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When you look at world history, and especially biblical history, you will find that polygamy has been an accepted and honorable way of life. Many beloved prophets of the Old Testament were polygamists, and Abraham was a friend of God, all while having many wives. Polygamy was once a lifestyle accepted by all. For Christians of 2000 years ago, polygamy was stopped by the Roman empire. Paul, in his letter to the church in Rome, said, “A bishop should be the husband of one wife.” He was simply telling them to obey the law of the land. Roman law is...

The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR) is bringing its annual FAIR Mormon Conference to Provo on Thursday and Friday. The organization, whose mission is to discuss and defend criticisms against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, used to hold its annual conference in Sandy, but chose the Utah Valley Convention Center this year because of a growing audience. FAIR has seen increased interest recently, both within the church and from outsiders, as the Internet increases access to -- and questions about -- the entirety of church history. Daniel Peterson, an Arabic professor at Brigham Young University...

Does anyone know the story behind Lorenzo Snow marrying a sweet 16 year old girl...?

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...

Hundreds of students of all ages — including at least one LDS apostle — gathered at locations in Provo and Salt Lake City Thursday and Friday to listen and take notes as 26 scholars examined the extent to which LDS Church founder Joseph Smith was familiar with ancient writings, scriptural or otherwise. “Approaching Antiquity: Joseph Smith’s Study of the Ancient World,” a two-day BYU Church History Symposium, drew capacity audiences to the BYU campus and the LDS Church Conference Center Little Theater. SNIP Another highly attended session on the first day of the symposium featured Dr. David F. Holland, associate...

Former Utah governor and presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman is speaking out in favor of marriage equality, arguing that it is a “conservative cause” that the Republican Party should support. In an op-ed for The American Conservative, Huntsman writes about his time as governor of Utah during which he pushed for civil unions and equality for the LGBTQ community, and adds that the GOP now has the opportunity to do more. “Conservatives should start to lead again and push their states to join the nine others that allow all their citizens to marry,” Huntsman writes... Huntsman’s pro-marriage equality stance is not...

<p>DAVIS COUNTY, Utah — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a statement Monday regarding an LDS missionary who was sent home to answer felony charges of child rape, which allegedly occurred before he left for the mission.</p>

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...

...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...

SALT LAKE CITY — A man who pleaded guilty to having sex with a 15-year-old girl because he said he received an "impression" to do so, has been placed on probation. Geody Harman, 38, was sentenced to three years probation for unlawful sexual activity with a minor, a third-degree felony, by 3rd District Judge Judith Atherton. Harman was given a sentence of zero to five years in prison, but that sentence was suspended. He was ordered to serve a jail sentence of 240 days, but was given credit for the 240 days he had already served. Harman was originally charged...

SALT LAKE CITY — A conservative activist charged with raping four women rubbed shoulders with some of Utah's most prominent Republican politicians and served as co-chairman of a 2007 fundraiser for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Many of them, including Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Gov. Gary Herbert and 4th Congressional District candidate Mia Love, have attended a barbecue Greg Peterson hosted what he called the Rocky Mountain Conservatives Conference at his lakeside cabin the past three years. Peterson organized it as a "healing" event in 2010 after the contentious state GOP convention that ousted Sen....

SALT LAKE CITY — A GOP activist who prosecutors say kidnapped and raped women that he met online and at church functions has been arrested and charged with 23 felonies. He appears to have targeted mostly LDS young adult women. Gregory Nathan Peterson, 37, of Orem, was charged Wednesday with seven counts of rape, three counts of object rape, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, nine counts of forcible sexual abuse, forcible sodomy, assault, burglary and sexual battery. Peterson is a GOP activist who held political events at his cabin in Heber City, 10160 E. Ridge Pine Drive, the same place...

SALT LAKE CITY — A former Boy Scout leader and hospital employee will go to prison for collecting and making child pornography. Third District Judge Robin Reese on Monday sentenced Shawn Thomas Whiting, 34, to a one- to-15-year prison term on four second-degree felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. Whiting pleaded guilty to the charges in April. He originally faced a total of 20 counts of the same charge, but the 16 additional counts were dismissed in exchange for the man's plea. Reese ordered the man to pay for the cost of counseling for his victims. The Utah...

PROVO — A former BYU student who is accused of molesting two roommates faces charges of forcible sex abuse. Court documents indicate Antonio Rubalcaba Lacy, 18, inappropriately touched a roommate at least three times last year while the victim was asleep. Lacy is accused of doing the same thing three times to another roommate in 2012. The documents state Lacy confessed verbally and in a written statement after a two-hour meeting with his LDS bishop. Lacy, who is from Monterey, Calif., no longer attends BYU. He is charged with six second-degree felonies for forcible sexual abuse. He was never arrested...

Chris Rock sat down with Jimmy Fallon on Thursday and, after brief acknowledgment of the impending zombie apocalypse, talked politics. Having already offered up his thoughts on our “zebra president,” Rock took this opportunity to discuss Mitt Romney and his religion. SNIP Asked how he feels about what’s going on in the world (particularly regarding Romney and President Obama), Rock replied, “What’s going on? Okay, I just heard this the other day. The Mormons, Mitt Romney’s crew, they believed black people were the devil until 1978. I’m not making this up. Right, right, right?” Fallon and Rock joked abut having...

Posted // 2012-06-05 - A BBC investigative journalist's interview with Jeffery R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, raises intriguing questions about the LDS Church and its beliefs. The documentary, released in March but yet to be broadcast Stateside, is called The Mormon Candidate and featured a sit-down interview in the LDS Church Headquarters in downtown Salt Lake City between British reporter John Sweeney and Holland. Among Sweeney's questions were several relating to whether U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney would have pledged to cut his own throat or disembowel himself before revealing the secrets of the...

Many naive Americans believe that Mormonism is merely another branch of protestant Christianity. Well that’s not what the founders and leaders of Mormonism believed. According to its founder, Joseph Smith, and Brigham Young, Smith’s successor, Mormons are the only true people of God on the earth. All non-Mormons and their religions are “wrong, an abomination, blind, damned, of the devil, whores, not Christians, groveling in darkness, heathens, ignorant, devoid of fact, pagan and hatched in Hell.” When Romney made a speech about his religion in 2008 he refused to distance himself from his faith and fully affirmed his Mormonism. Responding...

While some current church leaders portray the LDS Church as Christian, the church actually has a long history of condemning Christianity. The church has also stated repeatedly that no one can be saved without the permission of Joseph Smith. The church has even suggested that Islam is better than Christianity. Mormon Church Condemns Christians "This is not just another Church. This is not just one of a family of Christian churches. This is the Church and kingdom of God, the only true Church upon the face of the earth..." - Prophet Ezra Taft Benson, Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.164-165...