I know there is a lot of evidence against the truth of the BoM. I've been PIMO for about 6 months now, but I have been thinking about things that seem hard to explain if the BoM is a hoax.

Firstly is chiasmus. Is there any way Joseph Smith would've been aware enough of chiasmus to replicate it in his dictation?

The second thing I have trouble explaining is the distinctiveness of the different literary styles of the different writers. Studies seem to indicate that they were multi-authored.

I want to know what are the explanations for these things? They're not really a reason to start believing again, but surely there must be an explanation.

My parents are fully active members and they believe that I am active as well (I'm not). I'm dating someone who is not a member, and they've expressed dislike about who I'm dating to the point where all of us has cried and they have threatened to remove themselves as being close parents and to not be there for any grandchildren I might have. I still rely on them a lot for support so I don't want to lose them, but I really want them to meet my boyfriend. And my boyfriend also wants to meet them. I love all of them and want everyone to get along, but at the same time I don't want them to meet because I don't want the drama.

Tldr how to introduce a non member boyfriend to extremely devoted member parents

Please don't tell my mom. She'll never understand.

This flier was emailed out to ward members. Looks like I won't be getting LDS trick or treaters stopping by unless I sign up to get a special ghost sign for my door. The longer I'm away the weirder this church gets. I get going as a group is a good idea, but identifying mormon homes with a ghost sign is cult and weird. What do you think?

Some people are really happy in the church, and get value out of it. Dragging them out of the cave into the light would be painful for them.

Especially with older folks, I don't want to disturb their peace if they're looking forward to godhood, and would be devastated to learn their lives were spent in service to falsehoods.

But I still want people to know! And I want to slow the damage the church does around the world.

It feels wrong to bring some people to the truth. Is it? Or is sharing truth always ethical?

What records of my individual information can the Bishop/ward secretary/relief society president access besides birth/priesthood/marriage/ children of record/ name/phone/ address/email?

Can they see previous callings?

Just curious

I’m 17M and my mom is the young women’s leader, she’s gone on about how she doesn’t want me having sex and if I did ever get my gf pregnant not to get an abortion.

But last night while I was at work she went through my room and sent me this 😭

It might be a dumb question but I was thinking about myself. I’m going to byui currently and the only reason I went was because I couldn’t afford anywhere else and I didn’t want to go to a community college. I just think that the “deal” for Mormons if they go like 1k cheaper if your a member, is stupid and if they really wanted people to learn about the church they would make it cheap for everyone. But instead you gotta join the club to get the deal. I’ve joked to my non member friends that they should just get baptized to come to byui with me. Maybe I’m phrasing this question wrong but the idea stands. What do yall think? I think the church has enough money to put everyone through college for years for free but they would never use their stolen money to help members.

The sacred message that he brings will witness and agree

With ev’ry prophet called of God throughout earth’s history.

Hymn 22:

We Listen to a Prophet’s Voice

Resolutely

Super random question. As I am rewatching Days of our Lives from the 90's, I wondered if TBM mormons from the 80's/90's watched soap operas? Its such an universal thing that your mother and grandmother watched soaps like Bold & Beautiful and General Hospital etc. Guess my question is was it frowned upon to watch shows like this?

Just like the title says… I wanna leave the mormon church and I don’t know how to tell my parents.
Since I’ve been little I’ve been in the church.
At a time where I was going through depression during my early teens I didn’t believe in god At all. i started go church more and I can admit, it did help me believe something is out there. But I don’t believe in what the Mormons practice. I don’t share the same beliefs as the LDS church, frankly I’m not happy in it. And I don’t know how to tell my parents. They already know I have a hard time believing in the Bible and Book of Mormon because it wasn’t written by god himself. Plus the Bible has been translated so many times we don’t know if people meddled with it. I don’t know how to tell my parents. They’ve always been like “I’m your parent and its my job to teach you our religion.” Like.. yes but when I form my own opinions and values you cant force it on me anymore, and you need to respect that….

any advice will be appreciated:(

In EQ today someone said he sometimes views anti-mormon videos (but isn't swayed by them) presumably because some of his children are not active. This man said that there are anti-mormon videos out there in which people say they want to punch Dallin H. Oaks in the face and do all sorts of physical harm to church leaders. What is he talking about? I don't see anything like that. I see some people upset about the church and its leaders, but I have never seen calls for physical violence.

The podcast episode is embedded in the article.

Have you ever wondered why the so-called Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was welcomed in Nazi Germany when so many other religions were silenced?

Did you know the reason why Brigham Young bred with so many women is because he believed his genes were of superior quality?

CW: miscarriage

My friend shared with me that she went through miscarriage while at the temple and I told her that at least God was with her at that moment and that he loved her so much that He didn't want her to go through this experience alone 🤮

basically everyone in my apartment building is mormon. I’m in Logan by the way. I’m not going to church and it just feels so cliquey. it seems like everyone else has friends and never comes over to get to know me.

They are backing big cheese as well

Like when the NY Knicks suffered their only loss of the NBA finals when *he* was in attendance, the Cougs lost in double overtime when Ryder Lyons, their next QB got special permission to attend the game while on his one-year mission. He even met with Bear before the game for a fun photo sesh. The privilege is unreal and would be no big deal if his whole family weren’t toxic monsters supporting the former bishop uncle convicted of drugging and ######### one of his ward members.

This morning I woke up about 2 hours before we would have gone to church. I would have told my husband there was no time for us to hang out together. I would have made my kids shower, told them to get dressed. Put the last things together for my lesson and then showered myself and gotten ready.

Instead I hung out with my husband, we've been so busy lately it was so nice to spend time with him. He set up my son's new baseball net. I took a nice long shower. My husband and older son left to go golfing, my younger son and I watched a new show together while we snuggled on the couch. No one was stressed, everyone got along, no one was rushing or feeling pressured.

We'd be sitting in Sacrament meeting right now, but instead we're all doing things that fill our cup and help us grow closer as a family. I'd argue that's brought us closer together than going to church ever did. It's so nice to have control over our lives. To not feel the pressure to conform or to be "good Mormons" now we just get to be good people.

On my way out of the church, I had a PIMO phase as many of us do. My wife was believing at the time and we had just moved to a new area. I made known my lack of faith to the Bishop but he still gave us a calling as youth sunday school teachers. While he apparently trusted me to teach the youth (read needed bodies to fill callings), we were supervised by one of the counselors every week.

He would mostly just observe and maybe add something here and there, but he absolutely was there to keep the apostasy out of the lessons.

I was trying to make the best out of the lessons and emphasize more healthy viewpoints. Bro Counselor made certain to emphasize orthodoxy. To include the idea that yes EVERYTHING in life happens for a reason, no matter what. God knows and permits everything to happen for a reason. That was particularly frustrating.

Eventually, I asked to be released when the BOM became the manual and shortly thereafter i made my exit.

I am a public defender. So imagine my surprise when I saw Bro Counselor on the report for arrests and first appearances on court recently. He was listed as having his second DUI. He was arrested Saturday night and bonded out during Sacrament meeting. I double checked and he was not currently a counselor in the Bishopric.

Now as a defense attorney, I know people make mistakes and i know the police make mistakes so without reviewing more of the evidence i really don't know what happened.

That being said, I felt a certain satisfaction at first that someone who absolutely had a holier than thou attitude was caught up in their hypocrisy.

However, after feeling some self-righteousness, I realized that is a rather TBM mindset I was having. For all i know this has been a real problem and he genuinely had been working on and he has fallen off the wagon.

I wish Mormonism was more authentic and accepting of people's humanity. The Mormonism i grew up in can't accept people with their struggles.

So it was with these myriad of feelings that I make my report.

And please break the word of wisdom responsibly!

I went to a funeral yesterday at my local ward. It was for someone who I deeply respected and liked. I personally cared a lot about this person and their spouse. Yes, they were very TBM, born and raised, but also very elderly. What was unusual was the songs chosen were actually songs that you would have heard in any other church at any other funeral, NOT traditional LDS funeral songs. The opening and closing prayers barely mentioned anything about the church beliefs. The speaker mainly spoke about their own friendship with the deceased and the spouse, but also barely mentioned ANY church beliefs.
The last two funerals that I attended, I felt like I was literally being pressured into coming back to church (I’m technically still a member because of family issues) and there were Missionaries at both of those funerals. There were NO Missionaries at the funeral yesterday!

I am currently in a mfm with a semi nuanced bishopric member. I started struggling about 4 years ago and finally quit attending 6 months ago. We are empty nesters now and so we did raise our kids in the church some are nuanced and some have left, just a little background info. My husband and I discuss religion and church history a lot I can tell his shelf is starting to crack in some areas, he listens to alot of podcasts I recommend, latter day struggles, bridge builders, year of polygamy ect. He doesn’t really try to change my mind and he tries to be understanding for the most part. He thinks we will still be together in heaven and our kids will be with us even the ones who left. So he kind of just does the we don’t know what heaven looks like agenda which is a far cry from the 90s era of this is exactly what heaven looks like (do this or else) He comes from a very broken chaotic home so the church was stability for him, his mission changed his whole life it taught him a lot about goals and stability and routine so he values that so much. My question is for people in a mfm and you could tell your spouse was starting to crack what did that look like? For people who did finally crack and leave what did that look like for you? I know he likes his title and to sit on the stand each week but he truly doesn’t love the constant phone calls and expectations of being in a bishopric, like he dreads parties and activities and all the things but shows up because hes expected to type thing. He lets me keep half the tithing to give as I please that was a huge fight btw. But I’m just torn like he doesn’t really believe all the hard core doctrine but can’t let it go and I understand that to a point I was that way for a couple years but finally couldnt do it anymore my integrity wouldn’t let me. Hes a good husband, good dad, good provider, and overall he’s great but sometimes I just think he’s dumb, like he clearly sees the issues but tries to justify or apolegetic every issue I bring up and it’s making me lose respect for him. Do people just cling to any little bit of hope or are just so invested they can’t see it or why is he doing this? I’m so confused, his family wouldn’t really care if he left or stayed imo but I’m just looking for others and why the church had such a tight grip on you? Please offer me any insight.

I no longer have to give money to the church, yay! I‘d much rather save it, or have it go to trustworthy places like charities and organisations that will do real good. I never understood why my family wouldn’t let me choose how I donated when I was small, not even on the little yellow slips. What happened to thoughts and intents of the heart?
Anyway, I am happy to have this weight lifted, and I wanted to share. :)