I, in fact, believe that if the Mormon Church wasn't true, there was no true church.
I had one of those burning testimonies of the Mormon Church.
When I was growing up all through the years of my childhood, my sisters and my brother
and I were all best of friends and had a beautiful relationship.
Since I've come out of the Mormon Church, my sisters and I have had no relationship
at all.
One of the rules in the Mormon Church is that if you want to go to the temple, you can't
associate with a post-date member, and that's what they call me.
After I left the church, things were the same, my friends, a lot of my friends wouldn't talk
to me.
Now even though I had left the church, my own free will because I knew was no longer true,
you are excommunicated in the Mormon Church, and that excommunication is a dirty term.
With a few rare exceptions, almost all of our Mormon friends just really wanted to have
nothing to do with us.
I was totally alienated.
My boyfriend that I'd had all the year I was at BYU just would have nothing to do with
me.
He was preparing for his mission, and he wouldn't talk to me.
He just said, flat out, you know, you're not going to the temple with me, so that's it.
My friends were told not to have anything to do with me.
These two kids of ours were on campus at the local college, and they would bring some
Mormon kids over to talk to me, and somebody there at the Institute told them we had been
excommunicated for adultery, and that is the biggest lie there ever was.
In Utah, it's very hard for someone to leave the church and make it public.
There is, first of all, the threat for your job.
You may have a Mormon employer, and this could seriously threaten your work position.
Many of the people I see work for the church itself and are afraid of losing their position.
Some are afraid of divorce.
I know people in high positions that do not believe Mormonism.
I've talked to a Mormon bishop that told me he didn't believe Mormonism at all.
Recently a Mormon family that we know, the husband began asking questions.
He called one night, and he said, I know what you're saying now is true.
There's no doubt in my mind that I can't punch any holes in it, but he said, I'm scared to
death that I'm going to lose my wife and my children and my business, because when I make
this known what I have discovered, I will lose it all.
The motivation for many of them is that Mormonism is a nice place to raise your family.
It's the easy road.
If you're already here and you're already in it, then why upset things?
The biggest danger was that they took me in and I was thinking it was a Christian church,
and it wasn't a Christian church.
It was a cult.
Instead of going back to one of the standard works of the church, I went to the Bible, and
I started reading and made up a mind I was going to go from cover to cover.
In the second chapter of Genesis, I studied how Eve was convinced by Satan to eat the
fruit that she could become a God.
And in the 14th chapter of Isaiah, Lucifer was cast out of heaven because he too wanted
to be equal to or greater than God.
I began studying the Bible, became aware of the real Jesus, the real God, and began to
understand that the God of Mormonism was not the God of the Bible.
We lived the word of wisdom.
We attended our meetings.
We paid our tithing.
We had family home evening.
We did all the things we were supposed to do.
And when I became a Christian, I suddenly was not the good person I thought I was because
God revealed to us our inner pride, our inner problems, the things that had not been in focus
before because we were so concerned in the outward things.
We were so happy with the outward things we were doing that that made us rest thinking
we were okay.
I was lonely as a child in the church.
I was lonely as a married person in the church.
I was lonely as a single person in the church.
But when I met the Lord, I knew that there was someone that would be with me all of the
time.
I remembered that I should ask Jesus into my heart.
I remembered hearing my Christian friends say that.
So I got down in my knees one day when I was all alone and asked Jesus to come into
my heart.
I didn't know what I was doing, but when I got up.
I had been born again.
I found out that Jesus was the way, the truth and the life and not an organization.
I had been looking all my life for something in the Mormon church and I couldn't put my
finger on what I was looking for.
Now when my mom accepted Christ in her life, she shared it with me.
I saw I joined her life that I had never seen before in all her activity in the Mormon church.
And this is what I needed.
I feel very grateful to God that our whole family, my wife and myself and seven lovely
children, have come out of the Mormon church and know Jesus Christ in a very personal way.
Mr. Decker, Mr. Barrett, I don't think we can take the case.
But there is fraud, deliberate misrepresentation, and the families, the lives that are being
destroyed.
They don't have the money to fight the Mormon church.
They have billions.
This thing could go on for years and they have the resources to do it.
You've taken us to Colob and back, but I don't think we can get a jury to accompany us.
Cults are protected under the present legal system and will continue to proliferate at
the expense of human lives and families.
This is all I have left for my son, Kip.
It was the last letter you left me.
Dad will love you more than worse can say, if it were possible I would stay alive for
only you.
For I really only love you, but it's not possible.
I must first love myself and I do not.
A strange fitting of darkness to self-hate over power is all my defenses.
I must unfortunately yield to it.
This turbulent fitting is only for a few to truly understand.
I feel like you do not comprehend the means of fitting of self-hatred I have.
This is the only way I feel that I can relieve myself of these feelings now.
Carry on with your life and be happy.
I love you, Lord.
It works good to say, it's okay.
If you had to leave today, what would you miss the most?
Leave from the church.
The church?
From the church?
I would rather be dead.
Good afternoon, man.
And we'd like to talk to you about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Transcript part 4 of 4.
I, in fact, believe that if the Mormon Church wasn't true, there was no true church. I had one of those burning testimonies of the Mormon Church. When I was growing up all through the years of my childhood, my sisters and my brother and I were all best of friends and had a beautiful relationship. Since I've come out of the Mormon Church, my sisters and I have had no relationship at all. One of the rules in the Mormon Church is that if you want to go to the temple, you can't associate with a post-date member, and that's what they call me. After I left the church, things were the same, my friends, a lot of my friends wouldn't talk to me. Now even though I had left the church, my own free will because I knew was no longer true, you are excommunicated in the Mormon Church, and that excommunication is a dirty term. With a few rare exceptions, almost all of our Mormon friends just really wanted to have nothing to do with us. I was totally alienated. My boyfriend that I'd had all the year I was at BYU just would have nothing to do with me. He was preparing for his mission, and he wouldn't talk to me. He just said, flat out, you know, you're not going to the temple with me, so that's it. My friends were told not to have anything to do with me. These two kids of ours were on campus at the local college, and they would bring some Mormon kids over to talk to me, and somebody there at the Institute told them we had been excommunicated for adultery, and that is the biggest lie there ever was. In Utah, it's very hard for someone to leave the church and make it public. There is, first of all, the threat for your job. You may have a Mormon employer, and this could seriously threaten your work position. Many of the people I see work for the church itself and are afraid of losing their position. Some are afraid of divorce. I know people in high positions that do not believe Mormonism. I've talked to a Mormon bishop that told me he didn't believe Mormonism at all. Recently a Mormon family that we know, the husband began asking questions. He called one night, and he said, I know what you're saying now is true. There's no doubt in my mind that I can't punch any holes in it, but he said, I'm scared to death that I'm going to lose my wife and my children and my business, because when I make this known what I have discovered, I will lose it all. The motivation for many of them is that Mormonism is a nice place to raise your family. It's the easy road. If you're already here and you're already in it, then why upset things? The biggest danger was that they took me in and I was thinking it was a Christian church, and it wasn't a Christian church. It was a cult. Instead of going back to one of the standard works of the church, I went to the Bible, and I started reading and made up a mind I was going to go from cover to cover. In the second chapter of Genesis, I studied how Eve was convinced by Satan to eat the fruit that she could become a God. And in the 14th chapter of Isaiah, Lucifer was cast out of heaven because he too wanted to be equal to or greater than God. I began studying the Bible, became aware of the real Jesus, the real God, and began to understand that the God of Mormonism was not the God of the Bible. We lived the word of wisdom. We attended our meetings. We paid our tithing. We had family home evening. We did all the things we were supposed to do. And when I became a Christian, I suddenly was not the good person I thought I was because God revealed to us our inner pride, our inner problems, the things that had not been in focus before because we were so concerned in the outward things. We were so happy with the outward things we were doing that that made us rest thinking we were okay. I was lonely as a child in the church. I was lonely as a married person in the church. I was lonely as a single person in the church. But when I met the Lord, I knew that there was someone that would be with me all of the time. I remembered that I should ask Jesus into my heart. I remembered hearing my Christian friends say that. So I got down in my knees one day when I was all alone and asked Jesus to come into my heart. I didn't know what I was doing, but when I got up. I had been born again. I found out that Jesus was the way, the truth and the life and not an organization. I had been looking all my life for something in the Mormon church and I couldn't put my finger on what I was looking for. Now when my mom accepted Christ in her life, she shared it with me. I saw I joined her life that I had never seen before in all her activity in the Mormon church. And this is what I needed. I feel very grateful to God that our whole family, my wife and myself and seven lovely children, have come out of the Mormon church and know Jesus Christ in a very personal way. Mr. Decker, Mr. Barrett, I don't think we can take the case. But there is fraud, deliberate misrepresentation, and the families, the lives that are being destroyed. They don't have the money to fight the Mormon church. They have billions. This thing could go on for years and they have the resources to do it. You've taken us to Colob and back, but I don't think we can get a jury to accompany us. Cults are protected under the present legal system and will continue to proliferate at the expense of human lives and families. This is all I have left for my son, Kip. It was the last letter you left me. Dad will love you more than worse can say, if it were possible I would stay alive for only you. For I really only love you, but it's not possible. I must first love myself and I do not. A strange fitting of darkness to self-hate over power is all my defenses. I must unfortunately yield to it. This turbulent fitting is only for a few to truly understand. I feel like you do not comprehend the means of fitting of self-hatred I have. This is the only way I feel that I can relieve myself of these feelings now. Carry on with your life and be happy. I love you, Lord. It works good to say, it's okay. If you had to leave today, what would you miss the most? Leave from the church. The church? From the church? I would rather be dead. Good afternoon, man. And we'd like to talk to you about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.