What is the central difference between regret and sadness? In some ways regret involves sadness or disappointment over a lost opportunity or a choice made. Sadness involves a reaction to a condition that makes you sad. The ability of choosing otherwise is the difference. In my life, as I have transitioned value structures and studied … Continue reading Regret and Sadness for My 18 Year Old Self
Dissenters are not new to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They have walked its halls and made a mess of things since the very beginning. The modern church has attempted to obfuscate much of the dissent of its early days by simply labelling dissent as apostasy. This method acts like dormant … Continue reading Dissenter Hall of Fame
It was evident early in the days of my questioning the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that I would not be able to speak about my questions with my family and friends. The advice I received was the same as the advice given to the famous Mormon critic Fawn Brodie by her father, … Continue reading Make the Sanctity of Dissent Great Again
In recently months it has become apparent that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has been shifting their ministry toward those that have doubts about the truthfulness of the church. Why are we seeing so many talks about how to handle doubt and concerns as it relates to difficult questions about church history? … Continue reading Maintaining Order at the Expense of Relationships
Hello Friend, I am writing this letter in an effort to let you know where I stand in life. As an FYI, I have also sent this to a number of friends and family that I thought might warrant this message. I contemplated for a long time on whether I should even write this, or … Continue reading Open Letter to Friends and Family
Since leaving the Mormon church I have been asked, “what would change your mind?” In this post, I will attempt to outline the terms that would need to be met in order for me to reconsider myself a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When contemplating this exercise I think it … Continue reading What Would Change My Mind?
The LDS Church is known for its emphasis on history and record keeping. Since its early days, official leaders and common members of the church recorded countless journals, essays, and first hand accounts of the context surrounding the critical beginnings of the now multi-million member worldwide religion. In its 180+ year existence there have been … Continue reading Saints and Orwell: The Rise of Newspeak and Doublethink
I thought I knew the reasons why people left the church. I had been taught from early childhood the ideas of why someone would abandon the glorious message that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. There was little mystery to this. My indoctrinated self could not conceive of a world in which the church was … Continue reading Vilify the Truth Seeker
This is the final piece for my faith crises series. Part one, two and three are here for greater context. On May 25, 2012 I received the phone call that my mom had suddenly died while I was at lunch 1,500 miles away. I remember saying, “oh wow.” I remember looking around the cafeteria and seeing … Continue reading Picking up the Pieces After a Crises of Faith
Read part one and part two of my spiritual journey for better context if you have not already. Part three of my spiritual journey moves into the end of July 2017. I was working through my church assignment working with the youth (Young Men’s president). I was charged with the spiritual teaching of 12-18 year old … Continue reading Does Truth Matter?
Sapien Curiosus 