This thread needs to continue to a part 3 discussion. As a reference here are the first two threads:
Part 1: http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,962438
Part 2: http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,962867

The New York Times article cited below describes the disaffection of an emeritus member of the Third Quorum of Seventy, a hierarchal position within the Salt Lake City Mormon Church. The once European Priesthood leader has now gone public about the LDS Church's problems he's encountered regarding the actual true history of the church being a direct conflict with official correlated Mormon history and theology.

Hans Mattsson, a kind, charming, sincere, and visibly humble Swede, was a Europe Area President. After discovering via books and the internet of alarming contradictory truths about the LDS Church’s history, and being troubled for 8 years he laments, “Everything I’d been taught, everything I’d been proud to preach about and witness about just crumbled under my feet.”

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SEE the NY Times article and watch the brief interview with Mattsson: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/21/us/some-mormons-search-the-web-and-find-doubt.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
* * * * * *

Mattsson tells of his Stake President who told him to be silent and not speak to LDS church members or his immediate family regarding the alarming information he has learned. The SP does not want the truth to surface or become public. The tactics this SP used are analogous to the damnable fearful threatening’s of Boyd K Packer’s infamous 1981 lecture to Church Educational Employees, “The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect.” https://si.lds.org/bc/seminary/content/library/talks/ces-symposium-addresses/the-mantle-is-far-far-greater-than-the-intellect_eng.pdf

In that address, Packer warns the CES audience that to tell the WHOLE TRUTH would “in fact accommodate the enemy [the devil], who is the destroyer of faith [by telling the truth?], you become in that sense a traitor to the cause you have made covenants to protect.”

In a stance of moral courage and fortitude, Mattsson stood his ground for truth, held firm to his own personal integrity, and responded to his Stake President, ". . . why are you afraid for the truth?”

This NY Times article also describes a meeting between several LDS members and Apostle L. Tom Perry who came to Sweden and told those present that he had, “a manuscript in his briefcase that, once it was published, would prove all the doubters wrong.” Mattsson said, “The promised text never appeared.” NYT writer Laurie Goodstein states, “That encounter is what really set off Mr. Mattsson’s doubts.”

The article mentions problematic areas of church history:

1. Joseph Smith’s creating the Book of Mormon with a peep stone in a hat
2. Problems with the Blacks and Priesthood
3. Egyptologists show The Book of Abraham’s original papyrus was pagan funerary texts NOT the writings of the Old Testament prophet Abraham
4. Joseph Smith took dozens of wives, some as young as 14

This article is a must read.

Edit note: Thanks SLDrone, correction made.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/21/2013 04:47PM by jiminycricket.

Wow.

This religion, this boil-on-the-butt of humanity may have just exploded.

Why does Europe seem to "get" everything first?


Anagrammy

Excellent. Never thought a break may come about by a Foreign member of high ranking. This is very interesting.

THANKS!!!!!!

I'll bet there will be a double change of garments today in SLC

I just sent him a private message on FB thanking him for his courage. I also sent a link to RFM.

Here is his FB page:


https://www.facebook.com/hhmattsson

Both counselors in the first presidency of Joseph Smith went AWOL, William Law very much went public about his disaffection.

As far as the SL Church is concerned, there were early apostles but George P Lee of the 1st Quorum of the 70 was the highest ranking official to become disaffected and rebel in modern times.

Third Quorum aka Area Authority is not a general authority, it is a temp part time calling and the position is usually filled by local members who've been around a while. It is not a full time paid position like the general authority position is. They are not usually inculcated with Utah Mormonism. There have been instances where area authorities have gone inactive almost immediately upon being released from this temp calling when they were not promoted to general status. In the hierarchy of the Church not particularly powerful.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/21/2013 04:11PM by SLDrone.

Good point SLDrone. See--this is why we need you here!

The article was superficial in its research. Also, I noticed that none of the church's recent blunders were mentioned as a reason for people leaving--and these are significant. For example:

*City Creek
*Temple changes
*Missionary passport holding
*Prop 8
*Baptizing holocaust victims
*Shielding sexual predators
*Denying BYU students graduation for honor code violations
*Spending tithing money to suppress historical truth (Mark Hofmann document scam)

Perhaps running a church as multi-level marketing scheme is not that effective. Even if your product and guarantee are not delivered until the afterlife.


Anagrammy

I shared the NYT article to me facebook. Hopefully most of my LDS FB friends will see it (and friends of theirs).

It's a good one to share because its just a news article by the New York Times interviewing a leader in the church.

And he seems pretty sincere. He doesn't really come off as "anti" but its great because the video shows Mormonthink. Actually I linked my FB to the MormonThink website, so hopefully people will browse it after viewing the NYTimes article/video.

There's mention on the Mormon Stories website of a transcript of the meeting in Sweden but it appears the link is removed or dead.

Anyone know where a copy can be found?

Has anyone who has left the Cult, then spoken of it publicly ever been taken to court for their "transgressions"? I would think the Mormon position would be indefensible in open court.

Ron Burr

I posted the NYT article on my Facebook too. I have been expecting to be unfriended by TBMs all day, but a big fat silence. NOTHING. Not a word.