Mormon Heretic’s blog post this week, Comparing Correlation with the Supreme Court, inspired me to find out, or try to find, exactly what the manuals …
Your Opinion is Wrong!
Since I was a teenager, I noticed when people discussed an issue or topic that was contentious and heated, the typical style was to attack …
the Authority of Paul
For some reason, I was thinking about the structure of the New Testament Church after the ascension of the Savior. What is clear is that …
Favorite and Most Difficult Church Callings
What have been your favorite and most difficult Callings you’ve had at Church? In some cases, they may be one and the same, but likely, …
Our Day of Rest
The seventh commandment, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy (Exodus 20:8) seems like a fairly simple statement on the surface. But, in practice, …
Where Have All the Revelations Gone?
Lesson 17 of the Gospel Principles manual in use today for Priesthood and Relief Society is entitled “The Church of Jesus Christ Today.” Under the …
I Admire Faith
I admire faith
The Latest in the Prop 8 Fight
This past week, Judge Vaughn R. Walker in a U.S. District Court ruled California’s Proposition 8 was unconstitutional because it violated the Equal Protection Clause …
The Dullness of Complaining that LDS Church Meetings are Dull: A Rebuttal
I recently read a piece by Jana Riess on Beliefnet.com “Why Are Mormon Church Meetings So Dull?”. I intended to write an extensive rebuttal on …
Ergo the White Shirt and Conformity
A lot has been written about the oppressive symbol of the white shirt in the Church. I wish to offer a more positive view of …
Impressions of Martin’s Cove and Other Places
***Updated with Pictures*** This week, my wife and I took a short road trip while my youngest son was at Boy Scout Camp. We went …
Cookie Cutter Church Buildings
There was a time that each Church building, Meetinghouse, Stake Center and Temple was a unique structure, and, in many cases, very distinctive. For a …
Have You Ever Wondered…..
A set of random questions to aimlessly ponder on a Friday.
The Fallibility of Infallibility
The Prophet Joseph Smith said “ … a prophet was a prophet only when he was acting as such.” (History of the Church, Volume 5:265). …
Time to Study the Old Testament…Again – Part 8 – The Names
One thing that has always intrigued me about the English version of the Old Testament were how the names, the Hebrew names, were modified away …
The Release
With every calling in the Church, a release comes at some point. With the exception of Apostles and Prophets, death is usually not the circumstance …
The Doctrine of Grace: After all we can Do?
The doctrine of grace is one of those things not very well understood within Christianity. While most traditional Christian denominations accept the doctrine of “Salvation …
Toting to Church
I remember when I starting attending Church that many members, mostly woman carried around large white cardboard tote boxes filled with materials, usually for primary …
Pharisaical Observation
I wrote a post some time ago on whether they Pharisees were given a bad rap in the New Testament. It can be found here. …
Nepotism in the Church – 2010 Update
To follow on with my post for the past two years, here is this year’s Nepotism in the Church installment. To find the original post, …
Giving Back His Name
“Have they not read the scriptures, which say ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name? For by this name …
Comparing Religious Observance: Mormons and Jews
I thought it would be interesting to map the religious observance of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) and the Jews. I’ve …
Mormons and Dr. Laura
Dr. Laura Schlessinger is a radio talk show host, heard in the United States Monday-Friday all across the country. The bio from her website is …
The World of the Self-Absorbed
Definition self-absorbed: /ˌself.əbˈzɔːbd//-ˈzɔːrbd/ adj usually disapproving . Only interested in yourself and your own activities (http://dictionary.cambridge.org/) I don’t know what it is, society, the culture, …
Time to Study the Old Testament Again Part 7 – Pearl of Great Price (PofGP) and the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible (JST)
I realize this may seem a bit late as we’ve studied the first part of Genesis which included the Book of Moses and the Book …
Time to Study the Old Testament Again Part 6 – Symbols, Signs, Types and Shadows, and Tokens
“Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ; for, for this end hath the law of Moses …
Separating the Wheat from the Tares
In the parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43), the servant asked the master if the tares should be uprooted and removed. …
What’s With the Initials Anyway?
Never in the history of mankind have name initials played such an important role as in the LDS Church.
Time to Study the Old Testament…Again – Part 5 – “Plain and Precious Things”
“We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to …
Time to Study the Old Testament…Again – Part 4 – How to Study the Old Testament
As we start the new cycle of scripture study this coming Sunday, just how should we study the Old Testament? As was pointed out in …
Time to Study the Old Testament……..Again – Part 3 – Transmission and Translation
I have to apologize for the lateness of this post. I traveled to Europe a 3 times since before Thanksgiving and just couldn’t find the …
Time to Study The Old Testament…Again – Part 2, The Books
In this part 2 of the Studying the Old Testament series, we will discuss the books of the Old Testament, how they were organized, different …
Time to Study the Old Testament……..Again – Part 1 – Introduction
As part of the four-year LDS Sunday School study cycle, it is time to open up that voluminous book known as the Old Testament. Many …
A Baptism for the Dead Dilemma
Last January 2009, I wrote a piece “Stop Baptizing Our Dead.” I spoke about groups who objected to the LDS Church baptizing the dead that …
Vagueness as a Gospel Principle
“For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a …
“Ich Bin Ein Pioneer”
This post was originally scheduled to appear on Pioneer Day, but I had a bit of an accident and had knee surgery the day before, …
There is only one issue in the Bloggernacle and all other things are only appendages to it.
“The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again …
Heroes Are Hard to Find
With the recent revelation of unfaithfulness of some of our politicians (not that this is all that surprising), it seems that the circle of people …
When the Spirit leaves……
We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, repentance; third, baptism by immersion …
The Power of Choice
One of the most important doctrinal points of the LDS Church is the power of choice, called agency or free agency in the Church. In …
The Facade of Activity
You see them every week at Church, attending their meetings, performing their callings, shuttling their children to this or that activity. They are active in …
Worship or Whine?
This post was inspired by David Stout’s series of posts on LDS Worship, Part II and Part III as well as HawkGrrrl’s post entitled “More …
When the Ward Splits
Since I have lived in Colorado Springs (almost 6 years), I have witnessed a phenomena at Church I hadn’t experienced before while living in San …
Temples Unbuilt
I happen to be cruising around the LDS Temple website the other day and I was looking at the Temples under construction. I was wondering …
Nepotism in the Church: 2009 Update
Last time, I did a lengthy post on Nepotism in the Church, which you can find here. This is an update for this year so …
Symbolism Of the Passover Points to Jesus Christ
The traditional Jewish celebration of the Passover, which started Thursday night, can illustrate the rich symbolism found in the Old Testament and show how the …
The Bloggernacle: The Church’s Unofficial Complaint Department
Since I began using the Internet, I discovered both the positive and negative aspects of it. One can find a wealth of information heretofore unattainable …
President Thomas S. Monson: First Year in Review
Today, February 3, 2009 is the 1-year anniversary of the calling of President Thomas S. Monson as the 16th President of the Church of Jesus …
There Are Too Many Books about the Church
As I sit at the computer in my office, my back is to the 400 or so books I have about the Church in my …
Stop Baptizing Our Dead!
The LDS doctrine of Baptism for the Dead is unique within Christianity. The explanation for the doctrine and additional references on the LDS Church website …
New Year’s Resolutions I Might Actually Try to Keep
First of all, Happy New Year to all our bloggers and participants here at Mormon Matters. I hope that 2009 brings peace and greater insight …
Modern Medical Miracles: Could it be Satan?
Just about every day in the news, we hear of an advance in modern medicine that can prolong life that might otherwise be lost if …
Worship of the Unborn
It seems that only the most controversial gets much attention here on Mormon Matters, so I thought I would weigh on the subject of the …
The Irony of Proposition 8
I hope you can stand at least one more post on Proposition 8 and its aftermath.
The Cross, Part 1: Taking up Your Cross
In this series of posts on The Cross (not sure how many yet), I will try to examine this Christian symbol from a few different …
Hedging Your Bets: Refusing to Leave the Church
Two men pull up to a house they’ve never been to before. It’s dark, but a few lights appear on. They slowly get out, not …
Feeling Guilt: Repentance or Excuse?
Here is an idea that has been kicking around in my head for many years. I thought I would see if I could really articulate …
Pharisees: Bad Guys or Bad Rap?
One of things that bothered me when I joined the church and started studying the New Testament was the way the Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes …
“God Spared My Life” or Did He?
As the tragedy and outrage of the September 11, 2001 attacks unfolded, we heard news reports about the tens of thousands of people that potentially …
What Judgment Day Might Be Like?
There is a lot of information given in the scriptures and the revelations concerning our next life and how the final judgment will take place. …
What it Really Means to Live the Gospel
I think if you did a survey of LDS Church members and asked the question: “What does it really mean to live the gospel?” You’d …
Excommunication: Shame or Fame?
We’ve all seen the headlines: Excommunicated: LDS Church boots creator of ‘Men on a Mission’ calendar Local gay Mormon faces excommunication LDS author facing excommunication …
Proof Texting for Fun and Prophet
Recent articles got me thinking about the practice of Prooftexting, which Wikipedia defines as follows: Prooftexting is the practice of using decontextualised quotations from a …
Why Mormon Blogs Can’t Be Civil
Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words, Hymn no. 232 Let us oft speak kind words to each other. At home or where’er we may be; …
Which Church Activities Do You Miss?
Over the years, the church has cut back and eliminated activities that, in some cases, were long-standing traditions. Which ones do you miss the most? …
True Discipleship: It’s DOING more than KNOWING
I recently lead a discussion in High Priests (I never call it teaching) about Discipleship, what it was and how we can become true disciples …
Ok, So What If It Isn’t True?
The Church of Jesus Christ claims to be the Restored Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and the “only true and living church on the …
How Change will Occur in the Church
This post is not intended to be a historical look at changes that have happened in the church throughout the years, but more of experiential …
Why a Testimony of the Gospel is Not Enough
I have been under the impression over the last 26 years in the Church that if one had a pretty strong testimony of the Savior, …
Eating & Drinking in Church: A New Trend?
It might just be me, but I’ve noticed an upswing in eating and drinking during the three hour block. Now, I am not talking about …
Nepotism in the Church
As I watched the press conference last week between the Sunday sessions of General Conference, I found out that the new 2nd Counselor of the …
The Purpose of the Church
As members of the LDS Church, we recognize that the Gospel was “restored” to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith and that he founded …
Part 3 Testimony: “Forget Jesus, I have an Announcement!”
This part 3 of Testimony is just for fun. I will give you four examples of some of the stranger testimonies I have heard. No …
Part 2 – Testimony: “And then we went to the Grand Canyon…”
In part 1 on Testimony, I discussed that oft heard phrase, “I know the Church is True.” In this 2nd part, I’d like to focus …
Testimony Part 1: ” I Know the Church is True”
The first time I attended the LDS Church was a Fast and Testimony Meeting at the University Ward in Berkeley, California. Coming from a background …
The Prophetic Accomplishments of President Gordon B. Hinckley
“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” – Amos 3:7 In the scriptures and throughout …
Personal Reflections on President Hinckley
“Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah! Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer.” -W.W. Phelps, “Praise to the Man,” Hymn #27, LDS Hymnbook, 1985 …
Converts to the Church: Quality versus Quantity
In 2006, there were more than 272,800 convert baptisms in the Church. A year later, I wonder how many are still active? As President Hinckley …
Do You Happen to Know So and So….
Have you ever noticed how small the LDS Church world is? It is not uncommon to run into people who know people you know. I’ve …