2.0 - Why I left Mormonism - A Commitment to Truth

Perhaps some of your friends or family have left the church, and you want to understand why. Maybe you want to help them, but you know they won't listen to you until you truly understand where they are coming from. Some of you may have had questions of your own, but you were told not to explore them. This topic is very pivotal and sacred to all of us, so my purpose is not to tell you what to think, but to open a dialog where everyone is welcome to share their views and answer difficult questions. I hope you feel comfortable and safe as you explore the possibilities presented in this series.

I want to include you in my journey, please feel free to question everything presented here, think about it, analyze it. If I am wrong, or if you feel I have missed something pivotal then let me know, so I may change my ways. Let's discuss it here openly so that all may benefit.

As LDS Apostle John Taylor said:

I think a full, free talk is frequently of great use; we want nothing secret nor underhanded, and I for one want no association with things that cannot be talked about and will not bear investigation. (Journal of Discourses, Volume 20, Page 264.)

The church meant everything to me, I lived and breathed it, every moment and every day of my life. It was the anchor to my soul, it lead me to Jesus Christ -- the hope of my salvation. At its core, the church encourages us to build love in our hearts, to serve others, to be honest, good citizens and to progress in our lives. It will always remain a part of me, for it helped shape my moral compass, and with all of my heart, I believed it to be true. I never wanted to leave it, so what happened? In short, I made an intriguing discovery regarding truth.

I remember a powerful moment -- only a few years ago. My brother was struggling with his LDS testimony and I wanted to help him as I felt I had a deeper understanding of the gospel than he did. But three thoughts occurred to me.

First, I could not help him if I did not fully understand his concerns. How could I expect him to listen to me, if I would not listen to him?

Second, I could not fully understand him if I arrogantly decided before hand that all of his points were going to be invalid.

Third, If it turned out that I was wrong about my faith some how, would I end up defending the wrong church to my grave as I've seen other men do? I knew that defending my religion at all costs meant I would lose my ability to see both sides clearly and objectively.

As I wondered if it was alright for members to investigate both sides of our faith, my mind drew strength from words like that of LDS Apostle J. Reuben Clark:

If we have the truth, it cannot be harmed by investigation. If we have not the truth, it ought to be harmed. (Apostle J. Reuben Clark, J. Reuben Clark: The Church Years. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 1983, p. 24.)

As these thoughts settled in my mind, I realized that my brother and I were not so different, we had the same goal: Truth. I realized that the goal was not to make the church seem true at all costs, but to find the truth at all costs.

And I wanted to be a follower of Christ, a man of integrity.

So at that moment, I decided to follow the path of truth, no matter the consequences. I decided that if the church were true, I'd live every principle to its fullest, and do my utmost to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth.

On the other hand, if the church were somehow not true, I would leave it -- even if it was painful - so that I could follow more truth and continue to progress in my life. I knew that settling for anything less than the truth would never satisfy me -- so I made the commitment then and there to follow truth no matter where it lead me. I remember it was a reassuring, peaceful, memorable moment. I felt God was pleased with my decision to take truth so seriously.

People have died for the church, and I wanted to have that same kind of commitment to truth. I admire those that value truth so highly.

Before we go to the next video, I'd like to see where you're at in regards to truth. We all have differing opinions, but I'm guessing that most of you feel the same way about truth. Nobody wants to live a lie. So let's hold a mini-poll here on youtube to see how many people are serious about the truth. If you are committed to following the truth, give this video a thumbs up, otherwise give it a thumbs down. Thanks, and I look forward to reading all your comments and feedback.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Mormonism
• religion
• conversion
• deconversion
• crisis
• of
• faith
• truth
• LDS

[askreality]

@dallinjw96 You are absolutely right. I want to understand where people agree or disagree which will affect the next video in the series. Maybe comments alone will work, but I like the voting idea as it is a useful metric that I'd like to use in this series. Let me know your thoughts. In future videos maybe I could add two comments like "Vote here if you agree" and "Vote here if you disagree" so that people can vote them up if they want.

[blessedmamaof10]

I resigned in 2007, and have not looked back. It was a tough choice, but my desire for truth over rid my desire for comfort.

[sboo1950]

I found ALL my unanswered questions about Mormonism after 40 years as a member, not only common questions but easily answered from outside the church. I had to leave. I could not live the lie for one more minute and listen to the sing-song sermons from "leaders" nor testimonies based on zero. It has been a very hard path. After lapping up Mormon lies all of my life it is still hard to beleive anything any organized religion teaches as truth.

[norseczar27]

I am a Mormon and do have a full and strong testimony

[awolLDSasap]

To be honest with yourself you would leave this church of deceptive apologetics..

[1stcorinthians1vrs18]

Great video. Jesus is the truth John 14:6. Truth can not be proven false, but Mormonism is easily demonstrated to be totally false, that is why Mormonism talks so much about anti-Mormons. Everything that is pro Mormonism, is pro promoting a lie. The Bible is the word of God, & is the truth. No major doctrine in Mormonism can be found to be taught using only the Bible. Every major doctrine that is taught in the Bible is rejected by Mormonism. Truth has nothing to fear of careful examination.

[ptyler3]

When is the next one going to be done?

[ExMormon66]

@TheJustanopinion Misguided information, you mean like Biblical Christianity?

[SINGDJOY]

Very Good Introduction ~ You Caught My Attention~ i shall Look Forward To the Your ,"Next Chapter"~~~

i Have Such a Fantastic Story myself... in Time ...i Will Share it ~

[ramiresbf82]

Wow wow wow!!! Thumbs up??? No, please an applause to this video!!!!

[TheJustanopinion]

This video is leading down a garden path.There are many truths.What we choose as individuals is our truth.Morality is my compass ,often misguided information will become ones truth.Prove all things hold fast to that which is good. The apostle Paul.

[BlizzagaLantean]

I liked your video and appreciate your enthusiasm for trying to use the thumbs as a voting system, however, many will use it to say whether they liked the video or disagree simply because they think it's "Anti-Mormon" or something silly like that.