Why Mormons Leave, by Sandra Tanner
Вставка
- Опубліковано 19 чер 2009
- From a training session for Christians at the first week of 2009 Manti Pageant.
.mp4 file available under the "Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0" license here:
www.archive.org/details/Manti2009
In other words, you can redistribute it freely.
I am in the process of leaving the Mormon church for good now. I became inactive, but still believing, a couple years after this video was published. I decided to go back 4 years ago with full intent to be faithful. About a year and a half ago I had a small shake in my faith. In response, I set a goal to read all of the scriptures, including the Bible. Not just follow study guides, but read them. I started with the Book of Mormon, because we were taught that it was the fullness of the gospel. When reading the D&C, things stood out to me I didn't remember learning in my 38 years. When reading the Bible, it felt different. The Spirit was with me that time. By the time I had finished the Bible I was in the habit of reading daily and started the Book of Mormon again. This time, I recognized the problems having just finished the Bible. It didn't sit right with me. I have been slowly moving away from the church since reading the D&C, but my exit has accelerated in the last few months. I decided to give the Book of Mormon one last shot at truth and decided to finish reading it and pray about it. In my reading this past Sunday I came across the blatant plagiarism from Matthew in 3 Nephi. At that point I turned to the internet, and searched for Book of Mormon plagiarism. I checked all of the references and found it to be true. I've read portions of the other books used as possible sources and an shocked at the similarities.
I have decided to no longer consider myself a Mormon, but Sandra is right. It's difficult to acclimate to being *not* Mormon. I have nearly 40 years of building my identity as a Mormon, I don't know how to just be a Christian.
I met Sandra when I was about 15, and she's wonderful. She and her husband have opened many people's eyes to the cult that is Mormonism.
I left the Mormon church 7 years ago after starting my research 10 years earlier. It was not easy, and it also cost me my marriage as well. Thank goodness for people like the Tanners and Dr. Walter Martin. The Mormon church became dangerously a church of convenient cover ups and policies to justify or explain the problems of the past. Thanks goodness for the work of Tanners and people like Dr. Walter Martin. I am a much happier person now.
Because of a dear Christian man who cared about me, I began reading the research the Tanners have done. My wife and I left the LDS Church a little over 20 years ago and eventally helped all my wife's family leave (over 20 people) and find the real Jesus. God Bless them.
I've never seen your name until today, when looking around youtube. I'm a 'recovering mormon', that was born into a Mormon family in SLC. At 14 I left home to wander for many yrs. I have no contact with my birth family. I'm in my 50's now, and was saved by our Lord Jesus Christ in Oct 2000, Not by any man's word, but by The Word of God. My church today... is you, me and so many others which isThe Body of Christ. Bless you Sister Tanner, for your generous work, in His Holy Name we pray...
What a brave and wonderful woman!
SANDRA TANNER IS BEST OF THE BEST. we love her.
Praise God for Sandra. She has been an inspiration to me for many, many years. As a devoted church-going Protestant who had no personal relationship with Jesus, I was perfect prey for the missionaries when I was introduced to Mormonism in 1970. And they made it sound SOOOO enticing. At one point, I practically had my toes in the baptismal waters. But I decided to wait and study it more. During this period, I found Christ (who I had never really known during my almost 24 years of "churchianity") in 1971 and soon came to realize the false religion that Mormonism was. I have spent the last 50 years witnessing the true and living God to Mormons. In fact, when I retired 8 years ago, I moved from the East coast of the US to rural Utah, so I would have more Mormons to reach. Sandra and Jerrald's works have been invaluable in my quest to bring Mormons to the true Jesus.
When it comes to ex-Mormons Jerald and Sandra Tanner are true pioneers.
The danger of leaving a cult is that the foundation to a worldview collapses and nothing remains to stand on. The result is despair and atheistic tendencies. Some people end up hating God and religion.
God Bless Sandra Tanner....I'm Ex LDS and she is speaking the Truth !
God bless you Sandra you got me out of the false church of latter day saints
I love this woman! She has done more good for us Mormons to lead us out of the darkness and into the light, than any Mormon apologetics out there, and understands how hard it is after a lifetime of indoctrination to begin to remove layer after layer of the fabrications of Mormonism. The fact she was able to make the transition without abandoning God or her faith in the Jewish Messiah is a testament that God has used her for His glory here on the earth. She helped me once I was able to start separating fact from fiction. It is people like her who has pioneered the way of understanding for people like me in having someone in the know available to ask the hard questions about the faith of my childhood. Thank you Sandra Tanner for being there for us! Your courage is a light to my path like many others. There will be more joining us, in time. God is gracious and merciful to his children. I thank God for giving me a sound mind so that eventually I would find my way out of Mormonism.
I left the Mormon Church in 1965 when I became a Christian. It was a struggle for a while because I "knew" I had left the "one true church", yet I also knew that what I had come to believe of Christ and salvation was not Mormon teaching. I thank God that these 45 years later, it is as though I never was part of that faith. The things that Sandra mentions here as "reasons" people think that some of us have left are SO recognizable to me. I was asked those same questions.
I forgot to say the most important thing, thank you for your courage sister. The world needs more people like you.
I agree. I live in Salt Lake City and wanted to know more about LDS just because I know they'd approach me and I needed to know intricate differences between LDS and Christianity (I'm Christian). I actually met Sandra a few weeks back at her bookstore. Very humble and gentle woman! She knows her stuff too. She's been on both sides of what she talks about and she now knows Jesus Christ of the Bible. May God continue to bless her.
I was a member of this church and must say that I was saved before I joined it didn't take long for the true spirit of truth to show me that this is biggest deception ever perpetrated
God Bless Sandra and her family Lord thank you for sending her to do this job!!! Excellent speaker too
Yes!!! The weight of being perfect is over. I know I am NOT an enemy to God 😢❤
I heard an ex-Mormon say, he was more concerned that he knew the truth, then pretending the LDS church was true! He found out and then he left the Mormon Church.
Clear, truthful, exacting witness, Sandra.........so sad that so many still believe a lie when the truth is available.
Many years ago, when I was in the Air Force in Germany, I was invited over to a couples house who were there as a part of the American Forces. They invited me to see a film on the LDS Corporation(AKA church)that wound up being a sales-pitch to join it. I saw right thru the subterfuge of the message on the film. It was a "recruitment" tool...
Even though I'm agnostic now and therefore disagree entirely with Sandra's faith, I still respect the crap out of her for standing up the LDS church so long ago. May fortune smile upon you Ms.Tanner.
Sandra Tanner is an awesome woman. What a gem.
One thing I noticed throughout my Mormon life was the relief I felt after the faux Sabbath meetings had ended. Almost immediately I felt like going out and sinning, "tabacco, coffee and booze ommited of course". The farthest thing from my mind was God.
Since I have found Jesus and realized that he doesn't require payment for his sacrifice, I think about him constantly.
It is the Savior, Jesus Christ that is important. Mormons can take for all time and eternity and end up in hell.
As an active member of the Church, I want to call out all other members who attack Sandra. Christ taught that the spirit of contention is of the devil. I believe Sandra truly believes what she is saying. I believe she truly thinks God has called her to this work. Christ taught me to be loving and understanding. I choose to extend that love and understanding to her. I hope all Mormons will follow Christ example and do the same. God loves Sandra and any hate directed to her is not from him.
Also, "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel is very helpful.
I am an ex Mormon and so thankful God led me to the truth. Jesus Christ is God and not the brother of Satan. He was the perfect sacrifice and died for our sins. He is the only way to get to heaven.
She left partly because she read her ancestor, Brigham Young's, sermons on blood atonement. That was a shock, and she left the church. However, she continued believing in the Book of Mormon for another two years before reading M.T. Lamb's "The Golden Bible," and realising the B.O.M. was not real history. So her reasons for leaving were first losing faith in the church, and second realising the B.O.M. was false. If you read her books you will see they are very clear and not confusing at all.
sandra tanner is the best of the best.
I love this woman.
Me too
Mrs. Tanner is the greatest! persons like "henochparks" cannot bear to hear the truth. "The Truth Shall Make You Flee".
May God bless Sandra Tanner and her excellent ministry to Mormons!
Debra, I was a Mormon for 40 years. I was an RM and High Priest. You're right. Its not a "cult". It is a religion that was created by Sidney Rigdon and Joseph Smith. If you really study the beginnings of it all as far back as 1816, you will realize it was the brain child of a failed minister ( Sidney ) who planted the seeds of a new religion and needed a charismatic leader (JS) to sell it. Once started though, JS became the "star" and Sidney, being offended, walked away after 6 years.
I sent for the Tanners books in the early 1970 and it is great information. It was prior to Gerald's passing. I was living in Arizona which is the Mormon's second Mecca. God Bless Sandra
After a year of being very active in the church in all aspects, I was given a temple recommend for the first time.
My cousins took me to the Temple for the first time and I was endowed. My purpose in going to the temple was to eventually be baptized for my brother, sister and mother. My husband of 30 years was very upset when I returned to what he called a cult church. And he begged me to go online and investigate the church and that's when I found your website.
Mrs. Tanner, you are doing a great job.
Thank you so much for this video Aaron. Please pray for my sister to believe in Jesus and His saving grace, and please pray with me for the entire paternal side of my family, as they are all Mormons.
Thank you so much.
I watched this same video last year, but find it just as compelling now. Thanks to God for His calling of Sandra and Gerald to help many Mormons come to saving faith.
Can't have questions? That would automatically make me question! My pastor says, do not believe anything I tell you, go research and find out for yourself!!!! Now that I like!
Sandra Tanners big blue book Mormonism “shadow or reality” in 1992. It is amazing, that she put that together before the internet!
That book is still incredible. She’s a Research giant
Thank you for all you do. I wont get to detailed here, but will say i came to you all when my daughter whom was living in Provo at the time started asking questions i could not answer because i did not have an LDS background that is what started my search for answers. By that time I had already had many missionaries thru my home and attended Ward in the am and my Christian Church in the evening because what i had realized was that i would not be able to learn more from the missionaries. I did go thru being in the seekers group but then was moved to the regular Sunday school study because although i had always been very respectful they did not know what to do with me because i was raising too many questions, and most were about Book of Mormon, and D & C and they were totally freaked out that i had all their books and was still questioning them. I certainly found the need to define particular words like “grace, salvation, heaven...” and very soon learned not to say they follow a different Jesus because all it did was highly offend them. I still have a lot of contacts with mormons in Utah and Idaho as well as some in Canada. Thank you so much for all you do! You are so right also about christians not understanding the sacrifice of mormons leaving the church especially in Utah. It has been a point that has grieved my heart. Telling a mormon they are wrong and need to find the real way but then not understanding the consequences and standing by them is not at all the approach any christian who understands would ever intend to do. Thank you so much for all your dedication and service to the LORD.
The Tanners are my heroes.
Amazing and I can see the Holy Spirit in all she's speaking,,
Great dispensing of information. Amazing testimonies! Thanx for this video. You must be born-again! HE is risen!
As an ex-mormon atheist, I find this perspective of leaving the church incredibly interesting.
The first 10 minutes alone are amazing and well worth watching. I wonder how my Mormon family and friends would react to dear Sandra. Whatever their response, I wish they'd be open to discussing it.
I just witnessed to three LDS sisters today! They were so open. I gave them the print out on the UTLM website by Sandra Tanner comparing the Book of Mormon to the D&C. Blessings!
I just love this video. Sandra is such an excellent researcher and an eloquent speaker.
I have been shunning the church for 19 years. If I had the HUGE ovaries to communicate like she has, I would probably heal a lot faster than I had hoped. I am so grateful for Sandra's talks. I don't give a rat's ass about celebrity status for being the devil's advocate...I only respect her words. I love my family they are all devout Mormons. I have zero desire to be brainwashed another day and LOVE the fact that others feel the same. I was 12 when I quit. I'm now 31 and far far happier. GL
Such brave and beautiful lady God bless you and thank you for all the information. I am so happy I found your page. Thank you again.
I was a convert to Mormonism in high school but by college I had doubts. That was 30-plus years ago. I believe it was the Tanners who sent me literature. I even got a copy of the "original" Book of Mormon, before about 3,000 corrections were made. Thanks.
It so upsets me that my Father was deceived. This is peoples eternal souls we are talking about!!!
It is interesting to note that Muslims are doing the same thing. Now that the Quran, Hadiths, and Islamic literature has been translated into English, the huge holes in the doctrine is visible to everyone. Of course, the apologetics of Islamists have changed to account for these holes.
Incidentally, Mormonism is just a rehashed version of Islam. They are nearly identical in so many ways-including Joseph Smith and Muhammad.
Two words: God's grace.
Aaron keep up the good work brother. It may seem endless but it is worth it.
Spot on
I live in Utah and have had conversations with friends who are Mormons . They really do stay in the church out of guilt and fear of losing family and friends. It's sad to hear they feel like they can't leave without moving away and living a life separated from their own families. I pray they will find the strength to leave peacefully.
Jan Reiss has categorized around 9 reasons why they leave the church. John Dehlin's study showed a number of issues. About one third of people who leave feel the church lied to them.
"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or and angel from heaven, preach ANY OTHER gospel unto you than that which we (Paul etc) have preached unto you, let him be accursed."
It's more than clear, that the Mormons preach another 'gospel'. This is a wake-up call. There's lot of us that care, what happens to U.
Thanks Sandra! Words that I have had a hard time finding. Explained my feelings in a great manner.
Jesus said that His yoke was light. The LDS adds so much to the true meaning of the Grace of God, they have added confusion and works to His simple Gospel. (shaking head)
Thank you Sandra and Gerald for being an instrament in helping me with my decision to leave the Mormon Church. I'm 54 years old and joined the church at 16. I was an inactive member through the years. In 2009 I not only lost my younger brother to a fire in May, 4 months later I also lost my mother. Two years before that, my sister died of cancer. In October 2009, I was approached by family members who are LDS, and they brought me back into the church.
Sandra is a brave very smart gal,, she saved many important documents b4 the cult could destroy n hide them...
She is awesome
Your son is so mature and logical. God bless him. God blessed you with him and bless you for your maturity and helping him living his truth.
Jim
IndianapolisIN
Totally agree with the evaluation "how could you avoid the conclusion that Joseph smith was a sexual predator?" around the story of the 17 year old girl (among others) who wrote about being coerced into a marriage with Joseph.
Believing the Book of Mormon is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is like believing the Dora Maar au Chat (by Picasso) is a restored Mona Lisa.
Sandy is great, shes a good speaker! Love for Jesus & reading the 4 gospels is what started it for me,.
Ultimately her & Jeralds rock solid research had to have the final say.
She grew up a Mormon. She was challenged by what turned out later to be her husband to compare their scriptures and found holes in them all. She did the same with the Bible but found it to be self evident. Doctrinally correct, historically correct, and correct as far as it's descriptions of lands, coins, and other things. Archeologist (SCIENTIST MIND YOU) use the Bible in the middle east when digging up sites because it's so on key and accurate.
So impressed with these stories.
This is so very helpful as I have recently (4 months) been reading about the Church & Joseph Smith.
I LOVE SANDRA TANNER SHE IS THE BEST OF THE BEST.
Love listening to Sandra
Thank you so much
I am going to say this in love and respect. Sandra tanner has provided reliable citations, references, and documentation that can't be merely dismissed as lies within this presentation. To those who left comments who are mormon, I was mormon. All of the references, citations, and documentation that Sandra tanner has.... was provided by the LDS Church and its publications. Those publications previously stated, they testify mormonism is another gospel that is false. Have you been born again?
This is surreal. I go to church with her and have known her my whole life. I've known very briefly about all that she's done, but to see many videos about her is just weird. To me she's just Sandra, a great family friend. It's just surreal
@jesussavesbygrace thanks for the reply, I Praise and Thank God for our Spiritual rebirth!!! May God be with you... always. I had been spiritually born again since 04/04/2009!!!!
At this point, LDS Inc. s scrambling to keep things together. They are losing too much revenue as people discover exactly how they're being duped.
This attack of one irrational belief in favor of another irrational belief rings very hollow. She stands on no solid ground . If it's rational to believe that Jesus healed a blind man with magic spit, then it's also rational to believe that Joseph Smith saw Jesus. Likewise, if those are both rational, then up is down and down is up, good is evil and evil is good. Also, ants and squirrels can occasionally speak and leprechauns and fairies are real.
Timothy Stratton We should become like those intelligent atheists who believe that the universe came into existence uncaused and without reason, that life has no ultimate meaning or purpose, that humans have no intrinsic dignity, that there are no objective ethical values or duties, that Jesus never existed, that we are just advanced bio-mechanical machines mostly predetermined by the laws of physics, that no being has any sort of morally relevant free will, that nothing has real objective aesthetic beauty, and that all appearance of design is an illusion.
Right on, Sister!! Excellent parallel in drawing the comparison between Joseph Smith's character and that of David Koresh. No difference between the behaviors of the two men.
Thank you for this. I really appreciate these!
I came "out of the closet". I admitted to my Mom that I am not a Mormon, nor will I ever be. It doesn't mean that I am evil. It doesn't mean that I will burn in Hell. I am completely at peace with Who I Am, and I am not afraid, in fact, I am more at peace than ever before.
That seerstone belongs to Willard Chase. His descendants should sue to get it back.
TO GOD BE THE GLORY AND HONOR FOR GREAT IS HIS FAITHFULNESS!!!
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Some great points raised, and GOD bless you Sandra and your testimonies and may GOD opens up the hearts and minds of those who may watch this video!!!🌼🌼🌼🌼
I was a church member for 3.5 months from January to May 2009. In September '09 I returned for the social reasons so many talk about, in particular to date one of them. When it didn't work out with her, I left immediately and was quite relieved that I didn't have to be in that atmosphere.
The LDS Church is total corporate-style deception.
Part One:
The point of yours which I was addressing was (and I quote) "we were made in they're image; 'they're' means more than one being."
In any case, being made in the image of God does not mean that we physically look like God, as such a doctrine would completely contradict the fullness of the Bible.
Numbers 23:19 directly states that God is not a man.
Again, John 4:24 directly states that God is a spirit, not a physical being.
all im gonna say is that if you want a testimony, then you need to research the scriptures. if you don't want to do that, then you don't want a testimony. and you shouldn't feel bad if you don't have one, its something that only you (and the lord) can do
You go Sandra, Tell poeple about the truth of Jesus Christ, the truth the life and the way. Amen!! His my way, my way to heaven. His my life, my eternal life, and his truth, and the truth has set me free, and free indeed. Amen Amen
Thank you - God bless you
I wonder about that sometimes. I prayed for years and didn't get that kind of answer. I think most Mormons just say they "know" because it increases their social status.
God Bless my friend!!
I find this so interesting, hearing all these peoples stories!
"..he who seeks finds.." Matt 7.7-8
Thanks for the condescending encouragement. I actually have read the bible many times and will continue to do so in the future.
thank you!
She is full of pride...if you can't see that...then like her...you will love her words based on hate not love and the Gospel.
thanks Sandra
@101mythbuster "How much unbelief exists in the minds of Latter-Day-Saints in regard to one particular doctrine that I revealed to them and which God revealed to me...namely that Adam is our Father and our God." Brigham Young,Journal of Discourses, June 18th, 1873.
Chapter 8 of The Changing World of Mormonism, is very helpful explaining the Adam-God doctrine and the book can be found in full on line.
Chapter 3 deals with the changes to the original revelations.
No sir. I just moved out here in January. I thought I had a knowledge of what they believed before I got here but God started really pricking me in the heart to study them thoroughly. There's alot of bondage here because it's "religious driven" and not "relationship with Christ" driven. At the very core of it all is the old lie of the serpent that man can become god. I studied their scriptures as well. Sad thing is that when people leave they go extreme and want nothing to do with Christ.
Back in 1964 or so, I made the mistake of signing the guest book at the Mormon pavilion at the NY World's Fair. Soon 2 missionaries began seeing me & gave me a copy of the Book of Mormon. I also received a letter from some Baptist group asking why I haven't mailed in my lesson 1 of a course they gave (I was tricked into signing up for it/) and that they would send a bishop over to see me. A bishop ! Well, I wrote to both & told them I had decided to stay in the Lutheran church. (see part 2)
Cults use a concept known as the double-bind where the mind receives conflicting messages both of which negate each other fusing you to the binder (the one doing the bind). Like if you read the BOM and pray you'll receive a good feeling but of course if you don't you're not doing it right or trying hard enough. If the BOM doesn't make sense but you get a good feeling it is of course true and you should disregard logic. In both cases, it's never the BOM that's wrong, it's you.
No cult here!