Seek Truth Wherever We Find It?

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf spoke in a BYU Devotional, teaching that “We seek for truth wherever we may find it.” He invites his listeners to find truth, and bring it into their testimony. Is the church really this comfortable with members searching wherever for truth?

This sentiment is often repeated by modern LDS leaders and deeply misrepresents the experience of many truth-seekers in the church. Especially considering the church’s historical and present-day approach to truth-seeking. While the sentiment seems open-minded and inclusive on the surface, ironically the church’s actions often contradict this claim, particularly when it comes to confronting uncomfortable truths about Mormon history, doctrine, or practices.

"Latter-day Saints are not asked to blindly accept everything they hear. We are encouraged to think and discover truth for ourselves. We are expected to ponder, to search, to evaluate, and thereby to come to a personal knowledge of the truth. We seek for truth wherever we may find it." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf, LDS Apostle, January 13, 2013 BYU Devotional | wasmormon.org — “Latter-day Saints are not asked to blindly accept everything they hear. We are encouraged to think and discover truth for ourselves. We are expected to ponder, to search, to evaluate, and thereby to come to a personal knowledge of the truth… We seek for truth wherever we may find it.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf, LDS Apostle, January 13, 2013, BYU Devotional

Never in the history of the world have we had easier access to more information—some of it true, some of it false, and much of it partially true. Consequently, never in the history of the world has it been more important to learn how to correctly discern between truth and error…
Latter-day Saints are not asked to blindly accept everything they hear. We are encouraged to think and discover truth for ourselves. We are expected to ponder, to search, to evaluate, and thereby to come to a personal knowledge of the truth.
Brigham Young said: “I am … afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self-security. … Let every man and woman know, by the whispering of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates.”
We seek for truth wherever we may find it. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that “Mormonism is truth. … The first and fundamental principle of our holy religion is, that we believe that we have a right to embrace all, and every item of truth, without limitation or … being … prohibited by the creeds or superstitious notions of men.”
Yes, we do have the fulness of the everlasting gospel, but that does not mean that we know everything. In fact, one principle of the restored gospel is our belief that God “will yet reveal many great and important things.”
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, What Is Truth? January 13, 2013 BYU Devotional
https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/dieter-f-uchtdorf/what-is-truth/

He hopes the church membership will search everywhere, but the unspoken guidance in this talk, which is clear in other messages, is that there are certain sources that should be avoided in this truth-seeking.

Censorship and Control of Information

The LDS Church has a long history of discouraging members from engaging with sources that challenge its narrative. Church leaders have explicitly advised members to avoid “anti-Mormon” literature, secular scholarship, or online communities that present alternative perspectives on Mormon history or doctrine. Members are told to “doubt their doubts” and to “stop rehearsing their doubts with others”. Instead of encouraging members to seek truth broadly, the church often promotes a tightly controlled narrative through correlated materials and official channels.

"Of course you're allowed to ask questions. Here is the list of approved quesitons. You're absolutely free to study and investigate for yourself. Here is the list of approved sources. We're not trying to stifle thought! We want you to learn everything you can as you reach the approved conclusions." — “Of course, you’re allowed to ask questions. Here is the list of approved questions. You’re absolutely free to study and investigate for yourself. Here is the list of approved sources. We’re not trying to stifle thought! We want you to learn everything you can as you reach the approved conclusions

Personal Faith Crisis Report-26-internet-sources-unsympathetic-chart — Faith crisis report – Faith crisis stages

The church restricts where members should look for truth and even tells them that research is not the answer to their questions, which discourages seeking truth.

Matters of Church history and doctrinal issues have led some spouses to inactivity. Some spouses wonder how to best go about researching and responding to such issues. “I suggest that research is not the answer” — Matters of Church history and doctrinal issues have led some spouses to inactivity. Some spouses wonder how to best go about researching and responding to such issues.“I suggest that research is not the answer” – President Oaks

"You could have [the gold] plates, you could turn the pages, you could look at them, you could hold them, and you wouldn't know any more after that experience whether or not the book is true than you would have before... You will not get to know it by trying to prove it archaeologically, or by DNA, or by anything else, in my judgment... I don't believe that's how people will ever come to know whether or not the Book of Mormon is the word of God... Religious truth is always confirmed by what you feel." - Elder M. Russell Ballard, LDS Apostle addresses the question of whether there is scientific proof of The Book of Mormon | wasmormon.org — “You could have [the gold] plates, you could turn the pages, you could look at them, you could hold them, and you wouldn’t know any more after that experience whether or not the book is true than you would have before… You will not get to know it by trying to prove it archaeologically, or by DNA, or by anything else, in my judgment…
I don’t believe that’s how people will ever come to know whether or not the Book of Mormon is the word of God… Religious truth is always confirmed by what you feel.” – Elder M. Russell Ballard, LDS Apostle addresses the question of whether there is scientific proof of The Book of Mormon

The Church’s Rejection of External Truths

While claiming to seek truth universally, the church has frequently dismissed or ignored well-substantiated evidence that conflicts with its teachings. Examples include:

The overwhelming archaeological and linguistic evidence against the Book of Mormon’s historicity.
DNA studies refute the claim that Native Americans are descendants of Israelites.
The scholarly debunking of Joseph Smith’s “translation” of the Book of Abraham, which bears no resemblance to the original Egyptian papyri. Despite these challenges, the church continues to affirm its foundational narratives without engaging in transparent or good-faith dialogue about these findings.

“We seek for truth wherever we might find it.” graphic from church media which is removed from the church website:https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/search?query=We+seek+for+truth+wherever+we+might+find+it&lang=eng&type=image&facet=all

Disciplining Members for Independent Truth-Seeking

“Having questions can be a positive thing — after all, the gospel restoration began with a young man’s question. Oftentimes, people spend a lot of time accessing information from dubious sources and forget to bring light to their mind and heart through the Spirit of the Lord. In so doing, they may create a spiritual and emotional imbalance in themselves” - Elder Ulisses Soares, LDS Apostle 2023 | wasmormon.org — “Having questions can be a positive thing — after all, the gospel restoration began with a young man’s question. Oftentimes, people spend a lot of time accessing information from dubious sources and forget to bring light to their mind and heart through the Spirit of the Lord. In so doing, they may create a spiritual and emotional imbalance in themselves” – Elder Ulisses Soares

The church has a track record of punishing members who publicly explore or share findings that contradict the official narrative. Intellectuals, historians, and even faithful scholars like the September Six, John Dehlin, and others have faced excommunication for their efforts to critically examine Mormon history or theology. Such actions starkly contradict the idea of seeking truth “wherever it might be found.”

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 — 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.

Double Standard for “Truth”

Speaking to thousands of Latter-day Saint women gathered in the Marriott Center on the BYU campus, and tens of thousands more watching online, President Johnson counseled women to look to reliable sources like living Prophets and the Holy Ghost for answers, establish priorities, cultivate testimonies of foundational truths, and not neglect or dismiss the sacred responsibility of parenthood. - Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society General President BYU Women's Conference - May 3, 2024 | wasmormon.org — Speaking to thousands of Latter-day Saint women gathered in the Marriott Center on the BYU campus, and tens of thousands more watching online, President Johnson counseled women to look to reliable sources like living Prophets and the Holy Ghost for answers, establish priorities, cultivate testimonies of foundational truths, and not neglect or dismiss the sacred responsibility of parenthood. – Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society General President BYU Women’s Conference – May 3, 2024

The LDS Church appears to define “truth” as anything that supports its claims, while dismissing inconvenient facts as irrelevant, “anti-Mormon,” or spiritually harmful. For example:

Leaders encourage members to pray about the Book of Mormon and interpret any positive emotional response as confirmation of its truth. However, members who investigate historical evidence disproving the book’s historicity are labeled as apostates.
The church’s new emphasis on “faith-promoting” history, such as in the Saints series, selectively omits and downplays events like Joseph Smith’s polyandry and treasure-digging practices, further demonstrating a preference for curated truth over comprehensive truth.

The Paradox of Faith-Based Epistemology

“When someone you love attacks truth, think celestial, and don’t question your testimony. The Apostle Paul prophesied that “in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” - LDS Church President Russell M. Nelson, 2023 | wasmormon.org — “When someone you love attacks truth, think celestial, and don’t question your testimony. The Apostle Paul prophesied that “in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” – President Russell M. Nelson

The church teaches that spiritual truths are confirmed through feelings (e.g., the “burning in the bosom”), not empirical evidence. This epistemology is inherently subjective and often used to dismiss objective truths that conflict with church teachings. Claiming to seek truth universally while relying on such a narrow, emotion-driven method of discernment is paradoxical.

"There will always be some reason or another to doubt the truthfulness of this church and gospel. There are arguments and evidence supporting the proposition that there is no God, that Jesus was just a good philosopher-teacher, that Joseph Smith was simply a charismatic storyteller and that this church and gospel are not true. This evidence, these arguments, are on some level appealing and believable, for there are many who believe them." Elder Kyle McKay, Church Historian | wasmormon.org — “There will always be some reason or another to doubt the truthfulness of this church and gospel. There are arguments and evidence supporting the proposition that there is no God, that Jesus was just a good philosopher-teacher, that Joseph Smith was simply a charismatic storyteller and that this church and gospel are not true. This evidence, these arguments, are on some level appealing and believable, for there are many who believe them.” Elder Kyle McKay, Church Historian

The LDS Church’s claim to “seek for truth wherever we might find it” is deeply ironic in light of its historical and ongoing practices. While the rhetoric suggests a commitment to open inquiry, the reality reveals an institution more focused on preserving its narrative than genuinely engaging with truths that challenge its foundations. For those who have wrestled with this tension and sought truth beyond the church’s walls, your stories matter. Share your journey at wasmormon.org to help others see the power of honest inquiry and the courage it takes to seek truth, no matter where it leads.

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