Before Quentin L. Cook was sustained as an apostle of the LDS Church in 2007, he was a lawyer and healthcare executive, one whose actions left a lasting mark on the people of Marin County, California. But it wasn’t the kind of legacy you’d expect to find from someone who would later claim to speak …
Continue reading “Quentin L. Cook’s Privatization of Marin Hospital”
Biddy Mason’s life is a powerful testimony of perseverance, resilience, and quiet resistance. Born into slavery in Georgia in 1818, she was never given a choice about the course of her life—but she made powerful choices when finally given the chance. Her story intersects with the early Mormon Church in a way that many today …
Continue reading “Biddy Mason – From Enslaved Mormon Pioneer to Free Philanthropist”
In 1857, just as tensions with the U.S. government were escalating toward the Utah War, a dark and largely forgotten episode of Mormon frontier justice played out in Manti, Utah. It involved a young man named Thomas Lewis, potentially an unnamed teenage girl, and Warren S. Snow, a high-ranking Mormon bishop and militia leader. What …
Continue reading “Bishop Warren S. Snow’s Teenage Brides and The Castration of Thomas Lewis”
On June 7, 1844, a bold and short-lived newspaper called the Nauvoo Expositor published its first—and only—issue in Nauvoo, Illinois. It was created by former Mormon insiders who could no longer remain silent. They leveled charges against Joseph Smith, including abuse of power, political tyranny, and most explosively, his secret polygamy. The Nauvoo Expositor printed …
Continue reading “Leadership Suppress Dissenfecting Light – The Nauvoo Expositor”
One of the most common accusations levied against those who leave the Mormon Church is that we just “can’t leave it alone.” It’s a phrase that gets tossed around in talks, in social media, and in conversations with believing family and friends. The idea is that if someone really didn’t believe anymore, they would just …
Continue reading “The Mormon Church’ Guide to Stalking, or Locating Members”
This internal “Protocol for Abuse Help Line Calls” document reveals a deeply troubling reality about how the LDS Church handles sexual abuse cases—one that stands in stark contrast to its public claims that the Abuse Help Line exists solely to protect children and “has nothing to do with cover-up”. The Help Line The Abuse Hotline …
Continue reading “Kirton McConkie’s Abuse Helpline Protocol”
In 2022, an Associated Press (AP) investigation revealed that officials of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints failed to prevent or report the sexual abuse of children by a church member in Arizona over seven years. The report detailed how church leaders were informed of the abuse but did not notify law enforcement, …
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 …
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”
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 LDS Church Corporation is currently involved in many many lawsuits. One such is a RICO case, where the church is being accused of behavior more similar to an organized crime network, like the mafia, than a religious institution. What is RICO? A RICO case refers to charges brought under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt …
Today, the fact that Joseph Smith was involved in treasure digging is undisputed, yet still hardly common knowledge among members of the church. This is likely due to the historic denials from church leadership on Joseph and any such occult practices. The church has sought to distance itself from the strange magic practices of the …
Continue reading “Joseph Smith was a Glass Looking Treasure Digger”
Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin, didn’t know Joseph Smith since they lived in different times, but Joseph certainly knew of Ben Franklin. Ben Franklin did know however about many of the folk magic practices that Joseph’s family still practiced a hundred years later. Franklin saw the folly and called it out as nonsense. He described the …
Continue reading “Benjamin Franklin on Treasure Seeking Seers”
“The Emperor’s New Clothes” is a classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. It tells the story of an emperor who two cunning weavers deceive. They promise him a …
With every General Conference, President of the Church, Russell M. Nelson announces a list of new temples the church plans to build. These announced temples are often in early stages of development. They love to build these temples and there are likely multiple reasons for this. They are eager to show the church is growing. …
Continue reading “Apostle Oaks Admits, Temples Easier to Build Temples Than Fill”
Lorenzo Snow, the 5th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was a dutiful Mormon polygamist. He jumped right into the practice and went (according to some accounts) from single to husband of four wives in just 2 days! The official lists of his marriages show he was married to 9 (at …
Continue reading “Hannah Maria Goddard, Lorenzo Snow’s Nearly Forgotten Wife”
Lorenzo Snow Lorenzo Snow was born April 3, 1814, in Ohio. He joined the church in June of 1836 at 22 years of age. In 1837, he was called on a mission, and while serving he missed the failure of the Kirtland Safety Society. He moved to Far West in the summer of 1838, and …
Continue reading “The Wives of Lorenzo Snow – Polygamous Prophet 5”
Brother Ahmad S. Corbitt, the then First Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, gave a talk to LDS Chaplains, on October 4, 2022, in which he teaches against activism directed towards the church. He doesn’t want members getting any ideas that they can influence or change things the church does by criticizing, complaining, or …
Continue reading “Church Claims Activism a Tactic of Satan and Gaslights Members”
Nearly every speaker in a testimony meeting says “I know the church is true.” This is a nonsensical statement, but considering the Illusory Truth Effect we can see what the church may be after. We know that repetitions don’t make statements any more true, but psychologically we do tend to believe things we’ve heard repeatedly. …
LDS Church leader, Russell Nelson, has for decades wanted to do away with the nickname of the church. It seems to have been a pet peeve of his, and he single-handedly announced a plea to use the full name of the church in 1990 when he was a junior apostle. The next conference, however, President …
One could define a faithful perspective as supporting the church’s truth claims at all costs. Anything that is outside of that faith-promoting mindset could be argued to be anti-mormon, because it doesn’t align with promoting faith in the church at all costs. We aren’t willing to sacrifice everything (as Elder Oaks says is his Apostolic …
Tim Ballard has been a topic of discussion with his separation from O.U.R., the release of the Sound of Freedom movie, hint at running for US Senate for Utah, and then publicly denounced by the Mormon church leadership. The Davis County investigation into his dealings has produced some interesting allegations. If true these are incredible …
Continue reading “Elder Ballard Gave Mormon Tithing Records to Tim Ballard as Potential OUR Donors”
![[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)
