Tag Archives: church

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The LDS Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) or religious institutions generally.

“In no place in the word of God does it say that an Elder is after the order of Melchisedec, or after the order of the Melchisedec Priesthood. An Elder is after the order of Christ. This matter of "priesthood," since the days of Sydney Rigdon, has been the great hobby and stumbling-block of the Latter Day Saints. Priesthood means authority; and authority is the word we should use. I do not think the word priesthood is mentioned in the New Covenant of the Book of Mormon. Authority is the word we used for the first two years in the church—until Sydney Rigdon's days in Ohio. This matter of the two orders of priesthood in the Church of Christ, and lineal priesthood of the old law being in the church, all originated in the mind of Sydney Rigdon. He explained these things to Brother Joseph in his way, out of the old Scriptures, and got Brother Joseph to inquire, etc.” - David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ, 1887 | wasmormon.org
“In no place in the word of God does it say that an Elder is after the order of Melchisedec, or after the order of the Melchisedec Priesthood. An Elder is after the order of Christ. This matter of "priesthood," since the days of Sydney Rigdon, has been the great hobby and stumbling-block of the Latter Day Saints. Priesthood means authority; and authority is the word we should use. I do not think the word priesthood is mentioned in the New Covenant of the Book of Mormon. Authority is the word we used for the first two years in the church—until Sydney Rigdon's days in Ohio. This matter of the two orders of priesthood in the Church of Christ, and lineal priesthood of the old law being in the church, all originated in the mind of Sydney Rigdon. He explained these things to Brother Joseph in his way, out of the old Scriptures, and got Brother Joseph to inquire, etc.” - David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ, 1887
“Some of the revelations as they are now in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants have been changed and added to... When the Book of Commandments was printed, Joseph and the church received it as being printed correctly. This I know. In the winter of 1834 they saw that some of the revelations in the Book of Commandments had to be changed, because the heads of the church had gone too far, and had done things in which they had already gone ahead of some of the former revelations. So the book of Doctrine and Covenants was printed in 1835, and some of the revelations changed and added to.” - David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ, 1887 | wasmormon.org
“Some of the revelations as they are now in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants have been changed and added to... When the Book of Commandments was printed, Joseph and the church received it as being printed correctly. This I know. In the winter of 1834 they saw that some of the revelations in the Book of Commandments had to be changed, because the heads of the church had gone too far, and had done things in which they had already gone ahead of some of the former revelations. So the book of Doctrine and Covenants was printed in 1835, and some of the revelations changed and added to.” - David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ, 1887
“Sometime after John the Baptist’s appearance, the ancient Apostles Peter, James, and John also appeared to Joseph and Oliver, again under the direction of Jesus Christ, and conferred upon them the Melchizedek Priesthood. The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the right of presidency, and has power and authority over all the offices in the church in all ages of the world, to administer in spiritual things. With this authority again on the earth, the Church of Jesus Christ could be restored in its fulness.” - LDS Website: Topics and Questions: Restoration of the Priesthood | wasmormon.org
“Sometime after John the Baptist’s appearance, the ancient Apostles Peter, James, and John also appeared to Joseph and Oliver, again under the direction of Jesus Christ, and conferred upon them the Melchizedek Priesthood. The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the right of presidency, and has power and authority over all the offices in the church in all ages of the world, to administer in spiritual things. With this authority again on the earth, the Church of Jesus Christ could be restored in its fulness.” - LDS Website: Topics and Questions: Restoration of the Priesthood
“I heard Joseph tell his experience of his ordination [by Cowdery] and the organization of the church, probably, more than twenty times, to persons who, near the rise of the church, wished to know and hear about it. I never heard of Moroni, John, or Peter, James and John.” - William E. McLellin, Former LDS Apostle, 1870 Letter | wasmormon.org
“I heard Joseph tell his experience of his ordination [by Cowdery] and the organization of the church, probably, more than twenty times, to persons who, near the rise of the church, wished to know and hear about it. I never heard of Moroni, John, or Peter, James and John.” - William E. McLellin, Former LDS Apostle, 1870 Letter
“In June 1829, Joseph ordained Oliver Cowdery to be an Elder, and Oliver ordained Joseph to be an Elder in the church of Christ and during that year Joseph both baptized and ordained me an elder in the church... I never heard that an Angel had ordained Joseph and Oliver to the Aaronic priesthood until the year 1834... I do not believe that John the Baptist ever ordained Joseph and Oliver as stated and believed by some, I regard that as an error, a misconception.” - David Whitmer, 1885 Interview | wasmormon.org
“In June 1829, Joseph ordained Oliver Cowdery to be an Elder, and Oliver ordained Joseph to be an Elder in the church of Christ and during that year Joseph both baptized and ordained me an elder in the church... I never heard that an Angel had ordained Joseph and Oliver to the Aaronic priesthood until the year 1834... I do not believe that John the Baptist ever ordained Joseph and Oliver as stated and believed by some, I regard that as an error, a misconception.” - David Whitmer, 1885 Interview
I was marginalized by "church friends" and by extended "family". My side of the family are not members so they became my support system. I came back home. I no longer believe in god, and finally found peace. - Luis' "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/elnene/
I was marginalized by "church friends" and by extended "family". My side of the family are not members so they became my support system. I came back home. I no longer believe in god, and finally found peace. - Luis' "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/elnene/
After a tense meeting with counselors and my wife (now ex), they immediately released me from my calling. I explained to my daughters why dad was not going to church anymore. That was the last discussion as a family. - Luis' "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/elnene/
After a tense meeting with counselors and my wife (now ex), they immediately released me from my calling. I explained to my daughters why dad was not going to church anymore. That was the last discussion as a family. - Luis' "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/elnene/
In December 2021, I stopped going to church after tithing settlement meeting and heated discussion with my demanding Bishop. I stopped going to church because I got ignored and experienced a very awkward and unfriendly atmosphere after that. Apparently, not paying that 10% and questioning makes you "unlikeable". - Luis' "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/elnene/
In December 2021, I stopped going to church after tithing settlement meeting and heated discussion with my demanding Bishop. I stopped going to church because I got ignored and experienced a very awkward and unfriendly atmosphere after that. Apparently, not paying that 10% and questioning makes you "unlikeable". - Luis' "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/elnene/
I was assigned to the Spanish Branch as a Second Counselor, and in 2013 started finding out details that I never heard of before. This wealth of new information about the shady church beginnings and practices kept coming. Thank you internet! - Luis' "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/elnene/
I was assigned to the Spanish Branch as a Second Counselor, and in 2013 started finding out details that I never heard of before. This wealth of new information about the shady church beginnings and practices kept coming. Thank you internet! - Luis' "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/elnene/
Believers view faith through at least one of three philosophical lenses: as True, Good, or Useful. These perspectives help explain why some remain committed, others wrestle with doubts, and some eventually step away. Each of our paths is shaped by how we experience the Church's truth claims, moral impact, or practical role in our lives. | wasmormon.org
Believers view faith through at least one of three philosophical lenses: as True, Good, or Useful. These perspectives help explain why some remain committed, others wrestle with doubts, and some eventually step away. Each of our paths is shaped by how we experience the Church's truth claims, moral impact, or practical role in our lives.
Those who see the church as Useful may not feel the need to declare the church absolutely true, nor do they necessarily idealize it as the ultimate good. Instead, they see the church as a practical system that brings structure, meaning, and social cohesion to their lives. It helps raise children with values, provides a rhythm to life, and offers a community of like-minded people. They may not delve deeply into doctrinal discussions or worry about historical discrepancies because those questions aren’t central to what they get from church participation. As long as the church serves a positive role in their life, they stay. But if it becomes inconvenient, emotionally draining, or irrelevant, their connection may fade without a dramatic rupture—quietly stepping back as the church’s utility diminishes. | wasmormon.org
Those who see the church as Useful may not feel the need to declare the church absolutely true, nor do they necessarily idealize it as the ultimate good. Instead, they see the church as a practical system that brings structure, meaning, and social cohesion to their lives. It helps raise children with values, provides a rhythm to life, and offers a community of like-minded people. They may not delve deeply into doctrinal discussions or worry about historical discrepancies because those questions aren’t central to what they get from church participation. As long as the church serves a positive role in their life, they stay. But if it becomes inconvenient, emotionally draining, or irrelevant, their connection may fade without a dramatic rupture—quietly stepping back as the church’s utility diminishes.
For those who view the church as fundamentally Good, their loyalty is grounded not so much in doctrinal certainty but in the positive experiences they’ve had within the faith. They appreciate the church for the community it fosters, the service it inspires, and the moral guidance it provides. Their commitment is nurtured by love, family bonds, and a deep desire for belonging. These members may acknowledge imperfections in church history or leadership but believe the overall impact is beneficial. They’re more likely to focus on the healing and hope the gospel offers. They want the church to be a safe, nurturing environment—a spiritual refuge. For them, if the church ceases to feel good or safe, if it becomes a source of exclusion or harm, then its value is threatened, and their faith may begin to unravel. | wasmormon.org
For those who view the church as fundamentally Good, their loyalty is grounded not so much in doctrinal certainty but in the positive experiences they’ve had within the faith. They appreciate the church for the community it fosters, the service it inspires, and the moral guidance it provides. Their commitment is nurtured by love, family bonds, and a deep desire for belonging. These members may acknowledge imperfections in church history or leadership but believe the overall impact is beneficial. They’re more likely to focus on the healing and hope the gospel offers. They want the church to be a safe, nurturing environment—a spiritual refuge. For them, if the church ceases to feel good or safe, if it becomes a source of exclusion or harm, then its value is threatened, and their faith may begin to unravel.
“[Many] advocate: Go to any school, take any course, or go to no school at all, and we’ll all end up in the same place with the same heavenly diploma. That just isn’t reasonable, nor is it true. The position that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church upon the face of the earth is fundamental. Perhaps it would be more convenient and palatable and popular if we were to avoid it; nevertheless, we are under a sacred obligation and a sacred trust to hold to it. It is not merely an admission; it is a positive declaration. It is so fundamental that we cannot yield on this point.” - Boyd K. Packer, LDS Apostle, General Conference, October 1971 | wasmormon.org
“[Many] advocate: Go to any school, take any course, or go to no school at all, and we’ll all end up in the same place with the same heavenly diploma. That just isn’t reasonable, nor is it true. The position that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church upon the face of the earth is fundamental. Perhaps it would be more convenient and palatable and popular if we were to avoid it; nevertheless, we are under a sacred obligation and a sacred trust to hold to it. It is not merely an admission; it is a positive declaration. It is so fundamental that we cannot yield on this point.” - Boyd K. Packer, LDS Apostle, General Conference, October 1971
“Trust in the Lord is a familiar and true teaching... the best principle we can use when our efforts to learn or our attempts to find comfort encounter obstacles in matters not yet revealed or not adopted as the official doctrine of the Church. That same principle applies to unanswered questions about sealings in the next life or desired readjustments because of events or transgressions in mortality. There is so much we do not know that our only sure reliance is to trust in the Lord and His love for His children.” - Dallin H. Oaks, LDS Apostle, “Trust in the Lord”, October 2019 | wasmormon.org
“Trust in the Lord is a familiar and true teaching... the best principle we can use when our efforts to learn or our attempts to find comfort encounter obstacles in matters not yet revealed or not adopted as the official doctrine of the Church. That same principle applies to unanswered questions about sealings in the next life or desired readjustments because of events or transgressions in mortality. There is so much we do not know that our only sure reliance is to trust in the Lord and His love for His children.” - Dallin H. Oaks, LDS Apostle, “Trust in the Lord”, October 2019

Trust Us—We Don’t Know: Dallin H. Oaks, Polygamy, and the Promise of Mormon Heaven

In a 2019 talk, Dallin H. Oaks—apostle and current First Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—responded to a question that hits at the heart of the legacy peculiar Mormon doctrine of plural marriage, especially for women today: If a woman marries a widower sealed to his first …

Continue reading “Trust Us—We Don’t Know: Dallin H. Oaks, Polygamy, and the Promise of Mormon Heaven”

“Joseph Smith ordered a marshal, with the assistance of the Nauvoo Legion, to destroy the printing press. On Monday evening, June 10, the marshal and his posse of approximately 100 men removed the press, scattered the type, and burned the remaining copies of the newspaper... The Nauvoo City Council had reason to believe their actions were legal... Scholars have concluded that the Nauvoo City Council acted legally to destroy copies of the newspaper but may have exceeded its authority by destroying the press itself.” - LDS Website: Church History Topics: Nauvoo Expositor | wasmormon.org
“Joseph Smith ordered a marshal, with the assistance of the Nauvoo Legion, to destroy the printing press. On Monday evening, June 10, the marshal and his posse of approximately 100 men removed the press, scattered the type, and burned the remaining copies of the newspaper... The Nauvoo City Council had reason to believe their actions were legal... Scholars have concluded that the Nauvoo City Council acted legally to destroy copies of the newspaper but may have exceeded its authority by destroying the press itself.” - LDS Website: Church History Topics: Nauvoo Expositor
“On Friday, June 7, 1844, dissenters from the Church published the one and only issue of an opposition newspaper they called the Nauvoo Expositor... The dissenters... voiced their discontent with the practice of plural marriage, Joseph Smith’s teachings on the nature of God from his recent King Follett sermon, and his mixing of religious and civic authority in Nauvoo.” - LDS Website: Church History Topics: Nauvoo Expositor | wasmormon.org
“On Friday, June 7, 1844, dissenters from the Church published the one and only issue of an opposition newspaper they called the Nauvoo Expositor... The dissenters... voiced their discontent with the practice of plural marriage, Joseph Smith’s teachings on the nature of God from his recent King Follett sermon, and his mixing of religious and civic authority in Nauvoo.” - LDS Website: Church History Topics: Nauvoo Expositor
“The legality of the council's action in suppressing the Expositor depends upon the nature of the charges in the Expositor... some of the charges involve facts that are essentially undisputed... Politics. The Expositor's general complaints about the union of the authority of church and state in Nauvoo were essentially true... Religion. The same can be said of the Expositor's charges that Joseph Smith was teaching false religious doctrines, notably polygamy. Morality.... Whether the charges were true or false, they were malicious, scandalous, and defamatory.” - Dallin H. Oaks, “The Suppression of the Nauvoo Expositor,” Utah Law Review, Vol. 9, No. 4, 1965 | wasmormon.org
“The legality of the council's action in suppressing the Expositor depends upon the nature of the charges in the Expositor... some of the charges involve facts that are essentially undisputed... Politics. The Expositor's general complaints about the union of the authority of church and state in Nauvoo were essentially true... Religion. The same can be said of the Expositor's charges that Joseph Smith was teaching false religious doctrines, notably polygamy. Morality.... Whether the charges were true or false, they were malicious, scandalous, and defamatory.” - Dallin H. Oaks, “The Suppression of the Nauvoo Expositor,” Utah Law Review, Vol. 9, No. 4, 1965
The most reliable early manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark do not contain Mark 16:9–20, and the style of the Greek language used in these verses differs from the rest of Mark. This suggests that these concluding verses might not have been written by Mark, but rather by scribes who added accounts of the Savior’s appearances after His Resurrection to bring the ending of Mark’s Gospel more in harmony with the writings of Matthew, Luke, John, and Acts. Whatever the reasons for the manuscript variations, the Church accepts all of Mark 16 as inspired scripture. Its value is based not on which human being wrote it, but on its inspired testimony of truth - LDS New Testament Institute Student Manual, Chapter 14 | wasmormon.org
“The most reliable early manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark do not contain Mark 16:9–20, and the style of the Greek language used in these verses differs from the rest of Mark. This suggests that these concluding verses might not have been written by Mark, but rather by scribes who added accounts of the Savior’s appearances after His Resurrection to bring the ending of Mark’s Gospel more in harmony with the writings of Matthew, Luke, John, and Acts. Whatever the reasons for the manuscript variations, the Church accepts all of Mark 16 as inspired scripture. Its value is based not on which human being wrote it, but on its inspired testimony of truth.” - LDS New Testament Institute Student Manual, Chapter 14