Lying for the Lord: Mormonism, Secrecy & the Price of Loyalty
What happens when loyalty to a religious institution becomes more important than telling the truth?
In this dark historical explainer, we examine the controversial concept historian D. Michael Quinn described as “theocratic ethics”—the idea that deception could be morally justified when used to protect what believers considered a higher religious purpose.
Drawing from the source material, we explore allegations and historical controversies surrounding early Mormonism, including:
• Joseph Smith's evolving accounts of the First Vision
• The changing story surrounding Moroni, Nephi, and the translation of the Book of Mormon
• Joseph Smith's secret plural marriages, including polyandrous relationships
• The coded language allegedly used to conceal plural marriage
• The 1835 public denial of polygamy versus the private practice
• The 1890 Manifesto and the controversy over post-Manifesto plural marriages
• The Reed Smoot Senate hearings of 1903–1907
• Joseph F. Smith's testimony before Congress
• Claims of perjury and institutional loyalty during the hearings
• The development of modern teachings emphasizing unquestioning loyalty to prophetic authority
• The controversial treatment of historians and members who challenge sanitized versions of Mormon history
The central question is unsettling:
What happens to truth when an institution convinces its leaders that protecting the institution is itself a higher moral obligation?
This video presents the source's interpretation of these events and the historical arguments surrounding them. The goal isn't simply to provide another list of shocking facts, but to examine the underlying psychology: when does religious loyalty become a justification for deception?
Keep questioning. Keep investigating. And keep looking beyond the official story.
#Mormonism #LDS #MormonHistory #ExMormon #JosephSmith #Polygamy #LDSHistory
Please consider making a donation by joining our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/MormonNewsRoundup
Email: kolob@mormonnewsroundup.org
Website: https://mormonnewsroundup.org/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonnewsroundup
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormon_news_roundup/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dives.lazarus/
X: https://twitter.com/NewsMormon
New episodes every night at 9:30 PM Eastern.
Please like and subscribe and hit the notifications bell. Remember remember, no unhallowed hand can stop this podcast from progressing!
The Mormon News Roundup is NOT affilated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.