The 2011 Brodie Award nominations are in, and I’m in two categories! If you have enjoyed reading my blog, you can vote for me in the following two categories:
Best New Blog: Progressive ExMormon
Most Poignant Personal Story: “Life After Death“

The third annual Brodie Awards are to highlight excellent work from all over the LDS-interest internet (both critical and apologetic views). The awards are named after Fawn M. Brodie, who authored one of the first comprehensive (and critical) biography on Joseph Smith entitled, “No Man Knows My History”.

Click here to go vote!
(Polls close on February 16th)

An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins, by Grant H. Palmer, is a solid overview of the documented facts surrounding Joseph Smith Jr., the Book of Mormon, and the beginnings of the Mormon religion. With Palmer being a practicing member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a three-time director of the LDS Institutes of Religion, a former LDS seminary teacher, and a member of the Mormon History Association, I was fully expecting his book to be an apologetic view of Mormon origins, which I’m pleased to say was not the case. Palmer lays out a very well researched and referenced exposé of the foundational aspects of Mormonism that would make any ‘anti-Mormon’ proud.

The book is written with the assumption that the reader already possesses at least a healthy knowledge of Mormon history, especially the more controversial aspects of Mormonism’s beginnings – something Palmer acknowledges is not taught, and even suppressed, in Sunday school lessons today. In the preface, he even admits that most members of the LDS Church like “simple religion”, wanting “to hear confirmations that everything is as we assumed it was” and that “adult lessons and discussions at church rarely rise above the seminary level”. The details on the foundational aspects of Mormonism that Palmer presents is likely to give any true believing Mormon pause, as they will have not likely heard them before.

Palmer’s approach is honest and forthright, and he doesn’t shy away from the rather damning evidences against his own beloved religion. He sticks to the documented facts, and avoids adding his opinion until the concluding paragraphs of each chapter (where he does venture into speculation). Palmer’s attention to historical and cultural context when addressing things like Joseph Smith’s seer stone and money-digging schemes, or the authorship of the Book of Mormon and the credulity of its witnesses, actually does more harm to the credibility of Mormonism than any other book I’ve read thus far.

Palmer goes so far as to show that Joseph Smith was not only capable of dictating the Book of Mormon himself, but that it was a fabrication based on his knowledge of Indian lore and the bible-thumping sermons being preached from every corner during the ‘second awakening’ revivals of 1824-25 – combined with a heavy dose of plagiarism from numerous sources – in order to reunite his own theologically fragmented family into a single cohesive religion. Palmer even suggests that each time Smith’s church began to hemorrhage attendants or key players, such as the witnesses, Smith would concoct a new source for his authority: God’s priesthood power in 1833, then his ‘first vision’ story of 1838 (by which time it had grown way beyond the scope of his earlier 1832 & 1835 versions).

What amazes me most about this book is that despite the large volume of evidence against Mormonism that Palmer puts forth and acknowledges, he somehow has managed to convince himself (and numerous others, based on the Goodreads reviews of the book) that this book is intended to strengthen one’s faith in Mormonism! The only way he manages to do this is by redefining what it means for him to be Mormon. In his conclusion, he narrows this definition to a simple belief in Jesus Christ’s ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection, while rejecting nearly everything that differentiates Mormonism from mainstream Christianity. He dislikes that LDS Sunday school lessons focus much more on the teachings of modern prophets while diminishing the importance of Jesus’s (biblical) teachings. He doesn’t believe that Joseph Smith translated anything: not the Book or Mormon, Book of Abraham, nor the Kinderhook plates. Palmer indicates that he sees Smith’s revelations and visions being nothing more than a combination of opportunistic creativity and 19th century credulity, and that they completely changed and contradict themselves over the course of Smith’s prophetic career. This complete abandonment of belief in Mormonism’s unique doctrines and history, combined with excellent documented evidence against its claims being published in a book, is more than enough grounds for excommunication, let alone apostasy.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to read a great summary of the evidences against the claims made by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I also recommend this book to all Mormons; It has all the evidence required to cause significant doubt in the foundations of a true believing Mormon’s beliefs, while providing a safety net of having been written by one of their own. All that is required to expose the fraudulent claims made by the LDS Church, is An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins.

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It was a typical Monday: November 25, 1996. I had just got home from school, to find my mom locked away in the piano room, already busy with her first student for the evening. I went into the family room to drop off my backpack, and then went into the kitchen to find something to eat. There, as per usual, I found a note from my mom asking me to cook dinner, which she had already prepared. I didn’t need to start it right away, so I went back into the family room to watch some TV. It was a little quieter than usual, since my sister was out on a first date, and I was still getting used to not having my eldest brother around since he had just gotten married earlier that year, after a whirlwind engagement following his return from serving a two-year mission for the LDS Church. While I sat there on the couch, I looked out the window into the back yard where I saw my other brother, Vic, coming home. I took a special interest in this because I hadn’t seen my brother all weekend, and I was glad to see him. Vic was sporting his usual ’90s grunge look: long bleached-blond hair with eight inches of dark roots, a goatee with a few days stubble, loose-fitting torn jeans over white long-johns, a denim jacket, and a ragged flannel shirt draped over a dark t-shirt that had seen better days. And of course there was that familiar odor of cigarettes.

Vic & Me (1995)

Vic was the rebellious middle-child of a otherwise average Mormon family. He struggled through junior high school, getting horrible grades, acted up in class, and got himself into all sorts of trouble. He eventually dropped out of high school after years of being pushed ahead, simply because his teachers didn’t want to deal with him. He had also refused to attend church and started doing drugs with the ‘wrong crowd’. In order for him to continue living under our parents’ roof, he was required to either attend school, or work and pay rent; in either case, he had to live by the rules: no sex, drugs, or alcohol in the house. He broke the rules, and subsequently, he was kicked out of the house. I remember my mom packing a suitcase full of his things, leaving it on the front porch with a note, and having the door locks changed so he couldn’t get back in. Vic was 16 years old at that time.

As I sat there on the couch, watching as my then 17-year-old brother came in through the back door of the house, I wondered where he had been all weekend. He had been living at home again for a while at that point, though he’d only really come home to crash for the night, and take off again without having much contact with the rest of us. I heard him shut the door, and go down the stairs to the basement where we each had our bedrooms. As 5:00pm hit, I flipped the channel to watch a rerun of my favorite show, Star Trek: The Next Generation. Just about that time, Vic came up the stairs, came over to me and asked, “Hey Tom, do you know where I could find a rope?” I turned around and answered, “No… have you checked the shed?” “No… Thanks.” he replied, and then headed back outside. I didn’t notice him come back in, since I was then starting to cook dinner.

About a half hour later, my dad came down stairs into the kitchen. He wasn’t sure if I was home, and so he wanted to make sure dinner was getting done. After seeing that I had already started it, he figured he’d go downstairs to the basement to get something from the deep freeze. Moments later, I heard a horrific scream come from the basement that instantly flooded me with panic. Not knowing what was going on, I ran down the stairs to find my dad running into the utility room, where we kept the tools, and grabbed what looked like large bolt-cutters. He yelled at me to not come down, and told me to go get my mom. His voice was loaded with such hysteria and urgency, that it stopped me in my tracks. I quickly turned around and ran back up the stairs to go get my mom from the piano room where she was teaching. As I ran back up, my mind started racing with possible scenarios of what could be going on. I started thinking that my dad must have broken some glass and hurt himself; that would explain why he didn’t want me to come down the stairs, and why he needed my mom. I couldn’t even imagine the horror I was about to discover.

As I ran to get my mom, I heard a loud thump come from the basement. I then burst into the piano room, interrupting the lesson, and shouted to my mom that Dad needed her downstairs. She, having already heard the scream herself, immediately got up and ran down the stairs ahead of me. By the time I got back downstairs, my mom was already headed back my way with the most horrified look on her face. She told me to go get the phone and call 9-1-1. I turned and ran back up the stairs, grabbed the cordless phone from the kitchen and started dialing, all while realizing that I had no clue what to tell the person who answers my call. So while the phone rang, I started back down the stairs, where I met my mom just as the operator started asking me what the emergency was. I quickly handed the phone over to my mom, who then told me to go help my dad. As I came to the bottom of the stairs, I took a quick mental note that I didn’t see any glass anywhere on the floor. So what could possibly have happened?

Just as I started to round the corner past the utility room, over to the undeveloped portion of the basement, I paused at the sight of my father; he was performing CPR on my dear brother, Vic. I quickly ran over to help my dad in any way I could. For a moment, I was in shock at the sight of my dad as he gave my brother mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, with tears pouring from his eyes. I then began to check for a pulse on my brother’s wrist, before realizing that his neck would be a better place to find one. I extended my hand toward Vic’s neck, and that’s when I saw the deep red indentation. My eyes quickly took notice of a piece of yellow nylon rope laying on the concrete floor next to him, and then I looked up to see the rest of the rope still tied to the exposed floor joists overhead and the knocked-over chair beside us. I finally realized what had happened; my poor dear brother had hanged himself and completed suicide.

After what seemed like a single moment that stretched on forever, the paramedics arrived, and I told them that I couldn’t find a pulse. Just then my mom came and pulled me away into the far corner of the room, held me tightly, and whispered in my ear, “Pray, with me, Tom. Pray your heart out for your brother.” And so my mother and I prayed to God like we’d never prayed before, with such complete humility as we watched the paramedics relieve my father from his desperate attempt to revive his son. We were then escorted upstairs to wait in the living room as a flood of additional paramedics and firefighters came pouring into the house. I sat there on the sofa with my parents at my side, and two scared piano students at the far end of the room. I looked out the window at the dark winter evening and saw all the emergency vehicles with their lights flashing, and thought to myself how this has all got to be part of some horrific nightmare.

In the chaos that took over the house, various phone calls were made – though I’m not entirely sure who called whom. It turns out my mom had asked her piano student if she would call my eldest brother, and to simply tell him to come home immediately. When my eldest brother arrived, along with his wife, looking anxious to learn what the emergency was, my mom walked over to him, embraced him, and told him that Vic had hanged himself in the basement. His head dropped onto our mother’s shoulder, and he sobbed. To this day, I don’t think I’ve seen him cry over anything else, but in that instant, his heart broke and anyone who saw the look on his face shared in that heartbreak.

My mom began to panic, because she didn’t know where or with whom my sister had gone on her date. My brother and his wife, who happened to know the family of the guy with whom my sister was with, then took it upon themselves to track her down by calling all of her friends to see if they knew where they went. They eventually got word to her that she needed to return home immediately, thus cutting short her first date with the man she would marry that following spring. In the mix of all the phone calls, my grandparents from Utah happened to call us just to check in; my eldest brother broke the news to them.

The paramedics then asked if anyone in the family would like to see Vic one last time before they take him away. I was too distraught by that time, and so I decided not to accompany my dad and brother, who went down together. This is a decision I truly regret; had I only known how much I would later long for even one last look at my dear brother while there was still warmth in his body, I would have gone down there and held on to him until the paramedics pried me off of him. I cherish every memory of him, even the heart-wrenching and dreadful last ones.

When my sister eventually arrived home, with her date in tow, I was at the door to greet her with a hug. I was in need of an embrace from a sibling, but she, not being aware of what was going on, did not appreciate this, as it only added to her own anxiety. (Which is something that she told me years later.) I remember her anger that she didn’t get a chance to see Vic before they took his body away. She was also in a bit of denial, as she couldn’t believe that her brother, whom she had seen only hours earlier, when she and her boyfriend had talked to him about possible activities they could do on their date, was dead. He had seemed perfectly normal, even pleasant during their encounter.

My brother’s suicide crippled my family. My father, having discovered and cut down Vic’s hanging body, has never quite been the same. He shut down and became unresponsive. The mere mention of my brother’s name would cause him to relapse and undo any progress made. It took years before I finally felt as though he showed some resemblance to the father I once knew. Add to this that within 12 months, I had lost two siblings to marriage, and one to suicide; I felt completely alone. I even took a week off of school, just so I could stay home with my mom, and I even slept on the floor of my parents’ room for weeks.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but the death of my brother planted the seeds of doubt in my mind about the Mormon religion I was raised in, and my belief in God in general. I couldn’t help but ask myself, “How could God allow my brother to take his own life and hurt my true-believing and faithful Mormon family? Aren’t we supposed to be rewarded for our faithfulness?” I realized that my brother wasn’t on the straight and narrow path of righteousness that the rest of my family was on, but it didn’t make sense that any kind of punishment that he deserved should be so harsh and destructive to the rest of my family. After all, the second Article of Faith reads, “…men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression”, which has always been taught to me as meaning, “each individual will be punished for their own sins, and not for anyone else’s.”

Though I had started to question God’s sense of justice, I quickly buried those thoughts under the highly appealing notion that, because of the Plan of Salvation, I can be reunited with my brother in the afterlife (provided I live worthy enough). For years after Vic’s death, the LDS children’s song, Families Can Be Together Forever, was my favorite and always brought me to tears. I was desperate to hang onto the idea that Vic’s existence, and my relationship with him, wasn’t over, and was just suspended for what would surely feel like no time at all once we’re on the other side of the veil. This promise of reunification of families, is a powerful LDS doctrine that is sure to appeal to anyone who’s lost a loved one as I have. For me, it eventually became the only reason I left one foot in the door of Mormonism for so long.

Years after my brother’s death, I found myself in a similar situation to his: I had strayed from the straight and narrow, became inactive in the church, engaged in ‘sexual sin’, and was subsequently kicked out of my parents’ house. Fortunately for me, I had completed high school with honors, and was working a well-paying labour job. I also had the loving support of my girlfriend and her parents, which, at times, was the only thing keeping me going. The guilt, shame, and abandonment I felt during this time (which I often refer to as my year of hell), was nearly unbearable. For the first time in my goody-goody life, I felt like a disappointment to my family. It was at this point that I finally started to understand what my brother must have been feeling, and how it would be so easy to get mixed up in drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism (which I managed to avoid). Feeling abandoned by the ones that are supposed to love and support you no matter what happens, is a completely devastating and emotionally damaging situation to be in. I now know what Vic must have gone through, and I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy.

After an on-again-off-again relationship with the Mormon faith I was raised in, I have finally been able to accept that I do not believe in Mormonism, or even a god. Although, it wasn’t even the letting go of the belief in God that was the most troubling for me; it was that I wouldn’t get that chance to be reunited with my brother in an afterlife. I grieved this loss almost as much as the loss of my brother himself. The wishful thinking of an afterlife is what prevented me from getting to know who my brother really was over the past 15 years, because I figured that I’d just meet him on the other side and get to know him then. Now I look back at the years I held onto this belief as being nothing more than wasted time that I could have spent talking to his friends, researching his life, and trying to understand why he felt that suicide was his only escape from his emotional pain and suffering.

Victor Jenson (1995)

Now that I’ve finally accepted my that I will not get that chance to talk to Vic again, I’ve made an effort to track down and talk to a few of Vic’s closest friends, in hopes that they can help me create a more complete picture of who my brother was, what he was like, what his views were, and why he decided to end his life. I have come to learn so much about Vic and his friends that I never knew before. I am incredibly grateful that I am finally in a place in my life where I’m willing to hear these things without feeling compelled to judge him or his friends for their youthful explorations and poor decisions. I don’t think I would have ever been able to accept what I’ve learned if I hadn’t let go of the judgmental and condemning mindset associated with my Mormon upbringing, and to understand the kind son, brother, and friend Victor Jenson really was.

Tell It All is the heartbreaking autobiography of Fanny Stenhouse. Her story begins with her as a young woman returning home to England, after spending some time in France, to discover that her family had converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While investigating her family’s new-found faith, she became the object of one of the Elders’ affections. They were soon married and subsequently ‘counseled’ to serve a mission for the Church while in impoverished conditions. It was only after years of whispered rumours (and public denials by apostles) of polygamy being practiced among their American counterparts, that Joseph Smith’s polygamic ‘revelation’ was finally disclosed in England. Her adventures only truly began when she and her husband were later ‘counseled’ to emigrate to the ‘promised land’ of Utah, where she learned, first-hand, the detrimental effects of Brigham Young’s institutionalized polygamy.

This autobiography is extremely well-written and thoughtfully edited. Stenhouse is able to describe her own experiences with such detail that you can’t help but feel empathy for the atrocities that plagued her life. Throughout the book, she supplements her story by inserting letters written to her by her closest friend who goes through similar trials, though at different times. This second point of view allows the reader to have a richer understanding of the events and trials of early Mormon women in Utah, and helps illustrate that these experiences are not limited to the author, but are common in that time.

Fanny comes across as a critically-minded feminist woman (to use a modern description), and clearly expresses how even a strong woman can find herself rendered powerless against the male priesthood and her own cognitive dissidence toward Mormonism. She even describes the Rocky Mountains around the Salt Lake valley as being her prison walls, knowing full well that any attempt to leave the Mormon settlement would be utterly useless for a woman in her position. She includes descriptions of many early church events and rituals, including The Mountain Meadows Massacre, the Hand Cart companies, temple sealing, and endowment ceremonies. Woven into her story are incredibly detailed character sketches of prominent church figures with whom she had dealings, including a scathing description of Brigham Young. She concludes the book by summarizing the various legal changes that had taken place in Utah between the time she left and the time of the book’s publication, as well as statistical information she had since researched.

There is no better way to understand what it was like to be a woman in the heart of polygamist Utah under the tyranny of Brigham Young, than to hear Fanny Stenhouse Tell It All.

Download this book here, for free!

Below are a few passages that I found to be representative of the writing, tone, and content of the book:

“How often—even while I still clung to Mormonism—did it appear strange to me that the ‘revelations’ of distinguished Saints should so frequently coincide with their own personal wishes, and come at such convenient times.” [p.93]

“Of one thing I am certain I was then indeed a miserable slave, with no one to stretch forth a kindly hand and strike away the fetters of my mental degradation and lead me forth into light and liberty.” [p.369]

“It is a cruel thing for a woman anywhere to know that her husband’s affections are divided, that she is not his only love, and that his heart is no longer all her. But far worse is the lot of the wife in Utah. She has to see and be present when the love-making is going on, when her husband is flirting and saying soft nonsense, or looking unutterable things at silly girls who are young enough to be her daughters ; —nay, her own daughters and her husband’s may actually be older than the damsel he is courting for his second wife ! Such an outrage upon the holiest feelings of womanhood would not for a moment be tolerated in any civilised community ; but among the Saints women are taught that this is but one part of that cross which we all have got to bear. … How sweetly did the men preach patience and submission to the will of Heaven. I wonder where their own patience and submission would have been had matters been reversed and their wives had been taught that it was their privilege and a religious duty to court, and flirt with and marry men younger and handsomer than their husbands.” [p.382-3]

“Age or plain looks are nothing with such men ; the girls are taught that they can exalt them to greater honor and happiness in heaven than young and untried men could, and that they ought to feel honored by receiving tender attentions from the chosen servants of the Lord. One wife, or even half-a-dozen, if they chance to have so many, of course will not stand in the way. The husband is the lord and master, and a woman’s wishes count for nought.” [p.383]

“And the wife has known all this, and has valued her husband’s attentions accordingly. And yet the poor deluded women persuade themselves that this system is right and in accordance with the revealed will of God; and they think that the evil—poor creatures!—is in their own hearts and that they deserve to suffer.” [p.384]

“It may appear strange that such absurdities should ever seriously have found a place in my mind ; but when one at starting accepts a system as true—however absurd that system may be—and learns to regard all that is connected with it as beyond the shadow of a doubt — after years of discipline, the mind is ready to receive almost anything that may be offered to it from the same source. In my own case, I was so convinced that, however reason might object, all that we were taught was true, that I was utterly without hope, and would have felt happy could I have believed that death was annihilation. Of earthly happiness I had given up all expectation.” [p.423]

“Surrounded by my children, living under the same roof with my husband, my heart was, nevertheless, filled with a sense of utter loneliness and desolation. There was no one in whom I could confide, to whom I might tell my sorrows, and from whose counsel or strength I might derive comfort I dared not even go and lay my griefs before God, for I had been led to believe that all my suffering was caused by an arbitrary decree which He willed to be enforced. How false a notion of that loving heavenly Father whose tender care is so manifestly shown in his gentle dealings with the weakest of His creatures !” [p.424]

“Why, I was compelled to drain the cup of degradation to its very dregs—the sanctity
of my home itself was invaded, and I felt ashamed to think that I—wife and mother as I was—was entertaining my husband’s affianced “wife” (!)—a child no older than my own eldest girl ; and before long she would be brought home in my presence and among my children! Oh, detestable and unnatural desecration of the sanctity of home! Oh brutalising and immoral burlesque upon religious faith! How could I ever have deluded myself into the idea that such a profanation of all that is good could by any possibility be right, that such an outrage upon decency and propriety, such a violation of the laws of reason and religion could be pleasing in the sight of an all-pure God ?” [p.440]

“Mormonism is full of deceptions. Men deceive their wives, and in return the wives deceive their husbands; and it is all for the sake of the kingdom of God.” [p.440]

“When a man has several wives, there is, of course, no necessity for him to stay with an unhappy or mopish one, as he can always find a more pleasant reception elsewhere. Men who can really believe that women are satisfied and happy under such a system must be entirely ignorant of human nature. And yet I have known many gentlemen from Utah who, when asked how the Mormon women submitted to Polygamy, have answered: “Oh, very well. They are perfectly happy, for they look upon it as a religious duty, and are satisfied and contented with it.”” [p.462]

“An utter disregard to the feelings or happiness of individuals is one of the distinguishing features of Mormonism.” [464]

“The Mormons, of all people, with their peculiar notions respecting the eternity of the marriage contract, should be careful whom they marry. But, to tell the truth, they are the most careless.” [p.549-50]

“There is living in Utah, to-day, a woman whom I know, who has been sealed “for all eternity” to no less than nine husbands; and if the divorces which she has obtained are, as Brother Brigham says, not worth the paper upon which they are written, she will be likely to have some trouble when she meets them all in another world. I know of several others who have been sealed to four, five, or six husbands ! One of Brigham’s own sisters was the wife of several husbands after this fashion. How all these matters can be set right it is difficult to determine, but somebody will have work to do.” [p.550]

“Whether Brigham [Young] was the deceiver or the deceived, I do not wish to say. Men who consider themselves inspired, and go on day by day uttering all sorts of nonsense and blasphemy, and giving impertinent and mischievous advice in the “name of the Lord,” at last become thoroughly impervious to reason, and daily and hourly deceive themselves. I hope, for his own sake, it was so with Brigham, for I would rather believe him a self-made fool than a downright knave ; and in many of his transactions—perhaps I ought almost to say all—it is clear to every one that he is either one or the other.” [p.560]

“In married life both husband and wife give way to each other in a thousand little things, of no consequence in themselves, but quite sufficient, without the presence of love, to sow the seeds of discord. But when love has fled, and the husband looks upon his wife—the companion of his youth, the mother of his children—not as the partner of his whole life and the sharer—of all his joys and sorrows, but as a person whose presence is a reproach to him and who is an inconvenience rather than otherwise—and when the wife regards her husband as one whom formerly she loved with true devotion, but who has cruelly broken her heart and trampled upon her feelings, and who is nothing to her now but a tyrant whose very presence is painful to her,—can there then be any forbearance, any of those gentle kindnesses, any of those loving forgivenesses, any of those mutual tendernesses and sweet confidences which constitute the charm of married life, and make it what the Apostle said it was—a type of the sacred union between Christ and His people in heaven.” [p.562-3]

“Those who have never been enslaved by a superstitious faith which mentally and bodily enthrals [sic.] its devotees, as Mormonism does, can form no idea of the joy, the happiness, which is experienced when, after years of spiritual servitude, the shackles are burst asunder and the slave is “free !” There is pleasure even in the thought itself that one is free—free to think and free to act, free to worship according to the dictates of one’s own conscience, and free to speak one’s own opinions and sentiments, without the constant fear that some spy is listening to every word and that the consequences may be far from pleasant !” [p.578]

“Some good Saints, I doubt not, do really believe to the contrary, but love thus divided is not worthy of the name.” [p.612]

“Never ; until new hearts and new natures are given to the women of Utah, and all that is womanly, and pure, and sacred, is crushed out from their souls, can one single woman be truly happy in Polygamy ! They may say so publicly, they may, for their religion’s sake, tell strangers that thus it is ; but listen to them when they are alone among themselves ; read, if you can, their hearts, and mark the bitterness which they try to stifle there ; nay, see upon their very features the handwriting which bears witness against their assertion that they are happy and which proclaims to the world the sorrow which they vainly try to hide !” [p.622]

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LYING is Harris’s latest short-book / long-essay, much in the style of his previous “Letter to a Christian Nation”. I found that he was able to cover nearly all the major aspects to the subject matter while maintaining a very short read, which can be done in a single sitting. I read it entirely in one day’s public transit commute, and it came across much as one of Harris’s longer blog posts.

Due to the short length of the ebook, it did leave me wanting more at the end of each chapter. Though, because of Harris’s concise writing style, I can’t imagine what else there is to say without becoming wordy or redundant. LYING is very well written, something I have come to expect from Harris, and I highly recommend it.

It is my hope that Harris will follow up LYING with another ebook that broadens the scope to include collective misrepresentations, opposed to the individual lies that were addressed in this one.

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Zina D. H. Young

A few weeks ago, while I was reading Jim Whitefield’s The Mormon Delusion Vol 1, I double-checked a claim that the author had made regarding the Church’s official website. On pages 132-3 of TMDv1 (2011 PDF edition), Whitefield had noted that, in 2006, the Church’s biographical sketch of Zina D. H. Young grossly misrepresented history and established facts. After Whitefield had pointed out the ‘error’, the Church deleted the offending sentence – which Whitefield notes in the updated edition (I read the latest 3rd edition).

I wanted to check for myself what the current wording of the biographical sketch was, so I did a quick google search of  Zina Young site:LDS.org. Sure enough, I quickly found the revised bio, just as Whitefield said. However, in the search results, I also found a link to a Relief Society Presidents poster which still contained the original biographical sketch! There I had it, proof that the LDS Church had not only rewritten history to mislead people, but that they had deleted the misrepresentation once it was discovered!

Once I realized that I had clear before-and-after copies of the Church’s official biographical sketch of Zina D. H. Young, I contacted Jim Whitefield to let him know.

Below is Jim Whitefield’s official September 2011 update containing my contribution. Click here for the original source.

I highly recommend my readers to follow the link below to read her great post. Here’s a sample:

In recent years, the church has been trying to enhance its image as a “family” church. It has always been adamantly opposed to homosexuality and gay marriage, and it has received a lot of press for this since its involvement in Prop 8. Nary a conference goes by without a veiled reference to “the family” being under attack. The current threat is the gay rights movement, but historically the church has also identified feminism and interracial marriage as threats to the family.  READ MORE…

The Mormon Delusion, Vol 1: The Truth Behind Polygamy and Secret Polyandry (TMD-1), by Jim Whitefield, is a comprehensive and thoroughly-researched look into the polygamous & polyandrous practices of the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), that lasted nearly 100 years. The author’s ability to present an incredible amount of facts and research into a well-organized, and easy to follow book, is quite an accomplishment. I read the 3rd edition in eBook (PDF) format, released in 2011.

TMD-1 is focused, never straying too far from the topic at hand: Polygamy and polyandry in the LDS Church. It is a wealth of information, and is well documented. The in-depth look into this discarded and nearly-forgotten history, covers everything from Joseph Smith’s first adulterous affair, to his close circle’s secret marriages, to his contradictory scripture & revelations, and to his successors’ open disregard for both civil and self-proclaimed celestial law.

Throughout the book, Whitefield presents his finding is a way that minimizes his own biases, by sticking to the substantiated facts. He is careful to point out any discrepancies that he’s found in any of his, or others’ research documents and includes them all as to let the reader know where there might be room for error. Whitefield’s personal opinions and deductions are used sparingly, and often only to give current Mormon cultural reference, or to illuminate how this affected his own beliefs while inside the LDS Church.

The author begins by giving the reader a glossary of terms and abbreviations, as to allow for a more streamlined presentation of his research in the following chapters. Though I appreciated having this glossary up front – rather than having to skip to the back each time I came across something with which I was not familiar – I found that this was a bit of a distraction from getting to the core material. After this however, each chapter clearly defines the topic that is being discussed, and even follows the chronological order of history, whenever possible. I was raised in the LDS Church, and have been doing a lot of my own research as of late, so I was already quite familiar with the series of events, which I believe helped me to place things in their appropriate context, beyond the basics. If you are not familiar with even the Church’s own version of history, I would recommend brushing up on its basic history before diving into this book.

My only real criticism is that I found many instances where the same information was repeated many times over. This type of book can be used as a reference, and so ensuring that a fact is mentioned in all the appropriate sections makes sense, as not everyone will be reading the book from cover to cover. However, facts were occasionally presented in one paragraph, and then repeated in the subsequent paragraphs in full, rather than simply being alluded to – sometimes only a few sentences later. Though this doesn’t detract from the content of the book, it made the flow of reading a little cumbersome in those instances. I understand that this was used for effect – to give emphasis on what is considered an important point – but I found it unnecessary, since the reader is sure to make the connection without it needing to be repeated so soon.

While reading TMD-1, I had the opportunity of exchanging a few messages with the author via his personal & TMD Facebook pages. His personal engagement with me added a new level of appreciation for his work, as he was quick to respond to all of my questions. He even invites his readers to help in making updates or corrections, which he then posts on his website – thus adding to the credibility of the book. This level of involvement and diligence with his audience is simply incredible.

I very much appreciated Jim Whitefeild’s closing chapter, which gives summary to his own 43 years of devotion to the LDS Church. His personal story (added outside of the core research) felt incredibly familiar, as I expect it would for most of us who have discovered the delusion, and have made the difficult decision to accept reality and leave the Church. This chapter also made it very clear just how much time, effort and devotion Whitefield gave the LDS Church, and yet clearly shows that he did not write the book to lash out at Mormons. On the contrary, it’s his desire to comprehend how he succumbed to wishful thinking that fuels his writing and, with any luck, his work will help prevent others from falling victim to The Mormon Delusion.

-Tom Jenson (aka. ProgExMo)-

http://ProgressiveExMormon.wordpress.com

Ways to keep in touch with the author:

https://www.facebook.com/TheMormonDelusion

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3130035.Jim_Whitefield

http://themormondelusion.com

View all my reviews

Me: Hello?

Missionary: Hi. This is Elder _______ from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and we were wondering when a good time would be for us to come by and share a message with you?

Me: Sorry, did you say Mormon Missionaries? [I didn't quite catch what he said at first, since I was bringing in groceries]

Missionary: Yeah…

Me: You see, I specifically asked for the Church not to contact me when I sent in my official resignation, and yet, here you are calling me.

Missionary: Oh, I’m sorry. We’re from the Spanish mission, and sometimes we don’t get the same information from our English counterparts.

Me: Oh, I see. Well please take me off of your call list.

Missionary: Oh, okay sir, but I just wanted to tell you that I know the Church is true, and that the Book of Mormon is the true word of God…

Me: Wait. [cutting him off] If the Book of Mormon is true, wouldn’t it make sense that facts discovered outside of the Church would align with that truth?

Missionary: Uh, yeah, I suppose.

Me: Then why is it that the Book of Mormon talks about steel being used in ancient America long before steel was even invented? Or how about dragons? They’ve never existed!

Missionary: Well, I’m not a historian, so I can’t speak to that. What I do know is that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, who died for us so that we can be forgiven and return to live with him.

Me: Really? Why did he have to die for us to be forgiven? Could’t God have been able to forgive us without having to sacrifice his son?

Missionary: Well… it’s all part of God’s plan.

Me: Sure, but I could forgive someone without having to kill someone else. Why couldn’t God simply forgive without having to let Jesus die?

Missionary: Someone had to pay for our sins. It would be unjust if someone didn’t pay the price.

Me: Unjust? If you stole from me, I could forgive you without needing retribution. I’d just have to accept that I no longer have that money any more and let it go.

Missionary: Well, that’s very nice of you. However, we are commanded to forgive since it’s not our job to judge.

…

Me: Do you believe that God’s commandments are timeless?

Missionary: Well, yes.

Me: Then why is it that the Church has had prophets who have completely contradicted each other?

Missionary: Well I don’t know about that, but the beauty of having a prophet and modern revelation is that we are continually given instruction that’s relevant to our time.

Me: You believe that Brigham Young was a prophet, and everything he said in that capacity is God’s will and word – otherwise he would have been removed from that position – right?

Missionary: Well, yes. I do believe that Brigham Young was a prophet of God…

Me: Then how come he said that Polygamy was essential to gain Celestial glory, and would forever be so. Yet a few years later, Wilford Woodruff released the Manifesto of 1890 (aka Official Declaration 1), abolishing it? And even President Hinckley said, in an interview with Larry King, that he doesn’t think it was even doctrinal, yet it’s clearly written in D&C 132!

Missionary: What’s with your fixation on polygamy? [I think I may have mentioned it earlier somewhere, but I can't quite remember when]

Me: It’s not polygamy that I’m focused on, it the changing doctrine and the clear contradictions from one prophet to another. Polygamy is just an example of that. [admittedly, I just finished reading yet another book about early Mormon polygamy, so it was on my mind]

Missionary: Well, modern revelation allows for us to receive guidance for our day and age, and what needs to be done now.

Me: OK, then why hasn’t there been any new revelations in decades?

Missionary: well, there has been. Every General Conference…

Me: No, I mean a revelation, as in “thus saith the Lord” and canonized scripture. There are plenty of modern day issues that could really use a revelation, such as homosexuality.

Missionary: Well, we already know that homosexuality is wrong from the scriptures…

Me: The scriptures don’t say that directly. A revelation would help to clarify it so there was no longer any confusion around whether it’s the sexual act or the general attraction that’s sinful. [not to mention the eternal consequences surrounding the issue]

Missionary: Well, I don’t know why there hasn’t been, but I do know that we can find the answers to all our problems by reading the Book of Mormon and praying, and He will answer our prayers.

Me: And what if He doesn’t?

Missionary: What do you mean?

Me: What if you pray about the Book of Mormon and don’t get an answer?

Missionary: We’re promised that if we pray with real intent, we will always receive an answer. When’s the last time you’ve read the Book of Mormon?

Me: I’m actually reading it right now. [admittedly, I'm not currently reading it from cover to cover, but reading from it often enough] Plus, I grew up in the Church, attended all my meetings, youth activities, and seminary. I’ve prayed with real intent, numerous times. I’ve never received an answer.

Missionary: Well, I’m not sure what your life is like, or why you haven’t received an answer, [this is a common Mormon defence: suggesting that I'm not 'good enough' or have 'done enough' to be worthy of an answer from God] but I have prayed about it, and have felt my prayers being answered. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. [suggesting that he is somehow superior to me]

Me: How do you “know” that?

Missionary: …What do you mean?

Me: How do you “know” that the Book of Mormon is true with only a feeling to guide you?

Missionary: Well, I prayed about it, and by the power of the Holy Ghost, I received confirmation of the truthfulness of His gospel.

Me: OK, but how do you ‘know’ that it was the Holy Ghost telling you that, and not simply your own mind making you feel something that you wanted to feel?

Missionary: Because I felt something that was not of my own thoughts.

Me: But how do you ‘know’ that with just a feeling? You can’t simply ‘know’ something is true by a feeling without having some kind of evidence to support it. I can’t ‘know’ that the moon landing happened just by how I feel about it….

Missionary: I do know, because the Book of Mormon tells us that if we pray about it, we will feel peace and happiness.

Me: You’re not suggesting that those feelings are exclusive to the Holy Ghost, and unavailable to anyone else, are you?

Missionary: Well… no. Everyone can feel that way, but…

Me: Have you ever read the Quran?

Missionary: …no, and I’m not sure I see the relevance.

Me: If you haven’t read the Quran, how do you know that it isn’t true?

Missionary: Because I know through prayer that the Book of Mormon is true.

Me: Then how come millions of Muslims have prayed about the truthfulness of the Quran, and claim to have received the same confirmation that their book is true?

Missionary: I’m not sure, but people can convince themselves into believing many things, or that they’ve received an answer to a prayer when they really haven’t.

Me: Exactly! So how do you know that you aren’t one of them?

Missionary: Because I’ve felt confirmation by the Holy Ghost. [obviously my point is not sinking in, or he doesn't have an answer]

Me: And how do you know that it was the Holy Ghost and not your own mind?

Missionary: Well sir, I feel like I’ve already answered that, and I don’t want to sound like a broken record… so I think I should let you go.

Me: Well, I don’t think you have, but alright.

Missionary: I wish you the best of luck in your life. Goodbye.

This was the first theological discussion I’ve been able to have with an active member since I resigned 6 months ago. I really am impressed that he stayed on the line with me for as long as he did. Ultimately, it seems to me that I had him backed against a wall from which he didn’t know how to get away. I managed to get him to admit that people can make themselves feel & believe in things which aren’t true, but he never did answer my question as to how he knows that he’s not one of them. As for the clear contradictions in prophetic doctrine, or why a god would need to have his son killed in order to be able to forgive his other children, the missionary had nothing to say beyond the obviously scripted responses: “pray about it”, “read the Book of Mormon”, and “I just know”.

Although I would prefer the Church to cease further contact, as I have requested, I do look forward to the next encounter. I will be sure to use every opportunity they provide to continue to refine my debating skills, and with any luck, encourage others to think for themselves about the inherent problems in the Church.

For those who are not familiar with the talk, it can be found on the LDS website here: ”Place No More For the Enemy of My Soul”.

While the video can be watched right here:

Though the overall message (along with the closing titles’ web address) is about the consequences of viewing pornography, not once is the term used – it’s simply implied. This leaves it to the viewer to discover and interpret what it is that the man is looking at on his computer – whether it be famous works of art, scantily clad runway models, photographic nudes, sex videos, snuff films, etc. So with the vagueness of what he’s looking at, we are purposely left to fill-in-the-blanks, and assume the worst (whatever your worst may be).

Just as Holland’s voiceover says, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, so watch your step”, the video rewinds to bring the viewer back to what is presumed to be the point at which this man made a decision that causes him to leave (or be asked to leave) his family behind. The implication that the outcome, which we (the viewers) just witnessed, was directly caused by a singular decision, is absurd. There is rarely ever a single choice or specific event that becomes the exclusive factor in an outcome without additional influences or greater context surrounding it. A single decision doesn’t cause some kind of predetermined and predictable result, since everyone involved has the ability (to varying degrees) to choose how they react to someone else’s decision.

It’s also implied that looking at porn is automatically an addiction, which cannot be controlled and will consume every waking moment (ie: the man looking at his smart phone rather than drawing with his daughters). Countless people drink alcohol without becoming alcoholics, just as there are people who watch porn without becoming addicted. But this is exactly what the Church wants its viewers to believe: that the slippery slope is actually a crumbling cliff, with only one possible outcome for a misstep. This increases fear and anxiety, not only in the one ‘committing the sin’, but for those who become aware of that person’s actions. This in turn causes people to overreact to what would otherwise be a rather commonplace and benign situation.

With the cool-toned depressing video on the left, and the warm-toned happy video on the right, we’re then shown a blatantly false dichotomy of outcomes to this man’s decision to watch porn. Apparently, watching porn will guarantee that he will have arguments with his wife (who has no choice but to be angry and offended), leave his family, and wander the streets alone at night wearing a hoodie. Conversely, not watching porn will ensure he remembers to buy his wife flowers, stay with his family, and take them to the movies. Why can’t this man watch porn AND keep his family? There are countless men, and women, who watch porn without it affecting their relationships, not to mention couples who enjoy porn together. Why is it better for his family to be without their husband and father, than to have him remain in their life and continue to watch porn? How does viewing pornography become a justifiable reason to break up this family?

The Church also overlooks its own part in the story depicted: the social pressure generated by the Church and its membership to conform to a specific ideal, breeds intolerance toward anything seen as ‘deviant’ or abnormal. This pressure, along with other teachings of the Church, then help to encourage the very predetermined result that they warn will happen (ie: my weak husband watches porn, and I’ve been told that that is wrong, and if I don’t have a faithful and worthy priesthood holder as the head of my family, then I won’t gain eternal salvation. Thus, I best be rid of him so that I can find myself a stronger and more faithful husband.) Holland even says, “picture the faces of those who love you and would be shattered if you let them down”. This is basically telling us that if we watch porn, we will not only be disappointing our family, but inflicting harm on them. While at the same time, it is informing us that if we have a family member watching porn, we SHOULD feel “shattered”.

Viewing porn is only regarded as ‘wrong’ because that’s what the Church tells its membership. What is it that makes the naked human body, or our sexuality, inherently evil? Granted, the porn industry is highly misogynistic, sexist, and depicts women as mere sex objects – to which we all should take offense – but that is not inherent in nudity, sexuality, or the visual depiction of either. If you agree that a medical textbook’s images of sex and the naked human body is not porn, because it’s used in a different context, then you’d have to agree that context is highly relevant to whether or not nude images are considered porn. So this video’s blanket, yet vague, statement that porn is evil and will destroy your life, simply creates a false dichotomy that is ignorant to the vast majority of people who have perfectly happy marriages while enjoying pornography.

I’d like to finish off with a bit of a side note on the gender stereotyping that is used extensively throughout the video. First off, it’s a man that is shown to have the porn ‘problem’, thus reinforcing the idea that men are the weak ones who have trouble controlling their sexual desires. He is also portrayed by a rather muscular and tall man, who oozes masculinity while wearing his dress shirt & tie. While the woman is depicted as being a stay-at-home mom, even wearing an apron in the kitchen – well, at least in the gloomy events (On the happy side, she’s shown wearing no apron, and is arguably treated more as an equal).