My Story: Why I Left Mormonism
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- Опубліковано 19 лют 2019
- The Emancipation of a Molly Mormon is a video series geared towards helping individuals and families undergo a faith transition in an emotionally and psychologically healthy way. Please visit us at our Instagram account for daily thoughts and video updates @emancipatedmolly.
Since posting the video, Teri has become a Certified Life Coach that guides people through religious trauma. To learn more or to schedule a free consultation, please visit www.effervescentcoaching.com or schedule directly at calendly.com/effervescentcoaching/exploration.
Am I the only one binging “why I left the mormon church” videos? Lol
Same like idk why but it’s so entertaining
Tyson Hamblin me too
Not even a little are you the only one lol
Same. I’m a Christian myself and I heard someone say something about lds . At first I thought they were just another type of Christians but come to find out they have completely different beliefs. Based on my research, it sounds like a cult
Hailey Brown yep it is
When I was at BYU in early 80s, my sociology professor told us women inn the church are more prone to depression than the general population. Now I know why.
Provo, Utah, the “happiest town in America,” according to Gallup polls. Surveys by the Pew Research Center and Gallup consistently support the idea that religious people are much more likely to report being “very happy” than nonbelievers; Provo has a population that’s over 90 percent Mormon. The happiest people on earth!
@@johnlee1352 it's easy to be happy if you can blame all the bad things in the world on non believers or the devil. Not only that but mormon women are some the most prescribed anti depression medicine in the world. Not exactly hard to be happy when your on Valium all day long
How did you get depressed as a woman in the church? There are some who aren't. What were you looking for?
@@johnlee1352 There is great social pressure to " Keep Sweet" in Mormonism and say you are happy, even f you are miserable.
Most religions are sexist. LDS is one of the worst.
I left the church 7 months ago and I’m so happy and finally I have peace!! Good story
Thanks for leaving on your own so we didn't have to throw you out.
Here is a link to a lawsuit against the LDS church for people who have left the church in the past four years clients.kayburningham.com/?q=contact&r=class
@@johnlee1352 How very unchristian of you
@@johnlee1352 enjoy ur cult.
You are at peace because the battle is over, Satan won. Enjoy your god that requires nothing of you.
I can totally relate to the rage. For a whole year I kept asking myself “why do I keep coming to a place that makes me so angry?” Is one of the things that helped break my shelf.
I am a Christian living in a heavily LDS community and I see so much of what you speak. A sad people controlled by an impossible situation.
Gene! I was too. Born again Christian lived in Pocatello Idaho in the 1980's during college.very eye opening, the Mormon culture.
I lived in a town in WA state most of my life. Two Morgan churches. 2 wards in one morman church and 3 wards in the other morman church. Mayor was morman. Most of the city council was morman. School board. Yep most were morman. Mayor's daughter got pregnant summer before her junior high school year. She was shipped off to Utah and child given up for adoption. Two sweet morman girls on senior trip caught with booze. One morman girl under blanket with boy on the school bus. Morman mayor had 3 DUIs during his term as mayor. Totally true. Nothing was ever done about any of it. All the morman families were perfect in that town. How did I know all this? All the above girls were in my daughter's class. The mayor's DUIs were posted in the paper, no one said anythong.
Sad? I'm an ex-Mormon and "sad" is not how I would characterize them. Many, many Mormon families are quite happy to be together and to be Mormon. "Misinformed" is how I would characterize them. But then you realize that most of the world is, including Christians.
There's no much difference within the two belief, both are fantasies and both can be a jail for the mind, like many religions.
@@eliassandoval9530 they are worlds a part theologically. True orthodox Christianity believes in Grace alone, through Faith Alone, and that Christ's sacrifice was sufficient. The LDS church is misinformed, and a cult - which attempts to amend Holy Scripture with the "prophet Joseph Smith's revelations".
I relate to your journey very much. I was a Seminary & Institute Coordinator for 26 years. When the Church essays came out, we were tasked to study them in order to be able to teach the young people how to address the common criticisms about the church. I, too, was puzzled at the different versions of the First Vision and how it got more detailed and more amazing over time. You were right. Our memory of impactful events get fuzzy and even erratic over time. There was a study made on the recollection of witnesses on 9/11. Just after one year, many recollections included things that were wrong or that didn't happen.
There were other things too, like how DNA analysis do not point to a Middle Eastern origin for the American Indians but instead point to East Asian origins which confirmed the prevailing theory of the majority of anthropologists. I practically grew up in the Church. Growing up, I attended almost all of the broadcasts for the conferences, firesides, devotionals, and the like. Everything I heard the general authorities teach about the American continent was that it was kept from "other nations", just as 2 Nephi 1:8 says, and preserved for Lehi and his family. Yet, when this DNA study came out and two church member scientists called attention to the problem it presented about the Book of Mormon claims, the apologists began to say that, when Lehi and his family got to the promised land, there were already other civilizations there and that they inter-married to the point that their DNA got so diluted it disappeared! Firstly, why was there no mention of other civilizations in the Book of Mormon. If Nephi preserved the plates for the "ministry of his people," what greater ministry was there than to preach to a people that were different from them, spoke a different language, and presumably did not know anything about God? And how do they explain 2 Nephi 1:8? Finally, how come the DNA of Neanderthals, who became extinct 40,000 years ago, could be found among Europeans today? Why is it that the DNA of Denisovans, who became extinct 30,000 years ago, could be found among many Asians living today? And Lehi and his family came supposedly to the American continent only 2,600 years ago and the last great battle that killed about 230,000 Nephites (but there would have been many survivors including the Lamanites who were supposedly victorious) happened only 1,600 years ago! Anyone can see clearly that the apologists are just trying to conjure explanations out of thin air.
And then, there was the issue on polygamy. D&C 132 states that before a man can get another wife, the first wife must give consent. Yet, Joseph Smith entered into additional marriages without the knowledge of Emma Smith and, when she learned about them, could not still still accept them wholeheartedly. Even the Church admitted as much. Now, when you read Section 132, despite requiring the consent of the first wife, in the case of Joseph Smith, there was a warning of destruction for Emma Smith towards the end of the section if she refused to support Joseph Smith in this issue. So, first wife must give consent but, in the case of Joseph, first wife would be destroyed if she did not give consent. Being regarded as a prophet really provides a lot of leeway and advantages.
But that is not all. In October 2014, the church came out with a press release where it admitted officially for the first time that Joseph had "30 to 40 wives, 12 to 14 of whom were still married to their first husbands." So, not only did he married several wives against the will of Emma Smith which was in direct contradiction to the guideline he himself laid out in Section 132, he also married "12 to 14" wives of other men! And why, 170 years after his death, can't the church give the exact number of wives and wives of other men that Joseph took? Didn't they keep records? Wasn't record-keeping important in the church? Or weren't these marriages really that important? The more likely reason was that these marriages were entered into in secret. Remember, Emma Smith learned about them after the fact. This was the last straw for me. When I learned about this, I knew I could not be a part of anything that came after this.
There were other many questionable things such as the temple signs, symbols, and tokens being copied from the Masonic rituals of which Joseph Smith was a first-degree freemason. One needs to find only one major fault in a church that claims to be "the only true and living church with which [the Lord] is well-pleased" in order to conclude that it is not what it claims itself to be. To find several? The conclusion is so obvious.
I have more interest in history than religious scripture, but in my observation, Neanderthal features are very evident in caucasians, Asians, Indians etc today. Humans are quite mixed race and even mixing some sapien blood types can’t successfully produce offspring.
In my mind I stereotype “modern humans” as flat high brow with aryan long face shape but I see that there are certain aspects of Neanderthal that are valued in aristocracy today like flat back of head and overbite. So for some veiled reason, Neanderthal is a necessary part of human stock. I see pattern of mutation that downs babies usually have too much flat face dna
I look forward to a discovery of a denisovan skull fragment
“In the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1
That was excellent Thank You! A very good explanation and VERY GOOD POINTS! The evidence against the church being "True" only grows and grows.
All I can say is me too. My depression was also coming out in rage and my family was also the brunt of the spear. It came out in rage at my children, my spouse and anyone else that got in the way. Being a Mormon is a quick way to the bottom and when you ask them for help, unless you want to read some scripture or another, there is no help!!! Only after I came to a point where I could no longer buy into the horrible leadership. I then started to read up on Joseph and Brigham and then and there I discovered that they were telling lies to everyone. Then I realized that they do not tell anyone these things when they investigating the Church. When I asked why, they told me that they first need the milk and later we’ll give them the meat. It was over at that point when I realized that they aren’t being truthful to anyone, members or new investigators - no one was getting the truth; everyone was getting the Koolaid and no one is getting the facts to enable to make an informed decision. You are spot on and I’m so thankful that you are speaking out so others like you can find their way to the truth...
Just for your information. The church has thrown Joseph under the bus in favor of Brigham Young who literally changed church history along with his buddies at the top end of the chain. So yes this church is based on lies from Brigham forward. I believe that Christ is coming back soon and will need some of us to help him clean things up.
Glad you saw through the false picture the church presented about Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith fit the profile of a Con Artist. He had the personality, the charisma, and the eyes that could spin a tale and cause people to believe him. He certainly knew how to tell a tall tale! And he lied so often that it's such a shock people can't see through his claims. But True Believers are usually always stuck for life.
Emancipate yo' self, Molly! :) I had a traumatic faith crisis and left the Church in 2015. Life is so much more peaceful and joyful on the other side! Thank you for sharing your story and your support!
Jesus loves you I plead that you read the bible and learn of Jesus for he is real and so is his love.
Had to stop watching when molly Mormon said God’s love is not unconditional. I have. Been a member for 40 years. Never heard that. Absolutely love being a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Linda Lowder She was quoting what was said in a sermon. So you are calling her a liar because YOU never heard someone say that? The Bible says that a person who answers before hearing the whole thing is foolish.
@@lindalowder4269 You are lost and don't even know it but sorry to tell you when you pass from this life it will be too late since no organization/temple/ fake church can save anyone from hell's fires.
I didn’t have a faith crisis, the church has a truth crisis!
My Exodus from Moronism probably began at my first trip to the temple, but when I truly knew I was done was the day the Berlin Wall began to come down.
I was very excited watching it all happen until I caught myself thinking I shouldn't be forming an opinion until Sunday, so the church could tell me what my true opinion should be.
Don't think I attended another Sunday service after that.
Tara, yeah, the temple rituals are a bit strange for our current culture that has moved away from symbolism and ritual. I find the second part of your comment a little odd. Nowhere in LDS Doctrine or policy are we told to defer to church leadership for all our opinions.
@@PeterLassig oh come on man! How many General Conferences have you sat through where you were told the, "Official Church Stance" on one issue or another? What is that if not the leadership telling the membership what to believe.
I attended many branches and stakes in my lifetime and at every single one I was told by the leadership how the church felt about almost every major issue.
If you're ok with that, that's great, but stop kidding yourself. Your opinions have been shaped and influenced your entire life. It's the same with every religion.
It doesn't need to be a written rule. Social pressures are very effective in keeping people in line, especially in a religion as all consuming as Mormonism.
@@mustwereallydothis: Yeah, many of my opinions HAVE been shaped and influenced by the LDS Church, and I'm better off for it. But the difference is that I have chosen to have them shaped by my religion; that choice hasn't been imposed upon me (at least not during my adult years). It's certainly not true that we're spoon-fed everything we're supposed to believe.
That hasn't always been the case. I freely explored the world for quite some time before renewing my faith. I know others talk about the freedom they feel when leaving the Church. I think I have an idea what they're referring to. Like others, I too felt a great deal of relief when I left the Church. However, like anything else, the euphoria of that relief eventually wore off and my new cause ultimately left me feeling unfulfilled.
Some would suggest that the so-called meaning I felt when I returned to the Church was because I had returned to things familiar to me. Perhaps that's partly true, but I would argue that it is much, much more than that. The very best things in my life have come about when I've tried to follow what I believe to be the commandments of God (Like others, I too believed at one time they were of men, power-hungry men at that. I don't believe that now and have seen the selfless way most men and women serve in the Church.)
Here's another way of putting it: When I have consistently gotten good and timely advice from a friend, I have always been more likely to turn to him or her in the future. My relationship with the Church is like that. I have consistently gotten unfailingly good advice that has served me well. In fact, I have yet to find one instance where my life hasn't been improved because I've tried to truly follow what I've been taught. It sounds like that wasn't the case for you. But I believe it could be and invite you to come and see once more.
I agree with Peter II's comment. Nowhere in LDS Doctrine or policy are we told to defer to church leadership for all our opinions.
Not even very many of them.
@@fstaheli oh I agree with him as well. There is no written rule that you must share the opinions of leadership. My point is, there doesn't need to be. In a religion such as Mormonism there is no need for such things. Social pressures alone does the job beautifully.
I would suggest that if you don't feel that pressure you are probably one of those exerting it.
Perhaps one day you will get enough distance from the issue to see it. For now you are deep far too in the trees to see the forest.
Not that there is anything wrong with that, as long as you're happy. It just happens that I wasn't.
Do you realize this would make a GREAT TED Talk?
rryoder1 yes!!! It would an amazing TED Talk!!
TED talks don’t permit disparagement.
kathryn witte these are the guidelines.
storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/tedxcontentguidelines.pdf#page2
This was sooooo cathartic!! I’m 49 years old and left the church about 10 years ago. Thank you for sharing your story. I still struggle because I’ve not had access to therapy - I’ve been left to my own devices on my journey of healing. This video was validating and of great comfort. Thank you! ❤️
You're incredibly brave. Most LDS women are on anti-depressants and you shared why. Unrealistic goals and expectations. God already loves you.
Most Mormon women are on antidepressants? LOL, I think that’s better than being on something else that isn’t prescribed by a doctor. Sign me up. Got any alcoholics in your family?
That is not true. Where did you come up with that?
What is an unrealistic goal?
I do know about depression and anxiety and mental illnesses including alcoholism and drug
addiction. You’d have to do a case by case investigation to come up with a fair representation of why antidepressants are used so much among this population. When people self medicate with alcohol or drugs it often masks destructive thought processes that can only be addressed through therapy.
@@deborafrench2316 I dont know where people keep coming g up with this "fact" there was an LA Times article from 2002 that said Utah was the highest but a study from 2014 lists the 7 highest and Utah was not one of them.
I loved this. "In my experience history doesn't elaborate the further you get from it. Tall tales do that."
“In the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1
@@IannaLovely2022 like the doctrines of the Mormon church? Absolutely!
Randomly decided to watch this as something to listen to while I was doing other thing but stop what I was doing to listen. Very cool inside, you’re such a natural storyteller too. Thanks for sharing!
Oooh!! You and your husband are going to such a blessing for so many people who need this exact type of community.
I left the church too. I was stressed and unhappy. After studying church history, I knew that I was lied to which made me very angry. Leaving the church was the best thing for me.
Dawn West how did you go about leaving? Process?
You let doubt get to you.
Kelly McGrants No, it wasn’t doubt. It was the truth that lead me out of the Mormon church.
we left the church 6 years ago mainly because of church history. Fortunately, we joined the Lutheran denomination instead. We found faith and truth solely in the Holy Bible, not the Book of Mormon and the teachings of leaders like Joseph Smith.
@julibikes we will see in the second coming bro.of you are anti mormon or what ever..dont be crazy..respect what the church belief.
I admire your vulnerability and willingness to confront the complex truths of a difficult situation. I've never been Mormon but as an artist I'm always willing to listen to people doing that difficult kind of work.
I applaud your honesty and candor. My experiences and feelings while a member for 26 years are so much like yours. I hated myself for staying so long after enduring abuse, manipulation, depression, anxiety and ptsd, all because of my experiences while a faithful mormon. My children suffered greatly. I regret that the most. Every day I fight feelings of guilt I have for everything that is wrong in their lives because of my choice to be a mormon. Recovery has not been easy. It has been very painful painful. Therapy has been a life saver for me and some of my children. Thank you for making this video.
Thank you for making this video. I hope it reaches millions!
Wow!!!! Thank you for sharing your story, please continue!
Brilliant job. Very articulate, courageous, honest, compassionate.
You are not alone...most of us left because of church history. I can relate to the pressure of being the perfect Mormon Mom. I hope my family and husbands family will learn more and leave if they want too.
do you think it is important to leave Mormonism for the right reasons? in your case you left because you read, got educated and understood that the origins of it are in contradiction to everything scriptural. I am not minimizing anything that Terry, said but i think it is important to understand the difference. :>)
Chevy Van Travel I’m ex-Mormon. I think any reason is a valid reason to leave. My first foot out was because of how leaders always tell members that the perfect time to share the gospel was when someone had a ‘major life event’. Most of the time they mentioned a death in the person’s life. It deeply disturbed me that people were encouraged to prey on vulnerable people. Finding out about the history of the church helped me to get all the way out.
I am wanting some better understanding. How did learning about the church’s history make you want to leave? Did you find something in the history of the church that is also present in current times? How were things you learned about the history of the church different than the history of humans in general?
smrtyrn801 There is a LOT to unravel about the history of the church. Assuming you are a Mormon, first of all, we’ve been lied to about the way Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon. All those artworks and paintings that you always see of him leaning over the Gold Plates? Lies. In reality, he used a stone that he found in a well in his youth. He put the stone in a hat and put his face inside the hat to block out all light. Supposedly, sentences appeared on the stone and he read them out to his scribe. This story is accepted by the church, although you often have to dig a little to find it.
That’s just one thing we were deceived about. There are so many others: for example, there are actually a few different accounts of the First Vision, and details change in each one. Some are kind of small, like Joseph Smith’s age, but others are huge, like the number of beings that Joseph Smith saw. The one we are taught about says that there were two beings that appeared to Joseph Smith: Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. However, in others, it’s only Heavenly Father. For a while, Joseph Smith taught that God and Christ are one in the same. Why would these accounts change? Why did the doctrine change?
There are so many discrepancies in our church’s history. You just have to look.
@@timetravelingconman
Look at Acts 6:7 and see it say "And the word of God increased;"
Since God never changes, if he could increase his word yesterday he can increase it today and forever.
Think about all the changes that occurred in the Old Testament before Christ fulfilled the law of Moses.
I see all these things people see as problems differently that I don't see them as problems.
Thank you for this video! You elaborate so well!
Your lucky to have a husband who supported you and listened to what you had to say on the whole thing. You could have lost a marriage over it too. But good for you girl! Glad you payed attention to your body! Glad you found your light. 😘
Ya
That would be hard af.
Some people have dyslexia,some people have learning disabilities and no some people may not have gone to school so hold off on the judgement and insults until you know someone's story.
@@lunabrady4253 Thank you I appreciate your comment . I have ADHD.
Thank God people like her are waking up and leaving this cult!
All Christianity is a cult.
“In the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1
@@IannaLovely2022 Christianity is fake.
Right on!
Good for listening to your heart. My journey was similar. It came down to unconditional love for me too!
As an LDS myself, I think it's wrong for any organized religion to try to influence how its followers vote
I left roughly four years ago. I was crushed when I finally come to terms with the truth. I cried for 2 weeks! I’d been buying the lie of Mormonism for 38 years. And for 38 years I believed that I just wasn’t “good enough” for God and “The Church.” Those old tapes are so deeply burned into my psyche that most of the time I don’t even recognize the voice of the enemy playing in the background of my Self-thoughts. Neither do I fully experience the full scope of my emotions...YET.
I’m happy to report that I am a Born Again, Jesus Obsessed Christian. It took leaving Mormonism for me to comprehend God’s Grace. Ive never once heard the “prophets” or church leaders openly advocate for Grace to be embraced by the church members. Why is the Gospel of Grace not a part of Mormon doctrine? It’s all about control, and Shame is the M.O. of the LDS church. This religion has all the characteristics of a cult.
I still love my LDS friends. I’ve got one daughter who is still very Molly Mormon. My other four children, all adults now, have left the LDS church, but like me, they are still plagued by what I call the Spirit of Mormonism: Unworthiness.
My prayer for the church is that deception will be exposed, that the church leaders will acknowledge the need for change, and commit to the truth, and that the members will come to understand the Gospel of Grace. My prayer is that the church as a religion will ultimately experience being Born Again! No more Works; no more condemnation!!! I pray that my daughter and all my Mormon friends find out the truth, that
t[he Church of] “Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints” is not the same Jesus Christ, Messiah of THE WORLD!!! I pray that the eyes of all Mormons are opened to the truth that membership and a temple recommend are NOT free passes into Heaven!
I obviously have a lot to say, as well as having some healing still to do. Perhaps I could benefit from some post-Mormon therapy myself? lol
I’m grateful to have come across this vlog. I’m looking forward to more videos from you Teri. (sp?) Thank you for your strength and enthusiasm!
With love,
~Rebekah
•
Blessed by your testimony, sister.
It is so sad that people would feel not good enough for a Church when the church is not for perfect people (which do not exist) but, on the contrary, for the people who recognize they need God. My Bible is full of examples of people who were considered unacceptable by society and still deeply loved by Jesus just to show me I was like one of them, so there is nothing I or them could have done to deserve being called His, because it is not about the works. It does happen that the church is in fact full of real and imperfect people who make mistakes, for example: saying that salvation can be lost (which is not true), saying that you must deserve God (not true) and there are also people saying that we will all go to heaven because God is so compassionate that He will not have it any other way, which is also false doctrine because then Jesus wouldn’t have had to die for our sin in the first place 🤷🏼♀️ the church is ill but God IS NOT the church. You must go where you hear this and it will make perfect sense. I don’t go to (a Christian) church because I have perfect people there, they have and they will eventually let me down and I them, but I go because I love the Lord and I follow Him (not people who make up their own stories and versions about scripture, not even talking about LDS here!)
I hope your family and friends find Jesus. He finds worthiness in creatures like us, who have sinned, condemned Jesus, mocked Him, hate Him, etc...and yet, He still loves us. He loves me. I’ve done too many sinful things I’m ashamed to say and will sin again but Jesus’ blood is so powerful, His blood covers it all. I was recently saved and I have been just sharing the gospel everywhere. It’s not because of who I am or what I’ve done but because of WHO HE IS, He is the God of love. The Savior. Remember to share the gospel, the world deserves Him as well. They deserve to be happy and joyful and deserve salvation.
You didn’t hold tight to the iron rod and let doubt get you.
God opened your eyes...Hallelujah! Jesus frees us from slavery to sin and religion. We are saved by grace , the gift of God. Praying the Mormons eyes to be opened to the truth and give their hearts to Jesus.
Thank you for sharing your story! ❤ This inspired me to make my own youtube vid about why I left... I also went to BYU...We need more voices out there like ours!
You at 16:22. That was my turning point as well. Thank you for posting this!
God made you a firecracker!!! Never feel shame for that!!! And you were right: He loves you no matter what!!!
People sound so stupid when they believe in a god, dont they?
God loves everyone unconditionally but that doesn't mean everyone will be given them all the same reward in the next life if they do not accept his son Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and repent of their sins. If he lets filthiness into the kingdom of God then it must be a place of filthiness. If it is not then there must be a place prepared for that which is filthy. Everyone read your Book of Mormon and we would all know this. The Bible states that "In my Father House are many mansions".
@@zaidkhan6296
Your church is an apostate church whose entire doctrine is based on two verses from Matthew that was intentionally misinterpreted in order to control. The early church fathers never thought of Peter as a pope and the Bible does not support it anywhere. It was an attempt by Rome to control the people and create wealth, which they've done quite nicely. The RCC teachings are just as farfetched as the Mormon Church; praying to and worshipping Mary, praying to dead saints, purgatory, indulgences, the mass and on and on. All unbiblical.
If your church gave us the Bible, where did Jesus get His copy to read from Luke 4 when the Roman Catholic Church didn't comr until 300 years later? Christianity was illegal until the mid third century.
The first church was a church started by Jesus' brother, James and the other disciples. It has been found in Jerusalem and they were known as Nazarenes, not Catholics. Your church lies just like the Mormon Church does.
@@travisfairbourn820 Are you LDS or evangelical?
@@travisfairbourn820 You need to demonstrate your God exists before you tell me about him until you can do that the rest means nothing you are wasting everybody's time
Thank you for sharing your story. This was really interesting. We are Christian, not LDS, but I have a lot of LDS friends who I adore from our time living in Utah. It's interesting for me to learn about all of the different perspectives.
Oh, I do understand about finding out the truth by studying the church's own history. People have got to stop apologizing for the history of the church and read the words of the actual founders.
I have been so happy to see things now for what they are and I don't need to continue asking questions that go in circles.
Thank you thank you thank you I needed this I left the church 5 years ago and still have people in the church trying to make me feel bad. I love this video keep em coming
Thanks for leaving on your own so we didn't have to throw you out. 5 long years and yet here you are pathetically denigrating a faith you claim to have rejected. Wow.
@@johnlee1352 you are cruel
@@lauranichols3237 I notice you didn't say I was wrong!
God's grace, love and blessings to you and your family Amanda!
Well thank you @ Laura Nicholas I was a convert and the only member in my family and it was very hard they gave me a lot of experience that I appreciate and will love with me forever but the teachings are backwards to what love is. God is love. Not hate like @ John Lee
Very interesting, Very happy for you and that you realized what works for you.
Thank you so much for sharing watching stories from other people who left the church and their reasoning has really helped me to put my own life and struggle with being an outsider from the church and my family into perspective.
Best of blessings to you. 🙏
I live in St. George, Utah and when we moved here 25 yrs ago, we were shocked by the LDS Church. I felt as if they knew we weren't LDS (Mormon) and the day we moved here, we had teenage girls invited our daughters to things at the church. here, the LDS Church is always called "The Church". I was raised in the Nazarene Church and my daughters also were going to the Nazarene Church in Phoenix,AZ. St. George was a huge culture shock to all of us. We did find a community church that is non denominational and we were so glad we did. The first week we lived here, we had non stop knocks on our doors from girls my daughters age, neighbors that were LDS, Missionaries that were sent to our house once they found out we weren't LDS. Finally after a couple of months, the constant daily door knocking slowed down. No matter where we went in town, people asked us about which ward we went to and all kinds of terms that the Mormon church uses that we have never heard of such as Relief Society, Young Women's, priesthoods, Stake Centers and so on.
Then we went to register my daughters at school and they were going over the schedules my daughters would have at the counselors office. They looked at the classes my daughters chose out and they asked us about what hour did my daughter want Seminary. I was taken back. I had no clue what that was and when they told me that it is classes that are based on the teachings of the Mormon Church. Egads, I blew a gasket. By, this time, I was fed up with the constant knocks on the door and my daughters being ignored by the teenagers that couldn't hand out with them or even talk to them because we weren't Mormons.
But anyhow, when the counselor told me what it was and after I got upset over it, they knew they crossed the line. My daughters took the classes they chose out, but word got out before they even started school. That's because as we told the counselor that our daughters aren't Mormon and that they will chose what they want and we go to a Christian Church and they won't be taking place in activities unless they choose. The other counselors and those in the office was already talking about my daughters not being Mormon and they warned their teachers and the students in the office already had notified most of the students and their parents. My daughters were in tears and it took them 6 months to find friends. St. George is 85 percent Mormon and more diverse now that many non Mormons moved here. We love it here but it was very hard and my grandsons have a hard time now. Most conversations are based on the Mormon Church. No matter where you go you will find that. When I'm in the hospital, the Elders come to my room to see if I need a blessing. I had to put it in my charts that I'm not LDS and where I go to church.
"The Stepford Wives" comes to mind, but don't mind me.
@Usethe ForceHONKHONK resistance is futile. You will be assimormated.
@Usethe ForceHONKHONK - it's a play on "assimilated" combined with "morman". See here: ua-cam.com/video/WZEJ4OJTgg8/v-deo.html
@T. D We love St. George, it's beautiful and very clean. I think it was hardest on my kids though. My oldest daughter made it a point to tell her teachers what they believed. In the schools the students always brought the Book of Mormon to school since they had seminary. They told my daughter that she couldn't read the Bible during school hours. egads that was a battle. But, Jessica did bring the Bible and read it at school. But, it wasn't easy at all. even her English teacher was telling her that isn't approved reading. When they said that, I was down there faster than nothing. I had a lot of run ins while they were in school Sex ed was a whole other issue, lol
@Usethe ForceHONKHONK Yeah, they very much try to recruit children. If by a certain time if they find that they won't conform and if a person doesn't choose to be baptized by the 4th or 5th lesson, then the word get's out and the children aren't allowed to play or have anything to do with those who aren't LDS. I think things have changed a bit since we moved here. But, now my grandkids are going through the same things.
That was a well thought out commentary. I enjoyed your comments as I was born into a religious cult and now I am free and I went through similar experiences as you and your husband did. I can see where there is good and see what is not good. So i have put all religion into the same basket and all that is good into a separate place. That is where I stand now. Everyone should research the foundation of their belief system. Dig hard into history and it might surprise you what you find.
@Lynette hi. Yes it's good to get the basics sorted. Organised religion often has nothing to do with our personal decisions of how we want to live our life. Living to benefit others is more important to me than being enslaved to show obedience to an organisation. I don't belong to any religious group now. That has nothing to do with having a high moral standards and living a life that is appealing to others. We don't need a religion to become a better person. Kindness, respect, loyalty. Justice are qualities we can build ourselves without any sort of mind control. Good on you for making good choices.
Welcome to New Zealand. Regards
Ironically (or not, but at least to me) my ex husband’s father and brother are Roger Smith. His parents were and still are, highly respected and very active in the church and publicly oh, so pro ‘families are forever’ but the corruption, hypocrisy and nastiness they exhibited in their daily lives were too hard to stomach for me. Once I saw and experienced all that it reinforced my feelings about having to get out of there!
There is something amazing about the prophesies in the Bible though. Ezekiel 37 tells of the Jewish nation reclaiming their homeland, that it would no longer be separated Judah and Israel, but one united sovereign nation. That prophesy came true in 1948, after 2400 years they got their country back. Psalm 22 describes detailed information about Christ's crucifixion centuries before the Romans ever conceived this practice. Non-Christian sources: Josephus (1st century Roman Historian) writes of Jesus that was crucified, and how his brother James was stoned to death by Pilate and the revolt of the people declining their tithes to the temple afterwards. Christianity has one God who gave up His heavenly throne to become a sinless man and die for all mankind. The wages of sin is death, and Jesus took the bullet for us because He cares for us even though we are rebellious toward Him. No other person in history has their name used a disgusting cuss word but my Savior. No one uses Mohammed, Buddha, Hitler, Pol Pot or any others as a filthy word of disgust. Yet He loves us and paved the way for justice to be served, and He adopted us as his own and has invited any who would live for Him to be with Him in paradise.
Can you provide direct link to the essays you read about the different versions of the first vision?
that is a specific problem of mormonism, because it was started by a con man
I hope that someday you will be happy. I also hope that you can figure out how to live for yourself and not worry about what other people are thinking about you or how many things you can juggle at one time.
I was inactive for 20 years and returning to Church , in my opinion is you as person need to java a balance and you were so much pressure by yourself to be a perfect Mormon . Glad you feel better .
what do mean by shelf item
God bless you that He has shown you the truth. I hope you are proceeding with this endeavor
Amazing!!! Thank you! What a great video!
Okay as a Mormon who is currently trying to escape, I began to doubt when I educated myself with the BITE model. I have always been fascinated by cults and religion and philosophy. I had spent a long time refusing to analyze my own religion when I realized that this was the reason that so many people stayed in these cults. And so I allowed myself to truly step back and look at the church the way it is, I realized how terrible the amount of control they have over us is.
Get out now. We don't need any more weakness and confusion.
John Lee excuse me?
John Lee you taking to me?
Yes I am. Nobody else has replied. Have you left yet? You don't want to be controlled, do you?
John Lee Im assuming you are speaking about whether or not I’ve left the church. Sadly, I have not been cut free yet. The missionaries have started to come by again, requesting for more visits and to see us on Sunday’s. I have to wait a while to cut ties with my family before I start moving through the church. I’m trying really hard to do this without hurting anyone. But I don’t want to stay. I have cut all ties with friends now and Then I’ll try with family. I want to eventually have my records pulled but I don’t know how easy that’ll be.
You are amazing! You are so right! God’s love for us is unconditional!! He loves is so much!
Well done! You’re a terrific speaker❤️ I look forward to seeing more. -exmo of 20 yrs
Good on you for using logic and reason to reach the truth. Good on you for analyzing what is good and what is bad. Most of all, good on you for your compassion towards those suffering as you once suffered. May God richly bless you with His Grace -- His freely-given grace that embraces you as you are.
You were lucky to get out at a young age instead of wasting 40 years. You should do more videos
For the mormons attacking her back off she just gave her opinion and made light of her experience don't be prudes and dont act like every other religion when someone gives their opinion or whatever about a church or religion!!!!
WInchester Girl...I believe the comments made by those of us who are active members are not attacking her but rather pointing out that her story isn't factual and we want to make sure that those on here who are really interested in learning more about the church should speak with someone who has managed the pressures of being a parent, spouse, bread winner, citizen, and recognizes that while this is a challenge the church, and especially God, would never judge someone who is struggling to do both. I've had bishops who have told me to take my wife to dinner on Sunday because I was traveling Mon - Fri (and sometimes even Saturday) and Sunday was the only day I could spend with her. He told us that this shouldn't be the "norm" as we try to keep the Sabbath day holy but he also told us that family/marriage is more important than anything else. You may have have a Bishop here and there who can be a bit full of themselves but for the majority they are hard-working, loving, men who want the people in their congregation to be happy and faithful! Just thought I'd give my perspective because I did respond to her video but tried not to "attack" her.
@@kramermdk I do agree with you but the comments I've seen are judgemental and attacking her with her experience.. for me I can understand her side and the side of others that are trying to make light of the side of the church they know because I am a convert and for me I haven't had a bad experience with the church or the previous bishop or the current bishop of my branch but as she pointed out with her experience her and others have had bad experiences with their bishops and the church in general
@@shipporoxz2 Hi there...I didn't spend a lot of time going through the comments except I noticed the first 100 were all "good for you's" and "They don't even believe in Jesus" so I figured the majority were going to pile on what I felt was a sincere woman who felt overwhelmed but threw in a bunch of stuff that simply isn't true! The leaders of the Church love and respect women and are constantly telling us men to step up...and to tell you women that you're loved no matter how you feel about yourselves (not able to keep up). They recognize the struggles women have so for Molly to say she felt the leaders chastise her is such a fallacy! That's why I challenge anyone on here to listen to conference talks on www.churchofjesuschrist.org and listen to what they say both in the women's conference as well as the men's conference. Again...for the most part the local leaders are trying to do their best...are they perfect...of course not, but they certainly don't act the way the people on here think they do. I'm happy to discuss any of these items with anyone but would encourage people, who are really interested, to listen to any conference talk...just pick one and see if it isn't focused on Jesus Christ and the fact that he loves all of us! Congratulations Winchester Girl for seeing through the misinformation that's out there and finding the truth for yourself!
Mike Kramer Nothing about the LDS Church is factual.
@@codename495 It statements like yours that just confirm people say things without any basis or facts. This is why I suggest to anyone on here (or anywhere else) that you go to www.churchofjesuschrist.org and check out what the leaders of our church are saying rather than listening to someone who has an axe to grind or from someone like me who is a member all my life. Also...go to the source of truth...our Heavenly Father.
Great video! Super well thought out!
Fascinating. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for making this video. I am been struggling with staying or leaving myself. I have made many relationships in the church. Every time I feel I should go, it’s like I’m leaving family behind, or I’m being forced to choose between being me or having them around.
I have always believed that God can reach us in many different ways. I have seen him work through my life while in the church. This is what makes it so hard. I see the discrepancies in what I feel verses what they say. But I also have seen and experienced God’s blessings in my life. Do I believe if I leave God will leave me? No, but I still fear it because that is what I was taught all of these years. I can only find God in the Mormon church. I know better, but I just can’t seem to let that fear go, and the shame of not doing what I am “supposed” to be doing either.
Your right it is a process that I have been struggling with for about three years now. I am drowning. It’s affecting every other part of my life. It feels as though it has split me in two.
I don’t know how you made it past this but I have to say it took a lot of courage to. It is comforting to know I am not the only one who has struggled in this way. Thank you for posting this. It really helped.
I have felt the struggle too. I am 53 with a son just about to come home from his mission. He could write a book called While I was on My Mission. I see the good and the bad as well. I have chosen to remain in the church. I enjoy taking the sacrament. I don't go to the second meeting. I have no desire to live a lower standard life, but I don't really feel I have both feet in either. I view the church as a tool for me to do good things through i.e. service, but I feel I can serve anyone anywhere, and that is just fine. I have separated God and my Savior from the church. God and the church are not equals. The very thing I cling to is this, Christ said the greatest commandment was to love God with all of your heart, mind, might, and strength; and the second to love others. That's all I know for sure. That's what I try to focus on. The church was created FOR MAN and NOT man for the church. I don't feel attending church is harming me. I focus on the sacrament and what Christ did for me with an attitude of thanksgiving. God bless you in your journey.
Fellow ex mormon of 14 years here. Thanks for sharing your story! Welcome to the other side! Life is so much fuller and better here. Every day, the guilt and shame make room for a better life. :)
In the first 5 seconds of your video, I thought "Wow, this is the most Mormon woman I've seen in years." My family goes back to the pioneers, and I was raised in Utah. I was very brainwashed, but got out before a mission. Such a shame that the church convinced you to feel so inadequate.
Thank goodness we never have to spend an entire weekend watching general conference, right?
Ironically, the new testament led me away from Mormonism, even though I'm an atheist now. I saw the hypocrisy. Learned what it means to actually love people, and how that conflicts with Mormonism. I loved what you said: that the church approved materials led you away. That really shakes Mormons at their core. The missionaries stopped harassing me in college when I told them that "the more I read the BOM, the less I believe in it."
So grateful for your story! Wishing you and your husband a happy, wonderful life together!
Your ancestors weep for you. As for me, I'm happy you're gone. Thanks for leaving so we didn't have to throw you out.
John Lee, um, wow. Please keep it kind and respectful.
@@johnlee1352 point proven 😂 peace out God bless
I’m so proud of you!! It takes so much, especially after being raised in a religion, I was raised Catholic, so I raised my kids this way, for awhile! Into my 3”’s, I began realizing, Our Father is a loving God... I’m a child of his, like us all!! I’m also much happier as a human soul on earth, being the best human I can be, to love, & help when they need help, but not to wear and tear my world apart!!! You sound so much like me... Thank you so much for sharing your amazing story. I have had numerous friends raised, & have been on missions and have left the church. You are truly a lovely lady, many blessings to you , and your family... xoxo
Your message is great, and don't pay attention to those who would insult you or think you just didn't do it right, or didn't practice right. You had a wake up call, and you left the cult. I questioned all this when I was a child and going to that church. I'm very spiritual but I will not belong to any church or religion because they also have similar crazy history. The only truth is our direct relationship with God, which doesn't need an interpreter or person to tell us what to do or believe - they are human just like you are. They don't know anymore than you do, but just like you put on an image to be accepted, they are doing the same. Don't ever look back, keep moving forward. You will be an inspiration to a lot of people. Best wishes
The old saw: women go to BYU to get their MRS degree. :)
Kenneth Bailey Love this!
This is amazing to listen to. I grew up Pentacostal in Utah (read: fish out of water) and When I'm there, sometimes I feel such a pain in my heart for people who are living without peace, without security of God's real true grace. I pray for their true and total freedom in Jesus!
I agree! This us what I was thinking through her whole video. Jesus is calling them to his true grace, freedom and love!
Epic Kate Bjargvide I agree! This us what I was thinking through her whole video. Jesus is calling them to his true grace, freedom and love!
@@creativelady7 There are so many Utahns who are bitter at Mormons when we need to love them even more diligently than they do, but with the freedom they don't have. To show them that it's possible to walk in that and loose those chains!
@Saint Christopher The Bible so often taken completely out of context. There is stuff that is historical, poetical, cultural, etc. It's not one book, it's a library of 66 books by over 40 different authors. There are things in there that aren't meant to be taken literally this day and age that were hugely progressive to the ancient people they were written to. It is defintiely dangerous to look at the Bible as 100 percent literal and applicable for today.
I appreciate the transparency you have brought here.
I feel grateful that you and your husband are using proven tools to help those passing through such a complex and painful transition.
There must be reorientation on many levels.
Relationships have been shattered and they have lost orientation self-identity.
I strongly recommend that you and your husband hear the podcast Enneagram Journey by Suzanne Stabile who has been teaching the Enneagram for 25 years all around the country. This podcast has insights into marriage and parenting that other Enneagram podcast lack.
Also at her website Life in the Trinity, there is a store with books and audio recordings.
After you get familiar with these then you will have a useful common language to use with your clients and you will know what resources and exercises to recommend.
Super brave, I highly commend and support you ♥️♥️♥️
What bravery are you talking about? The bravery it takes to denigrate a faith you say you've rejected in hopes of the approval of the haters here? Not brave...pathetic.
@@johnlee1352 Bravery to break free from the oppression and cardinal abuse of the priesthood.
@@NonPremiumID Just leave. No bravery required. I believe the real word is confused.
I left this year! I struggled since I joined with a lot of the gospel but I put things on the shelf...the shelf broke this year. I'm still growing out of the patterns but stories like yours help a lot. Thank you!
thelexmeister come to uplift community of faith on Facebook
I came here to hear another story about the controversy that is mormonism, but received a message about God’s love, about being burned out, and waiting for Him to bless you that touched my heart. So thank you, I already know this truth but just to be reminded of it really helped. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing your experience and I commend your bravery.
Please, keep on making videos. I to know more about this
God does not love his daughters less than he does His sons. But I often found that male leaders in the church do.
Bonnie Robinson huh ?? Your wierd
The Mormon church views females as baby makers, and that is it. I don't know how any self-respecting female could choose to live this way!
👍Amazing story 👍
👏🏼Thank you for sharing 👏🏼
🙏🏻God Bless you and your family🙏🏻
Who the Son Sets Free is Free Indeed
I am so thankful for your testimony and transparency. I agree that Joseph Smith and the Mormon church have skewed and twisted the true word of God and changed our relationship with him from receiving the gift of grace to earning salvation through works. However, my fear is that if and when Mormons leave their faith, they don’t come to the true faith in Jesus founded on the Bible. That breaks my heart. Can you speak to that? Have you found true faith in the real Triune God of the Bible?
We must pray for them! They have thrown out the baby with the bath water!
First subscriber!!!
Woop!
Remember me.
Whoop! I will, Curious Tapir. I will.
What path of faith are you taking since leave.? I very much respect your sincerity. Very informative vlog.
most become just a believer than atheist. When you have no faith you have no path
Ben Zun bullshit ..I have the same want for goodness if not more than someone religious because I know when the full figured women sings, that’s all she wrote. Makes you appreciate the world and every day. You should shut your pie hole talking about something you obviously know nothing about.
Ben Zun so I have to fool myself into believing something that isn’t true just to have a path? No thanks. My path is now religion free! And I’ve never felt better.
Hopefully no path of faith at all.
No need to believe in anything that doesn't have tons of evidence to support it!
I’ve seen a few of these stories lately, and what I find both amazing and frightening is that it definitely appears I knew more about the true history of the Mormon church than most active and devout Mormons.
Why was this video constantly showing up as a recommendation??
I was in the Mormon church for about two years. I saw it as the cult it is and left...best decision I've ever made!
Thanks for leaving so we didn't have to throw you out. Weak sauce...
You're welcome! And is that really the best insult you could come up with?
So glad you decide to Vblog about this. Deconversion can be a difficult time. Is this Vblog going to be about Deconversion from religion or just from Mormonism ? Have you just decided to stop being a Mormon or stop following any religion ? Because if you haven't I suggest you apply the same skepticism to the fundamental teaching of any other religion you maybe deciding to join before just diving in and accepting their belief on faith. From what I can tell all of them have their issues , just like Mormonism does.
Your experience with working for grace and rage in depression is similar to mine even though I was an evangelical Christian. My depression was part of bipolar disorder, so when I found the right medication (after 20 years), I became a different person. I left the churches where I'd been hurt. I left God for awhile until I realized that my anger was not toward God, but towards the people who betrayed and ignored me. I found the Reformed faith which focuses on study and grace unmerited and came home to God.
Good for you! Your experience is what I've always thought about Mormonism.
Jesus said that He is the Truth and only way to heaven. Glad you realized Joseph Smith's teachings are not necessary for heaven. God bless.
Barbara Kenney neither is Jesus as depicted by Christianity
Kathy I don’t worship any form of Jesus. The Messiah isn’t Jesus and was never meant to be worshipped
Doug McKenzie
What religion are you then?
Stephanie Casper Jewish
What about the teachings of all the prophets of the old and new testament? Are they necessary for heaven?
Thanks for your story. I find so much freedom and peace in Christ. Bless you!
Bless your heart....you were trying to make God like you?? It hurts me to hear this SO badly. I am so relieved you are free and know grace now. Hugs sweet girl 💕
Awesome awesome awesome! Your experience mirrors my own so much. You put into words what I had trapped in my brain but couldn't articulate to this extent. If I were still a TBM this would have been the perfect gateway video to show me when I was having questions and doubts without feeling like I was betraying my religion or feeling violated myself. Lol! You showed as much respect to the church as humanly possible. Thank you! I'm the best version of myself than I've ever been since I escaped the brainwashing and reset my brain. And I have even more motivation to strive every day to learn more and do good in the world. "Religion doesn't give us our morals. Religion hijacked morality from humanism." It's a very long, sad and scary journey.....but it's also the most amazing, beautiful and truly loving path I could imagine. I have zero regrets. I know I will still have to deal with the pain of being lied to for so long for the rest of my life. But in comparison to what I know now I gladly welcome the pain as a reminder to never go back and to seek to help others with the same struggle. I feel like we're the new pioneers of the Mormon church.....and these sisters are getting as far away from the influences of Joseph Smith as fast as we can. Haha! Thanks again!
What I remember about BYU, as a non-mormon driving down a main street along the campus, was seeing a fairly big church located across from the campus. I just assumed it was a LDS church, but I had to look twice. Across the front of the building were the words, "United Church of Christ". I burst out laughing. I grew up in that denomination and knew that, while it's very much a Christian church, it's a liberal, Protestant denomination and very much the opposite of LDS. How ironic that of all churches, that one was sitting very obviously across from BYU in Provo.
Thank you for sharing your story. I would love to be friends with you :) Bless you on your continued journey!
Glad I clicked on this video. You remind me of Saul to Paul. your passion. You were perceived as great! You were doing everything “right” like Saul. The spirit lead you away from false teaching. The lord followed through with his promise of comfort, peace and discernment. Thanks for sharing your story.
Ok, that was awesome! I've seen so many videos about leaving religion (Seth Andrews, Julie Sweeney, etc.) and this was right up there with them. Your honesty was both refreshing and enlightening. When you first said you were a convert, I had my doubts about how "Mormon" you actually were, having not been indoctrinated since birth. But you clearly showed that you were an eager and committed Mormon.
To me, the most powerful part of your story was when you shared there is nothing your kids could do that would make you stop loving them. Bravo for pointing that out. That's the part of religion that is really sickening. In Islam, many people would rather see their family member dead, than go against the religion in minor ways.
Seeing this video makes me wonder if Mormonism is doomed as more and more LDS members learn on the internet that Joseph Smith was a complete fraud (Book of Abraham, etc.).
Anyway, thanks for this amazing share.
By the way, when you are talking about your husband working as a family therapist, does that mean a secular one or a practice based on Mormonism?
I haven’t been to church in 8 years...I am a returned missionary, BYU grad, a life long member who’s whole family is still active. I left because I felt better about myself away from church than I did when I was active.
I felt like a failure because I had spent my whole twenties single, then panicked at 30 and married a non-member, then became a single parent of one child. ( if you know Mormonism you know all of those things put me in the ‘oddities’ corner) I tried marriage one more time to a ‘good’ Mormon and that failed as well.
I just wanted to illustrate my personal situation so that what I say next might have more impact.
I have never had a desire to denigrate the Mormon church...so I’ve never understood why people who leave feel that they have to ‘save’ others from Mormonism?
My experience was mine alone, I’m happy with my life...I don’t think I have to fix my family and friends who are still happy faithful Mormons.
Wether you think the LDS Doctrine is pure Bullshit or not, if someone’s personal journey of faith resonates with the doctrine of that church why is that your business?
Every single religion or spiritual group has some tenet attached to it that is ridiculous to the outside observer. Unless it robs another human of their life or human rights, it shouldn’t matter to anyone else!
I can honestly say that although I feel better about my nonmormon self...I miss much about the community and the life I led as a Mormon. It gave me a beautiful life, and I’m grateful for the many things it taught me.
Live and let live!
❤️❤️❤️ i love your message! I feel
sad for this woman and other people’s experience with shame and worthiness. I am a practicing mormon. I KNOW mormonism especially is a very works based church, but that was people/member driven. It’s not our doctrine. I fight that message and fight against people feeling shame and unworthiness HARD. I’m sad to see that this is the reason a person would leave and the message being spread afterward. ....Also sorry to see idiots responding unkindly, proudly professing they are mormon, and saying we’re glad so-and-so left cause we don’t want you. 🤦♀️🙄😔 whether a person accepts the gospel as true or not can we please just all agree not to judge The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints based on it’s members? Good or bad members should not be why one decides to join or leave a church.
tiger bush what kind of Christian are you with that kind of mouth? Exodus and Mosiah are alike, so is Isaiah and 2 Nephi so it’s a restored gospel.
Kelly McGrants don’t bother, he’s commented twice so far with words that are meant to inflame...he wants a fight.
Susan Keller your marriage failing had nothing to do with the church. That’s your own issue. So easy to blame faith or a church!
Susan Keller people must know the truth specially after being brain washed
Good info & testimony! Keep up the great work! :-)
Relate to this so hard...I was a convert (for all of 3 years) and it was probably one of the most miserable times in my life. My ex husband and his family were rooting for me so hard to follow in their footsteps / be the perfect member / have kids, etc...I lost myself completely. Leaving my husband / the church was probably one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life so far. I am so much more at peace, my mental health is so much better and I love myself more. Life is good! Thanks for this video 😊
I'll bet your contentment stems from the unaccountable lifestyle you've chosen. What a relief...no duties, no responsibilities outside of your own. Life is indeed good...for now.
@@johnlee1352no, not the case in the least bit, but you're free to your own interpretation / opinion.
John Lee • Ha! And you wonder why Mormonism has such a bad rep in the world of independent thinkers.
@@eleo_b Well, we can't have the image of the Mormon church sullied in such auspicious venues...HAHAHA! "Independent thinkers"...hahaha!
John Lee • glad I made you laugh ;)
You have just saved yourself from a lifetime of misery. Congratulations! Curious to know how the rest of your family feel about your exit from the Church.
Apologies in advance for an overly long comment! I too was a convert, the only one in my family and certainly the only one I knew. I remember being surprised to find out some of my high school classmates were LDS as well. Like many if not most converts, I developed this idealized sense of what it meant to be mormon, and tried to live up to that. I went on a mission and was somewhat taken aback by the attitudes of some of my companions who were born into the church. They seemed less enthusiastic and committed. It caused major reflection and contemplation on how this could be "fixed." I felt that I had found my "calling."
It took a while but I was finally able to convince my non-mormon and non-religious parents to attend a stake conference. I was so proud of that moment and couldn't wait to talk with them afterward to see what they thought and hopefully felt. I remember being floored when my mom replied, "I heard a lot about Joseph Smith and very little about Jesus Christ." Again, it triggered an immense amount of reflection on my part, but I just figured it could be "fixed" if members were more aware of how we were perceived by those outside our circle.
Upon preparing to graduate from BYU, I took advantage of the bookstore's regular end-of-semester sale, using the money I got from selling my text books to load up on "authorized" church books, etc., including the multi-volume authorized church history. I felt a bit of a hypocrite that I could tell people about the church's highlights, so to speak, but I really didn't know anything about our history other than what I had been told via Sunday school, church talks/conferences, and young adult firesides. Fast forward a few years and I found myself sitting in our apartment's walk-in closet, trying to quiet down our third baby and get her to fall back asleep. I figured what the heck, I'm wide awake so I might as well make good use of the time. I started reading church history front to back over the following weeks and months, always seated in our closet with my daughter in my arms. Even after she would finally go back to sleep, I would keep reading. I was mesmerized.
The history struck me as being like Joseph's personal journal, seemingly detailing every day and nearly every hour of his amazing life. I noted, however, that for some of the days, the entries were not dissimilar to my own "dull day" childhood journal entries, when I either hadn't wanted to record that day's events or else was simply too lazy to do so. For some reason, I started dog-earring these pages in the church history. Fast forward again. I'm in our local library, looking to see which books they had on the church. I figured I could donate some of mine to help round out their offering to counter what I deemed "anti-mormon" literature. That's when I found the book "Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith." I remember feeling guilty leafing through its pages. Nevertheless, I took it to checkout and brought it home.
As I devoured this book, it dawned on me that some of the most traumatic events experienced by Emma coincided with the nondescript entry dates in the official church history. It was uncanny. I couldn't help feeling that whoever had written or perhaps assembled the church history was hiding something. That started my real "investigation" of the church. I felt justified because hadn't I once been labeled an "investigator?" Interestingly, that was my role in my professional career as well. My search took me all the way to the back shelves of the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, which is where I found numerous sources not readily available to the general public (in part because some of them were crumbling, literally). In those records, I discovered a distinct tendency on the part of church authorities and historians to tout non-mormon contemporaries of Joseph Smith when their views aligned with official history, but also to denigrate and castigate these very same individuals when their public representations did not align. More importantly, I found information from individuals the church to this day still deems "faithful saints" that did not align with official church history, including about the First Vision.
I kept all of this to myself until the so-called Salamander Letter made the news. It rang authentic to be because the information in the letter synced well with what I had been finding via my investigation, including about the evolution of the First Vision. When Gordon Hinckley and former BYU president Dallin Oaks, whom I considered to be spiritual giants literally with a direct line to God, essentially validated the phony letter's authenticity - something the church and apologists now vehemently deny - that was the final straw for me. If these are our "inspired" leaders, how were they fooled? If the First Vision was not true, in my mind, nothing that presumably followed it could be true, either, and the house of cards came tumbling down.
I continued to attend church, but when local authorities called me to serve as the assistant ward secretary - what my church experience taught me was essentially the first rung on the "bishopric ladder" - I could not accept it in good conscience, even though I too had been "raised" to believe that you could never turn down a calling. Moreover, I again felt like a hypocrite for being faithful to Jesus Christ but pretending to be faithful to this church. I never went back except on occasional trips to visit my wife's family.
Apologies for somewhat hijacking your UA-cam page, "Molly." I wish you and your husband well, and encourage you to continue to read the Bible and share your testimony about Jesus and what he is doing in your lives. I look forward to following your journey. God bless! :)
Thanks for sharing! I really appreciate when people talk about objective problems to disclaim a religion rather than their subjective experiences. I learned something, thanks and don't stop searching for the Truth!
I hope that excruciating tome you wrote was cathartic for you. Your failure as a Mormon could have been announced and trumpeted with many fewer words...who knows, you may get the fawning approval of the haters here. Wow.
John Lee what is your purpose? As another member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I respectfully ask you to stop your misrepresentation of the members of the church. You are, for lack of better terms to remain respectful, NOT representing our Savior. But again, YOU are the one who will be held accountable for your words and actions. Apparently you believe in a God who is rigid, demanding, and would commend you for forcing others into obedience and condemning anyone and everyone less than perfect. I hope that is the God you meet. But I know it won’t be because that God doesn’t exist.
@@smrtyrn801 You are not comprehending this whole thing...forcing others into obedience? Are you even on the same planet? What???? I'm simply shepherding the dross and offal of the church out the door. That's all. Represent the Savor in your own way...if you're offended, look away.
Freedom in Christ. Saved from the shackles of Mormonism ! I was saved from the chains of Catholicism and its perfectionism. Hallelujah that we just need to accept God's grace and give our heart to Him. Jesus is awesome!
Great video. What did you say @19:46? Thanks
Girl, you do NOT have to work to be perceived as good or worthy of God’s love. Jesus died on the cross to wash away all of the world’s sins. He LOVES us even on our worst days, and he LOVES us when we’re down and out, angry, upset, at our lowest points. I can’t even put into words accurately how much he LOVES us! If you accept him into your heart, he will be your best friend, father, savior, and the best thing to ever happen to you.
Loved this video, I’m a recently baptized Christian (2years) and love learning about things like this.
Bless you 💗
How so? Please expand on your opinion, this is a safe place to discuss
@Saint Christopher "Stupidity is the Cardinal Son".- Anton Levey
@@peytonengland93
If you're interested in the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and would like to know why we believe these things and which scriptures in the Bible we receive them from, ask and I'll explain what I can for you.
People who are interested do get surprised how many of our beliefs come from scriptures in the Bible.
@@danielmoore4024 why not just follow the bible? Instead of a book a guy wrote who twisted the bible his way to fit his lie and not to mention is new "translation" with out knowing a single word in Greek nor Arabic? Wich later did get a lawsuit.
He loves us so much that he will damn anyone who doesn't love him enough. He only loves us if we accept him, otherwise we're damned. Jesus washed away the sins of people who know about and accept him. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus, if you don't follow Jesus, you're damned.
My husband insisted that I joined this church. Their God is very demanding and judgmental, but the biggest turn-off, is when I realized that every single leader in that church was male; even the women's groups were supervised by a bishop, who was of course, male. The only reason they no longer practice polygamy is they couldn't legally get away with it. Also, obedience to the church is seen as very important. I believe that a good organization teaches you to be true to yourself, not just blindly obey.
I notice this of a lot of churches. Well a lot of religions really. Very male centric.
You noticed something I’ve seen, too. You saw that Mormon marriage practices would be different if the law would allow it. When the Church supposedly did away with polygamy, NO DOCTRINE was changed. So charismatic men are still put on a pedestal and women swarm all over them.
I wish that the law would allow plural marriage- because the Mormons would be allowed to show their true colors.
Polygamy is still allowed. Mormons believe in eternal marriage, if you are married in the temple you will be married for ever. Even in the modern mormon church if the wife died, the man can be eternally bound to a second wife. So in eternity this wife will now have to live as a polygamist for eternity.
Woman can not be bound in the temple to a second husband if her first husband dies, so it is still only multiple wives.
I am a faithful member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It seems like you're just describing a sort of bitterness towards the church. There are many good things that take place within it, but it never seems like those things are mentioned by anyone who has left the faith. Women hold very important roles in the church, even though they might not be the priesthood holding leaders. Really it just makes me sad that people go around bashing our religion and preaching the "falsehoods and inhumanities." I've never met a Latter-day Saint who openly bashes and shames practicers of another faith. Pessimism really is a sickness in our world today. One thing might poke you in the ribs, but that does not mean it is corrupt and evil. I see so many anti-Mormon accounts across all social media platforms, but I personally have never seen an account against, say, catholicism, or even general Christianity. Let's just respect each other and look at things with love. Isn't that what all Christian denominations teach?
Also Moneca Savoie, I think it'd help to actually check facts instead of just saying things that you wish were facts so that you'd actually have an argument. I'd like to know where it says the only reason polygamy isn't practiced by the church anymore is because it's illegal. You just wish that were the case. I am not seeking multiple wives, nor are any of the members in my ward or stake. I wish the bitterness would just end.
Brave lady! Kudos
You are a very good storyteller. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I feel like you have a lot to offer by sharing this
You are so brave! such a great & articulate video!
I know that this is directed at mormons or former mormons but I am neither and it would be cool if you did a video explaining the various terms that you use. This was very interesting.
Heather Bennett
here's a couple of definitions
Convert family: not raised in the Mormon faith from birth but rather introduced to the religion by missionaries or members of the church. As a result, she was not privy to ALL the strict social rules
BYU: Brigham Young University (Mormon College originally in Utah. There are now Hawaii and Idaho campuses as well)
LDS: An acronym for part of the religion's name..."Latter Day Saints." The full name of the religion is "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints." Mormon is an even shorter term, yet, kind of slang...not something Mormon's call themselves.
LDS college dating: usually very short, because anything beyond kissing is forbidden.
Tithing: 10% of income that goes to the church...very import because members can not go to the Temple if they are not paying their full tithe.
Temple: Special ornate LDS buildings where only righteous members can go to perform certain rituals. You must get approval from your Bishop.
Bishop: A MALE member "called" to be in charge of a "ward." Somewhat like a non-paid pastor.
Ward: Members that make up a congregation. It is usually based on geographical boundaries.
Stake Center: A Stake is made up of a group of Wards. The building assigned to the Wards to meet occasionally is called the Stake Center.
Calling: Non-paid job within the church. Only the really high ups in the religion get paid. Most of the daily operations of the church are performed by the members. It is considered an "honor" to be "called." Some of the things a member may be called to do? teach Sunday school, primary, seminary, priesthood, young women's, Relief Society; drive for activities, clean the church, mow the lawns, visit members once a month (visiting teach), secretary, etc.
"Works:" good deeds. Members are heavily judged on how much they volunteer and how well behaved they act.
Seminary: Religious studies during the week days for teens. If it is not implemented into the school curriculum (Utah) then it is usually before dawn at the church
Pants/Modest clothing: It is socially unacceptable for women and girls to wear pants to church on Sunday. When members go to the Temple they are given special underwear called temple garments. They are like very thin t-shirts and board shorts. If your clothing would not cover them, whether you are temple certified or not, it is considered immodest.
General Conference: Instead of regular church, the big wigs from Utah give talks that are aired on tv.
Forever families: Families can be sealed together for "time and all eternity." This ceremony is performed in the temple. If a family member is not righteous, then :(
Priesthood: (12-> ) Special "gifts" privileges and honors given to the men only in the church. Essentially, the men have all the powers in the LDS church.
Relief Society: The name of the group that the adult women go to during the time the men gather for their priesthood meetings. As the name implies, it usually involves learning how to give relief to others through spiritual aid, and homemaking skills.
Young women: Teenage girl groups (12-17) religious lessons, crafts, etc.
Joseph Smith: The founder of the LDS religion. Joseph was approached by angels and God and instructed to dig up some gold plates in a different language and transcribe them into religious doctrine, e.g. The Book of Mormon. The translation has been altered several times over the years
@@whome2289 thank you so much! Some of terms I used the context but some things I was totally lost. Thank you for taking the time to explain.
Whoa where did you grow up..that was a loose ward...I grew up in Cali & Alaska and we wore dresses + all that other stuff LOL...I'm grateful to hear that you had a fundamental moral problem with the doctrine. People like me who have been hurt by the Mormon people appreciate that.
Very Helpful Video.
Thank you!
Thank you for your help.
This needs to be a TED Talk!
Abbey Good yes it does!