Returning to Mormonism after Falling Away: Summur-Rayn Berrett Pt. 1 | Ep. 1887
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- Опубліковано 14 кві 2024
- What happens when a multiracial woman raised in a loving family that valued advocacy, positivity, and education joins the Mormon church? Summur's fascinating journey takes you from her NFL player father desegregating a team, to her mother fiercely protecting her from bullies and racism. Despite nurturing experiences at home, Summur faced harsh judgments and segregationist attitudes at church - a stark contrast that began shaping her doubts. Her path winds through BYU, an African American Studies class that unveiled new perspectives, and a traumatic racist cop incident, before working as a flight attendant and meeting her husband.
With a unique multicultural lens, Summur shares the powerful family influences, eye-opening experiences, and pivotal moments like a young girl's innocent "Look mommy, a Lamanite" comment that led her to fundamentally question certain Mormon teachings and toxic cultures like purity culture. Prepare for an insightful, thought-provoking journey through the eyes of a Black Mormon woman.
Part 2: • Doubting in a Mormon M...
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Chapters
00:00:01 Unique Mormon upbringing and experiences.
00:15:39 Family exploration of faith leads to conversion to Mormonism in 1983.
00:48:26 Upbringing focused on character over race, religion, or culture, promoting a human-centric view.
1:05:33 Family culture fosters critical thinking and self-connection.
1:21:43 Education over marriage
1:53:54 Navigating social circles in college while holding onto personal beliefs and moral compass.
2:09:40 Family history reveals the necessity of civil rights movements like the Black Panthers.
2:25:47 Journey of rediscovering faith and purpose after overcoming challenges and seeking a bigger plan.
2:41:50 Betrayal and assault incident involving a friend.
2:57:52 Finding faith through prayer and guidance from family, leading to a decision to move to Hawaii.
3:14:17 Realization of personal judgment and cultural differences after moving to Utah.
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I so wish I would've raised my kids more like this. Be a good person, be true to yourself, religion is the seasoning...not the whole buffet.
Ong I’m only 1 hour in, but I have to stop and comment that I am LOVING Summer’s Mom and her parenting style! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Agreed! She has amazing parents!
This is the first time I have EVER heard anyone else in the situation of being disciplined for a sexual assault. I was excommunicated after a sexual assault that went further than hers. This, after being the most faithful Molly Mormon ever. I tried to stay in the church after and was treated like such a leper that I left and never went back. Bishop Roulette, I’ve learned since…but I’m not interested in a church who kicks you out in your greatest time of need instead of embracing and supporting you.
I’m so sorry that happened to you, as well!! 😔
Amen
Religion places barriers between God and his people where none truly exist
exactly. You don't need an organized religion to be able to be close to God. They may help one learn how to pray and the importance of it, but as soon as they start putting in other stipulations to be "closer to God" they're telling you that there are barriers.
@@pneuma_23-rb4dx God tells us when praying. To not supliclate meaning not beg for something. Rather to pray in gratitude..
Well said
Churches do.
What a excellent interview I can't wait to part two, as an African American and never Mormon I love it when I see you African Americans on this podcast, because I often wonder how do African Americans join a church with such a racist past, because we must remember that the 1978 overturning of the ban on blacks of the priesthood is not that long ago, Just for that reason is why I could never see myself joining the LDS Church, because you're telling me that God decided in 1979 to finally give blacks the priesthood the denying them for hundreds of years, That's ridiculous
👏🏽💯
God's Word tells us not to look back. we are to look forward for what is to come. Jesus is head of the Church. His sheep are members of His body. people that are apart of this organization are blind
it’s like gay people being part of scientology.
w/n too hard ... lol bc all Christians have a racist past... we join for JC...not the members..
@@shebamaree9026they are still racist to this date !
Summur’s story and timeline reminds me of the version of the church I loved! Such good times! What a wonderful golden-hearted person! Thanks for telling your fascinating story Summur! ❤💛🧡💛❤️
HI Summur-Rayn!! You stayed at my place in Barcelona yeeeeears ago on your cruise trip :) It was great to know you at that time and great to see you here today!!!!
Oh my gosh!!! How are you????? That’s feels like EONS ago, doesn’t it???
@@SRayn2012 I know it does... That's like 14 years ago. Jenn and I are in Dallas now, 2 kiddos. Also not Mormon :p We're doing good. Great job on MStories! Superstar :)
I'm glad you guys are coming back to your roots! I love people's stories. The news just doesn't jive with me.
Summit is the most delightful history story teller in regards to family and other people. I never listened to anyone who could relate to it any better.
I'm Catholic & from the East Coast perspective, not having family at your wedding because they're not part of the religion is ludicrous.
There is a special blessing my fiancé can get from the Catholic priest when we get Communion every Sunday at Mass.
There are many members who get married in the temple but also have a separate ceremony where non-Mormon or even members who don’t attend the temple. To go in there are more requirements than just being a member of the LDS church.
I left the NJ/Philadelphia area in 2022. Bishop Vai was my favorite Bishop in the Church he and his wife were just really good nice people.
I like how her family is more important than doing the right thing for the church.
I served my mission in Philly and spent a couple transfers in Downtown and the Owens family was an absolute inspiration. I loved it when Burgess would give the lesson in priesthood.
He called us to come to his house one day to give him a priesthood blessing to assist him in making an important business decision.
The food was always amazing and there was so much love in their home.
I also ran into Summur’s little brother again while attending Southern Utah University.
Great episode. Thank you for sharing!❤🙏
I can say from personal experience…her mom is one of my favorite people, and when I left the church I still had nothing but love from her ❤️
Summer's thought "Raised to value grace" is a good concept. I didn't learn to value grace until my mission, and I learned it from non-members.
The douen idea is interesting and a little frightening for children and believers.
Woooooooo!!!! Wasn’t expecting Trinidad and Tobago! A warm hello from your mother’s mother land!
What a lovely guest, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing your story, thank you for sharing.
I am thoroughly enjoying every minute of this lovely ladies stories. Thank you John, and of course it is super special because Marge's thoughtful questions were included. I so love Marge's lovely mind. I can't wait for Part 2.
I’m a Tallahassee Lassie, in the Poconos now for 20yrs. It IS considered part of the Panhandle, but mostly “The Big Bend” area, and, of course, the Capital. In 1973, my parents allowed me to try public school. Less than a month after starting at Leon High, me, all my new black friends and kids and families from Richard’s & Godby, held demonstrations outside Leon, protesting the attempt to change bussing-basically, take all my friends out of Leon and force them to go back to Richard’s. Longer story much shorter, I was extremely tiny for my age due to a genetic disorder. I also always had very light, very blond hair, that my mother kept in braids so she could…use them for discipline..or just when she felt like dragging me around because I did terrible things like read and wrote at college level..when she was always telling folks I was the R word. She also insisted I was deformed and handicapped…except my wonderful grandmother got me into gymnastics and dance. In other words, I “embarrassed” her, therefore I’m an evil person.
When I started at Leon, I made friends with my black classmates very easily because I really wasn’t accepted by the white kids. And my black friends LOVED putting neat braids in my hair.
During the protest, I was pretty much the only white face in the crowd. Unfortunately, it didn’t bode well for me at home. I was put back into private school, but had kept in touch with my black friends, got them to sign up for the volunteer work at the hospital, as well as dance and gymnastics-we stayed in touch, despite my family and our community at large.
Tallahassee had made a LOT of progress..until recently. As in other places I lived, recent years have seen a horrible rise in racial tensions..and outright racism. We seem to be turning the clock back…and personally, it terrifies me.
Thank you so much for sharing
Another Tallahassee Lassie here. I graduated in the 1980s. I went to Lincoln but had many Leon friends. I’m still in the area. Tally has come a long way!!!
Loved listening to this. Summur is such a positive person and a testament to her parent’s upbringing - especially her Mom’s! Affirming parenting and letting your children be individuals is so important!
I love this interview SO much! I left the church about a year and a half ago and I am really appreciative of Sumer’s perspective. So much wisdom in this interview! Thankyou to all of you!
Loved this Mormon story ! Thank you!
Loved this episode she’s amazing! 💕Absolutely love her spunk and personality!!!
My favorite Mormon story yet! Such depth and I just want more of Summur-Rayne! Thanks for covering the stories outside of Utah - that was my mini - Mormon attending experience and it’s refreshing to feel represented
This has been one of my favorite episodes! I can’t wait to listen to the 2nd part!
Forecast...it'll be Summur all year long 😊🎉❤🎉
I still remember the fireside with Vai, Ty, and the “other guy” !
Just started the video but I love hearing about Summur’s background. I grew up in South Florida. My mom is from Trinidad and Tobago as well. And both of my parents grew up around the same time period as her parents and dealt with desegregation. Thank you for having her on the podcast!
Edit: So crazy. My grandma also flew up to NY from Trinidad to get situated first before flying my mom up, too O___O
It would be amazing if all parents were this awesome!
Such a great family you have, Summur. Thank you for sharing your story. ❤
Such an enlightening episode, Summur-Rayn was lovely!
I just started listening to this episode, but the things that went on in the NFL are just crazy.
What a delightful interview and I can't wait to see the rest! The way John chuckles at ~1:59:55 after Summur talks about not experiencing the typical ensemble of guilt and shame when she was believing-but-"inactive"... felt like a moment I can relate to as a researcher. It's like "I've been working so hard for so long NOT to bias my experiments/analysis toward the hypothesis in my head, but now this observation that totally fits my hypothesis just appeared in front of my face anyway." We didn't want to be unfair to the Church by prematurely concluding that Church participation (going to Sunday meetings and hearing shamey talks) causes internal experiences of guilt and shame. Maybe we won't even conclude that now. But maybe we'll put more stock in that model. Summur, John, correct me if I've gone off the deep end!
I love Mr Burgess Owens!!! I love that I can say, I have a photo of him and I. He allowed me to wear his Super Bowl RING! I worked at a restaurant that he sometimes came to. What a nice man!!!
I love this Mormon story! Can’t wait to listen to part 2.
This was so good. I can’t wait for part 2. I hope it’s posted soon.
Wednesday
Looking forward to watching it ) when you finish recording all the parts, is it possible to make the time stamps, please?)
I’m always amazed at what people feel they need to ask the bishop about. I have never had that impulse. Not sure why.
Same. I have a friend who talks to the bishop about all her questions and problems. I never did.
I cannot agree with you more.
Great story so far, thanks summur for sharing 😊
Summer seems like such a beautiful person, inside and out. Looking forward to part 2!
Can't wait to listen to part 2
I know John meant no harm by it, but we gotta be careful what we call daemons. The story she's telling is very much a cultural understanding of spiritual matters. I say this to you as someone who is a Hoodoo from the American South; these kind of stories are apart of a spiritual and cultural foundation and for some of us are just as real as the saints or Jesus, or God.
Great story, thank you Summer!❤
Summur is brilliant ✨🤗
Great presentation thanks
It kind of sounds like her family took the freedom to "use" mormonism as a religion, not as a cult.
she's so wise I really really enjoyed this episode
You are one of the most incredible human beings on this planet!!!!!!
In the spirit of small worlds, my grad-school S.O. taught at SVU when it was still a private two-year women's college (Southern Seminary College)!
Not the duennes!!!!!!!!!!! I grew up by a river and I was always terrified one would call me!
thank you
You're welcome
So funny how everyone outside of UT either doesn’t know or doesn’t do what UT members think is normal. Bubble
Tallahassee is part of the Pan Handle. I went to a rival high school of Rickards, Godby High School in Tallahassee in the mid 70's.
Another Tallahassee lassie! I went to Lincoln😉😉😉.
wow never thought i would hear rickards high school mentioned on mormon stories
John I’m starting to like you more and more, you seem to be very fair I had the wrong idea about you
😳 whew this is so good!
The Mormon bubble just means everyone is judging each other. The number of people “sinning” ie doing normal things is maybe a little less. I had as many member friends having sex v not as nonmembers doing the same.
Summer's mom sounds like she should be in the next Fast and the Furious movie. Or John Wick. Or maybe both.
Do Summer's parents want to adopt a 52 year old never Mormon? Asking for a friend 😂 they definitely deserve the this is how to parent award and all the gold metals. Summer turned out to be an amazing human. Props to their family.
Wait....... I'm confused by the title. Did she come back to the church or did she leave? Can someone answer my question please. I dont want to watch a 3hr video and find out is something else
I’m still listening…. However, I really perked up when you mentioned where your dad was from. I’m from Tallahassee and even went to the Rickards (where he went to high school) prom my senior year (1985). Some of my best friends went to Rickards (I attended school on the other side of town though).
Also, I must mention that by the time I went to high school there in Tallahassee, the public schools were completely racially integrated. I realize there was segregation in Tally in the 60s but as of today, this is a highly progressive, vibrant and beautiful city.
Where is part 2??
Wednesday
It's linked in the description now!
Tallahassee is in the panhandle lol. Nice state capital/college town. Love seeing FSU campus.
So many African Mormons leaving the
church after relocating to Utah .I wish we could investigate why ?
In Jamaica we use paper on the forehead for the hiccups. You just moisten the paper first.
Smash the like button!
That type of parenting style works sometime for some family but sometime not and not for everyone.
This is what religion should be.. no conditioning, guilt, shame, etc
I love you. Geesh. Smitten. Lol
Sounds like her parents had a great relationship. A team rather than a man who calls all the shots.
Did her dad play with Chester Willis?
1:30:00 her dad is ultra conservative isn’t he? lol
Reddit just shared something of Francis from the goonies today. If that happen for a reason, I don't know why.
You must have loved him to switch Hawaii temple to bountiful. Lol
Summur? I’m on pins and needles
2:22 in John Madden taught me everything I know about football, too. Heck yeah.
piensa que Dios tiene dos libros sagrados?
i am seeing Jesus leave the 99 and bringing you back to the fold
For me as a Christian what she is saying at least from my church that is nondenominational that is what we were taught your words have power, my mom would always relate it to the Bible scripture life and death are in the power of the tongue so always choose to speak life over you and others. A lot of what she said at the beginning is very nondenominational Christianity
Falling away? That's a manipulative LDS phrase. Deconstructing a false belief isn't falling away. She has an emotional attachment to the LDS community and is sorting through that.
01:30:00 made me throw up
to be clear i get that this information was presented neutrally im not trashing anyone that appears in this video but one of the most insidious things about mormonism as a system is the thick layer of religiosity smeared all over the already reprehensible "get out of moral responsibility free card" of american exceptionalism but teaching it explicitly as a required course is... yikes...
They always say The Episcopal Church is where a Baptist and a Catholic go to get married. 😂
You have no discernment.
RACIST CELEBRATING SOMEONE WHO CSN BE A FRONTMAN FOR YOU! Sad 😢
Except for this episode, MSP seemed to delight in people leaving the church.
I'm praying for you all. KJV is the ONLY book you need.
Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith. Which faith unless every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this: that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is; such is the Son; and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreated; the Son uncreated; and the Holy Ghost uncreated. The Father infinite; the Son infinite; and the Holy Ghost infinite. The Father eternal; the Son eternal; and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three eternals; but one eternal. As also there are not three uncreated; nor three infinites, but one uncreated; and one infinite. So likewise the Father is Almighty; the Son Almighty; and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties; but one Almighty. So the Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods; but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord; the Son Lord; and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords; but one Lord. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity; to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord; So are we forbidden by the Catholic religion; to say, There are three Gods, or three Lords. The Father is made of none; neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created; but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten; but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is before, or after another; none is greater, or less than another. But the whole three Persons are coeternal, and coequal. So that in all things, as aforesaid; the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshiped. He therefore that will be saved, let him thus think of the Trinity.
Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation; that he also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess; that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God, of the Substance [Essence] of the Father; begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the Substance [Essence] of his mother, born in the world. Perfect God; and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead; and inferior to the Father as touching his Manhood. Who although he is God and Man; yet he is not two, but one Christ. One; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh; but by assumption of the Manhood into God. One altogether; not by confusion of Substance [Essence]; but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man; so God and Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell; rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, he sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from whence he will come to judge the living and the dead. At whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies; And shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire. This is the catholic faith; which except a man believe truly and firmly, he cannot be saved.
And why do some priests rape little boys? The Mormon church is an exaggeration of the Catholic church. All religions are cults. People are starting to realize this so go ahead and write an entire paragraph, nobody is listening because everyone knows what brainwashing cults look like. 🎉
Huh??
My friend, are you lost?
No thanks. I don't worship any supernatural being who creates evil, and then blames others for his own bad behavior. If you create evil you ARE evil. Period.
wowee cool story bro
Proud to say our kid earned their only 'D' @BYU-PROVO in BYU Required (rewritten JOKE history) American Heritage class. Know that '1984' Novel's Repeated Party Slogan is- "Who controls the past, controls the future: who controls the present, controls the past!"
cult