Religion Today

In this episode of Religion Today, Martin Tanner discussed details about the death of Joseph Smith, including why newspaper editor Thomas Sharp was the one who was responsible.  Information about the "Vanguard Pioneer Wagon Train" and how three black Elders were among those in the Vanguard group is presented, along with the appearance of the Salt Lake Valley when the pioneers arrived.

Host Martin Tanner adds additional depth to your understanding of the words "Elohim" which is a plural derivative meaning "strength" or "power"; "YHWH" or "Jehovah" meaning the one who exists on his own power or who is self-existent; Adam which means "red man" or man made from red soil, the color red being derived from "blood" which another meaning of "Adam" who gives life as does life's blood in living animals. "Eve" which comes from Hebrew "breath" because only living things breath. "Help mete" often misunderstood means one who completes through having a different point of view or opinion.

How could the U.S. Constitution be inspired, since it included the right to have guns and allowed slavery to continue. In this episode of Religion Today host Martin Tanner explains why a citizenry authorized to own guns actually inhibits crime. He also describes how the Founding Fathers were inspired by Isaiah 33:22 to create three branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial. How this Biblically inspired system creates a balance of power. Martin gives examples of how we know the U.S. Constitution was an inspired document much like the Mosaic law was inspired, but was not perfect. Yet it paved the way for the higher law Jesus brought. 

Independence Day, freedom, patriotism, agency, and God's influence in the founding of the USA.  With its flaws, the USA is the country that formed a new government based on freedom, see D&C 101:77-80, and abolished slavery at great cost. If you look for something, like racism, you will think you found it, even if it is not there. Racism has been illegal since the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Anyone who sees institutional racism can find legal representation and end it.  There will always been racist individuals, but Martin Tanner challenges anyone to find a racist institution, corporation or system of government in the USA. May God bless the USA and help us preserve our freedoms.

Host Martin Tanner explains why the words "Jesus" "Messiah" "Baptism" and "Bible" are not anachronisms and are perfectly fine translations of the ancient words on the Golden Plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. A translation is rendering a word or phrase and its their meaning in one language, into a word or phrase in another language, which carries the same meaning, as much as possible. Since Christians believe "Jesus" was the God of the Old Testament, the word "Bible" properly conveys the idea of authoritative religious writings, even pre-Christian ones, and "Baptism" properly conveys the pre-Christian idea of ritual cleansing of sin by immersion in water, these are all proper words to find in the pre-Christian parts of Book of Mormon.

In this episode of Religion Today, host Martin Tanner first describes baptism for the dead as practiced in Early Christianity.  He provides references to vicarious ordinances in the Apocrypha, 2 Maccabees 12:39-46 and the meaning of 1 Corinthians 15:29 in the LDS Faith, and among modern scholars. He describes how Joseph Smith's revealed the ordinance of baptism for the dead in an 1840 funeral sermon, as a comfort to a widow in the audience, who's un-baptized son had recently died. Martin describes how the practice is different in a few details from when first practiced. He concludes with some of the many examples of notable, famous and infamous persons for whom baptism for the dead has been performed.

In this Religion Today episode, host Martin Tanner, points out that no LDS Church leader, including Joseph Smith, has ever claimed revelation on where the events in the Book of Mormon happened.  But the text of the Book of Mormon provides inspired details enabling us to make to strong inferences they happened in Central America.  Are there two Cumorah's? How could Moroni get the plates from Hill Cumorah in Mesoamerica to the hill by the Smith Family's farm in New York? These and other questions are answered. * ALL LISTENERS ARE INVITED TO HEAR A NON-LATTER-DAY SAINT, EMILIE SPEAR, FROM COLORADO SHARE HER NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE IN WHICH SHE SAW JESUS, WITH DETAILS CONFIRMING LDS BELIEFS."  DETAILS FOR THIS FREE EVENT ON FRIDAY, JUNE 23rd, IN SLC, ARE IN THIS EPISODE.

Where did the events in the Book of Mormon occur?  North America? Mesoamerica? What does the evidence say? Although the LDS Church has taken no official position on where Book of Mormon events happened, it is important to carefully read Book of Mormon passages which help narrow the possible locations. The Book of Mormon describes Jesus healing those with leprosy. Leprosy was found only in Mesoamerica before Columbus, not in North America. The BoM describes cement cities, found only in Mesoamerica, not in North America. In the final battle between the Nephites and Lamanites, 240,000 died. During BoM times the largest population center in all of North America, the Cahokia, in present day Illinois, had less than 10,000 inhabitants. 2018 LiDAR scans conducted by the National Geographic Society, demonstrated that between 15 and 20 million people lived on the Yucatan Peninsula during BoM times, easily large enough to support a final battle in the BoM in which 240,000 died. These and many other evidences strongly su

The inspired U.S. Constitution, the religious significance of Memorial Day, and the prophecy of the Constitution hanging by a thread, are just a of few of the topics discussed in this episode of Religion Today, hosted by Martin Tanner

In this episode of Religion Today, host Martin Tanner explains why Walter Martin and CRI (Christian Research Institute) have the wrong Jesus, an un-Biblical Jesus, while Latter-day Saints believe in the Biblical Jesus.  What is the distinction? The CRI believes in the "Trinitarian" concept of God which is not found in the Bible, which is that God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost are of "one undivided substance" which is an idea not found in the Bible. Also, CRI does not believe or ignores Jesus' statement that, "[T]he Son can do nothing .  .  . but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He [the Father] does, the Son also does in like manner." (John 5:19; emphasis added). CRI twists Philippians 2:5-5 into saying Jesus and God are of the same substance, when even the NIV says they are of the same "nature" just like two people are of the same nature, not of the very same substance.

Whether you are confident or filled with anxiety, pretty or plain, happy or sad, faithful of have a history or sins or mistakes, confident or full of self-doubt, rich or poor, happy or sad, you will find a great from each of the women in the Bible mentioned in this episode of Religion Today. Listen to hear host Martin Tanner tell the marvelous and inspirational stories of Abagail, Deborah, Esther, Hannah, Jael, Judith, Leah, Mary, Rahab and the young Shulamite woman.

Why I believe!   In this episode, Martin Tanner describes the reasons he believes in the existence of God, Jesus, a Restoration, and an after-life, from science, scriptures, prayer, and seeing his deceased mother and later in another experience, his deceased 22 year old daughter. 

Latter-day Saints are fortunate. There are no creeds. There is little beyond beyond belief in Jesus as Savior, belief in God, belief in the restored Gospel, that one must believe. The fascinating story of Pelatiah Brown in Kirtland illustrates this idea, from Joseph Smith himself.  In this episode of Religion Today, Martin Tanner explains how the trend is towards historicity of the Bible.

Jesus' most used description of himself was "Son of Man".  Did this, as many say, mean Jesus was saying he was a mortal, a human?  In this episode of Religion Today, host Martin Tanner explains how Jews, from Psalm 80:17 (God's hero, redeemer, Messiah), Daniel 7:13-14 (Son of Man has everlasting dominion and his kingdom shall not be destroyed) understood "Son of Man" meant the Messiah sent by God. He also explains how Jesus' self-reference as "Son of Man" was also a reference to himself as the Messiah, as in Matthew 25:31 (Son of Man shall come in glory, with angels and sit on the throne of his glory).

Next to the Atonement, the most incredible doctrine and belief in Christianity is the resurrection of Jesus and many others, which has already occurred.  Martin Tanner describes the eyewitness accounts of actual resurrection, and of seeing resurrected beings, given by Isaiah, Daniel, Matthew's eyewitnesses, John, Paul, Joseph Smith and the lesser known account of Ezekiel Johnson, which is very detailed. Indicia of accuracy and details of the accounts are also given.

Easter Sunday was called "Resurrection Sunday" by the early Christians, the most holy of days. In this episode of Religion Today, host Martin Tanner gives a short chronology of the last week of Jesus' mortal life, His crucifixion, resurrection, and gradual change to a bright and glorious being, from one whom Mary could mistake for the gardener. Parents will have their children who die in infancy, to raise after they are resurrected. Old will be resurrected as they are, then grow young. Martin gives examples of others who have been resurrected.

Are the Gospel records accurate? Are they trustworthy? The question is not whether the authors of the Gospels had a Christian point of view, they did. The real question is whether they accurately reported the life of Jesus.  We can tell they were from the highly regarded historians of the First century, Cornelius Tacitus and his book "Annals," Pliny the Younger and his famous letter about the Christians to the Emperor Trajan, and from Flavius Josephus and his "Jewish Antiquities."  These highly regarded sources confirm the New Testament narrative that Jesus was executed under Pontius Pilate, in Judea, Jesus was worshiped as deity by the first Christians, Christianity spread fast throughout the Roman Empire and beyond, Christians from the beginning sang hymns and practiced the Sacrament, and, the Jesus' half brother James was a Christian leader.

In this episode of Religion Today Martin Tanner shares some of the most profound Near-Death Experiences he has ever heard, from among the more than 600 he has heard first-hand. These NDEs confirm Gospel principles and reinforce a belief in Jesus as Savior and Redeemer.

We know nothing of the Holy Ghost in the pre-existence. We know little of his roll in the next life.  On June 16, 1844, days before his assassination, Joseph Smith said the Holy Ghost would "take to himself a body as did the Savior." D&C 130:22 says the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit. In this episode of Religion Today, learn about the different ideas about the Holy Ghost in LDS thought, how the Lectures on Faith were removed from the LDS Canon of scriptures because they said there were only two members of the Godhead. Hear other fascinating details about the Holy Ghost and his roll in LDS and Christian belief.

Have you wondered what happened to the Apostles of Jesus after the New Testament record? In this episode of Religion Today, host Martin Tanner explores some of the well-attested information about the Apostles.  Paul founded many branches but was ultimately beheaded at the order of Emperor Nero at what is now Three Fountains Abbey.  Peter was crucified upside down.  Hear details of what happened to other Apostles, including traditions that Thomas traveled to India and Andrew, although killed near Jerusalem, was eventually buried in what is today St. Andrews, Scotland, where the game of golf originated. Not surprising for Latter-day Saints, there are no legends or traditions of the fate of the Apostle John.