Leaving the Saints

How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith

De: Martha Beck

Narrado por: Martha Beck

Leaving the Saints is an unforgettable memoir about one woman’s spiritual quest and journey toward faith. As “Mormon royalty” within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Martha Beck was raised in a home frequented by the Church’s high elders—known as the apostles—and her existence was framed by their strict code of conduct. Wearing her sacred garments, she married in a secret temple ceremony—but only after two Mormon leaders ascertained that her “past contained no flirtation with serious sins, such as committing murder or drinking coffee.” She went to church faithfully with the other brothers and sisters of her ward. When her son was born with Down syndrome, she and her husband left their graduate programs at Harvard to return to Provo, Utah, where they knew the supportive Mormon community would embrace them.

However, soon after Martha began teaching at Brigham Young University, she began to see firsthand the Church’s ruthlessness as it silenced dissidents and masked truths that contradicted its published beliefs. Most troubling of all, she was forced to face her history of sexual abuse by one of the Church’s most prominent authorities. This book chronicles her difficult decision to sever her relationship with the faith that had cradled her for so long and to confront and forgive the person who betrayed her so deeply.

This beautifully written, inspiring memoir explores the powerful yearning toward faith. It offers a rare glimpse inside one of the world’s most secretive religions while telling a profoundly moving story of personal courage, survival, and the transformative power of spirituality.©2005 Martha Beck; (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a divsion of Random House, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Martha Beck’s riveting memoir teaches us more about love, spirituality, trauma, truth telling, and hope than all the self-help books combined. It is one of the bravest, most achingly honest books I’ve read in years. Leaving the Saints is a priceless gift.” —Harriet Lerner, Ph.D., author of The Dance of Anger

“A courageous, touching, and beautifully written spiritual journey of the heart. I applaud Martha’s candidness and perseverance in her steadfast pursuit of the power of love.” —Judith Orloff, M.D., author of Positive Energy and Dr. Judith Orloff’s Guide to Intuitive Healing

“Very sad. Very brave. Very true. Martha Beck has written a universal story for anyone who has confronted physical and spiritual abuse and freed themselves from the tenacious grip of patriarchy.” —Terry Tempest Williams, author of Refuge and The Open Space of Democracy

“Leaving the Saints is a brave book. Martha Beck shares her journey out of religion and into faith and healing with heartbreaking candor, softened by wit and uplifted by a deep spiritual longing.” —Sharon Salzberg, author of Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience

Very thought provoking

I’m an active Mormon who loves my community. I loved this book. It read very honestly. I would love to talk to this woman. I have great empathy and respect for her journey. I respected her father too. I think part of being an adult is the understanding that there is no wisdom without mistakes or pain. She’s got both in her family. She’s smart and writes well. I listened to this in one day because it was riveting. That’s probably more true because I know the people mentioned.

Thank you Martha

This book helped me in my journey to set myself once and for all free.
Thank you Martha

Read it and decide for yourself

I found this to be a riveting story and as a third generation Utah Mormon I found her depiction of Mormon culture to be right on. I was raised in Utah, graduated from BYU and served a mission for the LDS Church, and in my opinion, Martha Beck is just telling it like it is. Anyone wanting a glimpse inside the faith will find her account interesting and perhaps disturbing, but just because you don't like the message why shoot the messenger? I found her personal revelations believable and backed up with strong physical evidence despite family denials. I think people should listen to her well written story and decide for themselves.

Calming and inspiring

I was at BYU in the 80s and lived in SLC in the 90s and witnessed first hand the covert set ups and purges of alleged homosexuals in the arts department’s and the intellectuals in science and psychology and history. I drove gay friends to SLC to get electo shock aversion therapy at the urging of therapists in the student counseling center who convinced them this was the only thing they could do to keep the love of their families. I had a roommate kicked out of school for getting raped. I was the person who collected urine samples from student athletes in the student health center for drug testing and would have to turn over the tray of actual samples to one of the football coaches and accept the “clean” tray he brought to the lab from his van. I didn’t grow up Mormon in Utah and being at BYU with the “faithful and elite” absolutely ended my faith or commitment to that religion or system. Most Mormons are wonderful people. But the system protects the system. What Martha reported was just a tiny bit of the pathological crazy hypocrisy that exists there. Now as a therapist in Utah I often cringe when a hear the last name of a wannabe new client. As I know Just from their last name or maiden name that sessions will be about childhood sexual trauma. Not one thing she said surprised me. Not one. Although I have enormous admiration for the hard work she has put in in order to live in integrity.

Fascinating and Inspiring

There were parts that were hard to listen to(due to their nature not the storytelling),but her story is remarkable and inspirational.