I was raised in a Mormon family, which I now understand to be a very similar experience to that of Jehovah's Witnesses. I went on (what was supposed to be) a t

I was raised in a Mormon family, which I now understand to be a very similar experience to that of Jehovah's Witnesses. I went on (what was supposed to be) a two year mission for the LDS church, but grew up telling myself it was out of desire and not obligation. It was definitely about obligation, just like so many other aspects of my life at that time. I told myself I was going to college to better myself, but that was out of obligation, too. Similar to Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism has created a culture that is explicitly against dissent. Leaders preach from the pulpit often that we should dismiss people whose conclusions are contrary to The Church's narrative or truth claims. Having recently left my belief in Mormonism, I've been taking a lot of time to reevaluate my goals and life decisions. Years of compromising with conservative Mormonism have left me with a strong appetite for open dissent and honest argument. Many times, politeness itself is censorship.