From (CTR)LDS to WWJD :
One person's conversion from Mormonism to Christianity
Hi, I was born into a Mormon house-hold. My mom came from a very staunch LDS family, her father was a Bishop when she and my dad got married. But I didn't know that until I was nine. My dad was in the Marine corps., and that too played a big influence in my formative years. My mom tried to keep us active in the church even though we moved every three years. Dad wasn't active at all, when I was younger. In fact, he didn't even get back into church until I was in the 9th grade and we were living in Hawaii.
I have an older sister by one year, and two younger sisters. There was 11 years between me and next younger sister, and then one year between her and my baby sister. No brothers.
We seemed to live in the same places twice. We lived in Hawaii twice, Barbers Point and Kailua, Quantico Virginia twice, and in California twice,Camp Pendelton,and San Diego. We lived in St.George Utah, while dad was in Vietnam for 13 months.
I went to all the typical classes and programs for kids in the Mormon church. Like Primary, Cub scouts, Boy scouts, Seminary, and Institute. I hated it.
I went on a mission to Los Angeles when I was 19. I wasn't ready to go, at 18. I wasn't really ready to go at 19, but mom wanted me to go and kept nagging me. I didn't want to go. Not to mention the expense it was. You had to pay for your mission expenses, and that meant saving up before you go. I'd only worked and saved enough to pay for about a years worth. Mom and dad saved and paid for my last year. The stupid missions were 2 years. Oh my goodness, what a horrible thing that was!! Talk about traumatizing!! I thought it would never end! Day in and day out, nothing but walking, knocking on doors, riding bikes and knocking on doors, cruising in cheap cars and knocking on doors, all in the Los Angeles smoggy heat while wearing full dress suits!! It was hard not to look sweaty!! And when we weren't out, it was working on memorizing Mormon scripture! I hated it, I really did. I cannot figure out for the life of me, why I decided to go. It was nothing but drudgery!
It's all about guilt in the Mormon church. My mom held the mission thing over my head from when I became a teenager until I was 18. Where do you want to go, and when? She always told me that , that I was the first boy in the family to be old enough to go, and I had to set the example for those that followed after wards, in the family. I always figured if I didn't go, she would be calling me the black sheep of the family. I think that was the actual primary reason I went-guilt.
Anyway,I had discovered while on my mission a person who happened to be a long distant relative of Joseph Smith and he had a letter addressed from Oliver Cowdery, ( an early day Mormon founder ), to Joseph Smith that stated that the people in his area were believing the lie they started, and that things were going well, and a church was soon to be built. Needless to say, we weren't able to convert that person to Mormonism, but I took this into my heart and mind and put it on a back burner.
On many occasions while knocking on doors, (tracting they called it),
I ran into people who would ask if we could produce scripture from the Bible that backed up our claims. Needless to say we couldn't. But from that time on, I studied the Bible at length, to see what I could find. My eyes were opened to a lot of things I found questionable about the church! I kept these things to myself and kept them on a back burner as well.
I met the woman who was to be my first wife in Los Angeles, while I was in the final months of my mission. I converted her. I should never have let that happen. Biggest mistake of my life! I had her move to be with me in Vale, Oregon where my parents lived at the time, on a farm.
Got married in the temple, my mom would have it no other way, and proceeded to live the Mormon way as an adult married person.
She was four years older than me, and we were only married for three. We had a child together, and that daughter had one heck of a life growing up later, from her mom's never ending non commitment relationships that followed.
Anyway, things went good for awhile, and then my wife who seemed to have trouble committing to one person her whole life, suddenly went belly-up on me. She applied for a divorce with help from a Mormon lawyer of all things, and that's when I got a good picture of how Mormons really were. The Bishop even sent her to the guy as a referral, without marriage counseling!
It was because of my marriage to this person, or divorce from rather, which started the ball rolling for my Mormon church bailout.
The things that I had been brought up to believe, were just like dashed out the window. So I begin thinking, after I had gotten out on my own, that is, because I couldn't think this way while I was living with my parents again,( They lived nearby when the divorce happened ), that the church maybe wasn't as true as I thought it once was.
About that time, articles were coming out in the paper, where elderly people had died, and were discovered to be long time relatives of Joseph Smith, and others. But these relatives had documents, letters, photographs and other goodies. And what came out in the paper, was letters. Letters from Joseph Smith, and to Joseph Smith that had information in regards to the church. Most of which, in one framed letter, Joseph clears the air to a family member and says “the church isn't true, I just made it all up, but don't tell anyone!” Well, needless to say, the church quickly got into these cases and closed doors to the public about them.
That was enough for me. I had talked to someone on my mission, and saw the letter he had framed, I read articles in the paper, about articles, letters, documents that got discovered in people's property when they died, claiming that the church was all a lie. I had talked to numerous baptist people who wanted proof from the Bible about the church's claims, while on my mission, and I found very little to uphold the church in the Bible.
So, I quit going to the church. I was mad at God about the whole divorce anyway, feeling like God had let me down. So, I took up smoking, I took up drinking and going to bars. Several years of it. But some how, the church always seemed to find me. Looking back at it now, I think my parents always sent them my address, so the elders of the church could come by and visit me. And, they did, once a month. I would say and do things in front of them to get them to quit coming, but they didn't quit. Finally after several years of it, I had had enough. I wasn't going to church, and saw no reason for the church to keep visiting me. The next time they came over, I told them I wanted to quit the church, and would they please stop visiting me. So they asked, “So, do you want to be ex-communicated?” I said, “Well, I guess so, whatever it takes.” They gave me papers to sign, and the church sent me an official form months later saying that a Bishop's court had been held, and that my membership was nullified. I was like, “Whatever!”
Now it was official. Finally, I was no longer a Mormon. What a relief. A huge burden had been lifted. I was free, to do whatever I wanted.
Needless to say, word had gotten back to my mom, from the elders who used to visit, that I had been ex-communicated. She was a little upset about that. I told her that from everything I had been thru, from the marriage on thru to the divorce, the church had not been nice to me, and I wanted out. I didn't believe in the church anymore, and I told her why, and she could understand, knowing all that had happened. There was nothing she could do. Besides, she lived in Oregon, and I lived in California. End of story.
I was a non Mormon, and no anything for nearly ten years. I smoked, drank Pepsi, Coke, coffee, and drank beer during that time. I was surrounded by guys at my work that did also, so it was easy.
I found a woman in a bar, who liked me, and we got married later on. Years went by, we had two daughters together. She had a daughter by another marriage when we married, and she was 6 at the time. A few years later, a friend of hers was picking her up, (her parents actually, in their car), and taking her to church, because they had a really good kids program. She always came home with all the good things that were happening there, and she seemed to really like it. My wife and I decided that even though church wasn't for us, it was good for my wife's daughter to go.
This went on for a year or two. One day she announced she wanted to get baptized and join that church. It just so happened to be a Baptist church! And, it was the same church my wife's parents were going to! My wife didn't even know that! We only found out from going and attending the baptism. We thought that even though going to church was not really our thing, it was okay for her 12 year old to do.
They had an alter call towards the end of the service. First time I had ever experienced one. We were sitting on the very back row! Something was tugging at me, and tugging hard. I wasn't sure at first, what this sensation was. I managed to fight it off. When I got outside, whew, was I glad! I wanted to get out of there, and get out of there quick! I was still mad at God you see. Church of any kind was the very last thing on my list of “to do” things!
Still, the experience stayed with me, and I was curious. So I did some research. I went to the local library, and read books. Books about other religions. (The internet was not available then). The more I read, the more I came to understand all the false concepts I had come to believe in, in the Mormon church. I also got to talking to my wife about it, and come to find out, she was a baptized Baptist, as a child herself! Hmm. This made me think more on this. I was still mad at God though, and I wasn't done being mad at him.
Still, it made me think about that church. I liked it. Very friendly, very “un-Mormon-like!” I thought about all the baptists I had talked to on my mission. The more I thought, the more I read. If anything, at that time,the Baptist faith was more like the church I could really believe in. We decided to attend church the following Sunday, after promptings from my wife's parents. Again, at the end of the service, an alter call. Again, powerful tugging was trying to pull me out of my seat!
I could not believe what I felt. It was strong and it was spiritual. I felt sincerely, that God was calling me back. That it was time, to quit being the person I was, and try believing in what REALLY was the message of Jesus, besides the made up crap at the Mormon church.
This went on for several Sunday's. Each time an alter call was given. It was as though, somebody knew, I was un churched. It was God. Jesus was calling me. I fought tooth and nail, and every time I got home from church, I felt as though I had had a victory over the alter calls! Finally my wife said, “Why are you struggling? Why don't you just give in to the promptings, if God is calling you so much at church? I don't have to go forward, if that's what you are waiting for. I am already a Baptist and baptized.” That wasn't making any sense to me. She smoked, and drank coffee, and wine occasionally, and yet she didn't need to go forward and be forgiven of her sins? That was all I knew-you weren't supposed to smoke, drink beer, coffee, caffeine, if you went to church! Then she explained the Baptist way of life. Once saved, always saved! I asked, “Okay, what's saved?” She said, “You go forward to the alters, just like you have seen people do, and pray to God, to forgive you of your sins, and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life!” “That's it?” “Yep, that's it!”
Whoa, this was a new concept to me. It was always much more complicated than that in the Mormon church. How could it be that simple? I thought about the people who had gone forward and the announcements made later, about those people. I thought about all the things I was reading in the Bible with open eyes this time. It started to make real sense to me. But I was a sinner. I was doing all kinds of bad things, in my eyes, in the eyes of the Mormon church. How could God forgive me? How could He possibly forgive me? It had been years since I thought about church and things that go with it. To me, there was lots of “undoing” to do! And I had to stop being mad.
At the next Sunday, the Pastor explained what all needed to transpire when one goes forward. He explained that it was very simple. He explained it, during the alter call, in case anyone was not going forward, because they misunderstood. I felt like he was talking directly to me! Again, God was tugging at my heart, and I finally gave in. I went alone, no one with me, and I cried and cried and cried at the alter, which was nothing more than a long bench for people to pray at. Thank God they kept plenty of tissue boxes up there, because I think I almost emptied one out! That was an experience I have never forgotten. July of 1985. I was baptized the following Sunday, and my life was a complete turn around after that! We went to church regularly, stopped smoking and drinking, and I became a different person. All I wanted to do was be active in doing anything and everything that involved the church. I did discover however, that a typical Christian church does not have all the programs to go to, that the Mormon church did. So I just did whatever I could. And, I wasn't mad at God anymore.
Over the years, I have gone to many churches, because I went thru another untimely divorce, and then got married again. I went to every church that I felt was within my current belief structure.
Finally after much debate, my current wife and I decided that the only church left, was to go to an Assembly of God church. My first attendance was an eye opener, but I came away believing, because it felt right and good. I have been going to an Assembly of God church, now for about six years or so.
It's probably the best thing I ever did. I haven't turned back yet. From now on, I am following a God who deals directly to you, and not thru some prophet.
Those of you reading this, who might be engaged with attending a Christian church, while trying to break free of the Mormon church, I have something to tell you. It's going to be hard and it's going to be tough. Why tough? If you're like me, you have lots of family that are still Mormons and are going to stay that way. They will do everything in their power to guilt you into coming back to the LDS way/church.
They will tell you to pray about it, you need to read this periodical, or that periodical. Listen to the prophets. Get on your knees, repent and come back to church. They will tell you, the Mormon church is the ONLY true church, so what are you doing elsewhere? You'll be the black sheep of the family!
Be prepared my former LDS person, Satan will attack you and attack you hard to buckle under the oppressive pressure of your family. It's a family tradition, you want to break up our traditions? Heard all those? Once I finally got thru to my mom and my sisters, that at least in their eyes, I was going to church and that I believe in God, the pressure has stopped. They know I ex ed myself from Mormonism. They shunned me for awhile, but now it's all okay. We've all done a little growing up, over the years, so now we don't talk about religion when we see each other. We just side step things and talk about neutral subjects.
It can be done, breaking away. But the pressure to come back will be great. It's the Mormon way, no escaping that. You just have to be strong and trust Jesus. The real Jesus. He helps see thru the trickery that the Mormon church is using nowadays. They've taken down all the pictures of their prophets from their churches. They've put up only pictures of Jesus in their hallways, to make the outside world they believe in Jesus. Not your Jesus, though. Their Jesus. The one who talks only thru their prophets.
Want to break away? Make a clean one-cold turkey! it's the only way. Once you know who Jesus is, there's no turning back! Watch the videos below, and mormon friend, I know you'll be convinced that leaving the Mormon faith is the right thing to do, the best decision of your life you'll ever make!! You'll have to keep the "Mormon wolves" at bay though. You can do it. Just accept the real Jesus of this world into your life, and follow Him, and Him only, not Joseph Smith, the great liar. After watch ing the videos, wander over to the "click this" page.
~Chuck~