Mark Hoffman

• Mark Hoffman was raised a Mormon and served a two year mission.
• He forged dozens of documents dealing with Mormon history.
• The LDS church purchased several documents, including direct purchases by the First Presidency.
• The church publicized documents favorable to the church.
• The church secretly acquired and suppressed documents that reflected negatively on its history.
  • Hoffman (who admitted he lost faith in the church) would leak to the press about documents the church secretly acquired.
  • The church was forced to produce, albeit reluctantly, documents that it had previously denied existed.

Conclusion

• What trust do we place in a church that claims to posses continual revelation, and is led by a Seer—one who can translate ancient texts—but can't discern fake from real historical documents?
• What trust do we place in a church that is so concerned about presenting a censored version of its history that it suppresses documents and only relents after it is exposed?

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