History

Historical claims, suppressed records, and contested events within Mormon origins and development.

Silence and the Prophet’s Hidden Wives.

Exposes LDS curriculum’s quiet omission of Joseph Smith’s plural marriages.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0009/

Hidden Words in a Prophet's Hat.

Examines Joseph Smith’s confirmed translation method using a seer stone inside his hat.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0018/

The Vanishing Plates of the Book of Mormon.

Analyzes disappearance of Joseph Smith’s golden plates and its impact on belief versus proof.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0019/

The Curious Case of Nephi's Temple.

Questions plausibility of Nephi’s grand temple given Lehi’s tiny migrating family group.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0021/

Exposing Joseph Smith: The Kinderhook Deception.

Recounts 1843 hoax exposing Joseph Smith’s inability to translate fabricated brass plates.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0025/

Mountain Meadows: The Church’s Unhealed Wound.

Reviews LDS reluctance to accept institutional guilt for the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0026/

Joseph Smith’s Uneasy Encounter with Methodism.

Examines Joseph Smith’s brief Methodist membership despite claiming divine rejection of all churches.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0031/

Joseph Smith’s Long Record of Legal Trouble.

Chronicles Joseph Smith’s numerous arrests, convictions, and final imprisonment before his death.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0032/

The “Other Smith” Before the Book of Mormon.

Explores B. H. Roberts’s analysis linking Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews to Mormon origins.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0038/

Church Essays Admit What Smith Denied Publicly.

Smith denied polygamy publicly despite secretly marrying numerous women.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0048/

When History Is Filtered to Protect Faith.

Church narratives omit difficult truths, presenting members a simplified, faith-promoting past.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0052/

The Missing Signatures Behind Mormonism’s Key Testimonies.

No signed Three Witnesses document exists, raising questions about its authenticity.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0057/

When a Toad Spirit Guarded Mormonism’s Origin.

Early accounts depict a shape-shifting spirit violently guarding the golden plates.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0058/

When Official Church History Becomes Institutional Fiction.

Official LDS history prioritizes faith preservation over transparency and accurate historical inquiry.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0061/

Joseph’s Storytelling Skills, Preceding the Book of Mormon.

Lucy Mack Smith recalled Joseph inventing ancient American stories before plates.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0063/

A Page The Joseph Smith Papers Still Suppresses.

Cowdery’s letter accused Smith of sexual misconduct, later selectively preserved.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0073/

Martin Harris and Professor Charles Anthon Disagree.

Anthon denied authenticating characters, directly contradicting Martin Harris’s account.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0077/

Chronological Revisionism in Early Mormon Origins.

Early revival timelines were later revised to support Joseph Smith’s foundational narrative.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0081

Unfiltered Observation Inside Joseph Smith's Public Persona.

Contemporary account portrays Smith as vulgar, self-absorbed, and sensually indulgent.

Click to view: https://www.ldsdefector.com/fact-0086