Misplaced Pages

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) has been subject to criticism since its inception.

In the late 1820s, criticism centered around Joseph Smith stating he had been led to a set of golden plates from which he said the Book of Mormon was translated. In the 1830s, one of several criticisms was for Smith's handling of a banking failure in Kirtland, Ohio. After the Mormons migrated west, there was fear and suspicion about the LDS Church's political and military power in Missouri, culminating in the 1838 Mormon War and the infamous Mormon Extermination Order by Governor Lilburn Boggs. In the 1840s, criticism of the church centered on its theocratic aspirations in Nauvoo, Illinois. Criticism of the practice of plural marriage and other doctrines taught by Smith were published in the Nauvoo Expositor. Opposition led to a series of events culminating in the death of Smith and his brother while jailed in 1844.

As the church began openly practicing plural marriage under Brigham Young during the second half of the 19th century, the church became the target of nationwide criticism for that practice, as well as for the church's theocratic aspirations in Utah Territory. Young introduced policies in 1852 that discriminated against black men and women of African descent which were not reversed until 1978. Beginning in 1857, the church also came under significant media criticism after the Mountain Meadows Massacre in southern Utah.

Academic critics have questioned the legitimacy of Smith as a prophet as well as the historical authenticity of the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham. Criticism has expanded to include claims of historical revisionism, homophobia, racism, and sexist policies. Notable 20th-century critics include Jerald and Sandra Tanner and historian Fawn Brodie. Evangelical Christians continue to argue that Smith was either fraudulent or delusional.

Critics

Notable early critics of Mormonism included Lucy Harris, Abner Cole, Eber D. Howe, and Thomas C. Sharp. Notable modern critics of the LDS Church include Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Richard Abanes, Richard and Joan Ostling, historian Fawn M. Brodie, Jeremy Runnells, and John Dehlin. Expansion of Internet use also provided a new forum for critics.

The church's 2008 support of California's Proposition 8 sparked heated debate and protests by gay-rights organizations. Affirmation is a group of current and former members of the LDS Church who have criticized the church's policies on homosexuality. Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry is a Christian organization that has criticized the church's theology. The Institute for Religious Research is an organization that has criticized the church, in particular the Book of Abraham. Numerous other organizations maintain web sites that criticize the church.

Historical criticisms

Polygamy

Polygamy is perhaps the most controversial early Mormon practice, and was a key contributing factor for Smith's murder. Under heavy pressure—Utah would not be accepted as a state if polygamy was practiced—the church formally and publicly renounced the practice in 1890. Utah's statehood soon followed. However, plural marriage remains a divisive issue, as despite the official renunciation of 1890, it still has sympathizers, defenders, and semi-secret practitioners.

Sarah Pratt, first wife of apostle Orson Pratt, in an outspoken critique of Mormon polygamy, said that polygamy:

"completely demoralizes good men and makes bad men correspondingly worse. As for the women—well, God help them! First wives it renders desperate, or else heart-broken, mean-spirited creatures."

Pratt ended her marriage to husband Orson Pratt in 1868 because of his "obsession with marrying younger women" (at age 57, Orson Pratt married a sixteen-year-old girl, his tenth wife, younger than his daughter Celestia). Sarah Pratt lashed out at Orson in an 1877 interview, stating:

"Here was my husband, gray headed, taking to his bed young girls in mockery of marriage. Of course there could be no joy for him in such an intercourse except for the indulgence of his fanaticism and of something else, perhaps, which I hesitate to mention."

The Tanners argue that early church leaders established the practice of polygamy in order to justify behavior that would otherwise be regarded as immoral. The Ostlings criticize Joseph Smith for marrying at least 32 women during his lifetime, including several under the age of 16, a fact acknowledged by Mormon historian Todd Compton. Compton also acknowledges that Smith entered into polyandrous marriages (that is, he married women who were already married to other men) and that he warned some potential spouses of eternal damnation if they did not consent to be his wife; in at least two cases, Smith married orphan girls who had come to live at his home.

However, Bushman notes that evidence of sexual relations between Smith and any wives of his followers is sparse or unreliable. Compton argues that some marriages were likely dynastic in nature, to link families.

1890 Discontinuance

The Tanners argue that the church's 1890 reversal of its policy on polygamy was done for political reasons, citing the fact that the change was made during the church's lengthy conflict with the federal government over property seizures and statehood. The Ostlings say that, soon after the church received the revelation that polygamy was prohibited, Utah again applied for statehood. This time the federal government did not object to starting the statehood process. Six years later, the process was completed and Utah was admitted as a state in 1896. The Ostlings note that soon after the church suspended the practice of polygamy, the federal government reduced its legal efforts to seize church property. Despite this, Mormon leaders after 1890 continued to sanction and participate in plural marriages in secret, in smaller numbers, both in the U.S. and in Mexico, for the next several decades.

Mormons Ron Wood and Linda Thatcher do not dispute that the change was a result of federal intervention and say that the church had no choice in the matter. The 1887 Edmunds–Tucker Act was crippling the church and "something dramatic had to be done to reverse trend." After the church appealed its case to the U.S. Supreme Court and lost, church president Wilford Woodruff issued the 1890 Manifesto. Woodruff noted in his journal that he was "acting for the temporal salvation of the Church".

After 1890

Richard Abanes, Richard and Joan Ostling, and D. Michael Quinn note that after the 1890 Manifesto, church leaders authorized more than 200 polygamous marriages and lied about the continuing practice.

Joseph F. Smith acknowledged reports that church leaders did not fully adhere to the 1890 prohibition. After the Second Manifesto in 1904, anyone entering into a new plural marriage was excommunicated.

Historical authenticity of the Book of Mormon

Discussion regarding the historicity of the Book of Mormon often focuses on archaeological issues, some of which relate to the large size and the long time span of the civilizations mentioned in the book. After Joseph Smith founded the movement in upstate New York in the 1820s, the faith drew its first converts while Smith was dictating the text of the Book of Mormon from golden plates with reformed Egyptian writing on them, which he said he found buried after being directed to their location by the Angel Moroni. The book described itself as a chronicle of early indigenous peoples of the Americas, known as the Nephites, portraying them as believing Israelites who had a belief in Christ many hundreds of years before Jesus's birth. According to the book, the Nephites are one of four groups (the others being the Lamanites, Jaredites, and Mulekites) who settled in the ancient Americas. The Nephites are described as a group of people that descended from or were associated with Nephi, the son of the prophet Lehi, who left Jerusalem at the urging of God c. 600 BC and traveled with his family to the Western Hemisphere, arriving in the Americas c. 589 BC. After the translation was complete, Smith said he returned the golden plates to the Angel Moroni.

A contemporary Mormon view is that these Israelite civilizations rose and fell in Mesoamerica. Civilizations of their magnitude and duration would be expected to leave extensive archaeological records. Several Mesoamerican civilizations did exist in the time period covered by the Book of Mormon, including the Olmec, Zapotec and Maya.

The Book of Mormon mentions several animals, plants, and technologies for which there is no evidence in Book of Mormon time frames in pre-Columbian America. These include asses, cattle, horses, oxen, sheep, swine, goats, elephants, wheat, barley, silk, steel, brass, breast plates, chains, plows, swords, scimitars, and chariots. The Smithsonian Institution stated in 1997 that "none of the principal food plants and domestic animals of the Old World (except the dog) were present in the New World before Columbus."

Adherents of the Latter Day Saint movement give varied responses to these criticisms. Some invoke the limited geography model, regarding the events of the Book of Mormon as taking place in such a geographically limited area that no evidence should be expected. Some counter that the words used in the Book of Mormon refer not to the animals, plants and technologies that they do presently but to other similar items that did exist at the time. These views are not directly supported by the LDS Church, but they do support archaeological efforts to further understand these situations, including research being performed by Brigham Young University (BYU) professors.

Criticisms of Joseph Smith

In the 1830s, the church was heavily criticized for Smith's handling of a banking failure in Kirtland, Ohio. After the Mormons migrated west, there was fear and suspicion about the LDS Church's political and military power in Missouri, culminating in the 1838 Mormon War and the Mormon Extermination Order (Missouri Executive Order 44) by Governor Lilburn Boggs. In the 1840s, criticism of the church included its theocratic aspirations in Nauvoo, Illinois. Criticism of the practice of plural marriage and other doctrines taught by Smith were published in the Nauvoo Expositor. Opposition led to a series of events culminating in the killing of Smith and his brother while jailed in 1844.

Adam–God doctrine

The Ostlings criticize Brigham Young's teachings that God and Adam are the same being. One apostle, Franklin D. Richards, also accepted the doctrine as taught by Young, stating in a conference held in June 1854 that "the Prophet and Apostle Brigham has declared it, and that it is the word of the Lord". But, when the concept was first introduced, several LDS leaders disagreed with the doctrine, including apostle Orson Pratt, who expressed that disagreement publicly. The church never formally adopted the doctrine, and has since officially repudiated it.

Blood atonement

Brigham Young introduced a doctrine known as "blood atonement", regarding the unpardonable sin, or sin for which Jesus Christ's atonement does not apply. He taught that a person could atone for such sins only by giving up his or her life. Various church leaders in the 19th century taught likewise, but more recently church leaders have taught that the atonement of Jesus Christ is all-encompassing and that there is no sin so severe that it cannot be forgiven (with the exception of the "unpardonable sin" of denying the Holy Ghost).

Exaltation doctrine

Critics such as Richard Abanes and the Institute for Religious Research criticize the church for changing the principle asserting that God was once a man. They cite changes to the LDS Church publication Gospel Principles between the 1978 and 1997 editions, where "We can become Gods like our Heavenly Father" was changed to "We can become like our Heavenly Father", and "our Heavenly Father became a God" was changed to "our Heavenly Father became God". But, official LDS Church publications still affirm the doctrine of eternal progression, and the official church manual, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow (2012), affirms that "As man is, God once was; as God now is, man may be." The 2009 edition of Gospel Principles quotes Joseph Smith as stating, "It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God. … He was once a man like us; … God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did".

Responses to abuse allegations

Reacting to accusations of abuse by teachers, Boy Scouts leaders, clergy, etc., social welfare activists have campaigned for more robust of measures toward greater prevention of abuse of individuals served by counselors and other professionals, advocating greater transparency and quicker referral of allegations to criminal investigators.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests and others have criticized one-on-one ("worthiness") interviews between LDS pastoral leaders and (especially) adolescent congregants, believing them "an invitation" for abuse. An editorial in the sectarian (LDS Church) Deseret News responded:

The LDS Church has a zero tolerance policy concerning sexual misconduct. It also gives specific instruction on conducting one-on-one interviews with youths, including encouraging them to have parents or other trustworthy adults sit directly outside the room. Church leaders are to avoid any situation that could be misinterpreted.

In 2018 over 800 protesters gathered and marched to the LDS Church headquarters to deliver a petition with over 55,000 signatures asking for an end to semiannual, closed-door, one-on-one interviews between adult male local church leaders and children and teens during which many members have been asked about their sexual behaviors and thoughts in ways they felt were harmful.

Finances

The church has often been secretive about its finances, especially in the United States. The church has not disclosed its assets in the U.S. since 1959. This has drawn criticism from the Ostlings and the Tanners, who consider its financial practices to be overly secretive.

The church does disclose financials in the United Kingdom and Canada, where it is required to by law. In addition, the church employs an independent audit department that provides its certification at each annual general conference that church contributions are collected and spent in accordance with church policy. Moreover, the church engages a public accounting firm (currently Deloitte & Touche in the United States; PricewaterhouseCoopers in the United Kingdom) to perform annual audits of its not-for-profit, for-profit, and educational entities. Lay leaders at the local level are not paid.

The Tanners and the Ostlings accuse the church of being overly greedy and materialistic, citing the large amount of wealth accumulated by the church, and citing the strong emphasis on tithing, and suggest that the church is more like a business than a spiritual endeavor.

In December 2019, a whistleblower alleged the church holds over $100 billion in investment funds, which are managed by an affiliate, Ensign Peak Advisors; that it failed to use the funds for charitable purposes and instead used them in for-profit ventures; and that it misled contributors and the public about the usage and extent of those funds. According to the whistleblower, applicable law requires the funds be used for religious, educational or other charitable purposes for the fund to maintain its tax-exempt status. Other commentators have argued that such expenditures may not be legally required as claimed. In response to the allegations, the church's First Presidency stated that "the Church complies with all applicable law governing our donations, investments, taxes, and reserves," and that "a portion" of funds received by the church are "methodically safeguarded through wise financial management and the building of a prudent reserve for the future."

Responses to internal dissent

The Ostlings say that the LDS Church retaliates against members that publish information that undermines church policies, citing excommunications of scientist Simon Southerton and biographer Fawn M. Brodie. They further state that the church suppresses intellectual freedom, citing the 1993 excommunication of the "September Six", including gay LDS historian D. Michael Quinn, and author Lavina Fielding Anderson. The Ostlings write that Anderson was the first to reveal the LDS Church keeps files on Mormon scholars, documenting questionable activities, and the Ostlings state that "No other sizable religion in America monitors its followers in this way".

The American Association of University Professors, since 1998, has put LDS Church-owned Brigham Young University along with twenty-six other universities on its censured list of universities that do not allow tenured professors sufficient freedom in teaching and research.

Richard Abanes lists the following as church members excommunicated or censured for views unacceptable to the church hierarchy:

• Journalist Deborah Laake, for her book Secret Ceremonies: A Mormon Woman's Intimate Diary of Marriage and Beyond
• BYU English teacher Cecilia Konchar-Farr, for her views on abortion laws
• Writer Janice Merrill Allred
• English Professor Gail Houston
• Anthropologist David Knowlton

Church monitors members' critical publications

Richard Abanes and the Ostlings criticize the LDS Church for maintaining a group called the Strengthening Church Members Committee, led by two church apostles. According to the Ostlings, the purpose of this committee is to collect and file "letters to the editor, other writings, quotes in the media, and public activities" of church members that may be publishing views contrary to those of the church leadership. The committee has also recruited students to spy on professors at Brigham Young University who are suspected of violating the church's dictates.

The Tanners state that throughout the 20th century the church denied scholars access to many key church documents, and in 1979 said that it had refused to publish Joseph Smith's diary. Apologists point out that The Joseph Smith Papers project provides access to Smith's journals.

Alleged distortion of church history

An analysis of B. H. Roberts's work History of the Church, when compared to the original manuscripts from which it is drawn, "more than 62,000 words" can be identified that were either added or deleted. Based on this analysis, Jerald and Sandra Tanner contend that the church distorts its history in order to portray itself in a more favorable light. Specifically, they allege that there was a systematic removal of events that portray Joseph Smith in a negative light.

D. Michael Quinn responded to these charges by pointing out that methods by Roberts used in creating History of the Church—while flawed by today's standards—were not uncommon practices in the nineteenth century, even by reputable historians.

The Tanners cite the selective use of Brigham Young's statements, presented in a manner to give the illusion that he was in favor of blacks receiving the priesthood. The Tanners also state that the church attempted to discredit evidence that Joseph Smith was arrested, tried, and found guilty by a justice of the peace in Bainbridge, New York, in 1826. The Tanners have also highlighted changes such as the title page of the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon that described Smith as "Author and Proprietor" of the book, which was revised in subsequent editions to be "Translator", and the description of Oliver Cowdery's skill at using the divining rod found in the 1829 edition of the Book of Commandments, which does not appear in the corresponding section of the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants.

FARMS responds to the "author and proprietor" charge by arguing this title conformed to the governing copyright laws in 1830.

The Ostlings consider other omissions to be distortion, noting that the widely distributed church manual Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young omits any mention of Young's polygamy, and that the book's chronological summary of Young's life includes the date of his first marriage, the date of the first wife's death, and the date of the second legal marriage, but omits mention of Young's dozens of other marriages.

In 1842, Willard Richards compiled a number of records in order to produce a history of the church. Among the records examined were the various accounts related to Zelph. In the process of combining the accounts, Richards crossed out Woodruff's references to "hill Cumorah," and Heber C. Kimball's reference to the "last great struggle with the Lamanites"

Mormon historian D. Michael Quinn has accused LDS Church leaders of urging historians to hide "controversies and difficulties of the Mormon past". Mormon scholar Allen Robers says church leaders "attempt to control depictions of the Mormon past". Non-Mormon professor John Hallwas of Western Illinois University says of LDS historians: " do not mention Mormon intimidation, deception, repression, theft, and violence, or any other matters that might call into question the sacred nature of the Mormon experience."

Columbia University professor Richard Bushman, a member of The Joseph Smith Papers advisory board, responds to critics that those on the project "work on the assumption that the closer you get to Joseph Smith in the sources, the stronger he will appear, rather than the reverse, as is so often assumed by critics."

In 1969, the Western History Association published Jewish historian Moses Rischin's observation of a new trend among Mormon historians to report objectively. Quinn cites this as the origin of the term "New Mormon history", while citing previous efforts towards objectivity such as Juanita Brooks's 1950 publication of The Mountain Meadows Massacre by Stanford University Press.

Sexuality

Deborah Laake and Colleen McDannell say that the church takes a repressive stance towards sexuality and that this may be psychologically unhealthy.

Affirmation, a Mormon LGBT organization, and Ed Decker, a critic of the LDS Church, both state that the repressive attitude of the church may—in extreme cases—lead to suicide, as in the case of 16-year-old Kip Eliason, who committed suicide because of the stresses that resulted when his church bishop told him that masturbation was sinful.

In January 1982, the church's First Presidency issued a letter to local leaders stating that they had "interpreted oral sex as constituting an unnatural, impure, or unholy practice." The letter was not distributed to the general membership. This letter also instructed local leaders not to inquire into the specifics of married members' sex lives. However, this portion of the letter was often ignored, and in response to letters of protest from members, another letter was issued to local leaders in October reiterating the prohibition on inquiring into specific sexual practices.

Views on homosexuality

Scott Thumma and Affirmation.org contend that the LDS Church is homophobic. Affirmation.org cites a faithful, celibate, gay Latter-day Saint who shortly before his suicide wrote: "Straight members have absolutely no idea what it is like to grow up gay in this church. It is a life of constant torment, self-hatred and internalized homophobia."

"God Loveth His Children", a pamphlet produced by the LDS Church, acknowledges that many gays "have felt rejected because members of the Church did not always show love." It criticizes those members, and challenges gays to show love and kindness so the members can "change their attitudes and follow Christ more fully".

Gay historian D. Michael Quinn has hypothesized that early church leaders had a more tolerant view of homosexuality. He writes that several early church leaders and prominent members, including Louie B. Felt, May Anderson, Evan Stephens, and presiding patriarch Joseph Fielding Smith, may have either had homosexual tendencies or were involved in homosexual relationships. George Mitton and Rhett S. James do not dispute that some early members may have had homosexual tendencies, but they call Quinn's assertion of tolerance a distortion of church history that has little support from other historians. They state the current leadership of the church "is entirely consistent with the teachings of past leaders and with the scriptures."

In the early 1970s, Ford McBride did research in electroshock therapy while a student at Brigham Young University (BYU); he performed it on volunteer homosexual students to help cure them of ego-dystonic sexual orientation. This was a standard type of aversion therapy used to treat homosexuality, which was considered a mental illness at the time.

As church president, Gordon B. Hinckley encouraged church members to reach out to homosexuals with love and understanding.

Affirmation.org has particularly criticized sexual repression of homosexuals, both inside and outside of the church.

A letter dated June 20, 2008, sent to Mormon bishops and signed by the First Presidency, called on Mormons to donate "means and time" to a California ballot measure designed to defeat the state's May ruling allowing same-sex marriage. Richard and Joan Ostling point out that the LDS Church actively campaigns against same-sex marriage statutes, including donating $500,000 in 1998 towards a campaign to defeat such a referendum in Alaska. The church's support (80 to 90 percent of the early volunteers who walked door-to-door in election precincts and as much as half of the nearly $40 million raised) of California's Proposition 8 in 2008 sparked heated debate and protesting by gay-rights organizations. The church's political involvement and stance on homosexuality has been denounced by former LDS member Reed Cowan in the 2010 documentary film 8: The Mormon Proposition.

Temples

Critics find fault with the church's temple policies and ceremonies, which include an endowment ceremony, weddings, and proxy baptism for the dead.

Temple admission restricted

Richard and Joan Ostling, and Hugh F. Pyle state that the LDS Church's policy on temple admission is unreasonable, noting that even relatives cannot attend a temple marriage unless they are members of the church in good standing. The Ostlings, the Institute for Religious Research, and Jerald and Sandra Tanner say that the admission rules are unreasonable because admission to the temple requires that a church member must first declare that they pay their full tithe before they can enter a temple. The Mormonism Research Ministry calls this "coerced tithing" because church members that do not pay the full tithe cannot enter the temple, and thus cannot receive the ordinances required to receive the highest order of exaltation in the next life.

Baptism for the dead

The church teaches that a living person, acting as proxy, can be baptized by immersion on behalf of a deceased person, citing 1 Corinthians 15:29; Malachi 4:5–6; John 5:25; and 1 Peter 4:6 for doctrinal support. These baptisms for the dead are performed in temples.

Floyd C. McElveen and the Institute for Religious Research state that verses to support baptism for the dead are not justified by contextual exegesis of the Bible. In 2008, the Vatican issued a statement calling the practice "erroneous" and directing its dioceses to keep parish records from the Genealogical Society of Utah which is affiliated with the LDS Church.

Some Jewish groups criticized the LDS Church in 1995 after discovering that vicarious baptisms for the dead for victims of the Holocaust had been performed by members of the church. After that criticism, church leaders put a policy in place to stop the practice, with an exception for baptisms specifically requested or approved by victims' relatives. Jewish organizations again criticized the church in 2002, 2004, 2008, and 2012 stating that the church failed to honor the 1995 agreement. The LDS Church says it has put institutional safeguards in place to avoid the submission of the names of Holocaust victims not related to Mormon members, but that the sheer number of names submitted makes policing the database of names impractical.

Endowment ceremony

Jerald and Sandra Tanner allege that Joseph Smith copied parts of the Mormon temple endowment ceremony from Masonic rituals (such as secret handshakes, clothing, and passwords), and that this undermines the church's statement that the rituals were divinely inspired. The Tanners also point to the fact that Joseph Smith was himself a Freemason prior to introducing the endowment rituals into Mormonism.

The Tanners criticize the church's revision of the temple endowment ceremony over the years, saying that revisions were made to obscure provocative practices of the early church.

FairMormon, a Mormon apologetic organization, acknowledges changes to the endowment ceremony and points out that (according to Joseph Fielding Smith) Joseph Smith told Brigham Young the ceremony was "not arranged perfectly", and challenged him to organize and systemize it, which Young continued to do throughout his presidency.

Minorities and women

Black people

Restrictions on black members of African descent

From 1852 to 1978 church policy excluded men of black African descent from ordination to the priesthood. During the same period black men and women were not allowed to participate in temple endowment or sealing ordinances. Richard and Joan Ostling point to the restrictions as evidence that past LDS Church policies were racist in nature. Before the change in policy, most other adult males in the LDS Church were given the priesthood. Jerald and Sandra Tanner cite quotes from church leaders such as Brigham Young, who said, "You must not think, from what I say, that I am opposed to slavery. No! The negro is damned, and is to serve his master till God chooses to remove the curse of Ham". The Tanners also illustrate church racism by quoting sections of the Book of Mormon which describe dark skin as a sign of a curse and a mark from God to distinguish a more righteous group of people from a less righteous group, and by citing passages describing white skin as "delightsome" while dark skin is portrayed as unenticing (2 Nephi 30:6). These references in the Book of Mormon refer to those presumed to be the ancestors of Native Americans, not people of African descent. Joseph Fielding Smith, later president of the church, wrote in a 1963 letter that people with dark skin were less faithful in the pre-mortal life, and as such, did not warrant the blessings of the priesthood. The Tanners also cite other church leaders, historical and modern, who have spoken in favor of segregation and restrictions on admission to the priesthood for men of African descent.

Policy reversal

On 8 June 1978, church president Spencer W. Kimball, rescinded the restriction on priesthood ordination and extended temple worship to all worthy Latter-day Saint men and women. Also in 1978, Apostle Bruce R. McConkie told members to "orget everything that I have said, or what President Brigham Young or President George Q. Cannon or whomsoever has said .... We spoke with a limited understanding." Both the original policy and the reversal are criticized. The Tanners state that the church's 1978 policy change of allowing all worthy male members, including people of black African descent, to hold the priesthood was not divinely inspired as the church said, but simply a matter of convenience. Richard and Joan Ostling point out that this reversal of policy occurred as the LDS Church began to expand outside the United States into countries such as Brazil that have large, ethnically mixed populations, and as the church prepared to open a new temple in São Paulo, Brazil. A few black elders were ordained to the priesthood under Joseph Smith, who never expressed any opposition to having the priesthood available to all worthy men. The priesthood restriction originated under Brigham Young.

Gregory Prince and William Robert Wright state that these leaders were a product of their time and locale. They say that many leaders, including Smith, David O. McKay, and initially Brigham Young, were not opposed to blacks receiving the priesthood. They further state that the policy was a practice supported by Christian scripture and was not a doctrine of the church. Despite several church leaders throughout the 1950s and 1960s supporting its reversal, the policy was kept in place through 1978 because the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles felt that a revelation to the president of the church was needed to change it.

Calls for apology and transparency

Some black members and critics have called on the church to do more to apologize for the restrictions, while other black members have argued against that effort. In 2004 Darron Smith, a critical black church member, contends in his book, Black and Mormon, that the church "refuses to acknowledge and undo its racist past, and until it does that, members continue to suffer psychological damage from it" and that "the church has not done enough to rectify its racist past". The large majority of black Mormons, however, say they are willing to look beyond the racist teachings and adhere to the church. Church president Gordon B. Hinckley gave sermons against racism. In 2005 he taught that no one who utters denigrating remarks can consider himself a true disciple of Christ, and noted the irony of racial claims to the Melchizedek priesthood.

In 2003 Richard Abanes contended that the church tries to hide past racial practices, citing the 1981 change in the Book of Mormon, which stated that the Lamanites had become "a white and a delightsome people" to "a pure and a delightsome people" (2 Nephi 30:6). In 1840, the "white and delightsome" of the original Book of Mormon text was changed by Joseph Smith to "pure and delightsome" in the third edition; it reverted to "white and delightsome" after Smith's death in subsequent editions, as editions were based on one published in England. In 1981, the First Presidency approved a change that adopted the 1840 version by Smith, as saying that converts would become "pure and delightsome".

Recent scrutiny and church response

Criticisms for the past policies on race discrimination were renewed during the 2012 presidential campaign of Mitt Romney and in 2018 surrounding the 40th anniversary of the lifting of race restrictions. The church published the following statement in December 2013:

Today, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, or that it reflects unrighteous actions in a premortal life; that mixed-race marriages are a sin; or that blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else. Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form.

In an October 2020 General Conference address following the George Floyd protests, church president Russell M. Nelson publicly condemned racism and called upon all church members to abandon attitudes and actions of prejudice.

Native American people

Over the past two centuries, the relationship between Native American people and the LDS Church has included friendly ties, displacement, battles, slavery, education placement programs, official and unofficial discrimination, and criticism. Church leadership and publications taught that Native Americans are descendants of Lamanites, a dark-skinned and cursed people from the Book of Mormon. More recently, LDS researchers and publications generally favor a smaller geographic footprint of Lamanite descendants. There is no direct support amongst mainstream historians and archaeologists for the historicity of the Book of Mormon or Middle Eastern origins for any Native American peoples.

Soon after Mormons colonized the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, Native American child slaves became a vital source of their labor, and were exchanged as gifts. The settlers initially had some peaceful relations, but because resources were scarce in the desert, hostilities broke out with the local Native Americans. According to LDS Church Historian Marlin K. Jensen as more LDS immigrants arrived and took over the land of Native nations, "Resources the Indians had relied on for generations diminished, and in time they felt forced to resist and fight for their own survival ... the land and cultural birthright Indians once possessed in the Great Basin were largely taken from them." Within 50 years of Mormon settlement, the population of Utah's Native Americans was reduced by almost 90%.

The church ran an Indian Placement Program between the 1950s and the 1990s, wherein indigenous children were adopted by white church members. Criticism resulted during and after the program, including claims of improper assimilation and even abuse. However, many of the involved students and families praised the program. Church leaders taught for decades that Native Americans' darker skin would be made lighter due to their righteousness.

LGBT people

The church's policies and treatment of sexual minorities and gender minorities have long been the subject of external criticism, as well as internal controversy and disaffection by members. Because of its ban against same-sex sexual activity and same-sex marriage, the LDS church taught for decades that any adherents attracted to the same sex could and should change that through sexual orientation change efforts and righteous striving. The church provided therapy and programs for attempting to change sexual orientation.

Current teachings and policies leave homosexual members with the options of: potentially harmful attempts to change their sexual orientation, entering a mixed-orientation opposite-sex marriage, or lifelong celibacy. Some have argued that church teachings against homosexuality and the treatment of LGBT members by other adherents and leaders have contributing to their elevated rates of PTSD and depression, as well as suicide and teen homelessness. The church's decades-long, political involvement opposing US same-sex marriage laws has further garnered criticism and protests.

Gender bias and sexism

Richard and Joan Ostling argue that the LDS Church treats women as inferior to men. The Cult Awareness and Information Centre also point to comments such as those made by church leader Bruce R. McConkie, who wrote in 1966 that a "woman's primary place is in the home, where she is to rear children and abide by the righteous counsel of her husband". The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve espouse a complementarian view of gender roles.

Claudia Lauper Bushman notes that, in the 1970s and 1980s, "just as American women pressed for greater influence", the LDS Church decreased the visibility and responsibilities of women in various areas including welfare, leadership, training, publishing, and policy setting. Despite this, Bushman asserts, "most LDS women tend to be good-natured and pragmatic: they work on the things that they can change and forget the rest."

Jerald and Sandra Tanner point to comments by certain church leaders as evidence that women are subject to different rules regarding entry into heaven. They state that 19th-century leader Erastus Snow preached: "No woman will get into the celestial kingdom, except her husband receives her, if she is worthy to have a husband; and if not, somebody will receive her as a servant". In Mormon doctrine, celestial marriage is a prerequisite for exaltation for members of either gender.

Those who adopt humanist or feminist perspectives may view certain alleged or former LDS Church doctrines (including the spiritual status of blacks, polygamy, and the role of women in society) as racist or sexist.

Allegations of sexual abuse coverup

On December 28, 2020, seven lawsuits were filed against the LDS Church, based on allegations which stated that it covered up decades of sexual abuse among its Boy Scouts of America (BSA) troops in Arizona. On September 15, 2021, it was agreed that the BSA, which the church ended affiliation with in 2020, would receive an estimated $250 million in settlements from the church. The church had been the BSA's largest single sponsor.

Apologetic responses

Mormon apologetics organizations, such as FAIR and the Maxwell Institute, seek to counter criticisms of the church and its leaders. Most of the apologetic work focuses on providing and discussing evidence supporting the claims of Smith and the Book of Mormon. Scholars and authors such as Hugh Nibley, Daniel C. Peterson, and others are well-known apologists within the church. The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) was a well-known apologetic organization before being absorbed into the Maxwell Institute in 2006.

See also

• Anti-cult movement
• Anti-Mormonism
• Criticism of Mormon sacred texts
• Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: Criticism
• Latter Day Saints in popular culture
• MormonWikiLeaks
• South Park episode "All About Mormons"
• Reformed Egyptian
• Stay LDS / Mormon
• The God Makers

Notes

1. Bushman noted that in Daviess County, Missouri, non-Mormons "watched local government fall into the hands of people they saw as deluded fanatics".
2. Historian Fawn Brodie argued that given its authors' intentions to reform the church, the paper was "extraordinarily restrained" given the explosive allegations it could have raised. A prospectus for the newspaper was published on May 10, and referred to Smith as a "self-constituted monarch".
3. Prior to 2006, the introduction to church-published editions of the Book of Mormon stated Lamanites form the "principal ancestors of the American Indians." Since the 2006 edition, the same passage now reads they are "among the ancestors of the American Indians."

Footnotes

1. ^ Bowman, Matthew (29 May 2018). "Mormons confront a history of Church racism". The Conversation. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
2. Sink, Mindy (September 6, 2003). "Religion Journal – Spiritual Issues Lead Many to the Net". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2012-02-11. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
3. ^ Feytser, Peter (November 20, 2008). "San Diego march for marriage equality draws 20,000 protesters". Gay and Lesbian Times. No. 1091. Archived from the original on 2009-02-14. Retrieved December 6, 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
4. "California and Same-Sex Marriage", Newsroom, LDS Church, 2008-06-30, retrieved 2011-12-06
5. Eskridge 2002, p. 291
6. Van Wagoner 1986
7. Van Wagoner 1986, p. 92
8. Tanner 1980, pp. 226–257
9. Ostling, Richard and Joan (1999). Mormon America. HarperCollins. pp. 60–63. ISBN 978-0-06-066371-1.
10. ^ Compton 1997
11. Compton 1997, pp. 486–534, 457–472, 342–363
12. Compton 1997, pp. 457–485
13. Bushman 2005, p. 439: "There is no certain evidence that Joseph had sexual relations with any of the wives who were married to other men. They married because Joseph's kingdom grew with the size of his family, and those bonded to that family would be exalted with him."
14. Goodstein, Laurie (10 November 2014). "It's Official: Mormon Founder Had Up to 40 Wives". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 June 2017. married Helen Mar Kimball, a daughter of two close friends, 'several months before her 15th birthday'.
15. Turner, John G. (27 October 2012). "Polygamy, Brigham Young and His 55 Wives". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2 June 2017. The sheer variety of Brigham Young's marriages makes it difficult to make sense of them. He married—was sealed to, in Mormon parlance—young (Clarissa Decker, 15) and old (Hannah Tapfield King, 65).
16. Snodgrass, Mary Ellen (2009). Civil Disobedience: An Encyclopedic History of Dissidence in the United States (1st ed.). Rootledge. p. 220. ISBN 978-0765681270. Retrieved 2 June 2017. The name of each wife is followed by her age at marriage, the place of marriage, and the year the couple married. ... Lorenzo Snow ... Sarah Minnie Jensen, 16, Salt Lake City, 1871
17. Ulrich, Laurel Thatcher (2017). A House Full of Females: Plural Marriage and Women's Rights in Early Mormonism, 1835–1870. Knopf. p. 274. ISBN 978-0307594907. Retrieved 3 June 2017. Wilford Woodfruff & (Emma Smith born March 1st 1838 at Diahman Davis County Missouri) was Sealed for time & Eternity by President Brigham Young at 7 oclock P.M. March 13, 1853.
18. Hacker, J. David; Hilde, Libra; Jones, James Holland (2010). "Nuptiality Measures for the White Population of the United States, 1850–1880". The Journal of Southern History. 76 (1). National Institute of Health: 39–70. PMC 3002115. PMID 21170276.
19. Tanner 1980, pp. 258–285
20. ^ Ostling, Richard and Joan (1999). Mormon America. HarperCollins. pp. 78–79. ISBN 0-06-066371-5.
21. Hardy, Carmon (1992). Solemn Covenant: The Mormon Polygamous Passage. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-01833-8. This was done to place obedience to God above conformity with society or "mammon." Breakaway polygamist groups took this a step further, parting with Salt Lake's leaders and practicing polygamy openly.
22. Rood, Ron and Thatcher, Linda. "Statehood". Brief History of Utah. historytogo.utah.gov. Archived 2017-11-10 at the Wayback Machine.
23. Wilford Woodruff Diary, 1890-09-25.
24. Abanes 2003, pp. 336–342
25. Ostling, Richard and Joan (1999-10-20). Mormon America. HarperCollins. pp. 73–74. ISBN 0-06-066371-5.
26. Quinn, Michael (1997). The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power. Signature Books. pp. 182–183, 790–810. ISBN 1-56085-060-4.
27. Joseph F. Smith, "A profitable and enjoyable Conference – Privilege of the people – The Gospel includes temporal as well as spiritual salvation – Official statement sustained", Conference Report, April 1904, p. 97.
28. Allen, Joseph L. (2003), Sacred Sites: Searching for Book of Mormon Lands, American Fork, Utah: Covenant Communications, ISBN 1591562724, OCLC 54031905
29. Fagan, Garrett G.; Feder, Kenneth L. (1 December 2006). "Crusading against straw men: an alternative view of alternative archaeologies: response to Holtorf (2005)". World Archaeology. 38 (4): 718–729. doi:10.1080/00438240600963528. S2CID 162321776.
30. Mosiah 7:22.
31. 1 Nephi 14:7
32. 1 Nephi 4:9
33. Alma 18:9
34. Anon (September 28, 1997), Smithsonian Institution statement on the Book of Mormon, Institute for Religious Research, archived from the original on May 20, 2012
35. AllAboutMormons.Com Webmaster (January 19, 2008), "Questions: The Book of Mormon mentions...", AllAboutMormons.com, El Santo Gringo
36. ^ Bennett, Robert R. (2000), "Naming by Analogy", Horses in the Book of Mormon, FARMS/Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, archived from the original on 2015-02-13, retrieved 2016-03-13
37. Brodie 1971, pp. 195–196.
38. Bushman 2005, pp. 328, 330, 334.
39. Bushman 2005, p. 357.
40. Bushman 2005, p. 539.
41. Brodie 1971, p. 374.
42. Quinn, D. Michael (1994). The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power. Salt Lake City: Signature Books. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-56085-056-4.
43. Oaks, Dallin H.; Hill, Marvin S. (1979). Carthage Conspiracy, the Trial of the Accused Assassins of Joseph Smith. Champaign: University of Illinois Press. p. 52. ISBN 025200762X – via Google Books.
44. Ostling, Richard and Joan (1999-10-20). Mormon America. HarperCollins. p. 331. ISBN 0-06-066371-5.
45. Young, Brigham (April 9, 1852), "Self-Government – Mysteries – Recreation and Amusements, not in Themselves Sinful – Tithing – Adam, Our Father and Our God", in Watt, G.D., Journal of Discourses, by Brigham Young, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, His Two Counsellors, the Twelve Apostles, and Others, vol. 1, Liverpool: F.D. & S.W. Richards, 1854, pp. 46–53,
46. Millennial Star 16:534, 28 August 1854.
47. Journal of Thomas Evans Jeremy Sr., September 30, 1852 Bergera 1980.
48. Charles W. Penrose, "Our Father Adam", Improvement Era (September 1902): 873. GospeLink <http://gospelink.com/library/browse?cat_id=6> reprinted in Charles W. Penrose, "Our Father Adam", Millennial Star (11 December 1902): 785–90. (this paragraph from p. 789).
49. Conference Report, p. 115 (October 1–3, 1976)
50. Ostling, Richard and Joan (1999). Mormon America. HarperCollins. p. 332. ISBN 0-06-066371-5.
51. Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol 4 p. 53
52. Snow, Lowell M, "Blood Atonement", Encyclopedia of Mormonism, archived from the original on 2007-01-07, retrieved 2007-03-08
53. Grant, Jedediah M. (March 12, 1854), "Discourse", Deseret News, vol. 4, no. 20 (published July 27, 1854), pp. 1–2, archived from the original on December 15, 2012, retrieved October 22, 2019.
54. Kimball, Heber C. (January 11, 1857), "The Body of Christ – Parable of the Vine – A Wile Enthusiastic Spirit Not of God – The Saints Should Not Unwisely Expose Each Others' Follies", in Watt, G.D. (ed.), Journal of Discourses by Brigham Young, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, His Two Counsellors, and the Twelve Apostles, vol. 4, Liverpool: S.W. Richards (published 1857), pp. 164–181.
55. Grant, Jedediah M. (September 21, 1856), "Rebuking Iniquity", in Watt, G.D. (ed.), Journal of Discourses by Brigham Young, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, His Two Counsellors, and the Twelve Apostles, vol. 4, Liverpool: S.W. Richards (published 1857), pp. 49–51.
56. Packer, Boyd K. (November 1995). "The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness". Ensign.
57. ^ Abanes 2003, pp. 385
58. ^ "IRR site "Finessing an Off-Putting Mormon Doctrine"". Archived from the original on May 3, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
59. Gospel Principles. LDS Church. 1978.
60. Gospel Principles. LDS CHurch. 1997.
61. "Chapter 5: The Grand Destiny of the Faithful". Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow. 2011.
62. Millet, Robert L.; Reynolds, Noel B. (1998), "Do Latter-day Saints believe that men and women can become gods?", Latter-day Christianity: 10 Basic Issues, Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, ISBN 0934893322, OCLC 39732987, President Snow often referred to this couplet as having been revealed to him by inspiration during the Nauvoo period of the church. See, for example, Deseret Weekly, 3 November 1894, 610; Deseret Weekly, 8 October 1898, 513; Deseret News, 15 June 1901, 177; and Journal History of the Church, Historical Department, LDS Church, Salt Lake City, 20 July 1901, 4.
63. Lund, Gerald N. (February 1982), "Is President Lorenzo Snow's oft-repeated statement—'As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may be'—accepted as official doctrine by the Church?", Ensign
64. "Chapter 47: Exaltation", Gospel Principles (Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church, 2009).
65. Irvine, Martha; Tanner, Robert (21 October 2007). "Sexual Misconduct Plagues US Schools". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
66. Scout's Honor: Sexual Abuse in America's Most Trusted Institution, Patrick Boyle, 1995
67. Anon. (December 15, 2017). "In our opinion: Mormon bishop interviews are not 'invitations' for abuse". Deseret News. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
68. "Statement from the LDS Church on Mormon bishops' interviews". The Salt Lake Tribune.
69. Tanner, Courtney (30 March 2018). "'There is no limit to the gross, sexually explicit questions' – Big crowd marches through Salt Lake City calling for an end to one-on-one Mormon bishop interviews with youths". The Salt Lake Tribune.
70. Stack, Peggy Fletcher. "Order to release financial data has LDS Church, courts on collision course". Salt Lake Tribune. July 13, 2007. "Salt Lake Tribune – Order to release financial data has LDS Church, courts on collision course". Archived from the original on 2007-07-15. Retrieved 2007-07-15.. Retrieved 13 July 2007. (PDF version Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine at kosnoff.com)
71. Ostling, Richard and Joan (1999-10-20). Mormon America. HarperCollins. pp. 113–129. ISBN 0-06-066371-5.
72. Tanner 1980, pp. 36
73. ^ Tanner 1982, pp. 516–528
74. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Great Britain Financial Statements Archived 2005-12-25 at the Wayback Machine – provided by the Charity Commission based on the Charities Act
75. "Charities Listings – Basic search results". www.cra-arc.gc.ca.
76. Cantwell, Robert W. (May 2007). "Church Auditing Department Report, 2006". Ensign. 37 (5): 6. Retrieved 2011-12-06. The Church Auditing Department has been granted access to all records and systems necessary to evaluate the adequacy of controls over receipts of funds, expenditures, and safeguarding of Church assets. The Church Auditing Department is independent of all other Church departments and operations, and the staff consists of certified public accountants, certified internal auditors, certified information systems auditors, and other credentialed professionals. Based upon audits performed, the Church Auditing Department is of the opinion that, in all material respects, contributions received, expenditures made, and assets of the Church for the year 2006 have been recorded and administered in accordance with appropriate accounting practices, approved budgets, and Church policies and procedures.
77. "Why Deseret Trust Company?" Archived 2015-01-15 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 15 May 2007.
78. Belo Corp Form 8-K. "Belo Corp – BLC Unscheduled Material Events (8-K/A) Item 7. Financial Statements and Exhibits". Archived from the original on 2008-04-30. Retrieved 2008-06-04.. Accessed 16 May 2007.
79. "Financial Planning". finserve.byu.edu. "Finance Section Draft 7 – Without Requirements". Archived from the original on 2008-05-27. Retrieved 2008-06-04.. Accessed 16 May 2007.
80. "Finance". accredit.byu.edu. See page 9 of pdf document available at "Finance 7" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-06-12. Retrieved 2009-02-05.. Accessed 16 May 2007.
81. "Lay Leadership: Volunteer Ministry of the Church", Newsroom, LDS Church
82. Ostling, Richard and Joan (1999). Mormon America. Harper Collins. p. 178. ISBN 0-06-066371-5.
83. Ostling, Richard and Joan (1999). Mormon America. Harper Collins. pp. 395–400. ISBN 0-06-066371-5.
84. If confirmed, the $100 billion net worth would exceed the combined net worths of the world's largest university endowment (Harvard University) and the world's largest philanthropic foundation (Gates Foundation). "Mormon Church has misled members on $100 billion tax-exempt investment fund, whistleblower alleges". Washington Post.
85. Due to the categorization of Ensign Peak Advisors as an "integrated auxiliary of a church", not a public foundation."$100 Billion In Mormon Till Does Not Merit IRS Attention". Forbes.
86. "First Presidency Statement on Church Finances: Statement provided in response to media stories", Newsroom, LDS Church, December 17, 2019
87. ^ Ostling, Richard and Joan (1999). Mormon America. HarperCollins. pp. 351–370. ISBN 0-06-066371-5.
88. "LDS Church Excommunicates DNA Author". affirmation.org. Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons. August 2005. Archived from the original on 2011-10-24. Retrieved 2011-12-06.
89. Wolverton, Susan (2004). Having Visions: The Book of Mormon : Translated and Exposed in Plain English. Algora. p. 321. ISBN 0-87586-310-8.
90. "AAUP Academic Censure List". www.aaup.org. 18 July 2006. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
91. ^ Abanes 2003, pp. 418
92. Sunstone, 16:2, no. 88 (August 1992), p. 63. As quoted in Ostling and Ostling, p. 354.
93. Krakauer, J. (2004). Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 364. ISBN 978-1-4000-7899-8. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
94. Ostling, R.N.; Ostling, J.K. (2007). Mormon America: the power and the promise. HarperCollins. p. 261. ISBN 978-0-06-143295-8. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
95. Tanner 1980, pp. 37
96. Walch, Tad (2005-04-04), "Miller funding Joseph Smith project", Deseret News, archived from the original on July 22, 2012, retrieved 2011-12-06
97. Jerald & Sandra Tanner, Changes in Joseph Smith's History, Salt Lake City: Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 1965.
98. ^ Tanner 1980
99. Tanner 1980, pp. 29–34
100. D. Michael Quinn, "Jerald and Sandra Tanner's Distorted View of Mormonism: A Response to Mormonism – Shadow or Reality?".
101. Tanner, Jerald and Sandra (2004). Curse of Cain? Racism in the Mormon Church. Utah Lighthouse Ministry. Chapter 10, part 2, p. 311.
102. Tanner 1980, pp. 67–72
103. Tanner 1980, pp. 129
104. Tanner 1980, pp. 86–87
105. Norwood, L. Ara (1990), "Joseph Smith and the Origins of the Book of Mormon", FARMS Review, 2 (1): 187–204, doi:10.2307/44796893, JSTOR 44796893, S2CID 164261657, archived from the original on 2011-07-18, retrieved 2011-12-06
106. Ostling, Richard and Joan (1999). Mormon America. HarperCollins. p. 248. ISBN 0-06-066371-5.
107. Godfrey 1994
     "Zelph was a white Lamanite, a man of God who was a warrior and chieftain under the great prophet Onandagus who was known from the eastern Sea, to the Rocky Mountains. He was killed in battle, by the arrow found among his ribs, during a great struggle with the Lamanites" ."
108. D. Michael Quinn On Being A Mormon Historian p. 21: Lecture to BYU Student History Association, Fall 1981
109. Allen Roberts, Private Eye Weekly, October 20, 1993, p. 12. Quoted in Jerald and Sandra Tanner, "Legacy: A Distorted View of Mormon History," Salt Lake City Messenger (#88), May 1995, p. 4.
110. Hallwas, John (1995). Cultures in Conflict: A Documentary History of the Mormon War in Illinois. Utah State University Press. pp. 2–3. ISBN 0-87421-272-3.
111. "The Joseph Smith Papers: Quotes About the Project". lds.org. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved 2011-12-06. We work on the assumption that the closer you get to Joseph Smith in the sources, the stronger he will appear, rather than the reverse, as is so often assumed by critics. His warmth, his sincerity, and his absolute devotion to the cause come through page after page.
112. Rischin, Moses. "The New Mormon History." The American West (Mar. 1969): 49.
113. The New Mormon History. Ed. D. Michael Quinn. Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1992. (vii).
114. Laake, Deborah (1994). Secret Ceremonies: A Mormon Woman's Intimate Diary of Marriage and Beyond. Dell Publishing. ISBN 0-688-09304-3.
115. McDannell, Colleen (1995). Material Christianity: Religion and Popular Culture in America. Yale University Press. pp. 214–218. ISBN 0-300-07499-9.
116. "Affirmation article in Kip Eliason suicide". Archived from the original on 2007-12-12. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
117. Ed Decker (1982). The God Makers (VHS). Jeremiah Films.
118. Letter of January 5, 1982, to all Stake Presidents and Bishops. BYU Library Special Collections.
119. Letter of October 15, 1982, to all Stake Presidents and Bishops. BYU Library Special Collections.
120. Thumma, Scott (2004). Gay Religion. Rowman Altamira. pp. 99–113. ISBN 0-7591-0326-7.
121. "Affirmation: a Gay and Lesbian Mormon organization". Archived from the original on 2007-10-16. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
122. Matis, Stuart Letter to a Cousin Archived 2009-02-20 at the Wayback Machine
123. God Loveth His Children, LDS Church, 2007, retrieved 2011-12-06
124. Quinn, D. Michael (2001). Same-Sex Dynamics Among Nineteenth-Century Americans: A Mormon Example. University of Illinois Press. pp. 195–264. ISBN 0-252-06958-7.
125. George L. Mitton, Rhett S. James A Response to D. Michael Quinn's Homosexual Distortion of Latter-day Saint History Archived August 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Review of Same-Sex Dynamics among Nineteenth-Century Americans: A Mormon Example by D. Michael Quinn Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, 1998. pp. 141–263
126. "Shock Therapy Interview". salamandersociety.com. The Salamander Society (aka "The Latter Day Lampoon").
127. "You searched for reparative therapy".
128. Seligman, Martin E.P., What You Can Change and What You Can't: The Complete Guide to Self Improvement. Knopf, 1993; ISBN 0-679-41024-4
129. Homosexuality not a disease to be cured. Reproductive Health Matters, November 2004
130. Oaks, Dallin H. (October 1995). "Same-Gender Attraction". Ensign. 25 (10): 7.
131. Ostling, Richard and Joan (1999). Mormon America. HarperCollins. p. 172. ISBN 0-06-066371-5.
132. Jesse McKinley and Kirk Johnson (November 14, 2008), "Mormons Tipped Scale in Ban on Gay Marriage", The New York Times, retrieved February 14, 2012
133. Holden, Stephen (17 June 2010). "Marching in the War on Gay Marriage". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
134. Ostling, Richard and Joan (1999). Mormon America. HarperCollins. pp. 164–165. ISBN 0-06-066371-5.
135. Pyle, Hugh F. (2000). The Truth about Mormonism. Sword of the Lord. pp. 7–8. ISBN 0-87398-845-0.
136. Ryssman, Orin (2006), "The Human Cost of Mormon Temple Marriage Policies", IRR.org, Institute for Religious Research, retrieved 2007-12-11
137. "Temple Ritual Changed...Again", Salt Lake City Messenger, Utah Lighthouse Ministry, June 2005, retrieved 2012-01-17
138. Ostling, Richard and Joan (1999). Mormon America. HarperCollins. p. 178. ISBN 0-06-066371-5.
139. McKeever, Bill, "Tithing by Coercion", MRM.org, Mormonism Research Ministry, retrieved 2013-01-17
140. "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?" (1 Corinthians 15:29)
141. "Baptism for the Dead", Gospel Study: Study by Topic, LDS Church
142. McElveen, Floyd C. (1997). The Mormon Illusion: What the Bible Says About the Latter-Day Saints. Kregel Publications. pp. 110–112. ISBN 0-8254-3192-1.
143. Did Jesus Establish Baptism for the Dead? at irr.org Archived March 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
144. Muth, Chad (2008-05-02). "Vatican letter directs bishops to keep parish records from Mormons". Catholic News Service. U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Archived from the original on 2008-05-13. Retrieved 2011-12-06.
145. ^ Urbina, Ian (December 21, 2003). "Again, Jews Fault Mormons Over Posthumous Baptisms". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
146. Bushman 2006, p. 86.
147. ^ "The LDS Agreement: the Issue of The Mormon Baptisms of Jewish Holocaust Victims". JewishGen. New York City: Museum of Jewish Heritage. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
148. Oppenheimer, Mark (March 2, 2012). "A Twist on Posthumous Baptisms Leave Jews Miffed at Mormon Rite". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
149. "Mormons crack down on proxy baptisms; whistleblower's access blocked". CNN. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
150. Tanner 1980, pp. 534–547
151. Tanner 1980, pp. 535
152. Buerger, David John (2002), The Mysteries of Godliness: A History of Mormon Temple Worship (2nd ed.), Salt Lake City: Signature Books, ISBN 1-56085-176-7, pp. 139–140
153. "Changes to the Endowment ordinance", FairMormon, retrieved 2014-02-17
154. "Century of Black Mormons: Flake, Green". J. Willard Marriott Library. University of Utah.
155. Ostling, Richard and Joan (1999). Mormon America. HarperCollins. pp. 94–108. ISBN 0-06-066371-5.
156. Tanner 1980, p. 304 (New York Herald, May 4, 1855, as cited in Dialogue, Spring 1973, p. 56)
157. "The Charge of 'Racism' in the Book of Mormon". Blacklds.org. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
158. ^ Tanner, Jerald and Sandra (2004). Curse of Cain? Racism in the Mormon Church. Utah Lighthouse Ministry.
159. "Web site with detailed documentation of racist acts in LDS history". Retrieved 2007-12-05.
160. "Web site with detailed documentation of recent racist LDS policies". Retrieved 2007-12-05.
161. "Race and the Priesthood". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. December 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
162. Bruce R. McConkie, 1978 (All Are Alike Unto God, A Symposium on the Book of Mormon, The Second Annual Church Educational System Religious Educator's Symposium, August 17–19, 1978.)
163. Tanner 1980, pp. 319–328
164. Ostling, Richard and Joan (1999). Mormon America. HarperCollins. p. 95. ISBN 0-06-066371-5.
165. "Race and the Priesthood". lds.org. LDS Church. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
166. Prince, Gregory A.; Wright, William Robert (2005). David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-87480-822-3.
167. Prince, Gregory A.; Wright, William Robert (2005). David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. pp. 79–80. ISBN 978-0-87480-822-3.
168. Prince, Gregory A.; Wright, William Robert (2005). David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. p. 80. ISBN 978-0-87480-822-3.
169. Smith, Darron (2004). Black and Mormon. University of Illinois Press. p. 7. ISBN 0-252-02947-X.
170. Ramirez, Margaret (2005-07-26). "Mormon past steeped in racism: Some black members want church to denounce racist doctrines". Chicago Tribune.
171. Hinckley, Gordon B. (May 2006). "The Need for Greater Kindness". Ensign.
172. Abanes 2003, pp. 420
173. Smith, Joseph (1840). Book of Mormon (3rd revised ed.). Nauvoo, Illinois: Robinson and Smith. p. 115. ISBN 1-60135-713-3. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
174. The wording "white and a delightsome" was introduced in the 1st edition of the Book of Mormon in 1830. This was changed to "pure and a delightsome" in the 3rd edition in 1840. The 1841 and 1849 European editions of the Book of Mormon were printed in England by the Twelve Apostles, and were the Kirtland 2nd edition with Anglicized spellings. Future LDS editions were based on the European editions until the church issued a major reworking in 1981. Crawley, Peter (1997). A Descriptive Bibliography of the Mormon Church, Volume One 1830–1847. Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University. p. 151. ISBN 1-57008-395-9. Archived from the original on 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
175. Dobner, Jennifer (10 December 2013). "Mormon church explains defunct ban on blacks in priesthood". Reuters. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
176. "Race and the Priesthood". www.churchofjesuschrist.org. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
177. Stack, Peggy Fletcher; Pierce, Scott; Noyce, David (4 October 2020). "In blunt language, Nelson denounces racism, urges Latter-day Saints to 'lead out' against prejudice". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
178. Hamilton, Andrew; Geisner, Joe; Newcomb, Sarah (January 2020). "Mormons and Native Americans: Myths vs. Realities". Sunstone.
179. ^ Diana, Kruzman (11 Jan 2022). "Indigenous Mormons struggle to balance pride in the faith with LDS history". Religion News Service.
180. Green, Arnold H. (Spring 1999). "Gathering and Election: Israelite Descent and Universalism in Mormon Doctrine". Journal of Mormon History. 5 (21). Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press: 196. JSTOR 23287743.
181. Fletcher Stack, Peggy (November 8, 2007). "Single word change in Book of Mormon speaks volumes". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
182. Fletcher Stack, Peggy (9 November 2007). "The Book of Mormon: Minor edit stirs major ruckus". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
183. "Why Native Americans struggle to make their stories and traditions fit with the Book of Mormon". Salt Lake Tribune. July 2, 2021. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
184. Murphy, Thomas W. (2003). Imagining Lamanites: Native Americans and the Book of Mormon. Ph.D. Dissertation (Thesis). University of Washington. SSRN 2177734 – via Academia.edu.
185. Southerton, Simon G (2004). Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA and the Mormon Church. Salt Lake City: Signature Books. ISBN 1-56085-181-3.
186. Persuitte, David (2000). "'The Book of Mormon' and Ancient America". Joseph Smith and the Origins of the Book of Mormon (2nd ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. pp. 259–267. ISBN 978-0-7864-0826-9 – via Google Books.
187. Blakemore, Erin (14 Nov 2018). "Mormons Tried to Stop Native Child Slavery in Utah. They Ended Up Encouraging It". History Channel. A&E Networks.
188. Reséndez 2016, pp. 273–274.
189. ^ Fletcher Stack, Peggy (24 Jul 2020). "LDS Native American teacher envisions a Pioneer Day that celebrates all Utahns". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023 – via Internet Archive.
190. Reséndez 2016, p. 273.
191. "The Making of a Lamanite: A Brief History Between the LDS Church and Indigenous Communities". Daily Utah Chronicle. University of Utah. February 14, 2019. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
192. Green, Emma (18 Sep 2017). "When Mormons Aspired to Be a 'White and Delightsome' People". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022 – via Internet Archive.
193. Garrett, Matthew (August 2016). Making Lamanites: Mormons, Native Americans, and the Indian Student Placement Program, 1947–2000. University of Utah Press. pp. 194–195. ISBN 978-1607814948 – via Google Books.
194. Dart, John (2 Mar 1979). "Indians Hope to Shift Mormon View of Their Skin Color". Washington Post. Los Angeles Times.
195. Balmer, Randall; Riess, Jana (2015). Mormonism and American Politics. Columbia University Press. p. 168. ISBN 978-0231540896.
196. Mauss, Armand L. (2003). All Abraham's Children: Changing Mormon Conceptions of Race and Lineage. University of Illinois Press. p. 64. ISBN 0-252-02803-1 – via Google Books.
197. Browning, Bill (21 December 2021). "Utah billionaire leaves Mormon church with blistering accusation it is actively harming the world". LGBTQ Nation. San Francisco. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
198. Winters, Rosemary (19 October 2010). "Mormon apostle's words about gays spark protest". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
199. Bailey, Sarah Pulliam (11 Nov 2016). "Mormon Church to exclude children of same-sex couples from getting blessed and baptized until they are 18". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
200. Murphy, Caryle. "Most U.S. Christian groups grow more accepting of homosexuality". pewresearch.org. Pew Research Center. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
201. Levin, Sam (15 August 2016). "'I'm not a Mormon': fresh 'mass resignation' over anti-LGBT beliefs". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
202. Hatch, Heidi (13 April 2016). "Millennial Mormons leaving faith at higher rate than previous generations". KUTV. CBS Television.
203. Prince 2019, pp. 25–30, 89–101.
204. Galliher, Renee; Bradshaw, William; Hyde, Daniel; Dehlin, John; Crowell, Katherine (April 2015). "Sexual orientation change efforts among current or former LDS church members". Journal of Counseling Psychology. 62 (2): 95–105. doi:10.1037/cou0000011. PMID 24635593 – via ResearchGate.
205. Fish, Jessica N.; Russell, Stephen T. (Aug 2020). "Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Change Efforts are Unethical and Harmful". American Journal of Public Health. 110 (8): 1113–1114. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2020.305765. PMC 7349462. PMID 32639919. With substantial evidence of serious harms associated with exposure to particularly for minors, 21 states (and multiple cities and counties) have passed bipartisan laws or regulations prohibiting SOGICE. ... Furthermore, compared with LGBTQ youths with no exposure, those exposed to SOGICE showed 1.76 times greater odds of seriously considering suicide, 2.23 times greater odds of having attempted suicide, and 2.54 times greater odds of multiple suicide attempts in the previous year.
206. Phillips, Rick (2005). Conservative Christian Identity & Same-Sex Orientation: The Case of Gay Mormons. Frankfurt, Germany: Peter Lang Publishing. p. 11. ISBN 978-0820474809. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 18, 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
207. Cook, Bryce (Summer 2017). "What Do We Know of God's Will for His LGBT Children? An Examination of the LDS Church's Current Position on Homosexuality". Dialogue. 50 (2): 20–21. doi:10.5406/dialjmormthou.50.2.0001. S2CID 190443414.
208. Galliher, Renee; Bradshaw, William; Dehlin, John; Crowelle, Katherine (25 April 2014). "Psychosocial Correlates of Religious Approaches to Same-Sex Attraction: A Mormon Perspective". Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health. 18 (3): 301, 304. doi:10.1080/19359705.2014.912970. S2CID 144153586 – via ResearchGate. The major findings from the study are that non-biologically based views regarding the etiology of SSA , remaining active in the LDS Church, remaining single, and engaging in mixed-orientation marriages were all associated with higher reported levels of internalized homophobia, sexual identity distress, and depression, and lower levels of self-esteem and quality of life. ... This study does affirm and extend the existing literature by suggesting that psychosocially based beliefs about SSA etiology active participation in non-LGBT-affirming churches, being single and celibate, and mixed-orientation marriage—all of which are common beliefs and/or practices within modern, active LDS culture—are associated with poorer psychosocial health, well-being, and quality of life for LGBT Mormons. Conversely, biological beliefs about SSA etiology, complete disaffiliation from the LDS Church, legal same-sex marriage, and sexual activity are all associated with higher levels of psychosocial health, well-being, and quality of life for LGBT Mormons.
209. Simmons, Brian (December 2017). "Coming out Mormon: An examination of religious orientation, spiritual trauma, and PTSD among Mormon and ex-Mormon LGBTQQA adults" (PDF). University of Georgia Theses and Dissertations. University of Georgia: 99.
210. Williams, Brian (December 2017). "Coming out Mormon". uga.edu. University of Georgia.
211. Prince 2019, pp. 4, 288–301.
212. Fletcher Stack, Peggy (28 January 2016). "Suicide fears, if not actual suicides, rise in wake of Mormon same-sex policy". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
213. Greene, David (7 July 2016). "Mama Dragons Try To Prevent Suicides Among Mormon-LGBT Children". NPR. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
214. Prince 2019, pp. 2–3, 162–163.
215. Bates, Karen Grigsby (7 Nov 2008). "Gay-Marriage Ban Protesters Target Mormon Church". NPR.
216. Ostling, Richard and Joan (1999-10-20). Mormon America. HarperCollins. pp. 159–172. ISBN 0-06-066371-5.
217. "The Role of Women in Mormonism". Caic.org.au. 1995-03-27. Retrieved 2011-01-25.
218. The Family: A Proclamation to the World, LDS Church, 1995, retrieved 2011-12-06
219. Bushman 2006, pp. 113
220. "UTLM web site describing LDS treatment of women". Retrieved 2007-12-04.
221. "Chapter 47: Exaltation". www.churchofjesuschrist.org.
222. Hanks, Maxine (1992), Women and Authority: re-emerging Mormon feminism, Salt Lake City: Signature Books, ISBN 1-56085-014-0, OCLC 25509094
223. "Mormon church sued for allegedly covering up Boy Scouts sex abuse in Arizona". CBS News. December 29, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
224. Chutchian, Maria (September 15, 2021). "Boy Scouts, Mormon Church Reach $1 Billion Settlement With Sex Abuse Victims". Claims Journal. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
225. ^ Romboy, Dennis (September 15, 2021). "Church of Jesus Christ will pay $250M into fund for Boy Scout sexual abuse claims". Deseret News. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
226. "Hugh Nibley, Outspoken Mormon Scholar, Dies at 94". The New York Times. February 25, 2005. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
227. Fletcher Stack, Peggy (June 26, 2012). "Shake-up hits BYU's Mormon studies institute". Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021 – via Internet Archive.

References

• Abanes, Richard (2003), One Nation Under Gods: A History of the Mormon Church, New York: Four Walls Eight Windows, ISBN 978-1-56858-283-2, OCLC 52863716
• Beckwith, Francis (2002), Mosser, Carl; Owen, Paul (eds.), The New Mormon Challenge, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, ISBN 978-0-310-23194-3, OCLC 48428864
• Bennett, John C. (1842), The History of the Saints; or An Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism, Boston; New York: Leland & Whiting; Bradbury, Soden, OCLC 11081448
• Bergera, Gary James (1980). "The Orson Pratt-Brigham Young Controversies: Conflict Within the Quorums, 1853 to 1868". Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 13 (2): 7–49. doi:10.2307/45224861. JSTOR 45224861. S2CID 254314595.
• Brodie, Fawn M. (1995) , No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith (2nd, rev. and enl. ed.), New York: Vintage Books, ISBN 978-0-679-73054-5, OCLC 36510049
  • Brodie, Fawn M. (1971), No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith (2nd ed.), New York: Knopf, ISBN 978-0-394-46967-6
• Bushman, Richard Lyman (2005), Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, New York: Knopf, ISBN 978-1-4000-4270-8 – via Google Books
• Bushman, Claudia L. (2006), Contemporary Mormonism: Latter-day Saints in Modern America, Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers, ISBN 0-275-98933-X, OCLC 61178156
• Compton, Todd (1997). In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith. Salt Lake City: Signature Books. ISBN 1-56085-085-X.
• Eskridge, William N. Jr. (2002) , Gaylaw: Challenging the Apartheid of the Closet, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, ISBN 978-0-674-00804-5, OCLC 49204149
• Godfrey, Kenneth W (1994). "An Apologist for the Critics: Brent Lee Metcalfe's Assumptions and Methodologies". FARMS Review of Books. 6 (1). Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
• Howe, Eber D. (1834), Mormonism Unvailed, Painesville, Ohio: Printed and published by the author, OCLC 10395314. Online copy
• Krakauer, Jon (2003), Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith, New York: Doubleday, ISBN 978-0-385-50951-0, OCLC 51769258
• Newell, Linda King (1994) , Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith (2nd ed.), Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press, ISBN 978-0-252-06291-9, OCLC 28721939
• Ostling, Richard and Joan (1999), Mormon America, San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco, ISBN 978-0-06-066371-1, OCLC 41380398
• Prince, Gregory A. (2019). Gay Rights and the Mormon Church: Intended Actions, Unintended Consequences. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. ISBN 978-1607816638 – via Google Books.
• Quinn, D. Michael (1994), The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, Salt Lake City, UT: Signature Books, ISBN 978-1-56085-056-4, OCLC 30155116
• Quinn, D. Michael (1997), The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power, Salt Lake City, UT: Signature Books, ISBN 978-1-56085-060-1, OCLC 32168110
• Reséndez, Andrés (12 April 2016), The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America, HarperCollins, ISBN 978-0544602670 – via Google Books
• Sillito, John R.; Staker, Susan (2002), Mormon Mavericks: Essays on Dissenters, Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, ISBN 978-1-56085-154-7, OCLC 47805160
• Smith, Andrew F. (1997), The Saintly Scoundrel: The Life and Times of Dr. John Cook Bennett, Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press, ISBN 978-0-252-02282-1, OCLC 34721478
• Tanner, Jerald and Sandra (1980), The Changing World of Mormonism, Chicago: Moody Press, ISBN 0-8024-1234-3, OCLC 5239408
• Tanner, Jerald and Sandra (1982) , Mormonism – Shadow or Reality? (4th, enl. and rev ed.), Salt Lake City, UT: Utah Lighthouse Ministry, OCLC 15339569
• Van Wagoner, Richard S. (Summer 1986), "Sarah Pratt: The Shaping of an Apostate", Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, 19 (2): 69–99, doi:10.2307/45225431, ISBN 9781591562849, JSTOR 45225431, OCLC 366662945, S2CID 254299794
• Wymetal, Wilhelm Ritter von (1886), Joseph Smith, the Prophet, His Family, and His Friends: A Study Based on Facts and Documents, Salt Lake City, UT: Tribune Printing and Publishing Company, OCLC 1538597. Online copy at olivercowdery.com

Further reading

• Millet, Robert (2011), No Weapon Shall Prosper: New Light on Sensitive Issues, Brigham Young University, ISBN 978-0-8425-2794-1, archived from the original on 2013-12-28, retrieved 2013-12-28

External links

Critical

• Utah Lighthouse Ministry – Maintained by Sandra Tanner
• MormonThink

Apologetic

• BYU operated Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS)
• Church-unaffiliated Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR)

• Criticism of Mormonism
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints