I write this letter first because I love my wife with all my heart and want to spend eternity with her. My desire is to communicate honestly about the things I believe, the experiences that have shaped my faith, and the reasons I still trust in the restored gospel. Faith transitions bring real fear, confusion, and grief, and I know how painful it can feel when information comes in a way that blindsides us. My hope is to build understanding rooted in truth and allow others to use their agency to make decisions based on real facts instead of agenda-driven interpretations.
I am making this letter public for anyone else who has felt their faith shaken by materials like the CES Letter or A Letter For My Wife. Many sincere people have encountered these writings and walked away unsure of what to believe or who to trust. Honest seekers deserve honest answers, and I want to share the things that have brought clarity and peace to me.
What I Believe
I believe that God is our loving Father who works to bring to pass the exaltation and eternal life of His children. I believe He guides us with wisdom far beyond our own. I believe the fullness of the gospel was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith and that the Book of Mormon came forth by the gift and power of God. I believe priesthood authority was restored to prepare the world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
When we study factual history surrounding the early Saints, it is clear that they genuinely believed Joseph was a prophet and that the Book of Mormon came in a miraculous way. These were intelligent men and women who sacrificed everything because of personal spiritual experiences that convinced them Joseph’s calling was real. Their faith cost them physically, emotionally, financially, and spiritually. They stayed true and became the ancestors of so many of us in the church today.
I believe the church established in the latter-days continues to guide God’s children toward light and truth. Its teachings lead to peace, happiness, and deeper conversion to Jesus Christ. They help fulfill ancient covenants and offer God’s children in all generations the opportunity to enter into a covenant relationship with Christ and return to His presence.
What the Authors of the CES Letter and Letter for My Wife Believe
The CES Letter and the Letter For My Wife present a view that Joseph Smith was not acting under divine calling and that the Church he founded is not what it claims to be. Their conclusion is that the Restoration was created by human motives rather than by God.
Only one of these views can be true. Either Joseph Smith was a prophet or he was a fraud. While we can provide evidence for either side, the reality is that one must have faith to accept either position.
Why I Created This Website
As many people, including my own wife, have encountered critical arguments that portray Joseph Smith as a fraud and the Church as deceptive, my goal is to lay out the true facts and the real history of what we actually know and how we know it. I also intend to share the intentions, motives, techniques, foundations, and purposes behind the writers of these works.
My purpose is not to attack anyone who struggles with these topics; the Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us to love everyone. In that spirit, I am looking closely at the arguments themselves, comparing them with documented history, and explaining why I believe these writings leave out important context, rely on selective framing, or use techniques that lead sincere people toward doubt. I want to show an accurate picture of the Church’s history and the reasons my own faith has strengthened as I have studied these topics.
I am not a scholar or a historian, just as the authors of the CES Letter and A Letter For My Wife are not. I am a just a husband and a believer who wants to share the truth. What I offer here are my own conclusions, and not necessarily the views of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I will provide links in the various topics for anyone who wants deeper study from actual historians and scholars.
Where Should You Place Your Faith?
My hope is that anyone reading this, especially my wife, will see the sincerity behind my faith and understand why I trust the restored gospel. I want to offer clarity where there is confusion, context where there is distortion, and peace where there has been fear and confusion.
After exploring the information on this site and seeing what documented history and reliable sources support, I hope you will pause, reflect, and ask this question:
Where should I place my faith?
Should I place my faith in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, or in the conclusions presented in the CES Letter and A Letter For My Wife?