Doctrine and Covenants 110:12, 13: 1 12 After this, Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, saying that in us and our seed all generations after us should be blessed. 13 After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon us; for Elijah the prophet, who was taken … Read more
Excerpt from an address by Prophet Thomas S. Monson in the April 2013 General Conference:1 “Declared President Joseph F. Smith in October 1873, “Obedience is the first law of heaven.” Matthew 22:37-40: 2 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, … Read more
Excerpt from the BYU Journal of Undergraduate Research, A Recently Recovered Source: Rethinking Joseph Smith’s Bible Translation (March 16, 2017): 1 “Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible has attracted significant attention in recent decades, drawing the interest of a wide variety of academics and those who affirm its nearly canonical status in the LDS scriptural … Read more
Letter from LDS Apostle Delbert Stapley to then Michigan Governor George Romney regarding Romney’s position about civil rights and attitudes toward black people, January 23, 1964: 1 It was a real pleasure to greet and have a moment to visit with you and Lenore here this past week. It is wonderful to see how enthusiastically … Read more
Letter from LDS Apostle Delbert Stapley to then Michigan Governor George Romney regarding Romney’s position about civil rights and attitudes toward black people, January 23, 1964: 1 It was a real pleasure to greet and have a moment to visit with you and Lenore here this past week. It is wonderful to see how enthusiastically … Read more
Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, September 22 and 23, 1832 (Doctrine and Covenants 84: 4-5): 1 4 Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which … Read more
Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Vol. 5, Pg. 336: 1 “The Prophet On The Second Coming Of The Christ. The question has been asked, can a person not belonging to the Church bring a member before the high council for trial? I answer, No. If I had not actually got into this work and … Read more
Excerpt from Wikipedia, topic: Illusory Truth Effect: 1 “The illusory truth effect (also known as the truth effect or the reiteration effect) is the tendency to believe information to be correct after repeated exposure. This phenomenon was first identified in a 1977 study at Villanova University and Temple University. When truth is assessed, people rely … Read more
Excerpt from an address by Brigham Young, delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, October 9, 1859 (JOD Vol. 7, Pg. 289): 1 “Joseph Smith holds the keys of this last dispensation, and is now engaged behind the veil in the great work of the last days. I can tell our beloved brother Christians … Read more
Excerpt from a 2000 BYU paper by Joseph Fielding McConkie (Professor of Ancient Scripture, BYU) and Craig J. Ostler (Assistant Professor of Church History and Doctrine, BYU) titled ‘The Process of Translating the Book of Mormon’: 1 “Spanning a period of twenty years (1869-1888), some seventy recorded testimonies about the coming forth of the Book … Read more
Excerpts from a 1981 LDS Booklet Addressing ‘Homosexuality’, published as a guide to be used for local leaders when working with homosexual members: 1 Pg. 1 Homosexuality is of grave concern to the Church because- 1. It violates the Lord’s eternal plan for man’s progress by perverting the proper use of procreative powers and loving … Read more
Letter from the First Presidency to Dr. Lowry Nelson, July 17 1947: 1 “Your position seems to lose sight of the revelations of the Lord touching the preexistence of our spirits , the rebellion in heaven, and the doctrines that our birth into this life and the advantages under which we my be born, have … Read more
Letter from the First Presidency to Dr. Lowry Nelson, July 17 1947: 1 “Your position seems to lose sight of the revelations of the Lord touching the preexistence of our spirits , the rebellion in heaven, and the doctrines that our birth into this life and the advantages under which we my be born, have … Read more
Excerpt from Spencer W. Kimball’s ‘The Miracle of Forgiveness’, Chp. 6:1 “Youth come into contact early with masturbation. Many would-be authorities declare that it is natural and acceptable, and frequently young men I interview cite these advocates to justify their practice of it. To this we must respond that the world’s norms in many areas-drinking, … Read more
Excerpt from a 2017 YSA Face to Face with Russell Ballard and Dallin Oaks:1 MALE HOST:“…we have a lot of questions in the YSA about their friends dealing with doubts. A question from Utah asks what advice/guidance would you give for answering tough questions about church history when we are asked about them by someone … Read more
Topic: Hill Cumorah Cave … From Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 17 June 1877: 1 “Oliver Cowdery went with the Prophet Joseph when he deposited these plates. Joseph did not translate all of the plates; there was a portion of them sealed, which you can learn from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. When Joseph … Read more
From the April 1942 General Conference, prophet Heber J. Grant: 1 “MESSAGE TO THE YOUTH To the youth of the Church we repeat all the foregoing advice, but above all we plead with you to live clean, for the unclean life leads only to suffering, misery, and woe physically, — and spiritually it is the … Read more
Jacob 2:24, the Book of Mormon: 1 ‘Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord.’ Doctrine and Covenants 132: 2 1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph, that inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand to know and understand … Read more
Excerpt from LDS apostle Orson Pratt’s 1874 General Conference address: 1 “…I have heard now and then (I am very glad to say that only a few such instances have come under my notice), a brother or a sister say, “I am a Latter-day Saint, but I do not believe in polygamy.” Oh, what an … Read more
Journal of Wilford Woodruff, March, 1873: 1 ‘At evening prayer circle: President Young said Joseph the Prophet told me that the Garden of Eden was in Jackson County, Missouri, and when Adam was driven out of the Garden of Eden, he went about 40 miles to the place which he named Adam ondi Ahman, and … Read more
Footnote 31, ‘Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham’, LDS Gospel Topic Essay: 1 “31. John Whitmer, History, 1831–ca. 1837, 76, in Karen Lynn Davidson, Richard L. Jensen, and David J. Whittaker, eds., Histories, Volume 2: Assigned Historical Writings, 1831–1847, vol. 2 of the Histories series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean … Read more
Excerpt from the LDS Race and the Priesthood 2014 essay: 1 ‘In 1850, the U.S. Congress created Utah Territory, and the U.S. president appointed Brigham Young to the position of territorial governor. Southerners who had converted to the Church and migrated to Utah with their slaves raised the question of slavery’s legal status in the … Read more
Excerpt from LDS prophet Harold. B. Lee’s book Decisions for Successful Living, 1973: 1 “The privilege of obtaining a mortal body on this earth is seemingly so priceless that those in the spirit world, even though unfaithful or not valiant, were undoubtedly permitted to take mortal bodies although under penalty of racial or physical or … Read more
Excerpt from an address given in the October 2017 LDS General Conference, by Apostle M. Russell Ballard: 1 “Among those first Saints to arrive in Utah was Jane Manning James—the daughter of a freed slave, a convert to the restored Church, and a most remarkable disciple who faced difficult challenges. Sister James remained a faithful … Read more
Excerpt from an October 2015 YSA Devotional by M. Russell Ballard: 1 “We don’t have to question anything in the church, don’t get off into that. Just stay in the Book of Mormon. Just stay in the Doctrine and Covenants. Just listen to the prophets. Just listen to the apostles. We won’t lead you astray, … Read more
Excerpt from a 2015 BYU Idaho address Millions Shall Know Brother Joseph Again, by Professor Jayson Kunzler: 1 “As we humbly search the scriptures, we will come to know both Jesus Christ and his servant, Joseph Smith. In this connection, may I offer a suggestion to all of us? If we truly desire to know … Read more
Excerpts from 3 Nephi, Christ is speaking to the remnant survivors in America, describing the destruction he’s caused: 1 1 And it came to pass that there was a voice heard among all the inhabitants of the earth, upon all the face of this land, crying: 2 Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto … Read more