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

 Polygamy | Polyandry

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

Book of Abraham

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

First Vision

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[Book of Mormon Translation] Detailed Response to the "CES Letter" from a believing Latter-day Saint

Book of Mormon Translation

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

Book of Mormon

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

Sometime after I had published my Overview of the "Letter to a CES Director" it came to my attention that Jeremy Runnells had updated it, and so some of my responses were out of date for the current document.  But I decided to leave it alone, since there wasn't a ton of changes, and it was only intended to be a surface-level response, and if that is what you are looking for, then go back and read that one.

This one, I decided to flesh out my thoughts more with an in-depth response.  Many others have written their own responses, and I still recommend reading them.  For some of their answers, I felt like I would answer differently than they did, but even where it is the same, I wanted to add my voice.  Here are links to other responses:

• In-depth replies from:
• Jim Bennett
• Brian Hales
• Sarah Allen
• Michael Ash
• FAIR
• Conflict of Justice.
• In-depth positive evidence using a similar style that also addresses many criticisms
• Austin Fife
  
• Shorter analyses from:
• churchistrue
• Neal Rappleye (and part 2)
• Kevin Christensen (plus follow-up)
• Good observations on its approach rather than its content
• Daniel Petersen
• Jeff Lindsay

The purpose of this post is for those who have read the CES Letter and wonder how a faithful Latter-day Saint responds to the concerns Jeremy brings up.  I can't speak for everyone, but these are my own thoughts.

The CES Letter is probably best described as a Gish gallop meaning that it is easier to bring up criticisms than to actually answer them.  Jeremy thinks that is an unfair attack given that there's no time limit.  However, the term also applies to written debates too, since most people aren't going to dedicate the amount of time required and will get overwhelmed—and that's what makes it is a Gish gallop.  But I am not being dismissive, I decided to take the time to go in and respond to everything.  And I recommend that if there's anything you question, you don't have to take my word or Jeremy's word for it—you can research it for yourself.

And that's one thing I love about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  No one forces you to believe anything you don't want to, and we all have access to revelation from Heavenly Father. With that in mind, let's jump in.

Prophecies from October 2019 General Conference

Every now and again, I'll see a post asking something like, "If we believe in prophets, where are the prophecies?" My answer is always the same-- take a look at the most recent conference, and you will find them there. This answer is usually appreciated by believing Latter-day Saints, but dismissed by those antagonistic to the church.

The primary role of a prophet is to act as God's messenger and make known God's will. He will teach faith in Jesus Christ and repentance. I think lots of times those looking for prophecies are looking for things similar to biblical accounts of prophets warning cities of their impending destruction if they do not repent. These are very dramatic, but only really happen a few times in the Bible and Book of Mormon. However, on a less grandiose scale, these things happen all the time. The day of miracles has not ceased.