Mormonism Schism: WHAT THE HELL? LDS Hymn Parody #17

Friday, June 17, 2011

WHAT THE HELL? LDS Hymn Parody #17

Wow, how many times have I asked myself WHAT THE HELL???... and wanted to scream it out loud??? I have faced that dilemma innumerable times during my life (for varying reasons). But of course, since I was the "good girl" for most of my life, I just kept my differing opinions to myself. Never wanting to rock the boat. Always trying to keep the peace.

But once I discovered the lies, deceptions and contradictions laced throughout Mormonism, and processed through the fact that I had believed in and followed this skewed religion my entire life, I became incresingly outraged and began to express my shock and disgust.

Of course, this blog is an outgrowth of the emergence of the "new me." A woman who no longer just goes along... a woman who knows what she thinks and isn't afraid (any longer) of expressing her thoughts, no matter what others may think or say... a woman who spent 52 years in the Mormon Church, toeing the line and adhering to its ridiculous teachings and doctrine, all of which are not "of God," but rather made up by Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon Church, and its first Prophet and Seer, and perpetuated by countless other men through the years.

So my hymn parody addressing these concepts is quite appropriately a revision of "Choose the Right." There are many great thoughts in the original hymn, but sadly, those thoughts are not in line with the realities of Mormonism - a religion that purports to highly value honesty and integrity (and choosing the right), but plays very fast and loose with the truth in many ways.

WHAT THE HELL?

Sung to the tune of Choose the Right, #239

What the hell? Do they really think I'm stupid?

I can think, and I'm not that naïve.

Not a sheep, and I simply will not follow

The Mormon Party Line and "just believe."

(Chorus)

What the hell? What the hell?

Let knowledge guide your way before.

Loudly yell, what the hell,

And common sense do not ignore.

What the hell? Let nobody drag you under,

Stand up tall, and tell them it’s not true.

Filled with lies, it’s apparent if you research,

Go on the Internet, and get a clue.

(Chorus)

What the hell? What the hell?

Let knowledge guide your way before.

Loudly yell, what the hell,

And common sense do not ignore.

What the hell? There is evidence a-plenty,

Google it, the answers will be clear.

Obvious, the teachings are deceptive,

Do not stay with it because of fear.

(Chorus)

What the hell? What the hell?

Let knowledge guide your way before.

Loudly yell, what the hell,

And common sense do not ignore.

Seriously. What the Hell???

2 comments:

Donna Banta said...: Picture me loudly yelling, WHAT THE HELL??? :); Friday, June 17, 2011 at 12:32:00 PM MDT
Jean said...: I've just found this one and it is so funny - what the hell? I grew up around that expression and it has come back into use since I left the church; well to be really truthful I was never quite able to release that 'curse' out of my vocabulary. When I left the church my husband noticed I was saying it and damn more than before and I said, "Well what do you expect when I'm spending hours everyday reading Brigham Young's words - he damns and hells all the time; check the Journal of Discourses."; Saturday, July 9, 2011 at 7:41:00 PM MDT

MY EXIT FROM MORMONISM

As a preface to my thoughts about Mormonism (and my exit from my lifelong religion), I would like to share the following quote:

"Well, it's either true or false. If it's false, we're engaged in a great fraud. If it's true, it's the most important thing in the world. Now, that's the whole picture. It is either right or wrong, true or false, fraudulent or true."

President Gordon B. Hinckley,
Interview, "The Mormons,"
PBS Documentary, April 2007

In essence, after researching the roots of Mormonism, which obviously form its foundation, as well as examining its doctrine in depth, I have concluded that it is a great fraud. Having been born and raised in the Mormon Church, and remaining LDS until my early 50's, facing that realization was very difficult and was not done lightly.

SOME BACKGROUND:
In the Summer of 2001, I went on a Mormon Church History Tour. Before going, I decided to do some research so I would know more about what occurred at the key places when we visited them. But that was the beginning of the end for me as I discovered more and more of the sordid history of the Mormon Church. Soon, I began to realize that Joseph Smith made the whole thing up and that the Mormon Church is built on an enormous stack of lies. Sadly, I also began to realize that I had allowed the Mormon Church to pull the wool over my eyes for a very long time. But even with that realization, it took me quite a while longer to finally break away because of how intricately my life was tied up in Mormonism and how long I had been blinded by the lies Mormonism perpetuates (which, of course, is what they are counting on).

But finally, I did break away - and I have now been Mormonism Free since 2004. What I have realized during the ensuing years is that my intellectual curiosity was squelched by Mormonism. Being told to "have faith" and "just believe" was very detrimental to my psyche, particularly since so much made little sense. Trying to rationalize through everything had a negative effect on me as well, making me very confused and uncomfortable. Since that time, I have discovered that these types of feelings are called "cognitive dissonance" (a feeling of discomfort when simultaneously holding two or more conflicting ideas, beliefs, values or emotional reactions). Cognitive dissonance is discussed in greater length in a book I have written which is now available on Kindle. Since leaving Mormonism behind, I have grown so much and have discovered who I really am - and that is a tremendous gift.

As mentioned above, a book I have written is now available on Kindle. My book (entitled "Closing the Door on Mormonism: The AHA!! Moments that Triggered my Awakening") chronicles my very long journey through and away from Mormonism and discussed many of the issues that had plagued me for many years. It also contains some poems that I have written about my views concerning various aspects of Mormonism as well as discussions relative to the issues that led to my decision to eventually disassociate myself from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

In sharing my opinions and the information I have uncovered, it is my hope that I can in some small way help others by offering some insights into issues that many Mormons undoubtedly face in determining whether or not their faith has been misplaced.

For those of you who are thinking, "Oh, those Ex-Mormons - they can leave the church but they just can't seem to leave it alone," I offer this quote:

"Some of you are probably thinking, 'Why don't you just leave them (the Mormons) alone?' So I ask you, if you saw a thirsty man drinking water from a well you knew to be poisoned, would you let him continue to drink or would you guide him to a safe well?" ~Christopher Miller

While I'm sure that active Mormons (TBMs) and the Mormon Church itself would be much happier if people who have left the church kept their opinions to themselves, I cannot do that. If I can help one person to see the lies that are laced throughout Mormonism, then I will feel that my efforts have not been in vain.

As you will note, I have written many LDS Hymn Parodies (to date, 111 and counting), all of which are posted on my other blog - http://exmormonhymnbook.blogspot.com/
On that blog, you will also find an alphabetical listing of all the hymn parodies I have written.

Favorite Quotes

"The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off." ~Gloria Steinem
"To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.” ~Abraham Lincoln
"Some things that are true are not very useful." Boyd K. Packer
"I have a hard time with historians, because historians idolize the truth." ~Boyd K. Packer
"It's impossible to reach good conclusions with bad information... We're all entitled to our own opinions, but none of us can afford to be wrong in our facts." ~Mort Crim
"...just remember, it's not a lie if you believe it." ~George Costanza (Seinfeld)