mormon apostates

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lynnettejane

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My question is to those who have arrived at this position and what feelings, emotions they experienced during the process of losing their LDS beliefs, and how they felt after leaving the church whichever process they used. Also perhaps those experiencing this process now can share feelings with us, if possible as we know it is a highly emotive and difficult time.
 
lynnettejane said:
My question is to those who have arrived at this position and what feelings, emotions they experienced during the process of losing their LDS beliefs, and how they felt after leaving the church whichever process they used. Also perhaps those experiencing this process now can share feelings with us, if possible as we know it is a highly emotive and difficult time.
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“Apostates” is what the LDS church and its members call us. It is a derogatory term, meant to give immediate notation to current LDS members that we’re “walking in darkness”, not able to get over an imagined offense, seekers after sin and that we are ignorant, unhappy, sorrowful and grieving.

That isn’t my position. 😃
 
Agreeing with Rebecca.

“Apostates” is the label tossed at us who have come to see that Smith wasnt a prophet, that the BoM isnt divinely inspired, and the LDS isnt true.

Nothing but a stereotype.

For it me was simple. No longer believed in basic foundational doctrines so I left. 🤷 It’s important to point out that I was the only member of my family, so I didnt have that serious complication to deal with.

It wasnt complicated.
What was complicated was to unwind the Mormon thought process when I was going thru RCIA. I had to identify what was mormon thought going on in my head.
 
Same here, though I was raised LDS and began questioning what I was being taught when I was in grade school. Didn’t believe at all by my late teens, atheist by my mid-twenties. I was very happy to be out, still am. The LDS church and its members try to make leaving a fearful process, which, the older I get the more ridiculous I see this manipulation. Most of the fears are imagined, like monsters under the bed. Just leave.

Also the same experience of unraveling Mormonism in your head, in how you think about everything. I thought I had been fairly successful at that as an atheist, until I discovered that my atheism was built on what Mormonism had taught me. It was still in my head!! My emotional response to that was Anger, with a capital “A”. Anger at myself and at everything to do with Mormonism. It took me a long while to get over that Anger, years, and a lot of prayer. Now, I’m kinder to myself, and don’t beat myself up over how I think. I turn to Christ. Nothing else matters.
 
The anger I felt, and it was with a capital “A” too, had to do with, after years of being out, I realized that there was great deception from the top of LDS leadership. Or, at the very least, the whitewashing of it’s history.

Rebecca posted the quote from Packer back in the '81 GC. It’s that type of “counsel” of not wanting and outright discouraging the lay faithful to be feel free to research the history of Smith and the church I found outrageous. Just slap God in the face for the intelligence He has given us. That is CRAZY!

To have an intellect, to be able to discern and to question what one is taught, is a gift from God. It shouldnt be discouraged but actually encouraged. Truth can withstand scrutiny, otherwise it’s not truth.

Why be afraid of spiritual realities? I think that is foolish. I am not afraid of the real.
 
RebeccaJ said:
The LDS church and its members try to make leaving a fearful process, which, the older I get the more ridiculous I see this manipulation. Most of the fears are imagined, like monsters under the bed. Just leave.
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Agreed. And what is sad is that most Mormons can’t identify it as manipulation. That is where the “cult-brain” thought process comes in.
 
Rebecca, Marie, and Texan too, you all have my utmost admiration.
 
CarolNoel said:
Rebecca, Marie, and Texan too, you all have my utmost admiration.
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Thanks, Carol. To be fair, however, I found it extremely easy to leave. I just walked away, but that is not most former Mormons’ experience. Especially if they have other members of their family who are LDS.

I didnt.
 
I guess the major emotion I felt was betrayed. I never had the burning bosom testimony, I was converted in 6 easy lessons because mormon theology, as it was given to me in those 6 easy lessons appealed to me. Made God easy to understand, got rid of that difficult Trinity stuff. Put God in a neat box,all ends tied up. Of course in those lessons the hidden mormonism was never shown,. Just the Joseph Smith first vision, great apostasy stuff, and the restoration of course. I bought it all, however, what I didn’t realise was how little I knew of Bilical truth. So when Christian friends patiently pointed out some of that I started to realise that the Bible did not teach mormonism, the carefully selected texts to prove their points actually were not saying what they had convinced me that they said. I had my own doubts about things too which would not go away, then I began to learn about true mormonism. All the stuff that is debated on these forums, that was the shock, that’s when I started to feel betrayed. To be fair I was on my way out when I started to learn about those specifically mormon teachings, but Adam God, blood atonement, Danites, murder etc just completely destroyed any credibility or respect I had for the mormon system, happy smiley families or not. So I started contacted my mormon friends, showed them tracts etc and it wasn’t long before a bishop’s court was arranged and I was excommunicated. That was really just a formality, I was already gone and when it was over I was so relieved and have never looked back. But unthinking mormonism has taken some time, thankfully I was the only one in my family also, so what it must be like for those whose family are deeply involved with it I can’t imagine, I can understand why so many just go along with it. But what still amazes me is how effective those few lessons were. It took 2 years for me to become Catholic and I really appreciate my understanding of the real plan of salvation, i am looking forward to spending the rest of my life in God’s true church.
 
Marie5890 said:
Thanks, Carol. To be fair, however, I found it extremely easy to leave. I just walked away, but that is not most former Mormons’ experience. Especially if they have other members of their family who are LDS.

I didnt.
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It still must have been difficult to leave that behind. You walked away and found your way into our wonderful faith. God be with you.
 
lynnettejane said:
I guess the major emotion I felt was betrayed. I never had the burning bosom testimony, I was converted in 6 easy lessons because mormon theology, as it was given to me in those 6 easy lessons appealed to me. Made God easy to understand, got rid of that difficult Trinity stuff. Put God in a neat box,all ends tied up. Of course in those lessons the hidden mormonism was never shown,. Just the Joseph Smith first vision, great apostasy stuff, and the restoration of course. I bought it all, however, what I didn’t realise was how little I knew of Bilical truth. So when Christian friends patiently pointed out some of that I started to realise that the Bible did not teach mormonism, the carefully selected texts to prove their points actually were not saying what they had convinced me that they said. I had my own doubts about things too which would not go away, then I began to learn about true mormonism. All the stuff that is debated on these forums, that was the shock, that’s when I started to feel betrayed. To be fair I was on my way out when I started to learn about those specifically mormon teachings, but Adam God, blood atonement, Danites, murder etc just completely destroyed any credibility or respect I had for the mormon system, happy smiley families or not. So I started contacted my mormon friends, showed them tracts etc and it wasn’t long before a bishop’s court was arranged and I was excommunicated. That was really just a formality, I was already gone and when it was over I was so relieved and have never looked back. But unthinking mormonism has taken some time, thankfully I was the only one in my family also, so what it must be like for those whose family are deeply involved with it I can’t imagine, I can understand why so many just go along with it. But what still amazes me is how effective those few lessons were. It took 2 years for me to become Catholic and I really appreciate my understanding of the real plan of salvation, i am looking forward to spending the rest of my life in God’s true church.
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Hi Lynette. Sorry, I didn’t add your name to the ones I admire for having the courage to leave the LDS. Blessings to you too…
 
Was it difficult to leave? That is not an easy question.

The decision was agonizing, but easy. Emotionally and mentally difficult, but physically simple.

I had given up much. When I was baptized, my family disowned me. I went on my mission when I was 24. I was a college grad with a job and a fiance. I quit my job, sold belongings and left it all behind. My fiance left me. So, when the falseness of the LDS Church became clear, it was horribly devastating.

I also missed greatly the closeness of members and the camaraderie.

But once the decision was made, as painful as it was, the leaving was easy
 
lynnettejane said:
My question is to those who have arrived at this position and what feelings, emotions they experienced during the process of losing their LDS beliefs, and how they felt after leaving the church whichever process they used. Also perhaps those experiencing this process now can share feelings with us, if possible as we know it is a highly emotive and difficult time.
Click to expand...
Well, I’m not quite an apostate and i’m not quite a practicing mormon. I would say i’m somewhere in between and just trying to figure things out. I’ve come to realize that the LDS faith is not entirely true and that is very devastating. I grew up LDS, served a mission to Ireland and have been back for about 3 years. I can honestly say i’ve lost faith in the LDS church and that hurts…a lot. But in perspective, i’ve gained a greater faith in God. I owe it to Him for showing me the “errors of my way” so to speak.

Leaving a church is hard for any religion. You’ve grown custom to their faith and teachings and have most likely made friends. It’s hard to say goodbye to those you care about and switch religions. However, I believe LDS have it the worse because of how social they make you. I can virtually travel the world and have friends in almost any country I go to just by saying i’m LDS or through mission buddies. But sadly, being social is not a religion and will not get me to heaven.

I’m sure that when I leave the LDS church, i’ll be considered an apostate to some but to my family, i’ll still be family, and that’s all that matters to me. This journey sucks but in the end, it’ll be worth it i think.
 
Hang in there Irishman. You are in my prayers. May God grant you strength, wisdom, and courage.
 
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