During his Mormon Stories interview, he explained how his resignation, initially meant to be a private affair, became public. Unaware that a visiting family member, who happened to be an ex-Mormon, video recorded his talk without permission, he and his wife had originally agreed that she would make an audio recording. When he discovered the unauthorized video posted online, he promptly requested its removal from the family member, who complied and apologized. However, by then, edited and out-of-context excerpts had already gone viral. Faced with this situation, they made the choice to release the full video for clarity.toon wrote: ↑Mon Feb 12, 2024 6:11 pmI think there's reason to be cynical. Not about his motives for resigning, but about his reasons for resigning in such a public way. After all, he could have just told the stake president, and that would have been that. Word that he had resigned and the reasons for that still would have gotten around. But he strategized about it, had someone record it, and the recording was put up on the internet soon after. He then published a youtube explanation. And now is on Mormon Stories. I wouldn't say the goal is to monetize anything, as there really isn't that much money there for stuff like this. But it does give him cred or celebrity status in among certain former, disaffiliated, or questioning Mormons.I Have Questions wrote: ↑Mon Feb 12, 2024 8:18 amYep, I can envisage that is where he is heading. I could be wrong of course. But as I said, google “cynical” and you’ll get me.
25 or so years ago, a counselor in my ward's bishopric quit. He no longer believed. PoGP issues, fraud, etc. He didn't announce it. He didn't talk to members about it. When members reached out, he didn't return calls. But everyone knew within a day or two, because people talk.
It's highly improbable for lifelong church members to leave with the intention of monetizing the experience. Leaving the church typically entails a challenging identity crisis, with most individuals focused on simply navigating the upheaval. Moreover, unless someone has been part of the ex-Mormon community for an extended period, the concept of turning a faith crisis into a source of income remains largely unfamiliar.