Messenger Magazine
Because of the sacred nature of many of the doctrines revealed to Joseph Smith, and due to the ridicule and persecution that many of the world would have given them, the Prophet taught many things in secret to only his most trusted associates. However, not all of his friends proved to be trustworthy, and […]
“The song of the righteous is a prayer unto me”1 said the Lord to Emma Smith in a revelation received by her husband, the Prophet Joseph. God had instructed her to compile a hymnbook, and with the help of William W. Phelps they put together a uniquely Mormon set of sacred songs to be sung […]
Adam is Man
Although the name Adam doesn’t appear in the King James Version of the Bible until over half way through the second chapter of Genesis, in the original Hebrew language Adam appears in the first sentence regarding the creation of man and woman, when it tells us “God created man in His own […]
Truth holds no brief with any sort of “ism” that has for its aim the destruction of human liberty. Men who engage in movements which encourage religious intolerance, are actuated by the spirit of the evil one, whether they be churchmen or otherwise.
Before you ask me to give up my lifestyle, show me that yours works. Show me that a monogamist marriage is sacred, that it works for at least a lifetime. Currently, more than 60 percent don’t. Show me children who don’t fret and worry about “if” and “when” their family will be torn apart.
At the death of President Joseph F. Smith the LDS Church stood at a crossroads. He was the last Church leader alive to have known the Prophet Joseph, and was the last prophet at the head of the Church who lived Plural Marriage whilst in that calling. With his passing came the end of an era. Who could fill his shoes?
It has been frequently assumed - not only by detractors of Mormonism, but by many Church members themselves - that the Book of Mormon condemns polygamy and has no righteous examples of men practicing that way of life.
Our tenth Article of faith tells us that “We believe in the literal gathering of Israel,” but what does that mean? Is it just speaking of “the return of the ten tribes” or does it apply to us too? Early LDS history shows us that many newly converted Saints came from foreign lands across the ocean to this country to help build up Zion, yet that time - as far as most Church members are concerned - seems to have passed, so what relevance or importance can that doctrine have to us today?
Most orthodox LDS Church members and Mormon Fundamentalists accept Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and John Taylor as Prophets, Church Presidents, and Presidents of the Priesthood, all holding the keys of Elijah (or the authority to preside over all of the ordinances). Past this point Fundamentalists have raised some controversy over the position of Wilford Woodruff to Joseph F. Smith and beyond.