THE END OF DAYS

March 2006 — There is a new TV show about Utah polygamists. I am an ex-LDS, Mormonism is still a big part of me, and so I am anxious to see it. When the theme starts, I am amazed how deeply Mormon (and accurate) it is. Later I see the baptism episode/scene, and I cry for two hours. I realize how much I miss Mormonism. So, I do some research, and during the summer find solace in a liberal Mormon denomination. I reclaim my Mormon faith, I feel like celebrating it; I learn from books and forums, and over the next few years I grow in faith, and inevitably change.

March 2011 — My favorite TV show in many years is ending. It makes me sad, and the finale is a shocker I am still processing. It is the end of the road, but not for me. My religious journey took me back to Utah in 2009. I was leaving the liberal denomination behind me when I met Fundamentalists by chance. I received a powerful testimony in their company. Today, despite my special circumstances, I consider myself a Fundamentalist Mormon.

In the end, Bill wins. He leaves the treasures of this world but has secured his family in eternity. He has also brought the debate on polygamy back and created (went back to) a church that he knows is endorsed by God. And he has realized that Love preceded, or must precede, Faith.