Did any of you still believe the LDS church was true even after reading reading books that exposed the truth (real history) of Mormonism? Such as, An Insider's View of Mormon Origins (Grant Palmer), Mormonism-Shadow or Reality (Jerald & Sandra Tanner), and Mormonism and the Magic World View (Quinn). Evangelical Bible-bashing type books and pamphlets (i.e. the Godmakers) are excluded please.

I was a super faithful, unquestioning TBM until I read Mormonism-Shadow or Reality and it totally crushed my "testimony." I wanted to believe and I hung on for 3 more years, hoping a miracle would happen to save my faith, but eventually I had to admit to myself that the church simply wasn't "true."

Did any of you read these books, or the like, and NOT have it phase your testimony?

As a believer, why did you read that book?

Typically, it's doubters who are motivated to read those books and believers avoid them like poison.

But I read them well after my "testimony" had been obliterated. All of "anti-Mormon" books I read as a believer were science books (and they never even made reference to ANY religion)--especially ones on earth pre-history. Consensus science, in case you were wondering, runs absolutely contrary to Mormon teaching on subjects like: Geology, Paleontology, Archaeology, Astronomy, Physics, etc.

A friend - a 'jack mormon'- gave me a copy of 'No man knows my history'
I read it and, I admit, it put some serious cracks in my TBM exterior (I went from 'super TBM' to 'TBM lite')..... But it was a few more years before I completely accepted that the church was a lying crock of effluent

It took a lot longer to accept that it was false than it did to stop believing.

I read No Man knows my History plus a few other "anti" books as a teen and they did not bother me. I simply shrugged and thought that JS had serious human flaws.

But DNA was an entirely different matter.Seeing apologists bend themselves into pretzels,trying to explain away what was so painfully obvious, did not help either.

I was out within a few weeks because I knew Mormonism was a fraud.

DNA wasn't bothering me. I bought they're line that "nothing in the Book of Mormon precludes migration by people of Asian descent". I didn't think God would leave a trial to follow anyway.

But the whole "just a man" thing doesn't fly with Joseph Smith. He wasn't just "imperfect". He was a criminal.

I read the God Makers many years ago. It was so obviously twisted and anti mormon it did not bother my testimony at all due to it being an obvious attempt at misrepresenting the Mormon Church.

As the years past not much Anti Mormon literature was available to me, so it was not a problem.

Once the internet became available it all changed. Now I had access to be able to find out about different books and actually able to find referenced material.

If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of Google and it shall be given him.

The internet is the place Mormonism came to die.

Because I was psychologically tied to the church, but after reading No Man Knows My History I knew it was a lie, I wished hard that they would acknowledge that it was a lie, and just let it be a church like any other non-denominational type church. Not be so hung up on "The truth" part of it. Let it just be the lie that it is, but keep doing it in a more honest way.

Now I don't know what I was thinking. I suppose I didn't want the pain of decades of doing what I didn't really like doing to all be a big waste.

After reading Brodie's book I was done. I felt like the victim of a con artist....and I guess I was.

That book was on the list of 'most evil' and it wasn't for as long time that I dared to buy it and read it.

I had already read a ton of other stuff by the time I bought it a to be honest it was surprisingly sympathetic. In fact, despite all that confirming of stuff I had read, as well as new and bothersome material, I actually felt a little bit sorry for the old rascal when I was done reading the book.

Anyway, all things considered my real issue is with Brigham Young. The church was false to begin with, but BY twisted his version of it into something evil.

I don't know / remember if I kept believing. My earliest book was the original Bushman book on JS -- I started reading it, but don't know if I finished it; I got it because my college housemate had gone apostate. Apparently it had no effect on my TM RM Mind because I only mention it once in my journal (10+ years ago)

I'm still trying to figure out why my mind suddenly became "unlocked". I know that my iPod (last christmas) had something to do with it. Listening to Mormon Stories and then Mormon Expression, led to the books, which led to me listening critically to Elder Bednar when he visited our stake, which led to more books, which led to the final destruction of my testimony.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/06/2010 12:50PM by Major Bidamon.

i looked at some anti mormon stuff over the years, just to be familiar with their arguments. none of it ever bothered me...

until...

i read "by his own hand upon papyrus'...

then it was all over literally instantly.

Cheryl,

You asked,

"As a believer, why did you read that book?

Typically, it's doubters who are motivated to read those
books and believers avoid them like poison."

I guess I can turn that question around and ask "why do TBM's avoid them like poison?"

My thinking was, if the church is true what do I have to fear? I should easily be able to see through the "lies" and "twisting of the truth" that the antis write. I did NOT have any doubts and THAT is why I wasn't afraid to read the anti stuff.

If I had a REAL testimony FROM GOD then there is nothing I read in books critical of his church that should should effect my testimony. And if my testimony wasn't strong then God should eventually strengthen it if I remain faithful to him.

For some reason I never had the fear or aversion to studying what the "other side" has to say. I thought they must either be misinformed about what we believe or they are just lying about things. I never assumed I would read things that were actually TRUE that would damage my testimony. I was also just curious what they had to say. I never understood why other Mormons just aren't curious what the critics have to say. Sorry, but if you tell me NOT to look into something, then my curiosity is only even MORE aroused.

I was super TBM yet I didn't understand why OTHER Mormons were so opposed to and afraid to reading anti-Mormon books. To be honest, I think I had a STRONGER faith in the religion than most other Mormons, for their fear of anti-Mormon literature must mean that they were afraid that their testimony isn't as strong as they want it to be and that they DON'T KNOW the church is true.

I always felt it was healthy practice to know all sides of an issue. To not do is so is like sticking your head in the sand and to be ignorant.

What initially started me on my path to reading "anti-Mormon" books was on my mission in my attempt to refute the anti stuff that investigators and ex-Mormons had read. Most of these people were good people but I thought they were just misinformed, and therefore felt obligated to help answer their questions. It also really bothered me when other missionaries would quickly give up on people as a lost cause because they were so convinced by what they read in their anti-Mormon books. So I wanted to be informed myself of what the critics had to say about the church and so I could answer questions that people pose to us. I was a studious type and hated being ignorant of my own religion. It seemed hypocritical of me that I couldn't answer people's questions and defend my own religion when I was trying to get other people to join it. Of course that was the beginning of the end for me and Mormonism.