Susie Given explains why she left The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints
A former member of The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints has revealed why she left, as she described it as being “terrible”, “disgusting” and “three decades behind”.
Exclusive: If The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wants to change, they need to stop appointing “old-white men” to run it, a former Mormon member says.
Dallin H Oaks, 93, is the new leader of the church, replacing the 101-year-old Russell M. Nelson.
Susie Given, 36, who grew up as a Mormon, said the church was “three decades behind”.
“That’s the crazy thing, you’ve got this culture that desperately needs changing,” Ms Given said.
“But if you’ve still got, and I meant this respectfully, old white men in power who have been institutionalised in such a way that they can’t see beyond their nose. It’s never going to change.”
The church has been criticised for its views on homosexuality, which it teaches is “sinful”.
Mr Oaks spoke about the issue in an interview still available on the Mormon church’s website, where he claimed that “homosexuality, which you’ve spoken of, is not a noun that describes a condition. It’s an adjective that describes feelings or behavior.”
The church has also fought against efforts in the United States to prevent psychologists from practising “conversion therapy” on gay people.
Ms Given, who came out as gay after she left the church and is now married to a woman, said “trying to convince anyone to not be who they are is terrible.”
“Conversion therapy is disgusting,” she added.
Ms Given said as a teenager she was taught that her main purpose in life was to “find a husband and have children”.
Teenagers in the church were split into men’s and women’s groups.
“Essentially your whole being in life is trying to find a husband,” she said.
“In women’s classes, it’s all ‘he’s the head of the house, he’s the decision maker and whatever he needs, you do, you’re going to have kids’. That’s just not the reality of the world anymore.”
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Originally published as Susie Given explains why she left The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints
