This is Mormon Stories, I'm John DeLin.

So, I'm imagining that for my listeners who are in the church and contemplating options,

the thought of resigning their membership is terrifying and their projection of what they might feel after they resigned is horrifying.

What was it like for you guys?

Well, for me, it was actually a huge relief because all of a sudden I felt like I said that having the ax over my head, it was gone.

I knew that they couldn't do anything to me anymore.

I mean, it was terrifying.

It was horrible to go and tell my parents that I was resigning from the church.

It was such a painful thing to tell them.

How'd they take it?

Well, I think they took it really well.

I mean, it was really painful. My mom was crying and she was wondering what she'd done wrong that this had happened and everything.

But ultimately, they loved me.

And my dad, his belief system was looser than my mom's in some ways.

And I think he told me that he doesn't think that I have to be a member of the church in order to be with our family again.

And I'm not sure that my mom is quite at that point.

But in her mind, I think she resolves up by feeling like my daughter was terribly hurt.

And she had to leave because she didn't feel safe.

And so someone else will pay for this and then I'll be okay in the end.

And anyway, it's been painful with my parents.

And a lot of it has been painful for them. It's been painful for me.

There have been ways that I felt like they couldn't support me that I would have really liked.

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