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By Aaron ShafovaloffChristians who attempt to engage in meaningful dialog with their Mormon friends are often frustrated by the way teachings and beliefs can be obfuscated and downplayed. When a question is posed by a Christian they are many times told that a particular teaching “is not official.” Behind this are the assumptions that that the religion of Mormonism is immune to any fatal criticism if it involves anything outside the scope of officiality, and that evangelical engagement should be limited to that which is binding upon Mormon members.One problem with this is that the Mormon Church has no...

COLONIA LEBARON, Mexico -- Mormon pioneer Alma Dayer LeBaron had a vision when he moved his breakaway sect of polygamists to this valley 60 years ago: His many children would live in peace and prosperity among the pretty pecan orchards they would plant in the desert. Prosperity has come, but the peace has been shattered. In the past three months, American Mormon communities in Mexico have been sucked into a dust devil of violence sweeping the borderlands. Their relative wealth has made them targets: Their telephones ring with threats of extortion. Their children and elders are taken by kidnappers. They...

Mormons: The Most Conservative Religious Group In America That's according to a new report from Pew, released today and based on data from the group's 2007 U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. More Mormons (60 percent) identify themselves as conservatives than any other religious group; they also lead every other group in GOP party identification (at 65 percent)--much higher than the general population in both categories

Before the storm, said Louisiana resident James Madison, he had Mormons knock on his door just like everybody else and the object was to try to get rid of them as fast as possible; go away, not interested, don’t want to hear what you have to say. After the storm, “ . . . a little bit different now. They’re part of my family now. Always will be. They got into my heart. They’ll never stand on my doorstep again without being invited into my house.” They were hearing stories of troops coming in and heard helicopters were flying over,...

This article is posted in response to a caucus thread on the Religion Forum entitled LDS Caucus: "For the Sum of Three Thousand Dollars" C H A P T E R   I. CONTAINING  A  BRIEF  SKETCH  OF  THE  CHARACTER  OF  THE MODERN  PROPHET  AND  HIS  FAMILY,  AND  SOME  OF  THE PRINCIPAL  ACTORS  IN  THE  IMPOSITION. WITH the exception of their natural and peculiar habits of life, there is nothing in the character of the Smith family worthy of being recorded, previous to the time of their plot to impose upon the world by a pretended discovery of a new...

Mormons are storytellers. They love a good tale of faith amid persecution, divine intervention, mysterious assistance, proselytizing prowess and Mormon ingenuity. Such stories told and retold among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reflect the faith's emphasis on missionary work, genealogical research, temple work, admiration for church leaders, conversion and the day-to-day delights and sorrows of membership, says William A. Wilson, a renowned folklorist in the Intermountain West. They also are used as cautionary yarns for those who might stray from church practices. Wilson has been collecting Mormon and other legends since 1962 after he returned...

         Ensign » 1977» September Dissent and Treason By Orson Scott CardAssistant Editor The majority ruled—but what do you do when the majority may vote to abolish free government?If there had been no traitors among the Nephites during the reign of the judges, the Nephite nation might possibly have been at peace with the Lamanites. Though that’s only speculation, one piece of evidence points to it: in the case of each of the nine separate groups of dissenters during the first ninety-five years of the reign of the judges, their dissent either worked to the advantage of attacking Lamanites or—and...

Washington » Mormons have not only posthumously baptized President Barack Obama's mother into their faith, but they may have performed the ritual for the president's African ancestors as well, including his father, grandfather and great-grandfather, according to researcher Helen Radkey. She has uncovered records in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint's new FamilySearch database that include personalized identification numbers for Obama's relatives, including his father, Barack Obama Sr. The president's father was Muslim, but later in life became a nonbeliever, according to the family. Records in the FamilySearch database do not indicate if the "baptism for the dead"...

Washington » Mormon Church leaders presented President Barack Obama with a detailed family tree in five leather-bound volumes Monday during a private meeting in the Oval Office. The 30-minute sit-down was the first time Obama has met with Thomas S. Monson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Monson was escorted by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the highest ranking Mormon in the government, and LDS Apostle Dallin Oaks, the chairman of the faith's genealogical committee. LDS leaders have made a tradition of presenting presidents with genealogical breakdowns, giving similar reports to Bill Clinton and George W....

President Obama Monday is hosting the leader of the Mormon church at the White House, who will present the president with detailed volumes of Mr. Obama's family history. Press aides said Latter-Day Saints Church President Thomas Monson and Elder Dallin Oaks, chairman of the LDS Church genealogical committee, will be there. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat and a Mormon, arranged the meeting and also will attend. "LDS Church leadership has met with previous presidents and presented them with genealogical records detailing their family history," White House aides said. A source said the church will present Mr. Obama with...

Mormons struggling with doubt or disaffection can find themselves with a difficult choice: Stay in the church or abandon the faith? Now, they can go online for advice from a community of Mormons who at some point have suffered a personal crisis of faith, teetered on the edge of quitting and then found a way to remain active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. -SNIP-For many the study of church history uncovers a clash between the factual record and the polished stories told in Sunday School. Others disagree with church leaders over social issues --...

  Divine Love Russell M. Nelson, “Divine Love,” Ensign, Feb 2003, 20 While divine love can be called perfect, infinite, enduring, and universal, it cannot correctly be characterized as unconditional.In today’s world trembling with terror and hatred, our knowledge of divine love is of utmost importance. We bear responsibility to understand and testify that Heavenly Father and Jesus the Christ are glorified, living, and loving personages. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” 1 Jesus “so loved the world that he gave...

    Longer version of this paper Smithsonian Institution statement on the Book of MormonNational Geographic statement on the Book of MormonArchaeology and the Bible The Scientific Search for Nephite RemainsBy Luke P. WilsonCopyright © 1992 Institute for Religious Research. All rights reserved. Like the Bible, the Book of Mormon presents itself as an historical record of God's revelation of Himself to the human race. Both books tell of Jesus Christ and various prophets appearing to what are presented as real people living at specific times and places in human history. These historical claims have sent scholars in search...

Q: Do Mormons believe in the Trinity? A: Yes, Mormons believe in the reality and divinity of the trinity of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost; however, Mormons believe that the trinity is composed of three separate and distinct beings with individual bodies. As seen in Matthew 3:16-17 the Son “was baptized” and “went straightway out of the water…and he saw the Spirit…descending like a dove…And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Thus the three divine beings that constitute the trinity are separate beings, yet one in purpose.

An Auckland man has seen off a legal challenge from the giant mormon church over the trademark for his family location internet service, with the Court of Appeal today ruling against the religious organisation. The Court of Appeal decision brings a close to seven years of legal wrangling between Robert Sintes and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints over the use of the words ‘family search’. The church operates a website at familysearch.org which offers free family history, family tree and genealogy records and research, but came down hard on Mr Sintes soon after he launched his own...

Thursday, July 16: Cynocephalus mormon: Papio Mormon (Rib-nosed Baboon, Mandrill). Mormoops megalophylla (Ghost-faced Bat). Mormosaurus seeleyi (Mormosaurus). These and other fascinating creatures share a variant of the "mormos" label because before the word Mormon became associated with the LDS Church, it was a zoological term which meant "having the appearance of a hideous monster." Check out these amazing mormos animals (including pictures) at "All God's Creatures, Including Mormos." My personal favorite is the Papilio polymnestor (Blue Mormon) butterfly.

A Response to Orson Scott Card's article Book of Mormon: Artifact or Artifice?Original article at http://www.nauvoo.com/library/card-bookofmormon.html By RICHARD PACKHAM          Orson Scott Card is a popular and prolific writer of inspirational fiction and science fiction. He is also a faithful Mormon. He gives many of his novels a Mormon setting, and draws many of his themes from Mormon history and Mormon teachings. In this article he discusses the issue of whether the Book of Mormon is an authentic ancient document (as Mormons claim), or rather a work of fiction. Although that may not have been his intention, Card gives...

Garth A. Wilson, “The Mulekites,” Ensign, Mar 1987, 60 This Jewish remnant plays a greater role in Book of Mormon history than many realize.A serious reader of the Book of Mormon will at some point likely ask himself how much is known about the Mulekites and about the role they played among Book of Mormon civilizations.The thirty verses which comprise the Book of Omni, although written by five lesser-known authors, provide answers to many questions.Just prior to his death, Amaleki completed the Book of Omni by briefly recording the account of King Mosiah’s discovery of the people of Zarahemla—the...

Book of Mormon Explorers Claim Discoveries in the Desert, Part Twoby Bruce Santucci After battling two thousand miles of desert trails, sand dunes that tower seven hundred feet into the air, occasional sand storms that remove the paint from your truck, scorpions and six years of Arabian temperatures that fluctuate from freezing to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, George Potter and Richard Wellington are now ready to tell their story. Potter originally set out with Craig Thorsted and Tom Culler to find the mountain some people believe is the real mount Sinai.  Not only did they locate the mountain they were...

The Discovery of the Valley of Lemuel: No, it wasn't a mirage, Part Oneby Bruce A. SantucciHave you ever wondered what it would be like to discover a Book of Mormon archaeological site like the Valley of Lemuel? It might change your life forever. Knowing where Lehi actually camped might set you off on a journey you wouldn't end until you had reached Bountiful. Such was the force that compelled George Potter, his colleagues and I each time we turned off the paved roads of modern civilization and headed our 4 X 4s, loaded with extra cans of gasoline and...