"Common for Their Time"? The Myth That Excuses Exploitation One of the most persistent defenses of early Mormon polygamy is the claim that it was “normal for the time” for men to marry teenage girls. The official Gospel Topics Essay on Plural Marriage in Early Utah even states: Women did marry at fairly young ages in the first decade of Utah settlement (age 16 or 17 or, infrequently, younger), which was typical of women living in frontier areas at the time.

When deconstructing religious beliefs, examining whether the God we’ve been taught to worship and admire is indeed as loving as we think is on the table for many. Christianity teaches that "God is Love," but examining scriptural narratives reveals inconsistencies in this portrayal, especially concerning God's actions as a parental figure. 7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

In July 1842, the Sangamo Journal published the affidavit of Martha H. Brotherton, a young English convert who had only recently arrived in Nauvoo with her family. In it, she recounts a disturbing encounter where she was pressured by church leaders Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Joseph Smith himself to become Young’s plural wife. Brotherton’s statement is remarkable because it provides a firsthand account of how polygamy was introduced—not through open teaching or honest explanation, but through coercion, secrecy, and manipulation.

The LDS Church is Just Another Man-Made Religion One of the hardest truths to face when stepping back from Mormonism is this: The LDS Church is just a man-made religion, no more divinely authoritative than any other. That sentence alone might feel heavy, especially for a “true believing Mormon” (TBM). It cuts directly against the foundation of everything the Church claims about itself—that it is the “one true church,” the only organization on earth with the priesthood authority of God, the sole custodian of ordinances required for salvation, and the only path back to God’s presence.

The Audacity The recent Deseret News opinion piece condemning polygamy and polyamory as a “direct threat to kids” and insisting that “monogamy ought to remain our social ideal” is dripping with irony. For a newspaper owned by the LDS Church to rail against the supposed dangers of polygamy—without mentioning their own history as America’s largest polygamous religious movement—is breathtakingly hypocritical.

In the History of the Church, Vol. 6, Joseph Smith made an arrogant claim:

One of the most unsettling aspects of Mormon history is the secret practice of polygamy. Joseph Smith publicly denied practicing polygamy while secretly marrying between 30 and 40 women, including teenagers and other men’s wives, as the church's published essay confirms (in a footnote).

The LDS or Mormon Church has long articulated clear and restrictive expectations for women. Framed as divinely inspired guidance, these teachings portray a woman's highest calling as homemaking, motherhood, and submission to traditional gender roles. While many women in the church find meaning in family life, the rigid and one-dimensional framework leaves little room for individual choice, ambition, or variance from the mold.

The Gospel Topic Essay on the Book of Mormon translation quotes Emma Smith stating, "Joseph Smith could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter," let alone dictating a book like the Book of Mormon. This is a very common refrain from apologists. They want to use Joseph's lack of education and ignorance as a disqualifying factor to him being involved in the miraculous appearance of the Book of Mormon in any way other than a translator called of God.

Meet Nathanael, whose story demonstrates the profound courage required to choose integrity over comfort, even when it means dismantling the very foundation upon which you've built your life. As a descendant of Mormon pioneers with deep ancestral roots in the faith, Nathanael's journey represents one of the most authentic and thoughtful deconversion stories we've encountered. His path from devoted believer—who served a mission, graduated from BYU-Idaho, and married in the temple—to someone who chose truth over tradition exemplifies the kind of moral courage that inspires others to examine their own beliefs with honesty.

The idea of “lying for the Lord” has long been whispered among members and critics of the LDS Church alike. It reflects the sense that leaders and members sometimes feel justified in withholding, distorting, or even outright fabricating information in order to protect the church or further its goals. In other words, the ends are seen to justify the means—so long as the end is “building up the kingdom of God.”

Meet Christi Keller, a remarkable woman whose story exemplifies the courage it takes to pursue truth, even when it leads to uncomfortable places. As a mother of three and grandmother of six, Christi spent nearly five decades deeply committed to the Mormon faith—serving a mission to Uruguay, working at BYU-Idaho for thirty years, and holding numerous church callings. Her journey from devoted believer to thoughtful questioner to authentic truth-seeker represents one of the most honest and brave paths a person can take.

A common apologetic argument in defense of Joseph Smith is that his closest early associates—Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris—never outright denounced him as a fraud, even after they left or were cast out of the church. The logic goes: if anyone would have known the “truth” behind the origins of the Book of Mormon, it would be these men.

Joseph Smith claimed to be a prophet, seer, and revelator—one uniquely gifted by God with the power to translate ancient scripture by divine means. Among his translation projects was the “Joseph Smith Translation” (JST) of the Bible, also known as the Inspired Version. But a close look at this work raises serious questions about the nature of Smith’s “translation” abilities. One particularly revealing episode involves his duplication of the 26th chapter of Matthew, which he translated not once, but twice—months apart—with differing and even contradictory results.

In the complex history of Mormonism, few documents expose the tensions between prophetic revelation and institutional survival quite like John Taylor's 1886 revelation. This revelation, written in Taylor’s own hand, declared that the divine commandment of plural marriage would not and could not be revoked. Yet for over a century, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints denied its existence—and only recently, and quietly, acknowledged its authenticity by…

The modern LDS Church presents the restoration of priesthood authority—first the Aaronic Priesthood by John the Baptist on May 15, 1829, and then the Melchizedek Priesthood by Peter, James, and John—as pivotal, well-documented events in church history. However, early sources and the timeline of doctrinal development tell a much murkier story, one that raises serious questions about whether these cornerstone claims were later fabrications, constructed to bolster Joseph Smith’s evolving authority.

Before Quentin L. Cook was sustained as an apostle of the LDS Church in 2007, he was a lawyer and healthcare executive, one whose actions left a lasting mark on the people of Marin County, California. But it wasn’t the kind of legacy you’d expect to find from someone who would later claim to speak for Jesus Christ. According to the Marin Healthcare District's…

During Brigham Young’s presidency, if one aspired to the highest level of heaven, one would have needed both polygamy and an eternal sealing. Brigham Young declared, “The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy.”

Noal's journey is a testament to the incredible courage it takes to choose authenticity over acceptance. For 30 years, he lived a carefully constructed life—checking every Mormon box from baptism to temple marriage, from mission to fatherhood—all while knowing deep inside who he truly was. He gave everything he had to be loved and accepted by his family and church, performing the role expected of him with dedication and sacrifice.

In the spring of 1978, 47 years ago to the day, there was a "Days of ‘47" parade for Pioneer Day in Salt Lake City. At the time the parade was planned, the church continued its unpopular priesthood ban on black members of the church. The ban was lifted weeks before the parade occurred, but during the planning stages, the Salt Lake Branch of the NAACP quietly advanced one of the most symbolically powerful acts of local protest against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ ban on Black men holding the priesthood.

When members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints begin questioning their beliefs or choose to leave the faith, a common reaction from church leaders and apologists is to attempt to explain why—often without actually asking those who have left. Instead of listening to real stories, they offer narratives that serve to protect the institution. This pattern is evident in a recent comment by popular LDS apologist Jared Halverson, who featured in a Faith Matters short.

A BYU Studies article, Priesthood Restoration Documents (BYU Studies, Volume 35, Number 4, 1996), attempts to compile and legitimize the historical claims surrounding the restoration of the priesthood in Mormonism. While the compilation appears scholarly on the surface, the conclusion it draws is apologetic rather than academic. The piece says one thing, but the data says another. We can see this from the first sentence, "a suprisingly large number of early Church documents impressively record crucial details about the restoration of both the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods."

Doctrine and Covenants sections 13, 20, 27, 84, and 107 contain significant revelations related to the Restoration of the gospel and the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Section 13 discusses the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood, Section 20 outlines the foundational principles and ordinances of the Church, Section 27 focuses on the sacrament and receiving revelation, Section 84 details the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood, and Section 107 provides instruction on the duties of priesthood quorums.

In Rough Stone Rolling, respected Mormon historian Richard Lyman Bushman examines the origins of the Mormon priesthood narrative. What he finds should give every faithful truth-seeker pause. The church teaches that in 1829, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were visited by angelic messengers and ordained to the priesthood, first by John the Baptist on May 16, to receive the Aaronic Priesthood, and then on an unspecified date in 1829, presumably later in May, by Peter, James, and John to receive the Melchisedek Priesthood.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that in May 1829, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were busy translating the Book of Mormon and were curious about the authority to baptize. They went to ask God and were visited by a heavenly messenger, John the Baptist, who conferred upon them the Aaronic Priesthood, which is the modern-day authority to baptize individuals into the church.