Well, I've been reading posts from all you lovely people for a few weeks now. And I began this journey a little less than a month ago. And last night I finally read the CES letter in its entirety and I can firmly say that that was the icing on top of the cake. This morning I texted my Relief Society counselor and asked to be removed as a relief society teacher. I am leaving the YSA groups that I was a part of on facebook. This feels so liberating. My sundays are free, and there are so many possibilities now for life. I want to thank all of you guys here, you definitely helped me get out sooner than I ever would have before. I'm only 22 years old and I feel so thankful that I'm getting out now before I made any huge life decisions or gotten deeper. The church works for some people, they think it works for all people, and then there are people like us who simply don't fit the mold. Thanks everyone, for being so honest and supportive here.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2015 02:12PM by laxy.

Congratulations! I stopped going to church altogether a couple months ago. It is so nice to get an extra day to myself. I have zero regrets.

Best of luck on your journey! It seems like the people in their 20's are leaving in droves. Not good news for the future of tscc.

Congrats!I was about 8 years behind you when I left. At least I married a nevermo. Glad you made it out with so many youthful years ahead of you.

I'm glad you had the courage to face the criticism, examine it, and accept when it was right. And to act on your conclusions.

Make an honest, kind, valuable life for yourself -- without a cult controlling you. I wish you the best!

Make sure to share that cake with those around you. It would be rude to eat it all alone. Congratulations on a well baked cake.

might I add that tscc works for no one. People are just serfs for the church.

Congrats. Now you get to actually live an authentic life where your passions, desires and personal goals are all reachable without guilt, shame or control.

The future is yours....

Live, love and be happy...

Congratulations! You are free to live your life, rather than wonder what some male octogenarians think you should do to prove your obedience.

Finish college if you haven't, and a grad degree. You will need it. Your dating pool just increased exponentially! Expect people not to understand, just as you wouldn't have a few months ago... Enjoy your life and all of the new possibilities! =)

That's great - congratulations.

I would love for you to share some follow up with the fallout. You may not know it's coming, but it is and it's helpful if you are prepared.

I'm definitely expecting some love bombing. For the most part I'm just gonna leave quietly though, at least I hope.
I'm very fortunate in that my closest family members, who I thought would be TBM forever, are on their own journey (hopefully out). It's made my own transition incredibly easier. It helps that I can be open with them about how I'm feeling.
And my significant other (planning on getting married in about a year) is a nevermo who is incredibly supportive of me.
Everything has fallen in to place for me to leave and I feel very lucky.
And to think that a couple years ago I was filling out mission paperwork. I'm so glad my "testimony" started to wane.

Good for you for picking a nevermo. makes leaving way easier.

Congratulations!

Congratulations. There is nothing like finally understanding the real truth. Enjoy life and follow your passions.

Isn't it a lovely freeing feeling? You're like, "Holy, cow! I've been putting all of this pressure on myself to be perfect, like the Church tells me I need to be and here it was all a crock."

Suddenly there's no point in trying to jump through all of their hoops.

Congratulations on figuring it out young. I wish I'd stayed out when I went inactive for a time while younger.

Dodged that bullet, did you? Congrats and run like the wind!

Welcome to the fold of those who reject being sheep!

My family is basically out but we were all converts later in life. I'm the only one who did it officially. My mother is 88 years and figures it's not worth the trouble. She was written off by the local ward years ago. Widows don't seem to actually have the prestige TSCC professes.

I question my sister's departure. She Facebook's all her friends from Ricks College and old wards even though they are still TBM. She even speaks as if she admires their progressions of status in TSCC. I think she sort of fears being out officially because she still believes a lot of Bible inspired ideas like "The End of Days" doctrine. I think she fears losing Welfare benefits if there were to be a national disaster. I hate to burst her bubble that church welfare probably would give her nothing since she hasn't paid tithing for hardly any of her life. She now hangs with Evangelicals and hardly does anything with the rest of the family. I think she let's her long distance Mormon friends believe she is still TBM (maybe she is actually??) I think Mormonism sort of warped her thinking in a weird way. She really doesn't like to be Mormon because she cannot abide the chastity constraints but she may kind of still believe it and I know she misses the social connections. I just haven't figured her out yet. (thanks for letting me babble)

Glad you've got family "going your way". Happy freedom!

Not gonna lie, I am afraid of forgoing the "welfare benefits" the church can provide. I've gotten food from the bishops storehouse and even help with rent before (poor college kid). But I'd rather face the world like everyone else has to than continue lying to myself.

Even for those of us who are somewhat established, leaving the church feels like tightrope walking without a net. It is a bit scary, but most of that is fabricated.

Also, the church's help always comes with strings attached. And there is more help outside of the church than you realize.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but pushing forward in spite of the fear.

Go get 'em!

If you need help with food, check online for your community food pantry. Food is typically distributed through community organizations such as churches and schools, but no one will ask you any questions (you *might* have to give your name and the amount of people you will be feeding, but that is just to help the food pantry determine how many people they are helping.) Also you may have to bring bags or boxes to carry things in. Again, check with the distribution center.

Nowadays, many colleges are running their own food pantries.

Congratulations on getting out at such a young age! Enjoy your time off and your new, unrestricted lifestyle.

Trust me you would pay way more in tithing in your lifetime than you are getting now.

welcome to adulthood

Good job. I helps to be curious and follow your heart

Happiest story I've heard for a long time. I have to admit to a bit of jealousy. I spent two plus decades in hot ugly garments. I tortured my brain trying to make sense of absurdities. The church made me miserable and I passed that misery on to my husband and kids. Whatever cost there is in leaving, incredibly worth it. Enjoy.

Everyone should check out the audio version of the CES Letter. I have nothing to do with it, and the voice may not thrill everyone, but it is clean, clear and just a little more shocking to hear it than to read it.

Great companion to the written document. Get a red pen out and a highlighter and go to town.

Here's the link for iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/letter-to-a-ces-director/id916869444?mt=2

So happy for you that you got out so young. Best news I've heard in a week.

Life is so much better outside of that greedy cult! My only regret is not getting out sooner...

Congratulations for getting out at such an early age-- you have a whole life of freedom and peace in front of you!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2015 06:41PM by hangar18.

I am so happy for you. I left last year at this time. Basically the same story. Studied my way out in under a month. It is so great to hear your story! Thank you for sharing



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2015 08:35PM by templenamegabriel.

Congratulations!
I echo the sentiments of many here. So happy that you got out at such a young age - And truly wish that I had figured it out when I was still young!

I watched a documentary on the FLDS sect of Mormonism, I found it on YouTube. Every single thing that Warren Jeff did was similar to like pictures of the prophets in your home, pictures of temples in your homes, the best hope for woman is to bare and raise kids and do what ever the man says. When I was married I learned I did not want any kids. The only point to marriage in the LDS church is to raise spirit children. Also, for laughs read the article called 33 signs you are in a YSA ward, just google it, its supposed to be funny, but it is only too true. And, the fact that in the MORmON church (got that from somewhere) you have something wrong with you if you are not married by the age of 25.

There is a reason why now I am a feminist. Go women!! The Patriot Nurse on youtube says that nutrition and education go through the woman because they raise the children, and the woman are the ones that change a community.

That's awesome! I'm in a similar situation: I'm 20 years old and I just found out the truth a little over a month ago. It's so relieving, to say the least, and the world truly seems to open up as you learn more about the church's real history. Now my only hope is that my family will start to question at some point...

Good luck with your new, enlightened future!

where can you actually get a copy of the CES letter? It looks like it's a book rather than your average letter. So where can I find it?

I'm curious and I think DH is, too.