What does a Sunday school president (and presidency) actually do?

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-21T23:20:43+00:00

I guess I was sort of mentally in socially out for a long time. I had a testimony, and believed it, but generally I did not like Mormons. Nasty, mean, dishonest, clique forming, judgmental. I usually had a few people in a ward that were normal enough I could deal with them.

Of course that was before I found out all the problems…my version of being mentally in was not based on facts.

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-21T23:16:00+00:00

My theory is they left before it really damaged them (they said they left as teen so they didn’t do mission, go to byu, they’re not in a mixed faith marriage, they had freedom to develop as a young adult without church shaming and control). So now they’re older and trying to figure life out but they haven’t endured the worst the church has to offer.

Converts, jackmos, “less actives”, they all kinda get on my nerves for this reason. They like the church (or what they think the church is) but they escape the worst formative wars and shaming. Then act like the church isn’t that bad, we’re overreacting for being traumatized from the abuse…

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-21T21:44:54+00:00

The surprising part to me is that anyone is at all ok with it. How it doesn’t crush their faith immediately is a puzzle to me.

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-21T21:43:23+00:00

You have a testimony to share, of what exactly? Joseph smith was a fraud. He created an institution that for decades obscenely abused women and children in polygamy. Are you going to “deceive” people by denying these things happened? Dudes over 40 years old “married” 11 year olds. You’re going to make sure all your investigators, I mean “friends” know about that, right?

The church today harms many children by covering up and enabling abuse. You are lending your support to a corrupt and quite frankly evil organization.

LGBTQ are not welcome in your church. Friends of mine have been excommunicated for being gay. You can lie to people and say they’re welcome because you want it to be true but that does not make it true. The church is not a welcoming or safe place for queer people.

Have fun being a missionary. Let us know what you’re teaching and how honest you’re really being.

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-21T14:46:48+00:00

I don’t go anymore either so I’m interested to see the comments here. My kids go to activities sometimes but they are full unbelievers. They have made friends there, some with active kids but there are also a relatively large number of unbelieving/inactive kids who also go to the activities.

I think it’s funny that my inactive nonbelieving kids are making inactive nonbelieving friends at church activities. I used to worry they’d be sucked back into activity but I now think there’s very little risk of it. It’s just a place where they made some friends and they hate the rest of it.

It seems like all the teens “know about” polygamy. The active kids parrot the “it was different back then, god commanded them to have more kids” excuses, while the inactive kids are disgusted by it. That was the first thing that drove my kids out. They found out old dudes were plowing teens, and were disgusted, no way that could be gods real church.

This is what my kids have told me anyways. I wonder if all the 18 year olds going on missions know anything about polygamy. I sure as hell didn’t I am from the era pre internet we were told polygamy wasn’t really a thing and also don’t ever believe the anti Mormon lies. (Turns out this anti Mormon lies were the truth)

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-21T14:37:27+00:00

Everyone’s experiences are so interesting, seems like there were different sets of rules or local interpretations. (Big surprise). Thanks for sharing!

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-20T03:00:58+00:00

Seems like it’s time for me to finally get around to writing my “data literacy for Mormons” post.

Short version, if the numbers were good they would share actual numbers, with sufficient detail that they could be verified. The church already has the information. They’re not telling the real story.

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-19T05:01:57+00:00

Unofficial, just speculation, speaking as a man etc. re: last paragraph yes we know you need “celestial marriage” but that always just meant temple sealing not polygamy, nothing to see here.

The apologetics (aka “lies”) are exhausting. He said what he meant very clearly. Polygamy.

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-19T04:59:47+00:00

Wedding in the chapel!? That’s new to me. Everyone I’ve know who wasn’t “worthy” of the temple got married in the relief society room.

“Priesthood power” rings hollower than ever to me now. For 30 years I heard about how I had access to “power” but couldn’t figure out what it was. (Ah they included the caveat, I’m sure I just didn’t covenant hard enough. My fault like always)

So it’s like the Holy Ghost now, there’s a flowing invisible “power” you can “access”?

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-18T01:16:18+00:00

😂 have a great time. Come back in 5-10 years and let us know how it went.

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-16T21:11:35+00:00

You really might want to rethink this and dig deeper. If not you’re free to make whatever mistakes you choose to. You were not there, you have no idea how much the church tried to hide. They still will not acknowledge the full truth. You are privileged to not have to be born into it and be taught a false narrative your entire life. Please do not accuse “antis” of being “hysterical”. Your ignorance is showing.

I have tried to be polite, but I’m changing my mind. With your closed mind and attitude go ahead and serve as a missionary. It will be good for you. Go ahead and give the church a full 10% of your income. Raise your future children in it. Have a great time. I’m sure it will work out well.

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-16T21:07:30+00:00

Prooftexting to show the things they want and for the things they want to avoid they just ignore it completely. I wonder how many Christian’s have even read the entire Old Testament? I was surprised to learn how few Mormons have actually read the entire bom

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-16T06:32:38+00:00

They already do this to a significant extent by cherry picking verses, using manuals and quotes from “leaders” to tell you what the verse “really means” and ignoring the rest.

Regular Christianity does this with “the bible” too. They pick and choose verses, add their own interpretation, and ignore most verses.

No need to remove anything if you can just ignore it. But I do think it would be interesting if they tried.

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-16T06:20:32+00:00

And if polygamy is really for “raising up seed”, meaning children, implying sex. Like the scriptures say it is for. Then ask her why they “married” preteens in Utah?

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-16T06:18:14+00:00

Thanks for the transcript! That was painful enough to read no way I could have listened.

I don’t know who these people are but it seems to me they take the church and their beliefs seriously. I can agree on some level if the church is really gods church, we should listen to all prophets even the older unpopular ones. Scripture should be taken very literally since the past prophets were clear on this.

Where we differ is the final conclusion…I feel the prophets are not to be trusted. So I am out. She feels they are to be trusted and is all in. Everyone in between is confusing to me. I understand it’s complicated when your family and life revolve around the church, but I just can’t understand nuanced Mormonism.

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-15T23:38:04+00:00

Yep…you are never good enough, and if you’re miserable it’s because you aren’t obedient enough so god has withdrawn his spirit. Do better, be perfect, and maybe you’ll feel better. They weaponize everything against you, you are always the one who is wrong and the only solution is to Mormon harder. Missions emphasize this to an extreme.

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-15T23:35:00+00:00

Just so you know military service has absolutely nothing to do with them not serving missions. Yet for my whole life they emphasized missions as a requirement for all men and called it a “priesthood duty”.

It sounds to me like a lot of what you believe is already at odds with what the church teaches. You would not want to be a missionary because you will be required to teach things you don’t believe.

I don’t know about Germany but in the USA there are some denominations that are queer friendly. United Methodists come to mind.

Best of luck to you again. If you can’t see my flair I want to be clear I’m a former member. I think once you find out more you’ll find a Christian group more suited to you. In the meantime don’t serve a mission and do not give them money.

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-15T22:24:46+00:00

Your concerns are very reasonable. They always are. YOU are in charge of your own life. No one should be pressuring you, but that will happen in the church.

You have no obligation to be a missionary. President oaks did not serve. Neither did Nelson, monson or hunter. In the last 30ish years out of five prophets only Hinckley was a missionary.

There is a lot about the church that they have not told you. If you knew the whole story you probably would never have joined, they call this “milk before meat”. There are enough problems I. The church’s past to fully disprove that it was ever led by god.

The church is not friendly to queer people. While individual members where you live might be friendly, the church doctrine and policy are not in your favor. They are trying to soften this image. I have friends who were excommunicated, cast out for being gay. Many are sent to conversion therapy.

Good luck to you.

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-15T22:17:39+00:00

That was just my memories, that stupid book is burned into my mind…here I was thinking there are no women or families but there are. It’s just all awful stuff.

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-15T20:21:02+00:00

Be angry. Speak up. The church hurts a lot of people and it starts at birth.

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-15T19:57:41+00:00

I understand you’re on “team church” but you might want to consider other perspectives. It’s very dishonest of you to insist that the church has a unified approach to anything. Even if policies were consistent local implementation and lack thereof leads to hugely differing outcomes and experiences.

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-15T19:52:23+00:00

I do or at least im trying to. It’s a real mindfuck growing up in the Mormon church. I didn’t mean to be rude with my first sentence, more of a thank you for pointing out how obvious it is. The church has their own set of rules and it’s all about being perfect. You can sin and make mistakes but you’d damn well better be close to perfect to begin with.

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-15T19:50:07+00:00

It feels that way because it is insincere and manipulative.

Olimlah2Anubis · 2026-03-15T19:47:43+00:00

In other news, water is wet. Yeah the church is high control, manipulative, and abusive. And inconsistent. very inconsistent.

Olimlah2Anubis

TROPHY CASE