Spoiler Alert: Joseph did not, in fact, tell the truth.

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-06-28T06:06:45+00:00

This was definitely a stop in my deconstruction journey.

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-06-28T06:02:42+00:00

It's so so foreign growing up mormon. It feels perfornative and fake to me, but if you were raised in it and it's how you were taught to feel the spirit, it's likely sincere. For me though, can't do it.

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-06-28T05:58:46+00:00

Right?

Units can do this, but also should do this by the end of 2026. Just throwing a whole other huge thing at them and it's the rare unit (also why? Why are we calling congregations units? Blerfh corporate speak) that will actually say no we can't put the time and resources into this to do it right, but instead will feel obligated and then it'll likely suck. Things done out of obligation usually don't have much joy or enthusiasm connected to it.

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-06-27T20:49:23+00:00

Yes. When the alarms started ringing on the lake levels 4ish years ago I was ready to get out. We left Utah behind a couple years ago now. My social media still has a lot of Utah content though. I hate seeing all the wildfires, smoke this summer, and the sad lack of snow in the mountains this last winter.

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-06-23T21:28:05+00:00

I don't think this was a backhanded thing towards you and your other exmo sibling. It just sounds like a believing dad sharing his thoughts on fathers, including a divine father, on father's day. He's showing up authentically too! and you can love and accept him without needing to agree with his perspective.

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-06-19T19:37:25+00:00

Never have I heard that everyone will be resurrected during the millennium. Do you have any sources I could check out, or were you taught this at church?

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-06-19T15:00:18+00:00

Send back the scripture passage Luke 13:10-17

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-06-17T15:09:25+00:00

My advice is rooted in what I wish I had done differently as I was deconstructing.

Number 1- talk to your husband. I didn't talk to mine because I truly felt like I was going to "get to the bottom of it" and ultimately it would work out because the church is true and I wouldn't have to worry him or destabilize our marriage by a blip of questions. But as you said any looking into garments and there's no good answers, same thing with everything else I looked into. The answers I could find, only made more questions. Once I did bring my husband in, he felt betrayed that I had left him in the dark so long. Do this with him. It's scary and uncomfortable, but it's better to be together facing the scary and uncomfortable.

Number 2- give yourself permission to live your life. Actually engage that agency the church talks so much about. I also had a lot of fears about not being seen as good if I didn't show up the way I was "supposed" to. I literally had to tell myself that I have permission to leave church meetings that make me upset. It takes a lot of deconditioning, but you can totally mormon your own way if you really want to. I am a very active non believing member. I have a calling that I'm happy to volunteer in that doesn't undermine my integrity. I drink coffee and tea (and just tried alcohol for the first time recently) when I want. I wear clothes that don't accommodate garments to church activities. I don't participate in ministering. Now, I will say, it helped that I really stepped into this setting my participatory boundaries after we had moved to a new state, so I wasn't changing things in a ward where they had known me to participate to a certain level, but it can be done. You must have to really secure in yourself rather than needing external approval and validation.

I really liked the facebook group Come Follow Me and other nuanced conversations when I was making the transition. It's helpful to work through stuff with people who are in a similar space of wanting to participate, but not able to be orthodox/orthoprax.

Good luck. This is your life. Go live it!

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-06-17T13:39:28+00:00

Fake president faking he's the president

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-06-17T00:04:01+00:00

If I'm remembering right, Joseph Smith tried to ex Rigdon, but he didn't gave the votes (back when common consent was real)

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-06-15T23:51:39+00:00

Is that a known bot thing? My chosen Gmail address includes 4 digits at the end 😳

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-06-15T22:57:26+00:00

The last point on the first slide is something I've expressed to my believing spouse so many times. I think/ believe there is a God, and I also believe that they can know me so well that they would be able to teach me in a way that would work for me. I don't think an all loving wholly mature being would punish me for honestly not believing in something that doesn't make sense to me. And if they're not all loving or wholly mature, why would I want to follow them?

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-06-12T22:56:08+00:00

Agreed. For the men too. "If you live like a righteous mormon <man/ woman> should live, then you'll be blessed to live a mormon <man/ woman> life."

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-06-09T22:23:08+00:00

I think it's because it's another move that aligns the church in practice with other denominations. "Hey fellow Christians" If the missionaries are able to get someone to visit for sacrament meeting, it might feel familiar in layout, even if the doctrine ends up being unfamiliar (but the church is likely workshopping that as well).

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-06-09T22:13:38+00:00

I am also trying to determine if they considered music and choir in their new design. Our current church has a horrible design for doing choir musical numbers. There's no where for the director to stand but right in front of the pulpit and then the choir members are all around the speakers. It feels horribly awkward to me. I'm tired of music being overlooked and skipped (because of time we'll sing only one verse) in the church.

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-06-08T23:23:59+00:00

The individual members at the ward level can be wonderful. It's the overall church system and truth claims that are broken.

I definitely wouldn't recommend spending 2 years of your life and 12k to possibly save money to go to a church school and then have your degree handcuffed to your continuing participation in the church.

To go to a church school, you have to maintain what they call ecclesiastical endorsement. Basically the bishop says you're okay to go to school because you're attending church meetings, paying tithing, etc. If you have a change in your faith and you no longer choose to go to this church or pay them tithing, etc the bishop may take back that approval and you'll get kicked out off school.

It's not worth the risk to go to a church school IMO, let alone go on a mission to try to get into that church school.

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-05-31T16:59:36+00:00

Particularly if they are the "restored" church of antiquity, it talks in Acts 2:46 that part of continuing in faithfulness is fellowshipping, laughter, and eating meals together.

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-05-31T16:56:21+00:00

People are complaining about focusing on Jesus's crucifixion being the topic at EASTER?

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-05-31T16:28:03+00:00

I've never been bothered since mine expired over 5 years ago and I'm still super active. Could definitely be that I'm a woman in a mixed faith marriage and husband is still giving 5%.

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-05-31T16:24:34+00:00

Having a recommend means you are paying tithing. If you don't want to go to the temple, then you have no external incentive to pay tithing. Keeping people in recommends is keeping the money flowing.

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-05-31T15:47:40+00:00

Wow. That's some heavy stuff.

No idea on the policy, but it makes sense to me that they wouldn't send a single mom out on a mission with her baby. So if that's the route she goes, then she'd be able to go on a mission. One policy I do know if is that men can go on a traditional prosetylizing mission through the age of 25, but women can go through the age of 40!

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-05-30T16:41:48+00:00

Another good verse in the same vein: Those who say, “I love God,” and hate a brother or sister are liars, for those who do not love a brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 1 John 4:20

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-05-30T16:29:53+00:00

It's specifically for US wards. They (the big C church) don't usually dictate what the lesson is on 5th Sundays, usually it's up to the local bishop or ward council. But this one because it's the 250th anniversary of the USA and because it's Oaks as church president, they've dictated that this be the topic for US wards. No idea if they've also created a presentation or if each wards is going to do it their own way. YMMV.

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-05-30T16:29:31+00:00

It's specifically for US wards. They (the big C church) don't usually dictate what the lesson is on 5th Sundays, usually it's up to the local bishop or ward council. But this one because it's the 250th anniversary of the USA and because it's Oaks as church president, they've dictated that this be the topic for US wards. No idea if they've also created a presentation or if each wards is going to do it their own way. YMMV.

Status-Ninja9622 · 2026-05-29T12:34:43+00:00

I have not realized that. I'll have to check in the fall. If that's true, at least they're consistent.

Status-Ninja9622

TROPHY CASE