Howard W. Hunter - wasmormon.org

Tithing is About Money, Not Faith, Obedience, Loyalty, or Sacrifice

“When I was a young intern, my income was $15 a month. One night, my wife Dantzel asked if I was paying tithing on that meager stipend. I was not. I quickly repented and began paying the additional $1.50 in monthly tithing. Was the Church any different because we increased our tithing? Of course not. However, becoming a full-tithe payer changed me. That is when I learned that paying tithing is all about faith, not money.” - Russell M. Nelson, LDS Church President, General Conference, October 2023 | wasmormon.org

Tithing is a fundamental doctrine in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), requiring members to contribute 10% of their income to the Church. It is framed as a commandment from God, essential for spiritual growth, obedience, and blessings. Paying a full tithe is also a requirement for temple access, making it …

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"The resurrected Lord has continued his ministry of salvation by appearing, from time to time, to mortal men chosen by God to be his witnesses, and by revealing his will through the Holy Ghost. It is by the power of the Holy Ghost that I bear my witness. I know of Christ’s reality as if I had seen with my eyes and heard with my ears." - Howard W. Hunter, as LDS Apostle Satellite Fireside from the Tabernacle on Temple Square, 30 October 1983 | wasmormon.org — "The resurrected Lord has continued his ministry of salvation by appearing, from time to time, to mortal men chosen by God to be his witnesses, and by revealing his will through the Holy Ghost. It is by the power of the Holy Ghost that I bear my witness. I know of Christ’s reality as if I had seen with my eyes and heard with my ears." - Howard W. Hunter, as LDS Apostle Satellite Fireside from the Tabernacle on Temple Square, 30 October 1983

Special Witnesses – Have Mormon Apostles Seen Jesus?

“I've never had an experience like that [a miraculous experience with an angel], and I don't know anyone among the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve who had that kind of experience.” - Dallin H. Oaks, LDS Apostle Bellevue South Stake Fireside January 23rd, 2016 | wasmormon.org

One of the foundational pillars of the church is the First Vision, in which Joseph Smith claims to have seen the Lord (or both God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ – depending on which of his accounts you read) while praying in the woods. There is an assumption in the church that …

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President Oaks Fibbing For The Lord Again – Prompt and Public Disavowal of Racism?

“Institutionally, the Church reacted swiftly to the revelation on the priesthood. Ordinations and temple recommends came immediately. The reasons that had been given to try to explain the prior restrictions on members of African ancestry — even those previously voiced by revered Church leaders — were promptly and publicly disavowed.” - President Dallin H. Oaks, 2018 'Be One' Celebration, 40 Years Since Priesthood Ban | wasmormon.org

The church celebrates its own decision to stop the racially discriminatory practice of banning the priesthood from anyone of African descent in 1978. To show that they are not racist, they wanted to point out that it has now been 40 years since they stopped being racist. There was a big self-congratulatory spectacle planned for …

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Mormon Excommunication For Change – The September Six and More

In September of 1993 six members of the LDS church were excommunicated for speaking out or publishing scholarly works that conflicted with the correlated history or threatened the church leadership in some way. They collectively came to be known as the “September Six”. These individuals were Lynne Whitesides, Avraham Gileadi, Paul Toscano, Maxine Hanks, Lavina Anderson, and D. Michael Quinn. Dubbed the “September Six,” the group were mostly left-leaning writers and scholars who had published articles or given talks about the role of women in Mormonism and the way the church’s leaders handle dissent. | wasmormon.org

The September Six were a group of six members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who were excommunicated or disfellowshipped in September 1993 for their intellectual and historical pursuits that were deemed contrary to the teachings and doctrines of the Church. The six members were: The excommunications and disfellowshippings of …

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On Being a Mormon Historian from Michael Quinn

"The tragic reality is that there have been occasions when Church leaders, teachers, and writers have not told the truth they knew about difficulties of the Mormon past, but have offered to the Saints instead a mixture of platitudes, half-truths, omissions, and plausible denials... A so-called "faith-promoting" Church history which conceals controversies and difficulties of the Mormon past actually undermines the faith of Latter-day Saints who eventually learn about the problems from other sources." Dr. D Michael Quinn, Excommunicated Mormon | wasmormon.org

The late Dr. D. Michael Quinn was among the many scholars who were forced to choose between promoting church propaganda and maintaining their integrity as historians in response to Elder Packer’s controversial talk “The Mantle is Far Greater Than the Intellect,”. Quinn delivered a pointed response to Elder Packer’s remarks in his lecture entitled “On …

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