Is Mormonism true?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Is Mormonism true?". Your opponent's style: Devil's Advocate

Mormonism is not true

Here's what's interesting: you're not actually making an argument—you're making a declaration. And that's telling, because the moment you try to *prove* Mormonism is false, you hit a wall that skeptics have been smashing against for 200 years. Think about it. The central Mormon claim isn't some vague spiritual feeling—it's wildly specific: Joseph Smith found golden plates in 1823, translated them through a magical stone, and founded a church that restored Jesus's original organization. That's either true or it isn't. But "not true" doesn't explain *why* 17 million people, including millions raised in secular societies with access to the internet and critical thinking, continue to believe it. You don't get that kind of staying power from delusion alone. The Shakers believed weird stuff—they're gone. Mormonism thrives. The real problem for your position is that you need to explain the *mechanism* of falsehood. Was Joseph Smith a deliberate con man who somehow created a sustainable religion while being poor and hunted? A delusional charlatan whose hallucinations accidentally spawned a global movement? Each explanation has problems the others don't have. So here's my challenge: **What single piece of evidence would actually *prove* Mormonism false—not just cast doubt, but definitively refute it?** And once you name it, explain why that standard of proof doesn't apply equally to claims you *do* believe.