One thing that makes these discussions tricky is that faith is usually not anything that can be proven with the tools of “reason” and “logic” traditionally used in Western society (e.g. scientific method, etc.). Three initial responses:

First, although I do hope people understand the Mormon faith a little better, in this post I am not actually trying to prove anything to anyone. If I find something makes me happy or has helped me in some way then I naturally want to share it, but I firmly believe each person should have the freedom to live according to their own conscience (whether atheist, Buddhist, Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, Mormon, Bahai, etc). Obviously, it is preferable for everyone to adhere to a certain universal morality (that keeps people from doing violence to others, etc). But beyond that, I believe that matters of worship are a personal decision.

Second, anyone who has thought about it long enough can see that there are many more ways of knowing than deductive reasoning alone (for example, there is learning and knowing how to build something well – implicit “praxis” knowledge, there is learning and understanding feelings and relationships – intrapersonal and interpersonal knowledge, there is learning and understanding how to design or create something beautiful – aesthetic knowledge, and so on). Philosophers have debated epistemology for centuries and will continue to do so. I could talk a lot more about that, but maybe some other time.

Third, although I do see evidence of faith in God through observing the way people live, it is ultimately unwise to base faith on the acts of others. The most compelling proof is of a very personal nature – something I couldn’t prove to anyone else, only something people can discover on their own as they develop their own relationship with God. In my experience, this recurring and poignant proof has come into my heart and soul as a result of trying, even though admittedly imperfectly, to live by the teachings of Jesus.

Thanks for sharing and documenting such a wide variety of articles about your church. I’m really impressed.

In regards to abstinence before marriage:
I can’t think of a better and more sacred moment than being able to marry someone who has cared enough about me, even before knowing me, to have saved the most intimate and sacred parts of human life for me and for me to give that same gift to him in return.

In regards to the thought that “Mormons are so restricted”:
I see the “rules” set by the church as real freedom. One can only be truly free by obedience to all of God’s laws.
Anyone who chooses abstinence before marriage is free because they aren’t weighed down with the possibilities and realities of emotional baggage, hurt, disease, or an unplanned child. By being faithful after marriage, one doesn’t have to lie, cover up the lies, deal with the mistrust and hurt, and possibly face divorce.
The Word of Wisdom, a health code that forbids drugs, alcohol, and other drinks such as coffee, is freedom. The freedom comes in various ways–never having to purchase such items, no possibility for embarrassment while under the influence of them, but most importantly, one can never become a slave to a substance that is never tried.

Anyone, not just members of the LDS Church (Mormons), can make these same choices of freedom for their personal life and can testify of their truth.

Last comment–not one of us is perfect. Anyone who feels remorse for past and current actions in any sin can repent and receive forgiveness through our Savior, Jesus Christ.

In my case, as a Christian, the downside I am dealing with these days is that I can be easily looked as hypocrite. As my faith gets stronger, I would like to share my personal testaments. It is like when you are in love with someone, you cannot stop talking about him/her to other people. So, that is what I have been doing lately without realizing. However, if I hurt someone’s feeling unintentionally, I could be looked as a hypocrite who talks about God’s love all the time but who does not seem to practice All the time. We are not perfect and it is frustrating to see myself having a hard time keeping up with some Christian standards. I believe this is something I will struggle until the last day of my life on earth. I only hope that the frequency of being viewed as hypocrite will go down.

However, since our life & eternity rest on our proper relationship & response to the Almighty, I would encourage you to do some further investigation of the foundations of the teachings of this church upon which you’re basing your life & your destiny.

No doubt you’ve heard it all before and dismissed it, and you may similarly dismiss this note. *-But I seriously question the claim of Joseph Smith to be a prophet and encourage you to do more study about it.

I wish you well in your research.

[*–Note from Clint: There were some links attached to a very one-sided web site that uses the rhetoric of calling Mormonism a “cult,” and is filled with other anti-Mormon sentiments of people who are concerned that we are not Christian. I emailed IndyChristian and explained the purpose of this post was to correct negative stereotypes and misunderstandings, not perpetuate them, and he said it was OK to remove the links from his post. Still, if anyone would really like to see them, email me and I will send them to you.–]

The Mormon community I was raised in actually encouraged all of those things, teaching that all people, regardless of religious persuasion, should have the same privilege.

Second, my web analytics indicate that you probably didn’t do much more than briefly scan my blog entry before posting your comment. I’d encourage you to actually read it, even going to some of the included links, as it perhaps could help clear up at least some of the negative stereotypes that it seems like you carry with you? Then again, maybe it won’t, but it is at least worth a try.
But you do seem like a sincere person, I sense coming from a place of concern more than a place of malice (even if your personal approach in this comment honestly came across to me as a bit condescending/ presumptuous), and since I think that your question is shared by many sincere, intelligent, curious people, let me do my best to offer a brief response.

You are right that I probably have heard all the arguments before, multiple times even, and yes, after listening and thoughtful reflection I have dismissed them, and for good reasons. If all I knew about Joseph Smith were the things selected and shared in anti-Mormon venues (which, as you can imagine, provide a very poor representation of our belief system, and quite frankly usually use materials that are either false or else twisted very much out of context), then I would probably also have serious questions like you, so I can understand your difficulty. Likewise, if my main source of information about Jesus was a group of atheists dedicated to creating and propagating material with the goal of making Him seem like a mad man, then I would probably wonder how intelligent people could believe He was the Son of God. An interesting topic that I have wondered about and could write more on (but not now) is why it was that people, almost from the very begining of His life and ministry, seemed to hate Jesus and tried to discredit Him.
I am grateful, however, that my primary source of information about Joseph Smith is actually having lived in and experienced for over 30 years now the Church and religious community that was established through him, and that my primary sources of information about Jesus Christ are prayer, scripture study (yes that is the Bible too), and personal spiritual witnesses. I have personally seen the positive effects of this belief system in the lives of thousands of individuals and families that seek to live it as well as the positive impact it has in the larger communities in which these people live and contribute.

I also think you and I probably share more in common than we disagree on. And for non-Christians reading this post, I bet both you and I share a lot more in common with them about the basics of what it means to be a good person and live a good life than we disagree on.
In response to your comment, you mention that much of life and eternity rests on proper relationship and response to Almighty, which Mormons generally agree with. As a Christian you probably share with Mormons the belief in a loving God the Father who sent His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ to earth to offer perfect sacrifice and a way for all of His imperfect children to be forgiven of sin, learn and grow from their mistakes and successes, and eventually return to His presence.
Where you and I disagree (or at least misunderstand each other) is when you question the foundation of my faith in Jesus Christ. If you want to go to the foundation of my faith in Jesus Christ, you will need to go much further back in time and history than when Joseph Smith lived.
Maybe it would be helpful to explain that you’ll also have to go back in history beyond the year A.D. 325 when the Roman emperor Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea - one of the results of which is the concept perpetuated in post-New Testament Christianity of the “trinity”, (a concept of an three-in-one abstract God that is incomprehensible) which does not seem to be supported by the Bible or the words of Christ himself (see, for example, John 12:27–30; John 14:26; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 1:1–3; John 5:19; John 14:10; John 6:38; John 15:24; Matthew 19:17; John 14:28; Matthew 26:39; Matthew 27:46; Philippians 2:5–6; and so on - all of which indicate Christ is the Son of God, a separate being from God the Father). I mention that because I think there are a lot of notions in modern Christianity which do not come from Christ, but rather from alterations of His teachings in post-New Testament years, and one of the most basic and well documented alterations (in the 4th and 5th century church creeds) is the concept of who Jesus Christ is in relation to God the Father.

Along these lines and in defense of the religion established through Joseph Smith being Christian (believing in a Christ that was taught in the New Testament and is taught again in the restored Church of Jesus Christ), here is a recent address by a Church leader that I think you might find interesting:
from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (read) (listen) (watch)

Perhaps I should emphasize at this point again that I really don’t want to get into any argument about specific doctrinal differences (just the thought of it makes me weary), but I’ll just say in response to your comment that while intelligent, thoughtful, sincere people can have questions about Joseph Smith being a prophet and that is fine, there is plenty of evidence for intelligent, thoughtful, sincere people to be grateful for and believe in the peaceful and edifying Christian church that was restored through him.

And I personally am much, much more interested in discussing ways in which people from different faiths can work together despite their differences (a thought which energizes me) - and much less interested in discussing differences in a manner that causes people to try to attack and discredit one another (a thought which quite frankly is repulsive to me).

I have more I could say in response, but unfortunately do not have the time right now as I am traveling back to Finland from Sweden. I will post more tomorrow if I have time…

The great Russian author, Count Leo Tolstoy said about Mormon beliefs that, “their principles teach the people not only of Heaven and its attendant glories, but how to live so that their social and economic relations with each other are placed on a sound basis. If the people follow the teachings of this Church, nothing can stop their progress–it will be limitless. There have been great movements started in the past but they have died or been modified before they reached maturity. If Mormonism is able to endure, unmodified, until it reaches the third and fourth generations, it is destined to become the greatest power the world has ever known.”

Although I didn’t end up having the time I hoped to write what I wanted to today, these are two quotes about Joseph Smith that are representative of perspectives from non-Mormons who have spent sincere time seeking to understand his work.

Contrary to those who use as their main source of information anti-Mormon sources, most scholars who really seek to understand what Joseph Smith did and what the resulting faith is, even if they still do not join the Church, they have a profound sense of admiration for it. They are frequently astonished that so many facets of Mormonism reflect authentic biblical teachings which modern Judaism and Christianity abandoned thousands of years ago (mainly due to Greek philosophical influence). [e.g. one source: www.josephsmith.com]

I’ll try to post again to finish my response to your comment early this week (with some of my favorite quotes from Joseph Smith) - and then I hope we can move the discussion on to a topic that I am much more interested in (and which comments like yours poignantly impress on my mind): how can people with very different beliefs more effectively live peacefully with each other and join together in collaborative, productive efforts towards creating a better world?

“Never be discouraged. If I were sunk in the lowest pits of Nova Scotia, with the Rocky Mountains piled on me, I would hang on, exercise faith, and keep up good courage, and I would come out on top.”

“It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God.” “I want you all to know Him, and to be familiar with Him.”

“Love is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to be manifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God. A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.”

“When you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i.e.) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.”

“That they (the powers of heaven) may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved”

“One of the grand fundamental principles of Mormonism is to receive truth, let it come from whence it may…We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them up, or we shall not come out true Mormons.”

In response to a member of the Legislature, who asked Joseph Smith how it was that he could govern so many people and with such remarkable order, Joseph Smith remarked that it was very easy to do that. “How?” responded the gentleman, saying “to us it is very difficult.” Mr. Smith replied, “I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves.”

On the whole I find a man whose life and work is inspiring. Joseph Smith is an example to me of someone who learned from his mistakes and sought divine help in his life, and it is interesting that both of these aspects are reflected in the religious system restored through him. Church members today and even the Church as a whole continues to learn and evolve as we become more and more like Christ would have us be (even if individual members like me seem so far from it at times).

It seems to me to be a great thing that it is a “living” and growing Church, founded on the teachings of Christ who lived two thousand years ago, yet still led by the teachings and guidance of a living Christ through a prophet today. You might disagree with the idea that there is a prophet and apostles alive today (saying that God only spoke through Bible prophets and now he is done), and that is totally your choice and fine, or you might say that you need to be wary of false prophets (which is also something Mormons also believe and teach), I have no problem with that. Instead of filling your mind with negative stereotypes and false information and then quickly passing judgement, however, I would suggest that you might get a better representative idea of the actual substance of Mormon belief and practice from actually listening to some of the most recent addresses these Church leaders have made to the Church and the world.

[
There was a world-wide conference of the church in October 2007, and all the things taught there can be found at this link.
Aside from the talk I already recommended in the previous post, here are two other talks/sermons I would recommend from this conference by men that Mormons consider to be living apostles:

Have we not great reason to rejoice? from Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, formerly a chief Lufthansa pilot before his calling to serve as an apostle in the Church (read) (listen) (watch)

O Remember, Remember from Elder Henry B. Eyring, formerly an educator before his calling to serve as an apostle and now in the Church presidency (read) (listen) (watch)
]

You say you feel it is misleading to say that the LDS Church does not practice polygamy? And then you cite several sources. You failed to also mention that we believe the Bible to be scripture, and the Bible contains examples of prophets who practiced polygamy. Perhaps you would argue that all people who believe in the Bible are being disingenuous and misleading when they say that polygamy is not a part of their faith? The fact is that polygamy is not a daily part, or even a core part, of the LDS Church or spiritual life of its members. You also fail to mention the LDS scripture (in the Book of Mormon) that encourages marriage to be between one man and one woman. There are seeming contradictions in every faith, and those of faith just come to trust that God will work it all out in time (and having a Church that is open to continuing revelation makes it a lot more possible). The larger view of the purpose of life makes these seeming conflicts much more manageable to most people of faith.

And the reality is that many people still label the Church with polygamy in a way that actually is a lot more misleading (perhaps thinking of the HBO’s series called Big Love, or about news articles referring to splinter groups that have names similar to the LDS Church, but which have either left the Church or been excommunicated for their practice of polygamy). Because of these misrepresentations, the image most people have in their minds about Mormons is about 100 years outdated. In my opinion, one reason why the LDS Church can grow as fast as it does (now almost 13 million members) is because it gave up polygamy so long ago. (of course there are better reasons for its growth too, but I think the discontinuation of polygamy sure has helped)

The last thing I will mention is that (as mentioned in a recent article) “so often the debate about Mormonism centers around the peculiar and controversial on the one hand and the banal and unimaginative on the other… [People] often ask what differentiates Latter-day Saints but rarely investigate what inspires, motivates and moves them.” In my opinion, most of the debates about polygamy really are simply distractions from the core part of the faith, and I find the core part a whole lot more fascinating.

I have now embedded a short video at the bottom of the main blog entry (see above) that deals with myths and realities about the LDS Church (created for NBC before the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake). Some of the other resources I list there also do a better job of focusing on core parts of the faith.