In this category I strive to provide factual responses to the arguments used that challenge doctrines and teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made in the letters. I look at the claims being made, explain the motive behind them, where those arguments fall short, and provides context that helps remove confusion for me. The purpose of this category is to support honest seekers looking to rebuild faith by working through doubts with a different perspective of what is really going on.
A person’s integrity says a lot about their character. So it is not surprising that someone willing to bend facts and share half-truths and lies when creating the CES Letter would show the same lack of care in their business dealings. The public record of Jeremy Runnells’ nonprofit and for-profit businesses raises serious questions about … Read more
The First Vision is perhaps the most miraculous and spectacular event of the last days. That God would again reveal himself to man shows the love of God, the fulfillment of his plan, and clarifies misunderstandings of doctrine that developed when the original apostles were killed, creeds were formed, and Christianity merged with Roman governance … Read more
After Hurlbut, the next very influential ex-mormon was John C. Bennett Few people in early Church history caused as much long-term damage as John C. Bennett. His name isn’t widely known today, but the ideas he created still show up in modern anti-Mormon arguments, in books like No Man Knows My History, the CES Letter, … Read more
Fawn McKay Brodie is perhaps the next most influential figure in shaping the falsehoods told about church history and the modern wave of anti-Mormon literature. She grew up in the Church and was a niece of President David O. McKay. But during her time at the University of Chicago she lost her testimony. This was … Read more
Thomas Faulk was the the author of Letter For My Wife. Calling him an author is generous, as most of his content is taken straight out of the CES Letter. He is an ex-Mormon who seeks to persuade other members to leave the church. Let’s examine what we actually know about him and his motives. This … Read more
If Faulk’s intent was to persuade his wife, who never read the letter, why would he make a public website, and why would he make hundreds of revisions to it over time? Did he really think, that if he polished up the writing and added more pictures then his wife would read it? Not likely. … Read more
Thomas Faulk’s Letter for My Wife presents itself as a heartfelt explanation of lost faith from studying history, but when you look beyond the tone, the “letter” is actually something very different. When reading his introduction the “bold faced liar” bells rang in my head when I read that his “faith crisis” started when he … Read more
One of the arguments in both the CES Letter and Letter for My Wife is that science supposedly disproves scripture. When I first read that section, I immediately discredited it as having any validity. Because of my background, I am fully aware of the many assumptions and contradictions that are considered science today. It’s really hard for me … Read more
For many, the most controversial doctrine in the Church is polygamy. What anti-Mormons and those estranged from the Church try to make us assume is that Joseph Smith was a sex-crazed pervert and pedophile who tried to use his power to manipulate women and justify immoral relations with them. And because of this lust crazed … Read more