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From Rescued to Rescuer      By Betsy DoaneBetsy Doane, "From Rescued to Rescuer", Ensign, Feb. 2011, 60–61  My life was a downward spiral until I met a man who claimed to have the solution to my troubles.   One evening in 1978, I was at the Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, waiting for some friends to arrive. A man struck up a conversation with me, and we talked a little about our lives. I told him I had returned three months earlier from a trip to Central America.I had gone to escape the painful realities of my life, I told him. Nine...

Learning to Hear and Understand the Spirit   By David M. McConkie First Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency David M. McConkie, "Learning to Hear and Understand the Spirit", Ensign, Feb. 2011, 40–43   One of the most important things we can do is learn to hear and follow the promptings of the Spirit.   My father grew up in the small town of Monticello, Utah. When he was seven, one of his daily chores was to bring the family’s cows in from their pasture. His prized possession was his pocketknife, which he always kept with him. One day as he was riding his horse...

The Atonement Makes Repentance Possible   "The Atonement Makes Repentance Possible", Ensign, Feb. 2011, 10–11    We come to earth for the purpose of growing and progressing. We are slowed in our progress when we sin. Except for Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life, everyone who has lived upon the earth has sinned (see Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8).To sin is to break God’s commandments. Sometimes we sin by doing something we know is wrong, but sometimes we sin by failing to do what we know is right (see James 4:17).Every commandment from God blesses us if we obey it (see...

The Historical Context of the New Testament    By Thomas A. WaymentAssociate Professor of Ancient Scripture, Brigham Young UniversityThomas A. Wayment, "The Historical Context of the New Testament", Ensign, Jan. 2011, 50–55  Understanding the origins of this remarkable book of scripture can inspire our study.  Each volume of sacred scripture has its own unique history and bears testimony to the gospel of salvation in its own distinct way. The New Testament has the distinction of being the volume of scripture that preserves the words of individuals who knew Jesus personally or who followed Him shortly after His Resurrection—making the New Testament an invaluable...

The Savior, the Master Teacher    By Elder Jay E. JensenOf the Presidency of the SeventyJay E. Jensen, "The Savior, the Master Teacher", Ensign, Jan. 2011, 42–47   We are to feast upon the words of Christ—the scriptures—and, as He did, use them to teach and strengthen others.  Under the direction of His Father, Jesus Christ created worlds without number. He was the great Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament. He was born of a mortal mother, Mary, and of God the Eternal Father. He was the greatest being to live on earth. He said He came “to do the will of him...

The Scriptures Teach and Testify of Jesus Christ   "The Scriptures Teach and Testify of Jesus Christ", Ensign, Jan. 2011, 14–15  The scriptures contain counsel from prophets, inspired accounts of God’s dealings with people, and revelations from God to His prophets. Scriptures teach that we are children of our Heavenly Father, who loves us. As part of His plan for our eternal happiness, we have come to earth. While we are here, the scriptures are a spiritual lifeline to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.The main purpose of the scriptures is to testify of Christ, helping us come unto Him and receive...

Have You Been Saved? Elder Dallin H. OaksOf the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles  Dallin H. Oaks, “Have You Been Saved?,” Ensign, May 1998, 55As Latter-day Saints use the words saved and salvation, there are at least six different meanings.   What do we say when someone asks us, “Have you been saved?” This question, so common in the conversation of some Christians, can be puzzling to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because it is not our usual way of speaking. We tend to speak of “saved” or “salvation” as a future event rather than something that has...

400 years ago Catholics looked on Protestantism as a cult of Christianity that lead people to hell, and looked on Protestants as not really being Christians. Clearly they've changed their minds a bit over the years on that. In time, the same thing will happen with respect to Mormons IMHO. In fact it largely has already. While there are still some who speak of Mormons the same way that Catholics spoke of Protestants centuries ago, society in general recognizes The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as a Christian group. For example: Beliefnet.com lists Latter-Day Saints as a part...

I can still remember my feelings the time I saw tears of repentance streaming down the face of my 10-year-old son, Arián. He had been playing with his older brother, Joel, who was 12, in the bedroom, when all of a sudden an argument broke out, and I had to intervene and reestablish order. Perhaps because of their ages, fighting had become frequent between the boys. In response, Arián, who was visibly shaken and crying after his altercation with his brother, responded to me in an unacceptable manner. I corrected him twice (now his argument was with me), but the...

The Mountain Meadows Massacre   By Richard E. Turley Jr.Managing Director, Family and Church History Department  Richard E. Turley Jr., “The Mountain Meadows Massacre,” Ensign, Sep 2007, 14–21This month marks the 150th anniversary of a terrible episode in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On September 11, 1857, some 50 to 60 local militiamen in southern Utah, aided by American Indian allies, massacred about 120 emigrants who were traveling by wagon to California. The horrific crime, which spared only 17 children age six and under, occurred in a highland valley called the Mountain Meadows, roughly 35 miles...

Latter-day Saints aren't Christians?    Criticism Critics claim that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not "Christian." A related claim is that the Church has only recently begun to portray itself as "Christian" in order to gain adherents. See also: Source(s) of the criticism  Response It is evident from what has been said, that the Mormons, as such, can have no part or lot in the religion of Jesus Christ—and we do not see how any one can be their friend, (as Mormons,) without being an enemy to God. —James M’Chesney, An Antidote To Mormonism, revised by...

Nature of God/Trinity/Nicene creed     Criticism Critics claim members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not Christian because they do not accept the Nicene Creed's statement about the Trinity. See also: Source(s) of the criticismResponse Since the Nicene Creed was first adopted in A.D. 325, it seems clear that there were many Christians in the first centuries following the resurrection of Christ who did not use it. Those who oppose calling the Latter-day Saints "Christians" need to explain whether Peter and Paul are "Christians," since they lived and practiced Christianity at a time when there was no...

Hey, Who Are You Calling a Cult?   The LDS Church is less of a cult than many of the religions that accuse it of being one. BY: Orson Scott Card    He wrote to me in all innocence, a reader from a Catholic country where Mormon missionaries had only recently begun to gather congregations of believers. "I asked my priest," he said, "and he told me that Mormons are a cult." Setting aside the obvious riposte ("What did you think your priest would tell you, that Mormonism was true Christianity as restored by God to living prophets?"), I think...

Roman Catholic apologist Patrick Madrid recently posed a challenging question for Latter-day Saints. That is, if Mormonism is essentially a "restoration" of primitive Christianity, where can we find historical evidence for some ancient Christian group that "was identical to the Mormon Church of today"? He goes on, "We have records of many controversies that raged in the early days of the Church…, and there just is no evidence-none at all-that Mormonism existed prior to the 1830s."1 Whether Mr. Madrid is adequately informed about LDS claims and the state of the evidence concerning them, is beside the point. If Latter-day Saints...

Book of Mormon/DNA evidence   Criticism DNA samples taken from modern Native Americans do not match the DNA of modern inhabitants of the Middle East. Critics argue that this means the Book of Mormon's claim that Native Americans are descended from Lehi must be false, and therefore the Book of Mormon is not an ancient record as Joseph Smith claimed. See also: Source(s) of the criticism Response Few criticisms of the Church have received as much media attention as this criticism, with so little thought and science being applied to the question. DNA attacks against the Book of Mormon account fail on...

Mormonism--Shadow or Reality?, the magnum opus of Jerald and Sandra Tanner, has periodically received uncritical acclaim. In the May 1973 issue of their newsletter The Salt Lake City Messenger, the Tanners promoted their then newly revised and enlarged edition of Shadow or Reality? with the praise of Dr. Jennings G. Olson, then on the faculty of the Department of Philosophy at Weber State College in Ogden. Olson observed "it is tightly packed with serious, responsible research which no one can deny is the most comprehensive and thorough analysis and evaluation of Mormonism ever produced in the history of the Church."1...

Marlin K. Jensen, “The Joseph Smith Papers: The Manuscript Revelation Books,” Ensign The manuscript revelation books contain many of the earliest known copies of the revelations received by Joseph Smith and provide insights into the revelatory process. In the 1970s Latter-day Saint scholars began to recognize the benefits of collecting and making available to the public documents related to the Prophet Joseph Smith’s life and works. The Joseph Smith Papers Project is the culmination of this decades-long effort. Project scholars intend to collect all journals, diaries, correspondence, discourses, revelations, written histories, notices, and legal papers—everything of a written nature that...

"Choose the Right" has become one of the most well-known and oft-repeated phrases in Mormondom, beginning at the heart of things in Salt Lake City and spreading through all the compass points of the world. The words and concept first became familiar and loved through the lyrics of Joseph L. Townsend in his hymn by that name: "Choose the right when a choice is placed before you, in the right the Holy Spirit guides … choose the right, choose the right, let wisdom mark the way before; in its light choose the right, and God will bless you evermore." Townsend...

Federal officials say a Washington, D.C.-area couple has been arrested and accused of spying for Cuba. Officials say both are former U.S. government employees -- he from the State Department, she as a Congressional aide. One official says the spying went on for more than two decades. We expect to learn more details later today when a federal indictment is unsealed. For now, officials will not disclose the names or any other details....

Don't trust him. He's a RINO. Worse than a RINO. He's the enemy within. You never know where he honestly stands on any issue. What he promises today, he flips on tomorrow. It all depends on which way the political winds are blowing and which office he's running for. He's a liar. He's a big government socialist. His RomneyCare state run health care system is a big government boondoggle. It's tyranny. Government provided, er, forced health care is tyranny not freedom or free markets. Do not believe the socialist propaganda supporting such nonsense. Socialized medicine is simply another step to...