CES Letter

85 Primary Sources

Date
Summary
Sep 8, 1998

Gordon B. Hinckley replies to questions about fundamentalists practicing polygamy in modern times and states "I condemn it, yes, as a practice, because I think it is not doctrinal."

2005

Richard Bushman discusses potential reasons for the lack of attention to presthood restoration narratives in the early years of the Church.

Oct 2012

Elder Quentin Cook suggests that those who have drawn "incorrect conclusions" from "internet materials... can repent and be spiritually renewed."

Oct 9, 2012

Jeremy Runnells posts an open letter to Quentin L. Cook satirically addressing several controversial Church-related subjects.

Oct 18, 2012

Jeremy Runnells posts on ExMormon subreddit claiming proof that Joseph Smith was a fraud.

Nov 15, 2012

Jeremy Runnells asks "How do I save my kids from Mormonism?" on Reddit (r/exmormon).

Mar 26, 2013

Jeremy Runnells requests feedback on rough draft of CES Letter.

Apr 12, 2013

Runnells comments that the CES letter is meant to provide readers with a list of problems and to "connect the dots to the big picture."

Apr 12, 2013

Jeremy Runnells requests feedback on the final draft of CES letter in r/exmormon.

Apr 12, 2013

Jeremy Runnells comments users can personalize CES letter for "TBM loved ones".

Apr 23, 2013

Jeremy Runnells states he wrote CES letter "for my kids who one day are going to ask their dad why he left the faith".

Apr 28, 2013

First edition of the CES Letter published online.

Apr 28, 2013

CES Letter pdf shared on mormonthink.com/personalstories on May 1, 2013.

Jul 30, 2013

Jeremy Rennells "Crowdsourcing Response to FAIR #1: Book of Mormon" post.

Jul 31, 2013

Jeremy Runnells "Crowdsourcing Response to FAIR #2: Polygamy/Polyandry" post.

Jul 31, 2013

Jeremy Runnells "Crowdsourcing Response to FAIR #5: Witnesses" post.

Jul 31, 2013

Jeremy Runnells "Crowdsourcing Response to FAIR #4: Priesthood Restoration" post.

Jul 31, 2013

Jeremy Runnells "Crowdsourcing Response to FAIR #3: Testimony/Spiritual Witness" post.

Jul 31, 2013

Jeremy Runnells "Crowdsourcing Response to FAIR #6: Other Concerns" post.

Aug 28, 2013

Jeremy Runnells creates the cesletter.com Website.

Feb 2014

Jeremy Runnells responds to FairMormon "debunking" CES Letter.

Feb 3, 2014

Jeremy Runnells "My letter is not meant to be a new Encyclopedia of Mormonism" comment on r/exmormon.

Jun 12, 2014

Jeremy Runnells explains why he wrote the satirical open letter on Reddit to Quentin L. Cook in an interview on Mormon Stories.

Jun 12, 2014

John Dehlin hosts Jeremy Runnells on his podcast Mormon Stories 480: Jeremy Runnells Pt 1 - On Growing Up Mormon and the Genesis of the CES Letter June 2014.

Jun 12, 2014

Jeremy Runnells talks about taking research from others, including the Tanners, and compiling it to create the CES Letter on the Mormon Stories podcast.

Jun 12, 2014

Jeremy Runnells recounts the interactions he had with the CES Director who had offered to help him with his concerns.

Jun 12, 2014

Jeremy Runnells states that in the summer of 2012 "I don't believe in this anymore" on Mormon Stories podcast.

Jun 12, 2014

Jeremy Runnells recalls CES Letter being shared on Mormonthink.com around late April after going viral on Mormon Stories Interview.

Jun 12, 2014

Runnells explains on the Mormon Stories Podcast that he learned things about Church history and felt "betrayed."

Jun 12, 2014

Runnells reports his faith crisis began in February 2012 on Mormon Stories Interview.

Jun 23, 2014

FairMormon publishes detailed responses to the claims made in the CES Letter.

Jun 24, 2014

FAIR responds to CES Letter, and "Debunking FAIR's Debunking".

Aug 8, 2014

Daniel C. Peterson response to CES Letter at FAIR conference 2014.

Oct 2014

Kevin Christensen's "Eye of the Beholder, Law of the Harvest: Observations on the Inevitable Consequences of the Different Investigative Approaches of Jeremy Runnells and Jeff Lindsay" published by Interpreter.

2015

"Bamboozled by the 'CES Letter'" by Michael Ash.

2015

Michael Ash says that the CES letter can cause trouble for members.

Feb 5, 2015

Jeremy Runnells recalls the circumstances and timing surrounding the creation of the CES Letter and the FAIR debunking content in a comment on Reddit.

Feb 11, 2015

Jeremy Runnells asks ExMormon reddit to help him change the title of the CES Letter because "'Why I Lost My Testimony' might be too scary" to "TBMs."

Mar 31, 2015

March 2015 version of Letter to a CES Director by Jeremy Runnells.

Jul 26, 2015

Runnells identifies the "target audience" of the CES Letter as "doubting members or TBMs who have accepted the possibility that the Church is not true."

Sep 1, 2015

Runnells comments on Reddit that "the target audience" of the CES Letter "are the fence sitters" and that his rebuttal to FAIR's criticisms of the CES Letter "is going to destroy FairMormon's latest crayon drawing butthurt recovery attempt."

Oct 9, 2015

The CES Letter: A Closer look; an anonymous refutation of the CES Letter.

Oct 26, 2015

Jeremy Runnells explains why he went full-time with the "CES Letter Project" and that he is "obsessed with alleviating suffering and helping to liberate the minds of human beings from a cult" in a comment on Reddit.

Apr 17, 2016

Jeremy Runnells' Resignation Letter.

Apr 17, 2016

Video of "Jeremy Runnells LDS Church Court" April 17, 2016.

Apr 17, 2016

Jeremy Runnells press meeting following resignation April 17, 2016.

Apr 18, 2016

Gephardt Daily news reports on the press conference held in a church parking lot immediately after Jeremy Runnells' disciplinary court.

Apr 19, 2016

Transcript of Jeremy Runnells' recorded disciplinary court, April 17, 2016, posted to reddit and Mormonthink.

Apr 21, 2016

Lindsay Hansen Park comments on CES Letter on Feminist Mormon Housewives website.

Oct 2016

ExMormon Foundation Conference speech "The Examined Life: Restoring Your Own Power and Liberty - Jeremy Runnells (CES Letter author)".

Aug 10, 2017

Jeremy Runnells claims that he "was doing everything he could to restore [his] testimony" and that "the CES Letter is just a letter to a CES Director" in the Common Attacks section of the CESletter.org website.

Oct 2017

Jeremy Runnells states in the CES Letter conclusion that it is delusion to continue affiliating with the Church in light of all the "problematic challenges."

Oct 2017

Introduction to the CES Letter + table of contents.

Oct 2017

Jeremy Runnells claims that prophets have contradicted one another on polygamy over time.

Oct 2017

CES Letter excerpt "Yesterday's prophets are today's heretics".

Oct 2017

The CES Letter questions whether prophets can be trusted and claims that "yesterday's prophets are today’s heretics."

Oct 2017

Current edition of the CES Letter, updated October 2017.

Oct 2017

The CES Letter argues that Joseph Smith's "modus operandi" related to polygamy was "deceptive" and "disonest."

Oct 2017

The CES Letter claims that the Church hid data concerning the nature of Joseph Smith's translation of the Book of Mormon.

Oct 2017

The CES Letter states that there are "problems and challenges" with "Joseph Smith’s claims of being a translator."

Oct 2017

The CES Letter claims that the Church attempts to control information and dissuade members from studying topics from sources other than the Church.

Oct 2017

Runnells concludes CES Letter.

Oct 2017

The CES Letter claims that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery "backdated and retrofitted Priesthood restoration events."

Oct 2017

The CES Letter claims that the Church "goes after," monitors, and excommunicates members who share or publish their concerns.

Dec 3, 2017

Jeremy Runnells clarifies the original purpose and the updated purpose of the CES Letter from Dec. 2017 onward in the CES Letter 2.0 announcement.

Dec 3, 2017

CES Letter 2.0 launches on cesletter.org.

2018

Jim Bennett's "A CES Letter Reply: Faithful Answers For Those Who Doubt."

Jan 9, 2018

Jeremy Runnells states that "the purpose of the CES Letter was to get official answers from the Church through official Church channels."

Oct 2018

Dallin H. Oaks speaks about evaluating data and sources in the October 2018 General Conference.

Oct 2018

Dallin H. Oaks speaks about evaluating data and sources in the October 2018 General Conference.

2019

The Institute teacher material for "Foundations of the Restoration" includes a section on "evaluating sources."

Aug 2019

Scott Gordon suggests that the CES Letter presents the narrative that the "Church has lied to you about its history" and therefore "there is no way it can be true."

Jan 13, 2020

Brandon Ly argues that CES Letter helps Latter-day Saints shift their paradigm to something more sustainable that will help the Church survive the 21st century.

Dec 8, 2020

FAIR explains their role is commissioning "This is The Show” and denies culpability for a violent meme that was distributed by a "This is the Show" host.

2021 - 2022

Sarah Allen's 70-part series "dice1899's CES Rebuttal" on Reddit.

2021

CES Letter Reviews from Hans H. Mattsson, Grant H. Palmer, and John Dehlin (cesletter.org).

2021

Jeremy Runnells personal bio on CESLetter.org.

Mar 23, 2021

Runnells Response to FAIR "This is the Show" "smear campaign" on cesletter.org and facebook post.

Jun 21, 2021

David Snell gives an overview of the CES Letter on Saints Unscripted.

Aug 21, 2021

Jeremy Runnells "debunking Jim Bennett".

Dec 15, 2021

Jeremy Runnells affirms he wrote the CES Letter and it was not "crowd sourced".

2023

FAIR's "Debunking the CES Letter Response to 'Letter to a CES Director: Why I Lost My Testimony' (CES Letter: My Search for Answers to my Mormon Doubts) and 'Debunking FAIR's Debunking."

Feb 10, 2023

CESletter.org contains seven different "debunkings" to criticisms of his CES Letter.

Feb 28, 2023

Jeremy Runnells shares a picture of his family on his website.

Mar 2, 2023

Author C. Randall Nicholson shares his criticism of the CES Letter in a blog post on his website.