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Back when I first started studying Mormonism I encountered a lot of believingMormons. Men and women who actually believed Joseph Smith was a prophet–a real prophet, and that the Book of Mormon was really true, and that the LDS Church had something called Latter-day Revelation which was, well, actually revelation. Evidently, those Mormons are now long gone, at least as

   I confess, I do not understand it. How a religion can play the “political correctness” game is completely beyond me. Yes, I know–in today’s culture, everyone is a victim, everyone is a martyr, and now if you dare even ask let alone answer a question about someone’s religious faith, you are being mean-spirited and everyone will demand an apology from

   I am listening to the Today Show with Matt Lauer. He is interviewing Mitt Romney, and Romney has just claimed that the LDS Church has “clarified” a question raised by Huckabee. Evidently Huckabee asked something along the lines of, “Don’t Mormons believe the Devil and Jesus are brothers?” NBC then indicated that LDS leaders had “denied” this assertion.    I have

THUS SAYETH THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS    If we assume that a publication copyrighted by the Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can be logically called “official,” we find a number of statements concerning the literal paternity of Christ in “official” documents written over the last thirty years. For example, from the Family Home Evenings

MORE AUTHORITIES TESTIFY    One of the strongest sources we can turn to regarding this doctrine is the official pronouncement titled, “The Father and The Son: A Doctrinal Exposition by the First Presidency and the Twelve.” Under the subtitle, “Father as Literal Parent,” we find these words: Scriptures embodying the ordinary signification-literally that of Parent-are too numerous and specific to require

   But of all LDS authorities, Apostle Bruce R. McConkie provides the clearest, most pointed affirmations of this doctrine. In his book, Mormon Doctrine, in defining the phrase, “Only Begotten Son,” he wrote, These name-titles all signify that our Lord is the only Son of the Father in the flesh. Each of the words is to be understood literally. Only means

THE TWENTIETH CENTURY    Two LDS authorities figure prominently in teaching the literal physical parentage of Jesus Christ by the Father in the twentieth century, James Talmage and Bruce R. McConkie. We will look at their statements first, and then provide other confirmatory proclamations by other LDS leaders. Finally, we will look at books published by the LDS Church that also