In the
small but cohesive Mormon community where he grew up, Hans Mattsson was a
solid believer and a pillar of the church. He followed his father
and grandfather into church leadership and finally became an "area
authority" overseeing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints throughout Europe.
When
fellow believers in Sweden first began coming to him with information
from the Internet that contradicted the church's history and
teachings, he dismissed it as "anti-Mormon propaganda," the whisperings
of Lucifer. He asked his superiors for help in responding to the
members' doubts, and when they seemed to only sidestep the questions,
Mattsson began his own investigation.
But when
he discovered credible evidence that the church's founder and prophet,
Joseph Smith, was a polygamist, and that the Book of Mormon and
other canonical scriptures were rife with historical anomalies, Mattsson
said he felt that the foundation on which he had built his life
began to crumble.
Around
the world and in the United States, where the faith was founded, the
Mormon Church is grappling with a wave of doubt and
disillusionment among members who encountered information on the
Internet that sabotaged what they were taught about their faith,
according to interviews with dozens of Mormons and those who study the
church.
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