#former lds

[growingupmormon]

My mom was telling a “friend” about my sister’s wedding (where she married my amazing sister-in-law)

Lady: I didn’t think you’d be okay with that?

Mom: you don’t think I would support my kid?

Lady: well, weren’t you raised mormon? I’m Catholic so…

Mom: well, every persons got a church that brainwashed them

Lady: -

Mom: I don’t believe in organized religion

Me: 👁️ 👁️ you just said that, you did not just say that!? Wait to go Mom!

[flannelizard]

If you were raised Mormon but no longer are, you are either

1. Afraid of the Mormon church and will say nothing bad about because they’re listening

OR

2. Ready to fistfight Joseph Smith in temple square

[macabreerudition]

My name is Paper Ghostie and I’m a Formon.

Ghostie Rants On: Her Experience as a Mormon.

So, as a popular blog on here, @just-shower-thoughts, has helped be realize, not all water-based introversion is brilliant. But, there is some that make you rant about things in your past. I was marveling at how often I have friends in my work group who are kind enough to offer me rides home

It led to my realization that a lot has changed in the past few years: 

the rides from my coworkers wouldn’t be allowed to be even considered

my relationship with my fiancé just wouldn’t do

my dress for my wedding would be scandalous 

even my daily language would be wrong 

Well, that was just a mere six years ago, due to the style of faith I was following at the time: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. If you are interested I have linked the English version and the language selection page of their official website. Link 1 and Link 2

Below is mostly a rant, as the secondary title indicates. I will be trying to keep the facts straight and will make corrections as needed. So, I know there are going to be people who will call me bigoted (if I get any views on this, honestly). I know that I’m going to be told I have to be more accepting of different views. I get it, I really do.I will be mostly presenting my views mixed with facts I have learned during and since I have ostracized myself from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Notes to consider before reading past the Keep reading link:

The faith will be referred to sarcastically several different forms. But, I will strictly be speaking about my experience with the LDS faith.

My experience with this sect of Christianity fell between August of 2011 and mostly ended around November or December of 2013.¹

While I would like to say that these negative points and opinions are few and far between, many other former members agree.

My living situation and mental state have both drastically improved.¹

A lot of the humor in the initial rant is sarcastic and simply “done”.

The following is the initial rant that I wrote that started this post and I wanted to not only address a lot of the errors that are in the rant but also to explain my own humor in this situation. :

I was wondering: how is it the LDS faith is an actual thing. For fuck's sake, they do proxy baptisms for the dead and the believe Jesus fucking Christ, himself, (and a buncha other dead folks, I suppose) is preaching to the dead in the spirit world to spread the "restored" word to these dead people.² So *if* these people choose to accept Christ into their... afterlives??? that they can have the baptism bit already done for them. Fucking weird, right? 

Then, we have the fucking proxy weddings that are held so deceased couples can /correctly/ be married in the Temple™. (<--- Yes, I am placing a trademark on that and I’ll go over why later.) And, this ceremony can be performed with two full-blooded siblings as the proxies for the bride and groom...³

What in the Sam Hill... how can this be a thing?! How can someone with, like, two fully functioning brain cell that rub together, can look at that and go, "that's not fucking weird at all; in fact, we consider that sacred.." 

What?! What??? 

How? How can you--- I went through that shit for two years... acting like I'm okay with all of it. Ya know? And, I still cannot, for the life of me, get how people think it's not only peachy but REVERED to do these ceremonies. I was in the fucking heated dunk tank that was on the backs of 12 oxen to represent the Mormon settlers blah blah blah. ⁴ 

 AND I CANNOT SWIM AND HAVE A FEAR OF DROWNING! But did that stop them from wanting me to do my "duty" as a Sister™(Trademark is totally needed here) of the Church™? N O p E! 

So, first, let us address the superscripts that I’m sure you all have noticed.

¹ I will be making a post if asked about addressing not only how I came into that situation but why I was willing to get into that situation.

² This was actually never fully clarified to me when I asked questions. And in the interest and pursuit of keeping my then-current home life more tolerable, I chose to act like I accepted the vague answers I received.

 ³ The family I lived with consisted of my best friend, her mother, and her maternal uncle. The uncle and mom had performed a wedding for the deceased for a pair of their ancestors. A video on baptisms for the dead and, honestly, an interesting article about a woman used as an example for an eternal marriage. Finally, another article on the same subject of Eternal Marriage. 

⁴ The twelve oxen mentioned were actually a representation of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. I still believe the oxen are a nod to the fact that oxen would have been a popular animal sought after for the Mormon settlers’ long journey.

Am I completely right? No, absolutely not. I was in the wrong to even act as though I believed in this honestly sacred belief only to abandon it as immediately as the opportunity came to me. I should have been more honest to not only the family I lived with but also my friends and family back home. Do I regret posing as a Mormon for two years in the long run? No. I do not believe that I did terrible deeds a member of the church. In fact, the church taught me a lot of things that I don’t believe I would have learned without this experience and for that I am very grateful.

That’s my rant for now. I do still dearly cherish my best friend and the people I met through the church, but I simply cannot agree with some of the fundamental values that support this institution. I may, again, if requested, go over what are my issues with the church, but for now... I think this will be good for now. I mean, I’m sure we’re about at the third page.

[growingupmormon]

Me: Why’d you turn off Bridgerton?

Mom: Someone knocked and I thought it might be the missionaries at the door

Me:

[growingupmormon]

My sister: it’s so weird that Mormons can just spot another Mormon out in the wild even those who’ve left. Like in high school we got clocked as Mormon and we could tell who was too.

It’s essentially social isolation, you mirror the behaviors of those around you growing up, if everyone around you isolates themselves from the outside world then you’re all gonna start to be a little weird to the outside world making it harder to leave, it’s subtle mannerisms we learned for sure

It’s that and Mormon Face!

[growingupmormon]

I do find it funny that when I look up the #exmo tag it also recommends #twilight

[growingupmormon]

Going through recent posts under the #exmo and giggling and then sad that not a lot of new stuff has been posted



[growingupmormon]

I hate when people say to me “just put it out of your mind” when it comes to the church, this shit formed my mind, every association I have is embedded in it. That’s why it’s so hard to leave, it’s worth leaving, but to put it out of my mind I would need a new brain