The story of Lehi leaving Jerusalem with his family and their struggles is central to the Book of Mormon. In the book (1 Nephi chapter 8), Lehi shares a dream with his family that is about a great and spacious building and a straight and narrow path, an iron rod, and a tree with fruit …
Continue reading “Lehi’s Dream is Joseph Smith Senior’s Dream too”
Hugh Nibley is a famous mormon scholar. He wrote many books on complex mormon doctrine and taught for many years at BYU. In some of his classes and some of his books he famously gave his students a faux writing challenge where they were to write the equivalent of the book of mormon. He was …
What are the Church Essays? The church has quietly published some essays discussing some hard-to-reconcile issues. There are multiple topics in these essays, such as Multiple First Vision Accounts, Rock in a Hat Translation & Mormon Institutionalized Racism, a collection of essays about Polygamy referred to as Plural Marriage & even Heavenly Mother. Haven’t heard …
Continue reading “Yesterday’s Anti-Mormon “Lies” Are Today’s Church Essays”
Is the Mormon church transparent? Is the church honest with its own history? What does it mean to be as transparent as you know how to be? Not much actually, but it’s their best excuse and retort when questioned. M Russell Ballard and Dallin H Oaks had a fireside broadcast with Young Single Adults. They …
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The current president of the mormon church, Russell M Nelson, shared a thought in the October 2020 General Conference. After the world has dealt with the pandemic of Covid-19 and the US is in the throes of a heated election cycle, and much of the world is facing a racial reckoning and awakening, the self-proclaimed …
Continue reading “Mormons are Taught that outside the church is life filled with fear”
Have you experienced a faith crisis or transition? Many people have (and some tell their story), perhaps including Albert Einstein. What has the experience taught you about God or your belief in God? Has it transformed how you view God or what you mean when you refer to God? Do your current thoughts still align …
In a faith transition many face feelings of groundlessness akin to crisis level vertigo. They may feel that their life is completely falling apart; that nothing is what it seemed and they struggle to cope with such a huge shift. They face reprocessing every principle, every value and potentially every reason for every thing in …
Continue reading “Finding Personal Meaning and Purpose in a Faith Transition”
Do you remember the mormon.org website? Members were pestered relentlessly to create a profile online to share their testimony and answer gospel questions. Everyone was encouraged to share their personal url on social media too! Here are some example profiles: Some profiles even backfired and brave disaffected members posted what they actually thought until the …
There is a temptation for the writer or the teacher of Church history to want to tell everything, whether it is worthy or faith promoting or not. Some things that are true are not very useful. Elder Boyd K Packerhttps://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teaching-seminary-preservice-readings-religion-370-471-and-475/the-mantle-is-far-far-greater-than-the-intellect?lang=eng#subtitle2 Not everything that’s true is useful. Elder Dallin H Oakshttps://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/elder-oaks-interview-transcript-from-pbs-documentary There have been many statements …
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Gordon B. Hinckley taught the First Vision of Joseph Smith is “the hinge pin on which this whole cause turns. If the First Vision was true, if it actually happened, then the Book of Mormon is true. Then we have the priesthood. Then we have the Church organization and all of the other keys and blessings …
Continue reading “Mormon Binary Thinking and The Great Sham”
In response to those who wonder why mormons who leave the church and then speak out against it and echo the phrase: “You can leave the church, but you can’t leave it alone.” Glenn L. Pace, Follow the Prophet, General Conference, April 1989https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1989/04/follow-the-prophet As mormons, we have been taught to share truth. That desire and …
You have almost certainly heard of the “shelf” if you’re Mormon. This wasmormon.org site lists many of these shelf items and questions that users have responded to. Check it out, do you share any of these shelf items or want to contribute with your own story? If you aren’t familiar with the Mormon shelf, the …
Continue reading “The Mormon “Shelf” and Why it’s a Problem”
In an interview President Gordon B Hinckley explains that the reason the church is not open about their finances is because they think “that information belongs to those who made the contribution”. REPORTER: In my country, the…we say the people’s churches, the protestants, the catholics, they publish all their budgets, to all the public. HINCKLEY: …
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In honor of Star Wars day, I wanted to spotlight the moment of betrayal from Obi Wan and the parallel to my own faith crisis. Today is May the Fourth, also known as Star Wars Day – due to the “May the Force”, be with you pun. One thing we can learn from the prequel …
Continue reading “Obi Wan channels a mormon faith crisis – The Chosen One and Betrayal”
Many testimonies come off like the bearer thinks that “I know” actually means “I really hope” or “I want to know”. When encouraged to bear a testimony to find it, this doublethink and newspeak almost makes sense. We gain or strengthen a testimony by bearing it. Someone even suggested that some testimonies are better gained …
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Salt Lake City, Utah January 29, 2002 Conducted by Helmut Nemetschek at 47 East South Temple, Prior To And In Preparation For, The “Mormon Winter Olympics” TRANSCRIPT REPORTER: President Hinckley, what are your expectations, your desires, your wishes, for the Olympic Games here in Salt Lake City? HINCKLEY: Well, I expect great things in the …
Continue reading “Gordon B. Hinckley Interview Transcript– ZDF German Television”
“If a faith will not bear to be investigated: if its preachers and professors are afraid to have it examined, their foundation must be very weak.” George Albert Smith Journal of Discourses, v. 14, p. 216 We are encouraged to examine and investigate everything. Especially our faith & our church. This is in line with what …
When an honestly mistaken man sees the truth, one of two things happens: (1) he will either cease to be mistaken, or (2) he will cease to be honest. For he will either accept the truth or he will reject it. If he accepts it, he is no longer mistaken; if he rejects it, he …
To Latter-day Saints there can be no objection to the careful and critical study of the scriptures, ancient or modern, provided only that it be an honest study – a search for truth. John A. Widtsoe, ApostleIn Search of Truth: Comments on the Gospel and Modern Thought(1930) No objection to the careful and critical study? …
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It’s wrong to criticize leaders of the Church, even if the criticism is true. Elder Dallin H Oaks How can this be twisted to be seen in a good way? Is it wrong to call out errors our leaders make? No. It could be annoying, or even tactless to harp on every minor thing they …
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And make no mistake about it: the Lord directs His Church through living prophets and apostles. This is the way He has always done His work. … Too many people think Church leaders and members should be perfect or nearly perfect. They forget that the Lord’s grace is sufficient to accomplish His work through mortals. …
If we have truth, [it] cannot be harmed by investigation. If we have not truth, it ought to be harmed. J. Reuben ClarkJ. Reuben Clark: The Church Years. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 1983, p. 24 Investigate the church, we invite the world (non-members) to investigate our claims. Those who are learning and considering …
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Let me quote a very powerful comment from President Ezra Taft Benson, who said, “The Book of Mormon is the keystone of [our] testimony. Just as the arch crumbles if the keystone is removed, so does all the Church stand or fall with the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. The enemies of the Church …
Continue reading “The arch crumbles – Let’s not have any bizarre middle ground”
Each of us has to face the matter — either the Church is true, or it is a fraud. There is no middle ground. It is the church and kingdom of God, or it is nothing. President Gordon B. Hinckley – General Conference – April 2003 Many appreciated President Hinckley, but his binary way of …
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President Oaks acknowledged that some Latter-Saint couples face conflicts over important values and priorities. Matters of Church history and doctrinal issues have led some spouses to inactivity. Some spouses wonder how to best go about researching and responding to such issues. “I suggest that research is not the answer,” he said. “But the best answer …
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Come tell your own story. Why did you leave the boat? Don’t let other people or the church tell it for you. They already preach a narrative about you and why you left (and it’s not flattering). By far, the narrative they tell is not the truth. The church has a long history of telling …
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Addressing honest questions is an important part of building faith… To those of faith who, looking through the colored glasses of the 21st century, honestly question events or statements of the Prophet Joseph from nearly 200 years ago, may I share some friendly advice: For now, give Brother Joseph a break! Neil L. Andersenhttps://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/10/faith-is-not-by-chance-but-by-choice It …
Our whole strength rests on the validity of that vision. It either occurred or it did not occur. If it did not, then this work is a fraud. Gordon B. Hinckley https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2002/10/the-marvelous-foundation-of-our-faith Interesting to read these quotes from President Hinckley. He’s either not aware of the various first vision accounts, or doesn’t expect anyone else …
