Criticism of the Latter Day Saint movement

See also: Criticism of Religion and Anti-Mormonism

Protestors during an LDS general conference in 2006.

Criticism of Mormonism is the criticism of the Latter Day Saint movement, especially of the largest and most prominent group, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (hereafter referred to as the LDS Church). As defined here, criticism is an all-encompassing term referring to critical scrutiny of Mormon beliefs or practices, with reasons ranging from academic interest to religious motivations.

Criticism of Church's Prophet

Main article: Joseph Smith

Conflicting Accounts of the First Vision

Main article: First Vision

Critics claim that several contradictory accounts exist of the First Vision. There is evidence that Joseph Smith did not speak about the First Vision until a decade after it was said to have occurred. Furthermore, the first published account was published 22 years after it was said to have occurred, in 1842, shortly before Smith's death.

Some of the accounts only mention a visitation by an angel, while others are more grandiose. Smith's 1838 account, the current officially accepted account by the LDS church, speaks of a visitation by God and Jesus Christ as separate beings. The earliest known account written by Joseph Smith himself indicates a visitation by one personage, Jesus Christ. Other details of this account differ from the official version.

Mormon scholars claim that the varying accounts were intended for different audiences for different purposes, and as such Smith only spoke of the parts of the vision that were appropriate in that setting.

Failed Prophesies

Several of Joseph Smith's prophesies which he made "in the name of the Lord", never came true, including the following:

• A prediction that Christ would return to the Earth in 1891
• The mission of David Patton, who died before he could fulfill the prophesy
• The overthrow of the United States government and breakup of Congress for the wrongs committed on the Saints in Missouri
• The finding of Treasure in Salem, Massachusets
• Pestilence, Hail, Famine & Earthquake to Destroy the Wicked in the United States within the lifetime of the generation of Joseph Smith

Critics allege that this is proof that he was not a true prophet.

Joseph Smith as a "Money Digger"

Main article: Early life of Joseph Smith, Jr. § Work_as_a_treasure_seeker_and_marriage_to_Emma_Hale

Joseph Smith is known to have been a treasure hunter or "money digger". He claimed to use a variety of methods to find treasure, including revelation through seer stones, and divining rods. In 1971, evidence was found that Joseph Smith was was arrested, tried, and found guilty by a justice of the peace in Bainbridge, New York, in 1826 for his alleged money digging cons.

Critics allege that this is evidence that Joseph Smith was a con man, and his invention of the Mormon religion was an extension of this behavior in order to gain money, women, and power.

Criticism of sacred texts

The Book of Abraham

Main article: Book of Abraham

Both non-LDS and LDS Egyptologists and scholars have argued that translations of surviving papyri that are believed to be portions of the source of the Book of Abraham are completely unrelated to the content of the book's text. Joseph Smith came into the possession of several Egyptian papyri, from which he claimed to translate the Book of Abraham, part of of the modern Pearl of Great Price. The papyri were lost for many years, but in the late 1960s portions of the papyri were discovered, accompanied by a bill of sale from Emma Smith (Smith's wife). The extant papyri, as well as the facsimiles preserved by Smith in the Pearl of Great Price, have been translated by modern Egyptologists, and have been conclusively shown to be common Egyptian funerary documents unrelated to the content of the Book of Abraham.

The Kinderhook Plates

Main article: Kinderhook Plates

Critics, including Fawn Brodie, the Tanners, and the Institute of Religious Research also call Smith's ability to translate into question by pointing to an event involving the Kinderhook plates, which were a set of six small, bell-shaped pieces of brass with strange engravings "discovered" in 1843 in an Indian mound near Kinderhook, Illinois. Designed to appear ancient, the plates were in fact a forgery created by three men (Bridge Whitten, Robert Wiley, and Wilburn Fugate) in Kinderhook who were hoping to trick Latter Day Saints (Mormons), whose headquarters at the time were in nearby Nauvoo.

In what is presumed to have been a statement made directly by Joseph Smith, page 372 of the History of the Church (DHC) reads: "I [Joseph Smith] have translated a portion of them, and find they contain the history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the Ruler of heaven and earth".

Mormon apologists dispute the statement made by Smith in the History of the Church, claiming it was actually a statement written by William Clayton, Smith's scribe.

Criticisms of the Book of Mormon

Archaeology

Main article: Archaeology and the Book of Mormon

Critics argue that aspects of the Book of Mormon narrative do not agree with modern archaeology and that mainstream archaeologists and anthropologists view the Book of Mormon as a work of fiction. The Book of Mormon contains detailed accounts of the lives of peoples that reportedly traveled from the Middle East and settled in the Americas around 600 BC. According to David Persuitte, the following accounts in the Book of Mormon are disputed by modern science:

• There were pre-Columbian peoples that were white, literate, had knowledge of Old World languages, and possessed Old World derived writing systems. (E.g. 1 Nephi 13:23 et. seq.)
• They smelted metal and made tools and weapons of iron, steel, and brass. (E.g. Ether 7:9, 10:23)
• They owned domesticated horses and cattle (see Horses in the Book of Mormon).
• They possessed chariots. (E.g. Alma 18:9-12)
• The people covered the "entire land."

Genetics

Main article: Genetics and the Book of Mormon

Critics claim that the conventional Mormon view that Native Americans are solely descended from Hebrews in Jerusalem is inconsistent with findings from the science of genetics. In the late 1990s scientists developed techniques to use genetic markers to determine the ethnic background and history of individual people. Thus, it is possible to compare genetic evidence of the ethnic background of Native Americans with hypotheses of the origin of Book of Mormon peoples. The Book of Mormon suggests that most or all Native Americans descend from mideast peoples. Studies show that Native Americans have very distinctive DNA genetic markers inconsistent with this hypothesis. Most genetic studies show show strong relations between Native Americans and Siberian peoples. However, the New World migration model is still a heavily debated topic.

Apologists counter that this takes an overly simplistic approach to a complex problem, and that so many factors confound the approach and data that DNA evidence put forth thus far would not stand up under peer review. In addition, these DNA tests challenge only one of several theories of Native American origins held among Mormons. The limited geography model, for example, leaves the door open for other peoples to inhabit the Americas concurrent with Book of Mormon civilization.

Linguistics

Main article: Linguistics and the Book of Mormon

Critics contend that certain linguistic properties of the Book of Mormon provide evidence that the book was written by Joseph Smith, rather than obtained from divine sources. For example, the book contains linguistic similarities to the King James Bible. In some cases, passages of scripture are duplicated in the Book of Mormon. Sometimes the source is acknowledged, as in the book of 2 Nephi, where 18 chapters of Isaiah are quoted. The English text is copied nearly verbatim from the Authorized Version, with minor changes in the majority of verses. In other cases, the source is not acknowledged, as in the case of seemingly anachronistic borrowings. The use of such references is explained by the LDS as direct or indirect citations from the Brass Plates - a compiled source of all the known prophets at that date, which is very similar to the Bible, while including several other unknown books.

Comparison to View of the Hebrews

Main article: View of the Hebrews

Critics state that the Book of Mormon, published in 1830, contains many concepts that are identical or nearly identical to those found in an earlier book, View of the Hebrews which was published in 1823, leading to them to conjecture that Smith did not receive the Book of Mormon from divine sources, but rather wrote it himself, partially plagiarizing the earlier work.

B.H. Roberts (1857-1933), a prominent LDS scholar and apologist for the Book of Mormon, wrote "Book of Mormon Difficulties: A Study," later published as Studies of the Book of Mormon., in which he noted various parallels, including:

• extensive quotation from the prophecies of Isaiah in the Old Testament.
• the Israelite origin of the American Indian
• the future gathering of Israel and restoration of the Ten Lost Tribes
• the peopling of the New World from the Old via a long journey northward which encountered "seas" of "many waters"
• a religious motive for the migration
• the division of the migrants into civilized and uncivilized groups with long wars between them and the eventual destruction of the civilized by the uncivilized
• the assumption that all native peoples were descended from Israelites and their languages from Hebrew
• the burial of a sacred book
• the description of extensive military fortifications with military observatories or "watch towers" overlooking them
• a change from monarchy to republican forms of government
• the preaching of the gospel in ancient America.

Credibility of witnesses

Main article: Three Witnesses

Critics claim that, contrary to the LDS Church's teachings, there is evidence that the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon (Marting Harris, Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmer) denied their testimonies in later life, or made statements that cast doubt as to the sincerity of their testimony. By the time of Joseph Smith's death, all of the Three Witnesses had left the LDS church, calling into question the authenticity of their testimonies. Harris and Cowdery later returned to the fellowship of the church, although the sincerity of their conversion is disputed.

According to a letter by former Mormon church leader Stephen Burnett, Martin Harris denied that he had seen the plates with his naked eyes, and that the Eight witnesses never saw them and hesitated to sign their testimony. Historical evidence also exists that Oliver Cowdery renounced his testimony of the Book of Mormon. Additionally, David Whitmer made statements which cause critics to question the sincerity of his testimony.

Martin Harris and Oliver Cowdery later rejoined the Mormon church after years of estrangement. However, the sincerity of their conversions is disputed.

A report in the Des Moines Daily News of October 16, 1886 noted "Whitmer entertains no doubt whatever that this singular action upon the part of Harris was wholly chargeable to the enfeebled condition of his mind..." An interviewer reported that, when asked why he had rejoined the church and taken the Mormon Temple endowments, Harris responded that "his only motive was to see what was going on in there."

Additionally, in The Gospel Herald, November 1, 1849, the following comments about Oliver Cowdery's rebaptism appeared: "It was a singular mania by which he was led off after them, and seems to have lasted him but a few weeks....they would not trust power in his hands a single moment." Cowdery died in the home of David Whitmer. Whitmer stated that Cowdery "died believing as I do today," which included a belief that Joseph was a fallen prophet, and that the Doctrine and Covenants contained false revelations.

Apologists respond that, while the three witnesses each believed Smith was a fallen prophet, they also each believed he was a "true" prophet up to a certain point in time, including the time in which he translated the Book of Mormon.

Criticisms related to Christianity

Main article: Mormonism and Christianity

Mormonism claimed to be a cult

Critics sometimes refer to Mormonism as a cult, citing historical events such as the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Apologists respond that critics use subjective definitions of the term cult in "order to further [the critics'] message."

Mormons and the Trinity

Main article: Godhead (Latter Day Saints)

Mormons have been criticized for rejecting the traditional Christian concept of the Trinity formally defined between the 4th and 6th centuries (see Nicene Creed and Athanasian Creed). Mormons believe that God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three different beings united in purpose, love, and perfection; they also believe that the Father (and Christ after his resurrection) has a physical body (see Godhead (Latter Day Saints)). In contrast, Trinitarian theology teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three different persons united in substance (or essence), that the Father does not have a physical body, and that Jesus first assumed a physical body when he was born of the virgin Mary, though he was coeternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

LDS doctrines have been criticized based on some individuals' interpretations of the Bible, often citing Isaiah 43:10, in which God declares: "before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me." Jews and Christians have traditionally interpreted this and similar passages to mean there is, was, and will be only one God. The Mormon response to this criticism argues that a possible alternate reading of this chapter is that God may be saying that no other God will ever take his place. They argue that this alternate reading does not result in a Biblical contradiction of Isaiah with the Lord in Psalms 82:6 or John 10:34.

Orthodox defense of the Trinity against Mormonism focuses on the doctrine of Divine unity, citing passages such as the Shema Yisrael. The LDS understanding of unity derives in part from the Gospel of John in the Holy Bible, specifically John 17:20-23, but more prominently (as with many doctrines in the Church), it is derived from teachings of modern Prophets and Apostles throughout the history of the Church and revelations contained in other Latter Day Saint scriptures.

Salvation

Main article: Perfection (Latter Day Saints)

See also: Plan of Salvation

Evangelical Christians criticize Mormons' basis of salvation. Along with Catholics, Mormons hold that there is no such thing as exaltation without work, based upon James 2:14-26. This is echoed in the Gospel of Matthew 7:21:

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Some Christian denominations hold instead that salvation is reached through faith alone. For example, in an article not specifically directed against Mormonism, John F. MacArthur said:

There are many who make justification dependent on a mixture of faith and works... This was the error of the Galatian legalists (cf. Galatians 2:16 5:4). Paul called it "a different gospel" (Galatians 1:6, 1:9). The same error is found in virtually every false cult.

Apologists respond that this critique also condemns the doctrine of the Catholic Church (see Criticism of the Catholic Church). Because scripture exists to support either point-of-view, one interpretation over the other is not necessarily a distinguishing feature of Christianity. See also Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.

Authority

Main article: Mormonism and authority

See also: Kingdom of God (Latter-day Saint) and Council of Fifty

Joseph Smith claimed that priesthood authority to act in God's name had been removed because of apostasy, which Mormons believe occurred not long after the deaths of the original apostles, was prophesied in the Bible (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3 and Great Apostasy). This prophecy warned that an apostasy would occur prior to the second coming and was therefore in keeping with God's plan for mankind. One Christian apologist, Patrick Madrid, believes that a complete apostasy is impossible. He wrote:

Since Christ is the mind and head of his Church (Ephesians 4:15-16), animating the body, the members enjoy an organic spiritual union with him (John 15:1-8). It's inconceivable that he would permit his body to disintegrate under the attacks of Satan.

The LDS belief is that Christ, as Jehovah, also guided the Old Testament prophets and their followers, but that there are Biblical descriptions of many apostasies and warnings against them, evidencing that Jehovah, who was perfect, did not intercede to prevent mankind from using agency and corrupting the true teachings and practices He had established through His prophets.

Most Christians believe that the Canon of Scripture is closed, though the precise number of books in the Bible is disputed among different denominations. Many Protestants consider the Bible the only infallible authority. Latter Day Saints believe that the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrine and Covenants are also the word of God, and encourage that all four "Standard Works" be read and studied, in addition to new revelations given to current prophets. They also believe that if additional Scripture is found, it too should be embraced as the Word of God (e.g. Paul's Letter to the Laodiceans, which has never been found but referred to by Paul in Colossians 4:16, see also Epistle to the Laodiceans).

Criticisms of doctrinal changes

Critics claim that the church changed some of its core doctrines for political, rather than spiritual purposes.

Admission of Blacks in 1978

Main article: Blacks and Mormonism

Critics claim that the church's 1978 reversal of the anti-black policy was not divinely inspired (as the church claimed), but simply a matter of political convenience. One critic points out that this reversal of policy occurred as the church began to expand outside the United States into countries such as Brazil that have large, ethnically mixed populations and as the church prepared to open a new temple in São Paulo, Brazil.

Polygamy Outlawed in 1890

Main article: Joseph Smith, Jr. and polygamy

Critics argue that the church's 1890 reversal its policy on Polygamy was done for political, not divine, reasons, citing the fact that it happened in the midst of a lengthy battle with the federal government over property seizures and statehood. Critics point to the fact that one year after the church received the revelation that Polygamy was prohibited, Utah again applied for statehood and the request was accepted.

Teachings that Adam and God are the same

Main article: Adam-God theory

Brigham Young taught on several occasions during the mid 1800s that God and Adam are the same person. Apostle, Franklin D. Richards, accepted the doctrine taught by Young, stating in a Conference held in June 1854 that "the Prophet and Apostle Brigham has declared it, and that it is the word of the Lord" (emphasis in original). However, at the time its first introduction, other leaders disagreed with the doctrine, including Apostle Orson Pratt, who expressed that disagreement publicly The LDS church has since officially repudiated this doctrine.

Some sins punishable by death

Main article: Blood Atonement

Brigham Young introduced the doctrine that there are some sins that cannot be atoned for through Jesus Christ. He taught that the only way to atone for such sins, a person would have to give up his or her life. The LDS church has since officially repudiated this doctrine.

Criticism Related To Temple Practices

Church uses Masonic rituals

Critics allege that Joseph Smith copied the ritualistic parts of the Temple Endowment from Masonic rituals, thus undermining the church's claim that the rituals were divinely inspired. Critics point to the fact that Joseph Smith was himself a Mason to support their argument.

Ceremonies changed to eliminate embarrassing aspects

Critics claim that the LDS church has revised the temple ceremonies ("Ordinances") numerous timess in order to obscure the provocative practices of the early church. Apologists deny this claim, but since the temple ordinances are considered sacred by the faithful, discussion of this matter is limited.

In 1919, the Apostle George F. Richards was tasked to revise the Endowment ceremony, and eliminate the Oath of Vengeance, which he did in 1927. Additionally, the Blood Oaths went through various changes since 1919. They were finally removed completely from the Endowment Ceremony in 1990. Other portions of the Endowment that have been changed include the Five Points of Fellowship, and the dialog between Satan and the minister that are part of the actors portrayal of events at the beginning of the world.

The Washing and Anointing ceremony has also been changed over the years. There is evidence that the washing and anointing was originally done without a shield in a bathtub, rather than ritually as is currently performed in the Temple. Additionally, in the early 2000's the ritual washing of body parts was replaced by a symbolic washing, and the clothing of the garment is no longer performed by the officiator.

Baptism For The Dead

Main article: Baptism for the Dead

See also: Baptism for the dead: Christian opposition.

Some critics claim that Baptism for the Dead is not justified by the Bible. Apologists believe that 1 Corinthians 15:29 refers to this practice, as well as Malachi 4:5–6; John 5:25; 1 Peter 4:6.

LDS Church baptized Jews

See also: Mormonism and Judaism: Baptism for the dead.

Latter-day Saints have baptized, by proxy, several thousand Jewish victims of the Holocaust. This caused controvery with Jewish survivors of the Holocaust. Partly as a result of public pressure, Church leaders in 1995 promised to put into place new policies that would help stop the practice, unless specifically requested or approved by relatives of the victims. Official Church policy states that Church members submit the names of their own relatives for these type of ordinances, and requires that permission of the closest living relative be obtained for any baptism that is to be performed for deceased individuals born within the last 95 years. A few times since then, beginning in late 2002, information surfaced that some members of the Church were submitting such names despite directives from the Church leadership to its members, and criticism from Jewish groups have resurfaced.

Secrecy and Finances

Main article: Finances of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Critics allege that the church is overly secretive regarding both its historical documents and it finances - for instance, critics complain that throughout the 20th century the church denied scholars access to many key church documents, and to this day refuses to publish Joseph Smith's diary.

Some outside of the LDS Church are critical of the fact that the church does not divulge information about its finances. Investigative reporters that independently researched the LDS finances in 1999 estimated the annual revenue of the church at $5 billion, and the total assets at $25 to $30 billion. The majority of the church revenue comes from tithes and fast offerings contributed by church members. These donations are transferred from local units directly to church headquarters in Salt Lake City, where it is managed in a centralized manner. Critics argue that tithing compliance is encouraged by denying certain privileges, such as Temple admission, to members that do not contribute the full tithe. In the United States, churches are not required by law to disclose financial information, and some other churches, such as the Vatican, also do not disclose information. But most protestant denominations, and local Catholic dioceses do provide full financial disclosure to members.

The church does employ an internal audit department that provides its certification at each annual general conference that church contributions are collected and spent in accordance with church policy. In addition, the church engages a public accounting firm (currently Deloitte & Touche) to perform annual audits in the United States of its not-for-profit, for-profit, and educational entities.

Distortion of History

Critics of the church claim that the church routinely distorts the church's history in order to portray the church in a more favorable light. Examples include the use of some of Brigham Young's statements, which critics argue are taken out of context to give the illusion that he was in favor of blacks joining the priesthood, and the removal of text in the History of the Church that indicated that Joseph Smith drank beer. Critics also argue that the LDS church attempted to discredit documented evidence that Joseph Smith was arrested, tried and found guilty by a justice of the peace in Bainbridge, New York, in 1826. Certain changes within the Latter Day Saints' religious texts have also been highlighted by critics, such as the title page of the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon that described Joseph Smith as "Author and Proprieter" of the book, which has been revised in modern editions to be "Translator", and the description of Oliver Cowdery's skill at using the divining rod found in the 1829 edition of the Book of Commandments, which does not appear in the corresponding section of the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. Some critics allege that the LDS church distorts history by omission, noting that the widely distributed church manual Teachings of the Presients of the Chruch: Brigham Young, omits any mention of Young's polygamy, and that the book's chronological summary of Young's life includes the date of his first marriage, the date of the first wife's death, and the date of the second legal marriage, but omits mention of Young's dozens of other marriages.

Criticisms of policies

Sexism

Main article: Women and Mormonism

Some critics argue that Mormonism, specifically the LDS Church, treats women as inferior to men. Various denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement have taken different paths on the subject of women and their role in the church and in society—views ranging from the full equal status and ordination of women to the priesthood as practiced by the Community of Christ, to the Catholic-like patriarchal system practiced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today, to the ultra-patriarchal plural marriage system practiced by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and other Mormon fundamentalist groups.

Modern feminist concerns about the LDS Church generally deal with the place of women in the Church hierarchy as well as problems of sexual abuse, lack of career opportunities, and family planning. During the 1970s and 1980s, church leaders decreased the autonomy that Mormon women had (in areas such as welfare, leadership, training, publishing, and policy setting) and gave increasing supervision to the all-male priesthood.

Some critics argue that some church leaders have also taught that women are subject to different rules regarding entry into heaven, such as former church leader Erastus Snow preached the following: "No woman will get into the celestial kingdom, except her husband receives her, if she is worthy to have a husband; and if not, somebody will receive her as a servant".

Critics also point to comments such as those made by Bruce R. McConkie, who wrote that a "woman's primary place is in the home, where she is to rear children and abide by the righteous counsel of her husband" (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 844). Apologists respond that while the church does teach that mothers are "primarily responsible for the nurture of their children", it also teaches that fathers and mothers are "equal partners" in the family and church leaders also encourage women to obtain education and skills.

Racism

Main article: Blacks and Mormonism

Critics argue that past church policies with regard to men of blacks of African descent were racist in nature and denied blacks full membership in the church, citing quotes from church leaders such as Brigham Young who said "You must not think, from what I say, that I am opposed to slavery. No! The negro is damned, and is to serve his master till God chooses to remove the curse of Ham...".

During the life of Joseph Smith, African American men such as Elijah Abel and Walker Lewis were given the priesthood and received temple ordinances. After settling in Utah in 1848, Brigham Young announced a priesthood ban which prohibited all men of black African descent from holding the priesthood. Blacks could be baptized and confirmed as members of the church, but they were denied admission into the priesthood, which denied them access to some aspects of the church's sacred activities, namely temple ceremonies. Some argue that this policy reversal was a reaction by Young to the interracial marriage of Walker Lewis's son. Later, in 1852 the Utah territorial legislature passed a law that recognized the legality of slavery in the territory.

Brigham Young and others often cited sections of the Book of Mormon which describe dark skin as a sign of a curse and a mark from God to distinguish a more righteous group of people from a less righteous group. Being white is described as "delightsome" while dark skin is portrayed as un-enticing.

Joseph F. Smith, president of the church, published his views that people with dark skin were less faithful in the pre-existence, and as such, did not warrant the blessings of the priesthood. Many other church leaders, historical and modern have spoken in favor of segregation and restrictions of the priesthood for men of African descent.

Continuing Racial Issues

Although the current church policy now admits blacks to the priesthood, some black members still feel resentment because the church refuses to issue a written repudiation of racist doctrines, despite formal requests to do so. One critical black church member contends that the church "refuses to acknowledge and undo its racist past, and until it does that, members continue to suffer psychological damage from it" and that "the church has not done enough to rectify its racist past".

Polygamy

After The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints publicly renounced polygamy in 1890, church authorities continued to authorize certain plural marriages. After the Second Manifesto in 1906, anyone entering into a new plural marriage was excommunicated. Other branches of the Latter Day Saint movement continue to practice polygamy, which is illegal in the United States.

Critics argue that the prevelance of polygamy in some branches of the church is rooted in early church practices, citing the fact that Joseph Smith married at least 32 women during his lifetime, including several under the age of 16 (which was not an uncommon age gap in 19th century America), and others that were already married to other men, and that, in some cases, Smith warned potential spouses of eternal damnation if they did not consent to be his wife. and that, in at least two cases, Smith married orphan girls that had come to live at his home.

Sexual Abuse

Critics cite incest and sexual abuse of children prevalent among some branches of the Latter Day Saint movement, particularly among fundamentalists.

Homophobia

Main article: Homosexuality and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Critics contend that the LDS church is homophobic. Critics claim that the LDS church actively campaigns against same-sex marriage statutes, and claim that in 1998 the church donated $500,000 to a campaign to defeat such a referendum in Alaska .

The LDS church believes homosexuality to be destructive to families and individuals. Members who experience same-sex attraction are counseled to receive guidance and help from their family, bishop, or presiding authority. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints considers homosexual behavior to be sinful just as adultery and fornication are considered to be sinful. Mormons believe all three are difficult to give up, undermine the family, and are sins for which one must repent. The church's law of chastity forbids gay and lesbian sex, which like straight pre-marital sex can be grounds for excommunication.

Historian D. Michael Quinn hypothesized that early church leaders had a more tolerant view of homosexuality, and that several early church leaders, including Louise B. Felt, May Anderson, Evan Stephens, and Joseph Fielding Smith (1899-1964), may have either had homosexual tendencies or were involved in homosexual relationships. Several LDS scholars have called Quinn's interpretations a distortion of LDS history. They deny any acceptance from previous leaders of homosexuality, and state the current leadership of the church “is entirely consistent with the teachings of past leaders and with the scriptures.”

Notable Critics

There are several organizations with various individual activities which oppose the Mormon church. Some are independent while others are connected with parent churches, and not all are Christian. Some Mormon critics have become notable for their activities. They are:

• Jacob Weisberg
• Ed Decker
• Bill McKeever
• Jerald and Sandra Tanner
• Fawn Brodie

See also External Links for external web sites of critics.

See also

Criticism of Religion Criticism of the Catholic Church Criticism of Atheism Criticism of Christianity

Criticism of Islam Criticism of Hinduism Anti-Mormon Book of Mormon Ex-Mormons

Three Nephites Jesus in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Book of Abraham The Book of Mormon and the King James Bible

External links

Critical websites

• Utah Lighthouse Ministry - Maintained by Jerald and Sandra Tanner
• Mormonism Research Ministry - Critics of Mormonism
• Mormons in Transition- Critics of Mormonism
• The Exmormon Foundation- Critics of Mormonism
• Living Hope Ministries- Critics of Mormonism
• Nauvoo Christian Visitors Center Official Website
• Exmormon.org - For those who have left the LDS Church, or for those considering leaving.
• Concerned Christians - Evangelical ministry of former Mormons
• Contender Ministries - Evangelical ministry critical of Mormonism.
• CARM.ORG - Christian apologetics site.

LDS apologetic websites

• Brief historiography of anti-Mormonism - Maintained by Jeff Lindsay
• The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR) - A non-profit organization providing well-documented answers to criticisms of LDS doctrine, belief and practice
• Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies - An organization devoted to the scholarly study of Mormonism