Category: Prophets
“The False Gods We Worship”: Why Is This First Presidency Message So Hard to Find When Searching?
UPDATE, DAY 0: With the help of my untrustworthy but still very smart friend, ChatGPT 4, I was able to determine that the reason a controversial 1976 First Presidency message…
The Church Announces Support for a Bill Supporting Same-Sex Marriage
The Church has spoken in favor of a federal bill supporting same-sex marriage, while still maintaining the position that homesexual activity is inconsistent with the teachings of the Gospel. Here…
Is the Book of Abraham Translation Dependent on the Kirtland Egyptian Papers? Revisiting The Pearl of Greatest Price
A potentially troublesome flaw in the discussion of the Book of Abraham in the generally good book by Terryl Givens (with Brian Hauglid), The Pearl of Greatest Price, is its…
Review of Terryl Givens and Brian Hauglid, The Pearl of Greatest Price: Mormonism’s Most Controversial Scripture
A new book related to the Pearl of Great Price has just been published by two well-known LDS scholars, Dr. Terryl Givens and Dr. Brian Hauglid, both currently associated with…
LDS.org Offers “Gospel Topics” Section on the Historicity and Translation of the Book of Abraham
Among the growing body of helpful and carefully researched topics discussed in the “Gospel Topics” section of the LDS.org website, the Church has recently provided a statement that addresses some…
Race and the Priesthood: Significant New Statement on the LDS History of Blacks and the Priesthood at LDS.org
I’m delighted with the release of a thoughtful statement at ChurchofJesusChrist.org clarifying the history of the Church’s former policy that prior to 1978 prohibited those with African ancestry from holding…
Confirming a Small but Meaningful Miracle from President Monson’s Life
In his October 2011 General Conference address, “Stand in Holy Places,” President Thomas S. Monson shared an experience as a small part of his talk that I find instructive in…
Inept Deceipt in the Inspired Version? The Problem with Errant Assumptions
Here’s a friendly inquiry abut differences in the Book of Mormon and the “Inspired Version” of the Bible from someone who I don’t think was really looking for an answer:…
A Cure for Deadly Optimism and a Key for Preserving Freedom: The Book of Mormon
Admiral Jim Stockdale is a man who understood the pain and trauma of physical torture. Admiral Stockdale was the highest ranking United States military officer in the “Hanoi Hilton” prisoner-of-war…
Marcus H. Martins on Race in the Church
“A Black Man in Zion: Reflections on Race in the Restored Gospel” is a good read from the first black man to serve a mission after the 1978 revelation that…