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The Savior, the Master Teacher    By Elder Jay E. JensenOf the Presidency of the SeventyJay E. Jensen, "The Savior, the Master Teacher", Ensign, Jan. 2011, 42–47   We are to feast upon the words of Christ—the scriptures—and, as He did, use them to teach and strengthen others.  Under the direction of His Father, Jesus Christ created worlds without number. He was the great Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament. He was born of a mortal mother, Mary, and of God the Eternal Father. He was the greatest being to live on earth. He said He came “to do the will of him...

The Scriptures Teach and Testify of Jesus Christ   "The Scriptures Teach and Testify of Jesus Christ", Ensign, Jan. 2011, 14–15  The scriptures contain counsel from prophets, inspired accounts of God’s dealings with people, and revelations from God to His prophets. Scriptures teach that we are children of our Heavenly Father, who loves us. As part of His plan for our eternal happiness, we have come to earth. While we are here, the scriptures are a spiritual lifeline to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.The main purpose of the scriptures is to testify of Christ, helping us come unto Him and receive...

Have You Been Saved? Elder Dallin H. OaksOf the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles  Dallin H. Oaks, “Have You Been Saved?,” Ensign, May 1998, 55As Latter-day Saints use the words saved and salvation, there are at least six different meanings.   What do we say when someone asks us, “Have you been saved?” This question, so common in the conversation of some Christians, can be puzzling to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because it is not our usual way of speaking. We tend to speak of “saved” or “salvation” as a future event rather than something that has...

400 years ago Catholics looked on Protestantism as a cult of Christianity that lead people to hell, and looked on Protestants as not really being Christians. Clearly they've changed their minds a bit over the years on that. In time, the same thing will happen with respect to Mormons IMHO. In fact it largely has already. While there are still some who speak of Mormons the same way that Catholics spoke of Protestants centuries ago, society in general recognizes The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as a Christian group. For example: Beliefnet.com lists Latter-Day Saints as a part...

I can still remember my feelings the time I saw tears of repentance streaming down the face of my 10-year-old son, Arián. He had been playing with his older brother, Joel, who was 12, in the bedroom, when all of a sudden an argument broke out, and I had to intervene and reestablish order. Perhaps because of their ages, fighting had become frequent between the boys. In response, Arián, who was visibly shaken and crying after his altercation with his brother, responded to me in an unacceptable manner. I corrected him twice (now his argument was with me), but the...

The Mountain Meadows Massacre   By Richard E. Turley Jr.Managing Director, Family and Church History Department  Richard E. Turley Jr., “The Mountain Meadows Massacre,” Ensign, Sep 2007, 14–21This month marks the 150th anniversary of a terrible episode in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On September 11, 1857, some 50 to 60 local militiamen in southern Utah, aided by American Indian allies, massacred about 120 emigrants who were traveling by wagon to California. The horrific crime, which spared only 17 children age six and under, occurred in a highland valley called the Mountain Meadows, roughly 35 miles...

Latter-day Saints aren't Christians?    Criticism Critics claim that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not "Christian." A related claim is that the Church has only recently begun to portray itself as "Christian" in order to gain adherents. See also: Source(s) of the criticism  Response It is evident from what has been said, that the Mormons, as such, can have no part or lot in the religion of Jesus Christ—and we do not see how any one can be their friend, (as Mormons,) without being an enemy to God. —James M’Chesney, An Antidote To Mormonism, revised by...

Nature of God/Trinity/Nicene creed     Criticism Critics claim members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not Christian because they do not accept the Nicene Creed's statement about the Trinity. See also: Source(s) of the criticismResponse Since the Nicene Creed was first adopted in A.D. 325, it seems clear that there were many Christians in the first centuries following the resurrection of Christ who did not use it. Those who oppose calling the Latter-day Saints "Christians" need to explain whether Peter and Paul are "Christians," since they lived and practiced Christianity at a time when there was no...

Hey, Who Are You Calling a Cult?   The LDS Church is less of a cult than many of the religions that accuse it of being one. BY: Orson Scott Card    He wrote to me in all innocence, a reader from a Catholic country where Mormon missionaries had only recently begun to gather congregations of believers. "I asked my priest," he said, "and he told me that Mormons are a cult." Setting aside the obvious riposte ("What did you think your priest would tell you, that Mormonism was true Christianity as restored by God to living prophets?"), I think...

Roman Catholic apologist Patrick Madrid recently posed a challenging question for Latter-day Saints. That is, if Mormonism is essentially a "restoration" of primitive Christianity, where can we find historical evidence for some ancient Christian group that "was identical to the Mormon Church of today"? He goes on, "We have records of many controversies that raged in the early days of the Church…, and there just is no evidence-none at all-that Mormonism existed prior to the 1830s."1 Whether Mr. Madrid is adequately informed about LDS claims and the state of the evidence concerning them, is beside the point. If Latter-day Saints...

Book of Mormon/DNA evidence   Criticism DNA samples taken from modern Native Americans do not match the DNA of modern inhabitants of the Middle East. Critics argue that this means the Book of Mormon's claim that Native Americans are descended from Lehi must be false, and therefore the Book of Mormon is not an ancient record as Joseph Smith claimed. See also: Source(s) of the criticism Response Few criticisms of the Church have received as much media attention as this criticism, with so little thought and science being applied to the question. DNA attacks against the Book of Mormon account fail on...

Mormonism--Shadow or Reality?, the magnum opus of Jerald and Sandra Tanner, has periodically received uncritical acclaim. In the May 1973 issue of their newsletter The Salt Lake City Messenger, the Tanners promoted their then newly revised and enlarged edition of Shadow or Reality? with the praise of Dr. Jennings G. Olson, then on the faculty of the Department of Philosophy at Weber State College in Ogden. Olson observed "it is tightly packed with serious, responsible research which no one can deny is the most comprehensive and thorough analysis and evaluation of Mormonism ever produced in the history of the Church."1...

Marlin K. Jensen, “The Joseph Smith Papers: The Manuscript Revelation Books,” Ensign The manuscript revelation books contain many of the earliest known copies of the revelations received by Joseph Smith and provide insights into the revelatory process. In the 1970s Latter-day Saint scholars began to recognize the benefits of collecting and making available to the public documents related to the Prophet Joseph Smith’s life and works. The Joseph Smith Papers Project is the culmination of this decades-long effort. Project scholars intend to collect all journals, diaries, correspondence, discourses, revelations, written histories, notices, and legal papers—everything of a written nature that...

"Choose the Right" has become one of the most well-known and oft-repeated phrases in Mormondom, beginning at the heart of things in Salt Lake City and spreading through all the compass points of the world. The words and concept first became familiar and loved through the lyrics of Joseph L. Townsend in his hymn by that name: "Choose the right when a choice is placed before you, in the right the Holy Spirit guides … choose the right, choose the right, let wisdom mark the way before; in its light choose the right, and God will bless you evermore." Townsend...

Federal officials say a Washington, D.C.-area couple has been arrested and accused of spying for Cuba. Officials say both are former U.S. government employees -- he from the State Department, she as a Congressional aide. One official says the spying went on for more than two decades. We expect to learn more details later today when a federal indictment is unsealed. For now, officials will not disclose the names or any other details....

Don't trust him. He's a RINO. Worse than a RINO. He's the enemy within. You never know where he honestly stands on any issue. What he promises today, he flips on tomorrow. It all depends on which way the political winds are blowing and which office he's running for. He's a liar. He's a big government socialist. His RomneyCare state run health care system is a big government boondoggle. It's tyranny. Government provided, er, forced health care is tyranny not freedom or free markets. Do not believe the socialist propaganda supporting such nonsense. Socialized medicine is simply another step to...

The United Kingdom Parliament provided a prestigious backdrop for the presentation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Family Values Award — the first time the honor has been awarded at the UK House of Commons. The award is given annually by the Church in the United Kingdom. The award was received by the Rt Hon John Battle MP, who served as former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s envoy to all faith communities in the UK. The award is presented to “members of the community who have achieved remarkable things that support families.” The event was hosted by Terry...

NEW YORK (AP) — Membership in the nation's two largest Christian church bodies, the Roman Catholic Church and Southern Baptist Convention, declined slightly in 2007, according to the latest edition of the Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. The Catholic church remains the largest body of believers in the U.S., with 67 million members, the yearbook said. But from 2006 to 2007 the church shed 398,000 members in the U.S. — a 0.59 percent drop. Southern Baptists reported 16.2 million members for a decline of 0.24 percent, or a loss of nearly 40,000 members. Although the declines are relatively small,...

Employment The Lord has commanded us to work and to provide for the needs of ourselves and our families (see Genesis 3:17-19, 1 Timothy 5:8; D&C 42:42; 56:17). Suitable employment also gives us opportunities to improve our talents and develop the divine attributes within us. Find Jobs and Other Opportunities Find job leads, employers, education programs, business development programs, financial aid for education, and community support resources. Tips to Get You Hired! Discover how to network, make power and “Me in 30 Second” statements. Find out about the Career Workshop and all the other services that Employment Resource Services has...

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