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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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Gordon B Hinckley on Larry King Live | Interview Transcript 1998

"The church does not become involved in politics." - Gordon B. Hinckley on Larry King Live | wasmormon.org

Transcript of Larry King Live: Gordon Hinckley – Distinguished Religious Leader of the Mormons. Remember that time Hinckley was on Larry King in 1998? Looking back at the transcript, he said quite a few surprising things on air. Hinckley claimed that when people think of Mormons when polygamy is mentioned, they do it “mistakenly” and …

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60 Minutes: Gordon B. Hinckley Interview Transcript

Wallace: From 1830 to 1978... blacks could not become priests in the Mormon Church, right? Hinckley: That's correct. Wallace: Why? Hinckley: Because the leaders of the church at that time interpreted that doctrine that way. Wallace: Church policy had it that blacks had 'the mark of Cain'. Brigham Young said, 'Cain slew his brother and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin,' Hinckley: It's behind us. Look, that's behind us. Don't worry about those little flicks of history. - LDS Church President Gordon B Hinckley interviewed on 60 Minutes | wasmormon.org

The following is the transcript of the interview with Gordon B Hinckley, LDS Church President, Bill Marriott, Marriott Executive, Orrin Hatch, Utah Senator, Steve Young, Professional Football Player and an unnamed BYU Student. The original segment aired on April 7, 1996.

Oaks’ ‘No Apologies’ – The Church Doesn’t Seek or Give Apologies

"The church doesn't seek apologies, and we don't give them." Elder Dallin H Oaks, LDS First Presidency | wasmormon.org

In 2015 while speaking with Elder D Todd Christofferson, Elder Dallin H Oaks made a defacto statement that is still reverberating for many Mormons: among believers and non-believers. Elder Christofferson was asked what the church leadership thinks of church members who support same-sex marriage and stated that members can believe what they wish, but warned …

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Will God Permit Church President to Lead Mormons Astray?

"So, what do we do with error? You can’t hide or hide from the humanness of humans. But it is equally unproductive to seek out error and wallow in it by making it an emphasis of study." - Elder Kyle S McKay: Lawyer, Seventy and Executive Director of the Church History Department | wasmormon.org

There is a common refrain among Mormons, the leadership and membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This sentiment is that the church leaders are incapable of leading the church astray. It’s not even that they wouldn’t lead the church astray, it’s more the Lord won’t permit them to. If they tried …

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Mormon Church vs Tim Ballard: Cancelling Ballard

“Several weeks ago, an OUR employee who accompanied Tim on an undercover operation filed a sexual harassment complaint against him with OUR’s HR department,” the letter, which was sent this summer to donors to anti-trafficking causes, reads. “This resulted in an extensive internal investigation into Tim and his individual operational tactics and led to more women speaking up as part of the investigation process. “It was ultimately revealed through disturbingly specific and parallel accounts, that Tim has been deceitfully and extensively grooming and manipulating multiple women for the past few years with the ultimate intent of coercing them to participate in sexual acts with him, under the premise of going where it takes and doing ‘whatever it takes’ to save a child.” - Operation Underground Railroad (OUR) Statement regarding Tim Ballard | wasmormon.org

Tim Ballard, the founder of Operation Underground Railroad (OUR), an organization focused on combatting human trafficking, has garnered recent media attention, particularly concerning his association with the Mormon church of which he is a member. During fundraising efforts for the organization, he was known to suggest endorsements from church leaders, including a senior church leader …

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Jeff Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile Spotlight

Jeff was all-in and served with gusto. He learned to overlook things on his shelf and assumed that since others who knew more than he did could stay, he should trust them. Over time the issues on his shelf piled high until he learned more about “the treatment of and attitude regarding LGBQT+ people.” He …

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Can Mormons Drink Caffeine?

"For your information please be advised that the drinking of a beverage made from the coffee bean, from which the caffeine and deleterious drugs have been removed, is not a violation of the Word of Wisdom, and the drinking of Sanka is not a justifiable reason for denying a temple recommend to one who is otherwise worthy. We shall be pleased to have you convey this information to the presidency of the elders quorum." - David O McKay deems decaf coffee not to be against the Word of Wisdom or bar members from the temple | wasmormon.org

Mormons and those interested in joining the church are instructed that members of God’s church don’t drink coffee or tea. It comes from the Word of Wisdom and has been interpreted differently over the years, but it has always included “hot drinks”. The Word of Wisdom states that hot drinks are not for the belly. …

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Racism and Victim Blaming From God’s Anointed

"If you allow the people of the church to turn you against the church, then you were not worthy to be in the church in the first place" - Ezra Taft Benson, speaking to Natalie Palmer-Taylor, a black mother upset that her child was a target of a racial epithet from another member, 1988 | wasmormon.org

When Natalie Palmer-Taylor’s son was the target of a racial epithet hurled by another Mormon youth, she went to the church’s headquarters to complain. Ezra Taft Benson received her complaint and retorted with this dismissive challenge: ‘If you allow the people of the church to turn you against the church, then you were not worthy …

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Simon Southerton Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile Spotlight

Simon was an active, believing member serving as a Bishop. While reading the Ensign he came across some interesting statements regarding the Flood which led him to research more about it. He came upon “volumes of scientific research” that contradicted things he believed at church. Then he applied his own scientific training in molecular genetics …

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Brigham Young on Apostates

"If there is a despicable character on the face of the earth, it is an apostate from this Church. He is a traitor who has deceived his best friends, betrayed his trust, and forfeited every principle of honor that God placed within him. They may think they are respected, but they are not. They are disgraced in their own eyes. There is not much honesty within them; they have forfeited their heaven, sold their birth right, and betrayed their friends." - President Brigham Young, Journal of Discources 12:20 | wasmormon.org

Brigham Young was the second leader of the Mormon church. He wanted no dissension among the ranks and taught that members who openly disagree with church leaders are cursed. He said that any who reject Mormon doctrine or the absolute authority of the church leaders are apostates. He shared what he thinks of an apostate. …

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Elijah Able, Early Black Mormon Received Priesthood via Joseph Smith

Elijah Abel was the first black person to be baptized in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was also the first black man to receive the priesthood, ordained an elder in 1836 under the hands of the prophet Joseph Smith. Abel's journey was one of pain, suffering, liberation and spiritual redemption. A few years after receiving the priesthood, Abel was ordained as a seventy-a high position of leadership in the LDS faith. Abel served missions for the LDS Church in Ohio, New York and Canada. | wasmormon.org

Elijah Abel was an early African American member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church. He is notable for being one of the few black individuals ordained to the priesthood before the church implemented a policy that restricted black men of African descent from receiving the priesthood. …

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Apostles Discuss Reasons For Lifting the Priesthood Ban

Was the ban on ordaining blacks to the priesthood a matter of policy or doctrine? "I don't know that it's possible to distinguish between policy and doctrine in a church that believes in continuing revelation and sustains its leader as a prophet... I'm not sure I could justify the difference in doctrine and policy in the fact that before 1978 a person could not hold the priesthood and after 1978 they could hold the priesthood." - Elder Dallin H Oaks, AP interview. Provo Daily Herald June 5 1988 | wasmormon.org

There has been a lot of discussion in Mormondom regarding race and the priesthood. The church denied the priesthood from black members (specifically those of African descent) from the 1850s until 1978. They did not relent through the end of slavery, through the proposed State of Deseret joining the United States as Utah, and through …

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Byron Marchant, Accused Dissident, Unjustifiably Excommunicated for Opposing Priesthood Ban in 1977

Byron Marchant, opposed the church policy of withholding the priesthood from blacks, and voted opposed in General Conference, October 1977. He was quickly excommunicated. The priesthood ban was lifted in June 1978 and the Official Declaration 2 was canonized in the next General Conference, October 1978. | wasmormon.org

Among the first votes of dissent in the modern Mormon church occurred in 1977, in opposition to the church doctrine banning blacks from any priesthood ordination and temple endowment. A member voted opposed to sustaining church leadership in General Conference 1977 and was subsequently excommunicated. Then less than 1 year later the church downgraded the …

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Richard Packham Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile Spotlight

Richard Packham is a founding father of the ex-mormon internet. He tells his story of diving deep into church history in order to spread the gospel. He found troubling issues and even wrote to Joseph Fielding Smith to make sense of it all. Everything clicked one moment when he realized all his questions and problems …

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Elder Oaks Claims Apostolic Duty to Sacrifice Anything That Makes The Church Look Bad

"My duty as a member of the Council of the Twelve is to protect what is most unique about the LDS church, namely the authority of priesthood, testimony regarding the restoration of the gospel, and the divine mission of the Savior. Everything else may be sacrificed in order to maintain the integrity of those essential facts. Thus, if Mormon Enigma reveals information that is detrimental to the reputation of Joseph Smith, then it is necessary to try to limit its influence and that of its authors." - Elder Dallin H Oaks, LDS Apostle, First Counselor in First Presidency | wasmormon.org

The authors of the fascinating book about Emma Smith, Mormon Enigma were reprimanded for publishing it. They weren’t excommunicated, but they were forbidden to speak in meetings and firesides. Elder Oaks spoke with Linda Newell (one of the authors of Mormon Enigma) as she recounted in her talk at the 1992 Pacific Northwest Sunstone Symposium called “The …

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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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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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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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Whistleblower News Prompts Vacant Responses from LDS Corp

"It’s unfortunate ‘60 Minutes’ sought to elevate a story based on unfounded allegations by a former employee who has a different view on how the Church should manage its resources." Official Church Statement Issued Following CBS ‘60 Minutes’ Report

The popular news program 60 Minutes released a segment on its program discussing the obscene wealth of the church and the whistleblower complaint filed by David Nielsen. His complaint alleges that the Mormon Church claims to behave as a non-profit charity, but in reality, is a for-profit corporation pursuing investments and investments. The church never …

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60 Minutes Transcript: Whistleblower David Nielsen Speaks Out After Reporting the Mormon Church to IRS in 2019

"What's at stake?" "Integrity. Integrity is at stake: Mine, Ensign Peak's, and the Church's. We've got to go through a process and make the world better." – David Nielsen, former senior portfolio manager at Ensign Peak Advisors turned Whistleblower | wasmormon.org

The show 60 Minutes broadcast a segment about the Mormon Billions. Sharyn Alfonsi follows up with whistleblower David Nielsen who resigned from his position at Ensign Peak Advisors and wrote the whistleblower report in 2019. Since then, the Mormon church has been fined 5 million dollars by the SEC for illegal filing practices, but Nielsen …

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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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Elder McKay’s Sure and Certain Foundation for Unhistory and Brainwashing

"Having perplexing questions that arise from reasons to doubt is not a problem. But please understand, finding answers to these perplexing questions ultimately is not the solution." - Elder McKay, Church Historian | wasmormon.org

Elder McKay the official Church Historian, with no credentials for history, but a career lawyer and executive gave a devotional at BYU-I in April 2023 titled A Sure and Certain Foundation. He detailed to students and young adults how to strengthen their faith in the church and how to face doubts. Elder McKay, Church Historian …

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Explore the Origin Story of wasmormon.org – A Mormon Book Reviews Podcast Episode

A recent episode of the Mormon Book Reviews podcast features an interview with Evan, the creator of wasmormon.org, and his brother Garrett. Evan shares the story of how he came to create the website and why he chose to share his experience of leaving the Mormon church. The interview includes the personal stories of faith …

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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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Brendan Was a Mormon, a Post-Mormon Profile Spotlight

Brendan was raised in the church but from early on saw things that didn’t sit well with his soul. He recognizes many instances in his life where cognitive dissonance was telling him something wasn’t right. This led him to study deeply and even pursue a study of history, which led him to an internship with …

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Church and its Inoculation Approach to Addressing Historical Details

"It is important to remember that historical details do not carry the saving power of covenants, ordinances, and doctrine. To be distracted by less significant details at the expense of missing the unfolding miracle of the Restoration is like spending time analyzing a gift box and ignoring the wonder of the gift itself." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon Church | wasmormon.org

The church is working hard to inoculate the youth from the disease of church history. They are teaching seminary students in the scripture mastery program that historical details are not important since they can’t provide salvation, so let’s not get distracted by these less significant details. This conditions young members to ignore the troubling issues …

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Russell Nelson to receive the Gandhi-King-Mandela Peace Prize

Russell M Nelson to receive the Gandhi-King-Mandela Peace Prize - Biographies for Russell M Nelson reveal nothing he's done towards equality, non-violence, promoting non-discrimination, or working to end racism or hatred in the world. It seems that they are recognizing him for the donation from the church, and if so, it would mean that the Mormon church leader is continuing the very Mormon tradition of conning the world into seeing him as an outstanding moral leader. The same way that Joseph Smith was able to eschew his treasure digging cont-artist past, and found a religion based on faith. The religion based on believing that emotion teaches truth, can't possibly be challenged. Nelson (Russell M) has made a pleasant extension of goodwill to the NAACP and they've apparently believed his emotion-laden discourse about loving one another and all being God's children over the mountain of evidence that the church is not anti-racist and has never even approached that side of the spectrum. This is the same church that denied full membership to blacks until 1978! That's a full decade after MLK was assassinated in 1968, and nearly 15 years after the civil rights act was passed in 1964. The act prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, and also the act which the church vehemently opposed. Supporting forgiveness and growth and second chances, but many still can't fathom giving a leader this award, when he has done nothing to warrant such recognition. He leads a church with a horrible track record for non-violence, non-discrimination, and racism. He leads a church that sustains policies of discrimination, systemic racism, and racist doctrines still today. The church continues to oppress those who it deems acceptable.

Mormon Church President, Russell M Nelson is being honored by the Martin Luther King Jr International Chapel on Morehouse College Campus in Atlanta, Georgia. He is to receive a new award, the first recipient, which is to be called the Gandhi-King-Mandela Peace Prize. This is in coordination with the Gandhi-King-Ikeda Institute at the chapel. What …

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Elder M Russell Ballard’s Colorful History With the SEC

"M Russell Ballard, president and a principal stockholder of the firm, was found a cause of the revocation order" for "making false and misleading statements" and "filed with the Commission a false financial statement and violated the Exchange Act bookkeeping requirements" - SEC in 1963 Regarding Elder M Russell Ballard

Before M Russell Ballard was an apostle, he is praised as a successful businessman. He was involved in various business pursuits in Utah. He was the top-selling salesman for his father’s Nash car dealership, which he left and in the late 1950s put his efforts into being the first Edsel car dealer in Salt Lake City. Sadly, …

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