L. Ron Hubbard … religion’s Rube Goldberg. We checked in with ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI, and asked for some input based on the suggestion that Scientology could be considered a religious equivalent of a Rube Goldberg machine. Enjoy the conversation… ChatGPT L. Ron Hubbard’s Scientology can be likened to a religious…
The Mormon Heavens: Everyone’s a Winner-Winner, Chicken Dinner (Well, Almost)
If the Mormon concept of the heavens was a Saturday Night Live sketch… Forget those pearly gates and harp-playing angels. We Mormons are all about options! That’s right, folks. In our celestial real estate portfolio, we’ve got not one, not two, but THREE different levels of heaven. It’s like choosing between a cozy cabin, a…
The Mormon Conundrum: A constant state of being at odds with the Biblical admonition, “Live peaceably with all men.”
One of the central tenets of the Christian faith is the call to peacemaking and living harmoniously with others. The Apostle Paul, in his letters to the Romans and in the book of Hebrews, exhorts followers of Christ to “live peaceably with all men” and “make every effort to live in peace with everyone.” These…
Embracing the Cross: A Challenge to the LDS Church’s Symbolic Reluctance.
The crucified Jesus is Christians’ central symbol of redemption, forgiveness, and eternal life. However, the stark contrast between the brutality of the crucifixion and the message of redemption it represents raises a compelling question. Since early Christianity, the Church has grappled with this seeming contradiction. The adoption of the cross, the instrument of Jesus’ death,…
From Narcissistic Abusers to Global Movements: The Deceptive Spectrum of Cults
Wikipedia: Cult. A cult is a group which is typically led by a charismatic and self-appointed leader, who tightly controls its members, requiring unwavering devotion to a set of beliefs and practices which are considered deviant (outside the norms of society). It is in most contexts a pejorative term, also used for a new religious…
Holy Rewrite: Did Joseph Smith Think the Bible Was a Divine Do-Over?
Mormon Views on the Bible: A Balancing Act. While Joseph Smith affirmed the Bible’s divine origin in the Articles of Faith (“We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly.“), his beliefs about the scripture were more nuanced. He introduced the Book of Mormon as a companion…
Mapping the Unknown: Exploring the Geographical Enigma of the Book of Mormon
Wikipedia: Proposed Book of Mormon geographical setting. Various locations have been proposed as the geographical setting of the Book of Mormon, or the set of locations where the events described in the Book of Mormon is said to have taken place. There is no universal consensus – even among Mormon scholars – regarding the placement…
10% of My Income, 100% of My Choice? Unveiling the Mormon Tithe.
Y’ALL ARE DOING MALACHI ALL WRONG! A key Old Testament reference used by the LDS Church for tithing is Malachi 3:10-12: Blessings of Paying an Honest Tithe. Malachi 3:10–12 teaches us the following principle: If we return to God and pay our tithes and offerings, then the Lord will pour out blessings upon us. The…
Unveiling the Controversies: Joseph Smith and the Enigmatic Kinderhook Plates.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) centers its history on the revelations received by Joseph Smith, particularly his translation of the golden plates that became the Book of Mormon. However, lesser-known episodes challenge the narrative of Smith’s consistent prophetic abilities. One such case involves the Kinderhook Plates, a set of allegedly…
Exposing Deception: The Book of Abraham’s Fictional Genesis
Have you ever wondered about the authenticity of the Book of Abraham, a foundational text in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)? Believed by some to be a direct translation of ancient Egyptian papyri by Joseph Smith, the Church’s founder, the Book of Abraham has been a source of controversy for…