Criticism of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
In the late 1820s, criticism centered around founder Joseph Smith stating he had been led to a set of golden plates from which he said the Book of Mormon was translated.
[6][7][8] It had the lowest percentage (15%) of any of the seven religious groups for those with a "favorable/somewhat favorable" view of the religion in the Pew Research Center survey,[8] and nearly 3/4ths (71%) of American respondents held a "very or somewhat unfavorable" opinion of the LDS Church in the YouGov poll.
[7] In response to the negative findings in the Pew poll, LDS podcaster Susan M. Hinckley summarized some common criticisms stating, "the organization seems slow to change, reluctant to admit mistakes, unwilling to apologize, overly legalistic, and quick to spin every story to its advantage.
[10] Sarah Pratt lashed out at Orson in an 1877 interview, stating:[11] "Here was my husband, gray headed, taking to his bed young girls in mockery of marriage.
[12] The Ostlings criticize Joseph Smith for marrying at least 32 women during his lifetime, including several under the age of 16, a fact acknowledged by Mormon historian Todd Compton.
[citation needed] Mormons Ron Wood and Linda Thatcher do not dispute that the change was a result of federal intervention and say that the church had no choice in the matter.
The book described itself as a chronicle of early indigenous peoples of the Americas, known as the Nephites, portraying them as believing Israelites who had a belief in Christ many hundreds of years before Jesus's birth.
These include asses, cattle, horses, oxen, sheep, swine, goats, elephants, wheat, barley,[31] silk,[32] steel,[33] brass, breast plates, chains, plows, swords, scimitars, and chariots.
The Mountain Meadows Massacre (September 7–11, 1857) was a series of attacks by Mormon militiamen in Utah territory that resulted in the mass murder of at least 120 members of the Baker–Fancher wagon train including children 7 and older and women.
It also gives specific instruction on conducting one-on-one interviews with youths, including encouraging them to have parents or other trustworthy adults sit directly outside the room.
[97] They further state that the church suppresses intellectual freedom, citing the 1993 excommunication of the "September Six", including gay LDS historian D. Michael Quinn, and author Lavina Fielding Anderson.
[106] The Tanners cite the selective use of Brigham Young's statements, presented in a manner to give the illusion that he was in favor of blacks receiving the priesthood.
[107] The Tanners also state that the church attempted to discredit evidence that Joseph Smith was arrested, tried, and found guilty by a justice of the peace in Bainbridge, New York, in 1826.
[121][122] In January 1982, the church's First Presidency issued a letter to local leaders stating that they had "interpreted oral sex as constituting an unnatural, impure, or unholy practice."
[150][151] In 2008, the Vatican issued a statement calling the practice "erroneous" and directing its dioceses to keep parish records from the Genealogical Society of Utah which is affiliated with the LDS Church.
[153][154] After that criticism, church leaders put a policy in place to stop the practice, with an exception for baptisms specifically requested or approved by victims' relatives.
[164] Joseph Fielding Smith, later president of the church, wrote in a 1963 letter that people with dark skin were less faithful in the pre-mortal life, and as such, did not warrant the blessings of the priesthood.
[165][166] The Tanners also cite other church leaders, historical and modern, who have spoken in favor of segregation and restrictions on admission to the priesthood for men of African descent.
[165][167] On 8 June 1978, church president Spencer W. Kimball, rescinded the restriction on priesthood ordination and extended temple worship to all worthy Latter-day Saint men and women.
In 2005 he taught that no one who utters denigrating remarks can consider himself a true disciple of Christ, and noted the irony of racial claims to the Melchizedek priesthood.
[2] Over the past two centuries, the relationship between Native American people and the LDS Church has included friendly ties, displacement, battles, slavery, education placement programs, official and unofficial discrimination, and criticism.
[184][185] Church leadership and publications taught the belief that Native Americans are descendants of Lamanites, a dark-skinned and cursed group of people who are described in the Book of Mormon.
[f][189] There is no direct support amongst mainstream historians and archaeologists for the historicity of the Book of Mormon or Middle Eastern origins for any Native American peoples.
[13]: 159–172 The Cult Awareness and Information Centre also point to comments such as those made by church leader Bruce R. McConkie, who wrote in 1966 that a "woman's primary place is in the home, where she is to rear children and abide by the righteous counsel of her husband".
"[205] Jerald and Sandra Tanner point to comments by certain church leaders as evidence that women are subject to different rules regarding entry into heaven.
[207] Those who adopt humanist or feminist perspectives may view certain alleged or former LDS Church doctrines (including the spiritual status of blacks, polygamy, and the role of women in society) as racist or sexist.
[212]: 69–70 [213][214] Author Charlotte Scholl Shurtz stated that the focus on God as a cisgender, heterosexual couple excludes transgender, nonbinary, and intersex members and enshrines cisnormativity.
[212]: 77, 79 Author Duane Jeffery criticized LDS teachings around intersex individuals as falling short on including real-world biological complexity.
[216] LDS urologist Dr. David Hatch stated that if top church leaders say gender is permanent and eternal then they can't include intersex people which creates a conflict.
[217] On December 28, 2020, seven lawsuits were filed against the LDS Church, based on allegations which stated that it covered up decades of sexual abuse among its Boy Scouts of America (BSA) troops in Arizona.
