From Mormonism to Orthodoxy: Why She Left the LDS Church & Came to Christ and His Church with Sunny AmericaFrom Mormonism to Orthodoxy: Why She Left the LDS Church & Came to Christ and His Church with Sunny America
Raised & Redeemed
Sunny America shares how she moved from a loving Mormon upbringing through atheism and new age spirituality into Orthodox Christianity, facing spiritual attacks, hard questions and major lifestyle changes along the way. The conversation touches on theology, family dynamics, and practical steps towards a more Christ-focused and sober life.
1:07:11•30 Sept 2026
From Mormon Roots to Orthodox Faith: Sunny America’s Journey Back to Christ
Episode Overview
- Leaving a tight-knit faith like Mormonism can feel like losing your identity, but it can also open the door to seeking truth more deeply.
- Spiritual experiences, including panic attacks and unexpected peace after prayer, led Sunny from atheism and new age practices back towards Christ.
- Questioning church authority, teachings on the Eucharist and how money is used pushed her to look seriously into Orthodox Christianity.
- Having a spiritual father and a consistent tradition helped her face intense spiritual attacks and anxiety as she approached Orthodoxy.
- Couples who have been sexually active can still choose to stop and wait for marriage; Sunny shares that this decision transformed her relationship and sense of worth.
“Orthodoxy, it’s a deeper relationship with Christ.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? Raised & Redeemed takes that question beyond substances and into beliefs, as Sunny America shares her path from a warm, community-focused Mormon upbringing to Orthodox Christianity. You’ll hear Sunny talk honestly about growing up LDS in “Mormonville” Utah, clarifying the difference between LDS and FLDS and laughing about common misconceptions like “Are those the people who don’t use electricity?”.
She’s clear that her childhood was “beautiful”, with strong morals, big families and homeschool culture, even though she now rejects Mormon theology. From there, things get raw and relatable. Sunny describes becoming an “inactive Mormon”, slipping into atheism, new age practices, yoga culture, and living in sinful, chaotic relationships. Panic attacks, spiritual emptiness and a desperate prayer on the floor became a turning point that pushed her back towards Christ, first through evangelical churches and eventually towards Orthodoxy.
The episode also gets into some specific Mormon beliefs: baptisms for the dead, temple secrecy, the idea of “heavenly mother”, three tiers of heaven, and why she now finds much of it historically and biblically inconsistent. She contrasts that with Orthodox sacraments, the real presence in the Eucharist, apostolic succession, and the role of a spiritual father in keeping people grounded when spiritual experiences turn intense.
Sunny shares how she met her British husband, their choice to stop premarital sex and wait over a year before marriage, and how that decision changed their relationship for the better. For anyone wrestling with past religious trauma, leaving a tight-knit faith community, or trying to combine recovery from sin with a deeper walk with Christ, this conversation offers honest questions, humour, and plenty of food for thought.
Could questioning your old beliefs be the first step towards a more rooted, sober and Christ-centred life?
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