Tag Archives: I Was a Mormon

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"The very first time I had an issue with church leadership was when I was 16 years old and brought into my bishop's office to have a check-in "interview" where we talked about driving and, of course, dating. The two big milestones when you turn 16! I remember feeling so excited about those two new privileges. My bishop talked to me about general safety and joked that he would stay off the roads for a little while. Then we started talking about dating. He advised me to go out in groups and never be alone with a boy. Then he said something that resonated with me negatively. He said "please make sure that you dress in a way that will not distract any young man from straying from the path" I didn't mind dressing modestly so that was fine, but why was it MY responsibility to keep HIM from going off the path? My bishop has good counsel, so I decide to push my feelings aside and just listen. My first item on the shelf." - Chelsea's I was a Mormon Story | wasmormon.org
"The very first time I had an issue with church leadership was when I was 16 years old and brought into my bishop's office to have a check-in "interview" where we talked about driving and, of course, dating. The two big milestones when you turn 16! I remember feeling so excited about those two new privileges. My bishop talked to me about general safety and joked that he would stay off the roads for a little while. Then we started talking about dating. He advised me to go out in groups and never be alone with a boy. Then he said something that resonated with me negatively. He said "please make sure that you dress in a way that will not distract any young man from straying from the path" I didn't mind dressing modestly so that was fine, but why was it MY responsibility to keep HIM from going off the path? My bishop has good counsel, so I decide to push my feelings aside and just listen. My first item on the shelf." - Chelsea's I was a Mormon Story | wasmormon.org
"The next Sunday, I got called into my bishop's office and he was very upset with me. I did not follow the teachings of the church and that "was simply unacceptable." He told me I needed to apologize to the girls' parents for telling them things that didn't coincide with our leaders. I told him no and asked him to go and ask the girls who were in my group how the lesson made them feel instead. What did I do that was so bad? I walked out of his office and thought that maybe I should have just done what they asked so I wouldn't have gotten in trouble. Guilt started to set in and I didn't tell anyone. Another heavy item on my shelf." - Chelsea's I was a Mormon Story | wasmormon.org
"The next Sunday, I got called into my bishop's office and he was very upset with me. I did not follow the teachings of the church and that "was simply unacceptable." He told me I needed to apologize to the girls' parents for telling them things that didn't coincide with our leaders. I told him no and asked him to go and ask the girls who were in my group how the lesson made them feel instead. What did I do that was so bad? I walked out of his office and thought that maybe I should have just done what they asked so I wouldn't have gotten in trouble. Guilt started to set in and I didn't tell anyone. Another heavy item on my shelf." - Chelsea's I was a Mormon Story | wasmormon.org
"I pulled out a brand new $20 bill and started to ask the girls what they would buy with it. After they gave me their answers, I crumpled it, stomped on it, rubbed it in the dirt, tore a small piece off of a corner, and taped it back together. I turned back and asked, "now what can you buy with this?" They all looked confused and gave me the same answers. I told them that it didn't matter how dirty, broken, or crumpled they felt, they would always be worth the same amount. The female leaders thought it was great, but the priesthood leader who was listening did not and immediately called my bishop." - Chelsea's I was a Mormon Story | wasmormon.org
"I pulled out a brand new $20 bill and started to ask the girls what they would buy with it. After they gave me their answers, I crumpled it, stomped on it, rubbed it in the dirt, tore a small piece off of a corner, and taped it back together. I turned back and asked, "now what can you buy with this?" They all looked confused and gave me the same answers. I told them that it didn't matter how dirty, broken, or crumpled they felt, they would always be worth the same amount. The female leaders thought it was great, but the priesthood leader who was listening did not and immediately called my bishop." - Chelsea's I was a Mormon Story | wasmormon.org
"A few months later, we got a new bishop in my ward. One of my leaders had asked me to give a lesson on self-worth and to include a small thing about purity because it might be less awkward coming from someone the girls really look up to. I said I would and looked for examples, but all I could find were terrible things involving fear. So I changed my plan and didn't tell anyone. I taught a lesson and on the importance of standing up for what you believe in and determining your own worth for yourself." - Chelsea's I was a Mormon Story | wasmormon.org
"A few months later, we got a new bishop in my ward. One of my leaders had asked me to give a lesson on self-worth and to include a small thing about purity because it might be less awkward coming from someone the girls really look up to. I said I would and looked for examples, but all I could find were terrible things involving fear. So I changed my plan and didn't tell anyone. I taught a lesson and on the importance of standing up for what you believe in and determining your own worth for yourself." - Chelsea's I was a Mormon Story | wasmormon.org
"Almost 2 years later, I was about to graduate from high school. I was the Laurel president and managed to not make any more waves since I got in a lot of trouble. Every time I felt the need to question something or speak up about something I disagreed with, I forced myself to push it aside because that feeling of guilt hit me. More little items were added to my shelf over those years. " - Chelsea's I was a Mormon Story | wasmormon.org
"Almost 2 years later, I was about to graduate from high school. I was the Laurel president and managed to not make any more waves since I got in a lot of trouble. Every time I felt the need to question something or speak up about something I disagreed with, I forced myself to push it aside because that feeling of guilt hit me. More little items were added to my shelf over those years. " - Chelsea's I was a Mormon Story | wasmormon.org
"I am a lover of coffee, dogs, and life. I was born in raised in the PNW. I have 2 siblings, wonderful parents, and a life that I now love very much. I grew up Mormon. I wasn't a part of a cookie-cutter Mormon family and I wasn't always a perfect example but I held myself to impossible standards and landed myself in therapy all these years later. I was a Mormon." - Chelsea's I was a Mormon Story | wasmormon.org
"I am a lover of coffee, dogs, and life. I was born in raised in the PNW. I have 2 siblings, wonderful parents, and a life that I now love very much. I grew up Mormon. I wasn't a part of a cookie-cutter Mormon family and I wasn't always a perfect example but I held myself to impossible standards and landed myself in therapy all these years later. I was a Mormon." - Chelsea's I was a Mormon Story | wasmormon.org

Rosanna Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile Spotlight

Growing up in Utah within a devout Mormon family, Rosana inherited her parents’ beliefs but soon found herself grappling with the suffocating pressures of conformity and cultural expectations. Despite her upbringing in a community steeped in faith, Rosana’s experience with church rituals and teachings left her feeling disconnected and disillusioned. The rigid standards imposed by …

Continue reading “Rosanna Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile Spotlight”

"I'm queer. I'm not cisgender or heterosexual and that's a huge problem in this religion. When I was finally able to accept myself for that, I realized the mormon religion would never accept me for it and I'd never be happy where I'm not even accepted." - Frey's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/frey/
"I'm queer. I'm not cisgender or heterosexual and that's a huge problem in this religion. When I was finally able to accept myself for that, I realized the mormon religion would never accept me for it and I'd never be happy where I'm not even accepted." - Frey's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/frey/
This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find Frey's full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/frey/. There are hundreds 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 Frey's full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/frey/. There are hundreds 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 received a patriarchal blessing. It was generic and the life it foretold made me miserable to think about. The patriarch used what little knowledge he had about me to make a few statements, saying things like "you have the gift of love, service, empathy, and listening", "if you cling to your covenants, you will rise above all your challenges", "when the time comes you will find an eternal companion and enter the temple and get sealed", "you'll have lots of kids who will all look to you as an example of faith" (which was one of my worst nightmares), "you have a duty to do missionary work", and "you'll be resurrected". I was still trying to believe at the time and this "blessing" disappointed me and gave me a lot of anxiety. It didn't mean anything to me and it eventually became one of the items on my shelf." - Frey's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/frey/
"I received a patriarchal blessing. It was generic and the life it foretold made me miserable to think about. The patriarch used what little knowledge he had about me to make a few statements, saying things like "you have the gift of love, service, empathy, and listening", "if you cling to your covenants, you will rise above all your challenges", "when the time comes you will find an eternal companion and enter the temple and get sealed", "you'll have lots of kids who will all look to you as an example of faith" (which was one of my worst nightmares), "you have a duty to do missionary work", and "you'll be resurrected". I was still trying to believe at the time and this "blessing" disappointed me and gave me a lot of anxiety. It didn't mean anything to me and it eventually became one of the items on my shelf." - Frey's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/frey/
"When I was finally able to accept myself for that, I realized the mormon religion would never accept me for it and I'd never be happy where I'm not even accepted. I'm queer. I'm not cisgender or heterosexual and that's a huge problem in this religion." - Frey's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/frey/
"When I was finally able to accept myself for that, I realized the mormon religion would never accept me for it and I'd never be happy where I'm not even accepted. I'm queer. I'm not cisgender or heterosexual and that's a huge problem in this religion." - Frey's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/frey/
"I went inactive multiple times before leaving for good. The vast majority of my immediate and extended family were mormons and my mom's reaction to any problem I had was to "pray about it" even though I never seemed to get answers to prayer. So far, I think I'm the only member of my immediate/extended family to leave." - Frey's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/frey/
"I went inactive multiple times before leaving for good. The vast majority of my immediate and extended family were mormons and my mom's reaction to any problem I had was to "pray about it" even though I never seemed to get answers to prayer. So far, I think I'm the only member of my immediate/extended family to leave." - Frey's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/frey/
"I didn't believe it and I couldn't force myself to. I was happier not following that lifestyle. I could see how I'd been manipulated. And I could see how those beliefs were illogical and hateful. I'm an atheist as well as an eclectic witch and I'm the most happy I've ever been in my entire life." - Frey's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/frey/
"I didn't believe it and I couldn't force myself to. I was happier not following that lifestyle. I could see how I'd been manipulated. And I could see how those beliefs were illogical and hateful. I'm an atheist as well as an eclectic witch and I'm the most happy I've ever been in my entire life." - Frey's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/frey/
"The church teaches marriage is between a man and a woman. They also teach that a person should remain the same gender they were assigned at birth and not socially or physically transition in any way. Members are allowed to call other people by requested names and pronouns but I experienced a lot of homophobia and transphobia in the church regardless. A conference talk once included the phrase that the 3 greatest threats to the mormon church were the homosexuals, the feminists, and the intellectuals. Look at that, I'm a triple threat! 😂" - Frey's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/frey/
"The church teaches marriage is between a man and a woman. They also teach that a person should remain the same gender they were assigned at birth and not socially or physically transition in any way. Members are allowed to call other people by requested names and pronouns but I experienced a lot of homophobia and transphobia in the church regardless. A conference talk once included the phrase that the 3 greatest threats to the mormon church were the homosexuals, the feminists, and the intellectuals. Look at that, I'm a triple threat! 😂" - Frey's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/frey/
"I had so many concerns and questions that were either not answered, or the answers were not logical. I'd never even wanted to get baptized in the first place, and when I started trying to leave apparently an 8 year old was old enough to make a decision about joining but a 16 year old wasn't old enough to make the decision to leave and I "didn't know what was best for me"." - Frey's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/frey/
"I had so many concerns and questions that were either not answered, or the answers were not logical. I'd never even wanted to get baptized in the first place, and when I started trying to leave apparently an 8 year old was old enough to make a decision about joining but a 16 year old wasn't old enough to make the decision to leave and I "didn't know what was best for me"." - Frey's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/frey/
"Then the the treatment of LGBTQ people, backtracking on whether being gay was a choice and then not admitting the mistake, as well as the purity culture teaching that women who had sexual relationships before marriage were like chewed gum challenged even that." - Nancy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nancypantsy72/
"Then the the treatment of LGBTQ people, backtracking on whether being gay was a choice and then not admitting the mistake, as well as the purity culture teaching that women who had sexual relationships before marriage were like chewed gum challenged even that." - Nancy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nancypantsy72/
"However Joseph Smith's first vision resonated with me because he was of similar age as me at the time and seeking the truth like I was. I agreed to be baptized because it was the only church that made sense to me. They also assured me that polygamy was no longer practiced, which would have been a dealbreaker." - Nancy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nancypantsy72/
"However Joseph Smith's first vision resonated with me because he was of similar age as me at the time and seeking the truth like I was. I agreed to be baptized because it was the only church that made sense to me. They also assured me that polygamy was no longer practiced, which would have been a dealbreaker." - Nancy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nancypantsy72/
"Almost from the moment I was baptized I started to feel less than. First I was told my clothes were immodest. Then that I was too fat. (I wasn’t, I was within normal weight for my height) I dieted got very thin and came down with an eating disorder. That was just the beginning." - Nancy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nancypantsy72/
"Almost from the moment I was baptized I started to feel less than. First I was told my clothes were immodest. Then that I was too fat. (I wasn’t, I was within normal weight for my height) I dieted got very thin and came down with an eating disorder. That was just the beginning." - Nancy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nancypantsy72/
"I was a teenager about to enter my senior year in high school. At the time I had many friends converting to versions of Evangelical Christianity. I was a little skeptical of their teachings. I also had a friend who was Mormon. After a lot of discussion I agreed to the missionary lessons. I was skeptical of the Book of Mormon, it seemed like a significant portion of it was copied from the King James Bible." - Nancy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nancypantsy72/
"I was a teenager about to enter my senior year in high school. At the time I had many friends converting to versions of Evangelical Christianity. I was a little skeptical of their teachings. I also had a friend who was Mormon. After a lot of discussion I agreed to the missionary lessons. I was skeptical of the Book of Mormon, it seemed like a significant portion of it was copied from the King James Bible." - Nancy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nancypantsy72/
"I came to this conclusion without reading/listening to anything critical of the church or challenging its truth claims. I’m a slow study but in 40+ years I finally made my way out. I am unequivocally happy now." - Nancy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nancypantsy72/
"I came to this conclusion without reading/listening to anything critical of the church or challenging its truth claims. I’m a slow study but in 40+ years I finally made my way out. I am unequivocally happy now." - Nancy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nancypantsy72/
"As time went by I learned I wasn’t told the full truth about polygamy when I discovered widowers (but not widows) could have more than one wife in the hereafter. Then in college I learned the truth about The Book of Abraham. I knew it wasn’t an anti-Mormon lie because I learned it in my Pearl of Great Price class." - Nancy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nancypantsy72/
"As time went by I learned I wasn’t told the full truth about polygamy when I discovered widowers (but not widows) could have more than one wife in the hereafter. Then in college I learned the truth about The Book of Abraham. I knew it wasn’t an anti-Mormon lie because I learned it in my Pearl of Great Price class." - Nancy's "I was a Mormon" story. Read more at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nancypantsy72/
This is a spotlight on a profile shared at wasmormon.org. These are just the highlights, so please find Nancy's full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nancypantsy72/. There are hundreds 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 Nancy's full story at https://wasmormon.org/profile/nancypantsy72/. There are hundreds more stories of Mormon faith journeys contributed by users like you. Come check them out and consider sharing your own story at wasmormon.org!