Stuff I Didn’t Know Before Reading the CES Letter

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ต.ค. 2024

ความคิดเห็น • 121

  • @Cajek2
    @Cajek2 ปีที่แล้ว +66

    I hope this goes viral, especially in Utah

    • @ExmoLex
      @ExmoLex  ปีที่แล้ว +18

      Yes! And I hope people go far beyond the CES Letter. It really is just the tip of the iceberg!

    • @Cajek2
      @Cajek2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@ExmoLex Someone should make billboards in Mormon states:
      "Read your CES letter"

    • @mylesmarkson1686
      @mylesmarkson1686 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@Cajek2 Years ago, I used to see a billboard here in Utah that said "Joseph lied", and I remember thinking "Joseph Smith? Are they allowed to get away with billboards like that in Utah?"

    • @Josie-6
      @Josie-6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@mylesmarkson1686 I mean, we have had one that just says “Weezer” on it for literal years, as well as a response billboard from Weezer saying, “thanks for the billboard.”

    • @Cajek2
      @Cajek2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@mylesmarkson1686 It's good news that reality can penetrate the bubble

  • @Trixie_Lavender
    @Trixie_Lavender ปีที่แล้ว +20

    "What did I learn that I didn't already know? Most of it" yep. I left the church before knowing anything in the CES letter, so it was all new even though I had been out for like five years by the time I learned of its existence. I left because they're homophobic, then learned all that. Mind shattering, and I haven't read the whole thing

  • @jisezer
    @jisezer ปีที่แล้ว +18

    Thank you so much for putting this all in one place

  • @TruthRevolution101
    @TruthRevolution101 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    Great summary! I didn't know about every one of them before. It's amazing how good the church hides these truths from its members!

  • @phoenix_rising8637
    @phoenix_rising8637 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    Yeah I remember reading the CES letter when I first left and it solidifying my decision to leave
    There's so many things that I just didn't know about / didn't look into at all / tried to ignore as a member and it was crazy to read it all at once

  • @lydiakies9053
    @lydiakies9053 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    I spent time with Mormon Missionaries about 10 years ago. They were both surprised I knew the name of the angel on top of the temple (informed apostate!) And when I asked them about the "magical glasses" they were confused.

  • @kennethd.9436
    @kennethd.9436 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    Definitely wasn’t mentioned in 20+ years of Sunday School manuals that Joseph Smith had 30+ wives.

    • @chrisbritton11
      @chrisbritton11 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Incredible. I grew up in the 70s-90s and cannot believe members when they say they didn’t know about JS polygamy. From when I was a teen I fully knew and it was never a “hidden” subject at home or church.

  • @ShinkeiDEI
    @ShinkeiDEI ปีที่แล้ว +6

    The CES letter is such a great tool to help people transition out of the cult, when I deconverted there was not such a resource so you had go dig in deep, read online, look for blogs and stuff. Tender mercies.😂

  • @joannestanley8478
    @joannestanley8478 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    When I moved to Mesa AZ in 1979 I was in my early 30`s and had never known a Mormon or knew anything about the religion. I started attending a church that had a ministry to witness to Mormons. I enjoyed researching it, back then it wasn't as easy as now. Anyway, when I read the CES letter a few months ago, I realized I knew probably 80% of what's in it. It was surprising to me that most adult Mormons had never heard of most or all of them.

    • @keepinitreal938
      @keepinitreal938 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I went to a class like that at another church. I was questioning mormonism at the time. The lady teaching the class was so filled with hate for the Mormons that it actually made it so I went back to the mormon church because no one there was filled with hate while they were teaching. It's sad that that was a catalyst for me spending many more years in the church.

    • @jeaninecookson167
      @jeaninecookson167 ปีที่แล้ว

      Same

    • @jeaninecookson167
      @jeaninecookson167 ปีที่แล้ว

      Same

    • @TJa2874
      @TJa2874 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Yea most people out of the church know more about the real history of the church than those within it. That’s because we are taught not to look at ‘anti Mormon’ literature. The fear of doing so is so deeply ingrained into us that we just don’t. We’re too scared to even talk about or question our doubts because we are instantly dismissed if we do ask questions.

  • @pimo2520
    @pimo2520 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Joseph Smith is me whenever I'm given an open note test lol!

  • @polybear08
    @polybear08 ปีที่แล้ว +30

    Strange you can spend 20 30 40 years of your life dedicated to a church and not know anything about it’s founder…. “But I had felt a warming in my busom!” Yes I’m sure the prophet had all his young ladies feeling warmth in their bosoms 😂

    • @marygreen2672
      @marygreen2672 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Amen

    • @savannahsmiles1797
      @savannahsmiles1797 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      they thought girding up their loins was a whole different experience

  • @AvocadoBee
    @AvocadoBee 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Learning LDS church history is tantamount to apostasy.
    I got out of the LDS faith after studying The Gospel Topic Essays. The CES letter was just a bonus even though it predated the essays.
    So my strategy is just to direct people to the essays and let their own judgment and discernment guide them.

  • @jadynduropan
    @jadynduropan ปีที่แล้ว +11

    But but but you didn't believe hard enough 😤😤😤 jkjk

  • @deeperthings
    @deeperthings ปีที่แล้ว +7

    It was the Kinderhook plates for me.
    BoA had been a problematic shelf item for a long time. That cracking sound you heard was the Kinderhook plates playing the part of the straw that broke the camel's back.

    • @loudogg73
      @loudogg73 ปีที่แล้ว

      If it helps, the now famous scraps of papyrus do not match the description of the papyrus used to translate the book of Abraham. It's more of a red herring than anything else. The actual Book of Abraham came from other scrolls and were not mounted and framed like these ones. The kinderhook plates story is actually pretty similar. Somebody gave the plates to Joseph, he looked at his dictionary and he thought he recognized a symbol and gave a vague interpretation. Unfortunately, a lot of people use this story to paint doubt in others. There's a very good video on it here if you are interested: m.th-cam.com/video/dwxiFAtUSEs/w-d-xo.html&pp=ygUjRmFpdGggYW5kIGJlbGllZnMga2luZGVyaG9vayBwbGF0ZXM%3D

    • @deeperthings
      @deeperthings ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@loudogg73 I watched the video you suggested. It had good production value. I was already aware of all of the information and arguments it contains. A house of cards can look solid from certain angles. Just don't let the fan blow on it!
      The "other scroll" theory is completely discredited by the very Egyptian Grammers (there are several copies of this nature in different hands and with variant names). Yes, we only have a fraction of the ancient material Joseph had at his disposal for the production of the BoA (and perhaps a future Book of Joseph had time permitted), but it is painfully clear that the material we do have is the very material that the first part of our BoA and the various versions of Egyptian Alphabets and Grammers were derived from, and none of it is correct. I gave BoA every allowance possible. There had to be a way to get it all to make sense, I assured myself.
      The closer you inspect a house of cards, the more you realize how solid it is not. Get too close, and you will cause it to collapse. You will never see it the same way again.
      Do yourself a favor. Keep your faith. Don't look too closely at it. Just stop telling those of us who have that our failure is in not looking closely enough. We wish it was that simple!

    • @loudogg73
      @loudogg73 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@deeperthings The point I was trying to make is that the intact Abrahamic scroll existed long after these mounted fragments were mounted. It's hard to know what purpose the alphabets served. They don't appear correct. It's my best guess that they were a failed attempt to reverse engineer the inspired translation. That failed attempt to create an Egyptian alphabet, of course, resulted in a failed attempt to translate the kinderhook plates from the alphabet. Interrelated issues but not particularly reflective of the veracity of the BoA one way or the other. In any case, it's not my goal to argue. I wish you the best in whatever you decide to do!

    • @deeperthings
      @deeperthings ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@loudogg73 I actually got your point the first time. None of the ancient materials that Joseph acquired were completely intact. They all had damage and lacuna. It is in particular the way that Joseph filled in these holes in the source materials for the facsimiles that is problematic. And the mounted bit you keep referring to is clearly the source of facsimile 1, which the printed text of the BoA self-references as being part of the scroll it comes from. You cannot divorce the part we have from a non-existent but somehow magically intact other scroll that can then serve as the source of the published BoA. Believe me, if there was a legitimate way of doing it, we would all know what it was and I would have long since embraced it with joy and relief. It doesn't exist.
      It is also not at all hard to know what is up with the various versions of the Egyptian Alphabet and Grammer. They tell us in the various newspaper articles and meeting notes from the time they were produced exactly what they were doing. There have been very important studies and analysis of them done that demonstrate forensically that they cannot be any kind of reverse engineering attempt, but must originate from the mind (if not the hand) of Joseph Smith and pertain to the earliest work on the BoA "translation". And they tie irrevocably the mounted part that we have to the first portion of the BoA. AND they are in every way conceivable incorrect.
      All the suggestions you have brought up so far are failed apologetics that have never served any other purpose than to create a smokescreen through which the house of cards can be seen as being more solid than it is. They have never actually added any stability or solidity to the structure.
      If I could in fact do as I would choose, I would choose for it all to be true. I would choose for it to stand up to all scrutiny and really demonstrate the prophetic mission of Joseph Smith. I would love that to be so.
      Do yourself a favor and choose not to look too closely at the house of cards. It sucks when it collapses. And maybe don't go into battle with a wooden sword and cardboard shield. You are bound to get hurt. And I sincerely do not wish that for you. May you also have peace and joy in your life.

  • @keepinitreal938
    @keepinitreal938 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    It's amazing the mental gymnastics that people have to do to explain this information away. Well, many won't even acknowledge it enough to get to the mental gymnastics part.

  • @tbsrevolver131
    @tbsrevolver131 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    And yet when you bring up all of this stuff that we were never taught we get told “well this was always available, you just didn’t bother to look for it.”
    Infuriating!

    • @Josie-6
      @Josie-6 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Which is funny considering how they tell you not to read it if you do find it.

    • @TJa2874
      @TJa2874 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@Josie-6 exactly. How ironic lol

  • @Pem_321
    @Pem_321 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    The fact that there are STILL LDS members that try to back their religion, claiming all of the CES letter is BS 🤮🤢

  • @amytheshihtzumom
    @amytheshihtzumom ปีที่แล้ว +13

    I didn’t know about Mark Hoffman. I’m reading up on him now.

    • @joetaylor8687
      @joetaylor8687 ปีที่แล้ว

      It's spelled Mark Hofmann. Quite a guy, quite a story. One of the most successful con artists to have ever inhabited Utah . . . until he started blowing people up.

    • @amytheshihtzumom
      @amytheshihtzumom ปีที่แล้ว

      @@joetaylor8687 Thank you for the proper spelling. Could you please give us the evidence based citations from reputable scientific sources that you mentioned in another comment as being definitive proof of people’s experiences with a god after death.

    • @joetaylor8687
      @joetaylor8687 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@amytheshihtzumom You reference "scientific sources." Science is always changing, and always has been changing. Still, there are many things that we just have to take on faith, or what we learn as individuals based on our experiences / exposures and the way we interpret / internalize them. That's why we all have different beliefs and convictions. Such is life.

    • @sb2968
      @sb2968 ปีที่แล้ว

      Mark Hoffman,really america's greatest forger and murderer...same lies and caliber with the writer of CES letter

  • @dc45acp
    @dc45acp ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I was a teen in Salt Lake when the whole Hoffman thing went off... Laughed my ass off. But I was already well on my way out at that point.

  • @kaijessen3654
    @kaijessen3654 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Just to quibble on the statement that there was no steel in pre-Columbian America. The Viking settlement in Newfoundland showed evidence that iron was being smelted for making nails. These nails were for making repairs to their boats and to that particular point, iron was being smelted in North America pre-Columbian.

    • @sjenson6694
      @sjenson6694 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Maybe so but that was from another path and geographic area than anything the poorly written book of Mormon talks about.

    • @RebeccaRaven
      @RebeccaRaven ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@sjenson6694 And certainly not to the extent described in the BOM.

    • @adiospobreza
      @adiospobreza ปีที่แล้ว +2

      The founder of the Mormon Church is:
      1923: Heber J Grant.
      The church ceased to exist from 1887 to 1923, unbeknownst to members, due to the Edmunds Tucker Act.
      So priesthood is really priestcraft, as not one leader claimed to see god face to face.
      Not one.

  • @konradfesk
    @konradfesk ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Keep up the good work! I love your videos!

    • @ExmoLex
      @ExmoLex  ปีที่แล้ว

      Thank you!!

  • @claudiatapia8310
    @claudiatapia8310 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great information, txs!! you look great!! l. Many blessings to you & your family!!

  • @healthhollow7218
    @healthhollow7218 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    What is so sad to me…and I mean this with ALL SINCERITY, LOVE, AND KINDNESS….is that the rest of my family is so smart…I mean SUPER smart. They’ve written books, own their own businesses, could put talk me in any situation, etc. but they still stay in the church and don’t see the truth. I feel like the prodigal child with my ADD, anxiety, and meek mannered personality saw through this facade. Granted it did take me several years, I’m finally out of it. I just wish they would study more and have an open mind to it all.

    • @bonnielee123.
      @bonnielee123. ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I don't know how to respond to my husband when he says "Well how do you know the stuff you're reading is true, and the things the church teaches aren't? I wish I had a spouse who was willing to sort through all this crazy church stuff with me...

    • @keepinitreal938
      @keepinitreal938 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      ​@@bonnielee123. I understand and it's hard.

    • @chlyri
      @chlyri ปีที่แล้ว +1

      ​@@bonnielee123.have you tried to say that you have evidence? how would he respond?

  • @exmormonsongbook
    @exmormonsongbook ปีที่แล้ว +4

    this is such a good summary!

  • @Deborah-wr3tq
    @Deborah-wr3tq ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Pretty much Joseph Smith was a complete wacko...I'm happy i left...i definitely need to look into that book more..i plan on buying it...

    • @joetaylor8687
      @joetaylor8687 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yeah, but he had a lot of adoring fans, evidently had a lot of excitement and pleasure in his life, and apparently never had to ever really work for a living.

    • @marygreen2672
      @marygreen2672 ปีที่แล้ว

      Praise the Lord. I hope and pray many more will wake up and seek the God of the bible.

    • @savannahsmiles1797
      @savannahsmiles1797 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@joetaylor8687 ya that bank he founded and stole from good people was certainly good for him

  • @3thingsfishing427
    @3thingsfishing427 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    And it came to pass that god decided secret handshakes would be required to get into Heaven.

    • @marygreen2672
      @marygreen2672 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      😄😄😄😄😄😄

    • @chlyri
      @chlyri ปีที่แล้ว +4

      don't forget the long ass name of the last token.

  • @jeaninecookson167
    @jeaninecookson167 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I am a never Mo. Those of us who have never set foot in a Mormon church have known this stuff for decades. We figured you knew too. Sometimes I would meet smart Mormon women and think……How can they believe all this crap ?……..They are smart ladies…….
    I never new you guys never knew what we on the outside have known all along. Even in the 1980s before the internet, I looked up the information at the library. I was curious because I went on a few dates with a Mormon guy. After I read a book about what they believed, I thought…..
    No way…..too weird.

  • @GC2024_
    @GC2024_ ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I just got my book

  • @3fearlessboys453
    @3fearlessboys453 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Amen

  • @BSNotAccepted
    @BSNotAccepted ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I'm glad that you shared this here since I'm not on TIKTOK.
    Where can you buy the book?

    • @ExmoLex
      @ExmoLex  ปีที่แล้ว

      You can get it on the CES Letter website! cesletter.org

    • @BSNotAccepted
      @BSNotAccepted ปีที่แล้ว

      @@ExmoLex Thank you.

  • @markh.harris9271
    @markh.harris9271 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    CES letter is a "must read" for members, anyone thinking of becoming a member, and anyone like me (exmo) who is in the process of deconstructing all of this bullshit
    marcus

    • @loudogg73
      @loudogg73 ปีที่แล้ว

      What makes you trust the CES letter?

    • @markh.harris9271
      @markh.harris9271 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@loudogg73 , WTF?
      Your question is a non sequitur. The CES letter is an honest set of questions put to the church educational section of the LDS mormon church. Its detailed, researched, and footnoted content is well known to mormon researchers and ex=mormons.
      The CES letter isn't a document you "trust" in that sense. It is an open document to the church seeking answers to some pretty obvious questions. Its a starting point. It opens the door. It gets to the heart of the underlying history, lies, and obfuscations of the mormon cult. The author has never received a response to his letter; there is no response.
      marcus

    • @marygreen2672
      @marygreen2672 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@loudogg73, because it's the truth. Joseph Smith was a polygamist, deceiver and free mason. God is great. Follow God not man. Have a blessed day.

  • @LavernLee-zz5ln
    @LavernLee-zz5ln ปีที่แล้ว

    You summed it up well! The CES Letter is just one of many videos & accounts of LDS falsehoods. So very sad. The Bible predicted false apostles, prophets will appear. Being well grounded in the Bible not from LDS & JWS is crucial.

  • @kentthalman4459
    @kentthalman4459 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    important list

  • @donna8245
    @donna8245 ปีที่แล้ว

    Girl….
    Same 🤷🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️😄

  • @AndrewMellor-darkphoton
    @AndrewMellor-darkphoton ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Hi

    • @ExmoLex
      @ExmoLex  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Hi! 👋

  • @Lucid_Waking
    @Lucid_Waking ปีที่แล้ว

    Found your channel from a search on soaking, and was wondering if you've heard the song The Loophole by Garfunkel & Oats..

  • @darkfireeyes7
    @darkfireeyes7 ปีที่แล้ว

    How can I get a copy of this letter??

  • @denisekeeran9883
    @denisekeeran9883 ปีที่แล้ว

    Wait, where do you get that as an actual book and not just a PDF?

  • @Eugene384
    @Eugene384 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The Book of Abraham kept me from converting to Mormonism. That was just way too much.

  • @JamesW225
    @JamesW225 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Mormonism...a theological nightmare

  • @susanjoyce8053
    @susanjoyce8053 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Helpful hint: Any church that tells you it’s the one true church and the only way to get to heaven forgot that Jesus says the only way to the father is through him. I really doubt Jesus was Mormon….

  • @AnnoyingNewsletters
    @AnnoyingNewsletters ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Can you translate Egyptian?
    Be a lot cooler if you couldn't. Alright alright alright

  • @buff1122
    @buff1122 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Lol imagine having these things be “new” to you as an adult LDS member

    • @ExmoLex
      @ExmoLex  10 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      And as a bishop or a high councilman, or even higher authority! That’s how it was when I went asking, and it’s wild. Thousands of people who weren’t educated by their own church. I’m glad they’re doing better these days.

  • @daphnedherbert
    @daphnedherbert ปีที่แล้ว

    comment algo

  • @jeffsadon552
    @jeffsadon552 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I've tried to read the book of Mormon but it's just jiberish

  • @adiospobreza
    @adiospobreza ปีที่แล้ว +3

    The church is true!
    Not.

    • @savannahsmiles1797
      @savannahsmiles1797 ปีที่แล้ว

      the church isn't but the corporation is very TRUE, very wealthy, and certainly knows how to hide how much it is worth.

  • @livingwaterministries9319
    @livingwaterministries9319 ปีที่แล้ว

    Actually that stuff was in America the Smithsonian covered it up until recently the Smithsonian is about to declassifi everything.

    • @tylarsen1198
      @tylarsen1198 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Who told you that? The church?

  • @chrisbritton11
    @chrisbritton11 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Careful study of the CES refutes faithfully its claims. Recycled tropes. This Sister it’s knowledgeable with no wisdom.

  • @calebwhite1410
    @calebwhite1410 ปีที่แล้ว

    Pretty sad to dedicate so much to negativity. I know a lot of great mormon families (a few stinkers as well). By and large they are wonderful people. And the first thing I would ask of this woman is :If LDS is false, what do you have? Not a lot, from what I can see.

    • @savannahsmiles1797
      @savannahsmiles1797 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      wrong question...it isn't about the great mormon families, great people can be totally deceived. Wonderful people exist outside of the mormon corporation, to think they don't is also being deceived. She has freedom and that is more precious than a corporation controlling her. It is NOT for you to judge by your standard what is a lot or not. She made the choice to separate and just gives insight on why, respect that, and if you think the mormon corporation is true, fine, go back and support it. Why is it negativity to talk about her observations. Why aren't you going after the corporation for being deceptive about stuff. Why do they blatantly cover up the inconsistencies?

    • @calebwhite1410
      @calebwhite1410 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@savannahsmiles1797 It's her disrespect, not her opinions. Everyone has opinions.

    • @chlyri
      @chlyri ปีที่แล้ว +3

      ​@@calebwhite1410she's actually very respectful by all standards. she's just presenting the have and sharing her experience. you want disrespectful? see the comments mormons and sympathizers leave her.

    • @calebwhite1410
      @calebwhite1410 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@chlyri For sure some in all religions don't follow the teachings; no excuse for her rudeness.

    • @calebwhite1410
      @calebwhite1410 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@chlyri watch her vids lol