This is an archived copy of a post written by Conflict Of Justice (conflictofjustice.com). Used with permission: Conflict Of Justice may not agree with any alterations made.
“I’m interested in your thoughts and answers as I have been unable to find official answers from the Church for most of these issues… Among the first sources I looked to for answers were official Church sources such as Mormon.org and LDS.org. I couldn’t find them.”
(CES Letter)
They Do Give Answers
LDS.org’s essay on DNA and the Book of Mormon
The LDS church publishes essays on their official website to explain anti-Mormons issues. CES Letter acknowledges the existence of these essays. But rather than admit official answers exist, CES Letter cherry-picks and spins the essays as “disavowals” of past church doctrine. Then they still pretend official responses don’t exist. Aren’t those official answers?
Anti-Mormons Ask In Bad Faith – I’m not saying their questions aren’t sincere. I believe they really do want answers. But the problem is how they frame their discussion, in a way that attacks any answers that do not fit their narrow view. For example, they set a frame where polygamy could not possibly be permissible, so what kind of answer can we give?
It is tactically not smart to go on the defense and allow Anti-Mormons to frame the issues. Why doesn’t the United States give official responses to North Korea or ISIS? It would be easy enough for the United States to fact-check the conspiracy theories that ISIS spreads, but any direct response just lends credibility to the accusations and fuels further conspiracy theories. We do not want to legitimize the Anti-Mormon propaganda.
| See also: | How To Ask Questions & Not Doubt |
The church confronts these issues within the church’s narrative, which is smart. It is reasonable for anyone to have questions, but there is a whole lot behind the way Anti-Mormons present their questions. CES Letter says they just have some “concerns and questions” about the Mormon church, but does it take 84 pages to ask a few questions? Really, they are pushing conspiracy theories and spreading dehumanizing propaganda about Mormons. It is smart for the church to pay no heed to the fallacies and manipulative tactics.
Why Give A Response?
Why should the church give official responses? Did the ancient church in the bible ever directly address anti-Christian charges? Did Elijah sit and try to answer all the concerns from the priests of Baal? No. How did Moses deal with apostates–I mean those who aggressively opposed the gospel? He simply expelled them. There is a fine line between sincere faith-building questions, and questions that Anti-Mormons use to agitate for apostasy.
Korihor – In the Book of Mormon,the people of Jershon were called “more wise” because they banished the apostate Korihor out of their lands rather than try to reason with him. Alma blasted Korihor for destroying people’s faith, and boldly condemned him for denying what he knew deep inside was true.
Sherem – The apostate Sherem used the same frame as many Anti-Mormons today, with the image of a poor oppressed free-thinker who just wanted answers to his sincere questions. His line sounds much like CES Letter‘s introduction: “Brother Jacob, I have sought much opportunity that I might speak unto you…” How did the prophet Jacob reply to his questions? He asked Sherem what he believed in, quickly explained why it was false, and then condemned his apostasy. He redirected the issue to his own frame.
King Noah – Abinadi was arrested by King Noah for his boldness, and gave a striking example of how to speak to anti-Mormons. No apologies. No defensiveness. We do not need to be apologists. We the members of the church will answer questions boldly, but it often will not be the answer Anti-Mormons want to hear, and that’s okay. Alma did not allow Zeezrom to twist his words to fit a false narrative. Neither should we. Honest seekers of truth will find the true path while apostates will wallow in their misery and ignorance.
Discover Your Answers
When I was a young deacon in the church, the Bishop asked me if I had any questions about the church. “Ask me anything,” he insisted. So I asked a question that I had from my personal scripture reading. “If temple marriages are eternal, why does Jesus in Matthew 22:30 say that the angels of heaven are not married or given to marriage?” He didn’t know the answer. But he urged me to search everything I could to find the answer for myself. It wasn’t until almost 10 years later that I finally found the answer, by reading through some apocryphal writings and comparing them to D&C 131. The answer had always been there and I know it is the right answer.
Faith – What kind of church would it be if every little question were immediately answered by the Bishop and every challenge to faith were eliminated? Isn’t the whole point of faith to take personal responsibility and seek out knowledge, and grow from the journey, rather than having it handed to us? The process of overcoming false beliefs cannot happen if we are constantly rewarded with easy answers the moment we demand them. The sweetest moments for me have been when I stepped out into the unfamiliar darkness and discovered light where I had feared there would be nothing. Your belief system will always be borrowed light until you decide to take this step.
Don’t rely on official websites. Don’t rely on Wikipedia, friends, or “experts.” Take the time to search through the raw original sources and truly study out the answers for yourself.
CES Letter Logical Fallacies
| Falsehood | The church does give official responses to these issues, and CES Letter even talks about some of these essays, as well as “official declarations.” Anti-Mormons may argue these responses are insufficient, because maybe they expected easy answers to be handed to them with little effort, but they are still official responses. |
| Circular Logic | CES Letter says they just want official answers, but then they cherry-pick from the official essays to make it look like the church concedes to the Anti-Mormon narrative. They spin the answers to be further evidence of Mormons’ guilt. Even more direct answers from Fair Mormon and other “apologists” for the church are dismissed out-of-hand as “bizarre.” In order to answer the direct questions, one most address the Anti-Mormon frame behind them. But CES Letter complains the moment Fair Mormon addresses the framing of the question, and again tries to spin it as further evidence of the church’s guilt. They say Fair Mormon’s “version of Mormonism” is “alien and foreign to the Chapel Mormonism that I grew up in.” So how is one supposed to answer any of CES Letter‘s questions if they are going to attack Fair Mormon for addressing their questions? It’s like asking why George Washington owned slaves, and then when a historian gives an answer, screaming, “Well that’s not the George Washington I grew up learning about! He must not be a real American because no good American owned slaves!” Why did you ask the question if your mind was already made up? Why ask about polygamy or priesthood policies if you already think they were ubiquitously evil? |
| Burden Of Proof | CES Letter does not explain why their “concerns” are sufficiently valid to warrant a response. They were upset about it, therefore they deserve official answers. |
| Poisoning the Well | CES Letter displays unwillingness to even consider answers to their questions, as they label Fair Mormon‘s answers “bizarre”. |
Dominant Posturing – Why start off a lengthy anti-Mormon pamphlet with a complaint about the lack of official answers? Well, this immediately shifts the burden on the church and Mormons (“unofficial apologists”) to answer every single anti-Mormon claim thrown at them. It is like a bully taunting a kid at school. “You are too scared to even answer me!” Then any answer they receive further results in a double-helping of bullying.
Why is the church obligated to give official answers to CES Letter’s charges? Right away, it’s like we are in a courtroom and CES Letter is the prosecutor and the church is the defender. This is unfair. Let’s talk about the validity of CES Letter’s beliefs. Why don’t we talk about the validity of what CES Letter believes in? What alternative they would propose to all of this “troubling” church doctrine? What do they believe in? They don’t say. So, they disarm the church from talking about any of their beliefs, while the church is forced to dodge all kinds of bullets from them. It’s a one-sided gun fight.
The church is a convenient vehicle for poking holes in people’s testimonies, because the church is made up of people, and people are very imperfect.
By framing the church as obligated to give answers, CES Letter’s right away damages the faith of their readers. Right away we ask, why would an all-powerful God create such an imperfect church, a church that can’t even answer a few questions? It reminds me of some Americans who lost faith in the United States immediately after September 11th. Why couldn’t the government keep them safe? Then the conspiracy theories crept in, and demands for overbearing state surveillance, reading our emails and listening to our phone calls. The call for more official answers to be handed over tends to end in authoritarianism.
Authoritarianism – CES Letter rarely presents an alternative reality or explanation for Mormon principles, but we can discern what they believe in from their arguments themselves. This opening line from CES Letter reminds me of multiple apostates and anti-Christs in the scriptures who complain that prophets are unsatisfactory in giving us truth.
“The Lord maketh no such thing known.” “To the unknown God.”
Satan wants us to feel abandoned by the church and by God. When Satan first tempted Adam, he brilliantly showed a glaring omission in God’s commandments, and a contradiction, which made Adam feel abandoned. Adam was not given official answers to his questions. But still he held strong. He took self-responsibility to find answers for himself, and he patiently endured until answers came. Satan continues this same tactic through CES Letter‘s introduction.
The narrative in CES Letter shows symptoms of an authoritarian personality. They demand strong leadership to answer every little question explicitly and to take care of everybody with a quickly watchful eye and strong hand.
The narrative furthermore divides those that do not fall in line with CES Letter‘s narrative into a negative category. We become the out-group. I do not recall ever as a missionary ridiculing people of other faiths for not giving official answers to every issue. When a Catholic answered the door, I did not demand to see the Catholic church’s official statement on families in the afterlife. “Why hasn’t the Catholic church officially explained the obvious immorality of selling indulgences?” “What about the Catholic sex abuse scandals?” I never spoke these words as a missionary, because I do not believe in tearing down people’s faith. I believe in building faith. God never tried to poke holes in Satan’s narrative when he spoke to Adam, did he? He never demanded official explanations from Satan about his plan? That is because it is exclusively Satan’s tactic to demand official answers be given for every little concern. That is Satan’s ideology. God’s way is to find answers yourself through rigorous study, faithful endurance, pondering, and praying.
If you are patient, the answers will come. Keep looking. Don’t push your questions away or pretend they don’t exist, because faith does not operate by ignoring what it is you want. Faith is not blind. Questions can be the vehicle to self-discovery and personal excellence, or questions could be the road to apostasy. The difference is your faith, your open-mindedness, and how you frame the issue. Never let Anti-Mormons frame it for you. If you already have, it’s not too late! Recognize what has happened and get back on the faithful path.Complete answers to CES Letter questions about Mormons: