What Is the CES Letter?
The CES Letter (Letter to a CES Director) is a document written by Jeremy Runnells in April 2013. Originally composed as a personal letter to a director of the Church Educational System (CES) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it compiles questions and concerns about the church's history, doctrine, and truth claims.
The letter went viral after being published online and has since been translated into multiple languages. It has become one of the most widely cited documents by those questioning or leaving the LDS Church.
Key Topics Addressed
The CES Letter raises questions in several major areas:
Book of Mormon Concerns
- Anachronisms (items mentioned in the text that didn't exist in pre-Columbian America)
- Parallels with The Late War and View of the Hebrews, books available in Joseph Smith's time
- DNA evidence and the lack of genetic connection between Native Americans and Middle Eastern populations
- Translation process using a seer stone in a hat vs. the traditional narrative of the Urim and Thummim
Book of Abraham
- The rediscovery of the papyri Joseph Smith used, which Egyptologists identify as common funerary texts rather than writings of Abraham
- Discrepancies between Joseph Smith's translations and modern Egyptological readings
Polygamy and Polyandry
- Joseph Smith's approximately 30-40 plural wives, including teenagers and women already married to other men
- The secretive nature of early polygamy and the public denials
Other Historical Issues
- Multiple conflicting accounts of the First Vision
- Changes to revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants
- The Kinderhook Plates incident
- Witnesses to the Book of Mormon and the nature of their experiences
Responses to the CES Letter
From LDS Apologists
Organizations like FAIR Latter-day Saints have published detailed responses addressing each concern raised in the CES Letter. Their approach generally includes:
- Providing historical context for controversial events
- Offering alternative interpretations of evidence
- Arguing that the CES Letter oversimplifies complex historical issues
- Pointing to scholarship that supports LDS truth claims
The LDS Church's Response
The Church has published a series of essays on its official website called the Gospel Topics Essays, which address many of the same topics raised in the CES Letter, including plural marriage, the translation of the Book of Mormon, and the Book of Abraham.
Jeremy Runnells' Follow-Up
Runnells has responded to FAIR's criticisms and updated the CES Letter multiple times. He was eventually excommunicated from the LDS Church in 2016.
Why It Matters
The CES Letter represents a significant moment in LDS discourse. It consolidates many previously scattered criticisms into a single, accessible document. Whether one agrees with its conclusions or not, the document has prompted:
- Greater transparency from the LDS Church about its history
- More open discussion of difficult historical topics
- The publication of the Gospel Topics Essays by the Church
- A broader conversation about faith, doubt, and intellectual honesty