This Mormon Church SUCKED!! - Atheist Church Audit - Knightdale Latter Day Saints

[@deweydewey6714]

You are an apostate fool who seems not to even being able to think clearly and rationally as evidence at the begging of this stupid video!!! "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." Jesus Christ And if you say in the judgment day that you didn't want to because you were bored, good luck with that! You are a shallow minded fool!!!

[@markkrispin6944]

At least he is smart enough not to be brainwashed into the Mormon cult church such as yourself

[@nowthenad3286]

What is the purpose of this insulting comment? I suggest that if you are going to call someone a fool, please get your parents to check your grammar before posting your comment about someone else's stupidity.

[@JonnyHavens]

The fact that this is pinned 🤣

[@tkOzeki]

Pin of SHAME!

[@xabraxasx]

are you a mormon cultist? you sound like one.

[@christenfunk6532]

So the other 3 Sundays of the month they assign random members to do the sermon. That gets really entertaining too. Especially when they assign someone a little “odd” and they start giving the sermon and talk about the CES letter, or polygamy, or illegal activities of Joseph Smith or a million other things we were not allowed to talk abt. I’ve seen the bishop get up and ask the person giving the sermon (“talk”) politely to wrap it up and sit down. The only enjoyable thing about growing up Mormon and going to church every Sunday was the drama.

[@HeliocentricOfficial]

Dude, no way. I would pay actual money to witness something. Like that. Also had no idea it wasn’t the bishop who preached every Sunday.

[@clearstonewindows]

@@HeliocentricOfficial I "preach" once a month. Yeah we have lots of speakers. That sounded depressing. I've been to 100's and love most of them. So yeah not sure it's a fair sample size.

[@CuriousCurelom]

I’ve only seen a bishop ask a speaker to sit down a few times. The most awkward was when a woman started talking about how she relied on the atonement to not report her abuser and to forgive him instead, as required by a former bishop so the guy wouldn’t be separated from his family. Super uncomfortable, especially looking back now knowing that these cover-ups are actually quite common.

[@trafficjon400]

@@HeliocentricOfficial your video is more Entertaining than my church !!! We need more in our building and when spirit needs a replacement. your Humor comes alive, I laugh knowing you seem very honest about it all.

[@georgerafa5041]

​​@@HeliocentricOfficialI remember a testimony meeting where this weird short stocky guy went up and talked for like 12 minutes about his bodybuilding career and BB shows he had done. This MF straight up mentioned shit like "so I had to get oiled up cuz it enhances visibility and muscular definition" lmao, I shit you not. #NeverForget I was born and raised Mormon but now I'm proudly Catholic. Bro I'd love to see your thoughts on Catholocism someday

[@MCdarkeyes2]

Ex mormon here, all Testimony meetings are BORING and DEPRESSING and on top of all, people are hungry because they are fasting.

[@sundiefortner2245]

Ps. A lot of us call fast and testimony meeting “open mike sunday”

[@Kakaragi]

Has anyone ever done a testimony where they either prayed the rosary or read the Catechism of the Catholic Church to your congregation?

[@adamdewey4354]

​@@Kakaragi I've never seen that and if that happened odds are the bishop (local congregation leader) would gently put a stop to it. There are guidelines for what a given testimony should be but most people just do their own thing. It does often end up being "story-time" for 45-60 minutes.

[@daviddavenport9350]

@@sundiefortner2245 What? No karaoaki?

[@jlhistory]

@@Kakaragino. I’m a Mormon who Is looking into joining Catholicism or orthodoxy or high church Protestantism. People convert to Mormonism for a reason. In my ward there are tons of people who converted from Catholicism including my own father and grandmother. But to me I feel like Christianity requires asceticism so I want to go to apostolic Christianity.

[@mhutchlv]

The Mormon church saves a lot of money by using the same interior designer that does all of the DMVs.

[@clearstonewindows]

haha. member of the church of Jesus Christ here and that is funny

[@DodgyDaveGTX]

Even AA meetings at least get stained-glass windows 😅

[@certainlyitis]

"You go there, you're sad, you're not allowed to do things, you go home." SPOT ON! Saturday night anxiety was a very real thing for me when I was in the church, and Mondays were my favorite day of the week - it being the furthest away from the next Sunday.

[@jenilee8643]

They don’t want to be there and they don’t like each other! You nailed it! If it’s not this kind of low key cry for help, it’s full on judgement and fear mongering. They suck the life out of the very communities they are claiming to be a part of. That’s part of why I left. That and well, realizing that it’s not true.

[@janalynelzinga3970]

I'm an exmo and have been out for a while... but based on what I've heard from others, the Mormon Church is a shell of what it was in the 80s and 90s when I was growing up. They've basically defunded and dismantled all of the social opportunities that used to bring the people in a ward together and make them more like a family. They stamp out any attempts to inject vibrancy or originality, so everyone hears the same lessons and sermons over and over and over. Instead of making membership something to enjoy and something that brings good into your life, it is something to endure until you die. The sentiment you noticed, of "everything sucks but at least I have God," could be their current motto. Or more like the leaders are thinking, "Yeah, we sucked the life out of everything, and it sucks now, but you know (cuz we told you) that you'll be separated from everyone you love after you die if you leave, so just be happy about the afterlife you can look forward to." The Mormon church is bleeding young members who haven't been in long enough to have the fear of leaving take deep enough root and are seeing no value in staying.

[@carolyearsley]

As an ExMo who left in the earlier first wave, starting in the mid to late 90s to early 2000s, I have to say that it is wonderful seeing all of the young 20s and early 30s members leaving now, and leading the way.

[@SilentThundersnow]

I always say 'Families Can Be Together Forever**' **IF....................😂 I want that bumper sticker! Lol **IF.... is the long list of facades you must wear, including giving 10% of your income to the $250 billion rich church while you go hungry, and obedience to the leaders and all the rules... All while you do without milk and heat. (And get up at 5am to drive your teen kids 20 miles every morning to seminary) etc etc etc

[@nowthenad3286]

@janalynelzinga3970 I am an active member of the church. Most of the exmo comments are just incredibly biased viewpoints that they like to express because it helps them to feel justified in their decision to leave. It seems unnecessary to me but I suspect that a small doubt remains about their decision to leave, and having someone remind them, or reinforce for them, why they left is very satisfying. Your comment is different. I wish the church leadership could read what you have written. It is right on the money. It is amazing to me how vehemently the rank and file will fight against any kind of challenging gospel discussion. I am a fully committed member who has sent 4 children on missions, who has always fulfilled callings with diligence, who believes the core claims of Mormonism, and yet by insisting on expressing my views in church lessons, I am the subject of a witch hunt. They attempt to alienate me as much as they possibly can. All this because I am prepared to say that I disagree with "the brethren” on those occasions when I do. They would rather that church were a ritualistic display of loyalty and nothing else.

[@barbaralael5092]

Nice analogy. I feel free on the "outside",! I sing and I dance at cowboy bars. I have tons of real friends who would do anything for me! I'm married to a kind atheist who is the best "Christian" I've ever met. Life is good. If he hears gossip about some unfortunate soul he says... "Now what can we do for that person!!!" That's not what I heard in the LDS Church!

[@georgerafa5041]

Those things that made Mormonism vibrant were the more overtly culty practices and in their neverending desperation for worldwide recognition, they've been happy to sellout their prior doctrines for critical acclaim. And amen on your final point. I lost faith in Mormonism around age 27 and was searching for awhile (just turned 34). Finally found my home in the universal and ancient truths of the Catholic Church this Easter.

[@renegade_of_funk]

Nothing beats open mic night during Fast and Testimony meeting when shit gets weird. I could tell some stories about a few occasions where anyone has access to the mic and you get some looney-loons in there…it helps to offset the duldramatic, monotony of the meeting and general membership with their storimonies and gratimonies.

[@alexcarruth5193]

We always called it live and uncensored.

[@georgerafa5041]

Storimonies lmao. My fav was this awkward weirdo that got up there and talked about his bodybuilding career and his successes in the BB show world. This MFer really talked about getting oiled up to increase muscular definition in front of the whole ward, I shit you not. But the classic bitter spinster virtue signalling hard or DV victims trying to pretend they were happy was also a neverending source of cringe

[@huffpappy]

As an ex-Mormon, I can tell you that the Fast and Testimony meeting you attended is the same depressing, soul crushing experience no matter which ward you go to. Usually it's the mothers with a couple of kids who stand up there and say how much they love the Lord, that they know the church is true, that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God, and they love their husbands all the while weeping like they were giving a eulogy for their best friend. The other highlight is when you have a very young child "giving their testimony" by way of whispers from mom or dad in the ear. That is an excruciating experience, and since Mormon women are full time baby incubators, there's usually no problem hearing from a couple of these three year old parrots every Fast and testimony meeting. The real kicker is when the closing hymn is "There is Sunshine in My Soul Today", which is this upbeat, happy song that contrasts with all the tragedy, sadness, and tears that have just been witnessed.

[@rodneyjamesmcguire]

I concur, as a fellow ex-mo

[@FourofSix]

And also as an exmo I can add…you get to pay %10 and give up coffee alcohol and where the special underwear 🥴 just avoid it all together!

[@HiddenBrilliance]

This. My childhood.

[@SteveSmith-os5bs]

Having been raised in church. I usually dreaded fast and testimony meeting.

[@Kristin-ir4vi]

Any exmo who contemplates returning to the TSCTT often inadvertently finds themselves in the pew on f&t meeting. This is absolutely intervention from the still small voice that started SCREAMING "Get the hell out of these fraudsters' financial downline!"

[@brandonfblair]

Ex-Mormon, Military family - been to churches all over the world. What you described is spot on. Church was much better in my youth, now it’s just a depressing. 40 years in now 3 years out and enjoying my life so much more!

[@marquitaarmstrong399]

Happy 4 u

[@RyanDenny]

Most are not there to find the next inspirational quote or scripture to get through the week. Most are there to feel connected and because if they don’t go, they will feel bad and guilty, because they have been taught to feel so.

[@nailz_by_kenz]

💯

[@trafficjon400]

The Indoctrinated !!! Because the truth of Promises never came. nothing can prove any anecdotal evidence of soul spirits. Faith needs to prove it self not a Scam.

[@daviddavenport9350]

Salvation through guilt.....I thought that was a Catholic thing.....

[@Scott-sv5wg]

You’ve accurately summed up most Mormon meetings.

[@Wren402]

Ex Mormon here. All LDS services anywhere are boring and depressing, but testimony meeting is the worst. The talks, the music, and the buildings are all boring and sad. It’s like they held a competition to create the most uninspiring experience possible - and boy did they succeed.

[@RechargePsych]

Exmormon here. The entire Mormon church is in crisis right now. People are leaving en masse and the people left are being told to stay in the boat and have faith. It’s genuinely not working for a lot of people outside of centralized Mormon communities. They’re trapped in a cult, pure a simple, and the only way out is opening your own mind. It’s really sad, honestly.

[@HaleStorm49]

Haha sure Jan. 🤡

[@SaxSpy]

based on what?

[@georgerafa5041]

​@@HaleStorm49cope harder

[@georgerafa5041]

​@@SaxSpyjust look at the crap your authorities talk about in general conference

[@HaleStorm49]

@@georgerafa5041 why are you still bitter and cynical?

[@LucasOliveira-sm2lw]

Ex Mormon here. Based how you described the building and your experience, is likely (though not certain) you were in a Branch, not a Ward. A Branch is just the name of a small Ward. In my experience in both personal life and during my 2year mission, Branches and Small Wards have it rough. They are understaffed and overworked, callings aren't taken as seriously, and sometimes the only thing holding it together is like the missionaries and 2-3 members. I would love to see your take on a different bigger ward, and especially not on testimony meeting. Even as a true believer I hated testimony meetings. Great video, awesome content.

[@bbyghostie1044]

That was my thought when he mentioned North Carolina. There's only around 1% of the entire state that is LDS, so I imagine it's small. NC Christianity is composed of mostly Baptists, some methodists, some catholics, and then some areas with a decent amount of pentecostals

[@ksparks689]

Testimony meetings suck. Especially when people start whining and crying. Don’t go on the first Sunday of the month, I think that’s when they have it.

[@robocoxo]

Honestly, wouldn’t make a difference which you attended on fast and testimony Sunday. What you saw is replicated across the world in Every. Single. Ward. 😳

[@alecbissey2227]

Recently stumbled upon your channel and I’m binging. I’m a devout Christian and a youth pastor of a smallish southern Baptist church, and I’ve always been super fascinated with the perspectives of people outside of the church “bubble,” especially when it comes to the actual gathering of the church. These videos make me wish you came to mine, just because I’m curious what the perspective would be. Appreciate your lack of bias and your openness in doing things like this!

[@sorellasotero8047]

I was an adult member for about a decade, mostly through the 80s. Sometimes it got funny: an older and/or eccentric member might go off on end times or politics. Or an adult would relate a travelogue about a trip they took. Or someone would being a little child to the microphone and prompt them, "I love my family and everything I like to do is fun." Someone would always express thanks for precipitation in the west, calling it "moisture" usually. BTW ward membership is assigned by address: you can't chose where you go.

[@jpnwtn]

I don’t know which fast and testimony meetings gave me the most anxiety: the ones in my small-town TN ward where everyone and their dog got up and spilled their guts, or the ones in my huge Los Angeles ward where we sat in total silence for 40 minutes.

[@nirvana4132]

Convert to the church here. My experience was being loved bombed by the church members until I got baptized. Once I was baptized, a lot of that love went away and I was being pressured to conform to their lifestyle (Obeying the words of wisdom, confess my sins and repent to the bishop, and dropping everything in my life to donate 2 years of my life to proslytize the gospel). In regards to your situation, it sounds like you went to a very small congregation and there are not many people there. I was counseled to closely associate with members even though I wasn't able to find my place in the church. Sounds like you had members who didn't have that sense of community, but instead had a sense of obligation to be there (that is a thing and local members will trying to keep your attendance up as much as they can, this in return makes people unhappy).

[@SilentThundersnow]

You forgot in your list of 'Now that you're a member must do's... Pay 10% of your income to this $250 billion rich church, while you do without!) I'm curious, did you ever go on a mission? Or go through the temple where you promise God to put the church and its LEADERS above everything else in your life? It gets worse. Glad you got out. And 'Love Bombing is exactly what they do!'

[@sundiefortner2245]

Ex-mo atheist here! You have the exact right perception of all Mormon churches (imo). So much misery and pain but everyone walks around with a gigantic fake smile. Sorry you had to to through that but thanks for sharing!!

[@Queezbo]

I normally hate listening to people criticize almost anything, especially on KZbin, since they are so often just mean and nasty, racking up the cruel points at every opportunity. This didn't feel like that. Good job.

[@HeliocentricOfficial]

That’s a huge compliment. And it’s exactly what I want my channel to be. Thanks for watching, friend.

[@missbubu1611]

I agree, I wasn’t offended at all, could see many valid points and was an honest “review”. I even felt that the criticism came from a place of concern and love.

[@kamisdewey5265]

Shortly after I was married, I told a story about how our car broke down (died, it’s gone, there’s no returning) on our way home from my in-laws house in Burley, Idaho. Then the whole meeting was everyone else sharing the times THEIR car broke down in Burley. Absolutely nothing to do with Jesus or God or the Gospel but it was the funniest testimony meeting I’ve ever attended. The bar is…… low.

[@petenewton1295]

This reminds me of the time a guy in our ward shared his testimony about the experience his family had just had spending a semester in Italy. He had genuine spiritual thoughts to share about it. It inspired an order lady in the ward to stand up and share some of her experiences as she’d traveled through Europe in her younger years. She did an okay job connecting it to some spiritual thoughts. Then another lady got up, basically just to make sure everyone knew she’d been to Europe too. She didn’t even try all that hard to put a spiritual spin on it. And THEN a Fox-News type lady went to the mic and said, “God bless the USA!” And sat back down. Gloriously awkward. Good times…

[@MichaelRogerStDenis]

Ward Radio did a response video to this and they would love to have a chat with you! They are super friendly!

[@HeliocentricOfficial]

Just watched their video! They were really kind with their review and seem like awesome dudes. I’d love to hop on their show!

[@clearstonewindows]

@@HeliocentricOfficial I'd watch that (Member of the Church of Jesus Christ here) This video was great too. Also I do love that we have a place where when life is hard, we can get together and have some support. We like to Face the storms. No other way to grow.

[@MichaelRogerStDenis]

@@HeliocentricOfficial Awesome! They're excited to talk to you! Reach out to them on their website through their contact tab! Someone should get back to you quickly! 😊!

[@madisenm.3596]

LMAOOO as an exmormon this is so accurate BYE😭😭

[@madisenm.3596]

Also, it doesn't matter if you go during the first week of the month or not. It's always that bad...😅

[@tori.rory.]

As an exmormon this is hilarious. Edit: and in a sad, I was this person, way. As someone recovering from brainwashing I still struggle just like those moms but at least I don’t have to pretend anymore.

[@HiddenBrilliance]

Same. Listening to this actually brought back the weekly despair... but it was so much more than once a week, wasn't it? Relief Society, Priesthood, Young Womens, Young Mens, Primary... We lived there.

[@patricianoel7782]

Like so many of us at church, I still have my name on the records. I am 67 and had been devout for 64 years. So traumatic to find out I was raised in a “high demand religion, or cult. 😮. “Mormonism Live” with Bill Reel and “Mormon Stories” with John Dehlin are 2 of the oldest and best podcasts on the Church. Also the John Larsen “Mormon Expressions” is super! Enjoy learning. 🎉

[@DelgadoDetailing]

Mormon here and also was a missionary. I am totally with you on the fact that some wards are super depressing. We would try to host activities to up the moral and fellowship but it was so hard bringing our friends to that ward lol. Trust me, it's not like that everywhere. The ward I'm in now is kinda depressing, but when I was in Idaho, I was at an amazing ward that was so upbeat and awesome. Thank you for visiting our church! You are definitely nicer than most people who do haha. Have a good one!

[@nathanchurch3442]

As a member of the lds church…a member of a bishopric no less…this might be a weird circle to walk into…but I never realized how boring our churches are to others. I’ve never really thought about it. The 1st sunday of the month is tough sometimes for fast and testimony meeting, leaders do try and express the importance of centering your testimony around Christ instead of a travel log or a “thank-imony” but sometimes members use it as a time to talk about themselves or anything other than centered on Christ so its tough. Atheist or not, I always appreciate people being objective and trying to see the good in everyone’s practices. Thanks for setting a solid example of basic kindness, we need more of that.

[@brooklynparkse]

A lot of family wards are like that. Sad. That being said, when I went to my Young Single Adult Ward, Relief Society (every other week we had Sunday School, and then we’d switch to gender separated classes - Relief Society for women and Elders Quorum for men), it was just a continuation of the trauma dumping. Its sad. It’s like Mormons live in perpetual shame and self-torment. I guess to prove that we need Jesus?? I don’t know. I do know ending the shame cycle with me was the first step I took to eventually leaving.

[@georgerafa5041]

I think a large part of it is how Mormonism is a big believer in prosperity gospel. How many times did we hear nonsense like, "Tithe and the Lord will bless you. Tithe on your gross (pre-tax) not your net, and the Lord will bless you even more abundantly" Not only that but you'll never EVER see a Bishop that works at a 7-11. They only reward materialism. That has created a HORRENDOUS culture of keeping up with the Jonses which absolutely destroys people. Utah County antidepressant usage is what it is for a reason lol. Everything the LDS church teaches that is uniquely Mormon is a lie. They study God's word so they can ensnare the foolish and poorly catechized.

[@renegade_of_funk]

We had a kid (not in custom Mormon garb) who decided to sing a song he wrote…all verses…including a line about shitting yourself in a diaper…he finished, walked down the aisle, Breakfast Club punch opened the double doors with his fist in the air…the awkwardness was palpable…I loved it.

[@HiddenBrilliance]

I laughed so hard at this.

[@AxelQC]

That's not a calendar; it's a list of hymns.

[@heidifreeman3103]

Active LDS member here you are really onto something. If you want depth and fascinating doctrine you are in the right place. Keep learning. You will be amazed.

[@SteveSmith-os5bs]

In the church, you don't pick which congration you go to. It all depends on which geographical area you live in. There are hot and cold wards. Wards with more retired people tend to be less friendly. I would suggest going to a branch. These are much smaller congerations and usually have a close-knit sense of community. LDS Branches were always a lot more fun to attend, and members tend to be a lot happier. I lost my faith in the church at age 50, but I didn't leave till age 59. I still attend church for special family events like baptisms, missionary farewells, wedding receptions.

[@ericr3878]

I entertained missionaries for a while and this was pretty mindblowing to me. The first set of missionaries I met near my work, so I wen to the ward between work and home, pretty convenient. Then they were like, we're not supposed to meet with you, you should meet with the elders at this ward, which was well out of my way. Growing up Catholic, mom my would change churches if she didn't like the priest that was rotated in.

[@bipolarrambling242]

"You're not happy here. Nobody is happy here." Nailed it.

[@timothyrflynn]

"Prostate exam with a bucket of nails." Yeppers.

[@steved8878]

I attended my first (and last) Mormon service just over a year ago. I’m an atheist, so I was there out of curiosity and because a missionary invited me. Holy shit. I was raised pew-jumping Pentecostal but I also attended other congregations so I thought I was prepared for anything. But no…..nothing can prepare you for the awful music and the returning wayward members. One dude broke down in tears of joy as he announced he was both a full tithe payer now and wearing the magic underwear again. Cult much?

[@georgerafa5041]

Lmao bruhhh It's so true. I'll never stop making light fun of my mom for leaving Catholocism for Mormonism.

[@camillekartchner]

I always dreaded fast Sundays because testimony meeting always felt like the "pain and suffering" Olympics. They're uncomfy and you feel so much pressure to go up to the pulpit and rehash the same testimony that everyone else gives. And sadly, most Mormon wards are like this 😬 I left a few years ago and it's true that when you leave, you lose a lot of your connections and relationships. eta: I don't normally watch stuff about the LDS Church from those who were never part of it because I feel they dont understand the nuances and context to everything, but this was quite compassionate towards members. Keep doing what you're doing! Us apostates appreciate it.

[@rafaelleair325]

That "depressed" feeling you had was spot on. They teach the members to be reverent. There's no clapping, no cheering, no excited moods. That's inappropriate. Church also used to be THREE HOURS. hated that. Was always bored.

[@oddlang687]

8:35 this is very much the thought-process that got me to really start re-evaluating why I was a Mormon. I was not getting anything beneficial out of being in church every Sunday and I started to ask, "why am I bothering to be here, then?" Among several other issues, that got me started on my journey out of the Mormon church.

[@claireszuch4982]

I am an active Latter-day Saint and I appreciate this video. Made me laugh. And I think the criticism is fair, frankly. I’ve been in many a fast and testimony meeting that makes me want to crawl under a bench and plug my ears. Overall, I enjoy your content. Thanks for being awesome.

[@purplepandas72]

I think it's really cool that you watched this video with an open heart.

[@thetrippylife3948]

I used to be in this ward. You nailed it!!!

[@justinmacaluso8712]

Bruh please come to my church, it is about a 4.5 hour drive from Raleigh, and you'd definitely have a content worthy experience

[@justinmacaluso8712]

Oh and we meet on Saturday

[@danielhughes441]

On a totally different note, where did you get that mug? I love it!

[@HeliocentricOfficial]

Haha, I think I got it at Spencers well over a decade ago. Still my go-to daily mug.

[@dmitrynikiforov1986]

I love testimony meetings! You could see sencere people who are struggling to live a faithful life and they find hope and strength in Christ. When i hear other people's stories i know that i'm not the only one who is not a super hero and I'll be ok. Together we can make it.

[@cvwp2157]

Ex mormon here. It's funny how you said you were in Raleigh. I did the mormon mission trip in that area (or as I call it now selling jesus). It's so sad to me how dark and depressing the church is, and the people in general, at least most of the time, are fake happy. I find it ironic how a church that gives off the happy feeling family's forever stuff ends up being so depressing 🤷‍♂️

[@zutharthirteen]

Im still a member this is so accurate. Im someone who cries at testimony meetings. NC is a tough area haha, i hope you can visit one of the lds wards in utah. Im gonna be a missionary next year

[@ryaneden1187]

Literally all wards I have every been to - each Sunday (even non-testimony meetings) have all felt dead. Just dead. It's characterized as reverence but it's really just depression. You nailed every part of this video. There are no wards I can give you to go see that will be notably improved from the one you went to. Sorry.

[@emilyp3150]

I loved this so much. I’m an exmormon and I have to agree with everything you said. I did however have my best friends at church, and I was happy, but once I left I found an amazing community at a local Protestant church and I was amazed at their love of life, authenticity and devotion to god. I love the theology at a “regular Christian” Church, I had no idea that it was so different from Mormonism. My husband is an atheist so he doesn’t usually come with me but he respects my decision and beliefs. You should visit more wards and see if they are different from this, but they are all pretty similar. Enjoy your coffee!

[@suzieq5383]

Fast and testimony meeting, AKA Open Mic Sunday 😂

[@socrat33z]

2:20 🤣🤣 Understandable mistake, but that's not a calendar. It is a display for the number of the hymns to be sung.

[@KennethBurkett]

They don't even like each other...they all talk about other members. And it's always the same folks getting up and "Baring their Testimony"

[@catrardellybird2526]

Bro, there isn't a better church. I've been to 16+ wards in UTAH throughout my life (exmo now), and this description was every single one. Everyone was happy, except for when they were in the sacriment room.

[@johnp.1460]

What you experienced at that Mormon church is more the rule than the exception. It has become a very depressing, emotionally abusive multibillion-dollar corporation doing business as a religion.

[@Vicki_Benji]

I found your channel from a Jehovah's Witness video you uploaded, and stayed because I love the rest of your content.

[@Chenzo-sb6zu]

Very interesting insights. I went to a Mormon chapel local to me a good few years ago (I am an evangelical Christian). It was an interesting experience. I also noticed a big difference between the missionaries and the average members. It was almost like they were part of two different religions in a way. The missionaries presented an image that they had it all together, were dedicated, organised, etc. However, many of the church members seemed to be struggling I felt, in a similar way that you had noticed. I must go and visit again. I have also been in the Preston Temple here in England for their open house where they allow non Mormons in to view it before they dedicate it.

[@ancientmotherwellness]

There's a reason that Utah has one of the highest rates of depression and opiate use in the country.

[@curiaregis9479]

Oh, I see what the problem is. The score was low because he was using a coffee scale. He needs to use the soda scale, every Mormon knows this.

[@pknight212]

Couldn't have described the vibe better. And I used to call testimony meeting 'Open Mic Sunday' :D

[@consciouslyevolvingmen6832]

Women and Girls in Mormonism (and many other conservative religions) are told to "Stay Sweet" no matter what is really going on. So sad.

[@sonofthunder-fb3cm]

I belong to the Zebulon ward but I've been to the Knightdale one many times & I can't disagree 😂 I understand where you're coming from lol the atmosphere is definitely a case-by-case thing, but even us in the church agree how ugly the buildings are 🤣 I really don't know why they're like that. Also ALL fast & testimony meetings are boring AF lol it's just a thing

[@dragonbane3646]

Ex mormon here. Testimony meeting usually happen on the first Sunday of a month if memory serves. So if you want to see what a normal meeting is like, it would pretty much be any other week discounting holidays. I don't recommend it though, as normal meetings are no less soul sucking.

[@PiscatorOutdoors]

This was my exact experience at the Ward I came back to in Georgia after my mission. Converted to Catholicism a couple years later. I’m finally home! You should try a ward in Salt Lake!

[@sebastianj.7549]

as a member I can say that in our church you just saw real people tryng to do their best. not all sundays are the same even for me. But we try to do our best in serving others following the example of Jesus Christ. Sometimes we get descouraged, sometimes our limitations unable us to serve better but we know we must keep moving forward. Maybe you expected to see just smiling and friendly people. sometimes it is but sometimes it is not like that. The church is a place to heal poeple. where God does his part. But it takes time. I hope you have a better experience in the future in our church services.

[@ivanj.conway9919]

Hey, I come from a Salvation Army background myself. I'd love to get your take on that one sometime. The Salvation Army is an offshoot of the Methodist Church in case you may not have been aware. The founder of the Salvation Army was originally, a Methodist Minister.

[@monus782]

I just came across your channel and a few weeks ago I binged videos from a Christian KZbinr who also visited different churches every week and might possibly convert to Mormonism for whatever reason (name of the channel is 52 Churches). I used to be a pretty devout Catholic until I was 24 and a few years before my deconversion I started visiting different churches as well out of academic curiosity and to better understand other Christians, since leaving Christianity altogether I’ve been part of the local Unitarian community because that was the closest thing to a Humanist/secular community in my area and it worked for me in the end in my deconstruction journey (some UUs still consider themselves to be Christian but most don’t and the denomination is a separate religion at this point). Despite being an atheist as well I still have the habit of visiting other religious communities but it’s with the non-Abrahamic ones now (mostly the Buddhist ones) to satiate my curiosity and again better understand other religions I didn’t pay much attention to for most of my life, however I take most of the supernatural stuff they may believe in with a grain of salt to say the least. I was the fundie type of Catholic (the one that still goes to Mass in Latin) and at least we had pretty artwork and interesting historical stuff even though we also dressed like it was the 1950’s, I used to be the type of Catholic who would go to Mass on a daily basis if possible and last time I went with my mother a couple of months ago I thought it was the most boring thing ever so whatever hold the worship had on me has completely worn off after years of deconstruction. I don’t know if you’ve done it already but I’m curious to see your reaction to both Catholic and UU services if you’re willing to do videos of that in the future.

[@HeliocentricOfficial]

Thanks so much for this, man! Sounds like you’ve had a rollercoaster of a ride too. The Unitarians have been high on my list for a while, and I may actually end up going to a Catholic mass for Easter. Cheers!

[@monus782]

@@HeliocentricOfficialthank you, in my experience the Easter vigil Mass which is done around midnight on Saturday is one of the longest ceremonies that church has (I think one I went through lasted three hours but again compared to Mormons it had lots of symbolism) but the services on Easter itself aren’t usually longer than 1 hour average, for the first couple of years I did sort of miss this type of ritual until again after learning how the whole theology is BS it’s all dead to me now. Honestly at this point the only thing I miss from my former religion is some of the aesthetics that I can replicate anyways to my liking and that’s one of the things that led me to this crazy path in the first place, it was a rollercoaster indeed especially in the beginning but I’m much more at peace now and don’t regret anything I’ve done since leaving now. Thank you for the content!

[@HeliocentricOfficial]

@@monus782 Huh! I've actually never heard of a midnight vigil mass before. I may need to look into that. That sounds really cool. And I hear you about aesthetics. Its convenient for me since all of my art is about religion anyway, it's easy to continue to utilize that imagery. Cheers, friend!

[@eliashernandez7373]

You say say what we are all afraid to think and convey out loud. Keep it up...

[@philodice]

Ex Mormon here. LOVED your video. Spot on. I can't even walk into those hideous, diaper smelling buildings without a full body cringe.

[@Mikelray-df9my]

Fast and testimony meetings are so cringy.

[@the.dirt.man.]

I grew up Mormon (nonUtah) and this is soo spot on. Lds services make me VIOLENTLY uncomfortable now

[@lizart4679]

As an exmormon, it's so interesting to me to see nevermo's perspectives on this. Refreshing really bc while I've left, I grew up in mormonism and still have bias from my own experiences growing up. Also, "1 out of 5 cups of coffee" is hilariously ironic 🤣

[@edwardsmarcom]

Have you gone to a Quaker meeting? there are some that do a hybrid service with talks and songs, and some that just sit in silence, if you are moved to speak, you may.

[@edwardsmarcom]

New Garden Friend's Meeting near Guildford College - the semi-programmed meeting.

[@philipwest4553]

Church friends are friends because of a shared religious outlook, once the outlook changes or you go to another religious community then the common ground disappears and the friendship's impetus to exist disappears too.

[@jacobsamuelson3181]

An Atheist going to Church and calling it "Painfully Soul Sucking" is nothing short of hilarious. It reminds me of the original Ceasar in Planet of the apes when he becomes aware of his own existance and realizing his reality sucks.

[@nathanielcannon3686]

You need to do a whole LDS-only series: Roast My Ward! In seriousness though, taken in the spirit it was given, you have some very constructive insights. I appreciate what you said, I think in one of your JW vids, that you want to help religious people do religion well. I felt that.

[@dailybitofhappy]

Omggg 🤣🤣🤣 I'm an exmo and a returned missionary. This is too accurate. This is all exactly why it's every missionary's nightmare. Never bring a nonmember to fast and testimony meeting. 💀 guaranteed to be unhinged.

[@virginiaday2934]

They have no idea that testimony meeting isn’t normal. I’m exmo, but now orthodox. I had no idea there was anything wrong with Mormon worship growing because I never went to other churches. So you have to forgive them, they most likely grew up that way. And you are right church is suppose to help mental health. You hit the nail on the head with that idea, good job.

[@johnDingoFoxVelocity]

Ex communicated Mormon I placed a video on my channel for you helio thank you for touching on this so much the rules and regulations of the church are f#$%ed up 100% my video can explain the depressed women

[@traviscowart6124]

Family wards are generally like this for testimony meetings. Regular Sundays, first hour is a pretty standard church meeting. A couple of talks, some hymns, sacrament, opening and closing prayers. Somewhat of a hybrid of the JW (if less monotonous) and (tame) Protestant meetings. One of my friends growing up came to church with me a couple of times, and he said that the LDS sacrament meetings reminded him of his (Methodist) church’s funerals. Lol. Sunday school is always the same and (like the JW) the lesson is the same at every church everywhere.

[@taylorvansickle8756]

I'm an Ex-Mormon and, dude you're totally right about the meetings being stale. "Fast and Testimony Meeting" (first Sunday of every month) is totally just an echo chamber and people saying the same BS about God performing the miracle of helping them find their keys when they were lost. I had a great mission and learned a lot, but this is just one of the MANY reasons I'm out. Thanks for sharing your honest experience.

[@h2obordrbush]

I attend a French Speaking branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Maryland, just north of Washington DC. Our testimony meetings tend to be more engaging. But I also have seen other testimony meetings where members are struggling like you described. I think a struggle some of our Church members have is in being able to determine what a testimony is. I hope those sisters were sought out by other members to share their love and help with the struggles they shared. I appreciated your thoughts.

[@othersheep5491]

Dude! Welcome to fast and testimony meeting. I’m really shocked that this ward didn’t have the lady whose testimony was strengthened due to gravity still working. She woke up and was so grateful her 16 cats were not floating on the ceiling. Speaking of ceilings, You neglected to mention the cinder block walls. Church used to be 3 hours. If you see Mormons smiling,I because they are not in church! Here’s the best part. No matter how far off their rocker, you cannot criticize a church leader, even if the criticism is true. That, my friend, is apostasy, and you will be handled. And p.s. don’t even think about handling yourself, as that will come up in your annual worthiness interview with your bishop. So you met the Mormons. Wanna know more?🤗church basketball, perhaps?

[@alexblake5743]

Cynical nonsense. I've written critical letters directly to Pres Oaks himself. The man you are paraphrasing. Nobody accused me of apostasy. You can disagree with church leaders, it's all a matter of how you do it. It's the difference between discussing a disagreement with your spouse vs trash talking your spouse behind their back.

[@awakening2979]

As an exmormon, I always hated attending fast and testimony meetings! Super awkward and repetitive!

[@zayjawilliams]

I’m SUPER late so I have no clue if you would see this… but you should visit the North Point YSA ward in Sandy Springs, GA. It’s located right behind the temple in GA and we are definitely a lively bunch.

[@adamdewey4354]

Ex-mormon here (30+ years). Fun fact: church used to be even longer(3 hours). Also Fast & Testimony meeting suuuuucks. Even at my most devote I could barely sit through it. When i was a missionary I made sure not to have someone first mormon church experience was not testimony meeting. Also what you might not have know was that most of those people hadnt eaten that day and possibly hadnt eaten since dinner the night before.

[@traceyedson9652]

Orthodox communicants fast every Sunday (& any other day they receive Communion), and I’ve never noticed any depression. If folks are weak or other, of course they’d eat. There’s a purpose for the fast: preparation to receive the Lord, love. And folks aren’t impatient for Coffee Hour.

[@adamdewey4354]

@@traceyedson9652 Funny. I don't remember saying a thing about Orthodox Communicants.

[@patriciafinn5717]

Its the mormon happy face..hides a lot..😢

[@Kristin-ir4vi]

I think it hides inbreeding. I mean mormons only marry mormons. We've been inter- marrying for several generations now. Think about it...they generally have that "Golden" Stepford-esque glow.

[@jedlicka1227]

I had the same feelings of pain and uncomfortableness from the people there 16 years ago in a Mormon church in CA during their testimony night. Lots of pain, lots of people trying their hardest to be good Mormons, feeling broken, and ending their testimony with a rehearsed 'and i testify that this is the best church and true gospel'. There was no hope in who God is or what He is doing in their lives, it was just their exhaustion on display at trying to fulfill the lifestyle and laws they are held to

[@captainsirk1173]

Being somewhat introverted, my best times at church were always with the small youth groups. Having some good counselors who were passionate about the Gospel was amazing in those smaller groups. Now I’m an adult in my BYU singles ward and there’s 30 other people in every Sunday School or Elder’s Quorum, and I struggle to engage. I love the doctrine, but boy would I love a more personal group to study it with. A sense of trust and community is supposed to be a feature of religion, but it’s also a requirement for something like fast and testimony meeting to be meaningful.

[@lionspawfilmandphoto]

You went on a first Sunday. That one is always the fasting Sunday where they bear testimony. It's excruciating and a hell of a shocker for first-timers.

[@nowthenad3286]

(Active Mormon, although some will doubt that because I have the audacity to call myself a Mormon.) Anybody can choose to speak in fast and testimony meeting. I don't know the size of the ward but let's say that it had a membership of 200 and you had 8 speakers in the meeting (another estimate, but on the high side, I think). So, you heard from only 4% of the membership. You said that the Sunday School lesson that you visited was more palatable. You might find a more representative cross-section of people speaking there. Every ward has people who are rarely asked to speak in sacrament meetings. That is probably because the bishop doesn't want them to speak for some reason. Those people can then use fast and testimony meetings to get things off their chest. It might make for grim listening but I like to see it as a service to those members who are being side-lined by the bishop. This is not to say that you have not hit upon some good observations about Mormon teachings and accompanying lifestyles having a tendency to lead to some psychological problems like scrupulosity. A good observation is that there are a lot of women who bear a lot of children and actually end up being quite overwhelmed by the demands of a large family. Maybe take a look at the number of Utah women taking SSRIs and other anti-depressants. See how the Mormons are doing compared with other states. That would make an interesting video. Also, don't forget about the men. I would be interested to see how the frequency of depression sufferers compares with the frequency of female depression sufferers, analysed by state.

[@HeliocentricOfficial]

This is a really useful insight, friend. Thanks so much for this!

[@user-ex2bo6ub4g]

All I know is I went to chapel during a mormon service and I ran back out and told them something was off. It felt like a funeral it was cold and dark feeling

[@michaelstevens4386]

Ex Mormon here from Utah. All testimony meets are like that. We joke in our ex Mormon support groups that we would rather gouge are eyeballs out than sit throw those horrible meetings again. I’ve never seen a happy testimony meeting. Plus everyone is ornery from being starved by fasting.

[@beholder9]

As an exmormon, yeah the fast and testimony meetings are painfully boring. Ever so often you get one person who is off their meds, bringing up Cleon Skousen, then it gets really entertaining......

[@brningman]

Haha, that's pretty funny. Mormon meetings aren't typically energetic affairs, and testimony meetings are often awkward. The church buildings are pretty plain, for sure. I don't miss it. I'm from NC but down on the coast. Probably a little far for you to visit. But if you feel like meeting my mom, who is still very active in church, let me know...lol I'm not sure it'll be that much better. Just don't go on the first Sunday of the month or you'll always get testimony meeting.

[@NpgSymboL]

Where’s the inside footage?

[@happyday2765]

As a person born and raised in Utah with all of my family on my dads side being mormon, all mormon churches are like that. It's not unique to the one you visited. It's the way they do things. My dad left the church and now leads worship in an evangelical church with us.

[@AlexanderTate.]

I was raised Mormon and have been to many mormon churches all across the country. They are all the exact same. Dont waste too much time with them. Maybe check out open house on their temples but thats it. I live in SLC Utah and its all the same here too. Orthodox is where its at. Orthodoxy is really the only Christianity

[@kevinkakadelas6592]

Regardless of what church you choose. Don’t give up your beliefs in God and Jesus.

[@ServantMichael]

My best friends are church friends, genuine people. I'm Eastern Orthodox

[@harambeboy]

This is about to blow up.