Monthly Archives: February 2025

This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find the full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/. There are stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by hundreds of users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find the full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/. There are stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by hundreds of users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
"I believe firmly in individualism. Be yourself, not who others want you to be. And one of the most important aspects of my life is informed consent. I believe in the importance of making choices for yourself and not believing what other people tell you and/or want you to believe. I am firmly agnostic and won't deny that God exists, but I do believe that the Mormon interpretation of God doesn't exist. I am also very sex-positive and believe in sexual liberation and freedom, and I know from experience and witness that sexual repression gets nowhere. As such, I fully endorse living your sex life the way you desire. Not someone else. Your body, your choice." - Jacob's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/
"I believe firmly in individualism. Be yourself, not who others want you to be. And one of the most important aspects of my life is informed consent. I believe in the importance of making choices for yourself and not believing what other people tell you and/or want you to believe. I am firmly agnostic and won't deny that God exists, but I do believe that the Mormon interpretation of God doesn't exist. I am also very sex-positive and believe in sexual liberation and freedom, and I know from experience and witness that sexual repression gets nowhere. As such, I fully endorse living your sex life the way you desire. Not someone else. Your body, your choice." - Jacob's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/
"Mormons think believe in a loving God. Even growing up I always believed Satan was a better character than God. God's love always felt conditional to some degree when I was growing up and now that I'm out I realize how conditional it actually is. The Mormon Jesus definitely isn't a loving God, but Mormons will for sure try to claim he is." - Jacob's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/
"Mormons think believe in a loving God. Even growing up I always believed Satan was a better character than God. God's love always felt conditional to some degree when I was growing up and now that I'm out I realize how conditional it actually is. The Mormon Jesus definitely isn't a loving God, but Mormons will for sure try to claim he is." - Jacob's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/
"I now know there's no chance of me ever finding happiness in the church, so now I decided to put the church behind me. I officially resigned from the church in June of 2024, the same month I drank my first cup of coffee. I have never been happier since leaving, and now I finally have a sense of control and direction in my life without some hocus-pocus religion telling me what and what not to do. I have never felt more liberated and in control of my life than I do now. I have since read the CES Letter, and now there is no chance of me EVER going back. I learned one very crucial rule about life: it gets better." - Jacob's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/
"I now know there's no chance of me ever finding happiness in the church, so now I decided to put the church behind me. I officially resigned from the church in June of 2024, the same month I drank my first cup of coffee. I have never been happier since leaving, and now I finally have a sense of control and direction in my life without some hocus-pocus religion telling me what and what not to do. I have never felt more liberated and in control of my life than I do now. I have since read the CES Letter, and now there is no chance of me EVER going back. I learned one very crucial rule about life: it gets better." - Jacob's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/
"I had a private one-on-one interview with my bishop over my bisexuality. One of my most embarrassing moments and I never want to live through something like that again. This conversation happened when I was a minor and I was not allowed to have my parents with me. I had a back-and-forth battle with my faith, and a gender identity crisis. My parents found out about it. And my shelf is completely broken." - Jacob's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/
"I had a private one-on-one interview with my bishop over my bisexuality. One of my most embarrassing moments and I never want to live through something like that again. This conversation happened when I was a minor and I was not allowed to have my parents with me. I had a back-and-forth battle with my faith, and a gender identity crisis. My parents found out about it. And my shelf is completely broken." - Jacob's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/
"Later, my niece lived with me. My primary teacher gave her a rock. She would put the rock under her pillow after she got home from school, to remind her to pray at night. After praying, she would put it on the floor, so it would stub her in the toe and remind her to pray in the morning. The idea of using physical harm to remind young children to pray, and doing it in such a way that the kids unknowingly consented to it, rubbed me the wrong way. And then my shelf started breaking." - Jacob's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/
"Later, my niece lived with me. My primary teacher gave her a rock. She would put the rock under her pillow after she got home from school, to remind her to pray at night. After praying, she would put it on the floor, so it would stub her in the toe and remind her to pray in the morning. The idea of using physical harm to remind young children to pray, and doing it in such a way that the kids unknowingly consented to it, rubbed me the wrong way. And then my shelf started breaking." - Jacob's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/
"I first made my way out of the church when I was about 11, after realizing how convenient the repentance system was. You could sin, repent, sin, repent, sin, repent, sin, repent. It was like a get out of jail free card. This made me ask a lot of questions, as I began seeing how far I could take this idea and pushed it as far as I could. All of a sudden, I had a lot more fun and felt happier when testing these waters." - Jacob's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/
"I first made my way out of the church when I was about 11, after realizing how convenient the repentance system was. You could sin, repent, sin, repent, sin, repent, sin, repent. It was like a get out of jail free card. This made me ask a lot of questions, as I began seeing how far I could take this idea and pushed it as far as I could. All of a sudden, I had a lot more fun and felt happier when testing these waters." - Jacob's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/
"I didn't know what was important, I didn't know who I was nor who I was meant to be. Everything was just extremely confusing. Despite this, I continued to hold on to the iron rod in the hopes that maybe I'd figure everything out. But I didn't." - Jacob's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/
"I didn't know what was important, I didn't know who I was nor who I was meant to be. Everything was just extremely confusing. Despite this, I continued to hold on to the iron rod in the hopes that maybe I'd figure everything out. But I didn't." - Jacob's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/
"I loved Boy Scouts, and always wanted to get my Eagle. I was genuinely devastated that they dropped the program. Throughout most of my time in the church, I felt like I wasn't good enough. I wasn't worthy of anything. I felt controlled. I felt like I was living someone else's life, and not my own. This ended up making my life and the world around me extremely confusing, and I didn't really know how to maneuver my way through life." - Jacob's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/
"I loved Boy Scouts, and always wanted to get my Eagle. I was genuinely devastated that they dropped the program. Throughout most of my time in the church, I felt like I wasn't good enough. I wasn't worthy of anything. I felt controlled. I felt like I was living someone else's life, and not my own. This ended up making my life and the world around me extremely confusing, and I didn't really know how to maneuver my way through life." - Jacob's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/
"Hi, I'm Jacob! I'm a lover of geography, tokusatsu, Deadpool, and music. I'm 19, I love traveling and learning about other cultures. I was born into the church, with ancestry from Wilford Woodruff and dozens of people on the Utah Expedition. Pretty much everyone on my mom's side of the family was and is an active and practicing Mormon. I was baptized when I was 8, I attended seminary, and I did my best to keep the commandments and to keep the sabbath day holy. Growing up, I was a very firm believer in the church. I was a Mormon." - Jacob's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/
"Hi, I'm Jacob! I'm a lover of geography, tokusatsu, Deadpool, and music. I'm 19, I love traveling and learning about other cultures. I was born into the church, with ancestry from Wilford Woodruff and dozens of people on the Utah Expedition. Pretty much everyone on my mom's side of the family was and is an active and practicing Mormon. I was baptized when I was 8, I attended seminary, and I did my best to keep the commandments and to keep the sabbath day holy. Growing up, I was a very firm believer in the church. I was a Mormon." - Jacob's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bakiraka01/

Oaks’ Temporary Commandments and The Shifting Sands of “Permanent” Laws

Dallin H. Oaks introduced a new concept during the October 2024 General Conference. He states that while some commandments are permanent, others are temporary. He then provides a few examples of each before moving on in his talk and not returning to the subject to conclude that we must forgo contention, be peacemakers, and avoid …

Continue reading “Oaks’ Temporary Commandments and The Shifting Sands of “Permanent” Laws”

“God reveals to His prophets that there are moral absolutes. Sin will always be sin. Disobedience to the Lord’s commandments will always deprive us of His blessings. The world changes constantly and dramatically, but God, His commandments, and promised blessings do not change. They are immutable and unchanging.” - L. Tom Perry, LDS Apostle, April 2013 General Conference | wasmormon.org
“God reveals to His prophets that there are moral absolutes. Sin will always be sin. Disobedience to the Lord’s commandments will always deprive us of His blessings. The world changes constantly and dramatically, but God, His commandments, and promised blessings do not change. They are immutable and unchanging.” - L. Tom Perry, LDS Apostle, April 2013 General Conference
“The Lord’s commandments are of two types: permanent, like the doctrine of Christ, and temporary. Temporary commandments are those necessary for the needs of the Lord’s Church or the faithful in temporary circumstances, but to be set aside when the need has passed. Though only temporary, when still in force these commandments were given to be obeyed.” - Dallin H. Oaks, LDS Apostle, October 2024 General Conference | wasmormon.org
“The Lord’s commandments are of two types: permanent, like the doctrine of Christ, and temporary. Temporary commandments are those necessary for the needs of the Lord’s Church or the faithful in temporary circumstances, but to be set aside when the need has passed. Though only temporary, when still in force these commandments were given to be obeyed.” - Dallin H. Oaks, LDS Apostle, October 2024 General Conference

Distorted Reality

Religious zealotry distorts reality by imposing rigid, dogmatic worldviews that demand absolute obedience. High-demand religions, like Mormonism, instill a black-and-white perspective where faithfulness equates to righteousness, and doubt or dissent signals moral failure. This absolutism fosters an “us vs. them” mentality, making it nearly impossible for devout believers to see those who leave as anything …

Continue reading “Distorted Reality”

“As to the Mountain Meadows Massacre, which the series inaccurately portrays as reflective of a whole faith group, the church has long acknowledged and condemned this horrific tragedy. It has also taken significant steps to uncover and share the full truth of what happened and promote healing.” - LDS Newsroom Article: Depictions that Deceive: When Historical Fiction Does Harm | wasmormon.org
“As to the Mountain Meadows Massacre, which the series inaccurately portrays as reflective of a whole faith group, the church has long acknowledged and condemned this horrific tragedy. It has also taken significant steps to uncover and share the full truth of what happened and promote healing.” - LDS Newsroom Article: Depictions that Deceive: When Historical Fiction Does Harm
“A recently released streaming series presents a fictionalized interpretation of events in mid-19th century Utah. While historical fiction can be illuminating, this drama is dangerously misleading. Brigham Young, a revered prophet and courageous pioneer, is, by any historical standard, egregiously mischaracterized as a villainous, violent fanatic. Other individuals and groups are also depicted in ways that reinforce stereotypes that are both inaccurate and harmful.” - LDS Newsroom Article: Depictions that Deceive: When Historical Fiction Does Harm - Kim Coates as Brigham Young, in the Netflix series, American Primeval | wasmormon.org
“A recently released streaming series presents a fictionalized interpretation of events in mid-19th century Utah. While historical fiction can be illuminating, this drama is dangerously misleading. Brigham Young, a revered prophet and courageous pioneer, is, by any historical standard, egregiously mischaracterized as a villainous, violent fanatic. Other individuals and groups are also depicted in ways that reinforce stereotypes that are both inaccurate and harmful.” - LDS Newsroom Article: Depictions that Deceive: When Historical Fiction Does Harm - Kim Coates as Brigham Young, in the Netflix series, American Primeval
"The Anthon Transcript was a sheet of paper, thought to be lost, upon which Joseph Smith copied sample “reformed Egyptian” characters from the plates of the Book of Mormon. In the winter of 1828, Martin Harris showed these characters to Dr. Charles Anthon of Columbia College, and hence the name... [Anthon] maintained that he told Harris that he (Harris) was a victim of a fraud. Modern research suggests that, given the state of knowledge of Egyptian in 1828, Anthon’s views would have been little more than opinion... [The Anthon Transcript] contains seven horizontal lines of characters apparently copied from the plates. David Whitmer, who once owned the document, said it was this text that Martin Harris showed to Charles Anthon. However, this claim remains uncertain because the transcript does not correspond with Anthon’s assertion that the manuscript he saw was arranged in vertical columns. Even if the document is not the original, it almost certainly represents characters either copied from the plates in Joseph Smith’s possession or copied from the document carried by Harris. Twice in late 1844, after the Prophet’s martyrdom, portions of these symbols were published as characters that Joseph Smith had copied from the gold plates." Anthon Transcript. Danel W. Bachman. BYU Studies | wasmormon.org
"The Anthon Transcript was a sheet of paper, thought to be lost, upon which Joseph Smith copied sample “reformed Egyptian” characters from the plates of the Book of Mormon. In the winter of 1828, Martin Harris showed these characters to Dr. Charles Anthon of Columbia College, and hence the name... [Anthon] maintained that he told Harris that he (Harris) was a victim of a fraud. Modern research suggests that, given the state of knowledge of Egyptian in 1828, Anthon’s views would have been little more than opinion... [The Anthon Transcript] contains seven horizontal lines of characters apparently copied from the plates. David Whitmer, who once owned the document, said it was this text that Martin Harris showed to Charles Anthon. However, this claim remains uncertain because the transcript does not correspond with Anthon’s assertion that the manuscript he saw was arranged in vertical columns. Even if the document is not the original, it almost certainly represents characters either copied from the plates in Joseph Smith’s possession or copied from the document carried by Harris. Twice in late 1844, after the Prophet’s martyrdom, portions of these symbols were published as characters that Joseph Smith had copied from the gold plates." Anthon Transcript. Danel W. Bachman. BYU Studies
This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find the full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bennjh/. There are stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by hundreds of users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find the full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bennjh/. There are stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by hundreds of users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
"I am so much happier in the life I live now than the life I might have pressured myself into if I had stayed. I wouldn't have started my transition, I might have married a man I didn't love, we might have had children, I wouldn't be working in the field I am now. I live on my own terms, I love my husband dearly, I like my job and I like working on Sundays, and I like not having kids. I am exploring my mental health issues, healing, and becoming a better person every day." - Bennets "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bennjh/
"I am so much happier in the life I live now than the life I might have pressured myself into if I had stayed. I wouldn't have started my transition, I might have married a man I didn't love, we might have had children, I wouldn't be working in the field I am now. I live on my own terms, I love my husband dearly, I like my job and I like working on Sundays, and I like not having kids. I am exploring my mental health issues, healing, and becoming a better person every day." - Bennets "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bennjh/
"I would take my shower in the morning, fill the tub up with water, and lay face down. It never worked, but each morning I gained a little more determination to do something more drastic, more real. One day, I finally had the courage to committ the more drastic action. Obviously I survived, but it DID kill the remaining belief in the church. No matter how hard I tried, I could no longer summon up a testimony, could no longer pretend to pray, could no longer act the part of the good Mormon girl. I had to give in to who I knew I really was. And that meant leaving." - Bennets "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bennjh/
"I would take my shower in the morning, fill the tub up with water, and lay face down. It never worked, but each morning I gained a little more determination to do something more drastic, more real. One day, I finally had the courage to committ the more drastic action. Obviously I survived, but it DID kill the remaining belief in the church. No matter how hard I tried, I could no longer summon up a testimony, could no longer pretend to pray, could no longer act the part of the good Mormon girl. I had to give in to who I knew I really was. And that meant leaving." - Bennets "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bennjh/
"Eventually, it got to the point where I was passively ready to die at any moment. I was slowly losing my faith, sneaking onto the internet at night and doing research into church policies, exmormom accounts, history. Sometimes it got to be too much and I would log off and try to repent, but that never stopped the "what ifs" and the "whys" running through my head. I was miserable, I was suffering. Why was God doing this to me?" - Bennets "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bennjh/
"Eventually, it got to the point where I was passively ready to die at any moment. I was slowly losing my faith, sneaking onto the internet at night and doing research into church policies, exmormom accounts, history. Sometimes it got to be too much and I would log off and try to repent, but that never stopped the "what ifs" and the "whys" running through my head. I was miserable, I was suffering. Why was God doing this to me?" - Bennets "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bennjh/
"When I was 15, a girl who was a member of my ward and who went to my school, a girl I thought was my friend, had found out from someone else that I was trans and that I was dating a girl. She waited until a day I was sick and not at church and told my parents everything. My home life got significantly worse afterwards." - Bennets "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bennjh/
"When I was 15, a girl who was a member of my ward and who went to my school, a girl I thought was my friend, had found out from someone else that I was trans and that I was dating a girl. She waited until a day I was sick and not at church and told my parents everything. My home life got significantly worse afterwards." - Bennets "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bennjh/
"The next morning at school, I told two of my closest friends I thought I was trans. That really was the beginning of the end. Instinctively, I knew I couldn't tell anyone at church or anyone in my family. I kept it a secret for a long time. I was trying desperately to reconcile my faith with my newfound identity. I was a firm believer in God, in Joseph Smith's righteousness, in my duty to spread the good word. I did everything to remain a devout follower and prove to myself it wasn't a sin to be Mormon AND trans." - Bennets "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bennjh/
"The next morning at school, I told two of my closest friends I thought I was trans. That really was the beginning of the end. Instinctively, I knew I couldn't tell anyone at church or anyone in my family. I kept it a secret for a long time. I was trying desperately to reconcile my faith with my newfound identity. I was a firm believer in God, in Joseph Smith's righteousness, in my duty to spread the good word. I did everything to remain a devout follower and prove to myself it wasn't a sin to be Mormon AND trans." - Bennets "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bennjh/
"Leading up to this period of my life, I realized I was bisexual. A year later, I heard the word "transgender" for the first time. It changed everything. Secretly finding out the password to our family computer, I snuck on in the middle of the night and Googled "transgender", "transgender man", "can you be transgender without a surgery", "if i'm a girl can I be a transgender man", for hours I was locked onto the computer screen, reading people explain feelings I had pushed away as the devil speaking to me for ages. It all clicked. I cleared the browsing history, logged out, and went back to bed." - Bennets "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bennjh/
"Leading up to this period of my life, I realized I was bisexual. A year later, I heard the word "transgender" for the first time. It changed everything. Secretly finding out the password to our family computer, I snuck on in the middle of the night and Googled "transgender", "transgender man", "can you be transgender without a surgery", "if i'm a girl can I be a transgender man", for hours I was locked onto the computer screen, reading people explain feelings I had pushed away as the devil speaking to me for ages. It all clicked. I cleared the browsing history, logged out, and went back to bed." - Bennets "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bennjh/
"Basically, my life was one constant anxiety attack. I lived in a blur, too caught up in my own head to take notice of what was going on around me. To this day, I can hardly remember what elementary, middle, or high school was like, but I can remember exact anxieties I would have. I left because I had tried to kill myself." - Bennets "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bennjh/
"Basically, my life was one constant anxiety attack. I lived in a blur, too caught up in my own head to take notice of what was going on around me. To this day, I can hardly remember what elementary, middle, or high school was like, but I can remember exact anxieties I would have. I left because I had tried to kill myself." - Bennets "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bennjh/