Vixen

From Mormon Convert to LDS Apostate

By: Lindsay Helm

Narrated by: Stacy Kassulke

Your truth does not mean you are part of some kind of anti-Mormon or anti-Orthodox agenda. Being open about your life experiences is not hate speech against a church. You own your story. No one can tell you that your experiences and perceptions and thoughts aren't real. Sometimes our souls are so big and powerful that they cannot be contained by religion. Sometimes our purpose is so far-reaching that no organization can contain us. Sometimes the Godliest thing to do is to be true to ourselves.

Do you ever wonder what decisions will shape your destiny? For Lindsay, one of those decisions was made at the young age of 13, when she converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints—known to the world as "the Mormon church". Over the course of a decade, Lindsay would take a journey into one of the most secretive and powerful religious organizations in the world. A journey that would cause her to lose her true self as she submitted to the controversial teachings, culture, and doctrine of the Mormon church. Little did she know that two people would come into her life and take her on a new journey. A journey back to herself.

This is her story.

©2021 Lindsay Helm (P)2022 Lindsay Helm

Enlightening

My Uncle and Aunt raised their family in the Mormon traditions. They lived in another state and I interacted with them rarely. My children were raised in a Protestant church but they attended a public school that was populated by Mormon children where my daughter was criticized for her lifestyle and choices. My son was handsome, kind and the valedictorian. He never felt any peer pressure. I understand after reading this memoir why each of my children was treated in school by their peers in the manner that occurred. It’s unsettling that even non-Mormon children are affected by the intolerant teachings of this church. I am very grateful Ms Holmes wrote this book.

A thankful mother.

A necessary exploration of religious trauma

Lindsay writes from an educated and personal perspective on the appeal of cults and the subsequent religious abuse and trauma that harms the people who leave them and the people who remain. It is a necessary story for understanding how our need to connect as humans can be exploited for power, control, and status. Her honesty, vulnerability, and succinct writing style make this book difficult to put down or put on pause. She addresses it all from conversion to escape and the difficult journey to healing after being coerced into giving up her power and doubting her own intuition. She touches on marriage and parenthood after losing a whole community and belief system. Most importantly, she leaves the reader with hope and inspiration as she details her new faith structure and moral compass which begins and ends within herself.

Breath taking…a must listen!

This is an amazing story. A true story. The author, Lindsay Helm, has this ability in her writing to pull the reader/listener into the story with such intent and honesty. She makes you FEEL her story but at the same time it is so relatable on many different levels. It’s not only a story of the author’s experience in an organized religion but she really dives deep in how we all struggle with being our authentic selfs and important it is to have boundaries.

You’ll want a hard copy to highlight after this!

Lindsay’s zest for life and care for humanity are both very apparent throughout the pages of VIXEN. I felt so seen as she took me on her journey of self-discovery. I never wanted to label my own experience in “Mormonism” as traumatic because I had an amazing childhood, but I had several “aha” moments leading me to see things for what they are. I feel inspired to work on my healing and growth, so thank you Lindsay for having the courage to share your story!