Isn’t the living allowance that General Authorities receive considered pay?
Question Gramps, I have had a few people ask the question, "How can your church continue to say you have a lay ministry when your general authorities receive a living allowance. Is this not considered pay?" Bob Answer Dear Bob, Certainly at least...
Did Joseph Smith die a poor man?
Question Gramps, I am always arguing with my mother on The Book of Mormon and other LDS issues. She is a nonmember who tries to prove that Joseph Smith is a fraud and that the whole church is a fraud. I love her arguing because it makes my testimony stronger every...
What happened to Hyrum Smith’s five children?
Dear Gramps, My husband and I teach an adult institute class on the History of the Church. Someone asked us what happened to Hyrum Smith's five children that he had by his first wife Jerusha. Jerusha died and then Hyrum married Mary Fielding who was the mother of...
What is the Church’s stand on hypnosis?
Question Dear Gramps, I was wondering. What is the Church's stand on hypnosis? Or do they have one? Is it okay to use to overcome bad habits? Would you be making yourself vulnerable to someone else's suggestion, thus compromising your free agency? I'm just not...
If we are punished for our own sins and not for Adam’s (or Eve’s) transgression, then why is it that we must work by the sweat of our brows and in sorrow bear children?
Dear Gramps, If we are punished for our own sins and not for Adam's (or Eve's) transgression, then why is it that we must work by the sweat of our brows and in sorrow bear children? Chip @deseretonline.com Dear Chip, When Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, the...
What is the church’s position on the death penalty?
Question Dear Gramps, What is the church's position on the death penalty? If the atonement was made for all, why is it necessary for the church to believe in sustaining the law for the death penalty rather than taking a position against it, as it seems...
Why are we cautioned against the use of face cards?
Dear Gramps, I hope you can answer a question that has always elicited a horrified expression from others before, but no one has ever been able to answer it in the 36 years that I have been an active member of the church. Why, in particular, are we cautioned against...
Why do we celebrate Christmas in December?
Question Dear Gramps, I was wondering why we celebrate Christmas in December instead of in April when Jesus Christ was really born? Ann Answer Dear Ann, No definite date has been established for the birth of the Savior. Our notion that he was born...
What is the distinction between the mark and curse when it comes to color of skin?
Gramps, I very much appreciated your insight to the individual who asked about the curse on Cain. I had not before understood the distinction between the mark and the curse. This reminded me, however, of another subject with which I am uncomfortable, and that is the...
What is the rationale for being “buried in the earth” instead of cremated?
Dear Gramps, The questions that I have had the last few years regarding cremation were answered in your past questions. However, I am hoping that you will be able to provide additional insight to help me more fully understand. It seems to me that whether a body decays...
