AS NOW I LOOK BACK ON MY LIFE - LDS Hymn Parody #46

It's very challenging writing hymn parodies.  Looking at the LDS hymns that I used to sing with conviction, and changing the words to reflect what I now know, brings up a lot of emotions.  It is disturbing to a certain degree, but at the same time very cathartic.  And this one is my 46th hymn parody.

Leaving the Mormon Church was not an easy thing to do.  In fact, when I began to discover all the lies, it took me over 2-1/2 years to finally stop going to church.  I kept thinking that what I had discovered couldn't be the reality of it all.  I was born and raised Mormon, and had believed it this church and its gospel doctrines my entire life.  How was it possible that what I had been told my entire life was simply a stack of lies?  I mean, this was more than the white lies that parents tell their children about Santa Claus.  Or the Easter Bunny.  Or the Tooth Fairy.  Being a member of the Mormon Church is a full-time job - a life style - a huge commitment.  And to realize that it was all just a mound of lies was devastating for me.

But over time, I began to feel very secure in the actual truth.  I wasn't wrong.  I did know what I was talking about.  And so finally, I came to the sad conclusion that I could no longer associate myself with a religious organization that played so fast and loose with the truth. 

And now as I look back on my life, I realize so many things - and I am finally happy and secure in my knowledge and beliefs.  And that feels very good.

AS NOW I LOOK BACK ON MY LIFE

Sung to the tune of As Now We Take the Sacrament, #169

As now I look back on my life,
To Mormonism true
Until I saw the many lies
And finally got a clue.
I read and researched on my own,
Convinced I must be wrong,
For I was born and raised in it,
Believed my whole life long.

But though I once believed it all,
I now know it’s a fraud.
It’s not what it appears to be,
It’s not the Word of God.
I know from deep within my soul,
Examined every part,
That Mormonism was a hoax
Right from the very start.

I know that Joseph Smith was not
A Prophet or a Seer.
From what I’ve read about his life,
That much is very clear.
He was a charlatan supreme,
A shyster and a con.
He was arrested many times,
The list goes on and on.

It was a shock to finally learn
The sordid history,
And if you'd read it on your own,
I think you might agree.
The martyrdom of Joseph Smith,
A farce to say the least.
Polygamy and all the rest,
My admiration ceased.

The truth is what we all should seek,
Not lies within the church.
For Mormonism is a scam,
Just do your own research.
The truth is there for all to see,
Not hard to figure out.
The Mormon Church just is not true,
No shadow of a doubt.

© Diane Tingen, 11/27/2011