Samantha Murphey is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Woman) and has interned with the New York Daily News My Thanksgiving memories are a blur of ordinary things — family gatherings, fall leaves, cozy fires, parades, touch football, pumpkin pie, turkey and trimmings. Flickers and flurries and fun. My memories are dotted with the classic elementary school holiday crafts — tracings of tiny hands made to...

Gospel Principles – What do Mormons Believe This is a list of principles and Mormon Beliefs that may be of interest to those who want to know more about the Mormon Church. We know that when we humbly seek the truth we can be blessed by finding it and understanding it. We hope that these brief articles will help you gain a better understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it was restored by the Prophet Joseph Smith, and that you...

Mormons often speak of the Great Apostasy as the reason why the Lord had to restore His Gospel back to the earth.  Why did Jesus Christ’s Church have to be restored when Christianity has existed since the coming of Christ?  This is an expanded explanation of why the restoration was necessary. Jesus Christ’s ministry was one of preaching and miracles, but it was also one of organization.  Before His sacrifice, and also after His...

The exact process by which the Book of Mormon was translated is known only to Joseph Smith.  He described it as through the “gift and power of God,” and attributed the Urim and Thummim as a vehicle for translation.  From contemporary accounts of others, including his wife, Emma, Oliver Cowdery, and Martin Harris, all whom acted as scribes during the translation, it is possible to piece together some idea of the process. Joseph Smith...

The priesthood is given by God to man, so that they may have the authority to act in His name. Christ gave the priesthood to the Twelve Apostles, but after the ascension of Jesus Christ, as the Apostles died or were killed the authority of the priesthood was lost. For centuries man did not have the power to act in God’s name, then in 1829, Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon Church, was translating the Book of Mormon. With Oliver...

The Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith was only fourteen years old when he experienced what few boys or men have.  Young Joseph Smith was visited by God the Father and Jesus Christ, and there has never been an event more glorious or controversial. Mormons call this “the First Vision.”  It has been described as possibly being the most singular event to ever occur on the earth since the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith at the age of...