Evidence before argument
Mormon Gaslight is an independent documentary library. Each case file isolates a specific teaching, presents the earlier and later records side by side, quotes the Church’s explanation in its own terms, and states plainly what changed. Where doctrine is at issue, it shows how Latter-day Saint teaching compares with the Bible.
The question this library answers
“That was never taught” is a claim about the record
A teaching may be unfamiliar to someone who grew up after it changed. Each case begins with a short answer and links to the earlier and later sources, so readers can check the claim and share the evidence. We identify the speaker, office, date, publication, and relevant qualifications.
A published sermon can establish that a leader taught something without establishing that every member believed it or that it was canonized. A signed First Presidency statement, an official manual, and an individual leader’s book carry different institutional weight. A later rejection changes what members are asked to believe; it does not by itself erase the earlier teaching.
Cases distinguish reversals in policy or doctrine from changes in wording, emphasis, or proposed explanation. The Church’s current explanation is quoted beside the comparison and then checked against the earlier record it is meant to explain. When a later account attributes an earlier teaching to critics, “early members,” or something “alleged,” the case shows who actually taught or published it.
The strongest evidence is often the Church’s own: earlier First Presidency statements, current essays, scripture-adjustment lists, handbooks, and canonized text that still stands after its study aids were rewritten. We do not speculate about leaders’ private motives. The documents show what was said and what changed.
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 plain
Show both records
Every central contrast should identify a source for the earlier position and the later or current position.
Test the explanation
The Church’s stated rationale is quoted in its own terms, then compared with the record it is meant to explain.
Separate fact and inference
Documented wording and chronology remain distinct from editorial interpretation and disputed conclusions.
Label the evidence
Source type, provenance, and real limits are stated once, where they apply—never repeated to soften a finding.
Biblical context
Where the doctrine departs from the Bible
When a case concerns doctrine, the biblical text is set beside the Latter-day Saint text so readers can see where they differ: on the nature of God, the person of Christ, grace and salvation, creation, marriage, and the testing of prophets. Passages are not added to purely administrative cases. The English Standard Version is used by default, the immediate context is explained, and genuine disagreement among Christian traditions is 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
Each case file shows two dates: when its content was last reviewed, and when its sources were last re-checked against the original scans or official pages. When stronger evidence changes a conclusion, the wording is corrected rather than silently defended. Archived or vanished sources are replaced with the closest verifiable record when possible.
The argument comes from the documented record, stated plainly. We do not soften what the sources show or defend it on the Church’s behalf, and we do not claim more than the sources establish.