It is natural after leaving Mormonism to have a distrust of God, the Bible and church. Things held dearly have come crashing down. But that trust can be regained as you seek out God for who he really is.
Trust is often broken when leaving Mormonism
Mormonism teaches people to trust their leaders – to follow and believe everything they say. When a person realizes that these leaders are not telling the truth, it can be devastating. Being told that the LDS Church is the only true church, what happens when a person realizes he or she cannot trust the Church? Who or what can we believe now? When that trust is broken, it is hard to retain trust in God. It feels like God himself has broken trust. Often people who leave Mormonism also leave God.
[Related: You Don’t Have to Be an Atheist After Leaving Mormonism]
People who are seeking God’s truth can trust the Bible
The God of the Bible isn’t the one who broke trust – humans authorities did. We can still trust God, as he has revealed himself to us through the Bible.
Mormonism is like being on a train with a man in control. The path is straight. The train is on a rail so it cannot veer off in the wrong direction. The traveler may need to get on the train and find a seat, but the conductor is in control. In Mormonism, the conductor is church authority.
After Mormonism, following Jesus is more like flying a plane. Up in the air, we have a new sense of freedom. But we don’t have anything to gauge our direction. When a pilot is flying a plane, there are no landmarks or street signs to guide his direction. The pilot must trust his instrument panel to guide him to his destination.
The instrument panel God has given us is the Bible. For someone seeking God, the way to find him is through his Word, the Bible.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God[b] may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Start reading the New Testament. As you read the Bible, you will learn who God is and how he can be part of your life. You will learn why God is trustworthy. Start with just 15 minutes a day. Pray that God will teach you about himself through his Word.
[Related: Trust Your Instruments]
We can also regain trust by realizing the love God has for us
Many who leave Mormonism are angry at being deceived and turn their anger toward God. But the God of the Bible is a loving God. He does not change (Malachi 3:6) and he does not lie (Hebrews 6:17-18). He is completely trustworthy.
In fact, God loves us so much that he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. Jesus bore our sins on the cross so that we can live with God for all eternity.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Matthew 27:51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
We now have complete access to God through Jesus. When we put our trust in God, he begins to heal our distrust. The amazing thing about God’s love is that we don’t need to trust in humans. Many former Mormons get into desperate times when family and friends desert them. We can trust that God loves us and will take care of us even in desperate times. As we begin to trust God through prayer, Bible study, and fellowship with other believers, we learn to give our struggles and hardships to God.
