Uchtdorf, now, with the help of social media, has famously said "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith."

Translation - When you begin to hear things about the church that point to it being wrong, untrue, or unseemly, please doubt those things which you learn before you doubt what we've told you about the church.

Doubt what you learn instead of doubting what you've been spoon fed.

If you have questions about something such as What did church leaders of the time say about why black people couldn't hold the priesthood, doubt the direct quotes you read from people who were sustained as prophets, seers, and revelators, before you doubt what the current prophets, seers, and revelators tell you about it.

If you ask a question about when polygamy really ended, doubt the clear historical documents that show it ended long after the 1890 manifesto before you doubt us saying it ended in 1890.

If you question whether or not the first vision is a true story as told by Joseph Smith in 1838, doubt the several different versions he told of the story before you doubt us saying the 1838 version is true.

If you question the Book of Mormon as a historical document, doubt the fact there is no physical proof such as swords, bones, and other artifacts from the millions the book claimed participated in the battles before you doubt the version of history told in the book.

If you question why the temple ceremony has changed so much in since its beginning in Nauvoo and feel that it may be a sign of the church changing the ceremony to make it more palatable for the members, doubt your own feelings before you doubt what we've told you.


This is such fodder for the church and tons of 20 somethings on social media. In reality, what Uchtdorf is saying is the exact same church policy from the last 200 years. Before you doubt what we tell you doubt what ANYONE ELSE says about us. Stay away from 'Anti-Mormon' material. Doubt them before us.

Uchtdorf is some hero for the Mormons who have friends like us who have left when in reality he isn't saying anything different.

mondaymorning Wrote:
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> Uchtdorf, now, with the help of social media, has
> famously said "Doubt your doubts before you doubt
> your faith."


Would he give the same advice to a Buddhist, a Muslim, a Catholic, or any other non-Mormon investigating Mormonism? I can see why he says it, but I'm not sure it is the path of greatest wisdom.

BINGO. Nice catch.

Of course the doubt one might have about any belief other than Mormonism is good and encouraged. We should always be seeking after truth, as long as it is Mormonism.

When Mormons seek another way, no quarter is given. Simply put, the only truth is Mormon truth.

Doubt everything else.

PS... Google "Doubt your doubts before you doubt _________. Brother Uchtdorf didn't come up with this.

It's catchy, but not original.

Sneaky German!

Perhaps the apostolic posthole took a gander at this christian ministry site:

http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/a-new-beginning/read/articles/doubt-your-doubts-and-believe-your-beliefs-14926.html

On one hand he is plagerizing.

On the other hand, he is reading outside mormon approved sources.

Hmmmmmmmmm.

Just had several people explain to me that we seem to be taking this quote out of context somehow....

Seems pretty clear to me.

Doubt your doubts about your faith BEFORE you doubt your faith, as if that's even possible.

#brainwashed

How could one possibly take that out of context? What context could make it mean something different, and what do they think it means? Geez.

Would any outsider not call this quote complete nonsense? Listening to yet another member explain how it is about truth seeking.

Venerable Robina Courtin states that "believing" because you are using your spirituality process above your thinking processes is just plain irresponsible. If it doesn't work for you then get on with it and discover what does work for you. Living someone elses processes, ideas, beliefs is just plain lazy.

They continue to play the role of con-man, in the fine tradition of their founder.

It is a clever illiteration, and it will get lots of play.

Interestingly. though, it's an open acknowledgement that there are lots of people with doubts. And that's a good thing.

Yes. Another win is that he admitted people may have problems with the church not related to being lazy/sinful/less faithful.

Don't forget easily offended, stupid, and forgetful (ooopse, I forgot to go to church until someone brought me some cookie dough).

This is the most meaningless quote ever, and it is showing up all over my news feed.

I'm sure that I am not the only one here who WANTED to believe the church was true when I discovered things that made it false to me. I certainly doubted my doubts when I discovered I had doubts. I rationalized the shady business that went on in church history and with the current leaders trying to reconcile some semblance of truth among the lies. But you can only "doubt your doubts" for so long before your faith is diminished entirely.

Calling BS on this Uchtdorf. But you're still a nice guy.

If you doubt, you don't have faith, I guess. He is basically asking us to believe in Mormonism almost blindly.

The fact that it's being plastered all over the place by the TBMs shows how much they need to grab onto phrases like this in order to keep those pesky doubts at bay.

All kinds of faith is based on evidence, but so is pretty much disbelief.

Mormons would rather have catch phrases than substance. They want all milk and no meat.

I got out of the church when I began doubting the doubts I had about doubting the church.

RPackham Wrote:
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> I got out of the church when I began doubting the
> doubts I had about doubting the church.

I doubt it.

Mormons want the easy and less-time consuming way because they have their time and thoughts so tied up in the MormonInc. busy, busy world. Taking time to read books, even those on their okayed list, is not chosen by many active mormons. So when one of their beloved general authorities comes up with advice easily put to memory they grab onto it like candy, And, their thinking has been done for them yet again.

My wife and I have been laughing at the absurdity of this talk all day long. I doubted my doubts for a full year; there comes a point when you can no longer doubt in the face of irrefutable evidence.

I just got a call from my dad that I ignored. The voicemail went something like this: "I just heard the most inspirational talk from Elder Uchdorf that covers the exact problems you've been having with the church - well, in an abstract way... But I'm going to send you the talk when it comes out. I hope you'll read it." I respect my dad so I'm not going to argue with him and tell him what a controlling and brainwashing statement this is, but it makes me sad that good, smart people are taken in by this by clever marketing & careful control methods.

So many of my FB friends posted inviting all to watch conference. This is the new "bring a friend to church" tactic. I can see GA's increasingly giving one liners like this that can be posted all over social media so as to give good content to members to post.

Perhaps the church really is taking the social media tactic seriously.

Any time Uchtdorf speaks, my bull$hitometer is just pegged on 'lie'.

Is it just me or that quote of his tongue trying??

I felt the same as when you try to say "mustan kissan paksut posket" several times fast. (It's Finnish and means "the thick cheeks of the black cat".) Even as a native, you eventually stumble.

If you doubt your doubts, shouldn't you then doubt your doubts about doubting your doubts?

The catchier the phrase or the bigger the lie, the more people believe it.

Gobbledygook like that is one big reason why church is a giant waste of time.

Facts are facts regardless of faith.

Doubt your doubts before you doubt that the earth is flat.

Should you doubt the doubts about the doubts? Or the doubts about the doubts about the doubts about the doubts?

From an article by Greg Laurie on Christian Post:

Doubt is not always bad. Oswald Chambers said that doubt is not always a sign that a man is wrong; it may be a sign that he is thinking. It has been said that skepticism is the first step toward truth. Chuck Swindoll said, \"It is the right of every believer to go through halls of doubt on their way to rooms of truth.\"

If Mr. Uchtdorf was confident that Mormonism is true he would encourage people to explore their doubts. Apparently he knows those doubts are well founded.

Unthinking respect for authority is the enemy of truth.

Albert Einstein