I was inactive for decades and had always been disturbed by the racist and sexist teachings I had heard growing up, but I had never bothered to research anything.

One day years ago, out of the blue I had a passing thought and wondered why the BoM witnesses left the church. It suddenly occurred to me that I couldn’t remember any church lessons going into the reasons. I googled and came up with David Whitmer’s “An Address to All Believers in Christ.” One thing lead to another and the next thing I knew, I was face to face with “the rock in the hat” and the BoA controversy. As I kept pouring into more material, I distinctly remember thinking—“Ah, now it’s making sense....it’s all bullshit.”

I became interested in church history and read everything I could get my hands on for years. It amazed me how the church managed to spin facts, project fantasy and demonize anyone who dared pull back the curtain. Even more amazed at how long that game has worked for them.