I have many family members who have fallen away from the church. There are many forces aligned to undermine and tear down the faith of the righteous and pure in heart. The Lord gave a parable that the tares were sown in among the wheat and that the tares have the affect of choking out the wheat. If drastic measures were taken to eradicate all of the tares it would be so disruptive that it would have destroyed the entire crop. So, as I see it, it is to be expected that many of the wheat will be choked out and that the vast majority of the membership would eventually be devoid of the real kernel that God is looking for. This means the time would come when the church would be in a big mess and spiritually hostile to the sincere and pure in heart. There are prophecies that say the holy church of God would become polluted because the Gentiles would grow proud in their hearts and set their aspirations upon the glory and praise of the world and turn aside from the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ. This condition would worsen and worsen right up until the time that the Savior would return in glory to set in order the house of God. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 says that when Jesus returns that he would have to put down a standing apostasy because the Son of Perdition will have usurped the positions of authority. This happens because the masses of tares who have been gathered into the church do not have a love of the truth but who are taking pleasure in unrighteousness. Fortunately, there is also prophecy that indicates the tares shall be cut off and the faithful remnant will be sufficient to finally bring to pass the fullness of the Father's Gospel such that His Kingdom can be established in truth, purity and victory. God is establishing the seed stock for the next cycle of Creation and so it stands to reason He shall allow a period of tribulation upon the Saints. Those who remain true and faithful, and I don't mean blindly, shall abide the day. There are answers for everything.

Isaiah says Ephraim and its prophets reap disaster for being delusional and for rejecting divine revelation. 28:7 These too have indulged in wine and are giddy with strong drink: priests and prophets have gone astray through liquor. They are intoxicated with wine and stagger because of strong drink; they err as seers, they blunder in their decisions. 28:8 For all tables are filled with vomit; no spot is without excrement. As the political and ecclesiastical leaderships of God’s people appear on a par (cf. Isaiah 3:2–4; 9:14–16; 24:2), so Ephraim’s “fat proud ones” (vv 1, 4) include its “priests” (kohen), prophets” (nabî), and “seers” (ro?eh) (cf. Isaiah 56:10–12). Intoxicated with the wine of self-deception (cf. v 15), they “stray” (šagû), “err” (ta û), and “blunder” (paqû). Instead of obtaining revelation from God (cf. vv 9, 14, 16, 26, 29), they water down his word until it is ineffectual (cf. vv 10–13). Their spiritual feasts offer only “vomit” (qî?)—partly digested food regurgitated for God’s people to consume. 28:9 Whom shall he give instruction? Whom shall he enlighten with revelation? Weanlings weaned from milk, those just taken from the breast? 28:10 For it is but precept upon precept, precept upon precept, measure by measure, measure by measure; a trifle here, a trifle there. Although God wants to give his people “instruction” (de â) and “revelation” (šemû â), they are but babes and sucklings who haven’t developed enough to digest more than milk. Their mode of learning God’s word is still “precept upon precept, precept upon precept, measure by measure, measure by measure; a trifle here, a trifle there” (?aw la?aw ?aw la?aw qaw laqaw qaw laqaw ze îr šam ze îr šam). Assonance and alliteration parody their rote method of learning by parroting their leaders: “Everyone who uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe” (Hebrews 5:13). http://www.isaiahexplained.com/Lessons/Isa-28/player.html

I left the church January this year and I recently got my records removed. I left because I stopped believing God because of person experiences. Leaving the church has helped me out a lot, my believes where poisoning my brain and letting it all go was the only remedy. I didn't realize how much my believes were poisoning my brain until a few months after my departure. But the day I left I felt more happy and a lot more free, and I still do, I'm also writing a book on my experience that I hope to publish. Leaving religion completely, leaving my believe in God and becoming an Atheist has really turned my few towards science. I've always loved science since I was a kid, I was always interested and it always amazed me, but leaving faith all together really sparked it by a lot and I mean by a lot. Since a turned away from faith, science is what I now rely on and the more I study, the more I've seen the actual truth of where we really came from. I am now planning on going to school to study science and major in Evolutionary Biology. I want to contribute in the study of Evolution, I also want to help people leave their faith, especially if they are struggling and are trying to get out (it's the reason why I'm writing my book). I hope that I can help people find more interest in science and help them learn what the world really is all about.

Not good... Great!

I enjoyed reading this. It is clearly time to get the truth out and people walk away from the lie. I think the best sources comes from Ex Mormons who have been to the temple, who have spent a lifetime with the lies of the church and who finally come to terms with it, and have no problem with leaving, and sharing with the world what the church was about. What they saw and did in the temple, what the garments are all about who smith was, and what he really stood for, that smith had a criminal record--how he lied and cheated. How many people they baptize against the families will, and lying for the Lord, which is a great video by the way on youtube called lying for the lord. I think that in the end, more truth will come out, and people can make a choice between truth and lies and where they choose the worship a loving God without re-writing who God is and what he taught.

My suggestion to a number of posters is that you may not be researching from the more credible sources. You may not be researching in depth and detail sufficiently to see that the anti-arguments, while appearing on the surface to sound good, are, in fact, just repeating old out-dated arguments that have been debunked by credible historians and researchers. The Church is true. Some anti-Mormons are experts at deception. They make it look like their information is well researched and that they are unbiased. In fact, they go out of their way to ignore the bulk of LDS history and doctrine and they cherry pick and then sensationalize the more obscure things in order to put down the Church. It's unfortunate that people in the Church become deceived by cherry-picked and out of context Mormon history which causes them to leave the Church when it is true as can be.

Critics routinely accuse the Church of suppressing and hiding uncomfortable facts from its own history. However, have you ever asked yourself: Where do the critics get all this “secret” or “previously hidden” information about the LDS Church.? They get it from the Church archives which the Church makes available to them for research. In fact, most of this supposed “hidden” information was first published by the LDS church or published by LDS researchers before the critics got a hold of it. The critics take the information and spin it big time to make it look like the Church was always hiding it when, in fact, it was the LDS Church that first published it and/or made it available to researchers. The claim that the Church suppresses its history is blatantly false. It makes a good spin if you want to put the Church down but it deceives only those who are uniformed. The Church’s’ primary mission is to testify that Jesus Christ is the divine Savior of the world and the Son of God and that His Church is restored to the earth. During regular Sunday church meetings there is not time to delve into all the nuances and details of Church history. That’s why, in addition to Sunday Services, the Church has publications which discuss church history in further detail and that’s why the Church makes the information available to researchers and allows them to publish the information.

I don't know why people think that William Law is spewing hatred when he was only stating facts that the LDS church like to sweep under the rug. The average Mormon's knowledge of church history is a mile wide and an inch deep. Those who do know the weirder stuff about the church history and accept it, have to perform some amazing mental gymnastics to confirm their beliefs that Joseph Smith was not a pervert (or that god required him to be a pervert, so that makes it alright). Also, calling on other people to repent is incredibly presumptuous and rude. I don't know why you would quote a book that William Law probably doesn't believe... So I don't know why you would think that it would carry any weight. Of course Smith would say that the non-believers will go to hell (paraphrasing) because it's an easy way to demonize anyone who would disagree with him. It's exactly what happened in the book 1984 where Big Brother brainwashed the people to hate and ignore any and all types of disagreeing with the doctrine of Ingsoc. Basically make the "enemy" (or non-believers in this case) look like lost sheep or virulent and evil and therefore everything they say is incorrect. Wake up and smell the brainwashing.

To Willliam Law - 5/22/2012 9:47 PM Mate I cannot help but Thank MY Father in Heaven for the freedom you have to spew you hatred, just remember, as you judge another, so shall ye be, but doublely....ohhh! remeber this also, you are accussing his servant[s], be prepared to justify and show goood cause for your accussations, when ever you meet him......Take my advice for it is free and in love...REPENT,in the sincerity of your heart and God shall also be gracious to forget your rallings aganist his servant[s] Ohhh alos this is meant for you william...read it below plz.. (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 122:1 - 3) THE ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name, and fools shall have thee in derision, and hell shall rage against thee; .. While the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous, shall seek counsel, and authority, and blessings constantly from under thy hand. .. And thy people shall never be turned against thee by the testimony of traitors. Remember remember it is not man YOU fight aganist but God. adieu.

To JJC136 - 2/20/2012 5:08 PM I am an Australian saint, the more liberal views you have , the more you go FROM God not near to him, what the church has set out is NOT the 15's personal views, but is the will of OUR Heavenly Father's. YOU forget it is NOT God that puts all the info in, but man, man is capable of mistakes, be more gracious my friend towards others, so God willll be with you........Yes membership rises and falls,but let us focus on whats important, and that is seeking after the lost sheep an invitiing them back into the FOLD OF JESUS CHRIST, not man's Signed mormons_son