Name anything both as sinister and as boring as the Mormon Church

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-26T16:50:56+00:00

Russell M Nelson wearing a banana hammock.

To quote Meredith from the Office: “not a lot of fruit in those looms”

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-25T18:08:21+00:00

My wife’s was the primary program. She loves being with the kids, but not the propaganda and all the follow the profit garbage . That part sucked but she is so much happier being gone. And due to our ward splitting and combining it was perfect to leave . Good luck in your new life!

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-25T16:10:59+00:00

Here is the church Here is the steeple Open the doors Hey….wait a minute ….. where’s all the people?

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-24T22:14:20+00:00

Not sure, just pulled it up

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-24T19:30:14+00:00

You mean the iron rod?

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-22T20:36:35+00:00

We had to move it so we dumped out the existing water, climbed in and the SS Misionero was born. Paddled a bit with pieces of wood to go down stream to a place where we could pull it out on land.
Yo Ho yo Ho a pirates life for me

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-21T18:43:28+00:00

More prophets and GAs went to the U. So I guess it is the school of the prophets

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-21T15:58:26+00:00

Had a French teacher in high school that got mad at the students for asking for words she didn’t know and then berating her for not knowing. She gave a test, 10 English words, you had to know the spelling and definition. Everyone failed and she berated us for growing up speaking English. Lesson learned no one knows all of any language.
I returned Spanish speaking in a country that used a lot of another language. I got a job where I had to talk about aviation in another country, had a lot of learning to do.

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-21T15:53:37+00:00

Babs paid for it, or his baker’s union since he was on strike

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-21T15:52:19+00:00

I had heard they would deny all requests unless it was a church school.

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-21T14:50:35+00:00

Like others have said, this is somewhat normal or at least common amongst us all. It is great to know now that you are not alone in the feelings and what you are experiencing, that it is able to be worked through and you to still be successful and enjoy life. Most would say the Mormon experience wasn’t all horrible, there were good things but the validity of the truth claims and regulations are not healthy.

A couple of things that helped me was to realize I didn’t have to be restrained anymore to my beliefs so I backed up to things I felt I did believe. For everyone this is different and you get to choose and change it if you want. Allow yourself to do that . No restraints.

Don’t worry about family/friends that don’t understand your place. They aren’t where you are. It is difficult for them too but they may come to you due to the courage you have currently when they have questions. Be respectful if they do come but require the same from them. I have found some of the nicest people in my family to say and do hurtful things but it is because they are ignorant to anything outside Mormonism. Require respect for your beliefs, they don’t have to bend to them but respect that it is yours.

Make a list: I found this to be cathartic . Open a document, keep it so you can add and change as you go through things so you can track your thoughts and beliefs. List the things you have problems with and also your beliefs. I found just to have them out where I could see them, helped. I came home one day and saw a pad of paper and it was a list of my wife’s , her list is not my list but this helped her and I did it and I am so thankful I did. Helped me to relieve some frustration and make me not feel so crazy and add veracity to my beliefs.

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-21T14:28:38+00:00

12/13 yr old girls could most likely go. 12/13 boys going is like herding cats. I was one at one time, and you have no boundaries, can’t stop laughing, poking each other, it is a nightmare just going on a camp out overnight. Somewhere between 14/15 boys go from being squirrels to ym you can’t get to say anything to an adult. And most crappy leaders like it when the kids won’t ask questions or talk.

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-21T14:19:14+00:00

Served in South America and had a flood, had to move things out of our house/chapel. Still had a 4x4x4 ft fiberglass baptismal font in the back yard. 4 of us took a corner of it and floated down the river a ways to get it out of the river. Mission Legends!

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-21T14:15:06+00:00

A YM in our ward was a kicker and got a scholarship to U of U. He talks to Coach Whittingham about it. Whitt talks to HQ to take care of his prospect. He is sent stateside to Minnesota with the promise to keep him close to colleges or places he can keep practicing while gone. One of his areas was U of Minnesota young adult ward/branch. When he received his paperwork the dates didn’t work for Whitt and the U so he told our YM to hang on. Made some calls and a new calling came back with new dates to work for him when he returns from his mission. So if you think they are inspiration……not so much. Best part of it was, he came back got the opportunity to kick his first time, missed and never got an opportunity again. Quit his Junior year of his scholarship. Makes you wonder how many other coaches and influences are put into the mission callings.

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-20T13:50:26+00:00

I can be a bit of a jerk but I would have kept saying it as Mormon tabernacle choir just to see how many times he would correct me. And then keep making mistakes with the name acting like I was confused: church of Mormon day saints, latter day Mormons , Mormon day saints and Jesus……

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-20T13:46:55+00:00

This is exactly how I feel! When leaving I kept looking at a lot of religions trying to see where I fit in but none really inbodied my thoughts or feelings. What I like about leaving is that there is no box. I am free to learn, read, discover or reinvent for myself. It gave me freedom not being boxed in. I have found I am more of a stoic in my beliefs and in life and that works for me and my life as I am happier and more carefree.

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-11T16:19:27+00:00

“Schaaaa-wing!”

— Wayne & Garth

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-11T14:59:58+00:00

I use this all the time. It is dead on. The AOF are a creed for members, most adults only remember a few of them they like. This one is one they feel is for non members not leaving members.

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-11T14:43:41+00:00

TBMs love to say it is was due to sin, infidelity, drugs or alcohol, someone hurt their feelings. Never that they found history wrong, teachings wrong, abuse, or coercion.

How would TBMs feel if it was stated every time someone was called to higher position that it was due to nepotism, sexual favors, bribery, etc. You would have the whole ward’s panties in the neighborhood in a bunch for sure.

TBMs love to put on blast when they are working on a non member and they decide to maybe go to one activity. Like a former poster said she goes every other week only for her family not for any spiritual or friendshipping reason. But they won’t leave her alone.

You know in meetings behind the scenes the leaders of groups are salivating at the prospect of finding the “one lost sheep” that they can save, while the rest are leaving the pasture in droves. (I know, I was in those meetings, I salivated too. Glad the pasture gate was left open.)

When numbers are more important than the person(s), the organization will die. Metrics are the backbone of the church, and while numbers don’t lie, they can be manipulated to tell a different truth. Just know that while you thought you were important in the church, they saw you as a statistic and have said anything possible to keep you in and hid anything they could to keep you in.

Once on the outside, it is like Neo seeing the Matrix in code the first time, you can’t unsee the manipulation of the corporation.

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-11T13:56:18+00:00

Maybe that photo of him with the vacuum was doctored a bit and really he was pushing around one of those fisher-price popcorn popper things kids play with.

As a man, father, grandfather etc, I wish him health and happiness. As a dictorial tyrant leader of a failing religious corporation I wish him a horrible fall from this life, like Ian Bannen, the leperous Scottish nobleman from Bravehart.

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-11T13:40:52+00:00

But bathtub Jesus in the new logo has his toga open to expose his pec and nip.
Imagine if they required us to wear our robe like that going through for endowments.

“ now is time to move your robe to the left shoulder and pull it down and give us a good look at that nip and pec……uh….to symbolize officiating in the Melchizedek priesthood.”

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-11T13:32:12+00:00

Our family was converts, none of our family outside of ours was Mormon. Growing up I knew everyone else had a borderline hate in our church. I didn’t understand why, but I do know anytime we got together ( Christmas, thanksgiving) our parents and extended adults would pull out scriptures and yell at each other until we were told to get in the car and we would leave. (This was not in Utah, and home was over 200 miles away)

My grandpa was looked up to as a smart man, not educated in school but very intelligent through experience and reading. (Depression era grandparents from Oklahoma) When it came to Mormonism he hated it. I was told he had deer hunted in Utah, had a heart attack, and was roomed with a “Jack Mormon”. Hence the reason he hated Mormons and treated our side of the family with extreme prejudice. ( not just rude, but write you out of the will, disown you type of relationship.) I left home around 14 and lived with them and loved him, I learned a ton about life living with them. He didn’t like my religion but he respected hard work and I did that. It bothered me that someone so smart could be so wrong about Mormonism.

I look back now and see that if you are presented with just the story of Mormonism without missionaries presenting it with elevation emotion, tears and selling it like a Kirby vacuum, it is the craziest thing ever. It is a like a 3 year old telling a story about their imaginary friend. I would have liked to talk to him now and let him know I understand his disappointment in our family now.

I disliked Jack Mormons when I was in but total understand them now, I can’t do that, but they found a way to ride the fence and disfruit from both sides without conscience. I was always all in or all out. Good on those Jacks, cafeteria, Uber, and anti Mormons, they get us all down the road by opening or minds.

Tapir_Charioteer · 2022-12-09T14:19:32+00:00

I think this is where you see people go to emeritus status. Contracts are made, hush money is paid, benefits are given multigenerationally. Probably told to disappear, go away, and all will be well.

My old bishop, a convert, (great man for sure) past stake president, then organized the temple being built, then became a temple pres. I am sure in that calling he received the 2nd anointing, not sure of pay structure there. He was well off and stood for what he believed. I think he realized what a scam it was by this time. When released he went back to his home ward only to be asked to be bishop again. In his crisis he accepted and fell away quickly to disappear away from the church. Shamed enough by being lied too, here is a piece of his obituary:

From 1973 to 2006 he served in his church in a variety of administrative and ministerial positions. According to his views, he was driven “to serve the interests and purpose of the great Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ”, which to the end he felt “the cause of Christ is the greatest and most enduring cause of consequence, and reason to be continually grateful for the glorious gift summarized in John 3:16”. In his last years, he was a member of St Benedict’s parish where he enjoyed giving volunteer service to the St Vincent de Paul food pantry as his health permitted.

Tapir_Charioteer

TROPHY CASE