UFOs and Hard Evidence
UFOs are reported to appear seemingly out of nowhere, travel at phenomenal speeds across the sky, turn at impossible angles, and disappear without a trace. Given this, UFOs are scientifically very hard to explain. One researcher commented that “it is literally impossible to understand them within the space-time framework we use to interpret ordinary events.”[1]…
UFOs and the Possibility of Life on Other Planets – Part 1
The question as to whether there is extraterrestrial life in the universe has been debated from the beginning of recorded history. There are even records from the fifth century before Christ indicating man’s interest in the subject.[1] Democritus (460-370 BC), Epicurus (341-270 BC), and Lucretius (98-54 BC), for example, believed there were other worlds inhabited…
UFOs and the Possibility of Life on Other Planets – Part 2
SETI: The Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence SETI stands for “Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence.” This organization seeks to detect evidence of technological civilizations that may exist on planets orbiting other stars. Potentially, it is suggested, there are billions of locations outside our solar system that may contain life. It is SETI’s purpose to find some of…
The Bible and the Book of Mormon
According to Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon is “the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than any other book.”[1] This book allegedly provides an abridged narrative of God’s interactions with the indigenous inhabitants of the…
God and the Trinity in Mormonism
Mormon leaders have long taught that God the Father was once a mortal man who continually progressed to become a god (an exalted man). Mormon general authority Milton R. Hunter said that “God the Eternal Father was once a mortal man who passed through a school of earth life similar to that through which we…
The Mormon Claim of Being “The Restored Church”
What is the Mormon claim of being the restored church? Joseph Smith was reading the Bible one day in the spring of 1820 when he came to James 1:5—“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” The verse…
The Mormon View of Jesus
What is the Mormon view of Jesus? According to official Mormon doctrine, Jesus was “begotten” as the first spirit-child of the Father (Elohim) and one of his unidentified spouses (“Heavenly Mother”) (Psalm 2:7). Jesus was said to be the first and highest of all spirit children. After all, Jesus is called the “firstborn” (Colossians 1:15).…
Mormonism and Human Deification
What is Mormonism and Human Deification? The ultimate goal in Mormonism is to become increasingly perfect and eventually attain godhood. Brigham Young asserted that “the Lord created you and me for the purpose of becoming Gods like himself.” We were created “to become Gods like unto our Father in heaven.”[1] Exaltation to godhood is known…
The Mormon View of Salvation and the Afterlife
What is the Mormon view of salvation? Mormons typically define “sin” as a wrong judgment, a mistake, an imperfection, or an inadequacy, thereby diluting its moral weight. Instead of embracing the concept of original sin, which posits that all people are born inherently sinful, Mormons assert that children are “innocent” until they reach the age…
Obey Me About the Tree
I’ve been rereading Timothy Keller’s Jesus the King, which is a marvelous book, and one I highly recommend. Let’s look at the concept of Obey Me About The Tree. I want to point out an interesting passage in a chapter he entitled “The Dance.” If you recall, in Genesis 2 God placed the man and woman…