The REAL Story of the Mormon Church

Why I left the Mormon Church https://youtu.be/aTMsfOcHiJg

I feel like I've been waiting for Johnny to tell this story for years

As an ex-mormon, I really appreciate the perfect tone you held the entire video. Excellent balance of blatant facts, while avoiding the pitfall of mockery. I felt your closing message. There absolutely is a level of loss having left. As much as I feel frustrated and sometimes angry with my past experiences, I can't help but find myself missing it on occasion. Paradox indeed.

I can’t imagine how difficult this was for you. As an ex-Mo, and not by choice, but by excommunication, I resonated with the paradox of when you found comfort in something you no longer find yourself believing in. Thank you for sharing.

Excellent presentation, Johnny. I was a bishop in the church for a few years but no longer attend. It took me thirty years to 're-wire' my brain, and now I find myself in a safer and happier place. I found your video to be a very effective message, indeed. Well done.

Ex-Mormon here (I was actually roommates with Johnny's little brother while we attended BYU together as freshman)... The only point that I'd contest in this recounting is Joseph's level of education. While it's true that he had very little "formal" education, his father was a school teacher and his older brother attended Dartmouth. The family was very much focused on education and Joseph certainly was more educated than the LDS church states. They try to use his lack of a formal education as evidence that he couldn't have made up the Book of Mormon from scratch. (Even though, like you said, a lot of the book is copied from the Bible or other similar books of the time.)

I have bipolar schizophrenia and this story scarily mirrors my struggle with psychosis. I was actively resisting my christian parents attempts to get me into religion and out of nowhere one day i become super religious, start hearing god and having intricate dreams where i feel like the fabric of the universe and it’s truths are being revealed, i felt manically to compelled to write what i saw as i worsened in my obsessive religious spiral and would stay up entire nights writing. I was convinced I was one of Gods chosen profets and would spam my social media with schizo posts of my writing and would tell anyone who would listen in person my delusions. I literally acted just like this dude as someone with no religious knowledge or interests for months on end and it makes me wonder if maybe he just had schizophrenia? If i didn’t have people surrounding me who recognized i was ill and helped me get treated and instead convinced me i was right and to dive deeper into my spirals I really don’t think I would have ever recovered… I am a religious person now, but the things i believed in psychosis i would never believe in a million years out of it so I know it wasn’t God talking to me but my own personal delusions… part of this feels like a sad story about a poor man in psychosis who was unfortunate enough to be born at a time when everyone would rather agree with his delusion than question his health due to a lack of education on psychology.

I am an African American and I joined the Mormon Church in 1989. My wife, at that time, my three children, Along with myself, were baptized at the local ward. I can’t deny that there were some really good things to come out of my time with the church. I was a stake missionary and truly enjoyed sharing the gospel with others. I greatly expanded my scriptural knowledge and made some great friends. I’ve since increased my knowledge of scripture greatly. I just couldn’t get with the Joseph Smith story.

I’m not an LDS member and I found this video interesting and very informative. Where is Part 2? Don’t leave us hanging!

Ex Mormon branch president here, I did a great deal of research on the churches history before I left the church. I realised that the members didn't want to know the truth, they just felt comfortable living in their own false reality. A mission president told me "I am happy where I am". They don't want the truth, often.

Can't believe I got to watch this for free? Such high quality visuals and great storytelling

Where is part 2????

Your videos are truly touching and engaging. I’m an Aussie with a very close friend from the LDS church. (Alot of Polynesians are very religious here) he and his family are absolutely wonderful and some of the most kindest people i know. I feel you really painted a picture for me (particularly in the last 10 mins about WHY) and explained things I haven’t had the courage to ask my friend about when it comes to his beliefs. I get it. I dont need to judge, scold, laugh, challenge or belittle my friend. I just need to understand as best i can that as humans we all deserve comfort. Thankyou for enlightening me.

I live in upstate NY, and I pass a small historical road sign all the time that tells how Joseph Smith once came through. I'll have to read it in full next time I pass it!

I grew up Mormon, raised by a Chirch Historian and a devout believer. Its kind of unreal how all the facts in this video are known and taught in the church to some degree or another, but take on such a different light when viewed analytically vs with the veneer of spirituality. I stopped believing in the church as a teen, and it took years to get over the guilt and conditioning from the 'teachings'. I can tell Johnny is still working through some of that, and im glad he's finding catharsis through these videos.

Hey Johnny, I’ve been ex-mormon for 18 years. I loved seeing your experience and find it really therapeutic to relate to you. It’s been so long since I’ve thought about the Book of Mormon and really appreciate your objective explanation of it and of Joseph Smith. I look forward to seeing part 2; I looked for it but it seems you’re not finished with it? If it is finished, please let me know!

Nooooo part 2 is never coming out is it 😢 I love this video so much it’s the only of its kind on this website, so many other videos attempt to do what this one does so succinctly! It’s so easy to understand but detailed and interesting ugh I’d pay for part 2 I really would (Nebula member here lol)

Beautiful. Ex member , former missionary myself. I love your ending message. It’s amazing how even when we recognize the absurdity of our former beliefs we still feel guilt for not believing. I often find it hard to post on social media in fear I’m letting my former converts, mission companions, and leaders down because I’ve chosen to walk away. Leaving the church has brought me relief from the pressures of perfection. But leaving the church has also loss me a lot of the community that is so hard to find elsewhere. For the best but hard nonetheless.

I suspect you will never see this, but as a complete stranger with zero religious history in my life, I'm proud of you and thankful I discovered your channel years ago. Bravo sir.

I've had my doubts over the years, and its fair to say that yes, men are imperfect. Yes, men who are prophets say things, but those things that they say are not always prophetic. Joseph Smith Jr was by no means a man who was without fault. However, the experiences that I have had in my life. My personal experiences from my time as a full-time missionary proselyting in Scotland and Ireland taught me a lot, and changed me a lot. For me, the scriptures bring me peace and have given me guidance when I needed it most. But, I think it is important to question things. To doubt things. But, there is a certain line that I will always add as a caveat - not all things are always easily answered; and this is a toughie for many who want to know EVERYTHING, or have EVERYTHING answered. I have had a couple friends part ways with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for this exact reason. They also sometimes struggle to separate the Culture surrounding members of the church, from the ACTUAL church itself. Ya know, the usual - "Utah Mormons do X, so UK Mormons are also expected to do X" type of thing. I am well aware of some of the dodgy things that have occurred in the LDS Church's history. However, my belief is centred on Jesus Christ and His restored Gospel. The Bible is also a clear indicator that God has ALWAYS used inadequate, weak, imperfect men and women, to do His work. Therefore, why would the Church today be any different. I get that many cannot see past this, or they have previous trauma from others who've treated them inappropriately. Whatever the reason is that someone walks away, always know that God will continue to love you no matter what. If you don't agree with a church or a religion, at least pray, and study/read from the scriptures. There is power found in doing this, as I have seen it in my life when I have been in a very rough patch in my life. Thanks for making this insightful video. It was objective, and free from any mockery. I like a lot of your video essays, so keep up the good work Johnny. Don't know if you'll see this comment, as I guess you're busy, but when did you serve your mission, and did you ever happen upon Preach My Gospel Ch 14?