Letters - wasmormon.org

BITE Mormonism – Censorship Example

"The rewriting and refilming of Elder Ronald Poelman's October 1984 Conference address, originally a rare and inspiring defense of free agency, so that it became yet another cry for obedience. His text was not edited — his ideas were turned inside out." - L. Jackson Newell, Dialogue, Volume 19 Number 1. 1986 | wasmormon.org

A respectful note for whoever thinks Mormonism is not a cult, please consider the BITE model developed by Dr. Steven Hassan based on his own observations and experiences as a cult survivor. The BITE model describes the four areas of authoritarian control cults exert over their followers. The acronym refers to [B]ehavior Control, [I]nformation control, [T]hought control and …

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Fairview Says No to Gigantic, Large and Spacious Mormon Temple and Steeple

"The height of the steeple is part of our Religious Observance." - Elder Jonathan Cannon, LDS Area Authority Seventy, North America Southwest Area (includes Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Texas) | wasmormon.org

In October of 2022, Russell M. Nelson announced a temple in Texas in the town of Prosper during General Conference. Prosper is north of Dallas, where the church already has an established Temple. Prosper is only about 30 miles north of the existing Dallas Temple. Prosper, Texas The city of Prosper is located within the …

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Joseph Smith’s Failed Attempt At Raising the Dead

A dead body, which had been retained above ground two or three days, under the expectation that the dead would be raised, was insensible to the voice of those who commanded it to awake into life, and is destined to sleep in the grave till the last trump shall sound, and the power of God easily accomplishes the work, which frustrated the attempts, and bid defiance to the puny efforts of the Mormonite. - That an attempt was made to raise the child, is denied, of course, as every other attempt has been, after its entire failure was obvious to all. The parents of the deceased child, however, state, that they were prevented from procuring medical aid for the child, by the representations of the elders, that it was in no danger—that it would certainly be restored. The father had no other idea but that the child was to be raised; neither did his faith fail him till preparations were made for its interment. He then awoke from bis dream of delusion, and dissolved his connexion with the impostors. - Ezra Booth Letters – Mormonism Unvailed, 1834. Page 190 | wasmormon.org

The Mormons had a revival in Ohio on June 4, 1831. Joseph Smith led the meetings and there were quite a few spectacles in the meetings. The conference received a lot of hype in the area because many were converting to the church. There were rumors that there would be miracles performed at the conference. …

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McConkie Got It Wrong – Redacted Mormon Doctrine

"There are statements in our literature by the early brethren which we have interpreted to mean that the Negroes would not receive the priesthood in mortality. I have said the same things, and people write me letters and say, "You said such and such, and how is it now that we do such and such?" And all I can say to that is that it is time disbelieving people repented and got in line and believed in a living, modern prophet. Forget everything that I have said, or what President Brigham Young or whomsoever has said in days past that is contrary to the present revelation... [All the views and all the thoughts of the past] don't matter any more... It doesn't make a particle of difference what anybody ever said about the Negro matter before the first day of June of this year." - LDS Apostle, Bruce R. McConkie, BYU Devotional 1978 | wasmormon.org

Prior to 1978, LDS church leaders wrestled to understand the priesthood ban. They listened to explanations from Brigham Young and other church presidents who taught about the subject. They continued teaching the same things, and in some cases came up with new explanations. That changed in 1978, when the church flipped a 180 and granted …

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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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Mormons and Interracial Marriage

“We recommend that people marry those who are of the same racial background generally, and of somewhat the same economic and social and educational background, and above all, the same religious background, without question.” - LDS Church President, Spencer W. Kimball 1976 BYU Devotional, Marriage and Divorce | wasmormon.org

President Spencer W Kimball, as president of the church gave a speech at BYU about Marriage and Divorce in 1976. This talk is currently referenced frequently, nearly 50 years later, in church lesson manuals and by church leaders. In this talk, he spoke against interracial marriages. He advised against marriages between those from differing economic …

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Racist Brigham Young

Brigham Young, the second President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon Church), held racially discriminatory beliefs. These views included views on interracial marriage and the mixing of races and he taught them as doctrine from God at the pulpit of the church for decades. He calls it the law …

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First Presidency Urged for Segregation

"It seems to us that it ought to be possible to work this situation out without causing any feelings on the part of anybody. If the white sisters feel that they may not sit with them or near them, we feel very sure that if the colored sisters were discreetly approached, they would be happy to sit at one side in the rear or somewhere where they would not wound the sensibilities of the complaining sisters. We will rely upon your tact and discretion to work this out so as not to hurt the feelings on the part of anyone." - Letter to President Ezra T. Benson, Washington D.C. Stake President, From the First Presidency Heber J. Grant, J. Reuben Clark, Jr., and David O. McKay, Dated 23 June 1942 | wasmormon.org

Let’s examine the common Mormon apologist argument that leaders are simply “men of their times” through a story of racist thoughts and practices in the church. Priesthood Ban The church enjoys celebrating the lifting of the priesthood ban in 1978. But we can’t give them any credit for doing it either, since it was the …

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Men Of Their Times

Church leaders assert that they directly follow God’s guidance, exempting themselves from apologies and social pressure, like for example addressing racism within church doctrine and culture. Apologists claim that church leaders are merely “men of their times” and can’t be judged by today’s standards. These two ideas don’t work together. Either the leaders are led …

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1969 Official First Presidency Statement on the Doctrines of Banning Blacks from the Priesthood

"From the beginning of this dispensation, Joseph Smith and all succeeding presidents of the Church have taught that Negroes, while spirit children of a common Father, and the progeny of our earthly parents Adam and Eve, were not yet to receive the priesthood, for reasons which we believe are known to God, but which He has not made fully known to man." - Statement of the LDS First Presidency David O McKay, Hugh B Brown, and N Eldon Tanner, December 15, 1969, regarding the position of the church with regard to the Negro. | wasmormon.org

Just as the statement from the First Presidency in 1949, there was another statement issued in 1969 regarding the stance of the church on denying the priesthood to any black member of the church. In 1949, the First Presidency consisted of George Albert Smith, J Reuben Clark & David O McKay. In 1969, the presidency …

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Mormon Church Whitewashes Racist History in Essay

"In two speeches delivered before the Utah territorial legislature in January and February 1852, Brigham Young announced a policy restricting men of black African descent from priesthood ordination. At the same time, President Young said that at some future day, black Church members would “have [all] the privilege and more” enjoyed by other members." - Race and the Priesthood, LDS Church Gospel Topic Essay | wasmormon.org

The LDS Church had a longstanding policy that restricted men of African descent from holding the priesthood, which is the authority to act in God’s name, and even entering the temple, where members make holy covenants with God. This policy was based on teachings and interpretations that linked African lineage to the biblical story of …

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Brigham Young’s Racist Remarks on Slaves, Seed, and Priesthood Doctrines

"What is that mark? You will see it on the countenance of every African you ever did see upon the face of the earth, or ever will see. Now I tell you what I know; when the mark was put upon Cain, Abels's children were in all probability young; the Lord told Cain that he should not receive the blessings of the priesthood nor his seed, until the last of the posterity of Able had received the priesthood, until the redemption of the earth. If there never was a prophet or apostle of Jesus Christ who spoke it before, I tell you, the people that are commonly called negroes are the children of old Cain. I know they are, I know that they cannot bear rule in the priesthood." - Mormon Prophet, LDS Church President, Governor of Utah, Brigham Young on February 5, 1852 | wasmormon.org

The church claims in their Gospel Topic Essay on Race and the Priesthood that Brigham Young announced the “policy” to deny priesthood to blacks and that he also said that “at some future day, black Church members would “have [all] the privilege and more” enjoyed by other members”. This is incredibly misleading. They want to …

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The Lowry Nelson Letters and Racist Mormon Doctrine

"From the days of the Prophet Joseph even until now, it has been the doctrine of the Church, never questioned by any of the Church leaders, that the Negroes are not entitled to the full blessings of the Gospel." - First Presidency of George Albert Smith to Dr Lowry Nelson, 1947 | wasmormon.org

Lowry Nelson, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota and the Utah State Agricultural College, engaged in a series of communications in 1947 with the First Presidency of the LDS Church regarding the issue of race and the priesthood. Who Was …

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Questioning The Infallible Thinking of Mormon Leaders

"There was delivered to my door a short religious editorial, prepared by one of your leaders, entitled “Sustaining the General Authorities of the Church.” Its message amazed me a great deal, and with the passing of weeks my disturbance became very acute. It might have passed, except that several members of your Church have come to me to discuss the subject. The most recent was a prominent doctor, who, because of this tract, he affirms, is losing his religious faith. He is a large man, and I became impressed with his deep sincerity as he broke down and wept like a boy. I am convinced that he is undergoing a very dangerous experience." - Unitarian Minister J Raymond Cope's letter to President George Albert Smith | wasmormon.org

In 1945 the Improvement Era shared the now-ingrained Mormon mantra “When our leaders speak, the thinking has been done“. J Raymond Cope In response to this message, a Christian minister was troubled by what control the Mormon church leaders had on the people of Utah. He was not a Mormon, but a Unitarian minister in Salt …

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Mike was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile Spotlight

Mike was raised in the church and hit all the Mormon milestones. His wife struggled with church truth claims and left the church. He “eventually realized that [he] married her and not the church,” but also intended to reason her back into the church to regain his celestial family. He came up with issues that …

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Timeline of the First Vision Story and Development

The second argument frequently made regarding the accounts of Joseph Smith’s First Vision is that he embellished his story over time. - First Vision Accounts, Gospel Topic Essay | wasmormon.org

The First Vision is a foundational event in the history and theology of the Church. It refers to an experience Joseph Smith claimed to have had as a young man. In the spring of 1820, he seeks guidance and religious truth. In later accounts, he described going into a grove of trees and praying to …

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The Strange Hidden First Vision Account of 1832

"Joseph Smith evidently wrote his history on the first three leaves of the book in summer 1832." "These three leaves were later cut from the volume but have since been reattached." The 1832 First Vision Account is displayed with visible tape to reattach it back into the journal in the Joseph Smith Papers Project.

There are multiple accounts of Joseph Smith’s “first vision”. This is a fact and today the church admits it. The church wants to dismiss these different accounts though by claiming that they really aren’t different because they tell the same consistent story. The details are in fact very different though. The earliest version of this …

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Fanny Alger, Joseph Smith’s “dirty, nasty, filthy affair” Teen Bride

"A dirty, nasty, filthy affair of his and Fanny Alger's was talked over in which I strictly declared that I had never deserted from the truth in the matter, and as I supposed was admitted by himself." Oliver Cowdery regarding Joseph Smith and Fanny Alger

What Happened between Fanny Alger and Joseph Smith? As a young woman, Fanny Alger was a servant in Joseph Smith’s house. She lived with the family for a time while also serving as a maid. Joseph Smith and Fanny got very close. Multiple accounts exist of Emma Smith, Joseph’s wife catching Joseph celestializing (sexually involved) …

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Personal Mormon Faith Crisis Report – Introduction and Overview

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.

Dominant Narrative of Church is Not True

For the Church to remain strong it has to reconstruct its narrative. The dominant narrative is not true; it can’t be sustained. - Richard Bushman, Mormon Historian & Stake President

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 …

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Merry Christmas

This annual Christmas message I usually sent to the local newspaper’s Letters column. Merry Christmas to all! Christmas is one of the happiest times of year. For most of us, Christmas brings back memories of Christmases past, the Christmases of our childhood, when joy reigned and wishes came true. The fragrance of fresh fir, the …

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Canonized Lies About Charles Anthon

The Book of Mormon is purportedly “translated” from the gold plates which Joseph Smith discovered in the hill Cumorah. These writings of the gold plates were in “Reformed Egyptian”. At the time no Egyptian language was translatable, but Joseph could translate them with his seer stone in a hat. In order to prove that the …

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