wasmormon.org hosts stories of Mormon faith transition in order to destigmatize doubt and normalize those who leave the church by providing a platform for all to tell their own story – it’s about owning our story. It’s free to sign up and add your own story to the growing collection. Tell about your own faith crisis, deconstruction, and/or transition. Inform the world what you have learned and what you feel about Mormonism. Where are you now and how did you get there?
Latest Profile Updates
Telling your story and learning about others’ experiences are both therapeutic and cathartic. Be part of improving the harmful stigma around doubt in LDS culture and your own healing. Check out these latest additions – they speak for themselves:
Each of us has an important, interesting, and valid story. Participate and share your feelings, beliefs, and experiences with the community. It’s easy: just register, optionally upload an image and write a little about yourself and your journey. There are even prompts to follow. Come back to it later to add more or change it as needed. Share it with those you want to see it and stand proudly with others. Learn more about this site’s mission or browse contributed answers to specific questions.
Have Questions about the Mormon church?
Are you interested to learn first-hand answers to common Mormon questions from those who have lived it? See the list of questions and dive into user-contributed honest answers. Do you want to answer these questions yourself? Create a profile and answer as many questions as you’d like and see them included in the list.
Latest Spotlights
- Erin was a Mormon | An Ex-Mormon Story SpotlightErin was born into the church but left the church as a child when her parents did the same. All her extended family has remained Mormon even after her dad wrote a book about leaving and …
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- Lucky was a Mormon | An Ex-Mormon Story SpotlightLucky was troubled with questions about the Mormon faith of her upbringing. She researched her questions and came to the conclusion that “Mormonism was not something that I could believe in.” She feels lucky that she …
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- Mike was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Story SpotlightMike was raised in a part-member family but never had missionary aspirations. Instead, he wanted to get an education and “fly jets.” He found immense pressure to serve a mission from ward members and was surprised …
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- Latayne was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Story SpotlightLatayne converted to Mormonism and was swept up in the fullness of the Gospel. She attended BYU and loved it. She came to a realization though that she trusted the Bible first and foremost, and began …
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- Brooklyn Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile SpotlightBrooklyn grew up in the church and considered her testimony “unbreakable”. She served her country in the armed forces and saw among the LDS while she was deployed that they did not live by LDS standards …
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- Patrick Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile SpotlightPatrick served faithfully and notes that his “faith defined every decision of [his] life.” He was successful at putting his issues on the shelf for decades until he wasn’t and it came time to understand and …
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- Sam Young Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile SpotlightSam Young discovered that his children had been asked sexually explicit questions by Bishops in worthiness interviews. This troubled him and he discovered that it is commonplace among Mormon Bishops to ask these questions, which lead …
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- Ken Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile SpotlightKen converted to the church and then faithfully served in church callings and as a CES Educator. Over his 27 years teaching for the church, he grew increasingly uneasy with the whitewashed history the church teaches …
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Latest Blog Posts
- A Fig For Polygamy?Early church leaders, including Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and Orson Pratt had a change of heart for polygamy. At first, they reportedly resisted the practice. Joseph Smith’s Polygamy Joseph Smith Brigham Young’s Polygamy Brigham envied a …
- Mother Knows Best – Joseph Smith’s Mother on The First VisionToday’s church narrative tells the story of a young rambunctious yet spiritual lad of 14 who is stressed about which church to join and is absorbed in the words of the Bible. He finds the passage …
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- Judging Past Leaders by Today’s StandardsChurch members and leaders enjoy the refrain that we can’t judge Joseph Smith (and other church leaders) by modern standards. Nobody today should criticize them for living according to the cultural norms of the day. People …
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- Major Victories for SatanLDS Church leader, Russell Nelson, has for decades wanted to do away with the nickname of the church. It seems to have been a pet peeve of his, and he single-handedly announced a plea to use …
- November Policy of LGBT Exclusion, The Reversal, and Mormon Mental GymnasticsIn November 2015 a new church policy was leaked and upset many members of the church and those outside the church. It became known as the November Policy of Exclusion. It affected those who are LGBTQ+ …
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- Don’t Say MormonMarc Oslund and John Dehlin discussed Russell M. Nelson’s “Victory for Satan” talk on Mormon Stories Episode #1424. They discuss that the blind belief in only the living prophet’s words is unsustainable and Nelson’s war on …
- Facts MatterMormon scripture teaches that faith is hope in things that are not seen but true. If we can see that they are not true, then how can we still have faith in them? Faith is required …
- Mormon Prophets Ignore Own Teachings and CouncilIn the April 2023 General Conference, President Russell M. Nelson pleaded with members of the church for more civility and decency. He states that vulgar language, fault-finding, and evil speaking of others are too common these …
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The Personal Mormon Faith Crisis Report
- Personal Mormon Faith Crisis Report – Introduction and OverviewThe Personal Faith Crisis Report was presented to Elder Uchtdorf in 2013 by Elder Jensen so leaders could better understand what is happening and take appropriate measures to address members leaving the church as a result of a faith crisis. The gospel topic essays were part of the response to this study by the church.
- Personal Mormon Faith Crisis Report – Research SummaryThis report studies a faith crisis in detail along with an actual research survey of members who have left the church due to faith crisis and these respondents’ demographics such as age, gender, education level, household income, and church callings held as well as the primary reasons why the member left.
- Personal Mormon Faith Crisis Report – Faith Crisis StagesThe report defines the stages of such a faith crisis from a true believing member, through a catalyst and traumatization, and then either through a traumatized disbeliever and ex-mormon or a nuanced believer and then secular participant.
- Personal Mormon Faith Crisis Report – Perpetual Cycle of DisaffectionThe report also analyses a perpetual cycle of disaffiliated members, where a member finds troubling information and through the age of information and the internet confirms the troubling issue as true and feels betrayed by the church for not being honest, and ends up venting to a family member and causing the cycle to restart for them.
- Personal Mormon Faith Crisis Report – Faith Crisis ProfilesThis faith crisis report next lists many anonymous faith crisis profiles each detailing the exit story of the member (along with precious statistics and demographics the church cares deeply about such as household income). Not to be confused with the actual faith crisis profiles shared on wasmormon.org.
- Personal Mormon Faith Crisis Report – Summary & Potential Next StepsThe report concludes with suggestions the mormon church can take to mitigate the further loss of members due to a faith crisis. This report shows that the church leaders are well aware of the fact that members are leaving and why they are leaving and shows us insight into how the church thinks it can plug this membership leak.
Featured Posts
- Major Victories for SatanLDS Church leader, Russell Nelson, has for decades wanted to do away with the nickname of the church. It seems to have been a pet peeve of his, and he single-handedly announced a plea to use …
- Truth and History are Anti-MormonOne could define a faithful perspective as supporting the church’s truth claims at all costs. Anything that is outside of that faith-promoting mindset could be argued to be anti-mormon, because it doesn’t align with promoting faith …
- Never Take Council From Those Who Do Not Believe – Says Russell M NelsonIn the October 2023 General Conference, President Russell M Nelson spoke to the church membership by way of a previously recorded message. He was unable to attend the conference because he’d injured his back when falling. …
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- Elder Ballard Gave Mormon Tithing Records to Tim Ballard as Potential OUR DonorsTim Ballard has been a topic of discussion with his separation from O.U.R., the release of the Sound of Freedom movie, hint at running for US Senate for Utah, and then publicly denounced by the Mormon …
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- The LDS Church and The November Policy of Exclusion – POX 2015In November 2015, eight years ago, the church leaders intended to quietly institute a policy they had thought through deeply as a reaction to the United States deeming same-sex marriage federally legal in July of that …
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- On Choosing to BelieveThere are reasons to believe, and there are reasons to doubt. Can we simply choose to believe? Can’t we just stay in the pews even though our conscience and judgment tell us not to? What about …
- Oaks’ ‘No Apologies’ – The Church Doesn’t Seek or Give ApologiesIn 2015 while speaking with Elder D Todd Christofferson, Elder Dallin H Oaks made a defacto statement that is still reverberating for many Mormons: among believers and non-believers. Elder Christofferson was asked what the church leadership …
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- Mormon Apostle Knows The Truth Is Not UpliftingLong-serving Apostle Boyd K Packer famously said that “some things that are true are not very useful,” he also stated that “the truth is not uplifting, it destroys”. Seems to contradict the idea that “the truth …
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- Elijah Able, Early Black Mormon Received Priesthood via Joseph SmithElijah Abel was an early African American member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church. He is notable for being one of the few black individuals ordained to …
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- Byron Marchant, Dissident Excommunicated in 1977 for Opposing Priesthood BanAmong the first votes of dissent in the modern Mormon church occurred in 1977, in opposition to the church doctrine banning blacks from any priesthood ordination and temple endowment. A member voted opposed to sustaining church …
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- Elder Oaks Claims Apostolic Duty to Sacrifice Anything That Makes The Church Look BadThe authors of the fascinating book about Emma Smith, Mormon Enigma were reprimanded for publishing it. They weren’t excommunicated, but they were forbidden to speak in meetings and firesides. Elder Oaks spoke with Linda Newell (one …
- The Lowry Nelson Letters and Racist Mormon DoctrineLowry Nelson, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota and the Utah State Agricultural College, engaged in a series of communications in …
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- Would You Want to Know If The Church Isn’t True?It has been stated that if the church is true, it’s arguably the most important thing to know about in the world. It’s the most important news we can share with anyone in the universe. Eternal …
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- 60 Minutes Transcript: Whistleblower David Nielsen Speaks Out After Reporting the Mormon Church to IRS in 2019The show 60 Minutes broadcast a segment about the Mormon Billions. Sharyn Alfonsi follows up with whistleblower David Nielsen who resigned from his position at Ensign Peak Advisors and wrote the whistleblower report in 2019. Since …
- Why the Mormon Church Hid Billions of Dollars of Investments?The Mormon church was recently charged with fraud and reached a settlement with the SEC agreeing to pay five million dollars. Their chief infraction was failing to properly file and misstating in filings they did submit …
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- Book of Mormon Horses: Real or Myth? Or Tapirs?Irrefutable scientific evidence clearly shows that horses did not co-exist with Nephites or Lamanites during the Book of Mormon times. Mormon apologists stretch to come up with any explanation. their leading theory agrees with science on …
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- Demonizing Doubt: Nelson’s Talk on Lazy Learners and Lax DisciplesIn his lazy learners and lax disciples talk at the April 2021 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, church President Russell M Nelson emphasized the importance of developing faith in Jesus …
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- Explore the Origin Story of wasmormon.org – A Mormon Book Reviews Podcast EpisodeA recent episode of the Mormon Book Reviews podcast features an interview with Evan, the creator of wasmormon.org, and his brother Garrett. Evan shares the story of how he came to create the website and why …
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- Changing The Narrative –Reconstructing Mormon HistoryWhen Latter-day Saints discover problems with church history and doctrine, they often turn to church leaders and scholars for answers. Sometimes these answers are more unsettling than the problems themselves. Here’s a video compilation followed by …
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- Church and its Inoculation Approach to Addressing Historical DetailsThe church is working hard to inoculate the youth from the disease of church history. They are teaching seminary students in the scripture mastery program that historical details are not important since they can’t provide salvation, …
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- Elder M Russell Ballard’s Colorful History With the SECBefore M Russell Ballard was an apostle, he is praised as a successful businessman. He was involved in various business pursuits in Utah. He was the top-selling salesman for his father’s Nash car dealership, which he left and …
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- Writing Your Traumatic Faith Crisis Experience is Healthy and HealingDo you have exmormon trauma? Try writing your story. Write about your faith deconstruction or crisis. wasmormon.org gives you a place to do this important and healing writing. Consider contributing your story to the site so …
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- Church Bristles about Under the Banner of HeavenJon Krakauer wrote and published the book Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith in 2004. In 2022, the book was made into a television series starring Andrew Garfield on FX of the …
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- LDS Church’s Misstated Filings to SEC Approved by First PresidencyFor the past week, the church has been all over the news. Not for something they will want to draw publicity. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced that the Church has been fined $5 Million …
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- Jeffrey R Holland’s BBC Interview – Transcript and Video ClipsAs a result of a believing Mormon potentially leading the United States, there was increased scrutiny of the Mormon church. John Sweeny, of the BBC, interviewed LDS Apostle Jeffrey Holland for a program called ‘The Mormon Candidate’ which aired on BBC in 2012. Holland is caught in lies during the interview and resorts to claiming he’s neither an idiot or a dodo.
- What is the CES Letter? Is it True/Safe to Read?The CES Letter is a collection of questions, concerns, and doubts about the Mormon church’s truth claims addressed to a Church Education System Director from Jeremy Runnels. Learn about the background, the effects and rebuttals and some of the contents.
- No Surprise that Every Ex-Mormon is Still a MissionaryThe Mormon church likes to point the finger and demonize those who leave, complaining with the clever phrase that they can leave the church, but they can’t leave the church alone. They want us to leave …
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- The Problems with Joseph Smith and Peep Stone TranslationsAnyone who was raised Mormon, or even attended the church for any length of time knows the Urim and Thummim story. Joseph Smith is portrayed as having translated the Book of Mormon with some special seer …
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- The Nauvoo Expositor And More Lies From Joseph SmithWhat was the Nauvoo Expositor? The Nauvoo Expositor was a four-page newspaper that only printed one issue. It reportedly printed so many vicious lies and slander about Joseph Smith that the prophet of the restoration had …
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- Anachronisms Found in the Book of MormonWhat is an anachronism? Anachronisms are impossibilities or inconsistencies that include things that do not belong together. Something like the Flintstones is anachronistic because it portrays humans and dinosaurs living together, but science tells us that …