wasmormon

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Brian Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile Spotlight

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Biddy Mason - From Enslaved Mormon Pioneer to Free Philanthropist

Biddy Mason’s life is a powerful testimony of perseverance, resilience, and quiet resistance. Born into slavery in Georgia in 1818, she was never given a choice about the course of her life—but she made powerful choices when finally given the chance. Her story intersects with the early Mormon Church in a way that many today are unaware of: Biddy Mason was a Black Mormon pioneer, brought to Utah…

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John Taylor's Hidden 1886 Polygamy Revelation

In 1886, then-LDS Church president John Taylor claimed to receive a direct revelation from God reaffirming that plural marriage was an eternal, unchangeable law. This divine directive—written in his own hand—declared that the New and Everlasting Covenant (a.k.a. polygamy) could never be revoked, even under government pressure. But just a few years later, in 1890, the Church publicly abandoned…

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Bishop Warren S. Snow's Teenage Brides and The Castration of Thomas Lewis

In 1857, just as tensions with the U.S. government were escalating toward the Utah War, a dark and largely forgotten episode of Mormon frontier justice played out in Manti, Utah. It involved a young man named Thomas Lewis, potentially an unnamed teenage girl, and Warren S. Snow, a high-ranking Mormon bishop and militia leader. What unfolded was an act of extreme religious authoritarianism—an…

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Suppressing Dissenfecting Light - The Nauvoo Expositor

The Nauvoo Expositor printed a single issue that exposed the wrongdoings of a supposed prophet. He destroyed the press, an event which led to his downfall. On June 7, 1844, a bold and short-lived newspaper called the Nauvoo Expositor published its first—and only—issue in Nauvoo, Illinois. It was created by former Mormon insiders who could no longer remain silent. They leveled serious charges…

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Joseph Smith on Slavery

In recent years, LDS apostle Quentin L. Cook has claimed that early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were persecuted because they were abolitionists and anti-slavery. Today leaders promote the narrative that latter-day saints of the day were driven out of Missouri in significant part because they were opposed to slavery. “One of the reasons for the violent opposition to…

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Church Accepted Slave as Tithing

Today, the LDS Church no longer condones slavery, and leaders assert that the church has always been against slavery and racism, but there is a hidden history of racism and even slavery in the church. There are even instances where slaves were given as tithing to the church—the church used slave labor in temple construction. Green Flake Green Flake was born into slavery in 1828 on a plantation…

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Can Mormons Wear Tank Tops? What are Porn Shoulders?

In Mormonism, modesty has long been tied to righteousness, especially for women and girls. From early youth activities to temple preparation, countless lessons reinforce the idea that spiritual worth is directly connected to how much skin is covered. Among the most scrutinized body parts? Shoulders. For generations, sleeveless dresses have been seen as taboo—unworthy of church meetings, dances,…

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Why Did the Mormon Church Stop Polygamy?

For most of the 19th century, the practice of polygamy—referred to by church leaders as “the new and everlasting covenant,” “the principle,” or “celestial marriage”—was preached as a divine commandment by the Mormon Church. It was presented not only as a righteous lifestyle but as a requirement for exaltation in the highest level of heaven. The Church claimed to stand immovably on God’s law,…

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Jane Manning James: Faithful Servant, Denied Sisterhood, Sealed into Slavery

Jane Elizabeth Manning James was a remarkable woman who exemplified deep faith and resilience, despite the racism and systemic exclusion she endured within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Born free in Wilton, Connecticut, in the early 19th century. As a child, she worked as a domestic servant in a prosperous white household. Though not enslaved, she still lived under the…

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Oaks, On Young Women Becoming Pornography

LDS Apostle Dallin H. Oaks spoke to the global church about pornography. He warned that pornography was evil, that it “impairs one’s ability to enjoy a normal emotional, romantic, and spiritual relationship with a person,” and “erodes the moral barriers that stand against inappropriate, abnormal, or illegal behavior,” and patrons find their “conscience is desensitized” and “they are subject to…

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Mormon Women Belong in the Pew—Not at the Pulpit

Jared Halverson, Assistant Processor of Ancient Scripture at BYU, former CES Teacher, shares Come Follow Me, or LDS Sunday school curriculum, insights on his Unshaken Saints channel. He recently expressed concern over a surprising trend in religion: for the first time in recent history, more women are leaving the church than men. He speaks of the “sister saints” who have historically filled the…

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The 2015 Boise Rescue Transcript: An Attempt to Rein in Apostasy

On June 13, 2015, a special multi-stake fireside or devotional was held in Boise, Idaho, featuring Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Assistant Church Historian Richard E. Turley Jr. The event, now colloquially known as the “Boise Rescue,” was organized in response to a wave of local concerns over apostasy and growing interest in alternative teachings that challenged…

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The Mormon Church' Guide to Stalking, or Locating Members

One of the most common accusations levied against those who leave the Mormon Church is that we just “can’t leave it alone.” “They leave the Church, but they cannot leave the Church alone. Considering their ceaseless preoccupation, one wonders, is there no diversionary activity available to them, especially in such a large building—like a bowling alley? Perhaps in their mockings and beneath the…

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Mormon Apologist Handbook: Argument does not Create Conviction, Lack of it Destroys Belief

Latter-day Saint apologetics—through institutions like FARMS, FAIR, and now the Interpreter Foundation—have largely operated on a defensive crouch, crafting arguments not to generate genuine conviction, but simply to keep belief from crumbling. Their aim isn’t to persuade the outsider or satisfy the seeker; it’s to keep the disillusioned member tethered, just barely. But Farrer warns that…

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White Suites, Stolen Keys, and Fried Chicken

In recent years, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has leaned hard into its carefully staged imagery—photos designed to communicate power, legitimacy, and divine authority. But the more tightly the Church clutches at these symbols, the more glaringly artificial the whole display becomes. From white-suited prophets mimicking the image of Christ to manufactured keys of authority,…

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Lance Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile Spotlight