Category History
The Sacrament, Part 4: Water Alone?
In my last post, I discussed an argument in favor of needing to partake of both the bread and water during a sacrament service as opposed to only partaking of the water. This post is essentially a continuation of that same discussion, this time discussing arguments in favor of partaking only the water, so I […]
The Sacrament, Part 3: Bread and Water
This post is the third part of a multi-part series on the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. A question asked by a friend of mine was: “If you miss the bread do you take the water? … Obviously the best answer for the first is to make sure to take both but what is proper […]
The Sacrament, Part 2: Multiple Sacrament Meetings in a Day
A friend of mine asked me recently: “if you go to two wards do you take sacrament twice?” I’ve been in that situation before. I can remember one Sunday where I was in a group of young men who performed a music number in each of our three wards then went and helped with a […]
The New LDS Hymnbook: Changes and Possibilities
Recently, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that they were going to prepare a new hymnbook and children’s songbook for use in the worldwide Church. Specifically, the goal is to create unity in hymn numbers and selections that reflect the needs of a global organization. This is the first time in over […]
Saving Alvin: Joseph Smith’s Evolving Views on Salvation for the Dead
In 1823, Alvin Smith (Joseph Smith’s oldest brother) suddenly became ill. He died a short time later in great pain. Alvin seems to have been considered the brightest and best of the Smith brothers, even within his own family. He was also one of Joseph’s biggest supporters when it came to encouraging him to obtain […]
Chad’s Suggested Reading for Mormons
Today’s post is a list of books and essays that I feel like are a good starting place for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who have an interest in knowing more about their history and doctrine but aren’t sure where to begin.
Damned Rascals and the Constitution: The Paradox of Mormon Attitudes Towards Government
The attitude of Mormons towards government is paradoxical. Mormonism has beliefs that encourage support for governments, yet also a history of conflict with the United States Government. In addition, there are some Mormon doctrines that deemphasize the need for government that are held in tension with pro-government beliefs. This tension was manifested in nineteenth century […]
The Significance of the First Vision
The First Vision taught and confirmed many of the most significant and distinct truths of the Restoration to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Today, the First Vision is one of the most fundamental aspects of Mormonism’s story—an event beaten only in significance by the events of Jesus the Christ’s life and Atonement. It has not always […]
Any Opposed?
Within the corpus of J. Golden Kimball folklore, there is a story of the salty seventy getting bored during a long list of sustaining officers at a stake conference somewhere south of Provo. Noticing that most of the congregation was nodding off or had fallen asleep while mechanically raising their hands for every name read, […]
A Cloud and Smoke by Day, and the Shining of a Flaming Fire by Night: A History of the LDS Ogden Temple
“The Old Boss would never take wagons over such a d____d trail,” Orrin Porter Rockwell stated, looking at the narrow, rocky Weber Canyon.[1] A few days beforehand, on 10 July 1847, the Vanguard Pioneer Company of the Mormons was visited in the evening by a mountain man named Miles Goodyear. This man had established a […]
Chad's Random Musings 