Images

"I had what I might describe as mystical experiences before joining the LDS Church, and I experienced what I interpreted to be mystical and spiritual experiences during my long LDS tenure; and I continue to have a spiritual dimension in my life now; in that way, nothing has changed except the manner in which I interpret these experiences. What I have learned is that spirituality is ultimately an individual experience, and we should never give our spiritual identity away to a rigid orthodoxy; life requires flexibility and continued openness." - Shane's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/shanecor23/
"I had what I might describe as mystical experiences before joining the LDS Church, and I experienced what I interpreted to be mystical and spiritual experiences during my long LDS tenure; and I continue to have a spiritual dimension in my life now; in that way, nothing has changed except the manner in which I interpret these experiences. What I have learned is that spirituality is ultimately an individual experience, and we should never give our spiritual identity away to a rigid orthodoxy; life requires flexibility and continued openness." - Shane's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/shanecor23/
"I am a survivor of a really horrible disease that inflicted my wife and for which we lived without a diagnosis for twelve years. In 2007, my wife began to change due to an unknown/undiagnosed degenerative brain disease. She was a magnificent woman. Over the next sixteen years, our lives unravelled, her behavior changed, and her life was destroyed (she passed away in early 2023). During this many year journey, her personality changed, our lovely marriage crumbled, and we descended into a deep decade of dysfunction, misdiagnosis, misuse of prescription drugs, and thousands of chaotic and traumatic experiences." - Shane's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/shanecor23/
"I am a survivor of a really horrible disease that inflicted my wife and for which we lived without a diagnosis for twelve years. In 2007, my wife began to change due to an unknown/undiagnosed degenerative brain disease. She was a magnificent woman. Over the next sixteen years, our lives unravelled, her behavior changed, and her life was destroyed (she passed away in early 2023). During this many year journey, her personality changed, our lovely marriage crumbled, and we descended into a deep decade of dysfunction, misdiagnosis, misuse of prescription drugs, and thousands of chaotic and traumatic experiences." - Shane's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/shanecor23/
"My simple reality is this; Mormonism was lovely until our family no longer fit; and then it wasn’t anymore! And now I see all of those lovely humans that were deeply harmed by it; who were nearly invisible to me, before life forced me more fully open. I have learned that love is so much greater than can be held in any religious construct. And it is simply okay for me not to be LDS anymore." - Shane's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/shanecor23/
"My simple reality is this; Mormonism was lovely until our family no longer fit; and then it wasn’t anymore! And now I see all of those lovely humans that were deeply harmed by it; who were nearly invisible to me, before life forced me more fully open. I have learned that love is so much greater than can be held in any religious construct. And it is simply okay for me not to be LDS anymore." - Shane's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/shanecor23/
"There were literally thousands of prayerful pleadings and fasts for answers. None came. Many incorrect diagnosis and treatments; no real assistance. The Church community could not deal with us." - Shane's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/shanecor23/
"There were literally thousands of prayerful pleadings and fasts for answers. None came. Many incorrect diagnosis and treatments; no real assistance. The Church community could not deal with us." - Shane's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/shanecor23/
"For those of us who have made this journey it is impossible to describe it to those who remain fixed to the “truth claims” of the Church. It is alright; we cannot understand that which we have not passed through; so I do not expect people to be able to come to terms with the challenges that our family faced with bvFTD. The abject truth seems to be this; “if you fit within the Church, it can be a lovely and supportive community. If you do not, it can be really damaging; for some people, it can be deadly." - Shane's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/shanecor23/
"For those of us who have made this journey it is impossible to describe it to those who remain fixed to the “truth claims” of the Church. It is alright; we cannot understand that which we have not passed through; so I do not expect people to be able to come to terms with the challenges that our family faced with bvFTD. The abject truth seems to be this; “if you fit within the Church, it can be a lovely and supportive community. If you do not, it can be really damaging; for some people, it can be deadly." - Shane's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/shanecor23/
"I met a lovely athiest woman who was single, never married (about my age) and began a relationship while I tried to figure out how to best help my spouse. I told the local leaders that they would need to excommunicate me because I could not see anyway through this; frankly, my faith had ceased to provide answers and support for my/our situation. During my excommunication, I was given an ultimatum, “divorce your wife to retain your membership and be disfellowshipped until you remarry, or excommunication would be the result”. In that moment I felt complete peace and knew that excommunication was the right choice for me." - Shane's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/shanecor23/
"I met a lovely athiest woman who was single, never married (about my age) and began a relationship while I tried to figure out how to best help my spouse. I told the local leaders that they would need to excommunicate me because I could not see anyway through this; frankly, my faith had ceased to provide answers and support for my/our situation. During my excommunication, I was given an ultimatum, “divorce your wife to retain your membership and be disfellowshipped until you remarry, or excommunication would be the result”. In that moment I felt complete peace and knew that excommunication was the right choice for me." - Shane's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/shanecor23/
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/shanecor23/. There are over a hundred more stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by 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/shanecor23/. There are over a hundred more stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
"We've invited you here tonight because we want to extend an invitation to each of you to serve... Will you prayerfully consider serving two missions? Not one, but two?" - Elder Kevin W. Pearson, LDS General Authority Seventy and President of the Utah Area March 19th, 2023, The Best Time of Our Lives: Senior Missionary Opportunities Broadcast | wasmormon.org
"We've invited you here tonight because we want to extend an invitation to each of you to serve... Will you prayerfully consider serving two missions? Not one, but two?" - Elder Kevin W. Pearson, LDS General Authority Seventy and President of the Utah Area March 19th, 2023, The Best Time of Our Lives: Senior Missionary Opportunities Broadcast
“Another way to seek a testimony seems astonishing when compared with the methods of obtaining other knowledge. We gain or strengthen a testimony by bearing it... testimonies are better gained on the feet bearing them than on the knees praying for them.” - LDS Apostle, Dallin H. Oaks - General Conference April 2008 | wasmormon.org
“Another way to seek a testimony seems astonishing when compared with the methods of obtaining other knowledge. We gain or strengthen a testimony by bearing it... testimonies are better gained on the feet bearing them than on the knees praying for them.” - LDS Apostle, Dallin H. Oaks - General Conference April 2008
"It is one thing to be able to say, “I believe, I think, I hope that the gospel is true,” but it requires personal revelation and personal acknowledgment and recognition to declare, “I know that the Church is true.” - Elder Charles Didier, October 1991 General Conference | wasmormon.org
"It is one thing to be able to say, “I believe, I think, I hope that the gospel is true,” but it requires personal revelation and personal acknowledgment and recognition to declare, “I know that the Church is true.” - Elder Charles Didier, October 1991 General Conference
I confessed, “President, I don’t think I can say I know that the Church is true yet, but I sure hope with all my heart that it is. And I am going to live my life in accordance with that hope. Is that enough?” | wasmormon.org
I confessed, “President, I don’t think I can say I know that the Church is true yet, but I sure hope with all my heart that it is. And I am going to live my life in accordance with that hope. Is that enough?”
"We gain or strengthen a testimony by bearing it… testimonies are better gained on the feet bearing them than on the knees praying for them." - LDS Apostle, Dallin H. Oaks - General Conference April 2008 | wasmormon.org
"We gain or strengthen a testimony by bearing it… testimonies are better gained on the feet bearing them than on the knees praying for them." - LDS Apostle, Dallin H. Oaks - General Conference April 2008
The emphasis on modern prophets and the latest general conference over the scriptures creates an atmosphere of transience that pervades everything. The only real rule is to do whatever they said most recently. Everything else is optional and unknowable. There's no foundation, or base we can trust. There is no doctrine, no catechism, and no solid foundation of rules or beliefs. It's just a doctrine of authority and spiritual coercion and abuse to ensure the sheep stay in line. The point is to obey the authorities and not question the brethren. The law of obedience is the most important law to follow, it's really the only law to follow. It's as circular as "Do as I say. Because I say so." It's shifting sands, maybes, and implied gotchas. Even though in primary we are taught the tale of those who build their house on the sand, and we know and remember that it doesn't end well for them. | wasmormon.org
The emphasis on modern prophets and the latest general conference over the scriptures creates an atmosphere of transience that pervades everything. The only real rule is to do whatever they said most recently. Everything else is optional and unknowable. There's no foundation, or base we can trust. There is no doctrine, no catechism, and no solid foundation of rules or beliefs. It's just a doctrine of authority and spiritual coercion and abuse to ensure the sheep stay in line. The point is to obey the authorities and not question the brethren. The law of obedience is the most important law to follow, it's really the only law to follow. It's as circular as "Do as I say. Because I say so." It's shifting sands, maybes, and implied gotchas. Even though in primary we are taught the tale of those who build their house on the sand, and we know and remember that it doesn't end well for them.
“The things that I shall tell you are not explained in the scriptures, although they conform to the principles taught in the scriptures.... The things I am going to tell you are not explained in our handbooks or manuals either. Even if they were, most of you don’t have handbooks because they are given only to the leaders. I will be speaking about what I call the “unwritten order of things.” Although they are very ordinary things, they are, nevertheless, very important! We somehow assume that everybody knows all the ordinary things already. If you do know them, you must have learned them through observation and experience, for they are not written anywhere and they are not taught in classes." - Boyd K Packer, LDS Apostle, October 1996 BYU Devotional: The Unwritten Order of Things | wasmormon.org
“The things that I shall tell you are not explained in the scriptures, although they conform to the principles taught in the scriptures.... The things I am going to tell you are not explained in our handbooks or manuals either. Even if they were, most of you don’t have handbooks because they are given only to the leaders. I will be speaking about what I call the “unwritten order of things.” Although they are very ordinary things, they are, nevertheless, very important! We somehow assume that everybody knows all the ordinary things already. If you do know them, you must have learned them through observation and experience, for they are not written anywhere and they are not taught in classes.” - Boyd K Packer, LDS Apostle, October 1996 BYU Devotional: The Unwritten Order of Things
"Imagine writing a book (grammatical changes in parenthesis): • About an (imaginary) ancient civilization. • There must be no research of any kind (because it is imaginary). • It must be 531 pages and more than 300,000 (269,320) words. • There must only be grammatical (3,913) changes to the first edition. • It must be written in the (pseudo) style of various authors. • (No unbiased) Archeological evidence supports it. • (Only) Intellectuals & scholars accept the truth of it (who are paid to). • You must finish writing it in 65 (working) days (over 2.5 years). • Volunteer missionaries witness the truth of it (with sales tactics and emotional manipulation)." How Can It Not Be True? The Book of Mormon (parenthesis added) Video from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | wasmormon.org
"Imagine writing a book (grammatical changes in parenthesis): • About an (imaginary) ancient civilization. • There must be no research of any kind (because it is imaginary). • It must be 531 pages and more than 300,000 (269,320) words. • There must only be grammatical (3,913) changes to the first edition. • It must be written in the (pseudo) style of various authors. • (No unbiased) Archeological evidence supports it. • (Only) Intellectuals & scholars accept the truth of it (who are paid to). • You must finish writing it in 65 (working) days (over 2.5 years). • Volunteer missionaries witness the truth of it (with sales tactics and emotional manipulation)." How Can It Not Be True? The Book of Mormon (parenthesis added) Video from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
"There have been at least 3,913 changes made in the [1964 edition of the] Book of Mormon from the time it was first published in 1830... Although there have been thousands of changes made in the Book of Mormon, the changes made in some of the other Mormon books are of a more serious nature. Some of the revelations that appear in the Doctrine and Covenants have had hundreds of words added to them. There also have been many important changes in the Pearl of Great Price... Page 14 of the first edition would have to have 355 words added, 63 words changed, and 4 words deleted to bring it into conformity with the 1989 edition." - Jerald and Sandra Tanner, 3,913 Changes in the Book of Mormon - 1996 | wasmormon.org
"There have been at least 3,913 changes made in the [1964 edition of the] Book of Mormon from the time it was first published in 1830... Although there have been thousands of changes made in the Book of Mormon, the changes made in some of the other Mormon books are of a more serious nature. Some of the revelations that appear in the Doctrine and Covenants have had hundreds of words added to them. There also have been many important changes in the Pearl of Great Price... Page 14 of the first edition would have to have 355 words added, 63 words changed, and 4 words deleted to bring it into conformity with the 1989 edition." - Jerald and Sandra Tanner, 3,913 Changes in the Book of Mormon - 1996
"There was not one thing in the Book of Mormon or in the second edition or any other edition since that in any way contradicts the first edition, and such changes as were made were made by the Prophet Joseph Smith because under those adverse conditions the Book of Mormon was published. But there was no change of doctrine." - Joseph Fielding Smith, The Improvement Era, December, 1961 | wasmormon.org
"There was not one thing in the Book of Mormon or in the second edition or any other edition since that in any way contradicts the first edition, and such changes as were made were made by the Prophet Joseph Smith because under those adverse conditions the Book of Mormon was published. But there was no change of doctrine." - Joseph Fielding Smith, The Improvement Era, December, 1961 | wasmormon.org
Book of Mormon changes between 1981 and 1920 versions. A list of major changes in the Book of Mormon and was compiled by Scott Faulring and printed in the Seventh East Press, October 21, 1981, Provo, Utah.
Book of Mormon changes between 1981 and 1920 versions. A list of major changes in the Book of Mormon and was compiled by Scott Faulring and printed in the Seventh East Press, October 21, 1981, Provo, Utah.
"I also was very much one of the local "anti-Mormons". I was jeered at. Threatened (by a return missionary non the less). But I continued trying to minister to Mormons. Admittedly as of late I'm just tired. I'm tired of the circular conversations and the refusals to listen. I know I shouldn't give in that easily so maybe this group will give me some much needed energy." - JR's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/jrtaylor/
"I also was very much one of the local "anti-Mormons". I was jeered at. Threatened (by a return missionary non the less). But I continued trying to minister to Mormons. Admittedly as of late I'm just tired. I'm tired of the circular conversations and the refusals to listen. I know I shouldn't give in that easily so maybe this group will give me some much needed energy." - JR's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/jrtaylor/
"One day someone left the book 'God's Word, Final, Infallible and Forever' on my doorstep. I threw it in a corner and forgot about it. Then one day I picked it up. My world changed almost overnight. I started reading my trusty KJV Bible and it truly came to life before my eyes. I was sure some of the things I was reading weren't there before." - JR's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/jrtaylor/
"One day someone left the book 'God's Word, Final, Infallible and Forever' on my doorstep. I threw it in a corner and forgot about it. Then one day I picked it up. My world changed almost overnight. I started reading my trusty KJV Bible and it truly came to life before my eyes. I was sure some of the things I was reading weren't there before." - JR's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/jrtaylor/
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/jrtaylor/. There are over a hundred more stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by 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/jrtaylor/. There are over a hundred more stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
"I left because it's a cult and it's history is filled with lies and deceptions. I believe Jesus Christ is my Savior and He is all I need for Salvation." - JR's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/jrtaylor/
"I left because it's a cult and it's history is filled with lies and deceptions. I believe Jesus Christ is my Savior and He is all I need for Salvation." - JR's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/jrtaylor/
"Eventually, I got saved and was baptized in a local Baptist church. I played on the worship team for many years, was a Youth Leader, and numerous other ministries." - JR's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/jrtaylor/
"Eventually, I got saved and was baptized in a local Baptist church. I played on the worship team for many years, was a Youth Leader, and numerous other ministries." - JR's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/jrtaylor/
Ronald E Poelman - The Gospel and the Church - Comparing the Original and the Revised Talk - Diff Screenshot https://gist.github.com/circlecube/b18da97c884683b75d820cd4740e225d/revisions#diff-ccff7643a5d68a6563a3687841b4162943edc8ad7799d66f9c4077d99266c3fb
Ronald E Poelman - The Gospel and the Church - Comparing the Original and the Revised Talk - Diff Screenshot https://gist.github.com/circlecube/b18da97c884683b75d820cd4740e225d/revisions#diff-ccff7643a5d68a6563a3687841b4162943edc8ad7799d66f9c4077d99266c3fb
"For truth, if it be truth, arises from each testing stronger, more secure. Those that would silence doubt are filled with fear; their houses are built on shifting sands. But those who fear not doubt, and know its use, are founded on rock. They shall walk in the light of growing knowledge; the work of their hands shall endure. Therefore let us not fear doubt, but let us rejoice in its help: It is to the wise as a staff to the blind; doubt is the attendant of truth." - Cherish Your Doubts, Robert T. Weston, Unitarian Minister | wasmormon.org
"For truth, if it be truth, arises from each testing stronger, more secure. Those that would silence doubt are filled with fear; their houses are built on shifting sands. But those who fear not doubt, and know its use, are founded on rock. They shall walk in the light of growing knowledge; the work of their hands shall endure. Therefore let us not fear doubt, but let us rejoice in its help: It is to the wise as a staff to the blind; doubt is the attendant of truth." - Cherish Your Doubts, Robert T. Weston, Unitarian Minister
"Cherish your doubts, for doubt is the attendant of truth. Doubt is the key to the door of knowledge; it is the servant of discovery. A belief which may not be questioned binds us to error, for there is incompleteness and imperfection in every belief. Doubt is the touchstone of truth; it is an acid which eats away the false. Let no one fear the truth, that doubt may consume it; for doubt is a testing of belief. The truth stands boldly and unafraid; it is not shaken by the testing:" - Cherish Your Doubts, Robert T. Weston, Unitarian Minister | wasmormon.org
"Cherish your doubts, for doubt is the attendant of truth. Doubt is the key to the door of knowledge; it is the servant of discovery. A belief which may not be questioned binds us to error, for there is incompleteness and imperfection in every belief. Doubt is the touchstone of truth; it is an acid which eats away the false. Let no one fear the truth, that doubt may consume it; for doubt is a testing of belief. The truth stands boldly and unafraid; it is not shaken by the testing:" - Cherish Your Doubts, Robert T. Weston, Unitarian Minister
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/jarad/. There are over a hundred more stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by 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/jarad/. There are over a hundred more stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
"Horses often have blinders put over their eyes to help them focus on just the road ahead and nothing else. When I accepted that the church wasn't true, it was as if those narrow blinders came off. I could see just how big and wonderful this world and all its fascinating people are!" - Jarad's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/jarad/
"Horses often have blinders put over their eyes to help them focus on just the road ahead and nothing else. When I accepted that the church wasn't true, it was as if those narrow blinders came off. I could see just how big and wonderful this world and all its fascinating people are!" - Jarad's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/jarad/
"Life is full of terrific questions, and I have my own inner authority to seek, explore and choose my path. It hasn't been all sunshine and roses, but I'm so very grateful for the so-called faith crisis and the courage I've found to break free from the control that the church offers." - Jarad's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/jarad/
"Life is full of terrific questions, and I have my own inner authority to seek, explore and choose my path. It hasn't been all sunshine and roses, but I'm so very grateful for the so-called faith crisis and the courage I've found to break free from the control that the church offers." - Jarad's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/jarad/
"I was struggling with a few things in church and I had hopes that trying harder to stay forever LDS would keep me full of faith. In spite of, or perhaps because of, all my extra efforts to study the doctrine and history along with participating in faith-promoting podcasts, my doubts loomed large." - Jarad's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/jarad/
"I was struggling with a few things in church and I had hopes that trying harder to stay forever LDS would keep me full of faith. In spite of, or perhaps because of, all my extra efforts to study the doctrine and history along with participating in faith-promoting podcasts, my doubts loomed large." - Jarad's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/jarad/