In 1905, two apostles were pressured to resign from the Quorum of the Twelve over their opposition to the end of polygamy. They were merely being true to what Joseph Smith taught was “the most holy and important doctrine ever revealed to man on the earth.”
The purpose of FairMormon’s new videos is not to provide a legitimate rebuttal to the CES Letter, but to portray doubters, critics, and former members as ridiculous in an effort to make them easy to dismiss.
The key to navigating faith crisis, I believe, is to trust that honestly pursuing the truth will ultimately lead you to a better place, even if it’s not the place you initially imagined.
The LDS teachings regarding the Gift of the Holy Ghost invoke the Spirit in establishing the church—and the men who lead it—as the mediator of one’s relationship with the Divine.
In both the temple endowment narrative and in real life, a willingness to access the knowledge forbidden by a threatening authority figure is the key to spiritual growth and liberation from a contrived paradise that is actually an intellectual prison.