Category Archives: Joseph Smith

How do you like your Mormon temple garments?

The Mormon Church is asking its members to answer an online questionnaire about temple garments in order to assist the Church in “providing for the needs of members worldwide.” The questions focus on things like garment fit, style, and fabric. … Continue reading

Posted in Joseph Smith, LDS Church, Mormon History, Mormon Temple | Tagged , , , , , , , | 44 Comments

Mormon Church does not apologize.

Mormon apostle Dallin Oaks caused quite a stir in late January. In an interview related to the Church’s news conference on LGBT issues and religious discrimination, Mr. Oaks expressed his view that apologizing for the Church’s “harsh rhetoric of the … Continue reading

Posted in Brigham Young, Gordon B. Hinckley, Joseph Smith, LDS Church, Mormon History, Mormon Leaders | Tagged , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Mormons Studying the New Testament in 2015

The Mormon Church’s Sunday School course of study for 2015 is the New Testament. Accordingly, Gig Harbor, WA newspaper columnist Alfred Gunn (LDS) wrote a column for The Peninsula Gateway titled, “The Bible as a treasured course of personal study.” … Continue reading

Posted in Bible, Book of Mormon, Brigham Young, Joseph Smith, Mormon Leaders, Mormon Scripture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

“The sweet dream of a pure minded boy”

In the spring of 1820 Joseph Smith went into the woods to pray. “Humbly kneeling, sweet appealing–‘Twas the boy’s first uttered prayer” says the Mormon hymn (“Joseph Smith’s First Prayer”). Joseph sought to know “Who of all these parties [Presbyterians, … Continue reading

Posted in Joseph Smith, LDS Church, Mormon History, Polygamy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 39 Comments

Worship of Joseph Smith?

It’s Throwback Thursday! The following blog article originally posted at Mormon Coffee on January 17, 2006. —————— Reading the December 31, 2005 issue of Church News I came across this: “As Latter-day Saints we no more worship Joseph Smith than … Continue reading

Posted in Joseph Smith, LDS Church, Mormon Culture | Tagged , , , , , | 49 Comments

Mormonism’s President and the Role of the Angry Mob

In April 2014, at the Mormon Church’s General Conference, President Thomas S. Monson spoke of love being the essence of the gospel. Explaining that Jesus Christ is our great example of love, President Monson said, “The sick He healed; the … Continue reading

Posted in Joseph Smith, LDS Church | Tagged , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

The Danger of Mormon Idolatry

In October (2014) Mormon blogger Jana Riess wrote about the “shadow side” of Mormonism: the “tendency to idolize – as in actually make idols of – the men who run our church. An idol is anything we use as a … Continue reading

Posted in Joseph Smith, Mormon Culture, Mormon Leaders, Salvation | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 163 Comments

Faithful Mormons Respond to News of Joseph Smith’s Polygamy

Shock waves continue to move across the globe as Mormons discover their Church’s recent admissions regarding Joseph Smith’s polygamy. There is much distress evident among Mormons who have always believed (been told) that the kinds of things now disclosed in … Continue reading

Posted in Early Mormonism, Joseph Smith, LDS Church, Mormon Culture, Mormon History, Polygamy, Truth, Honesty, Prayer, and Inquiry | Tagged , , , , | 51 Comments

Mormon Church Posts Essays on Joseph Smith’s Polygamy

It’s all over the news. The Mormon Church has finally “admitted” long-buried facts about Joseph Smith’s polygamy. The new Church essays were actually posted at lds.org sometime around October 22nd (2014), but for some reason the news only hit the … Continue reading

Posted in Early Mormonism, Family, Joseph Smith, LDS Church, Mormon History, Nauvoo, Polygamy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 37 Comments

Early Mormon Marriages: Tangled Webs to Sort Out in the Eternities

Many people are aware of Joseph Smith’s practice of polygamy. A subset of those people are also aware that some of Joseph’s plural wives were married to other men at the same time they were married to Joseph. Many of … Continue reading

Posted in Brigham Young, Early Mormonism, Joseph Smith, Mormon History, Polygamy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments