Boyd K. Packer gave a BYU devotional on 15th of October 1996 called The Unwritten Order of Things in which he discusses the unwritten rules and cultural standards of Mormonism. He states “The things that I shall tell you are not explained in the scriptures.” “The things I am going to tell you are not …
Tag Archives: authority
(Page 3)How Much Are Mormon Church Leaders Compensated?
The church makes a big deal about having no paid clergy. They proclaim that the church is led by a lay ministry of volunteers and no one is compensated for their work or service in the church. Church Led by Volunteer Service The missionaries are taught this fact, and all the missionaries are required to …
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Do What Is Right Let the Consequence Follow
We are taught in the church from a young age to do what is right, no matter the consequences. We even learn to sing, “do what is right; let the consequence follow” from the old protestant hymn that the church has adopted and number 237 in the current hymn book. Do what is right; let …
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Mormon Bishop Resigns at Pulpit in Mississippi Sacrament Meeting
A Mormon Bishop in a Mississippi Ward resigned from his calling during a message he delivered in sacrament meeting in front of his ward. He asked to be released from his calling and wanted his ward to hear about it directly from him. He states it is not because of any sins or because he’s …
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Church Against Bucket Lists, Traveling and Following Dreams
As we embark on the New Year with resolutions and travel aspirations, consider Elder Rasband’s counsel, which dissuades members from pursuing personal dreams and travel experiences. Discouraging the pursuit of individual “bucket lists,” he advocates prioritizing the church over personal needs, asserting that such pursuits will not bring fulfillment to one’s soul. This raises questions …
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Examine What You Know – Dismiss What Insults Your Soul
Walt Whitman Walt Whitman (1819-92) is considered to be the most important American poet of the 19th century. He published the first edition of his major work, Leaves of Grass, in 1855 and updated it throughout his life with updated editions. Whitman’s work broke away from traditional poetic forms, embracing free verse and celebrating the …
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Mother Knows Best – Joseph Smith’s Mother on The First Vision
Today’s church narrative tells the story of a young rambunctious yet spiritual lad of 14 who is stressed about which church to join and is absorbed in the words of the Bible. He finds the passage that if he lacks wisdom, he should pray (James 1:5). He resolves to pray and the heavens are opened. …
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Major Victories for Satan
LDS Church leader, Russell Nelson, has for decades wanted to do away with the nickname of the church. It seems to have been a pet peeve of his, and he single-handedly announced a plea to use the full name of the church in 1990 when he was a junior apostle. The next conference, however, President …
November Policy of LGBT Exclusion, The Reversal, and Mormon Mental Gymnastics
![“[We] have continued to seek the Lord’s guidance and to plead with Him in behalf of His children who were affected by the 2015 policy. We knew that this policy created concern and confusion for some and heartache for others.” - Russell M Nelson, regarding the November Policy Reversal, BYU Devotional, September 2019 | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/nelson-policy-reversal-Lords-guidance-2015-policy-created-concern-confusion-heartache.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1)
In November 2015 a new church policy was leaked and upset many members of the church and those outside the church. It became known as the November Policy of Exclusion. It affected those who are LGBTQ+ allies and family and friends by prohibiting children of same-sex married couples from being baptized or blessed at church …
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Mike was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Story Spotlight
Mike was raised in a part-member family but never had missionary aspirations. Instead, he wanted to get an education and “fly jets.” He found immense pressure to serve a mission from ward members and was surprised when his Bishop presented him with mission papers. He declined and has been on a road to personal growth, …
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Reversing the November Policy
The 2015 November Policy of Exclusion The November Policy of Exclusion, or the LDS Church policy to ban LGBT, was a controversial policy change by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in November 2015. This policy update was initially leaked to the public and was later officially confirmed by the LDS Church. The …
Truth and History are Anti-Mormon
One could define a faithful perspective as supporting the church’s truth claims at all costs. Anything that is outside of that faith-promoting mindset could be argued to be anti-mormon, because it doesn’t align with promoting faith in the church at all costs. We aren’t willing to sacrifice everything (as Elder Oaks says is his Apostolic …
As Man Now Is, God Once Was; As Now God Is, Man May Be – Lorenzo Snow
Lorenzo Snow coined a couplet that famously explains a complex doctrine of Mormon theology which is closely tied to the idea of eternal progression. It also gets Mormon theology in deep water with most other Christian denominations. It challenges (or changes) the nature of God and our relationship with him as mankind. It proclaims that …
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Hinckley’s “I Don’t Know That We Teach It” Interview
A famous saying within the Church states, “As man is now, God once was; as God is now, man may be.” This couplet, originating from Joseph Smith’s King Follet discourse, was popularized by the fifth Church President Lorenzo Snow. Time Magazine published an article about Mormons and asked President Gordon B Hinckley about this concept …
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Never Take Council From Those Who Do Not Believe – Says Russell M Nelson
In the October 2023 General Conference, President Russell M Nelson spoke to the church membership by way of a previously recorded message. He was unable to attend the conference because he’d injured his back when falling. He was not able to be miraculously healed and even mentioned the considerable pain he was in due to …
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President Gordon B Hinckley Interview with San Francisco Chronicle
Gordon B Hinckley, then church president, was interviewed by Don Lattin on April 13, 1997 for SFGate, the digital home of the San Francisco Chronicle. The interview was in his room at the Santa Clara Marriott Hotel, just before he delivered an address to the World Forum of Silicon Valley. Here is the transcript of the interview as reported …
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The LDS Church and The November Policy of Exclusion – POX 2015
In November 2015, eight years ago, the church leaders intended to quietly institute a policy they had thought through deeply as a reaction to the United States deeming same-sex marriage federally legal in July of that year. The church had campaigned many many times against giving this recognition and civil equality to same-sex couples from …
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Apostates Can Never Have a Really Happy Day?
At the end of Section 76, (3 Degrees of Glory) the ‘D&C Commentary’ issues a salient warning to all those who would desert the faith, by naming brother Lyman Johnson as a: ‘Particular kind of apostate’ who “never had a really happy day” after leaving the fold and ended up drowning in an accident. “In one portion of this Revelation the eternal misery …
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Dealing with Doubts and Controversial Opinions
How does the church instruct the members to deal with their doubts? First, we do have an admission that we have legitimate reason to doubt. But First Doubt Your Doubts Even if there are legitimate things that may cause us to doubt, doubt these legitimate reasons before giving into any actual doubting. It’s natural to …
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First Presidency Urged for Segregation
Let’s examine the common Mormon apologist argument that leaders are simply “men of their times” through a story of racist thoughts and practices in the church. Priesthood Ban The church enjoys celebrating the lifting of the priesthood ban in 1978. But we can’t give them any credit for doing it either, since it was the …
Men Of Their Times
Church leaders assert that they directly follow God’s guidance, exempting themselves from apologies and social pressure, like for example addressing racism within church doctrine and culture. Apologists claim that church leaders are merely “men of their times” and can’t be judged by today’s standards. These two ideas don’t work together. Either the leaders are led …
Gordon B Hinckley on Larry King Live | Interview Transcript 1998
Transcript of Larry King Live: Gordon Hinckley – Distinguished Religious Leader of the Mormons. Remember that time Hinckley was on Larry King in 1998? Looking back at the transcript, he said quite a few surprising things on air. Hinckley claimed that when people think of Mormons when polygamy is mentioned, they do it “mistakenly” and …
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The Lord Is At The Helm?
Despite the fact that church leaders remind us constantly that the Lord is at the head of the church, Uchtforf’s refreshing frankness here clarifies that it’s really men running things, and not the Lord. Once you see it, it’s clear that church leaders are merely men doing their best and stumbling along. They are not …
When Leaving the Church, Previous Knowledge Seems Foolish
Elder Dieter F Uchtdorf remarked that as members leave the church, they leave the “light of the gospel,” wherein these exmormons find themselves questioning why they ever believed in the church and their previously clear knowledge would even seem foolish in retrospect. Here he contributes to the narrative that church leaders enjoy telling about those …
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Was it the Angel Moroni or Nephi? Both? Neither?
Joseph Smith’s early stories involve the visitation of a specific angel in his bedroom. The current narrative states that this was the angel Moroni, the same Moroni that tops all the temples. He was the last writer of the Book of Mormon. However, some records indicate that it was the angel Nephi who first visited …
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Joseph Smith’s Treasure Digging In Doctrine and Covenants
The church has reluctantly had to admit that Joseph Smith used his seer stones in his efforts to translate the Book of Mormon and not just the Urim and Thummim he received with the gold plates. They don’t like to admit that the seer stone in question is the same one he used in his …
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60 Minutes: Gordon B. Hinckley Interview Transcript
The following is the transcript of the interview with Gordon B Hinckley, LDS Church President, Bill Marriott, Marriott Executive, Orrin Hatch, Utah Senator, Steve Young, Professional Football Player and an unnamed BYU Student. The original segment aired on April 7, 1996.
Will God Permit Church President to Lead Mormons Astray?
There is a common refrain among Mormons, the leadership and membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This sentiment is that the church leaders are incapable of leading the church astray. It’s not even that they wouldn’t lead the church astray, it’s more the Lord won’t permit them to. If they tried …
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Church Leaders and Initials
When referring to church leaders, the church is sure to always use an initial to ensure the leader’s full name is used. For example, the church will never refer to Gordon Hinckley, but always Gordon B. Hinckley. They will never reference Russell Nelson, but Russell M. Nelson. This presumably is in order to give the …