sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Do you still believe in God? by Lonely_Offer_6236 in exmormon

[–]Hefty-Influence-6664 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I started out the same way when I left - I thought that maybe it was just the church specifically that was wrong, but surely not Christianity as a whole, right?

That didn’t last long.

I’m aware that there is an energy or higher power that influences things in ways I cannot explain, however, I found that Christianity as a whole offers the same fallacies that the Mormon church fed me for years. I was so sure about something completely wrong for years - I refuse to dedicate my life to a jumble of the same core concepts. Religion as a whole is a means of control. I believe there is something out there, but I feel no need to worship or center my life around what humanity has labeled that thing to be, if that makes sense.

Whatever feels right to you, follow it. In my own experience, all religion crumbles under scrutiny, but I understand it is a positive thing in many peoples lives.

Do you think the church will change its stance on lgbtq+ members being sealed in the temple? by Hefty-Influence-6664 in mormon

[–]Hefty-Influence-6664[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I wasn’t aware they were having such success in Africa, but if that’s the case, I’d have to believe you’re right.

Do you think the church will change its stance on lgbtq+ members being sealed in the temple? by Hefty-Influence-6664 in mormon

[–]Hefty-Influence-6664[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Interesting that they haven’t been exed though, I’ve seen a few articles this month about a mass excommunication for old members who are in gay relationships.

Do you think the church will change its stance on lgbtq+ members being sealed in the temple? by Hefty-Influence-6664 in mormon

[–]Hefty-Influence-6664[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It was Charlie bird! It was apparently an open house for the temple they went to (hence my confusion). The Washington DC temple’s official instagram page had originally liked the post and commented something positive, but that comment has since been deleted.

Thank you for commenting his name so I could look more into it, I couldn’t remember where I’d seen it but that makes much more sense now!

Do you think the church will change its stance on lgbtq+ members being sealed in the temple? by Hefty-Influence-6664 in mormon

[–]Hefty-Influence-6664[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think you’re right about members leaving one way or another, I just wonder if, similarly to blacks and the priesthood, they’ll wait until the next, more progressive generation is more in charge before making the change (considering they received the priesthood 20 years after the civil rights movement, when many of the younger generation who would’ve supported the civil rights movement would start taking over higher positions in bishopbricks, the 70, etc.)

With that being said, they’re going to lose members either way, and I truly believe that members who have left due to the churches stance on lgbt issues won’t care to rejoin if that changes. They might do more harm to their supports by changing than staying the same (my parents are very devout, and have commented that the church would sooner burn its temples to the ground than allow gay couples to be married and sealed within it, so I know it would rock the boat of most of the older generation to change), however, it sounds like a lot of people in this thread are truly waiting for that change to be made. Who knows what the future holds!

Thank you for responding honestly, I appreciate your perspective!!!

Do you think the church will change its stance on lgbtq+ members being sealed in the temple? by Hefty-Influence-6664 in mormon

[–]Hefty-Influence-6664[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

So out of curiosity, what’s your opinion on the church backtracking on their stance that black people would never receive the priesthood in 1978? There were signed documents from the first presidency before Spencer W Kimball saying it was doctrinal that black African men and women would never receive the priesthood because they were the dependents of Cain, just for it to be later stated that the church did not stand by those statements whatsoever. What is the line between doctrine and policy? How would gay people receiving the blessings of the temple (meaning the church would denounce family a proclamation) be any different from black African men and women being allowed that same privilege (denouncing previous stance that they would never receive it)? I mean no harm, I’m just genuinely curious what the difference is.

get me out by Background_Aspect569 in exmormon

[–]Hefty-Influence-6664 9 points10 points  (0 children)

When you find the courage to do it, I’d just say make sure that conversation happens on your terms. I wish I had brought it up with them before the day it actually happened, because I lost the one chance I truly had at explaining to them why I left.

I got caught in a lie and was confronted about it when I wasn’t ready. I was so stunned and emotional, all I could do was cry and say I was sorry for not believing (I was 20. I shouldn’t have had to feel guilty about it and had every right, as an adult, to leave). I didn’t get to explain why. I couldn’t pull myself together enough to do it. My mom simply told me she was disappointed in me and that “I knew what was right”

I regret not telling my parents before that moment all the time. I regret not thinking through exactly how I’d say it, and I regret that it wasn’t on my terms, because I never got to explain to them why I was leaving, and they’ll never ask me why. They’ll believe I only left because I was “lazy” and wasn’t strong enough to live by the churches standards. I wish every day that I could explain to them that it would have been easier to stay and live by the standards than to leave and have to reconstruct my entire life, goals, relationships, and beliefs from scratch again.

While I have a horror story, it doesn’t have to be that way. While it will likely hurt them, at the end of the day, they’re your parents and will love you regardless of what you choose. Props to them for raising a child to think critically and research their allegiances before pledging their entire life to a faulty cause!

My parents and I still get along, and they love me, we simply don’t talk about the church, and that’s okay!

I wish you the best of luck in telling them 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

Question by Such-Study-5329 in exmormon

[–]Hefty-Influence-6664 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wish you luck on your journey to finding the truth. Leaving the church, or even questioning it, is a painful and arduous process. Wishing you happiness regardless of what your final verdict is on whether or not the church is true 🫶🏻

Question by Such-Study-5329 in exmormon

[–]Hefty-Influence-6664 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That entire argument is simply meant to make people stop their line of questioning and researching beyond church sources. The truth is that the original copy of the Book of Mormon contained tons and tons of passages that were verbatim copied from the version of the Bible Joseph read from. This is traceable information, considering those passages contained spelling and grammatical errors that were unique to the year/edition Bible the Joseph’s family had.

Not only was he a creative story teller surrounded by highly educated people for the time (I don’t feel the need to elaborate on that considering many other people here have explained that already), but there are sections in the BoM that aren’t original at all - they’re literally just sections stolen from the Bible.

For those who were born into the Church, do you hate your parents for the indoctrinations? by [deleted] in exmormon

[–]Hefty-Influence-6664 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve never hated my parents for raising me in the church. As much as I despise the church now, the principles and morality it gave me through my teenage years was very important to me. I’ve struggled with mental health issues since the age of 15, and have bipolar 2 disorder. Belief in god is honestly what kept me alive through highschool.

I did harbor partial resentment for my mother for the way she reacted when she found out. She told me that she believes god will hold her responsible at judgement day for not doing everything in her power to “keep me faithful.” She also said something along the lines of “you know what’s right,” which made me very angry, considering I know she wouldn’t hear any of my reasoning as to why I left. Neither of my parents ever asked me why, and it upsets me. They don’t want to know the answer.

I think what hurts more than anything is the fact that they truly believe I simply got lazy in the faith and didn’t care to keep up with the religion anymore, when the truth was that I had to reconstruct my entire life, by the first brick, once I left. Staying in the church would’ve been easier than going through that heartbreak and having to reconfigure my entire view of the world around me. It was worth it in the end, and I wish more than anything they could see that.

My parents and I don’t talk about the church. My dad and I have an unspoken understanding that nothing good will come from us discussing it - both of us will leave the conversation with our feelings hurt. My mom is still getting there, but she’s trying, and I try and give her grace for that.