Lying

The church has a huge no lying policy. You are taught about it from nursery up, stories about children who tell the truth even when it is hard. You are taught to reveal everything to your bishop (pastor), and from the age of 12, boys and girls have yearly (or more often) interviews with the bishop. He asks them questions on how they feel about god, if they believe that Jesus died for their sins, if they believe that Joseph Smith restored the one true and living gospel.

You are also asked about sexual practices including masturbation. From the age of 12, you are put in a room alone with a middle aged man and asked if you masturbate. Most people lie, and you learn at an early age to lie. If you tell him you DO masturbate or you touched your girlfriend's breast over her clothes, you are forbidden to take part in the very public ceremony of sacrament. Everyone notices, and everyone knows it's for something sexual (you are never forbidden from taking the sacrament for anything other than chastity or Word of Wisdom--dietary restrictions).

You are taught that all your leaders, from your local Sunday School teacher to the bishop to the prophet are all called by god. Lying to a priesthood leader is lying to GOD. And god knows. Church folklore has it that your local priesthood leaders know too; that they can tell when you are lying (kinda like santa, but without any presents). You don't lie, for liars are thrust down to hell... they are not sent to hell, or placed, or gently pushed... they are THRUST. You lie to the church, you are lying to god. Why would you lie to god? He died for your sins you ungrateful little wretch. You are crucifying him anew, etc, etc ad nauseum.

And it's not just outright lies that are punished. The phrase that is used is "honest in your dealings with your fellow man" (apparently women are not as important). You can lie by commision or omission. Misleading and misrepresenting is as bad as a spoken lie.

So, when I found out that the church lies about its history and its doctrine, I was done. Even if anything else were true, if all the spin doctoring in the world were accurate, it doesn't change the fact that the church LIES about it.

You are discouraged from talking about history, and anything not faith promoting is not discussed. The church actively silences discussion about polygamy, about heavenly mother, about the Mountain Meadows Massacre, about blood atonement, about Adam/god, about polyandry, about adultery, about church finances. You try to bring up these things in church or with a mormon, you will be told that you are anti mormon, that it was a long time ago, that it doesn't matter, that it is not necessary for our salvation, that we don't have all the answers in mortality, that it will be sorted out in the millennium.

Then the church actively lies. Gordon Hinkley states on national television that we don't believe that men can become gods; missionaries tell members that we are just like other christian denominations; members are told that the temple is spiritually uplifting; we are told that we have no paid clergy; we are told that satan persecuted Joseph Smith to try to stop the work of god; we are told that polygamy was never widely practiced; we are told that husbands had to get permission from the first wife; we are told that Brigham Young and Joseph Smith were benevolent, honest men; we are told that women have as much power as men, that god is no respecter of a persons color or gender--- or homosexuality. We are told that the Pearl of Great Price was translated from an ancient document, that the Book of Mormon is historically accurate. We are told that mormons are "persecuted" because they have the "fulness" of the "gospel" and "satan" wants to stop us. We are told that anything negative about the church comes from satan, and critical thinking is the first road to apostacy. We are told that apostates are sinners and evil and should be avoided.

The church lies. And it lies and it lies and it lies. Then it lies about its lies (he was misquoted, you don't understand, it was taken out of context, satan is twisting his words, this just proves the church is true, you should fast and pray about it).

The church lies, and for that alone it has no right to demand that I just have faith.