The LDS Church’s Secret 2013 Faith Crisis Report: What Happens When Members Discover Church History?
A remarkable 2013 internal LDS report warned about a growing faith crisis caused by members discovering uncorrelated Church history online.
Based on responses from more than 3,000 people, the report challenges some of the Church’s most common explanations for why members lose their faith. The people most affected were often highly educated, higher-income members—including people who had served in significant leadership positions.
The report identifies Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and Church history as major drivers of disbelief, while explanations like members being offended or simply wanting to sin ranked among the least significant factors.
It also examines the impact of the internet, smartphones, search engines, and social media—and compares the Church's struggle to maintain control of its historical narrative to companies like Kodak and IBM confronting disruptive technology.
Perhaps most strikingly, the report acknowledges the human cost of faith crises: strained marriages, social isolation, emotional distress, leadership losses, and significant financial consequences for the institution.
This is a fascinating look inside how LDS leaders and strategists understood the Church's emerging information problem more than a decade ago.
#Mormonism #LDS #FaithCrisis #MormonHistory #ExMormon #JosephSmith #LDSChurch
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