Ex-Mormon Q&A

Thank you for the questions, hope all my answers make sense (:

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[ExmoLex]

Unfortunately the ugly comments have already started because of my decision to share my political views. If you can’t share your views in a kind way and without tearing others down, I will remove your ability to comment on my channel. I really hate doing that, so please don’t go there. Thank you💕

[Zeett]

As a life long conservative in my 60’s, 2016 was a dealbreaker for me. I switched to a more compassionate liberal as my conservative friends and family unleashed so much hate filled bigotry. I had no idea they really felt that way…especially toward the LGBTQ community.

[QuinnPrice]

Thanks, Exmo Lex. With my children or anyone interested in Mormonism, my advice was and is "360 it." It's an important decision and you need the full perspective to fully understand what you're getting it. With my children, they all left but I gave them space to stay or go, but fully understanding all data points. That works with most people.

[janhankins]

One of the most difficult things I found about the Mormon church is the bigotry and misogyny of many of the members. My father was a career military man and I grew up around people of all skin colors, all religions, all sexual orientations, from different countries, etc. I don't remember learning this, but I learned that, despite some differences, people are much more alike than they are different. "Outward" things (like skin color, gender, religion, sexual orientation, etc.) are not what's important and it always seemed just childish to me to judge people on things like that without bothering to look inward into "who" (rather than "what") that person is. I could never get over the hatred and bigotry so many members of the church seem to have toward anyone that's different from them. Certainly not all members of the church are that way, but far too many of them are. And I was often on the receiving end of that bigotry, even though I'm a white American. I was "different" in that most of my friends weren't Mormons, I was dating (and married) a man who wasn't a member of the church, we didn't start having children right after we married (we never did have children and that's next to blasphemy to so many people in the church), and I pursued a higher educational degree in a male-dominated field of study. That was enough to push a lot of church members to dislike me. Being Mormon didn't influence my political beliefs at all. Contrary to most members of the church, I'm pretty liberal (and proud of it; if you want to attack me for being liberal, that's fine, just goes to prove my point about many people in the church being completely intolerant of anyone different from them) and always have been. Perhaps my liberal beliefs come from my exposure (at a very young age) to all kinds of people and finding that people are all pretty much the same--there are good people and bad people of every color, every religion, every sexual orientation, etc. I will not apologize for being liberal and if that offends you, I'm sorry.

[maddyspinks]

If you love coffee you need to come to Australia, Melbourne in particular. Our coffee culture here is huge and our coffee is considered some of the best in the world, there is a reason Starbucks failed here and it’s because it’s shit compared to what is available in any coffee here, especially in the Melbourne CBD. Plus we just have a stunningly beautiful country in general so there is plenty of beautiful things to see and do here ❤.

[LordDanieltheMan]

I believe my evolving view of the world and politics was a factor in deciding to leave Mormonism. Started to not like being pressured into having certain views on lots of social issues. Leaving religion and changing political views seem to go hand in hand.

[laurawonka-hardisty]

Also, your video was definitely not too long! Great video! You could have gone on another hour and i would have listened😂

[kurtmorris]

1 of your best videos ever Lex! politics are in line with yours. Although I'm a center-left Democrat I miss the Republicans of yester year like Ronald Reagan, John McCain, Bob Dole, Jack Kemp, George Voinovich, etc. My late Sister was a campaign coordinator for Ross Perot in 1992. I too wish we had 4 or 5 equally strong Parties, like most democracies have. I think people are tired of just voting for Coke or Pepsi. 2008 Proposition 8 fiasco, to ban Gay Marriage, in Calif. turned alot of people off out here. Both inside and outside the Church. I had already left the Church by than. Some Catholic leaders worked with the Church on passing Prop. 8. These same Catholic leaders were very upset that the Church did next to nothing to pass a Proposition, on the same ballot, that would have restricted Abortions for minors in Calif. 1 Catholic Radio host in Sacramento said "It's nice that the Mormons don't want Gay Guys in San Francisco to marry. It's kind of sad that they don't have the same determination and drive to save precious little Babies." think when you mix Politics and Religion you cheapen both.

[TypoKnig]

If your kids choose to join the LDS church, they will be more informed than you were. They won’t be shocked by secrets. That’s a good thing.

[Stittsy]

The hardest part for me when leaving the LDS church was the social aspect. I was raised in a part-member family with pioneer heritage. Served a mission, graduated from BYU, and was later "sealed" to my wife in the Temple. I grew up in California where not all your neighbors were LDS, so my LDS friends and I stuck together through our junior high and high school years. It was my wife who started to walk away from the Church first because we had a suspicion one or our children might be gay, and she took a step back and began to see how the LDS Church's doctrine and practices really hurt members of the LGBTQ+ community (and their families). Proposition 8 in California was when I started out the door. I strongly believe in the separation of Church and State, but when the Mormon and Catholic churches spent millions of dollars on that campaign, I could see the writing on the wall. I've been out of the Church for over 10 years now. It was scary at first because I was afraid I'd lose many of my member friends, but I quickly realized there's more to life than spending three to ten hours a week doing church related things. My wife, kids (all four members of the LGBTQ+ community) and myself are a lot happier now and our lives are more fulfilled since we've all left the LDS faith.

[musicalsawpetewentworth]

Well, one of my lifelong LDS friends blocked me on fb just because I suggested to him that Jesus wasn't white ! I wasn't an a$$hole about it so not sure it warranted him blocking me...
If this had happened to someone else I would have probably laughed considering how outrageous it is... But this guy was a friend - so it is a bummer...

[dsr]

I think it’s neat how you are learning German and hope that you are able to visit your brother in Germany in the near future!

[palousetrance]

Analyzing our beliefs during a loss of faith -- instead, embracing reality, flaws and all -- I developed a lot more empathy for people's situations and predicaments in light of my own, an agnostic atheist and Mormon coming to terms with my bisexuality. 😅😊 In hindsight, it was all worth it. I'm still the black sheep, but I gained so much knowledge, humility, and empathy.

[oleeb]

I think you political evolution is admirable and you’re now seeing things more clearly now that the Mormon filter has been removed from your view of politics.

[flutenanyidk]

I became rather leftist because I noticed how conservative political beliefs hurt my friends and that the conservative belief doesn't work. It just rejects change, and I want things like free healthcare and free public transportation to be accessible to all people.

[seppyq]

I left too young. I didn't have any political beliefs before leaving.

[bruscifer]

Exmo, as always, thank you for sharing. While I was investigating "Mormonism", I expressed my concerns to my Mother over a few things. I guess she had looked into it at one time. One of the things that bothered me was Polygamy. To my surprize she actually gave me a good answer. She said back in that day there were no "social" programs to help women with children and Polygamy was the answer or that problem. It was one way that a society could take care of unmarried, or widowed women at THAT time. Now, full disclosure, I can't put up with one wife, let alone 28. 😂

The other thing is, unfortunately, today anybody seeking a political office has to cater to their base if they want to win. Most conservatives are probably Christian, so they are a large group that has to be "catered" to. Lip service is you want to win.
I don't believe ANY of the past Presidents, except for probably Carter, where REALLY religious. I think Obama is probably an Atheist, and Trump somewhere like that too. Rhetoric aside. In our world at this time one has to choose based on something else.

I am an Atheist. If the Religious Right ever tried to take over and force Religion down the throats of EVERYONE, I have a fully loaded AR15 in my bedroom. I will fight them to the death if I have to.

So, as always we have to choose between the lesser of two evils. I choose conservative ideas until. I don't. Love ya to death. Did I ever tell you, you are very pretty? Oh yeah, I have. 😉🤣 YOU WILL LOVE GERMANY! GO!

[caseyjude]

I stopped hating poor people so of course the followers of jesus stopped liking me.

[donnalansberry]

Thanks for talking about politics. I, too, realized that my politics were enmeshed with Mormonism. I left many years ago and now believe in inclusion and equality. My TBM family members have been very critical of me or disconnected. Thanks for sharing.

[sethjarvis]

Keep it up - you’re doing great. Your experiences with changing political views after letting go of religion are not at all unique. Letting go of magical thinking inevitably leads to appreciating that objective reality is the only reliably safe place for your brain to live. Not always a comfortable place, but the only reliable place to park your brain while embracing “honesty is the best policy” as a virtue. And as Stephen Colbert observed, “Reality has a well known liberal bias.”