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Early Mormon Criticisms #1: Caution Against the Golden Bible

This series looks back at how early critics of the church reacted to the rise of Mormonism. Some mocked it, others warned against it, and a few tried to make sense of it. Each post features a real historical excerpt and some quick context to show how critics viewed the new faith as it was unfolding. For this first article, we are going to look at one of the first known in-depth public criticisms of the Book of Mormon, which appeared before the book itself was publicy available.  On February 20, 1830, Cornelius Camden Blatchley, a New York physician and writer known for his skeptical views on organized religion, published an article titled “Caution Against the Golden Bible” in the New-York Telescope . Written only weeks before the Book of Mormon’s official release in March of that year. The Complaints Presented by Blatchley Superstition and Credibility – He quotes The Palmyra Freeman   which called the “Golden Bible” the greatest superstition known, mocking the idea o...
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[Satire] New LDS Temple Garments Now Visible Only to Spiritual Eyes

 In a historic move described as both inspired and innovative, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has introduced what leaders are calling the “Celestial Line,” a new generation of temple garments woven entirely from what we can assume is spiritual matter and visible only to those with eyes of faith. “This is not about fashion,” one representative said. “It’s about faith. The garments are there whether you can see them or not. The unworthy may perceive nothing at all, but the faithful will feel them daily as a constant spiritual reminder of their sacred promises.” Members will no longer receive physical garments through distribution centers. Instead, worthiness will automatically activate the invisible attire following each temple recommend renewal. Leaders have emphasized that although these garments are unseen, their protection remains absolute. “If you are living right, you will never need to ask if you are wearing them. You will simply know.” (Artistic rendering o...
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Are Mormons Christian?

People keep asking whether Mormons are Christian, as if that’s the issue that matters. It’s not. Mormons love this question since its probably one of the tamest aspects of the faith to question. The other day I was reading some comments on an online post that was debating the issue of whether or not Mormons were Christian, and this interaction caught my eye. One individual declared that the FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) “never were and never will be Mormon.”  Now, I can't imagine that many Mormons will share this same sentiment, considering that the FLDS church literally emerged from the exact same roots as the Utah church. But this interaction ironically demonstrates the exact same mindset that other Christians have about Mormons. Some Christians don’t consider Mormons Christian because Latter-day Saint teachings reject key doctrines established by early Christian creeds, like the Trinity, original sin, and the belief that Go...
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There Is No Curse, Part 1

The Book of Mormon seems obsessed about the concept of tradition – the teachings and ideals handed down from one generation to another. In the Bible, the concept only emerges in the Hellenistic period, where the Jewish world was preoccupied with recouping and guarding their beliefs from the surrounding Greco-Roman supremacy. It’s interesting that the later Gentile gospels of Luke and John don’t talk about tradition at all, while Matthew and Mark (the two Judaising Gospels) bring it up to assert that Jesus had the “right ideas” about what Judaism should look like. The primary focus for the term “tradition” is in reference to the culture war occurring between the Messianic Israelites in America known as “ Nephites, ” their apostate brethren, and the disenfranchised Lamanites. This seems to be distinct from the “ curse ” divinely appointed by God to those who abandon the Nephite civilization – it isn’t proclaimed to those secular Nephites who merely did not participate in the true ch...
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The Smithsonian “Early Horses” Article Does Not Prove the Book of Mormon True

     A Smithsonian Magazine article titled “ Native Americans Spread Horses Through the West Earlier Than Thought ” (2023) has been circulating in Mormon spaces as supposed proof that horses existed in the Americas during Book of Mormon times.      The article summarizes a legitimate scientific study published in Science titled “ Early Dispersal of Domestic Horses Into the Great Plains and Northern Rockies .” (2023) But when you read what the researchers actually found, it’s clear this does not support the Book of Mormon’s claims at all.      What the Study Actually Found      The research team, led by William Timothy T. Taylor, analyzed horse remains found across the Great Plains and northern Rockies. Using radiocarbon dating, DNA sequencing, and isotopic analysis, they discovered that the animals were of Spanish origin. In other words, these were not remnants of ancient, native North American horses that somehow...
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The Cost of Exact Obedience

In his April 2007 General Conference talk To the Aaronic Priesthood: Preparing for the Decade of Decision, Elder Robert D. Hales told the story of a young pilot who disobeyed orders, attempted aerial stunts at night, and crashed into oil rigs below. He used this as a metaphor for spiritual life, warning that even small acts of disobedience can lead to complete ruin. For Hales, obedience to God is an all-or-nothing matter, like flying a plane where any deviation can be fatal. But people are not aircraft. And life is not a flight path. Demanding an all-or-nothing approach does not just promote commitment, it conditions fear. By insisting that safety lies only in strict obedience, it discourages critical thinking and builds identity around compliance. It teaches young minds to measure their worth by how well they follow commands. For some, the damage runs deeper. LGBTQ youth, people with mental health challenges, and those wrestling with doctrine often hear these messages a...
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You Might Not Be as Religious as You Think You Are

I came across the poem "The Hollow Men" by T. S. Eliot, and it honestly perfectly describes the religious practices of countless people. We are the hollow men we are the stuffed men leaning together headpiece filled with straw. Alas! Our dried voices, when we whisper together are quiet and meaningless as wind in dry grass or rats' feet over broken glass in our dry cellar... Many people claim to believe in God, but their lives tell a different story. They say they have faith, but that faith has little influence on what they do, how they treat others, or what they value. Their heads may as well be stuffed with straw. Its my opinion, that for most people, religion has become more about identity than conviction. Real belief shows up in choices. It changes behavior. It means living as though your faith is true even when it costs you comfort or pride. Comfort plays a huge role in this. Religion can offer security, tradition, and a sense of belonging. There’s nothing...
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If Jesus Came Back, Would He Be Christian?

If Jesus came back today, he would not recognize what Christianity has become. The modern church is built on power, money, and influence. Whatever moral teacher he might have been, his message has been rewritten to fit the needs of institutions. The result is less a faith about truth and more a system for control.      The French philosopher Jacques Ellul explored this process in his book The Subversion of Christianity . (Affiliate Link) He wrote that the teachings of Jesus were too disruptive to survive unchanged. The early followers of Jesus spoke about compassion, humility, and equality. Those ideas had no place in an empire built on hierarchy and control. Over time however, Christianity adapted. It learned to cooperate with authority. What started as a small movement of the poor became the official religion of the powerful.      Ellul, who was a Christian, saw this as a betrayal. Every belief system changes once it becomes institutionalized....
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Is Mormonism a Cult?

     The word “cult” usually brings to mind the most destructive examples of control, where people lose their freedom, identity, or even their lives. That harm is real and should never be minimized. But the psychology behind those groups does not appear only in the extremes.       The same methods of influence exist in more common institutions too, but often differ in intensity. Religion, politics, and corporate systems all use similar tools to shape belief and loyalty. Mormonism belongs on that spectrum, not because it is as harmful as the worst examples, but because it relies on many of the same patterns of authority and conformity.      One way to see this clearly is through the BITE Model of Authoritarian Control. The model, created by Steven Hassan, outlines how groups shape members through four areas of influence: B ehavior I nformation T hought E motion.       Each form of control helps a system maintain stabil...
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Jacob Sanford is Anti-Mormon

     On September 28, 2025, a man named Thomas Jacob Sanford drove a truck into a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, opened fire, and then set the building on fire.      The FBI described it as “ a targeted act of violence believed to be motivated by the assailant’s anti-religious beliefs against the Mormon religious community .” ( NBC News )      That phrasing—“anti-religious beliefs”—is technically accurate but misses the mark. It’s careful. It’s broad. And it hides the real truth: this was an anti-Mormon attack.      1. The violence targeted a specific faith      Sanford didn’t attack a church because he hated religion in general. He attacked Mormons. Witnesses and online posts show he fixated on the LDS Church, calling its members “the antichrist.” That’s not generic hostility toward religion—it’s directed hatred toward one particular group.      2. “...
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