Category: Mormon Theology
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Lectures on Faith
By Jerald and Sandra Tanner [The following is an excerpt from Mormonism—Shadow or Reality?, pp. 166-167.] In 1835 the “Lectures on Faith,” which were originally delivered before a class of the Elders, in Kirtland, Ohio, were printed in the Doctrine and Covenants. In these lectures it was definitely stated that God the Father was a…
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Apostle Attacks Personal Relationship with Christ
Why would an apostle of Jesus declare that church members should not strive for a personal relationship with Christ?
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The Changing World of Mormonism (online book)
Hyperlinked Table of Contents for The Changing World of Mormonism
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The Changing World of Mormonism: Chapter 12
Mormon Scriptures and the Bible The Mormon church accepts the Bible as one of its four standard works. The Book of Mormon quotes large portions of the King James Version of the Bible, and Joseph Smith’s other revelations are filled with material from the Bible. Since the King James Version was printed about 200 years before Joseph…
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The Changing World of Mormonism: Chapter 7
The Godhead In the book of Isaiah 44:8 we read: “. . . Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.” Joseph Smith’s first published work, the Book of Mormon, seems to be in harmony with the teachings of the Bible on this point, for it states that there is only…
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The Changing World of Mormonism: Chapter 8
The Adam-God Doctrine The Adam-God doctrine was a natural outgrowth of the doctrine of a plurality of Gods. Although this doctrine was not publicly taught until 1852, Adam was held in high esteem at the very beginning of the Mormon church. Apostle John A. Widtsoe said that “In Joseph Smith’s philosophy of existence Adam and…
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The Changing World of Mormonism: Chapter 15
The Arm of Flesh In Jeremiah 17:5 we read: “Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm. . . .” This Scripture means that we are not to put our trust in any man, but that we are to rely only upon God and put our trust in…
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The Changing World of Mormonism: Chapter 21
The Hereafter Because the Universalists were claiming that man would not receive eternal punishment for his sins, the question of justice and mercy was a burning issue during Joseph Smith’s lifetime. Evangelist Charles G. Finney tells of an incident that took place in the 1820s: . . . a Universalist minister came in and began to promulge…
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The Changing World of Mormonism: Chapter 20
Blood Atonement In a manuscript written in 1839, Reed Peck said that Joseph Smith claimed he had a revelation in which Apostle Peter told him that he had killed Judas: “He [Joseph Smith] talked of dissenters and cited us to the case of Judas, saying that Peter told him in a conversation a few days…
