Category Archives: Joseph Smith

Post-Mortal Appearances of Joseph Smith

JT Hillman wrote a letter to the editor of Louisiana’s towntalk.com. In an effort to point people to Christ, JT wrote (in part), “I read in The Town Talk, some dear person was thanking St. Jude. St. Jude cannot help … Continue reading

Posted in Afterlife, Joseph Smith | Tagged , , | 67 Comments

The Priesthood of Joseph Smith

LDS History of the Church Vol. 4 (pp 571-81) includes an editorial Joseph Smith, Jr. submitted to the Times and Seasons newspaper. “Try the Spirits” was written in response to “occurrences that [had] transpired amongst” his congregation. In the article, … Continue reading

Posted in Joseph Smith, Priesthood | Tagged , | 36 Comments

Joseph Smith’s Death Not Inherently Significant?

As part of a discussion here at Mormon Coffee about Joseph Smith’s alleged “I am going like a lamb to the slaughter” comment, one of our Mormon commenters wrote, “Joseph Smith never claimed that his blood would atone for sins, … Continue reading

Posted in Joseph Smith | Tagged | 80 Comments

“Imminent Martyrdom”

At the October 2009 General Conference LDS Apostle Jeffrey Holland gave a talk titled, “Safety for the Soul.” This talk has been closely examined and critiqued in a series of videos posted by FlackerMan on You Tube. In video #2 … Continue reading

Posted in Joseph Smith, Mormon History | Tagged , | 59 Comments

Authorized and Official Biography

A new book about Joseph Smith is about to hit the market. A recent online press release divulged, “Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet, could be the most controversial and mysterious religious figure of the past two hundred years. While volumes … Continue reading

Posted in Joseph Smith, Mormon Culture | 39 Comments

Joseph’s Orb: Undeniable Sign of Truth?

I am at a loss. I can’t find the logic in a statement found in Mormon Times (or the article that follows it). Maybe the Mormon Coffee community can suss this out and make some sense of it for me. … Continue reading

Posted in Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith | 71 Comments

Thus Saith the Lord: Go Get a Tan

National Geographic Magazine recently published an excellent feature article titled The Polygamists. Journalist Scott Anderson’s insightful piece about the FLDS church, its people, and its history is well worth reading. In the midst of this article Mr. Anderson writes this … Continue reading

Posted in Early Mormonism, Joseph Smith | 39 Comments

Ignorant Translators Commit Many Errors

Christian apologist Rob Bowman at the Institute for Religious Research’s Mormons in Transition web site has published a nine-page study of The Book of Hebrews and the Joseph Smith Translation. Mr. Bowman maintains, “My argument here is simple: a comparison … Continue reading

Posted in Joseph Smith | Tagged , , , | 37 Comments

The Tolerable Hell of Our Imaginations

I was browsing the Desiring God web site the other day. I read an article where Pastor John Piper responded to the question, “How willingly do people go to hell?” Quoting C.S. Lewis’ statement, “All that are in hell choose … Continue reading

Posted in Afterlife, Joseph Smith | Tagged , , | 22 Comments

Prophet-Preferred Prophet-Test

On November 1, 1831 Joseph Smith convened a conference of ten Mormon elders. The agenda for the meeting was to make decisions regarding the publication of Joseph’s revelations. According to an article in Mormon Times, “Joseph said that since the … Continue reading

Posted in D&C and Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith, Mormon History, Mormon Scripture | Tagged , | 110 Comments