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The Perils of Prophetic Pattern-Matching: A Response to an LDS Member on Facebook
“The besetting sin of religious thought is not doubt but credulity — the willingness to believe what we wish were true rather than what the evidence compels us to accept.” — adapted from Sterling McMurrin, The Theological Foundations of the Mormon Religion There is something simultaneously admirable and deeply troubling about Zander Sturgill’s Facebook post….
Folding Away the Shroud of Turin into the Archive of Pious Imagination
Why the Shroud of Turin Cannot Be the Burial Cloth of Jesus Christ A Biblical and Historical Examination Introduction: The Seduction of Sacred Relics Few objects in the history of Christendom have generated as much fascination, reverence, controversy, and theological confusion as the Shroud of Turin. Housed today in the Cathedral of Saint John the…
The Wadi al-Jarf Papyri: Ancient Egypt’s Eyewitness Account of the Building of the Great Pyramid
The Discovery, Translation, and Significance of the World’s Oldest Written Papyri A Find Without Precedent In the annals of Egyptian archaeology, certain discoveries arrive with the force of revelation — moments when the ancient world suddenly speaks in a recognizable human voice. The unearthing of the Wadi al-Jarf Papyri in 2013 was exactly such a…
Mark Hofmann and the Mormon Murders
Unraveling the Dark Saga of a Master Forger Who Deceived a Church and Murdered to Protect His Lies Introduction: A Church Deceived On the morning of October 15, 1985, Salt Lake City awoke to what promised to be a crisp, beautiful autumn day. Temperatures were expected to reach a pleasant 62 degrees under cerulean skies….
Embracing the Cross: A Challenge to the LDS Church’s Symbolic Reluctance.
A Comprehensive Biblical and Historical Examination of the Iconography of the Cross. The crucified Jesus stands as Christianity’s central symbol of redemption, forgiveness, and eternal life—a paradoxical image that has defined the faith for two thousand years. Yet the stark contrast between the brutality of Roman execution and the message of divine love it represents…
King James Copycat? The Truth Behind Joseph Smith’s “Translation” of the Bible
Questions of religious truth are ultimately matters of faith as well as evidence. But faith that is unwilling to examine evidence is not strengthened faith but rather faith that fears examination. Introduction In the summer of 1830, just months after the publication of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith embarked on one of the most…
The Wife Who Stayed: Emma Smith and the Fracturing of Mormonism
A Historical and Theological Examination I. The Exodus Begins The winter of 1846 descended upon Nauvoo, Illinois, with a bitter cold that matched the chill settling over what had once been the largest city in the state. Along the frozen streets that led to the Mississippi River, wagons creaked under the weight of household goods,…
The MBA Prophet: Clark Gilbert’s Ascent to LDS Apostleship Without a Single Theology Credit
An investigative examination of the newest Mormon apostle’s conspicuous absence of religious scholarship On February 12, 2026, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ordained Clark G. Gilbert as its newest apostle—a man the church now considers a “prophet, seer, and revelator” authorized to speak for God to over 17 million members worldwide. His…
More Than History: Why These Mormon Studies Are Equipping You for More Than Gospel Witness
Dear friends in Christ, I want to take a moment to share something that’s been on my heart regarding the series of articles I’ve been writing about Mormonism, Joseph Smith, and the Latter-day Saints movement. Some of you may have wondered why I spend so much time examining the historical details of a 19th-century religious…
A Critical Examination of the LDS “Burning in the Bosom”
The Test That Cannot Fail A Critical Examination of the LDS “Burning in the Bosom” Method for Discerning Religious Truth A Traditional Christian Response to the Latter-day Saint Approach to Revelation and the Book of Mormon Introduction Among the many religious movements that have emerged from American soil, few have developed such a sophisticated and…