2023 October General Conference, Saturday Morning Session
In the Path of Their Duty
David A. Bednar, Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles [Read more…] about Consider Conference: In the Path of Their Duty
Testimonies
Consider Conference: Think Celestial!
2023 October General Conference, Sunday Afternoon Session
Think Celestial!
Russell M. Nelson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Main Points
“Thinking Celestial” means to view our choices and the circumstances of our lives with an eternal perspective. [Read more…] about Consider Conference: Think Celestial!
Sacrifice and Obedience: Lessons from Zion’s Camp
by Matthew C. Godfrey
One of the seminal events of Wilford Woodruff’s life was his participation in the Camp of Israel (later known as Zion’s Camp) expedition in 1834. Wilford was recruited to participate in the camp after he had been a member of the Church for only a few weeks. The camp was the first time he got to meet individuals such as Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and Heber C. Kimball, and it taught him several lessons. Wilford transmitted these lessons to the Saints throughout his life, and they are teachings that can benefit Church members today as well.
Zion’s Camp Overview [Read more…] about Sacrifice and Obedience: Lessons from Zion’s Camp
Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – Acts 22–28
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Evangelical Questions: Do Evangelicals have “a testimony”?
by Jennifer Roach, MDiv, LMHC
Welcome back to Come Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions. My name is Jennifer Roach and today we’re going to talk about testimonies. As you know we’re going through the Come Follow Me readings and addressing common questions that Evangelicals ask about our faith as we go along. Our purpose here is not to fuel debate but to help you understand where your Evangelical friends and family are coming from so that you can have better conversations with them, and perhaps even be able to offer them a bit of our faith in a way they can understand. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – Acts 22–28
Join us for a virtual fireside!
Mission Leadership Q&A on June 25, 2023, at 7 p.m. MST
Do you have a question you’ve been hoping to ask mission leaders? Now is your chance! Join us for a fun evening of questions and answers right from your own couch!
Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 18: The Early Church – Polygamy [C]
Sorry for taking so long to get this posted! I’ve been putting in more than 60 hours a week at work lately, and I just didn’t have time to properly research this post until now.
This week, the topic under discussion is Joseph’s wives and the way that he personally practiced plural marriage. It’s true that some of the circumstances a little unusual compared to how later members practiced it, and it’s also true that sealing practices in general were unusual compared to how we practice them today. The world was also very different in the 1840s than it is today in the 2020s.
All of that means that it can be very difficult for us to understand what was going on and why. I’m going to do my best to break this all down so that it makes sense, but just remember, it’s okay if it makes you uncomfortable. It’s okay if you don’t like the idea of plural marriage. It’s okay if you don’t ever want to practice it. I don’t, either.
[Read more…] about Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 18: The Early Church – Polygamy [C]
Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 8: The Early Church – The Witnesses [A]
I have deep respect for all of the Book of Mormon witnesses. The things they went through because of their testimonies are, in parts, both devastating and galvanizing. Putting their names onto those documents truly became a trial by fire. And, as is usually the case with lifelong trials, sometimes they rose to the occasion and sometimes they didn’t. That makes them relatable and human, but it also makes them inspiring examples that we can follow in our own difficult situations.
Over the past two years, I’ve learned something about standing by your testimony in the face of vicious opposition. Since I first started my CES Letter series, and especially since I put my real name and face to it, I’ve had people attack my intelligence, my character, my writing ability, and my appearance. I’ve had people call my testimony, sincerity, and integrity into question. I recently compiled a list of more than 60 personal insults directed at me on a fairly large LDS-related subreddit that still stand today, despite direct appeals to moderators that I consider friendly acquaintances. I’ve had Jeremy Runnells and John Dehlin sic their followers on me in attempts to flood my social media accounts with abuse. I’ve had people attempt to dox me and publish my private information. I’ve had people call me the vilest names you can think of. I’ve even had someone spit on me because I was willing to stand up for my testimony. [Read more…] about Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 8: The Early Church – The Witnesses [A]
The Prison Journal of Belle Harris now available from Church Historians Press
Yesterday the Church History Department made public the Prison Journal of Belle Harris. Harris spent approximately three months in prison in 1883, along with her baby, for refusing to testify about her plural marriage to her ex-husband, Clarence Merrill, during the time when the federal government was attempting to crack down on the practice of plural marriage in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While there, she was received visits and support from various leaders such as Eliza R. Snow, Emmeline B. Wells, Presendia Huntington Kimball, Zina Huntington Young, Mary Isabella Hales Horne, Romania Bunnell Pratt, Bathsheba Bigler Smith, George Reynolds, Charles W. Penrose, and A. Milton Musser.
In her journal, Harris is described multiple times as a “plucky” woman, and her personality and faith really come out. Here are a few examples: [Read more…] about The Prison Journal of Belle Harris now available from Church Historians Press
Come, Follow Me Week 52 – Christmas
Christmas Message, Christmas Prophets, Christmas Joy
by David W. Smith
Jerusalem, 600 BC
The year is approximately 600 BC. The place is Jerusalem. It has been about 20 years since a major religious reform has changed how people worshiped. The prophet Jeremiah has been warning the people of Jerusalem that they need to repent or else watch as their city is destroyed and they are taken into captivity. Many other prophets echo his message. Now, after preaching for over 20 years, he is in prison. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 52 – Christmas
President Joseph F. Smith Speaks of His Revelations and of Testimony vs. Doubt
(submitted by Dennis B. Horne)
Joseph F. Smith letter to Edith E. Smith, undated (but written later than 1901): [Read more…] about President Joseph F. Smith Speaks of His Revelations and of Testimony vs. Doubt