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"A recent electronic and chemical analysis of a metal plate (one of six original plates) brought in 1843 to the Prophet Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, Illinois, appears to solve a previously unanswered question in Church history, helping to further evidence that the plate is what its producers later said it was—a nineteenth-century attempt to lure Joseph Smith into making a translation of ancient-looking characters that had been etched into the plates." - Ensign, August 1981. Kinderhook Plates Brought to Joseph Smith Appear to Be a Nineteenth-Century Hoax, Stanley B. Kimball, professor of history at Southern Illinois University. | wasmormon.org
"A recent electronic and chemical analysis of a metal plate (one of six original plates) brought in 1843 to the Prophet Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, Illinois, appears to solve a previously unanswered question in Church history, helping to further evidence that the plate is what its producers later said it was—a nineteenth-century attempt to lure Joseph Smith into making a translation of ancient-looking characters that had been etched into the plates." - Ensign, August 1981. Kinderhook Plates Brought to Joseph Smith Appear to Be a Nineteenth-Century Hoax, Stanley B. Kimball, professor of history at Southern Illinois University.
Contemporaneous sources say very little about Joseph Smith’s encounter with the Kinderhook plates, which occurred over a span of just a few days in 1843. Joseph apparently examined the plates and, according to his clerk William Clayton, remarked that they contained “the history of … a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” Joseph evidently did not attempt a revelatory translation as he had done with the Book of Mormon plates, but rather appears to have compared the symbols on the Kinderhook plates with other ancient artifacts in his possession. - LDS Website, Church History Topics: Kinderhook Plates https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/kinderhook-plates | wasmormon.org
Contemporaneous sources say very little about Joseph Smith’s encounter with the Kinderhook plates, which occurred over a span of just a few days in 1843. Joseph apparently examined the plates and, according to his clerk William Clayton, remarked that they contained “the history of … a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” Joseph evidently did not attempt a revelatory translation as he had done with the Book of Mormon plates, but rather appears to have compared the symbols on the Kinderhook plates with other ancient artifacts in his possession. - LDS Website, Church History Topics: Kinderhook Plates https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/kinderhook-plates
"The Kinderhook Plates, sketched by an unknown artist, and published in the periodical Times and Seasons at Nauvoo in 1843. Reproduced here from the Documentary History of the Church, volume 5, pages 374-376. The six brass plates were found near Kinderhook, in Pike County, Illinois, on April 23, 1843." - The Improvement Era, September 1962. The Kinderhook Plates, Welby W. Ricks, President, University Archeological Society, BYU. Page 658. wasmormon.org
"The Kinderhook Plates, sketched by an unknown artist, and published in the periodical Times and Seasons at Nauvoo in 1843. Reproduced here from the Documentary History of the Church, volume 5, pages 374-376. The six brass plates were found near Kinderhook, in Pike County, Illinois, on April 23, 1843." - The Improvement Era, September 1962. The Kinderhook Plates, Welby W. Ricks, President, University Archeological Society, BYU. Page 658.
"A recent rediscovery of one of the Kinderhook plates which was examined by Joseph Smith, reaffirms his prophetic calling... Joseph Smith, pronounced them genuine and translated a part of them... This much remains, Joseph Smith, stands as a true prophet and translator of ancient records by divine means and all the world is invited to investigate the truth which has sprung out of the earth not only of the Kinderhook plates, but of the Book of Mormon as well." - The Improvement Era, September 1962. The Kinderhook Plates, Welby W. Ricks, President, University Archeological Society, BYU. Pages 636-637, 656, 658, 660. | wasmormon.org
"A recent rediscovery of one of the Kinderhook plates which was examined by Joseph Smith, reaffirms his prophetic calling... Joseph Smith, pronounced them genuine and translated a part of them... This much remains, Joseph Smith, stands as a true prophet and translator of ancient records by divine means and all the world is invited to investigate the truth which has sprung out of the earth not only of the Kinderhook plates, but of the Book of Mormon as well." - The Improvement Era, September 1962. The Kinderhook Plates, Welby W. Ricks, President, University Archeological Society, BYU. Pages 636-637, 656, 658, 660.
Another set of plates have been found in Pike county, in this State; they were dug out of a large mound, fifteen feet from the summit, by a company of persons, fifteen in number, who all affirm to the fact of their situation when found. There were six in number, about three inches in length, and two and a half broad at one end, and one inch broad at the other, being something of the form of a bell, about the sixteenth of an inch thick, with a hole in the small end of each, fastened together with a ring, apparantly of iron or steel, but which was so oxidised as to crumble to pieces when handled. The plates are evidently brass, and are covered on both sides with hyerogliphics. They were brought up and shown to Joseph Smith. He compared them in my presence with his Egyptian alphabet, which he took from the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated, and they are characters. He therefore will evidently the same be able to decipher them. There can be no doubt but they are a record of some kind, buried with an individual, centuries ago; a skeleton was found with them-some of the bones in such a state of preservation as to show the size of the individual, whose height must have been eight and a half teet. You may expect something very remarkably pretty soon. - Late and Interesting from the Mormon Empire on the Upper Mississippi, Letter from "A Gentile" (Sylvester Emmons) published in New York Herald, Tuesday, May 30, 1843. Library of Congress, Washington, DC. | wasmormon.org
"Another set of plates have been found in Pike county, in this State; they were dug out of a large mound, fifteen feet from the summit, by a company of persons, fifteen in number, who all affirm to the fact of their situation when found. There were six in number, about three inches in length, and two and a half broad at one end, and one inch broad at the other, being something of the form of a bell, about the sixteenth of an inch thick, with a hole in the small end of each, fastened together with a ring, apparantly of iron or steel, but which was so oxidised as to crumble to pieces when handled. The plates are evidently brass, and are covered on both sides with hyerogliphics. They were brought up and shown to Joseph Smith. He compared them in my presence with his Egyptian alphabet, which he took from the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated, and they are characters. He therefore will evidently the same be able to decipher them. There can be no doubt but they are a record of some kind, buried with an individual, centuries ago; a skeleton was found with them-some of the bones in such a state of preservation as to show the size of the individual, whose height must have been eight and a half teet. You may expect something very remarkably pretty soon." - Late and Interesting from the Mormon Empire on the Upper Mississippi, Letter from "A Gentile" (Sylvester Emmons) published in New York Herald, Tuesday, May 30, 1843. Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
One of the six original Kinderhook Plates created by counterfeiters in southwestern Illinois who hoped to discredit Latter Day Saints leader Joseph Smith in 1843. The plates were manufactured bearing a fabricated ancient language and buried near the town of Kinderhook, Illinois. The hucksters hoped Smith would translate the gibberish and reveal himself as a fake. - Chicago History Museum, Kinderhook plate | wasmormon.org
One of the six original Kinderhook Plates created by counterfeiters in southwestern Illinois who hoped to discredit Latter Day Saints leader Joseph Smith in 1843. The plates were manufactured bearing a fabricated ancient language and buried near the town of Kinderhook, Illinois. The hucksters hoped Smith would translate the gibberish and reveal himself as a fake. - Chicago History Museum, Kinderhook plate
A brief account of the Discovery of the Brass Plates recently taken from a mound near Kinderhook, Pike County, Illinois. Singular discovery—materials for another Mormon book. The contents of the Plates, together with a Fac-simile of the same, will be published in the “Times and Seasons,” as soon as the translation is completed. - The first facsimiles of the Kinderhook plates appeared in a broadside published on June 24, 1843, by the Nauvoo Neighbor | wasmormon.org
A brief account of the Discovery of the Brass Plates recently taken from a mound near Kinderhook, Pike County, Illinois. Singular discovery—materials for another Mormon book. The contents of the Plates, together with a Fac-simile of the same, will be published in the “Times and Seasons,” as soon as the translation is completed. - The first facsimiles of the Kinderhook plates appeared in a broadside published on June 24, 1843, by the Nauvoo Neighbor.
I have seen 6 brass plates which were found in Adams County by some persons who were digging in a mound They found a skeleton about 6 feet from the surface of the earth which was 9 foot high [tracing of plate] The plates were on the breast of the skeleton. This diagram shows the size of the plates being drawn on the edge of one of them. They are covered with ancient characters of language containing from 30 to 40 on each side of the plates. Prest J. has translated a portion and says they contain the history of the person with whom they were found & he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven & earth. - William Clayton's Journal, Joseph Smith's Official Scribe and Secretary, May 1, 1843 | wasmormon.org
I have seen 6 brass plates which were found in Adams County by some persons who were digging in a mound They found a skeleton about 6 feet from the surface of the earth which was 9 foot high [tracing of plate] The plates were on the breast of the skeleton. This diagram shows the size of the plates being drawn on the edge of one of them. They are covered with ancient characters of language containing from 30 to 40 on each side of the plates. Prest J. has translated a portion and says they contain the history of the person with whom they were found & he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven & earth. - William Clayton's Journal, Joseph Smith's Official Scribe and Secretary, May 1, 1843
"I have seen 6 brass plates which were found... in a mound... covered with ancient characters of language containing from 30 to 40 on each side of the plates. President Joseph has translated a portion and says they contain the history of the person with whom they were found & he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven & earth." - William Clayton's Journal, Joseph Smith's Official Scribe and Secretary, May 1, 1843 | wasmormon.org
"I have seen 6 brass plates which were found... in a mound... covered with ancient characters of language containing from 30 to 40 on each side of the plates. President Joseph has translated a portion and says they contain the history of the person with whom they were found & he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven & earth." - William Clayton's Journal, Joseph Smith's Official Scribe and Secretary, May 1, 1843
"Six plates having the appearance of Brass have lately been dug out of the mound by a gentleman in Pike Co. Illinois. They are small and filled with engravings in Egyptian language and contain the genealogy of one of the ancient Jaredites back to Ham the son of Noah. His bones were found in the same vase (made of Cement). Part of the bones were 15 ft. underground. A large number of Citizens have seen them and compared the characters with those on the Egyptian papyrus which is now in this city." - Parley P. Pratt letter of May 7, 1843 | The Ensign, August 1981, page 73 | wasmormon.org
"Six plates having the appearance of Brass have lately been dug out of the mound by a gentleman in Pike Co. Illinois. They are small and filled with engravings in Egyptian language and contain the genealogy of one of the ancient Jaredites back to Ham the son of Noah. His bones were found in the same vase (made of Cement). Part of the bones were 15 ft. underground. A large number of Citizens have seen them and compared the characters with those on the Egyptian papyrus which is now in this city." - Parley P. Pratt letter of May 7, 1843 | The Ensign, August 1981, page 73
"I insert facsimiles of the six brass plates found near Kinderhook, in Pike county, Illinois, on April 23, by Mr. Robert Wiley and others, while excavating a large mound. They found a skeleton about six feet from the surface of the earth, which must have stood nine feet high. The plates were found on the breast of the skeleton and were covered on both sides with ancient characters. I have translated a portion of them, and find they contain the history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the Ruler of heaven and earth." - History of the Church, 5:372-378 | wasmormon.org
"I insert facsimiles of the six brass plates found near Kinderhook, in Pike county, Illinois, on April 23, by Mr. Robert Wiley and others, while excavating a large mound. They found a skeleton about six feet from the surface of the earth, which must have stood nine feet high. The plates were found on the breast of the skeleton and were covered on both sides with ancient characters. I have translated a portion of them, and find they contain the history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the Ruler of heaven and earth." - History of the Church, 5:372-378 I have translated a portion of them, and find they contain the history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the Ruler of heaven and earth.History of the Church, 5:372-378
“Honest investigators will conclude that there are so many evidences that the Book of Mormon is an ancient text that they cannot confidently resolve the question against its authenticity, despite some unanswered questions that seem to support the negative determination.... It is our position that secular evidence can neither prove nor disprove the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Its authenticity depends, as it says, on a witness of the Holy Spirit.” - Dallin H. Oaks, LDS Apostle, On The Historicity of the Book of Mormon, 1993 | wasmormon.org
“Honest investigators will conclude that there are so many evidences that the Book of Mormon is an ancient text that they cannot confidently resolve the question against its authenticity, despite some unanswered questions that seem to support the negative determination.... It is our position that secular evidence can neither prove nor disprove the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Its authenticity depends, as it says, on a witness of the Holy Spirit.” - Dallin H. Oaks, LDS Apostle, On The Historicity of the Book of Mormon, 1993
"The Book of Mormon is not primarily a historical record that looks to the past. Rather, this volume of scripture looks to the future and contains important principles, warnings, and lessons intended for the circumstances and challenges of our day. Hence, the Book of Mormon is a book about our future and the times in which we do now and will yet live." - David A. Bednar, LDS Apostle, October 2024 | wasmormon.org
"The Book of Mormon is not primarily a historical record that looks to the past. Rather, this volume of scripture looks to the future and contains important principles, warnings, and lessons intended for the circumstances and challenges of our day. Hence, the Book of Mormon is a book about our future and the times in which we do now and will yet live." - David A. Bednar, LDS Apostle, October 2024
The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Their words, written on gold plates, were quoted and abridged by a prophet-historian named Mormon. The record gives an account of two great civilizations. One came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C. and afterward separated into two nations, known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came much earlier when the Lord confounded the tongues at the Tower of Babel. This group is known as the Jaredites. After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are (the principal)/(among the) ancestors of the American Indians. - Book of Mormon, Introduction 1981 vs 2006 | wasmormon.org
The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Their words, written on gold plates, were quoted and abridged by a prophet-historian named Mormon. The record gives an account of two great civilizations. One came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C. and afterward separated into two nations, known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came much earlier when the Lord confounded the tongues at the Tower of Babel. This group is known as the Jaredites. After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are (the principal)/(among the) ancestors of the American Indians. - Book of Mormon, Introduction 1981 vs 2006
"Latter-day Saints are not asked to blindly accept everything they hear. We are encouraged to think and discover truth for ourselves. We are expected to ponder, to search, to evaluate, and thereby to come to a personal knowledge of the truth. We seek for truth wherever we may find it." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf, LDS Apostle, January 13, 2013 BYU Devotional | wasmormon.org
"Latter-day Saints are not asked to blindly accept everything they hear. We are encouraged to think and discover truth for ourselves. We are expected to ponder, to search, to evaluate, and thereby to come to a personal knowledge of the truth. We seek for truth wherever we may find it." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf, LDS Apostle, January 13, 2013 BYU Devotional
“I don’t want to try to tell you how to do this, but I would recommend you don’t try to write down things that any of us say. I would suggest to you that that totally misses the mark. What you should write down are the things that only you hear that are being delivered to you very specifically by the power of the Holy Ghost.” - David A. Bednar, LDS Apostle, Missionary Devotional, August 26, 2021 | wasmormon.org
“I don’t want to try to tell you how to do this, but I would recommend you don’t try to write down things that any of us say. I would suggest to you that that totally misses the mark. What you should write down are the things that only you hear that are being delivered to you very specifically by the power of the Holy Ghost.” - David A. Bednar, LDS Apostle, Missionary Devotional, August 26, 2021
If you see a person at the post office preparing to send huge sums of money to a Nigerian prince, do you not have an obligation to warn them that they're being scammed? Maybe they'll ignore your input. Maybe they'll tell you that the Nigerian prince makes them happy and so they don't mind giving him money. Fine. You don't force them to stop sending him money. But as a matter of human decency, you're obligated to let that person know about the countless news articles you've seen where the Nigerian prince always turned out to be a con man. It's the same with Mormonism. There's overwhelming evidence showing that Joseph Smith was the original Nigerian prince and that the brethren leading the church today are no better. It would be morally wrong to stay silent about all that evidence when you see people you love losing huge amounts of time and money to a scam like that. - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
If you see a person at the post office preparing to send huge sums of money to a Nigerian prince, do you not have an obligation to warn them that they're being scammed? Maybe they'll ignore your input. Maybe they'll tell you that the Nigerian prince makes them happy and so they don't mind giving him money. Fine. You don't force them to stop sending him money. But as a matter of human decency, you're obligated to let that person know about the countless news articles you've seen where the Nigerian prince always turned out to be a con man. It's the same with Mormonism. There's overwhelming evidence showing that Joseph Smith was the original Nigerian prince and that the brethren leading the church today are no better. It would be morally wrong to stay silent about all that evidence when you see people you love losing huge amounts of time and money to a scam like that. - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
If you see a person at the post office preparing to send huge sums of money to a Nigerian prince, do you not have an obligation to warn them that they're being scammed? Maybe they'll ignore your input. Maybe they'll tell you that the Nigerian prince makes them happy and so they don't mind giving him money. Fine. You don't force them to stop sending him money. But as a matter of human decency, you're obligated to let that person know about the countless news articles you've seen where the Nigerian prince always turned out to be a con man. It's the same with Mormonism. There's overwhelming evidence showing that Joseph Smith was the original Nigerian prince and that the brethren leading the church today are no better. It would be morally wrong to stay silent about all that evidence when you see people you love losing huge amounts of time and money to a scam like that. - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
If you see a person at the post office preparing to send huge sums of money to a Nigerian prince, do you not have an obligation to warn them that they're being scammed? Maybe they'll ignore your input. Maybe they'll tell you that the Nigerian prince makes them happy and so they don't mind giving him money. Fine. You don't force them to stop sending him money. But as a matter of human decency, you're obligated to let that person know about the countless news articles you've seen where the Nigerian prince always turned out to be a con man. It's the same with Mormonism. There's overwhelming evidence showing that Joseph Smith was the original Nigerian prince and that the brethren leading the church today are no better. It would be morally wrong to stay silent about all that evidence when you see people you love losing huge amounts of time and money to a scam like that. - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
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 that challenge their prior worldview. Both the freed prisoner and those undergoing a faith crisis face resistance upon returning to share their discoveries. Those still in the cave, or within the church, often reject their insights, perceiving them as threats rather than enlightenment, highlighting the tension between clinging to familiar beliefs and embracing transformative truths.
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 that challenge their prior worldview. Both the freed prisoner and those undergoing a faith crisis face resistance upon returning to share their discoveries. Those still in the cave, or within the church, often reject their insights, perceiving them as threats rather than enlightenment, highlighting the tension between clinging to familiar beliefs and embracing transformative truths.
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 that challenge their prior worldview. Both the freed prisoner and those undergoing a faith crisis face resistance upon returning to share their discoveries. Those still in the cave, or within the church, often reject their insights, perceiving them as threats rather than enlightenment, highlighting the tension between clinging to familiar beliefs and embracing transformative truths.
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 that challenge their prior worldview. Both the freed prisoner and those undergoing a faith crisis face resistance upon returning to share their discoveries. Those still in the cave, or within the church, often reject their insights, perceiving them as threats rather than enlightenment, highlighting the tension between clinging to familiar beliefs and embracing transformative truths.
This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find the full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/norkish/. There are stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by hundreds of users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find the full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/norkish/. There are stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by hundreds of users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
I Prayed my whole life to know if it was true. Read the Book of Mormon over a dozen times. Did everything I could. Did everything right. Turned 35, was poised to baptize my oldest, and realized if I hadn't got my answer yet, I never would. I wasn't ready to put my kids through it all if it wasn't true. - Paul's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/norkish/
I Prayed my whole life to know if it was true. Read the Book of Mormon over a dozen times. Did everything I could. Did everything right. Turned 35, was poised to baptize my oldest, and realized if I hadn't got my answer yet, I never would. I wasn't ready to put my kids through it all if it wasn't true. - Paul's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/norkish/
Grew up in Oregon, oldest of four boys. 6th-generation mormon on every line. Served a mission. Studied 16 years at BYU and got my PhD. Served as young men's president and elder's quorum president. Married in the temple to a returned-missionary who taught at the MTC. Had four kids. Then we all left. - Paul's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/norkish/
Grew up in Oregon, oldest of four boys. 6th-generation mormon on every line. Served a mission. Studied 16 years at BYU and got my PhD. Served as young men's president and elder's quorum president. Married in the temple to a returned-missionary who taught at the MTC. Had four kids. Then we all left. - Paul's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/norkish/
Many is the faithful Latter-day Saint parent who has sent a son or a daughter on a mission or otherwise out into the world with the direction: "I would rather have you come back in a pine box with your virtue than return alive without it." - Bruce R. McConkie, LDS Apostle, Mormon Doctrine, 1958 | wasmormon.org
Many is the faithful Latter-day Saint parent who has sent a son or a daughter on a mission or otherwise out into the world with the direction: "I would rather have you come back in a pine box with your virtue than return alive without it." - Bruce R. McConkie, LDS Apostle, Mormon Doctrine, 1958
This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find the full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/. There are stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by hundreds of users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find the full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/. There are stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by hundreds of users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
For me it's all about integrity, or lack thereof on the part of the Mormon church and its members. Since Mormon church leaders refuse to face the facts, act with integrity, and admit that their church is built upon a foundation of lies, then somebody else has to say it for them. I know that my Mormon friends genuinely WANT to act with integrity, and in fact they believe that they ARE acting with integrity. However, closing your eyes to unrefuted proof that the church is a scam in NOT an act of integrity. The price of membership in the Mormon community is too high, and I’m not referring to tithing when I say that. I’m referring to the requirement that you have to throw away your integrity in order to be a Mormon. You have to close your eyes to clearly obvious truths and pretend like those truths don't matter. - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
For me it's all about integrity, or lack thereof on the part of the Mormon church and its members. Since Mormon church leaders refuse to face the facts, act with integrity, and admit that their church is built upon a foundation of lies, then somebody else has to say it for them. I know that my Mormon friends genuinely WANT to act with integrity, and in fact they believe that they ARE acting with integrity. However, closing your eyes to unrefuted proof that the church is a scam in NOT an act of integrity. The price of membership in the Mormon community is too high, and I’m not referring to tithing when I say that. I’m referring to the requirement that you have to throw away your integrity in order to be a Mormon. You have to close your eyes to clearly obvious truths and pretend like those truths don't matter. - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
In pretty much EVERY case, the church falls back on the claim that prayer is the one and only way to know truth. Well, if a warm feeling in your heart when you pray is all you've got to counter a mountain of solid, tangible evidence, then you've got nothing. Do Mormon church leaders seriously expect us to believe that Mormons are the only ones who get a warm feeling in their hearts when they pray to their chosen god, asking for confirmation that their chosen religion is true? People in other religions get warm feelings in their hearts that are EVERY BIT as strong as what Mormons feel. A warm feeling in your heart isn't worth shinola as evidence for the truth of the Mormon church. When people want to believe something will help them (perhaps only subconsciously), their minds can cause very real and measurable changes to their bodies. When Mormons report feeling a "burning of the bosom" they're not necessarily imagining things, but what they're feeling is not necessarily from God. The burning in their bosom is much more likely to be from chemicals that their brains caused to be released into their bloodstreams or from subtle muscle contractions or something similar. - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
In pretty much EVERY case, the church falls back on the claim that prayer is the one and only way to know truth. Well, if a warm feeling in your heart when you pray is all you've got to counter a mountain of solid, tangible evidence, then you've got nothing. Do Mormon church leaders seriously expect us to believe that Mormons are the only ones who get a warm feeling in their hearts when they pray to their chosen god, asking for confirmation that their chosen religion is true? People in other religions get warm feelings in their hearts that are EVERY BIT as strong as what Mormons feel. A warm feeling in your heart isn't worth shinola as evidence for the truth of the Mormon church. When people want to believe something will help them (perhaps only subconsciously), their minds can cause very real and measurable changes to their bodies. When Mormons report feeling a "burning of the bosom" they're not necessarily imagining things, but what they're feeling is not necessarily from God. The burning in their bosom is much more likely to be from chemicals that their brains caused to be released into their bloodstreams or from subtle muscle contractions or something similar. - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
Joseph did a whole lot of things that would get a person rightfully thrown in jail if they tried those things nowdays, and which would definitely keep that person out of the Celestial Kingdom according to the teachings of Mormonism, but Mormons just shrug it off. They say, "Don't delve into the mysteries". They say not to worry about those "unknowable questions". They say to just be patient and God will explain it all later. This shows a stunning lack of integrity on the part of Mormons. Look at the articles published by the church which attempt to explain away that fact that Joseph Smith's "translation" of the Book of Abraham scrolls bears no resemblance whatsoever to what the scrolls actually say. Published right there in the Pearl of Great Price are images from the scrolls, side by side with Joseph's alleged translations. At the time the Pearl of Great Price was published, nobody could argue with Joseph's "translation" since nobody at that time could read Egyptian. But now people CAN read Egyptian and Joseph's "translations" are laughably wrong. And what's the church's explanation? They don't have one. The articles they publish which claim to refute that evidence simply say, "The Book of Abraham is a religions text, not a historical one, and therefore the only way to know if it's correct is to pray about it." - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
Joseph did a whole lot of things that would get a person rightfully thrown in jail if they tried those things nowdays, and which would definitely keep that person out of the Celestial Kingdom according to the teachings of Mormonism, but Mormons just shrug it off. They say, "Don't delve into the mysteries". They say not to worry about those "unknowable questions". They say to just be patient and God will explain it all later. This shows a stunning lack of integrity on the part of Mormons. Look at the articles published by the church which attempt to explain away that fact that Joseph Smith's "translation" of the Book of Abraham scrolls bears no resemblance whatsoever to what the scrolls actually say. Published right there in the Pearl of Great Price are images from the scrolls, side by side with Joseph's alleged translations. At the time the Pearl of Great Price was published, nobody could argue with Joseph's "translation" since nobody at that time could read Egyptian. But now people CAN read Egyptian and Joseph's "translations" are laughably wrong. And what's the church's explanation? They don't have one. The articles they publish which claim to refute that evidence simply say, "The Book of Abraham is a religions text, not a historical one, and therefore the only way to know if it's correct is to pray about it." - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
Don't fall for the claim that "they were just speaking as men, not as prophets when they said it". A core idea that was drilled into me and every Mormon I grew up with was the promise that "the Lord will never permit any man who stands as President of this Church to lead you astray". Teachings which the church now tries to distance itself from were taught as official church doctrine from the pulpit in general conferences and included in books and magazines that were published by the church, with the full knowledge and blessing of the president of the church. I find it incredible that "the brethren" can just do a Jedi hand wave while saying to the members, "you didn't see what you saw or hear what you heard", and the members simply say, "OK". - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
Don't fall for the claim that "they were just speaking as men, not as prophets when they said it". A core idea that was drilled into me and every Mormon I grew up with was the promise that "the Lord will never permit any man who stands as President of this Church to lead you astray". Teachings which the church now tries to distance itself from were taught as official church doctrine from the pulpit in general conferences and included in books and magazines that were published by the church, with the full knowledge and blessing of the president of the church. I find it incredible that "the brethren" can just do a Jedi hand wave while saying to the members, "you didn't see what you saw or hear what you heard", and the members simply say, "OK". - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
I've now been free from Mormonism for more than forty years... or at least as free as is possible for someone who still lives in Utah. My neighbors still try to bear their testimonies to me. They don't know that I’m an escapee. They just know that I’m not a Mormon. When they give me Books of Mormon and tell me how it'll change my life, I want to tell them that the reason I'm not Mormon is NOT because I haven't read the Book of Mormon. The reason I'm not Mormon is because I HAVE read it. I found a mountain of unrefuted evidence proving conclusively that Joseph Smith was con man, not a prophet. But if I say that to them then I'll be marked as one of Satan's emissaries and shunned by people with whom I need to have good relationships, so of course I have to just smile and nod and thank them for their concern on my behalf. - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
I've now been free from Mormonism for more than forty years... or at least as free as is possible for someone who still lives in Utah. My neighbors still try to bear their testimonies to me. They don't know that I’m an escapee. They just know that I’m not a Mormon. When they give me Books of Mormon and tell me how it'll change my life, I want to tell them that the reason I'm not Mormon is NOT because I haven't read the Book of Mormon. The reason I'm not Mormon is because I HAVE read it. I found a mountain of unrefuted evidence proving conclusively that Joseph Smith was con man, not a prophet. But if I say that to them then I'll be marked as one of Satan's emissaries and shunned by people with whom I need to have good relationships, so of course I have to just smile and nod and thank them for their concern on my behalf. - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
By the time I was nineteen I had complied a thick three-ring binder full of Mormon doctrinal issues that were either highly dubious or outright absurd. When I showed my parents my three-ring binder and I told them how sincerely I had prayed about it without getting any "burning in my bosom", they told me the problem was my doubting mind. The people who I had loved and trusted all my life were fervently assuring me that God would answer my questions, but he would only do that if I went on a mission. If I didn't go on a mission then God would withdraw the Holy Ghost from me, my questions would never get answered, and it would all be MY FAULT since I was being disobedient by not going on a mission. I eventually decided to trust my parents and went on the mission, but of course my questions were never answered and the Holy Ghost never showed up. Looking back on it now, I'm extremely offended that the church forced me to go out into the world and lie to people all day every day for two whole years. - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
By the time I was nineteen I had complied a thick three-ring binder full of Mormon doctrinal issues that were either highly dubious or outright absurd. When I showed my parents my three-ring binder and I told them how sincerely I had prayed about it without getting any "burning in my bosom", they told me the problem was my doubting mind. The people who I had loved and trusted all my life were fervently assuring me that God would answer my questions, but he would only do that if I went on a mission. If I didn't go on a mission then God would withdraw the Holy Ghost from me, my questions would never get answered, and it would all be MY FAULT since I was being disobedient by not going on a mission. I eventually decided to trust my parents and went on the mission, but of course my questions were never answered and the Holy Ghost never showed up. Looking back on it now, I'm extremely offended that the church forced me to go out into the world and lie to people all day every day for two whole years. - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
I once wrote a letter to the Smithsonian Institution asking them if they had ever discovered any archaeological evidence backing up the historical claims of the Book of Mormon, not really expecting that they'd actually reply, but they did. They apparently got asked that question a lot and they sent me a letter listing all the types of artifacts which SHOULD be readily found all over the place if the Book of Mormon was true, but informing me that none of that stuff had ever been found. - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
I once wrote a letter to the Smithsonian Institution asking them if they had ever discovered any archaeological evidence backing up the historical claims of the Book of Mormon, not really expecting that they'd actually reply, but they did. They apparently got asked that question a lot and they sent me a letter listing all the types of artifacts which SHOULD be readily found all over the place if the Book of Mormon was true, but informing me that none of that stuff had ever been found. - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
I was born into a devout Mormon home, but from an early age I questioned many Mormon beliefs and practices that didn't make sense to me and I never received convincing answers to those questions. I encountered soooo many church practices and doctrines that made no sense to me and/or which contradicted the available evidence or other teachings of the church. I was a Mormon, but I've since repented of that. - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
I was born into a devout Mormon home, but from an early age I questioned many Mormon beliefs and practices that didn't make sense to me and I never received convincing answers to those questions. I encountered soooo many church practices and doctrines that made no sense to me and/or which contradicted the available evidence or other teachings of the church. I was a Mormon, but I've since repented of that. - Doug's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/doug/
This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find the full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/andycwilson/. There are stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by hundreds of users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find the full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/andycwilson/. There are stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by hundreds of users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
Despite losing my faith, I still feel the church does a lot of good in the world. I love the community. It was an important part of my life for over 65 years and most of my family and friends still believe it. Now, I am finding new paths to spirituality and discovering new ways of thinking about "god" and death and meaning in my life. So far, I am finding it exciting, even mind-bending. I feel a new sense of freedom and authenticity. I'm glad groups like wasmormon are here to help me.Now, photography, family and finding a new purpose in life keep me busy. - Andy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/andycwilson/
Despite losing my faith, I still feel the church does a lot of good in the world. I love the community. It was an important part of my life for over 65 years and most of my family and friends still believe it. Now, I am finding new paths to spirituality and discovering new ways of thinking about "god" and death and meaning in my life. So far, I am finding it exciting, even mind-bending. I feel a new sense of freedom and authenticity. I'm glad groups like wasmormon are here to help me.Now, photography, family and finding a new purpose in life keep me busy. - Andy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/andycwilson/
A church that, despite so much evidence to the contrary, insists that the Church's credibility and all its claims of being the one true church depend on the reality of Joseph's (final) first vision story, and upon the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. If either or both of those two things fail, then the entire structure fails. The Church's patriarchal gerontocracy knows that evidence for such truths is very thin, so they insist that members ignore it and live by faith alone. This, of course, is done by following the living prophet and conveniently ignoring many of the words of former prophets, an arrangement that results in continuing tithing revenue for the corporation. - Andy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/andycwilson/
A church that, despite so much evidence to the contrary, insists that the Church's credibility and all its claims of being the one true church depend on the reality of Joseph's (final) first vision story, and upon the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. If either or both of those two things fail, then the entire structure fails. The Church's patriarchal gerontocracy knows that evidence for such truths is very thin, so they insist that members ignore it and live by faith alone. This, of course, is done by following the living prophet and conveniently ignoring many of the words of former prophets, an arrangement that results in continuing tithing revenue for the corporation. - Andy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/andycwilson/
A church who lies to its members about its own history. A church founded by a gold-digging sexual predator, who, though a sort of religious organizational genius in his own right, concocted an elaborate tale of seeing God and Jesus, digging up gold plates, peep stones, and fake "reformed Egyptian" writings to make members believe in his Book of Mormon. - Andy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/andycwilson/
A church who lies to its members about its own history. A church founded by a gold-digging sexual predator, who, though a sort of religious organizational genius in his own right, concocted an elaborate tale of seeing God and Jesus, digging up gold plates, peep stones, and fake "reformed Egyptian" writings to make members believe in his Book of Mormon. - Andy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/andycwilson/
If God loves all of his children, why would s/he reserve his/her highest blessings for an infinitesimally small number of those children, i.e., those who wear funny underwear, participate in Masonic rituals and pay money to a large religious corporation. Those who support a church that lies about its members' $100+ billion tithing monies, spends less of that money on charitable work than does Walmart, keeps a bevy of highly paid (with tithes) lawyers to protect child abusing leaders and pay hush money to their victims. - Andy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/andycwilson/
If God loves all of his children, why would s/he reserve his/her highest blessings for an infinitesimally small number of those children, i.e., those who wear funny underwear, participate in Masonic rituals and pay money to a large religious corporation. Those who support a church that lies about its members' $100+ billion tithing monies, spends less of that money on charitable work than does Walmart, keeps a bevy of highly paid (with tithes) lawyers to protect child abusing leaders and pay hush money to their victims. - Andy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/andycwilson/
Along the way, I started watching Mormon Stories videos and other exmormon podcasts, reading things that I had previously put off reading because, well, they might be of the devil. Reading the CES Letter was a key event for me in putting my faith crisis in perspective. I finally gained the assurance that I wasn't alone in my faith deconstruction journey. - Andy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/andycwilson/
Along the way, I started watching Mormon Stories videos and other exmormon podcasts, reading things that I had previously put off reading because, well, they might be of the devil. Reading the CES Letter was a key event for me in putting my faith crisis in perspective. I finally gained the assurance that I wasn't alone in my faith deconstruction journey. - Andy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/andycwilson/