Mormonism and church integrity/Accusations of lying and hypocrisy on the part of the Church

Table of Contents

Accusations of lying and hypocrisy on the part of the Church

Jump to Subtopic:

• Accusations of hypocrisy in Church practices related to the Word of Wisdom
• "Lying for the Lord"
• Joseph Smith fired a gun at Carthage Jail
• No paid ministry
• City Creek Center Mall in Salt Lake City
• Accusations of lying in the 19th-century Church
• Dealing with doubts about the Church and its integrity

Accusations of hypocrisy in Church practices related to the Word of Wisdom

Summary: It is claimed that the Church, as a corporate entity, controls business properties that are not consistent with its stated purposes. Examples include claims that the Church owns controlling stock in the Coca-Cola company, tobacco companies, and alcohol companies.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints own stock in businesses that are not consistent with the Church's standards?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith set up a bar to sell liquor in Nauvoo?

"Lying for the Lord"

Summary: Some have long accused Mormons of organizationally and systematically “lying for the Lord,” equating such with a policy of using any means necessary to achieve some “good” goal. This claim is false, and a biased reading of Church history. One must not use ethically questionable tactics because one believes the “end justifies the means.”

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Does the Church teach that it is okay to "Lie for the Lord"?
• Question: Are there circumstances in which lying is necessary in order to avoid a greater harm?
• Question: How do critics of Mormonism define "lying for the Lord"?
• Question: Did Gordon B. Hinckley cite false information regarding an 1820 Palmyra revival in a book called Truth Restored?
• Question: Does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints distort its membership numbers and rate of growth for public relations purposes?

Joseph Smith fired a gun at Carthage Jail

Summary: It is claimed that the Church has tried to hide the fact that Joseph fired a pepperbox pistol at the mob which murdered Hyrum and was soon to kill him, despite numerous mentions of the gun in Church literature, and the fact that the very gun itself is on display at the museum of Church History in Salt Lake City.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Is it possible that Joseph Smith is not a martyr because, while in jail, he had a gun and he had the temerity to defend himself?
• Question: Has the Church tried to hide the fact that Joseph fired a pepperbox pistol at the mob which murdered him?
• Question: Is it true that Joseph killed two men by firing at the mob?
• Question: Has the Church hidden the fact that Joseph fired a gun while in Carthage Jail?

No paid Latter-day Saint ("Mormon") ministry

Summary: It is claimed that Mormonism prides itself in having unpaid clergy as one proof of the Church's truthfulness. They then point to the fact that some General Authorities, mission presidents, and others do, in fact, receive a living stipend while serving the Church, and point to this as evidence of the “hypocrisy” of the Church.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: What do the scriptures teach about paid ministry in the Church of Jesus Christ?
• Question: Does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints employ a professional clergy?
• Question: Is the fact that some General Authorities, mission presidents, and others receive a living stipend while serving the Church evidence of the “hypocrisy” of the Church?
• Question: Why do General Authorities receive living stipends?
• Question: Do General Authorities receive a large sum of money when they are called in order to "keep them quiet"?
• Question: Do General Authorities sign a non-disclosure agreement promising to never divulge what they are paid?
• Question: Who is the highest-paid Church employee in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

City Creek Center Mall in Salt Lake City

Summary: Members and critics have questions about the Church's involvement in the redevelopment of the city center in Salt Lake.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Was the Church-funded redevelopment project in downtown Salt Lake City known as City Creek Center funded using tithing?
• Question: Aren't tithing funds from "long ago" ultimately the source of all current Church funds?
• Question: How much did the development of the mall cost? Did it really cost 5 billion dollars?
• Question: How does the Church decide where to spend money? Shouldn't they use the money instead to feed the poor and help the needy?
• Question: Are LDS standards required by the mall?
• Question: Since its opening, has the redevelopment had the impact hoped for?
• Ensign, "News of the Church"

Accusations of lying in the 19th-century Church

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Are there government records that prove that the apostles were involved in counterfeiting in Nauvoo?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith engage in "land speculation" in Nauvoo?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith really tell Orrin Porter Rockwell 'it was right to steal'?
• Question: Did Orson Hyde state that it was permissible to "steal & be influenced by the spirit of the Lord to do it" as long as it was against non-Mormons?
• Question: Did Brigham say "We shall pull the wool over the eyes of the American people"?
• Question: Why is History of the Church written in first-person, as if Joseph Smith himself wrote it?

Dealing with doubts about the Church and its integrity

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: How can a person reaffirm their testimony when they learn disconcerting facts that may bring their testimony into doubt?
• Question: What is "cognitive dissonance" and how does it relate to Mormonism?