The Personal Faith Crisis Report was presented to Elder Uchtdorf in 2013 by Elder Jensen so leaders could better understand what is happening and take appropriate measures to address members leaving the church as a result of a faith crisis. The gospel topic essays were part of the response to this study by the church.
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(Page 7)Evolution vs Mormon Truth Claims from Joseph Fielding Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith was the 10th president of the church, the son of Joseph F Smith, the 6th president of the church, and the grandson of Hyrum Smith. He returned from his mission to England in 1901, and began to work in the Churcvh History offices and was later called to the quorum of the …
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The Problems with Joseph Smith and Peep Stone Translations
Anyone who was raised Mormon, or even attended the church for any length of time knows the Urim and Thummim story. Joseph Smith is portrayed as having translated the Book of Mormon with some special seer stones which were found with the gold plates. The Book of Mormon translation was possible with this Urim and …
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Lindsy Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile Spotlight
Lindsy grew up doing all the right things according to the church. She did EFY, BYU, married young and had children. She had normal doubts and things to place on her shelf, but eventually the shelf broke for her and her husband with the CES letter. It gave a new narrative that Joseph Smith just …
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Dominant Narrative of Church is Not True
Prominent LDS historian Richard Bushman and famed author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling notes, “I think that for the Church to remain strong, it has to reconstruct its narrative. The dominant narrative is not true; it can’t be sustained. The Church has to absorb all this new information or it will be on very shaky grounds …
Kelly Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile Spotlight
Kelly has a story of conversion and deconstruction and deconversion. She went from being a “Golden Convert”, to feeling racist discrimination for the first time in her life in the Mormon church doctrines. She dug in to learn all the hidden issues in church history and despite her best efforts, could no longer believe the …
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Autumn Was a Mormon, an Exmormon Profile Spotlight
Autumn struggled with the church’s policy of exclusion in 2015 when considering her newly out brother. She could not reconcile denying companionship to so many others. “My older brother came out to me as gay on my 19th birthday. Just a month later, the Church’s Policy of Exclusion, or the November Policy, was publicly revealed. …
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BYU honor code dress and grooming standards – Mormon Facial Hair
The church is famous for strongly pressuring members to follow a dress and grooming standards and whenever possible requiring it. They suggest that members follow the grooming standards but require every volunteer missionary who are paying their own way (or at least their parents are in many cases), every volunteer temple worker, and every student …
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Shrinkage
Shrinkage, shrinkageLooks like the Church is suffering shrinkageThey always bragged the Church had grown, but nowComplete statistics are never shown Lying, hiding The Church’s numbers we aren’t buyingNow, if an apostle says that the Church has grownWe know an apostle who needs to atone Count the apostatesThe declining birth ratesAnd the excommunicationsAdd them all togetherGrowth claims …
Facts More Important than Cherished, Mistaken Beliefs
The honest investigator must be prepared to follow wherever the search of truth may lead. Truth is often found in the most unexpected places. He must, with fearless and open mind insist that facts are more important than any cherished, mistaken beliefs, no matter how unpleasant the facts or how delightful the beliefs. Hugh B …
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A Carrot on a Stick, Are Religions a Con
Do religions take advantage of the innate human desire to matter, to have purpose and to exist beyond death? Was this nefarious? As all religions are different, it may not be a blanket statement that could be made. It does stand though that we must take the word of leaders who tell us how to …
Finding Personal Meaning and Purpose in a Faith Transition
In a faith transition many face feelings of groundlessness akin to crisis level vertigo. They may feel that their life is completely falling apart; that nothing is what it seemed and they struggle to cope with such a huge shift. They face reprocessing every principle, every value and potentially every reason for every thing in …
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No Objection to Careful and Critical Study – A Search for Truth
To Latter-day Saints there can be no objection to the careful and critical study of the scriptures, ancient or modern, provided only that it be an honest study – a search for truth. John A. Widtsoe, ApostleIn Search of Truth: Comments on the Gospel and Modern Thought(1930) No objection to the careful and critical study? …
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