A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge, for if he does not get knowledge, he will be brought into captivity by some evil power in the other world, as evil spirits will have more knowledge, and consequently more power than many men who are on the earth. Joseph Smith, April 10, 1842 … Read more
Recently, I started an adult Sunday School lesson on the Fall of Adam and Eve by saying “Today we are going to partake of the Tree of Knowledge.” I then took a big bite of a juicy red apple. After savoring the taste, I offered another apple to a class member sitting in the front … Read more
The other day I asked this question to my 89-year-old mother. Her answer was, “I don’t believe that for a minute. She knew exactly what she was doing.” It is impossible to know the precise degree to which Eve may have made her decision (about eating the fruit) by being swayed by Satan’s temptations or … Read more
In 1995, the LDS Church issued a statement called “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” This Proclamation was recently the topic of study in LDS Sunday School classes. I believe many Latter-day Saints misuse this Proclamation to push a politically conservative agenda. What are LDS “Proclamations”? The Church has issued six Proclamations throughout its … Read more
If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide. Abraham Lincoln, 1838 2021 was supposed to be the year things returned to normal. A highly qualified, easy-going, gentleman was entering the White House and, with the … Read more
There is an old quip that says, “If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” This hypothetical court case is usually presented as a challenge to professed Christians to step up and actually LIVE according to the precepts taught by Jesus Christ. It is one thing to … Read more
In August of 1835 a conference of the LDS Church voted to add an appendix to the back of its soon to be published Doctrine and Covenants. It was entitled “A Declaration on Government and Law.” It is now Section 134 of the book. This declaration contains a number of principles that deserve to be … Read more
The United States of America was founded on three moral principles: 1. the rule of law, 2. the power of truth, and 3. the right of equal opportunity for all. The American Republican Party, at the behest its billionaire masters (and the right-wing media controlled by those billionaires), has been chipping away at all three … Read more