Understanding the Gaddy Case
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Disaffection from the Mormon Church is on the rise, largely owning to increased awareness of the disparity between the official narrative of LDS Church history and the facts contributing to anguishing questions among the better educated members about the credibility of the LDS Leadership. Not since the early days of the Church has there been as large and significant an exodus from the LDS Church.
In November of 2011, Church Historian, Elder Marlin K. Jensen observed, "...maybe since Kirtland, we never have had a period of, I'll call it apostasy, like we're having right now; largely over these issues."
In 2013 a group of unpaid individuals who "love the Church" collaborated on the development and publication of a Personal Faith Crisis Report intended for presentation to the leadership of the LDS Church.
The motivation for the report was to assist LDS Church Leaders with recommendations targeted at:
For clarity and singularity of focus "LDS Faith Crisis" was particularly defined by the report as follows:
"...a state of intense emotional and spiritual distress resulting from the discovery of Church history facts that do not align with the traditional LDS narrative. This distress results in members losing faith in some or all foundational truth claims of the LDS Church and in the Church itself."
As such, this team of scholars acknowledged the reality of the inconsistencies between the official narratives of the LDS Church about its own history, and the facts; and the very real, personal, extensive, and widespread damages resulting from the discovery of the reality of such inconsistencies.
Quoting from the report:
"Measuring the severity of Faith Crisis by simply tracking numbers of resignations creates a false impression [that] there is no formidable [credibility] challenge and causes many to deny the severity of the issue. It will not serve us well if we have 'Faith Crisis deniers' in the same way we now have climate change deniers."
The research behind the report involved surveying thousands of affected members and former members of the LDS Church.
Typical of the observations by respondents who participated in the faith crisis survey is the following from a male in his 30's:
“ I learned the dishonesty was systematic and institutional, euphemized as ‘correlation,’ on the part of what I had believed to be God’s church—the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth with which God was supposedly well pleased. Indeed, the very church which burned the principle of honesty into my soul as a youth, the church which required me to be ‘honest in all my dealings,’ and the church to which I had confessed my darkest indiscretions in an attempt to remain honest before God—this same church simply has not told the truth about itself.”
This report came on the heals of the "Mormon Moment" in 2012 which involved The Mitt Romney campaign for the presidency and the BBC Documentary, The Mormon Candidate, in which the LDS Church was openly referred to as a fraud by Park Romney. He called out the LDS Leadership as "Masters of Mendacity" and commented on credible evidence that they "knowingly and intentionally misrepresent historical facts about the Church for the purpose of deceiving the members into a state of mind that renders them exploitable".
Clearly, Park Romney was not the first to make such an observation, and The Mormon Candidate was not the first critical examination of Mormonism, but the public nature of the report, aired in the midst of the 2012 election campaign, contributed to increased scrutiny of Mormonism and heightened awareness of the serious nature of the type of LDS controversies typical of the discussions found on MormonThink.com and sponsored by the Exmormon Foundation for years.
Not only was it becoming broadly understood that Mormonism's claim to divine authority is untenable by reason of the patently obvious falsity of their historical claims of authenticity, but as well, it has become increasingly apparent that the LDS Church leadership has engaged in willful and intentional distortion of the truth in their presentations through the process of mandatory "correlation" of Church history presentations. Tight supervisory oversight has ensured that inconvenient truths would not be told and more appealing narratives would displace factual accounts of significant events in LDS Church history as a matter of mandated Church policy apparently justified as "Lying for the Lord". (See excellent FlackerMan video on "Lying for the Lord")
So extreme and inconsistent with its own doctrinal position on the subject of the Plan of Salvation has been the LDS Church's policy of "Lying for the Lord" in its historical presentations, that noteworthy departures from the LDS Church involving the abandonment of entire careers for the sake of integrity have taken place in the form of exits from the LDS Church Educational System by employees such as Ken Clark, and the retirement after outspoken concerns of former Area President and General Authority of the LDS Church, Hans H. Mattson.
The Faith Crisis Report wisely recommends a more compassionate approach to the advent of Faith Crisis as opposed to hostility and anger, typical of the LDS Church's institutional abuse of the dissident and dissenters in the form of gas lighting, topical shunning, character assassination, and other life and family disruptions. Sadly, the "more compassionate approach" to LDS Faith Crisis subsequently adopted by the LDS Church leadership has been the nasty business of obfuscation. To that end and under pressure to effect "damage control" the LDS Church has quietly published a series of Gospel Essays addressing some of the more controversial aspects of Mormonism.
In depth discussion of the LDS Gospel Essays can be found here on MormonThink.com. Many thoughtful observers, including Laura Gaddy, find it offensive that the LDS Gospel Essays contain admissions and acknowledgments of what the Church had for generations previously branded as "anti-Mormon lies".
See also: Thumbnail Sketch of Case Issues (Gaddy v LDS)
See also: About Laura Gaddy
See also: Is this the Moment of Truth?
Disaffection from the Mormon Church is on the rise, largely owning to increased awareness of the disparity between the official narrative of LDS Church history and the facts contributing to anguishing questions among the better educated members about the credibility of the LDS Leadership. Not since the early days of the Church has there been as large and significant an exodus from the LDS Church.
In November of 2011, Church Historian, Elder Marlin K. Jensen observed, "...maybe since Kirtland, we never have had a period of, I'll call it apostasy, like we're having right now; largely over these issues."
In 2013 a group of unpaid individuals who "love the Church" collaborated on the development and publication of a Personal Faith Crisis Report intended for presentation to the leadership of the LDS Church.
The motivation for the report was to assist LDS Church Leaders with recommendations targeted at:
• Better understanding Faith Crisis catalysts and processes.
• Determining the best course of action for retaining those members currently in crisis, repairing damaged families, and mitigating the negative implications of those who are leaving or have already left [the Church].
• Considering how to best prevent Faith Crisis from negatively affecting current and future generations.
• Determining the best course of action for retaining those members currently in crisis, repairing damaged families, and mitigating the negative implications of those who are leaving or have already left [the Church].
• Considering how to best prevent Faith Crisis from negatively affecting current and future generations.
For clarity and singularity of focus "LDS Faith Crisis" was particularly defined by the report as follows:
"...a state of intense emotional and spiritual distress resulting from the discovery of Church history facts that do not align with the traditional LDS narrative. This distress results in members losing faith in some or all foundational truth claims of the LDS Church and in the Church itself."
As such, this team of scholars acknowledged the reality of the inconsistencies between the official narratives of the LDS Church about its own history, and the facts; and the very real, personal, extensive, and widespread damages resulting from the discovery of the reality of such inconsistencies.
Quoting from the report:
"Measuring the severity of Faith Crisis by simply tracking numbers of resignations creates a false impression [that] there is no formidable [credibility] challenge and causes many to deny the severity of the issue. It will not serve us well if we have 'Faith Crisis deniers' in the same way we now have climate change deniers."
The research behind the report involved surveying thousands of affected members and former members of the LDS Church.
Typical of the observations by respondents who participated in the faith crisis survey is the following from a male in his 30's:
“ I learned the dishonesty was systematic and institutional, euphemized as ‘correlation,’ on the part of what I had believed to be God’s church—the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth with which God was supposedly well pleased. Indeed, the very church which burned the principle of honesty into my soul as a youth, the church which required me to be ‘honest in all my dealings,’ and the church to which I had confessed my darkest indiscretions in an attempt to remain honest before God—this same church simply has not told the truth about itself.”
This report came on the heals of the "Mormon Moment" in 2012 which involved The Mitt Romney campaign for the presidency and the BBC Documentary, The Mormon Candidate, in which the LDS Church was openly referred to as a fraud by Park Romney. He called out the LDS Leadership as "Masters of Mendacity" and commented on credible evidence that they "knowingly and intentionally misrepresent historical facts about the Church for the purpose of deceiving the members into a state of mind that renders them exploitable".
Clearly, Park Romney was not the first to make such an observation, and The Mormon Candidate was not the first critical examination of Mormonism, but the public nature of the report, aired in the midst of the 2012 election campaign, contributed to increased scrutiny of Mormonism and heightened awareness of the serious nature of the type of LDS controversies typical of the discussions found on MormonThink.com and sponsored by the Exmormon Foundation for years.
Not only was it becoming broadly understood that Mormonism's claim to divine authority is untenable by reason of the patently obvious falsity of their historical claims of authenticity, but as well, it has become increasingly apparent that the LDS Church leadership has engaged in willful and intentional distortion of the truth in their presentations through the process of mandatory "correlation" of Church history presentations. Tight supervisory oversight has ensured that inconvenient truths would not be told and more appealing narratives would displace factual accounts of significant events in LDS Church history as a matter of mandated Church policy apparently justified as "Lying for the Lord". (See excellent FlackerMan video on "Lying for the Lord")
So extreme and inconsistent with its own doctrinal position on the subject of the Plan of Salvation has been the LDS Church's policy of "Lying for the Lord" in its historical presentations, that noteworthy departures from the LDS Church involving the abandonment of entire careers for the sake of integrity have taken place in the form of exits from the LDS Church Educational System by employees such as Ken Clark, and the retirement after outspoken concerns of former Area President and General Authority of the LDS Church, Hans H. Mattson.
The Faith Crisis Report wisely recommends a more compassionate approach to the advent of Faith Crisis as opposed to hostility and anger, typical of the LDS Church's institutional abuse of the dissident and dissenters in the form of gas lighting, topical shunning, character assassination, and other life and family disruptions. Sadly, the "more compassionate approach" to LDS Faith Crisis subsequently adopted by the LDS Church leadership has been the nasty business of obfuscation. To that end and under pressure to effect "damage control" the LDS Church has quietly published a series of Gospel Essays addressing some of the more controversial aspects of Mormonism.
In depth discussion of the LDS Gospel Essays can be found here on MormonThink.com. Many thoughtful observers, including Laura Gaddy, find it offensive that the LDS Gospel Essays contain admissions and acknowledgments of what the Church had for generations previously branded as "anti-Mormon lies".
See also: Thumbnail Sketch of Case Issues (Gaddy v LDS)
See also: About Laura Gaddy
See also: Is this the Moment of Truth?
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Yet, another Smoking Gun...
...exposing LDS Intent to Deceive?
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About Laura Gaddy
Thumbnail Sketch of Gaddy Case Issues
On LDS Fraud and Accountability
Info about Gaddy Lawsuit
Is this the Moment of Truth?
Freedom of Religion?
Is this the Moment of Truth?
Gaddy Case Background
Prophets of God or Minions of Satan?
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What about Religion?
Who Cares about Philosophy?
On The Myth of a Greater Good
Tired of toxic relationships?
Hostility without Reason?
Is LDS Provoked Suicide Preventable?
Managing the Gas Light
Understanding LDS Character Assasination
LDS Faith Crisis?
LDS Credibility Concerns?
Fair questions?
Should One Resign from the LDS Church?
Understanding the Gaddy Case
The Apostasy of a High Priest
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