Luis’s journey is a powerful testament to the cost—and the reward—of pursuing truth and integrity, even when it upends everything familiar. A convert to Mormonism, Luis threw himself into church life with sincerity, eventually marrying in the temple and serving in church leadership. But new information surfaced—thanks to the internet and resources like the CES Letter—he was confronted with a version of church history and culture that clashed with the values he held dear.
A move from San Diego to Utah, meant to strengthen ties and please others, instead exposed him to deeper systemic issues within the church and its community—racism, exclusion, and a culture that punished honest questioning. His courage to speak up and stop conforming came at a personal cost: strained relationships, the loss of his calling, and even the end of his marriage. Yet in that painful unraveling, Luis found something he hadn’t had in years—peace. His story is one of hard-won freedom and the healing that can come when we stop pretending and start living authentically.
Hi, I’m Luis. I converted in 1998 and married in the temple in 2004. I was a Mormon.
I was assigned to the Spanish Branch as a Second Counselor, and in 2013 started finding out details that I never heard of before. This wealth of new information about the shady church beginnings and practices kept coming. Thank you internet!
In a moment of spontaneous and mental lapse (to try to make others happy) decided to move from gorgeous San Diego to Salt Lake City. There I came across more information, the CES Letter, and met many going through a collapse of their faith. I realized the monumental mistake of moving to Utah, where if you are not a Trumper and a Mormon, you do not belong, and even supposed family will remind you of that at every opportunity.
The racist behavior and malicious leanings of many members in Utah made me question my belief in the “religion” and God. How could a God just sit there and watch all the injustice, racism, and misleading information (done in his name) and do nothing? Discussions about those topics went nowhere and many just provided mental gymnastics. Those apologists puzzled me. They made me realize that “truth” was never the goal.
In December 2021, I stopped going to church after tithing settlement meeting and heated discussion with my demanding Bishop. I stopped going to church because I got ignored and experienced a very awkward and unfriendly atmosphere after that. Apparently, not paying that 10% and questioning makes you “unlikeable”.
After a tense meeting with counselors and my wife (now ex), they immediately released me from my calling. I explained to my daughters why dad was not going to church anymore. That was the last discussion as a family.
I was marginalized by “church friends” and by extended “family.” My side of the family are not members so they became my support system. I came back home. I no longer believe in god, and finally found peace.
Luis
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/elnene/. 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!
When creating a profile, contributors select a privacy level they are comfortable with. There are options to publicly display a profile in the directory and receive a spotlight, opt out of social media attention, remain private and only viewable by other site members, or be completely unlisted. wasmormorg.org is for you to share your story however you can – never to dox you.