I am active in the LDS church. This is a place to talk about the “meat” of the gospel and not just the “milk.” I want to be able to ask thoughtful (some might say provocative) questions, and not worry about damaging someone else’s faith or testimony. I certainly don’t have all the answers, and welcome those of you who can fill in some answers for me regardless of your religious affiliation. This blog will hopefully be a thoughtful and respectful forum.
Galileo
Some have wondered why I call myself a heretic. I have 2 reasons.
- First, many say that Mormons are “not Christian”, but I believe they really mean that Mormons are heretics. Mormons don’t subscribe to some aspects of traditional Christianity, such as the Trinity. To many Christians, such as stance is heresy, but they confuse the issue by saying that we’re not Christian. Nothing could be further from the truth. Not only do we share a belief that Jesus was born, died on the Cross, and was Resurrected, but we go further and have another set of scriptures called the Book of Mormon, which contains a record of Christ’s visit to another group of people. However, this set of scriptures is also considered heretical, because most Christians believe that the Bible is all of God’s word.
- Secondly, Here is a definition I really like,
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma.[1] It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one’s religion, principles or cause,[2] and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion.[3] The founder or leader of a heretical movement is called a heresiarch, while individuals who espouse heresy or commit heresy, are known as heretics….Heretics usually do not perceive their own beliefs as heretical.
I see Abraham, Jesus, Joseph Smith, and Galileo as not only heretics, but probably a group of heresiarchs (Galileo is a stretch.) These are the people I would like to emulate because I view them as “good heretics.” I’m just trying to be a heretic like Jesus!
In February 2009, I was asked to be a permablogger over at Mormon Matters, so you can see some of my posts there as well. (Unfortunately, many of the comments are no longer available.) In October 2010, a group of bloggers left Mormon Matters and formed the new blog Wheat and Tares. I currently blog there as well. I am also active in the History and Doctrine forum at StayLDS. Â I’ve listed most of my other posts here. (There is also a link at the top of the page.)
In 2010, I became a member of the Mormon History Association, and I am a member of the John Whitmer Historical Association.
If you would like to contact me privately, send an email to mormon heretic at gmail dot com.
Mormon Heretic 
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MH-
Do you have an e-mail address that I can contact you with? I have a few questions I would like to ask you if you don’t mind. They aren’t personal, I just need some help with a situation and you have a lot of information already in place that would take me a lot of time to gather. Thanks.
Jen, you can reach me at mormon heretic at gmail dot com.
I ran across your blog after a book I’m reading inspired me to do some Googling. I read this page and I have to say something:
By your own definition of apostasy, the Catholic Church should be the one True Church of Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church traces its authority to the Apostles and this line of authority cannot have been broken unless there was a “formal denunciation of one’s religion, principles or cause,” by the Catholic Church – which there was not. The Great Apostasy, as proposed by LDS, would not only require that every Catholic bishop or priest who was ordained in apostolic succession lose their apostolic faculties, but that they must have done so by making a “formal denunciation of their religion, principle or cause.” This never happened and no LDS member that I have ever talked to can point to a date, era, or geographic location that such an apostasy was alleged to have occured. If you want Jesus’ One, Holy, Apostolic Church, then come home to the Catholic Church.
Kyle, I begrudge no one for thinking their church is the “one and only true church” whether they are Catholic, Mormon, Buddhist, Muslim, Orthodox Christian, etc. If they don’t think they are in the one and only true church, they should keep seeking for the one and only true church.
As for the term apostasy, that definition above comes from Wikipedia. Yes I like it, and yes I’ve said the LDS Church misuses the word apostasy all the time (especially when disciplining LDS Church members.) But for clarification, rather than use the definition I like, the LDS definition of apostasy is a “falling away from the truth.” In that vein, any person or group that falls away from the truth is guilty of apostasy in the LDS Church’s definition. See the LDS Church’s definition here. (I never claimed to be an official spokesman for the LDS Church.)
You’re over complicating it. Is the LDS Church heretical? All you have to ask is does it teach things about Jesus Christ that do not agree with Catholic-Orthodox Christianity? The short answer is “YES it does.” Therefore the LDS Church is heretical, and all members of it are heretics if they refer to themselves as followers of Christ.
Now if you can’t accept that, then feel free to continue living your little fantasy world.
No one’s going to stop you, except maybe Christ Himself, if He feels it is necessary.
Have a good day.
I just started reading some of your articles and blog. Just a few scattered outsider observations about the LDS Church: 1) Members seem to have a good take on the how to live a life that avoids vice and practices virtue. 2) When it comes to polygamy, and aside from weird cults, I get the impression that much of the prejudice against polygamous families is Mormon on Mormon driven. 3) The LDS Church is one of the few religions where the elders can have a meeting on Thursday, receive new revelation and by Monday be announcing revised doctrine resolving some long standing moral issue. My own Catholic Church also evolves its understanding of moral issues, but prefers to ponder things for at least a century – preferably 2 or 3. 4) The LDS Church is way more diversified in opinion and point of view than they get credit for. 5.) I once took a course on early Christian Church history. Many divergent doctrines arose, some proved erroneous, but our professor observed that erroneous doctrines became heretical movements (ie outside the Church) not because they were condemned by Orthodoxy, but when their adherents insisted that they were correct and everybody else was wrong. In other words, 9 times out of 10, the heretics only became outsiders when they gave up on continuing argument or debate and out of an excess of self righteousness, condemned the heterodox. At least in early Christianity.
[…] good reason not to help, as Mormon Heretic, a blogger that views himself as a good heretic on the about page of his own blog, brought up in a post on Wheat & Tares, but that may very well change when […]
The funny thing is, The Book of Mormon taught the Trinity. Smith abandoned The Trinity later.
Hi im mohd hadri from kuala lumpur Malaysia,im also do some research for my own root and family,for all the question I have the answer.and im open my heart to any jewish friend who want to find the truth behind this theory,we have all the evident and new discover in our country,unfortunately the GOVerment and world try to hide it.
Im malay,I read all the sripture Old Testement,Bible,Book of Mormon,Quran,Rig Veda.