Evidence before argument
Mormon Gaslight is an independent documentary library. Each case file isolates a specific historical claim, presents the earlier and later records, gives the Church’s explanation in its own terms, and identifies what the evidence does—and does not—establish.
Source hierarchy
Begin as close to the record as possible
Source quality is part of the conclusion. A quotation is useful only when its wording, speaker, date, role, publication, and surrounding context can be checked.
- 01Official Church sources
Scripture editions, manuals, talks, statements, archived pages, and institutional publications.
- 02Contemporaneous primary records
Scans, diaries, minutes, newspapers, letters, and published discourse transcripts.
- 03Reputable scholarship
Peer-reviewed work and historical books used for context, provenance, and interpretive disagreement.
- 04Secondary reporting
Used carefully for context and discovery, not as the final authority for a central claim.
Case-file method
Make the comparison visible
Show both records
Every central contrast should identify a source for the earlier position and the later or current position.
Represent the explanation
The Church’s stated rationale is quoted or summarized before its adequacy is analyzed.
Separate fact and inference
Documented wording and chronology remain distinct from editorial interpretation and disputed conclusions.
Preserve limitations
Uncertain provenance, unofficial transcripts, missing primary sources, and interpretive disagreement are labeled.
Biblical context
Included when it materially contributes
Biblical passages are not appended to every case. When included, the English Standard Version is used by default, the immediate context is explained, and relevant differences in Christian interpretation are acknowledged. A verse is not treated as a substitute for historical evidence.
Independence and authorship
No institutional affiliation claimed
The project is not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Its sole human author currently publishes anonymously and does not claim credentials, biography, or access beyond the sources presented to readers.
Corrections and review
The record remains revisable
Substantive source reviews update the date shown on a case file. When stronger evidence changes a conclusion, the wording should be corrected rather than silently defended. Archived or vanished sources are replaced with the closest verifiable record when possible.
The site’s argument should come from the documented comparison. Restraint, source transparency, and fair representation make that comparison stronger, not weaker.