“…everything in the Church – everything – rises or falls on the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and, by implication, the Prophet Joseph Smith’s account of how it came forth…It sounds like a ‘sudden death’ proposition to me. Either the Book of Mormon is what the Prophet Joseph said it is or this Church and its founder are false, fraudulent, a deception from the first instance onward.” – ELDER JEFFREY R. HOLLAND, “TRUE OR FALSE” 2, NEW ERA, JUNE 1995
Today we’re obviously looking at the well known ‘CES Letter’ – woo-hoo! It’s to my regret that I somehow have missed placing this on our sites, nonetheless, it’s finally here.
For those who are unaware, the ‘LETTER TO A CES DIRECTOR’ was written by Jeremy T. Runnells. He was a life-long 6th generation Utah Mormon, who at one time was a very active member of the Church.
Like many ex-Mormons, myself included, Mr. Runnells began investigating the Church on his own. The defining moment for him began when he read a Reuters News report online quoting an LDS official stating the Church is losing members in droves. He said he was shocked anyone would leave the Church, and especially for historical reasons.
The news report led him into an ‘intense’ investigation he performed, and culminated into the ‘CES Letter’. Its context is a 138 page PDF list of questions broken down into 14 sections. It’s well documented with correct links making it easy to follow, and it doesn’t lead you down an endless rabbit hole. The questions he raised ranged in topics from church history, Joseph Smith’s behavior, translation problems, and everything in between. I’ve no doubt his questions are a reflection that many others in the Church have as well.
I found it to be very genuine, and heartbreaking. My heartbreak is felt each time I read things like this, and as of late it occurs on almost a daily basis. People from all over are writing in to request mentors, and further information on how to officially leave, and become a true Christian. We’re praying for Mr. Runnells who describes himself as a ‘soft-spoken deaf guy’, and his dear family.
For us, we’re glad his eyes were opened, but we’re praying he’ll come to know the Lord as well! He seems like the type of guy you’d want as a neighbor, and as far as any agenda if he has one, I imagine it’d be to tell the truth.
As an FYI, the quote at the top of the article was taken from one of the many references found in Mr. Runnells’ letter.
Please, pray for those who are in the shoes of Mr. Runnells right now, and for all Mormons to come to a saving knowledge of Christ Jesus and Him crucified!
With Love in Christ;
Michelle
If you haven’t already read the CES letter, I would encourage lds and Christians to do so. I came across the PDF a few years ago when I started investigating the lds church. I had a coworker who was lds and I wanted to learn more about their beliefs. Needless to say as a Christian it shocked me to the core.
This is a classic example of how the church treats members who have questions and concerns. So what started out as a few concerns that the church refused to address, snowballed into the infamous “CES letter”.
Ultimately, Jeremy was brought before the churches “love court”, or as Jeremy referred to it as a “kangaroo court”, before being excommunicated, Jeremy handed in his resignation letter.
You can also see Jeremy being interviewed by John Dehlin. He is a very sincere and humble family man just looking for the truth.
Thanks for posting this Michelle
Melissa