Category: history
Race and the Priesthood: Significant New Statement on the LDS History of Blacks and the Priesthood at LDS.org
I’m delighted with the release of a thoughtful statement at ChurchofJesusChrist.org clarifying the history of the Church’s former policy that prior to 1978 prohibited those with African ancestry from holding…
A New Twist on the Spalding Theory–And Sidney’s Amazing Voice Trick
For some critics, the story of the lost 116 pages in the coming forth of the Book of Mormon is utterly ridiculous. Some say it shows Joseph was just making…
17 Miracles: A Film About More Than Just a Handcart Company
While visiting family in Salt Lake City yesterday, I was able to view the film 17 Miracles. First, the camera work was outstanding as was the acting and directing, IMHO….
Truer Than Ever: The Book of Abraham
One of the biggest challenges to my personal testimony of the reality of the Restoration came when I was serving as Bishop years ago. I was exploring one of the…
Inept Deceipt in the Inspired Version? The Problem with Errant Assumptions
Here’s a friendly inquiry abut differences in the Book of Mormon and the “Inspired Version” of the Bible from someone who I don’t think was really looking for an answer:…
Christianity’s Bailout: Lessons from Constantine
Early Christianity was in deep trouble. Early persecution from some Jewish leaders was certainly a roadblock, but then came the persecution of the Roman Empire. For over two centuries it…
Secret Combinations and Plausible History: Teotihuacan
Drawing upon Mesoamerican history and some intricate details that can be drawn from the Book of Mormon, Brant Gardner explores Mormon’s treatment of secret combinations and some ties to actual…
Early Christianity and the (Restored) Concept of Three Degrees of Glory
A page in Barry Bickmores’ “Mormonism and Early Christianity” site provides some information from early Christian writings that are consistent with the Latter-day Saint doctrine of three degrees of glory…
Marcus H. Martins on Race in the Church
“A Black Man in Zion: Reflections on Race in the Restored Gospel” is a good read from the first black man to serve a mission after the 1978 revelation that…
How Quickly Freedom is Lost: Remembering FDR’s NRA
Were any of you around in Franklin D. Roosevelt’s day? I am amazed at how he is praised in our modern textbooks, with little critical discussion of what he did to Japanese Americans or to the Constitution of this land. While the precedent he set of massive executive power grabs continues unabated in our day, there are some lessons from his reign that should be remembered by those who seem eager to trust a President with power far beyond the intent of our Founding Fathers. For example, consider FDR’s National Recovery Administration (NRA)…
