We are a podcast committed to sharing the inspiring stories of people that have left The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and through much adversity, have overcome their challenges and returned to their faith.
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Hey Heather! I don’t know if you remember me, we were in the same Ward in Vegas. April S. I used to be your visiting teacher. This popped up on my feed and I really enjoyed listening to your story. I knew a lot of it already, but not all. I left the church 5 years ago and appreciate you saying that we shouldn’t look down on people who are doubting or have left. You’ve been on both sides so you know what it’s like. I’m happy for you in your second marriage and finding a place in the church! I wish you the best. 😊
This episode probably meant more to me than some of your other viewers. I was one of the individuals that Nate found while serving his full-time mission. I was on a very similar path as “pre-mission Nate”. Nate reached down and rescued me. I didn’t see him as a missionary; I only saw him as a friend. He showed me that the Savior could change anyone. I’ve never forgotten that feeling of total forgiveness.
I think it's so sad when we think we can judge those in the past. If we would have been put in their scenarios, we perhaps would have done a most horrible job according to the "judges" of today!
This episode probably meant more to me than some of your other viewers. I was one of the individuals that Nate found while serving his full-time mission. I was on a very similar path as “pre-mission Nate”. Nate reached down and rescued me. I didn’t see him as a missionary; I only saw him as a friend. He showed me that the Savior could change anyone. I’ve never forgotten that feeling of total forgiveness.
First of all-I love your podcast! Thank you! I have always felt the presence of Jesus Christ in spite of not having much religion in my life. I was happy and not searching but God led me to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints as a way of helping me "become." I joined the church when I was 23, I am now 73 and my focus has always been on the Savior. I am thankful for my membership, my covenants, the continuing growth of my testimony and my church community. I love hearing and learning from other's journeys. Michael S Wilcox was mentioned. I love him and his all inclusive insights. I would highly recommend his book- Holding On. It's a quick read and jam packed with thoughtful, loving perspectives. Thanks again for your inspired work. You are beautiful inside and out! And remember- it's not where we've been but where we are going.
How does anyone leave and come back after realizing all the dishonesty in church leadership and continuing re-writing revelations and truth claims over the past 15 years?
Tikla (sp?)- Thank you for being such a great example to us who have loved ones going through this and feel helpless to know "what to do"!!! Thank you, Austin, for being so open and putting all that energy into writing this book!
Cavalry Facebook group? 🤦🤦♀️🤦♂️ *Respect lost* I have read the CES letter. I dug into a study of Messianic Judaism after reading it and started my own cathartic rewrite / edit to address each point. The Gospel Topics Essays concerning translation, DNA, & the need to edit the introduction because Science has demonstrated that the people of the Americas came primarily from Asia, not Middle East Israelites is the biggger discrediting factor. I served my mission in Ohio from 1990-1992 and defended the Urim & Thumim translation- called the seer stone translation an Anti-Mormon lie. Now we have Russell M Nelson and Brad Wilcox making videos with a seer stone in a hat. 🤦🤦♀️ Fundamentally the Gospel Topics Essays are the Church's response to points from the CES Letter, the Tanners, & others which are true but haven't been fairly addressed in the Faithful history narrative.
I'll reply to my own comment here only to note that I don't support religious violence of any kind. Not the doxing Sarah encountered... definitely not the viciousness in the Cavalry group. One sets the example, stands for vetted truth, doesn't lie, and let's the cards fall where they may.
The seer stone wasn't discussed, taught, or talked about at all when I was a kid in the 70's & 80's except to vilify Gerald & Sandra Tanner for spreading lies. I grew up in the Canyon Rim 4th Ward. In the foyer every Sunday hung a painting by a resident of the Ward, & friend of my parents, Ortho Fairbanks, of Joseph Smith Jr translating the Book of Mormon. The plates were uncovered on the table as Joseph handled them. When I went on my mission to Ohio in 1990 my instructions were that Joseph used the Urim & Thumim to translate. Anyone who brought up the seer stones had misinformation from Anti's. Information about the seer stones was not readily available. It wasn't in the teaching manuals. It was only available if you knew what documents to ask for and went to the Church library to research it. Sarah is as bad as every other Apologist claiming the information was "out there." It was only out there to those familiar with Gerald & Sandra Tanner's work - which got them excommunicated- so why would a faithful person want to believe it accurate? Maybe Fawn Brodie collaborated it? Also gotta exclude that excommunicated historian. Maybe go with Elder Bushman since he makes a softer landing point stll referring to Brodies work. Don't pretend like the seer stone narrative was ubiquitous and easily found. It was part of what got people like Brodie & the Tanners excommunicated.
I just loved your story!! Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing your struggles and joyful moments! It really stinks that Satans voice gets to be so loud sometimes. There’s days where I even have to say out loud to myself “satan, you don’t get a voice in my head today and I’m not listening to any of your little minions either!”
My youngest brother left the church after reading the CES letter. Now he's an evangelical atheist. He tried to convince the rest of us to leave, too. Some did, and he no longer talks to those of us who didn't go with him. I read it because I wanted to know what was in it that could make someone shun their whole family.I never did finish it. I got a little way into it, and I was sure it was a grift. Here I am several years on, and now that assessment has been vindicated multiple times.
Wait, I have to ask...are you seeking truth or not? That is the question. It seems like you decide to believe because you were taught the church was true??? How can you discredit the issues with the church? That is fascinating how you can discredit the hard issues.
@Come.Back.Podcast blind faith and humble to what? Humble to the power of the leadership and their mind control? Sounds accurate. Stay humble. But be careful of on that faith thing. 🙏 some faith is good while some us harmful
22:20 Bingo! This is how I've approached the majority of doubts I've had about Church, doctrine, history, etc. I don't have to resolve the questions immediately, there is time to study it out and pray before deciding to make life-altering decisions.
I love this guys story. I so wish I could get my daughter to listen to this podcast. I feel silly asking, but could ya’ll pray for her to come around, and maybe even find this podcast?
In response to us critics. I think a lot of missing information is here. What you talk about is interesting. You say how you would leave if something were to be better than the church offers? The simple answer is truth. Truth regardless of what you think is better or not is worth it. To just believe because the claims of the church seem so great is ridiculous. If that were the case, you can make a better church make more sense, and the god that works the claims of thw church is a wacky God. Imo. You are telling me that to believe in a church that requires delusion in essence to believe that God would make such things happen in js life to bring such beliefs to his, God's, children is absolutely loony. My deep dive into the true history of the church makes me believe it's wack beyond consciousness. No way now how is someone translating a scripture by looking at a rock in a hat. No way no how is an angel with a flaming sword going to convince me that polygamy and polyandry is God's law to convince Emma to allow such a thing. Believeving in an angel to take the plates but only allowing a few chosen to see them is not convincing. The requirement to pay tithing to enter into everlasting covenants with God to ultimately live with him and have his love, is delusion again. God requires no such belief structure. Light and truth doesn't look like that. What a wild life, members of the church have to mind twist such a belief structure. But I blame the leadership in brainwashing people into believing that is the only way. The control and the power the church has does some crazy things on the family and people. One statistic the gentleman didn't share was how much antidepressants the people of Utah take everyday. Utah holds that title. The fact that Utah is also the capital of fraud in the US. The church may have some good things come out of it. But I'll take all the negatives to have truth all day long. The church is a harmful corporation in the guise of christlike ministry. What a light I received from leaving it.
I feel so good being outside of the church now. What a wild ride. All of us try to seek truth and light and i have never felt so relieved from the churches influence. I found that the church is made up of fear and control. The truth claims dont add up. I want to just testify that being away from the church and thriving was a big revelation to me. The church teaches that if you are out of the church, it miserable and you become vulnerable and lack the necessary protection the church claims to offer. What i found out is Gods love is without borders. The lds faith puts god in a box and teaches only on the church can you receive all the blessings of gods love. That is simply not true. GODS love is not for sale. You cant lay claim to require payment to enter the temple to gain the eternal covenants that are man made. Purely blasphemous. It is incredible now to have this out of the bubble reality. So much more love i feel and see. Its no longer predicted by the reception the church is the only true church. What a great feeling to be free.
I will never come back because i was not liked or no Lds member I had no family. I do not want to be a a family with many wives after death. I don’t want to be a Godess run a planet after death if I go to hell it will better then celestial world so I will never be a Mormon.
In the temple we are told that God took of the elements in the universe and took of those broken planets to create our earth. Those broken planets were billions of years old but the creation of this earth is only 6 or 7 thousand years old. Life on this planet is only that long. Archeologists will find that the soils and rocks are billions of years old but the earth is young
