Not every repeated claim is true.
Repeated claims are not the same thing as true claims. This page addresses common myths, misleading narratives, and historical distortions about Latter-day Saints using source-backed explanations.
Why this page matters.
A false claim does not become harmless just because it is familiar.
Some falsehoods are dramatic. Others are subtle. Some are completely invented. Others are built from half-truths, missing context, selective framing, or historical simplification.
Over time, these claims shape what people think they already know. They train suspicion. They flatten complexity. They make caricature feel credible. And once a distorted idea becomes culturally normal, it becomes much harder to correct.
This page exists because clarity needs structure. It is not enough to say that misinformation is frustrating. It has to be answered.
What this page is for.
This page is designed to help the public, journalists, educators, members, and curious outsiders quickly evaluate claims about Latter-day Saints.
It should help people answer questions like: Is this claim actually true? Is this historically accurate? What is being left out? Is this a fair summary or a distorted one? What do the sources actually say? How should this claim be explained in plain language?
A starting library of myths and clarifications.
Each entry takes a recurring claim, states it fairly, explains what is misleading or false, and responds with verifiable context.
All Latter-day Saints think and vote the same way.
Latter-day Saints span a wide range of political views, professional fields, life experiences, and personal opinions. The Church itself takes a position of political neutrality on partisan elections and parties, and does not tell members how to vote. Treating millions of members as a single political bloc collapses real diversity into a stereotype.
The Church secretly controls its members’ daily decisions.
Members make their own decisions about education, employment, relationships, finances, voting, and personal choices. The Church teaches doctrine and standards, but it does not direct individual life decisions. Conflating shared belief with hidden control is one of the most common mischaracterizations in public commentary.
Latter-day Saints still practice plural marriage.
The Church publicly discontinued plural marriage beginning in 1890 with the Manifesto. The practice is strictly prohibited today, and members who enter plural marriages face Church discipline. Groups that practice plural marriage are not part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, even if media coverage sometimes blurs the distinction.
Latter-day Saints are not Christian.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worship Jesus Christ, accept Him as Savior and Redeemer, and look to His teachings as the center of their faith. The full name of the Church begins with His name. Disagreements about theology between Christian traditions are real, but treating Latter-day Saints as outside the Christian tradition altogether misrepresents what members believe.
“Mormon” is the official name of the Church or its members.
The Church’s authorized name is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members are properly referred to as Latter-day Saints. While “Mormon” remains in some historical and proper names such as the Book of Mormon or the Mormon Trail, the Church’s style guidance asks reporters and the public not to use “Mormon” or “LDS” as substitutes for members’ preferred designations.
Latter-day Saint history is a story of villains, with persecution exaggerated.
The persecution of Latter-day Saints in Missouri and Illinois is not exaggeration. It includes the Hawn’s Mill massacre, Governor Boggs’s extermination order, the murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith at Carthage Jail, multiple expulsions, and decades of legal pressure. The historical record is preserved in state archives, primary source collections, and scholarly research.
How to use this page.
This page is not meant to win arguments. It is meant to help readers think more carefully. The right question is rarely “who shouted loudest?” It is “what does the evidence actually show?”
If you encounter a claim about Latter-day Saints, consider where it comes from, how it has been verified, what context may be missing, and whether the source has any incentive to flatten the story for attention or effect. Then look at primary sources where possible.
How SAFE evaluates claims.
Each entry follows the same approach. We name the claim plainly. We explain what is false, misleading, or incomplete. We provide the verifiable context. We point readers to primary sources or authoritative explanations where they exist.
We try not to overstate. If a claim is partly true, we say so. If a claim depends on context that is often left out, we restore the context. If a claim is simply false, we say so directly.
Why this matters in public life.
Once a distorted idea becomes culturally normal, it shapes how teachers teach, how journalists frame, how creators write, how voters assume, and how neighbors treat one another. Untangling falsehood is therefore not pedantry. It is part of how public fairness is preserved.
The goal of this page is not to demand that everyone agree with Latter-day Saints. It is to ensure that disagreement and discussion happen on the basis of accurate information rather than recycled myth.
Have a claim you would like SAFE to review?
If you have encountered a claim about Latter-day Saints that seems misleading, conspiratorial, or factually wrong, you can submit it for SAFE’s review through the reporting form. Submissions help SAFE identify what claims are spreading, where they are appearing, and which deserve a response.
Submit a Claim to ReviewReplace recycled myth with accurate context.
Help SAFE build a credible, source-backed library of clarifications that journalists, educators, and the public can rely on.