Hi, my name is Valerie.
I was a mormon. I love sunny days, vacations and feeling understood.
About me
I was born to Mormon parents who came from a multi-generational mormon heritage. I got married in the temple and had 5 children. I always did my best to live my religion to the best of my abilities. I was a very devoted, conscientious member.
Why I left
I always had a couple areas that were troubling and problematic for me from the time I was young, but I always found ways to push those things aside and blamed it on my own "weak faith" or inability to understand. As the years progressed, I continued to have more and more concerns that became harder and harder to push away or justify as only being my own lack of understanding. It was a very hard and emotional journey, full of years of exhaustive research. I have resigned after several years of having no more ability to believe that this church was divinely inspired.
Questions I've answered
What do you believe now?
I'm not sure. I still believe that there is some higher power. I am comfortable in "not knowing" how it all works on the other side. For me, it has been easier to handle what I don't know, than it was for the things I "did know," but had legitimate issues with while in the church. If I don't know, then I don't find myself getting hung up on answers that I find problematic or troubling, like I did with many of the "known" answers we supposedly had in the church. I have no interest in trying to find another religion. This experience has left me severely disillusioned with religion in general.