By Living Waters

I recently subscribed to the LDS Newsroom email list, recently receiving notice of their piece, “Proportion and Perspective in Polygamy Reporting.” I quickly encountered a lesson that perhaps Mormons should considering taking to heart. Let me explain.

As you may know, of late Mormons have borne the burden of having to distinguish themselves from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a group in Texas that distinguishes itself from the Salt Lake City-based Church by the practice of polygamy and a claim to faithful observance of original Mormon doctrine. The group members want to be known as “Fundamentalist Mormons.” The LDS Church doesn’t appreciate this at all, seeking to lay claim to the name “Mormon” and distinguish themselves from the polygamous group. Their analysis is quite instructive. Their explanation begins:
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When the missionary asked whether I had prayed about the Book of Mormon, I knew we were entering what I term “the realm of decision.” This is precisely the point at which the missionaries offer what they deem to be the clincher. They firmly believe that if people read the Book of Mormon, pray about it, and feel good about it, that feeling is the testimony of the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith truly was a prophet of God, the prophet of the restoration.

I admitted that I had not pray specifically about the Book of Mormon. I explained that I had prayed and thanked God for his faithfulness, for his presence, for the many answers to prayer. Then I noted that I had previously read the Book of Mormon and prayed about it. I also noted that when I had done so, there was a time in my life when I didn’t receive the answer that the missionaries expected. (more…)

My conversation with the Mormon missionaries turned toward the Book of Mormon. They had given me a new copy at our first meeting and had asked me to read a few passages. I had. They asked my thoughts about a passage in 3 Nephi 11. This is a chapter that tells of Christ appearing to the Nephites in somewhere in the Americas. As I had read the passage, it reminded me of a resonant text in John 20. Here are the Book of Mormon verses that I had some thoughts about. (more…)

Today I met with the Mormon missionaries again. It was another interesting and important conversation. I’d like to make a few observations about our conversation.

Our time began with with typical greetings. Accompanying the missionaries was a young man in his early-20s. He is a recent convert. He was a bit to zealous and forceful, often dominating the conversation with his overdrawn enthusiasm. He kicked off the conversation even before we had prayed. The missionaries said nothing. “I’ve got a question,” he offered. “Given all the different Christian denominations here in Colorado Springs, how do you know which one is the one true church?” (more…)

This week I met with a few Mormon missionaries — actually two missionaries and a young local man who drove them to the meeting (as the missionaries are limited to 17 miles per day with their own car — back to bikes, I should think). My friend Dustin was with me. We chatted for about an hour. Our learning experience centered on why they didn’t bring their Bibles and why they surmised that using logic simply won’t get people to the truth. Perhaps I’ll address the latter issue later; for now, lets focus our attention on why they didn’t bring their Bibles.

Some prefatory comments are in order. (more…)

I’m fast approaching 20 years since I resigned my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as Mormonism). It remains an area of great interest to me, of course. I regularly read books and articles by and about Mormon(i)s(m). I find it somewhat predictable that when a Mormon writes about why people leave the Church, the options are limited. In a recent article (17 September 2007), Kevin Whitaker writes the following:

For various reasons, there are a number of people leaving the LDS church: Some are excommunicated. Some are offended by a local leader. Some have simply lost faith.

In fairness, Whitaker then states that the “reasons are quite numerous.” Even so, he limited the specific reasons in a way that seems to betray a particular bias. No big deal; we all have our biases, many of which we do not see. (more…)

I remember my own investigations when coming out of Mormonism (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) in the late-80s. One particularly revealing area was that of The Book of Abraham, a book nestled within The Pearl of Great Price, one of the books of Mormon scripture (others being the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants). Recently a video I once saw was brought to my attention. I recommend watching it, if you’re at all interested in the many discussions surrounding Mormonism.

I recently had the pleasure of lecturing at Summit’s first session of the summer. This session typically has fewer students than other session, primarily due to its timing. We can host about 180 students. This session has over 100 students. (more…)

My good friend (and fellow Summit lecturer), Frank Beckwith, has an engaging article in First Things where he weighs in on Mitt Romney’s run for the U.S. presidency: “When the Saint Goes Swearing In.” For an historical perspective on Mormons and politics, the PBS Frontline series, The Mormons, is worth watching. The second part of the series is now available online.

The PBS: Frontline program, The Mormons, is now available for viewing online. I’ve not watched all of it. What I’ve seen I’ve appreciated, for the most part. It seems a mixture of promoters and detractors, the faithful and the formerly-so, the official and the underground.

One of the points made reveals Joseph Smith’s penchant for power. He was seen as God’s prophet, he was mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois (rivaling Chicago at the time), he was chief justice of the city court, he was lieutenant general of the Nauvoo Legion, and in the early 1840s he was running for the presidency of the United States. These were his public faces. His private faces were seen by many wives with whom he was secretly married – practicing polygamy privately while denouncing it publicly. And Joseph would permit no opposition to Joseph’s power and polygamy, which is why he had the printing press of the Nauvoo Expositor destroyed.

One sample silence is the failure to mention how when Joseph was killed at the Carthage jail, among his fellow prisoners were smuggled guns that were used against their attackers. According to history books published by the official Mormon publisher, Deseret Books, Joseph took up a pistol with which he shot three people, two of whom died. Strangely, Joseph is hailed as a martyr, as a lamb who went to slaughter.