My Fiancé's Issues with My Mormon Past 

Absolutely love this. ❤️ I am 24 and I stopped going to the LDS church my freshman year of HS, was being bullied by the church kids in "seminary" or whatever it was called and was forced to go to the church ever since we where babys. You have helped me immensely with finding the right words and realizing I wasn't the only one that had these experiences. Never thought some one would also think of the "Mormon" church as cult like!

Many people don't drink, Mormon or not, for many reasons. Never feel pressured into HAVING to drink. Love your videos!

Aw he’s like the ultimate hype man for you. Clearly so proud and supportive and wants to amplify what you do. You got a good one.

Your reaction to 'oh tell me your trauma' built into the ex-Mormon label is how I feel about being raised in Utah as an Asian never-Mo. Oh, you're from Utah, are you Mormon, are you adopted, but then where are you really from, why did your parents move to Utah. Like dude...back off a bit we aren't friends yet. Also I love the way you and your fiancé communicate.

As a gay man, I find most religious institutions to be high demand, in that I consider renouncing homosexuality to be a high demand. Trying to force people to renounce who they are as people is cult mentality to me. I have stories from my Church of Christ background I could tell.

Teach your kids about critical thinking and questioning EVERYTHING. There should be no sacred cows - that is certain things you cannot question. Apply critical thinking to EVERYTHING!

I'm just loving you! You're gorgeous, love your voice, personality, and most importantly, your journey out of mormonism. Your fiancé is a hoot! Thank you for doing these episodes, so helpful.

Kudos to your fiance and his thoughtful support of you. When I left the JWs 14ish years ago, it was my husband who taught me how to be a feminist. Early in our relationship I was extremely demure, over-apologetic, under-educated, and asked permission for absolutely everything. Now, I'm an activist for women and queer rights, and I'm an English Teacher in a high school. My favourite unit to teach is Propaganda, to keep my students aware of cult strategies.

As someone who is in a relationship with an immigrant, I relate to the "ignorance" of pop culture a lot because we spoke different languages growing up and our pop culture was very different (French Canadian + South Italian), but just like your partner, I got to share movies with my partner and experience them for the first time through his eyes. It's a really magical moment that I feel very lucky to experience!!

Oh my goodness!!! He’s so cute!! You guys make me so happy!! I love what you are doing with this channel. I was raised in the Pentecostal Church and so much of what I’m hearing on this channel is making me realize that I was also manipulated by my religion. I’ve gone through so much, including being married to a man that was abusive and I would tell the leaders in my church and was told that I needed to pray that God would change MY heart! I was also rejected by my church, stripped of my leadership position when I finally threw him out and filed for divorce. I was vilified for finally creating healthy boundaries for myself and my children. The hardest thing that I faced was 9-years ago my 17-year old son died tragically and I was constantly told that I was in sin because I had lost the joy of the Lord!! I mean, my son just died and I was judged for GRIEVING!! Thankfully my new husband was supportive and encouraged me to go into counseling with a professional outside of the church. My counselor has helped me understand that my grief is completely normal and expected. That those around me that are struggling with my grief are 💯 wrong! My grief is my response to deep love and loss. I still love the Lord and have found a safe place and a supportive group of Christian friends that have helped me heal. I still walk with the scars of being in an abusive marriage and the loss of my son. These friends have loved me in spite of my losses. I’ve found a church that accepts me and doesn’t judge me. Your channel has forced me to confront my upbringing in a high demand religion. It’s hard to process these realities, but it’s helping me to understand why I am the way that I am. Thank you for providing a safe and loving place to face these realities.

My mother used Mormonism as an example when explaining what a cult is.

I've just found your content and I am actually obsessed ❤ I can't believe you had 1k subs 8 months ago, and over 50k today Shalise! That shows how amazing your work is!

Atheism is not a belief system. It’s just not believing in gods.

Satanists are super cool and don’t actually worship satan. You should interview one.

Shelise and Jonathan, I really really enjoyed this podcast. As I deconstruct or attempt to begin to deconstruct from being an active member of the LDS church for 40 years, it’s really helpful to get different perspectives and broaden my horizons by learning so much more that is outside the box. I look forward each week to a new episode. Sending love to you both.❤

Atheism is not a religious belief though

I am so grateful you have found each other on this crazy planet! 😍 You guys spark so much joy - here's to an almost always happy future 🍹

On a separate note, I was vegan for a while. Sadly, due to having Hoshimotos Thyroiditis Disease, veganism made me really sick. The body aches, cramping, mental fog, and pure exhaustion all disappeared when I went to a Gluten-free, sugar-free, high animal protein diet. My ethics rejected it but, after feeling so bad for so long, my body embraced it thoroughly. Veganism can be a fad and can be done for the wrong reasons. For me it was simply because of my love for animals but, if it's making someone sick then it's not the answer.

Shelise, I just want to urge you not to be a vegan. Humans evolved our big brains by eating animal meat and fat. We are apex predators and we didn't even start eating many plants until after the Ice Age ended 10,000 years ago. And then the human brain size shrunk about 11% upon the advent of agriculture. Meat is good for your brain! And will keep you healthier! Spoken from a carnivore due to a gajillion food allergies with regard to plants. Worked as a makeup and special makeup affects artist in the entertainment industry and developed a latex allergy which gave me a lot of food allergies. But I can tell you eating meat is so essential to our health. Hope you craved meat and ate it when you were pregnant. I certainly did. You can buy grass-fed beef and most ranchers take great care of their livestock because that is their livelihood. You can shop conscientiously and get the nutrition that you really need. So many aches and pains and health problems that I had before are better now because I'm carnivore. Course I'm probably twice your age. 🥩🤗💖

I love the angelic tone of your voice. You should totally be one of the voices for a mindfulness meditation on Hallow or Calm.

I was 29 when I joined a different church. I grew up in the mormon church. My mother was raised in the mormon church and my dad Baptist. We went to both churches but mostly mormon where my mother's huge family held all the important positions. When my brothers and I reached 8 years old there was a lot of pressure on us and our dad to have us baptized. He said, no. We could choose when we became adults. We were all baptized at 19 although we were not active. All three of us are good people. We are not mormon. I am now 69 and born and raised in Bessemer/Birmingham, AL. Over the years, little things happened. We didn't have the internet as we do today. First crack was watching PBS in the middle of the night while I was rocking my baby to sleep, former mormons were being interviewed and talked about mormons believing and aspiring to be gods in heaven. I thought the former mormons were telling false stuff about the church. There were no temples in the south at that time. My family members either went to Utah, Washington DC or California to do temple work. I thought all that happened there was baptism for the dead and weddings. A few years later, my husband and I were traveling with our family and I was reading a book, called "Mormon Murders". As I read the first half of the book that told of Hoffman manufacturing documents and selling them to the church, I was puzzled as to why the church would want to buy this stuff that seemed so very weird, like the Salamander letter. When I reached a part in the book that described the ceremonies that took place in the church, I was dumbfounded and read it aloud to my husband. My husband looked surprised and asked me if JS was a mason. My husband is a mason and he said those are the secret rights of the masons. That was the end of my belief. I wondered around spiritually for a while. Years later, a friend asked me what religion I believed in. Episcopal but I was raised mormon. He exclaimed oh year the church of JS the seer. What??? Yeah, he used a seer stone to write the Book of Mormon. Again, what????? The internet was now a thing and I could look stuff up. Stuff written and podcast by other former mormons. All my life my favorite song at primary was, "The golden plates lay hidden, deep in the mountain side. Until God found one faithful in whom he could confide. A record made by Nephi, a Godly man of old. Now in the Book of Mormon the story is retold." It was a lie. Because, of the teachings of that church, I watch podcast by people like you, to asure me I am on the right path and not cast into out darkness. Make no mistake. It is a cult!!! Thankfully, you have a boyfriend who helps keep you focused on truth and what is weird. For years and even today, I have to research some things to understand their origins...the bible or the book of mormon.

I used to be Mormon, I am now Wiccan. I have so many thoughts. Predominantly, that consent is important in all aspects of life, not just in sex. Sex without consent is rape. Religion without consent (or consent under coercion) is a cult. There are so many things in life that cross the line, not because of the act itself, but that the act is under coercion. It is perfectly fine to want to grow up to be a housewife. It is not ok to insist that anyone else grow up to be a housewife. It is fine to put restrictions on your own diet, but unacceptable to expect everyone to eat a restricted diet. There is so much of our culture (not just under a religious guise, but in the mores of our over-culture) that places demands on an individual under coercion instead of through persuasion and reason. I also have thoughts on magical thinking. I think that everyone has magical thinking in some form or another. Even the most analytical of us have personal rituals that we use to effect the world around us in ways that can only be considered magical thinking. (Show me a lab full of scientists, and I guarantee you, you will find a troll doll or a shiny rock near a machine. "Don't take away that analyzer's doll. It will not work if you take away its troll doll") The thing about this is, we use magical thinking because our conscious minds are not able to analyze all of the variables that go into what seems to be random events. But our intuition is powerful, and will make connections that our consciousness does not. Magical thinking allows us to listen to our subconscious and pick up on what we are aware of, but not aware we are aware of. There is a downside to this magical thinking. And I think that it is a downside many of us carry with us when we move from an organized religion into a spiritual one. We fall into the belief that we can control the world around us, just because we have become more adept at interpreting our minds signals. This slips into something of a "prosperity gospel" or "toxic positivity" mindset. We believe that if we believe hard enough we can manifest good things in our life. This is partially true. If we believe hard enough we can influence ourselves into making something come to be, that we could always have influenced. Unfortunately we then take that a step farther and conclude that if the thing didn't manifest it must have been because we didn't believe hard enough, when we really didn't have any influence over the situation at all. This can lead to a victim blaming situation, where if someone is struggling it is because they obviously aren't in tune with the spirits. There is another aspect of organized religion which bleeds over into the new age religions. That is the Universe starts to sound a lot like another word for God. "I think the Universe wants me to do this thing", or "The Universe sent me this gift" are things I have heard countless times before. It takes some work to determine if the speaker believes that they have a close personal relationship with an entity that they call "The Universe", or if their phrasing is shorthand for "My circumstances for complex and indeterminate reasons seems to be pushing me in this direction", or "This gift has come into my life for unknown reasons, and I should take advantage of it" Also, I have noticed that looking into the historical reasons for things brings light to a lot of interesting conclusions. I cannot help but wonder if the whole LDS church began as an attempt to move social darwinism into a religious context. Trends like insisting that People of Color (POC) were not allowed to hold the priesthood, and then not letting those people into the temple who were not ordained. That would put a big damper on interracial marriage. Add to that the insistence on Genealogical research and the push for large families would make for an effective eugenics program. Perhaps I am being too cynical. But I have questions.

This is fun! This is the first time watching this video and your fiancé is now your husband. He is also congratulating you for 1K subscribers…you now have over 102K. Congrats on your growth 🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤

Thank you for this! I am married to a committed Mormon. Being I am not, it has led to a few heated conversations & I struggle with A LOT of his beliefs. I am strong in my Christian faith but not “religious”. I am meeting with elder & sisters as much as I can BUT it has put some tension in my marriage. Praying to God to touch his heart & rescue him from the Mormon madness (with all do respect 😉). Not going to give up!!!!

honey, you found a good man. He is super insightful, intelligent and a great match for you. All power to you, folks!

This is a great video! With regards to kids, if you think of the questions and answers beforehand, you can easily teach kids morals and responsibility without a religious framework.

My question is... How do you decide what 'Harm' is. By what standard? Laws of the land change, opinions of mankind changes, etc. If we purely focus on individual sovereignty and what feels right with disclaimer 'as long as it doesn't hurt someone else' that gets so tricky bc who is defining that is wrong or hurtful to others? Such as with a child when you restrict that sugar before bed, they feel upset and horrible about it but keeping them from their true desire at the time really may be the most loving best thing. Could similar principle be true for humans as whole? Just a thought.

In my opinion it's all about using your intuition. If something resonates with you...that is your truth. Critical and logical thinking are so important also. Use your head and follow your heart. I'm also a ex-mormon.

This is so cute. I think if no cussing , coffee, alcohol or being vegan is the only thing you have to deal with you're good. All of these can be reached as an personality outcome with or without religion.

_"When you're an atheist you still have a belief system"_ Tell me you don't know what atheism is without telling me you don't know what it is... I feel so disappointed.

Deconstructing the Bible is how I’ve always viewed being a Christian. I remember as a teenager, we had a teen lesson where we had to compare another religion and come into class to explain why our religion was better. My boyfriend at the time was catholic so I went to mass with him and he told me about the traditional parts of it. I was fascinated and went back to Sunday class and gave my lecture on how both religions were more similar than different. That was my last time ever “teaching” a class. LoL😅. All religion can be “cultish” if we aren’t reading the scripture, discussing it and openly sharing our opinions on what a passage might mean. Also, context is needed when reading some of the books in the new and old testaments, the Bible is essentially the first real history book. Religion doesn’t look at that idea in context which to me is a disservice!! I’m new to your channel and I’m on both “viewer” sides as you both say. I’ve had trauma (without realizing) and I’m so interested in learning about all religions or thoughts. Great episode, y’all are awesome 😎

Very interesting. As a 64-year old woman who searched for a long time and went into many different religions (Christianity, Buddhism, Sufism, etc), I agree with almost everything you said. I learned a few things along my way. Underneath all these religions, when you take away all humans added, the message is the same: it is all about Love. True mystic experiences in all different religions seem remarkably similar: we are all connected, we are all the same, we are part of a higher power, whether you call it God or Allah or The Universe. There is no single way to reach spiritual enlightenment. What I also came to understand is that man introduced "specialness" into almost all religions. "Only we know the way", "anyone not part of our religion is doomed" and all such nonsense. Any religion teaching specialness (and almost all do) is something to run away from. Specialness is always an added human layer. I was lucky enough to come across something that taught inclusivity, connectedness, non-judgement and the ultimate sameness of us all. It was self-study as well, so that helped. I also came to see that without any spiritual connection you can be quite lost. I raised me two boys outside of religion and to be good humans, which they absolutely are. However, I had to witness deep depression in them both as they didn't have an anchor. If you believe in God or any higher power, you have somewhere to turn in times of crisis. Looking back, I may have chosen a low-demanding religion and raised them in that, but even then there is no guarantee. We live in an imperfect world and no matter how we think we can make it perfect by our decisions, it just doesn't work. Making peace with its imperfections may be the very best thing to do.

I love your content, it's helpful to me on my journey and I imagine to lots of others. Congrats on the 1000 subscribers! *also I work at a popular theme park where we put where we're from on our name tag. I have changed mine from Utah to Florida because I was so tired of the different interactions associated with Utah. Peace! ❤

Even though I left the church 45 years ago, Mormonism so controlled and over-committed me that I have been a commitment-phobe and non-church-goer ever since. Having said that, HOWEVER, I LOVE ME SOME JESUS and the GODHEAD and will never turn my back on It/Them. I never saw any miracles while in Mormonism but the answers to prayer that I've witnessed as a non-denominational Christian, coupled with the wonderful care God has taken of me through some very difficult times, I simply could NEVER deny the existence of a power greater than that on earth.

For me, when I was fully invested in “THE Church” I looked at the rest of society as 2nd class…I know, disturbing! I actually felt sorry for the poor souls that didn’t understand what I understood. I wasn’t just brainwashed, I was also tumble dried! When the “light” finally came on I felt (and still feel) used, gut punched and then tossed aside. Being raised so close to the trees🌲…When I (X member) finally stepped back to see the forest 🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲the shock was and is overwhelming! I feel knifed, betrayed and spat on!

You guys are delightful to listen to. You may not realize this, but you are probably helping to save lives. Thank you so much.

Hi 👋 Shelise and Jonathan this was awesome. I dont agree with everything you but I agree with most of what you said. I must say you two have an amazing chemistry its easy to listen and understand what you are saying

Oh, I feel you with the whole "being from Utah = being Mormon". I was born in Morocco but I'm an apostate, which is punishable by death so I ran away to France. And when I became a citizen I changed my name to Emma. So I hate it when people I barely know ask me "How come your name is Emma but you look arab?". The answer to that invites too many questions that are just too personal. So I have a BS answer for people I barely know. After all, it's weird to put the focus on someone's background like that when you've barely exchanged a 5 minute conversation (it's rude in France anyway) But if we eventually do become friends, or if the person gets to know me before they ask me, then I say the truth but even then there's a lot of "mmm, it's complicated" because I don't want certain things to be generalized and end up hurting nice Muslim people, who are already vilified by all the narrative since 9/11... So, really not simple! Also, feel a lot of comfort watching your channel because most people you interview (and yourself) seem so together that it gives me hope to be healed someday! Blessings 🙏

I really love your fiancé! You guys have such a great dynamic!!

Interracial relationships make me happy.

Look forward to the book. A lot of folks just getting on with their lives because of the people like you :) who do the work to help others get on with their lives. Thank you

As a vegan ex Mormon, it has nothing to do control or deprivation. I became an exMormon and then Humanist because of my curiosity. That naturally led me to question everything and educate myself on topics like big ag and food as a capitalist product. What lies were being fed to me for profit? After much research using information from organizations like the USDA, I decided I didn’t want any part of the horrible industry, but I’d never heard of veganism. Then I made sure I could thrive nutritionally and once that was confirmed, I never looked back. There’s just no need to torture, exploit and murder animals or exploit people and pollute our biosphere for animal parts and excretions. 20 years later, I’m still vegan and it’s really not that hard, especially now. The hardest thing is the prejudice you get from non vegans. A really fun movie to watch is the SciFi comedy, Carnage by British comedian Simon Amstel. It gives a quirky, irreverent look at the future when everyone is vegan. Note that I drink coffee and socially drink alcohol. I’m not a big drinker of alcohol just because it does cause scientifically proven problems with organs and can cause physical dependence. But I don’t fear it all, it can be super fun occasionally.

Satanism actually isn't as weird or scandalous as it seems btw!

It's hard for former members to explain to "never members" how truly weird the belief system is. In the end, it doesn't matter if you have good relationship processes; communication, trust, empathy, and sex.

I loved how you described your 'restrictiveness' as a virtue! It truly is, especially when it's a choice made from your own free will. There's no need to drink alcohol, consume coffee, or eat animal products. Just because we're all going to die someday doesn't mean we should mistreat our bodies, animals, or the environment! I loved seeing how supportive your fiancé is of everything you do, but I hope he can come to fully accept your decision and recognize it as a virtue. No one should ever be pressured into drinking alcohol. Often, people push others to drink because they know it's unhealthy and don't want to feel guilty when they see you choosing not to. Same with veganism. Love your channel and love to see how healthy your relationship seems. All the best to both of you!!

What a wonderful thing to see you 2 together speaking up in such an intelligent and open minded way. I really feel like you will help millions!

I didn't grow up in a Crazy Fundie Religion. My upbringing was petty non-religious and atheist. And, I haven't eaten meat in almost 50 years. All kinds of motivation for all kinds of lifestyle choices.

I resonate with the religion question because I am a Jew (and then I get "Really? You don't look Jewish") and suddenly I feel like I have to validate myself. Not a fun place to be.

Your ideas about how to educate your future kids are the right ones. Communication teaches; hits and fear teach nothing. And please never end a discussion by saying "because I said so," no matter how tired you are from explaining the same subject over and over again.

I don't exactly agree with atheist being a belief system. Atheist is just the lack of belief in (a) god(s). Most atheist people are agnostic atheist. They just aren't convinced by anything they have heard and just don't belief. But they wouldn't claim to know for certain that a god does exist. Just they don't believe it. "There could be a god, maybe, I just don't believe it" (but most would say that a specific god does not exist.), as an aside - atheist does not mean that you don't believe in supernatural things. It just means that you don't believe in a god. That's it. Not talking about ghosts, magic etc. But well, that is all merely a semantic discussion, so it doesn't really matter. I

Maybe people should view their religion as if it is their daughter's boyfriend.

I am absolutely enjoying your channel however, it always bothers me when people just use Satanism is the catchall for cults. Please be more mindful of your verbiage.

B -Behavior I - Information T - Thought E - Emotion

I want a girl from cult too ;) do you have some friend wanted to be rescued?

I grew up in Utah as a non-mormon. I remember kids asking me directly which ward I belonged to, and then asking afterwards why I wasn't Mormon.😮 Even adults asked me this, as a child. So yes, terribly invasive. Upon asking why I wasn't Mormon, I'd be invited to join them at church. Once I kindly refused, that was the end of the conversation. No interest regarding who I was as a person. On the flipside, you're almost automatically friends with non-mormons. In middle school friends of mine invited me to the Mormon summer camp, EFY. I attended!! And the pressure is real and effective! I almost gave testimony with everyone else, even though I didn't even want to partake in the religion. Wild. That keeps me grounded. I didn't do it because right as I was about to stand up, the testimony period was brought to a close, thank goodness. After the camp, I asked my friends to please stop talking w me about their religion but they couldn't. Our friendship fizzled out. They were fun to hang out with but I didn't like the constant conversion attempts. It felt disrespectful. I'm somewhat thankful for my experience as I am almost phobic of group think scenarios, where the main group excludes anyone who is different, often without a second thought towards the other person's perspective. Since leaving Utah, I am averse to joining the "majority" of any context. I largely float around, for better or worse. Luckily I've found a partner who floats similarly, never really landing or staying in any one scene, keeping everyone at a bit of a distance. I like but also hate it. Being in different places what really effs my head is thinking I was so different from Mormons but seeing how much my style, beauty standards, world view, sensitivity to sexism, has been influenced by Mormon culture. I clearly come from Utah. Something I'm happy my children might be able to participate in is block parties, not limited by religion. There were block parties when I was a kid but as a non-mormon I never felt allowed. And even if I were allowed, why would I want to go if the whole time I was seen as a potential converted member?! Thank you for helping me to further understand and breakdown my experience as well as the possible perspectives of the people who made me feel so excluded and one dimensional.

Just to address the comments about atheists having a belief system, i don't know if you meant a belief system in a god, or you were referring to morals and values. Since atheism merely means i don't have enough evidence to believe in a god and agnostic means i have no knowledge of a god, i am an agnostic atheist. Neither of those terms addresses my personal values, ethics or morality. In my experience most people who call themselves atheists are agnostic atheists. Because the term atheist does not assert there is no god. Only that i have no belief belief in one.

The two of you laughing so hard that you can’t speak. So cute ❤

Don’t bother with alcohol, it doesn’t taste good!!!!

I am a life long Episcopalian. I like it because their philosophy is attraction rather than promotion. Most of our sermons " ponder, think about this or that. Everyone can have their own opinion. You dont hear about many ppl experiencing spiritual abuse.

I am in a mixed faith marriage. I am the one who left the church. Fortunately, my husband and I have made it beautifully. It's possible if folks accept each other as is.

Lost me at the law of attraction. They've gone from one cult to another.

Religion/beliefs are intensely personal. I am ex-Catholic and feel very free to have my own thoughts and beliefs. "Human decency is not derived from religion. It precedes it" Christopher Hitchens. That pretty much sums up my "religion." We don't need man-made, emphasize man, religion to be decent, kind, loving, giving, compassionate people. Christopher Hitchens, IMO, was one of the most "christian" persons I've ever known. He spoke all of his life about justice for the most vulnerable of this world. He exposed hypocrisy and outright lies. Whistle-blowers are my heroes/heroines. They tell me there is decency in this world/country. Best to both of you, a dynamic couple.

I disagree that being an atheist means you still have religious thinking, or a belief system. The point about it is that there's a complete absence of belief system, in a religious sense.

I realise this was a tiny throw away comment in the grand scheme of the video, however: I don't really agree that atheism is necessarily religious thinking. I think people who come out of religions into atheism can sometimes find themselves bringing their religious thinking to atheism, and I do see people do that. I think they often feel the need to fill a void of confidence they used to have in religion to atheism. However I myself was raised "weak atheist" as in, on the basis of the evidence available to me, I don't *think* there is/are "gods". But I'm agnostic in that I don't know, and of course am open to evidence. But my atheism tells you nothing about my beliefs, myself, my values. It's probably one of the most boring things about me.

You two look great together, both are good-looking. I do not agree that cult is thought of as worshiping the devil or such. My opinion is that cults are distinguished by applying very strict rules, they keep their people restricted, and they cannot even see outside their cult, cannot question anything, blind devotion.

I left the church because I stood out because I was a former Jehovah's Witness I couldn't relate to Mormons and also hearing that black people couldn't be members of that religion it bothered me because in the bible it talks about God is not partial he loves all races I don't hate Mormons they were nice to me but I don't have anything in common with them I went back to being a Jehovah's Witness I can relate to them they try to live their life according to the bible .

You guys are so sweet together. And doing it as a couple makes it so peaceful despite the crazy suject that needs to be enlightning

This is such a beautiful video. Shelise that was such a wonderful way to describe how it feels when people ask very personal questions in a very impersonal and uncaring way. I know that sometimes people's intentions are not that, but it can feel like we need to protect ourselves in that moment. Second. how lovely that you found love and your person! In regards to the cult, that can also be considered grooming, when you look at the information, how it's given and the molding of behavior. I think that's why certain religions like to start young and with entire families. Oh the shame, the shame and guilt that they use against you.

This was a very informative interview for me. I will definitely not ask any probing questions if I ever meet an ex-Mormon. By the way, you two are sooooo cute!!

If your doctor doesn't support a vegan diet, get a new doctor. Of course there are unhealthy vegan diet options, but "The China Study" and "How Not to Die" have pages and pages of scientific studies referenced in support of the health promoting benefits of a whole foods plant based diet. I still don't drink either. I did try it out a bit, but in the end it turns out that health is an important value for me personally and that just doesn't coincide with a healthy lifestyle for me.

Im on comment binge😂 but so happy you found such a thoughtful balanced man! My husband is ex mo and I can absolutely relate to this episode! Keep up the excellent work 💜

You guys are so cute together. I love this convo.

I felt betrayed by the Roman Catholic Church/Religion. However, at 25 years old I knew there was a God and I researched Christianity. Found a church and it is a non-denominational church. I’ve found freedom and there is nobody higher in authority, we are all children of God; pastor, elder or a toddler ❤ I encourage you to not lose faith in Jesus ❤ he is ALIVE

Gorgeous You in that emerald green 👑

Now that is one lucky dude!

I'm in the middle of the video and I'm enjoying it so far. I was wondering if you have a video where you talk about your personal experience in the cult? I would love to hear your story

Love this video. Nice to meet your “Man to marry” he’s a really great person, profound happiness to you both. Your video’s are very fun and informative. Great to see you are open to Buddhist thought . I have followed the Dharma teachings for 40 years It has helped me to function in a world of craziness. Be Well and mindful.🙏☸️🤗

My husband was raised Catholic lite (they went for Holidays and his mom practiced, and he and his siblings went to Catholic private schools, but they weren't strict at home), we've been married over a decade now, and I still mention things that he helps me to unpack and figure out how I REALLY feel about it. I'm thankful for my ex-mo friends.

Everybody make some noise for the algorithm 📣📣📣📣 Lol I'm glad i found this channel.

Utonians? I think the correct term is Utahn. That said, Utard is also acceptable, especially if you're referring to the way Utahn's speak.

I was brought up with just not being allowed to drink bear, being a catholic. I am now 72 years old, and I hate to even just smell beer. Likewise, I don't miss beer at all. So, if you don't like coffee because you were programmed to not drink coffee. Don't think You miss out anything essential.

LMFAO on the "soaking" ya'll crack yourselves up & I'm here for it!!!😂❤

I could relate to what you said about being in a cult. I was also in a cult that was less obvious. I didn’t recognize it as a cult until YEARS after I left. Even my family and friends say it was a soft cult or not one at all. It checks all the boxes like you said.

It should be perfectly fine whether someone drinks alcohol or not, or swears or not, no one should be made to feel like they are inferior because they choose not to do it.

I worry that young exmos get so excited to drink. I drink a bit but have had two wonderful friends die due to alcoholism. If you’re vegan and having health issues, maybe you should consider a plant based Dr. Anyway I really love your content.

I was raised secular, became religious, and 13 years later liberated myself. It was incredibly difficult to become religious and very difficult to leave it.

I like your podcasts, it's certainly engaging but your tone and manner of speaking is also very calming. Thanks a lot

Oh, this must have been taped earlier, I just watched your awesome wedding..lol…

You have a beautiful relationship, but the part about visiting the Mormon family vlogging channel struck a sour chord with me. The kids are poised and well behaved but ultimately their parents control their lives and are exploiting them. They are the reason their family is getting money, and their parents are the ones receiving that money. Of course they were poised around you, you're carrying around a camera.

😂😂😂😂 soaking ❤❤ Also... Alcohol is gross! There. I said it.

You're such a nice couple! I kind of feel like your partner is the more balanced (I really struggled to find the right word here...), with his live-a-little advice, but honestly I can see both sides. Enjoy your lives together!

Uff I guess this was my favourite episode till now! I have been watching all this videos as a Therapy process 😂 I grew up in a Cult, less religious cult and more life/health/believes Cult. It was really hard after growing up and leaving the community because we all got hit hard with reality and the perfect protected world we grew up in had nothing to do with what got thrown at us outside that Community. My ex husband bullied me about how I grew up and the one right now embraces it and helps me heal. Most of us who left ended up going back for not being able to integrate in the outside world. I don’t blame them! And it was not a horrible time there it was just not compatible with real life and you felt like it was made for you to fail outside of it so you would come back crawling… funny enough the Church we had was the most free and loving religious I ever met and I still say I belong to that religion, I just don’t share all the rest with them anymore. I became an outsider 😅 thank God!

I noticed it’s true what you say about the “niceness” of the Mormons. When they’re trying to convert you they’re all smiles. I’m a Christian so I knew about the Mormons as a cult and debated everything they preached. The young girl who I was speaking with acted like a robot talking about what she believed in . Her smile fainted and she said she had other people to visit as soon as she saw she couldn’t convince me or convert me. Actually she got very angry.

Im binging all your videos. I love your channel❤❤

Y’all are precious! Here’s my Mormon story…I grew up as a daughter of a career army officer. We moved 22 times in 12 years. I never went to the same school for more than one year until Daddy retired my junior year of high-school. It was not unusual to move 2 or more times in one school year. We were once posted on this out of the way boon-dock airfield that the Americans took over from the Germans. I was about 13 years old. I met a really nice girl at my new school which was a painful 1 hour bus ride (an army bus) to and from Post. She invited me to go ice-skating. It turns out that there was a whole community of Mormons that lived on Post. They evidently got together and practiced their faith without the oversight of the U.S. Army. The U.S. Army only offered Protestant and Catholic services. I suppose on bigger stateside Posts they offered Jewish services. Oops… I went on a tangent (too much information)…anyway, the Mormons took me in for the whole year. We went ice-skating, played softball, basketball, croquet, and I had the best time. I do not remember anyone pressuring me to come on over to the Mormon side of belief. Their little community took in a poor Protestant Episcopalian teenager and showed her how to have a great time without getting in trouble. My parents never worried about my safety because they knew that I was properly supervised in a wholesome atmosphere. So…I’m sad that they are a cult. I really wanted to meet Donny Osmond. 😂

He seems like a lovely bloke. What my old Mum would call "a keeper".

My favorite question to ask people from Utah is, “Do you have a favorite state or national park?”

Getting people away from Mormonism is difficult because of multi generational Mormonism you got it from your parents who "know this church is true" who learned from their parents ect.

You both emanate such a beautiful light! The love you clearly share is inspirational! Cheers to you both :)

New subscriber here (found you through your interviews with Growing Up in Scientology)… i just want to say that I love how comfortable you are being you and how open you are to others viewpoints .. I wish more people had your compassion for others walks… then we’d have such a better world