The truth is that after 179 years of Mormon history, the narratives that we embrace now have been largely whitewashed and packaged for a modern, diversified audience. Whether it be the trite and grossly simplistic reasoning that the Black race was denied the Priesthood because the general membership "was not ready yet," or the almost universal rationale that polygamy was necessary in early Utah because of an overabundance of women, the way that modern church members interpret past events is often incomplete or erroneous. Only those with the emotional courage to dig a little deeper will discover this fact for themselves.

     This kind of digging does not come without a price, however. For many members that have gone down this road, their journey has resulted in a loss of faith, family stress, and strained friendships. Still, some have explored the deeper and obscure parts of Mormon history and have interpreted the information in ways that allow them to maintain their faith. Because of the risk, however, I strongly advise you to proceed carefully if you're an active, believing member of the church. 

     You should ask yourself the question: Do I need truth more than I need comfort? If you can honestly say that you desire to know the whole story - if certain things in your experience with the Church just haven't added up or something has felt out of place - then the following web pages should be very helpful to you. If you are a faithful member of the church who is completely satisfied with your life the way it is and your Mormon world-view suits you, then my suggestion is that you explore a more faith-affirming website. This site is primarily intended for the questioning member who is finally at the point where he/she needs to find some hard answers to the difficult questions. 

     If you are one of these people, I recommend that you also consult apologetic organizations like FAIR (fairlds.org) and FARMS (farms.byu.edu/). You owe it to yourself to see both sides of the issues. A word of caution, though, as you go forward: Diving into the fray of apologetic scholarly debate can be exhausting, as I learned first-hand. I was so overwhelmed at times with the sheer volume of information that I was tempted to throw my hands in the air and admit emotional defeat. It requires concentration and discipline to cut through the noise and think for yourself. My advice is that you narrow in on the most simple and reasonable explanations for controversial problems in Church history. You should also try to be ever conscious of scholarly circumlocution. If you're not careful, you just might drown in a sea of ancillary information. After so much reading, it's easy to get lost in the periphery and forget the central arguments you started examining in the first place.

     My intent in creating this website is NOT to attack the modern Church, its authorities, or its members. Obviously, I have my own opinions; I no longer hold most of the beliefs I once had. But I am certainly not on a mission to de-convert the world! If your search through these pages leads you to a place of greater faith in Mormonism, more power to you! I am surrounded by faithful members of the church that are very happy and fulfilled. The last thing I want to do is take that away from them.