Pastor Reacts: When Someone Leaves Mormonism - Johnny Harris Story 

I know this is a sensitive topic. Is there a perspective I missed in reacting to Johnny's story?

I left the church at 16. Look at other religions and different types of churches. I found that my family truly knew the truth about the book of Mormon. Later after I found Jesus Christ or better yet he found me I was too ashamed to come back. I'm glad I came back because the Lord through dreams and my Patriarchal blessing showed me that he truly loved me this whole time and I am on the right track. Thanks for reading. God bless you.

My husband and I raised seven sons and every single one of them has left the LDS Church. We love our sons dearly and we know that each of them has to follow the path in life that they feel is right for them. We would never want to intimidate them or make them feel guilty for choosing their own way. But it is a hard thing for us, I won't lie. Especially since, at age 62, my testimony of the Church is stronger than it's ever been before and I feel like they've walked away from something wonderful and good. But, it is their choice and we hope that they will thrive and find happiness and joy in the lives they've chosen. We'll just keep loving their guts. :)

As a member who fell away and came back nearly twenty three years later. I've never been obedient out of fear. Nor have I been taught this principle. I obey bc I love my Heavenly Father and it's the only true thing I can give him is my Will to being obedient to his commandments. I think it's John 14 - if you love me keep my commandments. I think the thing I love most about my faith is we are taught and we teach that we believe in letting all men worship as they may. And I trust and know the Lord loves all his children. We are all just figuring out our own way. I know what I know bc of answered prayers. But I certainly never esteem myself as anything other than blessed to have the relationship with my Heavenly Father and hope that for all others. And if others don't want that.... It is their life their choice. It's going to be ok.

I grew up Lutheran, I tried really hard to feel that it was true. I went to all my meetings. I was married at 19. I joined the USAF for 6 years. My wife and I had a good marriage. one day a friend said to me , "if you want to know which church to join you should ask God!" for a few years I went to many churches investigating. I looked for classes to teach me. Funny at that time I couldn't find any. I was reading from the New Testament where Christ taught his disciples to pray. He told them to pray unto the Father in his name. It seem to leap out at me. I don't remember in all my Sunday school classes and church meetings ever being taught that. From that I started praying as I understood how to pray. Shortly after some Missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ came. I started the lessons with my wife. She didn't attend all the meetings. What they taught made sense to me. When I read the Book of Mormon it to me was reading from the Bible. It had the same feel. The missionaries asked if I wanted to be baptized. My wife was present. When I said yes , I hadn't discussed this with my wife. My wife walked out on me that night. I felt I was doing what I felt was right. I was baptized in December of 1979. we were divorced in May 1980. This was devastating to me... I'm still a member. My testimony has grown stronger. I am glad of my choice. I've become a better person. 20 years after my divorce I was talking with my ex. she said she had made a mistake. We remained friends.

I'm a parent of six. Two of which have left the church. One quite anti (sadly) and the other more disenchanted having not felt he received a personal testimony. It's tough. Yet, when their mom (my ex) left the church, I made it clear to them that while I would always hope for Christ and the blessings of the church to be in their lives, I am their Dad and will always love them. I don't and won't guilt them for exercising their agency. I do pray for them and always make myself available to them as they've moved on to college and next steps in life. I will always challenge them to seek the goodness in the world (Light of Christ, if you will) and avoid the snares that we can get caught up in.

We are not obedient to get the Lord's love we are obedient because we love him

My husband left the LDS church 10 years ago (athiest now agnostic) and I chose to stay. I have to say that I appreciated watching this video with you Pastor Jeff. It's refreshing seeing someone listen and be curious rather than argue and attack. I won't deny that in the first half of those 10 years, I found myself arguing and attacking and it was because of fear. My husband did go through an angry phase feeling like he had always been lied to and that church leaders had agendas but eventually his heart softened and he could appreciate their perspective and belief. He had two brothers leave as well and one's wife left with him (like Johnny), the other ended up divorced after 7 years or so, and we are still hanging on trying to make it work. We have 4 kids and many of our arguments came from what to teach them or what not to teach them. I've fought to teach my kids what I believe is true, acknowledging that they will be free to believe or not. And when my oldest turned 18 and moved out last year, he left the church as well. It was hurtful but I had to process that pain and let it go. My realization over the last 10 years has been that, while I wouldn't have chosen to marry outside my faith, we can love and learn from eachother if we both have respect and acknowledge that we don't know everything. We are all individuals with our own stories. I thought he was one of the most stalwart people I knew and fell in love with that spirit and it was hard for me to see the belief dissolve. But I realize that he always just wanted to be obedient and never really questioned. It makes sense to me now that he doesn't believe because he's always had a skeptical view about spiritual things outside of religion. I, on the other hand, left the church in my teens and came back a few years later. I've had experiences that I cannot forget that have solidified my faith. I've had so many answers in so many different ways. I won't ever deny my faith in or leave this gospel and I don't plan on leaving my marriage and breaking up my family either. And so I learn. I learn patience, communication skills, how to love and live with others who believe different, how to be strong in doing things on my own. Going to church and the temple by myself was hard for a long time. Now it's just life. It's not a burden. It gives me more strength. I've learned that salvation is individual for everyone. So many people have left becuase they didn't receive answers when they expected to or thought they should in their critical moments of doubt. I get that. But I strongly believe, through answers to prayers, that God has not given up on THEM. One rejection of Him isn't the end of their story. Unlike what Johnny said, that when you leave the church and break those covenants, your family's eternal future is broken, I believe that God will give them every chance to change their minds and believe. I feel like there's a difference between BREAKING covenants with God while believing in him and genuinely losing faith and letting go. I think that those who believe but still break covenants are at more risk than those who genuinely lost a belief. You can't be breaking a commandment if you don't believe it to be a commandment. Maybe that's a scapegoat for some who break them, but only God knows their true hearts and luckily we will not be their judges. It's ironic that as my husband has left, I've grown stronger in my faith. We are polar opposites in our beliefs but we support each other. 25 years of marriage and going strong. I won't say that some days aren't still hard but overall, it's still a good life. I'm thankful that my husband still chooses family, that he's still humble and still a peacemaker. I'm thankful that he didn't want to go live some other kind of life he felt deprived of. I see a lot of mixed faith marriages end becuase of hard hearts on both sides and the need to go live another lifestyle. That wasn't our experience. I think my kids have the benefit of seeing that you can disagree with someone and still be tolerant, kind and loving. They have both sides to learn from. I won't deny that I pray every day that they will find their way back to God, but until then, I will keep loving as Christ loved....or trying really hard to :) I really enjoy your channel and have watched most of your videos. I LOVE seeing a pastor who truly exemplifies Christ in his dealings with others who don't believe the same as him. I live in South Carolina and we need more religions out here to work together and learn from eachother. This world has enough hate and division, we don't need it in religion. Keep up the good work!

I always thought it would be easier growing up in Utah around members of my own faith. It was hard getting up at 5 am for seminary, especially a teen. I always thought it would be nice to have my seminary lessons during school. It was hard being the only member in a small school. But I was actually respected more for it from all the kids in my school. My parents were converts before I was born, so I was raised in the church. I realize now that growing up in a small town has made me a stronger person. I have my own testimony of the church. No one gave it to me, I work hard each day to keep it. It is something very dear to my heart. I've been a member through hard times and bad and the only thing that kept me going, was the Lord. I always know I can trust Him even if I can't trust anyone else. I know He loves me even when I feel dejected. I love Him always and will always be a follower of His church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

There isn’t a group of people that I am more happy to be part of or associated with than the Latter-Day Saints. In general, they are the nicest, altruistic, helpful folks that strive to be their best self out of love for God and fellowmen.

I was raised in the LDS church . My ancestry goes back to the beginning of the church. My ancestors came across the plains as pioneers in the hand cart companies some came across in wagon companies, one relative came across with Brigham Young and was one of the first people to enter the Salt Lake Valley. Despite that strong religious background and all my relatives being strong members. I left the church when I was a teenager. When I was 24 I have a life crisis that brought me back. I needed God in my life. I could not cope or handle this crisis without Christ. I returned to the church, my testimony was not very strong at that time but it grew over the years. My husband did not accept the beliefs of the LDS church even though he was also born and raised in the church. Returning to the church was a process of reading and studying and having faith in something I did not know. It was many years before I was fully active. When I became fully active and received my temple covenants. My husband left the marriage. My belief and faith in the LDS church cost me my marriage. I still believe it and practice it fully. All three of my children have left the church. I respect their decisions and they respect my beliefs. I have several nieces and nephews who have left the church. I love them all and accept their decisions. Life choices are hard, we can not judge others for the choices they make. Love is the language of God and Christ, he loved the sinner and the condemned we should love everyone in our circles.

I left the church at 22 years oldWhen I left I party, I drink and more, experienced the world and be free, but one day I prayed and talked to him that when my life gets better I will go back to him. He didn’t wait for my life to get better from my own effort, he found me and helped me got back and be better. Now I realized I can still be free without leaving the church and without commiting sin. I still hang out with my non-member friends have fun with them I just don’t do things that I think doesn’t agree with my beliefs. For me living a free life is always your choice.

I was raised in the LDS faith. I had the testimony of my parents as I grew up , but not really of my own. I left the church when I was 18. After 12 years of looking here and there for peace ...I read the BOM for myself. I asked Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ if the gospel was true and if the BOM was true. I received the truest witness of the affirmative. I know the church of Jesus Christ is true, I love the gospel. Gospel means Good News : )

You’re responses are always very respectful and insightful and you truly are a devout follower of Jesus Christ. I am a member of the LDS faith and have struggled before coming to my own strong understanding and testimony of the church and of Jesus Christ’s part in it. Here is how I see it: There are many people who are “culturally” members of the church that don’t seem to deeply understand that the church encourages personal affirmation above all else. These people seem to always be tied up on the idea that we have a prophet to guide us, and seem to believe that we have to be mindlessly subservient to the church. Of course there are sometimes local issues that can arise, but I have never once got the sense from the authorities of the church that they encourage anyone to express belief in something that they have not personally developed a testimony of. The central doctrine of the church is that yes, we are in possession of truths that nobody else has, but that it is up to each person to discover these truths for themselves. Men are fallible, church members are fallible, and even prophets are fallible, but God is not fallible. As long as people TRULY seek God, everything else will fall into place and make perfect sense. Anyone who accepts Jesus Christ in their heart will be saved, not just those who accept the LDS church here on earth. This is not just my opinion, but this is core church doctrine that ex members always seem not to understand. For anyone who wants to know what Mormons believe, it’s as simple as reading the Bible, then reading the Book of Mormon. They testify of each other and they both testify of Christ, the only difference being that the Book of Mormon was preserved by the Lord specifically for the people of our day and restores some things to us that are lost from the Bible, which is where fundamental disagreements with general protestantism stem from. Just as Christ was crucified and his apostles and prophets martyred, the church will not be accepted by everyone and will always have strong opposition.

I feel sad watching these stories and I just can't say I understand what they went through. Yet, something that has hurt me in the past was that I too went through a faith crisis, I too wasn't sure what to make of the information that was given to me. When I chose to stay and remain a member of the Church, I was mocked and criticized by people who left the Church. They all say: Please don't debate, just understand where I'm coming from, and that is something that I think they should apply too. Of course I don't agree with leaving and of course they don't agree with staying, but if they ask for empathy, I ask for the same.

it's kind of funny how he said that he had a moment where he just realized "no, this isn't true" because how i really got my faith a praying and i had a moment where I realized "yes, this is true"

I always want to thank you after watching your videos, but this one was especially meaningful for me. I’ve seen the thumbnail for this man’s video about leaving the church many, many times on my RU-vid feed but I’ve never had the courage to watch it because it breaks my heart to hear people speak bitterly about their experiences in a faith that I cherish. I have very dear friends and family members who have left the church and I recognize that my fear of listening to their side of the story makes me avoid talking about it with them. Your call to fight criticism with curiosity resonates with me because I know if I want others to do that for me, I need to do that for them, too. I really appreciate your help in watching this and listening with empathy and compassion.

I needed to hear this. I left the lds church when I was 26. I was the last child to leave my parents house, mind you I'm the 3rd oldest and I have ADHD so my parents were overprotective of me. Anyway, I left home when I was 23. I needed to know what independence was. I needed to know what life was without being told what to do all the time. I needed to find myself. I left the church because I didn't believe in certain things they taught and also I didn't like the repetitive lessons they were teaching. I'm 43 now and I still love God, I know he's there and I'll always believe that he's there to help me along my path and I'll see him again some say. I go to church, it may not be the lds church, but I feel God there. I feel his warm blanket over me saying "things will be alright this coming week, hold on, I know you can do it." At the lds church, after I left home, I didn't feel that comfort and I asked why? Why am I not feeling God's presence even when I'm going to church like I'm supposed to? I tried a different church when I moved to Colorado and I felt loved and peace came over me. It was as if I was at the right place, the right time and I needed that. Don't get me wrong, I respect and love my parents and my sisters and brother and their families. I just don't see myself as Mormon anymore.

I love your breakdown of this video. A large portion of my family and friends have left the church for various reasons, so I’m constantly on a journey to understand how they feel and what they’ve experienced. One thing I want to point out, with the complete understanding that others have different experiences even within the same church, is that being raised LDS I’ve always felt that I was encouraged to be obedient to God’s laws and commandments out of respect, reverence, and gratitude for the sacrifice He made and the sacrifice His Son made. I was always taught that God has made it possible through His love and mercy for us to return to Him, and that consequently we have a responsibility to spread the Light of Christ so that others know what He has made possible. That’s a very watered down way to explain what I was taught in church but I never felt that I was being taught that we have to obey anything in order to be “saved” or reconciled.

I was out of the church for 5 years because I thought I have a lot of things to do that eats my time compared to many outside the church who are free to hag out and do thing anytime, anywhere. I thought I will be happy outside the church but it happened the opposite. My life went worst. I felt I was not guided. I make wrong decisions that made me worst. Now, I am happy to finally be back in the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. The church has helped me raise my children how to live as a son or daughter of God despite of being imperfect. I respect Johnny Harris decision to leave the church, everyone is free to do it but for me, I would never leave because I am happy serving people through my great calling in the church. Whatever we do in the church should never be a burden but rather an opportunity to grow and to build strong relationship with God, with your family and with people inside and outside the church.

This is a hard video for me to watch. I also went through a rough patch after I left my ex wife where I drifted from the church and almost wanted to leave the Church but the difference is that I never stopped believing in the Doctrine of the Church but I started doubting my ability to handle or live it because of everything hard I'd been through. But I recently realized that I do still have a firm conviction and I do still want the things out of my Church experience and because of some of the things I did during my wanderings it's been a very hard, long road back. I wish him the best, I totally get it but I feel fortunate that Heavenly Father sent the ppl in my life to help me come back to the Church fully

I sympathize largely with people who struggle growing up in the church or any church. It can be very difficult living up to a lot of the standards imposed on you, whether intentional of not, and whether or not they pertain to doctrine. That being said, even though I seem to have had a similar experience to those who leave the church, I chose to stay. I didn't go on a mission, I grew up surrounded by porn and other things I was told not to indulge in, I was told I couldn't be happy unless X, or Y happened. I was told a lot of things that didn't end up being true. I was angry with the church sometimes, a lot of times it was some leadership, a lot of the time it was BYU or the culture in Utah in general. But it was never the gospel or Jesus Christ I was angry with. Over time I improved my life and outlook on life and I'm very happy. All the anger is gone and honestly, hearing from others it just seems very petty or like a non-issue. Because the problem isn't the gospel, the problem isn't the church, the people, the culture, or BYU. There can be issues here or there, but they are never large issues, or at least they are not issues caused by the church or any thing else I mentioned. The problem isn't even yourself, it's just ideas and actions that produce pain and anger. Most of that just fades away as you focus on creating happiness, living the standards of the gospel, and loving and serving others. Once you do that, it doesn't matter what anyone else says or does to you. You're just happy. It doesn't matter if people tell me I'm wrong for not serving a mission, which doesn't happen that often by the way. It doesn't matter if your family pressures you to do anything. It doesn't matter that plenty of former mormons and antimormons had a similar experience to me and chose to leave. It doesn't matter if they or anyone else has a problem with my decisions, I know that I'm following the path God has for me.

I would love to see a video that shows the opposite side, where someone explains why they joined the church. I like to see both sides of the coin, I feel that makes one more well rounded. Especially since we everyone's path is different and their own.

Great scripture explaining how myself as a latter-day saint feels about obedience: John 15:10 "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love." Also in the Book of Mormon: Mosiah 5:8 "And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives" I try to obey because I love God and he has asked that I obey so I try my best to do just that. The church does not teach that you have to be perfectly obedient to obtain the highest degree of heaven. It teaches that as long as you're trying your best, the Savior's grace will get you there. It also teaches the Savior's grace will help you to obey more exactly as you seek for that help.

This view of obedience is so interesting. I always thought, we obey God because we love Him. Obeying Him shows Him how much we love Him.

First off, thanks so much for posting this video as it’s an important topic. When he was sharing at the end all the wonders of this world that he loves - his kids, science, the beauty of the world - and then he shared that he was enjoying that outside God and a savior - my heart honestly broke. All those same things he mentioned are what remind me that there is a God and how good He is. I know that churches can let us down and church isn’t right for everybody, but God never lets us down and He will never leave us or forsake us.

I’m obedient because I love my Saviour so much and want Him to know of my eternal gratitude to Him and to my Heavenly Father.

Our then-30 year old son who had served a mission did the exact same thing, he left the Church and had his name removed. He had very similar feelings as Johnny Harris did, but I told him that as long as he was a good Father, a good Husband, and he provided for his family, that is most important to me and I will always be proud of him. We have a terrific relationship ten years later. His decision is between him and God.

I love this channel. I'm a faithful member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I previously found and listened to this young man's story and left him a comment of friendship. I get it!! My brothers have had the same experience he is having and I love them dearly. I have come through my own adult faith crisis and after a year of reading and searching and praying, my testimony has become stronger than ever. (Yes, I served my own mission and felt strongly that the Lord was with me throughout that time as well, but sometimes the criticisms cause us to question ourselves-it sucks! It makes you feel like everyone must think you're a bad person, you know?). I feel saddened by comments from the "ex-Mormon" folks who accuse us of brainwashing primary kids or being a cult. I am very conscientious of teaching my primary kids about doctrines of salvation and not cultural norms. I know that some of our beliefs might be misunderstood, but they have deep spiritual meaning for me and they have come to mean so much more because of the personal experiences I have had with the Holy Ghost while living them. I do NOT feel the same about the cultural fear of being disobedient, though. I follow Jesus Christ because He redeemed me and asks me to follow. I love Him. He saves me and I'm grateful. I have always felt blessed in a very personal way by my beliefs and my God. I am a member of the church who didn't feel it was necessary to leave the church in order to find my identity. I didn't feel oppressed by the Lord's teachings. There may be some cultural things I disagree with, but those are found in every group I associate with in every area of life-work, school, whatever. I don't feel that those cultural things WOULDN'T be present in any area of life-I don't expect that an organization populated by people would be perfect. But I totally understand being bugged about feeling judged by people at church and wishing it was different. I respect and admire everyone in their individual faith journeys. I truly believe that the honest in heart are going to end up at the right place when the time comes-worshiping at the Feet of Jesus. Much love to all!! May God be with us in this sin sick world❤

My story is similar to Harris' story. I was born and raised in the Church of Jesus Christ LDS, attended with my family, actively, for many years, then had questions and doubts and "left" the church, along with my entire family, and weren't active for many years. I attended many other churches, prayed, studied, etc., and didn't know what to do. I came across a list of specifics the true church of Jesus Christ need to have, created by a non-member, many years ago, and went through the Bible to study ea. of them. The Bible clearly teaches Jesus' church must have: prophets, apostles, seventy, priests, teachers, deacons, temples, priesthood and be directed by him personally. I found these in no other church, nor any other church or faith proclaiming to have personally seen and spoken with Jesus Christ. I prayed to know the truth and heard an audible voice speak to me that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's true church and a feeling of love, peace and knowledge come over me. At the same time, I had a sincere love for my friends and family who aren't Latter-day Saint knowing they are just as much a child of God as I am and doing their best to follow God's teachings. My entire family of 8 people left the church and every one of them have come back, except one, over ~30-years to full activity in the church. I won't be surprised to see a video with Johnny Harris in 10-20 years from now of how he regained his testimony in the church and came back, as many do. All other Christian churches are experiencing MUCH higher declines in membership than The Church of Jesus Christ, with several reporting to be completely gone by 2045-2050, in part thanks to our large missionary program and youth program. Most people leave their faith for the same reason: they don't want to follow the teachings for their church and don't believe some, or all of its teachings. This is common for many people today. Ideally, we should be getting out of religion to love one another, serve one another and not judge. If we do this, we've succeeded to get the main teachings.

I was born and raised in Thailand as a Buddhism 🙏 I converted to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint since I was early teenager😍 As a foundations of the gospel that the lord Buddha taught us to live in this world in the righteousness as do the good things and the good things return to us and he said that he leads the people who believe in him into the righteousness🙏but he said that he can not leads and help all mankind into the three kingdoms of God and he said that the person who came after him whom had a symbol as a lotus in his hands and feet which is the lord Jesus Christ 🙏 He died in the cross for whosoever believe in him and trying to keep his commandments and endure everything till the end of their life and that he promised that they will be blessed to a peaceful life posterity and happier in this life and live with him eternity after this life🙏 my English is not that good but I do understand the Gospels of the lord Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon and in the Bible in my Thai Language 🙏 as the plan of salvation and the purpose of life 🙏 as the the lord Jesus said one souls that you can bring it unto me is yourself but will be more important and more happiness that you can bring you family and your loved ❤️one 🙏 As I have been a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint for long time and I have seen many people as a members and leaders whom made the mistakes and bad bad samples so if I looked at them I may be staying around but because of the dream of Levi’s I am still around and still practicing because I know that this is an only way that my soul will be saved and can return to the kingdom of Gods is to keep his commandments and trying to grab the irons rods to do all of an ordinance in the temple and ending everything till the end🙏🙏 ขอบคุณมากครับ🙏 สวัสดีครับ

This is a difficult subject as a parent who has had two of our children leave the church. I was raised by inactive parents but served a mission anyway. What was shocking for me being outside of Utah for the first time was how members of the church outside of Utah kind of disliked members in Utah. I came to understand it more after my mission then spending 3 more years in Texas serving in the army then going back home. The challenge with being a member in Utah is being a member because it's the social thing to do not from a true faith. My time in the military for my wife and I caused us to truly search for our faith. I saw the same in those who belonged to other Christian faiths as well. You either embraced your faith or you followed the world. I had good friends from other faiths and we stuck together to strengthen each other in our common faith in Christ. Especially when we were challenged by those who mocked our faiths. I remember a private Gormman from Florida, he was Christian and also married. We were the only ones in our platoon who did nor sleep with a certain female in our platoon and stayed faithful to our wives. We leaned on each other a lot though some of our beliefs were different. My children who have left the church have locked us and their 2 siblings out of their lives despite the olive branches we have extended. But we hear from others that they claim we have shunned them. We have a 6 year old grandson we have never met. It's painful when those crying for tolerance are anything but tolerant.

I am a 48 year Convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint, and my beliefs into this Church is stronger than when I joined! Unlike the young man who was born into the LDS Church I was part of what the Protestant beliefs. I also experienced other religions since I exposed to others' beliefs. It is sometimes good for Latter-day Saints learn about other faiths, because they have a chance to become CONVERTS THEMSELVES INSTEAD OF BLINDLY FOLLOWING THEIR PARENTS.

As I watched this, I kept trying to feel non-judgmental, open-minded, objective. Failed. What I really felt throughout was sadness and sorrow. There's much I could say and stories I could tell. But I think I'll just say this. The longer I live this life and learn more about my Savior, the more I believe and trust in his grace. The grace He extends to all, wherever they are in their journey back to Him. Because we are all going to be at His feet at some point. I hope this young man finds the peace he is undoubtedly searching for.

I want to speak on one of the issues Johnny spoke of in his video that I haven’t read any comments on yet. He said he has a problem that only a few million people on earth have the fullness of the truth; the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints myself, I can say Latter-day Saints believe that everyone who has lived, is living, and will live will have the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior by making and keeping covenants with Him or reject Him. All of this will be sorted out during Jesus Christ’s Second Coming on the earth. This is the reason why missionary work (or the Gathering of Israel) is so important and temples are being built so rapidly! We are preparing of Christ’s Second Coming when everyone’s work will be done on both sides of the veil (those who are living and those who are dead)!

This is a sad, yet interesting topic. The pain and struggle of having your belief system in question by none other than yourself is scary. I've been there. I didn't remove my name from LDS church records, but my faith crisis was very real. I eventually went back to the LDS church because I felt that it made me the best version of myself and because I believe the doctrine. It opened me up to learning about other belief systems and being friends with anyone that I can.

I just found your account today and oh my goodness. As an ex-Mormon myself, thank you for your content. It’s been eye opening to truly be shown the different teaching between Mormonism and Christianity. I’m currently on a new faith journey in an attempt to reestablish a relationship with God. Thank you.

It has to be hard to look for answers and not find them. No hearing God answer your prayers is heart breaking. My spouse struggles with this and I can see the pain this brings. I can only say why I choose to stay and that is because the LDS faith is home and in it I have found Jesus, his love for me and for his children.

I really do feel for this person. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints right now. Maybe I missed it, and someone please correct me if I simply missed it, but I don't see the reason in it's completeness of why he "left." He described his time praying and searching for an answer to his question. An entire year. On that spring morning he decided he had enough waiting. He told his wife and eventually she herself left the church. The year of no answer must've been brutal, and so hard to feel like he didn't have an answer. But an answer to which question? The question of how to raise his son. He was unsure that the church was right for his child. That to me, and this is me being genuine, not trying to belittle his struggle, to that that sounds like he already had been struggling with his faith. It doesn't sound like he left the church because he didn't get an answer. To me, the story sounded like the struggle came a lot sooner and his faith was never solidified, which is also a tragedy. He points out lots of his own quarrels with the church after the story of why he left, but it sounds like they came up as a result of his already made-up-mind that the church wasn't true. Ex. He talked about how he had a problem with the church because he saw them as claiming they were the only ones that had the truth, and that nobody else had it. My first question would be, how would that would be different to any other faith? and then the real point, he had seen that as a grapple for power, and not an invitation to all to come here the gospel. He flipped it around, because he had already left the church. Can anyone help me understand? Am I simply mistaken?

I was 36 years old when I left the LDS Church for Biblical/Evangelical Christianity. I was LDS from age 19 --36 years. I Ieft over 30 years ago, and I am in my late 60s now. I had very serious theological concerns about Mormonism having a technically non-theistic god. I came to believe that the LDS notion of Jesus' identity and divinity made it impossible for the LDS version of Jesus to save me through the atonement. I was successful as an LDS Person socially and in my Church callings, and my career was involved with the LDS Church. So when I left I had to change my career path. My LDS Temple marriage also ended with my leaving and I became estranged from my children. So I moved on and was integrated into Evangelical Christianity. I have been an active Evangelical Christian for over 30 years now.

Thank you dear Pastor for your very interesting, engaging and respectful videos. I was born into the LDS Faith but we 6 kids didn't have much of a religious upbringing and very little church attendance. I met my husband in my late teens and was married at age 20. He got baptized but soon fell away, and sad to say, I followed suit. We ended up divorcing after 9 yrs together and two kids and I became totally lost in the world. Looking back, I am rent to say that those years as a single mom, less-active in the church were the most lonely and miserable of my life. I was in hospital 6 times for one thing or another over that period, so poor, and had made some really dumb choices in life. Eventually, I started feeling a longing to get back to God and church. One day I decided to read the Book Of Mormon, as I had Never read it before, just a few verses here and there. But, something drew me to it. Surprisingly, once I started reading, I could not put the book down! I had 2 young children and my sister's family vacationing with us. I read every spare minute I got, being so fascinated by its contents. I laughed and cried and was so amazed and thrilled by the stories and events in the BoM that I read it in 4 days! I then went into a quiet part of the house, knelt down and told Heavenly Father that I had just read the Book of Mormon. I asked Him if it were true - Moroni 10:4 (even tho I knew without a doubt it was)...and He gave me an immediate witness by the power of the Holy Ghost that I could never deny...that it was indeed true! Dear ones, I know that if I had read the BoM when I was yet in my teens, that I would never have gone astray and made some really bad choices earlier on. I've been back at church now for more than 40 yrs, and this is the home I always want to be at. God is so good and kind and loving. I know that He was always there waiting in the wings, waiting for me to come back to the fold, as He is with all other less-active LDS and Christians of other Faiths to theirs. Blessings to all.

Amen Jeff! You really exemplify the love & non judgemental understanding of a follower of Jesus 😇. While the former LDS convert was enumerating all his "I love"....I kept waiting to hear him say "I love my Savior Jesus Christ". I agree 💯 w/ you Jeff when you stated that you "cling" to the hope of Jesus & HIS FREE gift of GRACE=God's Riches at CHRIST'S Expense.❤️

I remember watching this video when he posted it and feeling like I will never be able to be honest with others and do what he did. It hasn't been easy but as of four months ago, I'm there. Very intense. Very similiar situation. Served my mission in Salt Lake City, served in the Temple, served in the Bishopric and left at age 31... I've never been happier. What a difficult religion to walk away from.

Thank you for having these videos!! I'm a former LDS individual who by the grace of God retained my faith in Jesus Christ. It hurts my heart to see so many leave and become agnostic. You may be a great link so show that because one thing isn't true doesn't mean the rest is a lie too.

I loved what you said that we’re spiritual beings. So true. No amount of works or obedience will get me to heaven. It is through Christ’s mercy and grace that I can be saved. Jesus himself said, “if ye love me, keep my commandments.” I love Jesus. And I know he loves me despite my small efforts to show my love for him. I’m not earning God’s love. God’s love is already freely given. Thanks for your channel! You show such respect for the LDS faith. I believe we’re more alike than different.

From personal experience, when we arbitrarily put a timeline on God’s response or expectations on how He will fulfill a desired promise then we open ourselves up for doubts and disappointments. I’m sad to see that because an answer wasn’t received in the desired timeframe all belief was summarily discarded. God’s promises WILL be fulfilled, but in His time and His way. That is why faith (the evidence of things hoped for but not yet seen) is so important.

My husband is also leaving in layers. It is interesting to hear this man's side. I wanted to listen because the pastor is very positive with how he looks into things, and I wanted to stay in a positive realm as I tried to understand where my husband is coming from. I realize I won't be able to identify with many people. My experience is different. My family was poor and not entirely embraced by the fellow ward members in our area, my childhood friends consisted of people of other faiths because the families of my faith found us unsuitable, which happens, and it wasn't until seventh grade when I got my first LDS friend. I had to ask myself if I just wanted to be accepted and that was why I still continued to attend the LDS church. I heard a lot of what "I believed" from my friends of other denominations, and I asked my mom a lot of questions, if those beliefs were true. As a child I prayed a lot. I needed help. The way LDS beliefs were presented to me, I thought they were wrong and I didn't have any desire to believe them. I was facing not attending church with my family. Through a lot of praying and asking, needing and a lot of reading the Bible as well as the Book of Mormon, and a lot of listening to and following what I felt, I found God was there. I am still a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints. I believe God answered, guided and directed me on this journey, and still does. All I want for my kids and for my husband is to find and know God, no matter what Christian religion helps them find him. curiosity not critisism.

I love what you said about obedience. One of the best ways I have heard expressing how members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints view obedience was said by Brad R. Wilcox, " We are not earning Heaven, we are learning Heaven." Obedience helps us to experience a little bit of Heaven on Earth.

What a great channel! I am so glad I found you today. I was inactive in the Mormon church for 20 years and officially left Mormonism 3 years ago. I’ve been spiritually lost since deconstructing my Mormon faith and I am now trying to put it all back together. Sometimes I feel like that is not possible.

I remember seeing this and feeling sad. I feel from comments that his devotion and obedience came from fear and wanting to please others. I sense his doing things out of guilt rather than having a relationship with God. Jesus is my light my all in all. I feel sometimes doubt comes when some start to put “self” before God. As we have mortal desires, sometimes that comes in conflict with God’s higher ways. When we are willing to let God prevail, we love God and His ways more than our ways. I remember thinking … Lord, I invite you to walk this path with me. No doubt I knew He would and was thrilled for the invitation and then one day it hit me…”No, walk where He walks. He has invited me ‘Come Follow Me’ His path is perfect. He is all knowing.” so my thoughts changed. I wanted to walk with Him on His path. I now say, “Jesus where are you (we) walking today?” I move forward in faith and see where His path takes me… Miracles, peace, joy even in hardship. I pray God’s will for Johnny and his family.

Incredible video that I think LDS and non-LDS can appreciate. Loss of faith is tough, regardless of the reason. It really sounds like exhaustion from obedience was the key driver. As a non-LDS, I do not really understand the stress. My challenges with faith over the years has really been more fundamental … my own actions which drove a wedge into my relationship with God. He never went away.

Pastor McCullough, How do you interpret references to marriage in the Bible that state that husband and wife are "heirs together of the grace of life" (1 Peter 3:7), that "whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever" (Ecc. 3:14) and that "neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord" (1 Cor. 11:11). In regards to Matthew 22:23-30 Jesus was addressing Sadducees who didn't believe in a resurrection and His first response to them was they didn't know the scriptures nor the power of God. If the concept of marital bonds continuing in the afterlife hadn't been taught or suggested, why were the Sadducees asking Jesus whose wife she would be in the first place? The Bible seems to surely hint at marital bonds after this life. Would appreciate your thoughts.

Can I just say, Jeff, you are such a lovely soul. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I love your openness, your curiosity and the way you build bridges of understanding. I've enjoyed following you and hearing about your faith & beliefs. Your goodwill & fair perspective is refreshing. May God bless you and your family.

I can appreciate the struggle this young man and his family went through (probably still are at some level). I’ve had a number of family members/friends in this same situation and it’s heartbreaking to feel and see the pain, the tears, and struggle they go through as they wrestle with their decision. At the end of the day, we all have our own journey that we must navigate. That’s part of life - to learn, grow and figure that out. As far as religions, we’ll all find out eventually whose doctrine was closest. The Savior will teach and correct those things that religions got wrong in just a short time. But I think what will be most important will be when He asks us what fruits we produced, how did we help and serve others, how did we represent His name as one of His disciples. How did we minister to others. That will be far more important.

As a lifelong member who grew up in the DC Area, I have come to understand just how hostile that part of the country is toward people of faith, but we as Mormons get it from Christians and non-Christians alike 😅 there’s an amazing community of Saints in the DC Area, but also some spectacularly popular former members.

I was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints when I was 18. Then I left when I was 20... because I made some mistakes that I felt I am not worthy anymore and shy to others around me. When I have 2 kids at 23, I saw two sisters missionaries on a busy street, and suddenly cried to them and asked them to visit me. I came back.... and never left! I am now 42 and my son is currently serving as missionary here in Philippines. I have realized that when I felt I have made a mistake, or done wrong, I should not stop going to church, a hospital of my soul. We are taught that the church is not for the good people only, it's for all, saints and sinners. I have now this strong testimony that the gospel we have is perfect. We are also reminded that the members are not, coz perfection is pending in this world, and we made mistakes. And that's the reason why I felt that I should be more focused on the faith I have, the things I have known, and those I will know yet. I understand the brother in the video, like we, lots of us are struggling as well, like the feelings he has.... Me, personally, I have felt that scenario he is in. It's normal... that sometimes we have doubts. Now, I am happy coz I learned to comeback, learned more, trying to have better progress, and endure with pains and trials I am facing maturely. When there's time when we are weak, we always have the moment to repent, and we as members are always reminded to still show love and compassion, to respect others decisions and beliefs, when the time they will leave the church. We are reminded not to change our feelings to them even they have different views or religions now.... still, they are our brothers and sisters.

We are all so uniquely different, therefore we must all find our own path in our own way and on our own timeline. While it hurts to see "one of our own" leave the flock, we don't know what the Lord's plan is for that person. Soooo - those still in the LDS church, don't judge! And those who have left the LDS church, Don't throw rocks! This topic was handled very well, Pastor Jeff. Thank You.

I feel like he spent his life dancing without hearing the music. What keeps me in the LDS church is my personal relationship with my father in heavens…. I can’t ever deny he listen to my prayers…. I can feel his love and presence in my life… I love the soothing feeling in the temple…. I don’t ever want to live without any of that. So, it’s not just about what I do every day, or the doctrine I’ve learned, but the experiences with my father and the testimony of Jesus Christ. I also understand not all of us go through the same experiences… and I’m no here to judge others. We’re all children of God. Thanks pastor for being so respectful. I enjoyed your comments.

I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I really like the way his parents were Christlike with him, that's super cool. A big part of our theology is that there's time after death to figure everything out before we receive judgment, so parents and friends should be gracious to those leaving and also have a hope for a better future for everyone. Church history is pretty messy, and I understand why people leave most of the time. The faith is certainly peculiar and unique, and that's actually part of the reason I believe it so fervently. Honestly though, my testimony is based on spiritual experiences I've had during prayer and/or scripture study. If those stopped happening, I'm not sure what I'd do😬😬. Mainly I just hope Johnny and Jeff are both doing great!

This story has rung a chord on several levels for me. I have a very large family that grew up very firmly rooted in Jesus Christ and the Gospel shared in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Many years later many of my siblings have chosen other paths and have other belief systems but we are still family. We love each other and hang out. We all try to respect each other's belief systems though they can conflict at times. For me personally, I would say that my belief system has changed from the original way that I understood the doctrines taught in my faith. I have gained understanding and clarity that has helped me see sin, salvation, repentance, Christ role in my life, obedience, and commandments so differently now! Yes, I am a stronger believer more than ever in the same faith and a member of the same church but the clarity has made my belief and faith even stronger. I feel God loves us each where we are, but we are all comfortable in different places and He let's us decide where that is for us. I do believe He knows what will bring greatest joy, and because He loves us He ultimately desires that for us. He shares that option and path but let's us decide in the end. I see commandments as boundaries to protect because God ultimately knows the natural results and dangers to us that lie outside those boundaries. For example telling a 2 yr. old that can't swim to not go into the 9' deep pool can look harsh to the child like you're holding them back and won't let them have fun splashing like they want to. But there is the protection they do not fully comprehend yet, that a loving parent sees and wants in place for that child. 1 John 4:19, I love God because He loves me and I trust Him, thus I want to listen and follow Him.

I look forward to not having to be in dissonance but I cherish the times I am struggling because that is when I am held in Jesus' arms. I have found hope and peace in times of deep pain that I could not find anywhere else but through the comfort of our savior.

We all have our faith journey. I grew up Catholic. I converted to the LDS church in 1999. I believe truly the church is true. We all have to become who we are and choose what we want to believe. Its hard for me to see people leave the church. But we have to be on our faith journey and become who we will become.

On obedience; John 14:15 if ye love me keep my commandments. I’m so sad that he and his wife left. Praying for them.

Great video! I love your caring and curious approach. I love how you listen to understand. We are complex beings and there is so much to learn from listening to one another and fighting criticism with curiosity. Well done.

I joined at 60. No doubts no remorse. Many many blessings and amazing moments have happened.

24:50 I totally relate. I left the church in 1998. Until about a year ago (2022), I still had “reactionary” reactions, which could be called C-PTSD. I’ve been having the Holy Spirit draw me towards the BOM recently though.

It's interesting how he refers to the four things you have to do to get to the top tier of heaven. Covenant language is throughout the Bible and Old Testament. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in being a covenant people and that by abiding by promises we make to God, we are offering up our hearts to Him, consecrating our actions to His purposes and becoming a holy individual, people, nation, church, etc... The path of becoming holy is what we are all about. Living a holy lifestyle enables us to return to His presence someday. We do not believe that the actual ritual saves us....that is the kind of thinking that the Israelites with blood sacrifices and then much later the Pharisees with the Law, fell victim too. Obedience, obedience, obedience... I'm don't want to be critical here. I am curious about where he is coming. Jesus said if ye love me keep my commandments. I would say the primarily focus of the church is on faith and repentance and to keep turning to Christ in our lives. We commit to keeping God's laws, and witness for Christ to show our love for Him. We're human designed to fail and learn from failing and rise above failing through the grace of Jesus. I agree 100% with your reaction and perspective on obedience.

I like his sincerety " it's wasn't working for me" it's sad. But I now that the Church Of Jesus Christ Of The Latter Days Saints works and It's so true!!

I obey because I love God and I am so grateful for how he has blessed me. I am also much happier when I obey God's commandments. I have been a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints my entire life and I am grateful every day.

That's a powerful story. I've now become acquainted with a number of former LDS, and have relatives and friends who have left over branches of the Restoration. Thanks for sharing this and your thoughts.

I have been a member of the church since I was 17 and never did I feel like if I don't obey God won't love me as much or that he would punish me. I am obedient because I love God and I know He loves me. I know that if I do what God tells me to is going to make my life a lot better than if I follow whatever I want to do because he loves me and knows me better than I know and love myself.

Thank you for your openness to learning and sharing of my faith...it does help me learn of others and I love to hear of others experiences that are deep and showing of God's love for him and him for us

I remember watching this and having similar thoughts to the ones you shared, so it was cool to revisit it again. Thanks for sharing!

I've been watching this channel from the beginning, and I really enjoy it. I am a Christian, non-LDS, an I have been looking into the doctrines and beliefs of the Latter-Day Saint church. I began due to a large portion of my friends being a part of the faith. It's horrible the pain that they feel when they leave the church. I personally know someone who left the church, a 15 year old just like me. Any family outside their direct household refused to talk to them after they publicly left. It's horrible.

Hi Jeff, I have watched close to a dozen of your videos but I tip-toed into this one very carefully. I have a brother, niece, nephew, sister-in-law and her entire family, and a daughter, all in a similar situation of leaving the church while I stay actively engaged and believing. Particularly with my 17-year-old daughter, it is tough to watch a child's faith in God altogether dwindle to practically nothing and a parent does fear for their child's immortal soul. But for now, what we want to preserve with her is not ownership or obedience, but a loving relationship of trust and respect for each other, hoping that love will endure past it all, especially into eternity. MORE THAN ANYTHING, no matter the religion, I (and we as a church) want to bring people to Christ. I remember on my mission, being visited by a now deceased LDS apostle, L. Tom Perry. He spent an hour of Q&A with the missionaries in Ireland where I was serving. One missionary expressed his frustration at losing an investigator who was going to get baptized after all the lessons, but then decided not to. He told the missionaries that he instead intended to recommit to his own religion. The apostle, Elder Perry, shocked me with his reply, "Isn't that marvelous? Young man, what is your mission and everyone else's here??? ......to bring individuals closer to Christ." Yes, we do believe that we have the correct gospel, led by the Savior himself through revelation. However, with all our hearts, we, just like you, want everyone on a path towards God. I hope Johnny finds some sort of spiritual healing and finds his faith in God again, one that will make him feel whole. Because just like you, I felt emotional watching anyone with a faith crisis. I ache for my friends a family that have a lot of anxiety and doubt in their lives.....fear that could be filled if it was with faith. You and Johnny beautifully covered a very sensitive topic, and one that hits close to home for me. I'm glad you found your way through your faith crisis. I'm happy to have found my way through some of my own, and wish the same for anyone else. God Bless, brother.

I left the Mormon church after 50+ years knowing that I was risking my marriage. I love my husband and I stayed for a few years but simply couldn’t continue pretending. I love him but the harm the church was causing me was not worth staying. He still goes/believes and we are working it out and he says still loves me.

I love my mother's saying. "God is not done with us yet." he loves everyone, and we need to show love to everyone, and this life is a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow. Life is an amazing teacher. There are many falling away and many coming this was all prophesied.

Very interested in this episode, I will be watching it later. I hope producing these videos has been worth your while... I can tell how much time and money you have invested in producing them. I have enjoyed having your outsider perspective on all this. Super educational.

As a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints my background and experience is different. I appreciated this young man’s perspective and felt his pain. I have heard others stories. Most of which do turn as you said to a new kind of worship of bitterness or something else. Often which leads to agnostic views or atheism as they try to make sense of their existence. This saddens me. I recently had a conversation with two good brothers who have left the LDS church. Both for different reasons but mostly centered on its history. When asked if they still had testimonies of Jesus Christ one answered “I’m not sure what I believe. The other is still “Optimistic” as he put it. I can’t possibly understand this man’s or any others faith struggles. But Being a convert and a person who lived without Jesus Christ and his grace I know of the struggle to find meaning to life. To not know who I am or my purpose. To not know if God really knows me or even cares. God is merciful more than we will ever realize. For me the answer came at the age of 19. I did have some Catholic ideology and Protestant exposure. I believe that gave me basis of faith and hope that eventually lead to my conversion. I haven’t looked back since. Although life hasn’t been easy Jesus Christ Atonement has been my anchor. I pray for this young man and all those who are struggling with their faith that eventually the ever loving tentacles Of Jesus Christ will center them.

Loving this comment section! It was nice rewatching it with you. I had such an array of emotions watching it by myself for the first time. ❤️❤️

I converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when I was 58, after many decades as a Roman Catholic. In these last nine years, I have watched some walk away. We love them, we pray for them. Our ward got a new bishop a couple of years ago. Within that couple of years, he called (undeserving) me to be his first counselor. I was struck by what he said in one of our first meetings, "I'm kind of a maverick...I want to bond people to Christ, not necessarily to this church." My immediate thought was, YES! What is our purpose, here? In a recent meeting I was inspired to share this: "We all tell the story of the prodigal son and use it as guidance for those people who strike out to learn, sometimes the hard way, about a life of not following the same path as our family might be on. We rejoice every...single...time, someone walks BACK into the Church, even more so than when someone converts. How can there be no prodigal son, no return to the Church story to tell, unless someone first walks away? Give them their space, and love them like Christ commands us to."

I’m LDS amd going through something similar....everything he is saying about the idea of losing my eternal family is a pain so deep, so I am earnestly praying and asking for truth ....

Since the beginning of the church, many people have left it. Some have doubts about some doctrine, some obscure point in the history of some church members and so on. My family met the missionaries in 1992, and my parents were baptized sometime later. Those missionaries were amazing and helped us believe in Jesus Christ. I spent most of my childhood and adolescence attending church. I served as a missionary, got married in the church, and so on. I have always understood that the church is a tool, not an end in itself. I use the church as a tool to keep myself close to Christ. In the time I have been a member of the church, I have seen many people leave it. I always tried to understand their motives, but most of them didn't understand the church and its doctrines. They blamed others for their mistakes and very often misinterpreted the Bible completely. When this happens it is very difficult for a person to realize that he is wrong. Hatred and misinterpretations of scriptures blind their minds to a point that it is better for them to leave and take the time to reflect and realize that they are wrong. I have a friend who is a Theologian. We talk a lot about religion, and in many cases even he has misinterpretations of the scriptures. One day I tried to show him that he was misinterpreting a passage from the bible, he got mad at me. Even though he was wrong and I showed it with a lot of evidence, he couldn't accept it. People have a tendency to not accept mistakes even when they are shown to them in a crystal clear way. Joseph Smith wasn't perfect, the early church members weren't perfect. Some doctrines are more difficult to believe than others. Even though Joseph did a great job of teaching and preparing the Latter-day Saints, not everyone could see it. I always had respect for Joseph, because my personality is very similar to his. I can perfectly understand his teachings and I haven't found anything better. My understanding has greatly expanded as a member of the church and I have come to love this organization and its members, but not everyone is like me. I often feel sadness when someone leaves the church, but we cannot take away their free will. I believe people will one day understand that Joseph was right about many things, but until then, many will come and go out of the church.

Phew. I feel raw, hearing all these open feelings and experiences. I feel gratitude for his honesty and openness. I know we are all on a path and God loves us and he will make everything right in the end. ❤️ For now, that is enough to help me keep going ❤️

I'm happy that Heavenly Father found me and I was able to join the Lds church on 2014 ...I was hindu before and I wasn't quite satisfied with my previous religion. I went to many churches and couldn't seem be satisfied as well ...I knew I wanted to find somewhere that I was at peace..Long story short I met the missionaries and was introduced to the Lds church...that was the best decision I and my family have ever made ...I found peace and most importantly the truth ...I love the church and I have a firm testimony of Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon....there will be trials but I think once you have a firm testimony of the gospel you wouldn't be shaken ...

I realize this video is older, so I’m not sure if anyone will even see my comment. But this video makes me very sad. This man who walked away from the Church seemed to believe that the entire religion was one of just obeying rules. How is it that he experienced my church so differently than I do? For me, it’s all about my relationship with my Savior. I see everything in life through that lens. If religion was nothing to him but a list of rules to obey, I guess I can understand why it wasn’t fulfilling to him. And also, how sad that he now has absolutely no faith in God in any way! I think God calls after us, and tugs on our heart strings. And if you don’t want to feel that anymore, you have to make the decision to cut those strings. He is talking as if he is happy now that he doesn’t have God or religion in his life. But I wonder, if that is true, why does he feel a need to make RU-vid videos about leaving it and walking away? Why doesn’t he just close that door and move on with his life?

Jeff, I have really enjoyed watching your videos as you have learned more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I love your ability to be open and non-persecutory as you've taken a closer look at my religion and the framework for my life. As I watched this video, my heart went out to this good brother... Being LDS can be hard. There is a concept I would like to bring up that I'm passionate about and feel it is important to discuss. That concept is; culture vs doctrine of the LDS church. As you have learned, our church is steeped in history and there are cultural oddities that have come about that don't have anything to do with the gospel. These tend to be even more prevalent in places that are regional LDS strongholds, like parts of Utah and eastern Idaho (I'm probably being a little bit prejudiced in that statement). One of the cultural oddities in the LDS church is the idea of perfectionism... There can be a lot of pressure to appear to be as close to perfect as possible. If you don't look perfect (perfect testimony, perfect home, perfect family, perfect faith, perfect physical traits) then you are not OK and you must do better... This is a cultural construct and has nothing to do with the gospel. Obedience is an emphasized principle in the church... I think many of us feel about obedience the way that you verbalized in this video. Our obedience should be the result of our being reconciled to God. We should strive to be obedient because we love him and want to serve him and our fellow beings. Culturally within the LDS church it can be very easy to lose sight of charity as the motivator for doing these things and we can operate out of a position of guilt, or feared guilt. When we do this the gospel can't be optimally utilized in our lives. In Protestant churches the doctrine of grace is strongly emphasized... When people look at LDS culture, it is no surprise that they don't think we believe in grace. That is simply not true. The doctrine of grace is a key concept that is not emphasized within the church enough. Our emphasis on works and obedience is sometimes hard to reconcile in a discussion about grace. I would summarize our belief by quoting a verse from the Book of Mormon. "...believe in Christ, and...be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do (2 Nephi 25:23)". I would cross reference to Romans 5:2 and Ephesians 2:8, where it mentions that it is through our faith that we have access to his grace. We, as a people, believe that we should be doing all we can and then God gracefully makes up for our imperfections in the process. LDS culture has a way of making a person feel like they can't measure up... That doesn't come from God, but it doesn't come from the doctrine taught within the church either. One of the hymns, which have been vetted to make sure they align with our doctrinal belief system, makes the statement, "no man can earn his way to heaven". I have seen friends and family members fall away from the church before. It is painful for the individual leaving, but is also painful for those left behind. As I look at their collective experiences, I wish that they had felt the grace that is available for them within the church. It is there, but sometimes our culture, which isn't perfect, can drown it out. I would love if you took a closer look at the differences between LDS culture and what we fundamentally believe, as these things don't always align.

This video has strengthened my testimony of Christ and the LDS faith. So thank you

Although I was raised by parents who were faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ, we didn’t do a lot of doctrine discussions at home. There have been many times in my life that I have had questions and concerns about doctrine or theology. While I do trust and respect modern day Prophets and Apostles, I always bring my questions and concerns to God. He always answers my prayers (in His own timing and way) in a personal and individual manner. I receive revelation, knowledge, and direction from God for myself. I don’t practice obedience just to obey. I obey the commandments of God and live the teachings/Gospel of Jesus Christ because of my love for God, out of gratitude to Him, as well as my desire to do His will. I am happy and thankful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I know that God is our Father in Heaven. He is real, He lives, and He cares deeply about each of us. I strongly believe that He is intimately and actively involved in our lives (whether we are aware of His Presence or not). We are all precious children of God who loves us and knows each of us by name. I know that Jesus is The Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. As we accept Him and live His teachings (the Gospel of Jesus Christ) - we are given the promise of exaltation and eternal life. This is made possible through Him and His sacrifice for all mankind (The Atonement), death on the cross, and Resurrection. The purpose of the sacred rituals that I have gone through as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ (starting with baptism) are there for me to learn about God’s promises and blessings and for me to make personal promises to God that I will do all I can to love Him, serve Him, and live my life according to the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. My life is not void of heartache, pain, trials, suffering, or challenges. I am a human being - I will make mistakes, fall short, and sin. This is why Jesus Christ suffered and died for me. His grace is sufficient to redeem me! I need Him and His mercy and grace every day, every minute, every second, every heart beat and breath! The guilt we feel when we sin is not to depress or discourage us. Discouragement, hopelessness, and despair is the work of the devil. Godly sorrow when we do something wrong is to change us…so our hearts can be changed, so we can better ourselves (and become “a new creature in Christ”) and to encourage us to turn our hearts back to God and back to the ways of God. This is where so many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints struggle! We know the importance of keeping God’s commandments, of loving Him and serving Him. We know the importance of living a life of goodness and righteousness. But we tend to forget that Christ’s grace is sufficient to save! He has already paid the price. His Gospel is one that offers peace, healing, and hope. The Church of Jesus Christ is full of imperfect people who are doing their best to stay true to God. We are all at different places in life - we each have a unique history, life, journey, and circumstances. I know that God weeps when any of His children choose to walk away from Him and The Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, there is always a way back to His presence because of the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. Just like the prodigal son, we can “come back home” and our Father in Heaven will rejoice when we decide to return unto Him. As I watched this video and listened to what Johnny shared about his choice to leave his beliefs behind, I wish I could know more of his story. My heart hurts for him and his family because I feel that true peace and joy is found only through Jesus Christ and His Gospel. Christ taught us this in the Bible in John 14, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” There were times in my own life where I almost left or fell away. Many wander in this life, people will come and go from the Church of Jesus Christ, but there is one thing that remains constant. Is is Jesus Christ Himself, Our Savior! He always stands ready, with open arms, to His embrace. He will always help us and welcome us into the safety of His constant Love and Light. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Light! If you feel discouraged or hopeless, please turn TO God and His love, NOT away. Never give up hope. I know life is hard. Being a believer of Christ, being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is not easy! Nothing worth having is ever easy. It takes constant work, effort, and commitment. But to feel God’s love and hear His voice in your everyday life is more precious than all the wealth in the world. Trust God, turn to Him, ask Him for strength and help and direction. He will not leave you comfortless. He loves you and desires your happiness and well-being. He knows you better than you know yourself. Lean on Him. He will show you the Way and the Light to peace and happiness (in this life, and life to come). “23 For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in darkness. 24 He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation. 25 Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price. 26 Behold, hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. 27 Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance. 28 Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden.” (2 Nephi 26:23-28)

It's hard to explain the state I've been over the past few years. I totally relate to feeling cut off from God, like I'm praying to him and asking questions without getting anything back. At the same time though, I have experienced miracles in my life, many of which I could only recognize in retrospect. When my older brother left on his mission, he shared his testimony in a way that caught me completely by surprise and made me question how much of a testimony I really had as a thirteen year old kid believing everything my parents told me. I started to pray, asking to so much as feel the things that everyone talked about when they spoke in sacrament meeting, asking to receive a prompting, asking for anything like what people described when bearing their testimonies. Nothing really happened for a few months, but I kept at it until something finally happened. My family and I were on the way home from a cruise when our airplane was delayed by bad weather. When we finally pulled up to the runway, the pilot asked everyone to take their seats unless there was a medical emergency, and people wouldn't sit down. A baby was having a seizure. We taxied back to the terminal and the baby was presumably taken care of. That's not really what did it for me though. In the church, we have fast and testimony on the first Sunday of every month. It's recommended that people fast for something for Breakfast and Lunch, and every member is free to walk up to the pulpit to bear their testimony. I was under the false impression that one needed a cool spiritual story to tell in order to bear their testimony, as that's what everyone else did. I had that now. The catch? I still wasn't sure if I really had a testimony to share, I had been asked to serve as bishop's messenger that day and wasn't even sure if I was allowed, and I had a level of anxiety that really should have prevented me from actually getting up there. I also felt the strongest prompting I've had before or since to get up and share. I got up and gave a pretty uncharismatic, mumbly account of what happened, and then feeling obligated to actually bear some sort of testimony gave what might have been a clumsy attempt to close only to have a simple testimony of God's love of his children confirmed to me as I spoke. For a few months, I was on top of the world. I finally knew what the spirit felt like. I had a testimony. Things were looking up. Then for my birthday I received the knowledge that through a series of contrivances that contributed to leaving me feeling as though my belief of the devil was stronger than my belief in God at times, I had accidentally gotten addicted to a form of pornography unique to the twenty first century. A number of things have happened since. The things I saw went from a little weird to traumatizing, I was bombarded with messages telling me what I was doing was good and healthy even as it tore at everything that makes me who I am, and I had to wonder how my best efforts could have fallen short so spectacularly. I felt as though my tongue was bound for a year and a half before I finally managed to write a letter to my parents, proving to myself what should have been self evident as they responded with nothing but love and support, if with a bit of misunderstanding mixed in. From there, I started overcoming the temptations. When what I was doing didn't work, I'd do more. I joined a recovery program, and despite feeling somewhat out of place amongst the other guys dealing with the same slightly different thing, I graduated as fast as was possible. I was feeling great again. That said, things feel like they've come to a bit of a standstill again. I feel the spirit from time to time and all that, but I struggle to feel as though God ever really talks to me. I'm fairly confident he's there, but feeling spiritually uplifted comes relatively rarely compared to the sense of darkness that comes around whenever I see some new argument about how Joseph Smith was a con man, or how scientists have disproved the Bible, even when it's pretty easy to think of a counter argument. There are a few things I try to remember at times like this. Firstly, there's the countless miracles that have occurred in my life, without which I would have ceased to be me long ago. Additionally, I frequently come back to Doctrine and Covenants section 121. Even if you aren't a member of the same church as me, I think this section, and the story around it, can be incredibly timely during a crisis of faith. The section is part of a series of letters Joseph Smith sent out to the members whilst imprisoned in Liberty Jail. It had been a frigid winter in an inescapable stone box not tall enough to stand up straight in. Joseph and the other prisoners were guarded by people intent on making them as miserable as possible. Around the same time, members outside, were being murdered, including children under the justification that "nits make lice." Women were raped. The members were being driven out of yet another home by force of law in the United States of America. On top of it all, the presence of God seemed a far away thing, even for the Prophet. Finally, a man who could not deny the reality of God any more than he could understand his reasoning for calling a lowly farm boy or for his present apparent absence broke down, and cried "Where art thou God!" Finally, God responded, and comfort was granted. He said not to fear, as Joseph's trials would be but a small moment, and that he would be rewarded for bearing it well. The reward seemed to come, as Joseph walked out of that prison truly feeling like a prophet of God, feeling like he could walk with confidence next to prophets of old, perhaps for the first time. I think the natural response to an unrelenting trial of faith is to stop believing, but this story begs the question, what if you couldn't? What would it take to break you, and what is the question you truly need to know the answer to. I think it can take a lot for us to truly be honest with God, as it can be hard to understand where our trials are truly stemming from. It can be hard to be patient when it feels like everything you know is falling apart around you. Scratch that, it's going to be hard, but sometimes we need to break a bit so that God can fill the cracks with something better than what was there before. I like to think that applies to more religions than mine. I don't know what it is that God is trying to teach me right now. It might honestly just be patience, or endurance. I trust him though. He's already saved me in more ways than one, and I'll trust that all of this will benefit me in the end. God knows what he's doing.

Not Mormon, and not sure how this ended up in my feed. But what I noticed is the empty hollowness behind his eyes, vs the light in his eyes as a young man. People who leave the church (not just Mormons, but my Christian fellow friends as well) often times lead hollow and empty lies while lying to themselves and others about how much happier they are. The eyes never lie. That man is miserable, and I pray that he finds his way back to Jesus.

I appreciate hearing stories of people who leave the LDS church. I was raised in the LDS church and have struggled with many of the things this gentleman is describing. I haven’t left the church what I have come to understand is that much of what he describes is less doctrinal and more cultural. We have to grow beyond the culture of any church. Like you have said before focusing on Jesus is the only way. I have a crucifix in my home. When I first purchased it I felt so much guilt because of my church culture. There is nothing in LDS doctrine that says you cannot have a cross or wear one. There are personal statements made by men in authority about their feelings. I have heard that the reason we don’t have a cross on or in our church is because we worship a living God. (Yes we do believe Jesus is God) But after my husbands death I needed to understand why I felt so much pain. I needed to know that Jesus knew my pain. The reminder of that was on the crucifix. It helped me know that Jesus knows me personally. I don’t think I will ever Leave the LDS church. I do challenge it sometimes in meetings but I do it because I believe it is important to grow beyond the culture to really know Jesus.

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I loved the point where you said obedience comes because of our love for Christ. This is actually the point of obedience in the LDS church as well. The hard part is that many people feel as though they have to obey to receive God's love. God loves us no matter where we are in our path. When we come to accept Christ hopefully, we willingly seek to serve him. He promises us as we have faith in Him, we can return to live with him someday. This is the first principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I’m still in the Church and always will be. Love you Johnny.

Sadly, he was not raised as all LDS are. It seems his family held some strange beliefs - such as the idea that you cannot question, or that the church is all about obedience. Every person is on their own journey and needs to QUESTION constantly in order to understand. Questions in all faiths are vital - we need to always ask God for the answers we seek. Until we get those answers, it's pretty hard to make a decision. This is this man's journey and my heart goes out to him. I am LDS and I understand why he left, but I don't think he questioned as he should have or waited for the amazing answers that would have come. I wish him and his family much peace and I, as the vast majority of LDS, don't think his apostasy from this church means he can't be exalted. His family seems to have leaned heavily upon the letter of the law, rather than the spirit of law which is love and mercy. Hope he finds full happiness.

As an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I want to thank you for bringing this video to my attention. While I don't agree with him, feel like he hilighted some important things. Things like perspective, repentence, grace, and the problem a lot of Latter-day Saints have with being perfectionists and the anxiety that causes. Many of us have to deal with this psychological and emotional struggle and while I don't agree with his solution I can empathize at least somewhat with his pain. I have always found this church to be one that welcomes questions, but that's my perspective and experience and we all have different experiences and perspectives. That is not a bad thing and I wish this man well. Again thank you for helping me to broaden my world view.

Whoa! You are so right, this is a very emotional session! I am very devout LDS, but despite any religion, I can’t imagine not having a loving Savior who has experienced everything that we can imagine or endure on this earth. I have ultimate respect and reverence for a Heavenly Father who understands all, way more than we can understand, and is guiding us along this path of life. I don’t think that I could possibly endure and survive without Them. But, I do believe there is most certainly a devil or satan that loves it when we waiver and start to question those beliefs in all that we hold so dear. How can we love so deeply a beautiful world and plan and not know with absolute surety in the Father that has made it all so? When I start to think of all of these factors, I feel in my heart and soul that I KNOW that there is a God, how can there not be? And I do believe that the Father and his Son love us so very much and are there for us to help and guide us. There is so much confusion in the world today, and if we let ourselves be caught up in the ways of man rather than the Father, that we will be dragged asunder. And this is to the delight of the evil one that would love to have our souls in his command. Please, please, please keep the faith, those unclear things will be made clear in time (and I believe it will be very soon).❤️❤️❤️

It took me 4 months of prayers, crying for my answer. I felt ‘I never said this was true’ I ran to my husband and told him. Since that day I am a Christian and I love the Bible!

Great video! His discussion of obedience and fear is saddening. My dad worked with protestants as a chaplain, and he always insists that members of the church don't understand grace as well as other Christians even tho it's absolutely doctrine

I love the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day day saints, I'm a member for almost 30 years , and I felt peace and joy sharing this to my children , now one of them will go on mission .I experienced to attend some other Christians churches but my heart still loves to stay IN the true church for me. ...