2- Let's get started

A little question I'd like to pose to all the LDS readers: If the church is the modern restored church of Christ, why aren't you Jewish?

I was shocked, appalled, disgusted, pissed off, and absolutely surprised to see the following picture in a recent edition of the Salt Lake Tribune:

A photo showing a seemingly innocent handshake between the (now former) President of the Free World GWBush and President of the 'we don't take sides in political matters' LDS Church Thomas Monson

Seemingly innocent until you notice the detail:

Why is GWB giving TSM that strange handshake? I'm not going to get into what it is here, that information is readily available on the internet, try Google- you can probably figure out some search criteria. (Hint: it is far more than a common Masonic handshake)

Anyway, that really got my blood boiling, so now I'm venting. I'm going to scream my lungs out about this for a while, and then I'll stop and (hopefully) calm down.

A few items that I should get out of the way: I am a member of an LDS family, 5th generation on both sides. My ancestors stretch firmly into the royalty of old Mormondom, including a President of the church, some apostles as well as several families that were active in the New and Everlasting Covenant of plural marriage. I noticed a few discrepancies between what we were taught and what I was observing when I was a kid: I was often encouraged to 'study the scriptures' for answers to my questions, the only problem was that I discovered more issues than I resolved.

Anyway, as I became an adult and developed critical thinking skills, I realized that there were several things that made no sense. I discovered that things aren't what they seem, and I have spent a great number of years trying to make sense of it. Through all my studying, I could never make sense of all the various contradictions, seemingly opposing doctrines, inconsistent statements and changes. I eventually allowed one little thought to creep in- once I did, it all made sense INSTANTLY. Simply considering that they made it all up made all the incongruities suddenly fall into place.

I did not 'fall away' due to laziness, desire to sin, unhappiness, being offended, or a lack of faith. Please don't patronize me by thinking that I am guilty of any of those things. My current position is based 100% on facts I have learned and my interpretations of the research I have done into these issues. My status as a 'sinner' or 'unhappy lazy bastard' has nothing whatsoever to do with the results of these simple inquiries.
My findings (to be detailed below) have lead me to one result in regards to Mormonism: It simply isn't what it claims to be: the one true church restored on the earth by Joseph Smith by divine revelation. As far as I can tell, it doesn't stand up to even shallow scrutiny.

Again, please don't try to tell me that you 'know' it is true because you 'feel' something about it. I have had great emotional experiences from such things as movies, concerts, riding motorcycles and reading books. If you 'know' that the LDS church is whatever.... then I 'know' that The Lord of the Rings is also true, beyond the shadow of a doubt, with every fiber of my high-fiber being. It's also arrogant and rude to dismiss dissenting opinions and statements just because you've been taught to witness that you 'know' something. Three year olds make that claim every Fast Sunday, parroting what they've been taught.

Using well-accepted academic techniques that can be easily verified using books and reliable sources, I can say something that I 'know':

The LDS Church is NOT what it claims to be.

No amount of supposed goodwill and supposed family focus can take away from the fact that the LDS Church has been and continues to be a dishonest organization, and the leaders are perpetuating fraud.

I'm not saying people don't have the right to follow the leaders of the church- you can choose to do so if you like.

The history of the church, the Book of Mormon, marital status and even the words of the founders and leaders have been changed to make the story of 'the church' more palatable to the world. Not a very noble action for an organization that prides itself on being better than the morals of this world.

I have provided links to information that supports many of the claims I am making, other information is available using simple internet searching techniques. Wikipedia links will only be used when the link can be used as a gateway to numerous reputable links. The claims of the church regarding its divine restoration and place as the 'one true church' do not stand up to even the most basic critical examination. As Boyd Packer once said: "Feminists, homosexuals and so-called intellectuals are a danger to the church."

Using the old rhetoric 'You can leave the church but you can't leave it alone' won't work on me. I was lied to for over 30 years, and I feel bad that so many of my friends and family are continually abused by the deceitful dogma of LDS Inc. and its leaders. So I'm here screaming about it for a while.

I'll make a deal with you: you get the church to come clean about its history, apologize for its actions regarding blacks and the priesthood, retract its statements regarding same gender marriages, stop claiming to be the sole route to heaven, offer the priesthood (and equal treatment) to women, accept at least partial responsibility for the Mountain Meadows Massacre, allow all family members to attend temple weddings, stop calling my house, stop harassing my kids, stop dropping by unannounced and refund people their tithing money- at that point I'd be willing to leave them alone. Until then I owe it to my friends and loved ones to expose it for the fraud that it is.