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"It is a 'Mormon' truism that is current among us and we all accept it, that as man is God once was and as God is man may become." — Elder Melvin J. Ballard General Conference, April 1921 "From President Snow's understanding of the teachings of the Prophet on this doctrinal point, he coined the familiar couplet: 'As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become.' This teaching is peculiar to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ." Marion Romney (1st Presidency) General Conference, October 1964 "The Lorenzo Snow couplet expresses a true statement: 'As man is, God...

This question was put to me the other day over lunch by a close friend who I had not seen for a number of years. I hasten to add that he is not about to tell his wife this. They are both still Mormon. However, we had a great conversation about all kinds of things, and this question came up. I could tell he was moved by what we talked about in that regard, and so decided to record the essence of our conversation. Here are the guts of the essay for those who like short as opposed to long...

Although it is not found in any of Mormonism's Standard Works, an expression which precisely defines the LDS teaching that men can become Gods was coined by fifth LDS President Lorenzo Snow. In June of 1840, Snow declared, "As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become." Besides correctly illustrating the Latter-day Saint teaching that God was once a mere mortal man, this couplet also declares that man has the potential to become God! According to LDS theology, eternal life is synonymous with godhood. In the words of LDS Apostle Bruce McConkie, "Thus those who gain eternal...

THE MYSTERIES OF GODLINESS-A HISTORY OFMORMON TEMPLE WORSHIPTable of Contents PrefaceChapter 1. Prelude to the EndowmentChapter 2. The Kirtland CeremonyChapter 3. Joseph Smith's RitualChapter 4. Brigham Young's RevisionsChapter 5. Developments in Nineteenth-century UtahChapter 6. The Twentieth-century TempleConclusionAppendices 1. The December 1845 Meetings of the Holy Order2. Published Descriptions of the Temple Ceremony Chapter 3Joseph Smith's Ritual In Nauvoo, Illinois, Joseph Smith continued to expand Mormon salvation concepts, concepts which came to be intertwined with rituals later performed in temples. He defined the principle of "mak[ing your] calling and election sure" in a 27 June 1839 sermon. This was to be...

The Mysteries of Godliness-A History of Mormon Temple Worship Part Two   The complex interplay of Masonic tradition on Mormon temple rites probably had its roots during the mid-1820s, given that Smith's father (apparently) and older brother Hyrum (definitely) had joined the fraternity in 1817 and between 1825 and 1827, respectively. The definitive examination of Mormonism and Freemasonry has yet to be written. The best to date is Michael W. Homer, "‘Similarity of Priesthood in Masonry’: The Relationship between Freemasonry and Mormonism," Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 27 (Fall 1994). For a general introduction, see Reed C. Durham, Jr.,...

Joseph Smith Part Three-The Mysteries of Godliness-Celestial Marriage and Second Anointing   Two additional ceremonies were introduced in 1843 about a year following the initial conferral of the new endowment: celestial marriage for time and eternity and the fullness of the priesthood or the second anointing. Celestial marriage was applied to and equated with plural marriage until the late nineteenth century.68 Although in March 1836 and again in May 1842 Smith declared the endowment complete and the fullness of the priesthood restored, by late August 1842 he prayed that "the Lord Almighty...will continue to preserve me...until I have fully accomplished...

Mormons, lawyers told to ask 'the right questions' By Carrie SheffieldFor Mormon TimesPublished: Friday, Feb. 13, 2009 CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Ward clerks keep meticulous records of who attends sacrament meeting each week, but church leaders should instead be concerning themselves with who isn't attending, said Elder Clayton Christensen during an address at Harvard Law School. Christensen, an Area Authority Seventy and a professor at Harvard Business School, told a crowd of attorneys attending the J. Reuben Clark Law Society annual conference that this mindset is one of many examples of church and civic leaders failing to frame their questions...

-SNIP- On Thursday, more than 130 men, women and children from various polygamous groups were on Utah's Capitol Hill, learning first hand how to lobby state lawmakers and help shape the legislation that could either destroy or preserve their way of life. -SNIP- Today, polygamous groups enjoy an unprecedented dialogue with state government, from the Utah attorney general's office to state services agencies. Attorney General Mark Shurtleff encouraged Thursday's group to continue to engage with state officials. "The result of isolation, separating oneself out, is that it breeds mistrust, it leads to ignorance and I'm talking about on both sides,"...

 Melchizedek Priesthood of LDS and Dead Sea Scrolls PerspectivesResearch by Kerry A. ShirtsIt is claimed by opponents of Mormonism that the Melchizedek Priesthood in the church cannot be accurate because at Hebrews 7:24 the Greek term "aparabaton" means "intransmissible", hence Christ is the only one with the Melchizedek Priesthood. But lets look a little closer and see how the opponents misstate the case. In the Liddell-Scott Lexicon of the Greek Language we note something interesting when we look up this Greek word "Aparabatos":apara-ba^tos, on, unalterable, heirmos aitiôn Stoic.2.266; epiplokê, of causation, Chrysipp.IBID=au=Stoic. 2.293=lr; taxis Plu.2.410f; hê tês kinêseôs idea Ocell.1.15;...

      Gospel Library “As Flaming Fire and a Ministering Angel” By Jonn D. Claybaugh Jonn D. Claybaugh, “‘As Flaming Fire and a Ministering Angel’,” Ensign, Oct 1999, 54–60Latter-day scripture enlarges our understanding of the Apostle John’s mission and writings.The Apostle John produced the second greatest amount of New Testament scripture (after the Apostle Paul), and his writings in the Bible provide significant knowledge and inspiration. But for Latter-day Saints there is more, for the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants provide additional understanding about John the Beloved, including (1) a confirmation of the authenticity of John’s...

If the past is a window to the present, then a new book about polygamy among early Mormons could be a portal to understanding where some contemporary Utah polygamists have found inspiration for their way of life. From child brides and secret ceremonies to their defiance of marriage laws, the narrative in George D. Smith's "Nauvoo Polygamy" illustrates the development and breadth of polygamy as it was first practiced in the 1840s by the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints living in Nauvoo, Ill. "It changes our understanding of a plurality of wives," polygamy historian Martha...

        Ensign » 1972 » December The Old Testament Speaks Today By W. Cleon SkousenProfessor of Ancient ScriptureBrigham Young University  W. Cleon Skousen, “The Old Testament Speaks Today,” Ensign, Dec 1972, 79For centuries some scholars have looked upon the Old Testament as an archaic, pre-Christian (and therefore inferior) scripture. But with the discovery and translation of the Dead Sea scrolls, a number of modern scholars have been shocked into believing that Christianity actually may have originated during the Old Testament period. The scrolls refer to concepts, doctrines, and practices that had been considered nonexistent before the ministry of Christ. In fact,...

 Encyclopedia of Mormonism Article on Creation, Creation Accounts Creation, Creation Accounts Latter-day Saints have, in addition to the biblical Genesis, two modern restorations of ancient scriptural accounts of the Creation in the Book of Moses and the book of Abraham. Related authoritative information also appears in the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the LDS temple ceremony. Drawing on this wealth of creation literature, Latter-day Saints understand that Jesus Christ, acting under the direction of God the Father, created this and other worlds to make possible the immortality and eternal life of human beings who already existed as...

Gospel Library Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball“To Live with Him Someday”   Chapter 1: “To Live with Him Someday”, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, (2006),1–10The only way we can find joy, truth, and fulfillment is to live in harmony with Heavenly Father’s plan.From the Life of Spencer W. Kimball Church members all over the world love the Primary song “I Am a Child of God,” with its simple but profound message of who we are, why we are on the earth, and what the Lord promises us if we are faithful. Sister...

I present Joseph Smith as restoring the Holy Grail, and is himself the Holy Grail literally. Consider the evidence. The Holy Grail, was thought of being the Chalice that Joseph of Arimathea used to gather the blood of Christ. It also was the cup of the Last Supper of Christ, as well as the chalice at the Eucharist.[1] Through time, it gathered many symbols around itself, and each and every single symbol and the philosophical, mythological, legendary, spiritual and ethical meaning comes together in Joseph Smith and his work, without exception. First and foremost, it was the blood of Christ....

<p>Speaking at its annual conference held in Detroit in July 2007, NAACP Chairman Julian Bond called on the American public and the entertainment industry to stop using the “N-Word.” Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick added, “Today we’re not just burying the N-word, we’re taking it out of our spirit.” I applaud this effort, and with it I offer my own challenge to Mormons everywhere to bury their own infamous “N-word,” that being the word “anti-Mormon.”</p>

BIRTHby W. John Walsh"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee…"Latter-day Saints believe that every member of the human family is an eternal being. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught : "The spirit of man is not a created being; it existed from eternity, and will exist to eternity."  While each person is eternal, he or she goes through "successive phases"  of existence. Each of these phases is marked by a birth or change, including our spirit birth, our mortal birth, and our spiritual conversion. This series of births...

"My Hand Shall Be over Thee”Elder Robert D. HalesOf the Quorum of the Twelve ApostlesRobert D. Hales, “Preparations for the Restoration and the Second Coming: ‘My Hand Shall Be over Thee’,” Liahona, Nov 2005, 88–92 [The Lord’s] hand has been over the work of the Restoration from before the foundation of this world and will continue until His Second Coming. This year we are commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Joseph Smith. To the world we testify that he was the prophet of God foreordained to bring about the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This...

Since its beginnings in 1830, the Mormon Church has denied any continuous historical connection with Christianity. Mormonism's founder Joseph Smith, claimed that in 1820 God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him in the woods near his home in Palmyra, New York. Jesus said that for the proceeding 1700 years (give or take a century—Mormonism can't say exactly) the world had been living in the darkness of a total apostasy from the gospel. This was the answer to a question young Smith had been pondering. "My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of...

Translated BeingsBy John A. Tvedtneshttp://www.meridianmagazine.com/ancients/050426translatedprint.htmlThe concept of bodily translation is well known to Latter-day Saints. Among the ancient prophets whom we acknowledge to have been changed in such a way that they could remain alive for an indefinite period of time are Enoch, Elijah, the apostle John, Melchizedek, the three Nephite disciples, and likely Moses, Alma2, and Nephi the son of Helaman.In our day, the term “translate” generally denotes the rendering of a text written or spoken in one language to another language, but this is only part of its wide range of meaning. Earlier generations of English speakers...