The Latter-day Liberator

Category: Religion

Correcting The Liahona on the U.S. Constitution

Posted on by William H. Douglas

The Liahona, the official magazine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints published an article on the United States Constitution in its September 2022 issue. And boy is it terrible, for numerous reasons. For example, despite having degrees in the subject the author doesn’t even have a basic understanding of human rights or the history of the Constitution and actively tries to justify government tyranny.

This article is a step by step dismantling of the Liahona article and its problems, not only in order to provide Latter-day Saints with a necessary correction for something published in a church magazine, but because such a work will serve as a solid foundation for discarding much of the same kind of dreck (from both academic and amateur sources) that the reader will encounter endlessly elsewhere whenever discussing the Constitution.

The Liberating Power of The First Vision for Women

Posted on by William H. Douglas

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is often attacked as being “anti-woman” and as “oppressive” to women by our critics. The attacks are complete nonsense. The very opposite is true. In a world that is constantly denigrating women, that is seeking to even obliterate the reality of women, it is only the Church of Jesus Christ that promotes, defends, and upholds women and womanhood. While all else hate women and womanhood, even those who claim to be feminists, it is only in the Restored Gospel and this church that the ennobling, uplifting, and exalting truths of Divine Womanhood are found and enacted.

What Can Men Do Against Such Reckless Hate?

Posted on by William H. Douglas

I recently finished a rewatch of the Lord of the Rings. As always, I was struck by the drama and courage of Théoden and the Riders of Rohan as they made what seemed like a last stand against the overwhelming might of the armies of Saruman. Instead of surrender or retreat they trusted in the words of Gandalf the White and stood against evil no matter what the cost to them, even if it cost their lives. There is a great lesson for us to learn here about how we should live. Using examples from throughout the scriptures I discuss how we can stand against the reckless hate of the world we live in today.

Our Harshest Trials Become Our Greatest Blessings

Posted on by William H. Douglas

My life has been filled with trials. I grew up in poverty. I’ve been homeless on multiple occasions. My family broke apart when I was young. My father was an alcoholic. I’ve lost everything I’ve owned and everyone I knew on multiple occasions. Yet, through it all, I have discovered a sublime truth about God’s power and how our deepest trials lead to our greatest blessings. This is that story.

What Mormon Teaches Us About War And Loving Our Enemies

Posted on by William H. Douglas

Whenever I point out that Captain Moroni’s example doesn’t justify modern Saints going to war because he lived the Law of Moses and we live the Law of Christ and that modern revelation commands us to renounce war completely the response is inevitable. I always get some version of, “What about Mormon and his son, Moroni? They were baptized Christians who fought in wars. If they can do it, why can’t we?” By looking at what the scriptures, I answer this question and show why Mormon and Moroni do not justify us joining modern day wars.

What To The Latter-day Saint is the Fourth of July?

Posted on by William H. Douglas

I find nothing to celebrate on the Fourth of July. It, like all nationalist holidays, is nothing more than the largest, loudest, and obnoxious propaganda program that has ever existed. Through all the parades, fireworks, and barbeques, people rarely ask what exactly are they so effulgently praising and whether or not the should be doing it. As a result, they reaffirm their loyalty to and love for one of the most violent, bloody, and dangerous regimes in the world, one responsible for murdering over 6 million civilians in the last 20 years. The great William Lloyd Garrison called such devotion, “the latest and the most terrible form of idolatry,” and he was correct. As this article explains, it is in direct opposition to the commandments of God and the direction of His prophets.

The Human Side of the Book of Mormon

Posted on by William H. Douglas

Why are there so many biblical quotations and allusions in the Book of Mormon? Why are there errors in the Book of Mormon’s grammar, spelling, and language? How did Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon? How did the Urim and Thummim work? How did the Seer Stone work? Why would Joseph need either in the first place? What impact did the knowledge and mind of Joseph Smith have on the Book of Mormon and its translation? Why would God choose an ignorant ploughboy from upstate New York to be His prophet when much more educated, enlightened, and respectable men existed? What does the answer to these questions say about the authenticity of the Book of Mormon?

Professor N.L. Nelson answers all these questions and more in this excellent essay and explains why the answers to those questions should only increase our faith in the Book of Mormon as Christian scripture.

Bioshock Infinite Reveals What Socialism is Really Like

Posted on by William H. Douglas

While its storytelling left something to be desired, Bioshock Infinite still has one of the most important political, economic, and social messages of any major game put out in the last few decades. Though a fictional narrative, Infinite’s presentation of Socialism, both in its revolutionary form and what Socialist governments are actual like, is amazingly true to life. At the same time, Infinite also shows what happens to a society that embraces violence as the vehicle of change and shows the ultimate holocaustal outcome of choosing violence. Herein, I look at how the true nature of Socialism is laid bare for all who play the game, whether they like it or not.

Is The Book of Mormon Racist?

Posted on by William H. Douglas

The claim that the Book of Mormon is racist is a common refrain among our critics, some of their most potent ammunition to destroy the interest of investigators and sow doubts in the faithful. But they’re wrong.

The Book of Mormon isn’t racist. And in this article I prove it by taking a detailed look at the symbolic and literal interpretations of the Lamanite curse and “skin of blackness” to demonstrate that it not only isn’t racist, it has nothing to do with race at all. The Book of Mormon, when understood in its proper context as an ancient document reflecting the language and ideas of people whose culture and understanding of the world was fundamentally different than ours, is very clearly not racist. When someone sees it as racist they are only demonstrating their ignorance of the document itself and projecting our own modern problems onto it.

How Mormonism Influenced The First Mistborn Trilogy

Posted on by William H. Douglas

I recently finished Brandon Sanderson’s first Mistborn trilogy -The Final Empire through Heroes of Ages – and loved all three books. They’re incredible works of storytelling and some of the best fantasy out there. Sanderson is easily one of the best fantasy writers alive. He is also a devout Latter-day Saint. As I was reading his books again and again I kept coming across ways that Mormonism influenced his writing in crucial ways, but was shocked to find so little online exploring these influences. This article is my attempt to demonstrate some of the major ways that LDS scripture, history, theology, and culture deeply influence Sanderson’s writing and appear in these books.