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 …

Girls, listen closely, because I don’t know that you’ll ever have somebody explain it quite this point blank again... “How come the girls don’t have the priesthood?” What the heck are they talking about? Your life exudes priesthood; it’s surrounded by priesthood; it emanates priesthood. “How come women don’t have priesthood keys?” Well, how come most men in the church don’t have priesthood keys? Priesthood keys are an organizational structure. It’s how God’s house is a house of order. So not everybody needs them; just those who are part of this organizational structure... "How come [women are] not ordained to the priesthood?” Maybe we’re asking the wrong question. Maybe we should be asking, “Why don’t they need to be”. - Brad Wilcox, Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, Tri-Stake Fireside in Alpine, Utah, February 6, 2022 | wasmormon.org
Girls, listen closely, because I don’t know that you’ll ever have somebody explain it quite this point blank again... “How come the girls don’t have the priesthood?” What the heck are they talking about? Your life exudes priesthood; it’s surrounded by priesthood; it emanates priesthood. “How come women don’t have priesthood keys?” Well, how come most men in the church don’t have priesthood keys? Priesthood keys are an organizational structure. It’s how God’s house is a house of order. So not everybody needs them; just those who are part of this organizational structure... "How come [women are] not ordained to the priesthood?” Maybe we’re asking the wrong question. Maybe we should be asking, “Why don’t they need to be”. - Brad Wilcox, Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, Tri-Stake Fireside in Alpine, Utah, February 6, 2022
Some lady walked up to me that I didn’t even known, and she’s like, “Oh, Why don't you give women the priesthood?” And I said, “Good to meet you, too.” And then I asked, “What’s the priesthood?”, and she said, “…Well, I don’t know, but I think the women should have it”. Seriously? “I don’t know, but the women should have it”? What’s, malaria? “I don’t know, but the women should have it”. - Brad Wilcox, Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, Tri-Stake Fireside in Alpine, Utah, February 6, 2022 | wasmormon.org
Some lady walked up to me that I didn’t even known, and she’s like, “Oh, Why don't you give women the priesthood?” And I said, “Good to meet you, too.” And then I asked, “What’s the priesthood?”, and she said, “…Well, I don’t know, but I think the women should have it”. Seriously? “I don’t know, but the women should have it”? What’s, malaria? “I don’t know, but the women should have it”. - Brad Wilcox, Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, Tri-Stake Fireside in Alpine, Utah, February 6, 2022
I had some kid at BYU say to me, “I don’t believe in Joseph Smith anymore, but I still believe in God and Jesus”. And I said, “Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but do you realize how stupid you just sounded?” - Brad Wilcox, Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, Tri-Stake Fireside in Alpine, Utah, February 6, 2022 | wasmormon.org
I had some kid at BYU say to me, “I don’t believe in Joseph Smith anymore, but I still believe in God and Jesus”. And I said, “Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but do you realize how stupid you just sounded?” - Brad Wilcox, Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, Tri-Stake Fireside in Alpine, Utah, February 6, 2022
A lot of people get uptight about priesthood issues. It’s one of the most glorious things we have in the church, and yet people want to sit and fight about it and get uptight about it. “How come the blacks didn’t get the priesthood until 1978?” Maybe we’re asking the wrong question. Instead of saying, “Why did the Blacks have to wait until 1978?”, maybe what we should be asking is “Why did the whites and other races have to wait until 1829?” - Brad Wilcox, Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, Tri-Stake Fireside in Alpine, Utah, February 6, 2022 | wasmormon.org
A lot of people get uptight about priesthood issues. It’s one of the most glorious things we have in the church, and yet people want to sit and fight about it and get uptight about it. “How come the blacks didn’t get the priesthood until 1978?” Maybe we’re asking the wrong question. Instead of saying, “Why did the Blacks have to wait until 1978?”, maybe what we should be asking is “Why did the whites and other races have to wait until 1829?” - Brad Wilcox, Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, Tri-Stake Fireside in Alpine, Utah, February 6, 2022
I said, “In my Church, we get married in the temple, where we are sealed for time and all eternity”, and she went, “Oh! I love that!”... She went to the minister and said, “May I write my own ceremony?” He said, “For an extra fee.” So she paid the extra money and wrote her own ceremony. I sat there in that Protestant church and listened as the preacher sealed them for time and all eternity. I was like, “That is so wrong!” Why? Authority. No authority. They just didn’t have permission to say those words. Because they were playing church, and in our church, we don’t play church. - Brad Wilcox, Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, Tri-Stake Fireside in Alpine, Utah, February 6, 2022 | wasmormon.org
I said, “In my Church, we get married in the temple, where we are sealed for time and all eternity”, and she went, “Oh! I love that!”... She went to the minister and said, “May I write my own ceremony?” He said, “For an extra fee.” So she paid the extra money and wrote her own ceremony. I sat there in that Protestant church and listened as the preacher sealed them for time and all eternity. I was like, “That is so wrong!” Why? Authority. No authority. They just didn’t have permission to say those words. Because they were playing church, and in our church, we don’t play church. - Brad Wilcox, Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, Tri-Stake Fireside in Alpine, Utah, February 6, 2022
"It’s what most people in the world are doing. They’re playing Church... In our church, we don’t play church." - Brad Wilcox, Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, Tri-Stake Fireside in Alpine, Utah, February 6, 2022 | wasmormon.org
"It’s what most people in the world are doing. They’re playing Church... In our church, we don’t play church." - Brad Wilcox, Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, Tri-Stake Fireside in Alpine, Utah, February 6, 2022

Facts Matter

Mormon scripture teaches that faith is hope in things that are not seen but true. If we can see that they are not true, then how can we still have faith in them? Faith is required when there is an absence of facts. It is a hope for things that are true but not seen. …