Category Archives: Authority and Doctrine

This is a Test: Joseph Smith and Deuteronomy 13

It had been a long forty years of wandering in the wilderness. God’s people Israel were finally nearing their Promised Land. Moses’ life was drawing to a close and the people were about to enter a new way of life … Continue reading

Posted in Authority and Doctrine, Early Mormonism, General Conference, God the Father, Joseph Smith, King Follett Discourse, LDS Church, Mormon History, Mormon Leaders, Nature of God, Nature of Man, Nauvoo, Prophets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

The Holy Ghost, Scriptures…and LDS Church handbooks

Some Christians have a difficult time understanding just what is authentic (read: “official”) LDS doctrine. For instance, former Fuller Theological Seminary president Richard Mouw and others like him want to believe that Mormonism can be comprehended by talking to scholars … Continue reading

Posted in Authority and Doctrine, LDS Church | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Mormon Church Essay on Priesthood Ban Banned From Church Classroom

An interesting thing happened to Mormon Sunday school teacher Brian Dawson. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that a student in Mr. Dawson’s youth Sunday school class asked him why his Nigerian wife joined a church that had at one time … Continue reading

Posted in Authority and Doctrine, LDS Church, Mormon History | Tagged , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

How “official” is the Mormon First Presidency?

In 1973, five years before the Mormon Church lifted its ban on Blacks holding the LDS priesthood and participating in Mormon temple ordinances, Wendell J. Ashton, the Mormon Church’s director of Public Affairs, appeared on “1973 Special News Report: When … Continue reading

Posted in Authority and Doctrine, LDS Church, Mormon History, Mormon Leaders, Mormon Scripture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

Mormon Leadership Not Appropriate at a Christian Event

In a blog post on Monday (March 9, 2015) Jana Riess told readers about the recent cancellation of a Christian retreat at which Dr. Riess was scheduled to speak. The reason the retreat was cancelled: Christian church leaders deemed that, … Continue reading

Posted in Authority and Doctrine, Christianity, Friendship, Interaction, and Evangelism | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 31 Comments

The Continuing Call to Follow the Prophet

It was 35 years ago today that then-LDS apostle Ezra Taft Benson (President of the Quorum of the Twelve) delivered his now-famous speech, “Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet,” to a devotional assembly at Brigham Young University. According to historian … Continue reading

Posted in Authority and Doctrine, General Conference, LDS Church, Mormon Culture, Mormon History, Mormon Leaders, Prophets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Mormonism and Its First Level Truths

On February 6, 2015 LDS apostle Jeffrey Holland gave a public address titled, “An Evening with Jeffrey R. Holland” (see video here). He directs his remarks primarily to Church Educational System teachers and leaders, encouraging them to teach their Mormon … Continue reading

Posted in Authority and Doctrine, Early Mormonism, Joseph Smith, LDS Church, Mormon Leaders, Prophets | Tagged , , , , , , | 31 Comments

In 1912 some Mormon leaders doubted both the content and reliability of The King Follett Sermon

In 1912 some Mormon leaders doubted both the content and reliability of The King Follett Sermon. Mormon apostle George Albert Smith wrote: “Sometime ago I received an invitation, mailed from the Liahona office, to contribute to a fund for the … Continue reading

Posted in Authority and Doctrine, King Follett Discourse, Uncategorized | Tagged | 20 Comments

A Small Stream of Truth

It’s Throwback Thursday! The following blog article originally posted at Mormon Coffee on February 3, 2006. —————— Philip Barlow, in Mormons and the Bible: The Place of the Latter-day Saints in American Religion cites late LDS Apostle Bruce McConkie on … Continue reading

Posted in Authority and Doctrine, Bible, Christianity | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

If Mormon missionaries were straightforward about Mormonism…

Though done in a lighthearted manner, this 4-minute video is a fairly accurate depiction of standard Mormon doctrine. It would be nice if Mormon missionaries explained Mormonism as clearly as the characters in this video do, but I imagine that … Continue reading

Posted in Authority and Doctrine, God the Father, Great Apostasy, LDS Church, Mormon Missionaries, Mormon Temple, Prophets, Truth, Honesty, Prayer, and Inquiry | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments