We Almost Wish We Didn't Know What "Mormon Soaking" Is

In life, there are going to be a ton of things we just aren't going to understand and wish we never did. This is where TikTok comes in. Tons of people have joined the platform over the years to talk about everything from financial advice, to gaming videos and sharing life experiences.

TikTokers are also using the platform to talk about previously held religious beliefs. Videos have been going viral from ex-Mormons talking about something that's become known as "Mormon soaking" or "soaking." It turns out that this may be a common occurrence in Mormonism that bends the rules about how people should behave.

In September 2021, TikTok user @funeralpotatoslut got close to 4 million views in less than a week. In the video, she's seen jumping on a bed with what looks to be a person-shaped lump of pillows wearing a wig next to her. If this wasn't weird enough, the caption doesn't explain much unless you know what she's talking about.

"When your bestie is called to soak in a BYU dorm and you have to jump hump for her," the caption said. The reasoning behind why people do this gives a clear understanding of how teenagers in the Mormon faith can struggle with wanting to have sex. One way they deal with this is called "soaking."

To help us figure out what this means, TikToker and ex-Mormon @sofiafranklin came to the rescue while talking with Dear Media. She says that teenagers in the Mormon faith aren't allowed any kind of sexual contact, even though as teenagers and in their college years, they experience all the same feelings the rest of us do. As a way to bend the rules, they "soak."

This is when two people, in this example a girl and a guy, want to have sex, but they can't because of their Morman faith. So instead, the guy penetrates the girl and stays still. Then, someone else jumps on the bed next to them or shakes the bed from beneath them to kind of simulate what it's like to have sex. Apparently, thrusting of any kind isn't allowed, so "soaking" is a way people get around the rules.

In another TikTok, an ex-Mormon, @exmolex, answered some questions that people sent her way about the slang term. One of them was if Mormons really don't consider soaking as sex. She said that even though younger Mormons do it, they know it's not allowed and a lot of them do talk to their bishops about it after the fact.

"Mormon soaking" isn't meant to replace sex, but it's something young people do when they can't help themselves, according to the TikToker. They justify their actions by saying they didn't really have sex.

@exmolex also mentioned that there are other names for soaking like "floating" and "marinating." In another video, she also says there's something called "durfing," which is like humping with your clothes on. You learn something new every day!