Unveiling Mormonism

In this episode we explain the CES Letter—an 84-page document detailing major historical, textual, and scientific discrepancies within LDS history. For many, reading these facts feels like a sudden punch to the gut, causing their entire identity, family dynamic, and spiritual framework to crumble. Rather than retreating into fear, bitterness, or total secularism, this episode offers a compassionate and intellectually honest path forward. Guided by Paul's command in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 to "test everything... hold on to what is good," we examine the actual claims of the CES Letter, contrast the historical reliability of 19th-century Mormon claims with 1st-century biblical Christianity, and point listeners to an unshakeable, grace-filled foundation in the real Jesus of the Bible.

• Testing Truth Claims is a Biblical Mandate: 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (dokimazo) commands believers to test claims against verifiable evidence rather than shielding their eyes or relying solely on internal emotional feelings.
• The CES Letter's Impact: Synthesized existing academic research on Joseph Smith's translation methods (seer stone in a hat), Book of Mormon anachronisms and DNA evidence, the Book of Abraham papyri translations, and hidden polyandrous/teenage polygamy history.
• Structural Failure vs. Spiritual Reality: The historical breakdown of 19th-century Mormon restoration claims does not mean God has failed or that all religion is a scam.
• Biblical Testing Stand Up to Scrutiny: Unlike Book of Mormon claims, biblical events, locations, and historical figures are backed by extensive manuscript evidence and archaeological verification.
• From Transactional Performance to Free Grace: Salvation in Christ is not a ladder climbed through temple ordinances and human effort, but a finished gift (Tetelestai—"paid in full") received by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8–9).

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The Unveiling Mormonism podcast pulls back the curtain on Mormon history, culture and doctrine. Join us for new episodes every Monday.

Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org/mormonism.

Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.

Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.

Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at [email protected].

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Tired of treating your spiritual life like a doomed New Year's resolution? In this episode, we break down why the "try harder" cycle of spiritual growth always fails and uncover the radical truth behind 2 Peter 1:3: God has already given you everything you need to live a transformed, victorious life. Rather than relying on the fragile battery of human willpower or ancient Stoic self-reliance, true transformation happens when we stop striving in our own strength and step into the divine resources already deposited into our account. We dive deep into the three foundational keys provided by God—His indwelling Spirit, His objective Word, and His intentional Community—showing you how to anchor your faith, navigate internal spiritual battles, and walk out daily victory alongside others.

• The Willpower Trap: Spiritual growth is not produced by personal stamina or good intentions; trying to power a transformed life with human effort leads directly to exhaustion and guilt.
• Key 1: God’s Spirit (Internal Power): At salvation, God performs spiritual "open-heart surgery" (Ezekiel 36:26-27), replacing a cold, stubborn heart with a responsive one. Internal conflict with old habits isn't proof of failure—it's proof the Holy Spirit is actively working inside you.
• Key 2: God’s Word (Objective Anchor): Subjective feelings and impulses can deceive us. The Bible serves as our cockpit instrument panel (2 Timothy 3:16-17, Luke 6:46-48), providing the firm foundation and ultimate truth that keeps us from spiritual disaster.
• Key 3: God’s People (Communal Strength): Isolation is dangerous. Living out faith requires a community that gently restores, holds accountable, and helps bear life's heavy burdens (Galatians 6:1-2).

• 2 Peter 1:3 — "By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life."
• Ezekiel 36:26–27 — God’s promise of a new heart and an indwelling Spirit.
• Galatians 5:16–17, 24–25 — Navigating the conflict between the Spirit and the sinful nature.
• 2 Timothy 3:16–17 — The fourfold authority and utility of God’s Word.
• Luke 6:46–48 — The parable of the wise builder on the solid rock.
• Galatians 6:1–2 — Restoring others gently and bearing one another's burdens.

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The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you’re looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday.

Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.

Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.

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Notes

Growing up Mormon, Jared believed in Jesus—but he describes his relationship with him as feeling more like knowing a celebrity than knowing someone personally. He could read about Jesus, see pictures of him, and hear church leaders talk about him, but he never felt like he had direct access to him for himself. In this episode, Jared shares what it was like growing up deeply involved in the LDS Church and unpacks the journey that eventually led him out of Mormonism and into a personal relationship with Jesus.

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The Unveiling Mormonism podcast pulls back the curtain on Mormon history, culture and doctrine. Join us for new episodes every Monday.

Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org/mormonism.

Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.

Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.

Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at [email protected].

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Understanding the shift from receiving God's grace through faith to actively walking out a life that honors Him. While salvation is entirely a free gift, the very first step of obedience Jesus commands is a strange, ancient, wet ritual: baptism. This episode wrestles with the tension between grace and works, explores the rich 1st-century cultural backdrop of baptizo, and explains why getting wet in front of a crowd is the essential "early win" for every follower of Christ.

Key Takeaways

• Baptism Does Not Save You: Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Physical water cannot wash away moral guilt—only the Holy Spirit brings spiritual rebirth (Titus 3:5). The thief on the cross is the ultimate proof that baptism is not required to enter heaven.
• The Shift from Mikva'ot to Baptizo: Unlike Jewish ritual purification baths (mikva'ot) which were self-administered, repeatable maintenance routines, Christian baptism is passive (done to you) and a once-and-for-all declaration of permanent identity change—much like fabric fully saturated and recolored in dye (baptizo).
• The "Early Win" of Obedience: Just as military recruits practice making their beds at 0500 to build the muscle of immediate obedience, baptism serves as a simple, low-stakes step of faith. It trains believers to say "yes" to Jesus before facing harder, high-stakes sacrifices.
• The Wedding Ring of Faith: Baptism functions like a wedding band. Losing the ring doesn't make you single, but refusing to wear it reveals a heart issue. It is the outward, physical sign of an inward, relational covenant.

Scripture References

• Matthew 28:19 — The command to make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• Titus 3:5 — Salvation comes through God's mercy and spiritual regeneration, not righteous human deeds.
• Acts 8:36 — The Ethiopian eunuch's urgent response to be baptized immediately upon believing.
• Romans 6:3–4 — Being buried with Christ through baptism into death, and raised to walk in newness of life.

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The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you’re looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday.

Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.

Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.

Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.

Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at [email protected].

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"A sourdough breadcrumb trail led me right out of Mormonism and straight into the arms of the Bread of Life! It’s the hardest thing I've ever done, and it is without a doubt worth it. Take the time, do the research, and ask the questions. The truth will hold up to criticism. God wants our hard questions, and He is good and faithful, provides ample evidence, and doesn't expect blind faith. He knows everything we're struggling with, and when we truly surrender to Him, He changes everything."

In this episode, Bryan interviews Audrianna as they unpack her journey out of Mormonism and into a relationship with the Jesus of the Bible.

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The Unveiling Mormonism podcast pulls back the curtain on Mormon history, culture and doctrine. Join us for new episodes every Monday.

Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org/mormonism.

Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.

Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.

Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at [email protected].

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What is the difference between knowing about Jesus and actually being saved by Him? In this comprehensive episode of the PursueGOD Truth Podcast, Pastor Bryan tackles the single most defining question of human existence: What is saving faith? Many sincere people confuse historical awareness and intellectual agreement with true spiritual rebirth, remaining on the "sinking ship" of self-sovereignty despite knowing about the "lifeboat" of Christ. Moving through core biblical principles, this single-host deep dive dismantles religious myths, explores the primal motivation of God's love, unpacks the true heart of repentance, highlights the power of public confession, and celebrates the radical gift of pure grace—proving that no past is too dark and no faith is too fragile for God’s saving power.

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The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you’re looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday.

Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.

Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.

Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.

Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at [email protected].

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• Mental Assent is NOT Saving Faith: Agreeing that Jesus existed or died on a cross doesn't save you; you must move from intellectual agreement to active, personal trust.
• God’s Love is the Primal Motivation: Salvation originates in God’s unprompted love , not in human performance or transactional religious rituals.
• Repentance is a Mind Shift (Metanoia): Biblical repentance is not merely feeling guilty or regretful; it is a complete $180 degree turn away from self-sovereignty toward God.
• Confession Means Agreement (Homologeō): Declaring "Jesus is Lord" means saying the same thing God says about Jesus and yielding absolute allegiance to Him over every worldly power.
• Salvation is 100% Grace (Charis): Because humanity is spiritually dead in sin, salvation cannot be earned or partially paid for; it is an unmerited gift received through faith alone.
• Object Over Intensity: The safety of your salvation rests on the solid rock of Jesus—the object of your faith—not the emotional strength or intellectual perfection of your belief.

Kacy grew up in a 98% LDS community in Idaho, was baptized at eight, attended BYU-Idaho, married in the temple, and checked nearly every box of a faithful LDS life. But during COVID, questions about church leadership eventually pushed her to start searching for answers outside of Mormonism. As she began reading the Bible for herself, she wrestled with the Trinity, grace, and the identity of Jesus—and slowly realized that the Jesus she was discovering in Scripture was different from the one she had always known.

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The Unveiling Mormonism podcast pulls back the curtain on Mormon history, culture and doctrine. Join us for new episodes every Monday.

Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org/mormonism.

Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.

Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.

Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at [email protected].

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Note: Much of the content in this podcast can be found in show participant Ross Anderson’s book Understanding the Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon claims to be an ancient scripture that tells the story of God’s people in the American continent. It was engraved on gold plates and translated by Joseph Smith through the “gift and power of God.”

In fact, Smith claimed that “the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (History of the Church, 4:461).

LDS missionaries seek converts by urging them to read BoM and pray about its divine authenticity.

• Anachronism = events or objects that appear out of the proper time period in which one would expect them
• Synagogues
• Alma 16:13 = Nephite evangelists preached repentance in synagogues, “which were built after the manner of the Jews”
• Nephites were descended from Jews → were Jewish (according to story)
• But synagogues were not developed in Judaism until 400 years after Nephites left Jerusalem
• How could the writer have know HOW the Jews built their synagogues?
• Plants / Animals
• Mosiah 9:9 “And we began to till the ground, yea, even with all manner of seeds: with seeds of corn and of wheat and of barley.”
• Wheat and barley were brought to America by Europeans
• Sheep / goats / cattle / swine → introduced to America by Europeans
• Economy → use of money (coinage) vs. barter

• Since its publication, observers have noted that BoM contains many parallels to 19th c. American life
• Alexander Campbell: JS wrote into the BoM “every error and almost every truth discussed in New York for the last ten years”
• BoM decides all the great theological / social controversies of the age
• Reflects 19th c. theological & political themes
• Offers guidance on democracy, socialism, capitalism, various Protestant controversies like infant baptism, Calvinism, miracles, the fall of humankind, call to ministry, Unitarianism, etc
• Sermons by Nephite prophets echo closely the form & language of 19th c. evangelists
• Conversion experiences described in BoM are similar to spiritual awakenings commonly reported in American revival movement of early 1800s
• Why are the contents of an ancient work so closely tied to the concerns of one American generation?

• A View of the Hebrews (1823) by Ethan Smith (Read it here)
• Argued that Native Americans descended from lost 10 tribes of Israel
• This was a pretty common view in early 1800s
• BoM shares several thematic elements
• Extensive quotations from Isaiah
• The New World peopled from the Old World by long sea voyage
• A religious motive for that migration
• Migrants divided into civilized and uncivilized groups with long wars between them
• Eventual destruction of the civilized by the uncivilized
• Assumption that Native Americans are descended from these Israelite people
• Record a change of government from monarchy to republic
• Suggest the gospel was preached in ancient America
• It is unknown whether JS had access to a copy of View of the Hebrews
• But even if BoM was not directly inspired by it, the ideas expressed in it were common and popular in 19th century America; reflected in dozens of books
• History of the American Indians (1775) by James Adair
• Specific words and phrases describing Indian fortifications - same in both
• Many other parallels
• The Wonders of Nature (1825) by Josiah Priest
• Similarity in several passages → a pure coincidence?
• The Golden Pot (1827 eng trans), by ETA Hoffman
• Several alleged similarities in this story compared to the story of how the BoM / gold plates came forth

• Aspects of how the BoM interacts with the Bible → don’t reflect JS’s times
• KJV language = KJV translated in 1611, 210+ years before BoM
• English had changed quite a bit → compare reading American lit from that time
• Last of the Mohicans / The Scarlet Letter / Legend of Sleepy Hollow
• But BoM is written in full-on KJV style
• KJV the predominant translation → extremely wide circulation
• It was how Scripture sounded
• Why would BoM not reflect the common language of JS’s time?
• If not a conscious attempt to make it sound like Scripture
• BoM contains verbal parallels to the 1611 preface to KJV
• Words / phrases in the preface, but not in the KJV text of Bible
• Which, of course, ancient writers would not have had access to
• BoM has a timeline → approx dates when events took place
• Alma 12-13 (dates) draws heavily on the book of Hebrews
• A variety of BoM’s theological statements draw from / depend on interpretations already present in the NT
• Prophecies from 1-2 Nephi (600-5454 BC) about coming of Jesus Christ use language recorded in NT
• Reads more like a Xian doc vs a Jewish doc
• In a sense, these BoM prophecies know too much detail about Messiah - far more than OT prophets
• Suggests an author familiar with the fulfillment of the prophecies after the fact
• BoM version of Sermon on Mount
• Some changes are made: no ref to Pharisees
• But many issues in BoM version that presuppose 1st-century Jewish cultural / religious context
• Going 2 miles when forced to go 1
• The “jot and tittle” of Scripture
• “Dogs” as a metaphor for Gentiles
• Etc.
• Does the Bible have the same issues?
• The evidence of the Dead Sea Scrolls gives strong evidence of the reliability of the Bible

See: “What Are the Dead Seas Scrolls?”

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The Unveiling Mormonism podcast pulls back the curtain on Mormon history, culture and doctrine. Join us for new episodes every Monday.

Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org/mormonism.

Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.

Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.

Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at [email protected].

Donate Now

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Note: Much of the content in this podcast can be found in show participant Ross Anderson’s book Understanding the Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon claims to be an ancient scripture that tells the story of God’s people in the American continent.

LDS challenge: “Either the Book of Mormon is what the Prophet Joseph said it is, or this Church and its founder are false, a deception from the first instance onward…Joseph must be accepted either as a prophet of God or else as a charlatan of the first order…” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Christ and the New Covenant,” quoted in Ensign, September 2002, 14)

To accept BoM is to accept JS as a prophet, and everything that he stands for.

The Book of Mormon claims can be / should be tested. 1 Thess 5:21 “Test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good.”

• BoM claims to be an ancient record of American continent
• Featuring great cities, people at war
• Archaeology has failed to unearth any concrete evidence for BoM
• Inscriptional evidence → names carved into stone monuments
• Example: Sennacherib / Assyrians = names of Israel’s kings
• No BoM name every found
• Material remains → walls / foundations of ancient cities
• Plenty of ancient cities in America, but none that can be linked to BoM
• Example: BoM describes its people using gold, silver, iron, brass, copper
• The mining, smelting, and casting of metal ores requires special tools / complex processes which leave traces in the archaeological record
• Scholars generally agree: metallurgy not introduced into America until several centuries after the BoM story ends
• Animals → BoM mentions many different kinds of animals: cattle, sheep, goats, horses
• None have been found in any archaeological setting dating to BoM times
• Unlike deer, jaguar, peccary, tapir, other native species
• The horse have never been found depicted in any of 1000s of sample of art
• New world archaeology is still a young science
• Perhaps some day some artifact or inscription will be found to validate the BoM
• But so far, best LDS apologists can do = create aura of plausibility based on vague similarities
• By contrast, archaeology has repeatedly demonstrated the reliability of Bible: historically / geographically
• Use of metals as describe in Bible can be verified at many sites
• A person can visit the actual cities where Bible describes Jesus or Paul travelling
• British Museum (London)
• Massive stone panels from ancient Ninevah → cities in Bible are recorded there

Evidence for the reliability of the Bible: “Three Reasons to Trust the Bible”

• Traditional LDS understanding - based on BoM story → native Americans are descended from ancient Jews who left Jerusalem for America around 600 BC
• This is what JS taught → the most straightforward way to read the BoM text
• Mainstream science → all native Americans are of Asian origin
• Supported by extensive DNA sampling of American Indian populations
• Many current LDS scholars claim that most NA’s are of Asian descent
• While a small subset are of Semitic origin, descended from Lehi
• Idea is = Nephite & Lamanite civilizations described in BoM made up a very small % of total population of New World during BoM times
• LDS Church has acknowledged the challenges
• 1981 BoM: identifies Lamanites as “the principle ancestors of the American Indians”
• 2006 BoM: Lamanites “are among the ancestors of the American Indians”
• If BoM peoples were not alone in the Americas, it’s very surprising that BoM never mentions these large populations of other people
• In fact, no references to other peoples or nations, no accounts of Nephites evangelizing pagans, no polemics vs polytheism, idolatry, etc.

LDS Church Gospel Topics Essay: Book of Mormon and DNA Studies

• BoM contains extensive material in common with the Bible
• First type of shared content = simple repetition or direct quotation
• Including frequent phrases such as “it came to pass” and “verily, verily I say unto you”
• Second type = interpretive changes to a biblical text
• 2 Nephi 2:18 expands on the biblical account of Eve’s temptation (Gen 3:4-5)
• Third type = structural parallels to the Bible
• Includes literary forms, common motifs, character types, etc
• Conversion of Alma (Mos 27) has many features in common with Paul’s conversion (Acts 9)
• Point: in many cases, Nephite writers mimic wording from the NT
• A doc to which they would have had no access.
• All of this shared content raises the Q: does common material come from independent sources?
• Or did JS simply copy from the Bible?
• Case 1 = the Sermon on the Mount
• Jesus appears in BoM - apparently in 40 days after resurrection prior to ascension
• His public address in 3 Nephi 12-14 contains much in common with Matt 5-7
• Case 2 = BoM contains more than 19 complete chapters in common w/Isaiah
• Lehi’s people carried a copy of OT scriptures with them → source of quoted material
• Several lines of evidence suggest JS derived the Isaiah passages directly from KJV rather than an ancient source
• Example: biblical scholarship has advanced since KJV translation
• Many passages that were obscure in KJV in JS time are now more clear
• But some of the misunderstandings found in the KJV are also found in BoM
• Suggests a direct relationship between KJV / BoM
• Would not have been present in BoM’s quotes of Isaiah if the Isaiah text had originated in Lehi’s time, as the story claims
• How would translation problems from KJV find their way into BoM?
• The extensive content shared between KJV & BoM - and the nature of the parallels - creates strong impression that BoM was produced AFTER the KJV
• Of course, LDS apologists have answers for all of these objections
• The question is whether their answers are credible
• For loyal Mormons, the answers are convincing because they already have an existing commitment to the BoM
• Others, without that grid, are not convinced that BoM passes the test

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The Unveiling Mormonism podcast pulls back the curtain on Mormon history, culture and doctrine. Join us for new episodes every Monday.

Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org/mormonism.

Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.

Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.

Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at [email protected].

Donate Now

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Because the LDS Church claims to be led by divine revelation, major changes in doctrine are startling. If LDS prophets are led by God, one might expect current prophets to agree with previous ones. But the LDS principle of continuing revelation allows new “truths” to supersede past ones. Yet changes in LDS teachings raise the question of whether past prophets were wrong. And what will be said in 50 years about the prophets Mormons revere and obey today? With this in mind, consider some major changes in Mormon doctrine over the years.

The Book of Mormon expressly prohibits polygamy, Jacob 2:27-30: “There shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none.” The 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants (Section 101) agrees:

Inasmuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy: we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband, except in case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again.

Yet in the 1830s, Joseph Smith began exploring the possibility of polygamy. He formally (but secretly) introduced plural marriage in 1843. The doctrine was not embraced openly until 1852, when the Mormons were safely established in Utah. For the next 40 years, polygamy was taught as a requirement for the highest levels of heaven. By the 1880s, an estimated 20-30% of Mormon families practiced polygamy.

Yet polygamy was strongly rejected by the American public as a barbaric practice. The United States government applied increasingly stern measures against it. In 1887, the Edmunds-Tucker Act made polygamy a federal offense and authorized the seizure of LDS Church assets. Polygamous men were imprisoned. Families moved to Mexico and Canada, or went underground. Under pressure to preserve the Church from destruction at the hands of the United States government, LDS President Wilford Woodruff released a statement in 1890 - called “The Manifesto” - declaring his intention to submit to the laws of the land, and advising members of the Church to refrain from entering any illegal marriage. Even so, plural marriages continued to be performed in secret, until polygamy was completed forbidden by the LDS Church in 1904.

Many people, out of faithfulness to Joseph Smith, continued to practice polygamy outside the official LDS Church. Known as “fundamentalists”, several close-knit polygamous communities survive across the western United States to this day. They believe that the mainstream LDS Church is apostate, while they represent original Mormonism..

While plural marriage is now strictly forbidden in the LDS Church, it was never renounced as an eternal principle. The Church permits men to be married in LDS temples “for eternity” to more than one wife. In fact, the current LDS prophet, Russell M. Nelson, is eternally sealed to two women.

After being a mainstay of Mormonism for 50 years, polygamy was shelved so that the LDS Church could survive. But marriage laws in the United States have changed considerably since 1890. Polygamy is no longer prosecuted as a crime. Will LDS prophets reveal that faithful Mormons should practice plural marriage again?

The LDS Church’s Gospel Topics Essays:

Plural Marriage in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage

For decades, men of black African descent could not hold the LDS priesthood. (In Mormonism, priesthood is the authority to administer key ordinances in God’s name. No women have ever been allowed to hold this priesthood.)

In the 1800s, Mormonism, like most American religions, had a mixed report card on racism. Some early Mormons were pro-slavery, some anti-slavery, and some neutral. During Joseph Smith’s time, two black men were ordained to the LDS priesthood, although this privilege was later revoked. The Book of Mormon reflects the view that dark skin is a curse from God in response to spiritual depravity.

In the Utah period, Mormonism was marked by a demeaning attitude toward blacks. It was commonly taught, well into the 2oth century, that black skin was God’s curse on Cain (Genesis 4:11-15). In LDS thought, a great war in heaven divided God’s spirit children in the premortal existence. Those born black in this life were said to have been less valiant in that heavenly war. Brigham Young, the 2nd LDS Church President and Prophet, had a low view of blacks:

You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind. (Journal of Discourses: 7:290-291).

This is why interracial marriage was not allowed and social interaction between the races was officially discouraged well into the 1960s and 1970s. It is also the rationale for denying blacks the priesthood and not allowing them to receive temple ordinances.

Latter-day Saints will argue that the LDS position on blacks and the priesthood was not doctrine, but a matter of policy. Yet in 1949, the Church’s highest leaders spoke clearly against this view:

The attitude of the Church with reference to the Negroes remains as it has always stood. It is not a matter of the declaration of a policy but of direct commandment from the Lord, on which is founded the doctrine of the Church from the days of its organization, to the effect that Negroes may become members of the Church but that they are not entitled to the Priesthood at the present time. (Statement of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, August 17, 1949, Archives, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City.)

This changed in 1978, when LDS Prophet Spencer W. Kimball announced a revelation that allowed black men to receive the priesthood. Since then, the LDS Church has made several statements condemning racism. They have increased their missionary efforts in Africa and in black communities elsewhere.

We can rejoice that the LDS Church has officially turned away from the evil of racism. But were the LDS prophets in the 1850s right or wrong? Was the First Presidency in 1949 telling the truth? It’s good for any church to change policies that are wrong. But what does it say about a church that claims to be led by divine revelation?

The LDS Church’s Gospel Topics Essay: Race and the Priesthood

The historic position of Christianity, based on the Bible, is that there is only one God, who eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Latter-day Saints deny this idea of God. They envision a “Godhead” of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost who are not one God in three persons, but separate beings who are one in spirit, purpose, and glory. But their view of God has changed over the years.

The way God is depicted in the Book of Mormon is much closer to biblical Trinitarianism. Here is a sampling of just a few examples:

And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. (2 Nephi 31:21)

And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name; for behold, verily I say unto you, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one. (3 Nephi 11:27)

Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. (Ether 3:14)

Modern Latter-day Saints interpret statements about “one God” and Jesus being “the Father and the Son” in support of current LDS doctrine, but on the face of it, the language itself suggests otherwise.

In the decade after the Book of Mormon was published, the LDS idea of God continued to develop. The Lectures on Faith - published in 1835 as part of LDS scripture - asserted:

• That the Godhead consists of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Lecture 5, Paragraph 1)
• That there are two "personages", the Father and the Son, that constitute the "supreme power over all things" (Lecture 5, Paragraph 2)
• That the Father is a "personage of spirit, glory, and power" (Lecture 5, Paragraph 2)
• That the Son is a "personage of tabernacle" who "possess[es] the same mind with the Father; which Mind is the Holy Spirit" (Lecture 5, Paragraph 2)

Over time, the current LDS view of God emerged. Most modern Latter Day Saints would never accept the idea of a two "personage" Godhead, with the Father as a spirit and the Holy Spirit as the shared "mind" of the Father and the Son.

Biblical Christianity has certainly changed in its practices over the years. But the core doctrines that define the Christian faith are rooted in the stability of the unchanging Bible. Different interpretations of the Bible come and go in different eras, but the Bible is always the definitive standard against which any interpretation is measured. God continues to speak to his people today, not through the changing ideas of mortal prophets, but through his timeless word, the Bible.

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