LDS Internet Hoaxes and Mormon Urban Legends

There are many stories and rumours that get distributed around the Internet. Many of them are untrue, but continue to get wide distribution because of their sensational or speculative nature. Stories related to the LDS Church or other "inspiring" incidents are often quoted in Sacrament Meeting talks or lessons as if they were true, in spite of their dubious source. Other true stories are modified in ways that dilute or change the meaning. The purpose of this page is to document some of the untrue stories and messages related to the LDS Church.

In general, it's a good practice to be VERY skeptical about things you see on the Internet. Unless they are well-documented and come from a reliable source, be inclined to doubt them - especially notes that say "Please forward this to everyone you know!"

INDEX OF TOPICS:
LDS-related hoaxes and legends

 • Missionaries spared in World Trade Center attack (Added 9/18/01)
 • Youth were Generals in the War in Heaven
 • Painting shows true appearance of the Savior
 • Catholic priest prophesies restoration in 1739
 • Jaredite Barge found in Lake Michigan
 • Elder Nelson writes of neighbor converted by Book of Mormon
 • St. Louis temple appears to be on fire
 • Oklahoma City building miraculously spared by tornado
 • Missionaries called to China
 • Missionaries called home for WWIII
 • Entertainer Steve Martin is LDS

Non-LDS hoaxes (but commonly shared among LDS members)

 • Atheist trying to disrupt Internet (Updated 3/16/01)
 • Janet Reno statement on cults
 • Procter & Gamble has Satanic association
 • Mail tracking software
 • Virus warnings

Inspirational Stories - possibly true, but often modified and changed

• "Free the Birdies"  
• Patriarchal Blessing for Downs Syndrome child  
• Japanese missionary in South America  
• Japanese pilot tries to bomb Hawaii temple Pres.

Harold B. Lee on gullibility and sensationalism:

"There are some as wolves among us. By that, I mean some who profess membership in this church who are not sparing the flock. And among our own membership, men are arising speaking perverse things. Now perverse means diverting from the right or correct, and being obstinate in the wrong, wilfully, in order to draw the weak and unwary members of the Church away after them....

"I should like now to make reference to some of these. The first is the spread of rumor and gossip (we have mentioned this before) which, when once started, gains momentum as each telling becomes more fanciful, until unwittingly those who wish to dwell on the sensational repeat them in firesides, in classes, in Relief Society gatherings and priesthood quorum classes without first verifying the source before becoming a party to causing speculation and discussions that steal time away from the things that would be profitable and beneficial and enlightening to their souls....

"I would earnestly urge that no such idle gossip be spread abroad without making certain as to whether or not it is true....

"As I say, it never ceases to amaze me how gullible some of our Church members are in broadcasting these sensational stories, or dreams, or visions, some alleged to have been given to Church leaders, past or present, supposedly from some person's private diary, without first verifying the report with proper Church authorities." (Pres. Harold B. Lee, Ensign January 1973, p. 105)

DETAILS OF LDS HOAXES AND MORMON URBAN LEGENDS:

Missionaries miraculously spared in World Trade Center attack
On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. Commercial airlines were hijacked and flown into the buildings, killing all passengers on the planes as well as thousands in the buildings.

Within a day or two, a message began to circulate around the Internet detailing the involvement of missionaries in New York. There are several versions of this message, most of which describe a missionary conference planned to be held in the World Trade Center on Tuesday morning (the day of the attack). The conference supposedly involved as many as 3 zones of missionaries. According to the message, ALL of the missionaries "miraculously" failed to make it to the World Trade Center due to a variety of circumstances - alarm clocks which failed, missed rides or bus connections, etc.

THERE IS NO TRUTH TO THIS STORY. We spoke with the President and Sister Noel G. Stoker of the New York New York North mission, which includes that area of Manhattan; there was NO conference planned for Tuesday, and even if there had been, it would NOT have been held in the World Trade Center.

Youth were Generals in the War in Heaven
A quotation has been circulated widely, usually attributed to Pres. Boyd K. Packer but also to Pres. Monson, Elder Eyring, Elder Maxwell, and others. The quotation says that today's youth were "generals in the War in Heaven" and in some future day will be worshipped by other eternal souls who will fall to a hush when they hear that the youth lived in the time of Gordon B. Hinckley.

None of the general authorities is the source of this quote. It was NOT given by Pres. Packer in a temple prayer meeting, or in any other meeting. It was NOT given by any of the other leaders it is attributed to. The original version of this statement originated with an instructor in an "Especially for Youth" class; but the statement has gradually been changed from its original form. Further info available on request.

Update: The following statement was published in the Church News, an official publication of the Church, on April 28, 2001:
President Boyd K. Packer, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve, has released the following concerning a statement he is said to have made:

"We continue to receive reports of the distribution of a quote attributed to me which begins, 'The youth of the Church today were generals in the war in heaven,' and ends with the statement that when they return to heaven 'all in attendance will bow in your presence.'

"I did not make that statement. I do not believe that statement.

"The statement, on occasion, has been attributed to others of the First Presidency and the Twelve. None of the Brethren made that statement."

President Packer has sent a letter to mission presidents requesting their help in clarifying this matter among missionaries and members, and has had posted on some Internet sites carrying the statement a notice that he did not make this declaration.

Painting shows true appearance of the Savior
A popular internet message tells of LDS artist Del Parson who was commissioned by the Church to do a painting of the Savior. He submitted several drafts of the portrait to the General Authorities who returned it with suggestions on how to make it more "accurate." Finally, the picture was accepted as the closest possible approximation to the Savior's actual appearance. (The final picture is the familiar "red robe" portrait that has been used in many Church magazines, manuals, etc.) Some dramatic additions to the story tell of a girl who recognised in the portrait the man who had held her and protected her after her parents were killed in a car accident, or who comforted her when she was locked in a closet by abusive parents.

According to Bro. Parson, the painting was indeed commissioned by the Church, but he worked with the curriculum department to create a painting suitable for their needs. There were several revisions in the process to develop a picture suitable for their needs; there was never an indication that the revisions were to make the portrait "more accurate." And there is no record of such a dramatic "recognition" by a little girl.

Catholic priest prophesies restoration in 1739
This is one of the oldest of the LDS "urban legends." One variation of the statement says, "The following was written by a Catholic priest by the name of Lutius Gratus. It is in a book called 'Hope Of Zion,' written in the year 1739. This book can now be found in the library at Basel, Switzerland." The supposed prophecy tells how the old true gospel is lost, false doctrine fills the earth, and that an angel will return within a hundred years to restore the truth, that his followers would build a great city but be driven out to the shores of a great lake, etc.

This "prophecy" first appeared in LDS periodicals in both English and German in 1893, in a story by a returned missionary named Jacob Spori. One of the first to question the authenticity of the document was Rulon S. Wells of the First Council of Seventy, who unsuccessfully attempted to locate the book and its contents in Basel a few years after the story surfaced. Other leaders and missionaries also were unable to verify the statement. Elder Wells wrote an article called "A Fraudulent Prophecy Exposed" which was published in the January, 1908 "Improvement Era." A detailed historical analysis of the false prophecy was written by Paul B. Pixton and published in "BYU Studies" Vol. 25, No. 3.

Jaredite Barge found in Lake Michigan
On January 25, 1999, The Chicago Tribune published an article about a mysterious object found on the bottom of Lake Michigan. "If one set out with the preposterous goal of making an oak zeppelin 31 feet long, 10 feet in diameter, pointed at its ends, complete with an 18-inch hatch to crawl inside, this is pretty much what they'd get. Those who have strapped on air tanks and visited the thing say the craftsmanship used to build it is remarkable--four-inch-thick oak boards bent and fitted together and caulked watertight, like nothing built today." Many LDS readers were quick to identify the object as a "Jaredite barge" and messages were circulated wildly around the Internet - proof of the Book of Mormon!

More reasonable readers were skeptical that a wooden object would survive more than three thousand years and end up in the Great Lakes. Soon, a follow-up article was published in the Chicago Tribune, and the object was identified as a floating fuel tank built in the 1940s. .

Neighbor of Elder Nelson converted by Book of Mormon
This message being passed around by many LDS members is titled "REFLECTIONS OF SAMI HANNA - as recorded by Elder Russell M. Nelson." It purports to be a first-hand account written by Elder Nelson of his neighbor who was a native Egyptian, and was asked to translate the Book of Mormon into Arabic (which the account says is "the original language of the book" - obviously not). During the process of translation, Hanna was converted by the profound internal evidences he saw in the book which could not have been written by an American.

Elder Nelson did not write this account, according to his office in Salt Lake. However, he did have a neighbor named Sami Hanna many years ago, who was converted to the Church after translating the Book of Mormon.

St. Louis temple appears to be on fire
The St. Louis, Missouri temple was dedicated in June 1997. On Sunday, June 1, 1997, at 10:30pm, fire trucks and police vehicles shows up at the temple with sirens blaring, saying several callers driving by the temple had reported flames shooting from the top of the temple. According to Internet messages, the emergency personnel were quietly sent away with an explanation about "spiritual fire." Many were convinced a divine sign had been shown, similar to temples of the past.

Several other explanations were offered: the vents for the air conditioning system of the temple are on the roof, and after a long day of work the system was still putting out considerable humidity. That steam coming from the temple was either perceived as smoke, or else in the nighttime lights (amber-colored, according to one report) could have looked like fire. Another similar explanation is that "there is a steam pipe exhaust near the chiller towers. If the humidity is just right the cooling tower mists and that combined with the steam exhaust does put up quite a cloud."

Editor's note: I wrote this additional comment for Gems in 1997: "When the Kirtland temple was dedicated in 1836, there were also reports (from members and non-members alike) of the temple being on fire. It also happened in Nauvoo on March 15, 1846, and in Salt Lake. In those days, long before air conditioning and electric lights, it was not so easy to 'explain away' the phenomenon. Perhaps today, it's more important that for us to FEEL the fire burning in our hearts than to SEE it burning on the temple. Many who wrote this week spoke of the outpouring of Spirit that was experienced among the members as the St. Louis Temple was dedicated. And that's what really matters. Regardless of what happened on that Sunday evening in St. Louis, all members of the Church should continue to look to the Temple for light and inspiration; and should continue to seek for more of the spiritual fire in our own hearts and lives." (David Kenison, dkenison@ldsworld.com)

Oklahoma City building miraculously spared by tornado
A message about the tornado that hit Oklahoma City in May of 1999 claims: "Complete subdivisions were blown away, even the asphalt and concrete streets leaving the ground looking like harrowed fields ready for planting. The stake center, although in this direct line of destruction, received no damage. The only other building to remain standing, intact, completely unscathed was the Bishop's Storehouse." The message goes on to say how experts were astounded that anything survived, because of the intensity of the storm.

According to Church leaders in Oklahoma, neither building was hurt, but neither was anywhere close to the direct path of the tornado. A stake president wrote, "The tornado traveled the entire length of the OKC South Stake, approximately 70-75 miles. It was on the ground a long time. The tornado passed between the Stake Center and the Mission home and it was several miles away from the storehouse. It missed the Stake Center by about 1/4 miles, plus."

There were many thousands of LDS volunteers who worked in the cleanup effort. The second part of the "hoax" message (referred to above) quoted an apparently accurate radio report that said two Churches led the disaster response efforts in being prepared and helping: the Mormons and the Latter-day Saints - this part we believe to be true!

Missionaries called to China
The story goes that a friend's neighbor's son at BYU (or some other third-hand connection) had a roommate who received a mission call. When they opened the call, instead of a country, it has a phone number to call in SLC. When the number is called, the person on the other end turns out to be Pres. Hinckley, and the young elder is asked if he would be willing to serve a 3-year mission to China.

Though there have been service and welfare missionaries serving in China, no such "special calls" have been issued as these rumors indicate.

Missionaries called home for WWIII
Patriarchal Blessings or setting-apart blessings say missionaries will be called home to fight in World War III - or not be called on a mission at all because of pending global conflicts.

We've never seen any reliable documented evidence of this claim. Similar stories have been around for MANY years.

Entertainer Steve Martin is LDS
Steve Martin was seen on an interview wearing a CTR ring, and other rumors indicate that he was secretly baptized a member of the Church.

One of the older of the stories - completely untrue. Several years ago, a reporter for the BYU Daily Universe named "Steven Jensen" tried to trace the story back to its origin, and found a missionary who had baptized Steve Martin, "but not that Steve Martin."

For additional information about actual "Famous Mormons" in sports, entertainment, business, and politics, see this webpage: http://ronj.webpipe.net/fam.htm

DETAILS OF NON-LDS HOAXES OFTEN SHARED BY LDS MEMBERS:

Atheist trying to disrupt Internet
According to the message: "Atheist Madeline Marray O'Hare [sic], whose efforts successfully eliminated the practice of Bible reading and prayer in public schools fifteen years ago, has now been granted a federal hearing in Washington, D.C. by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), on the same subject. The petition (No. 2493) would ultimately pave the way to stop any reading of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on the airwaves of America. They produced a petition with 287,000 signatures to back the stand. If this attempt is successful, all Sunday worship services being broadcast, either by radio or television, will stop!" The note goes on to great lengths to tell the terrible potential results of the petition.

It is, of course, a complete hoax. There is NO such pending legislation. Mrs. O'Hair (correct spelling: Madalyn Murray O'Hair) disappeared from public life in 1995. There was much speculation about what might have happened - she fled with the money of the American Atheist organization, was kidnapped, was hiding from Christians who opposed her, etc. In March 2001 the remains of Mrs. O'Hare and her son were found, apparently murder victims in an extortion attempt.

See more info at: http://www.cdnmbconf.ca/mb/mbh3520/how.htm or http://www.fcc.gov/mmb/enf/forms/rm-2493.html

Janet Reno statement on cults
A statement supposedly made by US Attorney General Janet Reno on a "60 minutes" TV program on June 26, 1994 about "cultists" - the quotation lists various factors such as a strong belief in the Bible, high level of giving to a Church, homeschooling of children, accumulating survival foods, etc. - anyone with some of these qualifications should be viewed as "a threat" and his family as being worthy of "government interference." Obviously, all LDS members fit several or more of the criteria.

Janet Reno was never interviewed by 60 Minutes during 1991-1999. There is no record of her having made any such statement. Similar rumors and variations of the statement have been around for quite a while. For further info, see: http://www.snopes.com/quotes/reno.htm or http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blreno.htm

Procter & Gamble's Satanic Association
The message claims the President of Procter & Gamble appeared on the Sally Jesse Raphael Show on March 1, 1998 and announced that he was in fact closely tied to the Church of Satan and that much of the company products support the church. When asked by the hostess if his disclosure would hurt business, he said there were not enough Christians in the country to make a difference. The message urges a boycott of all P&G products.

Another oldie. People have accused P&G of Satanic connections for years, often pointing to their company logo as proof. This is complete nonsense. An official response: "The President of P&G has never appeared on any talk show to discuss Satanism. This story is a variation of a lie that was spread in 1981-82, 1984-85, 1990 and again recently. If you would like more information, we invite you to visit our site at: http://www.pg.com/rumor/ Or, you may want to visit the site for Sally Jesse Raphael at: http://sallyjr.com/faq.html

Mail tracking software
This message says that Microsoft has invented a special new software feature that allows them to track how a message gets forwarded through the internet. Send this message to everyone you know... we'll all get to go to Disneyland, or we'll all get a big check in the mail, or every 10th person gets a gift, etc.

Completely false, and a complete waste of time and Internet bandwidth. For information from Microsoft on the hoax, see http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/hoax/05-13hoax.htm

NOTE - a more recent version of this hoax has clothing stores using the "tracking" feature to give away free clothing.

Virus warnings
There are many notes which have been around the Internet for years, warning that by opening a certain message, your computer will be infected by a virus, with all kinds of dire consequences (deleted files, ruined computers, etc.).

Almost all of these messages are hoaxes. The vast majority of viruses require that you open or execute the attachments to a message in order to catch the virus. If a message contains an attached executable which you download to your computer and then execute, you could catch a virus (be very careful about those!); in some cases, viruses can even be included in sophisticated macros of attached documents or spreadsheets. Be VERY skeptical about opening any attachment from an unknown source!

As of November 1999, there is a new computer virus danger; a type of virus (the first of which is called "BubbleBoy") can actually affect your computer without attachments being opened. Viewing the message is sufficient. The virus only affects computers running certain combinations of Microsoft operating system and mail reader programs.

For additional information, see http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/vbs.bubbleboy.html

For heavy mail users, or for anyone who wants to be extra cautions, it's a good idea to always run virus protection software on your computer!

INSPIRATIONAL STORIES - POSSIBLY TRUE, BUT OFTEN MODIFIED AND INACCURATE IN INTERNET COPIES:

There are a number of other "inspirational" stories being circulated by LDS members. Some of these are very questionable in origin; some appear to be true but have been modified or embellished extensively; others may be true but share material which is inappropriate for a public setting like the Internet. There are plenty of true inspiring stories we can learn from!

"Free the Birdies" story
This is the story of a boy trapped under a garage door, written by a member in Washington. The original author of the account has been contacted and the account verified; their young son did have a remarkable experience related to the accident. The boy's father shared the story in a talk which was copied and distributed around the Internet without the permission and knowledge of the writer. The story has been widely modified as it has been redistributed, and you can't rely on email copies. We also feel it contains material that is misleading or inappropriate for this kind of Internet distribution.

Patriarchal Blessing for Downs Syndrome child
The story of a mentally handicapped child given some very unusual promises in a blessing, then temporarily having his handicap removed after the blessing. Very suspicious - completely undocumented, no information on the location or time of the events; and the doctrines the story implies just don't make sense. Also, information given in Patriarchal Blessings is intended to be personal and private, and not to be shared with the world.

Japanese missionary in South America
A missionary of Japanese ancestry was called to serve in Colombia and speak Spanish though he desperately wanted to go to Japan. At the end of his mission he meets a Japanese family whom he is able to teach in his native language. He finds they have a Japanese Book of Mormon given to them by his father many years earlier. Nice story, but no verification - if anyone knows about a valid source for this, please let us know. (The story bears vague resemblance to the experiences of Masakazu Watabe, a missionary of Japanese heritage who served a mission in Brazil.)

Japanese pilot tries to bomb Hawaii temple
During WWII, a Japanese fighter pilot is unable to bomb the Hawaii temple, and later joins the Church after seeing a picture of the temple. Again, a nice story with no verification. This one is hotly contested; many people claim they know for sure it is true. But we have seen NO convincing documentation.