Lucifer's Lantern

 This came to us through our Letters from Lazy Learners form. The writer described growing up in a home where Mormon standards and family expectations were used to shame, control, and silence her. She talked about feeling punished for normal development, blamed for her own trauma, and pressured to appear obedient instead of cared for. She tried to follow the rules. She tried to open up. She tried to stay connected. But every step seemed to shrink her world. Her parents dismissed her pain, tightened control when she needed support, and wrapped their reactions in religious duty. She left wondering why a faith that claimed to protect families left hers feeling so conditional and unsafe. Letter From a Daughter I was raised Mormon When I was younger it wasn't problematic. I was being celebrated and praised when I did the things they wanted me to do, so I craved doing them. Then little things as I got older slipped up.  The first thing I remember that caught me off guard was wh...

  This came to us through our Letters from Lazy Learners form. The writer shared an account of what it felt like to move from one painful ward experience straight into another. She describes years of gossip, exclusion, and spiritual harm.  She tried to serve. She tried to connect. She tried to stay.  But every attempt left her feeling smaller, ignored, and blamed for her own mistreatment.    Letter from a Sister Who Tried to Be Enough  I wrote this while I was still active in the church. This is long, but just one tiny drop in the bucket. Imagine this… For 5 years you live in a ward where you are repeatedly gossiped about, falsely accused, betrayed, and belittled by your bishop and RS (Relief Society) presidents and develop PTSD from their spiritual and emotional abuse. You keep going thinking that it has to get better, and after being yelled at for an hour in your house by your RS president who tells you that you are using your calling to seek revenge (...