A Letter For My Wife

When you first shared A Letter For My Wife with me, and I read the author’s story about “needing to explain to his wife and children why he had to leave the Church,” I was disheartened. I felt compassion for him, and compassion for you—for struggling with these issues and using his words as a way to open up to me about why you have lost your faith.

But, after you shared it with me, I began studying what it really is.

As I looked into it, I’ve concluded that this letter is typical anti-Mormon narratives retold in different packaging. These weren’t discoveries the author made through sincere study. They were a compilation of long-circulated anti-Mormon claims, repackaged in a soft, emotional, “compassionate” tone to carefully lull others into believe the same as he now believes.

To better understand where Letter for My Wife’s arguments and other anti mormon literature comes from, it’s useful to learn about the  foundation of Anti Mormonism, and where many of these so called historic sources actually come from.

What is The Letter For My Wife?

A Letter for My Wife was written by Thomas Faulk, who spent years on ex-Mormon subreddits collecting doubts taken from other critics. After watching the success of the CES Letter, and after fully losing his own faith, he organized those doubts into a document written in a more personal format. This softer format makes it easier for spouses to read, and in many ways it functions as a second witness to the CES Letter. It uses the same arguments and approach, just wrapped in a tone that feels less hostile.

The letter was never a private note to his wife. It was published online from the beginning and promoted across ex-Mormon communities. After Faulk’s marriage failed, he stepped away from the project and the website was turned over to other anti-Mormons. In 2019 they created a “podcast,” which is simply a text-to-speech computer voice reading each chapter of the letter. In 2024, with the rise of AI tools, they also released an “audiobook,” which is again just an AI voice reading the same text with added background music.

Letter For My Wife Chapters

The Letter contains five sections and 25 chapters. It may take me a year or so, but I plan to address every one of these chapters. When we shift how we look at these topics, learning about these same points can actually strengthen testimony.

0. Introduction

1. The First Vision
2. The Translation
3. The Witnesses
4. The Kinderhook Plates
5. The Word of Wisdom
6. The Endowment
7. Polygamy
8. Race and the Church
9. Blood Atonement
10. Prophesies
11. DNA
12. Reformed Egyptian
13. Anachronisms
14. The Jaredites
15. Source Material
16. Expert Views
17. The Rosetta Stone
18. Facimile 1
19. Facimile 2
20. Facimile 3
21. The Translation
22. Expert Views
23. Tithing
24. Church Spending
25. Scientific Evidence

What The Letter for My Wife Is NOT

The Letter for My Wife is not a historical work. Thomas Faulk, and the person now running the website, are not trained historians and do not use academic standards when presenting claims as “history.” The document is agenda-driven. It is written to convince spouses of faithful members that they have been misled, relying on selective information and one-sided framing rather than balanced research.

• The letter does not follow academic standards.
• There is no analysis of primary sources in full context.
• Evidence is cherry-picked.
• Sources are selectively quoted.
• Counter-evidence is omitted.
• Conclusions are reached first; evidence is arranged afterward.

In contrast, trained historians:

• examine motivations of sources
• compare context
• evaluate reliability
• avoid arguments from silence
• look at all relevant evidence

Faulk does none of this.

When Was the Letter First Written?

Here is the timeline of the history of the coming forth of Letter For My Wife:

• 2009–2013: Faulk begins collecting notes and criticisms of the church.
• 2016: The letter appears on the ex-Mormon subreddit under “For My Wife and Children”
• 2017: He attaches his name, publishes the website, and releases a PDF
• 2018–2019: He steps away from Reddit after marital strain; another ex-Mormon takes over the site
• 2020: Faulk publicly states he is distancing himself from ex-Mormonism
• 2021–2023: The website undergoes revisions, removing provably false claims as result of FAIR and Sarah Allen rebuttal articles.
• 2024: Publishes the AI Reading Audiobook to make it easier for people to consume the content

Who Is This Letter Written For?

The title suggests this was a private letter from a husband to his wife, but the way it was released tells a different story. If it were truly written only for her, it would have stayed private. Instead, Thomas Faulk published it online, promoted it on ex-Mormon subreddits, and encouraged others to share it. From the beginning, the real audience was believing spouses, not one individual.

The personal tone is intentional. It feels softer and more relational than traditional anti-Mormon material, which makes it easier for spouses to read without being immediately turned off. This is the same reason it pairs so well with the CES Letter. Faulk’s document functions as a companion piece—less aggressive, more emotional, but pushing the same conclusions that lead believers to doubt.

Being a personal witness of the real damage of this misleading “letter” made me want to create a counter-voice. I wanted a place where people could get clear information, solid context, and simple explanations without the spin. I made this a public website so others going through similar situations can find answers and avoid some of the strain that these misleading documents can cause.

Why Did Thomas Faulk Write The Letter?

It’s my conclusion that the arguments of Thomas Faulk are not original discoveries or sincere questions. They are a repackaged collection of other anti-Mormon claims, arranged in a way meant to steer the reader toward doubt.

I believe that Thomas Faulk is someone who lost faith, lost his marriage because of it, and became bitter about the consequences and now wants others to follow the same path, to suffer as he has. The compassionate framing makes it feel gentle, but the purpose is to undermine trust, plant doubt, and weaken testimony.

I’m not a scholar, and I am not going to pretend that I can personally address and debunk every point raised in these arguments. Scholars have already done that, and I will link to their resources. I love Church history, and I love learning from it. I listen to Come Follow Him, Church History Matters, The Scriptures Are Real, Scripture Central, and The Standard of Truth podcast almost every week. Many of the insights I share, and many that have strengthened me, have come from these sources. I believe these podcasters do what they do because they love the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they love truth, and they sincerely want to help people understand it.

My Experience With Anti-Mormon Material

I have been exposed to all kinds of anti-Mormon teachings throughout my life, especially as a missionary. At the beginning of my mission, my companion and I ran into different Protestant preachers almost every day who brought up material designed to challenge our faith. This pushed me to study harder, pray sincerely, and search for explanations. Eventually a point came on my mission where I could not be shaken. I had done my homework and I had the Spirit with me. Whenever new or recycled arguments came up, they did not faze me. I knew the work I was doing was the Lord’s work. I knew I the work I was doing was bringing light and helping to bring souls to Jesus Christ.

My faith has been challenged, but I believe I have received personal revelation that has provided satisfactory explanations to these “difficult questions” so that I can focus on the more important doctrines of salvation.

I will use this website to share my thoughts on the issues raised from A Letter For My Wife. This will take time, and I am not sure how much work time I can reasonably justify, but my hope is to go through one point each week. These are the topics I have already addressed.