Stories of mormon faith transitions. Share your truth – own your story!
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“David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, and Martin Harris, are too mean to mention; and we had liked to have forgotten them.” - Joseph Smith
"Mr. Cowdery expressed a desire to associate himself with a Methodist Protestant Church of this city. Rev. John Souder and myself were appointed a committee to wait on Mr. Cowdery and confer with him respecting his connection with Mormonism and the Book of Mormon. We accordingly waited on Mr. Cowdery at his residence in Tiffin, and there learned his connection, from him, with that order, and his full and final renunciation thereof... He arose and addressed the audience present, admitted his error and implored forgiveness, and said he was sorry and ashamed of his connection with Mormonism." - Oliver Cowdery, Witness of The Gold Plates
“If you believe my testimony to the Book of Mormon; if you believe that God spake to us three witnesses by his own voice, then I tell you that in June, 1838, God spake to me again by his own voice from the heavens, and told me to separate myself from among the Latter Day Saints.” - David Whitmer, Witness of The Golden Plates
[John Murphy]: “I heard you saw an angel. I never saw one. I want your description of [the] shape, voice...”
[David Whitmer]: “It had no appearance or shape.” [Murphy]: “Then you saw nothing nor heard nothing?” [Whitmer]: “Nothing, in the way you understand it.” [Murphy]: “How, then, could you have borne testimony that you saw and heard an angel?”
[Whitmer]: “Have you never had impressions?”
[Murphy]: “Then you had impressions as the Quaker when the spirit moves, or as a good Methodist in giving a happy experience, a feeling?” [Whitmer]: “Just so.” - David Whitmer, Witness of The Golden Plates
"I was well acquainted with Martin Harris, who was often at my house for days at a time. I have questioned him much about the plates from which the “Book of Mormon” purports to have been translated. He never claimed to have seen them with his natural eyes, only spiritual vision." - Reuben P. Harmon, a neighbor of Martin Harris in Kirtland, Ohio | Martin Harris, Witness of the Gold Plates
"A sensible and religious gentleman in Palmyra put the following question to Harris: 'Did you see these plates?' Harris replied that he did. 'But did you see the plates and the engravings on them with your bodily eyes?' Harris replied, 'Yes, I saw them with my eyes; there were shown unto me by the power of God, and not of man.' 'But did you see them with your natural, bodily eyes, just as you see this pencil case in my hand? Now say no or yes to this.' Harris replied, 'I did not see them as I do that pencil case, yet I saw them with the eye of faith; I saw them just as distinctly as I see anything around me, though at the time they were covered over with a cloth.'" - Martin Harris, Witness of the Gold Plates
Martin was in the office when I [John H. Gilbert, typesetter for most of the Book of Mormon] finished setting up the testimony of the three witnesses, I said to him, “Martin, did you see those plates with your naked eyes?” Martin looked down for an instant, raised his eyes up, and said, “No, I saw them with a spiritual eye.” - Martin Harris, Witness of the Gold Plates
Stephen Burnett claimed that Martin Harris denied having seen the plates “with his natural eyes.” Citing the language of the revelation, Burnett asserted that to see by God’s power meant that the witnesses viewed the plates only “in vision or imagination.” Harris felt misrepresented and immediately attempted to clarify his earlier statement. Struggling to put the transcendent experience into words, he stated, according to Burnett, that he saw the plates as if he “saw a city through a mountain.” - Martin Harris, Witness of the Gold Plates
"Be it known... that we... have seen the plates. And we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true. And we also testify... an angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings thereon; and we know that it is by the grace of God... that we beheld and bear record that these things are true. And it is marvelous in our eyes." - Testimony of Three Witnesses
Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmer
Once you realize that the Mormon church is not what it claims to be, you are faced with what to do about it. The answer depends on your specific situation, but there are several possibilities. For many, the decision to resign reflects a commitment to intellectual honesty and emotional well-being. Quitting can provide a way to reclaim autonomy, heal from feelings of guilt or unworthiness perpetuated by the church’s teachings, and embrace a path that aligns more authentically with their values and truth. Resignation is often the culmination of a long, painful journey but also the beginning of a liberating and empowering new chapter.
Leaving the Mormon Church is a deeply personal decision, and there is no one "right" way to do it. Whether you choose to leave quietly, formally resign, or share your story publicly, the journey is yours to define. If you're unsure where to start, reaching out to supportive communities or resources can make the process less daunting.
QuitMormon Resignation Process
This letter is to inform you that I have terminated my membership of the Church.
Please remove my name from the records of the LDS Church immediately.
I understand that the withdrawal of my name cancels the effect of baptism and removes any Priesthood or Temple blessings. I will NOT participate in church disciplinary councils for I have done nothing wrong and I have no unresolved transgressions. I do NOT want to be contacted by anyone acting on behalf of the church. This includes Bishops, Ministering brothers and sisters, and anyone else.
I demand that you remove my name completely from your records within 5 business days of receipt of this notice and will consider my resignation completed at that time. | QuitMormon Resignation Letter
We usually upload your resignation letter to Kirton McConkie within a few days to a few weeks after you have provided all the necessary information to us.
The church typically processes and returns the confirmation to us within 4-6 weeks after we've uploaded it to them. | QuitMormon FAQ & Resignation Status Updates
We are not attempting to influence anyone to leave. QuitMormon eliminates most or all unwanted contact and gets you resigned much quicker than resigning on your own. | QuitMormon.com
The attorneys representing the LDS church have confirmed the removal of your name from church records. | QuitMormon.com Resignation Certificate
“QuitMormon is a pro bono service run by an unassuming T-shirt-and-jeans Utah immigration attorney named Mark Naugle. The 34-year-old has streamlined the process of resigning from the Church. When users are ready to have their names removed from Church records, they simply submit a request to Naugle that includes their name, date of birth, address, membership number, and whether they’re a minor. Naugle takes it from there, sending a form letter to the Church that requests the removal of the client’s information from all records. Crucially, the letter also forbids further contact between the Church and his client. Mormons never have to reach out to their bishops to explain their decision to leave, and they won’t receive well-meaning visits from their former peers.” - The Verge, 2019
“Any organization that tells you what to eat, what to do with your body, what to do on specific days of the week, and then ostracizes you when you actively disavow them, I think is a cult. Any organization that requires a lawyer’s help to leave it so that they stop harassing you and stop hunting you down worldwide I also think is a cult. Having experienced it myself, having been in the organization and knowing the psychological damage it can cause, they’re a cult.” - Mark Naugle, Founder of QuitMormon.com
“You'd contact your local leadership, you will call a bishop and tell them, 'We don't want to be on the records anymore.' They most likely won't take that well, they'll accuse of sinning, put you on a 60-day waiting period, call you for meetings, send people over from the ward to try and talk you back into it.” - Mark Naugle, Founder of QuitMormon.com
How to Avoid a Faith Crisis. • Experiment on the word and desire to believe. • Doubt not, but be believing; ask deep questions. • Make sure that Jesus Christ is your only foundation.
• Accept Joseph Smith as the Lord's restorer. • Let the Book of Mormon be your keystone. • Take an eternal view on earthly concerns. • Use sound study methods and clear reasoning. • Consult reliable, well-informed resources.
• Listen to the Spirit and follow the prophets. • Find safety and peace in obeying the commandments. • Embrace the ever-changing Church policies.
• Examine Church history with a 360º perspective. • Forgive, forget offensive leaders and members. • Maintain daily habits to stay on the covenant path.
• Record the times when God spoke peace to you.
A Mormon faith crisis is inevitable for those who seek to reconcile the religion's foundational claims with objective truth because the Mormon faith is built on a narrative that does not hold up to scrutiny. At its core, the church hinges on the prophetic authority of Joseph Smith, the historical authenticity of the Book of Mormon, and the divine mandate of its leadership—all claims that crumble under critical examination. Also, the church's history of racism, sexism, polygamy, and homophobia—justified as divine revelation—contradict its own teachings on morality and equality. Faith crises are not simply caused by offense or laziness, as the church often claims, but by the irreconcilable gap between its teachings and reality. When faith is tethered to a narrative that cannot withstand scrutiny, a crisis of faith and questioning are not only possible but they are unavoidable—especially for anyone who values integrity and truth. | wasmormon.org/how-to-avoid-a-faith-crisis/
The only way to truly avoid a faith crisis is to have built the faith on principles of integrity, open inquiry, and adaptability, rather than anchoring it to a fragile, unverifiable story as its core. Teaching members to avoid a faith crisis might offer a veneer of guidance, but its approach—anchored in blind obedience and avoidance of difficult questions—ultimately denies individuals the opportunity to explore their beliefs authentically. True faith, or even a life of integrity, cannot thrive on suppressing doubts or ignoring facts; it grows through honest inquiry, personal reflection, and the courage to confront uncomfortable truths. A faith crisis is not a failure to be avoided but a critical step in uncovering what is real and meaningful. Rather than fearing it, we can embrace it as an opportunity to grow, learn, and build a life based on authenticity rather than illusions. If you’ve faced your own faith crisis share your story. By sharing your journey, you not only find connection and healing but also help others who may be navigating their own crises to know they’re not alone.
Course Summary - How to Avoid a Faith Crisis
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities" - Voltaire, French Writer, Philosopher and Historian. 1694-1778.
Hypothetically, who passes the test of life? Those who blindly follows church teachings or those who question, investigate, and choos to act morally based on personal conviction rather than religious doctrine or promised reward? Critical thinking, independence, and intrinsic morality align with qualities necessary for godhood, hence a questioning individual passes the divine test, while blind obedience, avoiding questions and following submissively does not lead to growth or knowledge and theoretically, is not a quality of godhood.
"The majority of Native Americans carry largely Asian DNA. Scientists theorize that in an era that predated Book of Mormon accounts, a relatively small group of people migrated from northeast Asia to the Americas by way of a land bridge that connected Siberia to Alaska. These people, scientists say, spread rapidly to fill North and South America and were likely the primary ancestors of modern American Indians… Much as critics and defenders of the Book of Mormon would like to use DNA studies to support their views, the evidence is simply inconclusive. Nothing is known about the DNA of Book of Mormon peoples. - Gospel Topic Essay, Book of Mormon and DNA Studies
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/book-of-mormon-and-dna-studies
"Although this account appears to be the writing of Joseph Smith, it is actually an excerpt from a journal of William Clayton... Where the ideas written by William Clayton originated is unknown." - Ensign, August 1981. Kinderhook Plates Brought to Joseph Smith Appear to Be a Nineteenth-Century Hoax, Stanley B. Kimball, professor of history at Southern Illinois University.
The Kinderhook Plates
"A recent electronic and chemical analysis of a metal plate (one of six original plates) brought in 1843 to the Prophet Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, Illinois, appears to solve a previously unanswered question in Church history, helping to further evidence that the plate is what its producers later said it was—a nineteenth-century attempt to lure Joseph Smith into making a translation of ancient-looking characters that had been etched into the plates." - Ensign, August 1981. Kinderhook Plates Brought to Joseph Smith Appear to Be a Nineteenth-Century Hoax, Stanley B. Kimball, professor of history at Southern Illinois University.
Contemporaneous sources say very little about Joseph Smith’s encounter with the Kinderhook plates, which occurred over a span of just a few days in 1843. Joseph apparently examined the plates and, according to his clerk William Clayton, remarked that they contained “the history of … a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” Joseph evidently did not attempt a revelatory translation as he had done with the Book of Mormon plates, but rather appears to have compared the symbols on the Kinderhook plates with other ancient artifacts in his possession. - LDS Website, Church History Topics: Kinderhook Plates
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/kinderhook-plates
"The Kinderhook Plates, sketched by an unknown artist, and published in the periodical Times and Seasons at Nauvoo in 1843. Reproduced here from the Documentary History of the Church, volume 5, pages 374-376. The six brass plates were found near Kinderhook, in Pike County, Illinois, on April 23, 1843." - The Improvement Era, September 1962. The Kinderhook Plates, Welby W. Ricks, President, University Archeological Society, BYU. Page 658.
"A recent rediscovery of one of the Kinderhook plates which was examined by Joseph Smith, reaffirms his prophetic calling... Joseph Smith, pronounced them genuine and translated a part of them... This much remains, Joseph Smith, stands as a true prophet and translator of ancient records by divine means and all the world is invited to investigate the truth which has sprung out of the earth not only of the Kinderhook plates, but of the Book of Mormon as well." - The Improvement Era, September 1962. The Kinderhook Plates, Welby W. Ricks, President, University Archeological Society, BYU. Pages 636-637, 656, 658, 660.
"Another set of plates have been found in Pike county, in this State; they were dug out of a large mound, fifteen feet from the summit, by a company of persons, fifteen in number, who all affirm to the fact of their situation when found. There were six in number, about three inches in length, and two and a half broad at one end, and one inch broad at the other, being something of the form of a bell, about the sixteenth of an inch thick, with a hole in the small end of each, fastened together with a ring, apparantly of iron or steel, but which was so oxidised as to crumble to pieces when handled. The plates are evidently brass, and are covered on both sides with hyerogliphics. They were brought up and shown to Joseph Smith. He compared them in my presence with his Egyptian alphabet, which he took from the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated, and they are characters. He therefore will evidently the same be able to decipher them. There can be no doubt but they are a record of some kind, buried with an individual, centuries ago; a skeleton was found with them-some of the bones in such a state of preservation as to show the size of the individual, whose height must have been eight and a half teet. You may expect something very remarkably pretty soon." - Late and Interesting from the Mormon Empire on the Upper Mississippi, Letter from "A Gentile" (Sylvester Emmons) published in New York Herald, Tuesday, May 30, 1843. Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
One of the six original Kinderhook Plates created by counterfeiters in southwestern Illinois who hoped to discredit Latter Day Saints leader Joseph Smith in 1843. The plates were manufactured bearing a fabricated ancient language and buried near the town of Kinderhook, Illinois. The hucksters hoped Smith would translate the gibberish and reveal himself as a fake. - Chicago History Museum, Kinderhook plate
A brief account of the Discovery of the Brass Plates recently taken from a mound near Kinderhook, Pike County, Illinois. Singular discovery—materials for another Mormon book. The contents of the Plates, together with a Fac-simile of the same, will be published in the “Times and Seasons,” as soon as the translation is completed. - The first facsimiles of the Kinderhook plates appeared in a broadside published on June 24, 1843, by the Nauvoo Neighbor.
I have seen 6 brass plates which were found in Adams County by some persons who were digging in a mound They found a skeleton about 6 feet from the surface of the earth which was 9 foot high [tracing of plate] The plates were on the breast of the skeleton. This diagram shows the size of the plates being drawn on the edge of one of them. They are covered with ancient characters of language containing from 30 to 40 on each side of the plates. Prest J. has translated a portion and says they contain the history of the person with whom they were found & he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven & earth. - William Clayton's Journal, Joseph Smith's Official Scribe and Secretary, May 1, 1843
"I have seen 6 brass plates which were found... in a mound... covered with ancient characters of language containing from 30 to 40 on each side of the plates. President Joseph has translated a portion and says they contain the history of the person with whom they were found & he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven & earth." - William Clayton's Journal, Joseph Smith's Official Scribe and Secretary, May 1, 1843
"Six plates having the appearance of Brass have lately been dug out of the mound by a gentleman in Pike Co. Illinois. They are small and filled with engravings in Egyptian language and contain the genealogy of one of the ancient Jaredites back to Ham the son of Noah. His bones were found in the same vase (made of Cement). Part of the bones were 15 ft. underground. A large number of Citizens have seen them and compared the characters with those on the Egyptian papyrus which is now in this city." - Parley P. Pratt letter of May 7, 1843 | The Ensign, August 1981, page 73
"I insert facsimiles of the six brass plates found near Kinderhook, in Pike county, Illinois, on April 23, by Mr. Robert Wiley and others, while excavating a large mound. They found a skeleton about six feet from the surface of the earth, which must have stood nine feet high. The plates were found on the breast of the skeleton and were covered on both sides with ancient characters. I have translated a portion of them, and find they contain the history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the Ruler of heaven and earth." - History of the Church, 5:372-378
I have translated a portion of them, and find they contain the history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the Ruler of heaven and earth.History of the Church, 5:372-378
cesletters.org labeled as phishing site by browser. Did you mean cesletter.org? Attackers sometimes mimic sites by making hard-to-see changes to the web address.
"Secular evidence can neither prove nor disprove the authenticity of the Book of Mormon." - Dallin H. Oaks, LDS Apostle, On The Historicity of the Book of Mormon, 1993
![[John Murphy]: “I heard you saw an angel. I never saw one. I want your description of [the] shape, voice...” [David Whitmer]: “It had no appearance or shape.” [Murphy]: “Then you saw nothing nor heard nothing?” [Whitmer]: “Nothing, in the way you understand it.” [Murphy]: “How, then, could you have borne testimony that you saw and heard an angel?” [Whitmer]: “Have you never had impressions?” [Murphy]: “Then you had impressions as the Quaker when the spirit moves, or as a good Methodist in giving a happy experience, a feeling?” [Whitmer]: “Just so.” - David Whitmer, Witness of The Golden Plates | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/David-Whitmer-witness-angel-had-no-appearance-or-shape-only-an-impression-happy-experience-or-feeling.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1)
![Martin was in the office when I [John H. Gilbert, typesetter for most of the Book of Mormon] finished setting up the testimony of the three witnesses, I said to him, “Martin, did you see those plates with your naked eyes?” Martin looked down for an instant, raised his eyes up, and said, “No, I saw them with a spiritual eye.” - Martin Harris, Witness of the Gold Plates | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Martin-Harris-Witness-not-naked-eye-spiritual-eye.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1)
![I have seen 6 brass plates which were found in Adams County by some persons who were digging in a mound They found a skeleton about 6 feet from the surface of the earth which was 9 foot high [tracing of plate] The plates were on the breast of the skeleton. This diagram shows the size of the plates being drawn on the edge of one of them. They are covered with ancient characters of language containing from 30 to 40 on each side of the plates. Prest J. has translated a portion and says they contain the history of the person with whom they were found & he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven & earth. - William Clayton's Journal, Joseph Smith's Official Scribe and Secretary, May 1, 1843 | wasmormon.org](https://i0.wp.com/wasmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/William-Clayton-Journal-kinderhook-plate-tracing-President-Joseph-translated-a-portion-and-says-they-contain-the-history-of-a-descendant-of-Ham-through-Pharaoh.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1)
