Monthly Archives: February 2024
Doubt is Not the Opposite of Faith; Certainty Is
Doubt is frequently cast as the opposite of faith. Doubt is frequently shunned, and sometimes, outright condemned. Mormon leaders today demonize doubt and admonish members to doubt their doubts, to stop rehearsing their doubts with others, researching doubts is not going to provide answers and even that research itself is not the solution to doubt. …
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One Mission Is Not Enough – Church Urges Seniors for Two
The church held a special Broadcast for the Utah Area to drum up interest and enlist more senior missionaries in the service of the church. Elder Kevin Pearson, of the Seventy, who is also the Area President of the Utah Area worked to fire up the attendees with a call to serve. He urged all …
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Censoring ‘The Gospel and the Church’ Talk
In the October 1984 General Conference, Elder Ronald E. Poelman of the First Quorum of the Seventy gave a talk that many who saw, heard, or witnessed live thought was an amazing talk that addressed many things that had thus far remained unsaid regarding the relationship between the Mormon church and the Mormon Gospel. The …
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!["We've invited you here tonight because we want to extend an invitation to each of you to serve... Will you prayerfully consider serving two missions? Not one, but two?" - Elder Kevin W. Pearson, LDS General Authority Seventy and President of the Utah Area March 19th, 2023, The Best Time of Our Lives: Senior Missionary Opportunities Broadcast | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Kevin-W-Pearson-Consider-Serving-Two-Missions-Not-One-But-Two.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1)
![“Another way to seek a testimony seems astonishing when compared with the methods of obtaining other knowledge. We gain or strengthen a testimony by bearing it... testimonies are better gained on the feet bearing them than on the knees praying for them.” - LDS Apostle, Dallin H. Oaks - General Conference April 2008 | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Oaks-astonishing-method-of-obtaining-knowledge-testimony-gained-by-bearing-it.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1)
JR Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile Spotlight
JR’s faithful journey out of Mormonism unfolds as a testament to his commitment to truth. Raised in a Mormon household, his transformation began with the unexpected discovery of a book that prompted a profound reevaluation of his beliefs and his interpretation of the Bible. Embracing Christianity, JR actively participated in various ministries, demonstrating a genuine …
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I Know The Church Is True
Nearly every speaker in a testimony meeting says “I know the church is true.” This is a nonsensical statement, but considering the Illusory Truth Effect we can see what the church may be after. We know that repetitions don’t make statements any more true, but psychologically we do tend to believe things we’ve heard repeatedly. …
![The emphasis on modern prophets and the latest general conference over the scriptures creates an atmosphere of transience that pervades everything. The only real rule is to do whatever they said most recently. Everything else is optional and unknowable. There's no foundation, or base we can trust. There is no doctrine, no catechism, and no solid foundation of rules or beliefs. It's just a doctrine of authority and spiritual coercion and abuse to ensure the sheep stay in line. The point is to obey the authorities and not question the brethren. The law of obedience is the most important law to follow, it's really the only law to follow. It's as circular as "Do as I say. Because I say so." It's shifting sands, maybes, and implied gotchas. Even though in primary we are taught the tale of those who build their house on the sand, and we know and remember that it doesn't end well for them. | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Foolish-Man-built-his-house-upon-the-sand.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1)
![“The things that I shall tell you are not explained in the scriptures, although they conform to the principles taught in the scriptures.... The things I am going to tell you are not explained in our handbooks or manuals either. Even if they were, most of you don’t have handbooks because they are given only to the leaders. I will be speaking about what I call the “unwritten order of things.” Although they are very ordinary things, they are, nevertheless, very important! We somehow assume that everybody knows all the ordinary things already. If you do know them, you must have learned them through observation and experience, for they are not written anywhere and they are not taught in classes." - Boyd K Packer, LDS Apostle, October 1996 BYU Devotional: The Unwritten Order of Things | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Boyd-K-Packer-The-Unwritten-Order-of-Things-Not-taught.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1)
!["Imagine writing a book (grammatical changes in parenthesis): • About an (imaginary) ancient civilization. • There must be no research of any kind (because it is imaginary). • It must be 531 pages and more than 300,000 (269,320) words. • There must only be grammatical (3,913) changes to the first edition. • It must be written in the (pseudo) style of various authors. • (No unbiased) Archeological evidence supports it. • (Only) Intellectuals & scholars accept the truth of it (who are paid to). • You must finish writing it in 65 (working) days (over 2.5 years). • Volunteer missionaries witness the truth of it (with sales tactics and emotional manipulation)." How Can It Not Be True? The Book of Mormon (parenthesis added) Video from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Book-of-Mormon-How-can-it-not-be-true-churchs-false-truth-claims.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1)
!["There have been at least 3,913 changes made in the [1964 edition of the] Book of Mormon from the time it was first published in 1830... Although there have been thousands of changes made in the Book of Mormon, the changes made in some of the other Mormon books are of a more serious nature. Some of the revelations that appear in the Doctrine and Covenants have had hundreds of words added to them. There also have been many important changes in the Pearl of Great Price... Page 14 of the first edition would have to have 355 words added, 63 words changed, and 4 words deleted to bring it into conformity with the 1989 edition." - Jerald and Sandra Tanner, 3,913 Changes in the Book of Mormon - 1996 | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Book-of-Mormon-How-can-it-not-be-true-3913-Changes.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1)
!["There was not one thing in the Book of Mormon or in the second edition or any other edition since that in any way contradicts the first edition, and such changes as were made were made by the Prophet Joseph Smith because under those adverse conditions the Book of Mormon was published. But there was no change of doctrine." - Joseph Fielding Smith, The Improvement Era, December, 1961 | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Book-of-Mormon-How-can-it-not-be-true-not-one-thing-that-contradicts-first-edition.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1)
Illusory Truth Effect
What is the Illusory Truth Effect? Imagine your brain is like a sponge that soaks up information. When you hear something many times, even if it’s not true, your brain starts to believe it. This is called the Illusory Truth Effect. We tend to believe something is true, just because we’ve heard it over and …