Letter to Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins was recently interviewed on a show called Radio West, which is based out of Salt Lake City.  I wrote a letter to him (his foundation) attempting to answer a question he himself raised during the interview, but which no one really addressed.  Here it is.

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Dear Mr. Dawkins:

I recently had the pleasure of listening to you being interviewed by Doug Fabrizio on the Radio West program out of Salt Lake City, Utah.  During the interview you received a few calls from local listeners (both Mormons and ex-Mormons), and in the course of those exchanges you  expressed genuine perplexity as to how more Mormons don’t see through the incredible story of Joseph Smith and the “translation” of the golden plates.

As someone who was raised a Mormon (now agnostic), I thought I might try to shed some light on why and how so many Mormons fail to recognize or realize the absurdity surrounding many of the foundational events of their religion.  In my view, here are the primary reasons (discussed more fully below):

1.  They are unaware of the most bizarre details of these stories.  Information regarding such details are difficult to find in church publications.
2.  Church members are conditioned to distrust information found in non-church sources, which are often branded as “anti-Mormon” and thus dismissed as false/lies.
3.  Mormons are taught from a very young age to trust feelings over facts.

I draw primarily from first hand experience in identifying the above issues, but will also try to document them as best I can.

1.  Most Mormons are Unaware of the Problems.

If you were to approach an average, practicing Mormon on the street and tell him that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon by placing a “seer stone” in a hat and burying his face in that hat, they would laugh at you and ask where you got your information (or, as Brandon Flowers told you, that you need to “do your homework”).  They might recognize that a “seer stone” was used in the process, but they would likely misidentify that artifact with the “Urim and Thummim,” which was something Joseph later claimed had been buried with the plates.  They would almost certainly not know that the actual seer stone used was the same one that Joseph had previously utilized in his fruitless treasure hunting endeavors.  In fact, they probably wouldn’t know anything about treasure hunting at all.

Instead, the story Mormons are raised on is that which is depicted in the “Joseph Smith History” found in Mormon scriptures, and penned by Smith himself.  This story depicts Smith as an earnest truth seeker who wanted to find the “correct” religion.  His quest for truth resulted in a series of visions and angelic visitations, ultimately culminating in his retrieval of gold plates and the purported “translation.”  None of the problems, historical inconsistencies, or hard questions are discussed in any detail.  You will never see an illustration in any church publication that correctly depicts the “translation” process of the Book of Mormon.  Rather, you see representations like the following:

 





(source: http://mormonthink.com/transbomweb.htm )

Accompanying descriptions of the translation process will almost always be appropriately vague: “Joseph translated the plates through the gift and power of God.”  “He did it by a divine gift of revelation.”  Mormon apologists identify only three instances where church publications expressly (but only briefly) mention Joseph putting his face in a hat, and only two of these appear in the church’s principal magazine, the most recent being in 1993.  Most other problematic issues are mentioned equally or even less frequently.  

2.  Non-Church Sources are Distrusted.

The Mormon church’s practice of presenting a one-sided, sanitized version of its history might not be totally unforgivable if it didn’t also discourage its members from reading books and articles written by church critics.  Such sources are often deemed “anti-Mormon.”  This label is imbued with heavy negative connotations to church members and when it is authoritatively attached to some outside source, most Mormons will routinely dismiss everything said by that source without any examination whatsoever.

Groupthink is a particularly powerful force in the Mormon church.  Criticism of church leaders is strongly discouraged.  In the 2007 PBS documentary “The Mormons,” one prominent church leader went so far as to state “It's wrong to criticize leaders of the church, even if the criticism is true.”  While speaking about the church’s history, another authority is infamous for asserting that “some things that are true are not very useful.”  (Boyd K. Packer, The Mantle is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect, p. 5.)  In fact, in September of 1993, the Mormon church excommunicated six Mormon scholars for publishing articles or books that were critical of the church, its history, or its leaders.  (These individuals are popularly known as the “September Six.”)  Comments and events such as these create a culture of anti-intellectualism and conformity that strongly discourages free and critical thinking in the church.  Thus, even if your average Mormon does stumble upon troubling information, this second tier of defense often prevents him/her from seriously considering it.

3.  Mormons Believe That They Can Learn Truth Through Feelings.

In my opinion, this last point is the strongest reason that more Mormons do not “see through” the fraud that pervades their religion.  Mormons are taught from a very young age that the best and most reliable way to discover “truth” is to pray to god and ask questions.  If, as you’re praying, you feel something like peace, comfort, joy, excitement, etc., then that means god has confirmed to you the “truth” of whatever it is you’re praying about.  This “confirmation” also need not come through active prayer, but can come at any time one is performing some spiritual or religious act.  Thus, Mormons believe that if they experience these feelings while reading their holy books, this is incontrovertible proof that such books are “true.”

Here are the lyrics to a song memorized and performed by young Mormon children (ages 3-11):

I love to read the holy scriptures,
And, every time I do,
I feel the Spirit start to grow within my heart--
A testimony that they’re true.

Search, ponder, and pray
Are the things that I must do.
The Spirit will guide, and deep inside,
I’ll know the scriptures are true.

Many other children’s hymns reinforce this obviously flawed epistemology.  As you emphatically argue in The God Delusion, children are in no position to critically evaluate religious claims, and the Mormon church’s practice in this respect renders many adolescent and adult members unable to engage in such critical reflection later in life.  Mormons believe that these feelings are caused by the holy ghost, whose role is to “testify” of truth and protect from spiritual (or even physical) peril.  Two relevant, oft-quoted passages from Mormon scripture are the following:

2 Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.
3 Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground.  (Doctrine & Covenants 8:2-3)

8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.
9 But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me.  (Doctrine & Covenants 9:8-9)

While the context of the above passages pertains to the translation process of the Book of Mormon, church members commonly use them to describe how their epistemology “works.”  The first passage is often cited to illustrate that truth must “make sense” logically (“in your mind”) before it can be accepted as confirmed by the holy ghost.  The other necessary component is the feeling (“in your heart”).  If people are having trouble "receiving" (or perhaps--producing) this undefined mind/heart confirmation, the second passage is used to suggest that the question must be studied more thoroughly before god gives his confirmation.  Of course, not everyone experiences a timely or unambiguous “confirmation,” and this can force Mormons to equivocate as to what can be deemed an answer, as this flowchart humorously illustrates.  Confirmation bias then takes care of the rest.

[The following paragraph was not included in the original letter, mostly because I'm sure Mr. Dawkins can put two and two together, but I think it deserves being said nonetheless.]

As the linked flowchart says, these "spiritual" experiences are common across all religions, so if they really are coming from god, they are of little use in discerning the "correct" religion.  This is yet another fact that your average Mormon either doesn't realize or never thinks about, due to the very insular nature of their culture and upbringing.  The average Mormon does not have the occasion or desire to study other religions.  The closest they get is going on a mission, and in that context, the missionary only studies the other religion to the extent needed to establish some sort of broad "common ground," so that the discussion can be brought back to the "good" in Mormonism that they want to add to whatever it is the person already believes.  So essentially, the church superimposes itself onto human emotions that arise in a variety of both religious and non-religious contexts.  The peace and joy one feels while listening to an uplifting church message, for example, might be indistinguishable from the emotions felt while listening to a musical masterpiece.  The excitement a Mormon missionary feels at a training conference might be the same felt by people at a political pep rally.  By usurping what are simply common human experiences and declaring them confirmatory of Mormonism's foundational claims, the church is in a position where it can't lose.  At least, so long as the member doesn't critically examine the entire epistemological framework being presented.

Mormons place paramount importance on these "spiritual" confirmations, which is why they are so heavily emphasized from such a young age (related lessons are taught in Sunday school classes beginning at 18 months).  Once Mormons believe that god has confirmed some event or proposition to be true (i.e. the Book of Mormon being a historical record), then that is the end of the discussion.  No amount of contrary facts or evidence will sway a Mormon who believes god himself has confirmed some truth to her.  As long as Mormons believe this epistemological framework is valid, they will dismiss contrary evidence through any number of rationalizations with which they have been equipped (e.g. “That issue isn’t necessary for my salvation.”  “We’ll have answers after this life.”  “God works through imperfect instruments.” “God’s thoughts are not our thoughts.”  Etc.).  Mormons follow a simple, illogical progression: “If the Book of Mormon is true, then Joseph Smith was a prophet, and everything else he ever did/said was of God.”  Typically, this flawed epistemology will have to break down in a Mormon’s eyes before she begins to recognize just how absurd many of her beliefs actually are.  This is why mere reference to the implausibility of certain positions will not always evoke the type of cognitive dissonance in a Mormon’s mind that would normally be expected.  Unfortunately, because of the insular nature of the Mormon church, and due to its tireless efforts at controlling the information available to its members, many Mormons do not ever have occasion to critically reflect on the validity of their beliefs.

I hope the foregoing has, to some extent, helped resolve your perplexity over how so many Mormons believe the crazy things they do.  If you’re ever curious to see for yourself how strongly the Mormons push this type of thinking on others, simply ask the Mormon missionaries how you can “know” whether what they’re telling you is true.  I can almost guarantee they will tell you something similar to what I’ve related above.

Thank you for all you do to champion science and reason throughout the world.  All the best.

Sincerely,

[Skeptical]