We recorded this episode on July 1 st.Īt that time, the link for the “Becoming Like God” essay was still on the website:, but it redirected to a different essay titled “Are Mormons Christian?” The disappearance of the “Becoming Like God” essay was widely noted in online ex-Mormon communities, and many were speculating that maybe the LDS Church was seeking to distance itself from the doctrines discussed therein-doctrines which perhaps more than any other LDS doctrines place Mormonism outside the mainstream of orthodox Christian beliefs.
LDS GOSPEL LIBRARY DOWNLOAD SERIES
Matthew and I had already discussed doing a series of episodes on the essays, so we fast tracked this one. On June 23, Fred Anson shared with us that one of the Gospel Topics Essays-the one titled “Becoming Like God”-had disappeared from the LDS Church’s website, but was still available in the Gospel Library app available for mobile devices. Many who have left over the past 7-8 years have cited the essays as sources that caused them to question their beliefs and noted that when they spoke with local ecclesiastical leaders about the essays and the questions they caused, many local leaders were not even aware of their existence. The essays are not easy to find on the website, and you won’t stumble on them unless you know what you’re looking for. The relationship of the LDS Church to the essays, however, has been thorny. Many surmise that The Gospel Topics Essays were designed to do just that-to inoculate church members against difficult topics. Struggling members wondered if they could trust the apologetic resources. I remember that in the discussion boards, if someone posted an article from one of those resources in response to a question, it was often lamented that LDS Church leadership did not put their stamp of approval on those answers. In the early 2000’s, when I was in the midst of my period of deep questioning and wrestling with my Mormon beliefs-what many call a faith crisis-there were many online apologetics resources, FAIR, SHIELDS, Ask Gramps. These essays have the imprimatur of the First Presidency of the LDS Church and acknowledge the reliance on the work of scholars in crafting the essays. In 2012 or 2013, the LDS Church began publishing Gospel Topics Essays designed to allow church members to learn about difficult topics in LDS Church history and doctrine directly from the Church’s official website, rather than other online sources. So in this intro, I’m going to provide a quick timeline. I’m recording a new intro for this episode, because since Matthew the Nuclear Calvinist and I recorded this episode on July 1, the state of affairs has changed. Hey Fireflies! Welcome to this bonus episode of Outer Brightness: From Mormon to Jesus.
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