doubt - Mormon Matters

Unsolved Puzzle

Andrew S August 29, 2010church, doubt, faith, mormon, testimony 94 Comments

A few years ago I wondered what it means to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I wondered: is …

Resolving the Conflict between the TBM and the ExMo

guest August 12, 2010Anti-Mormon, apologetics, blacks, doubt, joseph, LDS, Logic, Mormon, orthodox, questioning, resolutions, theology, thought 50 Comments

Today’s guest post comes from Ulysseus, a frequent commenter at Mormon Matters and elsewhere in the b’nacle. His website can be found here. To take …

Doubting My Doubts

Andrew S July 24, 2010Anti-Mormon, Bloggernacle, church, Culture, doubt, Mormon, Mormons, questioning 144 Comments

I’ve occasionally heard a curious phrase…”Doubt your doubts.” “Be skeptical of your skepticism.” I have wondered what these phrases could mean and of what import …

Wandering Mormons as Nephites

FireTag June 27, 2010book of mormon, doctrine, doubt, faith, families, Jews, Mormons, salvation, scripture 14 Comments

More than two years ago, the Holy Spirit began insisting that I re-read the Book of Mormon. Of course, I didn’t immediately recognize the impulse …

A Control Freak’s Lament

Euhemerus June 2, 2010depression, doubt, fear, Mormon, questioning, repentance 8 Comments

I’m a control freak. Yep, both professionally, by training, and naturally. I like to be in control of machines, robots, airplanes, my life, my spirituality, …

A Non-Historical View of the Book of Mormon

James May 15, 2010Anti-Mormon, apostasy, apostles, Bible, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, burdens, church, community of christ, curiosity, diversity, doctrine, doubt, education, faith, fear, historicity, history, LDS, liberal, Logic, Mormon, orthodox, restoration, tesimony 73 Comments

Perhaps the time has come in the church to recognize that some members want to openly espouse a non historical view of the Book of …

Should truth be simple, easy to comprehend?

Andrew S May 12, 2010doubt, faith, Logic, questioning 27 Comments

OK, friends and pals of MormonMatters…let’s play a game. (You just can’t get this at any of the other blogs, btw.) Some of you may …

Reform Mormonism a Poll

James May 4, 2010Charity, church, diversity, doctrine, doubt, faith, families, feminism, LDS, liberal, Mormon, mormon, religion, testimony, theology, thought, Utah 59 Comments

I have recently come across a group called Reform Mormonisim. I thought their views were interesting and as I mentally answered some of their questions …

Interfaith Marriages by guest Madam Curie

guest January 30, 2010accountability, apostasy, apostles, Bloggernacle, Charity, children, christianity, Culture, curiosity, doctrine, doubt, faith, Happiness, inter-faith, LDS, love, marriage, Mormon, mormon, questioning, salvation, women 30 Comments

A recent post by Cr@ig on Main Street Plaza caused me to reflect on the strength of interfaith marriages. I had hoped to generate a …

On Failed Patriarchal Blessings

Aaron R. aka Rico January 17, 2010doubt, Mormon, Patriarchal Blessing, Priesthood 93 Comments

Some time ago I spoke to someone I knew about a Patriarchal blessing they had received which seemed to have failed to come to pass. …

Think for yourself or not – that is the question .Cognitive Dissonance 1

James January 9, 2010accountability, apostasy, apostles, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, Charity, Culture, curiosity, doctrine, doubt, faith, General Authorities, history, LDS, Leaders, Logic, Mormon, Mormons, obedience, ordinances, questioning, revelation, Scriptural translation, tesimony, thought 70 Comments

Richard Dawkins, God and Santa Claus: Belief as a Form of Abuse

Aaron R. aka Rico January 3, 2010abuse, doctrine, doubt, God, Mormon 124 Comments

Between Christmas and New Year I had the opportunity to meet with some friends and at one point during the evening we began discussing the …

In the Shadow of the Temple by Guest

guest December 22, 2009apologetics, apostasy, apostles, baptism, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, burdens, christianity, church, cinema, Culture, curiosity, depression, Discrimination, doctrine, doubt, education, faith, families, Folklore, General Authorities, Happiness, historicity, LDS, Leaders, liberal, Logic, marriage, media, Mormon, mormon, obedience, ordinances, polygamy, questioning, resignation, righteousness, spiritual progression, temple, tesimony 283 Comments

A close friend of mine who wishes to remain anonymous recently saw in the shadow of the temple his story follows: In October, I was …

Temple Wedding Petition

James December 12, 2009accountability, apologetics, apostles, Bible, book of mormon, Charity, children, Culture, curiosity, doctrine, doubt, faith, families, General Authorities, General Conference, Happiness, historicity, Jesus, joseph, LDS, Leaders, liberal, marriage, missionary, Mormon, Mormons, plan of salvation, testimony 161 Comments

A temple wedding petition to is being circulated to promote love and happiness in the family by changing the church’s stance on civil marriages preceding temple …

Brother Brigham Brother Young

James December 6, 2009abuse, adultery, Anti-Mormon, apostasy, apostles, baptism, blacks, burdens, Charity, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, death, depression, Discrimination, doubt, eternity, excommunication, faith, historicity, LDS, Leaders, marriage, media, Mormon, Mormons, obedience, ordinances, polygamy, Priesthood, prophets, race, repentance, salvation, tesimony, thought, Utah, women 6 Comments

Recently I drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon with my brother and nephew. This is the canyon in which many of your ancestors pulled out the …

Vagueness as a Gospel Principle

Jeff Spector October 20, 2009accountability, baptism, blacks, doctrine, doubt, faith, General Conference, LDS, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, plan of salvation, prophets, questioning, race, religion, revelation, righteousness, salvation, spirituality, testimony, Word of Wisdom 23 Comments

“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 …

How to Provide Critical Feedback to Church Leaders Church Without Getting Excommunicated

Andrew October 15, 2009apostles, Bloggernacle, doubt, General Authorities, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, prophets, questioning

If you didn’t happen to read the February issue of Ensign Magazine in 1987, you missed some valuable instruction about how to provide critical feedback …

Great Expectations: What Are Your Hopes and Predictions for General Conference?

Andrew September 29, 2009apologetics, blacks, Bloggernacle, conference, curiosity, doubt, faith, families, Folklore, gay, General Authorities, General Conference, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, orthodox, Priesthood, questioning, race, revelation 58 Comments

“It’s the MOST WONderful TIIIME of the YEARRRRRR.” The leaves are starting to change color. The evenings and mornings are a bit crisper. Even the …

What if the Brethren decided to allow gay marriage? by Justin Perry

guest August 16, 2009Anti-Mormon, apologetics, Bloggernacle, burdens, church, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, doctrine, doubt, faith, gay, homosexuality, Leaders, Logic, love, marriage, media manipulation, Mormon, news, questioning, sexuality, thought 184 Comments

What if the Brethren decided to allow gay marriage? They’d have to do a lot of back-peddling to explain why they were suddenly in favor …

Highway 61 Re-revisited: Fear and Trembling before Faith

Aaron R. aka Rico August 9, 2009christ, doctrine, doubt, faith, fear, God, Jesus, Mormon, resignation, righteousness, salvation, testimony, theology, violence 27 Comments

Oh God said to Abraham, “Kill me a son” Abe says, “Man, you must be puttin’ me on” God say, “No.” Abe say, “What?” God …

Doing Right for the Wrong Reason

Brian Johnston August 7, 2009christianity, church, doctrine, doubt, obedience, testimony 31 Comments

Should we still do good things, even if our motives are not perfect and pure?

Apostate = someone who fails to honor his own conscience

James August 3, 2009accountability, Anti-Mormon, apostasy, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, doctrine, doubt, faith, Mormon 92 Comments

The third ward verses the seventh ward. Us verses them. Insiders verses outsiders. My buddies and I were third warders. We were full of ourselves. …

Adam and Eve: the First TBM & NOM

Andrew June 29, 2009accountability, Bloggernacle, church, diversity, doubt, faith, General Authorities, history, LDS, Leaders, liberal, Logic, love, marriage, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, obedience, orthodox, parables, prophets, questioning, religion, scripture, spiritual progression, spirituality, symbols, testimony, thought

There have been several attempts over the years to categorize Mormon “belief-styles”: Orthodox Mormon versus Liberal Mormon, Iron Rod Mormon versus Liahona Mormon, and so …

WHAT THE WORLD THINKS OF GOD

James June 23, 2009apostasy, Bloggernacle, catholicism, Charity, christ, church, curiosity, death, depression, Devil, doubt, faith, fear, God, Happiness, inter-faith, international, jehovahs witnesses, Jesus, Mormon, religion 15 Comments

The ICM poll of 10,000 people in the USA, UK, Israel, India, South Korea, Indonesia, Nigeria, Russia, Mexico and Lebanon was carried out for the …

What Bothers Me, and Why I Still Believe

AdamF June 3, 2009book of mormon, doubt, faith, families, General Conference, God, historicity, Logic, marriage, mormon, ordinances, questioning, religion, sacrament, scripture, seminary, spirituality, temple, testimony, thought 120 Comments

I am an active member of the church, and a believer. I am well aware of most of the controversial issues (Book of Abraham, DNA, …

Taking the Fun Out of Funerals

Hawkgrrrl June 2, 2009Asides, Charity, church, Culture, curiosity, death, doubt, families, General Authorities, LDS, Leaders, love, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, questioning, religion, reverence, thought 77 Comments

What do you want your funeral to be like? Do you care or do you figure you’ll be dead anyway? How do you feel about …

The consumer model of religion — A look at a BCC post

Andrew S May 30, 2009doubt, faith, LDS, liberal, Mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, questioning, religion, spirituality 81 Comments

I was reading BCC the other day, and I came across this post that just seemed like this tremendous threat to me. I know John …

Women are from Venus, Men are from Kolob

Hawkgrrrl May 27, 2009abuse, adultery, Asides, burdens, children, church, Culture, curiosity, doubt, faith, families, feminism, Humor, LDS, Leaders, Logic, love, marriage, mormon, Mormons, orthodox, polygamy, questioning, religion, salvation, sexuality, theology, thought, women 75 Comments

Based on my experience, I would guess that the majority of LDS women under age 65 would say that polygamy is NOT an eternal principle …

The Problem with Tolerance

Hawkgrrrl May 19, 2009apologetics, Asides, catholicism, Charity, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, diversity, doubt, General Authorities, inter-faith, LDS, Leaders, liberal, media manipulation, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, orthodox, prophets, questioning, racism, religion, theology, thought 133 Comments

The church has a history of high level leaders making sweeping pronouncements that are later deemed incorrect, speculative, or unauthorized, yet in each case, church …

LDS worship skills

guest May 16, 2009church, diversity, doubt, feminism, inter-faith, temple 15 Comments

Today’s post is by The Chorister. I just read a book called In the land of invisible women: A female doctor’s journey in the Saudi …

Mormon Masks

Hawkgrrrl May 11, 2009apostasy, Asides, Beatitudes, Bible, Charity, children, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, families, fear, Happiness, inter-faith, Jesus, LDS, Leaders, love, marriage, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, orthodox, parables, Peace, questioning, religion, testimony 17 Comments

Often people have a hard time with intimacy (intimacy = “into me see”) because they feel vulnerable. They would rather deal with ideas than people, …

Who Should Go to Church, Anyway?

Andrew S May 2, 2009church, diversity, doubt, LDS, liberal, Mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, obedience, orthodox, questioning, religion, righteousness 49 Comments

So over at T&S they’ve been having this discussion about the recent media report about the majority of America’s drifiting faith issues. And I know, …

Why Faith Needs Reason

Andrew April 29, 2009curiosity, doubt, faith, FLDS, LDS, Leaders, Logic, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, polygamy, prayer, prophets, questioning, religion, testimony, theology, thought 31 Comments

The tragedy of 9/11 had a big impact on my views about the relationship between faith and reason. As I watched the video footage of …

Are we going to be Eunuchs after this life?

James April 27, 2009abuse, book of mormon, burdens, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, education, eternity, faith, families, fear, Folklore, general, General Authorities, General Conference, God, Happiness, history, Humor, Jesus, joseph, Logic, marriage, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, orthodox, prophets, questioning, religion, resolutions, salvation, scripture, sexuality, smith, spiritual progression, spirituality, tesimony, theology, thought, women 79 Comments

My home teacher (who is very cool) came by yesterday to drop off some starter cables for my car and as one does in that …

Scripture Study: The Joy of My Countenance

Hawkgrrrl April 22, 2009Asides, christ, christianity, church, curiosity, doubt, faith, God, Jesus, LDS, Logic, love, mercy, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, parables, questioning, religion, scripture, service, spirituality, symbols, testimony, theology, thought 16 Comments

There is a strange parable in D&C 88 about workers digging in a field and their boss giving them the joy of his countenance for …

What If You Weren’t A Mormon?

Faithful Dissident April 18, 2009blacks, catholicism, christianity, doubt, environment, inter-faith, Mormon, religion, spirituality, theology 17 Comments

“What if you weren’t a Mormon?” For some reason, this is something that I often wonder to myself. And this post is about how I …

Scripture Study: What’s Expedient?

Hawkgrrrl April 14, 2009Asides, book of mormon, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, doubt, God, Humor, joseph, LDS, Logic, love, mercy, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, prayer, prophets, questioning, religion, scripture, theology, thought 32 Comments

I’d like to start a new feature showcasing stuff I read in the scriptures and getting your opinions on what the heck you think it means. …

Faith vs. Doubt

Hawkgrrrl April 9, 2009apostasy, Asides, burdens, Charity, christ, christianity, church, conference, Culture, curiosity, depression, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, education, faith, fear, General Authorities, General Conference, inter-faith, joseph, LDS, Leaders, liberal, Logic, love, mercy, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, orthodox, President Monson, prophets, questioning, religion, restoration, scripture, spirituality, testimony, theology, thought 48 Comments

“Faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other.”

The Untold Story of Black Mormons by Guest

guest April 2, 2009Anti-Mormon, apologetics, baptism, Bible, blacks, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, books, burdens, BYU, Charity, christianity, church, cinema, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, education, evangelicals, faith, families, fear, Folklore, General Authorities, history, joseph, LDS, liberal, Logic, Mormon, obedience, prayer, Priesthood, prophets, questioning, race, racism, religion, resolutions, restoration, righteousness, scripture, tesimony, theology 33 Comments

When I served a mission in eastern Canada in the early 90s, there were many things I was grateful for (warm boots, wool suits, fairly …

The Problem with Whistleblowers

Hawkgrrrl March 30, 2009abuse, Anti-Mormon, Bloggernacle, burdens, catholicism, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, excommunication, faith, feminism, General Authorities, General Conference, LDS, Leaders, love, meekness, missionary, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, questioning, religion, thought 22 Comments

A whistleblower is someone internal to an organization who alleges misconduct. So, what if the organization is the church? Does the church handle whistleblowers effectively …

Why B,B-S-W A-As Who Support Extension of the Priesthood to W-w-l-P are Depressed

Andrew S March 29, 2009Asides, burdens, Culture, doubt, LDS, liberal, Mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, obedience, questioning 12 Comments

I decided to spare everyone the full title of this article: Why Bearded, Blue-Shirt-Wearing African-Americans Who Support Extension of the Priesthood to Women who love …

How do you interpret another’s faith?

AdamF March 23, 2009Culture, diversity, doubt, faith, inter-faith, Mormon, testimony 21 Comments

The following are four approaches one can take when addressing another’s faith.* Exclusivist – Believe in “the only true church.” Exclusivists may see the church …

Big Love -Big News

James March 10, 2009abuse, adultery, Anti-Mormon, apologetics, apostasy, baptism, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, burdens, Charity, children, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, education, faith, families, fear, FLDS, general, God, Happiness, history, inter-faith, Jesus, joseph, marriage, media, meetings, Mormon, Mormons, movies, news, obedience, ordinances, orthodox, polygamy, Priesthood, prophets, religion, resignation, RLDS, salvation, scripture, spirituality, television, temple, testimony, theology, thought, Utah, women 33 Comments

Filtered Visions by guest Reuben Collins

James March 2, 2009apostasy, baptism, Bible, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, books, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, death, diversity, doubt, education, faith, families, fear, Folklore, general, General Authorities, historicity, liberal, Logic, love, marriage, Mormon, Mormons, obedience, prayer, religion, sacrament, salvation, spirituality, temple, tesimony, theology, thought, Trinity, women 9 Comments

I’ve been thinking about Levi Peterson’s The Backslider lately (SPOILERS AHEAD).

Go to Church or Die!

Hawkgrrrl March 2, 2009apostasy, Asides, Charity, church, Culture, curiosity, death, diversity, doubt, faith, families, fear, Happiness, Humor, inter-faith, LDS, meetings, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, prayer, Priesthood, questioning, religion, spirituality, testimony, theology, thought, Word of Wisdom 11 Comments

A recent article in Time discusses several studies about the correlation between faith and health. Does church attendance contribute to a healthier, longer life? Is …

Shipbuilding: Tasks or Vision?

guest March 1, 2009apostasy, Asides, burdens, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, diversity, doubt, faith, fear, General Authorities, God, Happiness, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, orthodox, parables, Peace, questioning, religion, spirituality, theology, thought 9 Comments

Spending a week in the Pacific Northwest on vacation, surrounded by boats and the vastness of the sea, when I read this quote from Antoine …

Why aren’t Mormons Green?

James February 23, 2009apologetics, Bible, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, BYU, Charity, children, christ, christianity, church, conference, Culture, curiosity, doubt, education, faith, General Authorities, General Conference, geography, God, Government, Happiness, international, LDS, Leaders, liberal, Logic, media, Money, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, politics, prophets, questioning, religion, resolutions, reverence, righteousness, sacrament, salvation, service, surviving, testimony, thought, Utah 56 Comments

Born To Believe

Faithful Dissident February 19, 2009doubt, eternity, faith, God, history, plan of salvation, questioning, religion, salvation 14 Comments

A while back, some of us had an interesting discussion on my blog called “The Faith Gene.” We were examining the possibility that certain people were …

Bad Apologetics, Meet Bad Polemics

Andrew February 19, 2009apologetics, book of mormon, doubt, faith, historicity, LDS, mormon, Mormon, Mormons, testimony, thought 35 Comments

polemics: The art or practice of disputation or controversy, especially on religious subjects; that branch of theological science which pertains to the history or conduct …

Baptism Rant

guest February 17, 2009Asides, baptism, children, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, doubt, faith, Jesus, LDS, mercy, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, ordinances, questioning, religion, repentance, scripture, theology, thought 29 Comments

Today’s post is by guest blogger The Teacher.

The Role of the Church in the Pursuit of Righteousness: Why It Works for Some and Not for Others

Ray February 12, 2009Anti-Mormon, apostasy, church, Culture, doubt, faith, Happiness, homosexuality, Mormon, Mormons, Peace, religion, righteousness, spirituality 18 Comments

Last April, as I was contemplating my monthly New Year’s resolution (Hunger and Thirst After Righteousness), something struck me quite forcefully – something I had …

The Purposes of God Cannot Be Frustrated

guest February 10, 2009Anti-Mormon, apologetics, apostasy, Asides, book of mormon, christianity, church, curiosity, doubt, faith, historicity, history, joseph, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, polygamy, prophets, questioning, religion, repentance, righteousness, sexuality, smith, testimony, theology, thought 20 Comments

The title is from DC3:1. Today’s guest post is from Bouvet and is in reference to this year’s Doctrine & Covenants manual, Lesson 4 is Remember …

A Truth-Seeker’s Guide to the Bloggernacle and Beyond

Andrew February 10, 2009curiosity, doubt, Mormon, mormon, questioning, thought 32 Comments

Several months ago I received a telephone call from Armand Mauss, who is a member of my Stake. He was calling on official Church business, …

Zero Population is the Answer, My Friend . . .

Hawkgrrrl February 9, 2009Asides, children, church, Culture, curiosity, depression, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, families, feminism, Happiness, LDS, love, marriage, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, questioning, religion, theology, thought, women 16 Comments

Thought I’d catch your attention with that line from “Saturday’s Warrior,” the bane (or bastion, if you don’t know what you’re talking about) of Mormon doctrine.* …

Why Faith Needs Doubt

Andrew February 8, 2009apologetics, curiosity, doubt, faith, LDS, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience 42 Comments

The very existence of what is commonly called the “veil” seems to tell us at least two things about what God intended real faith to …

Oliver Cowdery Was Punk’d!

guest February 5, 2009Asides, church, curiosity, doubt, faith, history, joseph, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, prayer, questioning, religion, spirituality, testimony, theology, thought 26 Comments

When you hear the name Oliver Cowdery, you probably think of the story that culminates in the revelation that became Section 9 of the Doctrine …

Story Time: A Thought Experiment

Andrew S February 5, 2009burdens, depression, doubt, faith, Happiness, obedience, repentance, spirituality 30 Comments

Names and identities have been invented and caricatured as necessary. Miller is a member of the church. He magnifies all of his callings, does all …

Horus Bible Parallels

James January 25, 2009Anti-Mormon, apologetics, apostasy, Bible, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, books, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, diversity, doubt, education, evangelicals, faith, fear, Folklore, general, history, inter-faith, international, Jesus, LDS, Leaders, liberal, marriage, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, movies, new order mormon, orthodox, parables, questioning, religion, scripture, Sermon on the Mount, spirituality, tesimony, theology, thought, Uncategorized 22 Comments

Recently I saw Religulous here and he touched on Horus here and a few of the parallels between the story of Horus and Jesus. Many …

The Problem with Authority

Hawkgrrrl January 20, 2009Anti-Mormon, apologetics, Asides, books, church, civil disobedience, Culture, curiosity, diversity, doubt, fear, geography, international, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, prophets, questioning, religion, service, surviving, theology, thought, Utah 35 Comments

Mormons are sometimes criticized for their unquestioning obedience to authority. Statements like “When the prophet has spoken, the thinking is done,” and the Primary song …

Why I Almost Went on a Mission

Andrew S January 16, 2009doubt, faith, Happiness, missionary, missions, Mormon, Mormons, obedience, questioning, testimony 86 Comments

I hear there’s a Primary song — “I hope they call me on a mission.” I’ve never actually heard it sung, but I vaguely know …

Can you be a Unitarian and a Mormon at the Same Time?

James December 29, 2008Anti-Mormon, apostasy, Bible, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, catholicism, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, death, diversity, doubt, education, faith, families, fear, general, God, Happiness, inter-faith, international, Jesus, LDS, liberal, love, media, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, obedience, orthodox, prayer, prophets, service, theology, thought 27 Comments

We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them up, or we shall not come out true Mormons. Joseph …

Temperance Movement and The Word of Wisdom

James December 26, 2008apostasy, Bible, book of mormon, christianity, church, conference, Culture, curiosity, diversity, doubt, faith, fear, Folklore, general, General Authorities, General Conference, Government, Happiness, history, international, jehovahs witnesses, LDS, Leaders, liberal, media manipulation, missionary, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, orthodox, religion, restoration, testimony, theology, thought, Word of Wisdom 63 Comments

For almost two centuries the Word of Wisdom is solid proven evidence to many members that the Church is true.

Unity, Diversity and Conformity

Hawkgrrrl December 21, 2008apostasy, Asides, burdens, Charity, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, education, faith, families, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, orthodox, questioning, service, temple, theology, thought 7 Comments

How do we create and maintain unity at church while valuing diversity and avoiding conformity? Do we have to embrace the diversity of those who …

Joy to the World…

guest December 17, 2008burdens, christ, christianity, Culture, doubt, faith, Happiness, Jesus, Mormon, music 8 Comments

Today’s post is by Rachel Maw. I’m the kind of person that could listen to Christmas song all year long.

The Unsung Hero of the Nativity

Hawkgrrrl December 16, 2008Asides, Charity, children, christ, christianity, church, curiosity, doubt, faith, feminism, Happiness, history, Humor, Jesus, joseph, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, parables, questioning, religion, thought, women 13 Comments

As I was setting up our nativity scene this year, I noticed the wisdom and cultural/racial diversity of the Magi, the docile farm animals (not …

Some MormonStories Interviews available at StayLDS site

Brian Johnston December 9, 2008apologetics, apostasy, doubt, faith 3 Comments

StayLDS.com is now hosting some of the material formerly available at MormonStories. Among these are:

Betting on the House!

James December 9, 2008apostasy, Bible, burdens, christianity, church, curiosity, doubt, faith, Folklore, general, Happiness, LDS, Leaders, media, Mormon, mormon, orthodox, scripture, tesimony, theology, thought 26 Comments

“What do Catholics, Jews and Mormons have in common?” “Catholics don’t recognize birth control, Jews don’t recognize Jesus, and Mormons don’t recognize each other in …

Virtual RS/PH #22: Gaining Knowledge of Eternal Truths

Hawkgrrrl December 7, 2008christianity, curiosity, doubt, education, history, joseph, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, prayer, Priesthood, prophets, questioning, religion, salvation, smith, spiritual progression, spirituality, theology, thought, Word of Wisdom 32 Comments

Mormonism has a focus on gaining knowledge that is unique in Christendom, largely due to the emphasis that Joseph Smith placed on learning. Joseph’s total …

Half-way Mormons: A lesson from the Puritans

John Nilsson December 3, 2008christianity, church, doubt, faith, history, inter-faith, Mormon, religion, salvation, spirituality, testimony 25 Comments

I hope everyone enjoyed their turkey and stuffing for Thanksgiving last week. One thing I appreciate about the Puritans, other than their fondness for a …

The Problem of History – First a Fake Example

Bruce Nielson November 24, 2008doubt, historicity, history, Mormon 33 Comments

In my past posts I discussed the impossibility of knowing what really happened in history as well as the problem that, believe or disbelieve, we …

History as Narrative Fallacy aka What Type of Apologist Are You?

Bruce Nielson November 18, 2008apologetics, doubt, historicity, history 37 Comments

“History is opaque. You see what comes out, not the script that produces events, the generator of history. There is a fundamental incompleteness in your …

Virtual RS/PH #21: The Second Coming & The Millenium

Hawkgrrrl November 17, 2008Asides, Charity, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, doubt, eternity, faith, fear, God, Jesus, joseph, LDS, Leaders, love, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, questioning, religion, temple, theology, thought, war 30 Comments

To the teachers out there, sorry if this one is coming a day late and a dollar short. Our ward is a month behind on …

The Biology of Irrationality

Bruce Nielson November 16, 2008doubt 9 Comments

In my previous post, I discussed my introduction to the science behind the rationality problems all humans suffer from. I later found another book, this …

What is a Black Swan? A Book Review

Bruce Nielson November 15, 2008doubt, historicity, history, Mormon 12 Comments

In my last post I talked about how God helped me develop a more realistic, though uncomfortable, world view that excluded faith in myself. As …

Should we have listened to BH Roberts?

James November 15, 2008apologetics, book of mormon, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, doubt, education, faith, Folklore, General Authorities, history, joseph, Leaders, liberal, Mormon, Mormons, orthodox, prophets, questioning, religion, tesimony, theology, thought 53 Comments

BH Roberts predicted that if church leaders did not address the historical problems of church origins and possible anachronisms in the Book of Mormon, these …

What is a Testimony?

guest November 13, 2008apostasy, Asides, BYU, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, diversity, doubt, faith, fear, Happiness, LDS, Leaders, love, missionary, missions, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, prayer, questioning, religion, salvation, scripture, spiritual progression, spirituality, temple, testimony, theology, thought 10 Comments

Ironically, some of you with “strong testimonies” may think that those struggling with their testimony make only a small percentage of us here today. The …

In Whom Can I Trust?: How I Lost My Faith

Bruce Nielson November 8, 2008doubt, Mormon 104 Comments

It’s a familiar story: I read a book (or part of a book anyhow) about Mormon History and began to doubt my faith in the LDS …

The Church as a Tool

guest November 7, 2008Anti-Mormon, apologetics, apostasy, Asides, Charity, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, depression, diversity, doubt, education, faith, fear, God, Happiness, history, LDS, mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, obedience, orthodox, parables, Peace, prayer, Priesthood, prophets, questioning, religion, testimony, theology, thought 21 Comments

What is the church to you? A family you must learn to love? A path you must follow? A checklist of items you must do …

There’s probably no god. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life!

James October 30, 2008church, curiosity, death, diversity, doubt, faith, LDS, liberal, Mormon 63 Comments

here

The Envelope and the Message

Hawkgrrrl October 23, 2008Charity, christianity, Culture, curiosity, diversity, doubt, education, faith, inter-faith, LDS, missionary, missions, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, questioning 15 Comments

Are you ever nervous about turning your friends over to the missionaries? Do you fear you may be subjecting them to a high-pressure time-share sales presentation?

What part of the Bible do we believe?

James October 19, 2008Bible, christianity, church, doubt, Mormon, news, thought 32 Comments

This Won’t Make It Past Correlation!

John Nilsson October 15, 2008church, curiosity, doubt, faith, LDS, Mormon, questioning, religion, spirituality, testimony 36 Comments

Another week, another great uncorrelated quote from an LDS Church manual that would never see the light of day in today’s church: Every discussion of …

Hymn #114: Come unto him

guest October 11, 2008Charity, christ, christianity, church, doubt, Jesus, music 4 Comments

Today’s post is by The Chorister. This is one of my favorite hymns. We hardly ever sing it in Sacrament meeting, which is a real …

This Won’t Make It Past Correlation!

John Nilsson October 8, 2008apostasy, babies and bathwater, christ, church, curiosity, doubt, education, faith, General Authorities, God, Jesus, LDS, Leaders, liberal, Mormon, Mormons, orthodox, prayer, questioning, religion, spirituality, testimony, thought 43 Comments

Hi everyone, Welcome to my new series where I provide you, the reader, with an excerpt from an LDS church manual, uncited, which I LIKE. …

Freak Out! Handling History

guest October 7, 2008Anti-Mormon, apologetics, apostasy, church, curiosity, doubt, education, faith, historicity, history, LDS, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, polygamy, prophets, questioning, religion, spiritual progression, testimony, theology, thought 31 Comments

What do you do when you learn about something shocking that you did not previously know in Church History? Freak out? Retreat into a stupor …

What is the Point of Religion?

Hawkgrrrl October 1, 2008Asides, church, diversity, doubt, faith, God, Happiness, Mormon, obedience, plan of salvation, religion, salvation, theology, thought 16 Comments

I read an interesting blog site that posed this very question from a Hindu perspective. It was thoughtfully worded, so I thought I would include …

Hedging Your Bets: Refusing to Leave the Church

Jeff Spector September 30, 2008apostasy, church, Culture, doubt, faith, families, fear, LDS, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, orthodox, resignation, testimony 80 Comments

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 …

First Families: BOM and Restoration

Hawkgrrrl September 24, 2008Anti-Mormon, apologetics, Asides, book of mormon, curiosity, doubt, faith, families, history, joseph, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, prophets, scripture, smith, testimony, theology, thought 24 Comments

There are some interesting parallels between the first family of the Book of Mormon and the first family of the Restoration (the Smiths). Coincidence? Or …

The Book of Mormon: A 20th Century Text

John Nilsson September 23, 2008book of mormon, church, doubt, faith, General Authorities, historicity, history, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, President Monson, scripture, smith 16 Comments

There are many positions on which century the Book of Mormon originated in, but most seem to fall into two general camps: the book was …

What’s Most Important to You?

Hawkgrrrl September 19, 2008Asides, church, Culture, curiosity, diversity, doubt, faith, families, General Authorities, General Conference, God, inter-faith, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, obedience, plan of salvation, religion, theology, thought 4 Comments

We all attend church for various reasons, and in reality, no church can be all things to all people. Plus, what you get out of …

Churches are Made for the Ninety and Nine… What About the One?

Clay Whipkey September 17, 2008apostasy, christ, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, depression, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, faith, General Authorities, Happiness, Jesus, Leaders, love, Mormon, obedience, orthodox, parables, questioning, repentance, spiritual progression, surviving, testimony, thought 37 Comments

Believers and non-believers. The faithful and the doubters. Religious conservatives and religious liberals. TBMs and NOMs. These are ways we describe the differences in our …

Bloggernacle Thought: The Slippery Slope of Unbelief

Bruce Nielson September 8, 2008doubt 35 Comments

I found this comment out on the bloggernacle from someone named Christopher Smith: Most people don’t want to believe less. They want to believe more. …

How Active Are You? How Orthodox Are You? A Self-Assessment

John Nilsson September 4, 2008book of mormon, christ, christianity, church, curiosity, doubt, eternity, faith, General Authorities, God, historicity, Jesus, joseph, LDS, liberal, Mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, obedience, orthodox, Priesthood, prophets, religion, repentance, restoration, sacrament meeting, salvation, scripture, Sermon on the Mount, smith, temple, testimony, theology, Word of Wisdom 67 Comments

Take this assessment and find out: (Taken from D. Jeff Burton’s For Those Who Wonder : forthosewhowonder.com. Similar to a Correlation Department survey on Religion …

In Defense of Apologists

Hawkgrrrl August 26, 2008Anti-Mormon, apologetics, apostasy, baseball, Bloggernacle, christianity, church, curiosity, Discrimination, doubt, eschatoloty, evangelicals, faith, historicity, history, LDS, liberal, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, orthodox, questioning, religion, testimony, theology, thought 52 Comments

The term “apologist” is often used derisively like the terms “lawyer,” “statistician,” or “telemarketer.” Why are apologists so derided? Is it warranted or just a …

Prophetic Smackdown: Moses vs. Joseph Smith

guest August 25, 2008Anti-Mormon, apologetics, Asides, Culture, curiosity, doubt, general, General Authorities, history, Humor, inter-faith, international, joseph, LDS, Leaders, marriage, mormon, Mormons, politics, polygamy, prophets, questioning, race, racism, religion, scripture 42 Comments

Today’s post is from an anonymous guest blogger. The critics of the church like to point the finger at Joseph Smith, citing polygamy, concealing polygamy, …

Five difficult words to contemplate

Brian Johnston August 20, 2008doubt, faith, God, questioning, testimony 98 Comments

What if it isn’t true?

The Sunstone Report

John Nilsson August 13, 2008church, curiosity, doubt, faith, Happiness, LDS, liberal, Mormon, Mormons, music, religion, spiritual progression 25 Comments

I attended the Salt Lake Sunstone Symposium on Friday, August 8th. I hadn’t been to Sunstone in ten years. The last time I came, I …

I’m Okay; You’re Okay

guest July 27, 2008Asides, church, Culture, curiosity, death, doubt, eternity, faith, families, inter-faith, LDS, love, marriage, missionary, missions, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, questioning, religion, salvation, temple, thought, women 102 Comments

I have one component to my life that prompts little discussions from the lowliest church member to most recently the temple president and I really …

Becoming a Moderate Mormon

Hawkgrrrl July 23, 2008Asides, Bloggernacle, BYU, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, diversity, doubt, faith, families, history, international, LDS, Leaders, liberal, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, news, orthodox, politics, questioning, religion, reverence, thought 37 Comments

We’ve established that there are conservative Mormons (obviously) and there are liberal or “new order” Mormons. Taking the politico-religious rhetoric to its next logical conclusion, …