Tag Archives: mormon

Nickname for LDS members. Church now discourages use.

“Dissenters within the Church and opponents outside the Church brought about the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith. Their deaths added a powerful seal to their testimonies of the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. A study of the life and martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith will help students consider the many blessings the Lord has given them through the ministry of the Prophet Joseph Smith, through whom He restored His gospel in the latter days... Joseph Smith laid the foundation for God’s work in this gospel dispensation. The Prophet Joseph Smith was innocent at the time of his death, and he had faithfully fulfilled the mission given to him by God.” - Foundations of the Restoration Teacher Manual, Lesson 22: The Martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith | wasmormon.org
“Dissenters within the Church and opponents outside the Church brought about the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith. Their deaths added a powerful seal to their testimonies of the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. A study of the life and martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith will help students consider the many blessings the Lord has given them through the ministry of the Prophet Joseph Smith, through whom He restored His gospel in the latter days... Joseph Smith laid the foundation for God’s work in this gospel dispensation. The Prophet Joseph Smith was innocent at the time of his death, and he had faithfully fulfilled the mission given to him by God.” - Foundations of the Restoration Teacher Manual, Lesson 22: The Martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith
”The event that focused anti-Mormon hostilities and led directly to the Martyrdom was the action of Mayor Joseph Smith and the city council in closing a newly established opposition newspaper in Nauvoo. Mormon historians— including Elder B. H. Roberts—had conceded that this action was illegal, but as a young law professor pursuing original research, I was pleased to find a legal basis for this action in the Illinois law of 1844... We should judge the actions of our predecessors on the basis of the laws and commandments and circumstances of their day, not ours.” - Dallin H. Oaks, LDS Apostle, Joseph, the Man and the Prophet, April 1996 | wasmormon.org
”The event that focused anti-Mormon hostilities and led directly to the Martyrdom was the action of Mayor Joseph Smith and the city council in closing a newly established opposition newspaper in Nauvoo. Mormon historians— including Elder B. H. Roberts—had conceded that this action was illegal, but as a young law professor pursuing original research, I was pleased to find a legal basis for this action in the Illinois law of 1844... We should judge the actions of our predecessors on the basis of the laws and commandments and circumstances of their day, not ours.” - Dallin H. Oaks, LDS Apostle, Joseph, the Man and the Prophet, April 1996

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 …

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A Loving God?

When deconstructing religious beliefs, examining whether the God we’ve been taught to worship and admire is indeed as loving as we think is on the table for many. Christianity teaches that “God is Love,” but examining scriptural narratives reveals inconsistencies in this portrayal, especially concerning God’s actions as a parental figure. Here are several examples …

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Martha Brotherton: Pressured by Church Leaders to Become a Plural Wife

In July 1842, the Sangamo Journal published the affidavit of Martha H. Brotherton, a young English convert who had only recently arrived in Nauvoo with her family. In it, she recounts a disturbing encounter where she was pressured by church leaders Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Joseph Smith himself to become Young’s plural wife. …

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Religion and Tribes

The LDS Church is Just Another Man-Made Religion One of the hardest truths to face when stepping back from Mormonism is this: The LDS Church is just a man-made religion, no more divinely authoritative than any other. That sentence alone might feel heavy, especially for a “true believing Mormon” (TBM). It cuts directly against the …

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Deseret News on Polygamy

The Audacity The recent Deseret News opinion piece condemning polygamy and polyamory as a “direct threat to kids” and insisting that “monogamy ought to remain our social ideal” is dripping with irony. For a newspaper owned by the LDS Church to rail against the supposed dangers of polygamy—without mentioning their own history as America’s largest …

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Joseph Smith’s Polygamy Denials: Carefully Worded Lies, Loopholes, and Lasting Damage

One of the most unsettling aspects of Mormon history is the secret practice of polygamy. Joseph Smith publicly denied practicing polygamy while secretly marrying between 30 and 40 women, including teenagers and other men’s wives, as the church’s published essay confirms (in a footnote). The exact number of women to whom he was sealed in …

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Mormon Leadership On Women

The LDS or Mormon Church has long articulated clear and restrictive expectations for women. Framed as divinely inspired guidance, these teachings portray a woman’s highest calling as homemaking, motherhood, and submission to traditional gender roles. While many women in the church find meaning in family life, the rigid and one-dimensional framework leaves little room for …

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Joseph Smith wrote this [coherent and well-worded] letter from Harmony, Pennsylvania, to Oliver Cowdery, who was overseeing the printing of the Book of Mormon in Palmyra, New York. - Joseph Smith letter to Oliver Cowdery, 22 October 1829, Joseph Smith Papers | wasmormon.org
Joseph Smith wrote this [coherent and well-worded] letter from Harmony, Pennsylvania, to Oliver Cowdery, who was overseeing the printing of the Book of Mormon in Palmyra, New York. - Joseph Smith letter to Oliver Cowdery, 22 October 1829, Joseph Smith Papers
The young man, however, had very little formal education and was incapable of writing a book on his own, let alone translating an ancient book written from an unknown language, known in the Book of Mormon as “reformed Egyptian.” Joseph’s wife Emma insisted that, at the time of translation, Joseph “could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter, let alone dictat[e] a book like the Book of Mormon.” - LDS Church, Gospel Topics Essays: Book of Mormon Translation | wasmormon.org
The young man, however, had very little formal education and was incapable of writing a book on his own, let alone translating an ancient book written from an unknown language, known in the Book of Mormon as “reformed Egyptian.” Joseph’s wife Emma insisted that, at the time of translation, Joseph “could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter, let alone dictat[e] a book like the Book of Mormon.” - LDS Church, Gospel Topics Essays: Book of Mormon Translation

Nathanael Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile Spotlight

Meet Nathanael, whose story demonstrates the profound courage required to choose integrity over comfort, even when it means dismantling the very foundation upon which you’ve built your life. As a descendant of Mormon pioneers with deep ancestral roots in the faith, Nathanael’s journey represents one of the most authentic and thoughtful deconversion stories we’ve encountered. …

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I didn’t begin to learn about the critical historical and contemporary issues the church has until several months after I left. I didn’t read, listen to, or watch anything that the church would classify as “anti-Mormon” prior to my resignation. For some reason, it was very important to me to make the decision to leave without any outside influences steering my thinking. Learning about the many unflattering facts that had been deliberately withheld from me, and others, ensured that I wouldn’t be able to come back. - Nathanael's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nathanael-davenport/
I didn’t begin to learn about the critical historical and contemporary issues the church has until several months after I left. I didn’t read, listen to, or watch anything that the church would classify as “anti-Mormon” prior to my resignation. For some reason, it was very important to me to make the decision to leave without any outside influences steering my thinking. Learning about the many unflattering facts that had been deliberately withheld from me, and others, ensured that I wouldn’t be able to come back. - Nathanael's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nathanael-davenport/
This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find the full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nathanael-davenport/. There are stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by hundreds of users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find the full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nathanael-davenport/. There are stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by hundreds of users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
Of course life is still hard, and in some ways, it's harder, mainly because it's difficult to navigate relationships with the many people in my life who still choose to believe, who are understandably incapable of understanding what I and others like me have been through. And life is still fundamentally unfair. Especially when contemplating the very likely reality that there is no benevolent deity pulling the strings for us, who will make everything right in a future eternal life that very likely won't happen. But now more than ever, the small joys of living mean so much more than they used to, now that I can feel in my bones how precious, temporary, and fleeting they are. And I feel much more urgency about the need to help others experience those same joys on their own terms, and to pursue justice for them to the extent that I can. There is still so much more that I could do. If nothing else, I have learned that a joyful, moral life is possible outside of the belief that I once had, in spite of the great lengths my former church went to convince me otherwise. - Nathanael's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nathanael-davenport/
Of course life is still hard, and in some ways, it's harder, mainly because it's difficult to navigate relationships with the many people in my life who still choose to believe, who are understandably incapable of understanding what I and others like me have been through. And life is still fundamentally unfair. Especially when contemplating the very likely reality that there is no benevolent deity pulling the strings for us, who will make everything right in a future eternal life that very likely won't happen. But now more than ever, the small joys of living mean so much more than they used to, now that I can feel in my bones how precious, temporary, and fleeting they are. And I feel much more urgency about the need to help others experience those same joys on their own terms, and to pursue justice for them to the extent that I can. There is still so much more that I could do. If nothing else, I have learned that a joyful, moral life is possible outside of the belief that I once had, in spite of the great lengths my former church went to convince me otherwise. - Nathanael's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nathanael-davenport/
To be able to shape my beliefs around evidence, instead of ignoring evidence when it conflicts with a received belief that others had defined for me, has been the single greatest benefit of leaving the church. I didn't realize how much cognitive dissonance had been weighing me down until it wasn't there any more. It's allowed me the space to truly put people in front of ideas; where as a member of the church, I was expected to show my loyalty to "god" (the leaders of the church) above all else, when push came to shove. - Nathanael's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nathanael-davenport/
To be able to shape my beliefs around evidence, instead of ignoring evidence when it conflicts with a received belief that others had defined for me, has been the single greatest benefit of leaving the church. I didn't realize how much cognitive dissonance had been weighing me down until it wasn't there any more. It's allowed me the space to truly put people in front of ideas; where as a member of the church, I was expected to show my loyalty to "god" (the leaders of the church) above all else, when push came to shove. - Nathanael's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nathanael-davenport/
I still grieve at times for what I once hoped the church was. I sometimes miss the community, which is the greatest strength of the church. Finding out that this thing that I built my life around was based on a fundamentally deceptive premise has been the most difficult struggle of my life. Having to find purpose on my own, after having outsourced it to the church, is still a work in progress. But it's getting better. As I anticipated, my resignation has also caused pain to those that love me. It has made relationships with friends and family more difficult. Even though I have renounced my former faith, I still have a basic faith that truth matters; and that embracing it, as I learn more of it, will lead to a better life. And in some ways, it already has. - Nathanael's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nathanael-davenport/
I still grieve at times for what I once hoped the church was. I sometimes miss the community, which is the greatest strength of the church. Finding out that this thing that I built my life around was based on a fundamentally deceptive premise has been the most difficult struggle of my life. Having to find purpose on my own, after having outsourced it to the church, is still a work in progress. But it's getting better. As I anticipated, my resignation has also caused pain to those that love me. It has made relationships with friends and family more difficult. Even though I have renounced my former faith, I still have a basic faith that truth matters; and that embracing it, as I learn more of it, will lead to a better life. And in some ways, it already has. - Nathanael's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nathanael-davenport/
What eventually tipped the balance for me was learning about the excommunication of Natasha Helfer, a licensed marriage counselor and former Mormon, who was excommunicated the year prior for openly speaking out against the harm the church's doctrine of chastity, and it's accompanying purity culture. I researched her story more. What she had said made sense, and resonated with my own experiences. She seemed to want to help people find healing, but in the end was punished for it. Something clicked in my brain as I contemplated what all of this meant. It became very clear to me that no benevolent God would accept or condone any of it. That’s when I realized that my integrity was on trial, not my faith. I knew then that I needed to resign from the church immediately. - Nathanael's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nathanael-davenport/
What eventually tipped the balance for me was learning about the excommunication of Natasha Helfer, a licensed marriage counselor and former Mormon, who was excommunicated the year prior for openly speaking out against the harm the church's doctrine of chastity, and it's accompanying purity culture. I researched her story more. What she had said made sense, and resonated with my own experiences. She seemed to want to help people find healing, but in the end was punished for it. Something clicked in my brain as I contemplated what all of this meant. It became very clear to me that no benevolent God would accept or condone any of it. That’s when I realized that my integrity was on trial, not my faith. I knew then that I needed to resign from the church immediately. - Nathanael's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nathanael-davenport/