Free Republic

   The King Follett Sermon By Joseph Smith, Jr.(1805–1844)First President, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint Joseph Smith Jr., “The King Follett Sermon,” Ensign, Apr 1971, 13–14The King Follett Sermon, one of the classics of Church literature, was given by the Prophet Joseph Smith at the April 7, 1844, conference of the Church in Nauvoo, Illinois. Some twenty thousand Saints were assembled. The account of the talk noted that it was the funeral sermon for Elder King Follett, a close friend of the Prophet’s who had been killed in an accident on March 9. Longhand notes of the...

The King Follett Sermon By Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805–1844)First President, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Joseph Smith Jr., “The King Follett Sermon,” Ensign, May 1971, 13This is the conclusion of the King Follett Sermon, delivered by the Prophet Joseph Smith at the April 7, 1844, conference of the Church in Nauvoo, Illinois. The first part of this classic was reprinted in the April Ensign (page 12). Readers should be reminded that the account of the talk was reconstructed from longhand notes taken by four brethren. It is also important to know that the Prophet’s enemies were...

Writer Alissa York when she reads to them, is interested in what her readers have to say. "I'm not giving any homework," she laughed during a telephone interview from her Toronto home about her reading at the Pelham Public Library next Wednesday night... The author of Effigy, a historical novel about a 19th century Mormon child bride in a Utah family, has given a number of readings recently. While some questions are similar, she said many are different. At one reading, for example, an audience member asked whether she had read the Book of Mormon. She had. "To me it...

From an address given at Brigham Young University Women’s Conference on May 5, 2006. The Atonement is intensely personal and uniquely crafted for our own individual circumstances and situations.     The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”1 These fundamental principles are grounded in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The word Atonement “describes the setting...

    Life after Life Russell M. Nelson, “Life after Life,” Ensign, May 1987, 8 At this pulpit today, I am truly honored to follow the President of the Church, President Ezra Taft Benson. I sustain him as a living prophet of God! He was ordained an Apostle in 1943, before I entered medical school. Now he is the senior Apostle on earth, and I am privileged to add my gratitude for a prophet and for his message of instruction and inspiration. He has taught us of the ministry of the resurrected Lord to the inhabitants of ancient America. This...

At the Worlds of Joseph Smith Conference held in Washington, D.C. in May 2005, BYU professor John Welch spoke about circumstantial pieces of evidence that he believes substantiates Joseph Smith’s claim as a prophet. Among the list of "evidence" Welch supplied was an inscription on a stone from the country of Yemen, which is located on the Saudi Arabian peninsula. Welch is not the first Mormon apologist to use this stone to legitimize the authenticity of both Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. The question is, does this stone really have any great significance? Mormon Church-owned Ensign magazine covered...

    First Presidency MessageThe Gift of the Holy Ghost—A Sure Compass By President James E. FaustSecond Counselor in the First Presidency  It is spring again in the Northern Hemisphere. All nature is stirring. The grass is growing. The leaves are budding. The fruit trees are straining to blossom. Lambs are being born. Flowers are coming forth. Soon we will celebrate Easter and will join all Christendom to rejoice in the resurrection of the Savior from the tomb of death.The ComforterIt was a profoundly moving event centuries ago when the Savior led his beloved disciples into the favored Garden of...

The Resurrection of Jesus Marion G. Romney, “The Resurrection of Jesus,” Tambuli, Aug 1985, 1This message is an edited version of an address President Romney delivered at the April 1982 General Conference.“He is risen; he is not here.” (Mark 16:6.) These words, eloquent in their simplicity, announced the most significant event of recorded history, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus—an event so extraordinary that even the Apostles, who had been most intimately associated with Jesus in his earthly ministry and who had been carefully taught of the coming event, had difficulty grasping the reality of its full significance. The...

Enter your search terms Web lds-mormon.com Submit search form The following discussion took place on alt.religion.mormon between three different people. Jeremy Jacobs' comments will be listed in green, the Mormon apologist's comments will be listed in purple, and mine will be in black. Jeremy began the discussion below by responding to the claim that the Book of Mormon showed evidence of Hebrew names and phrases. For an in-depth look at where Book of Mormon names came from, visit this page. By the way, I'm sitting here with my copy of the FARMS publication "Hebraisms in the Book of Mormon" [previously...

  mormon paq tlhIngan Selections from The Klingon Translation of the Book of Mormon [Home] [Klingon Book of Mormon] [1 Nephi 4] 1 Nephi 4 1 AND it came to pass that I spake unto my brethren, saying: Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands? 1 'ej loDnI'pu'wI' jatlhpu'. �lutlhlogh yeruSalemDaq wIghoS, 'ej joH'a' ra'mey lob 'e' wIvoq. ghaH HoS law'...

part 1 The Book of Mormon and New World DNA part 2 The Book of Mormon and New World DNA part 3 The Book of Mormon and New World DNA Ryan Parr, a geneticist, discusses the issue of DNA and The Book of Mormon, showing from professional view, that the critics are wrong. DNA and The Book of Mormon 1, Ryan Parr 2005 FAIR Conference DNA and The Book of Mormon 2, Ryan Parr 2005 FAIR Conference DNA and The Book of Mormon 3, Ryan Parr 2005 FAIR Conference DNA and The Book of Mormon 4, Ryan Parr 2005 FAIR...

One of the most common attacks against the Book of Mormon focuses on the use of "Reformed Egyptian" as the writing system for the golden plates (Mormon 9:32-34). It is alleged that the no self-respecting Israelite would ever use Egyptian to write sacred scripture, and it is alleged that no such language as "Reformed Egyptian" has ever existed. These arguments are typified in the anti-Mormon book, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Mormonism by "Dr." John Ankerberg and "Dr. Dr." John Weldon (neither one of which appears to have a legitimate Ph.D.): "Mormonism has never explained how godly Jews...

50 And again we bear record—for we saw and heard, and this is the testimony of the gospel of Christ concerning them who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just— 51 They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given— 52 That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of...

Jacob chapter 5 in the Book of Mormon offers a detailed description of practices regarding the cultivation of olive trees. Jacob explains that the lengthy passage is taken from a Jewish text by Zenos that was among the sacred writings available on the brass plates that Lehi brought with him from Jerusalem. Information about olive trees in the text agrees well with what is known of ancient olive cultivation in ways that seem far beyond what Joseph Smith could have known. For details, see the Book of Mormon Nugget, Olive Trees and the Book of Mormon (April 2008). Also see...

The Use of Cement in Ancient America A long-ridiculed "anachronism" in Book of Mormon is the reference in Helaman 3:9-11 to cement work among some of the ancient inhabitants of this continent in the 1st century B.C. At this time, many Nephite people moved into the north lands (probably southern Mexico). Trees were very scarce there, apparently because of environmental irresponsibility among a previous, fallen civilization (I refer to the "Jaredites," probably correlated with the Olmecs). While taking care to protect and nurture trees for the future, the Nephites used other materials to build their cities. Buildings made from cement...

THE FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI HIS REIGN AND MINISTRY An account of Lehi and his wife Sariah and his four sons, being called, (beginning at the eldest) Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi. The Lord warns Lehi to depart out of the land of Jerusalem, because he prophesieth unto the people concerning their iniquity and they seek to destroy his life. He taketh three days’ journey into the wilderness with his family. Nephi taketh his brethren and returneth to the land of Jerusalem after the record of the Jews. The account of their sufferings. They take the daughters of Ishmael to...

CHAPTER 2 Lehi takes his family into the wilderness by the Red Sea—They leave their property—Lehi offers a sacrifice to the Lord and teaches his sons to keep the commandments—Laman and Lemuel murmur against their father—Nephi is obedient and prays in faith; the Lord speaks to him, and he is chosen to rule over his brethren. Between 600 and 592 B.C. 1 For behold, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto my father, yea, even in a dream, and said unto him: Blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou hast done; and because thou hast...

CHAPTER 3 Lehi’s sons return to Jerusalem to obtain the plates of brass—Laban refuses to give them up—Nephi exhorts and encourages his brethren—Laban steals their property and attempts to slay them—Laman and Lemuel smite Nephi and are reproved by an angel. Between 600 and 592 B.C. 1 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, returned from speaking with the Lord, to the tent of my father. 2 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, saying: Behold I have dreamed a dream, in the which the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brethren shall return...

The semi-annual conference of the LDS church is coming up next week. Thousands of Mormons will gather in the Conference Center to receive instruction from our leaders on the best way to get to heaven. Meanwhile, demonstrators will gather outside and loudly insist that we are instead going to hell for all sorts of reasons, but mostly just for being Mormons. In the past, anti-LDS demonstrators have come mainly from the ranks of ultra-conservative Christian groups protesting what they see as our heretical approach to the Bible. But this conference could have been different. Mormons and the Christian Gestapo might...

Last year I wrote about problems with a story linking Utah's low depression ranking with the LDS faith. Well, ABC is at it again. The network writes: "In an unscientific study of scientific studies, Utah always comes out on top -- or all the way on the bottom. And sometimes it comes out on top and on the bottom in studies about the same thing. In short, it is a land of extremes and extreme contradictions. In surveys conducted one year apart, by institutions no less illustrious than Gallup and Mental Health America, Utah was named, respectively, the happiest state...