Mormonism Schism: YET ANOTHER ANONYMOUS COMMENT

Friday, October 5, 2012

YET ANOTHER ANONYMOUS COMMENT

Yes, another ANONYMOUS comment.

On September 21, 2012, somebody posted this gem on my post entitled "Offended."

You feel that others must think your opinions are important? Inferiority complex much?

Obviously this person is a TBM (true believing Mormon) because what he/she posted is a typical Mormon response. How dare I feel that my opinions are important!! And how dare I voice those opinions!! Of course, this Anonymous person's view is obviously that I should keep my mouth shut and my opinions to myself. That stance is prevalent in Mormondom - because in that repressed world, whatever independent thoughts a person might have they are supposed to keep to themselves. Naturally, when I left the church, I also left that type of mentality behind.

So yes, Anonymous, I do think my opinions are important. And no, I don't think I'm either inferior - or superior.

As I stated before in response to Anonymous comments that have been posted on my blog, I find it very interesting 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.

And I'll reiterate here some thoughts that I wrote earlier this year when responding to an Anonymous comment that was posted on my blog:

I realize that obvious devout Mormons, and the religion organization to which they 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 - but I have never regretted speaking out because I recognize the need to try to help others to see the reality behind the Mormon Curtain.

If Anonymous has taken the time to read through my blog, he/she will understand while I hate Mormonism and all it attempts to do to people, 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-Mormomism." 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. Outside of Mormonism, people use their intellectual curiosity freely to do actual independent research, make their own decisions about truthfulness or lack thereof, and choose their own direction. That is not allowed inside Mormonism, but only outside of its belief system.

In my opinion, Mormonism is the opposite of Christ's teachings since it engages in lying, deceiving, shading the truth, and attempting to get people to believe in a religious organization for its own purposes and financial gain.

So many times I hear the statement, "You have left the Mormon Church but you just can't leave it alone?" In that regard, 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 Miller

Since 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...

No comments:

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)