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Sexual Abuse and Moral Authority in the LDS Church: A Christian Perspective

This isn’t just about statistics or lawsuits. This is about something much deeper—truth, accountability, and whether a church that claims to speak for God actually reflects His character. As Christians, we don’t measure a belief system only by what it claims, but by its fruit and how it handles sin—especially when it involves the most vulnerable. Jesus spoke very strongly about this. He said that if someone causes a child to stumble, it would be better for them to have a millstone tied around their neck and be thrown into the sea¹. That’s not mild language. That’s a warning of severe judgment. So any church that claims to follow Christ should take abuse—and how it is handled—extremely seriously. Now to be clear, abuse is not unique to one group. It has happened in many churches and institutions. But that doesn’t excuse anything. The real question is: how is it handled when it happens? There are documented cases of abuse within LDS congregations, including situations involving men in le...
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We Weren’t Trained Before Birth—But Our Lives Still Have Purpose

There’s something deeply appealing about the idea that we lived with God before we were born—that we were trained, assigned roles, and sent here with a mission already in hand. It gives people a sense of identity and significance. It tells us we were chosen because of who we already were. But that idea, however meaningful it may feel, isn’t what the Bible actually teaches. Scripture does say that God knew us before we were born. In Book of Jeremiah 1:5, God tells Jeremiah, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee.” That’s often taken as proof of a premortal life. But read carefully—God is not describing Jeremiah’s past experience. He’s describing His own knowledge. An eternal God doesn’t need us to exist beforehand in order to know us fully. That distinction matters. The Bible consistently presents God as the one who plans, calls, and appoints—not based on what we did before birth, but based on His own will. In Epistle to the Ephesians 1:4, it says we were chosen “before the foun...
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Money, Mission, and Faith — A Biblical Challenge About Tithing

Nobody denies that churches need money. Buildings cost money. Missionaries cost money. Helping the poor costs money. Any worldwide church must have resources to function. But the real issue is not whether money is necessary. The real issue is whether financial requirements match the teachings of Jesus and the early Christian church. This question becomes especially important when examining the practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The LDS Church teaches what is often called the fourfold mission of the Church: Proclaim the gospel. Strengthen the members. Perform temple work. Care for the poor. These are good goals. No serious Christian would object to them. Yes, these missions require resources. But Christianity is not built on efficiency. It is built on truth. And that raises an uncomfortable question: Did Jesus or the apostles ever require believers to pay a fixed percentage of their income in order to fully participate in worship? The answer from the New Testa...
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The Gilded Veil: When the LDS Church Betrays Its Own Members

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has long claimed to be a vessel of divine truth.¹ Yet a deeper look exposes a pattern of deception so deliberate it borders on institutionalized dishonesty.² Members are fed polished narratives while the full story—the inconvenient truths—is hidden behind layers of secrecy. Joseph Smith, the church’s founder, is taught as the ideal follower of the Word of Wisdom.³ Yet he drank alcohol, ran a bar, and profited from its sale.⁴ Even the story of translating sacred texts—using a seer stone in a hat—was concealed, contradicting official claims.⁵ The Book of Abraham, touted as divinely inspired, is revealed by Egyptologists to be merely funerary texts unrelated to Abraham.⁶ Yet the church persists in presenting it as scripture, deliberately withholding the truth.⁷ ⁸ Polygamy, officially renounced in 1890, persisted secretly among church leaders for decades.⁹ Internal documents show deliberate efforts to hide these practices while publicly claim...
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Speaking Truth Without Losing Love: How Christians Should Respond to Mormonism

As Christians, we care deeply about truth. That’s why the rise of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and its theology often draws concern from those of us grounded in Scripture. But let’s be very clear: calling all Mormons “Satanists” or “children of the devil” is not how Jesus taught us to speak. That kind of judgment isn’t righteous boldness—it’s self-righteousness disguised as zeal¹. The Bible commands us to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15)², not with hatred, contempt, or slander. Yes, Jesus called out hypocrisy and sin—but always with the purpose of redemption, not condemnation. He ate with sinners, spoke gently with outcasts, and saved the very people others wanted to stone³. His harshest rebukes were reserved for the proud religious elite, not those honestly searching for truth in the wrong places. Christians today can and should reject LDS theology where it departs from Scripture⁴. But there is a crucial difference between discernment and division. S...
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The Baptisms of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery: Authority, Doctrine, and Controversy

In the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the baptisms of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery stand as pivotal events, both for their personal spiritual journeys and for establishing the Church’s foundational doctrines. According to Mormon teaching, baptism is an essential ordinance for the remission of sins and entry into God’s kingdom. Crucially, the Church emphasizes that baptism must be performed by someone holding the proper priesthood authority, specifically the Aaronic Priesthood, which includes the authority to baptize.⁴ In May 1829, John the Baptist is said to have appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and conferred upon them the Aaronic Priesthood, formally granting them the authority to perform baptisms.⁴ Following this, Smith and Cowdery baptized each other in the Susquehanna River near Harmony, Pennsylvania. Their baptisms were performed by immersion and in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, in accordance with Mormon doctr...
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New Order Mormons and the Weakening Grip of Mormonism

Over the past few decades, a notable trend has emerged within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: the rise of what some call “New Order Mormons.” These are individuals who identify as LDS but do not strictly adhere to traditional doctrines or practices. They may reinterpret or question key teachings, take a more flexible approach to social issues, or selectively participate in church life. In some cases, they attend church only sporadically, embrace modern social and political ideals, or challenge longstanding interpretations of scripture. This shift reveals a broader reality: Mormonism is weakening its hold on people. When a religious system must accommodate cultural liberals, reinterpret doctrines, and tolerate half-hearted observance just to keep members nominally affiliated, it signals that its traditional authority and influence are under pressure. Members increasingly feel empowered to pick and choose which doctrines to accept, how to practice their faith, and how cl...
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