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The King Follett Discourse-As Man Now is God Once Was

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded in 1830.  In 1820 14-year-old Joseph Smith declared that in search of the truth about God, he prayed in a secluded grove.  He testified in an article describing his experience in 1832 that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him in answer to that prayer.  Since that day additional claims of visitations from angels, including one that showed him where an ancient record was stored and that he would translate.   The Book of Mormon came forth as another testament of Jesus Christ. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was established in 1830. For the next fourteen years until 1844, he revealed doctrines that had been lost to Christendom after the death of Jesus and his apostles. He was God's prophet to restore authority to act in God's name and reestablish the Savior's church in preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. On April 7, 1844, a few months before he was murdered he spoke in conjunct
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God is Not Dead- Was He Just Sleeping?

The morality of the sixties and seventies inspired a generation of disdain for the morals of previous generations. Or so it seems.  History documents to some degree the moral shortcomings of all ages.  We can, however, see the trends of modern culture and weigh their effects.  Somewhere in the mix, the slogan "God is Dead" came about.  It was as if people could do whatever they wanted and somehow there were no negative consequences, at least not right away.  And that is what these trendsetters wanted others to think as well.   Christian apologists have battled backed through the ages with countermeasures, and in recent decades with slogans of their own. One we've heard in modern times is that "God is not Dead".  The scholarly thinkers, and Biblical apologists, keep busy creating a palatable narrative that would help keep the contradictions found in classical theology from becoming subjects of discussion among believers. Their principal approach is to remind bel

God, The Godhead, Heavenly Parents and Eternal Families

After almost 50 years as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I am still amazed at the depth and simplicity of the doctrines of the Church. The Church is not a new religion, it is a reestablishment of the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In 1830 the Church was organized, new scripture was introduced with the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon and the gospel was preached under the guidance of apostolic authority. This is a restoration of the work of Jesus Christ in the earth. It is a restoration of God’s authority to prophet servants in the earth.  Men and women that were chosen before they were born. (Jeremiah 1:15).  They were chosen to to stand as “watchmen on the tower” and organize the kingdom among all the people of the earth.  With this authority and direct connection with the God of Heaven, we now have greater understanding than ever before of the wonders of eternity and the mysteries of an endless cosmos.   God has given us increased knowledge r

The Ideal Family and a Gospel Centered Home

Is there such a thing as an ideal family?  Yes, the family of God is the ideal family.  What was the home environment in "God's house"?  What is the purpose of our earthly families.  Why did God ordain marriage and family as a foundation for creating and nurturing life in our mortal environment?  Don't we call God our Eternal Father? Did God have a "gospel" in mind for his family before the earth was created? Yes, we know the gospel of Jesus Christ was to send Jesus to the earth to save God's children? See Ephesians 3:15) How did the fact that we are part of God's family become lost to the Christian community following the Savior's death? It is a matter of history that the nature of God became a mystery after the death of Jesus Christ. Rather than God being a Father to his Son, the existence of divine order in the heavens became known as a mystical force. Holy beings became an incorporeal essence, a non-created presence in the universe outside of

The Divine Union, Created in the Image of God, Male and Female

I have been married 42 years at this writing and have made many observations based on personal experience. I have also regularly studied scholarly works, the opinions, and the teachings of living prophets as well as the theological conclusions of mainstream Christianity. Each of us as individuals and those that are married has uniqueness in our relationships, and yet generally speaking our commonalities are much greater than our individual situations. We do see many patterns in creation. Are they eternal or temporary? As we look at the narrative in Genesis some questions come up.  Many Christian scholars, philosophers, and apologists conclude that that man (and woman) being created in the image of God has nothing to do with how we look. Yet, they say a man is the "image bearer" of God in their effort to maintain scriptural continuity. The reason the concept of an incorporeal, and therefore genderless triune deity exists, stems from the acceptance of ancient creeds formulated

Adam and Eve: The World's First Christians

Some time ago I became interested in the similarities and differences as to how the modern Christian faith is taught and what I understood as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I started reading online the information provided by biblical professors churches and clergy on their websites and youtube channels. I also started to participate in discussion forums on Facebook, Youtube and others to learn from conversations about Christian and biblical theology. The discussions I have followed and the reading has been interesting and informative.  One topic in particular that distinguishes Latter-day Saint theology from the theology of traditional or mainstream Christianity is how we, Latter-day Saints, understand the Fall of Adam and Eve and the eternal nature of the doctrine of Christ.  Latter-day Saints believe that Adam and Eve and all the prophets of God that followed them believed that Jesus Christ would be their Savior.  Errors and among some of the earli