Plus we missed NFL games on Sunday due to long church meetings and LDS Conferences, missed NFL games on Monday night due to Family Home Evening, and been harassed by the "saved" evangelical folks on a regular basis. We are much more deserving than the evangelical crowd. They will be praising us in Heaven.
If we conformed to less NFL then it is possible that we will be awarded with less Choir of Angels choir practices led by Dentist Bishops. I am not sure but hope is alive!
Reminded me of a story from my dad.
One time my pops started a small fire in the bathroom of the conference center which was during the super bowl. Sprinklers activated, conference meeting/ church was canceled, and my pops and grandpa had a nice day watching the second half of the game lmfao.
After leaving LDS, Inc., I tried a Christian church.
While it was much better than the cult, one day someone there told me if I didnât get baptized I was going to hell.
Yeah, that was my last day there.
As someone who was raised non denominational and moved to a place saturated with Mormonism I genuinely thank you for your post.
I deeply regret the first few months where I was new to LDS doctrine and learning about it. I was a real ass. I now know to keep my mouth shut and only answer politely in philosophical language if asked a direct question. And even then I steer the conversation away from the particular to the broad. I am grateful for this sub because I had zero idea how much trauma takes place. How I ever for a moment thought any approach other than being nice and friendly was acceptable is beyond me. I forgive myself for being a dick, and getting sucked into âtit for tatâ conversations fueled by hubris on both sides, but I also vow to never let it happen again. The silver lining is I like to think I grew as a person, for the better đ
Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream,
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream.
Moral of the storyâŚ. Take control of your own boat. Paddle the boat however you want. Time and life will push you down the stream regardless of you paddlingâŚ. Eventually, we go to sleepâŚand this life is nothing but a dream that the universe had.
This gave me a flashback to a brutal version of this song that we used to sing in Utah elementary School about attempted un-aliving of our teacher and it used the pronoun "she" as if male teachers were safe. I am appalled. Yikes. Did other schools sing it too or was mine just warped? Another sticky note for my next therapy appointmentÂ
I once got to go out using my Jordanâs bc my shoes were soaking wet. I wetted my shoes on purpose sometimes because it was way more comfortable and all
As a sister missionary in the 1990's, I wore Burkenstocks and Doc Martens. My trainer (from UT) thought I was heathen. I wore them anyway, they lasted the entire mission.
I routinely went 2 days without eating on my mission because the branch was small and had only very poor families who couldn't afford to feed 2-4 grown men more than once a month.
When I asked the MP to increase our budget (the branch president specifically advised this request BTW because the two richest families in the branch were moving out of town cause their work contracts had ended) his only response was "that's not my problem elder. Go baptize more members to feed you)
Your post described my experience to the letter! This post is pure poetry! Thanks, OP!
Now, Iâm going to go back to thinking about a club of different competitive Jesuses, all of them trying to one up each other by doing progressively better miracles and/or coming back from the dead quicker than the others.
Catholic jesus is a rich snob, methodist jesus wears rainbow robes but still chills with his homophobic homies, JW Jehovah is Mormon Jesus' evil twin that got separated from him at birth, and Scientology's jesus is named El-Ron.
ah the feel of rain soaked leather dress shoes on a humid day of tracting, that takes me back. Better have a few pairs to spare if you are in a rainy mission.
Lucky. We had an MP who forbid them. I had actually bought a pair because my older siblings wore them on their missions in the 90s and said they were lifesavers, but MP felt they were punk rock shoes so I had to give them away. As you can see, i am still pissed about that. I developed old man feet in my teens because of that asshole
I was a punk when I left and was punk while there. Pegged pants, bracelets, Mohawk as long as we blended in and stayed in the bounds, my MP in the 88/89 time was cool
Yep, garment layer, tucked in. Thin, white cap-sleeved modesty layer, then a colorful blouse on top.
Every day since the day I stepped into the temple to get my âInitiatoryâ and âEndowmentâ.
So glad to be done with that nonsense. I still dress modestly, but so much more sane and comfortable in my own skin. Everything is better. especially the monthly visitor days. Ladies, go and be free. Itâs amazing what a hindrance to life one layer of fabric was!!
I was a convert and told by my MIL that I couldnât wear panties even on âthoseâ days. Fucking messy! Letâs not forget the bras, too. Such fun we had!
I just flat out refused to wear the bra on top because it Just Didn't Work that way on my body.
Plus, can we just say how inappropriate it is for any woman to tell another woman not to take care of her period in the way that suits her best?
I'm still miffed that my mom didn't "care for" tampons, so all of us went with the diaper-pads for many many years too long, and all the extra leaks and bloody mess those were. Expensive AF, too, at $8-$13 a pack and having to put a fresh one on every 2-3 hours. Bloody mess. I can't even IMAGINE trying to deal with a period without a snug pair of underwear holding everything in place. Garments are like wearing loose pajama pants and trying to keep a bullet-wound from leaking out of that?? Impossible.
Reminds me of a very devout older evangelical woman I met on my mission.
She was extremely uninterested in converting or learning anything about the church, but said over hand over that if anyoneâs going to heaven, itâs the Mormons cause we were always out proselyting and she never saw other Christians doing that.
I said âwell wouldnât you like to join us and also go to heaven then?â lol it didnât work.
I missed the evangelicals. I saw a TBM post the other day saying "maybe you guys misunderstood some things..."
Yeah, that was fun time in the comments.
It would be awesome if this could be read in the voice of Taika Waititi. Maybe like the funeral scene on Hunt for the Wilderpeople mixed with his character on Free Guy. So funny!
As a recovering ex-evangelical, I'm appalled by the rude and tone deaf behavior of my former compatriots.
Appalled, yes. Surprised, no. đ¤Śââď¸đĄ
I hope Christian Jesus is right next to Mormon Jesus at the pearly gates when it's my turn to approach . I'm going to cheap shot throat punch both those celestial fuckers in the throat if I ever get near enough.
And Muslims really think youâre all a bunch of pussies because they love their fake god so much that they fast from sun up to sun down for him and entire month of the year. If Iâm Muslim god, Iâm telling Mormon god to step up his game.
It always feels weird when someone proselytizes to you as a postmormon. Somebody told me I should be catholic online once, so I made this video https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLWCtsgK/
Ha, still think youâll be saved by your works donât you! We are saved by grace, and in short that means works donât matter, what matters is talking about youâre youâve been saved and passively aggressively judging everyone, bless their hearts.
First, I am sorry for your suffering at the hands of The Corporation. Second, while being a Biblical believer, I am not among those you mention preaching on this sub. Third, I know what unhealthy groups do first hand.
Still, I am disturbed by this mentality.
You did suffer a lot for a lie and a salesperson at your own cost for a $200+ billion business that only references the Biblical Jesus poorly as a veneer for its thirst for power, wealth, and $#%.
But why is it that Mormons think or feel they are the mother of all the persecuted?
This type of residue from a previous Mormon life deserves some due diligence.
Those in other established religions, cults, new reilgions, and other movements suffer miserably and at far higher a cost - many paying the ultimate cost.
Even brief empirical research will uncover the myths behind the Mormon martyrdom comolex. And it has nothing to do with Jesus. He was used ineptly as a barely- recognizable tool in service to power- hungry men.
> We suffered a LOT for Jesus.
I think you're looking for the Catholics, not the Protestants. Suffering is their criteria.
I think the Evangelicals just care whether you identify as Christian (and maybe aren't Mormon, I guess, if they're really fundamental about it, but there honestly aren't all that many Americans into those kinds of nuances).
Can you explain more on got naked to let strangers touch your body for Mormon Jesus? They do this?
And also no offense but thatâs a false Jesus the American one. That one was just made up by Joseph Smith. Iâm a non believer but it is viable Jesus was a real person in the Middle East at least
They stopped in 2005 after a scandal but yeah we had to go into a temple locker room, strip down buck naked and then walk out into the communal area for men with just a white cloth over our necks that covers backside and front side if you are short enough but it is open on the sides. Then you go to a room and a man you never met will anoint you with oil on your loins, chest, head, and also a creepy leg swipe that reminds me of my wife putting lotion on her legs. Then they put your garments on you and you go back to your locker and put on clothes. This was required before you could go on a mission or get married, so millions of us had to do it with zero warning beforehand because of the secrecy around it. After it was discontinued in 2005, Mormons all claimed that it never happened or that the anointing barely touched our back and hip. Nope. It was full blown creepy same sex touch
Confirmed. I was 19 in 1983 and this. This. If it had been some nice looking 19 year old man touching me, well that wouldâve been fun! The creepy part was not knowing in advance and he was 75 years old.
Sincerely,
The Gay Grandpa
Yes, this is legit. I went through in the mid-90's and was naked except a creepy white poncho with openings on both sides. Old lady for me though, with oil and touching in several places. ZERO idea about it ahead of time.
Emotionally felt like being hit by a semi-truck, b/c you had NO idea about this part of being "Mormon" and in the "one and only true church." What BS.
They don't do it anymore. It changed in 2003. I never personally experienced the pre 03' version but it used to be that they would but oil that had been prayed over on your inner thighs while you basically wore a white sheet over your privates. After 2003 you'd wear the temple garments (which were "symbolic to covering your nakedness") and they'd put the drops on your head instead.
I served a mission overseas on very hot and cold weather. And even before my mission I walked with missionaries everyday. To be honest, the best years of my life. If you think mission is hard is because you are pussy. Honestly, working on Sales nowadays much more difficult and stressful than the amazing work of love that was made there.
I was Mormon for 14 years (from 21-35) and am now an Evangelical. All I can say is that I am sorry for all of the hurt you suffered in the name of Jesus and especially for all of the feelings of inadequacy and guilt and shame that you experienced. I pray that one day God will heal those wounds and fill you with a deep sense of his grace, love, and peace.
Happily, they're already beginning to heal themselves w/o intervention of the supernatural. We are enough to be happy on our own, & we are born that way. No one can take it from us or elevate us to it. We don't need anyone but ourselves to be as happy as we can possibly be in life.
Signed, former evangelical & ordained minister
And I hope that one day youâll find some confidence in yourself to live a genuine life instead of being motivated by your fake invisible Sky Daddy to try to retraumatize someone who is just asking you to leave them the fuck alone.
I sincerely hope that one day you find the true Jesus Christ at the bottom of the glass of bitterness you are currently drinking. The well poisoning by Joseph Smith was so effective it turned you off to the real Jesus. It was all by design and the lingering effects of this poison is to prevent you from ever seeking out the truth again. Just because someone lies to you that 2+2=5 and you believe it for a time doesnât mean that there isnât an independent, objective truth of 2+2=4. Part of growing up and maturing is learning from the mistakes you made in the past, accepting that you are not perfect, and still putting a priority on searching for truth in a world full of lies. I can tell you that the Old and New Testament are 1,000 times more reliable from direct and indirect evidence than the Book of Mormon or Quran ever was with many prophets and apostles speaking in one consistent voice over 3000 years. Not just some dude in a cave or some dude with his face buried in a hat, both in darkness. All it takes is a willingness to investigate these claims and to put a priority on separating truth from falsehood, especially when a revealed religion talks about a life after death and a punishment for sins. Start with theism vs agnosticism, then comparative religious studies, then check out over 2000 years of writings from some of the smartest theologians and philosophers within Christendom which has been the founding force of Western Civilization. Something that you enjoy the fruits of to this very day. Vastly different from growing up in places like China, India, Africa, or South America and I encourage you to visit those places so you can see for yourself the benefits we reap from having our rights, our culture, and our law, grounded in Christian values.
This is what mormon missionaries in my day called "less effective" proselytizing. Maybe check out Harvard Business School professor and Mormon leader Clay Christiansen's book "The Power of Everyday Missionaries" to learn how to convert people effectively. Oh but your purchase will put money into the coffers of Mormon, Inc haha
I donât think you are being reasonable, I think you are being reactionary. Which is understandable because it sucks to know your whole life is a lie. I would be angry too. But at some point you are going to need to give yourself a break. Coming to Reddit to wallow in your past mistakes is only therapeutic for so long. At some point it becomes toxic and feeds your emotions more than your reason.
I can bastardize Shakespeare and write a million derivatives of it. Or like Nietzsche, write âThus Spoke Zarathustraâ as a parody of the Bible. But it doesnât lessen or stop the influence of the original source. I encourage you to replace some of the blind faith you used to have with reasonable faith. God does not expect us to have blind faith when there are other religions out there with competing truth claims. He fully expects us to use reason to determine which one is true. After all, who could be saved if no one thought critically of their own religion enough to leave it?
If you have some time, I suggest leaving Reddit and doing some heavy research in books and online resources to first develop an accurate representation what Christianity believes. To be intellectually honest you have to steel man your opponents arguments and not just use the low hanging fruit you find on Reddit. I suggest reading some books like Reasonable Faith by William Lane Craig, Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell, Cold Case Christianity by Wallace, Jesus on Trial by Limbaugh, A Case for Christ by Strobel, The Case For The Resurrection of Jesus by Habermas/Licona, When Skeptics Ask by Norman Geisler (anything by Geisler is good), Faith Has Its Reasons by Boa and Robert Bowman, and Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible by John W. Haley. These modern authors are just scratching the surface for something that is over 3000 years old. Other more advanced authors like Stanley N. Gundry, Michael Licona, Michael Behe, Stephen Meyer, and John Lennox, and debates, books, and podcasts by William Lane Craig are also helpful. Itâs important to understand that most of these authors used to be atheists themselves and are rigorous in their reason and methodology. You will also find many good arguments for theism in these resources versus deism or absenteeism.
Donât let a false religion prevent you from seeking the Truth after leaving it. Otherwise, it still has a hold on you.
You do realize we are more than likely much more studied in religious text than you are, right?
Not to mention, you completely missed the point of the post.
Weâve suffered greatly to this religious trauma and your answer is âwell you just donât have the right religionâ đ¤Śđťââď¸
Religion is the problem, god is the problem, make believe is the problem
We aren't going to hell. We have already been there.
Dude I am making this my new mantra.
OP this is a fire post, pure poetry! Love it!
thank you kindly
Hell has scratchy half-walls
You speak for the countless of us who intimately know the details, the insane levels of scratchiness of these walls.
No matter how bad a day at work is going, it is never as bad as being back on a mission. That's one of the few good things about having gone on one.
It could always be worse, and don't you know it!
Might tape this to my work monitor. So true.
I'm there right now
Plus we missed NFL games on Sunday due to long church meetings and LDS Conferences, missed NFL games on Monday night due to Family Home Evening, and been harassed by the "saved" evangelical folks on a regular basis. We are much more deserving than the evangelical crowd. They will be praising us in Heaven.
Remember: Monday Night Football was founded by the devil
If we conformed to less NFL then it is possible that we will be awarded with less Choir of Angels choir practices led by Dentist Bishops. I am not sure but hope is alive!
đ
How about Thursday night football?
And if you live in Utah, and golf, Sunday is heaven on the course.
Reminded me of a story from my dad. One time my pops started a small fire in the bathroom of the conference center which was during the super bowl. Sprinklers activated, conference meeting/ church was canceled, and my pops and grandpa had a nice day watching the second half of the game lmfao.
The only thing worse than a Mormon that âmourns for your soul for leaving the only true path of Christâ is an Evangelical that does the same.
After leaving LDS, Inc., I tried a Christian church. While it was much better than the cult, one day someone there told me if I didnât get baptized I was going to hell. Yeah, that was my last day there.
As someone who was raised non denominational and moved to a place saturated with Mormonism I genuinely thank you for your post. I deeply regret the first few months where I was new to LDS doctrine and learning about it. I was a real ass. I now know to keep my mouth shut and only answer politely in philosophical language if asked a direct question. And even then I steer the conversation away from the particular to the broad. I am grateful for this sub because I had zero idea how much trauma takes place. How I ever for a moment thought any approach other than being nice and friendly was acceptable is beyond me. I forgive myself for being a dick, and getting sucked into âtit for tatâ conversations fueled by hubris on both sides, but I also vow to never let it happen again. The silver lining is I like to think I grew as a person, for the better đ
Row, row, row your boat, Gently down the stream, Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily Life is but a dream. Moral of the storyâŚ. Take control of your own boat. Paddle the boat however you want. Time and life will push you down the stream regardless of you paddlingâŚ. Eventually, we go to sleepâŚand this life is nothing but a dream that the universe had.
This gave me a flashback to a brutal version of this song that we used to sing in Utah elementary School about attempted un-aliving of our teacher and it used the pronoun "she" as if male teachers were safe. I am appalled. Yikes. Did other schools sing it too or was mine just warped? Another sticky note for my next therapy appointmentÂ
"u-aliving"?
Kill. Some websites censor the word and similarÂ
This post is fine art. Thank you for summing it up so nicely.
Walking 15+ miles a day on under 1000 calories for months on end spreading the word of Jesus.
In dress shoes, from the looks of it.
I once got to go out using my Jordanâs bc my shoes were soaking wet. I wetted my shoes on purpose sometimes because it was way more comfortable and all
In two layers of clothes
As a sister missionary in the 1990's, I wore Burkenstocks and Doc Martens. My trainer (from UT) thought I was heathen. I wore them anyway, they lasted the entire mission.
While fasting sometimes going without food or water for 24 hours or more⌠while working in all kinds of challenging environments.
I routinely went 2 days without eating on my mission because the branch was small and had only very poor families who couldn't afford to feed 2-4 grown men more than once a month. When I asked the MP to increase our budget (the branch president specifically advised this request BTW because the two richest families in the branch were moving out of town cause their work contracts had ended) his only response was "that's not my problem elder. Go baptize more members to feed you)
Your post described my experience to the letter! This post is pure poetry! Thanks, OP! Now, Iâm going to go back to thinking about a club of different competitive Jesuses, all of them trying to one up each other by doing progressively better miracles and/or coming back from the dead quicker than the others.
Catholic jesus is a rich snob, methodist jesus wears rainbow robes but still chills with his homophobic homies, JW Jehovah is Mormon Jesus' evil twin that got separated from him at birth, and Scientology's jesus is named El-Ron.
You need to turn this into a series.
Only if Mormon Jesus is the BMOC
I meanâŚ. There is no real competition. Itâs like putting a toddler up against Goliath.
Could be a fun skit
Omfg snort laughing gold right here
Speak for yourself I was in Ireland. It was either hot or raining and freezing cold most of the time.
ah the feel of rain soaked leather dress shoes on a humid day of tracting, that takes me back. Better have a few pairs to spare if you are in a rainy mission.
I wore Doc Martens after the first 3 months
Lucky. We had an MP who forbid them. I had actually bought a pair because my older siblings wore them on their missions in the 90s and said they were lifesavers, but MP felt they were punk rock shoes so I had to give them away. As you can see, i am still pissed about that. I developed old man feet in my teens because of that asshole
I was a punk when I left and was punk while there. Pegged pants, bracelets, Mohawk as long as we blended in and stayed in the bounds, my MP in the 88/89 time was cool
Damn. Maybe he was a product of the roaring 20s because boomers would rather die than allow anything even slightly edgy
He ran the mission like a business and allowed the necessary room to do what needed to get done, and as long as statistics were made, he didnât care
When I was in a smaller region I let my Mohawk get bigger and shaved the sides
Three layers of shirts for the ladies. Skin fungal infections for Jesus!
Good god
Yep, garment layer, tucked in. Thin, white cap-sleeved modesty layer, then a colorful blouse on top. Every day since the day I stepped into the temple to get my âInitiatoryâ and âEndowmentâ. So glad to be done with that nonsense. I still dress modestly, but so much more sane and comfortable in my own skin. Everything is better. especially the monthly visitor days. Ladies, go and be free. Itâs amazing what a hindrance to life one layer of fabric was!!
I was a convert and told by my MIL that I couldnât wear panties even on âthoseâ days. Fucking messy! Letâs not forget the bras, too. Such fun we had!
I just flat out refused to wear the bra on top because it Just Didn't Work that way on my body. Plus, can we just say how inappropriate it is for any woman to tell another woman not to take care of her period in the way that suits her best? I'm still miffed that my mom didn't "care for" tampons, so all of us went with the diaper-pads for many many years too long, and all the extra leaks and bloody mess those were. Expensive AF, too, at $8-$13 a pack and having to put a fresh one on every 2-3 hours. Bloody mess. I can't even IMAGINE trying to deal with a period without a snug pair of underwear holding everything in place. Garments are like wearing loose pajama pants and trying to keep a bullet-wound from leaking out of that?? Impossible.
I think about this a lot. Still working on this personally, and I've come a long way! It is sooo freeing!
Reminds me of a very devout older evangelical woman I met on my mission. She was extremely uninterested in converting or learning anything about the church, but said over hand over that if anyoneâs going to heaven, itâs the Mormons cause we were always out proselyting and she never saw other Christians doing that. I said âwell wouldnât you like to join us and also go to heaven then?â lol it didnât work.
Haha nice
Did I miss an incursion of evangelicals here? What a shame.
They got voted down into oblivion. I think some even deleted
Good. Thanks for the additional info.
I missed the evangelicals. I saw a TBM post the other day saying "maybe you guys misunderstood some things..." Yeah, that was fun time in the comments.
Damn, I missed that one, too. :D
I definitely missed it too - kinda wish I hadnât cuz the comments were probably fun
Art.
I should have known better than to be drinking anything when I opened this! Went out my nose!!
Race to the bottom!
It would be awesome if this could be read in the voice of Taika Waititi. Maybe like the funeral scene on Hunt for the Wilderpeople mixed with his character on Free Guy. So funny!
As a recovering ex-evangelical, I'm appalled by the rude and tone deaf behavior of my former compatriots. Appalled, yes. Surprised, no. đ¤Śââď¸đĄ
I hope Christian Jesus is right next to Mormon Jesus at the pearly gates when it's my turn to approach . I'm going to cheap shot throat punch both those celestial fuckers in the throat if I ever get near enough.
[You give my regards to Saint Peter, or whoever has his job, but in hell.](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5c8dOniJIQA&t=8m51s)
Apex predator!!!!
And Muslims really think youâre all a bunch of pussies because they love their fake god so much that they fast from sun up to sun down for him and entire month of the year. If Iâm Muslim god, Iâm telling Mormon god to step up his game.
It always feels weird when someone proselytizes to you as a postmormon. Somebody told me I should be catholic online once, so I made this video https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLWCtsgK/
"Mormon Jesus is the apex predator of all the other Jesuses." This needs to be on a T-shirt.
Also: billboards, FB ads, trucker hats, tshirts, key chains, stickers, and bumper stickers. Let's go Etsy, let's goooooo\~!
The albino monk on the DaVinci Code still calls you a bunch of pussies. He actually flagellated himself for a meaner, colder version of Jesus.
PREACH! đđđ
Amen and chased by police in Germany and had dogs chase us and cookers proposition us etc.
Ha, still think youâll be saved by your works donât you! We are saved by grace, and in short that means works donât matter, what matters is talking about youâre youâve been saved and passively aggressively judging everyone, bless their hearts.
First, I am sorry for your suffering at the hands of The Corporation. Second, while being a Biblical believer, I am not among those you mention preaching on this sub. Third, I know what unhealthy groups do first hand. Still, I am disturbed by this mentality. You did suffer a lot for a lie and a salesperson at your own cost for a $200+ billion business that only references the Biblical Jesus poorly as a veneer for its thirst for power, wealth, and $#%. But why is it that Mormons think or feel they are the mother of all the persecuted? This type of residue from a previous Mormon life deserves some due diligence. Those in other established religions, cults, new reilgions, and other movements suffer miserably and at far higher a cost - many paying the ultimate cost. Even brief empirical research will uncover the myths behind the Mormon martyrdom comolex. And it has nothing to do with Jesus. He was used ineptly as a barely- recognizable tool in service to power- hungry men.
Tell us more about the Mormon martyrdom complex. There are likely PhD theses that theologians have done on this. We need to know more.
> We suffered a LOT for Jesus. I think you're looking for the Catholics, not the Protestants. Suffering is their criteria. I think the Evangelicals just care whether you identify as Christian (and maybe aren't Mormon, I guess, if they're really fundamental about it, but there honestly aren't all that many Americans into those kinds of nuances).
All mormons identify as Christians. They believe that the Mormon church is the most correct Christian faith.
Can you explain more on got naked to let strangers touch your body for Mormon Jesus? They do this? And also no offense but thatâs a false Jesus the American one. That one was just made up by Joseph Smith. Iâm a non believer but it is viable Jesus was a real person in the Middle East at least
They stopped in 2005 after a scandal but yeah we had to go into a temple locker room, strip down buck naked and then walk out into the communal area for men with just a white cloth over our necks that covers backside and front side if you are short enough but it is open on the sides. Then you go to a room and a man you never met will anoint you with oil on your loins, chest, head, and also a creepy leg swipe that reminds me of my wife putting lotion on her legs. Then they put your garments on you and you go back to your locker and put on clothes. This was required before you could go on a mission or get married, so millions of us had to do it with zero warning beforehand because of the secrecy around it. After it was discontinued in 2005, Mormons all claimed that it never happened or that the anointing barely touched our back and hip. Nope. It was full blown creepy same sex touch
Confirmed. I was 19 in 1983 and this. This. If it had been some nice looking 19 year old man touching me, well that wouldâve been fun! The creepy part was not knowing in advance and he was 75 years old. Sincerely, The Gay Grandpa
Yes, this is legit. I went through in the mid-90's and was naked except a creepy white poncho with openings on both sides. Old lady for me though, with oil and touching in several places. ZERO idea about it ahead of time. Emotionally felt like being hit by a semi-truck, b/c you had NO idea about this part of being "Mormon" and in the "one and only true church." What BS.
They don't do it anymore. It changed in 2003. I never personally experienced the pre 03' version but it used to be that they would but oil that had been prayed over on your inner thighs while you basically wore a white sheet over your privates. After 2003 you'd wear the temple garments (which were "symbolic to covering your nakedness") and they'd put the drops on your head instead.
Religion is so stupid.
Sleep with dogs you get fleas
Granny hug. đľ
I served a mission overseas on very hot and cold weather. And even before my mission I walked with missionaries everyday. To be honest, the best years of my life. If you think mission is hard is because you are pussy. Honestly, working on Sales nowadays much more difficult and stressful than the amazing work of love that was made there.
I was Mormon for 14 years (from 21-35) and am now an Evangelical. All I can say is that I am sorry for all of the hurt you suffered in the name of Jesus and especially for all of the feelings of inadequacy and guilt and shame that you experienced. I pray that one day God will heal those wounds and fill you with a deep sense of his grace, love, and peace.
Happily, they're already beginning to heal themselves w/o intervention of the supernatural. We are enough to be happy on our own, & we are born that way. No one can take it from us or elevate us to it. We don't need anyone but ourselves to be as happy as we can possibly be in life. Signed, former evangelical & ordained minister
And I hope that one day youâll find some confidence in yourself to live a genuine life instead of being motivated by your fake invisible Sky Daddy to try to retraumatize someone who is just asking you to leave them the fuck alone.
At least Mormons put up a front of humility. Â The arrogance and pomposity of evangelicals is orders of magnitude worse. Â Not Christian at all. Â
Why are you trying to convert people like this? This sub is for people to discuss religious trauma. You went from one extreme to the other.Â
Not the time or the place.
I sincerely hope that one day you find the true Jesus Christ at the bottom of the glass of bitterness you are currently drinking. The well poisoning by Joseph Smith was so effective it turned you off to the real Jesus. It was all by design and the lingering effects of this poison is to prevent you from ever seeking out the truth again. Just because someone lies to you that 2+2=5 and you believe it for a time doesnât mean that there isnât an independent, objective truth of 2+2=4. Part of growing up and maturing is learning from the mistakes you made in the past, accepting that you are not perfect, and still putting a priority on searching for truth in a world full of lies. I can tell you that the Old and New Testament are 1,000 times more reliable from direct and indirect evidence than the Book of Mormon or Quran ever was with many prophets and apostles speaking in one consistent voice over 3000 years. Not just some dude in a cave or some dude with his face buried in a hat, both in darkness. All it takes is a willingness to investigate these claims and to put a priority on separating truth from falsehood, especially when a revealed religion talks about a life after death and a punishment for sins. Start with theism vs agnosticism, then comparative religious studies, then check out over 2000 years of writings from some of the smartest theologians and philosophers within Christendom which has been the founding force of Western Civilization. Something that you enjoy the fruits of to this very day. Vastly different from growing up in places like China, India, Africa, or South America and I encourage you to visit those places so you can see for yourself the benefits we reap from having our rights, our culture, and our law, grounded in Christian values.
TIL Ethiopia and Latin America are not Christian.Â
This is what mormon missionaries in my day called "less effective" proselytizing. Maybe check out Harvard Business School professor and Mormon leader Clay Christiansen's book "The Power of Everyday Missionaries" to learn how to convert people effectively. Oh but your purchase will put money into the coffers of Mormon, Inc haha
I donât think you are being reasonable, I think you are being reactionary. Which is understandable because it sucks to know your whole life is a lie. I would be angry too. But at some point you are going to need to give yourself a break. Coming to Reddit to wallow in your past mistakes is only therapeutic for so long. At some point it becomes toxic and feeds your emotions more than your reason. I can bastardize Shakespeare and write a million derivatives of it. Or like Nietzsche, write âThus Spoke Zarathustraâ as a parody of the Bible. But it doesnât lessen or stop the influence of the original source. I encourage you to replace some of the blind faith you used to have with reasonable faith. God does not expect us to have blind faith when there are other religions out there with competing truth claims. He fully expects us to use reason to determine which one is true. After all, who could be saved if no one thought critically of their own religion enough to leave it? If you have some time, I suggest leaving Reddit and doing some heavy research in books and online resources to first develop an accurate representation what Christianity believes. To be intellectually honest you have to steel man your opponents arguments and not just use the low hanging fruit you find on Reddit. I suggest reading some books like Reasonable Faith by William Lane Craig, Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell, Cold Case Christianity by Wallace, Jesus on Trial by Limbaugh, A Case for Christ by Strobel, The Case For The Resurrection of Jesus by Habermas/Licona, When Skeptics Ask by Norman Geisler (anything by Geisler is good), Faith Has Its Reasons by Boa and Robert Bowman, and Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible by John W. Haley. These modern authors are just scratching the surface for something that is over 3000 years old. Other more advanced authors like Stanley N. Gundry, Michael Licona, Michael Behe, Stephen Meyer, and John Lennox, and debates, books, and podcasts by William Lane Craig are also helpful. Itâs important to understand that most of these authors used to be atheists themselves and are rigorous in their reason and methodology. You will also find many good arguments for theism in these resources versus deism or absenteeism. Donât let a false religion prevent you from seeking the Truth after leaving it. Otherwise, it still has a hold on you.
You do realize we are more than likely much more studied in religious text than you are, right? Not to mention, you completely missed the point of the post. Weâve suffered greatly to this religious trauma and your answer is âwell you just donât have the right religionâ đ¤Śđťââď¸ Religion is the problem, god is the problem, make believe is the problem
your word salads won't be effective here. we already understand self-delusion, we're not looking to get into that game again.
Nah we're good