Orson Pratt, an Apostle in the Mormon church once invited others to “teach us our errors; convince us of our delusions.” He thought that the church was walking in true Christianity. This echoes a statement from Joseph Smith asking others to “convince us of our delusions,” and claiming that “we will be ever grateful for the information.”
In practice, the church and most TBM members don’t want to know where the rabbit hole goes. Would they be ever grateful for the information that the church is not what it claims to be? That the church’s dominant narrative regarding church history and the church founding are not true, and historians know it?
Convince us of our errors of doctrine, if we have any, by reason, by logical arguments, or by the Word of God, and we will be ever grateful for the information, and you will ever have the pleasing reflection that you have been instruments in the hands of God of redeeming your fellow beings from the darkness which you may see enveloping their minds. Come, then, let us reason together, and try to discover the true light upon all subjects, connected with our temporal or eternal happiness; and if we disagree, in our judgements, let us impute it to the weakness and imperfections of our fallen natures, and let us pity each other, and endeavor with patience and meekness to reclaim from error, and save the immortal soul from an endless death.
Joseph Smith, Celestial Marriage: A Revelation on the Patriarchal Order of Matrimony or Plurality of Wives, Given to Joseph Smith the Seer in Nauvoo July 12th 1843
The Seer, January 1853, Volume 1 Number 1, Pages 15-16, published by Orson Pratt, Apostle of the Church. The First Epistle of Orson Pratt.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Seer/ikM9AAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA15&printsec=frontcover
Come over and help us; teach us our errors; convince us of our delusions, if we have any; set us in the good old paths of ancient Christianity if we are not already walking therein; take us by the hand and lead us into the light, if you consider us in darkness; prove to us that the Book of Mormon is an imposition that we may be justified in rejecting it; convince us that a plurality of wives is contrary to the gospel; let your light shine upon the mountains and upon the highest places of the earth, that Utah may, peradventure, become enlightened, at least, that she may be able to see some of the beauties of civilized society.
Orson Pratt, Celestial Marriage (Continuation)
The Seer, May 1853, Volume 1 Number 5, Page 77, published by Orson Pratt, Apostle of the Church along with The First Epistle of Orson Pratt.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Seer/ikM9AAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=convince%20us%20of%20our%20errors
The church admits many errors of doctrine in the Gospel Topic Essays. Even more, errors can be found in the footnotes and source material they quote from in the essays. The church is also aware of the issues and errors as is shown by the LDS Faith Crisis Report. Rather than welcoming the information, they do their best to hide and deny it. The church, rather than being ever grateful, will excommunicate anyone who shines light on their issues, like Sam Young advocating for children and condemning the abusive and dangerous worthiness interviews who is excommunicated after his hunger strike, or Jeremy Runnells asking questions of the CES Directory in the CES letter and being ignored and then silenced with excommunication.
This sentiment of thanking people for trying to convince them of their errors of doctrine by reason, logical arguments, or the word of God is not common or culturally correct in the Mormon church. These statements by Joseph Smith and Orson Pratt are anomalies among Mormon apologists, church leaders, and general members who will promote any sort of mental gymnastics or accept all sorts of cognitive dissonance to keep their cherished beliefs intact. Looking at it truthfully though, faith in fiction is not faith, facts matter!
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