The people of my church treated my mother with such distain because she worked full time as a nurse and only had one child. The way she was shunned is something I will never forget
This is a church policy when you consider that this is known by leadership and allowed. Divorced women are also not supported unless they remarry quickly. I saw women get out of one abusive marriage jump into another a year later. Thinking Not Allowed.
@@miguelthealpaca8971 Its not just the LDS, though. All of these high demand religions are traumatizing our society. We human beings love our stories, our mythology, but this authoritarianism is damaging our communities. Time to evolve.
I was, on the other hand, not offended by one person, not offended by 2 people, I was offended by 10-15 different people. There were a large faction in our ward that treated us like second class citizens and it broke my soul! And it's okay to leave a place that treats you like garbage!
The hardest thing for members of the church is to know that no member is perfect (except Christ) and that everyone can make mistakes. Sorry to hear that! Members out there just want to respect you and make you feel included. What's important though is to remember the doctrine of Jesus Christ and his gospel!
I left while a freshman at BYU because I dug deep into the history and realized Joseph Smith lied. That the foundation of the church was rotten, and so much above it was rotten as well. I was heartbroken and mourned for years. It was like finding out my partner had been pretending to be someone and something he wasn't, and the person I loved didn't exist. Had never existed. I would have given anything for the church to be true. But it isn't, and I couldn't stay to try living a lie.
We had neighbors that wouldn't let our daughter play with there girls because we weren't Mormon. We are catholic now for 6 years and was the best decision of our lives.
I grew up Catholic and have since left but it's been bizarre to grow up and see how some Christian sects like actually believe that Catholicism is demonic or something
Be strong ,its hard to deal with .went wit it 50 year ago as a child win my parents got a divorce its all ways in the bach of the mind hope you find peace of mind 😊
I live in Idaho, I am not Mormon. Have worked with lots of mormons. Some are very nice. Some, racist, judgmental, passive aggressive. Its a mixed bag. I could tell you horror stories from non mormons raised in large majority towns. They were treated horribly.
I left because I didn’t fit in. As a mid 40’s single male with no kids I felt like I was sub human because I wasn’t good enough to have a family. So I just stopped attending. And despite several attempts to go back and the several attempts at the bishopric to get me back I just couldn’t. I told them for me church isn’t the place for me
I'm one of those people who left - and the way I was treated by certain members was one of those reasons. At the time I was a single person in my late 20s attending with my father, stepmother, and minor half sister. Shunned, treated with pity, as lesser than. To my face they were 'nice', but it was a very fake nice, or that shallow Mormon 'OH I JUST LOOOOOOVE YOU SO MUCH EVERYTHING IS SUNSHINE AND RAINBOWS WEEEEEE' way 🤮
Were you shunned and treated as less than because your father was divorced? Or was it because you were in your later 20's and not married? I really really wouldn't be surprised if you were treated like crap because you weren't married. I left the church when I realized that I was being pressured into getting married at barley 17, during a very impressionable period of time in my life after the death of my uncle who had been raising me since my own father passed away at 8. I think the church realized I was totally vulnerable and pounced on me. I was invited to church and bible study with my best friends older sister at a non domination church and it really opened my eyes and made me feel like church of LDS was more grooming and marriage cult like than church like. At the LDS church I went to we would all have a sermon with everyone adults to babies in the same room, then we were separated into age groups and at 16 the talks within my age group began focusing on preparing for marriage and children. Then the congregation was broken into two large groups based on gender, the female group was just being lectured about how we needed to be good supporting daughters, wives and mothers, we needed to be dutiful to our fathers, husbands and eventually sons. We were told that as women we were created for men, to love, support and care for them, that we even needed to take off our husbands boots when he comes home from work. College and university wasn't talked about to us girls
@@hippiebippie8870 Honestly, I think it was because I was late 20s and not married. My stepmother has been married to my father since I was 5 so they were used to seeing me with them, but the fact that I was still single was a huuuuuuge source of pity. I was fina chilly struggling to just make it paycheck to paycheck and flat out could NOT afford tithing. The entire neighborhood was filled with people that lived in million dollar houses whose husband's made six figures a year, and wanted for nothing. They were extremely judgmental towards non-members and people who had less money, and extremely extremely privileged. That was another reason why I left. The entitlement of the rich within the church is unparalleled. Everyone was always pitying me, oh poor Chevy there she goes by the grace of God, yet wouldnt do anything to actually HELP me. Everyone always talked about helping the poor, fast offerings, donations here, donations there, do you think I ever saw any help from the church in my situation? No. Not a single time. I was literally living in poverty in this very wealthy neighborhood and nobody cared. Not to mention my stepmother for being a malignant narcissist so there's that too.
@@CHEVYedsf I swear, everyone I talk to that has left has basically the same story, some details may change but the plot remains consistent. The way women are treated if they're not the ideal daughter, wife and mother is beyond hideous, it's usually at least part of the reason why I see so many women leave which is why I assumed the church treated you poorly bc of your relationship status more so than your parents relationship status. It's so wrong. They treated you so wrong. The entitlement when it comes to money is also wrong and another main reason why people seem to leave. I wonder how many people could have been housed with the money spent on the luxurious temples and state of the art churches. The money spent on "mission" trips is another huge F-U to the members of the church who need financial help. To me mission trips are predatory as hell, spending money to go to parts of the world plagued by poverty to tell people who have basically nothing that they will go to hell if they don't give a multi billion dollar church organization everything that they have. I think it's inexcusable that after years of paying tithe that people can't get help from the church when they're in a tough spot and need help but when the church "needs help" buying the elders another private jet the people rally around reaching deep into their pockets to make it happen. I have seen people give up their grocery money and the church act like it's messed up that they're not giving more. Totally unappreciative. I don't really remember anyone at church actually being helped with their rent or bills during emergencies, just a couple cans of food, some old furniture and old clothes given to people that were donated. It's really messed up that not only could you not get help when you needed it but you were also ostracized for needing help. I think tithes should be used for members of the church who are in tough financial spots.
As an atheist, I'm inspired by your bravery and integrity in the search for truth. I might have been afraid to challenge the church, had i been in your shoes.
@@danib712 might be, might not. No way to tell from here. I was raised Mormon and being nice was emphasized, and some did take it to heart. Others, it was very surface level. I'm not still attending church, but I'm not going to pretend everyone was fake. Like any group of people, you get some honest, genuine people, and some who are two faced, cruel, or pretenders. Sometimes all of the above.
You know, I never thought about it, but I've experienced no gossip and very, very minimal judgment at the two different Unitarian Universalist congregations I've attended. The minimal judgment has been some raised eyebrows when I've expressed support for extremely broad free speech protections and have asked the question, "How do we know for sure we're not discriminating against fetuses in allowing abortion?". (I'm pro-choice, but I'm always examining and reexamining my positions, like the free-thinking, humanist UU I am.) No one has ever tried to shut or shout me down even, and the latter is basically heresy in UU. Now that I think of it, the only true "heresy" is treating people poorly for their beliefs or their identity. So...I guess it makes sense that we don't have these things. Even as a teen UU, there wasn't the same backbiting and meanness that there was in my high school, though there weren't very many of us.
@@katieramos5868 Well I’m glad to hear you’ve had a good experiences. My mother in law is Catholic and been at the same parish for over 40 years. She loves her religion and church but then they got a new priest who started picking on my mother in law. Made her cry and deeply saddened her. I believe she had to leave the church because of him. She had many good years there. So I know it’s not all churches and ppl but I watched a lot of drama going on in some churches over the years. Lol
@@katieramos5868 I can't speak much bc I've never been to a UU church myself but honestly out of all sects of Christianity, that's like the only one I've heard nothing but good things about. They sound generally very loving and accepting and I think that's rad. I don't think I'll ever go back to organized religion but if I did I'd like to join one of their congregations, they seem to legit walk the path of Jesus yknow?
It has definitely changed from what it used to be. That old paradigm that people leave because they're offended, is not the reality anymore. The church definitely isn't keeping up with what is happening. I don't think they even know why they are hemorrhaging members
I do not think that too many people ever actually left the Church because they were offended. That talk was given to discredit anybody who was actually posing critical questions. It was a way of making any of the controversial issues about something they were not.
@@mikeoyler2983 When my uncle was a kid in the 70^s he was going to church. Neither of his parents were members and they were divorced. One Sunday some older man grabbed him and chastised him that he should have more respect for the lord and wear his best clothes to church. He was wearing his best clothes. He never went back,so I know it does happen. It used to happen more years ago, but the times have changed. Those things don't happen as much anymore. The leadership is so old that they don't know that society has changed, and that the reason people leave has changed.
The church wills ignorance. They know exactly why people are leaving the church but refuse to accept it. To do so would mean the church as whole would fundamentally have to change, and the brethren don’t really seem to like change- in a church all about revelation
People are leaving religion in general. It's the internet. When I was a kid and had questions, I'd be given apologetics. Now we have smartphones in our pocket. You can find answers, anywhere and in real time. You realize quickly that you've been told some absurd things and told not to question it.
My family was mormon, and very faithful. Until each of us was hurt, over and over, by policy, by rules, by people who were called to teach and care for youth but received no training, so clung to the deeply flawed policies to guide them out. I dont think anyone in our congregation meant to hurt us. But we all had different breaking points.
You're right. I didn't leave because of individuals, but now that I'm out, I do find many individuals to be insufferable, intolerant, and ignorant. That sense of community really isn't as great as you think. Our bishop was quick to throw my mother out of the ward when she divorced my dad. The activity days leaders couldn't remember my daughters name after a year of her going to activities. No one in our ward or our neighborhoood is ever willing to have a play date or help out when I need a sitter, someone to watch my child for an hour after school, do a large task that requires multiple people to do, etc. In all fairness, I'm not lining up to do any of those things either, but I think there is something incredibly disgenuine about an organization that promotes itself as being family and community friendly and then really doesn't step in to help out when people need it. Even growing up, I watched many people in the ward struggle, and very few were there to lend a helping hand. And then to add all of the judgement and shame on top of that makes it very difficult to want to be a part of the church community.
My experience too, mostly. These are people wanting to be right w God. Very nice, usually. Lost, just like most, but wanting to do good. Tell them about the freedom they can have in Christ. ❤
Me too! Funny that my close friends from my ward never asked me why I left, but then I heard weirdly through the grapevine that they all thought I left because of my kids being treated poorly. Totally shocked me, because that was completely fabricated. I only left when I found out that I had been lied to for 41 years about the history, and changing doctrine of the LDS church. In my experience, believers don't want to know why you left, they prefer to fabricate reasons that make sense to their reality.
Exactly! I sure us exmormons can all relate to you in one way or another. Rumors got started around church & small town that I had fallen to the evil ways if the world & chose this life of evil & how I was under the influence of dr*gs & @lc0hol & under the control of a man who uses me as a s*x sl*ve! I hate what leaders put in Mormons heads.its not true by the way & I have chosen my own path. Much more happier & at peace.
I left the church because I was so over the hypocrisy I would find myself rolling my eyes at members when they would go up at the pulpit and speak or when members started to cry I just couldn’t deal with it. I realized they speak of God and loving everyone but that all lies! It was during Trumps administration they had those same thoughts of hate hiding behind God it was just yo much for me and I started to be more vocal, but what was the point those people were never going to change so I stood up and left in the middle of church never went back and I am grateful for what for the things I learned in the church that I could apply out in the real world, but I am a much happier person now.
This! This was me too. I so blindly assumed for years that people in the church believed the same as me … then Trump came along and it suddenly became “okay” to be openly racist, homophobic, misogynistic (or in many cases, they were already these things so they became aggressively so). I gave a talk on racism because I was seeing leaders share racist things online and I was yelled at, mocked, and shunned. This gave me permission to finally read all that “anti” literature I secretly had always wanted to read lol. I was treated horrifically by family members during this time too. Sorry, Mormon members will never not suck. 🤷🏻♀️
My home ward embarrassed me when I brought my newly met stepbrother with me to church when I was a young person. He had long hair and his 'sunday best ' was black jeans, white T-shirt, biker boots and leather jacket. All the whispering and hard stares. I doubt anyone in that ward now, rememberd. Stepbrother never went back.
I wasn't offended. I had questions that no one could answer. My stalwart husband (once a branch president) left the day he gave our dying son a priesthood blessing to no avail. It was heartbreaking. (My husband had such faith.) Leaving was the best thing that ever happened for our family.
The people are the reason I started questioning things. The responses I got to my questions and the way I was treated for daring to question pushed me away. The people were the reason I left, but learning the history confirmed that I'd made the right choice.
I feel this about Catholicism. What’s the point of feeling guilty over sin if I can just confess and “repent” by saying some Hail Marys? If men and women are equal, how come only men can be priests/deacons? They didn’t like those. They especially didn’t like my comments about transubstantiation “nobody really believes it’s the literal flesh and blood though, right?” Yes, apparently the priest is ordained with magic powers and we all a little bit become cannibals of a 2000 year old man who apparently also has enough flesh and blood for each Catholic on earth to have another little piece each week
I left because I went through cruel bullying. I was not offended, I was purposely humiliated for years. That’s more than enough reason to leave. Sorry, but I have met people outside the church that is a million times more wonderful.
I left because I was a victim and o wasn't believed... the leadership "loved" the "sinner" ...which was a s*x offender.... we were left behind and victimised....broke mine and my children's spirits....
What I found as a young Christian was that when you get down and seek the Lord with your whole heart you find Him and He nourishes you Spiritually and strengthens you regardless of the Church or the people.❤
With messages from Russell Nelson saying don't trust outsiders it makes it where even people you once considered friends not even continue relationships once some goes to post Mormon. Then they blame you for all their troubles
My Catholic teaching also stated all other religions and their practitioners were heretics. That we must pray for them while they repended in Purgatory. I no long subscribe to religion
it's true the general culture is almost always to blame... I knew at least one person though that left the church because she and her son were getting racist comments. Was so sad to hear considering how absolutely wonderful I thought my home ward was (and being close to Baltimore, they certainly weren't the only black family). It makes me so sad to hear because I know there must be at least 10x sad or traumatic things that I am NOT hearing about.
That is the reason I stopped going to church and then when I got away from that environment I did my research. And that is why I ended up leaving So for me it all kind of culminated together
I have left churches over doctrinal disagreements. One teaches "Christ died for your sins, you're home free," (every week it was the same sermon) another teaches that if you own ANYTHING that originally belonged to somebody who has passed, (antique furniture, family heirlooms) you are trying to conjure up the dead, so you have to get rid of it, another teaches that nothing in the Old Testament applies to Christians, and then there's a whole lot of denominations teaching that Levitical prohibitions are open to interpretation. Probably the most offensive to me was also taught at the same church that told me I should sell all the jewelry and silver my grandmothers left me, that because a great-great-grandfather had been a Freemason, I had a blood curse on me that was not ameliorated by baptism, and I needed special incantations to make it go away. That church was rabidly anti-Catholic and could not answer the question "Since the founding fathers of the USA were all Freemasons, what are we supposed to make of the founding documents they wrote?" They dont like to think about the possibility the Declaration of Independence, which was an act of treason against the Crown, was somehow written by a group of men who must have had a secret network already in place before they met up in Philadelphia. It was a conspiracy, and conspiracies require infrastructure. They trusted each other because they were all Freemasons. But the main reason I won't even consider the Mormons is that they are not Christians. Christians believe that salvation is through faith in Christ alone, Mormons teach that women need husbands to go to Heaven, and that marriages will continue in Heaven, when Jesus Himself made it very clear, in a teaching to the Sadducees, that there are no marriages in Heaven. None. No woman will be any man's wife. He could not have been more clear on that subject.
My reasons for leaving started with the way I was treated as a newly divorced member with young kids, I kept adding reasons to the list the older I got, then the LGBTQ stuff starting coming to the forefront, then I decided I was going to dive into the history a bit deeper, I learned about the Salamander and CES letters and I was done. There was so much proving it was just flat out false and nothing could make it make sense. I've been out for awhile but I'm finally working through all the deconstructing, it's such an exhausting, long process. I kind of expected to just be done and never have to think about it again but then figured out how very ingrained it is when you were born into it and separating it from who you are is incredibly difficult.
Admittedly even now I am fully pro lds and I go but honestly I can’t just can not justify some of the doctrine, the Temple rituals all of it. And if I don’t feel a good spirit behind something or I’m questioning it then what do I do? I’m a young person only 16-17 age, I have a lot to learn but u also know that if there are some parts of the church that are wrong it’s almost all wrong. My community, my friends, my whole life is surrounded by the church where will I go, what will I do, what will I have if I leave?
It's worth it. I left the church years ago and just got baptized yesterday in an evangelical church. God will provide a way out. The mormon/lds church is not who he is. He saved me in 2020 and told me it was false. The older I get the more I realize how trapped i was and that religion is. How now I am completely free and have a genuine relationship with him. Persevere and don't lose God in time the truth will be revealed if you seek it with meaning and an open heart❤. I'm praying for you
I and my family were 2nd class and treated unkind in the ward we grew up in ... I was a teen girl, and these stoopid nincompoop boys would "moo" when I came in door of classroom, they would spit spitwads at my little brother, there were multiple incidents throughout the years ... No one ever did anything about it!! It was always, "kids will be kids" bs!! I could write paragraphs of mean things but am aware there are just those that are just mean/rude no matter where you go ... no matter what church, school, etc you are a part of ... I also knew wonderful individuals and have lifelong friendships with friends in the church... As far as the end of me, no longer being an active member is directly because of how I was treated by leaders when I separated and divorced my Ex ... there were so many things that came to light that blew my mind when it came to policies! The leadership! Etc. There was a time in my life I would have defended it to the death .... no regrets whatsoever
That’s how I feel about religion in general. I wish something more true, because not having religion is not very socially comfortable. Organized religion is problematic and personal belief that just doesn’t match certain borders of some standard is a different kind of problematic. Sometimes it’s better just to be quiet.
People leave for many reasons. One of them is finding out that the doctrine of the church is probably farther away from Christianity than the Muslim religion. If they’ve been in the church long enough to experience the temple, that would be another reason because of the creepy happenings there.
When I was a member I remember we were so kind to someone until they were a member for awhile then it was kinda like we left them alone for are next target. It was strange and now I realize that’s not how a freindship works
When I told my family I was leaving they were all so surprised that I wasn't offended by or angry at someone at church. Nope just don't believe the lies anymore.
For me I studied the Priesthood keys and found myself in the Catholic Church. One of the things lied to by Early Church Leaders was of the Apostasy. There was no apostasy.
I was outside Provo Library when I realized the probability/fractal equations I was working on earlier left no room for Mormonism to be real. I'm still sad about that
Why sad? God is real. He’s good. You’re a sinner in need of saving (just like we all are). Turn to him. When I did that I knew who Jesus was ❤ Wishing you freedom in Christ . Salvation by faith not works !
My experience with LDS was certainly a positive one. The people were wonderful, but the doctrines and policies and belief in that rogue Smith that kept me from seeing truth in what they did.
All the Mormons I’ve known have been the sweetest people. That doesn’t surprise me. I was surprised by how horrible the JWs were to each other when I was a nurse taking care of some of them on my wing.
what bothered me was that if my opinion was different than the mainstream then i was told i was wrong---not that my opinion was different than what the teaching were---that my opinion was WRONG. if you are not willing to conform to what they want you to be, they will denigrate you until you do what they want you to do. and if you have a strong will they will shun you. this is why people call it a cult rather than a religion
My experience is that the people are not very friendly unless it’s superficial. It’s such a facade. They’re willing to drop you in a moment notice if you decide to not follow they’re way of thinking. Gotta be in line!
I grew up learning how Christians were kind, non-judgemental, nice, etc. And the "people of the world" were evil, harmful, selfish... I remember being so confused because after church services everyone ripped apart their peers for their personal life, if they were wearing jewelry, if you could see someone's ankles or neckline... No one outside of the church was this mean. I vividly remember realizing religion wasn't for me. Only breeds toxic people!! Even with my parents witnessing and going to different churches - the people are all the same. They think they are superior and know something you don't. Absolutely no kindness to help someone down. So happy the friends I've chosen outside church are not like this.
The most common phrase I hear about people not going to church is because they are lazy - that they just can't be bothered to go or do the work. I hear this from family and friends yet no one ever asks me why I don't go anymore.
That's the main and final reason I left a woman I didn't know came up and started treating me like I was a predator. I was already having problems with the church but after being treated like that I immediately put in my official resignation letter to the church. I can't believe I would ever be treated so poorly by a random member of a LDS church.
Sorry to hear that :/ Members do that and it's not your fault for feeling mistreated. They probably know better now to show more respect, and if not, that's going to be on them in the end. Sometimes, us members just have to deal with those kinds of people.
And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of speaking to my brethren, behold they said unto me: Thou hast declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear. 2 And it came to pass that I said unto them that I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according to the truth; and the righteous have I justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day; wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center.
5th generation Mormon. Early pioneer roots. I watched the claimed history of the church chande and be modified over years. I became a 'jack mormon'. Talking to young missionaries i was shocked at what they are taught. My wifes aunt is Japanese as nd for her we keep a likness of Budda on our porch. I watched a missionaries eyes get big as he noticed the statue and pionted it out to his partner. They were from utah & idaho , the same as my family. We live in Alabama. I could tell these young men had never been allowed to learn tolerance. Theyust have sent a bad message to yhe higher ups. No missionaries have visited since. Tolerance is not a mormon virtue.
The Holy Spirit has testified to me that the Church of Jesus Christ truly has the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ as prophesied in Acts chapter 3. To stay true to one's testimony you must realize the Lord leads His church with imperfect people and usually does not intervene. But these imperfect people does not even touch my testimony. I hope you pray, and tell God, instead of the whole world, your complaints. I'm sure he'll turn them into a sieve like He did for me on more than one occasion. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints IS God's one and only true church on the earth today. I know this to be true. In the name of Jesus Christ and love to all, Wanda
Mormon people are good people, I hope their church realizes how much the doctrine is hurting them. It’s no terrible thing to say we followed a man and men are fallible. And just say they are gonna base their doctrine on things Jesus preached like the sermon on the Mount.
1 Samuel 8 7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
I can think of no reason for a church leader to discuss someone's reason for leaving from the pulpit or stage. It sounds like deflection, blame shifting, in this case.
The cruelty and hypocrisy was just a catalyst for me. Then learning the reality of the sickness within the church and similarities of indoctrination to other cults, I became sick. There are aspects of the programming that still detrimentally affect the way I see and interact in the world today. Though my father was unfaithful, my mother was excommunicated and he was just disfellowshiped. I distanced myself in middle school. Classism is rampant in Zion, and those who ask for help are put through hoops and treated like less than. I have almost compulsively sought out a theological understanding and solution, because of the cognitive dissonance I feel not finding, feeling, understanding, and being a part of "the truth". It's a disturbing hollowness that exacerbates my encultured codependent problems. Having the Disney/Mormon understanding of what a "good life is", and being raised in the church, has inextricably linked the fiber of my being to an intense codependent nature. I "need" to be in a relationship and have a faith to not feel that painful emptiness. Praying in the woods or in a closet has not proffered me any connection to something divine or supernatural.
I was a lil child & always felt this church was so pushy. Trying to make me have a testimony I didn't have about a creepy guy I never wanted to know about.
Wonderful people can gather together and create a community; even if they gather around a lie. Wonderful people cannot make a lie true. A lie will always be a lie.
I disagree …I was treated harshly and the gossip was so bad. I had to tell the local sheriff of the constant stalking and intrusive behavior by the neighbors ( church goers ) coming to my home or stopping me or my children in the store to badger us. Telling my autistic boy that god wasn’t happy with him! One of many horrible statements they made to and of my family. It was non stop until I finally moved us out of state!
Watch the entire episode on our RUclips channel! Episode 1818
The people of my church treated my mother with such distain because she worked full time as a nurse and only had one child. The way she was shunned is something I will never forget
Agreed health care workers are shunned by home teachers and the ward,another ego trip losing members.
This is a church policy when you consider that this is known by leadership and allowed. Divorced women are also not supported unless they remarry quickly. I saw women get out of one abusive marriage jump into another a year later. Thinking Not Allowed.
@@mtaylor7307"Thinking Not Allowed" The LDS church is the opposite of Jeffrey Mishlove.
Smith died in the street. He was leading another mob of Mormon men to ransack yet another printing press
@@miguelthealpaca8971 Its not just the LDS, though. All of these high demand religions are traumatizing our society. We human beings love our stories, our mythology, but this authoritarianism is damaging our communities. Time to evolve.
I was, on the other hand, not offended by one person, not offended by 2 people, I was offended by 10-15 different people. There were a large faction in our ward that treated us like second class citizens and it broke my soul! And it's okay to leave a place that treats you like garbage!
Same here! And for years…
@@di3486 I'm so sorry. It really sucks, doesn't it!
The hardest thing for members of the church is to know that no member is perfect (except Christ) and that everyone can make mistakes. Sorry to hear that! Members out there just want to respect you and make you feel included. What's important though is to remember the doctrine of Jesus Christ and his gospel!
@@ToxicFangX1 Easy to say if you haven’t experienced abuse for years.
@@di3486 Just remember that the doctrine of Jesus Christ will still be true.
I left while a freshman at BYU because I dug deep into the history and realized Joseph Smith lied. That the foundation of the church was rotten, and so much above it was rotten as well. I was heartbroken and mourned for years. It was like finding out my partner had been pretending to be someone and something he wasn't, and the person I loved didn't exist. Had never existed. I would have given anything for the church to be true. But it isn't, and I couldn't stay to try living a lie.
I have read that before - that people wished dearly that the Church, as they had believed it, was really true.
And once we uncover all this information, there is no going back. Ever.
I felt that way when I realized the same thing about the bible.
@@derivative7117 You mean the "js translation"? Yeah, that is mind-boggling & beyond offensive.
Luckily I discovered the lie at age 5.
We had neighbors that wouldn't let our daughter play with there girls because we weren't Mormon. We are catholic now for 6 years and was the best decision of our lives.
Absolutely based
I grew up Catholic and have since left but it's been bizarre to grow up and see how some Christian sects like actually believe that Catholicism is demonic or something
I was treated badly when i got a divorce and so were my children. There are lots of reasons people leave!
Be strong ,its hard to deal with .went wit it 50 year ago as a child win my parents got a divorce its all ways in the bach of the mind hope you find peace of mind 😊
I live in Idaho, I am not Mormon. Have worked with lots of mormons. Some are very nice. Some, racist, judgmental, passive aggressive. Its a mixed bag. I could tell you horror stories from non mormons raised in large majority towns. They were treated horribly.
Child you hit the nail on the. Just joined. Treated not right recently. Halled ass out of there. Loved the Bible studies though.miss that.
@@PatriciaJoseph-i4dQuiter. Didn't have much of a testimony, did you?
Well people do have freedom of religion. So they should be treated nice.
Why are they so passive aggressive? My in laws are super Mormon, and they are the most passive aggressive people I've ever met.
@@audrawells1383 How are they passive aggressive?
I left because I didn’t fit in. As a mid 40’s single male with no kids I felt like I was sub human because I wasn’t good enough to have a family. So I just stopped attending. And despite several attempts to go back and the several attempts at the bishopric to get me back I just couldn’t. I told them for me church isn’t the place for me
I left because they hid the truth of the doctrine. She is absolutely right, and that's why I left too.
It’s the policy that drove me out. It’s not the church that I thought I grew up with.
I'm one of those people who left - and the way I was treated by certain members was one of those reasons. At the time I was a single person in my late 20s attending with my father, stepmother, and minor half sister. Shunned, treated with pity, as lesser than. To my face they were 'nice', but it was a very fake nice, or that shallow Mormon 'OH I JUST LOOOOOOVE YOU SO MUCH EVERYTHING IS SUNSHINE AND RAINBOWS WEEEEEE' way 🤮
Were you shunned and treated as less than because your father was divorced? Or was it because you were in your later 20's and not married? I really really wouldn't be surprised if you were treated like crap because you weren't married. I left the church when I realized that I was being pressured into getting married at barley 17, during a very impressionable period of time in my life after the death of my uncle who had been raising me since my own father passed away at 8. I think the church realized I was totally vulnerable and pounced on me. I was invited to church and bible study with my best friends older sister at a non domination church and it really opened my eyes and made me feel like church of LDS was more grooming and marriage cult like than church like. At the LDS church I went to we would all have a sermon with everyone adults to babies in the same room, then we were separated into age groups and at 16 the talks within my age group began focusing on preparing for marriage and children. Then the congregation was broken into two large groups based on gender, the female group was just being lectured about how we needed to be good supporting daughters, wives and mothers, we needed to be dutiful to our fathers, husbands and eventually sons. We were told that as women we were created for men, to love, support and care for them, that we even needed to take off our husbands boots when he comes home from work. College and university wasn't talked about to us girls
@@hippiebippie8870 Honestly, I think it was because I was late 20s and not married. My stepmother has been married to my father since I was 5 so they were used to seeing me with them, but the fact that I was still single was a huuuuuuge source of pity. I was fina chilly struggling to just make it paycheck to paycheck and flat out could NOT afford tithing. The entire neighborhood was filled with people that lived in million dollar houses whose husband's made six figures a year, and wanted for nothing. They were extremely judgmental towards non-members and people who had less money, and extremely extremely privileged. That was another reason why I left. The entitlement of the rich within the church is unparalleled. Everyone was always pitying me, oh poor Chevy there she goes by the grace of God, yet wouldnt do anything to actually HELP me. Everyone always talked about helping the poor, fast offerings, donations here, donations there, do you think I ever saw any help from the church in my situation? No. Not a single time. I was literally living in poverty in this very wealthy neighborhood and nobody cared. Not to mention my stepmother for being a malignant narcissist so there's that too.
@@CHEVYedsf I swear, everyone I talk to that has left has basically the same story, some details may change but the plot remains consistent. The way women are treated if they're not the ideal daughter, wife and mother is beyond hideous, it's usually at least part of the reason why I see so many women leave which is why I assumed the church treated you poorly bc of your relationship status more so than your parents relationship status. It's so wrong. They treated you so wrong. The entitlement when it comes to money is also wrong and another main reason why people seem to leave. I wonder how many people could have been housed with the money spent on the luxurious temples and state of the art churches. The money spent on "mission" trips is another huge F-U to the members of the church who need financial help. To me mission trips are predatory as hell, spending money to go to parts of the world plagued by poverty to tell people who have basically nothing that they will go to hell if they don't give a multi billion dollar church organization everything that they have. I think it's inexcusable that after years of paying tithe that people can't get help from the church when they're in a tough spot and need help but when the church "needs help" buying the elders another private jet the people rally around reaching deep into their pockets to make it happen. I have seen people give up their grocery money and the church act like it's messed up that they're not giving more. Totally unappreciative. I don't really remember anyone at church actually being helped with their rent or bills during emergencies, just a couple cans of food, some old furniture and old clothes given to people that were donated. It's really messed up that not only could you not get help when you needed it but you were also ostracized for needing help. I think tithes should be used for members of the church who are in tough financial spots.
As an atheist, I'm inspired by your bravery and integrity in the search for truth. I might have been afraid to challenge the church, had i been in your shoes.
In high school there was a group of Mormon kids and they were so nice, just really kind people. Don't agree with their beliefs but like them very much
It’s a façade
@@danib712 might be, might not. No way to tell from here. I was raised Mormon and being nice was emphasized, and some did take it to heart. Others, it was very surface level. I'm not still attending church, but I'm not going to pretend everyone was fake. Like any group of people, you get some honest, genuine people, and some who are two faced, cruel, or pretenders. Sometimes all of the above.
I’ve met a lot of judgmental hypocrites in many churches. Ppl like to gossip and be all fake.
You know, I never thought about it, but I've experienced no gossip and very, very minimal judgment at the two different Unitarian Universalist congregations I've attended. The minimal judgment has been some raised eyebrows when I've expressed support for extremely broad free speech protections and have asked the question, "How do we know for sure we're not discriminating against fetuses in allowing abortion?". (I'm pro-choice, but I'm always examining and reexamining my positions, like the free-thinking, humanist UU I am.) No one has ever tried to shut or shout me down even, and the latter is basically heresy in UU. Now that I think of it, the only true "heresy" is treating people poorly for their beliefs or their identity. So...I guess it makes sense that we don't have these things. Even as a teen UU, there wasn't the same backbiting and meanness that there was in my high school, though there weren't very many of us.
@@katieramos5868 Well I’m glad to hear you’ve had a good experiences. My mother in law is Catholic and been at the same parish for over 40 years. She loves her religion and church but then they got a new priest who started picking on my mother in law. Made her cry and deeply saddened her. I believe she had to leave the church because of him. She had many good years there.
So I know it’s not all churches and ppl but I watched a lot of drama going on in some churches over the years. Lol
@@katieramos5868 I can't speak much bc I've never been to a UU church myself but honestly out of all sects of Christianity, that's like the only one I've heard nothing but good things about. They sound generally very loving and accepting and I think that's rad. I don't think I'll ever go back to organized religion but if I did I'd like to join one of their congregations, they seem to legit walk the path of Jesus yknow?
It has definitely changed from what it used to be. That old paradigm that people leave because they're offended, is not the reality anymore. The church definitely isn't keeping up with what is happening. I don't think they even know why they are hemorrhaging members
I do not think that too many people ever actually left the Church because they were offended. That talk was given to discredit anybody who was actually posing critical questions. It was a way of making any of the controversial issues about something they were not.
@@mikeoyler2983 When my uncle was a kid in the 70^s he was going to church. Neither of his parents were members and they were divorced. One Sunday some older man grabbed him and chastised him that he should have more respect for the lord and wear his best clothes to church. He was wearing his best clothes. He never went back,so I know it does happen. It used to happen more years ago, but the times have changed. Those things don't happen as much anymore. The leadership is so old that they don't know that society has changed, and that the reason people leave has changed.
The church wills ignorance. They know exactly why people are leaving the church but refuse to accept it. To do so would mean the church as whole would fundamentally have to change, and the brethren don’t really seem to like change- in a church all about revelation
@@katieedwards6444 You are probably right.
@@mikeoyler2983from the people I know and from listening to the show, it is often a build up of smaller things that lead to leaving.
People are leaving religion in general. It's the internet. When I was a kid and had questions, I'd be given apologetics. Now we have smartphones in our pocket. You can find answers, anywhere and in real time. You realize quickly that you've been told some absurd things and told not to question it.
My family was mormon, and very faithful. Until each of us was hurt, over and over, by policy, by rules, by people who were called to teach and care for youth but received no training, so clung to the deeply flawed policies to guide them out. I dont think anyone in our congregation meant to hurt us. But we all had different breaking points.
You're right. I didn't leave because of individuals, but now that I'm out, I do find many individuals to be insufferable, intolerant, and ignorant. That sense of community really isn't as great as you think. Our bishop was quick to throw my mother out of the ward when she divorced my dad. The activity days leaders couldn't remember my daughters name after a year of her going to activities. No one in our ward or our neighborhoood is ever willing to have a play date or help out when I need a sitter, someone to watch my child for an hour after school, do a large task that requires multiple people to do, etc. In all fairness, I'm not lining up to do any of those things either, but I think there is something incredibly disgenuine about an organization that promotes itself as being family and community friendly and then really doesn't step in to help out when people need it. Even growing up, I watched many people in the ward struggle, and very few were there to lend a helping hand. And then to add all of the judgement and shame on top of that makes it very difficult to want to be a part of the church community.
This is very well put! This was my experience and I think very much most of those who've left
Bet my dollars that you are not of dark skin or divorced.😅
My experience too, mostly. These are people wanting to be right w God. Very nice, usually. Lost, just like most, but wanting to do good. Tell them about the freedom they can have in Christ. ❤
Me too! Funny that my close friends from my ward never asked me why I left, but then I heard weirdly through the grapevine that they all thought I left because of my kids being treated poorly. Totally shocked me, because that was completely fabricated. I only left when I found out that I had been lied to for 41 years about the history, and changing doctrine of the LDS church. In my experience, believers don't want to know why you left, they prefer to fabricate reasons that make sense to their reality.
Exactly! I sure us exmormons can all relate to you in one way or another. Rumors got started around church & small town that I had fallen to the evil ways if the world & chose this life of evil & how I was under the influence of dr*gs & @lc0hol & under the control of a man who uses me as a s*x sl*ve! I hate what leaders put in Mormons heads.its not true by the way & I have chosen my own path. Much more happier & at peace.
I left the church because I was so over the hypocrisy I would find myself rolling my eyes at members when they would go up at the pulpit and speak or when members started to cry I just couldn’t deal with it. I realized they speak of God and loving everyone but that all lies! It was during Trumps administration they had those same thoughts of hate hiding behind God it was just yo much for me and I started to be more vocal, but what was the point those people were never going to change so I stood up and left in the middle of church never went back and I am grateful for what for the things I learned in the church that I could apply out in the real world, but I am a much happier person now.
This! This was me too. I so blindly assumed for years that people in the church believed the same as me … then Trump came along and it suddenly became “okay” to be openly racist, homophobic, misogynistic (or in many cases, they were already these things so they became aggressively so). I gave a talk on racism because I was seeing leaders share racist things online and I was yelled at, mocked, and shunned. This gave me permission to finally read all that “anti” literature I secretly had always wanted to read lol. I was treated horrifically by family members during this time too. Sorry, Mormon members will never not suck. 🤷🏻♀️
Sure, grow your hair long and look out of the norm, you will instantly realize how judged you instantly are walking through those doors.
My home ward embarrassed me when I brought my newly met stepbrother with me to church when I was a young person. He had long hair and his 'sunday best ' was black jeans, white T-shirt, biker boots and leather jacket. All the whispering and hard stares. I doubt anyone in that ward now, rememberd. Stepbrother never went back.
@@IschardeI'm so sorry about his experience and yours. Breaks my heart to see people being treated unkindly.
Or worse...be a woman and cut your hair short. You'll never hear the end of it.
Jesus, btw had long hair
@@Song-Girl-Still-Singing He didn't come back s second time.
I wasn't offended. I had questions that no one could answer. My stalwart husband (once a branch president) left the day he gave our dying son a priesthood blessing to no avail. It was heartbreaking. (My husband had such faith.) Leaving was the best thing that ever happened for our family.
WOW. Thank you for sharing. So sorry for your loss. How brave to face reality in the midst of heartbreak.
The people are the reason I started questioning things. The responses I got to my questions and the way I was treated for daring to question pushed me away. The people were the reason I left, but learning the history confirmed that I'd made the right choice.
I feel this about Catholicism. What’s the point of feeling guilty over sin if I can just confess and “repent” by saying some Hail Marys? If men and women are equal, how come only men can be priests/deacons? They didn’t like those. They especially didn’t like my comments about transubstantiation “nobody really believes it’s the literal flesh and blood though, right?” Yes, apparently the priest is ordained with magic powers and we all a little bit become cannibals of a 2000 year old man who apparently also has enough flesh and blood for each Catholic on earth to have another little piece each week
I left because I went through cruel bullying. I was not offended, I was purposely humiliated for years. That’s more than enough reason to leave. Sorry, but I have met people outside the church that is a million times more wonderful.
I’m so sorry you were treated so cruelly. I’m so glad you’re out and finding better people.
Because these people have no accountability! They are always trying to sweep everything under the rug!
I left because I was a victim and o wasn't believed... the leadership "loved" the "sinner" ...which was a s*x offender.... we were left behind and victimised....broke mine and my children's spirits....
When I left the church, one of my friends was asked by the bishop if we had a falling out. I thought that was so lame.
What I found as a young Christian was that when you get down and seek the Lord with your whole heart you find Him and He nourishes you Spiritually and strengthens you regardless of the Church or the people.❤
With messages from Russell Nelson saying don't trust outsiders it makes it where even people you once considered friends not even continue relationships once some goes to post Mormon. Then they blame you for all their troubles
Yeah scientology teaches the same thing.. wonder why?
My Catholic teaching also stated all other religions and their practitioners were heretics. That we must pray for them while they repended in Purgatory. I no long subscribe to religion
it's true the general culture is almost always to blame... I knew at least one person though that left the church because she and her son were getting racist comments. Was so sad to hear considering how absolutely wonderful I thought my home ward was (and being close to Baltimore, they certainly weren't the only black family). It makes me so sad to hear because I know there must be at least 10x sad or traumatic things that I am NOT hearing about.
I know this happens in the metro Detroit area, too.
That is the reason I stopped going to church and then when I got away from that environment I did my research. And that is why I ended up leaving So for me it all kind of culminated together
I've known a couple of LDS members (that I know of) and they're lovely people.
Most wholesome beautiful individuals I Ever met . People wonderful. LDS Institution Dangerous Syndicate my experience
They call it a "church"
It's a cult.
Amen sister!
I mostly went to mormon churches with my mom but i always felt mistreated and disliked the environment,but now i go only to christian churches.
I have left churches over doctrinal disagreements. One teaches "Christ died for your sins, you're home free," (every week it was the same sermon)
another teaches that if you own ANYTHING that originally belonged to somebody who has passed, (antique furniture, family heirlooms) you are trying to conjure up the dead, so you have to get rid of it, another teaches that nothing in the Old Testament applies to Christians, and then there's a whole lot of denominations teaching that Levitical prohibitions are open to interpretation.
Probably the most offensive to me was also taught at the same church that told me I should sell all the jewelry and silver my grandmothers left me, that because a great-great-grandfather had been a Freemason, I had a blood curse on me that was not ameliorated by baptism, and I needed special incantations to make it go away. That church was rabidly anti-Catholic and could not answer the question "Since the founding fathers of the USA were all Freemasons, what are we supposed to make of the founding documents they wrote?" They dont like to think about the possibility the Declaration of Independence, which was an act of treason against the Crown, was somehow written by a group of men who must have had a secret network already in place before they met up in Philadelphia. It was a conspiracy, and conspiracies require infrastructure. They trusted each other because they were all Freemasons.
But the main reason I won't even consider the Mormons is that they are not Christians. Christians believe that salvation is through faith in Christ alone, Mormons teach that women need husbands to go to Heaven, and that marriages will continue in Heaven, when Jesus Himself made it very clear, in a teaching to the Sadducees, that there are no marriages in Heaven. None. No woman will be any man's wife. He could not have been more clear on that subject.
😊
My reasons for leaving started with the way I was treated as a newly divorced member with young kids, I kept adding reasons to the list the older I got, then the LGBTQ stuff starting coming to the forefront, then I decided I was going to dive into the history a bit deeper, I learned about the Salamander and CES letters and I was done. There was so much proving it was just flat out false and nothing could make it make sense. I've been out for awhile but I'm finally working through all the deconstructing, it's such an exhausting, long process. I kind of expected to just be done and never have to think about it again but then figured out how very ingrained it is when you were born into it and separating it from who you are is incredibly difficult.
It's the usual story. The churchgoers are lovely, the heads of church? Not so much 😕 😢 Doctrine ĵustv sucks!!! ♥️♥️♥️♥️
Yes and no. Many are awful.
being white, identifying with your gender assigned at birth, and hetero will certainly help with being treated kindly in the church tho
Admittedly even now I am fully pro lds and I go but honestly I can’t just can not justify some of the doctrine, the Temple rituals all of it. And if I don’t feel a good spirit behind something or I’m questioning it then what do I do?
I’m a young person only 16-17 age, I have a lot to learn but u also know that if there are some parts of the church that are wrong it’s almost all wrong. My community, my friends, my whole life is surrounded by the church where will I go, what will I do, what will I have if I leave?
You’ll have Jesus. If you leave you’ll have Jesus. He won’t go anywhere friend.
It's worth it. I left the church years ago and just got baptized yesterday in an evangelical church. God will provide a way out. The mormon/lds church is not who he is. He saved me in 2020 and told me it was false. The older I get the more I realize how trapped i was and that religion is. How now I am completely free and have a genuine relationship with him. Persevere and don't lose God in time the truth will be revealed if you seek it with meaning and an open heart❤. I'm praying for you
I left because I couldn't worship a serial child predator
I and my family were 2nd class and treated unkind in the ward we grew up in ... I was a teen girl, and these stoopid nincompoop boys would "moo" when I came in door of classroom, they would spit spitwads at my little brother, there were multiple incidents throughout the years ...
No one ever did anything about it!! It was always, "kids will be kids" bs!!
I could write paragraphs of mean things but am aware there are just those that are just mean/rude no matter where you go ... no matter what church, school, etc you are a part of ...
I also knew wonderful individuals and have lifelong friendships with friends in the church...
As far as the end of me, no longer being an active member is directly because of how I was treated by leaders when I separated and divorced my Ex ... there were so many things that came to light that blew my mind when it came to policies! The leadership! Etc.
There was a time in my life I would have defended it to the death .... no regrets whatsoever
That’s how I feel about religion in general. I wish something more true, because not having religion is not very socially comfortable. Organized religion is problematic and personal belief that just doesn’t match certain borders of some standard is a different kind of problematic. Sometimes it’s better just to be quiet.
People leave for many reasons. One of them is finding out that the doctrine of the church is probably farther away from Christianity than the Muslim religion. If they’ve been in the church long enough to experience the temple, that would be another reason because of the creepy happenings there.
In what way?
When I was a member I remember we were so kind to someone until they were a member for awhile then it was kinda like we left them alone for are next target. It was strange and now I realize that’s not how a freindship works
Amen!
Amen, amen and AMEN!
When I told my family I was leaving they were all so surprised that I wasn't offended by or angry at someone at church. Nope just don't believe the lies anymore.
For me I studied the Priesthood keys and found myself in the Catholic Church. One of the things lied to by Early Church Leaders was of the Apostasy. There was no apostasy.
I totally agree with you!
I just watched like 10 videos. I respect what Amy says. I do believe it's either doctrine or the people...
I think the truth is being revealed by the internet
I was outside Provo Library when I realized the probability/fractal equations I was working on earlier left no room for Mormonism to be real. I'm still sad about that
Why sad? God is real. He’s good. You’re a sinner in need of saving (just like we all are). Turn to him. When I did that I knew who Jesus was ❤
Wishing you freedom in Christ .
Salvation by faith not works !
My experience with LDS was certainly a positive one. The people were wonderful, but the doctrines and policies and belief in that rogue Smith that kept me from seeing truth in what they did.
Once they secure you, they turn against you. Their “wonderful” is just a facade.
Yes. It’s the doctrine. The founder. But most of the people are very sweet.
Well said 👏
All the Mormons I’ve known have been the sweetest people. That doesn’t surprise me. I was surprised by how horrible the JWs were to each other when I was a nurse taking care of some of them on my wing.
Love the people.
Do not like the historical, foundational, claims.
Some people cease to be weak minded, therefore they leave.
what bothered me was that if my opinion was different than the mainstream then i was told i was wrong---not that my opinion was different than what the teaching were---that my opinion was WRONG. if you are not willing to conform to what they want you to be, they will denigrate you until you do what they want you to do. and if you have a strong will they will shun you. this is why people call it a cult rather than a religion
❤❤❤❤❤❤
My experience is that the people are not very friendly unless it’s superficial. It’s such a facade. They’re willing to drop you in a moment notice if you decide to not follow they’re way of thinking. Gotta be in line!
I grew up learning how Christians were kind, non-judgemental, nice, etc. And the "people of the world" were evil, harmful, selfish...
I remember being so confused because after church services everyone ripped apart their peers for their personal life, if they were wearing jewelry, if you could see someone's ankles or neckline...
No one outside of the church was this mean. I vividly remember realizing religion wasn't for me. Only breeds toxic people!! Even with my parents witnessing and going to different churches - the people are all the same. They think they are superior and know something you don't. Absolutely no kindness to help someone down. So happy the friends I've chosen outside church are not like this.
The most common phrase I hear about people not going to church is because they are lazy - that they just can't be bothered to go or do the work. I hear this from family and friends yet no one ever asks me why I don't go anymore.
Same!
That's the main and final reason I left a woman I didn't know came up and started treating me like I was a predator. I was already having problems with the church but after being treated like that I immediately put in my official resignation letter to the church. I can't believe I would ever be treated so poorly by a random member of a LDS church.
Sorry to hear that :/ Members do that and it's not your fault for feeling mistreated. They probably know better now to show more respect, and if not, that's going to be on them in the end. Sometimes, us members just have to deal with those kinds of people.
And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of speaking to my brethren, behold they said unto me: Thou hast declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear.
2 And it came to pass that I said unto them that I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according to the truth; and the righteous have I justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day; wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center.
Facts!!
5th generation Mormon. Early pioneer roots. I watched the claimed history of the church chande and be modified over years. I became a 'jack mormon'. Talking to young missionaries i was shocked at what they are taught. My wifes aunt is Japanese as nd for her we keep a likness of Budda on our porch. I watched a missionaries eyes get big as he noticed the statue and pionted it out to his partner. They were from utah & idaho , the same as my family. We live in Alabama. I could tell these young men had never been allowed to learn tolerance. Theyust have sent a bad message to yhe higher ups. No missionaries have visited since. Tolerance is not a mormon virtue.
The Holy Spirit has testified to me that the Church of Jesus Christ truly has the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ as prophesied in Acts chapter 3. To stay true to one's testimony you must realize the Lord leads His church with imperfect people and usually does not intervene. But these imperfect people does not even touch my testimony. I hope you pray, and tell God, instead of the whole world, your complaints. I'm sure he'll turn them into a sieve like He did for me on more than one occasion. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints IS God's one and only true church on the earth today. I know this to be true. In the name of Jesus Christ and love to all, Wanda
Mormon people are good people, I hope their church realizes how much the doctrine is hurting them. It’s no terrible thing to say we followed a man and men are fallible. And just say they are gonna base their doctrine on things Jesus preached like the sermon on the Mount.
I left the LDS church because the members stopped being nice to me
1 Samuel 8
7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
I was bullied almost relentlessly at church
Critical thinking skills 👍🏻
Actually, it is exactly the opposite. It is the people who offend and drive members away!
Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes! I could go on.
I can think of no reason for a church leader to discuss someone's reason for leaving from the pulpit or stage. It sounds like deflection, blame shifting, in this case.
The cruelty and hypocrisy was just a catalyst for me. Then learning the reality of the sickness within the church and similarities of indoctrination to other cults, I became sick. There are aspects of the programming that still detrimentally affect the way I see and interact in the world today. Though my father was unfaithful, my mother was excommunicated and he was just disfellowshiped. I distanced myself in middle school. Classism is rampant in Zion, and those who ask for help are put through hoops and treated like less than. I have almost compulsively sought out a theological understanding and solution, because of the cognitive dissonance I feel not finding, feeling, understanding, and being a part of "the truth". It's a disturbing hollowness that exacerbates my encultured codependent problems. Having the Disney/Mormon understanding of what a "good life is", and being raised in the church, has inextricably linked the fiber of my being to an intense codependent nature. I "need" to be in a relationship and have a faith to not feel that painful emptiness. Praying in the woods or in a closet has not proffered me any connection to something divine or supernatural.
I am going to leave, have been contemplating it for a couple of years. It's pure doctrine issue, but too rightous people are also adding to the straw.
Many reasons exist. Stay tuned for an excruciatingly detailed list.
You are correct. I live in Utah, and I am not Mormon.
The real question is,how could so many people even join such a cult?
I was a lil child & always felt this church was so pushy. Trying to make me have a testimony I didn't have about a creepy guy I never wanted to know about.
To fulfill prophecy.
I was bullied @ church one ward told me your not welcome here
I meet some real cruel, mean, jealous people at church.
Wonderful people can gather together and create a community; even if they gather around a lie. Wonderful people cannot make a lie true. A lie will always be a lie.
There is a strong judgemental nature in the lower ranks.
I’m curious. Any sources that estimates the numbers of US adults Mormons leaving the church.
I disagree …I was treated harshly and the gossip was so bad. I had to tell the local sheriff of the constant stalking and intrusive behavior by the neighbors ( church goers ) coming to my home or stopping me or my children in the store to badger us. Telling my autistic boy that god wasn’t happy with him! One of many horrible statements they made to and of my family. It was non stop until I finally moved us out of state!
Its the policies that is doing the church in.
If i believed the church was true, an obnoxious or offensive person couldn't touch that.
Nailed it
The people are great till you leave…
IMO. It is apparently not easy to leave your church as it seems that they are shunned. Which is rather odd. Especially in this day and age.