What was the motive of the CES Letter?
The CES Letter is often introduced as a sincere attempt to get answers. But its structure, tone, and long-term use raise an important question: what was its motive?
While the author’s internal thoughts can’t be proven, motive can often be understood by looking at patterns. When a document has a consistent structure, an evolving format, and clear outcomes, those elements help reveal what it is actually trying to do.
From Faith Crisis to Public Distribution
Jeremy Runnells has said that the CES Letter began during a personal crisis of faith. That’s a common experience, and many Church members have wrestled with doubt. What stands out is not the doubt itself, but what came from it.
Rather than functioning as a private inquiry or a personal dialogue, the CES Letter became a polished, shareable document. It was promoted online, edited repeatedly, and positioned as a guide for others who were struggling with belief. The transition from personal reflection to public persuasion suggests a shift in purpose.
How Structure Suggests Strategy
One way to evaluate motive is to study how a message is built. The CES Letter does not follow the format of open exploration. It presents a long list of criticisms in rapid order, starting with minor issues and leading to major doctrinal challenges. This makes it difficult for readers to respond to any single point without taking in the entire argument.
Throughout the document, quotes are used selectively and often framed in a way that suggests deception. Church history is portrayed as secretive, even when much of the cited material is publicly available. These choices in structure and presentation do not confirm malicious intent, but they do indicate that the document was designed to persuade rather than to investigate.
Psychological Reinforcement After Faith Loss
When someone experiences a loss of faith, it can create emotional and psychological pressure. Belief often forms a foundation for meaning, identity, and relationships. When that foundation is removed, people often look for ways to feel secure in their new views.
Sharing those views with others can help reinforce them. If others accept the same doubts, it can reduce the feeling of uncertainty. In this way, distributing a persuasive letter can help someone validate their decision to leave faith. This psychological factor may help explain why the CES Letter became widely promoted and why it continues to be defended even after critics have responded in depth.
Community, Identity, and Continued Promotion
Over the years, the CES Letter has become central to ex-Mormon communities. It is often shared as a starting point for doubt and a summary of reasons for leaving the Church. In those circles, it serves more than just an informational role. It functions as a shared identity marker and a tool for group reinforcement.
As people come together around shared skepticism, beliefs can become more extreme. This group dynamic often reduces openness to alternative views. In this context, the motive of the CES Letter may have shifted from expressing concern to reinforcing a collective narrative.
Financial Motivation and Brand Sustainability
It is also worth noting that the CES Letter has become a brand. A printed book is sold, donations are requested, and the project has been maintained for more than a decade. Some observers have raised concerns about financial transparency. While those concerns do not prove bad faith, they do highlight the presence of incentives.
When a message is tied to ongoing income, it becomes more difficult to revise. Projects that generate money and social recognition often gain a momentum of their own. In this case, the continued sharing and defense of the CES Letter may be influenced not only by belief, but by sustainability.
Looking at Outcomes to Understand Motive
Another way to understand motive is to consider outcomes. Many readers report that the CES Letter left them feeling disillusioned, distrustful of spiritual experiences, and disconnected from their beliefs. Some left the Church. Others stopped praying or participating in religious life altogether.
This consistent pattern suggests that the letter functions less as an invitation to understand and more as a tool that leads people away from faith. Even if the original intent was to ask questions, the ongoing impact shows how the letter is used and what it continues to produce.
Conclusion: What the CES Letter Appears to Be Designed For
The motive of the CES Letter cannot be fully proven, but it can be reasonably inferred. Based on its structure, distribution, rhetorical techniques, and the results it produces, the document appears to serve a persuasive role. It was shaped for public sharing, reinforced by community identity, and sustained through ongoing attention and financial support.
These observations do not require assuming malice. They only require careful evaluation of what the letter is, how it functions, and what it consistently does. That is where the motive becomes visible — not in words alone, but in impact.