WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE THE CHURCH ALONE? - LDS Hymn Parody #121

Here's another LDS Hymn Parody - my 121st.  This one is dedicated to all those TBMs out there who just can't understand why people who leave the Mormon Church just can't seem to leave it alone.

This subject was recently delved into on one of my favorite Ex-Mormon blogs - Ward Gossip (written by Donna Banta).  She covered this topic in two posts - Why Ex-Mormons Won't Leave the Church Alone, Parts 1 and 2.  In those posts, Donna brought out the two basic reasons why so many Ex-Mormons won't (can't?) leave the church alone:

Reason #1:  Because the church doesn't leave us alone.

In her first blog post, Donna cited the below:

• Mormon missionaries travel worldwide, knocking on doors and sharing their message.
• Members are encouraged to share the gospel with their neighbors and friends, also to reconvert "inactives," even when the so-called "inactive" has made it clear that he or she is no longer interested in attending.
• The church springs for in-your-face advertising: TV commercials, billboard, even a feature length film.
• Mormon temples and historical sites boast attractive, well-manned visitors' centers.
• They have a big choir that regularly tours and records.
• High profile Mormons in business, politics and the entertainment industry publicly embrace the faith.  In 2012 one even ran for president.
• The Mormon Church has encouraged/pressured its members to vote for and donate money to political causes that impose its narrow values on society at large.  For example, the extreme liquor laws in Utah, the successful opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment in the late 70's and early 80's, various gambling initiatives, and perhaps most notoriously, the successful passage of Proposition 8 that banned gay marriage in California back in 2008.

Reason #2:  Because being Mormon was an integral part of our life experience.

In Part 2, Donna's post included the below:

Five years ago I dedicated a post to my husband, Mark.  It was a brief bio that outlined his happy Mormon childhood, his fond mission memories, our courtship at BYU, etc.  Then I went on to quickly explain why we eventually decided to leave Mormonism.

Minutes after the post published, I received a person message from an old friend who scolded me for being negative about the church, called me a liar, and suggested that "people like me" should "just leave" and never talk about the church again.

Excuse me?  Never talked about this overwhelming experience that dominated our formative years and consumed over two decades of our lives?  Forget "why"?  How, exactly, does one do that?

Yes, how does one do that???... especially someone like me who was Mormon for FIVE DECADES OF MY LIFE??!!!

Very good outline of the reasons - I totally agree with all that Donna posted.

For me, though, there are a couple more reasons:

Reason #3:  The Mormon Church stifled me for far too long, and now that I've found my own voice, I must speak out.

As any Mormon or former Mormon knows, the Mormon Church attempts to stifle anyone who has a differing opinion from the accepted viewpoint.  Oh, you can question things, but as soon as you are given the "Mormon-approved answer," your questions are supposed to stop and you are supposed to simply accept whatever you are told.  Critical thinking of any kind is completely discouraged, if not prohibited.  This is what leads so many Mormons to push down their real feelings and put their issues on imaginary shelves, many of which finally tumble after too many years of performing that futile exercise.

So since having broken that horrible cycle and having found my own voice, no one is going to keep me quiet about my findings.  Naturally, the Mormon Church would prefer that those who leave the church would do so quietly and keep their findings and opinions to themselves - but I, for one, refuse to do that.

Reason #4:  Because unless people talk about what they've discovered, it won't do anyone else any good.

That's why I created this blog and why I post on it regularly.  It is my avenue for getting the word out... that the Mormon Church is a total and complete fraud that, in my opinion, was made by from the get-go by Joseph Smith and has been perpetuated ever since by many others (for their own purposes).  If I can reach only one person through my blog who is investigating or questioning Mormonism, then I'll feel like it's all been worth it.

And now, here is my 121st LDS Hymn Parody, dedicated to all those TBMs who as that ridiculous question...

WHY CAN’T YOU JUST LEAVE THE CHURCH ALONE?

Sung to the tune of God Be With You Til We Meet Again ‑ #152

1. Why can’t you just leave the church alone?

Why do you just keep on bashing

What the Mormon Church is teaching?

Why can’t you just leave the church alone?

(Chorus)

Mormon Church, Mormon Church,
Mormon Church do not besmirch.
Mormon Church, Mormon Church,
Why can’t you just leave the church alone?

2. Why should I just leave the church alone?
Why should I not share my findings
And so many of its failings?
Why should I just leave the church alone?

[Chorus]

Speaking out, speaking out,
Speaking out, that is my route.
Speaking out, speaking out,
Why should I just leave the church alone?

3. Why should I just leave the church alone?

I won’t let them crush my spirit
Or just stick me in the closet!!
No, I’ll never leave the church alone.

[Chorus]

Full of lies, full of lies,
Full of lies, there’s no disguise.

Full of lies, full of lies,
That’s why I won’t leave the church alone.

© Diane Tingen, 9/28/2015

HIGH FIVE!!!

Today is the fifth year anniversary of my blog, Mormonism Schism.  As the below snip from my blog shows, in that time it has had 131,055 pageviews.  So 131,055 times, someone has looked at my blog and read what I have posted.  That means a lot to me, particularly because it means my opinions are out there in cyber world, posted for people who may be investigating the Mormon Church - and also for people who are members of the church who may be questioning certain things.

I know some of those views have been TBMs who have found my blog because I have gotten comments from some of them, telling me that I have been misled and am posting false information (usually done anonymously so I can't contact them to respond).  Others have said that all I say is that the Mormon Church is filled with LIES, LIES and more LIES, without providing any substantiation for that assertion. Obviously, if they would actually read my blog posts, that would find plenty of facts, evidence, and the substantiation they say is lacking.

I have even gotten emails from some TBMs.  One in particular was an 18 year old boy who asked me to take down my blog and should just leave the Mormon Church alone (a common request).  We ended exchanging many emails, debating back and forth.  He was getting ready to go on a mission for the Mormon Church, though, and had been fully programmed (brainwashed) so my efforts turned out to be futile.  But regardless of what TBMs may think at the time they start to find this type of information, and whether or not they dismiss it at the time, I'm hoping that at least a seed has been planted that may sprout and grow later on.

Actually, I have been away from the Mormon Church for 10 years now.  In the beginning, although I knew in my heart that it is a fraud, I was still reticent to share my opinions. But with time, not only did I begin to feel very comfortable with my Ex-Mormon state, but I also began to realize that unless people speak out about what they've discovered regarding the fraudulent nature of Mormonism then what they have gone through does no one else any good.  Finding my own voice and using it has been an incredible experience because it has not only given me a platform but has also strengthened my resolve to spread the word.  So starting this blog was really a signal that all bets were off and I was prepared to stand my ground.

So here's to another 5 years of spreading the word and standing my ground - and many more after that...

ONE MORE HIGH FIVE!!!

A STACK OF LIES - LDS Hymn Parody #120

Here's another LDS Hymn Parody - my 120th.  
This parody is to a song in the LDS Children's Songbook that I always really liked - very melodic.  Back in my Mormon days, I was Primary Chorister and Pianist, and this is a song that I liked to sing and play.  Within the lyrics of the original song, it says, "What does the Father ask of us?  What do the scriptures say?  Have faith, have hope, live like his Son, help others on their way. What does he ask?  Live like his Son."  Obviously, not bad advice.  

But, of course, when I looked at this song from my current ExMormon perspective, the parody became an entirely different song and the end result highlights the "stack of lies" that are, in  my opinion, at the very core of Mormonism.

The main thrust of this parody is that the Mormon Church is built on a stack of lies, and although TBMs have obviously been brainwashed into "just believing," the internet and Google are not available to help a person find the truth - and when a person does find the truth, the key to realizing what the real truth is found in thinking for yourself.  Critical thinking - analyzing all aspects of the subject matter and applying logic to it.  If a person does that, then he/she will know what's true and what isn't.  Plain and simple.

A STACK OF LIES

Sung to the tune of He Sent His Son - #34 (LDS Children’s Songbook)

What does the Mormon Church hold out as truth beyond compare?

A stack of lies, so fraudulent, deception everywhere.

How could the Mormon Church profess to be the Word of God?

It is not true, that’s very clear – it’s fake and just a fraud.

Why do the members of the church believe that it is true?

They have been brainwashed very well, they haven’t got a clue.

But now we have the Internet, and what does Google say?

Just find the truth, think for yourself, and simply walk away.

What does it say?  Think for yourself.

© Diane Tingen, 9/24/2015

COME, SEE ALL THE LIES - LDS Hymn Parody #119

Here's another LDS Hymn Parody - my 119th (so far).  I keep thinking that I've reached the end of the road on these parodies, but they keep popping into my head so I keep writing them down.  Of course, with the wealth of material contained within Mormonism itself, as well as all the lies, deceit and deception they put out there, I guess it's really not a surprise that I can keep going.

What surprises me, though, is that there are so many people who still believe it, especially given what's available on the internet these days.  But then it's hard to tell who really believes it and those that are just going along because of personal or family pressures.  We all know people who are sticking with it because they simply can't make the separation, mentally or physically.  The Mormon Church has brainwashed so many people into "just believing," or at least "just going along."  I find that very sad.  So glad I was able to make the break and start living an entirely authentic life.

And so, here is my 119th LDS hymn parody.  The original hymn is "Come, Sing to the Lord," and that sounds very religious (and very Mormon with the whole "latter days" thing).  But I think it's interesting that my hymn parody has taken on more of a "carnival barker" vibe as in "Come, See the Bearded Lady" or "Come, See the Freak Show."  Not that Mormons are freaks, but the fact that they adhere to such an obviously bogus religion with so many strange doctrines within it is freakish all on its own.  Oh well, to each his own, right???  As long as they keep it to themselves... which they don't, so...

Something else I find interesting is that Joseph Smith bought the papyrus that he supposedly "translated" into the Book of Abraham from a "traveling mummy exhibition." Now that's something you might find at a carnival... oh, the correlations...

COME, SEE ALL THE LIES

Sung to the tune of Come, Sing to the Lord - #10

1. Come, see all the lies the Mormons tell,
And you will see all is not well
Within the Mormon Church.
And though they claim that it is true,
Come see all the lies, and get a clue.

2. The doctrine they teach and all they say,

From BOM to BOA,
Is clearly filled with lies.
And all the facts and evidence
Will show you the lies, there’s no defense.

3. When searching for truth, no compromise,
No cover-ups, not filled with lies,
I simply want the truth.
So to the Mormon Church I say,
Don’t take me to church, just go away.

© Diane Tingen, 9/21/2015

MORMON CURTAIN - Song Parody (Another Rolling Stones Classic)

Apparently, the Mormon Curtain can also
be a shower curtain, available for
purchase for $70.00 via this website.

The first time I thought of the lies within Mormonism as being unveiled "behind the Mormon Curtain" was when I found the website by that name.  The masthead on that website says: "Containing 5,703 Articles Spanning 329 Topics.  Ex-Mormon News, Stories and Recovery Online Since January 1, 2005."

It goes on to say:  "The Mormon Curtain is an
Ex-Mormon Blog containing Articles collected from News, Blogs, Ex-Mormon Communities and Forums - providing the very best posts and articles therein.  This is to aid Ex-Mormons who are on the road to recovery, Mormons who are looking for more information on their own religion, and non-Mormons who may be studying the Mormon Church on purpose of possible baptism."

When I first began researching my way out of Mormonism after going on a Mormon Church History Tour in the Summer of 2001, the Mormon Curtain website was a gold mine for me since it presented answers to so many questions that I had put on my shelf over the years as I attempted to rationalize away all that bothered me about my life-long religion.

In other terms, though, the Mormon Curtain is the façade that attempts to cover-up the lies that are laced throughout Mormonism.  It also tries to hide the fact that Joseph Smith made the whole thing up from the get-go and that numerous others have perpetuated the lies since his death.  So many lies are hiding behind the Mormon Curtain.  So much deceit. I'm so glad that I began my journey toward finding those lies and in time was able to come to terms with the fact that the Mormon Church is a total and complete fraud.

So here is my latest song parody highlighting the Mormon Curtain to the tune of Beast of Burden by the Rolling Stones.  In actuality, I can also say that the Mormon Church is no longer my Beast of Burden either.

And about those shower curtains... just Google "Mormon Shower Curtain" and an interesting array of shower curtains for sale come up.  Personally, I don't think I'd want a Mormon Shower Curtain, though...

MORMON CURTAIN

Sung to the tune of Beast of Burden by the Rolling Stones

I looked behind the Mormon Curtain,

I read for hours, my mind was hurtin’,

What I found was just a huge stack of lies.

The truth discerned behind the curtain,

Distorted facts and bogus doctrine,

It’s just a fraud that they cannot disguise.

Am I smart enough?

Am I bright enough?

Am I wise enough?

I’m not too blind to see.

I looked behind the Mormon Curtain,

Made up doctrine, completely fiction,

Lies are there for all to see,

It’s just a fraud, so clear to me.

Am I smart enough?

Am I bright enough?

Am I wise enough?

I’m not too blind to see.

Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty lies,

Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty lies,

Pretty, pretty, such a pretty, pretty, pretty lies,

Come on really? Please, please, please…

I'll tell you

You can tell me all kinds of lies,

Distort the facts you try to disguise,

But why can’t you, why can’t you,

Why can’t you drop the charade?

All deception,

I can stake it out,

Throw it all at me,

I can shrug it off.

There's one thing really

I don't understand

You keep on telling me

About the Mormon plan.

Cause I’m smart enough,

Cause I’m bright enough,

Cause I’m wise enough, in touch enough,

It’s so clear to me.

Just look behind the Mormon Curtain,

Just look behind the Mormon Curtain.

(I DON’T WANT NO) MORMONISM - Song Parody of a Rolling Stones Classic

Here's another ExMormon song parody, this one to a Rolling Stones classic - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.  My favorite type of music is classic rock (carried over from my teenage years) so naturally my mind goes to those types of songs to parody.

I've just about reached my max with parodying LDS Hymns (since I've written 118 LDS Hymn parodies so far and any ideas for the remaining field are becoming scarce), so I'm glad my mind has gone to such great classic rock and roll to help me carry on my parodies.  So here's a big thank you to Tom Petty, The Who, The Eagles, and now the Rolling Stones for providing me with such great inspiration - and a big thank you to Mormonism as well for making it so easy.  After all, the subject matter is ripe for the picking!!

And like this meme from my other blog - ExMormon Hymn Book - says...

This new song parody emphasizes the fact that after discovering all the lies laced throughout my lifelong religion (until I was 54 years old), I DON'T WANT NO MORMONISM anymore!! It irritates me that it took me that long to come to realization that Mormonism is built on a stack of lies made up by Joseph Smith and then perpetuated by others throughout the years - that it is a total fraud - and then, after that realization began to sink in, that it took me even longer to come to terms with that fact and actually get away. 

But get away I finally did, and I've never been happier in my life.  It feels so good to be free of the cognitive dissonance created in my mind by trying to rationalize my way through the bogus doctrine and sordid history.  Plus I'm finally living an authentic life, which is a huge reward all on its own.  

SO NO... I DON'T WANT NO MORMONISM!!

(I DON’T WANT NO) MORMONISM

Sung to the tune of (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones

I don’t want no Mormonism,
I don’t want no Mormonism,
Got away, got away, got away, got away,
I don’t want no, I don’t want no

When I’m seeing all the lies,
And the Mormons tell me to believe,
They’re telling me more and more
About some bogus information,
Supposed to fog all of my perception,
I don’t want no, oh no, no, no,
Hey hey hey, that’s what I say

I don’t want no Mormonism,
I don’t want no Mormonism,
Got away, got away, got away, got away,
I don’t want no, I don’t want no

When I’m reading what they say,
And the Mormons try to tell me
How saved my soul can be
If I buy into what Mormonism sells,
‘Cause heaven is just for them,
I don’t want no, oh no, no, no,
Hey hey hey, that’s what I say

I don’t want no Mormonism,
I don’t want no Mormonism,
Got away, got away, got away, got away,
I don’t want no, I don’t want no

When examining the church,
And I doubted this and not trusted that,
And I tried to make some sense,
It hit me Mormonism’s claims are really quite weak,
I’m no longer on a losing streak,
I don’t want no, oh no, no, no
Hey hey hey, that's what I say

I don’t want no, I don’t want no,
I don’t want no Mormonism,
No Mormonism, no Mormonism, no Mormonism

LIES - ExMormon Song Parody

Another song parody about the MORMON LIES.

Yes, I know I sound like a broken record, but because the lies are so blatant and yet ignored by so many TBMs (True Believing Mormons), I find it extremely frustrating. So many active Mormons are obviously intelligent people, and yet they seem to completely disconnect with reality when it comes to Mormonism, suspending any type of critical thinking and sticking their heads in the sand instead.  Why is that?

Why is the evidence against Mormonism being true overlooked by so many TBMs?

Why do TBMs choose to "just believe" when it is so obvious that Mormonism is filled with bogus doctrines and deceptive teachings?

Why do TBMs turn a blind eye to the sordid history?  In that vein, why do TBMs think it's okay that Joseph Smith married 33 women [10 of whom were teenage girls (one as young as 14) and 11 of whom were already married to living husbands]?  He even went against the parameters set forth in D&C 132 in practicing polygamy/polyandry, and yet TBMs seem to think that's just fine.  After all, according to them, he was a Prophet of God and was following instructions, right?  And after all, along with being Prophet of God, he was also a man with many imperfections.  The whole Rough Stone Rolling rationalization.

Why do TBMs ignore the anachronisms contained in the Book of Mormon, like horses, elephants, wheat, barley, steel, silk, etc. which scientists say didn't exist in the Americas during BOM times?  

Why do TBMs pass off the other problems associated with the Book of Mormon, such as the fact that no archaeological, linguistic, DNA or any other evidence of Hebrew culture in the Americas has ever been found to support the BOM?  

Why do TBMs choose to disregard the obvious plagiarism contained with the BOM?  Even aside from the fact that the BOM quotes 21 complete chapters of Isaiah and parts of others, there is also the strong possibility that the BOM was plagiarized from a book entitled "View of the Hebrews" (written by Ethan Smith) and/or based on a manuscript written by Solomon Spalding.

Why do TBMs continue to believe that it is "the most correct book ever published" when there have been 3,913 corrections made to it since the publication of the first edition of the BOM? 

Why do TBMs neglect to realize the importance of the fact that the papyrus from which the Book of Abraham was supposedly translated by Joseph Smith have been examined by both LDS and non-LDS Egyptologists, and both groups have clearly indicated that the scrolls are funeral texts that have nothing to do with Abraham or anything mentioned in LDS scriptures?

Of course, the list goes on and on and on...

The bottom line is that TBMs seem to adopt the attitude that whatever the Mormon Church tells them should not be questioned but just blindly accepted - and even the fact that it makes no sense doesn't deter them from their illogical positions.

All anyone needs to do is turn to Google for a plethora of information about all of the problems outlined above.  But the fact that the Mormon Church strongly discourages its members from researching outside the "approved parameters" keeps a lot of the members from finding information that supports the evidence against Mormonism.  Of course, the Mormon Church very cleverly labels all negative information about Mormonism as "Anti-Mormon propaganda," thereby muddying the waters sufficiently that TBMs hang their hats on anything negative being made-up and salacious.

JUST BELIEVE = NOT WISE

Having faith is all fine and good, but when there is a mountain of evidence against something being true and a person believes it anyway, then it is not faith anymore but rather DENIAL.

And so here is my latest song parody, dedicated to MORMON LIES.

LIES

Sung to the tune of Lies by the Thompson Twins

They told me it’s truthful,
So I don’t understand
Why evidence is overlooked
Within the Mormon brand.
Deceitful, dishonest,
The lies go on and on,
Deception from the Mormon Church,
It’s really just a con.

[CHORUS]
Lies lies lies, yeah
Lies lies lies, yeah
Lies lies lies, yeah
Lies lies lies, yeah

Do I have to shout it out
To make you see the fraud?
Well, Mormonism is a swindle,
Not the Word of God.
Bogus and phony,
A scam you can’t disguise,
False pretense, a masquerade,
Can’t hide the blatant lies.

[CHORUS]
Lies lies lies, yeah
Lies lies lies, yeah
Lies lies lies, yeah
Lies lies lies, yeah

They say just believe it,
But it really is too late.
It’s so obvious from my research
That the lies they can’t abate.
Deceitful, dishonest,
No matter how they’re drawn.
Don’t be deceived by the façade,
The lies on and on and on and on and on and…

[CHORUS]
Lies lies lies, yeah (in Mormonism)
Lies lies lies, yeah (create a schism)
Lies lies lies, yeah (in Mormonism)
Lies lies lies, yeah (I am not that dumb)

[REPEAT CHORUS]