Nov 082023
 

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:11–17)

When we secure the belt of truth around our waists, there are six areas of truth that we must know and understand:

  • Truth about the Godhead
  • Truth about Scripture and doctrine
  • Truth about who we are
  • Truth about who the enemy is
  • Truth as pertains to reality
  • Truth in the Inward Parts

Check out this episode!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly About Church Today

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Jul 272022
 

What happened to the modern Christian Church? Things have changed in the last couple decades going from genuine worship and focus on Jesus to concert-style music and feel-good messages. Are we being led down a primrose path to destruction? We were saved to do good works that God prepared in advance for us to do. A gospel that requires nothing of its followers is not good news!

Check out this episode!

Jul 192022
 

Finding a church can be difficult for those leaving Mormonism. Fear and uncertainty are the biggest roadblocks. It’s helpful to have an understanding of what “church” is and what it isn’t. It’s time to move away from pablum and pious platitudes. We need pastors who study and can “rightly divide the word of truth.”

Check out this episode!

Dealing with Toxic People

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Jun 072018
 

If you’re able to walk away from the LDS Church with the support of family and friends, count yourself among the lucky ones. Most individuals leaving the Church get pushback of some kind from Mormon relatives and acquaintances. While you can expect resistance, negative reactions, heated arguments, awkward conversations, and strained relationships, what should you do if things turn toxic? How do you set boundaries to protect yourself and your family?

Check out this episode!

Throwing Baby Jesus Out with the Bathwater | Leaving Mormonism, Regaining Faith

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Dec 132017
 

Leaving Mormonism doesn’t have to mean losing faith. It isn’t necessary to throw Baby Jesus out with the Mormon bathwater. Coming to grips with whether or not God is real and relevant is a challenge facing ex-Mormons. They exit a false paradigm and consequently are fearful of being deceived again. It seems less painful to choose unbelief rather than take the chance of being hurt by religion again. But what if God (not the god of Mormonism; but the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) really exists and you could have a joyful, authentic relationship with him? And what if the evidence isn’t based on subjective feelings?

Check out this episode!

Leaving Mormonism – Leading with Love

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Jun 182015
 

The Apostle Paul wrote, “If possible, and to the extent that it depends on you, live in peace with all people.” Tracy discusses the importance of transparency and patience with loved ones as you make the transistion out of Mormonism. In the words of leadership expert Simon Sinek, “Good leaders make you feel safe.” When your active LDS family members feel safe around you, remarkable things can happen. In the conclusion of this series, you will be encouraged to know that God is FOR you, not against you, as you go through the process of leaving the Church. The basis for the series on Leaving Mormonism is the Kindle book, “Confessions of an ex-Mormon: What I Wish I Knew When I Left the Church” (available on Amazon).

Check out this episode!

Nov 192014
 

I learned that Joseph Smith had many wives when I was in seminary at Provo High School in the 1970’s. It bothered me, but I figured if the Church is true we would just have to accept certain doctrines whether we liked them or not or understood them or not. It was the same with the teaching that Heavenly Father came down and had sexual intercourse with Mary, the mother of Jesus. I clearly remember sitting in my seminary class in 10th grade. The teacher said that Jesus was the “literal” son of Heavenly father and was conceived in the same way that the rest of us were. I was mortified. Just to clarify and make sure I understood him correctly, I went up after class and asked,

“Brother Tanner, are you saying that…well, you know…that Heavenly Father came down and, well, you know,” I felt my cheeks turning red, “that he ‘did it’ with Mary?”

“That’s right,” the teacher replied. “But there was nothing immoral about it. Mary was set apart as one of Heavenly Father’s wives in the preexistence.”

“But What about Joseph?” My mind was reeling. That poor man! Spending his life with Mary for “time only,” while in the eternities she would be given back to Heavenly Father.

“We don’t have to worry about that,” Brother Tanner said. “It will all be worked out when this life is over.”

My eyes welled up with tears, and as soon as I got out the door of the seminary building I ran across the lawn behind the school, weeping. “How can this be?” I cried out in silent prayer. “Heavenly Father, please help me understand!” The thought that maybe the Church wasn’t true struck me, and I was suddenly gripped with fear. What if I had made the biggest mistake of my life by becoming a Mormon?

For days I was in turmoil. Fast & Testimony Meeting Sunday approached, and when it came I heard affirmation after affirmation by all the people I respected as they testified of the truthfulness of the gospel. I felt comforted at last. I decided to put Jesus’ conception on a mental shelf tucked carefully away in the back of my mind. If the Church was true then all the things I didn’t understand at present would be sorted out in the afterlife. Polygamy was one of those issues.

The seminary program rotated the curriculum over a four-year period, so from ninth through twelfth grades students would learn about the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants/Pearl of Great Price, Old Testament, and New Testament. During the year we studied the D&C I learned about Joseph Smith’s polygamy and how Emma had a hard time coming to terms with it. I was taught that Joseph himself was loathe to take on other wives, but that an angel with a drawn flaming sword threatened to take his life if he didn’t obey God and live the principle of plural marriage. I felt sorry for him and Emma both.

Over the years we didn’t hear much about Joseph Smith’s polygamy. The knowledge of it was always bubbling under the surface, and on the rare occasions when it was brought up in a Sunday school or Relief Society lesson it was always spoken in somber and reverential tones. If the Prophet Joseph Smith wasn’t too happy about having to have more than one wife, then we shouldn’t be happy discussing it. That was our inference.

Brigham Young and his 50-something wives was a different story altogether. It was almost an enjoyable narrative to discuss, as it was easy to imagine President Young compassionately marrying as many pioneer widows as possible, whose husbands had perished on the plains. Of course, I secretly harbored the thought that he could have just provided for them instead of marrying them, which would have been the nobler thing to do; giving to someone that you know can’t give back. Otherwise it appeared too gauche: I’ll take care of you as long as you put out once every 53 days.

I knew a lot about the Church’s history and the foibles of its leaders. I knew they weren’t perfect and didn’t expect them to be. Maybe a cut above the rest of us; after all, they were so valiant in the preexistence that they were sent down to earth to be the great leaders of The Restoration. The Church told us not to expect perfection from its leaders, although we were warned never to speak ill of them. The truth was they were human too. But that’s only half the story.

It wasn’t the half-truths (the half that I was told) that made me leave the Church. It was the other half, the untold half that caused me to realize that Mormonism is not the Way, the Truth, and the Life that leads to reconciliation with God. The Mormon Church, for all the good it may have done over the last couple centuries, is simply a religion that began in the imagination of a man named Joseph Smith and evolved into a massive organization ran by men whose ideals got confused somewhere along the way.

The history shows that Mormonism was never based on truth. It began with a con about Gold Plates that (conveniently) got taken up to heaven, that were never actually seen by the physical eyes of the Three Witnesses, but rather with their “spiritual eyes” (in other words they imagined it).

You see, as members of the Church we were told one thing, but the reality was another.

  • The Urim and Thummim? Smith buried his face in his hat.
  • The angel Moroni? The original story was the angel Nephi.
  • Joseph had a few wives? 40 to be exact, including a 14-year-old and other men’s wives.
  • The Temple Ceremony? Lifted from the Masons.
  • American Indians descended from Jews? DNA proves otherwise.
  • Book of Abraham written by the Patriarch Abraham himself? Uh, not.
  • Early Mormons persecuted? Yes, after doing some pretty horrendous things first.

I didn’t leave the Church because of the things I was taught; I left over the things I wasn’t. When I found out the details they weren’t telling me, they denied it despite the evidence, like a five year old insisting he didn’t get into the cookies when there are crumbs all over his shirt and remnants of chocolate chips in his teeth. And when I got the courage to point out that “the emperor had no clothes,” they demonized me and threatened to excommunicate me simply for speaking the truth.

To those Mormons who are now questioning, whose faith has been shaken, I implore you to do your own research. The Church lied to you about many things; how can you trust that their new “transparency” (think “Perestroika and Glasnost”) is really all that transparent?

Oct 282014
 

Lies

The expression, “There are three kinds of lies: Lies, damned lies, and statistics,” made popular by Mark Twain[1] was given a twist by a judge who postulated there are three kinds of witnesses: “Liars, damned liars, and experts.”[2] Given the recent admission—or shall I say confession—by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that its founder Joseph Smith took teenage brides as young as 14, as well as married other’s men’s wives, one has to wonder what else the organization and its expert apologists have been less than forthright about.

For decades (or longer) BYU’s paid-apologists have excoriated and cast aspersions on those who vocalized concerns about or publicized accounts of Joseph Smith’s polygamous marriages, especially if the information came from non- or ex-Mormons. LDS historians who published scholarly work detailing discrepancies in the Church’s doctrines or added true color to its white-washed history have been excommunicated or disfellowshipped for their candor (example, the “September Six”).[3] Even though crow-pie should be on the menu at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship cafeteria, the Church’s new essay entitled Plural Marriage in Nauvoo will have to do.

Up until now, the majority of devout Mormons (and more so the younger generations) were unaware that by 1844, the year Joseph Smith was killed by a mob, he had accumulated roughly 33 wives; 11 between the ages of 14 and 20, and another 11 concurrently married to other men. The leader was 38 years old when he took 14-year-old Helen Mar Kimball to wife. This was after he tried getting Helen’s father, Heber C. Kimball, to surrender his wife Vilate to him. Kimball refused, until Smith commanded him “in the name of the Lord” to do so.[4] When Kimball presented his wife to the Mormon prophet, Smith declared it was only an “Abrahamic test.” Perhaps Smith had his eye on Helen all along and figured Kimball would gladly give his daughter’s hand in marriage after nearly losing his own wife. To make the marriage proposal more attractive, the prophet promised eternal life for the Kimball family if they would accept. In Helen’s own words, Smith came to her house,

[and explained] the principle of Celestial marrage [sic]…After which he said to me, ‘If you will take this step, it will ensure your eternal salvation & exaltation and that of your father’s household & all of your kindred.’[5]

Although uncommon, it wasn’t unheard of for a 14-year old girl to marry in the 19th century; however, a 14-year-old girl marrying a 38-year-old man would certainly have raised eyebrows. As others online have observed, I, too, find it interesting that whenever LDS prophets, apostles, and apologists describe Joseph Smith at the time of his First Vision experience, it’s as:

  • A 14-year-old boy
  • Being very tender of years
  • Only 14 years old
  • Young boy
  • So young
  • Youth of 14
  • Young lad
  • A boy, a mere lad

Incongruously, Kimball is described more like an adult, marrying Smith “several months before her 15th birthday” and that “some women married in their mid-teens” (emphasis mine).[6] At least the Church is (finally) being more honest than its founder, who vehemently denied having plural wives all the while being a practicing polygamist;

What a thing it is for a man to be accused of committing adultery, and having seven wives, when I can only find one.[7]

Additionally, Smith lied repeatedly to his first wife, Emma, about his other marriages, urging his plural wives to keep secret or to participate in cover-ups. The Church speculates in its essay that not all of Smith’s marriages were consummated, somewhat akin–in my opinion–to former president Bill Clinton insisting he didn’t inhale while smoking weed. 

Two sets of sisters had been “adopted” into the Smith family as foster children when their parents died (Emily and Eliza Partridge, ages 16 and 20 respectively; and Sarah and Maria Lawrence, ages 16 and 18). Smith soon married them, unbeknownst to Emma. His first plural wife was 16-year-old Fanny Alger, who was a hired servant in the Smith home.[8] Smith’s counselor, friend, and confidante Oliver Cowdery referred to Smith’s relationship with Alger as a “dirty, filthy, nasty affair.”[9]

There are many good, reliable sources that go in-depth on the polygamous marriages of Joseph Smith. One such source is the well-documented book In Sacred Loneliness by LDS researcher Todd Compton, a practicing Latter-day Saint. Information can also be researched through the Church’s genealogy library.

My article isn’t so much to inform as it is to point out that ex-Mormons, so-called anti-Mormons and apostates have finally been vindicated. The issue of Smith’s polyandry was a deal-breaker for me when I was in the process of finding out that Mormonism wasn’t what it claimed to be. There were many troubling issues that I just couldn’t reconcile, but the fact that the revered Prophet Joseph Smith took young teenage brides and women already married to other men as his own wives was the final nail in Mormonism’s coffin. I could no longer believe he was a true prophet of God.

For the last 14 years whenever I’ve brought up Smith’s polyandry to my LDS family and friends, I’ve been told I was mistaken or misled. When I wrote about it in articles, Mormons who don’t know me have sent emails calling me not only a liar, but a damned liar at that. That hurts. It’s awful to be pitied by loved ones and scorned by strangers too scared, stubborn, or unwilling to look at the evidence. I’m not holding my breath for any apologies. Sometimes it just feels good to say “I told you so.”

References:

[1] Retrieved from http://www.twainquotes.com/Statistics.html
[2]  Attributed to Lord Young, as quoted from A Time to Keep (1934) by Dr. Halliday Sutherland.
[3] Haglund, David. The Case of the Mormon Historian. Retrieved from http://www.slate.com/articles/life/faithbased/2012/11/d_michael_quinn_and_mormon_excommunication_the_complicated_life_of_a_mormon.html
[4] Life of Heber C. Kimball. Retrieved from https://archive.org/stream/lifeofheberckimb00whitrich#page/335/mode/1up
[5] Retrieved from http://www.wivesofjosephsmith.org/26-HelenMarKimball.htm
[6] Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/topics/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo?lang=eng
[7] History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 411.
[8] http://www.wivesofjosephsmith.org/02-FannyAlger.htm
[9] Compton, Todd. In Sacred Loneliness. Pp. 26-28, 34-35, 38-39

Sep 042014
 

God just wants you to be happy. Did you ever hear that before? God just wants your life to be roses, ribbons, strawberry ice cream, puppies, and kittens. And a Mercedes. And a mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut’s Golden Triangle. Oh, and if you’re not moving rapidly ahead in acquiring those material “blessings,” it’s because you don’t have enough faith or because you haven’t sent in enough “seed money” to certain ministries. Yes, my friends, God’s sole reason for being is to make your life all unicorns and rainbows. If God could borrow a phrase from Chris Matthews, he might say “I feel this thrill going up my leg every time I see a happy person. If I had a leg.”

The latest absurdity coming out of Christianity’s “Prosperity Central” was Victoria Osteen’s commentary on what brings pleasure to God.

I just want to encourage every one of us to realize when we obey God; we’re not doing it for God. I mean, that’s one way to look at it, but we’re doing it for ourselves because God takes pleasure when we’re happy. That’s the thing that gives him the greatest joy this morning. I want you to know this morning, just do good for your own self. Do good ‘cos God wants you to be happy. When you come to church, when you worship him, you’re not doing it for God—really; you’re doing it for yourself, because that’s what makes God happy. Amen?[1]

The Bible tells a different story about what gives God joy. It tells of heroes and villains, saints and sinners, the rich and the poor, the healthy and the diseased, and there is a thread running through the lives of all these people and through the Biblical narrative as well. It’s that God delights in our obedience. He takes pleasure in sinners who repent and turn to Him. God’s divine purpose isn’t to make us happy and comfortable in worldly pursuits; rather, it’s to shape (conform) us to the image of his Son who submitted to the Father in all things. Let’s address four points brought up in Osteen’s remarks.

Obedience

What is the reason for obedience to Torah (God’s teachings, his instruction)? Do we obey to please God or to please ourselves? Should our motive for obedience be God-centered or self-centered? Does God want us to fill ourselves with worldly gratifications or empty ourselves of our fleshly desires?

Do nothing out of rivalry or vanity; but, in humility, regard each other as better than yourselves – look out for each other’s interests and not just for your own. Let your attitude toward one another be governed by your being in union with the Messiah Yeshua: Though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God something to be possessed by force. On the contrary, he emptied himself, in that he took the form of a slave by becoming like human beings are. And when he appeared as a human being, he humbled himself still more by becoming obedient even to death… (Philippians 2:3-8, CJB).

Does ADONAI take as much pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying what ADONAI says? Surely obeying is better than sacrifice, and heeding orders than the fat of rams. (1 Samuel 15:22, CJB).

ADONAI takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who wait for his grace. (Psalm 147:4, CJB)

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13, CJB)

Can obedience to God’s commandments bring us happiness? It brings something that transcends happiness. It brings us a peace—a “Shalom”—that is different from the peace offered by the world. Worldly peace is merely an absence of conflict. A person can live without external conflict and yet be in turmoil on the inside. The peace that God gives is far greater! It brings a sense of well-being and feeling God’s very presence even in the midst of external turmoil. Obedience to God should be born out of love for him; not a duty to fulfill out of expectation of reward.

Doing Good

What does Victoria Osteen mean by “just do good for your own self?” Does she mean we should treat ourselves well because we deserve it? To be fair, her husband Joel posted an article on his website about finding “somebody to be good to everyday.” He wrote, “Friend, you are never more like God than when you give. You’re never more like God than when you take time for people, than when you do something to bless someone else.”[2] Not everything that comes out of the mouths of the Osteen’s is bad or crazy or false. But usually when they do say something that goes against Biblical teachings it’s a whopper, as in the case of Victoria’s comments about doing good for self, obeying God for self, and worshiping for self. It’s a rather hedonistic approach to “living for God.”

Why should we do good deeds? Because we are God’s “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10, NASB). The purpose isn’t give-something-to-get-something. We are to do good deeds for the purpose of being light to a world darkened by sin, so that eyes and hearts will turn to God and give him praise (Matthew 5:16).

He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8 NASB)

For he will pay back each one according to his deeds. To those who seek glory, honor and immortality by perseverance in doing good, he will pay back eternal life. But to those who are self-seeking, who disobey the truth and obey evil, he will pay back wrath and anger. (Romans 2:6-8)

Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:4)

And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. (Hebrews 13:16)

Worship

God doesn’t need our worship. He is totally sufficient, secure, and fulfilled without it. That being said, true worship changes us. It changes us because it draws our hearts and thoughts toward God. It cultivates a spirit of gratitude. It venerates the One who has given us so much. Worship is a proper response to the God who sustains our every breath.

Give ADONAI his due, you who are godly; give ADONAI his due of glory and strength; give ADONAI the glory due his name; worship ADONAI in holy splendor. (Psalm 29:1-2)

A psalm of thanksgiving: Shout for joy to ADONAI, all the earth! Serve ADONAI with gladness. Enter his presence with joyful songs. Be aware that ADONAI is God; it is he who made us; and we are his, his people, the flock in his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, enter his courtyards with praise; give thanks to him, and bless his name. For ADONAI is good, his grace continues forever, and his faithfulness lasts through all generations. (Psalm 100:1-5, CJB)

Happiness

What makes God happy? One sinner that repents. Keeping his commandments. Loving justice. Showing mercy.

ADONAI takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who wait for his grace. (Psalm 147:4, CJB)

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13, CJB)

Far more blessed (happy) are those who hear the word of God and obey it! (Luke 11:28)

The prosperity gospel—preached by many within Western Christianity—isn’t the “Good News” at all. It centers on self. It exalts humans by giving their words mystical power to create forces of good and evil. It feeds the lust of the eyes and pride of life by promising materialistic blessings. It induces a hunger that is never satisfied for an accumulation of wealth. It makes us slaves to our appetites.

No, God’s goal isn’t to make us happy. It’s to make us like Jesus, who set aside his own desires for that of his Father’s. He lived a life of self-sacrifice to meet the needs of others. Eventually, God will indeed bless us with everlasting happiness—his gift to those who repent and believe. But this life is one of struggle and testing, not unicorns and rainbows with pots of gold at the ends. If we don’t understand that and come to terms with it, inner peace and joy will elude us.

 

CJB= Complete Jewish Bible, translator David H. Stern

NASB= New American Standard Bible, Lockman Foundation

References:

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koIBkYl0cHk

[2] Osteen, J. (n.d.) The gift everybody needs. Joel Osteen Ministries. https://www.joelosteen.com/Pages/Article.aspx?articleid=6526

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