Most leave because they are 1-Offended at something they couldn’t understand (usually because of a lack of understanding the doctrine due to poor or incorrect study) 2-Don’t want to live commandments specific to this dispensation (word of wisdom, law of chastity) 3-Forget to be patient and wait on the Lord in receiving revelation in prayer. God doesn’t lie. Those who ask receive and those who need wisdom need only seek. (James 1:5-6) If a person WANTS to know and SINCERELY asks, God will tell them what is true by the Holy Ghost (see 1 Kings 19 - still small voice)
I think you did an amazing job being polite and also explaining everything, but it's important to remember that not all of us feel like we aren't free (I don't know if you thought that, i'm just saying it in case) because he was saying it is free on the other side and you will feel so much better and alive, but I just thought I would point out I do feel free and I do feel like this is the true church. I never feel like there is just obedience and I say that because you agreed with him on that, but a thing that is very important with my bishop at least at the church I go to is that you should act for yourself and not just obey but live in it, understand it, and take action for yourself. I absolutely LOVE this series and you are the perfect person to do it! you are so very respectful and I just love the way you react to these 💕 from an lds standpoint it's so nice to see things like this that aren't us being judged. Keep it up!!
I think you pretty much got it. I appreciated how you were able to point out the differences in details between someone leaving other sects of Christianity vs the Restored Church but also realize the general similarities in the path. You should do an equivalent video on someone having a faith struggle and then emerging on the positive side. That’s probably the best way to get the other perspectives that you really can’t get from this video.
I left the church at 16. Look at other religions and different types of churches. I found that my family truly knew the truth about the book of Mormon. Later after I found Jesus Christ or better yet he found me I was too ashamed to come back. I'm glad I came back because the Lord through dreams and my Patriarchal blessing showed me that he truly loved me this whole time and I am on the right track. Thanks for reading. God bless you.
As a member who fell away and came back nearly twenty three years later. I've never been obedient out of fear. Nor have I been taught this principle. I obey bc I love my Heavenly Father and it's the only true thing I can give him is my Will to being obedient to his commandments. I think it's John 14 - if you love me keep my commandments. I think the thing I love most about my faith is we are taught and we teach that we believe in letting all men worship as they may. And I trust and know the Lord loves all his children. We are all just figuring out our own way. I know what I know bc of answered prayers. But I certainly never esteem myself as anything other than blessed to have the relationship with my Heavenly Father and hope that for all others. And if others don't want that.... It is their life their choice. It's going to be ok.
The more I watch this preacher, the more I see he is a wolf in sheep's clothing... It's not about curiosity like he says, it's about him proselyting to lds people and shaking their faith. Don't buy into this guy. He is a wolf...
@@tesla4668 lol I have zero clue to what your comment means. I came back bc I made some really stupid choices in life and realized how clueless I was to the knowledge of the gospel. So I earnestly decided before I attack my childhood faith again I best actually know it. I spent many years stating boldly that all religions were man made. That was my hill and I was locked on it. But funny I never came across your above mentioned information while pouring through the pages of the Book of Mormon. I did however come to know Jesus Christ.
Amen. I don’t understand the idea that some who fall away argue that the LDS church preaches fear of disobedience. I have been a member all my life. It’s deep in my heart. I obey because I love God. He has given everything to me, and by trying to comply with his commandments, which by the way are well spelled out in the scriptures, I have found peace and happiness.
My husband and I raised seven sons and every single one of them has left the LDS Church. We love our sons dearly and we know that each of them has to follow the path in life that they feel is right for them. We would never want to intimidate them or make them feel guilty for choosing their own way. But it is a hard thing for us, I won't lie. Especially since, at age 62, my testimony of the Church is stronger than it's ever been before and I feel like they've walked away from something wonderful and good. But, it is their choice and we hope that they will thrive and find happiness and joy in the lives they've chosen. We'll just keep loving their guts. :)
This is so profound Lisa....I've seen how alot of mormon parents hurt their children but trying to own them...i was mormon myself and left the church 5 years ago...
My heart goes out to you, I know what this is like. I assume you and your husband have been sealed in the temple. Trust the promises that go with that. God's eye will be on your children and in the right time He will reach out to shepherd them back into the fold. Keep your covenants and they will not be lost.
Your kids pretty smart leave and are educated. If you are still there bet you not familiar The Book Of Abraham. It's prove totally fake because we can readily read Egyptian today
This is us to a T, our 5 did the same, we feel EXACTLY the same way, especially during these last days. 1has come back, that's a blessing, but irregardless we love ALL of them as the Savior has taught
My husband left the LDS church 10 years ago (athiest now agnostic) and I chose to stay. I have to say that I appreciated watching this video with you Pastor Jeff. It's refreshing seeing someone listen and be curious rather than argue and attack. I won't deny that in the first half of those 10 years, I found myself arguing and attacking and it was because of fear. My husband did go through an angry phase feeling like he had always been lied to and that church leaders had agendas but eventually his heart softened and he could appreciate their perspective and belief. He had two brothers leave as well and one's wife left with him (like Johnny), the other ended up divorced after 7 years or so, and we are still hanging on trying to make it work. We have 4 kids and many of our arguments came from what to teach them or what not to teach them. I've fought to teach my kids what I believe is true, acknowledging that they will be free to believe or not. And when my oldest turned 18 and moved out last year, he left the church as well. It was hurtful but I had to process that pain and let it go. My realization over the last 10 years has been that, while I wouldn't have chosen to marry outside my faith, we can love and learn from eachother if we both have respect and acknowledge that we don't know everything. We are all individuals with our own stories. I thought he was one of the most stalwart people I knew and fell in love with that spirit and it was hard for me to see the belief dissolve. But I realize that he always just wanted to be obedient and never really questioned. It makes sense to me now that he doesn't believe because he's always had a skeptical view about spiritual things outside of religion. I, on the other hand, left the church in my teens and came back a few years later. I've had experiences that I cannot forget that have solidified my faith. I've had so many answers in so many different ways. I won't ever deny my faith in or leave this gospel and I don't plan on leaving my marriage and breaking up my family either. And so I learn. I learn patience, communication skills, how to love and live with others who believe different, how to be strong in doing things on my own. Going to church and the temple by myself was hard for a long time. Now it's just life. It's not a burden. It gives me more strength. I've learned that salvation is individual for everyone. So many people have left becuase they didn't receive answers when they expected to or thought they should in their critical moments of doubt. I get that. But I strongly believe, through answers to prayers, that God has not given up on THEM. One rejection of Him isn't the end of their story. Unlike what Johnny said, that when you leave the church and break those covenants, your family's eternal future is broken, I believe that God will give them every chance to change their minds and believe. I feel like there's a difference between BREAKING covenants with God while believing in him and genuinely losing faith and letting go. I think that those who believe but still break covenants are at more risk than those who genuinely lost a belief. You can't be breaking a commandment if you don't believe it to be a commandment. Maybe that's a scapegoat for some who break them, but only God knows their true hearts and luckily we will not be their judges. It's ironic that as my husband has left, I've grown stronger in my faith. We are polar opposites in our beliefs but we support each other. 25 years of marriage and going strong. I won't say that some days aren't still hard but overall, it's still a good life. I'm thankful that my husband still chooses family, that he's still humble and still a peacemaker. I'm thankful that he didn't want to go live some other kind of life he felt deprived of. I see a lot of mixed faith marriages end becuase of hard hearts on both sides and the need to go live another lifestyle. That wasn't our experience. I think my kids have the benefit of seeing that you can disagree with someone and still be tolerant, kind and loving. They have both sides to learn from. I won't deny that I pray every day that they will find their way back to God, but until then, I will keep loving as Christ loved....or trying really hard to :) I really enjoy your channel and have watched most of your videos. I LOVE seeing a pastor who truly exemplifies Christ in his dealings with others who don't believe the same as him. I live in South Carolina and we need more religions out here to work together and learn from eachother. This world has enough hate and division, we don't need it in religion. Keep up the good work!
My experience has been very similar to yours. You described it so well and I trust that God has a better plan then me and I have had enough profound experiences in my personal relationship with Christ that all the questions and things I don’t understand pail in comparison to the knowledge that Christ knows me and so I try and rejoice be thankful and loving and ever patient. I keep reaching for Christ and he will lead me. My reaching for Christ has brought good to my life and guidance during dark moments.
Wow! Thanks for sharing this. I can relate. This is very very similar to what I’m going through in my marriage. I feel the same way you feel and I’m glad to hear that despite your differences in belief you are still together! Thank you.
I'm a parent of six. Two of which have left the church. One quite anti (sadly) and the other more disenchanted having not felt he received a personal testimony. It's tough. Yet, when their mom (my ex) left the church, I made it clear to them that while I would always hope for Christ and the blessings of the church to be in their lives, I am their Dad and will always love them. I don't and won't guilt them for exercising their agency. I do pray for them and always make myself available to them as they've moved on to college and next steps in life. I will always challenge them to seek the goodness in the world (Light of Christ, if you will) and avoid the snares that we can get caught up in.
I’ll be praying for you to do your research and realize that Joseph smith was obviously just a con man / cult leader. A disgusting guy who had over 30 wives including a 14 year old and multiple sister pairs as well as mother daughter pairs
I grew up Lutheran, I tried really hard to feel that it was true. I went to all my meetings. I was married at 19. I joined the USAF for 6 years. My wife and I had a good marriage. one day a friend said to me , "if you want to know which church to join you should ask God!" for a few years I went to many churches investigating. I looked for classes to teach me. Funny at that time I couldn't find any. I was reading from the New Testament where Christ taught his disciples to pray. He told them to pray unto the Father in his name. It seem to leap out at me. I don't remember in all my Sunday school classes and church meetings ever being taught that. From that I started praying as I understood how to pray. Shortly after some Missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ came. I started the lessons with my wife. She didn't attend all the meetings. What they taught made sense to me. When I read the Book of Mormon it to me was reading from the Bible. It had the same feel. The missionaries asked if I wanted to be baptized. My wife was present. When I said yes , I hadn't discussed this with my wife. My wife walked out on me that night. I felt I was doing what I felt was right. I was baptized in December of 1979. we were divorced in May 1980. This was devastating to me... I'm still a member. My testimony has grown stronger. I am glad of my choice. I've become a better person. 20 years after my divorce I was talking with my ex. she said she had made a mistake. We remained friends.
There isn’t a group of people that I am more happy to be part of or associated with than the Latter-Day Saints. In general, they are the nicest, altruistic, helpful folks that strive to be their best self out of love for God and fellowmen.
I left the church at 22 years oldWhen I left I party, I drink and more, experienced the world and be free, but one day I prayed and talked to him that when my life gets better I will go back to him. He didn’t wait for my life to get better from my own effort, he found me and helped me got back and be better. Now I realized I can still be free without leaving the church and without commiting sin. I still hang out with my non-member friends have fun with them I just don’t do things that I think doesn’t agree with my beliefs. For me living a free life is always your choice.
I always thought it would be easier growing up in Utah around members of my own faith. It was hard getting up at 5 am for seminary, especially a teen. I always thought it would be nice to have my seminary lessons during school. It was hard being the only member in a small school. But I was actually respected more for it from all the kids in my school. My parents were converts before I was born, so I was raised in the church. I realize now that growing up in a small town has made me a stronger person. I have my own testimony of the church. No one gave it to me, I work hard each day to keep it. It is something very dear to my heart. I've been a member through hard times and bad and the only thing that kept me going, was the Lord. I always know I can trust Him even if I can't trust anyone else. I know He loves me even when I feel dejected. I love Him always and will always be a follower of His church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
@@HelloThere-xx1ct yours is a hard question. If it were true, I definitely would want to know. If it was not true...hmmm I guess it would not matter if I knew or not but I probably would want to know. I would read what I could find and decide for myself like everything else. Yep yours is a hard question because I guess I can't see nonmembers perspectives very clearly. I only know what I know. That is all that matters to me. I've tried to be a good daughter and mother in Zion. I have an obedient personality. I have 3 son's, two are obedient and one is not as obedient as the other two. I let my son's decide for themselves if they wanted to go on a mission and after they moved out they decide if they go to church, etc. I'll have to ask my inactive son about your question. I love all my children soo soo much regardless what they do, I always will. I have been thinking out loud. I got off topic. Sorry.
@@HelloThere-xx1ct I agree. It does not matter the religion, it's how you live. When Jesus does come again, everyone will be allowed to change to his perfect gospel. But there will be free agency to be a part of whatever religion you choose.
You’re responses are always very respectful and insightful and you truly are a devout follower of Jesus Christ. I am a member of the LDS faith and have struggled before coming to my own strong understanding and testimony of the church and of Jesus Christ’s part in it. Here is how I see it: There are many people who are “culturally” members of the church that don’t seem to deeply understand that the church encourages personal affirmation above all else. These people seem to always be tied up on the idea that we have a prophet to guide us, and seem to believe that we have to be mindlessly subservient to the church. Of course there are sometimes local issues that can arise, but I have never once got the sense from the authorities of the church that they encourage anyone to express belief in something that they have not personally developed a testimony of. The central doctrine of the church is that yes, we are in possession of truths that nobody else has, but that it is up to each person to discover these truths for themselves. Men are fallible, church members are fallible, and even prophets are fallible, but God is not fallible. As long as people TRULY seek God, everything else will fall into place and make perfect sense. Anyone who accepts Jesus Christ in their heart will be saved, not just those who accept the LDS church here on earth. This is not just my opinion, but this is core church doctrine that ex members always seem not to understand. For anyone who wants to know what Mormons believe, it’s as simple as reading the Bible, then reading the Book of Mormon. They testify of each other and they both testify of Christ, the only difference being that the Book of Mormon was preserved by the Lord specifically for the people of our day and restores some things to us that are lost from the Bible, which is where fundamental disagreements with general protestantism stem from. Just as Christ was crucified and his apostles and prophets martyred, the church will not be accepted by everyone and will always have strong opposition.
The more I watch this preacher, the more I see he is a wolf in sheep's clothing... It's not about curiosity like he says, it's about him proselyting to lds people and shaking their faith. Don't buy into this guy. He is a wolf...
I was raised in the LDS faith. I had the testimony of my parents as I grew up , but not really of my own. I left the church when I was 18. After 12 years of looking here and there for peace ...I read the BOM for myself. I asked Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ if the gospel was true and if the BOM was true. I received the truest witness of the affirmative. I know the church of Jesus Christ is true, I love the gospel. Gospel means Good News : )
This is quite common, children leaning on their parents testimonies, but at some stage we need our own testimonies ❤ so glad you found your own testimony. Testimonies can fade too when we aren’t engaging in the scriptures daily.
@@SportyPolarBear1 After years of searching, pondering, fasting, praying, serving in the temple, making the sabbath a delight, immersing myself in the word, keeping covenants, exercising all the faith I could muster in christ, repenting, enduring, going to the "fourth floor, last door" and knocking and knocking and knocking...after years of no answer I had to follow the evidence (the evidence points to mormonism not being what it claims and) and stop spinning my wheels so I could live my best life. This life is basically the same, just without any supernatural thinking. My family just thinks I'm lost forever because I don't believe...I don't even drink. Sigh.. my relatives that don't know I left still think I'm going to be a GA or something. It's weird. Johnny's story is like many people's. It is important to share. It's easy to feel alone when going through a faith transition.
This warms my heart, what an inspiring story. I’ve been LDS for my whole life, but I’m only a teenager so that’s not saying much. Tbh, having a testimony is not something I’ve ever really struggled with, I’ve been raised very well with a good family and amazing ward, but I know lots of people who have struggled to earn their own testimonies and find it difficult to follow the commandments and the standards of the church. That’s amazing that you received your own answer after so many years of searching!
I always want to thank you after watching your videos, but this one was especially meaningful for me. I’ve seen the thumbnail for this man’s video about leaving the church many, many times on my CZcams feed but I’ve never had the courage to watch it because it breaks my heart to hear people speak bitterly about their experiences in a faith that I cherish. I have very dear friends and family members who have left the church and I recognize that my fear of listening to their side of the story makes me avoid talking about it with them. Your call to fight criticism with curiosity resonates with me because I know if I want others to do that for me, I need to do that for them, too. I really appreciate your help in watching this and listening with empathy and compassion.
Wow, @RaiBshaw. This is a powerful comment. I'm so honored and humbled to be able to explore compassion and empathy with you... even when it seems scary.
I've also been curious about this video, but I too wasn't sure what direction Jonny Haris would go. I'm glad this was a reaction video with Pastor Jeff, so we can think about both sides of the Isle and learn from one another. 🙏❤️🕊️✝️💒
I watched it before and I was upset at first and then I saw his pattern in myself. And I didn't know what to do. And I was falling apart . But then I started praying and started reading the scriptures , and it didn't happen at once, because I should never had doubts, but I did, and I had to search and I did. And if you ask , you'll be answered . All of the sudden I started to get answers from the scriptures and videos and church history , and I realized there were others that had felt the same way, and this can be over come. And through this my faith is stronger than it ever was.
RaiBShaw I left my LDS faith after many years of inward struggle and spiritual isolation. I felt that no one could relate or understand what I was going through and that they didn’t want to know. It has now been 9 years since that time, and still no one has asked me why. Thankyou for showing that people can care, even if they don’t ask.
I was raised in the LDS church . My ancestry goes back to the beginning of the church. My ancestors came across the plains as pioneers in the hand cart companies some came across in wagon companies, one relative came across with Brigham Young and was one of the first people to enter the Salt Lake Valley. Despite that strong religious background and all my relatives being strong members. I left the church when I was a teenager. When I was 24 I have a life crisis that brought me back. I needed God in my life. I could not cope or handle this crisis without Christ. I returned to the church, my testimony was not very strong at that time but it grew over the years. My husband did not accept the beliefs of the LDS church even though he was also born and raised in the church. Returning to the church was a process of reading and studying and having faith in something I did not know. It was many years before I was fully active. When I became fully active and received my temple covenants. My husband left the marriage. My belief and faith in the LDS church cost me my marriage. I still believe it and practice it fully. All three of my children have left the church. I respect their decisions and they respect my beliefs. I have several nieces and nephews who have left the church. I love them all and accept their decisions. Life choices are hard, we can not judge others for the choices they make. Love is the language of God and Christ, he loved the sinner and the condemned we should love everyone in our circles.
@@danreich4320 why is it so hard for people to understand this? Why does everyone insist on having others do the hard work for them? Why does anyone think that any manmade institution can bring them closer to god? No church or cult can. It has to be a personal choice. Putting your faith in any church, in stead of God, is a major fail. I just do not understand why this is so hard to fathom.
I love your breakdown of this video. A large portion of my family and friends have left the church for various reasons, so I’m constantly on a journey to understand how they feel and what they’ve experienced. One thing I want to point out, with the complete understanding that others have different experiences even within the same church, is that being raised LDS I’ve always felt that I was encouraged to be obedient to God’s laws and commandments out of respect, reverence, and gratitude for the sacrifice He made and the sacrifice His Son made. I was always taught that God has made it possible through His love and mercy for us to return to Him, and that consequently we have a responsibility to spread the Light of Christ so that others know what He has made possible. That’s a very watered down way to explain what I was taught in church but I never felt that I was being taught that we have to obey anything in order to be “saved” or reconciled.
This is exactly what I believe and have always felt as well. I have been a life long member and I have never felt any fear about obeying. I’ve always felt that I wanted to be obedient because of my love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I have always felt that this is a personal choice that I have made directly with God, not with the church or anyone else in it.
I feel sad watching these stories and I just can't say I understand what they went through. Yet, something that has hurt me in the past was that I too went through a faith crisis, I too wasn't sure what to make of the information that was given to me. When I chose to stay and remain a member of the Church, I was mocked and criticized by people who left the Church. They all say: Please don't debate, just understand where I'm coming from, and that is something that I think they should apply too. Of course I don't agree with leaving and of course they don't agree with staying, but if they ask for empathy, I ask for the same.
I was out of the church for 5 years because I thought I have a lot of things to do that eats my time compared to many outside the church who are free to hag out and do thing anytime, anywhere. I thought I will be happy outside the church but it happened the opposite. My life went worst. I felt I was not guided. I make wrong decisions that made me worst. Now, I am happy to finally be back in the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. The church has helped me raise my children how to live as a son or daughter of God despite of being imperfect. I respect Johnny Harris decision to leave the church, everyone is free to do it but for me, I would never leave because I am happy serving people through my great calling in the church. Whatever we do in the church should never be a burden but rather an opportunity to grow and to build strong relationship with God, with your family and with people inside and outside the church.
I've been an LDS from childhood even until now and here in the Philippines is hard to stood up for what you believe is true because of so many religions are also claiming that their faith is the only true church..If a person who is really looking for the right one he/she may ask God for guidance..I have many friends belonged to other beliefs but I can't find Christ teachings like what I believed in.. The teachings are perfect some members are just human beings they make mistakes but for me I have no doubt about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints..
I needed to hear this. I left the lds church when I was 26. I was the last child to leave my parents house, mind you I'm the 3rd oldest and I have ADHD so my parents were overprotective of me. Anyway, I left home when I was 23. I needed to know what independence was. I needed to know what life was without being told what to do all the time. I needed to find myself. I left the church because I didn't believe in certain things they taught and also I didn't like the repetitive lessons they were teaching. I'm 43 now and I still love God, I know he's there and I'll always believe that he's there to help me along my path and I'll see him again some say. I go to church, it may not be the lds church, but I feel God there. I feel his warm blanket over me saying "things will be alright this coming week, hold on, I know you can do it." At the lds church, after I left home, I didn't feel that comfort and I asked why? Why am I not feeling God's presence even when I'm going to church like I'm supposed to? I tried a different church when I moved to Colorado and I felt loved and peace came over me. It was as if I was at the right place, the right time and I needed that. Don't get me wrong, I respect and love my parents and my sisters and brother and their families. I just don't see myself as Mormon anymore.
I applaud you for your bravery to find your own path 👏 I am an active member and I respect your decision 😊 no matter what, God loves you for who YOU are. Go on your journey and live your life!
Hey! I think I get what you mean by not feeling Gods presence during church. It might not be that it’s just not for you but that maybe you felt like you had to be there and you had to feel His presence, just felt like mentioning it. Stay safe!
I love this channel. I'm a faithful member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I previously found and listened to this young man's story and left him a comment of friendship. I get it!! My brothers have had the same experience he is having and I love them dearly. I have come through my own adult faith crisis and after a year of reading and searching and praying, my testimony has become stronger than ever. (Yes, I served my own mission and felt strongly that the Lord was with me throughout that time as well, but sometimes the criticisms cause us to question ourselves-it sucks! It makes you feel like everyone must think you're a bad person, you know?). I feel saddened by comments from the "ex-Mormon" folks who accuse us of brainwashing primary kids or being a cult. I am very conscientious of teaching my primary kids about doctrines of salvation and not cultural norms. I know that some of our beliefs might be misunderstood, but they have deep spiritual meaning for me and they have come to mean so much more because of the personal experiences I have had with the Holy Ghost while living them. I do NOT feel the same about the cultural fear of being disobedient, though. I follow Jesus Christ because He redeemed me and asks me to follow. I love Him. He saves me and I'm grateful. I have always felt blessed in a very personal way by my beliefs and my God. I am a member of the church who didn't feel it was necessary to leave the church in order to find my identity. I didn't feel oppressed by the Lord's teachings. There may be some cultural things I disagree with, but those are found in every group I associate with in every area of life-work, school, whatever. I don't feel that those cultural things WOULDN'T be present in any area of life-I don't expect that an organization populated by people would be perfect. But I totally understand being bugged about feeling judged by people at church and wishing it was different. I respect and admire everyone in their individual faith journeys. I truly believe that the honest in heart are going to end up at the right place when the time comes-worshiping at the Feet of Jesus. Much love to all!! May God be with us in this sin sick world❤
I love your comment. Thank you! (I have attended The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints my whole life, and I was baptized over 30 years ago when I was 8. I love doing ordinances in the temple.)
I try to see both the good and the bad in the church and fellow saints in a balanced way with the gift of discernment. There was a quote sometimes ago I saw that abusive people can be simultaneously the most kind, caring and helpful people. I consider that's true, because sometimes we are treated in a certain negative way, we are hurt, we know that it's wrong but we only ever knew that way to treat others. I still consider the church, to quote Jim Bennett, to be a place where the hand of the Lord can be found amidst the many failings of its leaders.
I would love to see a video that shows the opposite side, where someone explains why they joined the church. I like to see both sides of the coin, I feel that makes one more well rounded. Especially since we everyone's path is different and their own.
Visit the "Saints Unscripted" and "Come Back Podcast" channels. They have many excellent interviews with those who have experienced these types of life choices/paths.
Typically people leave the church because things are going well enough in their life that they can stop and question what they've been taught... the opposite side of a coin is a homeless person, a drug addict, someone who's family died, and people in warzones... people living the worst moments of their lives. Unless you want this channel to just be about creeping on little children as you indoctrinate them, there typically isn't any good reasons people, in their adult years, join the church.
@@philandrews2860And what percentage of them start off with some story of their parents dying, or being from a warzone, or being homeless? Compare that with how many of them were some suburban white guy that grew up around agnostic parents, and NEVER really had to suffer pain. Or how many of them tell you that, and neglect to tell you they lived in Utah and went to church every Sunday, forgetting that going to church and praying to a God isn't growing agnostic. People, 99% of the time" either join because of trauma and tragedy or because they were indoctrinated at a young age by their parents.
I feel like he spent his life dancing without hearing the music. What keeps me in the LDS church is my personal relationship with my father in heavens…. I can’t ever deny he listen to my prayers…. I can feel his love and presence in my life… I love the soothing feeling in the temple…. I don’t ever want to live without any of that. So, it’s not just about what I do every day, or the doctrine I’ve learned, but the experiences with my father and the testimony of Jesus Christ. I also understand not all of us go through the same experiences… and I’m no here to judge others. We’re all children of God. Thanks pastor for being so respectful. I enjoyed your comments.
First off, thanks so much for posting this video as it’s an important topic. When he was sharing at the end all the wonders of this world that he loves - his kids, science, the beauty of the world - and then he shared that he was enjoying that outside God and a savior - my heart honestly broke. All those same things he mentioned are what remind me that there is a God and how good He is. I know that churches can let us down and church isn’t right for everybody, but God never lets us down and He will never leave us or forsake us.
Our then-30 year old son who had served a mission did the exact same thing, he left the Church and had his name removed. He had very similar feelings as Johnny Harris did, but I told him that as long as he was a good Father, a good Husband, and he provided for his family, that is most important to me and I will always be proud of him. We have a terrific relationship ten years later. His decision is between him and God.
it's kind of funny how he said that he had a moment where he just realized "no, this isn't true" because how i really got my faith a praying and i had a moment where I realized "yes, this is true"
People join and leave for largely personal reasons based on personal witness. It's when people start appealing to outside sources as justification for their decisions that produces pain. When people leave it manifests as someone else causing them to leave or it's something in church history. When people stay it's because they're afraid of leaving or sometimes they don't have a personal witness but it's all they know so they stay.
@@mattherron173 maybe that's your thought process, so no hate, but I don't stay for any of those reasons. i love the church and the friends and family that i have there. I also have a big testimony of the church and how it is true so i'm not scared to leave, i just simply do not want to 🤷♀️ it doesn't sound very good to me because life is amazing and has never been better for me in the church :) again, not hate! this is just what I personally have 💕
God has a path for everyone. We can’t judge that path. If God tells a person something is true, it is up to them to listen and obey, regardless of what other say. 🫶🏽🙏🏽
I guess it is different for everyone. I'm sure he felt the truth of it. My convert husband always says that I grew up sheltered. I did not. I grew up in a little town of 1,000 people with strict parents. They were strict before they joined the church. The town is what sheltered me. Haha There will be a falling away from the church and it seems to be everywhere now. Satan is everywhere and makes people feel the fake things are true and true is fake.
It seems to me that if you want to learn about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, you would go to their church, have missionaries give you the discussions, etc. If you want to know how to cook, you would not read a math book. I'm not saying you are doing that but it seems you are going in a round about way to learn about the religion.
As I watched this, I kept trying to feel non-judgmental, open-minded, objective. Failed. What I really felt throughout was sadness and sorrow. There's much I could say and stories I could tell. But I think I'll just say this. The longer I live this life and learn more about my Savior, the more I believe and trust in his grace. The grace He extends to all, wherever they are in their journey back to Him. Because we are all going to be at His feet at some point. I hope this young man finds the peace he is undoubtedly searching for.
Great scripture explaining how myself as a latter-day saint feels about obedience: John 15:10 "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love." Also in the Book of Mormon: Mosiah 5:8 "And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives" I try to obey because I love God and he has asked that I obey so I try my best to do just that. The church does not teach that you have to be perfectly obedient to obtain the highest degree of heaven. It teaches that as long as you're trying your best, the Savior's grace will get you there. It also teaches the Savior's grace will help you to obey more exactly as you seek for that help.
This is a hard video for me to watch. I also went through a rough patch after I left my ex wife where I drifted from the church and almost wanted to leave the Church but the difference is that I never stopped believing in the Doctrine of the Church but I started doubting my ability to handle or live it because of everything hard I'd been through. But I recently realized that I do still have a firm conviction and I do still want the things out of my Church experience and because of some of the things I did during my wanderings it's been a very hard, long road back. I wish him the best, I totally get it but I feel fortunate that Heavenly Father sent the ppl in my life to help me come back to the Church fully
I am a 48 year Convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint, and my beliefs into this Church is stronger than when I joined! Unlike the young man who was born into the LDS Church I was part of what the Protestant beliefs. I also experienced other religions since I exposed to others' beliefs. It is sometimes good for Latter-day Saints learn about other faiths, because they have a chance to become CONVERTS THEMSELVES INSTEAD OF BLINDLY FOLLOWING THEIR PARENTS.
I was born and raised in Thailand as a Buddhism 🙏 I converted to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint since I was early teenager😍 As a foundations of the gospel that the lord Buddha taught us to live in this world in the righteousness as do the good things and the good things return to us and he said that he leads the people who believe in him into the righteousness🙏but he said that he can not leads and help all mankind into the three kingdoms of God and he said that the person who came after him whom had a symbol as a lotus in his hands and feet which is the lord Jesus Christ 🙏 He died in the cross for whosoever believe in him and trying to keep his commandments and endure everything till the end of their life and that he promised that they will be blessed to a peaceful life posterity and happier in this life and live with him eternity after this life🙏 my English is not that good but I do understand the Gospels of the lord Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon and in the Bible in my Thai Language 🙏 as the plan of salvation and the purpose of life 🙏 as the the lord Jesus said one souls that you can bring it unto me is yourself but will be more important and more happiness that you can bring you family and your loved ❤️one 🙏 As I have been a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint for long time and I have seen many people as a members and leaders whom made the mistakes and bad bad samples so if I looked at them I may be staying around but because of the dream of Levi’s I am still around and still practicing because I know that this is an only way that my soul will be saved and can return to the kingdom of Gods is to keep his commandments and trying to grab the irons rods to do all of an ordinance in the temple and ending everything till the end🙏🙏 ขอบคุณมากครับ🙏 สวัสดีครับ
My story is similar to Harris' story. I was born and raised in the Church of Jesus Christ LDS, attended with my family, actively, for many years, then had questions and doubts and "left" the church, along with my entire family, and weren't active for many years. I attended many other churches, prayed, studied, etc., and didn't know what to do. I came across a list of specifics the true church of Jesus Christ need to have, created by a non-member, many years ago, and went through the Bible to study ea. of them. The Bible clearly teaches Jesus' church must have: prophets, apostles, seventy, priests, teachers, deacons, temples, priesthood and be directed by him personally. I found these in no other church, nor any other church or faith proclaiming to have personally seen and spoken with Jesus Christ. I prayed to know the truth and heard an audible voice speak to me that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's true church and a feeling of love, peace and knowledge come over me. At the same time, I had a sincere love for my friends and family who aren't Latter-day Saint knowing they are just as much a child of God as I am and doing their best to follow God's teachings. My entire family of 8 people left the church and every one of them have come back, except one, over ~30-years to full activity in the church. I won't be surprised to see a video with Johnny Harris in 10-20 years from now of how he regained his testimony in the church and came back, as many do. All other Christian churches are experiencing MUCH higher declines in membership than The Church of Jesus Christ, with several reporting to be completely gone by 2045-2050, in part thanks to our large missionary program and youth program. Most people leave their faith for the same reason: they don't want to follow the teachings for their church and don't believe some, or all of its teachings. This is common for many people today. Ideally, we should be getting out of religion to love one another, serve one another and not judge. If we do this, we've succeeded to get the main teachings.
Thank you dear Pastor for your very interesting, engaging and respectful videos. I was born into the LDS Faith but we 6 kids didn't have much of a religious upbringing and very little church attendance. I met my husband in my late teens and was married at age 20. He got baptized but soon fell away, and sad to say, I followed suit. We ended up divorcing after 9 yrs together and two kids and I became totally lost in the world. Looking back, I am rent to say that those years as a single mom, less-active in the church were the most lonely and miserable of my life. I was in hospital 6 times for one thing or another over that period, so poor, and had made some really dumb choices in life. Eventually, I started feeling a longing to get back to God and church. One day I decided to read the Book Of Mormon, as I had Never read it before, just a few verses here and there. But, something drew me to it. Surprisingly, once I started reading, I could not put the book down! I had 2 young children and my sister's family vacationing with us. I read every spare minute I got, being so fascinated by its contents. I laughed and cried and was so amazed and thrilled by the stories and events in the BoM that I read it in 4 days! I then went into a quiet part of the house, knelt down and told Heavenly Father that I had just read the Book of Mormon. I asked Him if it were true - Moroni 10:4 (even tho I knew without a doubt it was)...and He gave me an immediate witness by the power of the Holy Ghost that I could never deny...that it was indeed true! Dear ones, I know that if I had read the BoM when I was yet in my teens, that I would never have gone astray and made some really bad choices earlier on. I've been back at church now for more than 40 yrs, and this is the home I always want to be at. God is so good and kind and loving. I know that He was always there waiting in the wings, waiting for me to come back to the fold, as He is with all other less-active LDS and Christians of other Faiths to theirs. Blessings to all.
I sympathize largely with people who struggle growing up in the church or any church. It can be very difficult living up to a lot of the standards imposed on you, whether intentional of not, and whether or not they pertain to doctrine. That being said, even though I seem to have had a similar experience to those who leave the church, I chose to stay. I didn't go on a mission, I grew up surrounded by porn and other things I was told not to indulge in, I was told I couldn't be happy unless X, or Y happened. I was told a lot of things that didn't end up being true. I was angry with the church sometimes, a lot of times it was some leadership, a lot of the time it was BYU or the culture in Utah in general. But it was never the gospel or Jesus Christ I was angry with. Over time I improved my life and outlook on life and I'm very happy. All the anger is gone and honestly, hearing from others it just seems very petty or like a non-issue. Because the problem isn't the gospel, the problem isn't the church, the people, the culture, or BYU. There can be issues here or there, but they are never large issues, or at least they are not issues caused by the church or any thing else I mentioned. The problem isn't even yourself, it's just ideas and actions that produce pain and anger. Most of that just fades away as you focus on creating happiness, living the standards of the gospel, and loving and serving others. Once you do that, it doesn't matter what anyone else says or does to you. You're just happy. It doesn't matter if people tell me I'm wrong for not serving a mission, which doesn't happen that often by the way. It doesn't matter if your family pressures you to do anything. It doesn't matter that plenty of former mormons and antimormons had a similar experience to me and chose to leave. It doesn't matter if they or anyone else has a problem with my decisions, I know that I'm following the path God has for me.
I think one thing we as members of the church could do better is reassuring people of God‘s love and of his power and reaching out to them. Just because they don’t know some thing right now doesn’t mean that God won’t reveal it later. And if we reassure them of that and encourage them to live well and do good, then I think we will bring the best out in people, regardless if they stay or leave. And that’s actually the purpose of the church. We are to prepare the world for the second coming so that the earth is not completely wasted. God will not burn people up who are good. He will keep them here but they may continue into the millennium living goodness.
OK, so then you have to tell me how living the 'gospel' of the church will feed the 20,000 starving children that die every day around the world while the Church baths in money. The problem with Cults is that they do not allow you to look around and analyze anything outside of the lens the Cult leaders provide. If it is NOT those children's fault, or BYU's fault or anybody else's fault, then who is left?...God - and what kind of a person worships or even looks up to someone/thing who refuses to provide food for starving children - or starves them in the first place?
@@gerrys6265 the Church provides more funding for feeding the needy and clothing the poor than most all other Churches. This last year 1 billion was spent on efforts to educate the poor. 900 million projects were completed. Don’t tell me the Church doesn’t feed the poor, for that would be fake news. Look at the stats and look up the press conference with Elder Bednar that happened about a month ago.
@@zionmama150 For starters, if you get your information only from Church president/elders (as they would have you do), then you are sorely under-informed. 900 million projects for 1 b dollars is not much per project! Educating the poor does not give them food...what planet do you live on? And I suspect what the church deems "education' is efforts to 'educate' them in the ways of the Mormon doctrine....I have relatives that have been doing that on many mormon fronts and it ain't always on altruistic grounds on the churches part - even if it might be on the part of the individuals out in the field doing the 'educating'. Please educate yourself and do some other reading outside of the church sanctioned propaganda.
Not Mormon, and not sure how this ended up in my feed. But what I noticed is the empty hollowness behind his eyes, vs the light in his eyes as a young man. People who leave the church (not just Mormons, but my Christian fellow friends as well) often times lead hollow and empty lies while lying to themselves and others about how much happier they are. The eyes never lie. That man is miserable, and I pray that he finds his way back to Jesus.
This is a difficult subject as a parent who has had two of our children leave the church. I was raised by inactive parents but served a mission anyway. What was shocking for me being outside of Utah for the first time was how members of the church outside of Utah kind of disliked members in Utah. I came to understand it more after my mission then spending 3 more years in Texas serving in the army then going back home. The challenge with being a member in Utah is being a member because it's the social thing to do not from a true faith. My time in the military for my wife and I caused us to truly search for our faith. I saw the same in those who belonged to other Christian faiths as well. You either embraced your faith or you followed the world. I had good friends from other faiths and we stuck together to strengthen each other in our common faith in Christ. Especially when we were challenged by those who mocked our faiths. I remember a private Gormman from Florida, he was Christian and also married. We were the only ones in our platoon who did nor sleep with a certain female in our platoon and stayed faithful to our wives. We leaned on each other a lot though some of our beliefs were different. My children who have left the church have locked us and their 2 siblings out of their lives despite the olive branches we have extended. But we hear from others that they claim we have shunned them. We have a 6 year old grandson we have never met. It's painful when those crying for tolerance are anything but tolerant.
This sounds very painful, @kip. Thank you for sharing. I’m so very sorry for the pain and misrepresentation that exists in your earnest efforts to do right. I know many in the evangelical church who have experienced the very same thing.
I would like to add one thing he talked about was obedience and from what he said and the way in which it was said he does not have a clear understanding. The prophet Samual tried to teach Saul this concept "to obey is better then sacrifice." God does not want or teach blind obedience and that has never been taught in the church.
Kip, my mom was raised in the midwest and she got the persecution from both sides of her family. The non-LDS ones were telling her constantly she was going to hell for “not believing in the right Jesus” 🙄 and the Utah Mormon crowd that would come out to live in her communities were always so judgmental. There is a serious issue with the Utah culture vs the Church elsewhwre. And I think it goes back to our Protestant roots, because back in Joseph Smith day preachers would constantly teach hellfire and damnation sort of preaching. And that stuck with us here it was difficult to root it out. Overtime, I think God has given more understanding about Grace and has helped the members realize the errors of their ancestors. The church is a process of restoration and revelation until we come to the “unity of faith”.
What, a sweet/ sad story. Both sides of our family were CATHOLlC. In our family we had. Five kids& I, am the only CAHOLIC. NOW, in the family. My sweet sis in law is now deseased, and, she was raised Catholic& was put to rest by a independent BAPTIST Peacher. I, feel for you. I, may be wrong; but. I think the Biggest reson why kids leave is, because the DAD*S do not care about much of anything or, they are inactive. You, have my prayers. As, in your Church there are dire consequences for leaving. May HEV. FATHER give you His PEACE🙏🙏
I just found your account today and oh my goodness. As an ex-Mormon myself, thank you for your content. It’s been eye opening to truly be shown the different teaching between Mormonism and Christianity. I’m currently on a new faith journey in an attempt to reestablish a relationship with God. Thank you.
Mormons are Christians. We follow Jesus Christ’s teachings and try to obey his commandments . We serve him and our fellow humanitarian . That is Christianity
I left the lds church 4 years ago and became a Christian. The relationship I have with Jesus now is nothing like the one I had as a mormon. I could never go back!
@@erinhartman9591Mormons are christian. Christian’s believe in Christ and the Mormon church is literally called the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
I really do feel for this person. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints right now. Maybe I missed it, and someone please correct me if I simply missed it, but I don't see the reason in it's completeness of why he "left." He described his time praying and searching for an answer to his question. An entire year. On that spring morning he decided he had enough waiting. He told his wife and eventually she herself left the church. The year of no answer must've been brutal, and so hard to feel like he didn't have an answer. But an answer to which question? The question of how to raise his son. He was unsure that the church was right for his child. That to me, and this is me being genuine, not trying to belittle his struggle, to that that sounds like he already had been struggling with his faith. It doesn't sound like he left the church because he didn't get an answer. To me, the story sounded like the struggle came a lot sooner and his faith was never solidified, which is also a tragedy. He points out lots of his own quarrels with the church after the story of why he left, but it sounds like they came up as a result of his already made-up-mind that the church wasn't true. Ex. He talked about how he had a problem with the church because he saw them as claiming they were the only ones that had the truth, and that nobody else had it. My first question would be, how would that would be different to any other faith? and then the real point, he had seen that as a grapple for power, and not an invitation to all to come here the gospel. He flipped it around, because he had already left the church. Can anyone help me understand? Am I simply mistaken?
Sadly, he was not raised as all LDS are. It seems his family held some strange beliefs - such as the idea that you cannot question, or that the church is all about obedience. Every person is on their own journey and needs to QUESTION constantly in order to understand. Questions in all faiths are vital - we need to always ask God for the answers we seek. Until we get those answers, it's pretty hard to make a decision. This is this man's journey and my heart goes out to him. I am LDS and I understand why he left, but I don't think he questioned as he should have or waited for the amazing answers that would have come. I wish him and his family much peace and I, as the vast majority of LDS, don't think his apostasy from this church means he can't be exalted. His family seems to have leaned heavily upon the letter of the law, rather than the spirit of law which is love and mercy. Hope he finds full happiness.
growing up in Utah, I know a lot of people were raised that same way. I know that most people in Utah when you question something they shush you. And even if that’s not meant to be that how the culture acts in Utah
i can realy releate to this. it was kinda surprising to me when I heard about the strict do not question culture that people associate with our church, my family is constantly talking about what we believe, why we believe it and other people believe and how our beleafs compare with theirs.
This!! I was also surprised by his “obedience obedience obedience”. I’m from Australia and in Sunday school we have good natured debates all the time about different subjects in church and different perspectives. We are encouraged to go home and find the answers for ourselves. There is even a general conference talk that recently came out titled “worthiness does not mean flawlessness” and it really touched me. It’s fantastic, highly recommend reading
@@tesla4668 My observation, too! Now, if that lying lawyer (Oaks) would repent of his lying nonsense (i.e., before he becomes president of the Church ...yikes!), then some of us 'might' consider the LDS Church, all over again...
This is a sad, yet interesting topic. The pain and struggle of having your belief system in question by none other than yourself is scary. I've been there. I didn't remove my name from LDS church records, but my faith crisis was very real. I eventually went back to the LDS church because I felt that it made me the best version of myself and because I believe the doctrine. It opened me up to learning about other belief systems and being friends with anyone that I can.
It has to be hard to look for answers and not find them. No hearing God answer your prayers is heart breaking. My spouse struggles with this and I can see the pain this brings. I can only say why I choose to stay and that is because the LDS faith is home and in it I have found Jesus, his love for me and for his children.
Amen Jeff! You really exemplify the love & non judgemental understanding of a follower of Jesus 😇. While the former LDS convert was enumerating all his "I love"....I kept waiting to hear him say "I love my Savior Jesus Christ". I agree 💯 w/ you Jeff when you stated that you "cling" to the hope of Jesus & HIS FREE gift of GRACE=God's Riches at CHRIST'S Expense.❤️
Can I just say, Jeff, you are such a lovely soul. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I love your openness, your curiosity and the way you build bridges of understanding. I've enjoyed following you and hearing about your faith & beliefs. Your goodwill & fair perspective is refreshing. May God bless you and your family.
Since the beginning of the church, many people have left it. Some have doubts about some doctrine, some obscure point in the history of some church members and so on. My family met the missionaries in 1992, and my parents were baptized sometime later. Those missionaries were amazing and helped us believe in Jesus Christ. I spent most of my childhood and adolescence attending church. I served as a missionary, got married in the church, and so on. I have always understood that the church is a tool, not an end in itself. I use the church as a tool to keep myself close to Christ. In the time I have been a member of the church, I have seen many people leave it. I always tried to understand their motives, but most of them didn't understand the church and its doctrines. They blamed others for their mistakes and very often misinterpreted the Bible completely. When this happens it is very difficult for a person to realize that he is wrong. Hatred and misinterpretations of scriptures blind their minds to a point that it is better for them to leave and take the time to reflect and realize that they are wrong. I have a friend who is a Theologian. We talk a lot about religion, and in many cases even he has misinterpretations of the scriptures. One day I tried to show him that he was misinterpreting a passage from the bible, he got mad at me. Even though he was wrong and I showed it with a lot of evidence, he couldn't accept it. People have a tendency to not accept mistakes even when they are shown to them in a crystal clear way. Joseph Smith wasn't perfect, the early church members weren't perfect. Some doctrines are more difficult to believe than others. Even though Joseph did a great job of teaching and preparing the Latter-day Saints, not everyone could see it. I always had respect for Joseph, because my personality is very similar to his. I can perfectly understand his teachings and I haven't found anything better. My understanding has greatly expanded as a member of the church and I have come to love this organization and its members, but not everyone is like me. I often feel sadness when someone leaves the church, but we cannot take away their free will. I believe people will one day understand that Joseph was right about many things, but until then, many will come and go out of the church.
Do you not see how you are pointing the finger at everyone else saying how they are too stubborn or "hard-hearted" to see the "truth" but you could potentially be the person not seeing the truth? This attitude is the arrogant and condescending language/communication that makes ex-Mormons feel judged by active LDS members. Instead of worrying about who is correct, it is more important to focus on our own lives and live in a way that brings us joy and spread love to those we have the blessing of coming into contact with. Remember Ye who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.
@@straightouttaNZ it's like many of their minds are cups filled full with water. They literally are incapable of understanding because they don't have the space to accommodate that sort of information, possibilities or perspectives
Thank you for having these videos!! I'm a former LDS individual who by the grace of God retained my faith in Jesus Christ. It hurts my heart to see so many leave and become agnostic. You may be a great link so show that because one thing isn't true doesn't mean the rest is a lie too.
What a great channel! I am so glad I found you today. I was inactive in the Mormon church for 20 years and officially left Mormonism 3 years ago. I’ve been spiritually lost since deconstructing my Mormon faith and I am now trying to put it all back together. Sometimes I feel like that is not possible.
I loved what you said that we’re spiritual beings. So true. No amount of works or obedience will get me to heaven. It is through Christ’s mercy and grace that I can be saved. Jesus himself said, “if ye love me, keep my commandments.” I love Jesus. And I know he loves me despite my small efforts to show my love for him. I’m not earning God’s love. God’s love is already freely given. Thanks for your channel! You show such respect for the LDS faith. I believe we’re more alike than different.
I can appreciate the struggle this young man and his family went through (probably still are at some level). I’ve had a number of family members/friends in this same situation and it’s heartbreaking to feel and see the pain, the tears, and struggle they go through as they wrestle with their decision. At the end of the day, we all have our own journey that we must navigate. That’s part of life - to learn, grow and figure that out. As far as religions, we’ll all find out eventually whose doctrine was closest. The Savior will teach and correct those things that religions got wrong in just a short time. But I think what will be most important will be when He asks us what fruits we produced, how did we help and serve others, how did we represent His name as one of His disciples. How did we minister to others. That will be far more important.
I love what you said about obedience. One of the best ways I have heard expressing how members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints view obedience was said by Brad R. Wilcox, " We are not earning Heaven, we are learning Heaven." Obedience helps us to experience a little bit of Heaven on Earth.
Incredible video that I think LDS and non-LDS can appreciate. Loss of faith is tough, regardless of the reason. It really sounds like exhaustion from obedience was the key driver. As a non-LDS, I do not really understand the stress. My challenges with faith over the years has really been more fundamental … my own actions which drove a wedge into my relationship with God. He never went away.
Thank you for your openness to learning and sharing of my faith...it does help me learn of others and I love to hear of others experiences that are deep and showing of God's love for him and him for us
Great video! I love your caring and curious approach. I love how you listen to understand. We are complex beings and there is so much to learn from listening to one another and fighting criticism with curiosity. Well done.
I was 36 years old when I left the LDS Church for Biblical/Evangelical Christianity. I was LDS from age 19 --36 years. I Ieft over 30 years ago, and I am in my late 60s now. I had very serious theological concerns about Mormonism having a technically non-theistic god. I came to believe that the LDS notion of Jesus' identity and divinity made it impossible for the LDS version of Jesus to save me through the atonement. I was successful as an LDS Person socially and in my Church callings, and my career was involved with the LDS Church. So when I left I had to change my career path. My LDS Temple marriage also ended with my leaving and I became estranged from my children. So I moved on and was integrated into Evangelical Christianity. I have been an active Evangelical Christian for over 30 years now.
I realize this video is older, so I’m not sure if anyone will even see my comment. But this video makes me very sad. This man who walked away from the Church seemed to believe that the entire religion was one of just obeying rules. How is it that he experienced my church so differently than I do? For me, it’s all about my relationship with my Savior. I see everything in life through that lens. If religion was nothing to him but a list of rules to obey, I guess I can understand why it wasn’t fulfilling to him. And also, how sad that he now has absolutely no faith in God in any way! I think God calls after us, and tugs on our heart strings. And if you don’t want to feel that anymore, you have to make the decision to cut those strings. He is talking as if he is happy now that he doesn’t have God or religion in his life. But I wonder, if that is true, why does he feel a need to make CZcams videos about leaving it and walking away? Why doesn’t he just close that door and move on with his life?
From personal experience, when we arbitrarily put a timeline on God’s response or expectations on how He will fulfill a desired promise then we open ourselves up for doubts and disappointments. I’m sad to see that because an answer wasn’t received in the desired timeframe all belief was summarily discarded. God’s promises WILL be fulfilled, but in His time and His way. That is why faith (the evidence of things hoped for but not yet seen) is so important.
Yes, yes, yes! This is how I feel as well. My own hardships proved Heavenly Father has his timeline and I've been humbled when I've seen His hand work in my life many years after I first requested an answer. I have learned that waiting upon the Lord, although incredibly difficult at times, has never let me down. But I chose to wait...and for some answers I'm still waiting...but I've learned there is always an answer.
It took me 4 months of prayers, crying for my answer. I felt ‘I never said this was true’ I ran to my husband and told him. Since that day I am a Christian and I love the Bible!
Pastor Jeff, enjoy your channel and have seen an evolution in how you present your videos about the church I love over the last year. As a convert from Catholicism to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I'd be interested at some point if you would be willing to have a video reacting to someone who joins the LDS church rather than leaving it. It'd be an interesting balance to this video.
I look forward to not having to be in dissonance but I cherish the times I am struggling because that is when I am held in Jesus' arms. I have found hope and peace in times of deep pain that I could not find anywhere else but through the comfort of our savior.
I remember seeing this and feeling sad. I feel from comments that his devotion and obedience came from fear and wanting to please others. I sense his doing things out of guilt rather than having a relationship with God. Jesus is my light my all in all. I feel sometimes doubt comes when some start to put “self” before God. As we have mortal desires, sometimes that comes in conflict with God’s higher ways. When we are willing to let God prevail, we love God and His ways more than our ways. I remember thinking … Lord, I invite you to walk this path with me. No doubt I knew He would and was thrilled for the invitation and then one day it hit me…”No, walk where He walks. He has invited me ‘Come Follow Me’ His path is perfect. He is all knowing.” so my thoughts changed. I wanted to walk with Him on His path. I now say, “Jesus where are you (we) walking today?” I move forward in faith and see where His path takes me… Miracles, peace, joy even in hardship. I pray God’s will for Johnny and his family.
“If I worship God for fear of hell, burn me there. If I worship God for hope of Paradise, withhold it from me. But If I worship God for HIS own sake, withhold not from my Thy glory.” This is what too many members misunderstand. They have not been saved when they don’t get this concept. God has a plan for them. He will reach out and help them understand if they seek, knock, and ask.
That’s truly a lot of assuming on how he lived the gospel. Many of us live the gospel for the exact reasons you do. I LOVED it!! I’m happy that you’ve found so much joy & purpose in the LDS church, my family also does. The bravery he had to go to a place of reckoning & making the biggest decisions of his life doesn’t come easy. He knew it would affect everyone around him… we all do.
I think we (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) often are talked about as believing that works save us, but I disagree. I find this a lot with how people (even active members) talk about temple ordinances almost as if it’s a ticket to get into the celestial kingdom or something you need to tick off a checklist, but there’s a lot more to it that unfortunately gets missed in those discussions. I think the books by Terryl and Fiona Givens do a fantastic job of explaining the nuance there. If someone wants to dig in deeper on that, I recommend The God Who Weeps, The Christ Who Heals, and All Things New. Also, Elder David Bednar recently spoke at the National Press Club luncheon (you can search it on CZcams if curious) and discussed the many humanitarian efforts of the Church. He included the following statement toward the end of his remarks that I feel expresses our belief of faith and works very well. “Faith in the Savior is a principle of action and of power. Faith is evident in our priorities and how we live. As we learn and live according to the teachings of Jesus, we are blessed with capacity, power, and strength beyond our own. Our hearts are changed. We change from the inside out and we become new creatures in Christ. To be clear, we do not believe our works save us, far from it. Only the grace of Jesus Christ can enable us to overcome the many negative influences of the world in which we live. But our faith does actuate the spiritual responsibility to work, bless, and serve. We do not seek blessings for ourselves, rather the blessings we receive enable us to serve other people more efficaciously.”
@@Notfromhere347 Completely agree. Like the Bible teaches, "Faith without works, is dead." We would always fall short of God thought without the Savior. That's the point. The Gospel, having faith, repenting, making and keeping sacred covenants through the ordinances He's set forth, and keeping His commandments allow us to come unto Him and be reconciled unto God. This is His gospel. In other words, He is the shepherd and He is calling. It's up to us to COME UNTO HIM. But we also have the choice to NOT DO so.
@@SeanLayton While ordinances and works are critical for our salvation, ordinances and works will not get us to heaven hence the need for the Redeemer, right?
@@Tova-Barin kinda... through the ordinances the power of godliness is manifest. The way the Father has enabled us to begin to take upon ourselves the name of His son is through the ordinance of baptism. So much so that Christ himself was baptized "to fulfill all righteous". Even a perfect man, having no need to be cleansed from sin (which is what the ordinance of baptism does) was still baptized because it was a commandment of the Father for salvation. Then, through the Spirit and other ordinances we can be sanctified and changed to become more like Him.
I was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints when I was 18. Then I left when I was 20... because I made some mistakes that I felt I am not worthy anymore and shy to others around me. When I have 2 kids at 23, I saw two sisters missionaries on a busy street, and suddenly cried to them and asked them to visit me. I came back.... and never left! I am now 42 and my son is currently serving as missionary here in Philippines. I have realized that when I felt I have made a mistake, or done wrong, I should not stop going to church, a hospital of my soul. We are taught that the church is not for the good people only, it's for all, saints and sinners. I have now this strong testimony that the gospel we have is perfect. We are also reminded that the members are not, coz perfection is pending in this world, and we made mistakes. And that's the reason why I felt that I should be more focused on the faith I have, the things I have known, and those I will know yet. I understand the brother in the video, like we, lots of us are struggling as well, like the feelings he has.... Me, personally, I have felt that scenario he is in. It's normal... that sometimes we have doubts. Now, I am happy coz I learned to comeback, learned more, trying to have better progress, and endure with pains and trials I am facing maturely. When there's time when we are weak, we always have the moment to repent, and we as members are always reminded to still show love and compassion, to respect others decisions and beliefs, when the time they will leave the church. We are reminded not to change our feelings to them even they have different views or religions now.... still, they are our brothers and sisters.
We all have our faith journey. I grew up Catholic. I converted to the LDS church in 1999. I believe truly the church is true. We all have to become who we are and choose what we want to believe. Its hard for me to see people leave the church. But we have to be on our faith journey and become who we will become.
We are all so uniquely different, therefore we must all find our own path in our own way and on our own timeline. While it hurts to see "one of our own" leave the flock, we don't know what the Lord's plan is for that person. Soooo - those still in the LDS church, don't judge! And those who have left the LDS church, Don't throw rocks! This topic was handled very well, Pastor Jeff. Thank You.
As an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I want to thank you for bringing this video to my attention. While I don't agree with him, feel like he hilighted some important things. Things like perspective, repentence, grace, and the problem a lot of Latter-day Saints have with being perfectionists and the anxiety that causes. Many of us have to deal with this psychological and emotional struggle and while I don't agree with his solution I can empathize at least somewhat with his pain. I have always found this church to be one that welcomes questions, but that's my perspective and experience and we all have different experiences and perspectives. That is not a bad thing and I wish this man well. Again thank you for helping me to broaden my world view.
My husband is also leaving in layers. It is interesting to hear this man's side. I wanted to listen because the pastor is very positive with how he looks into things, and I wanted to stay in a positive realm as I tried to understand where my husband is coming from. I realize I won't be able to identify with many people. My experience is different. My family was poor and not entirely embraced by the fellow ward members in our area, my childhood friends consisted of people of other faiths because the families of my faith found us unsuitable, which happens, and it wasn't until seventh grade when I got my first LDS friend. I had to ask myself if I just wanted to be accepted and that was why I still continued to attend the LDS church. I heard a lot of what "I believed" from my friends of other denominations, and I asked my mom a lot of questions, if those beliefs were true. As a child I prayed a lot. I needed help. The way LDS beliefs were presented to me, I thought they were wrong and I didn't have any desire to believe them. I was facing not attending church with my family. Through a lot of praying and asking, needing and a lot of reading the Bible as well as the Book of Mormon, and a lot of listening to and following what I felt, I found God was there. I am still a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints. I believe God answered, guided and directed me on this journey, and still does. All I want for my kids and for my husband is to find and know God, no matter what Christian religion helps them find him. curiosity not critisism.
Very interested in this episode, I will be watching it later. I hope producing these videos has been worth your while... I can tell how much time and money you have invested in producing them. I have enjoyed having your outsider perspective on all this. Super educational.
I want to speak on one of the issues Johnny spoke of in his video that I haven’t read any comments on yet. He said he has a problem that only a few million people on earth have the fullness of the truth; the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints myself, I can say Latter-day Saints believe that everyone who has lived, is living, and will live will have the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior by making and keeping covenants with Him or reject Him. All of this will be sorted out during Jesus Christ’s Second Coming on the earth. This is the reason why missionary work (or the Gathering of Israel) is so important and temples are being built so rapidly! We are preparing of Christ’s Second Coming when everyone’s work will be done on both sides of the veil (those who are living and those who are dead)!
Yeah THIS POINT is so misunderstood. Being the “only true and living Church” doesn’t mean other religions don’t have truth. Rather it means that we have authorized priesthood power from heaven. That’s it.
@@stviz87 Right, if a person knows and rejects. If they DON’T know then they will still be taught. It goes back to if a person resists the Spirit of the Lord or if they do what the Spirit of God instructs them. There are MANY people both Christian and non-Christian who will be saved in the Spirit World because they never heard or fully understood the gospel in this life. If the Holy Spirit tells a person “read the Book of Mormon” and that person does not listen to the Spirit telling them that prompting because they are afraid of having to change if they find out it is true, then that is held against that person in the final judgement unless they repent. The gospel will be fully taught to all in the World of Spirits, and then they will fully know and fully accept or reject it. Those who are taught in this life and reject it knowing won’t be able to receive it in the next life. There’s so much more to this doctrine that cannot be explained in just one post or quote.
This story has rung a chord on several levels for me. I have a very large family that grew up very firmly rooted in Jesus Christ and the Gospel shared in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Many years later many of my siblings have chosen other paths and have other belief systems but we are still family. We love each other and hang out. We all try to respect each other's belief systems though they can conflict at times. For me personally, I would say that my belief system has changed from the original way that I understood the doctrines taught in my faith. I have gained understanding and clarity that has helped me see sin, salvation, repentance, Christ role in my life, obedience, and commandments so differently now! Yes, I am a stronger believer more than ever in the same faith and a member of the same church but the clarity has made my belief and faith even stronger. I feel God loves us each where we are, but we are all comfortable in different places and He let's us decide where that is for us. I do believe He knows what will bring greatest joy, and because He loves us He ultimately desires that for us. He shares that option and path but let's us decide in the end. I see commandments as boundaries to protect because God ultimately knows the natural results and dangers to us that lie outside those boundaries. For example telling a 2 yr. old that can't swim to not go into the 9' deep pool can look harsh to the child like you're holding them back and won't let them have fun splashing like they want to. But there is the protection they do not fully comprehend yet, that a loving parent sees and wants in place for that child. 1 John 4:19, I love God because He loves me and I trust Him, thus I want to listen and follow Him.
Phew. I feel raw, hearing all these open feelings and experiences. I feel gratitude for his honesty and openness. I know we are all on a path and God loves us and he will make everything right in the end. ❤️ For now, that is enough to help me keep going ❤️
I remember watching this video when he posted it and feeling like I will never be able to be honest with others and do what he did. It hasn't been easy but as of four months ago, I'm there. Very intense. Very similiar situation. Served my mission in Salt Lake City, served in the Temple, served in the Bishopric and left at age 31... I've never been happier. What a difficult religion to walk away from.
I applaud you for your bravery to find your own path 👏 I am an active member and I respect your decision 😊 no matter what, God loves you for who YOU are. Go on your journey and live your life!
Pastor McCullough, How do you interpret references to marriage in the Bible that state that husband and wife are "heirs together of the grace of life" (1 Peter 3:7), that "whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever" (Ecc. 3:14) and that "neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord" (1 Cor. 11:11). In regards to Matthew 22:23-30 Jesus was addressing Sadducees who didn't believe in a resurrection and His first response to them was they didn't know the scriptures nor the power of God. If the concept of marital bonds continuing in the afterlife hadn't been taught or suggested, why were the Sadducees asking Jesus whose wife she would be in the first place? The Bible seems to surely hint at marital bonds after this life. Would appreciate your thoughts.
I like his sincerety " it's wasn't working for me" it's sad. But I now that the Church Of Jesus Christ Of The Latter Days Saints works and It's so true!!
It "works" for you, but for many of us, it didn't work, and we had to join a totally different church to find happiness and real meaning. many of us only experienced endless misery in the LDS.
As a lifelong member who grew up in the DC Area, I have come to understand just how hostile that part of the country is toward people of faith, but we as Mormons get it from Christians and non-Christians alike 😅 there’s an amazing community of Saints in the DC Area, but also some spectacularly popular former members.
That's a powerful story. I've now become acquainted with a number of former LDS, and have relatives and friends who have left over branches of the Restoration. Thanks for sharing this and your thoughts.
@@Zeett09 There's a lot of forms of "Restoration" and what I was referencing in my comment could be defined as "Joseph Smith's Restoration. That would be LDS, RLDS (now Community of Christ), Restoration Branches, Church of Jesus Christ, Church of Christ Temple Lot (Hendrickites), Church of Christ with the Elijah Message, FLDS, and others that are out there. As to a much broader concept of "Restoration" that's quite a wide range that would take a lot of research. There's pretty good material out there on the believes of the Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists as well. And keep in mind, in the time of Joseph Smith you had a number of groups that came about, such as the Oneida group, the Shakers, and the Campbellites (that's the modern Disciples of Christ denomination, and many Christian churches, and the acapella Church of Christ). Sidney Rigdon that was a key early figure in the Latter Day Saint movement came from the Campbellites. Campbellites are much closer to mainstream Christianity, however.
24:50 I totally relate. I left the church in 1998. Until about a year ago (2022), I still had “reactionary” reactions, which could be called C-PTSD. I’ve been having the Holy Spirit draw me towards the BOM recently though.
I obey because I love God and I am so grateful for how he has blessed me. I am also much happier when I obey God's commandments. I have been a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints my entire life and I am grateful every day.
I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I really like the way his parents were Christlike with him, that's super cool. A big part of our theology is that there's time after death to figure everything out before we receive judgment, so parents and friends should be gracious to those leaving and also have a hope for a better future for everyone. Church history is pretty messy, and I understand why people leave most of the time. The faith is certainly peculiar and unique, and that's actually part of the reason I believe it so fervently. Honestly though, my testimony is based on spiritual experiences I've had during prayer and/or scripture study. If those stopped happening, I'm not sure what I'd do😬😬. Mainly I just hope Johnny and Jeff are both doing great!
I have been a member of the church since I was 17 and never did I feel like if I don't obey God won't love me as much or that he would punish me. I am obedient because I love God and I know He loves me. I know that if I do what God tells me to is going to make my life a lot better than if I follow whatever I want to do because he loves me and knows me better than I know and love myself.
Hi Jeff, I have watched close to a dozen of your videos but I tip-toed into this one very carefully. I have a brother, niece, nephew, sister-in-law and her entire family, and a daughter, all in a similar situation of leaving the church while I stay actively engaged and believing. Particularly with my 17-year-old daughter, it is tough to watch a child's faith in God altogether dwindle to practically nothing and a parent does fear for their child's immortal soul. But for now, what we want to preserve with her is not ownership or obedience, but a loving relationship of trust and respect for each other, hoping that love will endure past it all, especially into eternity. MORE THAN ANYTHING, no matter the religion, I (and we as a church) want to bring people to Christ. I remember on my mission, being visited by a now deceased LDS apostle, L. Tom Perry. He spent an hour of Q&A with the missionaries in Ireland where I was serving. One missionary expressed his frustration at losing an investigator who was going to get baptized after all the lessons, but then decided not to. He told the missionaries that he instead intended to recommit to his own religion. The apostle, Elder Perry, shocked me with his reply, "Isn't that marvelous? Young man, what is your mission and everyone else's here??? ......to bring individuals closer to Christ." Yes, we do believe that we have the correct gospel, led by the Savior himself through revelation. However, with all our hearts, we, just like you, want everyone on a path towards God. I hope Johnny finds some sort of spiritual healing and finds his faith in God again, one that will make him feel whole. Because just like you, I felt emotional watching anyone with a faith crisis. I ache for my friends a family that have a lot of anxiety and doubt in their lives.....fear that could be filled if it was with faith. You and Johnny beautifully covered a very sensitive topic, and one that hits close to home for me. I'm glad you found your way through your faith crisis. I'm happy to have found my way through some of my own, and wish the same for anyone else. God Bless, brother.
I like your channel. I’m LDS and I enjoy hearing you talk because you articulate things I would agree with from a different angle, giving me a new way to encapsulate things I believe. It’s like hearing your favorite song but in a new arrangement that helps you really hear it again, if that makes sense. Because of the work I do, all my friends are doctors, social workers, and pastors, so it’s nice to understand a bit more about where they are all coming from as well.
He tells his story very well. Wish I could express as well. I pray he will find peace that passes all understanding. Thank you Johnny for sharing your heart. Your boys a precious.
This video was beautifully done. I very much disagree with the content and some finer points but as discussed, that's not the topic. My heart hurts for those struggling with their faith. I'm grateful for the principle of fighting criticism with curiosity. Best to you all!
As a member of the LDS faith, I have a problem with this pressure of obedience that he talks about. The hierarchy of our church the prophet and apostles are not pressuring the saints in some authoritarian way. The profit and apostles teach expound upon scriptures, there's not any thing that they do that's not done in love and genuine sincerity. They encourage us to search the scriptures to pray and to understand them for ourselves. The saints live by their own faith and testimonies that they gain through life. As they grow in faith I have found that they do more works for charity. Not once have I had my bishop condemn me or scorn me. There is no pressuring to pay tithing. The things we do for obedience is to show our love for God. For we only have one way to show our love for God and that is in the service of our fellow man and women. Anyway I have seen Johnny story before and it's quite sad. I think with Johnny's attitude of serving others he still in good standing with our Lord Jesus Christ.
Agree, through all the goodness he experienced inside the religion he states he was angry about it. Is this any different than the early members who left the church? We never claim a full monopoly- I have never heard that at all…Lots of blaming going on! Harris’ story ends at an older age when he returns to the church.
@Super Chicken there is always more enjoyment for doing the right thing. Obedience is a choice, were it not, it would not bring joy. Charity, the pure love of Christ, is an act of love, not an act of buying salvation/exaltation. The pastor has trouble giving the church a little more slack on that idea, and reads into it what he wants to hear, and only that. I would not say that, but he has never changed his mind on this in all of his videos. I wish him the best on his journey, but an open heart... and open mind will be needed to not offend. I hope he won' be the guy who tells others what they believe; ask the source.
I have found a great deal of comfort from your explanations of the atonement and other topics while going through my own faith crisis as a life long member. It is hard when your family history and culture revolves around this religion.
I really appreciate how this reaction video was done as well as the comments, it is refreshing to see a community online approach difficult and sensitive topics with true empathy. My heart goes out to Johnny and those who have wrestled and chosen similar paths, including my own family and friends. I am a Latter-day Saint with a similar background to Johnny who wrestled through my own faith crisis but ultimately came to a different conclusion, one resting my own dissonances more squarely on the choice of faith. Watching this I was struck that my experience and understanding of LDS doctrine was more in line with Pastor Jeff's description of the grace and reconciliation with Christ than with the "obedience, obedience, obedience" that Johnny describes. I have a profound respect for those who have deeply wrestled with matters of faith and the timeless questions but I am saddened when the rejection of faith is from dissonance to a false understanding of the Gospel or cultural or individual personality noise. I think this video aptly illustrates how we are looking through a glass darkly as well as the "greatest of these is charity", well done sir.
I left and when I came back I had a dream I was in the temple and my bishop was at the door welcoming me back. The temple transformed in my dream to a royal cathedral, Renaissance type of rooms. I was so excited on my way to see Heavenly Father. I'm glad I came back and actually studied this time to find out for myself if it was true. I'm grateful for my testimony of Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. I know Jesus Christ visted ancient America.
@@jesuschristlives2724 so glad you found your way back. I love the atonement and it’s power for each of us. Thank you for sharing your dream. We all receive confirmation in individual ways that let’s us know Heavenly Father is aware of us. ❤️
@@PeggyWest1127 I wonder what "way" the thousands of children dying horribly every day from malnutrition have come to terms with how the "Heavenly Father is aware of them??
I watched this awhile back, more than once because his experience touched me. Later on I shared it with a group of former Mormon who are now Christians, and was surprised by their reaction. They didn't find value in his story because he didn't turn to God in Christ. Not everyone does right away. The LORD is patient with us shouldn't we be patient in love toward others? I heard once that it can take several years for those exiting high demand religions to seek God -- most likely because they associate the church with God.
I am an LDS member, and I completely get the part about OBEDIENCE. I remember I almost walked away from the church when there were certain people trying to inflict OBEDIENCE as a way intimidate or feel like you’re not worthy of salvation if you don’t do exactly what the church leaders say. But I realized that obedience doesn’t have to be rigid. And as long as I was doing my best to live the gospel and the commandments of God, I would always find peace in the Savior. I realized that balance is key for living a happy life. And that Heavenly Father asks us to do our best.
Great video! His discussion of obedience and fear is saddening. My dad worked with protestants as a chaplain, and he always insists that members of the church don't understand grace as well as other Christians even tho it's absolutely doctrine
It's interesting how he refers to the four things you have to do to get to the top tier of heaven. Covenant language is throughout the Bible and Old Testament. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in being a covenant people and that by abiding by promises we make to God, we are offering up our hearts to Him, consecrating our actions to His purposes and becoming a holy individual, people, nation, church, etc... The path of becoming holy is what we are all about. Living a holy lifestyle enables us to return to His presence someday. We do not believe that the actual ritual saves us....that is the kind of thinking that the Israelites with blood sacrifices and then much later the Pharisees with the Law, fell victim too. Obedience, obedience, obedience... I'm don't want to be critical here. I am curious about where he is coming. Jesus said if ye love me keep my commandments. I would say the primarily focus of the church is on faith and repentance and to keep turning to Christ in our lives. We commit to keeping God's laws, and witness for Christ to show our love for Him. We're human designed to fail and learn from failing and rise above failing through the grace of Jesus. I agree 100% with your reaction and perspective on obedience.
President Russel M Nelson explained in his footnotes of conference, “It is possible to make restitution for some sins but not others. If one person abuses or assaults another, or if one takes the life of another, full restitution cannot be made. The sinner in those cases can only do so much, and a large balance is left owing. Because of the Lord’s willingness to forgive a balance due, we can come to Him regardless of how far we have strayed. When we sincerely repent, He will forgive us. Any balance owing between our sins and our ability to make full restitution can be paid only by applying the Atonement of Jesus Christ, who can make a gift of mercy. His willingness to forgive our balance due is a priceless gift.” It is SAD how many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS (usually the Utah ones) don’t get this about salvation and grace and the free gift the Lord’s forgiveness is. They seek to write their own salvation instead of letting God be the author of it. I have struggled with that too, but to do so contradicts what the Church and scriptures teach. I have only learned this from choosing to search the scriptures a lot and by the grace of God. Some day he’ll reach the lost lambs and help them understand.
“We do not believe that the actual ritual saves us” You have to be joking right? Then how come I have to get married and sealed in the temple in order to get into the celestial kingdom? That’s literally the definition of the “ritual” saving us. There’s plenty of other examples just like this that I don’t need to mention.
@@yitoproductions Joseph Smith taught that these things were symbolic of the order of Heaven. The modern prophets have also taught the same thing. It is symbolic and we do it because it is a commandment. Commandments are kept when a person’t heart is willing to do all the Lord asks of us, for Matt 7:21
I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I loved the point where you said obedience comes because of our love for Christ. This is actually the point of obedience in the LDS church as well. The hard part is that many people feel as though they have to obey to receive God's love. God loves us no matter where we are in our path. When we come to accept Christ hopefully, we willingly seek to serve him. He promises us as we have faith in Him, we can return to live with him someday. This is the first principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Harris as blogger is someone I truly admire .. the real problem I see is that his love for knowledge backfired .... He can no longer practice BLIND OBEDIENCE in the Mormon church. ❤❤❤ Truth sets us ALL free.
2nd comment, sorry. But I just wanted to say that I actually started crying in this video as you were speaking. I don't cry very often. I didn't expect to do that. I mean, people don't understand how difficult it is to go through this kind of thing, especially when most of your family and friends begin to treat you as if you're afflicted with something that they can't get too close to. Affection gets more and more distant due to this. It's like spiritual leprosy. Hearing someone just understand the pain without judgment is so rare in Mormonism. I didn't expect to cry. It's just that I felt like you were talking to me and it just felt so good for someone to just understand and not cast stones. Damn lol. No idea if that made sense.
I love the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day day saints, I'm a member for almost 30 years , and I felt peace and joy sharing this to my children , now one of them will go on mission .I experienced to attend some other Christians churches but my heart still loves to stay IN the true church for me. ...
I know this is a sensitive topic. Is there a perspective I missed in reacting to Johnny's story?
Most leave because they are
1-Offended at something they couldn’t understand (usually because of a lack of understanding the doctrine due to poor or incorrect study)
2-Don’t want to live commandments specific to this dispensation (word of wisdom, law of chastity)
3-Forget to be patient and wait on the Lord in receiving revelation in prayer.
God doesn’t lie. Those who ask receive and those who need wisdom need only seek. (James 1:5-6) If a person WANTS to know and SINCERELY asks, God will tell them what is true by the Holy Ghost (see 1 Kings 19 - still small voice)
I think you did an amazing job being polite and also explaining everything, but it's important to remember that not all of us feel like we aren't free (I don't know if you thought that, i'm just saying it in case) because he was saying it is free on the other side and you will feel so much better and alive, but I just thought I would point out I do feel free and I do feel like this is the true church. I never feel like there is just obedience and I say that because you agreed with him on that, but a thing that is very important with my bishop at least at the church I go to is that you should act for yourself and not just obey but live in it, understand it, and take action for yourself. I absolutely LOVE this series and you are the perfect person to do it! you are so very respectful and I just love the way you react to these 💕 from an lds standpoint it's so nice to see things like this that aren't us being judged. Keep it up!!
I think you pretty much got it. I appreciated how you were able to point out the differences in details between someone leaving other sects of Christianity vs the Restored Church but also realize the general similarities in the path.
You should do an equivalent video on someone having a faith struggle and then emerging on the positive side. That’s probably the best way to get the other perspectives that you really can’t get from this video.
@@kimballmanner7192 I love that idea. Getting perspectives from more than one side is always good to find truth.
@@zionmama150sounds reasonable, until emotions kick in and it’s your faith that’s tested and tried. A little bit more empathy, please
I left the church at 16. Look at other religions and different types of churches. I found that my family truly knew the truth about the book of Mormon. Later after I found Jesus Christ or better yet he found me I was too ashamed to come back. I'm glad I came back because the Lord through dreams and my Patriarchal blessing showed me that he truly loved me this whole time and I am on the right track. Thanks for reading. God bless you.
Thanks for sharing the beautiful story of finding your way back to Christ!
I also found a home in the place I left
Book Mormon pure nonsense and phoney work.
@@tesla4668 Would like to hear your thoughts on what does the Book of Mormon say about Jesus that doesn't sound right to you?
@@mormonguru5984 look at real history pretty obvious.
As a member who fell away and came back nearly twenty three years later. I've never been obedient out of fear. Nor have I been taught this principle. I obey bc I love my Heavenly Father and it's the only true thing I can give him is my Will to being obedient to his commandments. I think it's John 14 - if you love me keep my commandments. I think the thing I love most about my faith is we are taught and we teach that we believe in letting all men worship as they may. And I trust and know the Lord loves all his children. We are all just figuring out our own way. I know what I know bc of answered prayers. But I certainly never esteem myself as anything other than blessed to have the relationship with my Heavenly Father and hope that for all others. And if others don't want that.... It is their life their choice. It's going to be ok.
Did you come back for inverted pentagram five star on Slc temple?
@@tesla4668 😒really bruh
The more I watch this preacher, the more I see he is a wolf in sheep's clothing... It's not about curiosity like he says, it's about him proselyting to lds people and shaking their faith. Don't buy into this guy. He is a wolf...
@@tesla4668 lol I have zero clue to what your comment means. I came back bc I made some really stupid choices in life and realized how clueless I was to the knowledge of the gospel. So I earnestly decided before I attack my childhood faith again I best actually know it. I spent many years stating boldly that all religions were man made. That was my hill and I was locked on it. But funny I never came across your above mentioned information while pouring through the pages of the Book of Mormon. I did however come to know Jesus Christ.
Amen. I don’t understand the idea that some who fall away argue that the LDS church preaches fear of disobedience. I have been a member all my life. It’s deep in my heart. I obey because I love God. He has given everything to me, and by trying to comply with his commandments, which by the way are well spelled out in the scriptures, I have found peace and happiness.
My husband and I raised seven sons and every single one of them has left the LDS Church. We love our sons dearly and we know that each of them has to follow the path in life that they feel is right for them. We would never want to intimidate them or make them feel guilty for choosing their own way. But it is a hard thing for us, I won't lie. Especially since, at age 62, my testimony of the Church is stronger than it's ever been before and I feel like they've walked away from something wonderful and good. But, it is their choice and we hope that they will thrive and find happiness and joy in the lives they've chosen. We'll just keep loving their guts. :)
This is so profound Lisa....I've seen how alot of mormon parents hurt their children but trying to own them...i was mormon myself and left the church 5 years ago...
My heart goes out to you, I know what this is like. I assume you and your husband have been sealed in the temple. Trust the promises that go with that. God's eye will be on your children and in the right time He will reach out to shepherd them back into the fold. Keep your covenants and they will not be lost.
Your kids pretty smart leave and are educated. If you are still there bet you not familiar The Book Of Abraham. It's prove totally fake because we can readily read Egyptian today
I also have a daughter who is not a member of the Church any more. I know how you feel.
This is us to a T, our 5 did the same, we feel EXACTLY the same way, especially during these last days. 1has come back, that's a blessing, but irregardless we love ALL of them as the Savior has taught
My husband left the LDS church 10 years ago (athiest now agnostic) and I chose to stay. I have to say that I appreciated watching this video with you Pastor Jeff. It's refreshing seeing someone listen and be curious rather than argue and attack. I won't deny that in the first half of those 10 years, I found myself arguing and attacking and it was because of fear. My husband did go through an angry phase feeling like he had always been lied to and that church leaders had agendas but eventually his heart softened and he could appreciate their perspective and belief. He had two brothers leave as well and one's wife left with him (like Johnny), the other ended up divorced after 7 years or so, and we are still hanging on trying to make it work.
We have 4 kids and many of our arguments came from what to teach them or what not to teach them. I've fought to teach my kids what I believe is true, acknowledging that they will be free to believe or not. And when my oldest turned 18 and moved out last year, he left the church as well. It was hurtful but I had to process that pain and let it go. My realization over the last 10 years has been that, while I wouldn't have chosen to marry outside my faith, we can love and learn from eachother if we both have respect and acknowledge that we don't know everything. We are all individuals with our own stories. I thought he was one of the most stalwart people I knew and fell in love with that spirit and it was hard for me to see the belief dissolve. But I realize that he always just wanted to be obedient and never really questioned. It makes sense to me now that he doesn't believe because he's always had a skeptical view about spiritual things outside of religion. I, on the other hand, left the church in my teens and came back a few years later. I've had experiences that I cannot forget that have solidified my faith. I've had so many answers in so many different ways. I won't ever deny my faith in or leave this gospel and I don't plan on leaving my marriage and breaking up my family either. And so I learn. I learn patience, communication skills, how to love and live with others who believe different, how to be strong in doing things on my own. Going to church and the temple by myself was hard for a long time. Now it's just life. It's not a burden. It gives me more strength. I've learned that salvation is individual for everyone. So many people have left becuase they didn't receive answers when they expected to or thought they should in their critical moments of doubt. I get that. But I strongly believe, through answers to prayers, that God has not given up on THEM. One rejection of Him isn't the end of their story. Unlike what Johnny said, that when you leave the church and break those covenants, your family's eternal future is broken, I believe that God will give them every chance to change their minds and believe. I feel like there's a difference between BREAKING covenants with God while believing in him and genuinely losing faith and letting go. I think that those who believe but still break covenants are at more risk than those who genuinely lost a belief. You can't be breaking a commandment if you don't believe it to be a commandment. Maybe that's a scapegoat for some who break them, but only God knows their true hearts and luckily we will not be their judges.
It's ironic that as my husband has left, I've grown stronger in my faith. We are polar opposites in our beliefs but we support each other. 25 years of marriage and going strong. I won't say that some days aren't still hard but overall, it's still a good life. I'm thankful that my husband still chooses family, that he's still humble and still a peacemaker. I'm thankful that he didn't want to go live some other kind of life he felt deprived of. I see a lot of mixed faith marriages end becuase of hard hearts on both sides and the need to go live another lifestyle. That wasn't our experience. I think my kids have the benefit of seeing that you can disagree with someone and still be tolerant, kind and loving. They have both sides to learn from. I won't deny that I pray every day that they will find their way back to God, but until then, I will keep loving as Christ loved....or trying really hard to :)
I really enjoy your channel and have watched most of your videos. I LOVE seeing a pastor who truly exemplifies Christ in his dealings with others who don't believe the same as him. I live in South Carolina and we need more religions out here to work together and learn from eachother. This world has enough hate and division, we don't need it in religion. Keep up the good work!
Cheryl! I love your response!
Thank you sister for sharing
Have you ever attempted to learn about those things that your husband feels the church lied about?
My experience has been very similar to yours. You described it so well and I trust that God has a better plan then me and I have had enough profound experiences in my personal relationship with Christ that all the questions and things I don’t understand pail in comparison to the knowledge that Christ knows me and so I try and rejoice be thankful and loving and ever patient. I keep reaching for Christ and he will lead me. My reaching for Christ has brought good to my life and guidance during dark moments.
Wow! Thanks for sharing this. I can relate. This is very very similar to what I’m going through in my marriage. I feel the same way you feel and I’m glad to hear that despite your differences in belief you are still together! Thank you.
I'm a parent of six. Two of which have left the church. One quite anti (sadly) and the other more disenchanted having not felt he received a personal testimony.
It's tough. Yet, when their mom (my ex) left the church, I made it clear to them that while I would always hope for Christ and the blessings of the church to be in their lives, I am their Dad and will always love them. I don't and won't guilt them for exercising their agency.
I do pray for them and always make myself available to them as they've moved on to college and next steps in life. I will always challenge them to seek the goodness in the world (Light of Christ, if you will) and avoid the snares that we can get caught up in.
Keep going my guy 👍
I’ll be praying for you to do your research and realize that Joseph smith was obviously just a con man / cult leader. A disgusting guy who had over 30 wives including a 14 year old and multiple sister pairs as well as mother daughter pairs
We are not obedient to get the Lord's love we are obedient because we love him
So true. Because we love him dearly, we obey.
This comment is complete truth. Loving God is so beautiful and brings true and pure joy ❤️
I don’t know why anyone thinks love is deserved. This is not an LDS belief, it is something Satan teaches people to help them feel shame.
@@bigboybrock1205 the church teaches through shame techniques… also fear.
@@theelliottfamilyvids examples? Fear does not equal shame btw
I grew up Lutheran, I tried really hard to feel that it was true. I went to all my meetings. I was married at 19.
I joined the USAF for 6 years. My wife and I had a good marriage.
one day a friend said to me , "if you want to know which church to join you should ask God!"
for a few years I went to many churches investigating. I looked for classes to teach me. Funny at that time I couldn't find any. I was reading from the New Testament where Christ taught his disciples to pray. He told them to pray unto the Father in his name. It seem to leap out at me. I don't remember in all my Sunday school classes and church meetings ever being taught that. From that I started praying as I understood how to pray. Shortly after some Missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ came. I started the lessons with my wife. She didn't attend all the meetings. What they taught made sense to me. When I read the Book of Mormon it to me was reading from the Bible. It had the same feel. The missionaries asked if I wanted to be baptized. My wife was present. When I said yes , I hadn't discussed this with my wife. My wife walked out on me that night.
I felt I was doing what I felt was right. I was baptized in December of 1979. we were divorced in May 1980.
This was devastating to me...
I'm still a member. My testimony has grown stronger. I am glad of my choice. I've become a better person.
20 years after my divorce I was talking with my ex. she said she had made a mistake. We remained friends.
🤮
heartbreaking story, you joined a false religion.
Thanks for sharing your inspiring story.
Thank you for sharing
Good for you. That is an inspirational story. I'm glad to hear that you and your wife still remained friends.
There isn’t a group of people that I am more happy to be part of or associated with than the Latter-Day Saints. In general, they are the nicest, altruistic, helpful folks that strive to be their best self out of love for God and fellowmen.
Until you leave! Then when you leave you lose all of the “friends” you thought you had for DECADES! That’s not true kindness.
I left the church at 22 years oldWhen I left I party, I drink and more, experienced the world and be free, but one day I prayed and talked to him that when my life gets better I will go back to him. He didn’t wait for my life to get better from my own effort, he found me and helped me got back and be better. Now I realized I can still be free without leaving the church and without commiting sin. I still hang out with my non-member friends have fun with them I just don’t do things that I think doesn’t agree with my beliefs. For me living a free life is always your choice.
Thanks you for sharing
I am so happy to be A member of the church of Jesus christ of latter day Saint with no stress
That’s amazing, honestly
You sin whether you want to admit it or not. If you say you don’t sin you are deceived. You are deceived anyway by following Joseph’s myth
I always thought it would be easier growing up in Utah around members of my own faith. It was hard getting up at 5 am for seminary, especially a teen. I always thought it would be nice to have my seminary lessons during school. It was hard being the only member in a small school. But I was actually respected more for it from all the kids in my school. My parents were converts before I was born, so I was raised in the church. I realize now that growing up in a small town has made me a stronger person. I have my own testimony of the church. No one gave it to me, I work hard each day to keep it. It is something very dear to my heart. I've been a member through hard times and bad and the only thing that kept me going, was the Lord. I always know I can trust Him even if I can't trust anyone else. I know He loves me even when I feel dejected. I love Him always and will always be a follower of His church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
This is absolutely beautiful. Gathering Israel 💖💖💖
@@HelloThere-xx1ct yours is a hard question. If it were true, I definitely would want to know. If it was not true...hmmm I guess it would not matter if I knew or not but I probably would want to know. I would read what I could find and decide for myself like everything else. Yep yours is a hard question because I guess I can't see nonmembers perspectives very clearly. I only know what I know. That is all that matters to me. I've tried to be a good daughter and mother in Zion. I have an obedient personality. I have 3 son's, two are obedient and one is not as obedient as the other two. I let my son's decide for themselves if they wanted to go on a mission and after they moved out they decide if they go to church, etc. I'll have to ask my inactive son about your question. I love all my children soo soo much regardless what they do, I always will. I have been thinking out loud. I got off topic. Sorry.
@@HelloThere-xx1ct I agree. It does not matter the religion, it's how you live. When Jesus does come again, everyone will be allowed to change to his perfect gospel. But there will be free agency to be a part of whatever religion you choose.
I love your testimony ❤️. I know the Church is true and God always talking to me. I feel the hug from Him.
Greatful for your sharing message
You’re responses are always very respectful and insightful and you truly are a devout follower of Jesus Christ. I am a member of the LDS faith and have struggled before coming to my own strong understanding and testimony of the church and of Jesus Christ’s part in it. Here is how I see it: There are many people who are “culturally” members of the church that don’t seem to deeply understand that the church encourages personal affirmation above all else. These people seem to always be tied up on the idea that we have a prophet to guide us, and seem to believe that we have to be mindlessly subservient to the church. Of course there are sometimes local issues that can arise, but I have never once got the sense from the authorities of the church that they encourage anyone to express belief in something that they have not personally developed a testimony of. The central doctrine of the church is that yes, we are in possession of truths that nobody else has, but that it is up to each person to discover these truths for themselves. Men are fallible, church members are fallible, and even prophets are fallible, but God is not fallible. As long as people TRULY seek God, everything else will fall into place and make perfect sense. Anyone who accepts Jesus Christ in their heart will be saved, not just those who accept the LDS church here on earth. This is not just my opinion, but this is core church doctrine that ex members always seem not to understand. For anyone who wants to know what Mormons believe, it’s as simple as reading the Bible, then reading the Book of Mormon. They testify of each other and they both testify of Christ, the only difference being that the Book of Mormon was preserved by the Lord specifically for the people of our day and restores some things to us that are lost from the Bible, which is where fundamental disagreements with general protestantism stem from. Just as Christ was crucified and his apostles and prophets martyred, the church will not be accepted by everyone and will always have strong opposition.
Thank you. I couldn't agree more.
The more I watch this preacher, the more I see he is a wolf in sheep's clothing... It's not about curiosity like he says, it's about him proselyting to lds people and shaking their faith. Don't buy into this guy. He is a wolf...
I totally agree with you here.
I love your insights and agree with you 100%..
This was perfect. Thanks
I was raised in the LDS faith. I had the testimony of my parents as I grew up , but not really of my own. I left the church when I was 18. After 12 years of looking here and there for peace ...I read the BOM for myself. I asked Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ if the gospel was true and if the BOM was true. I received the truest witness of the affirmative. I know the church of Jesus Christ is true, I love the gospel. Gospel means Good News : )
This is quite common, children leaning on their parents testimonies, but at some stage we need our own testimonies ❤ so glad you found your own testimony. Testimonies can fade too when we aren’t engaging in the scriptures daily.
I studied and prayed and came to the knowledge that it wasn't what it claimed to be.
@@kevinm9246 If you dont mind me asking, what was it that you found that helped you know it wasn't true?
@@SportyPolarBear1 After years of searching, pondering, fasting, praying, serving in the temple, making the sabbath a delight, immersing myself in the word, keeping covenants, exercising all the faith I could muster in christ, repenting, enduring, going to the "fourth floor, last door" and knocking and knocking and knocking...after years of no answer I had to follow the evidence (the evidence points to mormonism not being what it claims and) and stop spinning my wheels so I could live my best life. This life is basically the same, just without any supernatural thinking. My family just thinks I'm lost forever because I don't believe...I don't even drink. Sigh.. my relatives that don't know I left still think I'm going to be a GA or something. It's weird. Johnny's story is like many people's. It is important to share. It's easy to feel alone when going through a faith transition.
This warms my heart, what an inspiring story.
I’ve been LDS for my whole life, but I’m only a teenager so that’s not saying much. Tbh, having a testimony is not something I’ve ever really struggled with, I’ve been raised very well with a good family and amazing ward, but I know lots of people who have struggled to earn their own testimonies and find it difficult to follow the commandments and the standards of the church.
That’s amazing that you received your own answer after so many years of searching!
I always want to thank you after watching your videos, but this one was especially meaningful for me. I’ve seen the thumbnail for this man’s video about leaving the church many, many times on my CZcams feed but I’ve never had the courage to watch it because it breaks my heart to hear people speak bitterly about their experiences in a faith that I cherish. I have very dear friends and family members who have left the church and I recognize that my fear of listening to their side of the story makes me avoid talking about it with them. Your call to fight criticism with curiosity resonates with me because I know if I want others to do that for me, I need to do that for them, too. I really appreciate your help in watching this and listening with empathy and compassion.
Wow, @RaiBshaw. This is a powerful comment. I'm so honored and humbled to be able to explore compassion and empathy with you... even when it seems scary.
I've also been curious about this video, but I too wasn't sure what direction Jonny Haris would go. I'm glad this was a reaction video with Pastor Jeff, so we can think about both sides of the Isle and learn from one another. 🙏❤️🕊️✝️💒
I agree with this comment whole heartedly, Thank you Jeff!
I watched it before and I was upset at first and then I saw his pattern in myself. And I didn't know what to do. And I was falling apart . But then I started praying and started reading the scriptures , and it didn't happen at once, because I should never had doubts, but I did, and I had to search and I did. And if you ask , you'll be answered . All of the sudden I started to get answers from the scriptures and videos and church history , and I realized there were others that had felt the same way, and this can be over come. And through this my faith is stronger than it ever was.
RaiBShaw
I left my LDS faith after many years of inward struggle and spiritual isolation. I felt that no one could relate or understand what I was going through and that they didn’t want to know. It has now been 9 years since that time, and still no one has asked me why. Thankyou for showing that people can care, even if they don’t ask.
I was raised in the LDS church . My ancestry goes back to the beginning of the church. My ancestors came across the plains as pioneers in the hand cart companies some came across in wagon companies, one relative came across with Brigham Young and was one of the first people to enter the Salt Lake Valley. Despite that strong religious background and all my relatives being strong members. I left the church when I was a teenager. When I was 24 I have a life crisis that brought me back. I needed God in my life. I could not cope or handle this crisis without Christ. I returned to the church, my testimony was not very strong at that time but it grew over the years. My husband did not accept the beliefs of the LDS church even though he was also born and raised in the church. Returning to the church was a process of reading and studying and having faith in something I did not know. It was many years before I was fully active. When I became fully active and received my temple covenants. My husband left the marriage. My belief and faith in the LDS church cost me my marriage. I still believe it and practice it fully. All three of my children have left the church. I respect their decisions and they respect my beliefs. I have several nieces and nephews who have left the church. I love them all and accept their decisions. Life choices are hard, we can not judge others for the choices they make. Love is the language of God and Christ, he loved the sinner and the condemned we should love everyone in our circles.
Funny lds denied polygamy when almost every pioneer family in Lds had roots in practice. Just first seven Leaders of Lds we're polygamists.
@@tesla4668 🙄
@@danreich4320 why is it so hard for people to understand this? Why does everyone insist on having others do the hard work for them? Why does anyone think that any manmade institution can bring them closer to god? No church or cult can. It has to be a personal choice. Putting your faith in any church, in stead of God, is a major fail. I just do not understand why this is so hard to fathom.
@@shdfx1 the lord Jesus Christ is the Church to me
Thank you for sharing your story and exemplary faith!
I love your breakdown of this video. A large portion of my family and friends have left the church for various reasons, so I’m constantly on a journey to understand how they feel and what they’ve experienced. One thing I want to point out, with the complete understanding that others have different experiences even within the same church, is that being raised LDS I’ve always felt that I was encouraged to be obedient to God’s laws and commandments out of respect, reverence, and gratitude for the sacrifice He made and the sacrifice His Son made. I was always taught that God has made it possible through His love and mercy for us to return to Him, and that consequently we have a responsibility to spread the Light of Christ so that others know what He has made possible. That’s a very watered down way to explain what I was taught in church but I never felt that I was being taught that we have to obey anything in order to be “saved” or reconciled.
This is exactly what I believe and have always felt as well. I have been a life long member and I have never felt any fear about obeying. I’ve always felt that I wanted to be obedient because of my love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I have always felt that this is a personal choice that I have made directly with God, not with the church or anyone else in it.
I feel sad watching these stories and I just can't say I understand what they went through. Yet, something that has hurt me in the past was that I too went through a faith crisis, I too wasn't sure what to make of the information that was given to me. When I chose to stay and remain a member of the Church, I was mocked and criticized by people who left the Church. They all say: Please don't debate, just understand where I'm coming from, and that is something that I think they should apply too. Of course I don't agree with leaving and of course they don't agree with staying, but if they ask for empathy, I ask for the same.
Thank you for sharing, Gustavo.
I was out of the church for 5 years because I thought I have a lot of things to do that eats my time compared to many outside the church who are free to hag out and do thing anytime, anywhere. I thought I will be happy outside the church but it happened the opposite. My life went worst. I felt I was not guided. I make wrong decisions that made me worst. Now, I am happy to finally be back in the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. The church has helped me raise my children how to live as a son or daughter of God despite of being imperfect. I respect Johnny Harris decision to leave the church, everyone is free to do it but for me, I would never leave because I am happy serving people through my great calling in the church. Whatever we do in the church should never be a burden but rather an opportunity to grow and to build strong relationship with God, with your family and with people inside and outside the church.
I've been an LDS from childhood even until now and here in the Philippines is hard to stood up for what you believe is true because of so many religions are also claiming that their faith is the only true church..If a person who is really looking for the right one he/she may ask God for guidance..I have many friends belonged to other beliefs but I can't find Christ teachings like what I believed in.. The teachings are perfect some members are just human beings they make mistakes but for me I have no doubt about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints..
I needed to hear this.
I left the lds church when I was 26. I was the last child to leave my parents house, mind you I'm the 3rd oldest and I have ADHD so my parents were overprotective of me.
Anyway, I left home when I was 23. I needed to know what independence was. I needed to know what life was without being told what to do all the time. I needed to find myself.
I left the church because I didn't believe in certain things they taught and also I didn't like the repetitive lessons they were teaching.
I'm 43 now and I still love God, I know he's there and I'll always believe that he's there to help me along my path and I'll see him again some say.
I go to church, it may not be the lds church, but I feel God there. I feel his warm blanket over me saying "things will be alright this coming week, hold on, I know you can do it." At the lds church, after I left home, I didn't feel that comfort and I asked why? Why am I not feeling God's presence even when I'm going to church like I'm supposed to? I tried a different church when I moved to Colorado and I felt loved and peace came over me. It was as if I was at the right place, the right time and I needed that.
Don't get me wrong, I respect and love my parents and my sisters and brother and their families. I just don't see myself as Mormon anymore.
I applaud you for your bravery to find your own path 👏 I am an active member and I respect your decision 😊 no matter what, God loves you for who YOU are. Go on your journey and live your life!
and stuff.
Hey! I think I get what you mean by not feeling Gods presence during church. It might not be that it’s just not for you but that maybe you felt like you had to be there and you had to feel His presence, just felt like mentioning it. Stay safe!
I’m LDS and have been my whole life🙌🏼 Just thought to mention💪🏼
I love this channel. I'm a faithful member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I previously found and listened to this young man's story and left him a comment of friendship. I get it!! My brothers have had the same experience he is having and I love them dearly. I have come through my own adult faith crisis and after a year of reading and searching and praying, my testimony has become stronger than ever. (Yes, I served my own mission and felt strongly that the Lord was with me throughout that time as well, but sometimes the criticisms cause us to question ourselves-it sucks! It makes you feel like everyone must think you're a bad person, you know?). I feel saddened by comments from the "ex-Mormon" folks who accuse us of brainwashing primary kids or being a cult. I am very conscientious of teaching my primary kids about doctrines of salvation and not cultural norms. I know that some of our beliefs might be misunderstood, but they have deep spiritual meaning for me and they have come to mean so much more because of the personal experiences I have had with the Holy Ghost while living them. I do NOT feel the same about the cultural fear of being disobedient, though. I follow Jesus Christ because He redeemed me and asks me to follow. I love Him. He saves me and I'm grateful. I have always felt blessed in a very personal way by my beliefs and my God. I am a member of the church who didn't feel it was necessary to leave the church in order to find my identity. I didn't feel oppressed by the Lord's teachings. There may be some cultural things I disagree with, but those are found in every group I associate with in every area of life-work, school, whatever. I don't feel that those cultural things WOULDN'T be present in any area of life-I don't expect that an organization populated by people would be perfect. But I totally understand being bugged about feeling judged by people at church and wishing it was different. I respect and admire everyone in their individual faith journeys. I truly believe that the honest in heart are going to end up at the right place when the time comes-worshiping at the Feet of Jesus. Much love to all!! May God be with us in this sin sick world❤
I love your comment. Thank you! (I have attended The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints my whole life, and I was baptized over 30 years ago when I was 8. I love doing ordinances in the temple.)
I love your comment! I feel exactly the same way, jbailey! 🤗
I try to see both the good and the bad in the church and fellow saints in a balanced way with the gift of discernment. There was a quote sometimes ago I saw that abusive people can be simultaneously the most kind, caring and helpful people. I consider that's true, because sometimes we are treated in a certain negative way, we are hurt, we know that it's wrong but we only ever knew that way to treat others. I still consider the church, to quote Jim Bennett, to be a place where the hand of the Lord can be found amidst the many failings of its leaders.
Mormons are NOT Christians. They USE Christ's name in their title simply to gain approval. These people are not Christians. Look it up!
I would love to see a video that shows the opposite side, where someone explains why they joined the church. I like to see both sides of the coin, I feel that makes one more well rounded. Especially since we everyone's path is different and their own.
Visit the "Saints Unscripted" and "Come Back Podcast" channels. They have many excellent interviews with those who have experienced these types of life choices/paths.
Typically people leave the church because things are going well enough in their life that they can stop and question what they've been taught... the opposite side of a coin is a homeless person, a drug addict, someone who's family died, and people in warzones... people living the worst moments of their lives. Unless you want this channel to just be about creeping on little children as you indoctrinate them, there typically isn't any good reasons people, in their adult years, join the church.
@@philandrews2860And what percentage of them start off with some story of their parents dying, or being from a warzone, or being homeless? Compare that with how many of them were some suburban white guy that grew up around agnostic parents, and NEVER really had to suffer pain. Or how many of them tell you that, and neglect to tell you they lived in Utah and went to church every Sunday, forgetting that going to church and praying to a God isn't growing agnostic.
People, 99% of the time" either join because of trauma and tragedy or because they were indoctrinated at a young age by their parents.
I feel like he spent his life dancing without hearing the music.
What keeps me in the LDS church is my personal relationship with my father in heavens…. I can’t ever deny he listen to my prayers…. I can feel his love and presence in my life… I love the soothing feeling in the temple…. I don’t ever want to live without any of that. So, it’s not just about what I do every day, or the doctrine I’ve learned, but the experiences with my father and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
I also understand not all of us go through the same experiences… and I’m no here to judge others. We’re all children of God.
Thanks pastor for being so respectful. I enjoyed your comments.
Thank you for your testimony
I feel like he spent his life dancing without hearing the music" I felt the same but did not have the words. Love your expression❤
First off, thanks so much for posting this video as it’s an important topic.
When he was sharing at the end all the wonders of this world that he loves - his kids, science, the beauty of the world - and then he shared that he was enjoying that outside God and a savior - my heart honestly broke. All those same things he mentioned are what remind me that there is a God and how good He is. I know that churches can let us down and church isn’t right for everybody, but God never lets us down and He will never leave us or forsake us.
Our then-30 year old son who had served a mission did the exact same thing, he left the Church and had his name removed. He had very similar feelings as Johnny Harris did, but I told him that as long as he was a good Father, a good Husband, and he provided for his family, that is most important to me and I will always be proud of him. We have a terrific relationship ten years later. His decision is between him and God.
This view of obedience is so interesting. I always thought, we obey God because we love Him. Obeying Him shows Him how much we love Him.
it's kind of funny how he said that he had a moment where he just realized "no, this isn't true" because how i really got my faith a praying and i had a moment where I realized "yes, this is true"
People join and leave for largely personal reasons based on personal witness. It's when people start appealing to outside sources as justification for their decisions that produces pain. When people leave it manifests as someone else causing them to leave or it's something in church history. When people stay it's because they're afraid of leaving or sometimes they don't have a personal witness but it's all they know so they stay.
@@mattherron173 maybe that's your thought process, so no hate, but I don't stay for any of those reasons. i love the church and the friends and family that i have there. I also have a big testimony of the church and how it is true so i'm not scared to leave, i just simply do not want to 🤷♀️ it doesn't sound very good to me because life is amazing and has never been better for me in the church :) again, not hate! this is just what I personally have 💕
God has a path for everyone. We can’t judge that path. If God tells a person something is true, it is up to them to listen and obey, regardless of what other say. 🫶🏽🙏🏽
I guess it is different for everyone. I'm sure he felt the truth of it. My convert husband always says that I grew up sheltered. I did not. I grew up in a little town of 1,000 people with strict parents. They were strict before they joined the church. The town is what sheltered me. Haha There will be a falling away from the church and it seems to be everywhere now. Satan is everywhere and makes people feel the fake things are true and true is fake.
It seems to me that if you want to learn about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, you would go to their church, have missionaries give you the discussions, etc. If you want to know how to cook, you would not read a math book. I'm not saying you are doing that but it seems you are going in a round about way to learn about the religion.
As I watched this, I kept trying to feel non-judgmental, open-minded, objective. Failed. What I really felt throughout was sadness and sorrow. There's much I could say and stories I could tell. But I think I'll just say this. The longer I live this life and learn more about my Savior, the more I believe and trust in his grace. The grace He extends to all, wherever they are in their journey back to Him. Because we are all going to be at His feet at some point. I hope this young man finds the peace he is undoubtedly searching for.
I’m obedient because I love my Saviour so much and want Him to know of my eternal gratitude to Him and to my Heavenly Father.
Great scripture explaining how myself as a latter-day saint feels about obedience: John 15:10 "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love."
Also in the Book of Mormon:
Mosiah 5:8 "And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives"
I try to obey because I love God and he has asked that I obey so I try my best to do just that. The church does not teach that you have to be perfectly obedient to obtain the highest degree of heaven. It teaches that as long as you're trying your best, the Savior's grace will get you there. It also teaches the Savior's grace will help you to obey more exactly as you seek for that help.
This is a hard video for me to watch. I also went through a rough patch after I left my ex wife where I drifted from the church and almost wanted to leave the Church but the difference is that I never stopped believing in the Doctrine of the Church but I started doubting my ability to handle or live it because of everything hard I'd been through. But I recently realized that I do still have a firm conviction and I do still want the things out of my Church experience and because of some of the things I did during my wanderings it's been a very hard, long road back. I wish him the best, I totally get it but I feel fortunate that Heavenly Father sent the ppl in my life to help me come back to the Church fully
I love this!!!!! Thank you!!!
I am a 48 year Convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint, and my beliefs into this Church is stronger than when I joined! Unlike the young man who was born into the LDS Church I was part of what the Protestant beliefs. I also experienced other religions since I exposed to others' beliefs. It is sometimes good for Latter-day Saints learn about other faiths, because they have a chance to become CONVERTS THEMSELVES INSTEAD OF BLINDLY FOLLOWING THEIR PARENTS.
I was born and raised in Thailand as a Buddhism 🙏 I converted to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint since I was early teenager😍 As a foundations of the gospel that the lord Buddha taught us to live in this world in the righteousness as do the good things and the good things return to us and he said that he leads the people who believe in him into the righteousness🙏but he said that he can not leads and help all mankind into the three kingdoms of God and he said that the person who came after him whom had a symbol as a lotus in his hands and feet which is the lord Jesus Christ 🙏 He died in the cross for whosoever believe in him and trying to keep his commandments and endure everything till the end of their life and that he promised that they will be blessed to a peaceful life posterity and happier in this life and live with him eternity after this life🙏 my English is not that good but I do understand the Gospels of the lord Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon and in the Bible in my Thai Language 🙏 as the plan of salvation and the purpose of life 🙏 as the the lord Jesus said one souls that you can bring it unto me is yourself but will be more important and more happiness that you can bring you family and your loved ❤️one 🙏
As I have been a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint for long time and I have seen many people as a members and leaders whom made the mistakes and bad bad samples so if I looked at them I may be staying around but because of the dream of Levi’s I am still around and still practicing because I know that this is an only way that my soul will be saved and can return to the kingdom of Gods is to keep his commandments and trying to grab the irons rods to do all of an ordinance in the temple and ending everything till the end🙏🙏
ขอบคุณมากครับ🙏 สวัสดีครับ
My story is similar to Harris' story. I was born and raised in the Church of Jesus Christ LDS, attended with my family, actively, for many years, then had questions and doubts and "left" the church, along with my entire family, and weren't active for many years. I attended many other churches, prayed, studied, etc., and didn't know what to do. I came across a list of specifics the true church of Jesus Christ need to have, created by a non-member, many years ago, and went through the Bible to study ea. of them. The Bible clearly teaches Jesus' church must have: prophets, apostles, seventy, priests, teachers, deacons, temples, priesthood and be directed by him personally. I found these in no other church, nor any other church or faith proclaiming to have personally seen and spoken with Jesus Christ. I prayed to know the truth and heard an audible voice speak to me that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's true church and a feeling of love, peace and knowledge come over me. At the same time, I had a sincere love for my friends and family who aren't Latter-day Saint knowing they are just as much a child of God as I am and doing their best to follow God's teachings. My entire family of 8 people left the church and every one of them have come back, except one, over ~30-years to full activity in the church. I won't be surprised to see a video with Johnny Harris in 10-20 years from now of how he regained his testimony in the church and came back, as many do. All other Christian churches are experiencing MUCH higher declines in membership than The Church of Jesus Christ, with several reporting to be completely gone by 2045-2050, in part thanks to our large missionary program and youth program. Most people leave their faith for the same reason: they don't want to follow the teachings for their church and don't believe some, or all of its teachings. This is common for many people today. Ideally, we should be getting out of religion to love one another, serve one another and not judge. If we do this, we've succeeded to get the main teachings.
Thank you dear Pastor for your very interesting, engaging and respectful videos.
I was born into the LDS Faith but we 6 kids didn't have much of a religious upbringing and very little church attendance. I met my husband in my late teens and was married at age 20. He got baptized but soon fell away, and sad to say, I followed suit. We ended up divorcing after 9 yrs together and two kids and I became totally lost in the world. Looking back, I am rent to say that those years as a single mom, less-active in the church were the most lonely and miserable of my life. I was in hospital 6 times for one thing or another over that period, so poor, and had made some really dumb choices in life.
Eventually, I started feeling a longing to get back to God and church. One day I decided to read the Book Of Mormon, as I had Never read it before, just a few verses here and there. But, something drew me to it. Surprisingly, once I started reading, I could not put the book down! I had 2 young children and my sister's family vacationing with us. I read every spare minute I got, being so fascinated by its contents. I laughed and cried and was so amazed and thrilled by the stories and events in the BoM that I read it in 4 days!
I then went into a quiet part of the house, knelt down and told Heavenly Father that I had just read the Book of Mormon. I asked Him if it were true - Moroni 10:4 (even tho I knew without a doubt it was)...and He gave me an immediate witness by the power of the Holy Ghost that I could never deny...that it was indeed true!
Dear ones, I know that if I had read the BoM when I was yet in my teens, that I would never have gone astray and made some really bad choices earlier on. I've been back at church now for more than 40 yrs, and this is the home I always want to be at. God is so good and kind and loving. I know that He was always there waiting in the wings, waiting for me to come back to the fold, as He is with all other less-active LDS and Christians of other Faiths to theirs. Blessings to all.
I sympathize largely with people who struggle growing up in the church or any church. It can be very difficult living up to a lot of the standards imposed on you, whether intentional of not, and whether or not they pertain to doctrine. That being said, even though I seem to have had a similar experience to those who leave the church, I chose to stay. I didn't go on a mission, I grew up surrounded by porn and other things I was told not to indulge in, I was told I couldn't be happy unless X, or Y happened. I was told a lot of things that didn't end up being true. I was angry with the church sometimes, a lot of times it was some leadership, a lot of the time it was BYU or the culture in Utah in general. But it was never the gospel or Jesus Christ I was angry with. Over time I improved my life and outlook on life and I'm very happy. All the anger is gone and honestly, hearing from others it just seems very petty or like a non-issue. Because the problem isn't the gospel, the problem isn't the church, the people, the culture, or BYU. There can be issues here or there, but they are never large issues, or at least they are not issues caused by the church or any thing else I mentioned. The problem isn't even yourself, it's just ideas and actions that produce pain and anger. Most of that just fades away as you focus on creating happiness, living the standards of the gospel, and loving and serving others. Once you do that, it doesn't matter what anyone else says or does to you. You're just happy. It doesn't matter if people tell me I'm wrong for not serving a mission, which doesn't happen that often by the way. It doesn't matter if your family pressures you to do anything. It doesn't matter that plenty of former mormons and antimormons had a similar experience to me and chose to leave. It doesn't matter if they or anyone else has a problem with my decisions, I know that I'm following the path God has for me.
I like this comment
I think one thing we as members of the church could do better is reassuring people of God‘s love and of his power and reaching out to them. Just because they don’t know some thing right now doesn’t mean that God won’t reveal it later. And if we reassure them of that and encourage them to live well and do good, then I think we will bring the best out in people, regardless if they stay or leave. And that’s actually the purpose of the church. We are to prepare the world for the second coming so that the earth is not completely wasted. God will not burn people up who are good. He will keep them here but they may continue into the millennium living goodness.
OK, so then you have to tell me how living the 'gospel' of the church will feed the 20,000 starving children that die every day around the world while the Church baths in money. The problem with Cults is that they do not allow you to look around and analyze anything outside of the lens the Cult leaders provide. If it is NOT those children's fault, or BYU's fault or anybody else's fault, then who is left?...God - and what kind of a person worships or even looks up to someone/thing who refuses to provide food for starving children - or starves them in the first place?
@@gerrys6265 the Church provides more funding for feeding the needy and clothing the poor than most all other Churches. This last year 1 billion was spent on efforts to educate the poor. 900 million projects were completed. Don’t tell me the Church doesn’t feed the poor, for that would be fake news. Look at the stats and look up the press conference with Elder Bednar that happened about a month ago.
@@zionmama150 For starters, if you get your information only from Church president/elders (as they would have you do), then you are sorely under-informed. 900 million projects for 1 b dollars is not much per project! Educating the poor does not give them food...what planet do you live on? And I suspect what the church deems "education' is efforts to 'educate' them in the ways of the Mormon doctrine....I have relatives that have been doing that on many mormon fronts and it ain't always on altruistic grounds on the churches part - even if it might be on the part of the individuals out in the field doing the 'educating'. Please educate yourself and do some other reading outside of the church sanctioned propaganda.
Not Mormon, and not sure how this ended up in my feed. But what I noticed is the empty hollowness behind his eyes, vs the light in his eyes as a young man. People who leave the church (not just Mormons, but my Christian fellow friends as well) often times lead hollow and empty lies while lying to themselves and others about how much happier they are. The eyes never lie. That man is miserable, and I pray that he finds his way back to Jesus.
This is a difficult subject as a parent who has had two of our children leave the church. I was raised by inactive parents but served a mission anyway. What was shocking for me being outside of Utah for the first time was how members of the church outside of Utah kind of disliked members in Utah. I came to understand it more after my mission then spending 3 more years in Texas serving in the army then going back home. The challenge with being a member in Utah is being a member because it's the social thing to do not from a true faith. My time in the military for my wife and I caused us to truly search for our faith. I saw the same in those who belonged to other Christian faiths as well. You either embraced your faith or you followed the world. I had good friends from other faiths and we stuck together to strengthen each other in our common faith in Christ. Especially when we were challenged by those who mocked our faiths. I remember a private Gormman from Florida, he was Christian and also married. We were the only ones in our platoon who did nor sleep with a certain female in our platoon and stayed faithful to our wives. We leaned on each other a lot though some of our beliefs were different. My children who have left the church have locked us and their 2 siblings out of their lives despite the olive branches we have extended. But we hear from others that they claim we have shunned them. We have a 6 year old grandson we have never met. It's painful when those crying for tolerance are anything but tolerant.
This sounds very painful, @kip. Thank you for sharing. I’m so very sorry for the pain and misrepresentation that exists in your earnest efforts to do right. I know many in the evangelical church who have experienced the very same thing.
I would like to add one thing he talked about was obedience and from what he said and the way in which it was said he does not have a clear understanding. The prophet Samual tried to teach Saul this concept "to obey is better then sacrifice." God does not want or teach blind obedience and that has never been taught in the church.
Kip, my mom was raised in the midwest and she got the persecution from both sides of her family. The non-LDS ones were telling her constantly she was going to hell for “not believing in the right Jesus” 🙄 and the Utah Mormon crowd that would come out to live in her communities were always so judgmental. There is a serious issue with the Utah culture vs the Church elsewhwre. And I think it goes back to our Protestant roots, because back in Joseph Smith day preachers would constantly teach hellfire and damnation sort of preaching. And that stuck with us here it was difficult to root it out. Overtime, I think God has given more understanding about Grace and has helped the members realize the errors of their ancestors. The church is a process of restoration and revelation until we come to the “unity of faith”.
@@zionmama150 I agree
What, a sweet/ sad story.
Both sides of our family were CATHOLlC.
In our family we had. Five kids& I, am the only CAHOLIC. NOW, in the family.
My sweet sis in law is now deseased,
and, she was raised Catholic& was
put to rest by a independent BAPTIST
Peacher.
I, feel for you.
I, may be wrong; but. I think the Biggest
reson why kids leave is, because the
DAD*S do not care about much of anything
or, they are inactive.
You, have my prayers.
As, in your Church there are dire
consequences for leaving.
May HEV. FATHER give you His
PEACE🙏🙏
I just found your account today and oh my goodness. As an ex-Mormon myself, thank you for your content. It’s been eye opening to truly be shown the different teaching between Mormonism and Christianity. I’m currently on a new faith journey in an attempt to reestablish a relationship with God. Thank you.
Mormons are Christians. We follow Jesus Christ’s teachings and try to obey his commandments . We serve him and our fellow humanitarian . That is Christianity
I left the lds church 4 years ago and became a Christian. The relationship I have with Jesus now is nothing like the one I had as a mormon. I could never go back!
@@erinhartman9591Mormons are christian. Christian’s believe in Christ and the Mormon church is literally called the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
I don’t understand why some people we are not Christians. I think those who say this really don’t understand what Christian means.
@@marleneslater On the foundational truths are different. That's why Mormons are not considered 'christians'.
I really do feel for this person. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints right now. Maybe I missed it, and someone please correct me if I simply missed it, but I don't see the reason in it's completeness of why he "left." He described his time praying and searching for an answer to his question. An entire year. On that spring morning he decided he had enough waiting. He told his wife and eventually she herself left the church.
The year of no answer must've been brutal, and so hard to feel like he didn't have an answer. But an answer to which question? The question of how to raise his son. He was unsure that the church was right for his child. That to me, and this is me being genuine, not trying to belittle his struggle, to that that sounds like he already had been struggling with his faith. It doesn't sound like he left the church because he didn't get an answer. To me, the story sounded like the struggle came a lot sooner and his faith was never solidified, which is also a tragedy.
He points out lots of his own quarrels with the church after the story of why he left, but it sounds like they came up as a result of his already made-up-mind that the church wasn't true. Ex. He talked about how he had a problem with the church because he saw them as claiming they were the only ones that had the truth, and that nobody else had it. My first question would be, how would that would be different to any other faith? and then the real point, he had seen that as a grapple for power, and not an invitation to all to come here the gospel. He flipped it around, because he had already left the church.
Can anyone help me understand? Am I simply mistaken?
Sadly, he was not raised as all LDS are. It seems his family held some strange beliefs - such as the idea that you cannot question, or that the church is all about obedience. Every person is on their own journey and needs to QUESTION constantly in order to understand. Questions in all faiths are vital - we need to always ask God for the answers we seek. Until we get those answers, it's pretty hard to make a decision. This is this man's journey and my heart goes out to him. I am LDS and I understand why he left, but I don't think he questioned as he should have or waited for the amazing answers that would have come. I wish him and his family much peace and I, as the vast majority of LDS, don't think his apostasy from this church means he can't be exalted. His family seems to have leaned heavily upon the letter of the law, rather than the spirit of law which is love and mercy. Hope he finds full happiness.
growing up in Utah, I know a lot of people were raised that same way. I know that most people in Utah when you question something they shush you. And even if that’s not meant to be that how the culture acts in Utah
i can realy releate to this. it was kinda surprising to me when I heard about the strict do not question culture that people associate with our church, my family is constantly talking about what we believe, why we believe it and other people believe and how our beleafs compare with theirs.
This!! I was also surprised by his “obedience obedience obedience”. I’m from Australia and in Sunday school we have good natured debates all the time about different subjects in church and different perspectives. We are encouraged to go home and find the answers for ourselves.
There is even a general conference talk that recently came out titled “worthiness does not mean flawlessness” and it really touched me. It’s fantastic, highly recommend reading
You never lived in Utah I guess?
@@tesla4668
My observation, too!
Now, if that lying lawyer (Oaks) would repent of his lying nonsense (i.e., before he becomes president of the Church ...yikes!), then some of us 'might' consider the LDS Church, all over again...
This is a sad, yet interesting topic. The pain and struggle of having your belief system in question by none other than yourself is scary. I've been there. I didn't remove my name from LDS church records, but my faith crisis was very real. I eventually went back to the LDS church because I felt that it made me the best version of myself and because I believe the doctrine. It opened me up to learning about other belief systems and being friends with anyone that I can.
Everybody experiences a Faith Crisis including Abraham, Noah, Moses, Joseph Smith and .... Jesus.
It has to be hard to look for answers and not find them. No hearing God answer your prayers is heart breaking. My spouse struggles with this and I can see the pain this brings. I can only say why I choose to stay and that is because the LDS faith is home and in it I have found Jesus, his love for me and for his children.
Amen Jeff! You really exemplify the love & non judgemental understanding of a follower of Jesus 😇.
While the former LDS convert was enumerating all his "I love"....I kept waiting to hear him say "I love my Savior Jesus Christ".
I agree 💯 w/ you Jeff when you stated that you "cling" to the hope of Jesus & HIS FREE gift of GRACE=God's Riches at CHRIST'S Expense.❤️
Can I just say, Jeff, you are such a lovely soul. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I love your openness, your curiosity and the way you build bridges of understanding. I've enjoyed following you and hearing about your faith & beliefs. Your goodwill & fair perspective is refreshing. May God bless you and your family.
Since the beginning of the church, many people have left it. Some have doubts about some doctrine, some obscure point in the history of some church members and so on.
My family met the missionaries in 1992, and my parents were baptized sometime later. Those missionaries were amazing and helped us believe in Jesus Christ.
I spent most of my childhood and adolescence attending church. I served as a missionary, got married in the church, and so on. I have always understood that the church is a tool, not an end in itself. I use the church as a tool to keep myself close to Christ.
In the time I have been a member of the church, I have seen many people leave it. I always tried to understand their motives, but most of them didn't understand the church and its doctrines. They blamed others for their mistakes and very often misinterpreted the Bible completely. When this happens it is very difficult for a person to realize that he is wrong. Hatred and misinterpretations of scriptures blind their minds to a point that it is better for them to leave and take the time to reflect and realize that they are wrong.
I have a friend who is a Theologian. We talk a lot about religion, and in many cases even he has misinterpretations of the scriptures. One day I tried to show him that he was misinterpreting a passage from the bible, he got mad at me. Even though he was wrong and I showed it with a lot of evidence, he couldn't accept it. People have a tendency to not accept mistakes even when they are shown to them in a crystal clear way.
Joseph Smith wasn't perfect, the early church members weren't perfect. Some doctrines are more difficult to believe than others. Even though Joseph did a great job of teaching and preparing the Latter-day Saints, not everyone could see it. I always had respect for Joseph, because my personality is very similar to his. I can perfectly understand his teachings and I haven't found anything better. My understanding has greatly expanded as a member of the church and I have come to love this organization and its members, but not everyone is like me. I often feel sadness when someone leaves the church, but we cannot take away their free will.
I believe people will one day understand that Joseph was right about many things, but until then, many will come and go out of the church.
Do you not see how you are pointing the finger at everyone else saying how they are too stubborn or "hard-hearted" to see the "truth" but you could potentially be the person not seeing the truth? This attitude is the arrogant and condescending language/communication that makes ex-Mormons feel judged by active LDS members.
Instead of worrying about who is correct, it is more important to focus on our own lives and live in a way that brings us joy and spread love to those we have the blessing of coming into contact with. Remember Ye who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.
@@straightouttaNZ it's like many of their minds are cups filled full with water. They literally are incapable of understanding because they don't have the space to accommodate that sort of information, possibilities or perspectives
Thank you for having these videos!! I'm a former LDS individual who by the grace of God retained my faith in Jesus Christ. It hurts my heart to see so many leave and become agnostic. You may be a great link so show that because one thing isn't true doesn't mean the rest is a lie too.
Yes! Same here.
Same thing here Amanda.
What a great channel! I am so glad I found you today. I was inactive in the Mormon church for 20 years and officially left Mormonism 3 years ago. I’ve been spiritually lost since deconstructing my Mormon faith and I am now trying to put it all back together. Sometimes I feel like that is not possible.
I loved what you said that we’re spiritual beings. So true. No amount of works or obedience will get me to heaven. It is through Christ’s mercy and grace that I can be saved. Jesus himself said, “if ye love me, keep my commandments.” I love Jesus. And I know he loves me despite my small efforts to show my love for him. I’m not earning God’s love. God’s love is already freely given. Thanks for your channel! You show such respect for the LDS faith. I believe we’re more alike than different.
@Wendy Bernards ... mercy and grace ... yes
I can appreciate the struggle this young man and his family went through (probably still are at some level). I’ve had a number of family members/friends in this same situation and it’s heartbreaking to feel and see the pain, the tears, and struggle they go through as they wrestle with their decision.
At the end of the day, we all have our own journey that we must navigate. That’s part of life - to learn, grow and figure that out.
As far as religions, we’ll all find out eventually whose doctrine was closest. The Savior will teach and correct those things that religions got wrong in just a short time. But I think what will be most important will be when He asks us what fruits we produced, how did we help and serve others, how did we represent His name as one of His disciples. How did we minister to others. That will be far more important.
I love what you said about obedience. One of the best ways I have heard expressing how members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints view obedience was said by Brad R. Wilcox, " We are not earning Heaven, we are learning Heaven." Obedience helps us to experience a little bit of Heaven on Earth.
Incredible video that I think LDS and non-LDS can appreciate. Loss of faith is tough, regardless of the reason. It really sounds like exhaustion from obedience was the key driver. As a non-LDS, I do not really understand the stress. My challenges with faith over the years has really been more fundamental … my own actions which drove a wedge into my relationship with God. He never went away.
Thank you for your openness to learning and sharing of my faith...it does help me learn of others and I love to hear of others experiences that are deep and showing of God's love for him and him for us
Great video! I love your caring and curious approach. I love how you listen to understand. We are complex beings and there is so much to learn from listening to one another and fighting criticism with curiosity. Well done.
I was 36 years old when I left the LDS Church for Biblical/Evangelical Christianity. I was LDS from age 19 --36 years. I Ieft over 30 years ago, and I am in my late 60s now. I had very serious theological concerns about Mormonism having a technically non-theistic god. I came to believe that the LDS notion of Jesus' identity and divinity made it impossible for the LDS version of Jesus to save me through the atonement. I was successful as an LDS Person socially and in my Church callings, and my career was involved with the LDS Church. So when I left I had to change my career path. My LDS Temple marriage also ended with my leaving and I became estranged from my children. So I moved on and was integrated into Evangelical Christianity. I have been an active Evangelical Christian for over 30 years now.
Sorry for your loss.
God bless you! Praise our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ!
I realize this video is older, so I’m not sure if anyone will even see my comment. But this video makes me very sad. This man who walked away from the Church seemed to believe that the entire religion was one of just obeying rules. How is it that he experienced my church so differently than I do? For me, it’s all about my relationship with my Savior. I see everything in life through that lens. If religion was nothing to him but a list of rules to obey, I guess I can understand why it wasn’t fulfilling to him. And also, how sad that he now has absolutely no faith in God in any way! I think God calls after us, and tugs on our heart strings. And if you don’t want to feel that anymore, you have to make the decision to cut those strings. He is talking as if he is happy now that he doesn’t have God or religion in his life. But I wonder, if that is true, why does he feel a need to make CZcams videos about leaving it and walking away? Why doesn’t he just close that door and move on with his life?
I remember watching this and having similar thoughts to the ones you shared, so it was cool to revisit it again. Thanks for sharing!
I joined at 60. No doubts no remorse. Many many blessings and amazing moments have happened.
From personal experience, when we arbitrarily put a timeline on God’s response or expectations on how He will fulfill a desired promise then we open ourselves up for doubts and disappointments.
I’m sad to see that because an answer wasn’t received in the desired timeframe all belief was summarily discarded.
God’s promises WILL be fulfilled, but in His time and His way. That is why faith (the evidence of things hoped for but not yet seen) is so important.
Yes, yes, yes! This is how I feel as well. My own hardships proved Heavenly Father has his timeline and I've been humbled when I've seen His hand work in my life many years after I first requested an answer. I have learned that waiting upon the Lord, although incredibly difficult at times, has never let me down. But I chose to wait...and for some answers I'm still waiting...but I've learned there is always an answer.
It took me 4 months of prayers, crying for my answer. I felt ‘I never said this was true’ I ran to my husband and told him. Since that day I am a Christian and I love the Bible!
Sorry for your loss.
What do you make of the terrible things that happen in the Bible?
Pastor Jeff, enjoy your channel and have seen an evolution in how you present your videos about the church I love over the last year. As a convert from Catholicism to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I'd be interested at some point if you would be willing to have a video reacting to someone who joins the LDS church rather than leaving it. It'd be an interesting balance to this video.
You went from one cult to another, congratulations. Come to Christ
I look forward to not having to be in dissonance but I cherish the times I am struggling because that is when I am held in Jesus' arms. I have found hope and peace in times of deep pain that I could not find anywhere else but through the comfort of our savior.
I remember seeing this and feeling sad. I feel from comments that his devotion and obedience came from fear and wanting to please others. I sense his doing things out of guilt rather than having a relationship with God. Jesus is my light my all in all. I feel sometimes doubt comes when some start to put “self” before God. As we have mortal desires, sometimes that comes in conflict with God’s higher ways. When we are willing to let God prevail, we love God and His ways more than our ways. I remember thinking … Lord, I invite you to walk this path with me. No doubt I knew He would and was thrilled for the invitation and then one day it hit me…”No, walk where He walks. He has invited me ‘Come Follow Me’ His path is perfect. He is all knowing.” so my thoughts changed. I wanted to walk with Him on His path. I now say, “Jesus where are you (we) walking today?” I move forward in faith and see where His path takes me… Miracles, peace, joy even in hardship. I pray God’s will for Johnny and his family.
“If I worship God for fear of hell, burn me there. If I worship God for hope of Paradise, withhold it from me. But If I worship God for HIS own sake, withhold not from my Thy glory.”
This is what too many members misunderstand. They have not been saved when they don’t get this concept. God has a plan for them. He will reach out and help them understand if they seek, knock, and ask.
That’s truly a lot of assuming on how he lived the gospel. Many of us live the gospel for the exact reasons you do. I LOVED it!! I’m happy that you’ve found so much joy & purpose in the LDS church, my family also does.
The bravery he had to go to a place of reckoning & making the biggest decisions of his life doesn’t come easy. He knew it would affect everyone around him… we all do.
I think we (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) often are talked about as believing that works save us, but I disagree. I find this a lot with how people (even active members) talk about temple ordinances almost as if it’s a ticket to get into the celestial kingdom or something you need to tick off a checklist, but there’s a lot more to it that unfortunately gets missed in those discussions. I think the books by Terryl and Fiona Givens do a fantastic job of explaining the nuance there. If someone wants to dig in deeper on that, I recommend The God Who Weeps, The Christ Who Heals, and All Things New.
Also, Elder David Bednar recently spoke at the National Press Club luncheon (you can search it on CZcams if curious) and discussed the many humanitarian efforts of the Church. He included the following statement toward the end of his remarks that I feel expresses our belief of faith and works very well.
“Faith in the Savior is a principle of action and of power. Faith is evident in our priorities and how we live. As we learn and live according to the teachings of Jesus, we are blessed with capacity, power, and strength beyond our own. Our hearts are changed. We change from the inside out and we become new creatures in Christ. To be clear, we do not believe our works save us, far from it. Only the grace of Jesus Christ can enable us to overcome the many negative influences of the world in which we live. But our faith does actuate the spiritual responsibility to work, bless, and serve. We do not seek blessings for ourselves, rather the blessings we receive enable us to serve other people more efficaciously.”
Seriously, faithful Latter Day Saints know that no amount of works or programs will ever get them to heaven.
“Saving Ordinances”. Every LDS member knows what that means. We have to DO the “saving ordinances”. It’s a works gospel.
@@Notfromhere347 Completely agree. Like the Bible teaches, "Faith without works, is dead." We would always fall short of God thought without the Savior. That's the point. The Gospel, having faith, repenting, making and keeping sacred covenants through the ordinances He's set forth, and keeping His commandments allow us to come unto Him and be reconciled unto God. This is His gospel. In other words, He is the shepherd and He is calling. It's up to us to COME UNTO HIM. But we also have the choice to NOT DO so.
@@SeanLayton While ordinances and works are critical for our salvation, ordinances and works will not get us to heaven hence the need for the Redeemer, right?
@@Tova-Barin kinda... through the ordinances the power of godliness is manifest. The way the Father has enabled us to begin to take upon ourselves the name of His son is through the ordinance of baptism. So much so that Christ himself was baptized "to fulfill all righteous". Even a perfect man, having no need to be cleansed from sin (which is what the ordinance of baptism does) was still baptized because it was a commandment of the Father for salvation. Then, through the Spirit and other ordinances we can be sanctified and changed to become more like Him.
I was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints when I was 18. Then I left when I was 20... because I made some mistakes that I felt I am not worthy anymore and shy to others around me.
When I have 2 kids at 23, I saw two sisters missionaries on a busy street, and suddenly cried to them and asked them to visit me.
I came back.... and never left! I am now 42 and my son is currently serving as missionary here in Philippines.
I have realized that when I felt I have made a mistake, or done wrong, I should not stop going to church, a hospital of my soul. We are taught that the church is not for the good people only, it's for all, saints and sinners.
I have now this strong testimony that the gospel we have is perfect. We are also reminded that the members are not, coz perfection is pending in this world, and we made mistakes. And that's the reason why I felt that I should be more focused on the faith I have, the things I have known, and those I will know yet.
I understand the brother in the video, like we, lots of us are struggling as well, like the feelings he has.... Me, personally, I have felt that scenario he is in. It's normal... that sometimes we have doubts.
Now, I am happy coz I learned to comeback, learned more, trying to have better progress, and endure with pains and trials I am facing maturely.
When there's time when we are weak, we always have the moment to repent, and we as members are always reminded to still show love and compassion, to respect others decisions and beliefs, when the time they will leave the church. We are reminded not to change our feelings to them even they have different views or religions now.... still, they are our brothers and sisters.
Loving this comment section! It was nice rewatching it with you. I had such an array of emotions watching it by myself for the first time. ❤️❤️
We all have our faith journey. I grew up Catholic. I converted to the LDS church in 1999. I believe truly the church is true. We all have to become who we are and choose what we want to believe. Its hard for me to see people leave the church. But we have to be on our faith journey and become who we will become.
We are all so uniquely different, therefore we must all find our own path in our own way and on our own timeline. While it hurts to see "one of our own" leave the flock, we don't know what the Lord's plan is for that person. Soooo - those still in the LDS church, don't judge! And those who have left the LDS church, Don't throw rocks! This topic was handled very well, Pastor Jeff. Thank You.
As an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I want to thank you for bringing this video to my attention. While I don't agree with him, feel like he hilighted some important things. Things like perspective, repentence, grace, and the problem a lot of Latter-day Saints have with being perfectionists and the anxiety that causes. Many of us have to deal with this psychological and emotional struggle and while I don't agree with his solution I can empathize at least somewhat with his pain. I have always found this church to be one that welcomes questions, but that's my perspective and experience and we all have different experiences and perspectives. That is not a bad thing and I wish this man well. Again thank you for helping me to broaden my world view.
My husband is also leaving in layers. It is interesting to hear this man's side. I wanted to listen because the pastor is very positive with how he looks into things, and I wanted to stay in a positive realm as I tried to understand where my husband is coming from. I realize I won't be able to identify with many people. My experience is different. My family was poor and not entirely embraced by the fellow ward members in our area, my childhood friends consisted of people of other faiths because the families of my faith found us unsuitable, which happens, and it wasn't until seventh grade when I got my first LDS friend. I had to ask myself if I just wanted to be accepted and that was why I still continued to attend the LDS church. I heard a lot of what "I believed" from my friends of other denominations, and I asked my mom a lot of questions, if those beliefs were true. As a child I prayed a lot. I needed help. The way LDS beliefs were presented to me, I thought they were wrong and I didn't have any desire to believe them. I was facing not attending church with my family. Through a lot of praying and asking, needing and a lot of reading the Bible as well as the Book of Mormon, and a lot of listening to and following what I felt, I found God was there. I am still a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints. I believe God answered, guided and directed me on this journey, and still does. All I want for my kids and for my husband is to find and know God, no matter what Christian religion helps them find him. curiosity not critisism.
Are you suggesting this is not faked video paid by Lds corp?
Very interested in this episode, I will be watching it later. I hope producing these videos has been worth your while... I can tell how much time and money you have invested in producing them. I have enjoyed having your outsider perspective on all this. Super educational.
www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/04/24kearon?lang=eng
I want to speak on one of the issues Johnny spoke of in his video that I haven’t read any comments on yet.
He said he has a problem that only a few million people on earth have the fullness of the truth; the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints myself, I can say Latter-day Saints believe that everyone who has lived, is living, and will live will have the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior by making and keeping covenants with Him or reject Him. All of this will be sorted out during Jesus Christ’s Second Coming on the earth. This is the reason why missionary work (or the Gathering of Israel) is so important and temples are being built so rapidly! We are preparing of Christ’s Second Coming when everyone’s work will be done on both sides of the veil (those who are living and those who are dead)!
Yeah THIS POINT is so misunderstood. Being the “only true and living Church” doesn’t mean other religions don’t have truth. Rather it means that we have authorized priesthood power from heaven. That’s it.
Only that your prophet recently said if you reject the gospel in this life you won't have a chance in the next
@@stviz87 Right, if a person knows and rejects. If they DON’T know then they will still be taught. It goes back to if a person resists the Spirit of the Lord or if they do what the Spirit of God instructs them. There are MANY people both Christian and non-Christian who will be saved in the Spirit World because they never heard or fully understood the gospel in this life.
If the Holy Spirit tells a person “read the Book of Mormon” and that person does not listen to the Spirit telling them that prompting because they are afraid of having to change if they find out it is true, then that is held against that person in the final judgement unless they repent. The gospel will be fully taught to all in the World of Spirits, and then they will fully know and fully accept or reject it. Those who are taught in this life and reject it knowing won’t be able to receive it in the next life. There’s so much more to this doctrine that cannot be explained in just one post or quote.
@@zionmama150 can you show me where this doctrine is in the book of Mormon or the Bible?
@@stviz87 D&C 138:9 as well as 1 Peter 3:20.
This story has rung a chord on several levels for me. I have a very large family that grew up very firmly rooted in Jesus Christ and the Gospel shared in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Many years later many of my siblings have chosen other paths and have other belief systems but we are still family. We love each other and hang out. We all try to respect each other's belief systems though they can conflict at times.
For me personally, I would say that my belief system has changed from the original way that I understood the doctrines taught in my faith. I have gained understanding and clarity that has helped me see sin, salvation, repentance, Christ role in my life, obedience, and commandments so differently now! Yes, I am a stronger believer more than ever in the same faith and a member of the same church but the clarity has made my belief and faith even stronger.
I feel God loves us each where we are, but we are all comfortable in different places and He let's us decide where that is for us. I do believe He knows what will bring greatest joy, and because He loves us He ultimately desires that for us. He shares that option and path but let's us decide in the end.
I see commandments as boundaries to protect because God ultimately knows the natural results and dangers to us that lie outside those boundaries. For example telling a 2 yr. old that can't swim to not go into the 9' deep pool can look harsh to the child like you're holding them back and won't let them have fun splashing like they want to. But there is the protection they do not fully comprehend yet, that a loving parent sees and wants in place for that child. 1 John 4:19, I love God because He loves me and I trust Him, thus I want to listen and follow Him.
Phew. I feel raw, hearing all these open feelings and experiences. I feel gratitude for his honesty and openness. I know we are all on a path and God loves us and he will make everything right in the end. ❤️
For now, that is enough to help me keep going ❤️
I remember watching this video when he posted it and feeling like I will never be able to be honest with others and do what he did. It hasn't been easy but as of four months ago, I'm there. Very intense. Very similiar situation. Served my mission in Salt Lake City, served in the Temple, served in the Bishopric and left at age 31... I've never been happier. What a difficult religion to walk away from.
Because it is true.
I applaud you for your bravery to find your own path 👏 I am an active member and I respect your decision 😊 no matter what, God loves you for who YOU are. Go on your journey and live your life!
@@jasoncampbell8667 read the room man.
Ignorance is bliss
Pastor McCullough, How do you interpret references to marriage in the Bible that state that husband and wife are "heirs together of the grace of life" (1 Peter 3:7), that "whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever" (Ecc. 3:14) and that "neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord" (1 Cor. 11:11). In regards to Matthew 22:23-30 Jesus was addressing Sadducees who didn't believe in a resurrection and His first response to them was they didn't know the scriptures nor the power of God. If the concept of marital bonds continuing in the afterlife hadn't been taught or suggested, why were the Sadducees asking Jesus whose wife she would be in the first place? The Bible seems to surely hint at marital bonds after this life. Would appreciate your thoughts.
I like his sincerety " it's wasn't working for me" it's sad. But I now that the Church Of Jesus Christ Of The Latter Days Saints works and It's so true!!
It "works" for you, but for many of us, it didn't work, and we had to join a totally different church to find happiness and real meaning. many of us only experienced endless misery in the LDS.
As a lifelong member who grew up in the DC Area, I have come to understand just how hostile that part of the country is toward people of faith, but we as Mormons get it from Christians and non-Christians alike 😅 there’s an amazing community of Saints in the DC Area, but also some spectacularly popular former members.
I think it is important phrase things correctly. IMO in isn't Mormons and Christians, it is member of The Church of Jesus Christ and Protestants.
Yep, my brother and his wife moved to that area. Both have since left the church. And he was a very faithful member. Satan is working hard out there.
That's a powerful story. I've now become acquainted with a number of former LDS, and have relatives and friends who have left over branches of the Restoration. Thanks for sharing this and your thoughts.
That’s what I’d like to hear more about, the different restoration branches. LDS, JW, SDA are all restoration faiths but all very different.
@@Zeett09 There's a lot of forms of "Restoration" and what I was referencing in my comment could be defined as "Joseph Smith's Restoration. That would be LDS, RLDS (now Community of Christ), Restoration Branches, Church of Jesus Christ, Church of Christ Temple Lot (Hendrickites), Church of Christ with the Elijah Message, FLDS, and others that are out there.
As to a much broader concept of "Restoration" that's quite a wide range that would take a lot of research. There's pretty good material out there on the believes of the Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists as well. And keep in mind, in the time of Joseph Smith you had a number of groups that came about, such as the Oneida group, the Shakers, and the Campbellites (that's the modern Disciples of Christ denomination, and many Christian churches, and the acapella Church of Christ). Sidney Rigdon that was a key early figure in the Latter Day Saint movement came from the Campbellites.
Campbellites are much closer to mainstream Christianity, however.
24:50 I totally relate. I left the church in 1998. Until about a year ago (2022), I still had “reactionary” reactions, which could be called C-PTSD.
I’ve been having the Holy Spirit draw me towards the BOM recently though.
I obey because I love God and I am so grateful for how he has blessed me. I am also much happier when I obey God's commandments. I have been a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints my entire life and I am grateful every day.
I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I really like the way his parents were Christlike with him, that's super cool. A big part of our theology is that there's time after death to figure everything out before we receive judgment, so parents and friends should be gracious to those leaving and also have a hope for a better future for everyone. Church history is pretty messy, and I understand why people leave most of the time. The faith is certainly peculiar and unique, and that's actually part of the reason I believe it so fervently. Honestly though, my testimony is based on spiritual experiences I've had during prayer and/or scripture study. If those stopped happening, I'm not sure what I'd do😬😬.
Mainly I just hope Johnny and Jeff are both doing great!
Thanks for acknowledging the objectively weird history of the church.
I have been a member of the church since I was 17 and never did I feel like if I don't obey God won't love me as much or that he would punish me. I am obedient because I love God and I know He loves me. I know that if I do what God tells me to is going to make my life a lot better than if I follow whatever I want to do because he loves me and knows me better than I know and love myself.
Hi Jeff, I have watched close to a dozen of your videos but I tip-toed into this one very carefully. I have a brother, niece, nephew, sister-in-law and her entire family, and a daughter, all in a similar situation of leaving the church while I stay actively engaged and believing. Particularly with my 17-year-old daughter, it is tough to watch a child's faith in God altogether dwindle to practically nothing and a parent does fear for their child's immortal soul. But for now, what we want to preserve with her is not ownership or obedience, but a loving relationship of trust and respect for each other, hoping that love will endure past it all, especially into eternity.
MORE THAN ANYTHING, no matter the religion, I (and we as a church) want to bring people to Christ. I remember on my mission, being visited by a now deceased LDS apostle, L. Tom Perry. He spent an hour of Q&A with the missionaries in Ireland where I was serving. One missionary expressed his frustration at losing an investigator who was going to get baptized after all the lessons, but then decided not to. He told the missionaries that he instead intended to recommit to his own religion. The apostle, Elder Perry, shocked me with his reply, "Isn't that marvelous? Young man, what is your mission and everyone else's here??? ......to bring individuals closer to Christ."
Yes, we do believe that we have the correct gospel, led by the Savior himself through revelation. However, with all our hearts, we, just like you, want everyone on a path towards God. I hope Johnny finds some sort of spiritual healing and finds his faith in God again, one that will make him feel whole. Because just like you, I felt emotional watching anyone with a faith crisis. I ache for my friends a family that have a lot of anxiety and doubt in their lives.....fear that could be filled if it was with faith.
You and Johnny beautifully covered a very sensitive topic, and one that hits close to home for me. I'm glad you found your way through your faith crisis. I'm happy to have found my way through some of my own, and wish the same for anyone else.
God Bless, brother.
I like your channel. I’m LDS and I enjoy hearing you talk because you articulate things I would agree with from a different angle, giving me a new way to encapsulate things I believe. It’s like hearing your favorite song but in a new arrangement that helps you really hear it again, if that makes sense. Because of the work I do, all my friends are doctors, social workers, and pastors, so it’s nice to understand a bit more about where they are all coming from as well.
He tells his story very well. Wish I could express as well. I pray he will find peace that passes all understanding. Thank you Johnny for sharing your heart. Your boys a precious.
This video was beautifully done. I very much disagree with the content and some finer points but as discussed, that's not the topic. My heart hurts for those struggling with their faith. I'm grateful for the principle of fighting criticism with curiosity. Best to you all!
As a member of the LDS faith, I have a problem with this pressure of obedience that he talks about. The hierarchy of our church the prophet and apostles are not pressuring the saints in some authoritarian way. The profit and apostles teach expound upon scriptures, there's not any thing that they do that's not done in love and genuine sincerity. They encourage us to search the scriptures to pray and to understand them for ourselves. The saints live by their own faith and testimonies that they gain through life. As they grow in faith I have found that they do more works for charity. Not once have I had my bishop condemn me or scorn me. There is no pressuring to pay tithing. The things we do for obedience is to show our love for God. For we only have one way to show our love for God and that is in the service of our fellow man and women. Anyway I have seen Johnny story before and it's quite sad. I think with Johnny's attitude of serving others he still in good standing with our Lord Jesus Christ.
Agree, through all the goodness he experienced inside the religion he states he was angry about it. Is this any different than the early members who left the church? We never claim a full monopoly- I have never heard that at all…Lots of blaming going on! Harris’ story ends at an older age when he returns to the church.
@Super Chicken there is always more enjoyment for doing the right thing. Obedience is a choice, were it not, it would not bring joy. Charity, the pure love of Christ, is an act of love, not an act of buying salvation/exaltation. The pastor has trouble giving the church a little more slack on that idea, and reads into it what he wants to hear, and only that. I would not say that, but he has never changed his mind on this in all of his videos. I wish him the best on his journey, but an open heart... and open mind will be needed to not offend. I hope he won' be the guy who tells others what they believe; ask the source.
I have found a great deal of comfort from your explanations of the atonement and other topics while going through my own faith crisis as a life long member. It is hard when your family history and culture revolves around this religion.
I really appreciate how this reaction video was done as well as the comments, it is refreshing to see a community online approach difficult and sensitive topics with true empathy. My heart goes out to Johnny and those who have wrestled and chosen similar paths, including my own family and friends. I am a Latter-day Saint with a similar background to Johnny who wrestled through my own faith crisis but ultimately came to a different conclusion, one resting my own dissonances more squarely on the choice of faith. Watching this I was struck that my experience and understanding of LDS doctrine was more in line with Pastor Jeff's description of the grace and reconciliation with Christ than with the "obedience, obedience, obedience" that Johnny describes. I have a profound respect for those who have deeply wrestled with matters of faith and the timeless questions but I am saddened when the rejection of faith is from dissonance to a false understanding of the Gospel or cultural or individual personality noise. I think this video aptly illustrates how we are looking through a glass darkly as well as the "greatest of these is charity", well done sir.
On obedience; John 14:15 if ye love me keep my commandments. I’m so sad that he and his wife left. Praying for them.
I left and when I came back I had a dream I was in the temple and my bishop was at the door welcoming me back. The temple transformed in my dream to a royal cathedral, Renaissance type of rooms. I was so excited on my way to see Heavenly Father. I'm glad I came back and actually studied this time to find out for myself if it was true. I'm grateful for my testimony of Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. I know Jesus Christ visted ancient America.
@@jesuschristlives2724 so glad you found your way back. I love the atonement and it’s power for each of us. Thank you for sharing your dream. We all receive confirmation in individual ways that let’s us know Heavenly Father is aware of us. ❤️
@@PeggyWest1127 I wonder what "way" the thousands of children dying horribly every day from malnutrition have come to terms with how the "Heavenly Father is aware of them??
I watched this awhile back, more than once because his experience touched me. Later on I shared it with a group of former Mormon who are now Christians, and was surprised by their reaction. They didn't find value in his story because he didn't turn to God in Christ. Not everyone does right away. The LORD is patient with us shouldn't we be patient in love toward others? I heard once that it can take several years for those exiting high demand religions to seek God -- most likely because they associate the church with God.
This video has strengthened my testimony of Christ and the LDS faith. So thank you
I am an LDS member, and I completely get the part about OBEDIENCE. I remember I almost walked away from the church when there were certain people trying to inflict OBEDIENCE as a way intimidate or feel like you’re not worthy of salvation if you don’t do exactly what the church leaders say. But I realized that obedience doesn’t have to be rigid. And as long as I was doing my best to live the gospel and the commandments of God, I would always find peace in the Savior. I realized that balance is key for living a happy life. And that Heavenly Father asks us to do our best.
@victorvalderrama9941 Nicely said ... if you get some time please watch the episode on Grace or Works. Thanks.
Great video! His discussion of obedience and fear is saddening. My dad worked with protestants as a chaplain, and he always insists that members of the church don't understand grace as well as other Christians even tho it's absolutely doctrine
It's interesting how he refers to the four things you have to do to get to the top tier of heaven. Covenant language is throughout the Bible and Old Testament. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in being a covenant people and that by abiding by promises we make to God, we are offering up our hearts to Him, consecrating our actions to His purposes and becoming a holy individual, people, nation, church, etc... The path of becoming holy is what we are all about. Living a holy lifestyle enables us to return to His presence someday. We do not believe that the actual ritual saves us....that is the kind of thinking that the Israelites with blood sacrifices and then much later the Pharisees with the Law, fell victim too.
Obedience, obedience, obedience... I'm don't want to be critical here. I am curious about where he is coming. Jesus said if ye love me keep my commandments. I would say the primarily focus of the church is on faith and repentance and to keep turning to Christ in our lives. We commit to keeping God's laws, and witness for Christ to show our love for Him. We're human designed to fail and learn from failing and rise above failing through the grace of Jesus. I agree 100% with your reaction and perspective on obedience.
President Russel M Nelson explained in his footnotes of conference, “It is possible to make restitution for some sins but not others. If one person abuses or assaults another, or if one takes the life of another, full restitution cannot be made. The sinner in those cases can only do so much, and a large balance is left owing. Because of the Lord’s willingness to forgive a balance due, we can come to Him regardless of how far we have strayed. When we sincerely repent, He will forgive us. Any balance owing between our sins and our ability to make full restitution can be paid only by applying the Atonement of Jesus Christ, who can make a gift of mercy. His willingness to forgive our balance due is a priceless gift.”
It is SAD how many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS (usually the Utah ones) don’t get this about salvation and grace and the free gift the Lord’s forgiveness is. They seek to write their own salvation instead of letting God be the author of it. I have struggled with that too, but to do so contradicts what the Church and scriptures teach. I have only learned this from choosing to search the scriptures a lot and by the grace of God. Some day he’ll reach the lost lambs and help them understand.
Mormons also believe special hand shakes will get them to heaven
@@stviz87 nope. The special handshakes are symbolic. Only symbolic.
“We do not believe that the actual ritual saves us”
You have to be joking right? Then how come I have to get married and sealed in the temple in order to get into the celestial kingdom? That’s literally the definition of the “ritual” saving us. There’s plenty of other examples just like this that I don’t need to mention.
@@yitoproductions Joseph Smith taught that these things were symbolic of the order of Heaven. The modern prophets have also taught the same thing. It is symbolic and we do it because it is a commandment. Commandments are kept when a person’t heart is willing to do all the Lord asks of us, for Matt 7:21
I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I loved the point where you said obedience comes because of our love for Christ. This is actually the point of obedience in the LDS church as well. The hard part is that many people feel as though they have to obey to receive God's love. God loves us no matter where we are in our path. When we come to accept Christ hopefully, we willingly seek to serve him. He promises us as we have faith in Him, we can return to live with him someday. This is the first principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Harris as blogger is someone I truly admire .. the real problem I see is that his love for knowledge backfired .... He can no longer practice BLIND OBEDIENCE in the Mormon church.
❤❤❤ Truth sets us ALL free.
I’m still in the Church and always will be. Love you Johnny.
2nd comment, sorry. But I just wanted to say that I actually started crying in this video as you were speaking. I don't cry very often. I didn't expect to do that. I mean, people don't understand how difficult it is to go through this kind of thing, especially when most of your family and friends begin to treat you as if you're afflicted with something that they can't get too close to. Affection gets more and more distant due to this. It's like spiritual leprosy. Hearing someone just understand the pain without judgment is so rare in Mormonism. I didn't expect to cry. It's just that I felt like you were talking to me and it just felt so good for someone to just understand and not cast stones. Damn lol. No idea if that made sense.
I love the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day day saints, I'm a member for almost 30 years , and I felt peace and joy sharing this to my children , now one of them will go on mission .I experienced to attend some other Christians churches but my heart still loves to stay IN the true church for me. ...