Tag Archives: truth claims

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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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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The 1886 Revelation Denial and the LDS Church’s Longstanding Dishonesty

In the complex history of Mormonism, few documents expose the tensions between prophetic revelation and institutional survival quite like John Taylor’s 1886 revelation. This revelation, written in Taylor’s own hand, declared that the divine commandment of plural marriage would not and could not be revoked. Yet for over a century, the Church of Jesus Christ …

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Mormon Apologist Handbook: Argument does not Create Conviction, Lack of it Destroys Belief

Latter-day Saint apologetics—through institutions like FARMS, FAIR, and now the Interpreter Foundation—have largely operated on a defensive crouch, crafting arguments not to generate genuine conviction, but simply to keep belief from crumbling. Their aim isn’t to persuade the outsider or satisfy the seeker; it’s to keep the disillusioned member tethered, just barely. But Farrer warns …

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Shifting Visions of God: Unpacking Mormonism’s Developing Theology Through Joseph Smith’s First Vision Accounts

Joseph Smith’s various accounts of the First Vision provide a window into his evolving theology, particularly regarding the nature of the Godhead. The changes in each version, when looked at as a narrative through a lens to understand the thinking of church leadership at the time, show ideas developing and how these changing ideas were …

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Mormonism’s Legacy of Slavery

The history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in the 19th century is marked by moments of conflict, migration, and the formation of a new religious identity in the American frontier. LDS leaders suggest that early Latter-day Saints were persecuted for being abolitionists or for holding enlightened racial views, meanwhile, …

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Renlund’s Boat Parable – Showcase of Demonizing Doubters and Dismissing Concerns

In 2019, both Dale G. Renlund, LDS Apostle, and his wife, Ruth L. Renlund, gave a talk at a Worldwide devotional from BYU-Hawaii. They shared a colorful parable to marginalize and blame doubters for their struggles with the church’s false truth claims. They claimed to be prompted to share this message and that they’d been …

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Fast Food Orders vs Quitting Church – McDonald’s, Messed-Up Orders, and the Commoditization of Religion

A popular meme has been making the rounds. These memes read: “McDonald’s can mess up your order 101 times and you still keep going back… One thing goes wrong at church and you quit.” This suggests that people are more forgiving of mistakes at fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s than they are of issues with a church. It …

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Jeffrey R. Holland, Logical Fallacies, Manipulation, Guilt, and Fake Testimonies

In his MTC address, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s statement is filled with logical fallacies that manipulate emotions rather than provide actual evidence for the LDS Church’s truth claims. The “Borrowed Testimony” Fallacy “If there is anyone in the room who’s struggling with a testimony, you have one — mine!” This is similar to advice from …

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Richard Bushman, Mormon Historian, Concedes to CES Letter Truths on CES Letters Podcast

Richard Bushman concedes to many points Jeremy Runnells brought up in the CES Letter in a discussion on the CES Letters podcast. CES Letters has no affiliation with the CES Letter, but is the latest attempt to debunk it. Richard Bushman is asked a series of questions stemming from the CES Letter, and responds to …

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How To Leave the Mormon Church

There are many reasons someone might decide to quit the Mormon Church, often stemming from a deep desire for authenticity, integrity, and personal freedom. For some, the decision arises after discovering inconsistencies in the church’s foundational narratives, such as the lack of evidence for the Book of Mormon or the troubling aspects of Joseph Smith’s …

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Are Nephites or Lamanites The Principal or Among Ancestors of Native Americans? DNA Answers

The research into Native American DNA conclusively demonstrates that the ancestors of American Indians migrated from Asia, not the Middle East. This has profound implications for the claims of the Book of Mormon. For decades, the Book of Mormon described Lamanites as the “principal ancestors” of American Indians—a key narrative aligning with Joseph Smith’s teachings …

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Moroni’s Promise – A Lesson in Confirmation Bias and Elevated Emotions

In the Book of Mormon, Moroni offers a promise often cited by members of the LDS Church to confirm its truthfulness. This promise is foundational for many Mormons, providing a personal spiritual confirmation of the church’s teachings. Moroni encourages readers to ask God with a sincere heart and real intent if the Book of Mormon …

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“I've felt for a long time that the church has made a very serious error in tying itself to all kinds of historical claims instead of focusing its claims on the quality of life it can engender, the happiness it can bring to people, and the spiritual and moral strength it can build in its members. It has always insisted that if X, Y, and Z historical events did not occur, then the church is not true. That's a lot of nonsense. No church looks very good under a close inspection of its own history. The Catholics don't, the Protestants don't, and the Mormons don't. There's no need to pretend that our history is free of unsavory episodes--Joseph Smith's involvement in magic and all that damned nonsense--to say nothing of polygamy. There's no point in trying to cover them up. It makes more sense to focus the case for the church on something other than its historical origins. But it's not an easy thing to do. We are so steeped in historical consciousness--often historical error.” - Sterling M. McMurrin, Mormon theologian and Philosophy professor | wasmormon.org
“I've felt for a long time that the church has made a very serious error in tying itself to all kinds of historical claims instead of focusing its claims on the quality of life it can engender, the happiness it can bring to people, and the spiritual and moral strength it can build in its members. It has always insisted that if X, Y, and Z historical events did not occur, then the church is not true. That's a lot of nonsense. No church looks very good under a close inspection of its own history. The Catholics don't, the Protestants don't, and the Mormons don't. There's no need to pretend that our history is free of unsavory episodes--Joseph Smith's involvement in magic and all that damned nonsense--to say nothing of polygamy. There's no point in trying to cover them up. It makes more sense to focus the case for the church on something other than its historical origins. But it's not an easy thing to do. We are so steeped in historical consciousness--often historical error.” - Sterling M. McMurrin, Mormon theologian and Philosophy professor