I used to think the doctrine of eternal families was the most beautiful part of the church. It stayed like that in my mind until my faith crisis. A change in one's religious beliefs shouldn't be a "crisis," but when your very family is on the line, it absolutely becomes one.

Suddenly, everything changed from being a beautiful doctrine to a mafia threat. It seemed as though the bishop were right there, wielding a club and telling me how awful it would be if something were to happen to my beautiful family, all because I stopped believing the right things or stopped making regular payments to keep that family together.

It doesn't help that the women have been told since they were little girls that they need to grow up and marry a faithful return missionary in the temple in order to have that eternal marriage. Or the men who fantasize about becoming gods and having that righteous woman by their side to help them populate worlds without number. When one of those people no longer believe, the most common solution is to dump the unbeliever and find someone who can be that eternal companion.

This makes no sense. How can they possibly staff the new Ephraim Temple if they are begging for volunteers at the Manti temple nearby? The history of the Ephraim is interesting. Once the LDS church began renovations of the Salt Lake Temple and started tearing out all the gorgeous pioneer artwork and architecture, the world art community got very upset as MantiI was next on the list. The public outcry to preserve the gorgeous artwork in the Manti temple resulted in a revelation that an Ephraim temple should be built. So now we have two temples right next to each other and I can’t imagine the pressure on the stakes to staff both.

https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2026/09/01/tale-two-lds-temples-ephraim/

I dressed the polycule up as missionaries for our second viewing of the book of mormon musical! I even brought along my childhood book of mormon and bible.

We went out for dinner and a drink beforehand and the looks we got walking into the bar were priceless!

I have been biting my tongue all week at the excitement about the ticket release to take the tour of the Salt Lake City Temple next year, and finally drafted the message below to help process my feelings. Would welcome anyone's advice on whether this would help or hurt the conversation?

Does anyone else feel the same way?

"Hey kids,

I know everyone is excited about getting tickets to tour the renovated Salt Lake Temple, and I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade or tell you what you should believe. But since this is the family chat, I do want to offer a different perspective from your no-longer-believing father.

I find all of the excitement and hoopla surrounding the renovation surprisingly tone-deaf. At a time when there is so much poverty, hunger, homelessness and suffering in the world, I have a hard time understanding the Christian value in spending enormous amounts of money making an already magnificent building even more magnificent—and then inviting everyone to come admire it.

It bothers me even more knowing the extraordinary wealth the Church has accumulated and remembering that just a few years ago the Church and Ensign Peak were fined $5 million by the SEC over the way the Church’s massive investment holdings were disclosed. Against that backdrop, celebrating the grandeur of the renovated flagship temple just lands very differently for me.

There was a time when I viewed temples as symbols of the growth and progress of the Church. I don’t see them that way anymore. Today, because temples can be announced without significant local membership growth, the grandeur increasingly feels to me like a demonstration of institutional wealth: look what we can build and look what we can afford.

And yes, I can’t help thinking about the Book of Mormon’s warning about the “great and spacious building.” There is something deeply ironic to me about Christians gathering to ooh and ah over an extraordinarily expensive and ornate building while an enormously wealthy church sits on tens of billions of dollars in investments.

I’m not saying any of this to criticize any of you personally for wanting to go. I know you see the temple very differently than I do, and I respect that. I just hope that somewhere alongside the excitement there is room to ask whether this really reflects the priorities Jesus taught—feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, caring for the suffering and using our abundance to lift people who have very little.

For me, that’s why I don’t have any desire to tour it. I would be far more impressed by an announcement about billions being spent relieving suffering than by another tone-deaf announcement about a refurbished great and spacious building.

Love,
Dad

(Pro's and con's much appreciated)

I genuinely had no idea how troubled and disturbing so much of the Church’s history was. The more I learn, the more I’m sitting here thinking, what the actual fuck?

Polygamy, polyandry, abuse, sexual abuse, child abuse, cover-ups, dishonesty, racism, deception, violence, murder of innocent people and lgbtq people being harmed all while the Church preaches integrity, virtue, honesty, and moral righteousness from the pulpit.

The LDS church and its lawyers in their brief for the court stated that a guest, Tommy Johnson, said to John that “he began listening because he believed Mormon Stories was church affiliated.” Then the brief says John says that is a little bit why he named it that.

The guest never said he thought it was church affiliated. That is a lie.

He said he thought it was “stories about Mormons”. To which John replies laughing “that’s not why I named it that…well maybe a little.” It’s exactly why he named it Mormon Stories. That’s why it’s funny. He named it that because it’s stories about Mormons!!!

In these clips from the Mormon Newscast RFM presents the full context of the discussion with Tommy.

He also goes back to the episode Tommy was discussing and plays the introduction to the podcast where he clearly states it’s by the “Open Stories Foundation” and produced by John P. Dehlin. He solicits donations to the Mormon stories website. He makes it very clear who is making the podcast!

There is no confusion it is produced by the church. Just like with many faithful podcasts that aren’t made by the church. Even less confusion than faithful podcasts.

Jasmin says this is about brand confusion and she lies when she says John admits he did it to confuse. The church leaders, their lawyers and Jasmin are liars.

This lawsuit has nothing to do with anyone thinking the Mormon Stories podcasts are from the LDS Church and everything to do with it being critical of the LDS Church.

RFM goes on to say that John’s lawyers should ask for sanctions because of this lie in the filings submitted by the church and its attorneys.

Do you believe anyone has ever been seriously and persistently confused that the Mormon Stories podcast came from the church?

See the full episode of Mormon Newscast here:

https://www.youtube.com/live/jIcX7Jl6pOY

I (28 M) won't go into details, but I credit my therapist with saving my life. In our almost two years of work together, she never once spoke of religion. She simply provided me with a space to be completely authentic, and gave me tools to regulate my emotions. It changed everything.

When I left the church 6 months ago, my family cut me off. My mother told me this would drive a wedge between us. My grandfather told me I was too stupid to be making these decisions on my own. Eventually, my dad called me and told me how stupid he thought I was, and how nobody wanted anything to do with me, and that I wasn't allowed to speak to anyone except with his permission via text on major holidsy (e.g., Christmas and Mothers Day).

So I obliged, but within a week, my parents did a complete 180. They kept calling me, texting me, sending me emails, writing me letters. I had moved to Europe, and they still somehow showed up to my house uninvited and unannounced. It was surreal.

During this visit, they didn't even apologize or talk about the situation. They just acted like nothing had happened. But they'd still pick fights about random shit, tell me what to do, and rebuff any efforts I made to try and make amends. So obviously, I wasn't vibing with all this attention.

Probably half-a-dozen times, I stated in no uncertain terms that we needed space. And even after I told them to back off, they wouldn't! They completely ignored all my boundaries. It was like they were trying to force me to cut them off, so they could pretend they never did it in the first place!

So I blocked them on every social media platform. I changed my phone number. I moved addresses again. But even that wasn't enough! Without knowing any details about my therapist other than her first name, they somehow located her contact information and sent her an extremely long email.

They told her she wasn't even a real therapist and had no right to treat me (she is a licensed therapist, idk wtf they are talking about). They took issue with her approach to my therapy. They blame her for my departure from the church. And they demanded - without my knowledge or consent - that she terminate me as a client.

Now, obviously, my therapist thought this was hilarious and didn't bother responding. When we talked about their email, she said it was the first time in her entire career that she had ever seen the parents of an adult patron try wresting control of their child's mental healthcare from a provider.

But I mean wow. What a Mormon thing to do, am I right? The complete disrespect for boundaries, the egotism, the total lack of self-awareness, the violation of privacy and autonomy, the poingant misunderstanding of mental healthcare policy and even of their own child's needs; I don't even know where to start. The whole thing is just... insane!

Anyways, just a crazy story. Figured I'd share.

A few days ago I was approached by a pair of LDS missionaries when I was on my way to the bus stop and after a conversation about belief systems and my interest in my family history I agreed to meet with them at their church.

I am not religious but have been curious about christianity for a while now. I find joy hearing about christians who love thy neighbours and don't use their religion as an excuse for hate. After speaking with the missionaries for a while it seemed like their church aligned with those morals.

Here's my question, I am trans and bi, have several piercings, dyed hair, alternative fashion sense (idk if I fall into any subculture), I asked if their church accepted people like me, if my being there looking the way I do would make people uncomfortable. The missionaries assured me that their church accepted all people and that no one would feel uncomfortable because of the way I dress. Is this likely to be true or are they only accepting of people like me so we'll join their church and be "guided to the light" or something. If I am going to join a religion, I do not want to have to change myself to adhere to their rules. Will I actually be accepted there?

Does anyone remember the myth that those of us who belonged to Gordon B. Hinckley’s generation would be applauded—or that everyone would bow to us—when we reached the spirit world? And wasn’t it after Gordon B. Hinckley died that the new prophet told members to stop repeating it?

I’m not going to sit here and blame all of this on growing up mormon, but I feel like it’s gotta be at least part of it. I basically grew up as a teenager feeling constant shame for jerking off and watching porn and had to lie about it to the bishop and my dad countless times. I feel like it might have given me a weird relationship with sexual stuff at a young age.

I know the other part of it is just me being too scared because I know there have been multiple times where I could have but I didn’t. I think I’m actually a pretty decent looking guy so I think it’s really just me holding myself back.

Anyway sorry for the ramble I was just wondering if there’s anyone else here who is a “late bloomer”

I’ve been publicly out of the church for 5+ years now. I was very noticeably shunned by all of my Mormon friends when I left. Completely dropped socially etc.
I literally have had almost zero contact with Mormons since I left.
I just went to a Mormon wedding open house for a friends son who got married out of state. I used to be one of his YM leaders, and my former friend invited me. Which I thought was a nice gesture. Literally everyone who was there was from my former ward. Everyone there was Mormon. Most people were dressed as “professional casual” attire, and even slightly more dressy.
And here’s the part I don’t understand—— there were at least 20 people there who were active, good-standing Mormons, And they were definitely NOT wearing garments. And nobody seemed to be ashamed or think it was a big deal to be out at a very public Mormon gathering, and not wearing Gs.
I mean, that makes me happy to see, but this was definitely not the dogmatic church that I grew up in, and only recently left!
What is happening?

Approach the pulpit with wide eyes, make sure everyone sees you, and claim you are the messiah. “I…am the Messiah! There are those who will doubt-”

True story. my first councilor grabbed me before I could say anything else.

Just a reminder that the Mormon cult believes it is their religious right to protect pedophiles instead of helping children who are being abused. That's how they won their recent case in Arizona.

sorry but I find the trending the glorious Mormon missionary airport moms running to embrace her missionaries annoying. the crowning moment of a Mormon mom is to send her children on missions to serve the the only true corporation. the wonderful moms who brainwashed their babies and sent them to worthiness interviews and secret Mormon rituals send them on pointless missions that waste their minds, health safety and resources . are not my idea of loving moms

I served my mission years ago in Argentina. I ended my mission with a deep sense of failure that stayed with me for many years. I felt I let god down, and he now saw who I "really was" after failing to talk to a man I thought I should talk to.

Later, I looked back on my mission mostly as a waste of time. Endlessly knocking on doors to almost endless rejection.

Now, I'm also remembering it with some amazement and nostalgia. It was a really unique way to spend 2 years of my youth. Walking streets, walking through mud sometimes, going into homes of people who often had a lot of struggles, getting to know them, drinking coke and eating empanadas. I remember the smell of smoke in the streets on cold mornings, the ever present dogs, the kioscos and bakeries. I'd love to have a day to go back and relive that, to experience it again for what it was.

For those who served missions, how do you feel after some time has passed?

I was a little stumped this morning by the grammar in 2 Nephi 7, and by extension Isaiah 50. So I did a deep dive and translated it directly from the LXX (the Greek Old Testament). Lo and Behold! Joseph Smith in his Book of Mormon left out the part about the people who walk in darkness trusting in the name of the Lord (but not understanding the workings of God). Who's cutting out plain and precious teachings now?

Tune in to Mormonish Podcast on Tuesday, September 1st at 6 pm MT!

A recent Church News article highlighted 25 years of LDS Church membership growth across the United States—but what do those numbers really tell us?

In this episode, we’re joined by Ron Yorgason to dig beneath the headline percentages and take a closer look at the statistics. Which states are actually growing, what factors are driving those numbers, and does reported membership growth necessarily mean more active Latter-day Saints?

We break down the data to uncover the real story behind 25 years of LDS growth.

Having left the Mormon church feels like mothering without a nap or guidebook. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm an actual failure as a parent. (I'm not looking for mom reassurance, I'm just sharing the context for this post.)

Then I hear my kid casually say things like, "Oh, yes, they are. Hey Mom, I am glad now that I understand nonbinary people so I use the correct gender for them."

And I know this isn't an accident or happenstance, because I'm the one who taught my kid about nonbinary people when he had a daycare teacher who is nonbinary. He kept misgendering them, and it took several pretty serious conversations for him to get up to speed.

Or when tells me, "I tell people my mom's a lesbian because that's what you are" like. it. ain't. no. thing. Because it's just normal to him, because it is.

I'm not a perfect mother, but my kid is having love, acceptance, and a healthy and nuanced understanding of gender and sexuality modeled for him. He's never been taught to hate his body. He knows no matter who or how he loves, I will love him and be here for him.

And if that's failing, then please by all means, I will keep failing spectacularly.

My husband is TBM and I’m… probably not fully PIMO but I am still active while seeing all the flaws in the church and not being afraid to make critiques where I feel appropriate. So I usually call myself PIMO on here because it makes the most sense.

Anyway- I’m genuinely concerned because my husband got upset yesterday about me reading John Turner’s book about Brigham Young. I just want to read scholarly info about these people. He thinks it’s anti because John Turner is evangelical himself… but he never checks the source on any of his other readings. A quick Google search is good enough for him to learn information about Cleopatra or the Basque people. The said, when it comes to church history- source matters. I would argue source always matters and that is why I’m reading John Turner’s stuff because he’s very well informed and well researched. And I enjoy the Mormon stories commentary of course.

Anybody have some good lds books on Brigham that give an unbiased view of him? I just want to barf thinking about how I can pick up a book on literally any other topic and my spouse wouldn’t bring this up, but with the church he’s ready to fight.

Was just looking at the thread on the famous photo of the "Surrender Dorothy" graffitti on the beltway in DC and ended up finding this article in Time Magazine. First of all, no apparent issue from anyone about using the term Mormon then.

More importantly, this segment in an otherwise enthusiastic article about the temple really jumps out at you:

The baptismal area is the only part of the temple that after the November dedication will remain open to Mormons who are black.*

The footnote:

* Blacks of African descent are not permitted to enter the Melchizedek priesthood that most other adult Mormon males achieve (and which is required, except for women and children, for temple admittance). Mormons believe that blacks are the descendants of Noah’s cursed son Ham and his wife Egyptus, a descendant of Cain.

This was in fucking Time Magazine. In 1974!!! Really creepy in retrospect.

One out of every 5 crap ads YouTube pushes is now goddamn smiling LDS assholes.