How smart are your kids? Here’s a quick intelligence test you can give while telling a story: Late one night some very smart rulers in beautiful fancy clothes are in a room discussing what they should do next. They are in a lovely wooden building where lots of people live. One ruler says they need …
It’s been many years since I last heard George Durrant tell this story so I’m going to relate it from my memory. If anyone has a reference to the actual text, I would be grateful. I’m sure the story is found in one of his many books or recorded talks and can probably be found …
Carol and I traveled from California to Brigham City last weekend for her uncle Larry’s funeral. I always enjoy our road trips to Utah because Carol reads to me from James Scott Bell as I drive. I personally think James Scott Bell is one of the best thriller fiction authors I have ever read, or …
A loving individual recently shared with me Elder Corbridge’s BYU talk from 2019 – Stand Forever. If you are not familiar with the devotional address, I recommend you take a few moments and either read or watch it. I like Elder Corbridge. He is forthright, direct, and down-to-earth. He is earnest in his approach and …
Stand Forever – Considering one of the Primary Questions Read More »
Having previously read Whitney’s outstanding biography (Joseph Smith Revealed – A Faithful Telling), I appreciated the thorough research and copious footnotes accompanying that volume. In this latest profile of Hyrum Smith, I was pleased with the similar detailed treatment. Although not as much has been recorded about Hyrum either in his day or since, Whitney …
Recently, a new biography was published about Hyrum Smith (1800-1844), Patriarch, Prophet and President of the Church. While I know of at least a dozen biographies of Joseph Smith, I was surprised to discover there are only four published histories of Hyrum (of which I am aware). I now have all four of these accounts …
Elon Musk has been in the news lately (when has he not been in the news lately?) roundly warning of the dangers of ChatGPT from OpenAI, a company he co-founded, but from which he distanced himself in 2018 (resigned from the Board of Directors). Microsoft is the driving financial force behind OpenAI now. I have …
ChatGPT Writes a Blog Post for Latter-day Commentary Read More »
Are you able to recall our previous dialog and continue with additional questions based on your previous responses? The subject was religious issues, in particular about Denver Snuffer. Yes, as an AI language model, I am able to recall our previous dialog and continue the conversation on the subject of religious issues, including Denver Snuffer. …
Are you knowledgeable about current religious issues? As an AI language model, I have access to a vast amount of information, including current religious issues. However, my knowledge is limited by the data I have been trained on, which cuts off at September 2021. So, I can provide information on religious issues up to that …
I feel a desire in my heart to express gratitude for many things, especially at this time of year. First and foremost, I am grateful for a Savior who took away my sin. That phrase has been ringing in my mind lately as I have been listening to Christmas hymns. It has come to mean …
Denver spoke on RIGHTEOUSNESS Sunday, Nov. 20 at 6 pm MST. It was broadcast live on YouTube: Here is the link to the recorded broadcast From the glossary on Scriptures.info: Righteousness is conformity to the Divine Law.1 God measures differently than does man. Being “righteous before God” may not mean the same thing one thinks …
It Feels so Good not to be Trammeled In April 1843, Pelatiah Brown sought to silence certain critics of the LDS Church by stretching and twisting the meaning of passages from the book of Revelation to make his point. After Brother Brown had been disciplined for doing so, Joseph Smith said: “I did not like …
Visit the Facebook Page – Join the Meeting on Zoom I was updating my blogroll and noted several sites I visit regularly have listed the upcoming Unity in Humanity online Zoom conference scheduled for Saturday 22 October 2022. If you click on the image above, it will take you to the Zoom meeting page. There is …
In my previous post about the Restoration Archives, I noted it contained many links to sites important to recovering and continuing the restoration. One of those is the Hebrew Translation of the Book of Mormon. I knew about this project and have been following the progress. There was a recent update on the site dated …
I would like to give a shout-out to the folks who maintain the Restoration Archives website. I know a little bit about maintaining websites and know how much work goes into them. I have been using the website since it was introduced in 2017. The Restoration Archives site has been my “Go To” source for …
And again, I say unto you that the enemy in the secret chambers seeks your lives. You hear of wars in far countries, and you say in your hearts, There will soon be great wars in far countries, but you know not the hearts of them in your own land. I tell you these things …
Although the book was published in February of this year, I just now got around to buying and reading it. Perhaps it was the reminder from Denver on his blog recently. I also remembered there was a conference with the same theme back in February. I did not attend due to distance and work commitments. …
I was assigned by my bishop to study and report on Anti-Christs in the Book of Mormon. This post is the result of that study and much prayer.
As many long-time readers know, I am not worthy to speak at fellowship gatherings or to minister in the ordinances of the gospel, either in or out of the LDS Church. I cannot administer the Sacrament in my own home because my wife does not sustain me (besides, the LDS Church withdrew that option now that COVID is over), nor can I minister in fellowship gatherings, again, because I am unworthy to do so without the support of my wife. Yet, I am content. I love my wife and as far as I know, she loves me. Surely God will bless us as we strive to avoid contention.
May this Holy Christmas illuminate your minds and inflame your hearts before the Infant King who lays in the manger. And just as the choirs of the Angels and the homage of the Magi united with the simple adoration of the Shepherds, so also today your commitment to the moral rebirth of the United States of America – one Nation under God – will have the blessing of Our Lord and will gather those who govern you around you.
God cannot produce Zion for, or with, people who refuse to labor. Because His promise is for the results of the labor and nothing else. As far as I know, none of us, and certainly I, cannot provide for everyone. But, I can provide for my own family. And each of you should labor to do the same
A desolating scourge shall cover the earth. All those who have not taken the holy spirit for their guide but instead have accepted the mandated solution from Babylon will find themselves defenseless and with no immunity to the sickness.
It seems the LDS Church has almost discounted entirely the concept that evil spirits are real, that they can and do influence us and that we have power over them through faith in Jesus Christ to send them to the light. The rest of this post is a direct quote from Mel’s autobiography, “The Search for Light and Truth,” published in 2010.
Most of us die alone. In other words, we usually slip into the spirit world one at a time, to be greeted by loved ones there and surely by the Savior. Some find they have entered that realm with companions, such as the hundreds who died in the explosions just outside Kabul airport. But these …
I’m an Adventist. No, not a Seventh-Day Adventist. I am a Latter-day Adventist. In other words, I believe strongly in the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ along with all the prophesied tribulations and destructions. I am certain we will eventually experience terrible social, political, economic and physical catastrophic events that will destroy millions …
I pondered including some sort of reference to earth-bound spirits in the title of this post, but the words selected also work. For an earth-bound spirit is in a state of deception, either self-imposed or from general confusion, usually locked in by a deep-seated connection to some physical object or person. In this post I …
My son shared a very touching story with me last night. After much thought I felt to share it here on my blog, thinking and hoping it might do someone some good to read the story. To set the background, Mike and I both do the same thing for a living. I know it sounds …
I’ve written much about the subject of dreams and the spirit. In fact, I once made a point in a post that these visits from the spirt world would sometimes wake me up in the middle of the night almost demanding to be written. I found I was unable to get back to sleep until …
Acts 2:17 (see also Joel 2:28) When I was much younger I had visions of the future, specifically my own future. Many of those visions came to pass. As they were happening, I recognized them. They had to do with life choices such as education, work or career, marriage, family, and even where I would …
Visions, Dreams, Spirit World, Last Days, Second Coming Read More »
An Analysis of Some of my Top Posts I find it interesting that my bog still receives a lot of visits from faithful members of The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints. This pleases me. I watch the key words and phrases that bring people to my blog and many of them are similar to …
Long-time readers may notice a few changes on my blog recently. Hopefully they will provide a better reading experience and, my personal goal, a better SEO experience. You can skip this post if you like, there’s nothing really doctrinal in what I am about to share. New Look and Feel for the Blog First and …
Credit: Brooke Herbert—The Oregonian/AP I believe we will see the downfall of the United States within the next few years. By that I mean the internal political divide will become so intense that this nation will destroy itself in a new civil war. There are those who are intent on seeing this happen and are …
The PC Revolution In the early years of my career, after I got my degree as a computer programmer, I bought my first computer – an Apple II Plus with a whopping 48K of memory and a couple of 5.25” floppy disk drives. I even added a Zilog Z-80 card so I could do CP/M …
Life Lessons Learned Managing Technology Projects Read More »
I took occasion yesterday to read the paper “The Religion of the Fathers” in a slow and methodical fashion. It is sixty-nine pages, and I did not want to rush through it. I sat through four hours of listening as it was delivered a few weeks ago, now I wanted to read it to remember, confirm and verify the impressions I had when I first heard it but also to absorb the message more fully. Therefore, I sat still as I read, listening for the impressions of the spirit, seeking to know the Lord’s mind.
It took me six hours to read, ponder and look up many of the footnotes. It has the best defense of the Book of Abraham I have ever read. I had heard some of the history of the Egyptian dynasties explained before, but besides my own personal witness from the Lord that it is a valid record and is scripture, perhaps these three statements from the middle of the paper best conclude the matter for me that the opponents of the Book of Abraham have long been barking up the wrong tree.
For the next few years, I am yet a captive of Babylon. So much of my time and energy is given in serving others each day. Sometimes, it is a challenge to not resent it, especially when I must deal with those who are accusatory or abusive. But it never fails, when I pause and say, “Why, Lord?” He responds, “so you will understand what it is like to be falsely accused and abused.” Translation: some folks resent IT people for not preventing their IT problems.
Oh Lord, can a man and a woman who love each other and have demonstrated a lifetime of human love together and who believe in the life hereafter be together in the eternities even though one is a faithful member of the LDS church and one has resigned their long-time membership in the LDS Church and does not recognize or acknowledge the claims of authority of the President of the LDS Church to bind or seal on earth and have it recognized in heaven, or that authority can be delegated to others?
After several kind yet firm invitations from a good friend, I decided to accept an invitation to join him and five or six hundred other like-minded individuals to leave the comfort of my Southern California home for a weekend in the wilderness somewhere south of Mesquite, NV. This place is out in the wilderness, away from the city lights, a place that reminds me of where someone would go of they wanted to get away from all the comforts of civilization.
I believe the Lord is gathering a people, the angels are preparing those who will gather at the tops of the mountains to await his coming. I remain convinced it will yet be in my lifetime. There are many who write about the seven year cycles of preparation before the coming of the Lord. We are in a time of final preparation, the last seven years. No, that’s not original with me. You can find lots of folks who write about this, but I am not one to promote timeframes.
… once they were assembled, she gathered her strength, sat up in bed and told them once again how much she loved each of them. She then said, as best I can recall from what Carol has told me, “You need to get Christ in your life. He is real, for I have seen Him.”
It has been over six years since I asked to have my name removed from the membership records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (September of 2014). I remain convinced it was the right thing to do at the time. However, I have often wondered how different things might have been in …
The LDS Church currently teaches they have the fulness of the temple ordinances and all that God intended to reveal on the subject. Again, I totally disagree. The LDS Church did not previously believe or teach they had the fulness of the temple teachings. That is a recent claim and is simply not true.
Communication systems have failed. There is no cellular network. There is no central government, either on a national or state level. There is no police force, no military. No fuel for the fighter jets and tanks. Our great health care system with all the hospitals, medicines and lifesaving power has been decimated. Distribution of goods is non-existent. Civilization has gone back a hundred and fifty years. No cars, no working sewage systems, no more water distribution.
There is something wonderful about ceremony and ritual that gives strength to the ordinance of the sacrament. Although we have been able to partake of the sacrament in the home of our Elder’s Quorum President each week, there just seems to be added strength in worshiping together in a larger body.
I don’t think the current leaders of the LDS Church are intentionally trying to deceive the saints. They’ve inherited this huge unwieldy beast and are doing the best with what they have. Brigham created a monster because of his insistence that polygamy was commanded of God. Church leaders today don’t even want to talk about polygamy, the elephant in the room.
I did not leave Mormonism. I resigned my membership in the LDS Church. Given the current emphasis by the LDS President on removing the word “Mormon” from the vernacular, I would say the LDS Church has left Mormonism.
I used to be very careful to ensure I was on the right side of every question, in the right place at the right time and that when I taught, I made sure what I taught was very much in line with what I knew the Brethren taught. I studied their words just as much as I studied the scriptures, perhaps even more so.
Although it’s been six years since I resigned, I still believe the majority of what I believed before I had my name removed from the records. I’ve read reports of many folks who have left the church over the years. Some expressed they felt betrayed by the leadership. I don’t feel that way.
The problem with subjective spiritual experiences is that they can’t be verified. Or can they? I’ll share an experience that is more in line with the standard orthodox LDS narrative about what we can expect to receive from God if we seek Him with faith and real intent.
As we seek to return to the faith and religion of the Fathers, it can be rewarding, instructive, and exciting to taste of the experiential wilderness-learning opportunities and then to share with each other those things we are taught.
…this is a blatant attempt of this secret combination to destroy our nation and all about it that is good. They seek to destroy our past, the first step in revolution. The secret combination can be found in the groups that support this murderous movement.
Intellectually, I understand the idea behind the current restriction on singing in church, even though I disagree with the need.
Can you imagine a world without electricity, laptop computers, the Internet (I’m using all three right now) and cell phones? What would you do with yourself all day? How would you survive? What if you couldn’t get your medications from the local pharmacy? What if the local grocery store no longer had food to sell? What if you could no longer get any gasoline for your cars? Is that where the myth of walking to Zion came into the church?
I do not believe the LDS Temples are as pleasing to the Lord as they claim them to be. I do not think he is pleased with the expense of these edifices, as beautiful as they are. I am confident He would be much more pleased if the money were used to help the poor. Yes, there is a need for a temple in Zion, but the LDS Temples simply do not qualify.
It is Zion returning. He comes with the City of Enoch, which was taken up. But before He comes, Zion must be established here and prepared to meet Him when He comes. The Lord is working to prepare a people who will be that Zion. They are few in number, cast out because of their beliefs that are not in line with the traditions of the church fathers.
“You, to be competent in teaching your children, must first have the Holy Ghost as your guide. Then, once you have that, you ought to have familiarity with the scriptures, just as Hyrum was told to first learn what was in them before trying to teach others. Then you are qualified to go and teach your children, and you have an obligation to do that. Children are the means to preserve Zion. Without the conversion of children, Zion has no chance of surviving.” (Denver Snuffer)
Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon was the “most correct book” of any book on Earth. This is because it was not translated by man. It was translated by God. He is the author of the book. He gave the words to Joseph through the Urim & Thummim, the seerstone and later by direct revelation as Joseph’s gifts were developed. The Book of Mormon did not get translated from reformed Egyptian into English. It was given by revelation from the Lord. At times, Joseph did not even look at the plates to translate.
I’ve watched blogs come and go, especially Mormon or LDS-themed blogs. I have a list of sites I read regularly, with almost all of them related in some way to the Mormon restoration movement. I hope this one stays. Based on my dialog with the author, I have a feeling this blog will be worth watching. I have added it to my blog roll.
Perhaps that $100 billion will be made available to help members in distress when unemployment rises and mortgages can’t be paid. I wonder if there is a plan to redistribute the wealth back down to the stakes when the need arises. Nah. Wishful thinking.
What a distasteful subject. I agree. You can skip this post if it bothers you. But for those who are looking for help, I offer the following thoughts: Yes, there are still good people out there who are bothered by porn and want to do something about it. They are, or somebody they love is …
The Book of Mormon gave Joseph directions on how to deal with the plates. He delivered them to the angel. Then the angel showed them to the Three Witnesses. Subsequently, Joseph had them in his possession and he showed them to the Eight Witnesses.
Last week, for the first time that I can recall in the five years since I had resigned my membership in the LDS Church, a good brother of the ward stopped me on my way to the car after church and said, “I just wanted to tell you how much I admire you. Each Sunday you come to church, sit next to your wife and listen carefully to the speakers. I know you’re here supporting your wife even though you’re not a believer. You stand tall in my book.” I wanted to correct him that I AM a believer, but the time wasn’t right.
In a recent email exchange with a reader, we discussed the idea of being led by the spirit, particularly in regard to what we choose to read and to study. It is a fascinating topic and worthy of consideration.
My reader had asked me for some additional clarification of my positions on a few doctrinal and historical questions. I provided links to some of Denver’s papers and a few of my own posts. He responded he had read my posts but felt constrained by the spirit to not read any of Denver’s materials, even though he said he tried.
Through artificial means, mankind has devised ways around that core structure to bring children into the world. Two men or two women can now become parents without going through the same method set forth by God. However, this defeats the purpose of the divine plan, which is to unite a man and a woman in the procreative process. That unity is much more than physical, it binds the couple together at a much deeper spiritual level.
If you love LDS history as I do, especially the Nauvoo era, you will love this book. Be prepared for a refreshing and unusual treatment of the subject. This is decidedly not a telling of the story of Mormon polygamy from the standard or traditional LDS point of view. The author takes advantage of RLDS sources that most LDS authors will dismiss. This book is a call to repentance, especially to those who still believe polygamy is ordained of God or was taught or practiced by Joseph Smith. If you are a descendant of a polygamous family, you must read this book. Your appreciation for Joseph will increase and your eyes will be opened about how polygamy really came about in Mormon history.
I took a few weeks recently to closely examine what I believe. I made a short, concise list of about forty relevant doctrines, principles and practices. I wanted to offer the list to kind and well-meaning folks who have asked how they could help me come back into the LDS faith. For the most part, there is a a lot of commonality in what we believe.
God demands that our hearts turn to the fathers or we will be wasted at His return. This requirement is not to turn to them in just a figurative way, where we do genealogical work to connect ourselves with our recently deceased forebearers. That work is a wrongheaded effort to seal people to those kept in prison. The return of our hearts will require us to have the same religion, and the same beliefs in our hearts that the original fathers had beginning with Adam. Only in that way will our hearts turn to the fathers.
We have the opportunity to vote on a definition of “Mutual Agreement.” The Lord was petitioned to define the phrase for us a few years back, especially in connection with our many disputations over the Statement of Principles to be used as a Guide and Standard. He did so. It was short, clear and concise. His response honors our agency. He reminds us we must choose. Mutual Agreement means we choose to not dispute one with another.
No, this post isn’t about the LDS / Mormon General Conference to be held 6-7 April 2019 in Salt Lake City UT. This is about the Restoration General Conference to be held 19-21 April 2019 in Grand Junction CO. I know it’s a bit confusing to call it General Conference, but that’s how it is labeled when it gets into the archives. Perhaps it should be called the Temple Conference since that is the theme. This is about the Saturday breakout sessions.
In the comment section of a recent post here on LDC, a long-time reader asked some excellent questions about the sealing power, the temple and the ordinances there. His questions caused me to go to the Lord in prayer to obtain greater understanding. I share some of what I have learned here in the hopes it will help others with similar questions.
Perhaps the key takeaways from this post will be the following: 1) In spite of the fact that there are now 162 LDS Temples, we need a temple to which the Lord can come and in which the Lord’s servants can administer authorized ordinances of salvation anew. 2) The ordinances administered in the LDS Temples are no longer valid because they have changed the ordinances and therefore broken the covenant.
Carol and I were first introduced to wine in the Sacrament in a fellowship meeting after one of the lectures in 2014. I think it was Las Vegas. We were invited by members of the Colorado fellowship to join with them to meet and talk about what we had received that day. To me, it was an amazing spiritual experience, and not because of the wine. I felt the sweet spirit of the Lord being poured out on this humble fellowship gathered that night.
The organizers of the upcoming General Conference scheduled for Fri-Sat-Sun 19-21 April 2019 in Western Colorado / Grand Mesa area have asked various bloggers to share the updated schedule. More detail can be found at the conference site, and greater detail will be added in the weeks to come, but we are sharing the schedule as it stands now.
The LDS Church is NOT the Kingdom of God nor is it Zion. It is long been taught that it is both, but this is erroneous. Zion will not be established in Salt Lake City nor will it be in Independence Missouri. They simply don’t fit the scriptural prophecies.
Just by sheer coincidence, I happen to have written a number of posts that have the word “Excommunicated” in the title. It has always amazed me to see the number of hits I get each day on those particular posts. Today, at least five of those posts are in the top ten. It makes me wonder what people really want to know about LDS excommunications.
I accepted a covenant the Lord offered in September of 2017. I rejoiced on that day and continue to marvel that we have been offered this covenant opportunity. Even the people of Joseph’s day were not offered and therefore did not receive this covenant. In fact, they were condemned and rejected by the Lord because they treated lightly the Book of Mormon, which God always intended to offer as a covenant to His people.
I have reflected often on this event that was such a turning point in my life. It meant a lot to me then and it still does today. It is significant for several reasons, but perhaps the most significant to me is that it was and is an outward sign to the Lord that I accepted the message of his servant.
There will always be those who outright reject the idea of scripture needing to be restored to be as true to the original revelations as possible. To them, there simply is no need for it.
I was astonished when I read that the long-promised Testimony of St John had been revealed and shared for our edification. That is, if you believe the Lord, through Joseph, in section 93 was referring to the testimony of John the Beloved and not John the Baptist.
I consider it a gift and blessing from God to have the work of the restoration continue through Denver Snuffer, whom I consider to be the latter-day Davidic servant prophesied by Joseph Smith.
In temple symbolism, the “this” used has no real value, but “that” holds eternal value. If an unbelieving person obtains access to “this” temple symbol, but fails to understand its relationship to “that” which is eternal, they have nothing of value.
This was sent to me by a friend. I found it timely, appropriate and applicable to much of the private correspondance with my readers right now. I was astounded by the request of one reader who quoted the words of a general authority in conference and then asked, “does this mean it is everlastingly too …
Carol and I had one of those conversations Sunday after church. I was talking with a friend about preparations for the upcoming April conference in Colorado. After our phone conversation concluded, Carol said, “We need to talk.” Uh-oh. “Okay,” I said. “What about?” “About the elephant in the room.” “Ah, yes.” I knew what she was …
Because of agency or free will, I can choose what I believe and therefore determine my own course in this life.
Growing up in the LDS Church, I did not hear the term “rapture” used much, if at all. It certainly wasn’t in the official curriculum. “Second Coming” was the phrase commonly used.
One has to wonder what the leaders of the LDS Church think of their members who read contrversial books about LDS Chutrch History, especially since they now encouraging studying the gospel in home study groups.
It appears that Yoga, if practiced properly, is a demonic practice. The poses themselves allegedly open up the spiritual realm.
And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. (Micah 5:8) Then shall ye, …
A recent change in employment has given me the opportunity to pick up blogging again. I dusted off my blog, gave it a new look and discovered I made the list of Top Mormon Bloggers. Who knew?
A master called his servants and told them, I send you to a far off land where there is no stone and command you to there build me a house. When you are done, send me word and I will come there to dwell.
The Lord accepted the work of the Scripture Committee over a year ago. The Statement of Principles to be a Guide and Standard will be sustained in the next General Conference.
A Hope in Christ: The Temple. Where will the temple of the new Zion be built? Come to the Spring 2019 General Conference to be held at The Grand Mesa.
I received an email from a reader (thank you Cecil) and decided to share some of the response here on my blog. I don’t pretend to be anybody important, just someone who wrote an LDS-themed blog for a few years and ended up resigning my membership in the LDS Church. I did so because I wanted …
With all thy getting, get wisdom, especially when it comes to marriage where each spouse has different religious beliefs
I’m really getting tired of talking to former Mormons. I would like to talk to Baptists, and to Lutherans, and a Methodist…
With all the bad in the news lately, it’s sometimes hard to focus on the good. With this post, I hope to bring some good things to our attention.
Hello everyone. Yes a post by someone other than Tim. We still exist! Thanks again Tim for letting me post stuff here. What have I been doing some might ask? well many things, but the topic of this post is to say sometime ago I decided to write a book. The book remained in a …
What will you do if you are called upon to sell all that you have and give to the poor?
Doctrine of Christ Conference March 18th – 19th 2017 — St. George, Utah, USA The website at DoctrineofChristConference.com is being updated with the following information on February 27, 2017 About this Conference The idea for this spring conference came after the September 2016 Boise Doctrine of Christ Conference where an amazing thing happened – people …
One of the fruits of the restoration of the gospel, and especially of the efforts being made lately, should be the strengthening of marriages. I know that statement will sting some friends but it is true nonetheless. We are blessed with an increase of love for others as we strive ever harder to live according …
