Criticism of Mormonism

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Criticism of Mormonism

Books critical of Mormonism

Summary: FAIR analyzes and offers a page-by-page analysis and response to books critical of Mormonism.

• • One Nation Under Gods by Richard Abanes—
    Brief Summary: In early 2002 a new book entitled One Nation under Gods (ONUG) appeared on bookshelves, promising to tell the "real" history of the Mormon Church. The author attempts to pull disparate sources together to paint a picture that, when compared to objective reality, more closely resembles a Picasso than a Rembrandt—skewed and distorted—obscuring and maligning the actual doctrines and beliefs as understood and practiced by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than 150 years. (Click here for full article)
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Videos critical of Mormonism

Summary: FAIR analyzes and responds to videos critical of Mormonism on a claim-by-claim basis.

Anti-Mormon

Summary: Some critics of the Church object to the use of the term "anti-Mormon." They do not like to be referred to as "anti-Mormons," and deny that their books, speeches, blogs or videos are "anti-Mormon." Such critics often insist that the term "anti-Mormon" is unfair because they are not "against" Mormons, but only write and act as they do because they "love" Mormons or Mormon investigators and want to bring them to the truth.

• • Origin and history of the term "anti-Mormon"—
    Brief Summary: The term "anti-Mormon" was originally used by opponents of the early 19th century Church to describe themselves. A collection of quotes from publications showing the early use of the term "anti-Mormon" (Click here for full article)
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Cognitive dissonance

Summary: Many critics of the Church are fond of portraying all members as either naive, ill-informed dupes or cynical exploiters. Fortunately, most fair-minded people realize that—just as in any religion—there are many intelligent, well-informed people who become or remain members of the Church. To get around this, some critics appeal to the psychological concept of 'cognitive dissonance' to try to 'explain away' the spiritual witness of intelligent, articulate members.

"Intellectual dishonesty"

Summary: Another favorite claim made by critics is that anyone who accepts the faith claims of the Church is being "intellectually dishonest." They feel that any rational person must see things as they do, and that the circumstances and teachings of the Church cannot be accepted if one is to remain "intellectually honest."