“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….
Category: Book of Mormon
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…
Moroni’s Golden Plates: History, Controversies, and Unanswered Questions.
A Scholarly Examination from Inquisitive and Historical Perspectives Introduction to the Golden Plates and Their Significance The golden plates represent the foundational artifact claim of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), serving as the purported ancient record from which Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon between 1827 and 1829. According…
Joseph Smith: Failed Polygamist.
Plural Marriage in Mormon Doctrine: A Critical Theological and Historical Analysis I. Introduction: The Origins and Motivations Behind Mormon Plural Marriage The introduction of plural marriage into Mormon doctrine represents one of the most controversial and consequential developments in American religious history. While faithful Latter-day Saint (LDS) narratives have traditionally portrayed this practice as a…
Schism in the Desert: The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Mainstream Mormonism
A Comparative Analysis of Doctrinal Divergence and Historical Development Introduction In the vast, sun-baked landscape of the American Southwest, two religious communities claim spiritual descent from the same prophetic founder. Yet, their paths have diverged so dramatically that their relationship has become one of the most complex and contested in American religious history. The Church…
A Psychological Profile of Latter-day Saint Founder, Joseph Smith, Jr.
A Behavioral Analysis Examining Personality Traits, Motivations, and Discrepancies Between Official and Independent Accounts Prepared Using Accepted Psychological Methods of Personality and Behavioral Analysis January 2026 INTRODUCTION Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805-1844) stands as one of the most consequential and controversial religious figures in American history. As the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, Smith…
Examining the Biblical Case for Demonic Influence in the Religious Claims of Joseph Smith
A Theological Analysis from the Traditional Christian Perspective Introduction The question of spiritual discernment has been a concern for the Christian church since its inception. From the apostolic era onward, believers have been exhorted to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”…
The Doctrine of Demons in Latter-day Saint Theology
Origins, Development, and Comparison with Orthodox Christianity A Theological Analysis 1. Introduction to the LDS Belief in Demons The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) holds distinctive theological positions regarding the nature, origin, and function of demons that significantly depart from historic Christian orthodoxy. Central to this belief system is the doctrine of…
A Philosophical Inquiry into the Ontological Problems of Latter-day Saint Theology: The Other Gods
The Infinite Regress of Divine Origins A Philosophical Inquiry into the Ontological Problems of Latter-day Saint Theology Questions Worth Asking Series Introduction: The Question That Cannot Be Avoided Among the most distinctive claims of Latter-day Saint theology is the assertion that the God worshiped by Christians was once a mortal man who progressed to godhood,…
Seven Woes: Matthew 23’s Relevance to Modern Mormonism
Whitewashed Tombs: Matthew 23 and the Structural Parallels Between Pharisaic Judaism and Latter-day Saint Religious Culture A Theological and Historical Analysis Introduction: The Enduring Relevance of Jesus’ Prophetic Critique In the twenty-third chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus delivers what stands as perhaps His most sustained and devastating critique of religious leadership recorded in Scripture. The…