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May 2004
Subject: The defenition of “priceless:”
The look on Jerald and Sandra Tanner’s faces when they finally discover (most likely in the next life) —
1) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints really is the Lord’s true Church.
2) Joseph Smith and his successors really are all prophets of the Lord.
3) The Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price really are true. and….
4) After leaving the true Church themselves, they led or kept others away as they spent their entire lives slandering the Lord, His Church, and His servants
May 2004
As an Ex-Mormon (Fifth generation) and now a born again Christian, I thank God for your faithfulness! I know it must be hard for you, but God is supporting you mightly.
May 2004
you are wasting your time . . .
May 2004
Your work will last beyond you, and still bearing fruit for the Lord, helping people out of the Mormons, and proactively preventing others from entering. The rest of the Body has to just USE it! Don’t be discouraged. The last time the Mormons came here, I spent three hours with them, partly because the two of YOU have done such excellent work and I know I am not spouting mere hearsay, but researched material. So thank you!!
May 2004
Over 15 years ago, you helped us more than you know. We were stationed in England with the Air Force. Only 1 week after our big day at the London Temple, God saved me and my husband. Our lives were so tore-up, but God was so good to us. You guys sent us all the info we needed, for the help we needed.
May 2004
I have spent 10 years of my life dedicated to Mormonism. Only recently did I come to the knowledge that I believed in something that was not true. I am working through my feelings and have asked a Christian pastor to help me learn how to live without the church. I understand that some people do not think that any type of brainwashing occurs in the Mormon Church but, I believe that it does.
May 2004
why are you so bitter against the church. remember president [N. Eldon] tanner i was a good man you are evel sorry 4 you you are streghten my testimony
May 2004
yeah, i have a question for the Tanners. . . . when are you going to grow up and come back to the truth? Stop doing what the Apostle Paul did for a while . . . fighting against the church. You guys are absolutely waisting your time . . . We will pray for you “in the temple.”
June 2004
Thank you again for being there to educate those of us who were taught to believe in “the church” rather than the Bible. . . . I’m 73 now, raised in the church, and remember when some of the teachings and rules and regulations were different from now. Your article about the change of allowing Blacks to hold the priesthood because of Brazil made so much sense because those of us living in Miami knew many of the Brazilians are mixed.
June 2004
Our pastor recently played the video, “The Mormon Puzzle.” Thank you for being an integral part of that film. It is very good and our LDS friends have to really reach to be offended by it. It is something that enables them to start thinking on their own about what they have been taught and what the Bible actually says.
June 2004
If people really want to know about Mormonism, why don’t they ask and LDS member themselves? It seems kind of pointless to ask the enemy, don’t you think?
June 2004
All your arguments are built upon the idea that everything ever said by every Mormon leader who ever existed must unequivocally be true, or else the church must be false; . . . This is not true.
I know you are good people and I once had a pleasant, friendly visit at the Tanner home, and I believe you are sincere, but I fear that you are wasting some great abilities and efforts on a profession of fault-finding and criticism.
June 2004
Some twenty years ago I read a study that concluded the vast majority of Japanese high school students were unaware their country was ever occupied by the United States. They know nothing of the war…. History has been successfully erased in Japan. I tell you this because I have just returned from a visit to Mountain Meadows. The whitewash left me with a parallel sense of outrage. History has been successfully erased in the Mormon Church. Your mission may seem hopeless at times, but I pray God may bless it all the same.
June 2004
Many of your comments are disturbing, and coming from a man of 22 years old, I can say that my testimony of the Gospel came through the Holy Ghost, the spirit from which I only pray you have not driven yourselves too far away. There are many concepts that you are either altering/changing that you yourselves know how they are.
June 2004
Thank you for all the material you have sent. . . . You may be interested in knowing how I heard about you. The mailman left it [our newsletter] in my mail box by mistake. Since it wasn’t in an envelope and looked interesting, I read it and put it back in the mailbox so it could go to its rightful owner. Hope the check helps a little.
July 2004
Saw a piece about you on City Confidential. I was a Mormon for five years before I found the whole thing to be a fraud. I live within blocks of the Oakland Temple, but took out my own endowments at SLC Temple back in the days when they still had live “sessions.” . . . Joseph Smith Jr. was an ignorant, but clever fraud whose only interest was in gaining power over a large group of people. . . . I later joined the Masonic Lodge, and was immediately struck with the fact that Joe Smith stole a great deal of the symbols, and even the rituals of Freemasonry for use in the temple.
July 2004
As an ex-Mormon myself I have come to greatly appreciate your website as a good source to research the history and background of Joseph Smith and Mormonism. Your lifelong work is a tremendous help in sorting out the complexities of this false religion.
July 2004
what makes you think that the things that you write about the mormon faith aren’t already known by the mormons? what makes you think that your faith is anymore perfect than the mormon faith? what if joseph smith brags about being a great prophet? your bragging that your religion is better than his. . . . you are only feasting on the naive and weak of heart.
Sincerely—fed up
July 2004
Kudos to UTLM for trying to do good in world. i did read your SLCM via finding it on literature stack outside library of UCSC in santa cruz, CA. so, it shows you that it gets around. one of your subscribers put copies there maybe?
July 2004
I joined the LDS church several years ago while an officer in the US Air Force. The LDS church is the ONLY church that has been able to answer numerous questions that NO OTHER church could answer. . . . One can point out faults here and there until the sun goes down, but the bottom line is indeed that the Book of Mormon is true and I received a spiritual manifestation of this via God.
July 2004
I see now why over the years some really good people left the Mormon church and had fellowship with one another instead of attending LDS Sacrament. . . . I know my resignation shall be a tremendous shock to my family.
I want to say thank you and your husband for the good work you have been doing to make the truth available so others may judge for themselves. I won’t waste my time being bitter, but I sure hate having been so deceived for almost 40 years.
July 2004
I joined the church in ’96 and was active for two years. After learning that an entire active member family was covertly trying to convert me to polygamy (bear in mind I was a member of the mainstream LDS church, not a fundamentalist version), I became inactive, but retained my LDS-taught beliefs. . . . The doctrines seem extremely complex, and NO ONE could ever answer my questions. . . . When I brought these contradictions to the attention of the local branch President, whom I dearly love as a friend, he could not answer. Instead, he chastised me for seeking after the “secret things of the Bible.” I was very surprised and saddened by his response, but it turned out to be the best answer he could’ve given me, for it served to further my continued studies of the Bible. . . . Thank God I’ve kept my faith in Jesus Christ, and in fact it’s stronger than ever.
July 2004
Hi, I am a “Mormon” and I enjoy my religion very much. I appreciate how much thought you have put into researching our church, I wish that you could put thought in to researching it’s truths. You might find that they are good and that they feel good.
July 2004
I can not begin to say how much you have helped me get through to some Mormon friends. You provide a very valuable service with great information. It seems that there is a movement growing (at least on the internet) of several groups like yours—Former Mormons who have become Christians who are determined to spread the truth about the gospel.
July 2004
As an ex-Mormon myself I have come to greatly appreciate your website as a good source to research the history and background of Joseph Smith and Mormonism. Your lifelong work is a tremendous help in sorting out the complexities of this false religion.
July 2004
Some years ago I asked your help . . . My constant search has been ongoing all these years, and I am blessed indeed to move toward a personal relationship with our loving inclusive triune God. May God continue to bless Sandra and Gerald Tanner.
August 2004
You really need to post on your website who you are and why you think you have so much information.
You have stated falsehoods on your site- most of it dependent on the hope that the reader knows hardly anything about the Book of Mormon.
August 2004
I joined the LDS-Church in 1995 not in order of their theology as I know now but cause of the feelings which the missionaries called The Holy Ghost. . . . Today I know that I understood their terms of God and so on in my way and not in the way Mormons think.
On your website is a very important part called Terminology Differences which is eyeopening. After reading that Mormonism reminds me of Orwells 1984!
August 2004
I am from Oregon. I’ve been a Christian my whole life, but a friend of mine is Mormon. I’ve bought about 10 books from your website to try and show her the truth. She’s really doubting Mormonism now.
August 2004
Subject: Journal of Discourses
It was interesting reading some of the speeches of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. I’m glad they’re accessible to people. Thanks.
As I read a few things that were uncomfortable, like those aspects of Joseph and Brigham that you are exposing, I realized that these men were imperfect, as are all men. . . . Words uttered and deeds performed had mistakes along the way. Are you and I more “perfect” than they? . . .
August 2004
Let me tell you about the situation here in Scotland . . . The L.D.S. Church, with a claimed membership of 25,000+ and growing, are making ground with the lapsed or “non-active” members of mainstream churches, or those who feel disillusioned/ disenfranchised!
When the L.D.S. came to me, they must have thought it was Christmas come early—I didn’t slam the door, or tell them to *?#! I agreed to read the BM! Then I got hold of a copy of David [Persuitte] excellent book, “J[oseph] S[mith] and the Origins of the B.M.” 2nd ED. and then I got myself a copy of the original 1830 B.M. . . . Of course, it’s not every day that the L.D.S. missionaries come across an awkward old sod like me, who is willing to read the B.M. and isn’t afraid to question it! . . . Scotland really needs a “Lighthouse Mission” to counterbalance the aggressive proselytizing of the L.D.S. over here. . . .
September 2004
I have read a couple of your articles, and I must say, you guys are cowards. Anybody could write better lies than that, it was just obvious that you website was not credible. How can any man claim to be Christian and not follow the basic Christian principle of honesty?
September 2004
As usual your press tells half truths and out and out lies, but I guess when you have no morals thats ok.
October 2004
I have been reading a great deal of material about the Mormon Church. I continue to be amazed at the way unsuspecting people can be deceived by an organization based on such lies and distortions of the Truth! Even more amazing is how these same people will spew such vitriol at you in the face of such well-documented evidence debunking their church. They accuse you of hate-mongering, but I have seen no such attitude in your material.
October 2004
Subject: Are you an imbecile?
Are you that stupid to think that the LDS church get their doctrines and teachings only from the Bible?
October 2004
THANKS for your website and the good information you sent me. I was born and raised in the Mormon church and thankfully . . . I decided to find the truth. I accepted Christ as my saviour just a few weeks ago, and what a feeling of peace! I can’t even described how I feel. . . . It’s just incredible. The more I read about the mormon church the more I can’t believe I bought all that crap! It’s just crazy! . . . I usually read your stuff online, so keep putting it there for those of us who can’t afford books!
BTW, Sandra, enjoyed your comment on the latter-day lampoon interview about letting the church borrow your stone. Totally cracked me up.
Originally appeared in:
“Extracts From Letters and Emails,” Salt Lake City Messenger, no. 103, November 2004, 21-23.