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In the last few days my social media feed has been filled with a back and forth between orthodox Christians, generally but not always Evangelical Protestants, and Latter-day Saints. The orthodox Christians argue that Latter-day Saints depart from Christian orthodoxy in fundamental ways and therefore are not Christian. Meanwhile the Latter-day Saints respond by pointing…
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While it’s hard to be sure of all the details, the latest news suggests that the person who shot worshipers at an LDS Church building in Michigan was motivated by anti-Mormon sentiment. It isn’t clear yet what the shooter’s own religious convictions were. But it is clear that he scapegoated members and saw the Church…
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My heart goes out to my Latter-day Saint friends and family members who had a really difficult day today with the passing away of their leader President Russell M. Nelson, and the horrific church shooting in Michigan. My heart breaks with my friends who are in mourning. An attack on a house of worship is…
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The Plates of Brass: The Book of Mormon’s Biggest Historical Problem There’s been a lot of debate lately regarding the gold plates: could all of the material in the Book of Mormon have physically fit on the plates? Could Joseph Smith have physically handled them? Could they have been preserved miraculously? All of this debate,…
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I have to confess that I never really watched a lot of Charlie Kirk’s videos before his murder. He was on my radar primarily as a provocateur and the organizer of efforts to get professors he saw as too liberal fired (an effort that I strongly disagree with) But since his murder, I have watched…
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In light of the killing of Charlie Kirk, I asked a group of Latter-day Saints a straightforward question: “If Charlie Kirk’s murderer repents while in prison, can he achieve exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom?” The responses were telling: There were two additional write-in votes that equate to “yes” and two that equate to “no.” Ignoring…
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One of my all-time favorite shows is The Good Place. It’s clever, funny, and surprisingly profound for a comedy series. I loved watching the characters wrestle with questions about morality, justice, and what it means to be a good person. Some friends recently did a podcast episode about the show, and it got me reminiscing…
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The news this week has been especially heavy. I was heartbroken by the shooting of Charlie Kirk. Even though I didn’t always agree with his approach, I respected him immensely for his incredible gift for organizing people and sparking dialogue and debate. I was also struck by the fact that he was only 31 years…
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I recently had a conversation with a Latter-day on Twitter who insisted that Jesus Christ was endorsing the apochryphal Book of Tobit in Matthew 22:23-33. I found his argument extremely unpersuasive. I then asked him why he thought this mattered. He responded that he thought this was the death knell of sola scriptura. This is…
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“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to…