Millions Shall Worship Brother Joseph Again But Don’t Google Us

In his BYU–Idaho devotional Millions Shall Know Brother Joseph Again, Jayson Kunzler urges students to reject any information—inside or outside the Church—that might “humanize” Joseph Smith or acknowledge his flaws. He warns that those who study inconvenient history “serve the wrong master” and risk their eternal standing. He insists that members can only truly know Joseph Smith by avoiding sources like Google, and he equates loyalty to the institution with knowing Christ Himself.

Jayson Kunzler, a Business Management Faculty Member at BYU Idaho, is sure to include quotes from his favorite staunch leaders like Ezra Taft Benson, Boyd K. Packer, and of course Joseph Smith himself. His claims echo a familiar pattern in LDS culture: reverence elevated into worship, criticism framed as sin, and information tightly gatekept.

Don’t Question Joseph Smith or His Character

Beware of the many voices—whether out of the Church or inside it—that humanize Joseph Smith by calling into question any aspect of his character. These voices come from those who “lift up the heel against [the Lord’s] anointed, and cry that [he has] sinned when [he has] not sinned before me, saith the Lord, but [has] done that…which I commanded [him].” As the Lord warned, they “cry transgression…because they are the servants of sin, and are the children of disobedience themselves.” President Ezra Taft Benson warned of those who point out alleged weaknesses of prophets like Joseph Smith. He said:

There have been and continue to be attempts to bring [a humanistic] philosophy into our own Church history…We would warn you teachers of this trend, which seems to be an effort to reinterpret the history of the Church so that it is more rationally appealing to the world… Some want to expose the weaknesses of Church leaders in an effort to show that they too are subject to human frailties and error like unto themselves… In view of the covenants taken in holy places, I would not have such temerity.

Our beloved President Boyd K. Packer, who departed this life just a few months ago, echoed President Benson’s warning. He said, “I have on occasion been disappointed when I have read in writings of those who are supposed to be worthy members of the Church statements that tend to belittle or degrade… past leaders of the Church.” President Packer continued: 

That historian or scholar who delights in pointing out the weakness and frailties of present or past leaders destroys faith. A destroyer of faith—particularly one within the Church—places himself in great spiritual jeopardy. He is serving the wrong master, and unless he repents, he will not be among the faithful in the eternities.

Jayson Kunzler, Business Management Faculty Member: Millions Shall Know Brother Joseph Again, October 20, 2015
https://www.byui.edu/speeches/jayson-kunzler/millions-shall-know-brother-joseph-again

This statement sets the tone for the entire devotional: loyalty to leaders is presented as loyalty to God, and any attempt to examine historical reality is framed as spiritual treason.

Odd that humanizing Joseph Smith is seen as dangerous. Kunzler warns that acknowledging Joseph’s humanity is a threat. Why? Because a human Joseph—as found in journals, documents, legal records, and testimonies—conflicts with the correlated, heroic, sanitized version promoted by the Church. He collapses the distinction between “delighting in flaws” and simply acknowledging them. Serious historians—including believing LDS scholars—do not “delight in pointing out weakness.” They document evidence. They examine facts. They tell the truth even when the truth complicates the narrative.

On the other hand, Kunzler labels uncomfortable truth-telling as faith-destroying, placing historians who disagree with the Church’s story into a moral category with Satan. This is not intellectual honesty. It’s information control. This is fear-based obedience. It’s the kind of rhetoric used by authoritarian systems throughout history, and this mindset doesn’t build faith—it builds dependence.

Don’t Google Joseph Smith

As we humbly search the scriptures, we will come to know both Jesus Christ and his servant, Joseph Smith. In this connection, may I offer a suggestion to all of us? If we truly desire to know the Prophet, we must go to the right source—and that is not a Google search. As President Ezra Taft Benson taught, “Today, with the abundance of books available, it is the mark of a truly educated man to know what not to read.” The Lord gave us the key to knowing Joseph Smith when he said, “seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom.” And what are the best books? They are the scriptures. The Savior taught that we “shall know them by their fruits.” We will come to know the Prophet by daily partaking of his fruit—the scriptures—more than any other writings.

Jayson Kunzler, Business Management Faculty Member: Millions Shall Know Brother Joseph Again, October 20, 2015
https://www.byui.edu/speeches/jayson-kunzler/millions-shall-know-brother-joseph-again

Whenever members are told to avoid information, it raises an important question:

Why is the truth so fragile that it must be protected from a basic internet search?

This has given rise to many memes equating the LDS Church to The Church of Jesus Christ of Don’t Google Us or the Church of Don’t Google Us of Latter-day Saints.

‘The right source’ conveniently means ‘only sources the Church controls.’ This is a well-known pattern in high-demand religious groups: restrict information to maintain control of the narrative. In Mormonism, “approved sources” exclude:

• Any non-correlated historian
• Joseph Smith’s own court records
• Affidavits from Nauvoo neighbors
• The original accounts of polygamous wives
• Newspaper reports
• Archeological studies
• Modern scholarship
• and even Gospel Topic Essays

The Church claims that these sources “cannot be trusted,” yet expects members to trust internal retellings that omit or soften the most troubling facts. Google is not the enemy, but exposure to unfiltered information is. The problem, from the Church’s perspective, is that search engines don’t curate content to preserve faith. Searches include original sources, academic analysis, contradictory evidence, and lived experiences from those harmed by LDS doctrine or leadership, many things church leadership would categorize as anti-material.

For many ex-Mormons, a simple search—“Joseph Smith polyandry?” or “Book of Abraham papyri translation?”—was the beginning of a faith transition not because Google is evil, but because the Church had been hiding, spinning, or contradicting its own history.

Rejecting Google is not about spiritual safety. It’s about controlling the narrative.

Equating Knowing Christ to Institutional Loyalty

The third thing we must do to come to know Joseph Smith is to be loyal to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We cannot know the Savior or Joseph Smith without being one hundred percent loyal to this Church, and to the priesthood keys held by the prophets who now preside over it. Elder Heber C. Kimball prophesied of a time “when you will have all the trouble, trial and persecution that you can stand, and plenty of opportunities to show that you are true to God and his work.” I believe that time is at hand. The Prophet Joseph Smith gave us a key for navigating such troubled times. He said:

All Saints! Profit by this important Key—that in all your trials, troubles, temptations, afflictions, bonds, imprisonments and death, see to it…that you do not betray Jesus Christ; that you do not betray the brethren; that you do not betray the revelations of God, whether in the Bible, Book of Mormon, or Doctrine and Covenants…Yea, in all your kicking and flounderings, see to it that you do not this thing, lest innocent blood be found upon your skirts, and you go down to hell.

As President Ezra Taft Benson taught, “Our task is to stick with the kingdom, not to let anything or anybody disaffect or sour us toward that great gift which Christ has given us—his church.”

Jayson Kunzler, Business Management Faculty Member: Millions Shall Know Brother Joseph Again, October 20, 2015
https://www.byui.edu/speeches/jayson-kunzler/millions-shall-know-brother-joseph-again

This is not a Christian teaching. It is an LDS teaching. Christ never said: “You cannot know me without loyalty to a hierarchy.” He said the opposite: “The truth shall make you free.”

By contrast, Kunzler teaches a version of Jesus whose greatest desire is institutional loyalty. This transforms Christ into a mascot for the Church—a theological sleight of hand that replaces spirituality with obedience. Unconditional loyalty is not faith; it is submission. Healthy organizations welcome scrutiny, self-correction, and accountability. High-demand groups demand loyalty as a prerequisite for belonging—and sometimes, as Kunzler implies, as a condition of salvation.

Requiring 100 percent loyalty to the Church leaves no room for members to have any nuance, any differing views or holding any space for anything contrary to church claims. This is an impossible space to inhabit, since there are countless church claims that are simply false.

Joseph Smith is placed on the same spiritual plane as Christ. This is textbook prophet worship: It says to know Jesus, you must know Joseph. To know Joseph, you must obey the Church. And to obey the Church, you must never question leaders since they hold God’s power and authority. Jayson repeatedly interchanges Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ, equating “The Prophet” with the Savior. No wonder many actual Christians find pause with the level of leadership worship found in the Mormon pews and from the pulpit.

This hierarchy turns spiritual pursuit into a funnel that channels devotion ultimately toward institutional authority.

Anti-Critical Thinking, Leader Worship, and Fear-Based Obedience

Taken together, this dangerous mindset reveals a pattern:

1. Do not examine leaders critically.
2. Do not use outside information sources.
3. Equate loyalty to leaders with loyalty to God.
4. Treat dissent as spiritual danger.

This is not how truth functions. This is how control functions.

A faith that requires shielding from facts is a faith built on fragile foundations.

A prophet who must be protected from his own history cannot be trusted as a moral guide.

A church that demands total loyalty before truth-seeking is afraid of what you will find.

Beyond Fear — Honest Faith

Many of us did find things—things the Church warned us not to look at.

For many who have stepped away from Mormonism, talks like this are reminders of the system we once trusted. The system that discouraged questions, equated doubt with sin, demanded loyalty over integrity, and protected leaders rather than truth.

Leaving such a system begins with a simple, courageous act: the willingness to look honestly at history, evidence, and personal experience—even when told not to.

You are not alone in that journey.

Share Your Story

We believe stories have power—especially the ones we’re discouraged from telling.

If you have experienced:

• doubts you were afraid to voice
• questions you were told not to ask
• shelves overloaded with contradictions
• pressure to conform or stay silent
• a journey of faith deconstruction
• or a personal awakening that changed everything

—Consider sharing your story.

Your voice breaks the taboo. Your story helps others feel less alone. And together, we can say the quiet parts out loud. Share your Mormon story at wasmormon.org. Let your truth be heard.

• https://www.byui.edu/speeches/jayson-kunzler/millions-shall-know-brother-joseph-again
• We Don’t Question Anything In The Church
• Mormons Expected to Stand Forever – Despite Questions
• Weak Foundations Fear Examination
• The Truth Cannot Be Harmed By Investigation?
• Church Reveals What To Do With Disturbing Anti-Mormon Literature?
• Mormonism and The BITE Model