Simply a former Mormon discovering the wonders of the universe
I am the youngest of four. I have two brothers and one sister. When I was about seven or eight years old I was playing basketball with our neighbors next door, along with my brothers. I remember becoming outraged at a perceived injustice that spiraled into a full blown temper tantrum. Understandably annoyed, one of … Continue reading Shame
This is part book report and part ‘what I learned’ while reading Friedrich Nietzsche’s book Twilight of the Idols. You'll see references represented by chapter acronyms throughout (see list in the references section near the bottom). The subtitle is illustrative of the subject of the book: How to Philosophize With a Hammer. It is a … Continue reading Nietzsche’s Hammer
The purpose of this post is to distribute a compilation of Latter-day Saint (Mormon) positions on organic evolution from the days it was introduced by Charles Darwin to the the present day. I can point to this topic as the one that began my faith transition out of Mormonism. As I read and compared what … Continue reading Mormon Theory of Evolution – My First Crack
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?
Stepping away from your lifelong religion is hard. The impetus of this peculiar journey is unique for each that take it. If I were to reverse time to the point when I was reading the book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind just before I started down the path of leaving (story in first 4 … Continue reading How to be Authentic in Meaninglessness
Bart D. Ehrman is a distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Professor Ehrman completed his M.Div. and Ph.D. degrees at Princeton Seminary, where his 1985 doctoral dissertation was awarded magna cum laude. An expert on the New Testament and the history of Early Christianity, he has written or edited thirty … Continue reading Misquoting Jesus | From a Mormon Perspective
Sapien Curiosus 