As long as people want the Mormon Church to be true; more than they are willing to face the possibility that it is not; they will not entertain evidence or reason. Delusion becomes a choice.

Jim Whitefield

Whilst my own views currently tend to be atheistic, they are not set in stone and may be influenced by new information, evidence and experience. In my work, I have tried hard not to over promote an atheistic viewpoint, but rather a stance which indicates that if there is a God, He could and would not possibly have ever been involved with Joseph Smith or Mormonism at any stage. God must be found elsewhere.

Book reviews can be left by clicking on a book title in my Storefront at Lulu.com, at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Google Book Search. Invariably, if active Mormons come across my books, some may leave comments suggesting that they would not actually read them and direct people to Mormon sources of information. Should such comments appear, they are clearly not reviews of the actual books and the comments are borne out of faith in the fiction they believe in. I have seen this many times before and it is beyond me how anyone can comment on something they have not had the courage to actually read first.

My work is not suitable for Mormons who are strong and faithful, and who wish to remain in their delusional state. Anyone in that category is advised not to proceed any further, as to do so could seriously damage or permanently destroy a testimony. I take no responsibility if such people should choose to read my work. Please do not email any testimonies, arguments or abuse to the author.

Sensible comments and valid critiques are always welcome and can be emailed to the author. I will endeavour to respond when I can.

jim@themormondelusion.com  

Sharing Discovery of the Truth

Since publishing my work, I have been approached by a number of people who have been coming to terms with the truth, asking my advice on how to approach other family members with the devastating news that their Church is not true. Experience has shown that if someone studies everything out privately and concludes for themselves that the Church is false and only then faces a spouse or other family members directly, fait accompli, with all the evidence at once, claiming they have discovered the Church is not true, then immediately an almost impenetrable and extremely defensive ‘wall’ is put up; the evidence (and invariably also the messenger) is rejected without conscious consideration. Any and every aspect will be strongly argued and not ‘considered’ at all. The Church programmes us to subconsciously reject anything that may ‘offend’ a testimony without due consideration. (Members already 'know' what is deemed to be true through ethereal means alone). The unwelcome messenger is considered to have lost the spirit; they are under the influence of Satan and viewed as ‘apostate’. Many a Mormon Bishop has advised an active member to divorce an apostate spouse and find someone else who is worthy to take them to the 'Celestial Kingdom’. There are countless heartbreaking stories on exMormon web sites concerning broken Mormon marriages.

In discussing this problem with a number of worried and concerned members who were studying their way out of the Mormon Church, it transpires that by far the safest and most successful method of tackling it is to immediately discuss initial concerns with a spouse in terms of the first thing that they discovered which indicated there may be a problem with the authenticity of Mormonism. When someone approaches their partner in a manner such as: “Look at what I accidentally discovered (specify an aspect) concerning the Church. This can’t be right, surely? It contravenes all we were ever taught and yet appears verified as true. If so, it brings the truth of the Church into serious question. What do you make of this? What do you think?” In instances that I am aware of, members who have entered into some such early discussions have usually succeeded in continuing their study of the truth together, subsequently leaving the Church as a couple. They have then been much more easily able to take the same approach with children who are then much more likely to follow them.

If you find yourself in this situation, I strongly advise early, open and non confrontational discussions, allowing you both to reach the same conclusions together, gently and with care and love, before moving on to the next topic. It is truly devastating to have to face the truth and many people would rather not have to. However, the ‘joint study’ method of gaining an understanding of the truth, then being able to both arrive at a final decision together, will, more often than not, at least save a good marriage, whereas facing a partner down with an already made personal decision could cause irreparable damage to an otherwise healthy relationship. For a happy outcome, find a way to ‘discover’ the truth together.

The Mormon Delusion

The first volume of The Mormon Delusion became an essential project following my accidental discovery of hidden and falsified Mormon history which, when pressed, leading Church authorities could not explain or theologically justify to me. The Mormon Delusion is a series of books, exposing the truth behind the Mormon Church. In the first volume, we compare the reality of early Mormon polygamy with the fiction the Mormon Church teaches its members. Aspects portrayed as fact by the Mormon Church are exposed as entirely false. The reality concerning polygamy was a far cry from the way things are now portrayed.

Polygamy, which was completely illegal from the start, was initially hidden from members and the public alike. Lies and false scripture obscured the truth for almost two decades in the early Mormon Church, until the terrible truth was finally publicly announced in 1852. Thousands of members then left the fold. Until then, many Mormons had absolutely no idea polygamy actually existed. Many converts from the U.K. emigrated to Salt Lake City, accepting assurances from visiting Apostles (who themselves had many plural wives and children back home), that accusations about such things were entirely false. The apostles' false claims were supported by equally false scripture, designed to decieve new converts. D&C 101 (since removed) claimed monogamy was the only approved form of marriage within Mormonism. Discovering the awful truth only upon arrival in the Salt Lake valley, many young women were obliged to enter the practice simply in order to survive.

I felt obligated to reveal the truth about polygamy and more particularly, the little known practice of polyandry. Mormon Church leaders confirmed to me that polyandry is contrary to doctrine; yet I had discovered evidence that Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball all participated in polyandry. As I undertook further research, so much hidden truth unfolded that I felt obliged to write, what has turned into two further volumes, revealing the truth about everything. All that I have discovered, which is covered in these books, I learned three years after I had left the Church in 2003, after forty-three years of Mormonism.

My work is a hard hitting, impassioned exposé of the truth behind the Mormon Church; from polygamy and the little known polyandry, to every other aspect of the hoax that Joseph Smith created. These are not one sided, sugar coated books of Mormon fiction such as the Mormon Church now produces. They simply contain the pure unadulterated evidenced truth which the Mormon Church hides from its rank and file members, so they won’t ask any awkward questions for which there are no theological answers.

Why Bad Beliefs Don't Die

To more fully understand and better appreciate why Mormons are inclined to reject facts in favour of fiction which has previously been established in their minds as eternal truth through ethereal means, I highly recommend reading Dr. Gregory W. Lester's article which appeared in the November/December 2000 edition of Skeptical Enquirer Magazine. Dr. Lester advised me that he would have been happy for me to use the article but he no longer owns the copyright to it. The article is currently available to view at the following link.

Why Bad Beliefs Don't Die

In the spring of 2010, a new web site appeared in response to the Church inspired 'mormonscholarstestify.org' web site. It seems the Mormon Church thinks its members so gullible that if they see that lots of so-called ‘clever’ people believe in it, then it must be true. In order to provide a balance to this, someone who was actually still a member at the time of establishing it, has created an alternate web site at: www.exmormonscholarstestify.org to show that there are equally, many academics, authors, historians and ex Church leaders who have discovered the truth and resigned from the Church for the sake of integrity. My own contribution or ‘testimony’ against the Church can be located here: Jim Whitefield's 'Testimony'.

Passive v. Aggressive Stances

Of course, for those who criticise sites such as this for exposing people to the truth, this is but a passive position; you don’t have to look, you know what it is about. It is unlike the Church’s more aggressive stance, taken every day of the week when it imposes uninvited upon people in the street, at their doors, by advertising and through the coercion of members endeavouring to introduce their friends and neighbours to Mormon missionaries. Most people are not generally seeking to be taught about Mormonism. Missionaries teach 'investigators' that anything they currently believe is wrong and actually stems from the adversary rather than God. Try telling a Mormon that about what they believe.

Information the Mormon Church provides to potential converts is very restricted, thoroughly sanitised, and much verifiable truth is hidden away because the fact is that most of it makes no sense and cannot, with the best will in the world, stand up to the remotest, even sympathetic, scrutiny, if put to the test. If you want to keep a testimony - don’t put it to the test - what you will find will shock and dismay, for the truth is out there - and today, it is only a few clicks away.

However, should it be discovered by some Mormons (such as myself) that the very basis of their belief was founded on a hoax, continued as a conspiracy and perpetuated by lies, then such evidence should at least be made readily available for study, so that anyone who has occasion to, will be able to access it and determine for themselves what they make of it. In my view, integrity demands this take place prior to joining the Church. It should be illegal for known fiction (i.e. falsifications) to be published as if it is the truth. I know more than most members seem to know about the truth and I appear to know more than some BYU professors, and from conversations, even some General Authorities, regarding some of the real historical aspects which they deliberately avoid, so I feel my opinion counts (even if only to myself). It is my opinion, after forty-three years of study, research and teaching of official Mormon doctrine and history, that all the things I could not account for, which made no logical sense (without a reliance on faith), are now readily explained. I am drawn to conclude, after studying many sources, full time, for well over three years, that there is so much evidence against historical Mormon Church claims, most of which stems from within its own falsified accounts, that no one exposed to the truth before considering joining would ever contemplate or even consider becoming a Mormon.

The irony is that whilst the Church teaches the 'saints' that they should not look outside the Church for information as it may be biased and unreliable and not given by the spirit, my analysis shows just the opposite. Having studied many actual historical records, it is a fundamental fact that much documentation by historians who publish material the Church would rather they didn't, is actually highly accurate and unbiased; it is in fact well researched, fully substantiated and very compelling. Mormon Church historians get excommunicated when they write the truth, as 'it is not helpful'. The Church can then distance itself from them.

Conversely, official Church history, scripture and resource material is demonstrably highly questionable, much of it being fabricated. Church material is actually filled with many thousands of changes and falsifications through additions, deletions, deliberate omissions, and interpolation (if it isn't suppressed) containing the very biases, inaccuracies and conspiratorial writings that many good non-Mormon and ex-Mormon writers as well as truthful Church historians are accused of by the Church. The Church would call this 'clarification'. The trouble is that their alterations often change the very meaning and context of the original text, which in many cases were associated with ‘Thus saith the Lord’, and God is not supposed to change His mind.

The habit of accusing so-called 'enemies of the Church' (who are usually Church members writing true history) of undermining the truth with lies, when it is actually the Church which has falsified its own records, reminds me of Joseph Smith who used similar tactics. When he was accurately accused of polygamy by someone, Smith would publicly deny he practiced it and equally publicly falsely accuse the person of adultery. Nothing changes in Mormonism. ‘Lying for the Lord’ is still alive and well. The question always is – would any God ever be involved with such people? (Occam’s Razor). It is a pity modern Church leaders don't have the integrity to come clean, correct everything, and face the truth, but then so much has been falsified, would there be any Mormons left if they did?

I believe the reason they don't come clean is that the Church view is taken from a preconceived position which must be sustained as correct no matter what and must be protected at all costs, so everything must be made to fit that position even if it means perpetuating known lies. I expect many General Authorities today feel very uncomfortable about the past, as well as the falsified history, but can see no way of doing anything about it without losing faith – and of course members. So they bury their heads in the sand and ignore the truth, presumably 'for the greater good'.   

A classic example of that is the reason the Book of Abraham is still canonised scripture. It is ludicrous to still claim it came from God but the Church chooses to ignore the evidence and say nothing, leaving apologists the impossible task of dreaming up nonsense so-called 'plausible' alternative solutions to what has become an unsolvable problem. It is absolutely outrageous to continue to claim something is of God when conclusive evidence proves otherwise. Everyone who has remotely studied all the facts is left in no doubt that Smith made it all up.    

Non-Mormon historians simply look for and report the truth they find. Whether it helps or hinders any position, it is simply history. They question and then publish the results of their questioning. To date, I have found absolutely nothing that substantiates the Church’s overall position. Yet I have discovered more than I can take in, regarding evidence against the Church and its conspiracy to deceive. That is why my research has extended to three volumes when I only started out, from idle curiosity, to discover how many wives Joseph Smith actually had! Who would have thought that it would have led to such a long and devastating journey? 

There is no possibility of Joseph Smith remotely being a plausible choice for use by a God for any holy purpose. He simply does not qualify. He was positively and demonstrably evil. It then got even worse when Brigham Young got his hands on the reins of the Church. I find it amazing that the Church now manages to hide the truth of the past from members so well. What a way to run a Church; rewrite and falsify scripture and history and then teach members that they have the truth and anything outside it will be suspect. To even look outside the Church for answers shows a lack of faith, will possibly destroy a testimony, and could cost someone their eternal salvation. And yet, if someone has the courage to seek, they will find the awful truth - that they have been deceived - the evidence is conclusive and it is available in abundance.

Stay in the delusion and all will be well. I agree; it can be a ‘warm and fuzzy’ place to be. The only problem is, that is all it is; and millions of Mormons spend their lives chasing a rainbow that, unlike simple faith in a God, is provably just an illusion and the whole idea of Mormonism a cruel deception. Evidence provided in ‘The Mormon Delusion’ Volumes 1-3 proves that to be the case beyond any doubt.