Leaving the Saints

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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 Books on Tape, Inc.

Martha BeckBernadette DunneRandom House Audio

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Critic reviews

“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

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I knew nothing about Mormonism or Martha Beck before listening to this audiobook, though I've since gathered that she is well known in the US - unsurprisingly with notoriety in the Mormon world. I chose it out of interest in the spiritual autobiography of which the subtitle indicates.
What the title doesn't indicate is that the book is as much about sexual abuse as it is about religion and faith. Had I known this I wouldn't have chosen it, but though I was shocked and upset by the content on this subject, I'm glad I listened to this book because it's not just about surviving abuse and the consequences of a traumatic childhood, nor just about the (also disturbing) inner workings and foundations of the Mormon church, but is very much about finding the paths of healing, grace, courage, forgiveness, love, and truth.
I think Martha and I would have to part company on some of the New Age-y aspects of spirituality that the synopses of some of her more current books indicate, nevertheless, I found this book spiritually uplifting and challenging and I'm glad I listened to it.

spiritual and psycohological autobiography

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This book is very interesting and for someone who knew almost nothing about the Mormon religion, it was fascinating to hear about it and my attention was captured all the way through. I would discourage anyone considering reading this book from reading the whole synopsis as it gives to much away - it spoils some of the shock and surprise and that is a pity.
The book is wonderfully narrated and that makes it probably an easier book to listen to rather than read since the author tries to explain some complex religious ideas and discusses her very intense thoughts. There is a lovely thread of humour that runs through the book and I would recommend this book to people who are looking for an eye opening read that is very well written.

An interesting and well written book

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This book not just about surviving abuse and the consequences of a traumatic childhood, & not just about the inner workings and foundations of the Mormon church, but is very much about finding the paths of healing, grace, courage, forgiveness, love, inner growth, spirituality and truth.

An uplifting, encouraging and magnificent book about learning to trust in oneself.

Beautifully written memoir on overcoming trauma

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Evangelical, Trinity believing Christian. I have looked at Mormonism a number of times and one thing I have noted is how, unlike lapsed members of some other cults and sects outside the church, they do not tend to become Christians.

Therefore when I saw the title "leaving Mormonism and finding my faith" I was hoping that Martha would be an exception and would now be in a mainstream Christian church.

I was not surprised but only disappointed and confirmed in my observation of the phenomenon when it transpires that Martha has come to a faith rather informed by Buddhism and other similar areas of thought than the Bible.

This book is of value to the Evangelical reader anyway as it shows us more from the inside how the Mormon religion works and what it really is, and how we need to watch out in our own churches not to make similar mistakes.

Beyond which this is a harrowing account of child sexual abuse and denial by the perpetrator, which I don't presume Mormons have any monopoly on. Be ready for that, if you want to read this book.

On the plus side it was a well narrated and we'll written book with an idiosyncratic but enjoyable style of writing with many humorous observations. It was the kind of humour in adversity one usually associates with Jewish culture. I certainly enjoyed that part, as well as new information on what it is like inside which was largely confirmatory of accounts other ex Mormons have given but which at first hand seem like exaggeration but clearly they are not.

The devil had a field day on Joseph Smith a bit like he had on that other receiver of dubious revelations Mohammed. Interesting how many parallels there are, including polygamy and violence. The end of it all is, when Mormons see how duped they have been by the phoney revelation, they are inoculated and cannot be reached easily by the true revelation, writing this remember mainly for other Christians. So they need our prayers and our love to get them into the fold of God when they have been so traumatised by a false Church and its weird teachings which nonetheless are intertwined with Christian scriptures, teachings, even our hymns, that they have autoimmune reactions against Christianity also. And that's exactly what the devil was up to when he whispered in Smith's urim and thummim-like ear.

Writing from the perspective of an

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