Truth has no place in Mormonism. People who try to respect both truth and Mormonism are not loyal. Loyalty to Mormonism means giving up loyalty to truth.
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The convential wisdom in Mormondom is that Joseph Smith was extremely handsome. I disagree on that. The Church paints pictures that make him a lot more handsome than he probably was. I have seen a picture drawn of him back in the day that was not that flattering. It emphasised his prominent nose. I read that he was "moderately handsome", which probably comes closer to the truth.
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As Mormon presidents go, David O. McKay stands out as "better" than the rest. He was kind and forgiving. He said that we should not judge each other, because the only real judgement will come by Christ, at the last day. He said that for a long time he did not believe in Mormonism. He was charasmatic, nice looking, a friend to Lyndon Johnson, and a great man. He even said that he be
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Ten. They all lose at least some belief.
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I don't really know if there is a strong Mormon teaching against casino gambling. It certainly is not condemned as much as other things are, such as smoking, coffee, tea, fornication and adultery, homosexuality, pornography, etc. My Mormon parents weren't gamblers, but they put coins in Nevada slot machines just for fun, and did not think they were doing anything wrong. Bruce R. McConkie str
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It was one book that helped me to figure out that the Church was false. I read it in the Special Collections section of the BYU Harold B. Lee Library. I had to check into Special Collections every time and leave my belongings at the desk. I think BYU intentionally made it hard to find this book and other "anti-Mormon" material. I read it after graduating from BYU. I remember when A
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Any being in Outer Darkness, or Hell, is utterly miserable. He is constantly suffering. He is experiencing torture that is worse than the most cruel torture that has ever existed on earth, and he will experience that torture forever. Satan, however, will never experience this torture, at least to the same degree. Why? Well for one thing, Satan will spend eternity tormenting people in Hel
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There is a great deal of evidence that reincarnation occurs. Much honest research has been done of children who remember past lives and whose past life memories are amazingly similar to what actually happened in the past. This is the strongest evidence I can find that there is life after death.
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I need to move to Provo. How do I find a place to live there that is affordable, yet not BYU approved? The internet is filled with rooms for rent, but they all talk about "great wards", "BYU standards", etc. I am single and can't afford really high rent. I don't need much space. A private room at one of the many BYU approved places would do just fine. However, it seems l
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Anybody smart enough to realize that Mormonism is false is unlikely to teach at BYU. Some of the best professors are obsessed with their subject, and spend all their waking hours studying it. These eccentric (but brilliant) professors have no place in Mormonism, which sucks away large amounts of time from its members. The best teachers are sensitive people. Mormonism weeds out sensitive
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I haven't been active since 1995, so I don't know how the Church has evolved since then. Does anybody know? This is what I wonder: Do they still make a big deal about masturbation? Are all young men still pressured to serve missions? Do they still insist that the Book of Mormon is true? Do people say, "I know the Church is true" as frequently as the used to? Do Church activities
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He thinks that my preoccupation with Mormon problems has something to do with the fact that I have other problems. I personally often feel "defensive" in public, and I like to read about problems with Mormonism because that defensiveness gets channeled to a noble purpose. My dad is a kind person. Even as a believer, he has his own criticisms of Mormonism, but he doesn't "get&q
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I am being "forced" by my dad to attend meetings at Wasatch Mental Health in Provo. I can't disobey him because I live in his house! I was living on my own in Mississippi for 7 years, and then I had a car accident. Because of that accident, I lost my car, home, and job, and had to move to Utah. I view my problem as temporary. Eventually I can get a job and move out on my own. But
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I told my bishop about my masturbation and he wouldn't sign my ecclesiastical endorsement. I graduated right then and there without attending another semester. However, the degree I graduated with was not the greatest degree. I wanted to stay at BYU longer to get a better degree. After I graduated, I spend 3 years working low paying jobs, not knowing what to do. Then I got an MBA from the U
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Yes, but Warren Jeffs WAS the law. He was a lawmaker. He ruled over his own kingdom. His religious beliefs taught him that he shouldn't obey every U.S. law. So in his mind, he didn't have to obey U.S. law, because the law of God takes precedence over the law of the land. Brigham Young and the early Mormons didn't feel they were breaking the law. They felt they were obeying a higher law th
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Warren Jeffs grew up knowing that he would be the prophet of the FLDS. His own father prepared him. Warren was "forced" to be prophet much like many LDS men are "forced" to serve a mission. It was expected of him. He became a crazy tyrant because of the unlimited power he had. Other people in other situations have done similar things. Many of the Roman leaders wer
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My name is God, and, buddy, I'll tear you limb from limb. How dare you not marry a wife? I COMMANDED YOU, I TRIED TO FORCE YOU TO TAKE A WIFE BY COERCING YOU TO SERVE A MISSION AND THEN IMPLANTING IN YOUR BRAIN THE IDEA THAT YOU WOULD BE DAMNED IF YOU DIDN'T MARRY WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF YOUR MISSION'S END!!! You are slime, you jerk!!! MARRY and MARRY IN THE TEMPLE!!!!!!! I am God and I comman
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I got interested in gambling while I was losing faith in Mormonism and after. I spend a lot of time in Wendover, and in Las Vegas and other gambling cities. My gambler identity may have arisen even if I had remained a believer in Mormonism. It also arose for other reasons. However, my identity as a gambler is heightened because of the Church. I view my home state, Utah, as oppressive, and
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Many FLDS members, as well as members of other polygamous Mormon offshoots, are undoubtedly unhappy with their situations. I wonder how often they read this board and/or post here. Here's a question: who is happier (or sadder): FLDS members or LDS members? It's not so easy to answer when you really think about it. I wonder if FLDS members are even allowed to use the internet.
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The FLDS are known for being very secretive. They like to homeschool their children, and they drill propaganda into them. It's hard on boys who can't find wives when all the wives are taken by powerful men. Plural wives who want to leave may not have a social security number or a birth certificate. People who try to leave may not be able to take any money with them, since they gave all their
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He didn't believe in God, but he had a lot of influence. Also, his communist ideas have to be taken on faith, because they can't be scientifically proven.
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I wonder if Smith, or whoever wrote the Book of Mormon, used a twist on the word "Moron" just to see how gullible people really are. Maybe Smith was saying, "If you believe Mormon and Moroni, then you are a real Moron." Or perhaps the similarity is just a coincidence. Smith could have made up different words if he wanted to, that would have made the fraud less obvious.
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Grant Palmer does not believe in many teachings of Mormonism, such as the idea that the Book of Mormon is real history, and that the accouts of the first vision are true. Yet in his book, "An Insider's View of Mormon Origins", he says he is still a Church member and he believes that Mormonism is good because it promotes faith in Christ. I don't understand how he could remain an acti
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The job of Apostle is not like an ordinary job. The ordinary worker looks forward to the day he can quit his job, retire, and spend the rest of his life enjoying himself, whether that means travel, hobbies, or what. The Apostle can't do this. He can never look forward to retiring. NEVER!!! It is worse than being on a mission. A missionary can leave in two years, but an Apostle can NEVER LEA
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When I turned 19, it was 1987. I was skeptical of the Church way back then. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go on a mission. I did a lot of research on the Church, but this research mainly took the form of talking to people about my doubts. If I had had the internet back then, there is no way I would have gone on a mission. I had to find out the truth the hard way. I ended up going on a m
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Jeffrey Holland gave a talk in the early nineties at BYU, where he was president. He told the students at the university that they were staying at BYU too long; they were taking too long to graduate. He urged them to leave BYU quickly by graduating quickly. He used the example of monarch butterflies in his talk at the Marriot Center. In a certain part of the world, millions of monarch butter
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Did you have to hold the priesthood to perform a naked touching ceremony? If so, Men would have had to touch women in the temple. If women were allowed to naked touch women, then it means the priesthood was not necessary to perform the ceremony.
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