My name is James
and I’m an Ex Mormon.
About me
I was born into the church to parents that were sealed in the temple. I have held various callings in Primary and the youth, My disaffection did not begin until I was a teenager and came to a resolution at the age of 25. Accepting whitewashed church history and holding an attitude of enduring to the end kept my exit at bay through my teenage years, mission to Minnesota and temple marriage. Before my exit I voraciously read Carl Sagans Demon Haunted World, a book I credit this day for teaching me how to see my surroundings with clarity and determine how one classifies fact from fiction. Higher education concerning Anthropology and harder science peeled away the layers of magical thinking I had been steeped in.
# Why I left More stories of 'Why I left' the Mormon church
With the arrival of my first child into the world and a perfect storm of thought provoking concerns I decided that it was an indefensible position if I were to stay LDS. Taking fate and fear in hand I charged into the unknown and left the church behind. Mormonism is still with me culturally and my wife remains to this day in the church.
The usual board participation ebbed and flowed, times of anger and excess came and went. Eventually I stabilized and began to dialog with Mormons. I got less angry and more sympathetic to the plight some were in, both on my side and the other side of the fence. I began podcasting with Mormon Expression, something that has taught me a great deal about myself and others. Although now infrequently participating I see my foray into the podcasting world as a turning point in my relationship with my past. I am indebted to John Larsen and can’t thank him enough for his innumerable contributions to the project. This experience also taught me the power of community, in this case a virtual community full of disparate voices.
My endeavors elsewhere have been taken up fairly recently by playing a part in creating a Hackerspace in Memphis, TN. The Midsouth Makers are now operating a hackerspace. This effort was an amazing thing to see come together, taking on a life of its own as it congealed. The lessons I learned from assisting this process were invaluable. After moving to Utah I gave up my position on the board but still watch from afar as it expands.
Currently I reside in Murray, Utah with my wife and two daughters.
Mormon Expression Podcast – mormonexpression.com
Midsouth Makers – midsouthmakers.org
Find a local hackerspace in your area – hackerspaces.org
Shout out to Dr Shades – mormondiscussions.com