Should I Read The CES Letter? Overcoming My First Mormon Doubt.

In this video, I talk about the first doubt I ever had and how I overcame it.
The CES Letter is a document written by Jeremy Runnells, a former member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as the Mormon Church. It was first published in 2013 and gained widespread attention within and outside the Mormon community. The letter is a compilation of questions and concerns Runnells had about the LDS Church's history, teachings, and practices.
In the CES Letter, Runnells raises numerous issues, including historical inconsistencies, controversial doctrines, and contradictions between official LDS Church teachings and historical records. He also questions the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, the foundational scripture of the LDS Church.
The CES Letter has become a significant source of information and discussion among individuals questioning their faith within the LDS Church or seeking to understand its history and beliefs more deeply. It has led to both supportive and critical responses from members and leaders of the LDS Church, sparking important conversations about faith, religion, and historical accuracy within the Mormon community.
#exmormon #mormonism #latterdaysaint

[@adamholloway7963]

Truth does not fear investigation/examination, untruth fears investigation/examination.

[@scottysends]

Hey, just wanted to say thank you for putting these thoughts to words in a way so easy to understand. I left the church six months ago for many, many reasons, but I’ve had a hard time summing up the main reason. This video helped me answer that. I am blown away by your ability to express deep thoughts without trying to sound like the smartest guy in the room, something most deep thinkers lack. Thank you. Please, keep sharing your thoughts as you have inspiration.

[@ubermormon9611]

Thank you for the really nice compliment. I completely stopped going in 2018 and it has taken me a long time to mentally unpack how one thing lead to the next. I’m sure the same will happen to you. Just be patient and kind to yourself in the meantime.

[@krismurphy7711]

If you focus on Young Joseph Smith....at his "glass looking" ...Rock in a Hat..."Money Digging"...KNOWING that he TOLD PEOPLE HE COULD SEE BURIED TREASURE...LED THEM TO A SPOT...FINDING NOTHING.... WAS LYING....and doing it repeatedly, for money, was FRAUD. And as we know, fraud is CRIMINAL. AND....(drum role).... This was AFTER HIS CLAIMED "First Vision"...and "Moroni Visits." God & Jesus can't tolerate dishonesty....so They could never have associated themselves with a Liar...Fraudster...Criminal. PERIOD....you will have no doubts about leaving The Church...because EVERYTHING IS BASED ON WHAT JOSEPH SMITH CLAIMS HAPPENED. A Liar in one thing can be assumed to be lying in ALL things.

[@hollyhelin4493]

I’m hearing “we want your tithe, really really bad.”

[@ubermormon9611]

I heard the same thing!

[@wendyfoster5579]

No tithing isn’t for the church although it has helped to provide so many temples and fund so many programs to help others to come to Christ. The main reason to pay it is to align yourself with Christ and be right with God because he requests it but like all things he asks of us is to benefit us not glorify him. He can do whatever he wants but compel us. Do you ever wonder why do many are grateful to live the law of tithing.

[@Unavesmas1990]

This was so objective and amazinggg

[@FourofSix]

Thanks for sharing-I really appreciate your take on the breakdown. It takes time to deconstruct-hate to see others not get it 😉

[@stereotape]

very interesting

[@ubermormon9611]

Thanks!

[@thuggie1]

It is true that we add so much to what is human sometimes simplisty without focusing and applying lables to define your innate humanity. I think that is the problem ideology likes to say it is the reason you do somthing, when inreality it was always there to begin with. Or maybe I am reading to much into it

[@ubermormon9611]

I don’t think you are reading into it too much. I think it’s a point worth thinking about more.

[@thuggie1]

@@ubermormon9611 also maybe there things i am working mind it's all a good thing to question yourself.

[@freedom4survival]

Not everybody’s bored at Sunday school bud.

[@jasonshults368]

Truth is a bad word to use in the context of religions. Religions aren't even untrue. Like a commercial for Pepsi doesn't even rise to the level of untruth. It's just a commercial. And religion is just religion.

[@ubermormon9611]

I know what you mean. I’ve talked about this in a bunch of other video. (Mostly referencing or quoting Jordan Peterson). I do have issues with religions which (mostly) operate between the truth as you say, but then ask for people who are in poverty to give money. Adding comfort to people’s life is one thing. Asking them to pay for it doesn’t seem ok.

[@scottballard6176]

​@gregbaker2377 yeah, i schedule my time to waste on closed minded people like you. Thanks for moving on- which is what the point of my first post.

[@aBrewster29]

I appreciate what Pres Nelson is trying to do here, but artificially keeping oneself ignorant is not an effective way to foster lifelong spiritual development, however effective it may be at maintaining outward compliance. It is also not scriptural. D&C 121 specifically requires priesthood leadership among other things, to teach pure knowledge which enlargeth the soul without hypocrisy and without guile. That seems to be a pretty clear rebuke of limiting teachings to only “faith promoting” (i.e., compliance promoting) things. It’s also a manifestation of the teaching of building upon sand. Empty platitudes don’t hold up to the wind and waves of life’s difficulty, especially what for many is the final blow of learning that the Church has misrepresented its history in a way that promotes blind, limitless obedience to flawed men. What your left with us a mixture of the ignorant, church broke, and dogmatic extremism. Hardly the full body of Christ that Paul preached.

[@ubermormon9611]

Thanks for a thoughtful comment. I think you bring a good perspective here and I agree with a lot of it.

[@aBrewster29]

@@ubermormon9611 you’re kind to say so. Too much time is spent inside and out of the Church on the binary, package-deal conclusion about whether or not the church is true. I love Brad Wilcox’s “playing church” idea, not in the way he put it, but that when the church refuses to hold itself to its own teachings and the members intentionally isolate themselves from real-world application while using magical thinking and institutional loyalty to plug doctrinal holes, we are playing church. When we talk about how wicked the world is while ignoring suffering we could alleviate (or stop causing in some cases) we are playing church. People need to grow comfortable with the messy middle, because that’s where the truth is found.

[@renickgreen]

1 nephi 8

[@ubermormon9611]

I’ve already done a summery of the tree of life:)

[@scottballard6176]

I find it slightly sad how exmos cling to the name of a faith they no longer accept and often disdain. Dude- move on. Get a hobby.

[@DougVandegrift]

No disrespect but If you have never been a faithful member who has come to learn the truth then you shouldn't be telling someone to simply "move on". You don't know about the mind manipulation and hurt from lies and deception. If you knew you had given tens of thousands of dollars in tithing and tens of thousands of hours of your life because you were lied to without informed consent you may feel hurt and want to help others.

[@ubermormon9611]

Scott are you an active Mormon right now?

[@scottballard6176]

​@@ubermormon9611yep

[@scottballard6176]

​​@DougVandegrift no disrespect, but it's super offensive to say "thechurch is full of lies" to a faithful member. It's like saying "oh your wife's a whore". I'm really familiar with every single point made by Runnels, Dehlin etc and it's disingenuous at best to accuse the church of lying. In any case, lots of people leave their faith- why are exmos so obsessed with their former faith? I know lots of ex catholics, baptists and muslims- they leave and not a single one keeps studying their former faith. Why do you?

[@purpleflowers92]

​​@@scottballard6176Im an ex catholic here. Honestly I have much more respect to LDS members of the church who you guys happend to live a much more organized life that the Lord approves. Catholic people used profanity, dress inmodest and drink alcoholic beverages. I am glad I left catholism never look back. I am now a pentecostal Orthodox christian. I have been studying that demonic so called mother theresa was a phony a liar ,fake and stole money from people .That so called hospital was in unsanitaryconditions. The catholic church has stole millionsof dollar from blind catholics and they practice I dolotry.

[@1god126]

It was a very good explanation I think if there's members that watch it will present itself is a honest talk Being in a public forum though I might suggest And you know as well as I do if a member watches the video the very first swear word you use will most likely get them to click away And god does love you Mormonism was good for you while it was good for you now you can do some good for other folks

[@scottysends]

sWeAr WoRdS mAkE yOu SoUnD uNiNtElLiGeNt 🥴

[@krismurphy7711]

Those members have probably already uttered that word when they watched this and other podcasts.

[@1god126]

@@krismurphy7711 what part you most upset about that I said