A Study of Latter-Day Saint Theology, Doctrine and History
[Note: if you haven't read the post on Isaiah's Servant Songs and part one of the Second Comforter Heresy, please begin there.] I apologize for the delay in finishing this post. For whatever reason, it's been difficult to muster up the enthusiasm to hunker down and get it done. There are many other topics I... Continue Reading →
Aside from Jesus Christ, there is probably no more significant, influential or beloved figure in scripture than Isaiah. Isaiah is quoted 85 times in the New Testament, second only to the Psalms. The Book of Mormon contains 21 full chapters, eight additional citations, and 22 paraphrases from Isaiah. Joseph Smith's revelations are replete with direct... Continue Reading →
I know I said the Second Comforter post was coming next. I'm still working on it, but it's proven to be more difficult than I originally anticipated. I think part of it is burn out from the series on Joseph Smith. I was pretty demoralized by the end, and it's been tough to get back... Continue Reading →
"For although a man may have many revelations, and have power to do many mighty works, yet if he boasts in his own strength, and sets at naught the counsels of God, and follows after the dictates of his own will and carnal desires, he must fall and incur the vengeance of a just God upon him."—Revelation to... Continue Reading →
"Behold, thou art Joseph, and thou wast chosen to do the work of the Lord, but because of transgression, if thou art not aware thou wilt fall." —Revelation to Joseph Smith, July 1828 (D&C 3:9) [Note: this post is intended as a follow up to the three-part series on Joseph Smith's financial malfeasances. I recommend reading... Continue Reading →
On April 10, 1815, Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted in a blast was so powerful that people 800 miles away heard it. The ash cloud, which included 200 million tons of toxic sulfur dioxide, reached an estimated 141,000 feet (27 miles) into the atmosphere. The top third of the mountain disappeared. Those on the island... Continue Reading →
[I accidentally published a rough draft of this post. Many apologies! Below is the real version.] I started this blog a few years ago without any readership expectations or goals. As one who shuns the spotlight, I've never had any desire to be a Book of Mormon authority. I don't want to be well-known, influential,... Continue Reading →
“Our whole strength rests on the validity of that vision. It either occurred or it did not occur. If it did not, then this work is a fraud. If it did, then it is the most important and wonderful work under the heavens.” —Gordon B. Hinckley on Joseph Smith's First Vision, October 2002 General Conference... Continue Reading →
When I was a teenager, I was told that mine was a "chosen generation." I heard it in church, I heard in seminary, and I heard it from the mouth of the living prophet, Ezra T. Benson, “Youth of Zion, do you realize you are living in the days of the fulfillment of these signs... Continue Reading →
From the earliest days of the church, critics have charged Joseph Smith with plagiarism in writing the Book of Mormon. Because these critics assume the text's naturalistic origin (as opposed to a supernatural or divine origin), and because Joesph Smith was a backwoods rube, or a confidence man—or both—he must have had a source text. ... Continue Reading →
BOOK OF MORMONISM 