Description

I reflect on what has changed in Mormonism over the 40+ years since I joined the Church in 1980. I was drawn in by the stimulating challenge the faith presented. Its cosmology gave me a lens through which to view the universe that echoed the wonder and the socially-grounded morality I’d found in the superhero myths of my youth.

Mormonism gave me footing, helping me grapple with reality in a way that Protestantism never had. Where others worshipped a distant, domineering God, Mormonism offered the vision of a Father whose will and glory was our eventual godhood. I miss the challenge of living up to that extraordinary vision.

Yet, truth matters. Over the decades, the Church turned away from that bold premise—marginalizing intellectual exploration, curbing critical inquiry, and flattening once-rich Sunday School and priesthood lessons into hollow echoes of simple obedience. I was eventually pushed to the side, then out.

In this presentation, I explore key elements of 1980s Mormonism that shaped and empowered me, contrasting them with the Church’s retreat from its original spiritual and theological ambition.