When you understand why you dismiss all the other gods, you'll understand why I dismiss yours.

THE GRAYER SHADES OF MORMONISM

This blog explains my personal beliefs as well as many of the issues surrounding the Mormon/LDS Church. Following a summary of my personal convictions, I outline several categories including: Gaining a testimony, Mormon culture, my experiences, and church historical/doctrinal issues.

MY BELIEFS

I grew up in a strict Mormon family and have read the Bible and Book of Mormon dozens of times. I believe in thinking critically about religious beliefs by considering all sides, including the opposite side. After an open, honest reflection, a reasonable, well-informed decision can be made about what to believe. If what one finds goes against current beliefs/traditions, such should be followed. If it confirms them, then one should follow that. If it is inconclusive, one should be inconclusive. Too many people follow their leaders or family traditions so wholeheartedly without considering all the aspects of what they believe. Additionally, I think that truth should be searched for unbiased, throughout one's lifetime.

I believe that one should always feel free to question authority and his or her beliefs. One should always ask questions, especially when it comes to something as passionate and opinion-based as religion. I am inclined not to believe in God, but I don't think it is impossible that he could exist. If he did exist, I would view him as an overseer who on very rare occasions influences people and situations. I believe Jesus Christ existed and taught many important truths at a time when selfishness prevailed, but I find the atonement contradictory and unsettling (fun fact: Did you know that almost nothing was written about Jesus until nearly 10 years after he died)? I believe in much of what the Mormon church supports; namely about meditation, the benefits of a support community, the word of Wisdom, selfless service, honesty, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, and many others. I also believe in equality of people from all different races, genders, and sexual identities and what Jesus Christ taught about how we should treat other people. The Mormon church brilliantly outshines in many ways that are nothing short of the best. However, the Mormon church also has an undisclosed, ignored, and downright dark side to it. This dark side is absolutely covered up and lied about, which acts as a the second edge on the sword to discredit its validity. These issues range from financial issues to philosophical inconsistencies, to its debated history and beyond. I believe the church would not stand to loose more than it already has by "coming out of the closet" about all the covering up. Some of these issues are what I will discuss next.

***** THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSES ISSUES IN MORMONISM****

GAINING A TESTIMONY

The LDS church teaches that those who study and pray about its doctrine, can receive an answer from God that it is true. Moroni 10:3-5 along with James 1:5 say, ask in faithful prayer and you will receive a witness of its truthfulness. D&C 9:8-9 tells you how you might feel when you pray. Galatians talks about what some of those feeling are. I have tried this dozens of times and have never personally received this witness. Common excuses given for this lack of divine response are, “you are not praying with enough faith,” “there is some kind of sin in your life which will not allow the spirit to help you,” and “God answers on his own time.” However, my faith had always been extremely strong and unwavering. My prayers were sincere and I did not "demand" a sign or proof. I nearly had a testimony without actually having a testimony. The first and second reasons are not legitimate because 1) God is no respecter of persons, 2) any investigator (which is everyone) studying the Book of Mormon is told they will get an answer regardless, and 3) I did not have any serious sins in my life. The 'timing' reason might have some basis, but so far our omnipresent, omnipotent god has not squeezed me into his schedule.

A lot of people have supernatural experiences such as finding a lost item after having prayed to find it and then attributing their find to a testimony in Mormonism, or Joseph Smith or whatever church they go to. Or they will have good feelings (feel the spirit) when they render service, go to church, or have experiences that involve spirituality, justice, charity, humanity, or miracles. Mormons are not unique to these types of feelings or experiences. Catholics, Baptists, Evangelicals, and Protestants also claim they experience these events in no less frequency than Mormons, but this does not validate their religions, does it? Nor does it necessarily validate Mormonism.

Some people base their testimonies on how they feel when they read the scriptures. However, the scriptures, including The Book of Mormon teach many universal principals (not specific to one religion at all) for example, serving others, don’t kill, don’t cheat, and so on. So how can any religion say that these positive feelings they had while reading the scriptures, make them right and the others wrong? Nearly everyone gets the spiritual "goosebumps" of affirmation when they feel that their convictions are being validated. These subjective experiences do not prove a hard and fast indication of truth.

WHY MOST PEOPLE LEAVE THE CHURCH

The church reports that there are 13.8 million members worldwide and thousands of baptisms occurring each year. However, of those 13.8 million, only 4-5 million are even active! (http://www.suite101.com/content/mormons-fastest-growing-church-a52196). So why is it that only 1/3 of the people who join the church are active? Church authorities have three standard reasons for why people leave the church: 1) they have been offended by someone in the ward, 2) they have some sin in their life and cannot reconcile themselves with the church, or 3) They have idols in their lives that make them lazy, such as Sunday football. Though this may be the reason for a small percentage of those who leave, the overwhelming majority are not as dramatic, unworthy, or lazy as church leaders have stipulated. I believe that the main reasons people leave are because they have discovered the history, doctrine, or promises of Mormonism that are amoral, contradictory, and hypocritical.

John Dehlin makes some great points, but one thing I disagree on, is how he downplays the "minor" problems with church doctrine and history.

http://packham.n4m.org/bishop.htm

http://www.exmormon.org/stories.htm (see intro, # 44, and # 125)

MORMON CULTURE

Mormon culture is one of the most aggravating part of Mormonism. Leaving Mormonism can be excruciating (see http://www.exmormonfoundation.org/messege.html).

Ex-Mormons sometimes feel as Moses did when he left pharaoh's palace because he realized that he was Hebrew and did not agree with Pharaoh's practices. Or Jesus Christ who was severely persecuted because he was non-traditional. His own friends betrayed him. The same can be said of Noah, Alma, and most famously, Joseph Smith. Ex-Mormons get a taste of how these prophets felt. Ex-Mormons are implicitly judged as being deceived or led by Satan, weak, selfish, or unworthy. Members sometimes think that when a Mormon leaves the church, that they are also leaving the church's values and their families. You are not the church. Your ex-Mormon family member is not 'leaving you' when he/she leaves the church and they should not be termed "unrighteous" or "evil" simply because they left the church. Many of these ex-Mormons did not have strong testimonies even while they were active. Yet the culture tells you that God will punish these sinners for rejecting his messages and damn them to eternal unhappiness (see ‘We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet’ in the hymnal).

Church leadership maintains its authority through a restrictive culture. One of the most important aspects of being a member of the church is having a testimony and bearing it once a month, in every talk, in every lesson, at every home/visiting teaching visit, and whenever referring to the gospel. I do not believe that everyone has a rock-solid testimony, but unfortunately, nobody is willing to talk about the church's debated history or doctrinal doubts because they do not want to appear unrighteous or that they do not belong. They don't want to be ostracized. Additionally, doubting Mormons may feel that they would offend traditional testifying members if they said anything because Mormons take what they "know" so personally. When questioning Mormons express insecurity about church doctrine, traditional Mormons often feel that they are somehow being insulted directly. The culture is that if you disagree with the unquestionable hierarchy of the church, you are wrong. First counselor N. Eldon Tanner famously declared in the August 1979 Ensign, "When the prophet speaks, the debate is over."

Some may say that Mormons are not controlled in any regard and can say/do whatever they please. While this may be true explicitly, it is not intrinsically true and certainly not without repercussions. As an example, read about what happened to a group called the September Six.

http://www.lds-mormon.com/sepsix.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_Six

Another way church leadership maintains its authority is through temple ordinances. Every temple going member makes a covenant in the temple, to never contradict church authority. The covenant is as follows: "put them under covenant...that they will have no loud laughter or evil speaking of the Lord's anointed." They also covenant to “consecrate your time, talents, and anything God has blessed you or with which he [God] may bless you with, to the building up of the kingdom of God.” Some where near the middle of an instructional role playing movie, the character of Satan looks directly into the camera and says, "I have a word concerning these people (referring to the audience), if they do not live up to every covenant they make in this temple, before this alter, this day, they will be, in my power." To Mormons, this means that 1) "speaking evil of the Lord's anointed" automatically puts you in Satan's power and 2) anyone who leaves the church has done so because they were under Satan's influence not because they have a legitimate reason. I do not believe that members who do not accept every single word spoken by the prophets as perfect or eternal, is led or blinded by Satan nor does it make him/her poor in character.

I think that anyone who demands that its followers set aside all skepticism, self-examination, doubt, questioning, and all criticism, is someone who restricts the freedom of its followers.

Here is a link that has some good points about how many people who leave the church feel they should be treated:

http://www.staylds.org/When-Your-Spouse-Loses-Their-Testimony.php

Many refuse to accept or listen to Mormon critics because the church is so intricate and well organized, and because people have died for its success it could not possibly be false. They think, 'the leaders love the members so much, they would say something if there was ever any doubt.' Really? Would they? Some of these leaders may have true testimonies, but in my opinion, some of these leaders continue because the church does so much good, why jeopardize it all?

THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON

I would accept everything the church taught, including its problems past, present, and future, if it were not for one thing....

I grew up in the church with a devout family. I had much faith and many humbling experiences. I graduated from seminary, served a mission, and regularly attended the temple. In the church, spiritual experiences and prayer are hugely advertised as the way to know whether something is true. I prayed sincerely and diligently nearly all my life. I cultivated faith and gospel knowledge. However, in July of 2008, I realized that I always pray and have never really receive an answer. I certainly never received an answer in all the times I earnestly and faithfully prayed about whether the church, the prophet Joseph Smith, and the Book of Mormon were true. I began to pray harder to know if these things were true. I prayed with all the faith I could muster. I prayed in the temple often….nothing. I was not asking for grandiose or visionary answers, just for the scriptures to fulfill their claim that God will indeed respond to my prayers. By the end of 2008, I doubted whether God would ever answer my pleadings for truth. If God was my literal father, why would he not help me know the "truth." Although I was a fully active, worthy member of “God’s one true church,” I began to distinguish my thoughts over the next two years (2009-2010). I searched for answers (especially in church endorsed material). I began exploring other doubts and unfairness in Mormonism that I traditionally suppressed with ‘the church is true, thechurchistrue, thecurchistruethechruchistrue.’ As the months went on of research and introspection, my doubts validated themselves over and over. In the summer of 2010, my conclusion was that the Joseph Smith story had no legitimate or divine substance. I could not go on pretending I believed. I have been taught that God is my eternal father, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, but has a singular physical body. Will he not answer my prayers? As for now, God and angels probably exist, but the way Mormons teach the nature of God and his ways, is not exact. I studied dozens of other religions, all of which seem illogical, without basis in tried or true procedures.

A DISCLAIMER, THE BOTTOM LINE, AND THE RESULTS

Though there is a lot of controversy about the church, both past and present, there is undoubtedly a lot to be said for the church. The church has dozens of social programs (employment offices, humanitarian aid, boy scouts...et.) and has impeccable moral standards, nearly all of which I believe offer peace and a greater quality of life. But, you do not have to be a traditional Mormon (or even religious), with a testimony in your holster, to learn and adopt values such as honesty, charity, the word of wisdom, the law of chastity, and other family values. I would venture a guess that even some atheists live these principles better than the average Mormon does. Though many of the church’s members are not open to debatable Mormon doctrine, in generally, they are good people. The biggest problems I have are 1) church leadership restricts the free thinking/speech among its members and 2) As a result, individuals and family relationships can be degraded because some choose to disagree with its teachings.

Additionally, a large portion of people join the church naively. Think about it- when you were baptized, did you really understand ALL the covenants you were making? When you went to the temple for your endowment, you made the covenant before you even knew what it was!! Then you had to wear their style of underwear and t-shirt. How is that fair?!? I feel that many church leaders have knowingly propagated half-truths and are unwilling to acknowledge the church's faults. When church leaders are put on the spot about their questionable past, they say, 'Oh yeah, that is what the church used to do, but that's not us, yeah we don't do that anymore." This simply suggests that 'the past is past.' However the church's foundation and credibility is its past!

Therefore, there are certain segments of Mormonism that I disagree with, or feel indifferent towards. For example: An intimate, conversational relationship with a Heavenly Father or the divine calling/authority of prophets and their flawless inspiration in ancient, restorative, or modern-day times. I do not agree with performing ordinances by proxy or other temple ordinances. I am not closed to the possibility of gaining a testimony of these things in the future, but as of yet, I cannot honestly say that I have one.

*****Below are the more common, objective issues.*****

IS GOD REALLY AN UNCHANGEABLE BEING?

Moroni 8:18, D&C 20:17- "...God is an unchangeable being.."

However, doctrine frequently changes to conform itself with changing trends and science. For example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKtpwHhRTbM&feature=related

This video does not illustrate all the changes that have been made to the Book of Mormon. Even temple ordinances have drastically changed over the last several years. From the time that I first went through the temple in 2004 to the present, procedures have changed to be more accommodating the elderly and disabled. This has to be done. But this does not excuse all the changes in procedure that are not for the benefit of the elderly. For example, when I did the initiatory ordinance there was much less clothing worn, which made the 15 minute process somewhat uncomfortable. Sometimes the officiator could see more skin than what a speedo swimming suit would show. This was changed so that the person is fully clothed. The wording of the ordinance was drastically changed. In the 1990's temple ceremonies were changed much more drastically than even my example. These ordinances, like the sacrament prayers emphasize an exact memorized script. These ordinances were instituted by God and have always been sacred. Why would God need to change them?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormonism_and_violence (I know this is from wikipedia, but check the source references)

BREAKING THE RULES BY FORCE

“Thou shall not kill” Exodus 20:13, yet there are numerous murders that take place throughout that Bible and the BOM. Blood atonement is is still a common LDS belief today.

See http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/donald_morgan/atrocity.html

There are several atrocities in the Book of Mormon, too, including Nephi murdering King Laban and Moroni murdering innocent Kingmen because they refused to risk their lives in battle (just to name a couple). Most were prophets if not great spiritual men. Now why would God make prophets break their own rules by murdering people for him? Either God is a hypocrite or the Bible was written by uninspired prophets and religious extremists. Imagine if you were walking on the street and President Monson kills the guy next to him over a book, like what Nephi did to Laban in the BOM. Would he still be your prophet? Couldn't God have just re-revealed the scriptures to Nephi? God doesn't have a problem doing it presently. He has even had the general authorities 'fix' dozens of grammatical errors in the Book of Mormon. As a different latter day example, so much emphasis is placed on the Haun's Mill massacre yet the Mountain Meadow massacre and many of its key details, are marginalized and ignored. Yeah, that's the one when the Mormons did the massacring.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormonism_and_violence

In one instance, Emma Smith went to a man named William Law for advise because she did not know what to do about Joseph taking multiple wives. As a devout member, Law disagreed with Joseph. Joseph didn't like people bashing his authority so he revealed that Law's wife needed to start nourishing a relationship with him. She declined. Law decided everyone needed to know about Joseph's intentions so he printed the drama in a newspaper article (he owned a printing press, which was very, very expensive in those days). This exposure enraged Joseph so he destroyed the printing press, scattered the type, and burned it down. Law was promptly excommunicated, which was/is a common practice for those who disagreed with Joseph's authority. (search "September six").

BLACKS AND THE PRIESTHOOD

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigham_Young#cite_note-15 (see "Circumstances leading to ban...")

see note # 16

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Journal_of_Discourses/Volume_10/The_Persecutions_of_the_Saints,_etc.

See bottom of page 110

http://www.journalofdiscourses.org/volume-10/

See volume 10, bottom of page 135

Brigham Young said this despite the scripture verses that explain that people may be cursed unto the 3rd and 4th generation, but if any were to repent and make restitution they would be forgiven and the curse lifted.[13] Those verses are D&C 124:50&52 as well as Mosiah 13:13,14 and Deut 5:9,10. And Moses 6: 54

Were the blacks (and often those who still had foreskin on their penises) being cursed from the time of Cain until 1978, simply not protected under what Moses said? See Moses 6:54, Deuteronomy 5:9,

I thought that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34-35)

You can Youtube several interviews with President Gordon B. Hinckley on this subject where he downplays and excuses the entire matter away.
Additionally, see Bruce R. McConkie's Mormon Doctrine pg. 526-527 "the blacks will never receive the blessings of the priesthood.....this is not man's doing, but of God's..."

So, Brigham Young, who had slaves, restricted the priesthood from the blacks and blamed it on God. One theory is that, after the civil rights act of 1964 had passed, people might have begun to question church authority a little. Church leaders, being afraid of losing credibility and membership, revoked the “curse.” Some feel that the same situation will occur concerning homosexuality. See

http://www.affirmation.org/suicide_info/gay_mormon_hoped.shtml

HOMOSEXUALITY

Mormons believe that homosexuality is wrong and that homosexual people can and must change in order to go to heaven. They also believe that nobody is born gay. Hermaphrodites are living proof that many are born sexually different. Science tells us that the desire for one to be homosexual involves a ratio of environment and biological predisposition. The church has spent insane amounts of money ($8-20 million for Prop. eight alone) in legislature to promote a ban on gay marriages. Source: http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=6238226&page=1

Question: Why doesn't religion talk about a heavenly mother? Why is the Godhead two men and a spirit? Why did Jesus and God create man, instead of God and his wife? The Mormon God mandates a traditional family between man and woman and what a great example he is. Aren't we told that women get to be priestesses? A Heavenly mother is barely implied in the church, but honestly, we don't know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDceBHOgm6A (Elder Boyd K. Packer's views on homosexuality)

POLYGAMY

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigham_Young#cite_note-15 (scroll down to family life)

Click note # 10 - "Determining and defining 'wife.' See pages 57-70

Polygamy continued by leaders and members even after John Taylor's reign and the Edmunds Act of 1882 was passed, which made polygamy illegal. Article of faith #9, written by Joseph Smith explains that the law is to be upheld, honored and sustained. It was not until the Edmunds-Tucker bill was passed, and threats by the federal government that Wilford Woodruff reluctantly changed the church's standards. Fun Fact: Taylor also predicted the downfall of the church by the time of the seventh president. Taylor was the 3rd.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmunds_Act
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmunds%E2%80%93Tucker_Act

Questions: Why did sex have to be a part of the polygamist practice, if it was mostly for economic advantages? Isn't having sex with a person married to someone else technically adultery? A common belief is that there were so many more women than men and the surplus of women needed protection and resources. However, according to John Widtsoe (a member of the quorum of the 12 Apostles in 1921), it was just the opposite. There was a surplus of men, not women. (See myth number seven at: http://mrm.org/eight-mormon-myths
Search for "surplus of female in: http://www.cumorah.com/language/evidencesandreconciliations.html

In reality, Mormons are still practicing polygamy today because temple marriages are being performed for men who have deceased wives. In the spiritual realm, this is still polygamy.

FREE MASONRY

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_mason

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x42AGtb0jkw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMoVqrZN4Ds&feature=related

Joesph Smith was well known by some as a Free Mason which was a Fraternity that built its trust through secret handshakes, passwords, and architectural symbols, many of which are found on Mormon temples. For example, the sun stones, Osiris's eye, and the upside-down star.
The book "Paradise Lost," can offer further insights on this subject.

BOOK OF MORMON AND ARCHEOLOGICAL DATA

http://mrm.org/eight-mormon-myths (see myth #6)

There are numerous websites both in favor and against the validity of Book of Mormon archeological data.

The gold plates thing is a little sketchy. Joseph would not let anyone see the gold plates except for a hand full of witnesses many of whom left Joseph Smith and his church. After Joseph finished translating them they were taken up by the Angel Moroni into Heaven so that nobody else could see them. If they had already been copied, what was the point? And what did Moroni need them for- a museum?

COVER-UPS

http://irr.org/mit/bom-wit-pt2.html No wonder so many of the "witnesses" of the gold plates left

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Hofmann#cite_note-18

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70912F8395D0C7A8DDDAA0894D9484D81

Joesph Smith's problems with the law did not start after his discovery of the golden plates. In his late teens he claimed to have a seer stone which he would put into his hat, cover the opening with his face, and discerned where lay hidden treasure and lost property. Joseph was known for his skills as a magician, a money-digger, and scrying using peep stones. In 1825, a man named Josiah Stowell paid him $14 to find a large deposit of hidden sliver on his property. Joseph was never able to find the silver. Many other people paid Joseph Smith to find their lost goods and again, Joseph was never able to deliver any of it. Eventually Joseph was prosecuted in the People of New York State vs. Joseph Smith case. Joseph was found guilty of being an impostor and being a disorderly person. In another suit, Joseph was charged with fraud. These charges and other affidavits brought Joseph's career as a money digger to a complete halt. He promised the court that he would cease from these practices However, not long thereafter, he was "at it again in an event that would change the religious landscape forever" (Krakauer, 2004, p.58).

Joseph is well known for only having attained a 3rd grade education. This belief does not accurately reflect his sheer genius. Joseph was incredibly intelligent, suave, and charismatic. He was an extremely confident leader and had a knack for manipulating people into believing what ever he wanted.

http://www.lds-mormon.com/jsmith.shtml

PAID CLERGY

http://mrm.org/eight-mormon-myths (see myth #2)

The general authorities' living allowance includes airplane rides where ever they want, hotels, all the secret defense to protect them (can't just trust God, eh?), huge amounts of technology, technicians, media specialists, accountants, lawyers, doctors, emergency personnel, website builders, archive specialists, advertisers, librarians, seminary teachers,...et. The only people the church does not pay are its local members, such as bishops, stake presidents, and patriarchs. But such cannot be known because none of their financial data is made (churches are not required to pay taxes, but they can spend $8-20 million for Proposition Eight).

Another controversy are the restaurants set up inside the temples. Many find it hard to understand why the church has a restaurant inside many temples in which money is exchanged. This resembles the moneychangers that Jesus rebuked at the temple during his ministry (St. Mark 11: 15-17).

OTHER VIEWS: (these are really fun)

http://www.salamandersociety.com/exmormon/

Anyone ever heard of the "God gene" or the "religion gene?" Pure speculation, but extremely interesting. See here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/weekinreview/12wade.html?_r=1
http://www.entheogens.com/godgene.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_gene

Research on this gene was also featured in TIME magazine and several books have been written about it.

Another view that I am exploring is that Mormons and people from other religions have a sensitivity to supernatural experiences. Some are more sensitive than others. I think that this sensitivity is an emotional response ingrained into our genetic make up (some claim they have found a "spirituality gene") because it gives us a sense of community and the value of unselfishness. Ancient communities were able to survive better because they had these genes. Now, whether those genes were given to us by natural selection or by God himself is where the Atheists and the believers divide. So maybe this spirituality gene was planted by God, or maybe it is an evolutionary an emotional attribute to help the individual survive by giving it an innate sense of selflessness, community, and a sense of the well being of others. Perhaps this is why humans have such a desire to reciprocate.

http://www.bumperart.com/Religion+%28Anti%29.htm (fun bumper stickers)

My definition of Arrogance: Assertively stating your opinion as indisputable dogma while refusing to validate or understand the opinions of others. Arrogance and hypocrisy go hand-in-hand.

*************Search speeches on Youtube by Sam Harris. ************

When you understand why you dismiss all the other gods, you'll understand why I dismiss yours. - S R

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Monday, November 22, 2010