Journal of Secret Combinations -- for LDS/Mormon/The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

This past Saturday night was a wonderful night.  I was able to watch the BYU football game with my son, Leo.  We had a chance to reconnect since I have been busy lately.  I brought home a big New York-style pizza from Anthony & Luca's in Pinellas Park -- love their pizza -- and we watched the game together.  It was a real nail-biter coming down to the last play of the game.  With BYU in the lead by 4 points, Notre Dame drove the ball down the field to the BYU 5-yard line.  Then with 5 seconds left in the game, they through an incomplete pass and BYU won.  The whole stadium erupted and ran onto the field to celebrate.  The clock was later shown to have 1 second left when the ball fell incomplete on the ground, but the clock didn't start when the play started for at least 1-2 seconds, so it all worked out.  With 5 of the top 8 teams losing this week, BYU climbed to #2 on the AP poll.  This is good advertising to say the least for BYU, ...

I like to play little games on my phone when I have time to waste.  It's great for many times in life when you are bored waiting for something:  like waiting to catch a plane or waiting in a long line. When you play games, they are free to download and play.  They make money by showing you advertising.   I've noticed lately that there are many games completely focused on money. Gambling is heavily advertised, including new apps where you can bet on anything: sports, politics, or the weather.  I also know that creating an app has at least two purposes:  1) they can make money on your gambling and get you addicted at a relatively young age -- if they get you when you're young, they can get you addicted for life, guaranteeing them a nice income stream, and  2) they can profit just by holding your money and making interest off it.  Even if they lose some money on the bets, they can still make large sums off the interest by holding your money....

  The Identity of the Great and Abominable Church by Gregg Killpack October 13, 2026 Note:  This article was sent to The Interpreter Foundation for peer review on 9/26/2026.  I invite all scholars in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to come to your own conclusions. Abstract:   The identity of the great and abominable church has been a mystery since The Book of Mormon was first published. Although church authorities have speculated on the subject, we still don’t know who or what it is. However, we have sufficient information to understand what constitutes the great and abominable church. This article reviews the assumptions church scholars have made, offers evidence for its correct identity, and provides an example of a modern organization that meets Nephi’s description. Author’s Note This article builds on the scholarship of Stephen E. Robinson’s article, Warring Against the Saints of God (January 1988 Ensign magazine), hereafter referred to as “W...