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Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith | 
 enlarge | Manufacturer: Crown
Category: EBooks
List Price: $9.95
Buy New: $7.96
You Save: $1.99 (20%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  198 reviews
Sales Rank: 10093
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Dewey Decimal Number: 289.3092
ASIN: B000FCJZG8
Publication Date: March 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Amazon.com
When graduate student Martha Beck's son Adam was born with Down syndrome, she and her husband left the chilly halls of Harvard for Utah and the warm, accepting embrace of the Mormon community. Determined to assimilate back into her childhood faith after years of atheism, Beck's disenchantment resurfaced when censorship from the church heavily influenced the curriculum at Brigham Young University where she taught part-time. More disturbing was Beck's eventual belief that her father, a virtual celebrity in the Mormon Church, had sexually molested her as a child. Beck frames her narrative around a conversation with her aged father, dipping in and out of stories ofher childhood, marriage, third pregnancy, and teaching. She contrasts her perceptions of the leadership of the institutional church as controlling and patriarchal with stories of the warmth and generosity of her Mormon community. Beck unfolds her search for identity, forgiveness, and a personal faith in competent prose, punctuated with surprising dark humor and glimpses into her anorexia, suicidal obsessions, and alleged abuse. Although she leaves readers with many unanswered questions after the last page is turned, one thing is clear: Beck believes that "no matter how difficult and painful it may be, nothing sounds as good to the soul as the truth." --Cindy Crosby
Product Description
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.
From the Hardcover edition.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 193 more reviews...
 Everyone Loses With This Book--Especially Beck September 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Inspirational writer and Oprah "Life Coach" Martha Beck does herself and her family an extreme disservice by publishing this sour autobiography. Her brother-in-law, Boyd Peterson, in 2002 published a biography of Beck's father and openly stated that Beck essentially had gone off the deep end by accusing her father of crimes perpetrated during the 1960's when she was a prepubescent youth. Given that this book was published on her father's deathbed, the timing should give readers considerable pause as to the motives and stability of Ms. Martha Beck.
Child molestation and sexual assault have always been serious crimes, and as a practicing Mormon, I expect such crimes to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Former General Authority George Patrick Lee was excommunicated and subsequently pleaded guilty to molestation charges...his high status (much higher than that of Beck's father, who was a BYU Professor and didn't work at Church headquarters, as did Lee) did not make him immune to the consequences of his crimes. Certainly with a "lay clergy" there are going to be church leaders and even General Authorities who have and will continue to make mistakes in how such matters are handled. Working for a Child Welfare agency, I happen to know that the policy of the Church when such abuse is exposed or alleged in any way--whether it be in "confession" (protected under state law) or not--the policy of the Mormon Church is to report this post haste to the proper authorities and take Church disciplinary action against the perpetrator. That there are lapses in following this policy is human and understandable...but not acceptable.
Ms. Beck accuses her father of a serious crime committed, presumably, sometime in the 1960s. Her sisters absolutely deny that they were victims of similar molestation, and assert that Becks "repressed memories" are the product of a self-serving, attention seeking drama queen (my words, not theirs). Obviously, any statute of limitations would have protected Beck's father from prosecution as the accusations surfaced decades after the alleged sexual assault. Interestingly enough, Ms. Beck in this book confesses to the crime of first degree kidnapping--with an Elderly enhancement--for holding her father against his will in that infamous hotel room, and her cousin in the closet would have been an assessory. This kidnapping seemed to be a focal point of the story. (Was Beck smart enough to delay publication of this book so that the kidnapping statute of limitation would have expired?? Is that giving her too much credit for being "smart" despite the H-Bombs she constantly drops?? If she is so smart, why would she EVER kidnap her father???) So perhaps the vulnerable but upright Ms. Beck has the right to commit felony crimes because SHE believes her father committed felony crimes years previous. Sorry, that's not the way civilized society lets things work...
In sum, this obscenity by Beck makes her out to be a vicious victim and a felon, her father a bumbling pedophile, and the Church of her youth some sort of totalitarian organization. Interesting that Beck and all the other Mormon Haters have been able to continue in their zeal to tear down the faith of others and to do so despite the "Strengthening Membership Committee" or "Danites" or whatever. Interesting that I was able to read this book right after it was first published and no Church Gestapo agent came by to confiscate my temple recomment. Fact is, this book was written by an unstable hater and is received by the Mormon Hater community as a wet-dream come true. Everyone comes out a loser in this book...especially Beck. What a tragedy.
 Precisely the reason why I left September 2, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I loved "Leaving the Saints," not because it was the best book ever written (not quite there, but still good) but because it was a woman, and not a man who had the courage to both honor and expose The Latter Day Saints.
As an ex-member, I have kept many good teachings from the church. I have them to thank for my ability to control my finances, stay clear of harmful substances, store food and other essentials for a rainy day, and value family.
However, as a woman, I know that the church is ultra patriarchal, has a history of sexism, racism, and homophobia. I do not believe in its ideas of men becoming gods, with the "ability" to have multiple wives in heaven. Sorry, but I am not here to "help" men achieve heaven, at least not in the way they intend. And I fervently believe that anything touched by mortality is tainted. So I am not surprised at the number of accounts of abuse coming from church members.
At 15 years of age, one of my then good friends was sexually abused by her father, a priesthood holder. She was told by our Bishop to pray for him, and I told her to call the police. At that moment I realized that this church is more preoccupied with saving face, then saving the daughters and sons it supposedly "loves."
I love Martha's ability to speak out, and to see both good and bad in the church, and run from neither. Perhaps if the church were to do the same, it wouldn't be seen as a cult, but as an institution that tries to get better by admitting their humanity, and facing the truth.
Fantastic book July 9, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I honestly have nothing to say about whatever supposed "anti-Mormon" slant the book has. I knew all the back-story stuff about Mormonism when I started reading the book; that wasn't what interested me. I had no idea who Martha Beck's father was or that he was some bigshot in the Mormon church - that didn't interest me either.
What did interest me was Martha's heartfelt and candid exploration of going through remembrance of her childhood sexual abuse, through anger and bewilderment to forgiveness. Regardless of what anyone else (and it's usually someone with an ulterior motive) has to say about the veracity of "recovered memories," they do happen. I was molested as a young child, by a male babysitter, and did not fully remember the details of the incident until I was much older. I did not have my revelation as a result of therapy; it happened one night as I was alone in my room reading. I did end up in therapy as a result but my therapist did not focus on "recovering" any more details of the incident; she only wanted to discuss what I was able to remember unassisted, and help me to move past it. Reading Martha's recollections brought back terrible and wonderful memories for me, of my own journey through anger into forgiveness. Perhaps people who have not had the experience cannot understand, but really there is no reason for someone to make up or embellish memories of sexual abuse, and it shouldn't be difficult to understand why people would repress memories of it. It's not exactly the kind of thing you want to remember.
This is a wonderful book, full of humor and love and Beck's amazement at her own awakening. Beck speaks with a voice that is so honest, so raw, so open that it was impossible for me to doubt one word of what she said. The fact that her siblings, ex-husband etc. tried to cast aspersions on what she said (one of her siblings attempted to do this by saying that Beck had been 'melodramatic as a child' - gee, I wonder why?) says, to me, that there is truth in her story; otherwise why would people be so eager to discredit it? If it was made up out of whole cloth everyone would have laughed off the allegations and that would have been it. The fact that so many people put forth such concerted effort to slander Ms. Beck and her account lead me to believe that she is telling the truth, not that she is a histrionic attention-seeker. My mother had a similar reaction to Beck's mother when I told her about my remembrance - saying at first that she "had always known" something had gone on, but then telling me that abuse is "not that big of a deal" and that I should just try not to think about it ever again. My therapist helped me to understand that many mothers react this way to abuse revelations because it's easier for them to disbelieve and/or discount than to face the idea that they failed to protect their child from something horrific - especially if they themselves suffered abuse as children.
The main reason why I would recommend this book to any other survivor of childhood sexual abuse is because of its focus on freedom, and letting go. As long as you hold hate and anger in your heart about your abuse, or toward your abuser, you cannot be free. If you live your life from a place of anger, eventually that anger - and therefore the abuse - will begin to define you as a person. And who wants to be defined by abuse, or by their abuser? Abusers take much from their child victims, but they do not take away their ability to get clear of the abuse and define themselves. Abuse victims do not have to forgive - just accept, and move forward. By the same token, if you do not face your memories and come to terms with what happened, you cannot be free either. I wholeheartedly believe that Martha's intent in this book was not to slander anyone or ruin anyone's life; she is doing what she felt she needed to do to get free of what happened to her. I could actually care less about the Mormonism stuff in the book, although people who are anti-Mormon will find plenty of fuel for their fire in here - I highly recommend this book to people who are struggling to come to terms with the fallout of their own abuse memories. Beck's story is one that is easy to relate to, and her attitude about moving on is ultimately incredibly healthy and positive. Kudos to her for having the courage to tell her story.
saints June 22, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I found Martha Beck's book very healing. Having grown up near Provo Utah, I could really understand and identify with the situations and challenges she talked about. Seeing Mormonism from a more objective viewpoint I could let go of some of the guilt I have felt and understand why some of the beliefs just didn't feel good.
Thank you Martha, I can't believe you really said that.
Wow, this woman is smart! June 3, 2008
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
I'm always intimidated to write a review for a really good book because I'm afraid I won't do it justice. This woman is one hell of a writer. If her father had one half of her talent for language I can understand how, through the "apologies" he wrote, he would be able to keep people faithful to a religion that is KOOKY at best. I'm sure this story of Martha's successful journey through her dark night of the soul into true spiritual peace and understanding will be a beacon for others who have experienced any kind of personal tragedy or challenge. The insider's view of the history and workings of the Mormon Church is enough of a reason to read it.
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