Optical Allusionist

In a recent post, I wrote

Not only have I taken my name off the records of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormon/LDS Church), but I have come across information that leads me to view the specific religion in an unfavorable light. It is about the abuse, the past and present oaths in the secret ceremonies in the temple, the purposeful cover-ups by Church leadership of Church history that continue today, the finances and manipulation within the finances, the history of ethnocentrism, xenophobia, racism, sexism, heterosexism, cysgenderism, it is about the manipulation within so-called "loving" teachings, the lies, and the "love"-cloaked hatred. I understand that these are severe accusations, and if anyone would like specifics, they are welcome to message me. Let it be understood: I am not discussing the people of "the Church" or the culture of Utah, although I believe it is highly influenced by "the Church". I am discussing specific doctrines, specific events in Church history, specific actions and words of leaders, specific beliefs and ideologies supported by high leadership and doctrines within "the Church". I am appalled at my contributions to such an organization as this.

I've decided to supply some links that will point to the truth of my accusations. If you do not want to find out what I'm talking about, please do not read any further.

If you are interested in discussing what I've written, I'd be happy to. I want to believe the truth, and only believe these things because they match proof I have found. I want to be honest, and this is the way, I think, I can be honest without hurting too many people... without lurching too many people from their rabbit holes. I've heard that you cannot reason someone out of a belief they did not reason themselves into.

Keep in mind that some of these sites are more diplomatic than others. On occasion, the people who write are angry, or grieving because of their personal connections to Mormonism. It is a painful experience to discover that an organization that surrounded each aspect of your life was lying to you, an organization that seeps into every part of your life, your family, your friends, your beliefs, etc. This does not mean that the things that they have found are not true. Try and keep an open mind.

Also keep in mind that I do not believe what I have posted is anti-Mormon. I believe that something is anti-Mormon if it will tear down Mormonism at any cost, even if they have to lie to do it. I am pro-truth... and if the truth works against the Mormon Church, then that is what the truth does.

And, lastly, why? Why do I waste my time writing this? Because I want people to know the truth. I don't want people to be lied to, and I want to make it easy, an easy resource for those considering why they are Mormon.


To start out, I will recommend three books I have read.


No Man Knows My History
A biography of Joseph Smith. Very well documented. Highly recommended

Standing for Something More
The story of the excommunication of Lyndon Lamborn after the things he found out about LDS Church History

Studies of the Book of Mormon
BH Roberts' studies of the Book of Mormon



Here are some sites you can visit to start out with. I'll order these from most reliable to least reliable.


Mormonthink

I have found this to be an incredibly reliable, very well-documented site that addresses several different issues with the Mormon Church.


Post Mormon

A site for Mormons, ex-Mormons, and non-Mormons to discuss issues


USU Shaft

A blog of atheists, agnostics, free-thinkers, secular-humanists. I included it because the posts often discuss Mormonism.


USU Shaft: Why I Don't Believe

A series of blog posts that cover a handful of specific reasons the writer left Mormonism


33 Reasons Why I Left

33 Reasons why one person left Mormonism


Recovery From Mormonism

A site for Mormons, ex-Mormons, and non-Mormons to discuss issues


Lyndon Lamborn

Lyndon Lamborn, an excommunicated former Mormon writes about his experiences, includes a timeline he set up of Church history


Why We Left

Personal accounts of why members left Mormonism


Questioning Mormonism

A blog that discusses issues within Mormonism


Rethinking Mormonism

A site that collects quotes from Church leaders and experiences from Church members


Mormon Curtain

Occasionally jumbled, always angry expressions of frustration over issues in the Church



Sites that Discuss Church History or Contain a Time Line of Church History

PBS: The Mormons (Timeline)

Timeline from the two part PBS series "The Mormons"


Great Moments in Mormon History

Other than a couple indescrepancies, the timeline here is fairly accurate


Lyndon Lamborn's Timeline

Under Lyndon Lamborn's Writings can be found a downloadable timeline. Other than the wording concerning Joseph Smith's death (i.e. calling it a gunfight), the timeline is historically accurate


Mormon LDS History

A collection of links concerning LDS History, some more accurate than others



Finances, Including the Issue of Tithing

Tithing in the LDS Church

Mormon Think's discussion of tithing, and the finances of the LDS Church


The Gospel of Redistribution

An interesting blog discussing why Mormons should believe in the redistribution of wealth


Homosexuality

LDS Newsroom: Homosexuality

The LDS Newsroom's most recent response to questions concerning homosexuality.


Homosexuality & Mormonism

An essay concerning the history of homosexuality and sodomy and their connections to Mormonism


"To Young Men Only"

An address by Boyd K. Packer, an LDS apostle, to young priesthood-holding men about the dangers of masturbation, and the dangers of homosexuals and homosexuality... and how to deal with them.


Talk to the All-Church Coordinating Council

An address by Boyd K. Packer, an LDS apostle, to leaders of young adults and teenagers concerning leadership within the Church, and three great threats to the Church: homosexuals, feminists, and intellectuals


Quotes from LDS Leaders Concerning Homosexuality

Though not well documented, look up the quotes on the internet, and you will find them to be accurate.


Prop 8 Timeline

A timeline of the Church's involvement in California's proposition 8


Gay Mormon History

A discussion of Mormonism's involvement in gay issues


Monogamy & Homosexuality

A comparison of the similarities between quotes from the prophets concerning the perils of both homosexuality and monogamy.


Homosexuality: A Psychiatrist's Response to LDS Social Services

A psychiatrist's response to an LDS Social Services pamphlet concerning how to help people with homosexual "problems"


Mormons & Homosexuality

A discussion of Mormonism and its views on homosexuality


Mormonism's Position on Homosexuality

Another discussion of Mormonism and its views on homosexuality


Other Quotes and Talks from LDS Leaders

Lying for the Lord

A list of different events, topics, doctrines that the leaders of the LDS Church continue to deliberately hide at worst, simply not mention at best.


Mormon Prophets After Joseph Smith

A discussion of the role of the prophet


LDS Leaders

A collection of links concerning Mormon leaders


Leading His People Astray

A blog post I wrote, compiling a list of quotes, talks, and doctrines about the hypothetical infallibility of the leaders


Elder Russell M Nelson & Atheism

Russell M Nelson, an LDS apostle, addresses the dangers of atheism and atheists


Beware the Bitter Fruits of Apostacy

Quotes from LDS Leaders concerning the dangers of apostacy


Did They Really Say That?

Quotes from LDS leaders on a variety of subjects


Best & Worst of Mormon Quotes

As the title suggests... comments included


Racism

Blacks and the Priesthood

A discussion of the racism within the LDS Church, particularly concerning black men not being allowed the priesthood (or the ability to attend the temple) based on their race


First Presidency Response to Dr. Lowry Nelson

I usually wouldn't add such a sketchy looking site, but I have read a hard copy of the exchange, and this site matches what I read.


Manuscripts of Lowry Nelson

Where you can find the exchange between Dr. Lowry Nelson and the leadership of the Church concerning "the Negro race" and interracial marriage


Racism in Mormon History & Doctrine

A discussion of racism in Mormon history & doctrine


Mormon Racism in Perspective

Quotes from Mormon leaders, including a talk by Mark E Peterson


Racism in the LDS Church

One more resource for information about racist history, quotes and doctrines within the LDS Church


The Book of Abraham

The Book of Abraham

A discussion concerning the true origins of the Book of Abraham, canonized Mormon scripture


The Book of Abraham

Another discussion concerning the true origins of the Book of Abraham


The Kinderhook Plates & the Greek Psalter Incident

The Kinderhook Plates

A discussion on the false translation of "the Kinderhook plates" by Joseph Smith


Greek Psalter Incident

A discussion on the false translation of the Greek psalter by Joseph Smith


The Kinderhook Plates

Another discussion on the false translation of "the Kinderhook plates" by Joseph Smith


The Book of Mormon

Book of Mormon Difficulties

A discussion of the difficulties of the Book of Mormon (i.e. impossible events in the BoM, the Anthon visit, lack of important Mormon doctrine, changes in BoM, etc)


A Linguist Looks at Book of Mormon

A discussion of linguistic problems in the Book of Mormon.


Translation of Book of Mormon

A discussion of problems or inconsistencies in what the Church teaches about the translation of the Book of Mormon


Book of Mormon Historicity

A senior thesis concerning the Book of Mormon historicity


Lost 116 Pages

A discussion of the lost 116 pages of the original translation of the Book of Mormon


The Witnesses of the Book of Mormon

A discussion concerning the witnesses' testimony of the Book of Mormon


Joseph Smith's Ability

A discussion concerning the ability of Joseph Smith-- Could he have written the Book of Mormon?


Spiritual Abuse

Healing Spiritual Abuse

A community that seeks to heal spiritual abuse. This is a list of signs of spiritual abuse.


Wikipedia: Spiritual Abuse

What wikipedia has to say about spiritual abuse


Signs of Spiritual Abuse

Some more signs of spiritual abuse


The Mantle is Far Greater Than the Intellect

An address to members of the Church by Boyd K Packer about how the leader's access to revelation is greater than anything the member could ever deduce or find. Boyd K Packer also said that Church history that doesn't make the Church look better isn't useful.


The Lord Will Never Permit the Living Prophet to Lead the Church Astray

A lesson in an institute manual concerning the leaders infallibilities


Churches That Abuse

A transcript of the book "Churches That Abuse"


A Dialogue on Spiritual Abuse

A transcript of a discussion I had with my friend about spiritual abuse. Thoughts are welcomed.


8 Signs of Aberrational Bible-Based Group

8 different signs of an aberrational Christian or Bible-based group


What Harm Has Mormonism Done?

A response to the question "What harm has Mormonism done?"


Recovery From Spiritual Abuse

A site that hopes to help people recover from spiritual abuse.


Stop Spiritual Abuse

A discussion of spiritual abuse, with a secondary focus on the United Pentacostal church


Polygamy

Mormon Polygamy

A discussion of the polygamy within the early history of the Mormon church


Polygamy Timeline

A timeline of the polygamy within the early history of the Mormon church


Joseph Smith & Polygamy

A list of links concerning Joseph Smith & polygamy in the early history of the Church


Sexism

Roles of Women in the Church

A discussion of the roles of women in the LDS Church


Gender Roles & Sexism in the Church

A list of things for men to think about... Would they join a church that treated men like this?


From Mormon Patriarchy to Personal Peace

Mary Ann Benson's story of how she came to leave Mormonism


On Patriarchy and Patriarchs

The post's not much to look at, but the comments express more what I'm looking at


Sexism in the Mormon Church

A discussion of the sexism in the Mormon Church


Feminism's Threat to LDS Church

An address by Boyd K. Packer, an LDS apostle, to leaders of young adults and teenagers concerning leadership within the Church, and three great threats to the Church: homosexuals, feminists, and intellectuals. He discusses feminism... in terms of a woman wanting to leave her abusive priesthood-holding husband.


Strengthening the Patriarchal Order

LDS magazine, the Ensign, discusses how to strengthen the power of the husband/father in the home.


Sexuality

Mormon Essays on Sex & the Family

13 essays on different aspects of mormonism and sexuality


LDS Mormon Sex & Sexuality

A list of links concerning experiences with LDS sexual oppression.


LDS Sex Test

A test to take, to see if you've been sexually oppressed.


Mormon Sex History

A clearer history of sexuality in the Mormon Church


Sexuality in the Modern Mormon Church

A discussion on influences of polygamy on sexuality within the contemporary Mormon experience


Sex Abuse Within the Mormon Church

How the Mormon Church deals with sex abuse victims...


Healing the Tragic Scar of Abuse

A talk by Elder Richard G Scott concerning abuse. For someone who has a connection with the omniscient Almighty, Elder Scott doesn't seem to know some crucial things about abuse. For instance? The victim is not responsible for the abuse.


Boyd K Packer's Address Concerning Masturbation

Boyd K Packer, an LDS apostle, discusses the perils of masturbation.


History of Masturbation

An anonymous author writes concerning the history of masturbation


Temples

Transcripts of Endowment Ceremonies:

PDF of Transcripts

Audio Recording of Endowment Ceremony

Audio of the Two Recordings of Endowment Ceremony

1984 Transcript of Endowment Ceremony

1990 Transcript

Another 1990 Transcript


LDS Temple Endowment Ceremony

A site that has information of all the temple endowments, since early Kirtland


Mormon Temple Endowment

A collection of links concerning the Mormon Temple Endowment


Comparison Between the Temple Endowments

A comparison of the endowment ceremonies, the changes


The Mormon Temple

A discussion of the issues surrounding the Mormon temple, inside & out


Mormon Temples & Temple Rituals

A discussion of the rituals and meanings surrounding the temple.


The LDS Temple Ceremony

A discussion concerning the temple ceremonies


Mormon Temple Changes

Another comparison of the changes of the Mormon temple endowments


First Vision

Joseph Smith's First Vision

A discussion concerning the indescrepancies of the different accounts of Joseph Smith's first vision


A Discussion of the Various Accounts

A discussion concerning the various accounts of the first vision


Unreliability of Spiritual Experiences

Testimony & Spiritual Experiences

A discussion of Mormon doctrine concerning testimony, the "truth test" and spiritual experiences


The Unreliability of Spiritual Experiences

A discussion concerning the unreliability of spiritual experiences.


Confirmation Bias

What we can learn from confirmation bias


Conflicts with Science and Mormonism

Conflicts found between Mormonism and science


Free Will

Free will is an illusion, biologists say