Hard, Factual Proof?

In the interest of intellectual honesty, members of the Church should not begin with the assumption the Church is true and look for evidence to disprove it. The only reason anyone believes the Church is true boils down to three things: (1) they were told by leaders, missionaries, and/or parents that fuzzy feelings equal truth; (2) they experienced a few instances of coincidence they attribute to the hand of God (healing, finding your keys after praying, etc.); and (3) they trust in the demonstrably false, whitewashed narrative of the Church's miraculous origins.

It only takes a minute amount of brain power to realize the idea of fuzzy feelings testifying of truth is absurd. Contradictory religions rely on the same feelings, and those feelings can be roused by obviously fictional stories (e.g. feel-good movies).

Atheists who never pray or get priesthood blessings also recover from illnesses or don't according to "God's will." People find their keys without praying. People travel safely and get "nourished and strengthened" by their food without believing in God. If a prayer goes unanswered, we chalk it up to God's will and forget about it. If the prayer is answered, we bookmark it as confirmation of our faith. This is called confirmation bias.

(3) There are innumerable logical and moral flaws in the Church's early narrative and current beliefs and practices. It doesn't take a lot of work to find them. (ldsdiscussions.com, cesletter.org, Letter for My Wife, No Man Knows My History, etc.).

Best of luck in your journey!

/r/exmormon Thread