’s teaching about persons being able to become a god. The reactions have been varied. Some readily admit that this is LDS teaching and they wholeheartedly accept it. Most, however, try to qualify it and downplay it. They have done this in two different ways. The first is by saying that Mormonism teaches that they can become like God. They claim that even though LDS Scripture clearly says that people can become gods. The classic passage is D&C 132:20: “Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore...

About a year ago news headlines announced that vast numbers of Mormons were leaving the Mormon Church. While that is perhaps considered old news today, for Mormons who are struggling with their faith it is very relevant. This 9-minute video, “Leaving Mormonism,” looks at some of the struggles and triumphs of Mormons who asked themselves some hard questions and...found peace in the answers. Leaving Mormonism from Andy Poland on Vimeo.

With Free Republic being down Monday thru part of Thursday, some may not have seen this latest wave regarding the recent struggle calling for Mormons to either reform their church -- or leave it. Some internal Mormon critics -- like John Dehlin -- favors Mormons staying, but realizes that's NOT an option for all disafffected Lds. (Three of the links below are from PowerPoint presentations by Dehlin) Along these lines, these articles/presentations were all posted on FR last Sunday...feel free to either comment here...or go to one or more of these links below and comment there...Also...the first, second, and sixth...

A couple of months ago I ran into a dear friend of mine. After exchanging pleasantries and walking along campus, she turned to me and said, “Does it feel that everyone you know is falling away from the church?” Relieved that someone could understand how I feel, I looked at her and sighed. It seems like more and more of my friends are losing their faith in God and leaving the church. She and I have a close friend who recently told us that she’s now an agnostic. Or maybe she’s an atheist. I’m not too sure at this point...

Worldwide Church Activity Rates Inactive 7-8M Active 4-5M Salt Lake Tribune, Merrill Bateman SNIP Brigham Young - Journal of Discourses "You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind…the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin. Trace mankind down to after the flood, and then another curse is pronounced upon the same race — that they should be the 'servant of servants;' and they will...

...The Why We Stay presentation was very interesting as well. Rhonda Calister, John Dehlin...spoke about the reasons “Why We Stay” in the Church...John considers himself “still a believer in something” though he says that with some asterisks. He doesn’t like the Old Testament God, he . He also felt that a version of reform Mormonism is happening within the church, not outside of it. ...John gave another great presentation. He has recently spoken with a member of the Quorum of Twelve, and said that this person said that even in his position, it is hard to make a difference inside...

...The very recent decision by the current leadership of the Maxwell Institute to forego explicit defense and advocacy of Mormonism—to renounce explicit apologetics—may have been influenced by concerns about the arrogant mean-spiritedness of one or two of those most prominently associated with its apologetic side... SNIP ...notice how the 2012 Mission Statement of the Maxwell Institute reads, and contrast it with the one I quoted...from 2010:.. ...Gone is the language about “defend[ing] the Restoration”... ...during the last conversation that I had with the director of the Maxwell Institute before I left for six weeks overseas—I was dismissed by email roughly...

...problems with FAIR 1. They legitimize the problems (unavoidable) 2. They introduce additional problems (unavoidable) 3. Many find their answers to be ultimately unsatisfying (unsure if this is unavoidable) 4. Many also find their tone and tactics to be unChristlike (definitely avoidable) From respondent 2844: "As I studied Church history and uncovered many controversial historical evidence, I would frequent LDS apologetic sites for answers (e.g. FARMS (now the Maxwell Institute), Shields, FAIR. I soon discovered those sites rarely dealt with the controversial evidences but rather often skirted or obfuscated the issue and frequently resorted to personal attacks on the individuals...

Staying is not for everyone... In spite of 32 years of church education, I didn't ever learn... * "Peepstone in hat" treasure digging and translation of Book of Mormon * Credibility issues w/the 3 and 8 witnesses * Multiple lst vision stories...the changing narrative of founding stories * Book of Mormon historicity issues * Book of Abraham papyrus issues * Joseph Smith having 30+ wives, 8+...married to other men at the time they were sealed to Joseph * Post-manifesto polygamy, and polygamy as a requirement for exaltation * ...depth of the Temple/Masonry connections * ...basics of Mountain Meadows (though lots...

In 1517, Martin Luther posted a list of 95 Theses on his church's doors. His actions exposed the corruption of the Catholic Church and started what came to be known as the Protestant Reformation. Between the hours of 9 PM Saturday, February 16 and 9 AM Sunday, February 17, 2013, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and others will post this list of 95 LDS Theses onto the doors of LDS churches around the world. Join the event here - If you don't use Facebook, you can still participate! The purpose of this event is two-fold:...

...Should be a good turnout 300+ confirmed on Facebook, with many more reaching out to me pledging anonymous participation. I have confirmed postings already in Australia, Germany, and Africa.... Also, I'm working to see if the story just got published by a new outlet because as of an hour ago, I've been getting about 4-5 new unique visits per minute. Every person counts! Please support the effort and join us tonight!

There’s an astonishing piece in Thursday’s Salt Lake Tribune, and if you haven’t been paying attention to the sudden “evolution” of the Mormon church’s leadership on homosexuality, it will make your jaw drop. Most people associate The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with overwhelming animous towards the LGBT community, heaping on the church total responsibility for 2008′s devastating Prop 8 victory. But, wait, times are a-changing, and the Mormons are now working with Utah’s LGBT leaders to help craft a statewide anti-discrimination law: Attorneys for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are in quiet discussions with...

I was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly referred to as Mormonism. Since my parents were active members of the LDS Church, I went to church every Sunday. And like many of those raised in the church, I had a testimony, was baptized when I turned 8, received the Aaronic priesthood at 12, and had a temple recommend. But as I grew older, I became less interested in my Mormon faith. So at age 18, instead of serving my two-year mission as I had been raised to do, I decided to go to college. While...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTyQr-U_bJE&list=UUM6L02IavEXd8IxrZF75dMw&index=3

In the scramble to make the GOP more diverse, a lot of people are looking at Asian Americans, whom many believe are a natural constituency for the party. I would love it if Asian Americans converted en masse to the Republican Party, but the challenge for Republicans is harder than many appreciate. President Obama did spectacularly well with Asian Americans, garnering nearly three-quarters of their vote. This runs counter to a lot of conventional wisdom on both the left and the right. On average, Asian American family income is higher and poverty is lower than it is for non-Latino whites....

Closing the book after reading, "Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet," the new biography by George Mason University religious studies professor John G. Turner, published by Belknap Press of Harvard University, causes some swirling emotions for this Latter-day Saint reader. From reading Turner’s fantastic — and it is by far the best that has been written of Young’s life — biography, it’s easy for a faithful Mormon to agree that God called Young to the task of moving 20,000-plus Mormons across the plains to Utah territory and over a generation-plus, to set up hundreds of Mormon settlements. No man in U.S. history...

http://www.lds.org/church/news/mormonor ... c?lang=engHow about being straight up and saying that Mormons put on costumes and chant rituals in secret buildings that only 10% of gross earnings paid as "tithes" allow entrance? Mormonism wants people to think they are normal that they are just Christians like everyone else. Each year they get rid of more and more of their embarrassing doctrines - or doctrines that aren't politically correct anymore. Apologist attack dogs fight any critics on technicalities. Mormonism has one thing that works for them - and that is the funneling of cash from members to the Cult coffers. This is...

Mitt Romney’s Mormon beliefs are featured prominently in a pro-Obama voter guide being circulated to African-American churchgoers in the all-important Hampton Roads area of battleground Virginia, the latest reminder that the Republican presidential nominee’s faith could be an under-the-radar issue for some voters. Romney would be the country’s first Mormon president, and although America’s most prominent evangelical leaders have overcome their theological concerns to enthusiastically back Romney’s candidacy, some on the left continue to see his Mormon beliefs as a possible wedge issue. The new brochure, produced by a coalition of black pastors in the Norfolk area, includes a side-by-side...

BOSTON, October 24, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) – As a young Mormon bishop, Mitt Romney made a passionate attempt to stop a woman from aborting her child.

The ruling United Russia party’s youth wing staged a protest on Thursday against Mormon missionaries, accusing them of being American spies and calling for them to leave Russia. Activists from Young Guard gathered outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Russian headquarters in Moscow, chanting slogans such as “No to foreign agents!” and hoisting placards reading “Foo, CIA!” They also left a symbolic plane ticket, emblazoned with the CIA logo, for a one-way flight from Moscow to Washington outside the headquarters. “This is an American sect,” said Ekaterina Stenyakina, co-chair of Young Guard’s coordinating committee. “They are funded...

What would you think if you were told that the most bigoted, intolerant, hateful, and xenophobic political messages this election cycle are being spread by Obama supporters? From ridiculing and disrespecting the Mormon religion to spreading secretly taped videos recorded by an Obama supporter in a Mormon church, those on the left are sanctioning this particular form of bigotry because it’s all for the cause: Obama. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the media, where pages upon pages have been devoted to Romney’s religion. Vicious, anti-Mormon rhetoric, ramping up in the final days leading up to the election, has...

As I write this, Barack Obama's gal-pal Gloria Allred and the Boston Globe have aligned themselves with the Chicago Machine in a partisan crusade to launch an October Surprise against Mitt Romney. That we all know. What you might not know is that Allred's client, Maureen Sullivan, the woman pushing to unseal the gag order on her own divorce records, is a embittered leftie, a Huffington Post "Super User," and a vicious anti-Mormon bigot. For what's obviously a manufactured reason, Sullivan blames Mitt Romney for a divorce settlement she received during the early-nineties. Time's Mark Halperin reports that while he...

Excellent clip from CBS News describing Mitt Romney's service to others at the link (no text) Well worth watching.

Our White House has been residence to Unitarians, at least one likely Deist, and multiple Freemasons. Is Romney’s Mormonism really any weirder?

Why, three weeks prior to one of the most hotly contested presidential elections in modern history, does America’s Evangelist need to suddenly declare Mormonism no longer a cult? Has there been an unreported change in theology or practice? My maternal grandmother thought Billy Graham was a saint above all others. You simply could not say anything negative about the evangelist in her presence. She held the same regard for Jimmy Carter, because she considered him a godly man and a faithful Sunday school teacher -- even if not an effective president. She also was convinced Henry Kissinger was the anti-Christ,...

LEAKEY, Texas -- A controversy regarding a political sign prominently displayed outside a church is playing out in a small town west of San Antonio. Is it protected speech or political hate? And does it have a place on a church marquee? The sign reads, "Vote for the Mormon, not the Muslim! The capitalist, not the communist!" That marquee standing outside a non-denominational church has become the talk of the town in Leakey — about 90 miles northwest of San Antonio. The Church in the Valley is run by Pastor Ray Miller. Miller declined an interview but did say the...