The Mormon Influence Behind the Abduction of Elizabeth Smart 

I hate all the analogies for young girls. Licked cupcake, crushed flower, used shoes, but the chewed gum is the worst. Chewed gum is literally garbage. It’s meant to be put in a garbage can. Shame on those that say these things to girls.

We had friends whose 14 year old daughter was kidnapped while Elizabeth was missing. This daughter was FOUND because of Elizabeth being found. The press wanted to focus on other missing teens who were like Elizabeth (young, blond). After the daughter's rescue, the family was referred to a "deprogrammer". He noticed they were Ex Mormon, and was concerned they still followed those beliefs. They assured him they didn't. He was glad, because Mormons, including the Smart family, did not allow deprogramming. Going through the deprogramming process typically caused victims to also leave Mormonism. You have to hold on to your core beliefs when questioning them makes you question your whole life.

I was in a cult for 28 years and a lot of terrible things happened to me. I turned to my religion to help me and felt like it was sustaining me and comforting me. What I didn't understand was the fact that it was a cult and their teach8ngs that caused the abuse. I had get out of the cult to understand that. That's how it happens. Unfortunately.

When Mormons go off the rails, they really go off the rails. I think it has a lot to to do with any idea that comes to into their head can be the Holy Spirit.

More evidence about how harmful purity culture is.

So speaking of my story, while it's admittedly nowhere near as harrowing as Smart's, I thought I'd share it here anyway because someone else's story helped me recently take action on mine. If it can possibly help anyone here in the comments, I'll sing it from the rooftops. It's important people on the fence understand how deep this culture runs. We were pretty secular/vaguely Protestant growing up, never attended church, etc. My dad passed away extremely unexpectedly a few days before my 8th birthday, leaving my mom with me and my sister to work and raise us alone. She's always been a very emotionally vulnerable and gullible person, even before this happened, and it just feels like each subsequent trauma I'm about to speak of made it worse and worse. Naturally, none of us handled my father's death very well, and she was especially prime pickings for missionaries validating all that trauma and offering her the magical cure. I got the baptism talk, and as you said, when you're a kid, you just do whatever your parents want. I can tell you with utter conviction that even at that age, I didn't believe a word of it. However, I wanted my mom to be happy, so I played along. And that's where my tale really takes a turn for the dark, because while I do still have things I treasure from those days (girls camp, a few friends, one gal I'm pretty sure was in the closet,) this was probably the singular worst choice I ever made as a child. It took just over a year, so when I was 9, for me to be r---d by an elder. There was this family we were friends with, and the mother ran something of an unofficial daycare for friends, so I was over at their house quite often because of the long hours my mom worked. They had an early-90s era IBM in their rec room that me, being the tech junkie of the family, was constantly playing on. And I can still remember the damn game I was playing, but so much of the rest of this memory is missing. I just remember the father sitting in the chair straddling me from behind, and talking gently to me, touching me, and then all the things I'm sure you can piece together. I was already pretty messed up mentally from my father, not to mention a bad earthquake not long after, and a bunch of minor stuff like bullying that was piling up. This event tipped me over into an insanely dark spiral where I was just SO ANGRY all the time. I would trash my room, I would cuss out my therapist, I would upset my mother so much she'd get in her car and leave. I was uncontrollable. Meanwhile, my sister who is 6 years older than me, had latched onto the LDS way as a lifeline and modeled herself into the perfect Mormon girl, and thus looked down upon me with revulsion constantly. This divide in personality drove a massive wedge in between us, and while she left the LDS a few years ago and has mellowed out a whole lot, I still feel that divide even today. We barely ever talk to each other. My mother on the other hand, setting aside what happened to me, maybe overall had the worst experience, even if she'll never admit it. She handled things with me as church leaders recommended, which ironically involved no punishment whatsoever on the elder's part. We were made to move wards, and that was it. Even his wife never left him, and took personal offense at my mother for not allowing us over there anymore (I mean, WTF.) This is even after it was discovered he'd done the same to his own young daughters. On top of that, as my mom got deeper into the culture, she started treating her bishop meetings like therapy, and confessed a very difficult time when between my sister and me, she'd had to terminate a medically non-viable baby. They made her stand up in front of the congregation and give a "lesson" about how very sinful this was and how she'd ruined herself, as if this was somehow going to NOT retraumatize her all over again? Even when I was like 10 or 11 when this happened, I was sitting there heartbroken for her, because I could see how damaging it was. A bit later into my teen years, she'd briefly had a boyfriend outside the church and slept with him, and she confessed this too. They wouldn't allow her to take sacrament for 2 freakin YEARS, and somehow everyone knew why, to say nothing of the public shaming aspect of this exclusion. After I'd left the church we'd both moved to different places, she met her second husband within her new ward where she'd moved to. Said husband was kind at first, and almost immediately after things were official, turned emotionally and physically ab___ive, and lo and behold he'd had a past of alcoholism and addiction that resurfaced, and eventually left him OD'd for the 11th time and braindead, meaning she had to watch another partner die in front of her. I won't say we always got along, because my mom and I are so different, but when I compare how vibrant and smart she used to be to how damaged and skittish she is now, I honestly cannot help but blame the LDS for everything. Not all of it was directly their fault, but boy they sure did not help any. She's also left too, but is borderline still a believer, and more than anything, I think she misses the social circle of women in the church that abandoned her. Nearly 30 years later we finally had an actual talk about what happened to me, spurred on by some repressed memories brought to surface by an episode of Mormon Stories Podcast I'd listened to, and some shocking things came to light. For one, she'd hidden a letter the elder had written to me that was the biggest non-apology apology I think I'd ever read. Next was that she'd tried to take legal action, but nothing could be done because I refused to admit anything had happened. This is partially a failure of law enforcement, who were much worse dealing with children at the time, but it's also where my memories come in. I remember being taken aside at church, away from my mother mind you, and stuffed into a tiny room with the bishop and a woman, I'm not sure who she was. But they talked to me over and over and over about how "you forgive him, right?" "forgiveness is Christlike" "please forgive him" and so on and so on until I just wanted them to shut up and said that, yes I forgive him. My mom NEVER KNEW THIS HAPPENED. And it's only with recent hindsight that I realize I was essentially coaxed into not talking to the police under very dubious circumstances. Understanding this led to me attempting to take legal action, and for a while some lawyers who regularly fight the LDS church were very interested and called around to interview a bunch of people. Sadly, nothing ever came of this and I was told they didn't have enough for a case. Since I have no other recourse, I posted a copy of that letter he wrote, signed and his his handwriting, to the google review page of the ward I believe he's in now, in hopes people there will keep an eye on their kids though. Petty? Maybe. But also I dare him to come after me about it, I will crucify him. I also tell this entire story to every missionary who comes knocking at my door despite numerous petitions to cease sent to LDS leadership in Utah. I know it's kind of mean, but if it gets even one of them to look around and realize what goes on behind those veneers, then I consider it worth it. ❤

I was raised in the Mormon church, and it definitely sets people up for disaster. Elizabeth Smart is an extreme case, but my own experience was rife with abuse and bad life advice (I was told not to get an education, to have as many kids as possible, etc.). And my experience is mild compared to others that I've listened to who suffered way worse abuse. Even 20 years after leaving the church, it still gets in my head and makes me question and second-guess myself all the time. I never know if the narrative in my head is mine or theirs, and there are countless stories out there of Mormons who have lost their mind to the point where they do these horrible things (Brian David Mitchel, Lori Vallow Daybell, Warran Jeffs, and more). It really is a toxic religion that leads people down some really dark and insane paths in addition to just generally being manipulative and inspiring all kinds of abuse.

In my seminary class my Jr year of high school in 1983 the teacher used a twinkie and passed it around and let everyone touch it, poke it, squeeze it , and ask if anyone wanted to eat the twinkie. Then, he passed out good twinkies and said that now everyone wants to eat it. It was a ugly and gross lesson for the coed class of 15 and 16 year old people.

I remember the moment I saw Elizabeth Smart was rescued. Super pregnant, downstairs watching TV with my oldest son. A miracle, once in a million chance.

That detective should have gotten a female cop to check under the veil. I don't know if it was prejudice or laziness but he is partially responsible for any abuse Elisabeth went through after that encounter.

I think Elizabeth has left the church. In the last few years, since her dad came out as gay, she has been wearing clothes that make a very strong statement that she is not wearing her “holy garment of the priesthood“ anymore. I haven’t seen this stated anywhere, but I have been curious. She has grown into a strong woman who has her own opinions!

I really love your choice of not using graphics and instead using this retro black and white slideshow. Totally unique and ❤❤❤❤❤

So much more understandable with the Mormon perspective. Hoping Elizabeth stays well and at peace.

I think survivors often point to religion because the doctrine is all they know as a coping tool, and the coping tools that are real are linked with the religion via scriptures, prayer, association (I felt the Holy Spirit), etc., so religion gets the credit. I also think that people in trauma cling to what they know; it takes a lot of thinking outside the box to leave the only box you’ve ever known. Great summary of Elizabeth’s ordeal and courage!

The church helped me through some really hard times in my life, but now that I’m an exmo I see how harmful it was at the same time and I’m glad I’ve worked through things in therapy now. I’m all for people healing however they feel it’s right for them, but it’s really quite shocking how little was done to help Elizabeth heal after this experience. I read her book and I couldn’t believe she wasn’t immediately connected with a therapist and support groups. In my experience, I feel like Mormon adults don’t know how to recognize and appropriately respond to trauma and abuse of kids & teens when they see it so they just bury their heads in order to “not make waves”/“keep sweet”. I truly hope that she feels as healed and at peace as she portrays in public but I worry the trauma might sneak up on her again someday.

I was a true-believing Mormon when Smart was abducted. The more I learned, like you, the more I saw the impact of LDS culture on Elizabeth and Mitchell. The delusion of discernment has created a lot of stupid choices. Claiming to speak and act for God is another toxic LDS thing. Purity culture has hurt a lot of people. (Miracle of Forgiveness is the poster child for the impossible gospel.) Renaming her is exactly what happens in the LDS endowment. The more you learn about cult influence, the more you can free yourself from high-demand religions.

Girl! You are killing me with the easel and pulling the pictures away as you talk… This is the first video I’m watching of yours and that is pure genius given the premise of your channel. Good job!

Choosing Esther as a new name is such a power move, I'm glad she made it out alive

Thanks for talking about these things in this light. The media and outside perspective tends to talk about these things like chad and Lori or Ruby and Jodi in a vacuum because they don't know or understand the context of what it's like growing up with these teachings and how they influence peoples minds. Magical thinking and priesthood power can easily turn more radical and abusive.

I was severely abused by my mom. Lots of physical abuse and bizarre punishments in the name of God. When I was 16-17 years old, I used the Mormon church to help me heal. But it could only go so far because the religion had a huge hand in my abuse. Not until I left the Mormon church, could I fully heal. I believe this would be true for Elizabeth. I really hope she leaves the Mormon church so that she can have complete peace.

This story never fully gelled for me. Brian Mitchell, for a long time before Elizabeth’s abduction, was a disturbed, raving homeless guy who was always in downtown SLC. He wasn’t clean cut and I question his capacity to be a productive day laborer. I certainly wouldn’t have brought him to my home with my children. While Elizabeth was missing, my friends and I passed Brian and Wanda and my friend yelled out, “Bring back Elizabeth!” Thinking we were joking.

It's amazing how many problems result from people treating others like possessions. Mitchell and his wife treated Elizabeth like an object to possess, not like a person. I hope Elizabeth is healthy and happy.

Thanks for doing this episode! This was like the first real national mormon news story I really remember. I experienced the ups and downs throughout the entire ordeal, and the excitement of her being found, but I never got the full story from the news or in conversations about it since. A year ago I tried to read her biography, but it was so awful I just couldn't get more than a few chapters in. I probably wouldn't make it through the documentaries either. So thanks for sharing the rest of the story!

You have quite a few to choose from Mark Hoffman, the Lafferty Brothers, Ruby Franke, Tim Ballard, Jody Hildebrant, Jodi Arias, Josh Powell and yes Ted Bundy was baptized into the Mormon Church.

I’m glad you came up in my feed! You did a great job.

I loved this! So informative…I thought I knew her story, but I learned a lot. Thank you for all the research!

Fantastic. Top notch work. I really enjoyed this. Thanks

This was great! So glad this showed up in my feed. New subscriber! I hope the work you do here is healing for you and for others 🙏

Sadly you will have material to keep your channel going for a long time. Great presentation. I love the pictures! Elizabeth Smart and Monica Lewinski are the two women who rose above the abuse they received that I think of when I hear resilience. Both women survived brutal treatment. The world heaped hate on Monica and she survived. Elizabeth rose above the voice in her head saying she was chewed up gum and trash because of the assault on her. Elizabeth survived and thrived. Great women, survivors, resilient.

Just found you!! When i saw what your channel is called i got rly excited and confused that it hasnt exsisted before!! Good work excited to binge

I listened to her audiobook and there were really hard parts .. I feel for everything she went through, but I can see how some of her beliefs were detrimental for her being able to escape.

Worked with a Mormon girl named Tawny... every member of her family in her photo looked identical! She was from a small small town by Tucson. She didn't know how to use a ruler. 😮

Super interesting. Thanks for putting this video up!

I vividly remember how shocked I was when Elizabeth came out of this alive.

Oh 👍 yr channel is going to grow.. love it ❤❤❤

First video I’ve watched of yours, I liked and subscribed and looking forward to watching more of your videos. I really want to know, though what is your analysis on the Elizabeth Smart story??? You mentioned it at the end and I’d really like to hear it.

Her faith kept her alive, even if that faith is built on faulty logic is irrelevant, her faith is something that gave her strength. I'm sure everyone one of us has something that get us through the day, mine is my cats, someone else could be their child or their community

Great channel!

Thanks so much for your concise description of the story! I hope you can come on our show sometime soon 😊

Critics of this organization can acknowledge that victims of it can latch onto things they believe help them and believe that they believe that without accepting their narrative.

Wow! I thought I knew everything about Miss Smart, but you schooled me! GREAT TYSM

Juicy Aftermath- Elizabeth’s dad came out gay & left the church & betrayed mom left family. Total Mormon No-Nos!! Hideous affects of Mormon gay hate, yet Mormons say ‘it’s All about family!!’ WTH?!

Great video. Watching from Ontario Canada.

I’m a never Mormon, but have a lot of Mormon friends and a lot of exmo friends so I know a lot about it. I’m pretty passionate about missing people who may still be alive. I was wondering if you considered covering Mikelle Biggs. Mikelle was 11 went she went missing in 1999. Her family is Mormon. About 8 months after her disappearance, they found out they had an RSO living on their block and got the warm fuzzy feeling that he’s the one that killed Mikelle. Mikelle has never been found. She may still be alive. They have no evidence that this man took her. It’s almost like they think he’s the only bad person on the planet. Idk. She could literally be anywhere. It reminds me of the Richard Ricci thing.

Good work!!

I love your analysis! I would love if you could also break down the Church of the Firstborn (Ervil LeBaron), this is a sect of Mormonism that can only be described as Mormon gangsters

After watching this and being informed about Ruby Franke, Jodi Hildebrandt, other Mormon mommy vloggers, I think the Utah has the laziest police force and DCS. They don’t seem to be engaged with protecting children.

Exactly! If you actually know the LDS history and its official deep doctrine, none of these crazy stories are a surprise!

How in the WORLD did the justice system let this Wanda woman out??? And she only got 15 years??? Wow

That was brilliant. Thank you

Oh wow, I didn’t know the trials had been delayed so long. I was in the MTC in November and December of 2009 and Elizabeth Smart was down the hall from me. I left for the mission field the first week of December so I’m not sure if she was still there on the 10th when Mitchell was indicted, but that’s wild. It must have been very emotional for her to be away from home (again) when all these legal proceedings were taking place. Haven’t read her book, so she may have talked about it there.

Excellent ....I really enjoyed this

Thank you. Watching from Alaska.

Happy to find your channel! I was hoping someone was going to link all these cases to the Mormon influence. I study cults and have also noticed the Visions of Glory cult within the cult connection to some of these cases. Also, I’m finding the similarities between Islam and Mormonism eye opening.

The church can help people by being a structure in routine and also a community that you can socialize with so you don’t feel alone. but there are also better organizations I can do the same thing it’s not exclusive to the church.

I'm ecstatic this channel exists. Thank you!

I appreciate the coverage. I’m opting out but appreciate ur work.

I have my own case I've been trying to pursue, and was very interested in the group you mentioned, but the link in the description does not work, nor am I able to find it via Google. Are they defunct already?

Religion creates monsters and victims..they are interwoven and yet the victims don't blame the doctrine that made them victims..fascinating I must say..

Thank you.

I am looking fwd to watching your channel grow… ex momo & new sub here!

Very interesting.

It’s like causing the disease because you want to sell the remedy.

I grew up Pentecostal and attended a Pentecostal private school, and I can confirm the chewed up gum analogy to women having sex. At my school they also used a used up plastic water bottle and a broken teacup.

APRECH-ATE CHA! ❤️❤️❤️

I remember her name because of all the media but didn't know as much about the Mormon link. 🎉

That's a very ace colour scheme you've got going there.

😢

I would like to mention you are saying people can be married to multiple people, but I think it's important to note that that only applies to men being able to have multiple wives. Women are only allowed to be married to one man.

The perpetrators were very mentally I'll. But as we see in the current Vallow-Daybell case....it takes just 1 person who believes God wants them to do things outside of normal for a whole lot of people to be devastated. I'm so proud of Elizabeth for the work she has done to help especially mormon/lds/tcojcolds children and teens who have been victims of crimes

I remember I was visiting my grandmother in Italy the summer after Elizabeth Smart was found and they made a whole episode of Chi L’ha Visto (an Italian tv program dedicated to missing persons) about her case. I was only 7 at the time but I still remember the whole story to this day, the only thing I didn’t remember was the Mormon connection, I remember there being a weird religious aspect but I didn’t know that they were Mormons.

The fact they can just hold people in jail with no evidence and that person dies in jail is fking wild. The system is broken a.f. Lol wtf they can't rip people's veils off to see if it's a missing child but you can hold someone in jail for something they didn't do 😂😂😂😂 case in point

I will trough the veil...

What is the analogy for the boys ??

You look like a young Christina pazsitzky BTW 😍

You should also do the Jodi Arias case… the victim was a Mormon

💚

I'm not Mormon but I have a question : when you say they have polygamy in the temple : you mean men can be sealed to an additional wife when a wife dies but not in the reverse , right ? That's what I heard anyway. I heard women can only be sealed to one man

“Rhoda?” I’m so sorry! What’s a terrible name. 😂

I’m a never morman. Your so fun to hang out with. I’ll Boop you to show my love, like I would a friend in real life

Yes and Yes!! 0:58 My new favorite! Living with the 144k

Shearjashub was one of Isaiah's sons.

You do not need to make both these ideas jive. You just need to accept that both can be true.

Its not a cult latterday saints you can trust

Brian David Mitchell and his wife were vile. If people do not mature in true religious concepts, cult like thinking develops. That does not make the whole religion a cult.

To answer your question in the beginning: even if the community isn’t particularly healthy, humans are social creatures and we thrive on routine to a degree. Religion can provide a sense of community and routine that provides structure, and that’s reassuring for people, comfortable even.

I don't believe in believing victims. I believe in taking victims seriously. I believe in investigation and evidence. Witnesses are truthful and some lie and are mistaken.

would you suggest someone join in 2024 if your looking for sense of community lol

Cleavage?!😮

To comment on your cognitive dissonance that you describe at 0:52 I think it's important to keep a nuanced perspective from whatever camp you're coming from. People, organizations, churches, etc. are not as simple as good/evil, abusive/non-abusive, whatever. I'm an active member, to lay my cards on the table, but I don't want to just dismiss when someone relates their lived experience of being gay and feeling a burden lifted when they leave the church. At the same time, I would ask ex-members to not be dismissive when someone relates the experience of the belief in the plan of salvation getting them through losing a loved one, unexpectedly. Life is difficult, we've all had different experiences and I think an "us vs. them" mentality can get really toxic.

Joseph Smith's wives wasn't a secret until the 2010's. I grew up in the church as well. My parents told us about them. We're not fundamentalists either.

God wants intimacy, relationship, not religion. The Bible is clear about this :)

Horrible story, nothing else to say about it. Why do ex-Mormons (and probably Mormons too) look like a gift from Heaven?

the church set up the kidnapping ? You need to see a therapist lady. .

I want so hard to watch these videos and enjoy them, because a lot of Ex-Mormons are smart people. But you, like every ex mo, are letting your vitriol for the church color your perception of the “Mormon” aspects surrounding this case. Your guys’ hate for the church literally handicaps you of the ability to just be rational when discussing the church, and it makes these kinds of conversations difficult. I don’t care to “debunk” this whole video, but for anybody watching who’s not familiar with our faith. 1. No, kidnapping is not a “lesser” sin than premarital sex, and certainly not rape. That’s a ridiculous notion that this creator wants to make to further her agenda of the “crazy beliefs” of Mormonism. In reality, you will not find that sort of teaching in any handbook, manual, or mind of an active Latter Day Saint. 2. This creator likes to use other polygamous sects to draw scary comparisons to Joseph Smith, and by implication the current LDS church. Joseph Smith did not marry a 9 yr old. Joseph Smith never kidnapped children and raped them. And for what it’s worth, Joseph’s first plural marriages were with pregnant women (likely so that he wouldn’t have to have sex with them). The vast majority of his marriages were sexless. This creator downplays Joseph’s intention of dealing together a “family of God” to try and raise him up as a sex crazed pedophile. That’s not the telling of history that most Mormon historians would agree with. 3. There is a reason that the restored Gospel helped Elizabeth Smart heal from her trauma. This creator knows the answers to the questions she posed in the first couple of minutes, but she won’t answer them because she understands it would require her to be a bit more charitable and honest towards Mormonism, which is something she’s vowed to never do. Jesus loves you all. ✌️

You are not correct What is “sealed on earth is sealed in heaven is from the Bible . 13:26 You are a misrepresenting what we believe as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. At least get it right .

You have got to be kidding me... Get a life.

You are displaying that poor girls photo with cruel lies about her its verbal abuse and i hope it gets reported

When Elizabeth Smart was abducted the mad man who took her had nothing to do with the latterday saint religion i know the story well dont you think the family have been through enough without you blaming her religion this is such a horrible cruel thing to do and what you say is far from the truth