Who am I? A Manifesto after leaving Mormonism

I'm 43, recently resigned from the Mormon church after 40+ years as a member. I'm not new to reddit, but this is a new account I created because I wanted to start sharing my thoughts more widely than my Facebook friends, many of whom are still quite Mormon.

The following is a condensed version of a blog post I published last week:

I spent my formative years in seminary, served a mission, earned enough Institute credits to graduate twice over. For most of my life, my identity was defined by the LDS framework: what I believed, how I should act, who I was supposed to become. I'm now in therapy for childhood emotional neglect and working through decades of installed shame about sexuality and identity. This is my attempt to define myself on my own terms.

At the most fundamental level, I'm a product of billions of years of cosmic evolution. Stars were born and died to create the elements that eventually formed our solar system, our earth, and the life that evolved into me. I'm stardust that learned to think, to feel, to question. That understanding fills me with more wonder than any religious cosmology ever did. I'm not a fallen creation of a disappointed deity. I'm a manifestation of the universe's ability to observe itself.

I'm a feeling being who thinks, not the other way around. My emotions aren't weaknesses to overcome but information to process and connections to share. In a culture that punishes emotional expression in men, I express them anyway. That's courage, not weakness. I'm also not defined by the shame I carried for decades. The church labeled normal human experiences as spiritual warfare, creating an internal battle that nearly destroyed me. I understand now that my natural state isn't worthy of condemnation. It's a manifestation of biology honed over countless generations. The shame was installed, not inherent.

My core values center on individual autonomy and compassion. The right to exist as you are is fundamental, and the autonomy I claim for myself naturally extends to others—regardless of how they express their identity, relationships, or beliefs. Self-compassion isn't pride; it's the foundation for extending compassion outward. I'm learning that reaching out for help is strength, not weakness, and I'm relearning which sources of help are worthy of trust. I value changing my perspective based on evidence and experience over clinging to beliefs because of dogma. I don't accept any institution or individual as infallible—the more authority something claims, the harder it should be questioned. For years I disengaged from politics because it didn't represent me, but I'm learning I must engage because no one will advocate for me if I don't advocate for myself.

I may not always fully believe everything written here, but these words describe a version of myself that feels realistic to reach toward. It's not perfection—it's authenticity. I'm done chasing an impossible ideal. I'd rather be imperfectly authentic than perfectly false.

If anything I've written here resonates with you, I'd love to hear from you.