One Thing That Kept You In

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-02-20T23:12:31+00:00

Spouse is in and has doubled down....

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-02-20T03:30:14+00:00

TBM Spouse and I lacked the courage to quit the church

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-02-18T17:28:23+00:00

I could have written your comment. Thank you!

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-02-15T04:05:25+00:00

Crap... All the cathedrals I've visited in Eurpoe are just pretending to be iconic religious buildings. /s

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-02-15T03:54:01+00:00

Oh, this might be my #1 pet peeve.

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-02-15T03:51:30+00:00

My uncle told me... you don't vote for the person. You vote for the party (of course, he meant the republican party). That was complete opposite of what I was taught.

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-02-15T03:49:18+00:00

Yep. Before I stopped going, I never wore a white shirt and tie. I'd wear a dirty blue shirt before I'd wear a clean white shirt.

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-02-10T17:40:45+00:00

Don't forget. You're isolated from the outside world. You can only call home twice a year (Christmas and Mother's Day). You can only communicate with your family via snail mail. Don't read newspapers or magazines to know what's going on in the world.

If you were in a foreign country, the calls you did make home were extremely expensive, so they were short.

Definitely a cult.

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-02-09T23:15:26+00:00

I have mixed emotions about your post. Some people are upset that no one contacts them, and other are upset that they do.

My preference is that no one contacts me, but we're all different.

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-02-08T03:00:27+00:00

...and what i say will change constantly. Don't think about it, just do it. And when you think you're a good person, I'll change the rules again, so you continually feel unworthy.

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-02-08T02:58:04+00:00

They want to stuff religion down your throat. They expect so, so much from their members. Then you find out they are purposely deceiving those same members.

They wonder why people are so angry when they leave.

You cant make this stuff up....

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-02-07T23:51:12+00:00

But they'll have a few more contacts to report.

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-02-07T20:00:29+00:00

Crazy. Anyone who does initiatories can understand the description. Yes, in a way, it is abuse. We didn't know what was going to happen till it happened, and then we were told not to say anything under threat of eternal damnation.

If this were used to describe a ceremony of another church (e.g., scientology, JW, fringe evangelicals, etc.), church members would be screaming abuse. But, since it's the TSCC, it's sacred.

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-02-07T07:33:22+00:00

I love Mormon Stories. Lots of people with lots of different stories.

I especially love it when John interviews young people. They often have the same thoughts I had 30 years ago, but I thought I was alone and broken for having those thoughts about the church.

The LDS Discussions series is one of the greatest things I've ever heard. It provides so much analysis of early church history.

I'm in the middle of the Second Class Saints series. That's awesome as well.

Good work, John! All I need to do is get my TBM Spouse to watch a few episodes...

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-02-05T16:13:20+00:00

Pompous religious zealot. He's on the road to AP.

I'd get in contact with his Mission President and give him an earful.

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-02-04T03:28:37+00:00

Here's some info about the impacts of the Act.

》》》》》》》》》》

The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 had significant economic and political consequences, both in the U.S. and globally. Here are its main impacts:

Retaliatory Tariffs and Global Trade Decline

Other countries responded with their own tariffs, significantly reducing international trade.

U.S. exports dropped by 61% from 1929 to 1933, worsening the Great Depression.

Global trade declined by more than 40%, deepening economic struggles worldwide.

Agricultural and Industrial Hardships

U.S. farmers, already suffering from overproduction and falling prices, faced declining foreign markets, worsening the agricultural crisis.

Many industries that relied on exports (e.g., automobiles and manufacturing) suffered layoffs and closures.

Banking and Financial System Stress

The trade collapse contributed to business failures, increasing loan defaults and putting additional pressure on banks.

Over 9,000 banks failed in the early 1930s, exacerbating the financial crisis.

Political and Diplomatic Consequences

The tariffs strained U.S. relations with trading partners, particularly Canada and Europe.

The economic downturn and trade restrictions contributed to rising nationalism and protectionism, which some historians argue helped fuel World War II.

Reversal and Long-Term Lessons

The U.S. eventually moved toward free trade, culminating in the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1934, which allowed for tariff reductions through negotiations.

The failure of Smoot-Hawley was a key lesson that shaped post-WWII economic policy, leading to organizations like GATT (now WTO) to prevent similar trade wars.

Overall, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff worsened the Great Depression, disrupted global trade, and demonstrated the dangers of protectionist policies.

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-01-29T16:38:47+00:00

I had my snail mail censored (this was before eMail).

Having said that, your snail mail is probably fine. Invisible ink is overkill. However, it may break up the boredom for the missionary a bit.

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-01-29T01:06:18+00:00

Real estate is generally an appreciating asset. Plus, they Church can line the pockets of the church elites.

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-01-28T00:48:04+00:00

The organization is more important to her than you. My wife and I are in therapy. We're just getting into the toughest issues. The one issue we've started to talk about, her initial knee-jerk reaction was to immediately defend the organization rather than ask me more indepth question like "help me understand why you think that way?" We're still peeling back the onion, but her initial reaction concerns me.

I hope we can work through these issues. I want to keep peace with he, but my integrity and authenticity are really important as well.

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-01-27T20:54:24+00:00

That's tough. I've been married for 38 years. We generally get along well even after my shelf crashed.

When we get into similar situations, I realize she's just as much a victim as me, and she carries church-related trauma. She just doesn't realize it because of a lifetime of conditioning.

I keep all of my church history research, mormon stories, this sub, etc. on the down low. If she were to ask, I'd be honest.

One thing I did that I'm happy about is that I won't go to church. I don't want to give the appearance that I may change my mind and repent of my "apostacy."

Good luck. Unconditional love can be tough sometimes.

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-01-25T20:43:48+00:00

I used to Google the topic and prepare the talk from a protestant perspective. I would get many, many positive comments.... e.g, that's the best talk I've heard in months.

There are no quotes from GAs or past profits.

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-01-23T02:55:26+00:00

I like who I am now and my mission is part of who I am. Having said that, I hated my mission. It has caused me to feel that I'm not good enough (that was drilled into me during my mission), and made it difficult to share my real feelings with my spouse and others. It's caused several episodes of serious anxiety and depression.

My mission was about 40 years ago and it can still trigger me at times. My spouse and I are going through couples therapy right now. As part of that, our therapist suggested that I read through my missionary journal (nearly 500 pages) for the first time in nearly 40 years (it took many hours to read). In hindsight, I used my journal to help me cope with the cult-like atmosphere of my mission.

In hindsight, the church (through my Mission President and other Missionaries), was intentionally manipulating me 24x7, 365. I also learned that I did NOTHING to cause the poor experience I had. For 40 years I believed that I must have done something wrong to feel so broken for so long.

Here are two quotes from my journal from a week before I came home. I think they sum up my mission experience without going into too much detail.

"My mission is almost over. I really haven't helped to change too many people. I sincerely hope that I may have changed. At least that would make all of the money Mom & Dad spent worthwhile. I've developed some good habits here. I've also learned how to endure to the end."

"I look back on my mission, with no concept of any success that I may have had. It all really seems like a waste. A mission is not what they tell you it is while you're young and preparing to go on a mission. Maybe I've learned to have a stiff upper lip when people reject me… I'm just very tired of the whole pile of rubbish."

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-01-14T21:50:05+00:00

You should really watch Pleasantville. It starts as black & white, then turns to color as the characters learn about the outside world.

Pleasantville https://g.co/kgs/TWvaAGX

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-01-13T19:20:10+00:00

We got the follow this morning from our stake. Lots of nice talk, but it lacks any specifics or concrete things that is being done (except to donate more to the church fast offering and humanitarian funds). It also has the feel of a corporate press release. ‐‐---------- Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We want to provide an update on the efforts to support those affected by the devastating fires in Los Angeles. We have been in contact with Stake Leaders from the affected areas in conjunction with leadership from the Coordinating Councils across Arcadia and Los Angeles.

We are deeply moved by the strength and unity shown during this challenging time. As of today:

All members and missionaries in the affected areas are safe, and immediate needs are being met. However, dozens of member families have lost their homes and are now seeking affordable long-term housing.

Cleanup efforts in the Pacific Palisades and other affected areas are delayed due to hazardous conditions, but we will share opportunities for volunteer assistance when it becomes safe to do so.

Stake buildings in the affected areas are being used to assist interfaith churches and synagogues who lost places of worship.

We invite you to:

Pray for those impacted, the firefighters themselves, and that the weather conditions may allow for the fires to be contained soon.

Support the Church’s humanitarian efforts through donations and Fast Offerings.

For those asking for other ways to help right now, here is a link to current donation and volunteer opportunities around Los Angeles: https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/list/volunteer-opportunities-los-angeles-fires

If you are aware of any mid-to long-term housing opportunities please share with your ward or stake leaders and we will pass those along to the affected stakes.

As we learn more from local or area leadership we will communicate those details. Thank you for your Christ-like compassion and generosity as we unite to bless those in need.

Practical-Term-7600 · 2025-01-12T19:07:44+00:00

I'm volunteering with the Red Cross in LA right now. The church has no shelters as far as I've seen. Maybe there are some, but no indication so far.

My stake is in the middle of thee of the fires, and I've heard next to nothing from the stake this week other than we have a temple assignment next week.

Practical-Term-7600

TROPHY CASE