I grew in a Home where religion was rarely discussed. My Father had grown up a devout Catholic, however he along with my grandfather, rejected the Catholic Church and became Communists when my Father was 17; My Father’s family i.e. Sister’s and Cousins etc, are all still devout Roman Catholic’s. My Mother grew up an Anglican (Episcopalian), she became a Spiritualist, when I was 15. My Father was still a communist and an Atheist when he died. My Mother repented of her sins and trusted Christ for salvation three days before she died.
I knew from the age of nine, that God existed, I remember sitting in an old Church at 9 years old and praying to God help me find you Lord. I attended an Anglican Church at the age of 12 but the gospel wasn’t preached; I asked the minister How I could know God and I told him that I felt that there was a brick wall between myself and God; He just told me I was too young to worry about that kind of thing.
My Home life was unstable My Parent’s were alcoholics; My Father had four daughters by four different women and never showed much interest in any of us. My Mother would have breakdowns and try to get off of the drink; I had been in foster care several times.
Anyway at the age of 15, I started to really question the meaning of life; I started praying quite a lot; as by this time I had developed a drink problem and on the way to becoming an alcoholic; my friends were getting involved in drugs etc. I thought to myself there must be more to life than this.
I had a project to complete at school on different religions how Children are raised in different religions. I happened to live just a few minutes walk away from the UK headquarters of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, (also known as Mormon) in Solihull West Midlands. I went into their office and asked for pamphlets; within the space of half an hour two young men appeared on my door step. They asked if they could complete a series of six lessons with me.
My parent’s didn’t care one way or the other but I had to meet around a neighbour's house (she was a Mormon), because it interfered with their TV viewing. Anyway, I was given answers to my questions; I was told all religion was wrong all churches were wrong except, the Mormon one. I was told about how a young by at the age of 14 was seeking to know the truth, and asked God which Church to join. Wow, I thought this must be an answer to my prayers as I too was looking to find out which Church to join.
I was invited to their Church; I was invited to all their meetings. The people really practices what they preached, had high moral standards, the whole thing was a complete contrast to my upbringing. The people really looked after their own, they helped one another, which is sadly something that rarely happens 90% of the Christian Churches.
Anyway, I went to meeting practically every night; then I went away on the young women’s camp; I received my testimony after a dozen young prayed for me, I remember something happening to me that cult experts call switching or snappy when part of your brain loses all connection with reality, the mind control really sets. I honestly thought at the time I had received my testimony. A testimony is where you pray to find out if the Founder Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, whether the Mormon Church is the true Church; and whether their extra book of scripture is the true word of God. You actually get a nice warm fuzzy feeling in your chest which they refer to as the “burning in the bosom”. I genuinely believed that this was from God.
Anyway, after a while on my 16th birthday I was baptized in the Church. I was extremely happy for the first 2 years or so. I was so devout I refused to speak to my parent’s for nine whole months because they asked a few questions about the Churches doctrine.
All I did was Church, work, sleep etc. I kept every rule in the book so to speak. The Mormon Church helped me to educate myself I could hardly read and write. I had low self confidence, I had a family for the first time in my life, and I had structure, rules and routine something I desperately wanted as a child. They really did love and care for me.
You may be asking why did you leave then if it was all so good and so positive.
I came across a work colleague, whom I rarely worked with; he was a born again Christian. I told me that The Mormon Church would not allow black men into the priesthood, until 1978 also that they believed black people to be inferior to white people. He also told me that the Church taught that Jesus was a polygamist. I refused to listen but over a period of weeks, he kept telling me more and more about their bizarre teaching. I went to my local leadership and he told me that the Church did withhold the priesthood, from black men until 1978. I was horrified and devastated.
The doubts started to come, I started to drink again in order to try to, block out the doubts. The end finally came after I watched a documentary on the TV, called “focus to kill”. It was about Mormon fundamentalism, the early Church leader’s practicised polygamy and blood atonement, Mormon do not believe that Jesus shed blood is enough to atone sins, they believe the sinners own blood must be shed. The early Church practicised this blood atonement. It also showed the Book of Mormon to have undergone 3,900 changes. I phone my local leader up the next day I told him I wanted to leave. My request was denied.
I had frequent visits from members of the Church hierarchy as well as normal run of the mill members. I would like to point out that at no point was I verbally or physically abused or threatened. I was treated with kindness and respect at all times; but they wouldn’t respect my decision to leave. I finally got my name removed after I threatened them with legal action.
I left the Church but had nothing to fill the empty void that I felt. The effect of mind control was severe, I lived in a zombie like state, my drinking got really out of control at the height of I drank a full bottle of vodka a day. I went night clubbing, partying, my life was full of sin.
I studied with Jehovah’s Witnesses for about 9 months, this filed up my time but I wouldn’t accept their policy on refusal of blood transfusions. Again, like the Mormons the Witnesses were extremely kind to me. I went onto to study Islam; I attended Spiritualist Churches, as well as Hare Krishna Temple.
Then I came across a book in my local library what of the Unitarians, I started to read their literature, then I decided to join the Church. Unitarians are a group of people that believe all roads lead to God, just is a good person God will let you into heaven. They believe that Jesus is just a good man; they do not believe he is God’s son or that he is God in the flesh. I had decided to attend a meeting. I got ready to go and my car wouldn’t start. I couldn’t get there; so I went for a walk around the area where I lived. I heard music and I followed it was coming from a Church. I went in and sat down. After a while, I wanted to leave but was unable physically to move.
The Pastor then got up and preached the gospel (the one and only true one found in God’s word The Holy Bible). He said that we as human beings are sinners. God made Adam and Eve perfect and good (this is found in Genesis) they were the first people. God gave Adam and Eve a choice, he had provided an idealic paradise garden called Eden for them to live in and enjoy, however he told them they could eat any tree or plant apart from the tree of Good and evil. Eve chose to disobey God and took Adam along with her, they rebelled against God and sin entered the world. From then on, every human being is born sinful. God is holy and cannot tolerate sin, but he loved us enough that he sent his son into the world to come and live amongst us, he was fully God and fully human. He went to a place called Calvary hung on a cross, shed his blood and paid the price for the sin of the world.
The Pastor said we have a choice we can reject what Jesus did, but if we do when we die we cannot enter heaven, we would have to go to eternal punishment, a dark place where there is no escape from the flames, they will always be regret; he said you may hear this message playing in your head whilst in hell, and regretting the fact you rejected this message. Or choice no.2 you can repent of your sins, turn away from them ask God’s forgiveness and ask Jesus to become your saviour (trust his death at Calvary to pay for your sin), ask him to take control of your life.
At this point, the conviction was so great that my whole life was running past me like a video tape. I knew then that if I rejected God’s offer of salvation then I might not get another chance.
I asked God’s forgiveness and repented of my sin there and then. That was in March 1996, since then so much has happened. I married Nigel in December 2001; we had a baby boy called Justyn, Feb 2002. I have been actively involved in cult Evangelism since August 1996. My Husband and I run a cult ministry here in the UK called True Grace International Ministries. I have not always been as faithful as I should be but not once has God let me down. When I was a Mormon I had no assurance of salvation but now as Christian I know because the Bible tells me so in 1John 5:13 I can have the assurance of eternal life.
Dear Mormon friend, please do get in touch with me I won’t be pushy but please don’t waste your life following a false prophet, following a man made religion.
Dear Unconverted Friend, whether you are an agnostic, atheist, Roman Catholic, Muslim, Jehovah Witness or any other religion. I urge you to investigate the claims of Christ. I too, was in your shoes. If I could get a pair of scissors and tear out all the parts about hell then I would, But the Bible specifically tells us about hell, it is a place, you don’t want to go, there will be no second chances, for you; what decision you make for Christ in this life determines your eternal destiny.
Many thanks God bless you for reading my testimony
Gail
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