Source: LDS Leaders AVOIDING Hard Questions on Church Truth Claims | Elder & Sister Rasband Face-to-Face Channel: MormonNewsRoundup Published: March 8, 2026 | Archived: May 24, 2026

Video: LDS Leaders AVOIDING Hard Questions on Church Truth Claims | Elder & Sister Rasband Face-to-Face
Channel: MormonNewsRoundup
Published: March 8, 2026
Duration: 20:58
Views: 4,193
Category: Entertainment
Video ID: M8b2nDUmRT8

Description

On September 13, 2020, Elder and Sister Rasband spoke to youth in a Face-to-Face event hosted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When asked by a young member named Harry about serious doubts regarding the church’s truth claims, Elder Rasband avoided providing a direct answer.

Instead, the Rasbands:

Encouraged reframing questions toward reasons to stay in the church

Showed a highly emotional video connecting leaving the church with suicidal struggles

Emphasized generational consequences and eternal family obligations

Warned against engaging with “anti-church literature” online

This response mirrors a broader LDS pattern of discouraging doubt and minimizing historical or doctrinal concerns, seen in other devotionals by leaders such as Elder Renlund, Elder Corbridge, Elder Soares, Elder Christensen, and Elder Eyring.

In this analysis, we explore how the Rasbands’ approach:

Avoids substantive answers to historical or doctrinal questions

Relies on emotion and spiritual manipulation rather than evidence

Fails to acknowledge that youth today have access to church history, Gospel Topics essays, and critical resources like LDS Discussions, Mormon Stories, and Radio Free Mormon

Watch to understand what leaders say—and don’t say—when addressing doubts, and why emotional appeals cannot replace honest engagement with tough questions.

🔗 Additional Reading (Based on): https://www.ldsdiscussions.com/rasbands

📺 Related analysis:

Doubts Are Not Dangerous — They’re Necessary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKi2OOrh6kY

Please Don’t Look Under the Hood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSEsLtwKzvw

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Tags

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Transcript — YouTube panel (human-authored)

0:00 On September 13th, 2020, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held a face-to-face event for youth featuring Elder and Sister Rasband. In many ways, the event followed previous LDS face-to-face formats. It also fit within a broader pattern seen in 2019 devotionals where church leaders frequently discouraged or pathized doubt. For readers unfamiliar with similar devotionals, the following summaries highlight key themes from four notable examples in the past few years.

0:33 First, the Renland’s Navigating Doubts in the LDS church devotional. This youth address portrayed those who noticed problems in church history and doctrine as ungrateful or childish, using simplistic metaphors and cartoonish imagery. Critics of the church were framed as deceptive figures, discouraging engagement with historical or doctrinal concerns. Doubt, unless changed into inquiry from a reliable, trustworthy sources, has no value or worth. A stagnant doubter, one content with himself, unwilling to make the appropriate effort to pay the price of divine discovery, inevitably reaches unbelief and darkness. His doubts grow like poisonous mushrooms in the dim shadows of his mental and spiritual chambers. At last, blind like the mole in his burrow, he usually substitutes ridicule for reason, indolence for labor, labor, and becomes a lazy scholar. Doubt is not wrong unless it becomes an end in and of itself. That doubt which feeds and grows upon itself

1:43 and breeds more doubt is evil. Second, Elder Lawrence Corbid’s devotional entitled, “Please Don’t Look Under the Hood.” \[music\] This talk encouraged students to avoid focusing on historical, doctrinal, and institutional problems, labeling them as secondary questions unworthy of serious attention and discouraging deeper examination of troubling issues. I heard someone say recently, “It’s okay to have doubts.” I wonder about that.

2:12 The Lord said, “Look unto me in every thought. Doubt not. Fear not. I have a lot of questions. I don’t have any doubts.” Another example, a devotional featuring Elder Ulissiz Sorz and Elder Craig Christensen entitled, “Doubts are not dangerous, they’re necessary.” \[music\] In response to questions about doubt, leaders describe doubts as dangerous, reinforcing the idea that questioning core beliefs is spiritually risky rather than a normal part of seeking truth.

2:43 There is a difference between a question and a doubt. The scripture says this about doubt leas in faith not nothing wavering. For he had waver is like a wave of the sea sea driven with the wind and tossed. Doubts about things we already know are very dangerous. Therefore, whenever I am giving advice to a friend who has questions and doubts, I try to take him back to the foundation of his own testimony. if he were a return missionary. I’m going to go back to the mission and ask him about his teachings to other people and how he felt about reading the Book of Mormon and ask and I will try to recindly in him the true feelings of the spirit.

3:29 Therefore, doubts are dangerous. And finally, the Henry Iring devotional entitled, it’s not blind faith, it’s \[music\] big faith. This devotional urged students to maintain big faith when confronted with troubling historical or doctrinal issues, encouraging continued trust in church leaders and institutional claims despite serious concerns. The Rasban address echoes similar themes as these previous four addresses. In this part of the face toface, the question was as follows.

4:00 Our next question comes from somebody who seems to be struggling to gain that witness. Harry from California asked, “I have serious problems with the truth claims of the church and I’m considering removing my names from the records of the church. Can you give me a reason why I should stay?” This is a very straightforward question. Harry is having serious problems with the truth claims of the church \[music\] and is looking for answers from an apostle of the church who is an ordained prophet, seer, and revelator. \[music\] Elder Rasban is ready to answer this question as he repeatedly looks down at his tablet, showing that he spent time preparing this answer, even as these events seek to portray themselves as casual and spontaneous.

4:40 I can’t wait to talk to Harry about the reason why he should stay. Harry, the first thing I want to say to you and to any others who might be on the edge with that kind of a concern right now is don’t you do it. Don’t remove your name from the records of the church. Maybe it would help to reframe your question this way, not as why you should stay, but perhaps the more positive approach of why I and so many others choose to stay, including I would suspect hundreds of thousands of you who are watching this broadcast tonight. Think of it as to why do I choose to stay? Not only is there no answer given to Harry’s concern, but Elder Rasban immediately dismisses Harry’s question as wrong. Harry’s problem with the church’s truth claims is minimized because it does not consider the perspective of members who are likely unaware of the issues in church history. Harry’s question is straightforward and Elder Rasband prepared his answer before the event.

5:44 Even with time to prepare, Elder Rasband has nothing to offer to address Harry’s concerns. He could direct Harry to the Gospel Topics essays, but that would alert other youth to issues such as problems with the Book of Mormon translation, DNA evidence in the Book of Mormon, the First Vision, polygamy and polyandry, race and the priesthood, and the Book of Abraham. Apologetics are often withheld until members are already questioning because introducing them early exposes problems that many members have never considered. Elder Rasban avoids answering Harry’s question as there are no satisfactory answers that do not also reveal serious issues to the audience. Asking Harry to specify the issues troubling him would immediately alert listeners to what those problems are. Believing members are often not taught even basic issues such as the timeline of the priesthood restoration, changes to the Doctrine and Covenants, or Joseph Smith’s happiness letter to Manancy Rigdon. \[music\] Beyond

6:46 Mormonism, many are also unaware that Adam and Eve are not historical figures, that a global flood never occurred or that the Tower of Babel is not historical. Despite these narratives being treated as literal and foundational within church teachings, these issues are generally not addressed in seminary. Whenever a question and answer session with a general authority or an article in the now discontinued ENZ presents a story about a member with doubts, the specific content of those doubts is almost never mentioned. Even issues of Enzen that focused on doubt avoided addressing particular concerns.

7:25 Instead, highlighting members who claimed their doubts were resolved without ever explaining what those doubts involved in the first place. The reason for this pattern is straightforward. There is a strong concern about specific information reaching members who are unaware of these problems. \[music\] Another problem with Rasband’s non-answer is that after he tells Harry to reframe his question, he points to the hundreds of thousands of youth who \[music\] choose to stay as a reason to remain in the church. If the hundreds of thousands who stay is a compelling reason, then why not leave and join a religion with millions more adherence like Catholicism or Islam? Appealing to a bandwagon is not persuasive for a church that is small relative to other major religions in the United States.

8:13 This answer then takes a sharp turn that is both manipulative and offensive. Sister Rosband introduces a video intended to address Harry’s concerns. I think this might be a good time to help answer this question if we were to show a video recorded earlier of Dominic who has recently joined the church. I woke up one morning and I I was just crying. \[music\] I remember going to brush my teeth and I looked in the mirror. I remember just looking at myself and just like really this is who you are. This is this is what you want to be. I kind of made a decision for myself that I I \[music\] wanted to be done. I wanted to end my life.

8:56 My name is Dominic Still and I’m from Tri Cities, Washington. Born \[music\] and raised. I’ve been pulling for probably 9 years now. With \[music\] Pvault, you always go out on a miss because that’s how the competition ends. And so, you’re going to fail over and over and over again. And as long as you picked yourself back up and you’re willing to keep striving, things will fall in place. \[music\] But you got to be willing to make the sacrifice.

9:23 After \[music\] graduating high school, I had an opportunity to go vault collegiately. Really, my focuses were not on what they should have been. Before I found the church, I was going down a pretty dark path, \[music\] dealing with some mental stuff, whether it was depression or some anxiety. And the way I really dealt with that was drinking or going out and partying or going find some other outlet to in a way numb myself. I actually had a friend who went to church and \[music\] she was out of town that time, but I was like, I need something more than what I have right now and I need to go to church. So, \[music\] I walked in a little late to the sacrament meeting on a Sunday. And I’m in black skinny jeans and, \[music\] you know, like a black shirt and all pierced up. And I just remember sitting next to this lady and she really reminded me of my grandma. She seemed \[music\] so sweet and she had a big smile on her face. And then I remember her just looking at me

10:11 and going, “I just want you to know we \[music\] are so happy that you are here.” And I just I smiled and it something clicked and I was just like, “Wow, this is this feels right.” At no point in the video does Dominic express doubts about the church’s truth claims. His struggle is solely about whether he wants to continue living. The video uses highly emotional music to influence viewers emotions, eliciting what is often described as elevation emotion. Sometimes referred to within the church as a burning in the bosom or a warm feeling that is interpreted as divine confirmation of truth. This is part of the church’s heart cell program sold to other organizations and businesses through the church-owned company Bonavville Communications.

10:59 According to their own statement, our unique strength is the ability to touch the hearts and minds of our audiences, evoking first feeling, then thought, and finally action. We call this uniquely powerful brand of creative heartsel, a strategic emotional advertising that stimulates response. This is an explicit acknowledgement by the church that media can be used to evoke feelings that lead to action, manipulating viewers emotions with music, lighting, and text to create the elevation emotion the church claims is God confirming truth. This demonstrates why spiritual witnesses are not reliable for discerning truth. Emotions can be manipulated to create the very feeling attributed to God. Sensitivity to the serious issues of depression and suicide is paramount. So, the focus here is not on the content of the video or Dominic’s personal journey. The concern is that the church chose to answer Harry’s question about removing his records due

11:58 to issues with the church’s truth claims by presenting an emotionally manipulative video about a person contemplating suicide. Elder Rasband knows at this point that a video about suicide will be shown, making his use of on the edge very questionable. Sister Rasband then states that the video will help answer the question, equating overcoming suicide with resolving concerns about removing one’s records.

12:26 Not only does this video fail to address any of Harry’s concerns, but it also draws a connection between removing one’s records and taking one’s life. Both Elder and Sister Rasband introduced the video as part of their answer, reinforcing this implication. Even ignoring this connection, the video does not answer Harry’s concerns. The Rasbands present someone with completely different problems to suggest that church truth claims are not worth leaving over. Telling Harry that sticking with the church will solve problems is nonsensical as Dominic’s issues were unrelated to church teachings. While Harry’s are entirely due to concerns with church truth claims. Following a brief question and answer session, Elder Rasband uses a tactic common among families of those leaving the church.

13:16 And then they will begin an eternal family and you’ll have even more reason to live. you’ll have even more reason to persevere because then the decisions that you make, all of you make as you consider a temple ceiling and those of you that are sealed in the temple already, you have begun an eternal family that is to continue for generation after generation after generation. For Sister Rasband and I, that’s six generations. Now, that new great grandchild we talked about earlier is the ninth generation in our family. For some of you, it’s one generation.

13:55 But nonetheless, the sealing power of God found in the house of the Lord binds families together. So, you also need to think about what your decision means and impacts future generations. Many members who leave are repeatedly told to think about the covenants made in the temple and to consider how this decision will impact and hurt the eternal family. A clear example of this teaching is prophet Russell M. Nelson’s sad heaven talk from the April 2019 general conference. And some erroneously believe that the resurrection of Jesus Christ provides a promise that all people will be with their loved ones after death. In truth, the Savior himself has made it abundantly clear that while his resurrection assures that every person who ever lived will indeed be resurrected and live forever, much more is required if we want to have the high privilege of exaltation.

14:55 Salvation is an individual matter, but exaltation is a family matter. After showing a video comparing removing one’s records to suicide, Elder Rasband emphasizes that leaving the church impacts current and future family generations, effectively ending eternal family connections. Church leaders often use exaltation as leverage to elicit obedience. Joseph Smith used this in polygamy proposals and Elder Rasband uses a similar approach to ensure Harry understands that removing his record affects everyone \[music\] he loves.

15:33 Sister Rasband also cites advice from President Ballard, warning against focusing on anti-church literature on the internet, framing such engagement as rebellion, confusion, and disharmony. If I can add that this reminds me, this question reminds me of a time that we were with President Ballard and he gave a wise counsel in in response. uh if I remember right, he said, “Now look, if you’re going to focus on anti-church literature floating out on the internet, then you’re going to stay stuck in rebellion, in confusion and disharmony.

16:16 But if you listen and read the scriptures, if you listen to the words of the prophets, and if you pray, then the Holy Ghost has an opportunity to uh testify to you what is true and help give you peace and understanding. The attack on internet sources, including the CES Letter, Mormon Stories podcast, and LDS discussions, ignores that these sites site sources and often rely on church documentary history. There is no risk in presenting both church claims and apologetic responses. The evidence speaks for itself. Yet, the church repeatedly refuses to acknowledge this evidence when discussing church history.

16:59 Harry, having already done research, receives no substantive answer beyond being told to set aside anti-church literature and stick to church materials, an approach ineffective in the age of Google and widespread historical awareness. \[music\] If Elder and Sister Rasband truly believed in the church’s claims, they would encourage reading the gospel topics essays and other sources to demonstrate the church can withstand scrutiny. that they do not indicates both a lack of confidence in their claims and fear of alerting other \[music\] youth to historical and doctrinal problems. Elder Rasband concludes with the shelf metaphor \[music\] advising Harry to set aside issues and return to the covenant path.

17:43 I have just one more thought and I draw upon a comment from one of my brethren of the quorum of twel apostles. He’s my seatmate to my left, Elder Neil L. Anderson. And in one of his general conference messages, he said this one simple sentence that has stuck with me ever since. Quote, “Will we understand everything? Of course not. We will need to put some issues on the shelf to be understood at a later time.” So, brothers and sisters, we’re not trying to say that we’re not going to have these feelings, but they should never derail you off the covenant path. Put those items that would derail you or take you off the covenant path, put them on the shelf. And in due course, in due time, Heavenly Father and the prompings of the Holy Ghost will give you answers to your questions along with your loving friends, family members, and leaders.

18:38 While this may have worked when information was controlled, it is ineffective in an era of easily accessible historical evidence regarding Joseph Smith’s first vision, the Book of Mormon translation, \[music\] and the Book of Abraham. Every aspect of the Rasband’s answer focuses on emotions, which are unreliable for discerning truth. Spiritual witnesses are easily manipulated as demonstrated by the heart cell video which shows similar confirmation experiences across religions even in polygamous offshoots.

19:09 The Rasbands avoid addressing Harry’s doubts directly because they lack answers that withstand historical, scientific, or documentary scrutiny, prioritizing the concealment of issues from other youth over Harry’s personal concerns. 20 years ago, leaders could tell a doubting youth to reframe the question. Today, access to information makes this strategy ineffective. Youth can read LDS discussions, listen to podcasts like Mormon Stories or Radio Free Mormon, and engage with former members on social media who are already further along in leaving the church. LDS church leaders have become more aggressive in addressing youth doubts in recent years. The Rasbands pre-selected this question, yet did not address Harry’s core concern, the church’s truth claims. Much can be learned from what leaders do not say. Elder Rasband’s response illustrates the church’s desperation to encourage members to doubt their doubts while preventing exposure to research on historical and

20:13 doctrinal issues. \[music\] Instead of answering Harry’s question, Elder Rasband advised reframing it toward reasons to stay, followed it with a video comparing leaving the church to suicide, and reminded him that leaving ends generational chains. If a salesperson responded this way to a major purchase, the customer would walk away immediately. The church’s tactics operate similarly.

20:39 \[music\] When it comes to nicknames of the church such as LDS church, the Mormon church, to remove the Lord’s name from the Lord’s church is a major victory for Satan. Satan. \[music\] Satan.