All I Possess

I had a Facebook friend message me and ask “Have you been reading anti-Mormon literature?”

I replied, “Yes. It’s called The Bible.”

I left the church by reading the Book of Mormon, the Bible, the Joseph Smith papers, and other historical documents. I never read anything trying to tear down the church until I was already out.

But I do have a new perspective on this thing called “Anti-Mormon Literature.”

I’ve heard that term my entire life. It’s the Boogey Man, the Freddy Krueger, the phantom of all Mormonism.

You don’t touch it with a ten foot pole.

We are trained very well, taught from our youth to stay far away from it.

Now looking back, why are they so scared of it? Because there’s a pattern of people “losing their testimony” when they engage in that.

We are taught to protect our faith. It’s a horrible thing to lose, so take active measures to strengthen your testimony and not be pulled down!!

It almost sounds like falling in love and falling out of love, as if it were a completely involuntary and irrational process you have little control over, and can’t think reasonably about.

But in the back of their minds, they must somewhere know the obvious: if anti-Mormon literature causes people to lose their faith, then it must point out some really important things. And maybe your “faith” is built on a bed of straw. Maybe it’s right.

But they don’t want to face that possibility, so they must protect the facade at all costs!

I’ve heard my whole life, “Why try to tear down someone’s faith!?” The persecution cries abound. The martyr complexes grow. How could anyone be so negative, so cruel?

But isn’t that what Mormon missionaries do? Don’t they distribute “anti atheist literature” or “anti Protestant literature?” Isn’t their entire goal to tear down a person’s current faith and replace it with the restoration??

Is it cruel, or is it just promoting your own dogma by pointing out the perceived flaws of the other?

Now that I’m on the other end of this, I know exactly why Christians publish or preach “anti Mormon literature.”

Because they’re trying to save Mormons!

Isn’t the news publishing anti-terrorist literature? They want to protect you.

Aren’t organic food companies publishing anti-pesticide literature? They want to protect you.

Aren’t governments publishing anti-crime literature? They want to protect you.

Does CPS publish anti-abuse literature? They want to protect you.

We could get into political examples, but let’s just agree on the fact that anybody who promotes anything is tearing down something at the same time.

And it’s a core tenet of Christianity to evangelize – to preach the Bible. Yes, I suppose that will be offensive to anyone who doesn’t like the Bible.

You save somebody by first calling out the danger.

You teach what’s in the Bible by pointing out doctrines and practices that are contrary to it!

This is actually very important education for anyone who cares to receive it.

And if they want to play the Martyr card and whine about people attacking their faith, they are free to take that stance.

But the “attack” is only Christian information, based on the core book of Christianity, teaching the basic tenants of Christianity. If you take that as an attack, maybe you need to re-evaluate your position on Christianity.

I’ve collected several books, websites, and videos on “anti Mormon literature” and it’s a damn good thing someone is finally showing me what the Bible says! Cuz all this time I thought I was a Christian, and I thought I was following the Bible, and I thought I knew God, but it was nothing of the sort!

This is just called being educated.

Now you can bury your head in the sand and defend your cult to your dying day, but don’t raise up arms against the basic claims of Christianity and at the same time call yourself a Christian.

Study your Bible, study Christianity, get educated.

Then study cults, examine the narrative you’ve been fed, and make your decision. You’ll be better off.