Category: Mormon Theology
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LDS Teaching on Lucifer
By Sandra Tanner In order to understand the LDS doctrine regarding Lucifer one must also understand its doctrine of man. The LDS Church teaches that everyone, Jesus and Lucifer included, had a pre-mortal existence where we were born as spirit children of God and his wife. In the LDS teaching manual Gospel Principles we read:…
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LDS Leaders Define Their Concept of Jesus Christ
Often Mormons will say that they believe in the same Jesus as standard Christianity. However, their leaders’ definition is very different.
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Joseph Smith’s Role as ‘Prophet’ in View of the King Follett Discourse
Most Mormons assume that Joseph Smith’s teaching on the nature of God has remained the same since the beginning of the church. However, history shows that his story and doctrines changed over time.
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Evolution of the First Vision and Teaching on God in Early Mormonism
Different accounts of Joseph Smith’s First Vision and the perceptions of God that are related to it.
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Does the LDS Church Still Teach that Heavenly Father was Once a Man?
By Sandra Tanner One of the problems encountered by those wishing to discuss and compare LDS theology with standard Christian theology is determining what constitutes “official” LDS doctrine. While most churches are eager to set forth their beliefs, the LDS Church seems to avoid an official presentation of their complicated doctrines. When consulting the official…
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Acceptance of Joseph Smith Necessary for Eternal Life?
The importance of Joseph Smith in Mormon theology cannot be overemphasized in light of teachings that say that “no man or woman … will ever enter into the celestial kingdom without the consent of Joseph Smith.”
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Brigham Young Sermon: Blood Atonement (3)
Brigham Young teaches that if Latter-day Saints would understand how certain grave sins could jeopardize their promised exaltation they would whole-heartedly say, “shed my blood that I may be saved and exalted with the Gods.”
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Do LDS Historical Issues Matter?
Several historical issues which are the foundation of Mormonism’s truth claims.
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Terminology Differences Between LDS Teaching and the Bible
By Sandra Tanner Introduction Whenever an evangelical Christian and a Latter-day Saint engage in a doctrinal discussion they encounter the problem of terminology. LDS leaders use the standard vocabulary of Christianity but with radically different definitions. A Christian should never take for granted that his/her LDS friend understands common Christian terms in the biblical way.…
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Joseph Smith Sermon: Plurality of Gods
Railing against his “apostate” critics, Joseph Smith claims to know, by revelation and by an enlightened understanding of the Bible, that there are countless other Gods like our own Heavenly Father. As printed in History of the Church, vol. 6, chpt. 23, pp. 473-79 (typescript) [page 473] CHAPTER XXIII. . . . SERMON BY THE…