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Showing posts from November, 2015

"Shall We Not Go On in So Great a Cause?"

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Del Parson, Christ Appears to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple. In 1833 the Latter-day Saints (nicknamed Mormons) experienced great trials and hardships in Ohio and Missouri but chose to sacrifice their time and money the build the house of the Lord in Kirtland, Ohio. In 1836 Joseph Smith Jr. prayed mightily to dedicate the temple as a place for the Son of Man "to manifest himself to his people" (see Doctrine and Covenants 88:5). He prayed that the Saints might be armed with power and blessed by angels (see Doctrine and Covenants 88:22). Many there testified that they experienced divine manifestations, including a vision of the Savior Jesus Christ and appearance of several angels who restored priesthood keys (see Doctrine and Covenants section 110). Historian Keith W. Perkins has written  here  about the construction, dedication, and miraculous events. Historian Steven C. Harper detailed the historical context  here . After the Saints reluctantly

To People Leaving the Church

My heart goes out to people leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).  I recognize that, for many of you, this is a difficult decision. I write this post realizing I'm unlikely to convince anyone to stay, nor should you stay if you don't want to (unless it's a situation of choosing beneficial values over pleasures--say, like eating fruits and veggies rather than ice cream!). I'm still sad to see you go, and I wish you the best on your life journey. I guess my goal is to articulate why I stay and why I still believe. My focus today is on one specific tangible witness: the Book of Mormon. Kent P. Jackson , professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, stated the issue very simply some years ago. When Joseph Smith Jr. said he touched and handled actual golden plates and translated them by the gift and power of God, he was either telling the truth or he was lying. Did Joseph Smith touch and handle actual golden plates? His repeated