First Impressions

As of a few days ago I found myself in Salt Lake City, Utah. For anyone who's known me these last six years, you wouldn't be surprised much by my change of location. Since my Senior year of high school God has been at work, leading me into the ministry of converting Latter-Day Saints (Mormons). It's the Lord's calling now that I follow as I make a new life for myself in the Valley of Salt Lake City.

Since my arrival five days ago I've experienced numerous high and low moments. It's the positives that I focus on these days, such as, a conversation I recently had with one of my housemates. His name is Brian and he is the owner of the house, and his story is quite familiar to this area. He grew up in a large Mormon family here in Salt Lake City, and was your fairly straight laced "Molly" Mormon.

I'll segway here to give some explanation to the term "Molly" Mormon or otherwise known as "MoMo". A "Molly" Mormon is someone in the Church that exemplifies all that Mormonism stands for, someone who is about following all the rules without question. This individual will regularly attend all services, extra meetings, and even social events held by the Church. This individual would refrain from the consumption of alcohol, coffee and tea, and wouldn't be in the practice of taking illegal drugs. Most of all the "Molly" Mormon is a very prideful individual who's concerned foremost with how others perceive them.

Well, back to Brian's story. It wasn't until he was about twenty-one that Brian began to feel concerned over the practices that were being held in the Mormon Church. It started with an uneasy feeling he had concerning the bearing of testimonies that was a regular part of each service. It began to worry him that each Sunday several testimonies were shared and yet they were always the same. The standard testimony one would recite went something like this, "I believe that the Book of Mormon is True. I believe that Joseph Smith was a True prophet of God. And I believe that the Church is the True Church."

Brian began to take many issues with this practice of bearing testimony. The foremost was how one was made to feel by the leaders of the Church if they could not bear testimony. There was a tangible pressure by the Church to make one feel unworthy if they were not bearing the occasional testimony, so much in fact that Brian admitted to sharing the recited testimony on many occasions even when it was something he was unsure of himself. In his opinion it was better to be felt worthy by others than to labor under their challenges and questioning. It was easy to avoid questioning and people's poor opinions, all it required was that one stand before the Church at somewhat regular intervals and bear testimony.

It wasn't until sometime later that Brian began to question the effect of what repeating this testimony could be doing to him. The idea came to him, that if someone told themselves a lie long enough and often enough they could begin to know it as the truth. This thought of his, wouldn't leave him and began to weigh very heavily upon him, to the point that he stopped bearing testimony, even when it meant falling under the Churches constant pressure.

And that is where Brian remains today. More and more he is turning away from the Mormon Church, and having less to do with all their beliefs and practices. He now sees the Mormon Church as a lie that he was made to believe in for the majority of his life, a lie that he was almost brain washed in.

Brian's story isn't cause for total celebration, like so many others leaving the Church, he has become an ex-Mormon statistic. He is one of many that have left everything Mormon behind, and that includes the Bible with message of salvation through Christ Jesus. For that is how twisted the Mormon cult is, that Joseph Smith (the founder) took the truth of the gospel and transformed it into a lie. And now for someone like Brian who wants to leave behind the lies and know what is right in this world, it's very hard to see through to the truth. Unfortunately, for many ex-mormons the truth is left behind and in its place is a cynicism of nothingness.

It's our calling as believers to be in prayer for Brian and persons like him, that they might one day know the Truth of the Gospel. For let us remember that even though Satan might be deceiving many of the Children of God here in Salt Lake City, it is God who has already won the ultimate victory. Let us put our faith and hope in God for Brian's salvation, Amen.