Seven years ago, three of our children left Mormonism although we had attended church every week our whole lives. I had heard of one and occasionally two, but never three leaving from one family at once. Our family attended church every week, we read the scriptures and prayed together on a daily basis, but yet our family was now divided. Three of our six children left Mormonism.
Dishonesty
Our oldest daughter, Ashirya, expressed she believed the Mormon church was dishonest about their history. At the time, I thought her questions would be cleared up as she continued to seek truth.
BYU- Brigham Young University
Ashirya told me while attending Brigham Young University, she had questions about various happenings in Mormon history. She asked her religion professors to answer her questions, but the professors rarely had answers.
Ashirya’s diligent, thorough, and persistent nature led her to the BYU library to find answers. Unknown to us or anyone, she quietly began a seven-year study of Mormon church history. Although she found many inaccuracies, she continued to look for answers as to why the things she had learned from her Sunday school teachers and professors were often inaccurate.
Ashirya Discovers Many Discrepancies
Ashirya continued to discover more and more discrepancies as she researched questions she had about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons). After studying Mormon history for seven years, she came to the sad conclusion what she had been taught as a Mormon student did not match her study of unaltered sources of Mormon church history from the BYU library.
Although Ashirya tried to help me understand her decision to leave Mormonism, I could not because I was so sad and broken-hearted, my mind was in a fog. When our three children left the Mormon religion, I was shocked and became very depressed. My devout and wonderful daughter left what I believed to be the only true church. In order to cope, I convinced myself she had been deceived by internet propaganda.
Two Younger Brothers No Longer Believe
A short time later, I became even more distraught and crushed when Ashirya’s two younger brothers decided they no longer believed the Mormon church was true either. So, unexpectedly and suddenly three of our children left Mormonism and no longer attended church. This was unheard of in both my husband and I’s extended families. Only two of 45 grandchildren on my side of the family were inactive in the Mormon church, and none of the 30 grandchildren on my husband’s side of the family had left the church.
A Broken Heart and Emotional Instability
I was constantly upset three of our children left Mormonism. I could sense I was suffering from a broken heart and emotional instability. My physical health also declined, and I knew I needed to heal but I didn’t know how even though I had been religious my whole life.
I once said I would never leave my church
After six years of sincerely praying and searching to find truth about my religion, God, and healing, to my complete surprise, after almost 57 years of faithful attendance, I recently left my lifetime religion of Mormonism. As a devout believer in Mormonism, I once said I would never leave my religion, but I did. God worked with me patiently step by step until he knew I was ready to stand alone in my new beliefs. Despite the problems I have discovered in the Mormon church, it is not my goal to spend a lot of time dwelling on discrepancies in the Mormon church. I only desire to move forward in a positive and productive manner.
God’s word
Although I am no longer a member of any church or affiliated with any religion, I cherish the scriptures that enable me to hear and understand God’s messages to me. I treasure the scriptures and view them as a precious gift from God.
Here is a link to a website that explains my beliefs since leaving Mormonism if you would like to explore it.
YouTube Video – Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus
Jefferson makes some wonderful points in his video, “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus”. I appreciate his candid words.
