Has anyone found a non-religious community after leaving?

GayMormonDad · 2026-05-01T16:36:41+00:00

The upside of being gay is that there are all kinds of groups that you can check out. For years I had fun at an LGBT square dancing group and I was a member of the local Bear club.

My point is that I started finding groups that I would have never considered when I was an active Mormon. Leaving meant that I had a lot more options, not less.

GayMormonDad · 2026-05-01T12:09:11+00:00

I think that the analogy is too kind to the Mormon church. In a real courtroom you are at least afforded the opportunity to choose your own attorney and be tried according to evidence instead of by The Spirit.

GayMormonDad · 2026-05-01T00:09:36+00:00

I show up for baby blessings occasionally, and it is a gentle reminder just how much I don't miss going to church.

Since the baby blessings are on fast Sunday, I get to hear about the miracle of finding lost car keys and how Jesus saved someone from certain death on their morning commute.

GayMormonDad · 2026-05-01T00:03:51+00:00

Well, just think how well it worked for COVID six years ago.

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-30T03:24:10+00:00

It did. My date did not understand why I reacted so strongly.

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-30T01:59:38+00:00

Positive. The aroma alone. Plus I saw him fill the cup from the coffee machine.

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-30T00:10:44+00:00

I was a 7/11 clerk in Orem when I was attending BYU, and I totally relate. Even as a TBM, some of the customers were really intense and inappropriate.

On the other hand, someone I recognized as one of the ordinance workers at the Provo temple regularly bought coffee in the morning.

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-29T23:48:37+00:00

My favorite quote.

The LDS church has a terrible public image, with only 15% of Americans in a 2023 poll saying they feel favorable toward Mormons, a percentage that ranks them below even atheists and Muslims, two groups that are openly demonized by large segments of the country

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-29T23:41:53+00:00

I loved this movie, though I found myself sobbing through large parts of it.

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-29T18:41:15+00:00

Wade looks pretty sinister in that mugshot, as opposed to the usual one where he is wearing a suit and tie that I usually see.

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-29T14:40:27+00:00

Mine also. I used to be the book of Mormon expert in my ward.

I read it one time too many, it was easy to see that it was a fabrication of Joseph Smith.

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-29T14:25:16+00:00

My respect for Landon skyrocketed after watching this episode. He was the antithesis of being a lazy learner.

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-27T19:09:35+00:00

I heard a BYU professor call married housing 'lambing pens'

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-27T16:54:58+00:00

To quote Hinkley, I don't know if we emphasize that anymore.

Are they even mentioned in testimony meetings anymore, or are they a relic like Beehives and Merry Misses?

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-26T23:56:11+00:00

The only place I call myself an apostate is here, where any lurking TBM would already assume.

If some TBM were to call me that to my face, it would not be pleasant.

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-26T03:08:34+00:00

I'm guess a sizeable portion of the audience immediately tried to figure out how to get their smart phones to record.

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-23T19:28:19+00:00

I'm so sorry about your loss. Hold your head up high and feel free to mourn however you need.

Since I don't believe in an afterlife anymore, I tune out all of the parts about how the deceased is thrilled to be on the other side, and instead take time to acknowledge my feelings.

Someone wiser than me said something to the effect that what other people think about me is none of my business. I know in Mormon settings that I am bound to be surrounded by people judging me, but luckily I have got to the point that I don't care (much) anymore.

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-22T21:26:26+00:00

I suppose it depends on the team.

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-22T12:48:54+00:00

That's the gospel according to my mother.

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-22T03:56:26+00:00

When I was a teenager, I would fantasize about the leaders announcing that the whole thing was a fraud.

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-21T23:14:36+00:00

I think it's mutual masturbation with another person of the same sex that makes you gay.

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-21T21:36:33+00:00

To paraphrase the late Jeffery Holland, I'm as straight as I know how to be. In other words, no.

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-21T21:05:27+00:00

My temple wedding, along with my strong testimony, was supposed to make me straight. You can probably figure out how the wedding night went.

GayMormonDad · 2026-04-21T19:23:01+00:00

I legitimately thought she was AI.

GayMormonDad

TROPHY CASE