Mormons

Recovery From Mormonism

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This past March, I visited Utah at the request of psychologist John Dehlin and the Thrive Beyond Religion non-profit movement. It was a solid opportunity for me to learn more about the LDS organization and its impact on its members. My last trip to Utah was at the request of the Ex-Mormon Foundation in 2000 after my second book, Releasing the Bonds, was published. I became deeply interested in the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). Dr. Phil (the television show host) asked me to counsel, pro bono, two 15-year FLDS runaways who did not want to marry men in their sixties or older. FLDS sticks to the original Joseph Smith polygamous teachings. I agreed to help counsel them, and the show sent them to Boston. The resulting expose motivated the Attorneys General of Utah and Arizona to investigate Warren Jeffs, the so-called prophet, who is currently in jail but still influencing his true believers. 

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Mormonism, Mental Health, And Whistleblowing With Dr. John Dehlin 

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Whistleblowers often suffer consequences for speaking out, and our guest Dr. John Dehlin knows that first-hand. A 6th generation member, he was excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) for speaking up about gay rights and the suicide problem within the LDS church and for hosting a podcast that discussed problems with LDS Church history, truth claims, etc. They didn’t like him raising those issues, but he persevered and is now helping provide support for Mormons experiencing religious faith crises.   

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Malice Found by Jury in Montana Watchtower Society Sex Abuse Case

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The huge decline in membership due to critical information on the Internet, as well as lawsuits, are forcing leadership of older established clergy organizations, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons, to try to find ways to cope. In the case of Watchtower, documents listing predators have been leaked. Also, in the case of the LDS Church, documents are being leaked and put online. Long term dedicated members are realizing that they have been systematically lied to about the actual goings, causing large scale defections. Psychologist John Dehlin was excommunicated from the Mormon Church for speaking out about a need to change their policy regarding gay rights. (He now authors the increasingly popular Mormon Stories podcast.) Amazingly, the Prophet himself–who they believe gets direct revelations from God–has recently declared that they won’t be using the name Mormon or LDS anymore!

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Children Are Harmed by Destructive Cults: Part Two

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Last week, I blogged about some ways that children are harmed physically by destructive cults, including murder, suicide, medical neglect, trafficking, corporal punishment and sexual predation. Many children that are born or raised in a group are helpless and do not have the resources to protect themselves. And very often, children are harmed psychologically and face difficulties not just during their childhood but also after leaving the group. For example, in this week’s blog we list just a few things that can cause lifelong harm if not addressed with proper counseling and resources.

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Children are Harmed by Destructive Cults – Part One

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Last week, I blogged about adults in totalistic, destructive cults who are physically still in but psychologically out and sitting on the fence. This week I wanted to blog about children who are helpless and were born or raised in a group. They do not have the resources to protect themselves. In this blog (part one of a two-part series) I focus on the physical and medical harm to children. Next week, I will discuss psychological harm to children. Both weeks, I will include some resources for addressing these problems.

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