Davis County Ex-Mormon meetup Sunday Oct 19, 2025, 2:30 PM
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On October 14, 2025, at the age of 93, Dallin H. Oaks was ordained as the new President and Prophet of The LDS Church. This leadership change marks a decisive moment to reflect on the values, priorities, and culture that continue to define the Church.
Can President Oaks confront the ethical contradictions at the heart of Mormonism’s temple system, its authoritarian culture, and its long history of subordinating individual conscience to institutional power?
The Temple Endowment, with its oath of obedience and secrecy[1], is more than a religious ceremony. It is the engine that perpetuates Smith’s teachings that unquestioning submission is holiness and that criticism is sin — a message Oaks himself echoed when he famously declared: “It is wrong to criticize Church leaders, even if the criticism is true.”[2]
[1] The Immoral Purpose of the LDS Temple Endowment By Francis N Henderson
[2] From the Temple ritual, Brother Oaks says that “It’s wrong to criticize leaders [⌂ ](https://www.fnhenderson.us/video/Criticism in the Church - From Oaks to Eyring.mp4)(10:39) of the Church, even if the criticism is true.”