[Other] Detailed Response to the "CES Letter" from a believing Latter-day Saint

Other

Start:  Introduction

Previous:  Science

[Prophets] Detailed Response to the "CES Letter" from a believing Latter-day Saint

 Prophets

Start: Introduction

Previous: Polygamy | Polyandry

[Polygamy | Polyandry] Detailed Response to the "CES Letter" from a believing Latter-day Saint

 Polygamy | Polyandry

Start: Introduction

Previous: Book of Abraham

Overview of "Letter to a CES Director" from a believing Latter-day Saint

It's been several years since Jeremy Runnells wrote his 84-page document describing his concerns with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and our beliefs. It has since been shared by those opposed to the church in hopes of preventing people from joining, or to get people to leave. These same people get defensive when I call it an anti-Mormon document, but they don't make secret what their goal is, those sharing it are very much against the church. Some say I am being dismissive by giving it that label, but I am not, I am calling it what it is. Others say, "it's not anti-Mormon, it's just stating facts." Well, we'll get to the facts later, but you can be opposed to something without having to lie.

I am also surprised when Christians use it intending to get Latter-day Saints away from our faith.  Had they actually read it, they would also find that it is an anti-Christian document, too.

The letter is a classic example of a Gish Gallop.  It is a lot easier to make complaints to address the concerns brought up.  Even though most the arguments are weak, looking at 84 pages of them can be overwhelming.  I've often thought about writing my own Gish Gallop, except with evidences for the church, just to put things in perspective for those who like Mr. Runnells letter.

There are plenty of other more in-depth criticisms of the CES Letter, most notably from Fair Mormon, Stallion Cornell, and Michael Ash and I think overall they do a great job.  I don't intend to go so far in depth as them, but I still would like to address the points that Mr. Runnells brings up.  For shorter discussions, I recommend Kevin Christiensen's article, and Daniel Petersen's talk, both of which discuss its approach more than its content.

I already know from his responses to the above that he isn't really looking for answers.  This post is instead intended for those who have read the Letter to a CES Director and are wondering how a faithful Latter-day Saint thinks about the concerns he brings up.

Lying for the Lord?

One common argument against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that Mormons are encouraged to deceive others if it is for a good cause.  The claim is that we are taught to protect the image of the church, even if it means we need to resort to lies and deceit, a practice called "lying for the Lord."

The truth is that we are regularly taught to be honest, and have integrity in all that we do.  If enemies of the church can convince others that we are all liars, then they will have convinced them to automatically dismiss anything that we say, no matter what.  However, Mormons are still human, and anyone looking for examples of lying will be able to find them.  Those against the church use these examples and remove the context and circumstances that led to the lie, or misunderstand the statement and treat it as a lie, and at the same time ignore similar examples of deceit in their own beliefs.

I was recently shown a video that gives many common and more obscure examples of "Lying for the Lord."  I will be discussing my opinions on the statements in the video, point-by-point.