All essays and chapters
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Introduction to Examining Church Claims
The Church was organized in Manchester, New York, on April 6, 1830. The original name used on that date was actually the “Church of Christ.” This was changed in 1834 to “The…
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Tribe of Manasseh — North American Nephite Model
I have always loved apologetics. I enjoy discussing doctrine, scriptural versus and evidence that support or are seen as evidence against the Book of Mormon or LDS church. For that reason I…
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Series: Leaving the Church - Eric NelsonLeaving the Church: A Compilation of the Evidence Against the LDS Church
I hope those of you who read this document do not get the wrong idea: I am not leaving the Church out of anger, sin, or laziness. I am not leaving due…
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Series: My Search for Truth - Wes TWhy I No Longer Believe
I have always appreciated that LDS members are taught to value intelligence and truth. I want the church to be true. It has generally been a positive force in my life. I…
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Epistemological Considerations
(or how do we know what we think we know) I am by no means a Philosopher, but I think it is crucial to address this topic here. It can get quite complicated,…
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Factual Claims
The Church makes many specific claims about matters of history (both its own, and that of other peoples), the migration of people from one continent to another, the translation of ancient documents,…
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So, you want to help someone going through a faith crisis…
The odds of you knowing of someone going through a faith crisis seem to be increasing. Perhaps that is because more people are going through faith crises. Perhaps the internet provides an avenue for…
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Navigating Death
One of the hardest things to try to come to terms with — NOT knowing. Is there life after death? Will we see our loved ones again? It wasn’t as scary when…
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Series: My Search for Truth - Wes TConclusion to Why I No Longer Believe
I’ve focused mostly on the Book of Mormon, since I accept that it is the keystone of the religion, just as Joseph Smith, Jr stated. The Book of Abraham and his other…
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Series: My Search for Truth - Wes TOther translations by Joseph Smith, Jr
I had previously been able to convince myself that the reason we don’t have the gold plates is because Joseph Smith, Jr would have been hunted to an even earlier death if…
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Series: My Search for Truth - Wes TBook of Abraham: Facsimile 3
Facsimile 3 is described by Joseph Smith as “Abraham sitting upon Pharaoh’s throne, by the politeness of the king, with a crown upon his head, representing the Priesthood, as emblematical of the grand…
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Series: My Search for Truth - Wes TBook of Abraham: Facsimile 2
Facsimile 2 is actually a representation of a “hypocephalus”. Egyptians would put these under the head of mummies, like a pillow. Here are lots of real hypocephali as they are in abundance:…
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Series: My Search for Truth - Wes TBook of Abraham: Facsimile 1
This is Facsimile 1, located at the front of the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price. Joseph Smith described this scene as “The idolatrous priest of Elkenah attempting to…
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Series: My Search for Truth - Wes TBook of Abraham
The majority of members don’t know where the Book of Abraham (found in the Pearl of Great Price) comes from. Here is a brief history from Wikipedia: Several papyri and eleven mummies…
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Series: My Search for Truth - Wes TBook of Mormon Issue 6+: Everything else
Quoted Isaiah Scriptures Scholars divide the book of Isaiah into three parts. There is very little disagreement about this fact. Here are the three parts and when they were written: Chapters 1…