When Mormons Doubt: A Way to Save Relationships and Seek a Quality Life Kindle Edition

Read it in a day. Highly readable. Laughed aloud at one point, because Ogden is so refreshingly honest. Great insight for those who choose to stay or choose to leave.

I converted to Mormonism at 16, served a full-time mission, graduated from BYU, got married in the Temple, felt a fire in my bones about the gospel, and then discovered that some of the Church's truth claims are not quite true. The last two years have been awkward as I've tried to re-orient myself after having the carpet pulled out from under my testimony. Ogden nails it with the simple insight, that Truth is not acquired through feelings, but by reason. Feelings help us appreciate Beauty and Goodness.

Mormonism can be a factory for making good people. I enjoy the relationships I have with so many good people from my ward, though I no longer see things quite the same way they do. This book has helped me figure out how to enjoy those relationships, while honoring our differences.

This book could help actives and inactives understand each other better.

"When you are ready for a message, the messenger appears." This is the message for me right here, right now. For those going through a faith "transition" (I don't consider it accurate to call it a faith "crisis"--to me it typically is moving to a "higher reality") or understanding those who are going through a transition, this will prove valuable. Got it Friday after work. Finished it early Saturday morning. Lots of ways to preserve or improve relationships with those in a difference place, particularly with respect to institutional religion.

This was a good read. Aimed at current and former Mormons alike, the underlying premise of the book is that the pursuit of three ideals—truth, beauty, and goodness—can both lead to a quality life and help us find common ground with loved ones who are on the other end of the belief spectrum from ourselves. Jon uses many examples from history to illustrate his arguments, and I found the book to be highly readable and very insightful. Lots of quote-worthy material and interesting anecdotes. I especially appreciated the personal stories that Jon shared. Many Mormons and former Mormons will find them highly relatable.

My only minor gripe about the book is that, in my view, the second half focuses too heavily on critiquing specific beliefs espoused by orthodox Mormons. I'm specifically talking about much of the content in "Truth, Part 2", which discusses/mentions several troubling events from church history; "Beauty, Part 3", which aims to dispel the belief that emotion, feelings, or prayer can affirm truth, and "Truth, Part 3", which argues that the Old and New Testaments are a mix of truth and metaphor and should not be read literally. I don't disagree with Jon's thoughts or conclusions on any of these points, but the attention seems tangential to the real strength of the book, which is in providing a framework for finding common ground with those who believe differently than us. I fear that—to use Jon’s language—by delving into the church’s truth claims to such an extent, the beauty of his underlying message of empathy, compromise, and reconciliation may be lost on less knowledgeable orthodox Mormons who instead will be forced to grapple with previously unknown and highly uncomfortable truths that undermines their belief system.

Some will say, "Good! After all, as the book argues, we should pursue truth!" I agree, but my personal belief is that individuals should deliberately choose to learn faith-challenging information of their own accord, not have it forced or sprung on them. A faith crisis can be immensely painful, as many current and former Mormons would attest, and I don’t want to be responsible for someone’s pain, even though I do believe it can ultimately lead to a higher, more fulfilling worldview. Accordingly, despite the book’s valuable message, I’d be hesitant to recommend it to the audience who actually might need it most, namely, orthodox Mormons who fully believe the Church’s truth claims and accept its traditional narrative.

I LOVE this book! There is something here for everyone. We all need to learn to get along and love our family and friends that feel and believe differently than we do. This book helps me to understand the importance of a balanced life, and that focusing on the things we share in common is more important than focusing on our differences.
Jon Ogden is truly a bridge builder, and I love what he has given us with this important book.
I highly recommend it!

I recently purchased this book because I lost faith in the LDS church, but my spouse and most of my family is still active in it. As you can imagine, this has caused much stress, tension and pain for all involved on all sides. I feel this book does a fantastic job of helping present ways to bridge the distance between differing beliefs and helps us find suggestions for moving forward by concentrating on things we still agree on. I appreciate the honest evaluation he gave on both sides of the issues, and truly shows the feelings and sentiments that each side feels. I like the way he helps paint the realization of how beautiful life is because of the differences and how we can still find ways to be united and find the beauty in life despite the lack of shared beliefs or traditions. I do believe that regardless of what side you are on, this book will only benefit you if you are willing to go into it with an open mind and heart, willing to understand that your viewpoint is just one perspective, and that none of us can ever be 100% certain of any of our conclusions. I feel encouraged by the message of this book and hope that I can begin to do a better job to implement many of it's suggestions. I am eager to strengthen the relationships that have had enormous strain since my faith loss. This book has given me much valuable information and hope that it can be done.

When going through a faith transition, it's easy to throw everything out. I found this book to be a helpful reminder of the positive aspects of the LDS faith as well as other aspects that I many not have realized before. I appreciated the many examples from literature showing how truth, beauty and goodness can be achieved inside or outside the faith.