I love Latter-day Saints. Some of the most valuable friends I've ever had in my entire life have been Latter-day Saints. Some of the kindest and most upright people I have known have been Latter-day Saints (though, sadly, so have a couple of the least kind and least upright people I've known). Generally speaking, I admire the wonderful standards by which they live. I'm fascinated by their history. I appreciate some of their fantastic contributions to society (e.g., genealogical research, charitable work, support for biblical moral standards in the public sphere), and I seek to deeply respect them and their beliefs. I love hearing my LDS friends out and thoughtfully and prayerfully considering what they have to say and share. It isn't always easy. Sometimes my LDS friends say things I don't agree with; sometimes I say things they don't agree with. Thankfully my LDS friends have generous spirits, and our disagreements have never marred our friendships in any lasting way. We know that disagreement, even about things of absolute importance, is no excuse for disregarding the call to show forth a Christ-like love. It takes open-mindedness and mutual respect to keep faithfully listening to each other and calmly discussing the reasons we have for our beliefs. That can be hard work, but I firmly believe that it's worth it. I agree with what President² Wilford Woodruff said when he urged that people should not be “judging any matter whatever until they heard both sides of the question, for in most all cases any person would be apt to give a wrong judgment by merely hearing one side of the question”.³

If you who are reading this are a Latter-day Saint, I want you to know that I respect you and your beliefs. I wouldn't doubt that there have been people you've met in your life who have treated you and your beliefs disrespectfully. I imagine that maybe you've had to endure taunts from friends or coworkers who disparage the moral standards that you hold. Perhaps you've had beliefs that are dear to you get dismissed abruptly by others without much reflection. Maybe you've had to witness things you hold sacred be treated as profane. Perhaps you've maybe even found yourself denied certain opportunities in life by those who hold a prejudice against you for what you believe. Whatever the specifics, if you've gone through any of that, I think that's a shame. The world as a whole deserves better than behavior that fosters an atmosphere of mockery. The very fact that you might be willing to read what I'm writing would be a credit to your willingness to engage with other ideas, and I for one thank you for it. Even though I do have disagreements and concerns about the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and of its leadership past and present, I hold no animosity toward the leaders or the institution, and the same holds for those who sincerely believe in the teachings they propound. I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should be taken very seriously; whether its claims are true or false is, I think, a very important question for both of us to consider.

I imagine that you, as a Latter-day Saint, most likely have what you would call a 'testimony' of certain things you believe to be true. This testimony hopefully includes some statements we can agree on. We can agree that there is a living and active God who loves us, a God whom Christians rightly address as “our Father which art in heaven” (Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2). We can agree that his Son, Jesus Christ, is a powerful and risen Redeemer, who provided the Atonement that can deal with the problem of human sin. We can agree that the good things God has in store for us throughout the coming ages are marvelous beyond our ability to understand. We can agree that no good thing in this creation will ultimately be lost without being swallowed up in something far greater when our God makes all things new. How we understand these sentences may differ, and perhaps differ even in significant and decisive ways. Still, let us begin by recognizing at least some common ground in our testimonies. But your testimony may also, I assume, bear witness to you about basic Latter-day Saint teachings over which we disagree: that Joseph Smith, Jr., was a prophet of God; that the Book of Mormon is truly ancient scripture given by God; that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint is the one true and living church restored to the face of the earth; that Joseph Smith's successor Thomas S. Monson is a living prophet of God on the earth today, and so on.⁴

In short, you've had sensations or experiences that you take as a spiritual witness in favor of some basic things you believe. These experiences, maybe including a 'burning in the bosom', are at least part of the reason why you believe what you do. Within a certain way of understanding how God works, it makes sense to at least initially view those kinds of experiences in that light. I respect your experiences and can't discount them out of hand as your real experiences. In a similar way, though, I have also had sensations and experiences that I can take to be a spiritual witness that supports what I believe, and also sensations and experiences that I take to be a spiritual witness warning me against some of the foundational teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If you'll bear with me, I would love the opportunity to share with you some of my story and my testimony....

Of Brigham Young as President of the Church, I will again bear this as a faithful testimony that I do know and bear record that upon the head of Brigham Young as chief, with the Apostleship in full, was by the voice of the Prophet Joseph in my hearing, laid the full responsibility of bearing of[f] the kingdom of God to all the world . . . . [When Brigham Young first met Joseph Smith and spoke in tongues in the Adamic languaue the Prophet] at that time, made the prediction upon the head of Brigham Young that ‘at some period he would become the leader of the Church, and that there would be one danger to beset him, and that would be his love of wealth.’ These things were told to me by [Lyman R.] Sherman [i.e., Johnson’s brother-in-law] at near the time of their occurrence

“I have heard the Prophet speak in public on many occasions. In one meeting I heard him say, ‘I will give you a key that will never rust. If you will stay with the majority of the Twelve Apostles, and the records of the Church, you will never be led astray’”

When the Prophet had his hand upon my father's head, I said to myself, 'I trust that I will be as true to young Joseph, the Prophet's son, as my father is to his father.' Afterwards at home, I told my father of my thoughts, and he said, 'No, Mosiah, for God has shown to Brother Joseph that his son, Joseph, will be the means of drawing many people away from this Church after him. Brother Joseph gave us to understand that it was our duty to follow the Twelve. The majority of this people will be right

where I am not, there is no First Presidency over the Twelve