What is official Mormon doctrine
NOTE: this is an important topic that I’m cross-posting from the Letter VII blog. In the last few months, some people have suggested that I’m on a slippery slope because I’m questioning the...
View ArticleTerryl Givens interview: "A disciple’s plea for openness and inclusion"
Over Thanksgiving, I took a break from blogging, partly because we were very busy in Australia and New Zealand. After all, the weather was perfect for golf. Plus, we did a lot of visiting, meeting new...
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Church History Museum still not fixed
I mentioned before that the Church History Museum in Salt Lake City, as awesome as it is, includes a few displays that are misleading because they reflect Mesomania. I visited the Museum again today...
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Intention or ignorance?
A recurring question is how much of the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs propaganda is a result of intention and how much is a product of ignorance (and imprinting). For example, look at the book Book of...
View ArticleContact Brother Largey – or other BYU professors
In response to yesterday’s post, readers have expressed surprise and concern that the Reference Companion would so blatantly edit out the early reference to Cumorah that undermines the...
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Another reference book that sows confusion
It’s no wonder so many members are confused about the geography issue. There is a long academic tradition of conflating two separate points, and I’m giving another example in today’s post. Church...
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Confusion about the golden plates
Yesterday I commented on The Book of Mormon Study Guide: Start to Finish. Today I’m going through the comments on the Title Page and the plates to show how mistakes in Church history have been...
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Mormon doctrine, Letter VII, and the Apostles
In the previous post we looked at the criteria for knowing whether something is official Mormon doctrine. https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/approaching-mormon-doctrine– Not every statement made by...
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Oliver Cowdery and the Apostles
Some people wonder why it was Oliver Cowdery who wrote Letter VII. It’s an easy answer. Recall that Oliver Cowdery was ordained as the Assistant President of the Church in December, 1834. The notes...
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Lessons from the British Mission
Modern missionary work could learn some important lessons from the British Mission in the 1830s and 1840s. Then, as today, the Book of Mormon is the key to conversion. It’s the instrument the Lord...
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New edition of Letter VII book
I’m giving readers of the blog a preview of a new version of Letter VII that will be released in 2018. The new subtitle is “Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery Explain the Hill Cumorah.” This version...
View ArticleMore on Mormon doctrine
My blog posts merely reflect my opinions and thought processes as I evaluate issues. Recently I wrote a post about “What is official Mormon doctrine,” here. To avoid confusion, I want to clarify that...
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Letter VII #5 bestseller – Mormonism new releases
Some readers might like to know that the new preview edition of Letter VII: Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery Explain the Hill Cumorah is currently #5 on Amazon’s new releases in Mormonism. It was higher...
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Opening the Heavens but censoring history
Readers have asked my thoughts about the presentation given by Professor John W. (Jack) Welch in November 2017 titled “Hours Never to Be Forgotten: Timing the Translation of the Book of Mormon.” You...
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Lesson/fireside material
Readers often ask for help in sharing/presenting the information about the Hill Cumorah. Here is some material you can use. _____ Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery explain the Hill Cumorah Purpose To...
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Persuading by presenting facts as "consensus"
A common persuasion technique is to present “facts” as a “consensus” of experts. This is often done in scientific debates. It is especially persuasive to more educated people. This is the same...
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2017 year end – social-validation feedback loop
Because so many new people are reading the blog, this week we’re republishing some of the more notable posts from 2017.___ Social-validation feedback loop BYU/CES teachers are talented, well-prepared,...
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Which narrative makes sense to you?
Letter VII presents LDS readers with a narrative that makes sense; i.e., the Hill Cumorah is in New York. This means Mormon’s depository of records (Mormon 6:6) and the final battles of the Jaredites...
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2017 year-end: A decision tree
Cumorah: A Decision Tree for Book of Mormon Geography People often ask for a summary of Book of Mormon geography issues. This post includes a decision tree to help people make their own decisions. My...
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2017 year end review – "to the convincing"
Moroni explained in the Title Page that the Book of Mormon was written “to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.” This...
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