For most of my life, I saw the Book of Abraham as an additional witness of Joseph’s prophetic call. I never questioned it and never objectively looked at it. I simply accepted it because everyone else did. However, after studying…
Category: Church History
In Mormonism today, the First Vision is described as the single most important event in modern times. It signaled a change in God’s dealings with his children and an ushering in of a new age of religious teachings. The interesting…
On May 23rd, 1844, Joseph Smith was indicted for the crimes of adultery and fornication. Two weeks later he would destroy the Nauvoo Expositor. Two weeks after that he would be dead. The last month of Joseph’s life was filled…
In Mormonism, Zion is seen as a mostly nebulous concept that can mean completely different things based on the discussion. However, originally in early Mormonism, Zion was a very specific place and had a very specific purpose. This definition was…
Today we know very little pertaining to the specifics of the translation of the Book of Mormon. Many have studied this subject deeply and we seem to still not have a better idea. Some claim it was a word for…
In Nauvoo, William Marks stands alone as a tragic figure caught between two worlds. He was staunchly anti-polygamy, so Brigham pushed him out. However, he was also adamant that polygamy originated with Joseph. Consequently, many in the RLDS group he…
In Mormonism there is a growing trend to awaken to our awful situation, with a heavy focus on the problems with D&C 132. Many see the state of things and realize that at some point we got off track. The…
In Mormonism it is almost impossible to discuss Joseph Smith without an emotional reaction. This is because in most cases Joseph is equated with the restoration and put in an unnatural and untenable position regardless of our view on individual…
The King Follett discourse is the ultimate culmination of the slow and steady evolution of Mormonism from 1830 to April 7th, 1844, when the discourse was given. During the life of Joseph, Mormonism changed from Palmyra, to Kirtland, and finally…
The King Follett Discourse has to be the pinnacle of Nauvoo Mormonism. That discourse summed up everything that Mormonism had become. The discourse itself doesn’t really contain anything that wasn’t previously taught. However, the ideas were almost all previously taught…