Hello, I am Art Carpenter

I was born and raised in Manti, Utah. My childhood to adulthood experience in this little Mormon community was idyllic. At age 20, I was called to serve in the Central German Mission. My first endowment experience was the point where I lost my belief in Mormonism, but since I was already committed, I served out my two-and-a-half-year mission. Upon my return, I enrolled at BYU and earned a B.A. in history in 1966, and an M.L.S. in library science in 1969. In 1968, I married a girl from my hometown area, a tiny community called Mayfield. We were married in the Manti Temple. We raised four wonderful children. My wife of 52 years passed away January 4, 2021. In 2016, I retired after 46 years as an associate professor of library science at Weber State University.
All along, my wife and children were very strong in the LDS Church, and my children still are. I kept my faith doubts hidden to preserve family harmony. After my wife passed away, I switched to the non-denominational Christian church in South Ogden called the Washington Heights Church which has become a wonderful fit and worlds apart from the LDS Church. Their authentic worship of Jesus Christ and his pure gospel using the Bible as their only guide was something I had been searching for my whole adult life. It was so refreshing and liberating to belong to a Christian community which welcomes and accepts everyone for who they are, where there is no priesthood and no check-off list of requirements.