joseph - Mormon Matters

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 …

Why Mormon History is Not What They Say

guest August 2, 2010joseph, marriage, Mormon, mormon, polygamy, questioning, succession 74 Comments

Our controversial guest post today is from Rock Waterman. Check out the original unabridged post at his blog, Pure Mormonism, so titled from his observation …

Joseph Smith’s Presidential Platform

Mormon Heretic May 25, 2010history, joseph, Leaders, Mormon, politics, prophets, smith 30 Comments

So, I came across an interview of Richard Bushman at the Pew Research Forum, about both early and modern Mormon politics. I’ve also been reading a …

Joseph and Muhammad

jmb275 April 7, 2010joseph, mysticism, prophets, religion 47 Comments

I have been fascinated by other religions! The cultures, customs, and beliefs vary wildly from religion to religion, and yet, so many have common threads, …

What Dreams May Come

Bored in Vernal March 24, 2010Bible, dreams, joseph, LDS lessons, Mormon, mormon, mysticism, scripture, symbols, visions 13 Comments

OT SS Lesson #12 Whether dreams come from the unconscious mind or directly from God, they are valuable sources of revelation. Dreams can tell us …

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 …

Carthage Conspiracy

Mormon Heretic November 10, 2009history, joseph, LDS, Mormon, smith, violence 95 Comments

*Note–This was posted this morning. Due to a technical glitch, it was erased. Some comments may have been erased from this morning as well. I …

Did Elder Holland Denounce or Carefully Avoid the “Inspired Fiction” Theory?

Andrew October 7, 2009apostles, book of mormon, General Authorities, General Conference, historicity, joseph, lamanites, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, Scriptural translation, scripture 259 Comments

If someone can find something in the Book of Mormon, anything that they love or respond to or find dear, I applaud that and say …

Hypocrisy, Thy Name Is Biblical Translation

Ray August 27, 2009Anti-Mormon, apologetics, Bible, book of mormon, christianity, evangelicals, joseph, scripture 63 Comments

This probably will be the shortest post I ever write, but sometimes less is more. I hope that is the case here.

Bushman’s Take on Polygamy

Mormon Heretic June 20, 2009history, joseph, marriage, Mormon, polygamy, women 110 Comments

A few weeks ago, here at Mormon Matters, I posted on My Perspective on Polygamy (with a longer version found on my blog.) I hinted …

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 …

What Else Did God Say To Joseph?

Shawn Larsen April 16, 2009curiosity, history, joseph, LDS, Mormon, mormon 18 Comments

Not too long ago, I sat through an Elders Quorum lesson about the First Vision. The teacher, who I like and who generally does a …

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 …

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

Mormon Art – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Hawkgrrrl March 5, 2009Asides, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, diversity, education, evangelicals, Humor, inter-faith, Jesus, joseph, LDS, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, questioning, religion, symbols 31 Comments

From the misguided and ill-conceived to the hurl-worthy, why is there so much bad Mormon Art? Do Mormons have worse artistic taste than non-Mormons? Or just …

RS/PH #28: Missionary Service: A Holy Calling, a Glorious Work

Mormon Heretic March 1, 2009church, history, joseph, LDS, Leaders, missionary, missions, Mormon 5 Comments

Missionary Work—When I first saw the topic, I thought “Ugh, what a boring topic.” But I was pleasantly surprised, and learned some things about early …

Virtual RS/PH Lesson #27: Beware the Bitter Fruits of Apostasy.

Mormon Heretic February 20, 2009apostasy, joseph, Mormon, righteousness 14 Comments

Since Hawkgrrrl does not offer Virtual RS/PH lessons anymore, I thought I’d try my hand at it this one time. My wife was preparing Lesson …

Revelation & Things

guest February 11, 2009Asides, Culture, curiosity, faith, Folklore, joseph, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, ordinances, prayer, Priesthood, questioning, religion, sacrament, smith, spirituality, symbols, theology, thought 9 Comments

Today’s post comes from The Teacher. Section 8 of the Doctrine & Covenants refers to “another gift” Olivery Cowdery had, called at different times “the …

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 …

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 …

A Brand New Year

James January 23, 2009Bible, Bloggernacle, books, catholicism, christ, christianity, church, cinema, conference, Culture, curiosity, diversity, education, faith, families, general, General Authorities, General Conference, God, Happiness, Humor, international, introductions, Jesus, joseph, LDS, Leaders, liberal, love, media, media manipulation, meetings, missionary, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, movies, music, obedience, podcast, prophets, race, religion, spirituality, tesimony 29 Comments

What is Good Church Leadership?

Hawkgrrrl December 28, 2008Charity, christianity, church, Culture, faith, General Authorities, history, joseph, LDS, Leaders, love, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, prophets, questioning, religion, spiritual progression 24 Comments

What is good leadership? How did Joseph Smith envision church leadership? How does that differ from the church today and how is it the same? …

Temple ceremony, the stabilizer for mystical enthusiasm

Brian Johnston December 24, 2008history, joseph, temple 9 Comments

I’ve been thinking lately about the differences between the LDS Church we participate in today compared to what attracted and retained early members in the …

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 …

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 …

“Mormon Fundamentalists” on Law & Order

guest November 20, 2008diversity, history, inter-faith, joseph, LDS, liberal, media, media manipulation, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, polygamy, prophets 30 Comments

Did anyone watch Law & Order last night on NBC? If you didn’t, you missed an interesting parody based on the events that transpired in Texas with …

Persecution Complex

guest November 18, 2008Anti-Mormon, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, Discrimination, diversity, General Conference, history, joseph, LDS, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, questioning, religion, spiritual progression, thought 30 Comments

Today’s guest post is from The Captain. The urban dictionary defines the term persecution complex as follows: One of the top fifteen factors that can …

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 …

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 …

Virtual RS/PH #20 – A Heart Full of Love & Faith: The Prophet’s Letters to His Family

Hawkgrrrl November 9, 2008burdens, Charity, children, faith, families, history, Humor, joseph, LDS, love, marriage, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, polygamy, Priesthood, prophets, questioning, religion, smith, women 12 Comments

This lesson discusses the written correspondence Joseph sent to Emma during his frequent absences. IMO, this is a tough lesson for many reasons, so read …

President looks at church history with fresh eyes

James October 26, 2008book of mormon, christianity, community of christ, faith, FLDS, history, joseph, LDS, mitt romney, Mormon, prophets, RLDS, thought 30 Comments

While I was much more than casually aware of church history previously, since becoming president of the church I have engaged in an extensive study …

Stopping Time for the Unconverted

Russell October 9, 2008Anti-Mormon, apologetics, apostasy, catholicism, Charity, christianity, church, curiosity, faith, God, grace, inter-faith, joseph, LDS, missionary, missions, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, questioning, restoration, theology 16 Comments

I had an interesting conversation with a woman today. Missionaries would call it a bash. I called it posing and answering meaningful questions. It prompted her …

Virtual RS/PH #18: Beyond the Veil: Life in the Eternities

Hawkgrrrl October 5, 2008church, death, eternity, Happiness, joseph, LDS, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, plan of salvation, salvation, spiritual progression, theology 18 Comments

This week’s lesson might sound like a repeat from the previous lesson on Plan of Salvation, but it is much more specifically focused on one …

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 …

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 …

Chakras and the Word of Wisdom

Hawkgrrrl August 31, 2008curiosity, faith, God, inter-faith, joseph, LDS, love, marriage, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, Peace, questioning, religion, theology, thought, Word of Wisdom

D&C 89:1 refers to the WoW as: A Word OF Wisdom, for the benefit of the council of high priests, assembled in Kirtland, and the …

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, …

Is the Internet a Urim & Thummim?

Hawkgrrrl August 20, 2008Asides, Culture, curiosity, history, Humor, inter-faith, joseph, LDS, missions, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, politics, prophets, questioning, restoration, smith, theology, thought 22 Comments

What is a Urim & Thummim, and how will the earth become like one?

Virtual RS/PH #16: Revelation & the Living Prophet

Hawkgrrrl August 17, 2008apostasy, Bible, book of mormon, books, christ, christianity, church, Jesus, joseph, LDS, Leaders, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, obedience, orthodox, questioning, religion, restoration, salvation, scripture, smith, theology, thought 11 Comments

Finally, a lesson that really makes you think! This is probably my favorite JS lesson this year (no one dies or has to move to …

Virtual RS/PH #15: Establishing the Cause of Zion

Hawkgrrrl August 10, 2008apostasy, Asides, christ, church, Culture, faith, families, Happiness, Jesus, joseph, LDS, love, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, new order mormon, obedience, orthodox, plan of salvation, repentance, restoration, scripture, smith, spiritual progression, testimony, theology, thought 22 Comments

Okay, last week I said the death lesson was going to be tough. Frankly, I think a Zion lesson is no picnic either. I’m looking …

Virtual RS/PH #14 – Words of Hope & Consolation @ Time of Death

Hawkgrrrl August 3, 2008baptism, children, christianity, church, Culture, curiosity, death, eternity, evangelicals, faith, families, history, inter-faith, joseph, LDS, Leaders, love, marriage, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, Peace, plan of salvation, questioning, religion, salvation, spiritual progression, thought 22 Comments

A word to the teachers out there. I know what you are thinking. Something like, “Ugh. I got the death lesson?!” So, if you have …

Confessions of a Coffee Heathen

Brian Johnston July 26, 2008apostasy, Culture, history, joseph, mormon, Mormons, repentance, Word of Wisdom 68 Comments

In the past, I consumed large amounts of Mountain Dew and “energy drinks.” I’m getting older now (almost 40). My insides just can’t tolerate the …

Obedience: Virtual RS/PH #13

Hawkgrrrl July 13, 2008Anti-Mormon, apologetics, apostasy, Bloggernacle, book of mormon, christianity, church, evangelicals, faith, God, grace, inter-faith, Jesus, joseph, LDS, Leaders, missionary, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, obedience, orthodox, plan of salvation, politics, polygamy, prophets, questioning, religion, salvation, scripture, smith, spiritual progression, temple, testimony, theology, thought 22 Comments

Welcome to the second virtual co-ed 3rd hour. This week’s lesson is a topic that is often a seething hotbed of Mormon Matters controversy: “Obedience: When …

Our Foundation Stories Part VI: The Laying on of Hands

John Nilsson July 7, 2008church, God, historicity, history, joseph, LDS, Mormon, Priesthood, religion, restoration, scripture, smith, theology

This is the last installment of Our Foundation Stories, I promise! As a child, I heard the story of the restoration of the Aaronic and …

Virtual Co-Ed RS/PH: Missionary Work (Lesson 12)

Hawkgrrrl July 6, 2008apologetics, apostasy, Bloggernacle, christ, christianity, church, faith, history, inter-faith, joseph, LDS, Leaders, missionary, missions, Mormon, mormon, Mormons, prophets, religion, salvation, scripture, testimony, theology, thought 10 Comments

Welcome to the first ever Virtual Co-ed Relief Society/Priesthood Lesson (at MM anyway)! Here’s why you should join the discussion: Virtual – you can participate …