Reviewed by Eric Johnson

During 2012, LDS members will be studying the latest manual published by their church, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith. We will evaluate this book regularly, chapter by chapter, by showing interesting quotes and providing an Evangelical Christian take on this manual. If you would like to see the church manual online, go to lds.org/manual/teachings-george-albert-smith?lang=eng

• Chapter 1: Living What We Believe
• Chapter 2: Love Thy Neighbour as Thyself
• Chapter 3: Our Testimony of Jesus Christ
• Chapter 4: The Prophet Joseph Smith
• Chapter 5: The Holy Priesthood
• Chapter 6: Sustaining Those Whom the Lord Sustains
• Chapter 7: The Immortality of the Soul

By Bill McKeever 

The fact that two members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have aspired to become President of the United States in the 2012 elections, has caused many to wonder whether or not a Christian should support such a person for the highest office in our land. Let me begin by saying that if voting for a Mormon is always wrong, Christians where I come from would never vote at all since the majority of candidates  running for public office in Utah are Latter-day Saints. Still, the possibility of having a Mormon Commander-in-Chief has caused many a great amount of consternation. Some concerns are realistic while others are not.

By Bill McKeever

Following the Mormon expulsion from Missouri in 1838, Joseph Smith made a trip to Washington, D.C. “to present to the National Congress the petition of the Saints for a redress of their grievances, suffered in Missouri” (History of the Church 4:xxvi). Arriving in November 1839, Smith met with several powerful politicians of that day, including President Martin Van Buren, and left Washington in disappointment. As the story goes, President Van Buren told the Mormon prophet, “Gentlemen, your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you...If I take up for you I shall lose the vote in Missouri”(Allen and Leonard, The Story of the Latter-day Saints, p.144).

Do temple garments offer protection to the wearer?

Joanna Brooks, a Mormon writing for Religion Dispatches, an online magazine, bemoaned “Bill Maher’s Issues with Mormon Underwear” made by the irreverent comedian on the David Letterman show (Religious Dispatches, April 27, 2011). The topic turned to Mormon presidential candidate Mitt Romney and, according to Ms. Brooks, went like this:

“Don’t get me started on Mitt Romney,” Maher sneered to Letterman. ”Because Mitt Romney will teach America what’s really in Mormonism.”

“Mitt likes to gloss over... ‘well, we’re just different types of Christians.’ No. No, I was raised Catholic,” Maher leaned in and raised an eyebrow, setting up for his big punchline: ”And there was no magic underwear.”

“Big laughs from the crowd at CBS studios. Right on cue.

“Magic underwear?”

Brooks responds,

“It’s no secret that highly observant LDS people wear sacred undergarments as an expression of religious commitment. But magic underwear? Please.”

I can understand Ms. Brooks being upset with an obviously insensitive comment meant to mock something Mormons feel is a part of their personal religious belief, but sadly, her defensive approach only gave her critics another reason to be suspicious of how Mormons portray their faith.

Sunday, January 22, 2011 marks the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in America. The LDS Church touts itself as a pro-life organization, but its message has been anything but consistent.

By Aaron Shafovaloff

The KJV of Revelation 1:6 reads,

"And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

When Dr. Robert Jeffress, the senior pastor of the 10,000-member First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas referred to Mitt Romney's Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a cult, he caused a firestorm among Mormons and those in the media. Sadly, even though Dr. Jeffress carefully explained that his comment was within the context of theology, he has been accused of bigotry, a typical accusation used by our culture when someone expresses disagreement. What has been virtually ignored in this controversy is how the LDS Church has historically viewed traditional Christianity. It is no secret that the LDS Church claims that it alone represents true Christianity and that God is only pleased with the church Joseph Smith started in 1830. LDS leaders have used words like, whoremaster, apostate, heathens, ignorant, fools, idolators, and blasphemous to describe professing Christians outside of the LDS faith. All things being equal, should they not also be considered bigots, and if so, when is the LDS Church going to apologize for these comments?

By Aaron Shafovaloff

Mormons tell us all the time to take our tough and deep questions to the young missionaries, because surely these guys know the answers. But that is hardly the case. These are a bunch of young 19 and 20-year-olds who are playing the part of a Mormon tradition that is designed to help them plant deep roots of Mormon commitment and belief. Many of them are on their mission to participate in an adventure and figure things out for themselves, not yet having the deep belief in Mormonism that they wish they had. The two-year-mission largely functions in Mormonism to solidify that belief. It's a spiritually formative time in their life, and it's our duty to plant seeds of truth in love.

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Mormon blogger Joanna Brooks complains that the idea that righteous Mormons will one day get their own planets is "folklore."

"Sure, it's a distorting and sensationalistic caricature of Mormon beliefs to say that all of us believe we're going to get our own planets. You could sit in your local Mormon Church for a month of Sundays and hear no reference to it. Even among orthodox Mormons, talk of planets (and the American location of the Garden of Eden—another matter ridiculed by Ferguson) is the subject of gentle insider humor, a nod to older strains of Mormon belief and folklore." (Link)

What have Mormon leaders and authors said?