Doctrine

Stand Forever – Considering one of the Primary Questions

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 …

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Righteousness

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 …

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Dealing With Evil Spirits

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.

A Prayer for Understanding of Sealing

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?

There Shall be no Disputations Among You

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.

I am the True Vine

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.

Why I Decided to Leave Mormonism

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.

Core Religious Beliefs of an Apostate

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 Most Correct Book

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.

Gramarye and Come Follow Me

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.

Joseph Smith and Polygamy

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.

The Ordinance Has Been Changed

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.

A Time of Reflection, Part Eight

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.

A Time of Reflection, Part Four

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.

A Time of Reflection, Part Two

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.

They Have Changed The Ordinance

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.

A Response From The Lord

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.

Doctrine of Christ Conference Update

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 …

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I See… Awake!

We mourn the passing of Doug Mendenhall on 18 Dec 2020. Doug was so kind to me over the years as I read and wrote about his books, attended his seminars and visited him as a friend to encourage him in his work. I am personally grateful to Doug for his masterful work on Conquering …

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Developing Awesome Spiritual Curiosity – A Thinking Mormon’s Yearning for Zion

Awesome – causing or inducing awe; inspiring an overwhelming feeling of reverence, or admiration Curiosity – eager to learn or know; inquisitive. The Mormon Internet is abuzz these days with the effective marketing of the CES Letter, with this recent one from friends over at Zelph on the Shelf, a comprehensive guide to well-worn criticisms against the LDS Church and Mormonism …

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Confession Time

  My mother (bless her heart) has been posting these new “helpful” videos put out by the Church that promotes the Church’s 12-step program, which is modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous. The Church’s program is targeted toward those with drug or sex addictions, and some with eating disorders.   I like what AA has done for …

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Pentecost and Patterns

Sunday, May 24 marked fifty days since the Feast of the Passover. The early Christian disciples, gathered together in Jerusalem, experienced an outpouring of the Spirit and attending gifts following prayer and supplication. Joseph adds that Peter officiated in ordinances: “God obtained a house where Peter washed and anointed on the Day of Pentecost.” (WJS, p. …

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Unequally Yoked

What an exciting time we live in. I have never seen more voices, claims, philosophies, and disagreements within the realm of what many call Mormonism. I have to thank Tim, and many other people who are open and tolerant of contrary views and interpretations. Truth will always remain constant and will stand up to any …

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Translation Please!

How often have people declared to have the “fullness” of truth? How many have stood with those who have cried, “Behold, I, I am the Lord’s.” Is there a church on earth that hasn’t made the cry in one way or another? Just recently I talked to some wonderful people about a particular movement that …

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A Virgin Birth

Volumes have been written about the divinity of Jesus Christ and His miraculous birth. Many different opinions and interpretations have been given about how His birth took place. Opinions range from Mary becoming pregnant through “natural” causes of procreation, albeit with a Divine Being, to the conception of Christ by the Holy Ghost, to a …

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No Other Effect

Joseph left us a very interesting statement about the Holy Ghost which has always intrigued me. It goes like this: “The Holy Ghost has no other effect than pure intelligence. It is more powerful in expanding the mind, enlightening the understanding, and storing the intellect with present knowledge…” (TPJS p. 149) There is more to …

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Representing Christ on the Earth

Many years ago, Elder Scott visited a Stake in Layton Utah to discuss an ongoing problem in the LDS Church, that of priesthood leaders putting themselves between Christ and His children. It has been twenty-two years since that issue was discussed, yet it remains rampant today. You would think over the years such an important …

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