Ethics

Moral claims, ethical failures, and contested behavior within Mormon history and scripture.

Joseph Smith: America's Most Brazen Adulterer.

Argues Joseph Smith’s many unlawful plural unions constitute blatant nineteenth-century adultery.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0008/

Holocaust Victims Rebaptized Despite the Ban.

Details LDS rebaptisms of Holocaust victims despite official bans and repeated public outrage.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0024/

Did God Tell Abraham to Lie?

Shows how the Book of Abraham reframes deception as divinely commanded moral obedience.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0027/

Proxy Baptism and the Case of Adolf Hitler.

Explores LDS proxy baptisms for Hitler and resulting global outrage over moral insensitivity.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0035/

A Biblical Account Few Want to Discuss.

Examines Lot’s daughters’ incest narrative and its unsettling ethical implications in Genesis.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0044/

Making America “Swallow” Mormonism and Polygamy.

Brigham Young openly endorsed deception to advance Mormonism and plural marriage.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0064/

When Personal Grievance Trumped Ethical Restraint.

Joseph Smith justified theft as entitlement, undermining claims of moral leadership.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0065/

When Faith Promises Division, Not Peace.

Luke depicts faith causing family division, challenging ideals of religious unity.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0071/

Several Months Before Her 15th Birthday”: Normalizing Joseph Smith’s Predatory Conduct.

Church language softens Joseph Smith’s marriage to a fourteen-year-old girl.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0084

Horror as Narrative Data in the Second Book of Kings.

Biblical narrative records sanctioned brutality without moral commentary.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0098

Joseph Smith’s Treatment of the Poor Faithful.

Contemporary account depicts dismissive treatment of impoverished followers.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0105

Sampson and the Gaza Strip.

Biblical narrative depicts moral failure without commentary or justification.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0110

Three Alternate Commandments and the Logic of Divine Violence.

Biblical law enforces obedience through execution and terror.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0115

God Threatens the Innocent to Protect a Lying Prophet.

Genesis depicts prophetic deception while an innocent king faces divine threat.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0116

Is God Held to a Different Moral Standard Than Humans?

Orson Pratt exempts God from moral law governing humans.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0117

Why is Sexual Obligation Treated as a Sacred Duty?

Genesis 38 enforces lineage through unequal sexual accountability.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-fact-0132

Why Preserve Such an Opaque and Violent Narrative?

Exodus preserves cryptic covenant violence without explanation.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0137

Ancient Directions for Branding Humans and Trafficking Women.

Exodus 21 regulates servitude, branding, and arranged female bondage.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0139

Can Ancient Purity Laws Guide Modern Ethics?

Leviticus purity codes link sexuality to communal defilement.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0141

Where Is the Line Between Justice and Atrocity?

Numbers 31 depicts divinely sanctioned collective violence.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0142

Does Divine Command Excuse Genocide?

Deuteronomy depicts total annihilation as divinely sanctioned conquest.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0143

Is Religious Dissent Punishable By Death?

Deuteronomy mandates execution for idolatrous persuasion.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0144

Is Holy War Compatible With Modern Ethics?

Joshua depicts divinely sanctioned total warfare and annihilation.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0146