My Ex-mormon Existential Crisis

An existential crisis is a deep and often unsettling personal experience in which an individual grapples with fundamental questions about the nature of their existence, purpose, identity, and meaning in life. It typically involves a profound sense of uncertainty and can lead to feelings of confusion, anxiety, and a reevaluation of one's beliefs and values. This crisis often arises when individuals confront the inherent existential questions that are part of the human condition.
When someone leaves Mormonism, they may be more prone to experiencing an existential crisis for several reasons:
1. Loss of Belief System: Leaving a religious community like the LDS Church, which provides a comprehensive worldview, moral framework, and sense of purpose, can leave a void in a person's life. The sudden absence of familiar beliefs and practices can lead to questioning one's place in the world.
2. Identity Reformation: Many people's identities are closely tied to their religious affiliations. Leaving Mormonism can result in a profound reevaluation of one's personal identity, values, and life goals. This can trigger a sense of confusion and disorientation.
3. Moral and Ethical Reckoning: Leaving a religion often prompts individuals to reexamine their moral and ethical values. They may need to reevaluate their beliefs about right and wrong, which can be a challenging and unsettling process.
4. Social Isolation: Leaving a religious community can also lead to social isolation, as individuals may lose connections with friends and family members who remain within the faith. The loss of a support network can exacerbate feelings of loneliness and anxiety.
5. Uncertainty About the Afterlife: Many religions, including Mormonism, offer specific beliefs about the afterlife. Leaving the faith can introduce a profound uncertainty about what happens after death, which can be deeply unsettling for some individuals.
6. Search for Meaning: After leaving a religious belief system, individuals may embark on a quest to find new sources of meaning and purpose in their lives. This search for existential meaning can be both rewarding and challenging.
It's important to note that an existential crisis, while often difficult, can also be a period of personal growth and self-discovery. Many people who go through such crises ultimately find new beliefs, values, and meaning in their lives. It can be a time of introspection and transformation, helping individuals better understand themselves and their place in the world.
Support from friends, family, or professional counseling can be helpful for those experiencing an existential crisis after leaving Mormonism or any other religion. It's a process that varies for each individual, and the journey to find new meaning and purpose can be both challenging and rewarding.
Key themes and ideas in existentialism include:
1. Existence Precedes Essence:* Existentialists argue that human beings do not have a predetermined, essential nature. Instead, they exist first and then define themselves through their choices and actions.
2. Individual Freedom and Responsibility:* Existentialism places a strong emphasis on individual freedom and personal responsibility for one's choices and their consequences.
Prominent existentialist thinkers include:
1. *Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855):* Often considered a precursor to existentialism, the Danish philosopher Kierkegaard explored themes of individual subjectivity, faith, and the leap to authentic existence. He is sometimes called the "father of existentialism."
2. *Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900):* Nietzsche questioned traditional moral values and the concept of God's existence. His ideas about the "will to power" and the Ubermensch (Overman) influenced later existentialists.
3. *Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980):* Sartre is one of the most well-known existentialist philosophers. He emphasized human freedom, existential choice, and the idea that "existence precedes essence." His works include "Being and Nothingness."
4. *Albert Camus (1913-1960):* Camus was an Algerian-born French writer and philosopher. He is known for his exploration of the absurdity of life and the concept of "the absurd." His works include "The Stranger" and "The Myth of Sisyphus."
5. *Martin Heidegger (1889-1976):* Heidegger's philosophy delves into the nature of Being, human existence, and the concept of "Dasein." He had a significant influence on existentialism and phenomenology.
6. *Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986):* A philosopher and feminist, de Beauvoir contributed to existentialist thought and is known for her work on the concept of "The Other" and issues related to women's liberation.
7. *Gabriel Marcel (1889-1973):* Marcel explored themes of faith, hope, and intersubjectivity in existentialism.
#mormonstories #mormonism #exmormon #lds #exmo #jordanpeterson #cesletter

[@wishb0ne]

This video popped into my feed just as I was scrolling mindlessly trying to find another distraction for my mind. Which is something I find myself constantly doing all of the time now. I’m currently in, and what I feel like is slowly destroying me, a 3 year disaster. After constantly looking after everyone else, I stopped looking after my whole self, and now I’m dealing the consequences of that. The stress and constant worry, along with my poor health choices during this period,constantly sitting at my mother and fathers bedside, physically looking after people in my line of work even, have come back to haunt me. I feel like such a fool for letting the last 3 years get on top of me like this because I have always looked after myself. I’m only on my early 40’s. I’m not blaming anyone else but myself. I’m a nurturer, to my own detriment. I know I will be ok, at least I hope I will be, but my cup is overflowing. It’s time to look after me now. I have come to that realisation in the past couple of weeks, but this video, cemented it in my mind. I struggled to get through this, but thank you. I needed it 😢

[@ubermormon9611]

That sounds like a lot to be dealing with. Choose a small part of yourself to look after. You will slowly be able to care for yourself more and more but there is no rush. Don’t let the “perfect” get in the way of the “good”. My video on the drama triangle might help you recognize when you are spreading yourself too thin. I have that problem too. Good luck and please check in when you need.

[@wishb0ne]

@@ubermormon9611 thank you for your lovey reply, I really appreciate it. It’s nice the be “heard”. I will definitely check out your other videos. I’ve subscribed. Thanks again. Take care of yourself, too.

[@goldentrunnell7450]

​@wishb0ne I wanted to give you a bit of encouragement. I'm quite a bit older than you and can relate to what you said in your comments. It's difficult sometimes to accept we are where we are in life. The question of what are we going to do about it doesn't seem to go away. I'm 61 now, doing things I could have or should have done a long time ago but hey, here I am! I may not be putting into words what I'm trying to say, I do however believe some of your best days could start right now if you know what I mean.

[@CLTobey]

Another beautiful episode. My soul really needed it today. I don't fear death. Maybe it's because I'm on the other side of 50 years old, so I'm watching friends and relatives leave Earth at a more rapid pace than in my younger years. It probably should make me more scared to die, but for some reason it doesn't. But I do fear living more than I used to, because this loss of faith so late in my life is freaking hard. Looking for beauty and meaning in new places helps. Voices like yours help a lot too.

[@ubermormon9611]

Thank you for the kind words. There are sources of meaning in the strangest places. Making these videos and commenting with people like you is a great source of meaning for me.

[@andrewtheawesome]

I love this. As I’m leaving, the existential questioning has actually been one of the smoothest parts of the whole transition because I was heaving them years before I ever truly questioned my faith. I think part of it was a desire to understand how others reconcile the world and view their existence without the lds or Christian framework that I was created in. But I think a bigger part (that I am still seeking to understand) is that the gospel was not doing it for me. I wasn’t finding meaning through it. I was finding existential comfort. I was finding explanations. But I was struggling to find meaning. As I have left, it has given me the space I need to figure it out for myself. There are some things I take from my faith that do bring meaning to my life. The relationships in my life are everything. It feels good to be kind to people. I love to learn. But leaving the mental framework of my youth has opened up the realm of possibilities for my search for meaning in so many complex and mundane ways that I would never have imagined within my existential framework that I was created in. Anyways I’m rambling but I love the video and your discussions and I love finding meaning in the meaninglessness!

[@DirtmopAZ]

Dude I love your creativity. Love the vibe of your episodes. Love how it engages the viewer to think. Keep it up

[@ubermormon9611]

Thank you for saying that! I make the kind of stuff that is fun for me to make:) I feel lucky to have other people who like to watch it!

[@ravenbom]

The social excommunication is hard for anyone leaving a church. But it's good to re-examine our relationships with our belief systems. Especially when you recognize there's a difference between the social constructs left by that system of belief, which are often unfair to marginalized groups and creates out-groups and a system to exclude them. Not a Mormon, just studied religions in college. But have found a closer relationship to God BY questioning and studying religions outside of (Episcopal) church I was raised in. (Which as a Native American, was something that replaced my mom's people's beliefs 100+ years ago)

[@amyjudy33]

Thank you. Thank you, thank you. I absolutely am one of the people you described as making this video for. Thank you for making it. I'm struggling to find words. So, again, thank you.

[@Dragontailwelshponies]

My parents were the epitome of hypocrisy in the church they never lived what they crammed down our throats. I left the church at 18 came back at 35 and left again at 41 I realized I felt closer to Heavenly Father when I wasn’t living man made ideals to get to heaven. Love others, repent, believe Jesus died for your sins and pray 🙏 thank god for all your given

[@zxultrviolet370]

Exactly

[@anthonymiller3869]

Brilliant episode 🙏

[@ubermormon9611]

Thank you!

[@sachamo100]

Scared, Angry, Frustrated, Anxious, Nervous, …

[@ubermormon9611]

New word; Scanstratous.

[@thuggie1]

I been through the mill with this sort of thing I even went militant atheist. I found that after a decade, I am just too much into the philosophical and spiritual to keep it up. I headed to more philosophy, meditation, and kabbalah. It seems to be working for me mentally. The biggest thing though is trying to find myself, I decided to show the real me to people even if people dont like it. have taken the mask off and all that is left is myself.

[@thuggie1]

@chriswanderer1880 but all those activations were from you in the first place. They were manifested through your will. It does not matter if there is or is not a G_d when it comes to self-improvement. The point is how we live and how we affect the world and those around us. This is blatant in Tanakh. The only person who can truly save you is you by abandoning the ego and seeing you are but a string interwoven in the rest of reality. At all points, you affect the pattern through your movement and interweaving with all other stings. What I believe is my belief I can not prove it to anyone it is personal to me. But what I do affects others and the reality around me. I would rather do that in a way that builds up than destroys, but even then, it is a choice of the indevidual thread.

[@zxultrviolet370]

I went through this, the answer is inevitably beyond ourselves, the answer is not man made religion, im orthodox christian now and i dont even feel “religious” if that makes sense, i have been through this too and I sympathize with everyone who has, im also exmormon, i hope that it goes well for everyone that goes through this, there is light at the end, if we never had light, wed never know we were in the dark

[@FearAndTrembling]

The way you describe Existentialism isn't what I know as Existentialism. It sounds like you're open to being formed and discovering things, but Existentialism as discussed by Camus and Sartre and the rest is about you deciding or determining yourself. I'm not even supposed to submit myself to reason, but choice, my choice, is all above all. I think self-discovery is a different category. Notably, most of psychology was developed after and in contrast to these guys, so modern psychologists often lean on a Platonic worldview (which is similar to Mormonism). This includes guys like Peterson and Verbeke. They would be staunchly against the Existentialism of the 1940s.

[@thelastgoonie6555]

LIFESTAR!...lol You can't just casually mention "weird stuff" at Lifestar!

[@ubermormon9611]

Ha I think people in the business call that a “teaser”.

[@krismurphy7711]

"mean as possible" = "Good" "Christian" Mormons

[@ubermormon9611]

Some of them really are brutal while defending the “church of Jesus Christ”.. Irony, man.

[@krismurphy7711]

@@ubermormon9611 Utter hypocrisy

[@krismurphy7711]

@@ubermormon9611 All they have left

[@Irvingdector]

Bro you need help.

[@RationalPotato]

become potato

[@ubermormon9611]

Wise wisdoms

[@RationalPotato]

@@ubermormon9611 im serious. Learn how to live a simple life. Forget about YOU, become a potato, and see your human flaws. Be simple and grow from the root. Empthy your mind. Be formless.