CES Letter and responses

disputed · current teaching

The Church's Gospel Topics essay offers two non-literal possibilities: the Book of Abraham came from a now-missing portion of the scrolls, or the papyri acted as a catalyst for revelation rather than as a literal source text. Critics argue that the surviving documents link Joseph Smith's text to the Hor papyrus and that the catalyst view departs from Joseph Smith's own description of a translation.

Needs human verification

documented fact · past practice

Brigham Young taught from 1852 that Adam was the father of human spirits and our God; in 1976 President Spencer W. Kimball denounced the Adam-God theory.

Needs human verification

disputed · not applicable

Critics list items in the Book of Mormon, such as horses, steel, and silk in the ancient Americas, as anachronisms; apologists propose reinterpretations or say evidence may still be found.

Needs human verification

documented fact · not applicable

The CES Letter, by Jeremy Runnells, is a critical advocacy document that gathers objections about the Book of Abraham, First Vision accounts, plural marriage, Book of Mormon historicity, and the priesthood restriction. It is not a primary record. FAIR publishes faithful-apologetic responses and is also not an official church voice. The underlying records include the Joseph Smith Papers and the church's Gospel Topics essays.

Needs human verification

interpretation · not applicable

Critics including the CES Letter and MormonThink object that the Church does not publish detailed financial statements to its members and that leaders downplayed or concealed the size of its reserves.

Needs human verification

interpretation · current teaching

Asked how the Book of Abraham was translated, Holland said the result is "the word of God" but that he did not understand the "vehicle" and knew no Egyptian. Critics see an evasion of the papyri problem; defenders see an honest answer consistent with the Church's essay.

Needs human verification

interpretation · current teaching

Critics, including Bill Reel (2018), the "Top Ten Lies" video (2023), and the CES Letter, present several Holland statements as dishonest; FAIR and Third Hour answer each item, often conceding imprecision but disputing intent. The library records both readings without adopting the label "lie."

Needs human verification

disputed · historical event

The 1843 Kinderhook plates were a hoax; the CES Letter argues a journal account shows Joseph Smith began to translate one, which faithful sources dispute.

Needs human verification

documented fact · scripture

The Book of Mormon contains long passages that closely follow the King James Bible, including about 21 chapters of Isaiah, often with its wording and italicized words.

Needs human verification

documented fact · historical event

Historians and the CES Letter report that some of the women sealed to Joseph Smith were already married to living husbands, a practice often called polyandry; Todd Compton counts at least thirty-three plural wives.

Needs human verification

disputed · historical event

Historians including Gregory Prince and D. Michael Quinn note that detailed written accounts of angelic priesthood restoration appear years after 1829; critics argue the accounts were added later, while the Church holds the events occurred in 1829.

Needs human verification

interpretation · not applicable

The CES Letter and MormonThink argue that teachings about no death before the Fall and a literal Adam conflict with evolution and human genetics; the Church has no official position on evolution.

Needs human verification

documented fact · historical event

The Church's translation essay acknowledges accounts that Joseph Smith dictated the Book of Mormon by looking at a seer stone or the interpreters placed in a hat, often without directly reading from the plates.

Needs human verification

disputed · not applicable

What the stone-in-hat method means is disputed: critics argue it ties translation to treasure seeking and makes the plates unnecessary, while faithful scholars treat the stone as an accepted instrument of revelation.

Needs human verification

documented fact · historical event

Joseph Smith introduced the temple endowment in Nauvoo in 1842, weeks after he became a Freemason. Historians across perspectives note parallels between the two rituals; they disagree on what the parallels mean.

Needs human verification

disputed · historical event

The Three Witnesses said an angel showed them the plates. Faithful historians stress that they kept affirming this after leaving the Church; critics stress their visionary worldview, close ties to Joseph Smith, and later support of other claimed prophets.

Needs human verification

Book of Mormon Translation (Gospel Topics Essay)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · 2013

The Church's essay acknowledges that many accounts describe Joseph Smith placing the interpreters or a seer stone in a hat and dictating the words he saw, and says the translation came by the gift and power of God. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Church Issues Statement on SEC Settlement

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · Church Newsroom · 2023-02-21

Event date discussed: 2023-02-21

The Church's response to the SEC settlement says it relied on legal advice about how to file, that it moved to a single filing after the SEC raised concerns, that it regrets its mistakes, and that the matter is resolved. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Doctrine and Covenants 13

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Event date discussed: 1829-05-15

The words attributed to John the Baptist when conferring the Aaronic Priesthood on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in 1829. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Gospel Topics Essay: Book of Mormon and DNA Studies

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · 2016

This Gospel Topics essay says the Book of Mormon describes migrations to the ancient Americas and that critics argue those migrations are incompatible with DNA studies because most Native American DNA identified so far resembles eastern Asian populations. The essay argues that DNA studies cannot decisively confirm or reject Book of Mormon historicity, and it says some arguments from defenders are also speculative. This library has not indexed the underlying population-genetics papers, so the essay's summary of the science still needs checking. A church study page associates the essay with 2016. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Gospel Topics Essay: First Vision Accounts

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Event date discussed: 1820

This Gospel Topics essay says Joseph Smith wrote or assigned scribes to write four accounts of the First Vision. Two were published in his lifetime, including the account now in the Pearl of Great Price. Two unpublished accounts were brought forward again by church historians in the 1960s. The essay says the accounts differ in emphasis and detail, including the 1832 account, and it interprets those differences as expected when a person retells an experience rather than as proof the event was fabricated. That interpretation is the essay's argument. The traditional dating of the vision is 1820, which is not the essay's publication date. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Gospel Topics Essay: Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Event date discussed: 1841

This Gospel Topics essay says monogamy is the church's standing law of marriage and that Joseph Smith introduced plural marriage and was sealed to multiple women. It describes a sealing to Louisa Beaman in April 1841 as the first plural marriage in Nauvoo in this account. It says the youngest person sealed to him was Helen Mar Kimball, several months before her 15th birthday, and that he was also sealed to women who were already married. It says the exact number is unknown, the contemporary record is thin, and later reminiscences are not always reliable. It says Wilford Woodruff's 1890 Manifesto led to the end of the practice and that members no longer practice plural marriage. Summary, not a quotation. 1841 is one event the essay discusses, not the essay's publication date.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Gospel Topics Essay: Race and the Priesthood

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · 2016

Event date discussed: 1978

The Gospel Topics essay Race and the Priesthood says that from the mid-1800s until 1978 the church did not ordain men of black African descent to the priesthood or allow black men or women to participate in temple endowment or sealing ordinances. It describes the June 1978 revelation, announced on June 8 and canonized as Official Declaration 2. It says the church today disavows theories that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, that mixed-race marriage is a sin, or that any race is inferior. Summary, not a quotation. The 1978 date is the policy change, not the essay's publication date.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Gospel Topics Essay: Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Event date discussed: 1835

This Gospel Topics essay says the church embraces the Book of Abraham as scripture. The book was published in 1842 and canonized in the Pearl of Great Price in 1880. It originated with Egyptian papyri that Joseph Smith began working with in 1835. The essay says no eyewitness account of the translation survives, only small fragments of the long scrolls remain, and the relationship between those fragments and the published text is largely a matter of conjecture. It says the book's value is not settled by scholarly debate alone. Summary, not a quotation. 1835 is when the work with the papyri began, not the essay's publication date.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Joseph the Seer

Richard E. Turley Jr., Robin S. Jensen, and Mark Ashurst-McGee · Ensign · 2015-10

Church historians writing in the Ensign describe Joseph Smith's seer stones, acknowledge that he used a stone in his treasure-seeking years and later placed a seer stone in a hat to translate the Book of Mormon, and publish photographs of the brown seer stone held by the Church. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Kinderhook Plates (Church History Topics)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Event date discussed: 1843

This Church History topic says the Kinderhook plates, brought to Nauvoo in 1843, were a hoax made by local men, that one account reports Joseph Smith commented on them, and that there is no evidence he produced a translation. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Kinderhook Plates Brought to Joseph Smith Appear to Be a Nineteenth-Century Hoax

Stanley B. Kimball · Ensign · 1981-08

Writing in the Ensign, historian Stanley Kimball reports that scientific tests on the one surviving plate showed it was made with nineteenth-century methods, confirming the Kinderhook plates as a hoax. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Masonry (Church History Topics)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Event date discussed: 1842

This Church History topic says Joseph Smith and many Nauvoo men joined Freemasonry in 1842, weeks before he introduced the temple endowment, that the endowment shares some symbols and forms with Masonic ritual, and that Latter-day Saints view the endowment as revealed rather than borrowed. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Our Own Liahona

Spencer W. Kimball · General Conference · 1976-10

Event date discussed: 1976-10

President Kimball denounced the Adam-God theory, which he said was alleged to have been taught by some general authorities of earlier generations, and warned members against it. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Seer Stones (Church History Topics)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

This Church History topic explains what seer stones were in Joseph Smith's world, that he possessed more than one, and that accounts say he used a seer stone as well as the interpreters during Book of Mormon translation. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

The Testimony of Three Witnesses

Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris · The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · 1830

Event date discussed: 1829

The witness statement printed in the Book of Mormon in which three men say an angel showed them the plates and that God's voice declared the translation true. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

What does the Church believe about evolution?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · 2016-10

This October 2016 New Era article says the church has no official position on the theory of evolution. It calls organic evolution a matter for scientific study and says nothing has been revealed concerning evolution. It also restates religious teachings about Adam and Eve, premortal life as spirit children of heavenly parents, and the Fall. The absence of an official scientific position is not itself a laboratory result. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

"Similarity of Priesthood in Masonry": The Relationship between Freemasonry and Mormonism

Michael W. Homer · Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought · 1994

Homer, a Latter-day Saint lawyer and historian, traces Joseph Smiths 1842 initiation as a Mason, the founding of the Nauvoo lodge, and the close parallels between Masonic ritual and the endowment introduced weeks later, then follows how Latter-day Saints and Masons each viewed the relationship into the twentieth century. He presents the endowment as using Masonic forms while leaving room for faithful readings. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Early dispersal of domestic horses into the Great Plains and northern Rockies

William Timothy Treal Taylor, Pablo Librado, et al. · Science · 2023-03-31

A peer-reviewed genomic and radiocarbon study finds that domestic horses descended from Spanish stock spread into the Great Plains and northern Rockies by the early 1600s, consistent with horses arriving in the Americas with Europeans rather than surviving from the Ice Age. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Early Mormonism and the Magic World View

D. Michael Quinn · Signature Books · 1987

Quinn documents folk magic in early nineteenth-century America and in the Smith family, including seer stones, divining rods, and treasure seeking, and argues it shaped how early believers understood revelation. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith

Todd Compton · Signature Books · 1997

Compton gives biographies of the women he counts as Joseph Smith's plural wives, at least thirty-three, including women already married to other men and young teenagers, and describes how the arrangements affected their lives. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling

Richard Lyman Bushman · Alfred A. Knopf · 2005

Richard Lyman Bushman's Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2005. It is a full scholarly biography by a Latter-day Saint historian. It is academic history, not an official church statement, and it is not a view from nowhere. This library does not store excerpts or statistics from the book. The linked page is an Internet Archive catalog record, not a substitute for reading the book. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Academic biography by a believing historian.

Joseph Smith's Interpretation of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon

David P. Wright · Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought · 1998

Wright, a Hebrew Bible scholar, shows the Book of Mormon's Isaiah text mostly follows the King James Version and argues its interpretation reapplies Isaiah to Joseph Smith's time rather than reflecting Isaiah's original setting. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Joseph's Temples: The Dynamic Relationship between Freemasonry and Mormonism

Michael W. Homer · University of Utah Press · 2014

A historian traces the intertwined history of Freemasonry and early Mormonism, including the parallels between Masonic ritual and the Nauvoo endowment and how the relationship changed after Joseph Smith's death. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Method Infinite: Freemasonry and the Mormon Restoration

Cheryl L. Bruno, Joe Steve Swick III and Nicholas S. Literski · Greg Kofford Books · 2022

A book-length study arguing that Freemasonry shaped the Restoration well beyond the temple: Joseph Smiths family background, early Mormon language and narratives, the Nauvoo lodge, and the endowment itself. The authors treat Masonry as a key interpretive framework for Smiths religious creativity. Summary of the books published scope, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Mormon Church has misled members on $100 billion tax-exempt investment fund, whistleblower alleges

Jon Swaine, Douglas MacMillan, and Michelle Boorstein (The Washington Post) · The Washington Post (syndicated by The Seattle Times) · 2019-12-17

The Washington Post reported an IRS whistleblower complaint by David Nielsen, a former Ensign Peak portfolio manager, alleging the Church had built about 100 billion dollars from surplus tithing, had not used it for charity, and had used some to support Church-owned businesses. The Church said it does not discuss specific financial transactions. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Independent journalism. Reports allegations and responses; not peer-reviewed scholarship and not a court finding.

Power from on High: The Development of Mormon Priesthood

Gregory A. Prince · Signature Books · 1995

Prince argues that priesthood authority developed gradually in early Church history, moving from implied authority to angelic restoration accounts and a structured set of offices. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

SEC Order: In the Matter of Ensign Peak Advisors, Inc. and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Release No. 34-96951)

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · 2023-02-21

Event date discussed: 2023-02-21

The SEC's settled order finds that for years Ensign Peak, which manages Church reserves built partly from excess tithing, filed required Forms 13F through shell LLCs instead of under its own name, with Church leadership approval, to keep the portfolio's size from the public, and that the LLC filings misstated who controlled the investments. Ensign Peak paid a 4 million dollar penalty and the Church 1 million. Ensign Peak's first consolidated filing in 2020 listed about 37.8 billion dollars in securities. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

The Adam-God Doctrine

David John Buerger · Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought · 1982

Buerger documents Brigham Young's teaching, starting in 1852, that Adam was the father of human spirits and our God, how it was taught for a time, and how later leaders rejected it. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition

Robert K. Ritner · Signature Books · 2013

Event date discussed: 1967

Robert K. Ritner's complete edition, published by Signature Books in 2013, is an Egyptological translation of the surviving Joseph Smith papyri. The publisher describes those papyri as funerary documents, including the Breathing Permit of Hor, Books of the Dead, and the hypocephalus of Sheshonq. Ritner argues that Joseph Smith's explanations of the facsimiles do not match Egyptological readings. This is scholarship, not a church statement. The 1967 date is the rediscovery and transfer of fragments, not the book's publication date. This library does not copy his translation. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Egyptological scholarship. Not an official church source.

The Joseph Smith Papers

Church Historian's Press

The Joseph Smith Papers is a documentary editing project that publishes Joseph Smith's papers, journals, revelations, and related records. It is the place to read specific primary documents. This library entry is the project home, not a transcription of any one document, and it is not an argument for or against the church. Use a specific document page before citing a narrow factual claim. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Primary-document project published by the Church Historian's Press. Not a view-from-nowhere commentary.

The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power

D. Michael Quinn · Signature Books · 1994

Quinn traces how Church leadership and priesthood offices developed under Joseph Smith, including late accounts of priesthood restoration, the Danites, and the Council of Fifty. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

The Mormon Hierarchy: Wealth and Corporate Power

D. Michael Quinn · Signature Books · 2017

Quinn's history of Church finances and business holdings, including tithing, investments, and Church-owned companies, built from financial records. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

The Mysteries of Godliness: A History of Mormon Temple Worship

David John Buerger · Signature Books · 1994

Buerger traces how the endowment and other temple ordinances began in Nauvoo and changed over time, including their relationship to Freemasonry. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

The Power of Godliness: Mormon Liturgy and Cosmology

Jonathan A. Stapley · Oxford University Press · 2018

Stapley distinguishes a cosmological priesthood formed through temple sealings from an ecclesiastical priesthood of offices, and studies rituals such as healing by women and baby blessings. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

The Sounds and Colors of Power: The Sacred Metallurgical Technology of Ancient West Mexico

Dorothy Hosler · MIT Press · 1994

An archaeometallurgist shows that metalworking in West Mexico began around 600-800 AD, likely introduced from South America, and was used mainly for bells and ornaments rather than tools or weapons. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

This World: The Mormon Candidate (incl. Jeffrey R. Holland interview)

John Sweeney · BBC · 2012-03-27

BBC documentary on Mitt Romney and the Church. In it Holland says "We do not have penalties in the temple," then "We used to" when pressed; says shunning "is not one of our practices"; and says of the Book of Abraham that he does not understand the "vehicle" of translation and knows no Egyptian.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

An Introduction to the Book of Abraham

John Gee · BYU Religious Studies Center / Deseret Book · 2017

The leading faithful Egyptologist's book-length case for the Book of Abraham. Gee argues that the surviving fragments are only part of a longer scroll and that the source text is missing, discusses the facsimiles, and points to ancient Abraham traditions.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful-apologetic scholarship. Not an official Church statement.

Assessing the Joseph Smith Papyri: An Introduction to the Historiography of their Acquisitions, Translations, and Interpretations

Kerry Muhlestein · Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship · 2016

An overview of how the papyri were acquired, translated and interpreted, written from a faithful position. Muhlestein argues the surviving fragments are not necessarily the Book of Abraham's source and that the Kirtland Egyptian Papers do not show the translation method.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful-apologetic scholarship. Not an official Church statement.

Book of Abraham (FAIR Answers)

FAIR · FAIR · n.d.

FAIR's topic hub on the Book of Abraham, with responses on the papyri, the facsimiles, the Kirtland Egyptian Papers, and the catalyst and missing-scroll theories.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful apologetics. Written to defend Church claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

Book of Mormon/Anachronisms (FAIR Answers)

FAIR

FAIR's wiki responds to claimed Book of Mormon anachronisms such as horses, steel, silk, wheels, and barley, proposing loan-shift word meanings, pointing to possible archaeological finds, and arguing absence of evidence is not proof. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful-apologetic advocacy. Defends Church truth claims.

Book of Mormon/Translation

FAIR · FAIR (Faithful Answers, Informed Response)

FAIR answers critics on the translation, arguing the seer stone accounts have long been available and that the method does not undercut divine translation. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful apologetics. Written to defend Church claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

BYU Religious Studies Center

Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University

The BYU Religious Studies Center publishes faithful scholarship on Latter-day Saint scripture, history, and doctrine. It is affiliated with Brigham Young University. It is not a statement of the First Presidency. This entry identifies the publisher. Cite a specific RSC publication before using it for a narrow claim. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful scholarship affiliated with BYU. Not a General Authority statement.

Deutero-Isaiah in the Book of Mormon: Latter-day Saint Approaches

Joshua M. Sears · Religious Studies Center, BYU (They Shall Grow Together) · 2022

A BYU scholar lays out the near consensus that Isaiah 40-66 dates after Lehi left Jerusalem and surveys how Latter-day Saint scholars have responded. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Evaluating the Book of Mormon Witnesses

Steven C. Harper · Religious Educator (BYU Religious Studies Center) · 2010

A BYU historian argues that the witnesses kept affirming their testimony even after leaving the Church, and weighs critics' explanations such as hallucination or collusion. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

FAIR overview of the CES Letter

FAIR · FAIR

FAIR, at fairlatterdaysaints.org, publishes a faithful-apologetic overview of the CES Letter and further responses to its arguments. FAIR describes the letter as Jeremy Runnells's doubts about church history and doctrine. FAIR is not The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is not an official church statement. Its replies can be useful as faithful counter-argument and still have to be checked against primary documents. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful-apologetic. Not an official church statement.

How did Elder Holland respond during a BBC interview when asked how the Book of Abraham was translated? (FAIR Answers)

FAIR · FAIR · n.d.

FAIR argues Holland's "I don't know" answer is honest and consistent with the Gospel Topics essay, and that the papyri mismatch has been public since 1968.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful apologetics. Written to defend Church claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

Interpreter Foundation

Interpreter Foundation

The Interpreter Foundation publishes faithful-apologetic scholarship on Latter-day Saint scripture and history. It is not an official church publisher. This entry identifies the organization. It should not be cited as proof of a narrow factual claim unless a specific article is added to the library. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful-apologetic publisher. Not an official church statement.

Is Elder Holland a Liar?

David Grant · Third Hour · n.d.

LDS blog answering critiques of Holland item by item: temple vow concerned the ordinance; no shunning policy; Hyrum book provenance (1898 note, second copy); Prop 8 true of cash; stakes remark colloquial.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful apologetics. Written to defend Church claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

Joseph Smith's Polygamy (website)

Brian C. Hales · Joseph Smith's Polygamy

Brian Hales's site summarizes his research on Joseph Smith's plural marriages, including sealings to married women and young brides, and argues many lacked evidence of sexual relations or were for eternity only. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Joseph Smith's Seer Stones

Michael Hubbard MacKay and Nicholas J. Frederick · Religious Studies Center, BYU · 2016

BYU scholars trace the history of Joseph Smith's seer stones, from treasure seeking to translation, and place them in the religious culture of his time. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Mormonism and Freemasonry

FAIR (Faithful Answers, Informed Response) · FAIR · 2024

FAIRs apologetic pages on the endowment and Masonry acknowledge shared ritual forms but argue that Joseph Smith used a familiar framework to teach restored content, that the endowments purpose and meaning differ from Masonrys, and that borrowing form does not disprove revelation. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful apologetics. Written to defend Church claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

Multiple accounts of the First Vision/Criticisms/Overview (FAIR Answers)

FAIR · FAIR · n.d.

FAIR's case that the First Vision accounts differ in emphasis because of audience and purpose rather than contradicting one another. Responds directly to CES Letter and MormonThink framing.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful apologetics. Written to defend Church claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

Rebutting Top Ten Lies by Current LDS Apostles

FAIR · FAIR · n.d.

Item-by-item FAIR response to the "Top Ten Lies" video, often conceding imprecision while disputing intent or offering context.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful apologetics. Written to defend Church claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

Tithing

FAIR · FAIR (Faithful Answers, Informed Response)

FAIR's tithing page answers common questions, including gross versus net income, quoting the 1970 First Presidency letter that leaves the definition of income to each member, and responds to critics on how tithing is used. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful apologetics. Written to defend Church claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

Why Are Horses Mentioned in the Book of Mormon? (KnoWhy)

Scripture Central (Book of Mormon Central) · 2020

A faithful KnoWhy argues that the Book of Mormon's references to horses may refer to another animal, that the text's horses play a limited role, and that a few disputed finds of pre-Columbian horse remains leave the question open. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful-apologetic publication that defends the Book of Mormon's historicity.

American Apocrypha: Essays on the Book of Mormon

Dan Vogel and Brent Lee Metcalfe, eds. · Signature Books · 2002

Essays reading the Book of Mormon as a nineteenth-century text, including Thomas Murphy on DNA, David Wright on Isaiah, and Dan Vogel on the witnesses. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

An Insider's View of Mormon Origins

Grant H. Palmer · Signature Books · 2002

Palmer, a retired Church Educational System institute director, argues that Joseph Smith's translation, the witnesses' experiences, the First Vision, and priesthood restoration accounts developed over time and fit his nineteenth-century setting better than the traditional narrative. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Book of Abraham Apologetics: A Review and Critique

Dan Vogel · Signature Books · 2021

A thorough critique of the main faithful defenses of the Book of Abraham: the catalyst theory, the missing-scroll theory, and the view that the Kirtland Egyptian Papers were a later project. Vogel engages Gee, Muhlestein and the Hauglid-Gee debate and argues the surviving documents tie Joseph Smith's text to the Hor papyrus.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical scholarship. Argues against Church truth claims. Not an official Church source.

By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus: A New Look at the Joseph Smith Papyri

Charles M. Larson · Institute for Religious Research · 1992

A popular critical synthesis with color photographs of the papyri. It covers the restored portions of Facsimile 1, how the Kirtland Egyptian Papers connect to the Hor papyrus, and the Egyptological identification of the fragments, and argues that the Book of Abraham is not a translation of them.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy from an evangelical Christian ministry. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed.

CES Letter

Jeremy Runnells · cesletter.org · 2013

The CES Letter, by Jeremy Runnells, is a public critical document, first circulated as a letter to a Church Educational System director. It gathers objections about the Book of Abraham, the Book of Mormon, First Vision accounts, plural marriage, the priesthood and temple restriction, and other topics. It is critical advocacy, not a primary historical edition and not a church publication. Claims in it should be checked against the underlying documents, including the Joseph Smith Papers and the church's own essays. This library does not copy the letter. The 2013 date is the commonly cited origin year and still needs confirmation. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Not a primary source.

CES Letter: Book of Abraham

Jeremy Runnells · CES Letter

The CES Letter's Book of Abraham section argues that the recovered papyri are common Egyptian funerary texts, that Egyptologists read the three facsimiles very differently from Joseph Smith's explanations, and that the text contains King James phrasing and astronomical ideas from Joseph Smith's era. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

CES Letter: Book of Mormon

Jeremy Runnells · CES Letter

The Book of Mormon section of the CES Letter lists the author's main objections to Book of Mormon historicity: passages that copy the 1769 King James Bible including its italicized words and translation errors, Isaiah chapters that scholars date after Lehi left Jerusalem, DNA evidence pointing to Asian origins for Native Americans, anachronisms such as horses, steel, and silk, the lack of archaeological confirmation, and parallels to earlier books such as View of the Hebrews and The Late War. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

CES Letter: Book of Mormon Translation

Jeremy Runnells · CES Letter

This CES Letter section argues that Church art and lessons long showed Joseph Smith reading from the gold plates, while historical accounts say he dictated by looking at a seer stone placed in a hat, often with the plates covered or out of sight. The author connects the stone to Joseph Smith's earlier treasure seeking and asks why the plates were needed. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

CES Letter: First Vision

Jeremy Runnells · CES Letter

This section argues that Joseph Smith's several First Vision accounts differ on his age, his motive, and who appeared, and that the vision was not widely told in the Church until years after 1820. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

CES Letter: Kinderhook Plates and Translator Claims

Jeremy Runnells · CES Letter

This section argues that the 1843 Kinderhook plates were a hoax and that a journal account of Joseph Smith partly translating one of them undercuts his claims to translate ancient records. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

CES Letter: Other Concerns (Honesty and Finances)

Jeremy Runnells · CES Letter

This section accuses the Church of whitewashing its history and of secrecy about money. It cites City Creek Center, an interview where Gordon B. Hinckley downplayed teachings, counsel to pay tithing before other needs, discipline of members who publish questions such as the September Six, and the Strengthening Church Members Committee. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

CES Letter: Polygamy and Polyandry

Jeremy Runnells · CES Letter

The polygamy section argues that Joseph Smith married at least 34 women, including teenagers and about 11 women who were already married to living men (polyandry), often in secret and sometimes without Emma Smith's knowledge, and it objects to apologetic explanations for these marriages. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

CES Letter: Priesthood Restoration

Jeremy Runnells · CES Letter

The priesthood section argues that accounts of John the Baptist and Peter, James, and John restoring priesthood do not appear until years after 1829, that early revelations were edited later to add them, and that David Whitmer said he never heard of the angelic ordinations at the time. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

CES Letter: Prophets

Jeremy Runnells · CES Letter

The prophets section argues that past Church presidents taught things later rejected, citing Brigham Young's Adam-God teaching, blood atonement sermons, polygamy, and the priesthood and temple ban, and it points to leaders buying forged documents from Mark Hofmann as evidence that they lacked special discernment. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

CES Letter: Science

Jeremy Runnells · CES Letter

The science section argues that Church teachings about no death before the Fall and a literal Adam conflict with evidence for evolution, other human species, and Neanderthal DNA in living people. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

CES Letter: Temples and Freemasonry

Jeremy Runnells · CES Letter

The temples section argues that Joseph Smith introduced the endowment about seven weeks after becoming a Freemason in 1842, that its signs and tokens resemble Masonic ritual, and that the ceremony has changed many times. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

CES Letter: Testimony and Spiritual Witness

Jeremy Runnells · CES Letter

This section questions spiritual feelings as a test of truth, noting that members of many faiths report similar confirming experiences, and argues that feelings cannot settle historical questions. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

CES Letter: Witnesses

Jeremy Runnells · CES Letter

This section argues that the Three and Eight Witnesses lived in a magical worldview, described seeing the plates with spiritual eyes, were mostly relatives or close associates, later backed other claimed prophets such as James Strang, and that no original signed witness document survives. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

Introduction to 3,913 Changes in the Book of Mormon

Jerald and Sandra Tanner · Utah Lighthouse Ministry · 1965

The Tanners compared a photocopy of the 1830 Book of Mormon with the 1964 edition and marked at least 3,913 changes. Most are spelling and grammar; the Tanners highlight some wording changes they consider doctrinal. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy from an evangelical Christian ministry. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed.

Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet

Dan Vogel · Signature Books · 2004

Vogel's biography of Joseph Smith's early years reads him as sincere in his sense of calling while also staging parts of his claims, and traces how the Book of Mormon reflects his family life and surroundings. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Mormon Discussion ep. 316: Elder Holland – Liar Liar Pants on Fire

Bill Reel · Mormon Discussion · 2018-10-30

Critical podcast episode presenting several Holland statements (temple penalties, Hyrum's Book of Mormon, Prop 8, stake creation, the missionary story) as dishonest.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims or leaders' statements. Not peer-reviewed.

Mormonism, Magic and Masonry

Jerald and Sandra Tanner · Utah Lighthouse Ministry · 1988

The Tanners argue that Joseph Smith's treasure seeking, seer stones, and magical artifacts, and the parallels between the temple endowment and Masonic ritual, show the movement drew on folk magic and Freemasonry. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy from an evangelical Christian ministry. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed.

Mormonism: Shadow or Reality?

Jerald and Sandra Tanner · Utah Lighthouse Ministry · 1987

The Tanners' largest work compiles documents on many disputed issues: changes in revelations and the Book of Mormon, First Vision accounts, Adam-God, blood atonement, the Book of Abraham papyri, temple changes, Mountain Meadows, and Church finances. It was an early and influential critical reference. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy from an evangelical Christian ministry. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed.

MormonThink

MormonThink

MormonThink is a critical advocacy website that compiles arguments against Latter-day Saint truth claims. It is not a primary-document edition. On 24 October 2026 an automated check could not verify a valid TLS certificate for the live host, and the host returned 403. The stored link is an Internet Archive capture from 25 December 2024. Confirm it before relying on it. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Link is an archived capture because the live site did not verify.

MormonThink: Book of Mormon Difficulties, Contradictions and Explanations

MormonThink · MormonThink

This page lists problems critics raise with the Book of Mormon, including anachronisms, King James Bible material, textual changes, and the lack of archaeological support, along with apologetic explanations. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical website. Presents critic and apologist views but is written to raise problems with Church claims. Not peer-reviewed.

MormonThink: Conflicts with Science and Mormonism

MormonThink · MormonThink

MormonThink's science page lists areas where critics see conflict between Church teachings and science, including evolution, the age of the earth, the flood, and Native American DNA. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical website. Presents critic and apologist views but is written to raise problems with Church claims. Not peer-reviewed.

MormonThink: Mormon Polygamy, Polyandry and Underage Brides

MormonThink · MormonThink

This page collects sources on Joseph Smith's plural marriages, including marriages to already married women and to teenagers, the secrecy around the practice, and Emma Smith's opposition, alongside apologetic responses. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical website. Presents critic and apologist views but is written to raise problems with Church claims. Not peer-reviewed.

MormonThink: Mormon Priesthood Restoration

MormonThink · MormonThink

This page compares the Church's account of angelic priesthood restoration with critics' argument that the accounts appear late and that early revelations were revised to include them. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical website. Presents critic and apologist views but is written to raise problems with Church claims. Not peer-reviewed.

MormonThink: Mormon Prophets after Joseph Smith

MormonThink · MormonThink

This page reviews teachings by later Church presidents that were later dropped or disavowed and asks how members should weigh prophetic statements. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical website. Presents critic and apologist views but is written to raise problems with Church claims. Not peer-reviewed.

MormonThink: Mormon Temple

MormonThink · MormonThink

MormonThink's temple page discusses the origins of the endowment, its parallels with Freemasonry, removed elements such as penalty oaths, and changes to the ceremony over time. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical website. Presents critic and apologist views but is written to raise problems with Church claims. Not peer-reviewed.

MormonThink: Tithing in the LDS Church

MormonThink · MormonThink

MormonThink's tithing page sets out the one-tenth teaching, how the definition of income has been left to members, and critics' objections about the lack of public financial reporting, tithing settlement and temple access, and how surplus funds have been used. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical website. Presents critic and apologist views but is written to raise problems with Church claims. Not peer-reviewed.

SEC Order and Settlement

The Widow's Mite · The Widow's Mite · 2023-04

An independent site that tracks Church finances summarizes the SEC order and links filing data for the shell LLCs, along with its own annual reports on Church income and wealth. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Independent watchdog critical of Church financial secrecy.

Semantic analysis of Holland–John Sweeney on Romney temple oaths

faenrandir · A Careful Examination · 2026-09-30

Critical line-by-line analysis of the BBC exchange arguing Holland's first answer misrepresented what Romney swore.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims or leaders' statements. Not peer-reviewed.

The Changing World of Mormonism

Jerald and Sandra Tanner · Utah Lighthouse Ministry (online edition) · 1980

A condensed version of Mormonism: Shadow or Reality? that argues Church history, scripture, and doctrine have been changed over time, with documents the Tanners reproduced. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy from an evangelical Christian ministry. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed.

Top Ten Lies by Current LDS Apostles

The Mormon Informant · YouTube · 2023-02-24

Critical video listing ten statements by apostles it labels lies, including Holland (temple penalties, Prop 8, stakes), Oaks (BYU aversion therapy, 1993), Ballard ("We do not hide it"), Nelson (plane), and the SEC matter.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims or leaders' statements. Not peer-reviewed.

An Insider's View of Mormon Origins: An Interview with Grant Palmer (Ep. 30-33)

John Dehlin (host); Grant Palmer (guest) · Mormon Stories Podcast

A four-part interview with Grant Palmer, a former institute director, about his background, the Hofmann period, and the research behind An Insider's View of Mormon Origins on translation, the First Vision, and priesthood accounts. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Personal account of a former CES teacher who became a critic.

Mormon Stories

John Dehlin · Mormon Stories

Mormon Stories is a podcast and community associated with John Dehlin. It hosts personal stories and critical conversations about the church. A guest's experience is personal evidence, not universal proof of a doctrine or of a historical fact. Critical and personal-experience source, not an official church source and not a primary-document edition. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy and personal stories. Not universal evidence.

Mormon Stories 472-475: Sandra (and Jerald) Tanner

John Dehlin (host); Sandra Tanner (guest) · Mormon Stories Podcast · 2014-05-19

A four-part interview in which Sandra Tanner tells how she and Jerald Tanner left the Church, founded Utah Lighthouse Ministry, and dealt with issues such as the First Vision, Book of Abraham, Mark Hofmann, Masonry and the temple, and the race restriction. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Personal account by long-time critics.