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Showing posts from August, 2026
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If Mormon Leaders Know the Church Is False, Why Do They Stay?

A recent r/exmormon post asked a question that comes up often in discussions of Mormonism: if senior leaders know about the historical problems surrounding Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, polygamy, translation, and other controversial subjects, why would they spend the rest of their lives defending the Church? [1] If these leaders know the Church is false, why would they dedicate their entire finite lives to it? by u/ImportantPerformer16 in exmormon The question is valid because the men at the top of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not generally isolated from the institution they lead. Apostles serve full-time for the remainder of their lives, and the Church describes the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve as prophets, seers, revelators, and the body authorized to declare doctrine and establish policy. [2] But the question contains an assumption that should be separated from the evidence. We have good reason to believe senior leaders know that many ...
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The Church is Changing the Sunday Schedule... Again

On September 6, 2026, Latter-day Saints will arrive at church to find the second hour rearranged. Sacrament meeting will remain no longer than 60 minutes. Adults and youth will then attend 25 minutes of Sunday School every week, followed by 25 minutes of Relief Society, elders quorum, Young Women, or Aaronic Priesthood quorum instruction. Primary will meet for 55 minutes. The alternating schedule introduced with two-hour church in 2019 will be gone.¹ The First Presidency's March announcement put the change plainly: In the new schedule, sacrament meeting will continue to be no longer than 60 minutes. After a 5‑minute transition, youth and adults will attend a 25‑minute Sunday School class each week. Following another 5‑minute transition, they will attend a 25‑minute priesthood quorum, Relief Society, or Young Women meeting. Primary will continue to meet weekly and will now last 55 minutes.¹ The schedule is a modest administrative revision. The institution capable of making it, thoug...
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What is the Book of Joseph?

The Book of Joseph is one of Joseph Smith’s least-known translation projects. In 1835, soon after Egyptian papyri arrived in Kirtland, his associates began saying that part of the collection contained writings of Joseph of Egypt.[2][3] The record was described, shown to visitors, and expected to be translated and published, but no existing Book of Joseph is known to survive.[8] “Book of Joseph” is a useful modern label, but the nineteenth-century sources used several names.[8] They referred to the “writings of Joseph,” the “record of Joseph,” a “History of Joseph in Egypt,” and, in Oliver Cowdery’s words, “Joseph’s record.”[2][6] The claim appears in Kirtland sources from 1835 and in later accounts by people who saw the papyri.[5][8] Cowdery also tied “Joseph’s record” to particular Egyptian images that can still be examined today.[6][11] 1835: A second biblical record appears in Kirtland Michael Chandler brought four Egyptian mummies and papyri to Kirtland, Ohio, in late June or earl...
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What "Mormonism Explained" Had to say about Torn

Mormonism Explained recently published a response to Jeff Strong’s 2026 book Torn: Why People We Love Are Leaving the Church and What We Can Learn From Them.  (affiliate link) The response argues that Strong’s description of Latter-day Saint “spiritual starvation” should show up in measurable outcomes if it is true. It points to ten studies involving religious attendance, happiness, parental love, longevity, education, and meaning in life, then concludes that the data show the opposite of Strong’s diagnosis. [1] Many of the underlying findings are real. Pew does find unusually high attendance among people who currently identify as Latter-day Saints. A University of Chicago study using smartphone location data finds unusually frequent attendance among people observed visiting Latter-day Saint meetinghouses. A long-running California study found very low mortality among highly active Latter-day Saints. [2] [5] [6] But those findings do not answer the same question as religious disaf...
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