Why I Regret My Mormon Mission ft. @alyssadgrenfell

Ex Mormon YouTuber Alyssa Grenfell, opens up about her experience going to the Mormon University Brigham Young University and on her service mission for the LDS church. Here is why she ultimately regrets spending a year and a half trying to convert people to the faith.

Catch Shelise on Alyssa’s channel where they discuss soaking and other loopholes:

Find Alyssa on social media:
TikTok: / alyssadgrenfell
Instagram: / alyssadgrenfell

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Chapter Marks

00:00:00 Intro
00:05:41 How Mormonism impacted Alyssa's childhood and her personal relationships and led her to BYU
00:10:44 BYU as a symbol of Mormon culture and a goal for those outside of Utah
00:15:58 Rules at BYU that prevent students from taking tests and forming connections with other students
00:22:24 Threats of degree revocation as a control tactic to keep students within the honor code boundaries
00:25:57 The impact of BYU surveillance and the honor code on victims
00:28:10 Alyssa begins to experience dissonance with her faith and personal beliefs at BYU
00:33:58 How missionaries are viewed in Mormon culture and how it coerces LDS members to serve
00:42:03 Alyssa's personal revelation from God... that contradicts the church
00:48:10 Alyssa's first experience in the temple and how it impacted her mission
00:58:14 The implications of going through the temple and then cancelling your mission
00:59:54 The isolation of a Mormon mission
01:07:51 How the church promotes religious OCD to its missionaries
01:10:22 How Alyssa's mission affected her mental health in the field and when she came home
01:15:16 Living with a hoarder as a missionary and how the church deemed those to be adequate conditions
01:19:51 What the consequences were to raising concerns about improper housing
01:26:04 How the goal of worthiness keeps missionaries in line and in potentially harmful environments
01:28:44 Baptism quotas, avoiding certain questions and omitting the truth while trying to convert
01:32:33 When numbers get in the way of actually helping those in need
01:35:36 Why Alyssa regrets her mission
01:39:19 What to do when you meet a Mormon missionary
01:43:49 Linda, listen

Theme Song Produced and Composed by Christian Guevara

**Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.**

[alyssadgrenfell]

Thank you so much for having me on to discuss my mission and my story of leaving the church! :) This was a great conversation and I have to say, I love all the interviews on your channel. I've been a fan for a long time so it's really cool to be on your channel 🫶🫶🫶

[kerstinklenovsky]

Alyssa is a danger to the LDS church.
Her eloquence is a threat.
She has a gift of putting into words what many Mormons are experiencing and have no words for.
But once you can identify what's bothering you, these things are losing their power over you.
Alyssa, you are saving lives.

[phillisob]

I love having the missionaries come. We have ALWAYS welcomed them to make themselves at home (laundry, food, TV, unfiltered internet, conversation, games, phone calls, alone time, etc.) with the understanding from the first sentence that neither my children nor I will pray with them or discuss their "religion." Since Alyssa started her channel, I've had several (now former) missionaries leave the church and stay with us to get their feet on the ground. I feel horrible for missionaries paying to waste their lives in awful conditions all for a lie. Keep up your work and we'll try to do our small part too! The fact that 40% of missionaries are leaving the "church" within 6 months of return is incredibly encouraging to me.

[kimberlycrowley]

From an outsiders perspective it apprars that missions are not to find converts but it is to solidify the child going into adulthood to become the best version of a strict Mormon to continue the lineages participation..the converts are just a bonus...

[kentthalman]

OMG.... not only wasting two years on my mission, I wasted a year in a machine shop making money to go on a mission. This level of sacrifice is why informed consent is a must.

[whitneywilson]

If coffee is a sin, I’m driving to hell with no seatbelt on.

[elevin]

Never Mormon here. Every time I hear mission stories, I’m always glad I tried to be kind to the ones in my neighborhood.

[katwitanruna]

Liked. Shared. Commented. Rescued the algorithm from a mission.

[sylvialewis]

l find it very ironic that if missionaries break even the tiniest rule, they will not be worthy to bring people to God, but when discussing all the failings of Joseph Smith, apologists say, "Yeah, but he was just a man. God had to use an imperfect man to bring the gospel to the Earth". You can't have it both ways.😒

[AZensibleOption]

I felt so bad for these two girls a couple yrs back that were on their mission in Rochester NY who happened upon my family as we were heading into a Bad Religion concert. I use mobility aids & was parked just outside the venue bc handicap parking, so I don’t think they were expecting us to be like “sorry, but we’re here to see Bad Religion. Good luck though. And stay safe.” They then kinda got caught up in the crowd of punks & freaks before the doors opened. I will say everyone was very respectful, but they just ended up out of their element and very bright red as they navigated through the crazy.

[medusa]

Yay 2 of my favorite deconstructed YouTubers together.

[alicetwain]

The talking about serving a mission in Italy reminded me that a few weeks ago I went on a daytrip to Como from Milan to see an exhibition, and on the train there was a group of Mormon missionaries. And I was unobtrusively looking at them and pondering about their mission, and also drinking from my water bottle, and the train hit a bump, I hit the rim of the bottle on a tooth, and splashed water all over my shirt. And I just did the Italian thing letting out an explosive and quite explicit curse to god and all the saints in hell. To which the poor missionaries reacted by becoming quite brightly red.

[Dogsinnerwolf]

I knew a returned missionary writing a letter to all those he baptized, explaining why he didn't belief anymore and apologized to them for being of assistance to converting them to becoming a member. Something happened that shook his foundation with Christianity.

[tellagann]

Long time viewer here. I got a new job where I'm working with an ex young earth creationists lady. And as we were talking I asked who did your reprogramming, and she said you did and it blew my mind. Great work here on your platform! Seeing your effect in the real world

[phillisob]

Two of the most thoughtful, intelligent, and significant voices in this important space?? I'm IN! Thank you both for your courage and your advocacy. If my children grow to become kind and compassionate young adults like you two women, I'll be so grateful. ❤❤❤

[BreeLynnPopMusic]

I can't even imagine surviving university without coffee. I was 90% cappuccino all 5 years I was in Uni.

[jenniferlincoln]

I have so much respect for both of you and want to thank you for what you do. I am a trauma therapist and tell my clients when they are exploring meaning around what they have been through, since you can't change what has happened, now you have choices regarding what you will do moving forward. Both of you have made remarkable choices to tell your stories and use your platforms to provide a space for others to do the same. You're making your little corner of the world better and brighter which is how the world begins to get better and brighter. This is how real change happens. Truly beautiful!!!

[gerrard]

Thank you for saying that your LDS mission was a complete waste of time! Thank you!

[MaguireJulie]

Thanks for reaffirming my decision to raise my kids without religion.

[lolaeudy]

Thank you so much, Alyssa, for expressing how to treat Mormon Missionaries. We're all human and in need of kindness and love. I am not Mormon, but believe everybody counts, or nobody counts. I choose to treat all kinds of people well, but have enough discernment to keep myself safe.