Stories of mormon faith transitions. Share your truth – own your story!
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"I am a gay man married to another gay man who was also Mormon. I have five adult children, fourteen grandchildren, and I finally found how to love myself for who I am. I was a Mormon." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"As 2013 approached, I saw the Ordain Women movement take some positions, like wearing purple to Sacrament meeting, and I decided I would. Heck, I love colors, and so why not? Well, it didn't go over well, and suffice it to say, coupled with a few other events in January, 2013, I realized how many other things were wrong in Mormonism besides just their stance against gay marriage." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"I went through hell to get where I'm at in accepting myself for who I am, and I encourage any LGBTQIA Mormons to pull their own handcart on their own journey, even if it takes them to places far away from Utah, like, say, Palm Springs, California!" - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"Doctrinally, I think the statement from the introduction to the Book of Abraham was the most significant to me. "By his own hand upon papyrus," I'd read so many times before as a believing Mormon, and I thought how very special Abraham and this Pearl of Great Price was, only to find out that it wasn't Abraham's hand upon the papyrus, at all. I was devastated, again and again, by so many hidden history, that I couldn't deny that there was something wrong with the religion, something horribly wrong." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"It is almost beyond comprehension what gay Mormons have to endure, as the Brethren have not been very prophetic in understanding what it means to be gay. Just look at the many mistaken "doctrines" surrounding homosexuality from the era of my youth (1970's). I lament further the outright transphobia that occurs right now in Mormonism, when transgender people aren't even acknowledged as real." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"And so, after coming out gay, I then resigned from the LDS Church officially, and started pulling my own damnable handcart, on my very own journey. I went through hell to come out of the gay closet whilst being a Mormon, and it took years of cognitive therapy to learn how to be happy. I'm at peace with myself and my being gay, and with both the good things I learned while being raised Mormon, as well as the bad things. Learning how to understand nuance versus the black-and-white thinking of a religion like Mormonism is very valuable to my happiness." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"Handcart pioneers, and regular, covered wagon pioneers, and even later railroad pioneers, and close associations with Joseph Smith by progenitors, all form my ancestry, culture, and experiences in Mormonism. Like so many of those pioneers, though, there comes a time when I had to pioneer for myself, creating my own experiences and journey." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"In November, 2012, I was living in Washington state and a ballot measure was before us. Like happened in California with Prop 8, the Mormon church started a campaign to stop legalization of same-sex marriage. I researched what had gone on with Prop 8, and then read more and more about the issue. I then voted FOR gay marriage in that November 2012 election, and felt, for the first time ever, that my 49 years in the gay closet might finally come to an end. I had to come out not only to my then-wife, but to myself, and that was the most difficult of all, being true to myself." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"I devoted all of my time, talents, and everything with which I had been blessed to the LDS church. I left because not only was I gay, and gay and Mormon don't go well together, but because Mormonism isn't true in the sense of how it was portrayed and taught to me." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
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/kevinrex4/. 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!
letter-for-my-wife-she-never-read-it
"My Love,I am writing this letter to explain in detail how I came to the conclusion that the Church is not all it claims to be. I long for your understanding and support. You are my whole world." - Letter for my wife
"I joined the LDS Church as a fourteen year old, in the 1970s. Served a mission to South Korea, for which I still have many fond memories from that formative experience. Returned from the mission to marry a beautiful woman (also a young adult convert) that I had met in the MTC. Graduated from BYU, enjoyed raising six children with my sweetheart and working my ass off as a EQP, YMP, Bishop, High Counselor, Stake Presidency Counselor, Primary Teacher, and Primary Chorister (amongst others). Met many lovely people along the way, and still retain a few beautiful friends that have chosen to love me, despite the events that followed. I was a Mormon." - Shane's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/shanecor23/
"As I found the permission to take care of myself, I became a much better advocate and support for my wife, and we eventually discovered the disease Frontotemporal Degeneration (behavioral variant), a terminal illness that destroys the patient’s personality and body over an extended period. My life-partner helped me find a measure of health and happiness that helped me take care of my spouse to the end. It became a different kind of love story; and our story simply could not have occurred within the confines of the Church. Yet, there were a few active LDS friends and family members that continued to be part of our story. I have learned deep lessons about love; and these experiences could not have come to fruition within the rigid boundaries of Mormonism. The Church could not accept or provide a meaningful path for me." - Shane's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/shanecor23/
"I am extremely well read in LDS doctrine, orthodoxy, and official Church history. And I am now, from thousands of hours of study, well versed in the alternative versions of LDS history and the evolution of LDS doctrine. The current LDS narratives are highly currated and filtered to promote faith and adherence. For me, it is impossible to reconcile what is propped up with what actually transpired. But I understand most of it in terms of the deep needs of the tribe. Every human group requires “hero stories” to create a binding adhesion and identity; the Brighamite branch of Mormonism has done this very well. But there are deep problems with the narratives, and I see the Church being somewhat forced to open itself to a more revealing narrative, over time." - 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/
"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/
"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/
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!
"The only true wisdom consists in knowing that you know nothing." - Socrates
"The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. Certainty is missing the point entirely." - Anne Lamott, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith
Ronald E Poelman - 1984 - The Gospel and the Church. Comparing the original and the edited talks.
Ronald E Poelman - 1984 - The Gospel and the Church. Comparing the original and the edited talks.
"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
Ronald E Poelman - The Gospel and the Church, 1984 - Comparing the Original and the Revised Talk Slide 2 | wasmormon.org
Ronald E Poelman - The Gospel and the Church, 1984 - Comparing the Original and the Revised Talk Slide 3 | wasmormon.org
Ronald E Poelman - The Gospel and the Church, 1984 - Comparing the Original and the Revised Talk Slide 5 | wasmormon.org
Ronald E Poelman - The Gospel and the Church, 1984 - Comparing the Original and the Revised Talk Slide 4 | wasmormon.org
Ronald E Poelman - The Gospel and the Church, 1984 - Comparing the Original and the Revised Talk Slide 1 | 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
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?”
"The oblique paradox of propaganda is that the lie in the throat becomes, by repetition, the truth in the heart." -
John Grierson
"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
What is the Illusory Truth Effect? A comic created with the help of AI • wasmormon.org/illusory-truth-effect
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
"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
"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 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](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Book-of-Mormon-How-can-it-not-be-true-3913-Changes.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1)
