TBMs love to claim that the church's massive wealth is a sign that it is led by divinely inspired men. But if financial success is a measure of God's favor, what was going on with the early church?

When Joseph Smith and other early "prophets" were running the show via pure revelation, the church was a financial disaster. Early church leadership couldn't manage money to save their lives. The Kirtland Safety Society collapse is just one example of many.

Modern tithing was a product of desperation. Late 19th-century leadership, heavily emphasized by Lorenzo Snow, started aggressively pushing it because the church was literally on the brink of financial ruin from decades of debt.

The church didn't get rich through revelation; it got rich through corporate restructuring. They stopped letting "visionaries" run the bank accounts and started calling highly educated businessmen, lawyers, and corporate executives into the top leadership positions.

You could easily argue that the church only began to experience financial success when they stopped relying on "divine inspiration" and started leaving the decisions to actual business professionals.

You can believe in an afterlife if that makes you feel better. Doesn't mean it's true. Once you realize you're not going to be around forever, I think that's what makes life so magical. One day, you'll... eat your last meal, smell your last flower, hug your friend for the very last time. You might not know it's the last time, so that's why you should do everything you love with passion, you know? Treasure the few years you've got because... That's all there is.

- Ricky Gervais in After Life

Oops! I meant to say "What" Joseph is doing ... 😅

https://preview.redd.it/3bgae1upkc5h1.png?width=1408&format=png&auto=webp&s=0b61d06f8cc72c982fa741a373cd5c9a18be126e

There are more people on this planet who are trans than there are who are Latter-day Saints.

Maybe God gave us trans people to show the rest of us just how limited our own gender boxes really are. They aren't breaking the rules; they are freeing us from them.

They teach us that the human spirit, love, and identity can never be neatly boxed into human-made rules.

D&C 132 is complex. The text is long and written in 19th-century religious phrasing. Let's be honest, it can be a struggle to read. Because of that, it's easy to get lost and miss or forget what is actually being said.

I have attempted to modernize the phrasing, simplify the content without losing its meaning, and remove the redundancies.

---

1-3. Joseph, you have asked why I allowed all those biblical prophets to have many wives and concubines.

I will answer you.

Prepare your heart to receive and obey, once I reveal this law, you must obey.

4-6. I will explain it to you, and if you don't abide by it, you will be damned forever.

7. Only my prophet Joseph Smith can seal by the Holy Spirit any covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations that continue beyond death.

8. My house is one of order not confusion.

9-14. Anything not ordained by God, through his anointed, will be shaken and destroyed.

15-17. If you only get married by civil law, your marriage dies at death. You will never become a god; instead, you will be a subservient angel to Gods for eternity.

18. Even if you make a covenant with each other for all eternity, It doesn't hold any weight once you die. It has to be sealed by God through his anointed.

19. If you get married and sealed by God through his anointed you will come forth at the first resurrection, and you will inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, powers and dominions as long as you don't commit murder.

20-21. Then you will be everlasting Gods with subservient angels, but only if you abide by my law.

22. Only a few people will receive eternal life and exaltation.

23. If you receive me in the world, I will always be with you, and you will receive exaltation.

24. Eternal life IS to know God and Jesus.

25. Many will not receive me or abide by my law.

26. If you do get sealed by God through his anointed, and then you commit sin (not murder), you will still come forth in the first resurrection, and enter into exaltation, but you will be destroyed in the flesh, and delivered to Satan, until your redemption.

27. But blasphemy against the Holy Ghost or murder, will cause you to be damned.

28. Here is the law of Holy Priesthood, ordained by God and Jesus before the world was created.

29. Abraham received everything from me as revelation, commandment and my word. Abraham has received his exaltation and sits upon his throne.

30-33. I promised Abraham his seed would be as innumerable as the stars. Because you are of his lineage, Joseph, you must do the works of Abraham and abide by this law to receive that same promise, or you cannot inherit it.

34. God commanded Abraham to take a second wife Hagar, and she gave him many children.

35. Was Abraham wrong? No, because I commanded him to take her.

36. Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac. He agreed, even though God had also commanded that 'thou shalt not kill.' Abraham did the righteous thing by obeying God's conflicting commandment.

37. Abraham had concubines that bore him children. It was righteous of him to do so because I commanded it and 'gave' those women to him. Isaac and Jacob are also exalted and sitting on their respective thrones.

38. David, Solomon, Moses and many other prophets had many wives and concubines. They were committing no sin, unless they did it without my permission.

39. I gave David those women so he wasn't sinning. Except for the case of Uriah and his wife. He sinned, and therefore, has fallen from his exaltation.

40. I told you [Joseph] you could ask me for anything and I would give it according to my word.

41. If a man and woman are sealed, and the woman has an affair, she has committed adultery and will be destroyed.

42. A woman who is not sealed and is with another man has committed adultery.

43. If a man is with another woman when he was under a vow, he broke his vow and committed adultery.

44. But the wife of that man who committed adultery will be given to another faithful man.

45. I've given you the keys to do this Joseph.

46. Whatever you seal or bind is eternal, and whatever sins you remit will be remitted eternally.

47. You [Joseph] can use my power to bless or curse people.

48. You [Joseph] can also give people to other people for eternity.

49. I'm God and I will be with you [Joseph] till you die. Your exaltation is sealed, and your throne awaits.

50. I've seen your sacrifices and will forgive your sins.

51. I say unto you [Joseph] that I am commanding your wife Emma, whom I gave to you, not to do the thing you said she could do. It was just a test, I was testing her like I tested Abraham.

52. Emma has to accept all the wives and concubines I gave you, except for the ones who lied about their purity. I will destroy those women.

53. I am God and you must obey. Joseph showed faith in a few things, so I am making him a ruler over many things.

54. Emma must cleave to Joseph and abide by my law, or she will be destroyed.

55. If Emma doesn't obey the command, [and before I destroy her,] you must still be a good husband, Joseph. I will reward you with hundreds of fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, houses, lands, wives, children, and crowns of eternal lives in the eternal worlds.

56. Emma should forgive my servant Joseph his trespasses, and she also will be forgiven. I will bless and multiply her and make her heart rejoice.

57. Joseph should not relinquish his property, lest an enemy (driven by Satan) should seek to destroy him. He is my servant and I will be with him until his exaltation.

58. I need to teach you some more things about the priesthood.

59. If a man received the Aaronic Priesthood and acts in my name, and by my law, he is not a sinner.

60. So don't judge Joseph. I will justify him, because he will make the sacrifice which I require for his transgressions.

61. The Priesthood allows a man to marry one virgin, and then, if she permits, he can marry another virgin and he is justified. It is not adultery, for they are given to him and they belong to him.

62. He is justified even in taking 10 virgins under this law. They belong to him, so it is not adultery.

63. But if any of these women are ever with another man, they have committed adultery and will be destroyed. They were given unto him to multiply and replenish the earth per my commandment. It is also required for their exaltation.

64-65. If a priesthood holder teaches his wife about polygamy, she must accept it or be destroyed. If she refuses, [and before I destroy her,] he can practice it anyway without her consent, and she becomes the sinner.

66. That's enough for now, I will reveal more later. I am Alpha and Omega. Amen.

---

Hopefully, this helps you get straight to each point. I imagine some of you may have learned something you never knew, or were reminded of something you had forgotten.

Believers and non-believers alike: What are your thoughts on this summary, and how do you feel about this remarkably challenging revelation?

I know it's a long one and a bit tricky to understand, so I've simplified and summarized it for you, removing the fluff and redundancies, trying to make it readable.

1-3. Joseph, you have asked why I allowed all those biblical prophets to have many wives and concubines.

I will answer you.

Prepare your heart to receive and obey, once I reveal this law, you must obey.

4-6. I will explain it to you, and if you don't abide by it, you will be damned forever.

7. Only my prophet Joseph Smith can seal by the Holy Spirit any covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations that continue beyond death.

8. My house is one of order not confusion.

9-14. Anything not ordained by God, through his anointed, will be shaken and destroyed.

15-17. If you only get married by civil law, your marriage dies at death. You will never become a god; instead, you will be a subservient angel to Gods for eternity.

18. Even if you make a covenant with each other for all eternity, It doesn't hold any weight once you die. It has to be sealed by God through his anointed.

19. If you get married and sealed by God through his anointed you will come forth at the first resurrection, and you will inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, powers and dominions as long as you don't commit murder.

20-21. Then you will be everlasting Gods with subservient angels, but only if you abide by my law.

22. Only a few people will receive eternal life and exaltation.

23. If you receive me in the world, I will always be with you, and you will receive exaltation.

24. Eternal life IS to know God and Jesus.

25. Many will not receive me or abide by my law.

26. If you do get sealed by God through his anointed, and then you commit sin (not murder), you will still come forth in the first resurrection, and enter into exaltation, but you will be destroyed in the flesh, and delivered to Satan, until your redemption.

27. But blasphemy against the Holy Ghost or murder, will cause you to be damned.

28. Here is the law of Holy Priesthood, ordained by God and Jesus before the world was created.

29. Abraham received everything from me as revelation, commandment and my word. Abraham has received his exaltation and sits upon his throne.

30-33. I promised Abraham his seed would be as innumerable as the stars. Because you are of his lineage, Joseph, you must do the works of Abraham and abide by this law to receive that same promise, or you cannot inherit it.

34. God commanded Abraham to take a second wife Hagar, and she gave him many children.

35. Was Abraham wrong? No, because I commanded him to take her.

36. Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac. He agreed, even though God had also commanded that 'thou shalt not kill.' Abraham did the righteous thing by obeying God's conflicting commandment.

37. Abraham had concubines that bore him children. It was righteous of him to do so because I commanded it and 'gave' those women to him. Isaac and Jacob are also exalted and sitting on their respective thrones.

38. David, Solomon, Moses and many other prophets had many wives and concubines. They were committing no sin, unless they did it without my permission.

39. I gave David those women so he wasn't sinning. Except for the case of Uriah and his wife. He sinned, and therefore, has fallen from his exaltation.

40. I told you [Joseph] you could ask me for anything and I would give it according to my word.

41. If a man and woman are sealed, and the woman has an affair, she has committed adultery and will be destroyed.

42. A woman who is not sealed and is with another man has committed adultery.

43. If a man is with another woman when he was under a vow, he broke his vow and committed adultery.

44. But the wife of that man who committed adultery will be given to another faithful man.

45. I've given you the keys to do this Joseph.

46. Whatever you seal or bind is eternal, and whatever sins you remit will be remitted eternally.

47. You [Joseph] can use my power to bless or curse people.

48. You [Joseph] can also give people to other people for eternity.

49. I'm God and I will be with you [Joseph] till you die. Your exaltation is sealed, and your throne awaits.

50. I've seen your sacrifices and will forgive your sins.

51. I say unto you [Joseph] that I am commanding your wife Emma, whom I gave to you, not to do the thing you said she could do. It was just a test, I was testing her like I tested Abraham.

52. Emma has to accept all the wives and concubines I gave you, except for the ones who lied about their purity. I will destroy those women.

53. I am God and you must obey. Joseph showed faith in a few things, so I am making him a ruler over many things.

54. Emma must cleave to Joseph and abide by my law, or she will be destroyed.

55. If Emma doesn't obey the command, and before I destroy her, you must still be a good husband, Joseph. I will reward you with hundreds of fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, houses, lands, wives, children, and crowns of eternal lives in the eternal worlds.

56. Emma should forgive my servant Joseph his trespasses, and she also will be forgiven. I will bless and multiply her and make her heart rejoice.

57. Joseph should not relinquish his property, lest an enemy (driven by Satan) should seek to destroy him. He is my servant and I will be with him until his exaltation.

58. I need to teach you some more things about the priesthood.

59. If a man received the Aaronic Priesthood and acts in my name, and by my law, he is not a sinner.

60. So don't judge Joseph. I will justify him, because he will make the sacrifice which I require for his transgressions.

61. The Priesthood allows a man to marry one virgin, and then, if she permits, he can marry another virgin and he is justified. It is not adultery, for they are given to him and they belong to him.

62. He is justified even in taking 10 virgins under this law. They belong to him, so it is not adultery.

63. But if any of these women are ever with another man, they have committed adultery and will be destroyed. They were given unto him to multiply and replenish the earth per my commandment. It is also required for their exaltation.

64-65. If a priesthood holder teaches his wife about polygamy, she must accept it or be destroyed. If she refuses, he can practice it anyway without her consent, and she becomes the sinner.

66. That's enough for now, I will reveal more later. I am Alpha and Omega. Amen.

---

See, it's so very simple. I'm sure you don't have any questions about this revelation. I'm so glad God's house is one of 'order, not confusion,' aren't you?

The narrative I learned from Church portrays Joseph Smith as a lamb led to the slaughter, murdered by evil men inspired by Satan because he didn't want the restoration to occur.

If you look at the actual history, Joseph wasn't killed over theology. The difficult truth is that Joseph spent years creating a mess in Illinois. Destroying that printing press was just the final straw that caused the whole thing to blow up in his face.

In my opinion he didn't die because of his religion, he died because of his actions.

Joseph Had Some Hubris & a Bit of a Power Trip

By 1844, the biggest threat to Joseph wasn't the "anti-Mormon" outsiders it was his own inner circle.

William Law was his Second Counselor in the First Presidency. When Law found out Joseph was secretly practicing polygamy and had even tried to proposition his wife, Jane Law, he was horrified.

Other high-ranking leaders like Austin Cowles and the Foster brothers became deeply disillusioned. They were concerned by what Joseph was doing behind closed doors: secret polygamy, polyandry, a tyrannical control over Nauvoo's economy and his political ambitions.

Joseph wanted a theocracy. He had centralized civic, military, and spiritual power onto himself. He wasn't just a Prophet, Seer, Revelator, and Translator. He was simultaneously the President of the Church, the Trustee-in-Trust for all church property, the Mayor of Nauvoo, the Presiding Judge of the municipal court, a Lieutenant General commanding a massive private army, a candidate for President of the United States, and he had even been secretly crowned "King" over his shadow government, the Council of Fifty.

When these men spoke out against this divine dictatorship, Joseph excommunicated them and defamed them from the pulpit. So they banded together, bought a press, and started the Nauvoo Expositor to warn the public.

Joseph Didn't Believe in 'Freedom of Press'

On June 7, 1844, the first issue of the Nauvoo Expositor was published. It detailed Joseph's secret polygamy, his crown as "King" of the Council of Fifty, and his abuse of power.

Joseph, as Mayor of Nauvoo, convened the City Council (loyal to him). They declared the newspaper a "public nuisance" and said it would "provoke anti-Mormon violence".

Joseph ordered the Nauvoo Legion to destroy it. They marched into the office, smashed the press with sledgehammers, scattered the type into the street, and burned the remaining papers in the shop.

Joseph Acted Cowardly

Destroying the press was a blatant violation of Freedom of the Press and a destruction of property. It gave the surrounding non-Mormon citizens of Illinois the legal leverage they needed.

A warrant was issued for Joseph's arrest on charges of inciting a riot.

Instead of being a brave leader, or calling on God for protection, Joseph panicked. He and Hyrum fled across the Mississippi River at night, planning to escape to the West and abandon Nauvoo. It was only after messages from Emma arrived, warning him that the saints were calling him a coward for abandoning the flock, that he turned back and surrendered to the authorities.

Once in Carthage, He Was Doomed

By ordering the destruction of the press, declaring martial law in Nauvoo, and calling out the Nauvoo Legion, Joseph had convinced the people of Illinois that he was a rogue dictator. When he arrived at Carthage Jail, the situation was highly volatile.

On June 27, 1844, the state militia know as "the Carthage Greys" were supposed to be guarding him, but actively coordinated with the mob and stormed the jail.

In His Last Moment He Was a Mason Not a Martyr

The church often portrays his final moments as a peaceful, submissive martyrdom. The historical reality looks different:

He fought back: Joseph didn't die cleanly, and he didnt want to. A friend had smuggled a six-shot pistol into the jail. When the mob breached the door, Joseph fired all six rounds down the stairwell, striking two or three men.

The Masonic Distress Call: Joseph was a Mason, as were many of the men in the mob outside. As he leaped toward the window his final words were, "O Lord, my God!" Seems innocent enough, but this was the beginning of the Masonic grand luminary distress cry ("O Lord, my God, is there no help for the widow's son?"), which was a plea for fellow Masons in the crowd to spare his life. It didn't work.

TLDR

Joseph Smith wasn't assassinated by men influenced by Satan. He was killed by an understandably angry, localized populace reacting to a man who had declared himself a king, married other men's wives, and destroyed a printing press to keep those secrets safe.

I think if Satan played any part in Joseph's death it was by tempting him with money, sex and power.

Thoughts? What Did I miss?

The church narrative implies Joseph Smith was a lamb led to the slaughter, murdered purely by evil men inspired by Satan because the "restoration" was just too true.

If you look at the actual history, Joseph wasn't killed over theology. The truth is, Joseph spent years creating a massive political, financial, and marital mess in Illinois. Destroying that printing press was just the final straw that caused the whole thing to blow up in his face. He didn't die because of his religion, he died because of his actions.

Here's how it actually happened, how Joseph reacted when the walls closed in, and what really went down at the end.

1. Joseph's Hubris & Power Trip

By 1844, the biggest threat to Joseph wasn't the "anti-Mormon" outsiders—it was his own inner circle.

William Law was the Second Counselor in the First Presidency. When Law found out Joseph was secretly practicing polygamy and had even tried to groom his wife, Jane Law, he drew the line.

Other high-ranking leaders, like Austin Cowles and the Foster brothers, became deeply disillusioned. They were horrified by what Joseph was doing behind closed doors: secret polygamy, polyandry, a tyrannical control over Nauvoo's economy and his political ambitions.

Joseph was aggressively pushing for an absolute theocracy, a system where the laws of God and the priesthood completely supplanted the laws of the land. He had essentially centralized all civic, military, and spiritual power onto himself. He wasn't just a Prophet, Seer, Revelator, and Translator. He was simultaneously the President of the Church, the Trustee-in-Trust for all church property, the Mayor of Nauvoo, the Presiding Judge of the municipal court, a Lieutenant General commanding a massive private army, a candidate for President of the United States, and he had even been secretly crowned "King" over his shadow government, the Council of Fifty.

When these men spoke out against this divine dictatorship, Joseph excommunicated them and defamed them from the pulpit. So they banded together, bought a press, and started the Nauvoo Expositor to warn the public.

2. Joseph Didn't Believe in 'Freedom of Press'

On June 7, 1844, the first and only issue of the Nauvoo Expositor was published. It detailed Joseph's secret polygamy, his crown as "King" of the Council of Fifty, and his abuse of power.

Joseph, as Mayor of Nauvoo, convened the City Council (loyal to him). They declared the newspaper a "public nuisance" that would provoke anti-Mormon violence.

Joseph ordered the Nauvoo Legion to destroy it. They marched into the office, smashed the press with sledgehammers, scattered the type into the street, and burned the remaining paper and sheets found in the shop.

3. Joseph Acted Cowardly

Destroying a press wasn’t just controversial; it was a blatant violation of Freedom of the Press and a destruction of property. It gave the surrounding non-Mormon citizens of Illinois the exact legal leverage they needed.

A warrant was issued for Joseph's arrest on charges of inciting a riot.

Instead of being a brave leader, or calling on God for protection, Joseph panicked. He and Hyrum fled across the Mississippi River under the cover of night, planning to escape to the West and leave the citizens of Nauvoo to deal with the fallout. It was only after associates arrived with messages from Emma, warning him that the saints were calling him a coward for abandoning the flock, that he turned back and surrendered to state authorities.

4. Once in Carthage, He Was Doomed

By ordering the destruction of the press, declaring martial law in Nauvoo, and calling out his private army, Joseph had convinced the people of Illinois that he was a rogue dictator. When he arrived at Carthage Jail, the atmosphere was a powder keg.

On June 27, 1844, a mob of state-militia men (the Carthage Greys, who were supposed to be guarding him but actively coordinated with the attackers) stormed the jail.

5. In His Last Moment He Was a Mason Not a Martyr

The church often portrays his final moments as a peaceful, submissive martyrdom. The historical reality looks a lot different:

• He fought back: Joseph didn't die cleanly or willingly. A friend had smuggled a six-shooter pepperbox pistol into the jail. When the mob breached the door, Joseph fired all six rounds down the stairwell, striking two or three men.
• The Masonic Distress Call: Joseph was a high-level Mason, as were many of the men in the mob outside. As he leaped toward the window, riddled with bullets, his final words were, "O Lord, my God!" This was the beginning of the Masonic grand luminary distress cry ("O Lord, my God, is there no help for the widow's son?"), an explicit plea for fellow Masons in the crowd to spare his life. It didn't work.

The Takeaway

Joseph Smith wasn't assassinated by a shadowy force of cosmic evil. He was killed by an understandably angry, localized populace reacting to a man who had declared himself a king, married other men's wives, and destroyed a printing press to keep those secrets safe.

If Satan played any part in Joseph's death it was by tempting him with money, sex and power.

Is the idea of a loving heavenly parent handing down eternal consequences for temporal mistakes just completely ludicrous to anyone else?

If you really take a moment to ponder eternity ... a mortal life of 80 or 90 years isn't just a blip—it is mathematically insignificant. It’s less than a single grain of sand on a beach. Yet, a loving "perfect" father uses this microscopic flash of time, where we are blind, traumatized, and operating on zero firsthand evidence, to determine our permanent, unchangeable trajectory for eternity.

As a parent, if my kid makes a mistake, my goal is knowledge, retrospection, growth, and reconciliation. I don't lock them in a basement or banish them to a lower tier of the family forever.

When you step back and look at it logically, infinite consequences for finite, blind infractions isn't justice, and it certainly isn't love. If any human parent operated this way, we would all be appalled.

What did I miss?

There are so many things that get added to our 'shelves' over time, but for me, polygamy is an absolute breaking point. It is the single biggest problem with the church's narrative, and it completely shatters the image of a prophet of God.

Nauvoo polygamy perfectly demonstrates that Joseph Smith wasn’t acting as a conduit for God, he was a man using power and religious authority to fulfill deeply selfish desires. Once he had total compliance from his followers, he used eternal coercion to pressure young women into marrying him.

He didn't just ask them; he leveraged their families' eternal destinies.

14-year-old Helen Mar Kimball explicitly wrote in her autobiography that she didn't want to enter plural marriage, but she gave herself up because Joseph promised her that it would "ensure your eternal salvation and exaltation and that of your father’s household and all of your kindred." Think about the psychological weight of that. He made a teenage girl believe that the eternal salvation of her entire family rested solely on her willingness to become his secret wife.

He deliberately hid his plural marriages from his first wife, Emma. The Partridge sisters (Emily and Eliza) and the Lawrence sisters (Sarah and Maria) were young women living in his home. He was sleeping with them under the same roof where his wife slept, completely behind her back.

It gets worse! When Emma finally showed a moment of reluctant compromise and agreed to let him take plural wives if she got to choose them, she chose the Partridge sisters. Instead of coming clean and confessing he had already secretly married them months prior, Joseph went along with a "mock" second wedding to keep Emma in the dark.

Is this appropriate behavior for a prophet of God? Is this a loving, transparent partnership? No. It’s predatory behavior, gaslighting, and infidelity wrapped in a cloak of revelation.

I will not force my conscience to believe in a God who commands people to engage in polygamy against their will. I refuse to worship a God who threatens a hurting, betrayed woman with "utter destruction" if she doesn't sit down and accept it (D&C 132:64).

If God is good, then the early church's practice of polygamy did not come from Her. It was the smoking gun all along.

"People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive." – Blaise Pascal

When we look back at our time in the Church it’s easy to feel frustrated by the lack of logic. But the truth is, the LDS system doesn't just rely on theology; it perfectly exploits universal human psychology.

Understanding these mental blueprints helped me stop judging my past self and finally understand why the hooks go so deep. Here are the main psychological mechanisms I think are at play:

1. The Cognitive Biases

• Confirmation Bias: We were trained to look for "answers to prayers" and count the hits while completely ignoring the misses.
• Attribution Bias: This is the classic Church framework: If something good happens, it’s a blessing from your faith. If something bad happens, it’s a trial, a lack of faith, or a personal failing. It completely erases external reality.
• Anchoring Bias (The "Primary" Effect): Our brains rely heavily on the first information they receive. Because the Church surrounds children with highly emotional anchors early on—family prayer, testimony bearing, sweet music, community warmth—these positive emotional associations deeply entrench early beliefs before critical thinking even develops.
• Need for Closure: Human beings hate ambiguity. The Church offers a neat, pre-packaged answer for every existential question (Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going?). Science and philosophy require sitting with discomfort; the Church offers cheap, instant certainty.
• HADD (Hyperactive Agency Detection): Humans evolved to see intent behind random events (e.g., rustling in the bushes = a predator). In the Church, this is weaponized as "the hand of the Lord" in everything, or conversely, "Satan trying to stop you."

2. Social and Cultural Conditioning

• Groupthink & Conformity: In highly insular LDS communities, the desire for harmony creates a massive illusion of unanimity. Dissent is quietly suppressed, and conforming to group norms becomes a survival mechanism to avoid social ostracization.
• Identity and Authority: When your entire moral framework, social circle, and sense of self are tied to the Church, questioning the faith feels like committing identity suicide. Combine that with our natural evolutionary bias to obey authority figures (prophets/bishops), and the walls of the maze become incredibly high.

3. The Evolutionary Traps

• Terror Management Theory (TMT): We all have an existential terror of death. The Church solves this by promising literal immortality and eternal families. It satisfies a deep evolutionary craving for safety.
• Theory of Mind Byproduct: Our brains naturally attribute thoughts and feelings to others. The Church redirects this instinct toward an invisible God, making it feel like someone is orchestrating the universe specifically for us.

The Takeaway

Our decision-making is deeply intertwined with basic human survival mechanics. The LDS Church has spent nearly two centuries perfecting a ecosystem that triggers every single one of these psychological traps.

Now that I have kids of my own, I can say with 100% confidence and without a single hesitation: I would rather my children make every "sinful" mistake in the book than lose their lives.

Looking back at what we were actually taught, it is absolutely sickening. Did our parents genuinely buy into this crap?

Brigham Young:

"I would rather see every man, woman, and child dead, than to see them live and deny their faith." (Journal of Discourses, 7:284)

Heber J. Grant:

"There is no true Latter-day Saint who would not rather bury a son or a daughter than to have him or her lose his or her chastity..." (Gospel Standards, p. 55)

Spencer W. Kimball:

"It is better to die in defending one's virtue than to live having lost it without a struggle." (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 196)

Spencer W. Kimball (The infamous 'Pine Box' quote):

"Better dead clean, than alive unclean. Many is the faithful Latter-day Saint parent who has sent a son or daughter on a mission... with the direction, 'I would rather have you come back home in a pine box with your virtue than return alive without it.'" (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 124)

Gordon B. Hinckley:

"I know what my mother expects. I know what she's saying in her prayers. She'd rather have me come home dead than unclean."

Imagine loving a conditional idea of your child more than the breathing, living reality of them. To anyone else out there unpacking the guilt of just wanting to live—you deserved better.

What can't TBMs google?

I have a few ...

• How did Joseph Smith find the Golden Plates?
• How did Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon?
• Book of Abraham
• Joseph Smith polygamy and polyandry
• Kinderhook plates
• Architecture of Abuse
• Gospel Topics Essays
• John Dehlin
• Mia Khalifa 😄
• ... please add