A MIGHTY PUZZLE WAS THE CHURCH - LDS Hymn Parody #31

Yes, from the time I was a teenager, the Mormon Church was a puzzle to me.  So much of it just didn't make sense, but the message I received was that if I had issues, then I just needed to pray more, study the scriptures more, and be more obedient - and then it would make sense to me.  And believe me, I tried.  I accepted the proposition that it wasn't the church, it was ME - that I was not worthy enough to understand it all.  But regardless of how much confusion I felt, I kept plugging along, believing that if I just hung in there, one day it would all make sense.  Never happened.

When I began studying church history in preparation for going on a Mormon Church History Tour in the Summer of 2001, I immediately began to discover that there are all kinds of sordid details in Mormon Church History.  Naturally, my original reaction was disbelief - I must be misunderstanding something because these things couldn't have possibly taken place.  And then, when I came to terms with the fact that these were true accounts of what had occurred back then and all the lies laced throughout Mormon Church history and doctrine, I began to kick myself for not researching this earlier, for just going along and accepting it all without doing my own actual research.  In my opinion, this is one of the biggest problems with the Mormon Church - encouraging people to accept everything they are told and highly discouraging them from delving any deeper on their own.  Blind faith rather than actual reasoning or critical thinking.  Of course, since the church gives people the message that going ouside the "authorized areas" is a big No-No, it creates the type of situation where people "just believe."  But just believing based solely on what a person is told is not wise.  But that's what most Mormons do and seem to be just fine with it.

I am so glad that the Mormon Church is not a puzzle to me anymore.  I am very grateful that I finally broke the mold and began to research outside the "accepted parameters."  Of course, when I discovered that one of the characteristics of a cult is highly discouraging its members from researching outside what they have outlined as "accepted reading," I began to see the Mormon Church in a much different light.  Little did I know, all those years ago, when people told me that the Mormon Church was a cult, and I disagreed, becoming very annoyed that my church was being put in that highly offensive category, that they were actually right.  Live and learn.

And so, here is my latest hymn parody...

A MIGHTY PUZZLE WAS THE CHURCH

Sung to the tune of A Mighty Fortress is our God, #68

A mighty puzzle was the church,
For many years, I struggled.
No matter what I read or heard,
So many issues lingered.
And so, through my research,
I found the Mormon Church
Is filled with many lies,
And so I must surmise
That Joseph Smith just made it up.

So when I left the Mormon Church,
Enormous burdens lifted.
The puzzle had been solved at last,
And all confusion ended.

Where I was once devout,
I simply have no doubt
That it is just a ruse
For which there’s no excuse,
Religious cult that’s full of lies.

Apostates seek to know the truth,
And see behind the curtain.
They don’t accept what they are told,
They want to know for certain.
They see through the façade,
Believe that it’s a fraud,
Reject what is not true
With an objective view,
And aren’t afraid to speak the truth.

It was not easy when I left,
With family members active.
But though they may not understand,
The truth is my one motive.
For once I saw the lies,
There was no compromise.
I knew that if I stayed,
It would be a charade,
And now I live authentically.

© Diane Tingen, 7/15/2011

So many Mormons just stand there, staring at the missing puzzle piece,
not allowing themselves to take the leap and do their own research.
I will be forever grateful that I finally took that leap...

THE POWER OF CULTS - LDS Hymn Parody #5

After deciding on the title for this hymn parody (The Power of Cults), I realized that this one might turn out to be a little more difficult than the others.  But regardless of that possibility, I decided that I wasn't going to allow myself to be "intimidated" by the subject matter. 

When I was researching my way out of the Mormon Church, I began to realize that the church I had belonged to my entire life is actually a CULT.  Of course, I had heard it called that over the years, but I always responded very indignantly with, "Oh no, the Mormon Church is not a cult."  So to realize and come to the conclusion that it actually is a CULT was very upsetting to me. 

In doing my research on cults, I read the book by Steven Hassan entitled "Combatting Cult Mind Control."  I found this book to be fascinating as well as very enlightening.  This book helped to confirm my conclusions in recognizing that Mormon Church really is a CULT.  Also, when I visited the website http://www.cultwatch.org/, it became even more clear to me that the Mormon Church fits each description of a cult, right down the line.  Rather scary.

So without further ado, here is my latest addition to the ever-expanding ExMormon Hymn Book:

THE POWER OF CULTS
Sung to the tune of The Spirit of God, #2

The Power of Cults is a staggering problem,
The brainwashing process engaged in is strong.
As in most religions like in Mormonism,
The tactics they use are invasive and wrong.

(Chorus)

Like love-bombing, fear and stern intimidation,
Deception and lies are the name of the game.

Forbidden to do your own investigation,

Just close off your mind, believe what they claim.

It may make no sense, but that makes little difference,
Controlling your psyche, a method they use.
Resistance is futile, just maintain your silence.
But can’t this be classified mental abuse?

(Chorus)

With love-bombing, fear and stern intimidation,
Deception and lies are the name of the game.

Forbidden to do your own investigation,

Just close off your mind, believe what they claim.

The technique of high pressure selling is utilized,
For those who show interest, just MAKE them believe.
So hit them with bullshit until they are baptized,
And if luck should hold out, maybe they’ll be naïve.

(Chorus)

And then they will know the true danger of religions
That really are cults, it’s the name of the game.
In telling their lies, passing off made-up doctrines,
Deceiving the masses, but feeling no shame.

And so they control all the hyped information,
The members are busy, just don’t have the time
To question the issues or take any action,
As into a stupor they joyfully climb.

(Chorus)

And though we will shout that it just isn’t logical,
They’ll blindly hold on to whatever they’re told
By the Mormon Cult, and not anything will cancel
The faith that they cling to, much better than gold.

© Diane Tingen, 6/1/2011

So... as you may have noticed, I've been working my way through the list I made when I started this project.  I've now done 4 of the 6 that I had listed then (plus I Stand All Amazed, #193, which wasn't included in that list).  The ones remaining from that list (which are practically crying out to be satirized) are Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd, #221; and If You Could Hie to Kolob, #284.

Of course, after I finish those, I'm sure I'll think of others that need "revision" for inclusion in the ExMormon Hymn Book.

Stay tuned...

COME, COME YE SHEEP - LDS Hymn Parody #4

Well, these ExMormon hymn parodies just keep popping into my mind.  Someone recently left a comment on this blog saying that I should use my "talent" for revising the hymns in a more positive way, but clearly, I can't do that.  At least, not now.  Too many parodies still bouncing around in my brain for anything "positive" to take hold...  LOL

So here is my latest one - Come, Come Ye Saints ExMormon-ized.  Can't you just see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing this version?  Now, that would be priceless...

COME, COME YE SHEEP

Sung to the tune of Come, Come Ye Saints, #30

Come, come ye Sheep, just follow what we say,
Do not think for yourself.
It makes no sense, but throw your doubts away,
Put it all on your shelf.
Tis better far for us to voice
What you shall do, you have no choice.
So just shut down your brain and say,
Just obey, just obey.

Why should you be allowed to speak your mind?
We know best, just believe.
Though it is lies, you probably will find
It’s all meant to deceive.
Accept by faith what makes no sense,
And always come to our defense.
So follow close whate’er we say,
Just obey, just obey.

Don’t listen to the Antis who will say
It’s not true, don’t believe.
They may have found some stuff that we downplay,
But they work to deceive.
Apostates all, that’s what they are,
Detecting lies won't get them far.
And they’re all doomed, they’ve lost their way,
Won’t obey, won’t obey.

The Mormon Church, a cult right down the line,
But they say that’s not true.
It is God’s church, and so it is divine,
Gospel truth, through and through.
So if you pray, the light will come,
And then it won’t seem quite so dumb.
You must believe, don’t go astray,
Just obey, just obey.

© Diane Tingen, 5/31/2011

TOMORROW'S RAPTURE - MAY 21, 2011

Well, here it is... May 20, 2011.  The day before the RAPTURE as predicted by Harold Camping.  There has been a lot of media coverage of this prediction here in Colorado, probably because, as it turns out, Harold Camping lives in Boulder, Colorado.  Actually, that kind of surprised me since I would have expected him to be based out of Colorado Springs more (which is home to Focus on the Family and has a very strong Christian influence).  Of course, there has been discussions about the fact that he himself has predicted the RAPTURE before (in September 1994), and of course, it didn't happen then.  At that time, he said that the world was going to end between September 15-17, and would not pin down the exact date, citing Matthew 24:36 that says no man knows the day nor the hour when Christ will return to the earth.  Apparently since predicting the end of the world in 1994, though, Mr. Camping has altered his position on that scripture since now he gives a very specific day - May 21, 2011 - for the RAPTURE.  This article on the Christian Research Institute website goes into quite a bit of detail about this topic.

On Facebook, someone posted this link about various failed predictions for the end of the world.  So if the rapture doesn't happen tomorrow, we have many more predicted dates to look forward to, like 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025, and on and on and on.  Great information to have, huh??!!

The sad thing about these types of predictions is that these "prophets" typically gain followers, and in convincing them that the end of is near, they end up becoming rich from the contributions they receive.  And of course, many of the followers end up selling their possession in anticipation of being lifted up in the RAPTURE.  And then, when the RAPTURE doesn't occur, they are left destitute and disillusioned.  This morning, I read a great post on the Belief Blog on CNN.com that goes into this aspect of things.  The author (David Silverman, a proclaim atheist from age 6) gives a very good description of just how religious predictions such as this one harm people.

And of course, there have been many other blog posts on this topic as well.  I read one on (Will's) Moroni Blows blog this morning, which is entitled "To Rapture or Not to Rapture."  In this post, Will talks about a radio personality in Salt Lake City (a Mormon, of course), and states:

"Today he commented on the up-coming rapture event set to happen this Saturday.  He made the statement that its things like this that gives Christians a bad name, and went on to state that Mos do not believe in such an event.  Here is where I have a problem.  The corp teaches emphatically that the righteous (those who pay their tithing and pay homage to the men in SLC) will be lifted up and not burned at Christ's coming.  Is this not the rapture?  It may be a rapture for different reasons, i.e., the payment of friendship dues and underwear sniffing, which is yet another concept that separates the corp from Christianity, but in effect it is a/the rapture just the same."

Interesting point made by Will.  Then his blog goes on to say:

"In the same breath he made the point that if someone proclaims to know the moment in time when this supposed event should take place, it would be an indication that they are not on the right track and don't know from whence they speak.  I have a problem with this as well, seeing how the Mos testify their leader to be a prophet of god, actually the only mouth piece for god."

Another interesting point.  When I was an active Mormon (very TBM), it bothered me when I heard things like this, as if to say that everyone else is wrong, and only the Mormon point of view is right.  Of course, it also bothered me (way back then) that the Mormon Church professes to be the Only True Church on the Face of the Earth.  When I started researching more independently, away from the "authorized areas," I did a lot of reading about cults, and realized that "exclusivity" (i.e. saying that a particular religion is the only true one) is one of the signs of a cult.  Of course, in looking at the various characteristics of cults, I came to believe that the Mormon Church is very much a cult because it fits every single category for cultism.

Of course, I believe that tomorrow will come and go, and there will be no RAPTURE.  But unfortunately, as shown in the link discussed above about failed predictions of the end of the world, the likehood is that we will be hearing more and more about this topic as the years go by.
AND I JUST CAN'T WAIT...

"APOSTATES" and "ANTI-MORMON PROPAGANDA"

The term "apostate" is a label with very negative connotations, like the term "anti" (as in "anti-Mormon propaganda").  In my opinion, using that label is one of the ways that the higher-ups try to control the masses.  Terming something "anti" makes all Mormons cringe, and they usually immediately condemn the person "spouting the anti-Mormon propaganda" as they begin to defend their religion.  Defending one's beliefs is fine as long as those beliefs are defendable, but in the case of most Mormons, they simply repeat what they are told to believe, not beliefs that they have formed through any independent study.

Since it is independent study from "unauthorized sources" that eventually led me away from Mormonism, I question even more than I would have previously as to why those sources are termed "unauthorized" when they do not tell lies, but rather the truth.  But then, since the Mormon Church tends to play very fast and loose with the truth, relying on its version of things is not wise.  Looking at that "directive" not to do "research from unauthorized sources" also brings up the very strong possibility that the Mormon Church is actually a cult since that is one of the characteristics of cultism.  If an organization is above board in their doctrines and teachings then research from "unauthorized sources" shouldn't make any difference.  But if that organization directs its members to only research and study from materials they authorize, red flags should go up immediately.

So many Mormons truly believe that looking at "unauthorized" information leads to APOSTASY, and since they are told that apostasy is the most abhorrent sin, they steer clear of any materials considered to be "anti," including information that would shed light on the reality behind it all.  But if indeed "the Glory of God is intelligence," then true believing Mormons are also denying the validity of that statement.

Sadly, most Mormons will never be able to look beyond the "anti" label to get to the core of the lies perpetuated by the LDS Church.  The internet contains links to a plethora of information that shows without any doubt that the Mormon Church is not true, but most Mormons will never even read or consider this information because of the "anti" label given to it.  Truth is but a click away -- and to paraphrase a popular Mormon scripture, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of Google."

But while Mormonism is obviously built on an elaborate web of lies, so many people continue to go along with it, defending its deceptions and contradictions, claiming to believe in it all "by faith."  I simply don't understand their logic, because when the facts contradict what a person is told to believe by faith, it is not faith anymore, but rather denial.

I am so glad that I finally saw the light and realized that the Mormon Church is not only untrue, but that its teachings and doctrines are detrimental to my mental health and well-being.  Blindly following things that you are told to believe is not healthy.  Doing your own research and deciding on your own is the best course of action for any person.  Rationalizing out the lies, deceptions, cover-ups and contradictions only leads to accepting things that eat away at your ability to think for yourself and formulate your own opinions. 

Making a 180 and turning away from Mormonism was the best thing I ever did.  I do not regret for one second being an "apostate" despite its negative connotations in religious circles.  I only wish I had apostatized much earlier in my life.  Hanging on to thoughts and ideas simply because I was told to do so was killing me inside.  That type of conformity creates a mind-numbing existence that is very difficult to reverse. 

Being born and raised Mormon, I was programmed from a very early age to not question, to have faith, to just believe.  Once I reached my teenage years, though, I began to question not only the doctrine but also the way in which women are treated as second-class citizens.  But being the good little Mormon clone that I was back then, I shelved all those thoughts and tried to continue to go along with the program for many more years.

So when you get right down to it, I guess I was a "future apostate" for many years before becoming one in reality.  And as shown in this picture, it isn't very hard to spot the "future apostate" since they are the ones who tend to look in the other direction from the masses, looking for answers to complex questions, instead of just going along (like the "sheeple" tend to do).  But although I probably was a "future apostate" for many years, I wish that I had begun to question more deeply earlier in my life.  Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda, I suppose...

But even so, I'm just glad I finally recognized the truth when I did instead of simply going along with all the lies all my entire life.

MORMON BRAINWASHING AT ITS BEST

Oh yes, the brainwashing within Mormonism is endless... and it starts at a very early age. People sit in Fast & Testimony meeting (first Sunday of every month), and when little children such as this little girl get up, they think "Oh, how cute."  And yes, it is cute... just adorable.  But it is also very disturbing because the children are simply parroting what they are told at home and in church.  These thoughts, of course, settle in their brains - and all of that, along with the programming they get at home and in Primary (the children's organization in the Mormon Church) with lessons and "singing time," the brainwashing starts to take full effect, as it becomes embedded in their brains.  Between being taught Primary songs like "Search, Ponder and Pray," "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam," "The Golden Plates," and "Book of Mormon Stories," and the constant lessons about various religious themes, most very Mormon in nature, the programming takes root.  And before long -- voilà, they are brainwashed.  The next generation of Morgbots.

Looking back, I don't know what is more upsetting to me... the fact that I was brainwashed as a child, or the fact that I essentially participated in the brainwashing of my daughter.  Naturally, since I was “born under the covenant” (a Mormon term for anyone who is born to parents who have been sealed in the Mormon temple) and married in the temple to her father, my daughter was also “born under the covenant.”  And yes, she used to get up in Fast & Testimony meeting and bear her testimony (just like I did when I was a child and as an adult).  That image is burned into my brain, and it really bothers me.

The thing that bothers me the most, though, is that if I had followed my instincts, I would have stopped being Mormon before my daughter was even baptized – and that would have been over 20 years ago.  At that point in my life, I had already begun to realize many of the negative influences of Mormonism in my life, including the fact that the Mormon Church is a male-oriented, male-dominated, double-standard religious institution that brainwashes its members and uses guilt to try to control them.  I had also begun to question whether I wanted my daughter to be brought up any further in the Mormon Church, and I had begun to think about not having her baptized when she turned 8 years old.  It was with those thoughts in mind that I stopped going to church when my daughter was 7 years old around the time that I married my second, non-Mormon husband, and I didn't go or take my daughter to church for over 6 months.  But unfortunately, the guilt began seeping in and I began to realize that if I didn't have her baptized, I would be making a public pronouncement of having left Mormonism – and because my father was very pious and dogmatic about Mormonism, and I was afraid to tell him (even though he lived in Utah and I lived in California), I began taking my daughter to church again and had her baptized when she turned 8.  For that, I could kick myself to this day.

Luckily, though, my daughter realized that Mormonism is a pile of garbage on her own, when she was a teenager (although she continued to go not only to church but also to 4 years of early-morning Seminary) – and she finally stopped going to church when she was 21.  As it turned out, she and I had parallel, but separate, journeys away from Mormonism – hers while she was living on her own, going to school in Salt Lake City, Utah (in an apartment that is only 5 blocks from Temple Square), and mine at home in California.  When she came back from Utah, I decided to tell her that I had abandoned Mormonism because I didn't want to pretend that I was still going to church – and when I told her, I could see the relief on her face before she told me the same thing.  When I began telling her my reasons, including the fact that I had discovered so many lies and contradictions, she literally finished my sentences for me, showing that she had discovered a lot of the same things as I had.   It was very much a bonding moment, and I will never forget it. 

One of the funniest parts of my daughter opening up to me about her long-term doubts about Mormonism was her description of me as "Mormon Mommy."  When I told her that I had disassociated myself from the LDS Church, she told me that she was very happy that “Mormon Mommy” had gone away.  Apparently, she always dreaded it when I would become "adamant" about various aspects of Mormonism (calling that aspect of my personality “Mormon Mommy”), and liked me much better during the times when I relaxed and was less concerned about it all.  It really made me laugh – but it also made me examine myself and the way it which I had appeared, not only to her but to others.  That revelation really made a deep impact on me, and has been invaluable to me over the years.

Naturally, active Mormons deny that brainwashing or programming takes place within the Mormon Church just as they deny that Mormonism is actually a cult.  But it becomes very apparent when reading about the characteristics of cults, and its definition, that Mormonism is the epitome of cultism.  Denying the obvious is useless.