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IDAHO FALLS -- Idaho gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell will be mixing what he calls doctrines from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints into his gubernatorial campaign in a series of meetings slated for LDS elders only. In January, Rammell will kick off a series of special meetings targeted specifically at "faithful priesthood-holders of the LDS Church" to discuss the so-called "White Horse" prophecy. The first meeting will held at the Hampton Inn in Idaho Falls between 7 and 8 p.m. on Jan. 19. Subsequent meetings will be held in Rexburg, Blackfoot, Pocatello, Twin Falls and Boise, and only...

As Mormons join with all of Christendom in commemorating the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ this time of year, the thoughts of some might turn to observance of an event of lesser magnitude, but nevertheless vital to the unfolding of God's purposes among His children: The birth of Joseph Smith Jr., just two days before Christmas on Dec. 23, 1805, in Sharon, Vt. In noting the birthday anniversary of the Prophet, some may feel uncomfortable, not wishing to detract in any way from the veneration due the Advent of the Christ in mortality and the commencement of His mortal...

<p>Salt Lake City --The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has long been concerned that it be understood as a distinctively Christian institution, will step up efforts to discourage use of the term Mormon Church and instead emphasize the name Jesus Christ in references to the church, a leading Mormon official said in an interview on Thursday.</p>

1. Can you find me archeological and historical proof from non-Mormon sources that prove that the peoples and places named in the Book of Mormon are true? 2. Why does the Book of Mormon state that Jesus was born in Jerusalem (Alma 7:10) when history and the Bible state that he was born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1)? 3. I’ve read where Joseph Smith said that he translated the golden plates (from which he got the Book of Mormon) letter-by-letter, “by the power of God” and that it was “the most correct of any book on earth." If that’s true why...

According to some of Joseph's closest associates as well as those who saw Joseph translate the Book of Mormon, when Joseph looked into the Urim and Thummim he was able to see the English translation. Some witnesses even claimed that Joseph spelled out proper names and the English text remained in view until it was written down correctly. Most of the accounts that describe the translation process were recorded long after the fact and are often second or third hand. Because Joseph did not share the details himself, however, it is from these other reports that scholars attempt to deduce...

PROVO — He's been to LDS general conference and sacrament meeting, given a family home evening lesson and shared his beliefs during fast and testimony meeting. But the one thing that still puzzles Talha Siddiqui, 19, a Muslim from Islamabad, Pakistan, is why Latter-day Saint students at Brigham Young University are so anxious to get married. "It's kind of funny how to an outsider … everyone is talking about getting married," he said. "How can you all think about the same thing? That kind of felt a little weird for me. Other than that, things have been great." SNIP "Whenever...

Mormons want you to believe that they are "Christians" and that their church, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints", is just another Christian denomination. Mormons themselves believe that they are Christians and that their church is the only true church. Joseph Smith receiving his vision There is even a move among Mormons to shorten the name of their church to simply "The Church of Jesus Christ."Their founder, Joseph Smith claimed to have been told in a vision regarding the Christian churches that God "forbade me to join with any of them" and "all their creeds were an...

The Rise of Mormonism If anyone doubts that the Mormonism is a growing concern, just consider these facts. The Mormon church has grown from 2 million members in 1963 to 9.7 million members today with "stakes" (as they call their congregations) in 160 different countries. In the United States alone there are approximately 5 million people who claim to be Mormons!As we express our deep concerns about the anti-Christian nature of Mormonism, it is important that we recognize that many Mormons are fine people, with high moral values and deep devotion to their family. The sincerity of the Mormon people...

... The Mormons regard themselves as Christians, and Jesus figures prominently on the covers of LDS publications. They believe that after the death of Christ's apostles his church became confused, a period that ended only with the restoration of the Gospel by the presentation of another book of scripture by an angel to LDS founder Joseph Smith. Most Christian theologians, however, disagree, not just because they disbelieve the angel story and the Book of Mormon that resulted, but by pointing to Mormon concepts including the ability of humans to become godlike entities after death. Most perturbed have been conservative Evangelicals...

Mormons often use common terms that to them have completely different meanings than those used in the Bible or by orthodox Christian churches. Mormons may say they believe in "Jesus Christ," trust in the "scriptures," believe they are "saved by grace," and have been "born-again". They will talk about "eternal life" and things like "heaven," but they rarely explain what they mean when they use such terminology. Holding back information is especially a problem with Mormons in the mission field. It is not uncommon for Mormon missionaries to purposely refrain from discussing doctrines which clearly separate Mormonism from the usual...

"Every Church member is expected to understand the doctrine of the Church intelligently. There is no place in the Church for blind adherence." -- John Widtsoe, LDS Apostle It was long ago, two thousand years, when sweet baby Jesus was born. Although every baby is cherished by his parents and grandparents and siblings and cousins, this little boy was precious to all the world. The story began in Nazareth…The Old Testament patriarch Noah, who had died long ago and been resurrected as an angel named Gabriel,1 was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth. There he appeared...

Twelve years ago, the president of the Gilbert Arizona Stake thought that the Gilbert community would be benefited and community relationships strengthened if his stake and the local parish of the Catholic Church could interact and build a bridge of friendship using an interest common to both, music. The first three years of this relationship saw each congregation prepare separate choral numbers and sing at the other's building. After shedding concerns and apprehensions, the choir directors for the parish and the stake combined their efforts to create a joint choir comprised of both faiths. They chose to prepare numbers to...

Angels, those winged creatures atop Christmas trees and a perennial subject for movies, long have captured the human imagination. But for most religious people, angels are far from imaginary. They are not merely cultural conceptions, symbols or myths. Indeed, angels play a vital role in the relationship between humans and the divine, according to teachings of the world's dominant religions. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all believe in angels and share a common notion -- that angels do God's work, including communication with humans. The very word "angel" is from the Greek translation of the Hebrew word for messenger, "mal'ach." Many...

SALT LAKE CITY -- A conservative think tank is hoping the Legislature can help protect people of faith living in Salt Lake City after two discrimination ordinances were passed. The ordinances protect gays and lesbians from discrimination in housing and employment. Sutherland Institute president Paul Mero says churches and some organizations have exemptions. The exemptions are for religious freedom and expressive association. That means a church corporation doesn't have to hire someone who is gay if they don't want to. Expressive association means the company doesn't have to hire someone who does not fit into their culture - for example,...

San Angelo, Texas » Jurors heard more from a former member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on Monday in the trial of Allan Keate, who faces charges of sexually assaulting a child. Rebecca Musser explained why she moved away from her FLDS community. Having been married to FLDS prophet Rulon Jeffs in her late teens, she was pressured along with younger wives to marry the new prophet, Rulon Jeffs' son Warren Jeffs, and she refused, Musser said. Musser said Warren Jeffs told her, "I will break you. I will make you a good wife....

One of the basic tenets of gospel living has always been to set a good example for our neighbors. "Let your light so shine before men," the Savior said. "That they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Trouble is, some of us seem to think that guideline doesn't apply when we live in "Zion." Case in point: My wife, Annie, works at a bank in Utah valley where a significant number of the customers are active Latter-day Saints. She knows this because they frequently come in to cash checks from The Church of...

As finals are quickly approaching, students sometimes joke about living in the library. But when author Matthew Brown says he lives in the library, he’s not joking around. Brown, who recently released the book “Exploring the Connection between Mormons and Masons,” does most of the research for his books in the BYU library. “I live here in the BYU library and I’m not kidding,” Brown said. “I have done research at other universities around the country but for the most part, when it comes to LDS subjects, this is my primary research library.” “Mormons and Masons” is Brown’s 10th book,...

SALT LAKE CITY -- David Austin's two-day visit to Utah was packed with meetings, presentations and discussions about finding and producing Mormon-made films that might appeal to the general Christian inspiration market. A blizzard hit on the first day, Dec. 8, messing up the tight schedule. But Austin didn't mind. "I'm from Michigan, so it feels like home," Austin said of the weather. Austin is vice president of sales and marketing at Bridgestone Multimedia Group and was here at the invitation of filmmakers including Lyman Dayton and BYU's Dennis Packard. Bridgestone distributes family-friendly Christian movies and music to Christian bookstores...

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is adding a fourth emphasis to its three-prong mission. The LDS Church is adding, "to care for the poor and needy" to the threefold mission of the Church, which is to teach the gospel to the world, strengthen the membership of the Church and perform saving ordinances for the dead. The change will be made in a new Church Handbook of Instructions, to be released next year, which will refer to them as "the purpose of the Church" instead of missions. http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=8984614-SNIP-Related: Origin of the “Threefold Mission...

  The Gospel and the ChurchBy Ronald E. PoelmanThe First Quorum of the SeventyGeneral Conference October, 1984Two different version of this talk were distributed. The first was given over the pulpit at general conference, the second was published in the Ensign and on the official conference videotape. Differences between the two talks are highlighted in red. Deletions from the original talk are set off by strikethrough Font, while additions in the Ensign version are Underlined. Conference Version  Version Published in the Ensign and on Video Tape Both the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Church of Jesus Christ are...

For me, this is an embarrassing question to answer, because I used to be racist. I was born and raised Mormon in Cottonwood, Arizona, USA. I served a mission and was sealed to my wife in the Mesa Arizona temple. I have seen the good that Mormons do in helping the poor and needy but racism is still alive and well within the LDS church. Seven years ago my wife and I decided to leave Mormonism when we began to study the doctrines that Joseph Smith originally proclaimed. I wish I could say that I left the Mormon church because...

As a Romney supporter and blogger I have very seldom written about faith and religion, whether in the general sense or as it applies to Mitt Romney as a presidential candidate. I’ve always known Romney’s religion to be a stigma to some. I’m sure it is even a boon to others, especially those who share his faith. Today, in remembrance of the 2nd anniversary of Romney’s speech “Faith in America”, I’m going to take a rare moment to share my thoughts on subject. Full disclosure: I am a life-long member of the LDS (Mormon) church. Now let’s proceed. I consider...

PROVO, Utah -- Significant misperceptions shape the LDS church's image and standing in America, said a church apostle Friday. Speaking during Women's Conference at Brigham Young University, Elder L. Tom Perry of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Quorum of the Twelve, asked more than 16,000 women gathered in the BYU Marriott Center to dedicate themselves to strengthening the image of the church. SNIP Offering the conference's closing general address, Elder Perry said that church leaders have been looking at the church's image to better understand how the organization approaches its missionary efforts. "We have employed some professional...

As we continue our discussion about the Book of Mormon translation, some members may be troubled that the process doesn't match their conceptions of how they thought the process worked. For members who were unaware of the seer stone in the hat, at least two questions or concerns may arise: 1) Is it strange that Joseph used a stone in a hat? 2) Why have we have always been told that Joseph used the Urim and Thummim? To answer the first question we might also ask: Is it strange that a man could rise from the dead, walk on water,...

SALT LAKE CITY 3 December 2009 Since the launch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Mormon Messages channel on YouTube in August 2008, its influence has grown to reach millions. Situated among the endless variety of videos available on YouTube, the dozens of videos currently available on Mormon Messages have been viewed a total of 7.5 million times. During the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, the Church posted a Mormon Messages video showing random people on the streets of New York City sharing a variety of responses to one simple question: “What are you thankful for?”...

For 27 years I have had the opportunity to visit vast and varied regions of the world because of my employment with an airline. I can travel virtually free anywhere my airline goes, and practically free on most other carriers because of generous reciprocal agreements. This perk has afforded me the opportunity to be an ambassador for my country and my "peculiar" state. No matter where in the world I go, when people ask me where I come from and I tell them Utah, the next words out of their mouths are almost always the same: "So you must be...

The LDS Church now has in place a computer program it believes may halt -- or at least slow -- the submission of incorrect, inappropriate or dubious information into its massive collection of genealogical records. "The new version of FamilySearch is a technological deterrent to improper submissions," LDS spokesman Scott Trotter said Thursday. "For example, users must certify that the names they are submitting are of family members." Mormons submit the lion's share of the historical data, either from private or public sources, typed singly or "extracted" from a list. Thousands of names are entered into the system every day...

Helen Radkey sits in her tiny Millcreek apartment amid images of Buddha and Egyptian sun gods, good-luck charms, sacred texts, tarot cards and a makeshift shrine to a Catholic saint, complete with a relic. Her refrigerator is awash in photos of children, grandchildren and friends from around the country and across the globe. Both bedrooms are piled high with box after box of file folders, evidence of her decadeslong drive to undermine the LDS Church's temple ritual in which living Mormons are baptized for a person who has died. Each folder contains the name and personal information of an individual...

REXBURG -- A large media campaign involving billboards and mass mailings has been launched in eastern Idaho. Its goal is to draw women away from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The "Speaking the Truth in Love to Mormons" campaign was started by the Truth in Love Ministry in Nampa, and its focus is on "witnessing to Mormons" and showing them the "truth of God's words" through "loving means." This week a billboard was placed at the intersection of Yellowstone Highway and Seventh South in Rexburg showing a woman holding her head next to the words "Feeling Worthy?"...

Most Mormons have long suspected what three political science professors have confirmed: Increased knowledge about Mormons and their faith helps remove stigma attached to them. That news comes as the nation's highest-ranking Mormon risks his political future on heath care reform. Writing in USA Today, Professors David E. Campbell, John C. Green and J. Quin Monson, wrote "Americans still have a bias against Republican Mitt Romney, according to a study conducted during last year's election. Not a political bias, but a religious one. The good news: When people understood his Mormon faith, the bias melted away. The trio teach political...

NAMPA - Becki Detro said she was married to the church for 28 years of her life. Constant feelings of unworthiness caused her to leave her faith. "It was very hard," she said. "It's a hard thing when your whole family..." she couldn't continue and was visibly emotional. She's now joining an effort to help other followers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who want to leave the church, but still have a place to worship. "I see a concern that LDS people are leaving because they are not receiving the healing balm of His forgiveness,"...

With the LDS church’s recent endorsement of a gay rights ordinance in Salt Lake City, many have begun speculating that the church is on its way to changing its policy on same-sex marriage. Not so, say BYU professors of religion and political science. Last week, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints publicly endorsed a city ordinance that bans housing and employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The BYU professors interviewed said that although the church supports tolerance and equality, it does not approve of homosexuality. Kent Jackson, associate dean of Religious Education, said the church is...

Yesterday on Daily RFT we had a couple bones to pick with a misleading headline in the local daily and the bible-thumping defenders of Burrell E. Mohler Sr. Along with his brother and four sons, the 74-year-old Independence, Missouri, native is accused of repeatedly raping his elementary school-aged granddaughters. Turns out the article in the Post was cribbed from a much longer and much more compelling piece that led Sunday's Kansas City Star. The latter feature lays out the Mohler family tree, details all of the disgusting deeds in question and sets it all against the backdrop of the family's...

Last week we talked about the frontier treasure-digging environment in which Joseph Smith lived and how his own pre-prophet world view was shaped by that environment. As we've discussed in past articles, Joseph -- like any other prophet -- was a fallible human with preconceived ideas, opinions, and assumptions, who was divinely called to an important role. Worldviews don't change immediately or all at once. God reveals his word, line upon line, and those who listen can enlarge their understanding of truth a little here and there as they are willing to grasp new concepts. In approximately 1819, Joseph borrowed...

Is Mormonism Christian? Richard John Neuhaus TAKEN FROM: WWW.FIRSTTHINGS.COM That is not the only interesting question, but it is probably the most important. Most non–Mormons have little occasion to think about Mormonism, and those who do tend toward distinctly negative thoughts. Although there is this curious thing of recent years that many conservative Christians warmly welcome Mormons as allies in various cultural tasks. To cite but one recent instance, it was an alliance of Catholics, evangelicals, and Mormons that was instrumental in persuading the people of Hawaii to reject same–sex marriage. Yet a few issues ago we published an article...

Scenario:It's a scorching hot Saturday afternoon in early September. Your wife has taken the little ones to the pool. It's just you and your oldest, ten-year-old Matthew, staying in to watch the big game. Mark McGuire has now hit 59 home runs! And the way he's been connecting, he could catch Roger Maris' thirty-seven year old record of 61 homers in today's game. Your son is decked out in his "McGuire" jersey and you've just poured ice-cold drinks for the start of the game when the doorbell rings. You hurry to the door, thinking of ways to get rid of...

OREM, Utah -- Boyd J. Petersen told the Utah Valley University conference on "outmigration" about how Hugh Nibley -- and other Mormons -- coped with the divided sense of self that minorities often experience in the larger society. Petersen, author of "Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life," spoke on Nov. 6 about how members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints live with contradictory public images. "They are both revered and reviled, feared and revered," Petersen said. Outmigrants, those Mormons who have left Utah, "have this divided sense of ourselves." Mormons have their own sense of themselves and their...

The Osmond Family is the Mormon Church’s version of the Manson Family. Mormons wear magical underwear, and Joseph Smith was killed because he forgot to put his on. The Mormon religion tells its followers that there are planets ruled by gods who were once human; therefore, you can be a god too. These are just three of the more than 200 online comments that were posted on the MySA Community News Web site in response to the Northwest Weekly’s report this past month about the planned construction of a Mormon church in Helotes. Though there is a wide variety of...

I always vote. I could say it's because I am a responsible citizen who believes wholeheartedly in the democratic process, but I'd be lying. It probably has more to do with being naturally contrary. Voting is the one sure way in Utah to prove you're different. Almost nobody around here does it. On Tuesday, voter turnout in Salt Lake County was only 18 percent of registered voters. That's pathetic given the fact that most eligible voters don't even bother to register. Last year, the "Behind State" had the lowest voter turnout in America. Demographically, Utahns made it to the polls...

Mormon Stumpers In your discussions with Mormons, they will most often wish to direct the topics presented into those areas where they feel most informed and comfortable. Whether they are the young missionaries at your door or friends or colleagues, they have all been taught several lines of approach and have been drilled in making their points. We suggest that you take charge of such conversations. Besides acquainting yourself with the basics of Mormon teaching (in addition, of course, to the fundamentals of the Catholic faith), consider presenting the Mormon apologist with a few "stumpers." "We don’t bash your church,...

LARAMIE - Forty years ago, 14 black University of Wyoming football players were kicked off the team for wanting to wear black armbands to protest The Jesus Christ Church of Latter-day Saints' policy of not calling black men into its priesthood. But on Tuesday, members of the "Black 14," as well as others involved in the situation, returned to Laramie for a panel discussion to both remember and teach about an incident that's little known among young people and is still a sore subject among many who lived through it. On Oct. 17, 1969, on the eve of the Cowboys'...

A recent convert recounted a conversation he had in his shop. It went something like this: A friend came in and said, "Hey, I hear you're a Mormon now." "Yep." "So, you worship Joseph Smith?" "Nope." "But other Mormons do, right?" "Nope. Not a one of 'em." The convert explained that Joseph needed a Savior like the rest of us do. He was "just a prophet." "Just a prophet?" "Yep. But a really great one." "How so?" "Had a big job on hand, putting things back that were lost for, like, centuries. Had to do it all before he died...

Eldorado, Texas » Attorneys will hear closing arguments Thursday in the trial of a polygamous sect member whom the state alleges sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl in 2004. Fifty-first District Judge Barbara Walther told jurors Wednesday that "we are getting very close" to the final stage of Raymond Merril Jessop's trial and asked them to bring a packed suitcase in case lengthy deliberations require them to be sequestered. The state is expected to recall at least one witness -- a Texas Ranger who was the lead investigator in April 2008 when authorities raided the Yearning For Zion Ranch and uncovered...

PROVO — Mormons are a peculiar people — not only in their religious beliefs, but in the political arena as well... SNIP BYU assistant political science Chris Karpowitz...unique findings were...Mormons are still peculiar... The study surveyed 35,000 Americans, including 250 Latter-day Saints, and the rough data showed that Mormons are more conservative than self-proclaimed, born-again Christians in some areas and less conservative in other areas. "The finding is … Mormons and evangelicals may appear to be politically sympathetic, but it's wrong to infer that these two groups are always in sync," Karpowitz said. For example, it's evangelicals, not Mormons, who...

It was, for its day, as big a book-selling phenomenon as Harry Potter. For decades it was a No. 1 best-selling phenomenon unlike anything seen before in America. And Joseph Smith loved it. Or did he?

PROVO — Freeze! Nobody move (that property). That's the order 4th District Judge Fred Howard gave last week as prosecutors pursue charges in an alleged $59 million Ponzi scheme. In an unusual pre-emptive strike, investigators moved to block suspects from selling or transferring real estate and vehicles valued at almost $2.3 million. It is a tactic normally employed when charges are filed in a white-collar criminal probe, which typically takes years to complete. But by that time, the assets are often long gone. Prosecutors want to do all they can to prevent that in what has become one of the...

The following message (though not this picture) was posted yesterday on the Mormon Church's public affairs blog. It explains the group's unhappiness with recent news reports that refer to "splinter groups" which hive off from the Salt Lake City-based "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (AKA "the Mormon Church") as "Mormons." These splinter groups (AKA "Mormon Fundamentalists") assiduously devote themselves to the practice of the doctrine of polygamy (which was renounced by THE Mormon Church in 1890) and around whichever Viagra-addled alpha male has set himself up as the prophet, seer, and revelator for that particular harem.

Mormon Apostle Dallin Oaks chose a friendly audience deep within the Book-of-Mormon-belt for his now controversial October 13 speech in defense of the Mormons’ ongoing fight against same-sex civil marriage. Speaking to students at Brigham Young University-Idaho, Oaks decried the continuing erosion of religious freedom and the declining influence of religion in the public sphere, before mounting a strongly-worded defense of “the ancient order” of marriage against the “alleged ‘civil right’ of same-gender couples to enjoy the privileges of marriage.” Elder Oaks recalled expressions of outrage directed at Mormons and acts of vandalism against Mormon temples and wardhouses committed after...

I'm a huge Beck fan, in fact I'm listening right now here http://www.ksfa860.com/common/gap_streamer.php but something really confuses me. It takes the ability to use real critical thinking to know what Beck (and most of us know about the state of the country and where we are heading). That is, we have the ability to discover the truth no matter how much the media or conventional wisdom try to hide it. Yet on Mormonism, Beck is cleary wrong. Any Christian knows that the book or momonism is severely flawed and that Joseph Smith was no prophet. How can Beck cut through...

It happened again this week. Call it the Helen Radkey Game. Radkey, a vocal critic of the LDS Church's proxy baptism, finds the infamous or famous in the vast genealogical database of the church. SNIP Just read some of Radkey's quotes: * "It's blatantly wrong to seal a person who took a vow of celibacy as a Catholic priest and is so revered in his Catholic religion," said Radkey, a former Catholic. "It's insulting to perform such an action posthumously. It's very disrespectful..." Radkey tends to heap blame on the institutional church, when most of the blame rests with misguided...