Tag Archives: I Was a Mormon

(Page 12)
"I met the missionaries. I wanted to know about Jesus since I was not religious at that time. I thought it was an answered prayer from God. Life in Hong Kong was lonely and the church introduced me to friends from Indonesia and other countries. The church was open every day besides Monday. Back then, I thought the church was the safest place in Hong Kong for a young girl like me. Four months later I got baptized. I broke the news to my parents and sister and they were miserable. I was angry too on my side. Why did they send me to another country to earn money for them? I'd decided to make use of my freedom and do whatever I wanted - they couldn't have anything to say because I sent them money every month." - Lilik's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/lilik-choi/
"I met the missionaries. I wanted to know about Jesus since I was not religious at that time. I thought it was an answered prayer from God. Life in Hong Kong was lonely and the church introduced me to friends from Indonesia and other countries. The church was open every day besides Monday. Back then, I thought the church was the safest place in Hong Kong for a young girl like me. Four months later I got baptized. I broke the news to my parents and sister and they were miserable. I was angry too on my side. Why did they send me to another country to earn money for them? I'd decided to make use of my freedom and do whatever I wanted - they couldn't have anything to say because I sent them money every month." - Lilik's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/lilik-choi/
"Then one day I discovered how the masonry handshakes are similar to the temple handshakes. I already felt so weird about the handshakes in the temple and to find out about it online was so upsetting. I dug deeper and that led me to so much ex-mormon literature. It was difficult leaving the church. I'd already caused damage to the people in my life. I already lost my childhood friends and family, and now encountered the same experience leaving the church. But, I’m glad I’m out while I'm still in my 30s. Now, my life is pretty simple – focusing on the goodness of everyday life without making it complicated to think about life after death. Do good things and be a decent human being without expecting anything in return. Love selflessly." - Lilik's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/lilik-choi/
"Then one day I discovered how the masonry handshakes are similar to the temple handshakes. I already felt so weird about the handshakes in the temple and to find out about it online was so upsetting. I dug deeper and that led me to so much ex-mormon literature. It was difficult leaving the church. I'd already caused damage to the people in my life. I already lost my childhood friends and family, and now encountered the same experience leaving the church. But, I’m glad I’m out while I'm still in my 30s. Now, my life is pretty simple – focusing on the goodness of everyday life without making it complicated to think about life after death. Do good things and be a decent human being without expecting anything in return. Love selflessly." - Lilik's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/lilik-choi/
"I’m from Indonesia and I was a Muslim and a Mormon. I grew up in a Muslim community just like being Mormon in Utah I think. From family, friends, school, everything in my life until 16 y/o was Muslim. I never enjoyed being Muslim but I was a good Muslim. I went to a Muslim school and studied the Arabish. I had very good grades and my teachers were impressed - they wanted me to memorize the whole Quran. I declined the offer." - Lilik's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/lilik-choi/
"I’m from Indonesia and I was a Muslim and a Mormon. I grew up in a Muslim community just like being Mormon in Utah I think. From family, friends, school, everything in my life until 16 y/o was Muslim. I never enjoyed being Muslim but I was a good Muslim. I went to a Muslim school and studied the Arabish. I had very good grades and my teachers were impressed - they wanted me to memorize the whole Quran. I declined the offer." - Lilik's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/lilik-choi/
"Singapore was hell for me. When my boss fired me on my 18th birthday, I went back to Indonesia with little money - I was afraid to go home. My parents only wanted to see my money. Four months later, I went to Hong Kong to work as a nanny again, but there my life began. I had holidays and my boss was nice. During holidays, I could go wherever I wanted. My English was very bad, so I liked to go to the library during holidays to read free books and play on the computer." - Lilik's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/lilik-choi/
"Singapore was hell for me. When my boss fired me on my 18th birthday, I went back to Indonesia with little money - I was afraid to go home. My parents only wanted to see my money. Four months later, I went to Hong Kong to work as a nanny again, but there my life began. I had holidays and my boss was nice. During holidays, I could go wherever I wanted. My English was very bad, so I liked to go to the library during holidays to read free books and play on the computer." - Lilik's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/lilik-choi/
"So what am I now? A Jaded exmo? A Godless commie? You could probably say atheist or agnostic. But those have a lot of negative connotations here in Utah. The label I’m most comfortable with is Secular Humanist. Humanists believe we can be moral and find fulfillment without a belief in God. I wholeheartedly endorse their 10 commitments which they use as an alternative to the ten commandments. The beauty of letting go of dogmatic and unquestionable beliefs is that I can be flexible and simply follow the evidence. I can practice intellectual humility." - Veronika's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/
"So what am I now? A Jaded exmo? A Godless commie? You could probably say atheist or agnostic. But those have a lot of negative connotations here in Utah. The label I’m most comfortable with is Secular Humanist. Humanists believe we can be moral and find fulfillment without a belief in God. I wholeheartedly endorse their 10 commitments which they use as an alternative to the ten commandments. The beauty of letting go of dogmatic and unquestionable beliefs is that I can be flexible and simply follow the evidence. I can practice intellectual humility." - Veronika's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/
This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find Anja's full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/. There are over a hundred more stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find Anja's full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/. There are over a hundred more stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
"You may not have experienced a so-called "faith crisis" but put yourself in my shoes for a minute. I know this is difficult for my critics, but imagine you’re in a situation where you’ve somehow come to know with certainty that your childhood religion isn’t true. If it’s easier, imagine you grew up in a completely different religion like Scientology or Islam. What would you do once you learned it wasn’t what you thought?" - Veronika's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/
"You may not have experienced a so-called "faith crisis" but put yourself in my shoes for a minute. I know this is difficult for my critics, but imagine you’re in a situation where you’ve somehow come to know with certainty that your childhood religion isn’t true. If it’s easier, imagine you grew up in a completely different religion like Scientology or Islam. What would you do once you learned it wasn’t what you thought?" - Veronika's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/
"The more I contemplated, the weaker my belief in Christianity became. Human behavior is so much more than choice and willpower. It stems from our evolution — it’s influenced by what our parents ate while pregnant with us and whether they smoked or not. It’s influenced by the genes we didn’t choose and the zip codes we were born into. It’s affected by hormones, neurotransmitters, pollution, toxins, trauma, and an endless list of other factors. Once I immersed myself in the complexities of the brain, studied the origin of behavior, and read the history of how mental illness has been treated, I saw how little conscious control we really have over our behaviors." - Veronika's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/
"The more I contemplated, the weaker my belief in Christianity became. Human behavior is so much more than choice and willpower. It stems from our evolution — it’s influenced by what our parents ate while pregnant with us and whether they smoked or not. It’s influenced by the genes we didn’t choose and the zip codes we were born into. It’s affected by hormones, neurotransmitters, pollution, toxins, trauma, and an endless list of other factors. Once I immersed myself in the complexities of the brain, studied the origin of behavior, and read the history of how mental illness has been treated, I saw how little conscious control we really have over our behaviors." - Veronika's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/
"It made sense to me to keep the parts of the gospel that advocated for service and love. But if it wasn’t capital T True, how could I excuse the church’s stance on LGBTQ members, the role of women, or the church’s history of racism? My platitudes that "God works in mysterious ways" and "It’ll all make sense in the end," were only comforting when I believed the church was ultimately run by God. After my shelf broke, meaning after I acknowledged all the things I couldn’t make sense of in Mormonism and everything fell apart, I wasn’t sure what I believed in." - Veronika's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/
"It made sense to me to keep the parts of the gospel that advocated for service and love. But if it wasn’t capital T True, how could I excuse the church’s stance on LGBTQ members, the role of women, or the church’s history of racism? My platitudes that "God works in mysterious ways" and "It’ll all make sense in the end," were only comforting when I believed the church was ultimately run by God. After my shelf broke, meaning after I acknowledged all the things I couldn’t make sense of in Mormonism and everything fell apart, I wasn’t sure what I believed in." - Veronika's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/
"We, humans, evolved with the capacity for empathy. Communities that were cooperative were more likely to survive and reproduce. We have mirror neurons that allow us to feel what we perceive another person to be experiencing. I don’t know what the meaning of life is. But I know despair and loneliness. I know shared pain. I don’t want anyone to go through needless suffering." - Veronika's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/
"We, humans, evolved with the capacity for empathy. Communities that were cooperative were more likely to survive and reproduce. We have mirror neurons that allow us to feel what we perceive another person to be experiencing. I don’t know what the meaning of life is. But I know despair and loneliness. I know shared pain. I don’t want anyone to go through needless suffering." - Veronika's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/
"I let go of claiming, as many religious people had in the past, that my feelings confer ultimate truth. I let go of certainty. I made no claim to know if there was an afterlife or a supreme being. I don’t believe suffering is a lesson from God to help us grow. Sometimes bad things just happen, and there is no supernatural explanation. People experience injustice and needless suffering. Leaving the church created a greater urgency in me to learn about injustice, social policy, and community action. If God isn’t here to end world hunger, slow climate change, or welcome asylum seekers at the border, who is?" - Veronika's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/
"I let go of claiming, as many religious people had in the past, that my feelings confer ultimate truth. I let go of certainty. I made no claim to know if there was an afterlife or a supreme being. I don’t believe suffering is a lesson from God to help us grow. Sometimes bad things just happen, and there is no supernatural explanation. People experience injustice and needless suffering. Leaving the church created a greater urgency in me to learn about injustice, social policy, and community action. If God isn’t here to end world hunger, slow climate change, or welcome asylum seekers at the border, who is?" - Veronika's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/
"I read memoirs of other people leaving their childhood religions and searched for how they made sense of their life afterward. I learned about cults and how we humans justify our beliefs. I learned about how we make decisions — about how susceptible we are to biases, fallacies, and overconfidence. I dove into evolutionary psychology to understand human nature from a broader perspective, learning how group behaviors, snap judgments, and intuition can be both adaptive and maladaptive." - Veronika's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/
"I read memoirs of other people leaving their childhood religions and searched for how they made sense of their life afterward. I learned about cults and how we humans justify our beliefs. I learned about how we make decisions — about how susceptible we are to biases, fallacies, and overconfidence. I dove into evolutionary psychology to understand human nature from a broader perspective, learning how group behaviors, snap judgments, and intuition can be both adaptive and maladaptive." - Veronika's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/
"I am a mother, wife, psychology professor, and writer. I was raised LDS and grew up in South Jordan, UT. I was the first to walk away from the church in my immediate family at the age of 29. I was a Mormon." - Veronika's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/
"I am a mother, wife, psychology professor, and writer. I was raised LDS and grew up in South Jordan, UT. I was the first to walk away from the church in my immediate family at the age of 29. I was a Mormon." - Veronika's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/
"I knew it was true because I had felt the spirit. But even if it wasn’t and there ended up being nothing after this life, living the gospel would lead to a happy and fulfilling life. I assumed that if I were ever to leave the church, I would immediately become a sex worker strung out on drugs who neglected her many children from multiple partners. I would worship Satan and live a short and miserable life." - Veronika's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/
"I knew it was true because I had felt the spirit. But even if it wasn’t and there ended up being nothing after this life, living the gospel would lead to a happy and fulfilling life. I assumed that if I were ever to leave the church, I would immediately become a sex worker strung out on drugs who neglected her many children from multiple partners. I would worship Satan and live a short and miserable life." - Veronika's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/veronika-tait/

Mormons and Interracial Marriage

President Spencer W Kimball, as president of the church gave a speech at BYU about Marriage and Divorce in 1976. This talk is currently referenced frequently, nearly 50 years later, in church lesson manuals and by church leaders. In this talk, he spoke against interracial marriages. He advised against marriages between those from differing economic …

Continue reading “Mormons and Interracial Marriage”

"I am a gay man married to another gay man who was also Mormon. I have five adult children, fourteen grandchildren, and I finally found how to love myself for who I am. I was a Mormon." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"I am a gay man married to another gay man who was also Mormon. I have five adult children, fourteen grandchildren, and I finally found how to love myself for who I am. I was a Mormon." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"As 2013 approached, I saw the Ordain Women movement take some positions, like wearing purple to Sacrament meeting, and I decided I would. Heck, I love colors, and so why not? Well, it didn't go over well, and suffice it to say, coupled with a few other events in January, 2013, I realized how many other things were wrong in Mormonism besides just their stance against gay marriage." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"As 2013 approached, I saw the Ordain Women movement take some positions, like wearing purple to Sacrament meeting, and I decided I would. Heck, I love colors, and so why not? Well, it didn't go over well, and suffice it to say, coupled with a few other events in January, 2013, I realized how many other things were wrong in Mormonism besides just their stance against gay marriage." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"I went through hell to get where I'm at in accepting myself for who I am, and I encourage any LGBTQIA Mormons to pull their own handcart on their own journey, even if it takes them to places far away from Utah, like, say, Palm Springs, California!" - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"I went through hell to get where I'm at in accepting myself for who I am, and I encourage any LGBTQIA Mormons to pull their own handcart on their own journey, even if it takes them to places far away from Utah, like, say, Palm Springs, California!" - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
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/kevinrex4/. There are over a hundred more stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
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/kevinrex4/. There are over a hundred more stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!
"I devoted all of my time, talents, and everything with which I had been blessed to the LDS church. I left because not only was I gay, and gay and Mormon don't go well together, but because Mormonism isn't true in the sense of how it was portrayed and taught to me." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"I devoted all of my time, talents, and everything with which I had been blessed to the LDS church. I left because not only was I gay, and gay and Mormon don't go well together, but because Mormonism isn't true in the sense of how it was portrayed and taught to me." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"In November, 2012, I was living in Washington state and a ballot measure was before us. Like happened in California with Prop 8, the Mormon church started a campaign to stop legalization of same-sex marriage. I researched what had gone on with Prop 8, and then read more and more about the issue. I then voted FOR gay marriage in that November 2012 election, and felt, for the first time ever, that my 49 years in the gay closet might finally come to an end. I had to come out not only to my then-wife, but to myself, and that was the most difficult of all, being true to myself." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"In November, 2012, I was living in Washington state and a ballot measure was before us. Like happened in California with Prop 8, the Mormon church started a campaign to stop legalization of same-sex marriage. I researched what had gone on with Prop 8, and then read more and more about the issue. I then voted FOR gay marriage in that November 2012 election, and felt, for the first time ever, that my 49 years in the gay closet might finally come to an end. I had to come out not only to my then-wife, but to myself, and that was the most difficult of all, being true to myself." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"Handcart pioneers, and regular, covered wagon pioneers, and even later railroad pioneers, and close associations with Joseph Smith by progenitors, all form my ancestry, culture, and experiences in Mormonism. Like so many of those pioneers, though, there comes a time when I had to pioneer for myself, creating my own experiences and journey." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"Handcart pioneers, and regular, covered wagon pioneers, and even later railroad pioneers, and close associations with Joseph Smith by progenitors, all form my ancestry, culture, and experiences in Mormonism. Like so many of those pioneers, though, there comes a time when I had to pioneer for myself, creating my own experiences and journey." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"And so, after coming out gay, I then resigned from the LDS Church officially, and started pulling my own damnable handcart, on my very own journey. I went through hell to come out of the gay closet whilst being a Mormon, and it took years of cognitive therapy to learn how to be happy. I'm at peace with myself and my being gay, and with both the good things I learned while being raised Mormon, as well as the bad things. Learning how to understand nuance versus the black-and-white thinking of a religion like Mormonism is very valuable to my happiness." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"And so, after coming out gay, I then resigned from the LDS Church officially, and started pulling my own damnable handcart, on my very own journey. I went through hell to come out of the gay closet whilst being a Mormon, and it took years of cognitive therapy to learn how to be happy. I'm at peace with myself and my being gay, and with both the good things I learned while being raised Mormon, as well as the bad things. Learning how to understand nuance versus the black-and-white thinking of a religion like Mormonism is very valuable to my happiness." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"It is almost beyond comprehension what gay Mormons have to endure, as the Brethren have not been very prophetic in understanding what it means to be gay. Just look at the many mistaken "doctrines" surrounding homosexuality from the era of my youth (1970's). I lament further the outright transphobia that occurs right now in Mormonism, when transgender people aren't even acknowledged as real." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"It is almost beyond comprehension what gay Mormons have to endure, as the Brethren have not been very prophetic in understanding what it means to be gay. Just look at the many mistaken "doctrines" surrounding homosexuality from the era of my youth (1970's). I lament further the outright transphobia that occurs right now in Mormonism, when transgender people aren't even acknowledged as real." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"Doctrinally, I think the statement from the introduction to the Book of Abraham was the most significant to me. "By his own hand upon papyrus," I'd read so many times before as a believing Mormon, and I thought how very special Abraham and this Pearl of Great Price was, only to find out that it wasn't Abraham's hand upon the papyrus, at all. I was devastated, again and again, by so many hidden history, that I couldn't deny that there was something wrong with the religion, something horribly wrong." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/
"Doctrinally, I think the statement from the introduction to the Book of Abraham was the most significant to me. "By his own hand upon papyrus," I'd read so many times before as a believing Mormon, and I thought how very special Abraham and this Pearl of Great Price was, only to find out that it wasn't Abraham's hand upon the papyrus, at all. I was devastated, again and again, by so many hidden history, that I couldn't deny that there was something wrong with the religion, something horribly wrong." - Kevin's I was a Mormon profile spotlight from wasmormon.org - https://wasmormon.org/profile/kevinrex4/