Richard Bushman concedes to many points Jeremy Runnells brought up in the CES Letter in a discussion on the CES Letters podcast. CES Letters has no affiliation with the CES Letter, but is the latest attempt to debunk it. Richard Bushman is asked a series of questions stemming from the CES Letter, and responds to …
Category Archives: Thought
The Mormon Mountain Meadows Massacre
The Mountain Meadows Massacre, one of the most disturbing events in Mormon history, occurred on September 11, 1857, in southern Utah. A group of approximately 120 emigrants traveling through Utah toward California was ambushed and slaughtered by members of the local Mormon militia, aided by Native American allies. The victims, predominantly families in the Baker-Fancher …
A New Book of Mormon Introduction Tested in App
The church has many apps available for download, and no surprise, one dedicated to the Book of Mormon. It is geared towards investigators who are new to the church as you can imagine is a useful tool for missionary work when investigators can download a free app rather than be given a physical book. The …
Continue reading “A New Book of Mormon Introduction Tested in App”
Witnesses Saw Gold Plates With Spiritual Eyes
![Martin was in the office when I [John H. Gilbert, typesetter for most of the Book of Mormon] finished setting up the testimony of the three witnesses, I said to him, “Martin, did you see those plates with your naked eyes?” Martin looked down for an instant, raised his eyes up, and said, “No, I saw them with a spiritual eye.” - Martin Harris, Witness of the Gold Plates | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Martin-Harris-Witness-not-naked-eye-spiritual-eye.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1)
The Three Book of Mormon witnesses offer a fascinating and contradictory window into the authenticity of Joseph Smith’s claims about the gold plates. The accounts of the witnesses—both official and unofficial—regarding whether they saw the plates with their natural eyes or spiritual eyes are highly contentious and have been subject to much debate. The church …
Continue reading “Witnesses Saw Gold Plates With Spiritual Eyes”
Church Teaches Children Eternal Polygamy
The church has introduced a new series of scripture stories aimed at children. There are plenty of illustrations and the simplified stories pull from the scriptures and church history. They don’t shy from one of the most troubling chapters of Mormon history, polygamy. The simplified story portrays the origin of Mormon polygamy as beginning with …
How To Leave the Mormon Church
There are many reasons someone might decide to quit the Mormon Church, often stemming from a deep desire for authenticity, integrity, and personal freedom. For some, the decision arises after discovering inconsistencies in the church’s foundational narratives, such as the lack of evidence for the Book of Mormon or the troubling aspects of Joseph Smith’s …
QuitMormon Offers Free Legal Assistance For Mormons Who Want To Resign
Mark Naugle, an immigration attorney from Orem, UT, is the creator of QuitMormon.com, a free service that helps members resign from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His involvement in this effort was not initially planned but was influenced by his own personal experience. When Naugle was 15, his family, after conducting their …
Continue reading “QuitMormon Offers Free Legal Assistance For Mormons Who Want To Resign”
How to Avoid a Faith Crisis
A stake in Utah offers a course in ‘How to avoid a Faith Crisis’. It looks like this is a series of lessons and though the handout formatting is so horrible some are hard to read, it looks like the topics each include a scripture reference and are as follows: Faith Crisis Avoidance Course Examination …
Believe Absurdities, Commit Atrocities
Voltaire’s quote, “Anyone who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities,” can be applied to the history and doctrines of the Mormon Church by examining some of its teachings and the actions inspired by them. Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities Voltaire Voltaire, born François-Marie Arouet, …
A Proper Test For “Godhood Readiness”
Imagine a hypothetical scenario of two men and their eternal progression towards godhood. One blindly follows church teachings, always does what he’s told, and refuses to entertain doubt it hard questions, while the other questions, investigates, and chooses to act morally based on personal conviction rather than religious doctrine or rewards. Critical thinking, independence, and …
Joseph Smith’s Kinderhook Plates Kinder-Surprise Translation Redaction
In Kinderhook, Illinois, about 50 miles south of Nauvoo, six bell-shaped brass plates were allegedly found when digging up a burial mound on a farmer’s land. He said he’d dreamt about finding treasure in the mound and organized a dig. A couple Mormons were present when some small plates with ancient-looking inscriptions were found and …
Continue reading “Joseph Smith’s Kinderhook Plates Kinder-Surprise Translation Redaction”
Are Nephites or Lamanites The Principal or Among Ancestors of Native Americans? DNA Answers
The research into Native American DNA conclusively demonstrates that the ancestors of American Indians migrated from Asia, not the Middle East. This has profound implications for the claims of the Book of Mormon. For decades, the Book of Mormon described Lamanites as the “principal ancestors” of American Indians—a key narrative aligning with Joseph Smith’s teachings …
Is the Book of Mormon Historical? True? Does it Matter?
The question of whether the Book of Mormon is historical—and whether it has to be historical in order to be “true”—is one that has sparked significant debate both within and outside the LDS Church. Is the Book of Mormon Historical? The Book of Mormon presents itself as a historical account of ancient peoples who traveled …
Continue reading “Is the Book of Mormon Historical? True? Does it Matter?”
David A Bednar Recommends We Don’t Write Down What He Says
David A. Bednar gave a Missionary Devotional in August 2021, asking listeners not to write down what he said. This echoes other Apostolic Firesides and Devotionals, where members in attendance are specifically requested not to record or share the message. The leaders presumably want to keep the meeting intimate and casual. They want to be …
Continue reading “David A Bednar Recommends We Don’t Write Down What He Says”
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave serves as a timeless metaphor for the journey from ignorance to knowledge and truth. It parallels the experience of leaving Mormonism in profound ways. Just as the freed prisoner emerges into the light, grappling with the shock of a broader reality, those who leave the church often confront unsettling truths …
Better Dead Clean, Than Alive Unclean
Bruce R. McConkie’s statement in Mormon Doctrine—”Loss of virtue is too great a price to pay even for the preservation of one’s life—better dead clean, than alive unclean”—is deeply problematic and reflects harmful ideologies surrounding purity culture. By equating virtue exclusively with chastity and suggesting that death is preferable to “uncleanness” (interpreted as loss of …
Church Mischaracterized Since 1830: Fact or Fiction
Reporter: In 2003 the church denounced the book Under the Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer, calling Krakauer a storyteller who cuts corners to make the story sound good. Now Krakauer’s book has been adapted for TV and is streaming on Hulu. What does the church think of the Hulu adaptation, and more generally how …
Continue reading “Church Mischaracterized Since 1830: Fact or Fiction”
Mark Twain on Mormons
![“The [Book of Mormon] is a curiosity to me. It is such a pretentious affair and yet so slow, so sleepy, such an insipid mess of inspiration. It is chloroform in print.” - Mark Twain, Roughing It, 1872 | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Mark-Twain-Book-of-Mormon-chloroform-in-print.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1)
Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835–1910), was a prominent American writer, humorist, and social critic best known for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain lived during a transformative period in American history marked by the Civil War, Reconstruction, and rapid industrialization. His sharp wit and keen observations often critiqued …
Tithing vs Feeding Children
The history of tithing shows that it has grown over time to require more of church members. It has grown to be required for a temple recommend, and reinterpreted to mean ten percent of your income. It has been expanded to include everyone, not just those who have means. It has been tied to the …
Gender in Terrestrial & Telestial Kingdoms or The TK Smoothie
Joseph Fielding Smith taught in his definitive Doctrines of Salvation that only celestial resurrected individuals will be able to procreate. He clarifies that individuals in the Telestial Kingdom would lack male or female genitalia, contrasting with those in the Celestial Kingdom, who would retain their reproductive organs for eternal procreation. This doctrine of salvation led …
Continue reading “Gender in Terrestrial & Telestial Kingdoms or The TK Smoothie”
On Evil Speaking of the Lord’s Anointed
Evil speaking of the Lord’s anointed is a phrase used in the Mormon Church to discourage criticism of church leaders. The term implies that speaking negatively about church leaders—considered “anointed” or chosen by God—is a form of disrespect or rebellion against divine authority. Members are taught that such criticism weakens faith, sows division, and leads …
The Drawn Flaming Sword of Polygamy – Spiritual Abuse and Manipulation
Joseph Smith secretly practiced polyandry and polygamy, or what the church later called plural marriage. The church freely admits this today (when forced) whereas previously it was all denied as anti-mormon lies. A strange hill to die on since the church is well known for practicing polygamy for decades in Utah. The church was hesitant …
Continue reading “The Drawn Flaming Sword of Polygamy – Spiritual Abuse and Manipulation”
Ensign Peak Advisors Withdrawls, Religious Tax-Exemption, And Lack of Charitable Work
The Ensign Peak Advisors controversy centers on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or rather the Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, doing business as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, using a tax-exempt investment fund to manage hundreds of billions of dollars derived …
From ‘the Seer Stone a Fiction to Undermine the Validity of Church’ To ‘Such Aids Are Consistent With Accounts in Scripture’
!["David Whitmer maintained [that] the Prophet used an oval-shaped, chocolate-colored seer stone slightly larger than an egg. Thus, everything we have in the Book of Mormon, according to Mr. Whitmer, was translated by placing the chocolate-colored stone in a hat into which Joseph would bury his head so as to close out the light... Such an explanation is, in our judgment, simply fiction created for the purpose of demeaning Joseph Smith and to undermine the validity of the revelations he received" - Joseph Fielding McConkie (BYU Professor of Ancient Scripture) & Craig J. Ostler (BYU Professor, Church History and Doctrine), Revelations of the Restoration. Page 95-96, Deseret Book, 2000 | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Joseph-Fielding-McConkie-Craig-J-Ostler-used-an-oval-shaped-chocolate-colored-seer-stone-slightly-larger-than-an-egg-to-translate-book-of-mormon-by-placing-it-in-a-hat.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1)
In the year 2000, Deseret Book, the church-owned publishing company, published a joint-written book from two BYU professors, Joseph Fielding McConkie, a BYU Professor of Ancient Scripture, and Craig J. Ostler, a BYU Professor of Church History and Doctrine. The book is titled Revelations of the Restoration, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants and …
Mormonites Footnote on Book of Mormon Translation Gospel Topic Essay
![[Joseph Smith] was again arraigned before a bar of Justice, during last Summer, to answer to a charge of misdemeanor. This trial led to an investigation of his character and conduct, which clearly evinced to the unprejudiced, whence the spirit came which dictated his inspirations. During the trial it was shown that the Book of Mormon was brought to light by the same magic power by which he pretended to tell fortunes, discover hidden treasures, etc. Oliver Cowdry, one of the three witnesses to the book, testified under oath, that said Smith found with the plates, from which he translated his book, two transparent stones, resembling glass, set in silver bows. That by looking through these, he was able to read in English, the reformed Egyptian characters, which were engraved on the plates. - Mormonites, Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate, April 9 1831 - Footnote 31 in Gospel Topic Essay on Book of Mormon Translation | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Mormonites-Olivery-Cowdery-statement-under-oath-about-seer-stone-trial-showed-book-of-mormon-brought-by-same-magic-power-Joseph-discovered-hidden-treasures.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1)
The Book of Mormon Translation Gospel Topic Essay references an article in Footnote 31 from an Evangelical Magazine titled Mormonites. The essay cherry-picks comments from Oliver Cowdery about the translation process: The principal scribe, Oliver Cowdery, testified under oath in 1831 that Joseph Smith “found with the plates, from which he translated his book, two …
Continue reading “Mormonites Footnote on Book of Mormon Translation Gospel Topic Essay”
Oaks Demonizing Criticism and Avoiding Accountability
Dallin H. Oaks teaches that even true criticisms of church leaders should be avoided, framing this restraint as a necessary way to maintain unity and love within the church. By comparing criticism to blackmail or breaches of confidentiality, Oaks implies that revealing truths that could harm leaders’ reputations is inherently harmful and spiritually unfaithful. He …
Continue reading “Oaks Demonizing Criticism and Avoiding Accountability”
Mormons Expected to Stand Forever – Despite Questions
Church leader Lawrence E. Corbridge, an LDS Seventy, gave a BYU Devotional that addresses how to properly deal with questions. Corbridge explains that he’s read all the anti-Mormon literature out there, but was successfully able to put all his questions on the shelf because he was able to convince himself that his questions don’t matter …
Continue reading “Mormons Expected to Stand Forever – Despite Questions”
Avoiding Too Frequent Repetition of the Name of Diety
Two Mormon ideas reflect contrasting approaches to using sacred names. The Church President states that out of respect for the Lord, we should call his church by his name. Also, in the D&C, out of respect for the Lord, we don’t call his priesthood by his name. President Russell M. Nelson in 2018 (and 1990) …
Continue reading “Avoiding Too Frequent Repetition of the Name of Diety”
Joseph Smith’s Rock in Hat Translation of the Book of Mormon
Traditionally, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon or LDS Church) depicts Joseph Smith translating the Book of Mormon in a manner that implies a reverent, direct reading of ancient golden plates. Today, church leaders are shifting this narrative to reflect the more historically accurate manner of translation. In reality, Joseph Smith barely …
Continue reading “Joseph Smith’s Rock in Hat Translation of the Book of Mormon”
The Church Wants Your Unfaithful Children’s Inheritance
The LDS Philanthropies video addresses how some faithful Latter-day Saint parents can approach passing on family wealth in alignment with their values. The video highlights one couple’s reflections on instilling values in their children, emphasizing that material inheritance if given to children who do not follow LDS teachings, could risk leading them away from the …
Continue reading “The Church Wants Your Unfaithful Children’s Inheritance”