The final LDS Church essay will be a response to Jeremy Runnell's Letter to the CES Director.

I'm hearing/feeling through the grapevine that the mormon church's final essay will be a thorough response to Jeremy Runnell's letter to the CES Director.

Given that the church's response is in the wings and soon to be made public, I think many mormons would want to read Jeremy's letter in advance. I suggest emailing Jeremy's letter to mormon friends, family and acquaintances along with an explanation that the Church is in the process of addressing various issues (see Essays #1, #2, and #3) and that apparently the final essay intends to respond to Jeremy's letter. You could also include an email to the church's public relations department and ask your family and friends to email any of their suggestions to include in the response to the letter. You may want to take this tact if you are not wanting to out yourself.

Also, so this doesn't get lost in the Christmas season, I think sending it out around Monday, January 6th would be a good time. If everyone emails Jeremy's letter out on January 6th, it won't look suspicious and since many mormons will hear about it at the same time, when they talk to each other it will confirm the fact that the church intends to address Jeremy's letter. Thus, they should read the letter and email suggested responses to help the church's public relations department.


Edit: I believe Jeremy has requested his name be removed if his letter is distributed to others. The details are on mormonthink. At any rate, his letter must be distributed to all mormons because in all fairness they deserve a chance to read and offer input prior to the church's upcoming response.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/19/2013 12:41AM by thingsithink.

If the church responds to that letter as one of their essays, it tells me what I have suspected.

All of the perfectly good reasons for leaving mormonism are in that letter. Also, that letter is doing some major, major damage. It's waking people up and causing them to research like never before.

The church seems to be answering with essays that have the same old lies and and half told truth. They don't seem to get the connection of exmo rage that's reflected in their actions. Their response is to do more of the same! Maybe a bit more polished and with teeny tiny bits of info that they previously denied. All they are doing is adding insult to injury once again.

+1

I'll be sending it out to people.

I'm not sure what a thorough response to the CES letter would look like. Would they copy and paste from the earlier essays? At any rate, I don't see how they could spin the facts well enough to convince sincere truth-seekers to believe in Mormonism.

They'll dig themselves into a deeper hole with more lies. They can't win.

Although the Runnell essay is an excellent short compilation of the various problems with mormon history and doctrine, I'd be suprised if a relatively unknown source would have much of an impact on what the next church essay will be. Steve Benson, a much higher profile gadfly has been poking the LDS powers-that-be with sticks for almost 20 years and has illicited comparatively little official response from the cult. (Unofficially, however...)

Still, it would be great to see.

Sterling

The letter is of course brilliant.

It needs another 10 pages to cover late war and Napoleon, plus the translation pronunciation guide.

If it can bring that up to date, and show some chiasmus in there, it's all over

Stripling

Curious

Etc

I don't see how this could be. The letter addresses a lot of issues and a church response (even like the short essays) would be very long. And the Church isn't going to bring up issues it feels it doesn't have to - like Kinderhook Plates for example.

Also, in responding to the letter, the Church would have to include the letter and The Church would not want members reading the letter.

It didn't even bring up Joe's polyandry in their polygamy. Never happen.

"Never happen."

Listen, its not about whether it will happen or not. What matters is that its being talked about as a distinct possibility (See original post above) and, therefore, mormons should be given an opportunity to read Jeremy Runnell's letter to the CES Director in advance of the church's response.

So, what is apparently going on is that ex-mormons and mormons alike are going to send Runnell's letter via email to their family and friends. This is apparently scheduled to take place on January 6, 2014.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/19/2013 05:30PM by thingsithink.

The church will not directly respond to the letter.

That's like handing matches to a child and asking him to play with fire.

The church is falling in on itself with these essays.

I predict they will release 6 in total before they stop.

The Swedish rescue failed.

The essay rescue will fail.

When I was reading the original post, I thought he was joking. Like, "there's a rumor the church will address the CES Letter, so let's help the members be prepared for it" and the reality is that the church had no such plans, but it's a good excuse to send the CES letter to TBMs. However, from the responses the rest of you have posted, I guess this is no joke.

It would be great if we could send the email anonymously. For example, a volunteer could set up a generic email and then people on here could send the volunteer a list of email addresses who they would like the CES letter to go to. There are people who I'd like to read the letter, but I don't want them to know I'm involved.

"It would be great if we could send the email anonymously. For example, a volunteer could set up a generic email and then people on here could send the volunteer a list of email addresses who they would like the CES letter to go to. There are people who I'd like to read the letter, but I don't want them to know I'm involved."


Interesting idea. Is there a way to send the CES letter out by email anonymously? Sounds like a great idea.


P.S. Thanks for the link Hold Your Tapirs:

http://cesletter.com

Someone could set up an anonymous email address and send the letter from that. Wouldn't that do the job?

I don't mean to throw dirt here, but just let me share what's in my head right now. I doubt any of TSCC's essays are going to cover the CES Letter. It seems to me that the essays are meant to address generally known but vaguely understood issues concerning the church to TBM members (not us exmos and the general public). These members will read the essays (while completely unencumbered by the though process) and say "that's right, all is well", and get their checkbook out to write the next tithe payment. Now, from what I can tell, the CES Letter is NOT a widely known issue amongst the rank-and-file TBMs. At least not that I can tell. Every ex-pat TBM that I know here (I live Japan) has given me a blank stare when I've mentioned it. And of course, the Japanese TBMs are completely unaware and pretty much couldn't care. So, if this is the case... Why bring it into the light?

At least, that's what it seems like to me.

Where do we find Jeremy Runnell's letter to the CES Director.?

Here you go:

http://mormonthink.com/personalstories/A_Letter_to_a_CES_Director.pdf

Or an even easier URL: http://cesletter.com

offradar - I so hope you are right. I sincerely hope their gig is up forever.

WOW - I have been reading this piece by Jeremy Runnell. He did some very serious research. It will certainly not be easy for TSCC to asnwer these statements. Of course, the will hedge and avoid and make up something as usual. Thanks for steering me to be able to find Runnell's letter. It is super informative. I feel like sending it to me TBM cousin after Christmas.

Does anyone know who many essays are scheduled and when they are coming out?

The current cabal of LDS leaders are producing these essays to address the growing schism, but the main reason is to avoid any possible future litigation. They are unceremoniously blaming the crazy and damaging doctrines on past leaders, blatantly accusing them of serious wrongdoings, and by so doing, absolve themselves of any collusion or blame. The present crop of leaders are a cunning bunch of serial liars and deceivers who unashamably are shifting all the blame for church bigotry, racism etc., onto the previously revered and highly respected leaders of the past. The current church leadership are moving ever so closer towards a possible relinquishment of the church's claim of divine authority. They are holding their tainted hands up and acknowledging the past mistakes of esteemed leaders who have gone before, but refusing to accept any of the blame themselves. Nothing but backstabbing pygmies in the typical tradition of Mormons. But they will not succeed. The game's well and truly up for the celestial scum in SL.

Won't sending good it on a Saturday or Sunday be better. That way theh have a change to read it during sacrament meeting, instead of sleeping.

A nice followup would be a couple of weeks/months the later with something like "Mormonism's Temple of Doom"

As far as the email address create a gmail, hotmail, yahoo, ect. Use wardname# or stakename-news (kolab2nd@gmail.com, kolab.stake.news@yahoo.com). Then send from the churches wireless.