Hi, I'm Daniel
I'm a family physician, runner, bicycle fanatic,husband, father and seeker of truth. I was a Mormon.
About me
I’m a Family Physician in Minnesota, but I grew up in Idaho in a community that was predominantly Mormon. I never questioned the historical claims of the Church and trusted all my Church leaders that what I was taught was true. All my major life decisions including family, education, and finances were heavily influenced by my desire to gain salvation by following the rules and policies of the church
On my shelf
On the Mormon Spectrum
# Why I left More stories of 'Why I left' the Mormon church
I suffered from severe scrupulosity (religious OCD) and felt I was constantly a sinner. I never realized that the Church membership made up less than 0.2% of the world population, and the amount of active believers was far less than that. In my late 20s, I began reading the Church’s “Gospel Topics Essays”, and quickly began feeling uneasy with the history of the Church. I spent 5 years reading everything I could about the history of the Church, Joseph Smith, and The Book of Mormon.
I quickly realized the narrative taught in the Church is far from truthful, and doesn’t match the historical or scientific record.
The Book of Mormon isn’t a historical account, it’s filled with anachronism.The Book of Abraham is a sham translation. For years I painfully tried to make the church work in my life and I played mental gymnastics to silence my doubts.
This lead to depression- it’s difficult to pretend to believe something you think is hurtful, especially when you fear losing your wife and children if you decide to leave the church. The Church has an undeniable history of racism and sexism. The Church has >100 Billion in assets, and gives an infinitesimally small portion to the poor. I refuse to let my children be forced down one path, and want them to seek truth without undue pressure or influence. The leaders of the church couldn’t answer my questions and told me to keep believing.
I made the decision to leave and haven’t looked back. There have been new challenges with leaving, but being able to be honest with myself has created a new found peace. I’m living in the here and now, and not living out of fear. Having the courage to break the generational Mormon chain is difficult, but allows for growth, happiness and authenticity. As a physician I’ve been trained to research and investigate, to seek truth from reliable sources. I also believe in faith, hope, honesty, transparency, justice and truth. I’m an Ex-Mormon.
Questions about Mormons My Answers to Questions about Mormonism
#Link to this answer of 'What do you believe is the origin of the Book of Mormon?' by Daniel Johnson What do you believe is the origin of the Book of Mormon? See more answers about 'What do you believe is the origin of the Book of Mormon?'
The Book of Mormon is rich with themes, names and geography that were common in daily life in New England during Joseph's life. There is a significant amount of content in the Book of Mormon that was taken from the Bible, The View of The Hebrews and the Spaulding Manuscript. Joseph likely combined these sources, with some help from Oliver and/Or Sidney to produce the Book of Mormon. Nobody ever saw Golden Plates except for with their "spiritual eyes", which leads me to believe the Gold Plates did not exist. Although I cannot definitely say how the Book of Mormon was produced, I'm 100% certain it is a modern production and not of ancient origin.
#Link to this answer of 'What do you feel or know about the translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham?' by Daniel Johnson What do you feel or know about the translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham? See more answers about 'What do you feel or know about the translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham?'
We have the source material(Papyri purchased by Joseph) for the Book of Abraham. Joseph's "translation" of the Book of Abraham doesn't match this record in the slightest. In fact, the Egyptian papyri are actually an Egyptian funeral document that dates to hundreds of years after Abraham lived, and say nothing of Abraham. The facsimile interpretations by Joseph were completely inaccurate. Lastly, the Book of Abraham is also filled with anachronism. In the Book of Abraham, Abraham refers to Chaldeans and Pharaoh, which didn't exist when Abraham was alive. Not to mention the facsimiles on the papyri did not even exist when Abraham was alive, so it would be impossible for him to interpret them. ( the church admits this in the Gospel Topic Essays")
#Link to this answer of 'What does the church teach about paid clergy?' by Daniel Johnson What does the church teach about paid clergy? See more answers about 'What does the church teach about paid clergy?'
The Church clearly teaches that there is no paid clergy, and this is emphasized as a mark of honor compared to other faiths. I was frequently told what a sacrifice it was for the brethren to leave their professions that paid well to serve a life in the Church. The living allowance for general authorities in the church is reported to be $120,000 per year, plus a variety of reimbursements for food, lodging, travel and other benefits. Hardly working "for free".
#Link to this answer of 'Any suggestions about how to deal with my still-Mormon family?' by Daniel Johnson Any suggestions about how to deal with my still-Mormon family? See more answers about 'Any suggestions about how to deal with my still-Mormon family?'
Be kind and patient. If they decide to leave, it will be on their terms. Don’t be a know-it-all, but encourage them to read and learn. I wish I would have had more guidance on this topic