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FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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|link=Criticism of Mormonism/Online documents/Letter to a CES Director/Polygamy & Polyandry Concerns & Questions | |link=Criticism of Mormonism/Online documents/Letter to a CES Director/Polygamy & Polyandry Concerns & Questions | ||
|subject=Response to section "Polygamy/Polyandry Concerns & Questions" | |subject=Response to section "Polygamy/Polyandry Concerns & Questions" | ||
|summary=Regarding Joseph's practice of polygamy, the author states that "Joseph Smith’s pattern of behavior or modus operandi for a period of at least 10 years of his adult life was to keep secrets, be deceptive, and be dishonest – both privately and publicly." | |summary=Regarding Joseph's practice of polygamy, the author states that "Joseph Smith’s pattern of behavior or modus operandi for a period of at least 10 years of his adult life was to keep secrets, be deceptive, and be dishonest – both privately and publicly." | ||
− | |sublink1="Joseph Smith was married to at least 34 women" | + | |sublink1=Response to claim: "Joseph Smith was married to at least 34 women" |
− | |sublink2="Of those 34 women, 11 of them were married women of other living men" | + | |sublink2=Response to claim: "Of those 34 women, 11 of them were married women of other living men" |
− | |sublink3="Among them being Apostle Orson Hyde who was sent on his mission to dedicate Israel when Joseph secretly married his wife, Marinda Hyde" | + | |sublink3=Response to claim: "Among them being Apostle Orson Hyde who was sent on his mission to dedicate Israel when Joseph secretly married his wife, Marinda Hyde" |
− | |sublink4="Joseph was 37-years-old when he married 14-year-old Helen Mar Kimball" | + | |sublink4=Response to claim: "Joseph was 37-years-old when he married 14-year-old Helen Mar Kimball" |
− | |sublink5="Among the women was a mother-daughter set and three sister sets" | + | |sublink5=Response to claim: "Among the women was a mother-daughter set and three sister sets" |
− | |sublink6="Some of the marriages to these women included....threats of loss of salvation" | + | |sublink6=Response to claim: "Some of the marriages to these women included....threats of loss of salvation" |
− | |sublink7="President Hinckley publicly stating that polygamy is not doctrinal" | + | |sublink7=Response to claim: "President Hinckley publicly stating that polygamy is not doctrinal" |
− | |sublink8="D&C 132 is unequivocal on the point that polygamy is permitted only 'to multiply and replenish the earth' and 'bear the souls of men'" | + | |sublink8=Response to claim: "D&C 132 is unequivocal on the point that polygamy is permitted only 'to multiply and replenish the earth' and 'bear the souls of men'" |
− | |sublink9="These married women continued to live as husband and wife with their prior husband after marrying Joseph" | + | |sublink9=Response to claim: "These married women continued to live as husband and wife with their prior husband after marrying Joseph" |
− | |sublink10="Unions without the knowledge or consent of the husband, in cases of polyandry" | + | |sublink10=Response to claim: "Unions without the knowledge or consent of the husband, in cases of polyandry" |
− | |sublink11="A union with a newlywed and pregnant woman (Zina Huntingon)" | + | |sublink11=Response to claim: "A union with a newlywed and pregnant woman (Zina Huntingon)" |
− | |sublink12=Zina "married Joseph after being told Joseph’s life was in danger from an angel with a flaming sword." | + | |sublink12=Response to claim: Zina "married Joseph after being told Joseph’s life was in danger from an angel with a flaming sword." |
− | |sublink13="The secrecy of the marriages and the private and public denials by Joseph Smith are not congruent with honest behavior" | + | |sublink13=Response to claim: "The secrecy of the marriages and the private and public denials by Joseph Smith are not congruent with honest behavior" |
− | |sublink14="Why is there no mention of God commanding Adam or Noah and/or their immediate male children to have many wives?" | + | |sublink14=Response to claim: "Why is there no mention of God commanding Adam or Noah and/or their immediate male children to have many wives?" |
− | |sublink15="Latter-day 'prophet, seer, and revelator' Lorenzo Snow strongly disagrees with FairMormon" | + | |sublink15=Response to claim: "Latter-day 'prophet, seer, and revelator' Lorenzo Snow strongly disagrees with FairMormon" |
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Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
—1 Thessalonians 5꞉19-21
A FAIR Analysis of: Letter to a CES Director A work by author: Jeremy Runnells
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The "Letter to a CES Director: Why I Lost My Testimony" is an online document which is critical of Latter-day Saint truth claims. The document is comprised of a list of issues that the author states caused him to lose his testimony, and it is hosted on a number of websites which are critical of the Church. [1] The author states that he is "a disaffected member who lost his testimony so it’s no secret which side I’m on at the moment. All this information is a result of over a year of intense research and an absolute rabid obsession with Joseph Smith and Church history. With this said, I’d be pretty arrogant and ignorant to say that I have all the information and that you don’t have answers."
A long list of issues follows. The author ultimately concludes that "There are just way too many problems. We’re not just talking about one issue here. We’re talking about dozens of serious issues that undermine the very foundation of the LDS Church and its truth claims."
In developing our response, our primary intended audience is not necessarily the author of the Letter nor his associates, but rather those individuals, perhaps faithful Latter-day Saints, perhaps questioning, perhaps once-faithful but now sincerely doubting, who may have come across this Letter and been troubled by its contents. We respond here to the original version of the letter that was actually sent to the CES director and posted on FutureMissionary.com. The author has since made some corrections based upon this analysis and posted an apologetic in defense of his position at http://www.cesletter.com/debunking-fairmormon/
In his Letter to a CES Director, Jeremy Runnells explains how a year of obsessive investigation brought about the loss of his testimony. In an LDS FAQ, LDS blogger Jeff Lindsay deals with all of the same questions, and has done so at least twenty years and has not only an intact testimony, but boundless enthusiasm. What makes the difference? In the parable of the Sower, Jesus explained that the same seeds (words) can generate completely different harvests, ranging from nothing to a hundred-fold increase, all depending on the different soil and nurture. This essay looks at how different expectations and inquiries for translation, prophets, key scriptural passages on representative issues can lead to very different outcomes for investigators.
One of the challenges in defending one’s faith is coping with critics who use the “Big List” technique in their attack. This involves throwing out numerous arguments to create the impression of an overwhelming barrage that decimates the faith in question (see the related post, “If Only 10% of These Charges Are True…“). The Big List is loaded with barbed questions that weren’t written in search of a real answer. If there is a good defense to the arguments raised at first, never mind, there are many more to be launched in different directions.As with many topics in fields like history, science, and religion, the issues raised in Big List attacks are often complex and may require exploring abundant details to answer questions properly. Even for those who are prepared to answer questions on a wide variety of topics, the time it takes to lay a foundation and properly answer a question can be taken by the instantly impatient critics as an admission of weakness and confirmation that they are right, and then it’s time to move on to the next attack and the next. If reasonable answers are promptly provided for some attacks, or if the alleged weakness on further examination actually proves to be evidence in favor of the faithful position, the response can be ignored as new attacks from the Big List are hurled out.
Some of you don’t know what the “Letter to a CES Director” is. It’s a letter that’s been circulating online for about a year now…a year and a half, I think, as far as I know, that has gotten quite a bit of circulation. It’s a kind of compendium of standard critical arguments against the truth claims of the Church. ....I don’t object to the attempt in the “Letter to a CES Director” to subject the claims of Mormonism to reasoned examination. I just don’t think the effort went nearly far or deep enough.
Notes
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