Criticism of Mormonism/Online documents

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Analysis of online documents critical of Mormonism


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This page addresses online documents that are critical of Mormonism. These documents may be hosted on multiple critical websites.


Response to claims made in "A Letter to an Apostle" by Paul A. Douglas


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Response to claims made in "For my Wife and Children" by Anonymous


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Articles about CES Letter
Overview
Brief responses and additional resources, CES Letter sections
Detailed responses, CES Letter sections

Criticism of Mormonism/Online documents

Summary

Written by Jeremy Runnells, the CES Letter (formerly called "Letter to a CES Director") is a list of doubts Runnells has about the history and doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Runnells was a sixth-generation member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a descendant of Utah pioneers. He is a returned missionary and Brigham Young University alumnus, and married in the San Diego Temple. In 2012, Runnells had a crisis of faith, and an LDS Church Education System director asked him to share this concerns. Runnells detailed his questions and doubts about the legitimacy of church history and doctrine into written form in what would later become “Letter to a CES Director.” The book was shared by multiple websites, was downloaded thousands of times, and went viral. It has been translated into multiple languages, and its influence has spread worldwide.[1]

This letter is a frequently cited reason for Church members developing doubts about the Church and subsequently leaving the Church.[2]

Critical Reviews

Some critical reviews of the letter have noted:

The CES Letter is an attempt to create an alternate narrative for the truth claims of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . . . It has become a proselyting tool in attempts to draw people away from the Church and it has been very successful. . . . Many have gone to great lengths to spread the gospel of the CES letter. While it isn’t the first publication to take a long list of old criticisms of the Church and present is as if it is new, it has become the one with the most unified backing behind it.[3]

The CES Letter makes hundreds upon hundreds of claims. Whether intended or not, sometimes what the Letter does is simply overwhelm readers with so much negative information that they’re thrown into a panic before really taking a deep breath and investigating individual claims. And that’s fairly understandable, as the average person might not know how to go about researching these topics, or may not have the patience for it. Some of the information in the Letter is simply true. Some, as far as I can tell, is patently false (and hopefully those are honest mistakes). And I think some information lacks important nuance or leaves out additional relevant information.[4]

The CES Letter argues that it is "delusional" and "insane" to have faith in the restored gospel and the Church and that a rational, intelligent person would have no part in it. It presents a very long list of common criticisms against the Church and packages it in a way that is designed to provoke negative emotional and intellectual responses in the reader. It does this by mixing selective facts with distortions about the Church and guiding the reader down a path that manipulates them into feelings of anger, shame, and betrayal.[5]

Many individuals have provided responses to portions or all of the letter.[6] The collection of resources in this FAIR wiki provides additional content to answer the questions raised in the letter.

Specific Resources

To find resources about a specific section of the letter, click Expand in the blue bar:

Articles about CES Letter
Overview
Brief responses and additional resources, CES Letter sections
Detailed responses, CES Letter sections


General Resources

For articles or presentations about the letter generally, see:


Notes

  1. ↑ Nancy Van Valkenburg, "Author Jeremy Runnells Resigns From LDS Church At Excommunication Hearing In American Fork," Gephardt Daily, 18 April 2016.
  2. ↑ Peggy Fletcher Stack, "In this new era of doubt, will a stronger Mormon faith emerge?" Salt Lake Tribune, 11 March 2016: "More than 1,700 Mormons and former believers . . . responded to The Salt Lake Tribune's outreach to those grappling with a faith crisis. They hailed from across the nation and other countries. Nearly a third have left the LDS Church, many citing a blend of triggers from historical anomalies to contemporary concerns. Even more no longer are practicing Mormons. Dozens cited Jeremy Runnells' 2013 "Letter to a CES [Church Educational System] Director," which outlined numerous questions about Mormonism's past and present."
  3. ↑ Scott Gordon, "CES Letter: Proof or Propaganda?" 2019 FairMormon Conference.
  4. ↑ David Snell, "What Is the CES Letter?" Saints Unscripted, 24 June 2021.
  5. ↑ "CES Letter," Mormonr.org (accessed 2 February 2024).
  6. ↑ For a list, see "CES Letter," Mormonr.org (accessed 2 February 2024).

Response to claims made by "The Foundation for LDS Scholarship"


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Denver Snuffer

Summary: Denver Snuffer was excommunicated for apostasy on 11 September 2013 because of the claims made in his book Passing the Heavenly Gift. Following his excommunication, Snuffer has declared that the Church's First Presidency has lost their authority, and claimed that Jesus appeared to him to instruct him.

Richard Packham's media questions for Mitt Romney

Summary: Richard Packham believes that the media is not asking the proper questions about a U.S. Presidential Candidate. He has produced a list of questions he believes ought to be asked. Each contains subtle or not-so-subtle distortions about LDS belief or practice.

Mormons for Marriage [renamed Mormons for Equality]

Summary: Mormons for Marriage opposes the Church's opposition to same-sex marriage. The website frequently features attacks on leaders and members of the Church, and misrepresentation of Church doctrine.

Mormon Stories, Open Stories Foundation

Summary: Mormon Stories and related entities is directed by John Dehlin, a former member of the Church who rejects the Church's truth claims and is critical of LDS doctrines and leaders.

"Questions and Answers" (MormonStories)

Summary: The referenced document had a brief lifetime on the Mormon Stories Podcast site (http://mormonstories.org/questions-and-answers/) of roughly two days starting 25 June 2014 before it was revised substantially on 27 June 2014. The following was only a portion of the larger document which listed specific issues with the Church. We provide responses only to the portion listing issues related to Church history or doctrine.
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