Were you warned against reading “anti-Mormon literature”? Some people say they were taught to avoid “anti-Mormon” materials with the same intensity they were taught with to avoid sexual sin. That’s BIG.

Not long after I left the church, I told my Mormon friends that I lost my testimony by reading the church website and NOT by reading “anti-Mormon” stuff.

You see, I still believed there was something inherently wrong about reading “anti-Mormon” material and I didn’t want my friends to think I did anything like THAT!

Through a variety of techniques, the church teaches people to ignore information which is critical of Mormonism. Anything labeled as “anti” is automatically discounted. Anyone who reads “anti” is discounted. Anyone who loses their testimony is discounted.

This is a BIG RED FLAG that Mormonism functions as a closed, authoritative structure. You can ask questions within the system but as soon as you believe that leaving the organization is a valid choice, you get labeled.

However, leaving is a valid choice! If you’ve made that choice, you need time to recover from the indoctrination. It’s time to read and learn “outside the box”!

Reading beyond the church-approved material means opening yourself up to information you previously didn’t allow yourself to look at. This can be highly therapeutic and cathartic, so be sure to allow yourself all the time you need to read and study. If you feel fear or guilt for reading, don’t take it as a sign you are on the wrong track. Take it as a sign you are recovering from an authoritative religion.

No one should ever be afraid of information.

Reading those materials you’d been told to avoid is a critical step in giving yourself permission to be your own authority. You get to decide what you believe about anything and everything you read.

Here are 10 books you may find useful as you strive to figure out what you now believe: