Lucifer's Lantern

In response to my thoughts regarding the 2013 study on the LDS Faith Crisis , I had someone suggest that I read a talk by Lawrence E Corbridge. After a quick Google search, I found the talk they were referring to and wanted to share some thoughts on it. Here is the relevent exerpt from Corbridge's 2022 BYU devotional: ---------- Primary Questions and Secondary Questions: Begin by answering the primary questions. There are primary questions and there are secondary questions. Answer the primary questions first. Not all questions are equal and not all truths are equal. The primary questions are the most important. Everything else is subordinate. There are only a few primary questions. I will mention four of them. 1. Is there a God who is our Father? 2. Is Jesus Christ the Son of God, the Savior of the world? 3. Was Joseph Smith a prophet? 4. Is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the kingdom of God on the earth? By contrast, the secondary questions are unending...

What causes someone to lose their faith in the Mormon Church? This question lies at the heart of several significant reports and presentations that have been made public over the years. Among them is a confidential 2013 document prepared for President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, which compiles findings from a two-year study conducted by unpaid scholars, strategists, and volunteers. This report, alongside other related materials, sheds light on the complex factors driving faith crises within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although these documents were never intended for public disclosure, they have circulated online and provide a compelling glimpse into the challenges facing the Church. Reports and Chronicles on LDS Faith Crises Greg Prince, John Dehlin, and Travis Stratford, members of the team that spearheaded the 2013 report  have permitted the release of several key documents that contextualize the faith crisis phenomenon. These include: Initial Report: Understanding ...

     This is going to be a quick post. I haven't been able to find any major parallels in the first two paragraphs that I share below regarding Sarah's interactions with Lehi. I know I found something before but can't for the life of me remember what it was.       But, for the integrity of this project and my desire to not exclude even a single line of text from the Book of Mormon, I'll just include the text here and come back with any updates as I figure it out.  ~~~~~The Book of Mormon~~~~~     "And it came to pass after we had came down into the wilderness unto our father, behold he was filled with joy, and also my mother, Sariah, was exceeding glad, for she truly had mourned because of us; for she had supposed that we had perished in the wilderness; and she also had complained against my father, telling him that he was a visionary man; saying, behold thou hast led us forth from the land of our inheritance, and my sons are no mor...

It's been a few weeks since my last post, and I apologize. Life got crazy for a minute there and I had to put this project on the back burner. Let's just jump right back in to where we were. Nephi had just killed Laban and is about to attempt to finally retrieve the plates. We are going to focus this post on Zoram, the servant of Laban.  The Book of Mormon, pg 13 ~~~~~The Book of Mormon~~~~~ "And again -- I knew that the Lord had delivered Laban into my hands, for this cause: that I might obtain the records according to his commandments. Therefore I did obey the voice of the spirit, and took Laban by the hair of the head, and I smote off his head with his own sword." "And after that I had smitten off his head with his own sword, I took the garments of Laban and put them upon mine own body; yea, even every whit; and I did gird on his armour about my loins. " (pg 13) ~~~~~~~~~~ This type of language sorrounding 'girding' the armor is found several tim...

The following email was sent to the Sydney Australia Mortdale Stake on Sunday Oct, 28th 2024 by an  individual (likely using an alias) who pretended to be distributing an official church statement. ----------------- Sydney Australia Mortdale Stake Pilot Program: Informed Consent Dear Brothers and Sisters, I have some wonderful news, your Stake has been chosen to trial a new approach to learning about the Gospel. As you know our leaders are trying to be more transparent with some of the messiness in our history. No doubt you have all started to notice this with the release of the Gospel Topics Essays (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/essays?lang=eng) 10 years ago and videos of President Nelson  showing us how Joseph translated the Book of Mormon, with his face in a white stove pipe hat, with a seer stone. This pilot program will involve two different objectives. The first is for our beloved missionaries to ensure that all converts are fully ...