Glad to hear you deconverted from Mormonism, and that reading LessWrong helped. I admit, I expect you must have been close to tipping already? Like, I expect you didn’t read something on LessWrong that was an argument about religion, but that you saw ppl who care about truth (and were atheist) and this helped you to also care about truth enough to follow your existing doubts and walk away?
I am additionally curious how long after rereading LessWrong you decided to leave the church, or whether that’s something that had already happened.
Close To Tipping Already: Well, not until 2023 actually. There was a whole sequence of things that happened, too many to even list here. Then a couple moves. Then being homeless. Then trying to get moved closer to my kiddos. Then being homeless. Then, in 2024, trying to reconnect with my Mormon church in my new city even MORE drama happened.
Saw People: The seeing people’s actions wasn’t good people outside the church I wanted to follow. It was the behavior of people INSIDE the church I felt the desire to distance myself from, and couldn’t comprehend, and couldn’t accept. I find it unacceptable for my own people to call themselves Christian, and then not act like Christ whatsoever. I’m actually exploring the African-American Pentacostal Church down the street from me right now. Not to completely convert to their way of thinking. But I’m still somewhat Christian in my thinking, testing THEM to see if their actions match their words, and to network with good people in these times of likely USA crash. I now identify as a ‘Secular, Humanist Christian’. (Keep the Good Stuff. Ditch The Bad Stuff)
Walk Away: Walk away isn’t really the right term. in May—June of 2024 even to go back AT ALL to a Mormon church service, I had to mentally classify my own religion as ‘Art’. My quote from then is ’You can have whichever art of Jesus up on your wall you want. You can have the Mormon Jesus, coming down from heaven with Angels blowing trumpets. You can have the Catholic Jesus, the Sagrado Corazaon De Jesucristo up on your wall. You could even have Black Jesus up on your wall if you want. My understanding about God and Christ by that point was just TOTALLY DIFFERENT than all the Mormons I met and talked to, and I had to start keeping my mouth shut, since they’re nice people, and I didn’t want to mess up developing friendships. My whole thought process about existence and God had become totally incompatible with what most Mormons believe deep down. I found that I had become incompatible with them, and I didn’t know why.
How Long After Reading: It’s in the other order: Something that had already happened. Even to go back at all in 2024 I had to reclassify my own religion as ART not an absolute reality as I was taught growing up. (They can believe what they want, and I can believe what I want). It was fall 2024 the last time I attended a Mormon church. And it was in the last couple weeks here in July 2025 when I came back to LessWrong and realized WHY my psyche has become incompatible with absolute faith in anyone or anything.
Glad to hear you deconverted from Mormonism, and that reading LessWrong helped. I admit, I expect you must have been close to tipping already? Like, I expect you didn’t read something on LessWrong that was an argument about religion, but that you saw ppl who care about truth (and were atheist) and this helped you to also care about truth enough to follow your existing doubts and walk away?
I am additionally curious how long after rereading LessWrong you decided to leave the church, or whether that’s something that had already happened.
Glad To Hear:
Thanks!
Close To Tipping Already:
Well, not until 2023 actually. There was a whole sequence of things that happened, too many to even list here. Then a couple moves. Then being homeless. Then trying to get moved closer to my kiddos. Then being homeless. Then, in 2024, trying to reconnect with my Mormon church in my new city even MORE drama happened.
Saw People:
The seeing people’s actions wasn’t good people outside the church I wanted to follow. It was the behavior of people INSIDE the church I felt the desire to distance myself from, and couldn’t comprehend, and couldn’t accept. I find it unacceptable for my own people to call themselves Christian, and then not act like Christ whatsoever. I’m actually exploring the African-American Pentacostal Church down the street from me right now. Not to completely convert to their way of thinking. But I’m still somewhat Christian in my thinking, testing THEM to see if their actions match their words, and to network with good people in these times of likely USA crash. I now identify as a ‘Secular, Humanist Christian’. (Keep the Good Stuff. Ditch The Bad Stuff)
Walk Away:
Walk away isn’t really the right term. in May—June of 2024 even to go back AT ALL to a Mormon church service, I had to mentally classify my own religion as ‘Art’. My quote from then is ’You can have whichever art of Jesus up on your wall you want. You can have the Mormon Jesus, coming down from heaven with Angels blowing trumpets. You can have the Catholic Jesus, the Sagrado Corazaon De Jesucristo up on your wall. You could even have Black Jesus up on your wall if you want. My understanding about God and Christ by that point was just TOTALLY DIFFERENT than all the Mormons I met and talked to, and I had to start keeping my mouth shut, since they’re nice people, and I didn’t want to mess up developing friendships. My whole thought process about existence and God had become totally incompatible with what most Mormons believe deep down. I found that I had become incompatible with them, and I didn’t know why.
How Long After Reading:
It’s in the other order: Something that had already happened. Even to go back at all in 2024 I had to reclassify my own religion as ART not an absolute reality as I was taught growing up. (They can believe what they want, and I can believe what I want). It was fall 2024 the last time I attended a Mormon church. And it was in the last couple weeks here in July 2025 when I came back to LessWrong and realized WHY my psyche has become incompatible with absolute faith in anyone or anything.
Thanks for the reply and the questions!
Victor At Gizli