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What a lovely thing being out is. I kept going to church for 9 months after losing my faith just to observe. It was fascinating — well, it was at best boring and at worst disturbing. So many people internalize the most horrid things from this church. Why does Relief Society always devolve into trauma sharing hour? - Brooklyn's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bparks898/
What a lovely thing being out is. I kept going to church for 9 months after losing my faith just to observe. It was fascinating — well, it was at best boring and at worst disturbing. So many people internalize the most horrid things from this church. Why does Relief Society always devolve into trauma sharing hour? - Brooklyn's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bparks898/
I watched a Mormon Stories of Tim Kosnoff, and I was so repulsed by what he shared, I decided it was time. That fortuitously coincided with LDS Discussions series on Mormon Stories, and a month later, I was out. - Brooklyn's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bparks898/
I watched a Mormon Stories of Tim Kosnoff, and I was so repulsed by what he shared, I decided it was time. That fortuitously coincided with LDS Discussions series on Mormon Stories, and a month later, I was out. - Brooklyn's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bparks898/
I recognized there were things about the Mormon Church that I heard on the fringes but didn’t want to digest. Things that I knew that if I knew them, I’d have to act. I'd have to decide if this was all hogwash or not. Then came the Arizona abuse case. - Brooklyn's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bparks898/
I recognized there were things about the Mormon Church that I heard on the fringes but didn’t want to digest. Things that I knew that if I knew them, I’d have to act. I'd have to decide if this was all hogwash or not. Then came the Arizona abuse case. - Brooklyn's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bparks898/
I decided that would be the end of that and to love myself unconditionally. Funny thing is, when you do that, you give yourself room to disagree with everything that doesn’t fit with that message. So I was frequently hearing things at church and THINKING. A dangerous pastime, I know. - Brooklyn's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bparks898/
I decided that would be the end of that and to love myself unconditionally. Funny thing is, when you do that, you give yourself room to disagree with everything that doesn’t fit with that message. So I was frequently hearing things at church and THINKING. A dangerous pastime, I know. - Brooklyn's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bparks898/
My deconstruction started in college when I realized every week so much of what people said was the same self-hatred coded in self-righteousness. People always found something to dislike about themselves to share with the class. And I did the same thing — praying every day to be better and always feeling I was coming up short. - Brooklyn's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bparks898/
My deconstruction started in college when I realized every week so much of what people said was the same self-hatred coded in self-righteousness. People always found something to dislike about themselves to share with the class. And I did the same thing — praying every day to be better and always feeling I was coming up short. - Brooklyn's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bparks898/
I grew up in St Louis in a relatively small ward. So I didn’t really have members in my school. All of my ward experience after childhood has been a series of singles wards at BYU then in Orem. I knew I was ignorant of what Mormonism was. Then I decided it was time to learn. I was a Mormon. - Brooklyn's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bparks898/
I grew up in St Louis in a relatively small ward. So I didn’t really have members in my school. All of my ward experience after childhood has been a series of singles wards at BYU then in Orem. I knew I was ignorant of what Mormonism was. Then I decided it was time to learn. I was a Mormon. - Brooklyn's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/bparks898/
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/searjasub/. 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/searjasub/. 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!
There's so many things I've learned about the church that I had no idea. I was in the wrong for so long. The few issues mentioned are only the tip of the iceberg. Finally, my wife and I decided after all the facts, the Mormon church is not true at all and we started our journey as faithful and true Christians. - Searjasub's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/searjasub/
There's so many things I've learned about the church that I had no idea. I was in the wrong for so long. The few issues mentioned are only the tip of the iceberg. Finally, my wife and I decided after all the facts, the Mormon church is not true at all and we started our journey as faithful and true Christians. - Searjasub's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/searjasub/
When missionaries teach other people about Mormonism, they always leave crucial details out. "Preach my Gospel" does not tell missionaries to share about the 30+ wives Joseph Smith had, and as young as 14 years old, nor the 50+ wives Brigham Young had. They don't teach you about the actual reason why Joseph Smith was killed - that he burned down a press. They don't teach that Joseph Smith was a known treasure digger. All these details are just the tip of the iceberg and will show red flags to anyone trying to join this cult. All the characteristics of a cult are present in the Mormon church. - Searjasub's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/searjasub/
When missionaries teach other people about Mormonism, they always leave crucial details out. "Preach my Gospel" does not tell missionaries to share about the 30+ wives Joseph Smith had, and as young as 14 years old, nor the 50+ wives Brigham Young had. They don't teach you about the actual reason why Joseph Smith was killed - that he burned down a press. They don't teach that Joseph Smith was a known treasure digger. All these details are just the tip of the iceberg and will show red flags to anyone trying to join this cult. All the characteristics of a cult are present in the Mormon church. - Searjasub's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/searjasub/
The church is dishonest by not being upfront with everyone, members and non members about their past. They always change the church principles to adjust to the current world situation. It's pretty much up to the current president of the Mormon church to dictate what's the new standard. There's plenty of examples of this going on throughout church history. - Searjasub's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/searjasub/
The church is dishonest by not being upfront with everyone, members and non members about their past. They always change the church principles to adjust to the current world situation. It's pretty much up to the current president of the Mormon church to dictate what's the new standard. There's plenty of examples of this going on throughout church history. - Searjasub's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/searjasub/
After almost a year of rewiring our brains from the brainwash caused by the mormon church we took one of the most important steps in becoming a true disciple of Christ. We got baptized!! This time we got baptized into Christ and not any church. Which is contrary to mormon teachings since you have to be baptized to be a member. We used the facilities of another non-denominational church to perform our baptism. Being baptized and being member of a church are two separate things, also contradicting the LDS view of baptism. - Searjasub's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/searjasub/
After almost a year of rewiring our brains from the brainwash caused by the mormon church we took one of the most important steps in becoming a true disciple of Christ. We got baptized!! This time we got baptized into Christ and not any church. Which is contrary to mormon teachings since you have to be baptized to be a member. We used the facilities of another non-denominational church to perform our baptism. Being baptized and being member of a church are two separate things, also contradicting the LDS view of baptism. - Searjasub's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/searjasub/
A Community Church helped us a lot in deconstructing our faith and build it back again on the true gospel of Jesus Christ. We took a few classes about the Bible and we learned so much more about our Savior and true nature of God. We learned that there's only one God, eternally existing in three persons. Contradictory to Mormon beliefs that there are three Gods with one purpose. Mormonism is not Christian because it denies the basic and essential doctrines of the Christian faith. - Searjasub's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/searjasub/
A Community Church helped us a lot in deconstructing our faith and build it back again on the true gospel of Jesus Christ. We took a few classes about the Bible and we learned so much more about our Savior and true nature of God. We learned that there's only one God, eternally existing in three persons. Contradictory to Mormon beliefs that there are three Gods with one purpose. Mormonism is not Christian because it denies the basic and essential doctrines of the Christian faith. - Searjasub's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/searjasub/
It was hidden right in front of our eyes. A contradiction between the Book of Mormon and the Bible. After learning this, it started to trickle all the questions we had about the church that were "put up on the shelf". After covid was a little bit more calm. We started going to a non-denominational church that was also a key in the reason why we left. - Searjasub's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/searjasub/
It was hidden right in front of our eyes. A contradiction between the Book of Mormon and the Bible. After learning this, it started to trickle all the questions we had about the church that were "put up on the shelf". After covid was a little bit more calm. We started going to a non-denominational church that was also a key in the reason why we left. - Searjasub's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/searjasub/
The breaking point was GRACE. Reading in the Book of Mormon that Grace only comes AFTER all you can do (2 Nephi 25:23), made no sense when the Bible is teaching that Grace is a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9) and not a result of our works. The Bible also teaches that we don't deserve it but Christ gave it to us and it doesn't matter what we do, we will still have God's grace. Paul says in the Bible that our salvation comes COMPLETELY from the grace of God, and is not dependent on works. To illustrate it in simple terms. Mormons believe in: Faith + Works = Salvation. Christians believe in: Faith = Salvation + Works. - Searjasub's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/searjasub/
The breaking point was GRACE. Reading in the Book of Mormon that Grace only comes AFTER all you can do (2 Nephi 25:23), made no sense when the Bible is teaching that Grace is a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9) and not a result of our works. The Bible also teaches that we don't deserve it but Christ gave it to us and it doesn't matter what we do, we will still have God's grace. Paul says in the Bible that our salvation comes COMPLETELY from the grace of God, and is not dependent on works. To illustrate it in simple terms. Mormons believe in: Faith + Works = Salvation. Christians believe in: Faith = Salvation + Works. - Searjasub's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/searjasub/
My wife and I made a 2021 new year's resolution to get closer to Christ. Covid was around, so we were not able to attend to church, thus leaving us at home reading and learning more about Christ and eventually church history. As we started to learn more about Christ, we noticed we were going in a different direction than the church had taught us. - Searjasub's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/searjasub/
My wife and I made a 2021 new year's resolution to get closer to Christ. Covid was around, so we were not able to attend to church, thus leaving us at home reading and learning more about Christ and eventually church history. As we started to learn more about Christ, we noticed we were going in a different direction than the church had taught us. - Searjasub's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/searjasub/
Hi, I'm Searjasub Lopez. I'm a Software Developer, love computer science and anything tech related. I'm a proud husband and father of 4. I was born into the church. I did everything that was expected of a brainwashed kid that didn't know anything else but what the church fed me almost daily. Baptized at 8, did 4 years of seminary, got both "priesthoods", served a mission in Peru Huancayo, and sealed in the temple with my wife, and held a variety of positions within the Church. I was a Mormon. - Searjasub's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/searjasub/
Hi, I'm Searjasub Lopez. I'm a Software Developer, love computer science and anything tech related. I'm a proud husband and father of 4. I was born into the church. I did everything that was expected of a brainwashed kid that didn't know anything else but what the church fed me almost daily. Baptized at 8, did 4 years of seminary, got both "priesthoods", served a mission in Peru Huancayo, and sealed in the temple with my wife, and held a variety of positions within the Church. I was a Mormon. - Searjasub's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/searjasub/
“Some people have to have a world of evidence before they can come anywhere in the neighborhood of believing anything, but for me when a man tells me that he has seen the engravings which are upon the plates... I am convinced. I couldn't feel more satisfied and at rest if the entire Whitmer family had testified.” - Mark Twain, Roughing It, 1872 | wasmormon.org
“Some people have to have a world of evidence before they can come anywhere in the neighborhood of believing anything, but for me when a man tells me that he has seen the engravings which are upon the plates... I am convinced. I couldn't feel more satisfied and at rest if the entire Whitmer family had testified.” - Mark Twain, Roughing It, 1872
A Mormon acquaintance once pushed Mark Twain into an argument on the issue of polygamy. After long and tedious expositions justifying the practice, the Mormon demanded that Twain cite any passage of Scripture expressly forbidding polygamy. "Nothing easier," Twain said. "No man can serve two masters." | wasmormon.org
A Mormon acquaintance once pushed Mark Twain into an argument on the issue of polygamy. After long and tedious expositions justifying the practice, the Mormon demanded that Twain cite any passage of Scripture expressly forbidding polygamy. "Nothing easier," Twain said. "No man can serve two masters."
“The [Book of Mormon] seems to be merely a prosey detail of imaginary history with the Old Testament for a model followed by a tedious plagiarism of the New Testament. The author labored to give his words and phrases the quaint old fashioned sound and structure of our King James translation of the scriptures. The result is a mongrel, half modern glibbness and half ancient simplicity and gravity. The latter is awkward and constrained, the former natural, but grotesque by the contrast. Whenever he found his speech growing too modern, which was about every sentence or two, he ladeled in a few such scriptural phrases as, "exceeding sore," "and it came to pass," etc. and made things satisfactory again. "And it came to pass," was his pet. If he had left that out, his bible would have been only a pamphlet.” - Mark Twain, Roughing It, 1872 | wasmormon.org
“The [Book of Mormon] seems to be merely a prosey detail of imaginary history with the Old Testament for a model followed by a tedious plagiarism of the New Testament. The author labored to give his words and phrases the quaint old fashioned sound and structure of our King James translation of the scriptures. The result is a mongrel, half modern glibbness and half ancient simplicity and gravity. The latter is awkward and constrained, the former natural, but grotesque by the contrast. Whenever he found his speech growing too modern, which was about every sentence or two, he ladeled in a few such scriptural phrases as, "exceeding sore," "and it came to pass," etc. and made things satisfactory again. "And it came to pass," was his pet. If he had left that out, his bible would have been only a pamphlet.” - Mark Twain, Roughing It, 1872
“All men have heard of the Mormon Bible, but few, except the elect have seen it or at least taken the trouble to read it. I brought away a copy from Salt Lake. The book is a curiosity to me. It is such a pretentious affair and yet so slow, so sleepy, such an insipid mess of inspiration. It is chloroform in print.” - Mark Twain, Roughing It, 1872 | wasmormon.org
“All men have heard of the Mormon Bible, but few, except the elect have seen it or at least taken the trouble to read it. I brought away a copy from Salt Lake. The book is a curiosity to me. It is such a pretentious affair and yet so slow, so sleepy, such an insipid mess of inspiration. It is chloroform in print.” - Mark Twain, Roughing It, 1872
“The [Book of Mormon] is a curiosity to me. It is such a pretentious affair and yet so slow, so sleepy, such an insipid mess of inspiration. It is chloroform in print.” - Mark Twain, Roughing It, 1872 | wasmormon.org
“The [Book of Mormon] is a curiosity to me. It is such a pretentious affair and yet so slow, so sleepy, such an insipid mess of inspiration. It is chloroform in print.” - Mark Twain, Roughing It, 1872
“[The Book of Mormon] is chloroform in print. If Joseph Smith composed this book, the act was a miracle. Keeping awake while he did it, was at any rate. If he, according to tradtion, merely translated it from certain ancient and myteriously engraved plates of copper, which he declares he found under a stone, in an out of the way locality, the work of translating it was equally a miracle for the same reason.” - Mark Twain, Roughing It, 1872 | wasmormon.org
“[The Book of Mormon] is chloroform in print. If Joseph Smith composed this book, the act was a miracle. Keeping awake while he did it, was at any rate. If he, according to tradtion, merely translated it from certain ancient and myteriously engraved plates of copper, which he declares he found under a stone, in an out of the way locality, the work of translating it was equally a miracle for the same reason.” - Mark Twain, Roughing It, 1872
“Procreation limited to celestial bodies... Some of the functions in the celestial body will not appear in the terrestrial body, neither in the telestial body, and the power of procreation will be removed.” - Joseph Fielding Smith, LDS Church President, Doctrines of Salvation | Those in the Telestial and Terrestrial Kingdoms will lack genitalia, while those in the Celestial Kingdom will retain theirs for eternal procreation. Leading to the term “TK Smoothie,” which alludes to the smooth, featureless region of those in the lesser Telestial and Terrestrial Kingdoms, likened to a Barbie or Ken doll. | wasmormon.org
“Procreation limited to celestial bodies... Some of the functions in the celestial body will not appear in the terrestrial body, neither in the telestial body, and the power of procreation will be removed.” - Joseph Fielding Smith, LDS Church President, Doctrines of Salvation | Those in the Telestial and Terrestrial Kingdoms will lack genitalia, while those in the Celestial Kingdom will retain theirs for eternal procreation. Leading to the term “TK Smoothie,” which alludes to the smooth, featureless region of those in the lesser Telestial and Terrestrial Kingdoms, likened to a Barbie or Ken doll.
"Mortality is a master class in learning to choose the things of greatest eternal import. Far too many people live as though this life is all there is. However, your choices today will determine three things: where you will live throughout all eternity, the kind of body with which you will be resurrected, and those with whom you will live forever." - Russell M. Nelson, LDS Church President, October 2023 | wasmormon.org
"Mortality is a master class in learning to choose the things of greatest eternal import. Far too many people live as though this life is all there is. However, your choices today will determine three things: where you will live throughout all eternity, the kind of body with which you will be resurrected, and those with whom you will live forever." - Russell M. Nelson, LDS Church President, October 2023
Joseph Fielding Smith, LDS Church President, Doctrines of Salvation Volume 2, Page 288 - “Procreation limited to celestial bodies... Some of the functions in the celestial body will not appear in the terrestrial body, neither in the telestial body, and the power of procreation will be removed. I take it that men and women will, in these kingdoms, be ... neither man nor woman.”
Joseph Fielding Smith, LDS Church President, Doctrines of Salvation Volume 2, Page 288 - “Procreation limited to celestial bodies... Some of the functions in the celestial body will not appear in the terrestrial body, neither in the telestial body, and the power of procreation will be removed. I take it that men and women will, in these kingdoms, be ... neither man nor woman.”
Joseph Fielding Smith, LDS Church President, Doctrines of Salvation Volume 2, Page 287 - “Procreation limited to celestial bodies... Some of the functions in the celestial body will not appear in the terrestrial body, neither in the telestial body, and the power of procreation will be removed. I take it that men and women will, in these kingdoms, be ... neither man nor woman.”
Joseph Fielding Smith, LDS Church President, Doctrines of Salvation Volume 2, Page 287 - “Procreation limited to celestial bodies... Some of the functions in the celestial body will not appear in the terrestrial body, neither in the telestial body, and the power of procreation will be removed. I take it that men and women will, in these kingdoms, be ... neither man nor woman.”
“Procreation limited to celestial bodies... Some of the functions in the celestial body will not appear in the terrestrial body, neither in the telestial body, and the power of procreation will be removed. I take it that men and women will, in these kingdoms, be ... neither man nor woman.” - Joseph Fielding Smith, LDS Church President, Doctrines of Salvation Volume 2, Pages 287-288 | wasmormon.org
“Procreation limited to celestial bodies... Some of the functions in the celestial body will not appear in the terrestrial body, neither in the telestial body, and the power of procreation will be removed. I take it that men and women will, in these kingdoms, be ... neither man nor woman.” - Joseph Fielding Smith, LDS Church President, Doctrines of Salvation Volume 2, Pages 287-288
"The celestial law requires one-tenth of all a man’s substance which he possesses at the time he comes into the church, and one-tenth part of his annual increase ever after.  If it requires all a man can earn to support himself and family, he is not tithed at all.  The celestial law does not take the mother’s and children’s bread." - Orson Hyde, LDS Apostle, Millennial Star, January 1, 1847 | wasmormon.org
"The celestial law requires one-tenth of all a man’s substance which he possesses at the time he comes into the church, and one-tenth part of his annual increase ever after.  If it requires all a man can earn to support himself and family, he is not tithed at all.  The celestial law does not take the mother’s and children’s bread." - Orson Hyde, LDS Apostle, Millennial Star, January 1, 1847
"DON'T SPEAK EVIL OF LORD'S ANOINTED. There is one thing that the Lord has warned us about from the beginning and that is not to speak evil of the Lord's anointed. He has told us that any member of the Church who indulged in this is liable to lose the Spirit of God and go into darkness. The Prophet Joseph said time and again that it was one of the first and strongest symptoms of apostasy." - George Q. Cannon, LDS Apostle, October 6, 1896. Deseret Weekly | wasmormon.org
"DON'T SPEAK EVIL OF LORD'S ANOINTED. There is one thing that the Lord has warned us about from the beginning and that is not to speak evil of the Lord's anointed. He has told us that any member of the Church who indulged in this is liable to lose the Spirit of God and go into darkness. The Prophet Joseph said time and again that it was one of the first and strongest symptoms of apostasy." - George Q. Cannon, LDS Apostle, October 6, 1896. Deseret Weekly
“He said there were many that had a great deal to say about the ancient order of things as Solomon and David having many wives and concubines, but it is an abomination in the sight of God. If an angel from heaven should come and preach such doctrine, some would be sure to see his cloven foot and cloud of darkness over head, though his garments might shine as white as snow. A man might have one wife but concubines he should have none.” - Hyrum Smith, Levi Richards Journal | wasmormon.org
“He said there were many that had a great deal to say about the ancient order of things as Solomon and David having many wives and concubines, but it is an abomination in the sight of God. If an angel from heaven should come and preach such doctrine, some would be sure to see his cloven foot and cloud of darkness over head, though his garments might shine as white as snow. A man might have one wife but concubines he should have none.” - Hyrum Smith, Levi Richards Journal
“Joseph told associates that an angel appeared to him three times between 1834 and 1842 and commanded him to proceed with plural marriage when he hesitated to move forward. During the third and final appearance, the angel came with a drawn sword, threatening Joseph with destruction unless he went forward and obeyed the commandment fully.” - Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo, Gospel Topic Essay | wasmormon.org
“Joseph told associates that an angel appeared to him three times between 1834 and 1842 and commanded him to proceed with plural marriage when he hesitated to move forward. During the third and final appearance, the angel came with a drawn sword, threatening Joseph with destruction unless he went forward and obeyed the commandment fully.” - Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo, Gospel Topic Essay
“A grand and glorious principle had been revealed, and for years had slumbered in the breast of God’s Prophet, awaiting the time when, with safety to himself and the Church, it might be confided to the sacred keeping of a chosen few. That time had now come. An angel with a flaming sword descended from the courts of glory and, confronting the Prophet, commanded him in the name of the Lord to establish the principle so long concealed from the knowledge of the Saints and of the world—that of plural marriage.” - Heber C. Kimball | wasmormon.org
“A grand and glorious principle had been revealed, and for years had slumbered in the breast of God’s Prophet, awaiting the time when, with safety to himself and the Church, it might be confided to the sacred keeping of a chosen few. That time had now come. An angel with a flaming sword descended from the courts of glory and, confronting the Prophet, commanded him in the name of the Lord to establish the principle so long concealed from the knowledge of the Saints and of the world—that of plural marriage.” - Heber C. Kimball
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/spendiggity144/. 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/spendiggity144/. 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!
"There are so many things we just don’t understand about this world and what’s beyond it. Not only do we not know, we can’t know. Something as abstract as an afterlife is not possible for the human mind to fully understand. There is no denying that we truly do not know anything. All that religion is doing is taking a guess. I respect that. We as humans have an innate desire to make sense of everything. Religion is just a way of fulfilling that desire. What I’m not okay with is a religion stating that they are the one and only truth and everyone else in the world is deceived. I would make the decision to leave millions of times again if given the chance because it’s one of the few choices I don’t regret making. I don’t need a god to tell me if something is good or not. Even if he’s real, I can see the beauty of life. I may not have a clear purpose in my life anymore and that thought was scary at first. If I left the church, where would I go? The answer: Anywhere. Everywhere even. I am not limited to anything now and I have the choice to experience it all. I can finally learn and live and see the world as it really is. An ethereal mystery, and it’s fucking beautiful." - Spencer's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/spendiggity144/
"There are so many things we just don’t understand about this world and what’s beyond it. Not only do we not know, we can’t know. Something as abstract as an afterlife is not possible for the human mind to fully understand. There is no denying that we truly do not know anything. All that religion is doing is taking a guess. I respect that. We as humans have an innate desire to make sense of everything. Religion is just a way of fulfilling that desire. What I’m not okay with is a religion stating that they are the one and only truth and everyone else in the world is deceived. I would make the decision to leave millions of times again if given the chance because it’s one of the few choices I don’t regret making. I don’t need a god to tell me if something is good or not. Even if he’s real, I can see the beauty of life. I may not have a clear purpose in my life anymore and that thought was scary at first. If I left the church, where would I go? The answer: Anywhere. Everywhere even. I am not limited to anything now and I have the choice to experience it all. I can finally learn and live and see the world as it really is. An ethereal mystery, and it’s fucking beautiful." - Spencer's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/spendiggity144/
"I’m still the same person I was when I was a member. I can’t help but tell people what I believe to be true. Life has so much more meaning once you leave. I don’t really know how, but knowing less makes what you do know, seem even better. The only thing I know for sure is this life, and I plan on using it to its full potential. I don’t know what comes next and yeah, it’s scary, yet more powerful than anything I experienced in the church. I’ve discovered that, by using philosophy alone, any religious claim can be argued back into ambiguity where it belongs. I’m not an atheist. If anything I’m Agnostic. There’s just as much of a chance that there’s nothing as there is that we just don’t know what it is. I choose to acknowledge that there may not be any meaning at all. Yet it doesn’t matter in the slightest. I like trees, rivers, mountains, animals and rocks. Those are cool. Trampolines are fun. There are those moments when it's been cold and cloudy for a while, then you walk outside on a 60-degree day and the warm sunlight hits your face and it’s the greatest feeling ever. Music is the single greatest human creation. Really any sort of art is amazing. People are fantastic. It’s fucking brilliant really. This is what I live for." - Spencer's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/spendiggity144/
"I’m still the same person I was when I was a member. I can’t help but tell people what I believe to be true. Life has so much more meaning once you leave. I don’t really know how, but knowing less makes what you do know, seem even better. The only thing I know for sure is this life, and I plan on using it to its full potential. I don’t know what comes next and yeah, it’s scary, yet more powerful than anything I experienced in the church. I’ve discovered that, by using philosophy alone, any religious claim can be argued back into ambiguity where it belongs. I’m not an atheist. If anything I’m Agnostic. There’s just as much of a chance that there’s nothing as there is that we just don’t know what it is. I choose to acknowledge that there may not be any meaning at all. Yet it doesn’t matter in the slightest. I like trees, rivers, mountains, animals and rocks. Those are cool. Trampolines are fun. There are those moments when it's been cold and cloudy for a while, then you walk outside on a 60-degree day and the warm sunlight hits your face and it’s the greatest feeling ever. Music is the single greatest human creation. Really any sort of art is amazing. People are fantastic. It’s fucking brilliant really. This is what I live for." - Spencer's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/spendiggity144/
"Leaving the church is so unbelievably hard. I had my first existential crisis in my senior year. My family treated me differently. I didn’t have anyone to talk to either. I was the most alone I had ever felt in my life. I was so stressed about figuring out my future that I almost gave up on it completely. The months following my departure were the hardest in my life and I wish there was a way to make active members understand that. Instead, I’m just told that I’m a lazy learner and that all I needed to do was try harder, then I would still be in church. New converts rarely last more than a year. They’ll find out that the Disney version they were taught in the 3 weeks before their baptism wasn’t everything. As the world and internet grows, it gets harder and harder to hide the truth from the members. I have hope that one day everyone will leave. Then everyone will finally be free." - Spencer's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/spendiggity144/
"Leaving the church is so unbelievably hard. I had my first existential crisis in my senior year. My family treated me differently. I didn’t have anyone to talk to either. I was the most alone I had ever felt in my life. I was so stressed about figuring out my future that I almost gave up on it completely. The months following my departure were the hardest in my life and I wish there was a way to make active members understand that. Instead, I’m just told that I’m a lazy learner and that all I needed to do was try harder, then I would still be in church. New converts rarely last more than a year. They’ll find out that the Disney version they were taught in the 3 weeks before their baptism wasn’t everything. As the world and internet grows, it gets harder and harder to hide the truth from the members. I have hope that one day everyone will leave. Then everyone will finally be free." - Spencer's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/spendiggity144/
"“Never take counsel from those who don’t believe” - Russel M. Nelson. This is actually a major reason for why I questioned the church so much. The treatment towards ex-Mormons is insane. The church dehumanizes you so much. Addressing the above quote from Nelson, how terrible is that? He claims that nothing we say can be trusted because we have seen information that didn’t come from the church. My own family has been advised against trusting me. That’s enough evidence right there that they are getting worried about keeping members. I would argue the exact opposite. Seek out the counsel of people who are against what you believe especially, so that way you actually are educated enough to make your own choice. Ah yes, a choice. There is no choice. They give you the illusion that there is one, but it's either you choose to believe and stay in the church, or you are wrong and you are a terrible person. Because of my different beliefs, I am not trusted. It’s dangerous to be spending time around me if you are Mormon because clearly my sole purpose in life is to drag people away from the church and ruin their lives." - Spencer's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/spendiggity144/
"“Never take counsel from those who don’t believe” - Russel M. Nelson. This is actually a major reason for why I questioned the church so much. The treatment towards ex-Mormons is insane. The church dehumanizes you so much. Addressing the above quote from Nelson, how terrible is that? He claims that nothing we say can be trusted because we have seen information that didn’t come from the church. My own family has been advised against trusting me. That’s enough evidence right there that they are getting worried about keeping members. I would argue the exact opposite. Seek out the counsel of people who are against what you believe especially, so that way you actually are educated enough to make your own choice. Ah yes, a choice. There is no choice. They give you the illusion that there is one, but it's either you choose to believe and stay in the church, or you are wrong and you are a terrible person. Because of my different beliefs, I am not trusted. It’s dangerous to be spending time around me if you are Mormon because clearly my sole purpose in life is to drag people away from the church and ruin their lives." - Spencer's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/spendiggity144/
"I had been finding things out about the church and I was really struggling with my faith. I wanted so desperately to believe. The thought of living without the church left me feeling helpless and I would have given anything for it to be true. I got a strange feeling. You know the feeling when you are in a bad situation and the holy ghost tells you to avoid that and get out? Well, that’s the exact feeling that I got, against the church. The feeling didn’t go away. I couldn’t even pray without getting this unnerving feeling that something was seriously wrong with this religion. As soon as I began to consider, “What if I’m wrong”, it became so obvious. I had to get out. A few days later I told my parents what I was feeling. They were clearly upset but eventually decided that I was old enough to make my own decision and that they would treat me like an adult. That took a huge toll on the relationship with everyone in my family, and due to that, life became so hard for a few months after this big decision. The relationship with my family has since recovered. I know deep down they want me to come back, and deep down I wish that they would be able to see the world through my eyes. Life is so much more beautiful once you are out, and I wish there was a better way to communicate that to the people who are still stuck inside." - Spencer's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/spendiggity144/
"I had been finding things out about the church and I was really struggling with my faith. I wanted so desperately to believe. The thought of living without the church left me feeling helpless and I would have given anything for it to be true. I got a strange feeling. You know the feeling when you are in a bad situation and the holy ghost tells you to avoid that and get out? Well, that’s the exact feeling that I got, against the church. The feeling didn’t go away. I couldn’t even pray without getting this unnerving feeling that something was seriously wrong with this religion. As soon as I began to consider, “What if I’m wrong”, it became so obvious. I had to get out. A few days later I told my parents what I was feeling. They were clearly upset but eventually decided that I was old enough to make my own decision and that they would treat me like an adult. That took a huge toll on the relationship with everyone in my family, and due to that, life became so hard for a few months after this big decision. The relationship with my family has since recovered. I know deep down they want me to come back, and deep down I wish that they would be able to see the world through my eyes. Life is so much more beautiful once you are out, and I wish there was a better way to communicate that to the people who are still stuck inside." - Spencer's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/spendiggity144/
"The central foundation of almost every believing member’s testimony is feeling the holy ghost. To be quite blunt about it, you aren't special. Everyone on the planet experiences this feeling. It’s some sort of feeling of cosmic ecstasy that everyone feels for some reason, or for no reason at all. I still feel it after I left the church. All of it, whatever it is, is purely psychological. It is only because of the culture that we interpret these experiences differently. The LDS church uses something not unique to the LDS church as proof that the LDS church is the one and only true church. I live the best life I can and I hope to be favored in whatever happens after this life. If I strive to be the best person I can be outside of the church and God punishes me for that, then that’s not a god I want to be worshiping anyway. If what the Mormons say about God is all true, then I hate the guy. God would never treat his children this way. If he did, then he is not the generous forgiving perfect god that I was taught he was. If God is real, I think I’m doing just fine." - Spencer's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/spendiggity144/
"The central foundation of almost every believing member’s testimony is feeling the holy ghost. To be quite blunt about it, you aren't special. Everyone on the planet experiences this feeling. It’s some sort of feeling of cosmic ecstasy that everyone feels for some reason, or for no reason at all. I still feel it after I left the church. All of it, whatever it is, is purely psychological. It is only because of the culture that we interpret these experiences differently. The LDS church uses something not unique to the LDS church as proof that the LDS church is the one and only true church. I live the best life I can and I hope to be favored in whatever happens after this life. If I strive to be the best person I can be outside of the church and God punishes me for that, then that’s not a god I want to be worshiping anyway. If what the Mormons say about God is all true, then I hate the guy. God would never treat his children this way. If he did, then he is not the generous forgiving perfect god that I was taught he was. If God is real, I think I’m doing just fine." - Spencer's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/spendiggity144/
"I finally realized that the difference between doctrine and policy is completely arbitrary and the General Authorities can really just say whatever they want with no consequences. So I kept investigating. The gospel topics essays are honestly what really forced me out. One thing that I’ve heard repeated so many times during my time in the church is the phrase, “Beyond our comprehension”. The church abuses this phrase. It is often used to cover up various pieces of history. Whenever there is a hole in the story it's just easily covered up by, “we don’t know”. There are core doctrines that are believed with absolutely no verification at all. All these people going up to give a testimony saying they “know for a certainty” that the church is true are just straight-up lying to themselves. We just don’t know, and there is no way for us to know. I personally choose to be comfortable with that uncertainty." - Spencer's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/spendiggity144/
"I finally realized that the difference between doctrine and policy is completely arbitrary and the General Authorities can really just say whatever they want with no consequences. So I kept investigating. The gospel topics essays are honestly what really forced me out. One thing that I’ve heard repeated so many times during my time in the church is the phrase, “Beyond our comprehension”. The church abuses this phrase. It is often used to cover up various pieces of history. Whenever there is a hole in the story it's just easily covered up by, “we don’t know”. There are core doctrines that are believed with absolutely no verification at all. All these people going up to give a testimony saying they “know for a certainty” that the church is true are just straight-up lying to themselves. We just don’t know, and there is no way for us to know. I personally choose to be comfortable with that uncertainty." - Spencer's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/spendiggity144/