Doctrinal Essays

As I have awoken to the power of the scriptures and the doctrines they contain over the last few years, I've come to recognize some Taboo Doctrines among casual members of the church. These subjects are avoided in lessons, sacrament meeting addresses, and conversation because they are either controversial or have a tendency to invoke fear. There is one doctrine in particular that I have come to think of as the Elephant in the Room . We all know it's there, and no one talks about it. Ever. As I have tried to bring it up at different family or social gatherings over the last few years, I've observed some interesting and telling behaviors that indicate this doctrine is widely misunderstood, consequently leaving us in fear, and putting us squarely on the advesaries' turf. It's like what Hermione Granger said " fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself ". I write about this feared 'taboo doctrine' hoping that we can begin to acknowled...

Sometimes we feel the truth of certain principles and hesitate to share them because they may not be popular or may even be seen as false, or considered heresy. I'm afraid this post fits in that category, but I will go ahead and post it anyway. I love the story of William Tyndale . He bravely fulfilled his mission to translate the scriptures into English, and make the bible available to every plow boy, and he did it at a time when it conflicted the incorrect though seemingly correct dogmas that existed in the church in those days. He did it knowing it was a heretical endeavor. That is why I admire him, and believe the spirit of God lit a fire deep in his bones that made his fear of God greater than his fear of men. Now days it would seem foolish to anyone that someone should be excommunicated (let alone, executed) for translating holy writ into another language. There were men in Joseph Smith Jr's day who sought his blood and were eventually victorious. Two wonderful martyr...