Are Mormon's Self-Deceived?

When I went through my crisis of faith I heard a number of different accusations about the Church that I now group under the label of "self-deception".  I include in this accusations of belonging to a cult, indoctrination, suppression of thought, blind obedience, and anti-intellectualism.  Along with these is the concept of confirmation bias, the idea that people tend to favor information that confirms their beliefs. It is the accusation of not being willing or able to admit the truth of something because it conflicts with our beliefs.  Also in this group is the accusation that members spiritual experiences are really just emotion, or were imagined in order to justify belief in things that do not rationally make sense.  The member is accused of only having “good feelings” about the church because it is what is most comfortable and that is how they were raised.  The follow up to that is the idea that we can’t trust our feelings because they can be deceptive.

These accusations of self-deception are powerful because it attacks the very core of our beliefs and who we are.  It is especially effective because it devalues any defense that the accused wants to respond with.  It is however just another tactic of Satan.  

It is helpful to recognize the critics motivation behind such accusations.  It is not in my opinion a sinister motivation, but a logical conclusion.  If they do not believe in God or that our Church is true, the only conclusion from their set of beliefs is that our spiritual experiences must be the result of self-deception.  They are simply trying reconcile their beliefs with a number of things that if true, would destroy their belief system. Among these is having to explain millions of members testimonies of the Book of Mormon, prayers answered, and spiritual experiences.  They are trying to explain millions of members devotion to the Church and willingness to follow the prophet.

But our witness of the Gospel can be, and must be, independent of others.  How can another person deny our experience, if they have not experienced it themselves?  The following parable told by Elder Douglas Callister may be helpful:

“Years ago a man was accused of a serious crime. The prosecution presented three witnesses, each of whom saw the man commit the crime. The defense then presented three witnesses, none of whom had seen its commission. The simple jury was confused. Based on the number of witnesses, the evidence seemed to the jury equally divided. The man was acquitted. It was irrelevant, of course, that untold millions had never seen the crime. There needed to be only one witness.  In the genius of the gospel plan, there ultimately only has to be one witness, but that witness must be you.”

Just because one person denies that something can happen does not prove that it can not.  Elder Callister continues that “truth has never been determined by the number of people that embrace it.”  

Elder Oaks teaches that critics accuse members of blind obedience because they fail to understand the reality of personal revelation.  “When it comes to learning and knowing the truth of the gospel—our personal testimonies—we each have a direct relationship with God, our Eternal Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, through the powerful witness of the Holy Ghost. It puzzles [our critics] that we can be united in following our leaders and yet independent in knowing for ourselves.

It is normal that our faith should be challenged, it contributes to the growth we have been sent to this earth for. These accusations are not new.  Laman and Lemuel complained against their Father’s visions and decision to leave Jerusalem, claiming they were because of the “foolish imaginations” of his heart. And Korihor does a classic example of calling members of Christ's church as belonging to a cult.

When I first heard accusations like these it caused me to doubt my own spiritual experiences. I sometimes felt like I had regain a knowledge that the Church was true, but I wasn't allowed to use Moroni's promise in order to prove it. I became overly concerned with analyzing myself to prove to myself, God, and others that I was not self-deceived.

Eventually I realized that I was never going to be able to prove it to others that I was not self-deceived. Others can always say the "Mormon way" of revelation does not work because it is impossible to extracate "confirmation bias" from the approach.  But it does not matter what they think, and I just have to be comfortable with others judging me.  Isaiah taught:  “Fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.”

But how do I prove it to myself? How do I know that I am right before God as well?

The first that helped me was to pray. I poured out my soul to God, letting him know how badly I wanted to do his will, and the complexities of the thoughts that I was having. One of the first ways I realize now that he answered me was by teaching me the thoughts that I have shared in post. I have found that God most often answers my prayers not a with a big YES or NO and a strong feeling. I find he will teach me line upon line. So that instead of just saying like a bad parent "its true because I said so" he helps me gradually understand why it is true. And those answers will come quietly through the spirit as we seek them from the scriptures, listen in Church and General Conference, and as we ponder deeply the doctrine.

Eventually I did receive a powerful spiritual witness specifically addressing my concerns about being self-deceived. I know it was from God, and I rejoice in him and in his mercy. I know that he cares deeply about the questions we have, and our sincere desires for testimony.


Every once and a while I will still have doubt. What if I am self-deceived? What if my answers were imagined? When this happens I must use faith to bridge that gap.  You can look at any spiritual experience with logic and find a way to go: "well you know, what you experienced could just be XY or Z". So how do you know its not XYZ?  That is where faith comes in. We have to choose to believe it is from God.  I have shared before that the holy ghost gives knowledge, perfect knowledge, that still requires faith to act upon it.  So of course there is always XY and Z. We are here to develop faith, and the Holy Ghost is designed for us to know the truth, but still require faith to act upon it.  


I choose to exercise faith that my answers are from God. If in the moment I can not say "I know it is true", than I exercise faith. I remember the past spiritual experiences and joys, and look forward with hope towards all the promised blessings that God has given.  I have long since found spiritual strength from Bishop Edgley's talk entitled Faith-The Choice is Yours.

Another line of thought that has sometimes been helpful in these moments is considering the alternative. Some of these thoughts include: If this is not God's Church, where else would I go? I do not think I could believe in God if this was not his Church. If there is no God, and this is the only life, what's the worst that can happen? It does not seem a waste to me to believe in something that is not true, as long as it makes my one life happy.

I again leave my witness that this is the Lord's Church. I share my experience that he will specifically address any concerns that you have about your testimony. And I testify that he does give spiritual answers to rational questions.

Why The Mormon Church is a Cult

I have often heard or read of members who leave The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints accusing the Church of being a cult.   I have heard testimonies that speak of indoctrination and suppression of thought, and some of these can be particularly moving because the uneducated reader assumes he must be unbiased because he was a former member of the cult.  

There are 3 particular charges that I have heard that if true, must undoubtedly label the Mormon church as a cult, in the modern interpretation of the word cult.  I want to go through the charges, and discuss how my experience has been different.  

Mormons Can't Ask Questions

First, I have heard that Mormons are discouraged from asking questions or scrutinizing their beliefs.  These former members cite programs in the Church designed to suppress the fecundity of independent thought.  Only, that has not been my experience in the church.  I was taught that it was essential that I know for myself that the Church is true, and that I not rely on any one else’s testimony.  

I will share just three quotes by leaders of the Church to express that this was and is the attitude of the Church

Elder Uchkdorf said: In this Church that honors personal agency so strongly, that was restored by a young man who asked questions and sought answers, we respect those who honestly search for truth. It may break our hearts when their journey takes them away from the Church we love and the truth we have found, but we honor their right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience, just as we claim that privilege for ourselves.

Elder Samuelson, in a talk called “The Importance of Asking Questions” said: “Some seem to believe that faith and questions are antithetical. Such could not be further from the truth. The Restoration itself was unfolded by the proper and necessary melding of both. The Prophet Joseph Smith had both faith and questions. Indeed, the passage of scripture that led Joseph to the Sacred Grove experience includes both a question and the promise of an answer based on the asker’s faith.”

Brigham Young: “I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by Him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self-security, trusting their eternal destiny in the hands of their leaders with a reckless confidence that in itself would thwart the purposes of God in their salvation, and weaken that influence they could give to their leaders, did they know for themselves, by the revelations of Jesus, that they are led in the right way.”

Mormons Can Only Read Church Printed Material

The 2nd accusation I have heard of the Church is the practice of forbidding its members to read apostate or anti-Mormon material, under threat of losing religious privileges. I ask, What religious privileges were you ever threatened to lose?  I know of none.  I have read many anti-Mormon materials and never received any censorship of any kind. There are several church articles written on the subject, none of which say anything forbidding members of reading it.

The only thing I remember growing up in the Church, and the only thing that those articles say, is to be careful if you read anti-Mormon literature, because much of it is not true and can give one doubts.  I was told it might not be a good idea to read anti, but that was the extant.  

Here is a quote from one of those articles, printed in a church magazine: We’re not against honest inquiry in the Church. We welcome it. The Apostle Paul said, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “One of the grand fundamental principles of ‘Mormonism’ is to receive truth, let it come from whence it may” (History of the Church, 5:499).

Elder Samuelson continues in his talk: “you should feel free to read any commentaries about the Book of Mormon that you wish, but be sure that you spend adequate time reading the Book of Mormon itself directly and then ask the important question it asks you.” (i.e., to ask God).

Mormons Cover Up Their History

The third charge I have heard laid against the Church is its tendency to cover up unfavorable historical issues.  Former members often speak of the "shock" they experienced when they finally discovered the "truth" about Church history. While some of what they learned may be true, (thought likely presented without all the facts), I ask: what issues?  Most “historical issues” that I have ever been presented with (and then told that the Mormon church covers up) I have been able to find printed in Church publications.  Here is a link to a website that lists all of these cover ups printed in Church publications. http://en.fairmormon.org/Mormonism_and_history/Censorship_and_revision/Hiding_the_facts   http://en.fairmormon.org/Mormonism_and_history/Censorship_and_revision

I do admit that many of the historical issues that I have read about were things that I was not taught in Sunday school growing up in the church.  There have been a few times that I would learn something that initially is a little surprising,  though once I have investigated there is nothing that really bothers me.  But the reason I was not taught these growing up is because they are not big issues, and the only reason I would be taught about them is so I could then defend the issues against Church critics. But that is not the purpose of Church.  The Church is not preoccupied with defending or proving itself, it is preoccupied with building faith in Christ.

Cults Are Not A New Thing

But accusations of being a part of a cult, though frustrating,  are not a new tactic of Satan.  Korihor in the Book of Mormon, accused members of the Church of Christ of belonging to a cult, and not realizing they belong to a cult.  He then accuses the Church of many qualities, which if true, would undoubtedly label the Church as a cult. They are as follows:

• Members bound down by a foolish and vain hope.  (13)

• Believe in future event that no man can know of. (13)
• Believe in prophets and foolish traditions handed down by parents. (14)
• Claim to know things which they cannot see without evidence. (15)
• Claim spiritual healing, but this is just the effect of a frenzied and deranged mind because of the tradition of parents.  (16)
• Perform foolish ordinances designed by leaders to indoctrinate members.  (23)
• Leaders usurp power and authority over members, keep them in ignorance, that members do not lift up their head or questions their leaders. (23)
• Leaders tell members they have freedom, but really they are in bondage to their leaders. (24).
• Members claim to have knowledge of things that they really do not and can not know the truth of. (24)
• Leaders keep members in bondage to make money and profit.(27)
• Members fear to act differently or question in case they offend their leaders (28).
• Members brought to believe by their traditions, dreams, whims, visions, and pretended mysteries that if they act out of line they will anger God. (28)

Does this sound familiar? This chapter in the Book of Mormon to me is one of the evidences of the Book of Mormon.  It reveals the tactics that Satan uses today, and I have heard every single one of them before from people trying to criticize the Church.    How could Joseph Smith, if he was the author of the Book of Mormon, have known that the Church would constantly be accused of being a cult?  Why would he write a detailed and accurate description of a cult, condemn it, and then start an organization that does just that?  How “conspiracy theory” is the critic willing to go?  To say, “oh, he wrote it so he could then deny when he did himself.”  If one follows that conspiracy theory, we then at the very least must praise his prophetic insight in so accurately depicting the accusations that would be thrown against the church for decades to come.

The critics response to our response that we are not a cult is often like this: “Well, of course you can’t see that you are indoctrinated,  you are part of the cult itself.”  We then respond with “well its not a cult, and I find no evidence to support your accusations of it being a cult.”  They respond “well that’s just what they tell you, you are self-deceived and can not see the truth.” All anti-Mormon literature and LDS apologetics that I have ever read quickly becomes like this, a circular battle of he said/she said.  

There will always be critics of the Church.  This tactic of accusing members of being biased, self-deceived, anti-intellectual,  and indoctrinated is powerful, because it devalues any defense that the accused wants to respond with.  This is though just another tactic of Satan.  It is not true, I know that it is not true.  I know who I am, and I know my witness of the Church is true, and is from God.   We must remember this injunction of Isaiah: “Fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.”