The University of Vermont once offered a graduate seminar devoted entirely to the Book of Mormon.

Not as scripture.

Not as apologetics.

Graduate students read the entire book in a secular academic setting.

Here’s what happened: The course was taught by Elizabeth Fenton, an associate professor of English at the University of Vermont.

She is not a Latter-day Saint.
Her research focuses on religion and literature in early American history.

Early Christianity debated core questions:

– if the Father and Son are distinct beings
– if God is embodied
– how divinity worked
– the role of Greek philosophy

The Council of Nicaea in 325 didn’t just clarify belief. It changed it.

The History of the Nicene Creed: Before Nicaea, Christians agreed on worshiping Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

What they disagreed on was how Christ was divine, how He related to the Father, and how God should be understood.

Are Latter day Saints polytheists?

Do they believe God was once a man?

Will they get their own planets?

And why did Jesus say, “ye are gods”?

Much of what gets repeated about Latter day Saints is not true.

Here is the truth: Lorenzo Snow, an early Latter-day Saint leader, expressed the belief this way:

“As man now is, God once was; As God now is, man may be.”

Some may be taken aback by this teaching, but it closely aligns with the writings of many early Christian thinkers.

What did Charlie Kirk think about Latter-day Saints and their beliefs?

Here’s what the record shows: In interviews and speeches, Kirk often expressed admiration for Latter-day Saints.

He highlighted their character, family life, missionary work, and values.

Many of his closest colleagues are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Two Yale Law professors set out to study which cultural groups in America are thriving.

After years of research, they wrote a book about what they found.

They are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but Latter-day Saints kept standing out.

Details: Only about 2 percent of Americans are Latter-day Saints.

Yet they consistently show up at the top in education, leadership, and long-term career success.

Their rise is not loud or flashy. It is steady, disciplined, and easy to overlook if you are not paying attention.

Podcaster Steve Bannon suggested yesterday that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints fosters an environment that leads to violence.

He said there’s something wrong with the Church and that the Church should address it.

This is a serious charge, so I looked into it: Dr. Kenda Dean of Princeton spent years studying American teens.

What she found about Latter-day Saints was so striking that she devoted an entire chapter of her book to them.

Her words: “It’s difficult to read the data on Latter-day Saint teens without feeling a hint of awe.”

A practicing Catholic professor with a PhD in theology once wrote:

“I’m not a Mormon, but sometimes I wish I were.”

Here’s what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints taught him about faith, truth, and community: Stephen H. Webb graduated from Wabash College in 1983, earned his PhD at the University of Chicago, and taught as Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Wabash from 1988 to 2012.

He remained Catholic.

But what he saw in Latter-day Saint beliefs changed him.

Headlines claim The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is “stockpiling billions” and “avoiding taxes.”

Here’s why governments don’t tax churches, and why reserves are wise for a global faith: The First Amendment protects the free exercise of religion.

Tax exemption is part of that protection because it ensures that government burdens do not interfere with worship or ministry.

It is not a loophole but a safeguard that helps religious life flourish.

8 Uncomfortable Truths about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Uncomfortable Truth 1:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a global leader in humanitarian relief.

Since 2021, humanitarian aid expenditures from the Church are around $5 billion.

The Univ. of Vermont offered a graduate-level course on the Book of Mormon.

Neither the professor nor the students were Latter-day Saints.

No one approached the book as scripture, yet they took it seriously and recognized its richness and depth.

The class was a hit.

Details: Dr. Elizabeth Fenton is a professor in the Department of English at The University of Vermont.

She earned a B.A. from The University of Vermont and a Ph.D. from Rice University.

Dr. Fenton is not a Latter-day Saint.

These two women appeared on The View to discuss the experiences of Latter-day Saint women and the concept of marriage within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

However, research and data contradict their representation.

Here is the research and data:
Latter-day Saint women have the highest rate of being very happy, per Pew Research Center.

In fact, only 5% of married Latter-day women in the sample reported being “not too happy,” significantly lower than that of other religious groups.

A British journalist spent time among Latter-day Saints.

She was surprised to discover they didn’t match the stereotypes depicted in provocative documentaries and sensational streaming shows.

Here are the eight lessons she learned: British journalist Nina-Sophia Miralles, who is not a Latter-day Saint and had nearly zero knowledge of the faith beyond watching documentaries and hearing myths, wrote an in-depth, “myth-busting” article about Latter-day Saints.

The Chosen is one of the most successful TV shows in the past decade.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has played a critical role in the show’s success, which has involved the Church’s top leadership.

Here are the details: In 2010, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built a massive replica of Jerusalem of old, a deconstructed, biblical megalopolis, complete with a Styrofoam-stone dome and wooden beams connecting disparate building facades.

Evidence indicates a significant rise in interest in Christianity across the United States, reaching unprecedented levels.

This trend is boosting The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is experiencing similarly remarkable growth.

Data and observations: Google search volume for Jesus Christ is at its highest level ever recorded in Google Trends data.

Here’s what is known about how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spends its wealth: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints owns vast farmland and regularly makes headlines when it acquires more.

The farmland enables the Church to produce and process staples such as fruits, vegetables, grains, turkey, beef, and milk.

Researcher Kenda Dean of Princeton studied and wrote a book on American teens.

Her findings on teens who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were so remarkable that she dedicated an entire chapter to their exceptional faith and character.

Details: “It’s difficult to read the data on Latter-day Saint teenagers without feeling a hint of awe.”

—Dr. Kenda Dean of Princeton

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the data): From building and equipping medical facilities to providing clean water and sanitation, the Church provides humanitarian aid across the globe.

In 2024, the Church’s humanitarian aid expenditures were $1.45 billion. That’s about $4 million per day in humanitarian aid worldwide.

This is a Giving Machine. It’s like a vending machine, but instead of snacks, you "purchase" donations for charities, providing essentials like food, clothing, or education to those in need. More than $32 million has been raised. Here’s a deep dive into the initiative: (1/8) The first Giving Machines launched in 2017 with only a few locations. Today, they are in 107 cities in 13 countries on five continents. More than 2 million people have visited Giving Machines since the 2017 launch. (2/8)