If you're able to walk away from the LDS Church with the support of family and friends, count yourself among the lucky ones. Most individuals leaving the Church get pushback of some kind from Mormon relatives and acquaintances. While you can expect resistance, negative reactions, heated arguments, awkward conversations, and strained relationships, what should you do if things turn toxic? How do you set boundaries to protect yourself and your family?

From Kolob to Calvary's podcast

Dealing with Toxic People

Leaving Mormonism doesn't have to mean losing faith. It isn't necessary to throw Baby Jesus out with the Mormon bathwater. Coming to grips with whether or not God is real and relevant is a challenge facing ex-Mormons. They exit a false paradigm and consequently are fearful of being deceived again. It seems less painful to choose unbelief rather than take the chance of being hurt by religion again. But what if God (not the god of Mormonism; but the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) really exists and you could have a joyful, authentic relationship with him? And what if the evidence isn't based on subjective feelings?

Throwing Baby Jesus Out with the Bathwater | Leaving Mormonism, Regaining Faith

In the concluding chapter to "Mormonism, the Matrix, and Me," Tracy explains what it's like for Mormons who find out the foundation they've built their lives upon is shifting sand, and offers a heart-felt apology to LDS friends and loved ones who were hurt by her insensitive words and actions when she left the Church. She dispels rumors about why she left Mormonism, and details what happened to her marriage, family, and spiritual walk. Mormonism, the Matrix, and Me by Tracy Tennant is available in paperback and eBook formats online through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other booksellers.

Chapter 26 Tying Up Loose Ends - Mormonism, the Matrix, and Me audiobook

Tracy and four of her sons take a five-week long cross-country trip, staying at the homes of ex-Mormons along the way. Scott and the rest of the kids rendezvous with them in Utah for the Crookston family reunion. By the end of their extraordinary adventure, three of Tracy's teenagers reject Mormonism. Of her remaining LDS adult sons, one leaves on a mission for the Church and the other comes to faith in the Biblical Jesus while in rehab. Yet, with all the miracles taking place, Tracy and Scott take a surprising step.

Chapter 25 Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud - Mormonism, the Matrix, and Me audiobook

LDS relatives and friends argue that Tracy left the Church for attention, or because the standards were too hard to keep, or because she never had a testimony to begin with. Her visiting teachers bombard her with pro-Mormon material and Tracy shares her written Exit Story (reasons for leaving the Church) with them in response. After being "prompted by the Spirit," Bishop Lytle decides to convene a disciplinary court on Tracy for charges of apostasy. After being threatened with a lawsuit, the Bishop is prompted by the Spirit to cancel the proceedings.

Chapter 24 Courting Disaster - Mormonism, the Matrix, and Me audiobook

Tracy and Scott begin a weekly study with their home-teacher, an attorney, to investigate the problems of Mormonism and, if possible, substantiate its truth claims. They are sadly disappointed at Brother Ellis' lackluster efforts to research and find the truth. The home-teacher acts more like a defense attorney for the Church than a bulldog detective determined to get to the bottom of things. Scott asks to be released from all his church callings.

Chapter 23 No Middle Ground - Mormonism, the Matrix, and Me audiobook

Weekly Family Home Evenings and daily family devotions become a battleground over theology. Every attempt Tracy makes at teaching Biblical truth is undermined by Scott as he continues to defend Mormonism, even though he doesn't believe it. Tracy and the kids look for a new church to attend. Some of their misconceptions about Christianity are cleared up.

Chapter 22 Family Survival - Mormonism, the Matrix, and Me audiobook

Tracy teaches her last Relief Society lesson on the topic Beware of False Prophets. The Relief Society sisters and 1st counselor in the Bishopric love the lesson, although the implication of its message wouldn't be seen until the following week when Tracy stops attending the ward. With confidence and determination, she hands the Bishop her church resignation letter. He asks her to hold off a little while longer for the sake of their friendship.

Chapter 21 You Can't Fire Me, I Quit - Mormonism, the Matrix, and Me audiobook

"Your mom will never let you get baptized, cuz she's an apostate now!" Tracy overheard her 10-year-old nephew warn her soon-to-be eight-year-old son. She was quickly becoming "the black sheep of the family." LDS relatives refused to even entertain the possibility that the Church might not be true. Tracy and Scott had been hoping that the trip to Utah would be instrumental in supporting the claims of Mormonism; instead, it only confirmed their doubts. To know one way or the other, for once and for all was a relief, although it was coupled with sorrow.

Chapter 20 Taking off the Blinders - Mormonism, the Matrix, and Me audiobook

Determined to know the truth, Tracy and Scott embark on an intense fact-finding mission. Desperate to find evidence to support Mormonism, their travels take them to Utah, where they meet with an LDS Institute Director, active LDS relatives, and the notorious Jerald and Sandra Tanner, and Dennis and Rauni Higley. What they discover shakes them up even more.

Chapter 19 The Truth Unfolds - Mormonism, the Matrix, and Me audiobook

The night the Oprah Show airs, Tracy gets a surprise phone call from Becky, "The Other Woman" in the love triangle of 20 years before. She's told the startling news that Becky left the LDS Church just a few months before and had become a Born-Again Christian. Tracy is sure this is her chance to bring Becky back into Mormonism.

Chapter 18 Return of the Other Woman - Mormonism, the Matrix, and Me audiobook

With tattered tee-shirt, threadbare jeans, and a crumb-laden bosom resembling a snack tray, Tracy (now the ward's new Relief Society president) is escorted to Harpo Studios in Chicago to appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show for a Frumpy Clothes Makeover. Does Heavenly Father hear and answer prayers over pet fish? Maybe the answers are different than we expect.

Chapter 17 From Frumpy to Fabulous (with a little help from Oprah) - Mormonism, the Matrix, and Me audiobook

Have you ever taught a lesson that went so badly it caused a class member to run screaming from the room? Some Relief Society lessons are like that. At least this one was. The way Tracy handled it propelled her to a new level of fame and respect within the ward.

Chapter 16 Had My Cake and Wore it Too - Mormonism, the Matrix, and Me audiobook

It seemed like some people had a direct connection on the Holy Ghost Hotline and were on a first-name basis with the Godhead. Many of her LDS friends claimed having visions, dreams, and daily promptings of the Spirit. Wondering what was wrong with her, never seeing "dead people" in the temple (sleeping people perhaps, but not dead ones), Tracy begins to practice hearing the "still, small voice" with some unintended consequences.

Chapter 15 Like an Outsider Looking In - Mormonism, the Matrix, and Me audiobook

Historic interviews with LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley by Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes and Time Magazine have members of the Church excited, anticipating what the prophet will tell the world! Tracy is troubled by some statements that seem less than forthright. Her brother-in-law tells her not to worry; that the Church is true even if some of its leaders aren't real "prophets, seers, and revelators." He explains that one day soon the Lord would come to "clean house" and set His church in order.

Chapter 14 From PR Man to Prophet - Mormonism, the Matrix, and Me audiobook

From Kolob to Calvary was created to help listeners who are transitioning out of Mormonism, have already left, or are non-Mormons trying to understand their LDS friends and neighbors better. It speaks to the heart and soul of those leaving Mormonism for a Biblically-based faith. Host Tracy Tennant shares her personal insights and experiences gained from her time as a faithful Latter-day Saint of 26 years and now as a former Mormon on a journey to discover the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Sometimes light-hearted, sometimes serious, but always real and personal.

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From Kolob to Calvary's podcast

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