Tag Archives: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Idea that righteous parents can save wayward children a consistent doctrine in Mormon history

Although doctrines and decrees change in the LDS Church — think polygamy and blacks — one consistent teaching from the time of Joseph Smith to today is that the righteousness of parents can provide salvation to wayward (read: unrighteous) children. … Read More

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Mormon one-size-for-all Sacramental goblet was a casualty of the progressive era

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here.) I was talking to an elderly woman in my LDS ward and I asked her if her father had mentioned partaking of the Sacrament in a large ward … Read More

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Letter to a Doubter important essay from Mormon scholar Givens

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here.) LDS author and scholar Terryl Givens’ “Letter to a Doubter” has been widely circulated since he presented the essay/lecture in a speech to a Mormon fireside last fall. … Read More

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Did an angel with a drawn sword force Joseph Smith to start polygamy?

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here.) In his biography of Joseph Smith, “Rough Stone Rolling,” author Richard Lyman Bushman relates a popular Mormon legend/history regarding the Mormon prophet and his embrace of polygamy. He … Read More

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Bednar’s talk on chastity most significant of April LDS conference

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon, click here.) The media coverage focused on the first LDS woman to give a prayer in LDS General Conference and the sight of a very old Apostle Boyd K. Packer rasping — from a chair … Read More

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Elijah Ables, a black Mormon priesthood holder in the 19th century

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here). Elijah Ables is no stranger to Mormon history, although he’s virtually unknown to anyone who relies exclusively on LDS correlation. Ables was a black man who was ordained … Read More

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Oliver Cowdery’s ‘Article on Marriage’ embarrassed the LDS Church in its polygamy heyday

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here). During its first several decades, LDS Church leaders included an “Article on Marriage” in the faith’s Doctrine and Covenants. Penned by early church leader Oliver Cowdery, it stated, … Read More

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Doubt, rather than knowledge is most compatible with faith

Michael Vinson, of Salt Lake City, a master’s graduate of the Divinity School of the University of Cambridge, has a fascinating essay in the current issue of Sunstone. Titled, “The Crisis of Doubt in the Church,” it offers the proposal … Read More

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Traditional Mormon ‘Last Days’ theology similar to Bible Belt beliefs

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here.) There’s a 2007 clip video of Mitt Romney stumbling over the question, “Do the Mormons believe the Garden of Eden is in Jackson County, Missouri?” Romney was clearly … Read More

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The temporary, mistaken ban on allowing women to pray in sacrament meeting

(To see Cal Grondahl’s cartoon that goes with this post, click here). I was listening to a Mormon Stories interview with writer Carol Lynn Pearson when I heard her say that in the 1970s, women were not allowed to offer … Read More

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