The Unauthorized Investigator's Guide to
The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints

Here are some links to Internet communities where you can take your questions and hopefully get a variety of responses.  Be forewarned: many people find these communities addictive.

Folk of the Fringe

The introduction to this board is in the form of a poem(!)

Most of us were Mormons once --
A lot of us still are
(Thought some of us just like to watch
The critters from afar.)

Though many of us doubt the church's
"Onlytrueness" claims,
Believers here still talk to us,
And rarely call us names.

We talk a lot, since talk is what
The Fringe is all about.
We talk and talk, and do our best
To talk and not to SHOUT...

(you can read the rest of the poem here.)  Folk of the Fringe was started for and by a group of people who were too tolerant of the church to be welcomed at RFM, yet too critical of the church to be accepted at FAIR.  If you find the perspective of LDS4U.com to be reasonable, you'll probably like Folk of the Fringe.

FAIR Message Boards

The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of LDS (Mormon) doctrine, belief and practice. This is probably the best place to go to hear the best possible answers to tough questions from faithful members of the church.  There is a minimal degree of tolerance for skeptics to participate.

Recovery From Mormonism (RFM)

This is not a debate board for Mormons to defend the faith. Mormons have many other venues to debate and proclaim their religion. Please allow us our little corner of cyberspace. This board is for those who were once believers and for their friends, families and interested individuals to learn of the cultural aspects of Mormonism.  On average, this board gets over 100,000 hits a day.  The LDS Church has more than its share of former members who feel like they've been betrayed by the church they trusted.  There are angry exMormons on this board.  There are also intelligent, educated, and articulate ones.

Zion Lighthouse Message Board (ZLMB)

A Forum Sounding Board for Academicians, Apologists, and Skeptics Interested in things LDS --Established September, 2000. This board has had some discussions with some of the sharpest minds you will find among all of the Mormon Bulletin Boards.  It is owned by a faithful Mormon, but the skeptics tend to dominate the conversations.

New Order Mormons

A forum for those who have chosen to remain connected with the LDS church for personal reasons and in spite of church history or present practices.   A lot of people fit this description and are generally a very intelligent bunch.

View from the Foyer

This board was named after those free souls who go to church, but hang out in the foyer chatting rather than going to the meetings.  Thoughtful discussion of the church's doctrine, history, and culture.

MormonDiscussions.com

The 100% free speech zone for discussing Mormonism.  If you aren't welcome at another forum but would like to respond to something you read there, this is the place to do it.


 

If you'd like to contact me with comments or feedback, you may send an email to analytics@lds4u.com.