"It is interesting to me that when a Mormon leaves the church he/she cannot do so quietly. So often there is slander, whining, disgruntled words, kicking and screaming. Why? It has been my experience that when people who at one time accepted the fulness of the gospel choose to leave it all behind there is only room for hate left in their hearts. After reading your poem all I can feel is your hatred and contempt and that is the opposite of Christ's teachings and Mormon teachings. It is so sad to see your journey took you to this dark place. May you find your way to light and happiness some day."What is interesting to me is that this person posted these comments with an "Anonymous" persona. If this person has such strong feelings about this subject, then why not include their name and email address so we could communicate directly? I guess it's easy to berate a person's motives and expound on such subjects anonymously. But since this person chose to post his/her comments anonymously, I'll leave my comments here and hope they return to this so-called "dark place."
Dear Anonymous:
So let's see. According to you, anyone who speaks negatively about the Mormon Church is doing so because they are resorting to "slander, whining, disgruntled words, kicking and screaming." Is telling the truth slander? Is explaining why you are against something whining? Is the act of expressing a person's opinion about a subject termed as disgruntled words? And kicking and screaming - that is the act of a child, not an adult who in realizing that the church in which they were born and raised is a fraudulent organization decides to no longer associate themself with it and try to educate others of the obvious lies and deceit as well as the realities of its doctrines and tenets.
I realize that you, as an obvious devout Mormon, and the religion organization to which you belong, would like it much better if I had left the church "quietly." But that is not what is best for me. I spent 52 years inside Mormonism, and when I began to discover the truth behind its history (which was prior to, during and after going on a Mormon Church History Tour in July 2001), I was flabbergasted and almost despondent. Initially, I tried to convince myself that I just didn't understand it all - that perhaps if I studied more, it would become more clear. So for the next two years, I spent a lot of time researching, studying, and questioning what I had discovered before I realized that what I had felt initially was right, that the Mormon Church is a fraudulent religious organization built on an enormous stack of lies - and I finally decided that I could no longer associate myself with a religious organization that plays so fast and loose with the truth. At first after leaving, I was very quiet about what I had discovered - but over time, I began to realize that by remaining quiet, I was helping to perpetuate the lies and deceit by not speaking out against it. My decision to actively speak out against the Mormon Church was not made lightly - and it does not equate with only having "only room for hate left in my heart," but rather recognizing the need to try to help others to see the reality behind the Mormon Curtain.
Anonymous, I'm very glad that you could feel my hatred and contempt for Mormonism by reading my poem. The fact is that I do hate Mormonism and all it attempts to do to people - but I do not hate Mormons because there are many very good people who are trapped inside its walls, including many of my family members. I am not "Anti-Mormon" but rather "Anti-Mormonism." And although I am speaking out against the Mormon Church, that doesn't mean that I only have room for hate left in my heart. Leaving Mormonism behind and being able to speak out against it has relieved me of years of feeling confused and frustrated by so many doctrines and beliefs that make absolutely no sense, and a portrayal of its history that is filled with lies and is completely white-washed. The place of light and happiness of which you speak is not inside the Mormon Church but outside of it - where a person can use their intellectual curiosity to do actual independent research, make their own decisions about its truthfulness or lack thereof, and choose their own direction. That is not allowed inside Mormonism, but only outside of its belief system.
If anything is the opposite of Christ's teachings, it is lying, deceiving, shading the truth, and attempting to get people to believe in a religious organization for its own purposes and financial gain. And as far as not being able to leave the church alone, let me relate 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 MillerSince it is my belief that Mormonism is extremely poisonous to its members and potential investigators, I am sharing my thoughts and beliefs with whomever wishes to read them. And I am not doing so anonymously...
2 comments:
"One of God's most precious gifts to man is the principle of free agency."
Some countries don't allow political cartoons and editorials. Some Mormons don't like freedom of the press. Wonder if JS was around now if he would try to silence anyone online the way he tried when he destroyed the printing press (and got sent to Carthage jail)
Definitely would, that Smith.
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