Hello Everyone!
This page is built to share with anyone who has an interest in God and the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. My purpose is to share my own experience about how God has changed my life and lifted me up into HIS hands. You see, I used to be a member of the LDS Church. That was, until, the Good Lord carried myself and my family out of the bonds of Satan. As of today, I have Rededicated my whole life to Jesus Christ who is and always will be the ONLY one I focus on. Here is my story.
I was raised in a church called Calvary Baptist Church. I attended regularly growing up. I was always close with the Lord asking him to come into my heart tons of time as a child. I was baptized at the age of 9 as a Christian. But as a teenager, I pulled away from the church and Kinda took my own path.
When I was 18, I took interest in the Mormon church, wondering what they were all about. My soon to be husband (Jim) was Mormon already and the religion seemed so wonderful. So much more than I had at the time. We had just had our first child together and Jim seemed so happy. He had something that I had never seen in him before. And after all, if it wasn't for him becoming Mormon and changing his life, we wouldn't have gotten back together.
I received my 6 lessons and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints March 3, 1993. Looking back now, after 9 years, I see what happened here. I was ignorant to the Bible, and had never read it. I did not have a personal testimony of Jesus Christ and everything that I would ask the missionaries about, they had a verse out of the Bible to Kinda 'cover over' what I was asking. I remember being excited about being baptized because it was so much bigger than I was. For the first time, I was going to be a part of something big. And I loved the Lord, and it just felt 'right.'
We got married 3 months later and I remember being 'torn.' My heart was pulling at me, and every time I turned around, I was trying to justify these feelings. I would call my mom and my dad and cry. I wasn't positive that joining the mormon church was right, but hey. I decided to give it my all.
Throughout the years, we would go to church and get involved with the members, but my biggest complaint was that nobody was ever happy. Nobody ever had that 'joy' burning inside of them. It was always serious, and gloomy. I always wondered why? Why wasn't anyone reaching out and hugging? Instead, it was always a hand shake and reverence. Which is fine, but I wanted to shout at the top of my lungs how much I loved God.
Sometimes we would become "inactive members" because of my inner feelings. There were times where I felt it was better to stay at home than go to church at all because my roots of Christianity were pulling at my heart. But I was still Mormon. And the family values and the 'Together Forever-ness' was a really great trait of the church. I loved Family Home Evening, and the high values of the members. There were times when I would ask myself, "How can all of these people be wrong? And if THIS church ISN'T true, which one is? And how could Joseph Smith write the whole Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants by Himself? There was just no way! And who am I to say that God Himself didn't appear to this young man?" I was finding every reason under the sun to justify my beliefs.
About one year ago, I was really searching for the Lord. We had become Inactive again for about 2 1/2 years this time. We had a death in the family in 1998, and I pulled away from the Lord. I was angry and bitter. I fell apart at the seems. And so did Jim. But I realized that I needed the Lord. HE had to help me. I knew he could help me fill that empty void in my life. So I went to a church called Joshua Springs Calvary Chapel here locally. And I loved it. The Pastor prayed with me in a prayer circle and prayed that I might have guidance to be able to leave the Mormon church and bring my husband with me. (Which in all actually Kinda irritated me. Because I WAS saved and throughout the years, it was hard pressed that the "Christians" were SO judgmental.) It seemed that after I got home from church that day, Jim was not mad, but distant. I wanted to make him happy. (I Kinda felt like I betrayed him) After all, I didn't know EVERYTHING about the Mormon church. (We were encouraged NOT to do research) It had a good foundation. It was family oriented. It had everything that a good church should have. Needless to say, we went to the Mormon church the following week. This is where I decided I was for once going to give it MY ALL. I wanted to KNOW for once and for all if the church was true. (I wanted that ‘burning in my bosom’ that I never got) We went to church faithfully every week for the last 14ish months. We both had callings, Jim is a Priesthood holder. We went to the Las Vegas Temple and were sealed and took out our endowments. I just knew this was right. Because I felt the 'spirit' inside of me, and I just knew what I was doing was right. For once I wasn't praying to the Lord to help deliver me out of the church. I was praying thanking the Lord for putting me there.
But something changed. And very quickly. Even though it had been 8 years of my heart pulling at me, for this year, I was content. I was happy. I knew that the church was true.
This is where the end started to unravel. For 2 weeks, I was so depressed. I was so sad. I was hopeless. Christmas was coming, and I wanted to have a glass of wine. But even the thought of it drove me crazy. I was thinking- "How in the HECK do you allow yourself to think that way? Why do you need to have a glass of wine at Christmas? What is wrong with you?" And I was also drinking energy drinks. And because of that, I would think to myself, "If you are hooked on these, then how do you expect the Holy Spirit to dwell with you? If you have formed a habit, he will not be with you, Jennifer. Your so worthless. Cant you even stop drinking these for the Lord?" (All it was is a Red Bull) And another issue I had. I LOVE MUSIC. I mainly listen to Pop or Top 40, but every time I would put it on, I was so guilty. Because I 'should' be listening to church music. I need to be 'in the Spirit' at all times. And If I'm not, then I'm a bad person. Another issue for me was wearing the Garments. Here I am 28, and I was wearing these underwear down to my knee. I felt ugly and sometimes I would *wish* in my head that I could take them off. And because I would have those feelings, I thought to myself, "How in the world can you think that way? You are selfish and you are worthless." Because of these relentless feelings, I started to question the church. I am NOT perfect, nor will I ever be. And they teach that if you are not perfect, or at least do your best to try, then you will hold your family back from eternal progression. (Will not make it to the Celestial Kingdom- the highest level of Heaven) I just didn't want to go on. I just couldn't believe that My God would make my whole family suffer if I had shortcomings. There were other factors that played into this as well. Everyone was SO perfect, and always judging and criticizing. Me, being the perfectionist that I am went to the top. I ran. I obeyed the Word of Wisdom. I was trying to be Perfect in all sense of the meaning. I was devoting my whole life to the 'religion.' I put my side of the family on the back burner. (They are all Christians) And I decided with or without them, I was Mormon. And "Christians" just didn't understand. But one day they would. When the good Lord came, they would sure realize how wrong THEY were. Those hypocrites. Drink on Saturday, repent and go to church on Sunday. I was the one thinking I was perfect and they were all luke warm.
How Sad that I thought that way. I apologize with my whole heart to my whole family and Christians in general.
I needed someone to talk to. So I talked with my sister who mentioned some tapes at her church. I wanted them, and I wanted them NOW! Sure enough, the next day I watched, “The Mormon Dilemma,” “Joseph Smith and the Temple of Doom“, and the “Temple of the God makers.” Ok. The tapes were overwhelming. I had heard of some of the things they talked about on the tapes throughout my years of being Mormon and when asked different members of the church about them, they all had different answers. It seems that the members of the church don't even know the whole truth. (Like the Adam-God theory. Or Jesus being conceived out of Sexual relations with God the Father and the Virgin Mary.) Now, when I watched these videos, it was a Thursday afternoon when Jim was at work. These videos really made me question the "Religion" that I was in, and our beliefs. But what was to come next was NOTHING that I expected. This story is coming to an end, and here’s why.
After doing some extensive research on the church, we found out that the Temple Rituals were started by the Free Masons and we never realized hidden things like the upside down pentagrams on the "Holy Temples." It turns out that the Temple Ritual is completely surrounded by Satan himself. And I can say this because I HAVE been through the Temple.
Since then we have prayed about our decision to leave the LDS church and have come back to the Lord! We learned that the Mormon God is a different God taught by a different Gospel. And the Mormon Jesus is not the Biblical Jesus as taught by the Disciples in the Holy Scriptures. For some reason Mormons believe that the Book of Mormon is the "most correct book on earth" and that the Holy Bible has been passed down through, "Dirty Hands," as our local Elder told me 2 weeks ago. That was NOT what I EVER believed as a Mormon. I think it is VERY selfish to want to become Gods. In fact, Jesus kicked Satan out of Heaven for wanting to become God. Shouldn't that be a lesson to man? Satan promised Eve that if she ate the fruit, "ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." It was Satan's promise! And how arrogant that Man doesn't think that God did it right the first time around. Instead, they said that the church "fell away" and it was "restored" by a prophet named Joseph Smith. But in Galatians 1: [8] But though we, or an angel from heaven, PREACH ANY OTHER GOSPEL unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be ACCURSED. God did it right the first time! He sent his only begotten son to fulfill HIS will. If he didn't do it right the first time like the Mormons think, then Christ died in VAIN. What is wrong with this picture?
As a member of the church, you are considered a "Spiritual Baby," and there is always secrets. Things that you learn "Later On," when THEY feel you are ready. They don't want to feed you "meat" before the "milk." I just found out about the planet Kolab 6 months ago from my sister of all people!
Please, if you are Mormon, do some research. I'm here to talk with anyone who has ANY questions. We can pray. We can cry. We can giggle. What ever you want! I'm here!
Where are we know? Who would of thought? Here we are today loving God, and praising HIM! Not a man. Or a Church. Or a "Religion."
Since this all happened, I have rededicated my whole life to Jesus Christ, and we have mailed in our letters to the LDS church to have our names removed. (*UPDATE*- Just today I received a letter from our local Bishop and our names are in the process of being removed. But I might add that we are in “jeopardy” of losing our “eternal salvation,” as well as our children’s eternal salvation. And we are going to suffer extreme consequences.) All this for leaving a CHURCH? Wow. Now that would be a cult my friends.
It seems that after 9 years of being a 'closet Christian' the Lord saved me when he knew that he had lost me. He came in, and swept me out of the hands of Satan and used me as a tool to save my husband as well. I wasn't even asking him to save me for once, I believed that he wanted me in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Below you will find links to my most favorite sites about Mormonism. You will also see that I have linked my Exit letter to the church. I will also post some of those pictures that I was talking about. And just as soon as I receive my Ex Communication letter from the church, I will scan it and post it as well. I cant wait!
If you have any questions about the Church, don't sit there. The time has come my friend for you to do some research. Read your Bible. Not the Book of Mormon. Don't go on a feeling that you 'think' is from God. Even the Missionaries told me that Satan can answer our prayers. I'm not sure if that is true or not, but I know that he was leading me, and I was lost. But Now, I'm found. Thank you Jesus!
Check out the links at the bottom, you will be glad you did!
In Christ now and Forever,
Jennifer :-)
Some of my other Links~
Jennifers Weightloss & Success Page!
My Children of Divorce Site!
