Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds Reveals Why He Stopped Being A Mormon

Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds was a former Mormon who revealed why he left the religion in his early 20s.

Speaking to People, Reynolds shared that he was raised in a really conservative" Mormon household in Las Vegas, Nevada. Eventually, he attended Brigham Young University in Utah, and at 19, he served a two-year Mormon mission in Omaha, Nebraska.

Reynolds described his relationship with his religion as "complicated," opening up about how he navigates his world while his family remains active in the church.

"There's obviously parts of the Mormon religion that I feel pretty strongly are harmful, especially to our gay youth," Reynold confirmed. "At times I feel pretty isolated from my family, but I also love them and am close to them and see them, and there's no animosity there. I'm on a different path. I have to love myself enough to follow my truth."

Reynolds confessed that he had "always struggled" with religion, especially coming from a big, tightly-knitted family. When he was around his 20s to early 30s, the "Demons" singer felt like he was "duped" by religion, making him "really angry" about its concept.

"[I] saw a lot of the harm that came from it for me personally, but it also seemed to work incredibly well for my family, and they're all healthy, happy individuals," Reynolds added. "As I've gotten older, I'm not angry about it anymore. If something works for someone, that's really wonderful and rare, and I don't want to mess with it."

Reynolds also confirmed that he decided not to raise his children inside the church.

"My greatest goal every day is to not manipulate my kids. I really don't want to try to tell them what their spiritual path should be," Reynold explained. "I give them my thoughts and obviously try to protect them and take care of them, while also making sure they have freedom and agency to choose whatever they want."

In 2017, Reynolds formed the LOVELOUD Foundation in support of young people in the LGBTQ+ community.

The vocalist had considered the foundation as his "most meaningful work."

"It's been incredible to see the reception. I get letters almost every day, DMs, emails, from kids who came to LOVELOUD and who came out to their family at LOVELOUD," Reynolds told People in October 2023 ahead of the 2023 LOVELOUD Festival.

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Dan Reynolds, Imagine Dragons