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“One of the most striking contradictions I’ve discovered in the Book of Mormon is its depiction of people receiving the Holy Spirit—specifically, the Lamanites in Helaman 5—long before Pentecost, the biblical event that inaugurated the Spirit’s indwelling presence under the New Covenant.” Contrary to the Book of Mormon’s depiction, the Bible clearly teaches—from the mouth…
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Two years ago I made the difficult decision to step away from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I had spent several intense weeks wrestling with deeply conflicting emotions. As I’ve written about previously, in a pretty short time, God had opened my eyes both to Biblical truths regarding grace and the nature…
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One of the most common proof texts for the LDS restoration is Acts 3:19-21. Indeed, these verses have been cited more than 175 times in General Conference. But do these verses really support the idea that there would be an apostasy and eventual restoration of Christ’s true Church? Here’s the passage in the KJV: “19 Repent…
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On the night that Jesus was betrayed, he washed his disciples feet. With this powerful act of service and submission, Jesus powerfully symbolized the atonement that he would soon complete on the cross. Peter at first responded by declaring that he would never allow Jesus to wash his feet. (John 13:8). Then, when told ” “Unless…
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(This image was created with the assistance of DALL·E 2) Over the past few weeks I’ve been reading the book of 1 Samuel with my 10 year old daughter. We’ve really enjoyed exploring God’s faithfulness in these incredible stories. One of our favorite parts is the story of Hannah. We were both touched and inspired by her…
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(Image created using OpenAI’s DALL-E tool via ChatGPT.) I saw Wicked today and really loved it. For me, Wicked has been more than a musical—it’s been a companion through some of the most formative and challenging moments of my life. So it was so powerful to see a show that I have loved for nearly…
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Reflecting on Brad Wilcox’s Perspective on Grace When I was a Latter-day Saint, Brad Wilcox’s talk on grace profoundly shaped my faith. His analogy, comparing grace to a piano lesson, offered a perspective that resonated deeply with me. David Snell recently interviewed Brad Wilcox on the topic of grace, and even though I am no…
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One of the promises of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that it offers the “restoration of all things.” Latter-day Saints are told that their church brought back ancient lost traditions and covenants that originated at the time of Adam and Eve, but were lost during the Great Apostasy. Joseph Smith and…
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Today I watched a YouTube video by someone who is investigating the LDS Church. He talked about his experience being challenged to abstain from tea and coffee. The missionaries promised him that doing so would help him get an answer as to whether the LDS Church was true or not. Their challenge actually should help…
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Preface I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to engage with my friends who are watching LDS General Conference this weekend. I have seen that people respond very negatively to even gentle criticism of specific talks and I want to let my LDS friends enjoy the weekend without being a source of negativity.…