Hi, my name is Mark Whitley. I was born and raised in the LDS church. I was very devout and dutifully served the church for decades. However, in Spring of 2016, I had a faith crisis which resulted in the complete loss of my faith. Here is a travelogue of my journey.
First crack: Experiencing depression
Second crack: Serving in a bishopric
Third crack: The November 5th exclusion policy
Fourth crack: Learning about church history
The shelf breaks: Learning about cognitive biases
Post-crisis / post-awakening I did an enormous amount of research that resulted in my questioning many of my previously held beliefs. There was a lot to unpackage.
Reexamining the Book of Mormon
Reevaluating Prophets, Seers, and Revelators
Analyzing Christianity and Judaism
Learning about Fowler's Stages
Falsifying Moroni: A Second Witness of the Truth
My questions regarding the LDS faith
How religious beliefs are a product of the human psyche
After the crisis had passed, I began to rebuild my psyche and my worldview.
Embracing Secular Philosophies
Reinterpreting Scripture Stories
Post-faith crisis, I wanted to visit some other churches to see what I had been missing out on, or to see how they compared/contrasted to the LDS church.