The Loss of Family and Community in the Post-Mormon Experience — “God Hath Not Given Us the Spirit of Fear…”[i] Despite the many things that make human beings alike, we’ve made homing in on our differences an Olympic-level sport, one that doesn’t require training, just our inherent desire to fit in, coupled with a natural aversion to uncomfortable emotions — specifically…

What we should be learning from the animal kingdom If you own cats, you might be familiar with this look on their faces. Of course, it’s easy to anthropomorphize animals and infer all kinds of human emotions in their expressions, but I think Hemingway’s face says it all, clearly and…

-poetry from Work in Progress: Dialogues and Poems I felt moved to post this. It’s from my newest publication and it seemed apropos after a particularly terrible Facebook slap-war occurred between a couple of members of the LDS Church and a non-believing friend of mine — who was a relative…

’Tis the season of folly for mixed LDS families — I grew up singing songs. Like many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, music was an integral part of our family life. I grew up hearing my father leave early, every Sunday morning, for choir practice. Sundays and one evening a week. I grew up watching…

Jeez… — I’m proud to call fellow former-Mormon and writer, Matt Ray, a friend, even though we know each other only via the ether. His article (originally posted here on Medium) was accepted in the special editorial in the Salt Lake Tribune. The article (true to SLTrib’s engaging-title generator) is called “Members…

A poem before AKATHISIA had a name — The world doesn’t care, so you must. People closest can’t see the pain, the raging nightmare that is #AKATHISIA inside you. Even if they could, they don’t want to. It’s too terrifying and the demands are too great. In case you’re wondering, yes. I think about giving up, every, single…

(LDS Multi-Level-Mormon Fetish) — It’s not a new accusation. After John Huntsman’s brother filed suit against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for defrauding him of millions (tithing) of dollars, there have been a lot of posts online that claim the LDS Church is the “ultimate Ponzi scheme,” or a pyramid scheme…

…an homage to the September Six (because it’s 9/6, ahem…) It’s a well-used, well-known trope in LDS culture for members to complain, saying that former members “leave the church, but can’t leave it alone.” My mother used to say it all the time. I recall, back when a member of…