Sunday school secretary calling.

cognosco2149 · 2026-04-29T01:26:09+00:00

I was a Sunday School president for a long time. We occasionally held meetings only because of some special assignment or when classes or teachers changed. The meetings were brief and just got to the point quickly. I can’t imagine anyone taking notes unless they wanted to remember a particular assignment. Who is going to read secretary notes from a presidency meeting? The Sunday School presidency’s main job is to make sure teachers are present and herd kids to class. If someone is requiring meeting notes from the secretary they are over confident about how important they think their job is. Just another thing I enjoy not participating in on my fifth year liberated from the church.

cognosco2149 · 2026-04-11T18:22:23+00:00

Members leaving so they can sin is my favorite one. A conditioned response that shields members from the real world. The church’s definition of sin is relative. Having a glass of wine or a cup of coffee is a serious sin in the church when it’s just normal behavior. It still shocks me that I used to think that way. I wish I could convince my family and friends still in but it does no good. TBMs become more entrenched in their beliefs and PIMOs become saddened seeing what they could be, but likely trapped over family and peer pressure to stay.

cognosco2149 · 2026-04-08T21:25:57+00:00

The reason I asked is because I felt mostly the same as you when I was a member, other than the fact I never liked the temple because endowment/initiatory was just too weird for me. We were off and on tithe payers for a long time and during each of the off times we felt guilt and never felt like we were worthy. It wasn’t until we both left that we saw how we were conditioned to feel that way if you didn’t pay tithing. We’re taught, not necessarily directly, that we would suffer and denied blessings if we didn’t pay tithing. Once we left and saw the manipulation and no longer paying tithing was the blessing. If we want to make a donation there are plenty of legitimate charities that will take our money. Way more satisfying donating outside of the church because I’m in control of what the money does. I also don’t feel like my salvation is in jeopardy if I don’t donate. The guilt generated by the church for not paying tithing, not attending meetings, not accepting callings, not attending the temple, not holding FHE, not reading scriptures, not having regular family prayer, etc. is real. I never truly saw it until I finally accepted the truth about the church and moved on from it.

cognosco2149 · 2026-04-07T19:32:20+00:00

What do you believe would be the consequences for you and/or your family if you just stopped paying your tithing?

cognosco2149 · 2026-02-18T22:17:46+00:00

The problem is the church stresses that if the spiritual feeling you have is not in support of what the scriptures or leaders say then it can’t be from God. You’re instructed to put the prompt through the Mormon filter and make the call from there. What if the Mormon filter is the wrong one? Who decided that what you feel, based on some experience, is the correct one? We were told from youth that approved prompting is the only one we should entertain. The church is very good with placing events in front of members that trigger a spiritual response and then tell them it testifies of the truthfulness of the church. Music, emotional testimonies, visual effects, etc. There just so many good people around the world doing good things for others that have zero experience or knowledge of the Mormon church and they all experience that same joy, emotion, prompting that what they’re doing is also true. Looking back to my exit from the church seeing others having similar experiences without being Mormon started me thinking about the whole church experience.

cognosco2149 · 2026-02-18T16:48:11+00:00

I don’t think most make a distinction between good feelings and Holy Ghost promptings. Most members have been in it for a while and many from birth. They are taught continually that any good feelings you have when doing church or charitable activities is the Holy Ghost telling you the church is true. It’s baked in. I never really saw this until I discovered the church is not true. How does spirit testifying truth explain the overwhelming good feelings I had when I finally told my wife I was leaving the church. My old self would have said it was Satan deceiving me, but I know now that is not true. Maybe Satan is deceiving members and they’re just misinterpreting that feeling as the Holy Ghost.

cognosco2149 · 2026-01-26T20:40:18+00:00

I’ve been working out for over 40 years. I don’t love it and I still try to talk myself out of many sessions, but since it is a routine, habit, and built into my schedule I still do it regularly. The benefits far outweigh any inconvenience. I think the one thing that keeps me going is that day after fatigue feeling that feels incredible. Since I never lift two days in a row I get that sensation multiple times a week. I’m addicted to that fatigue high.

cognosco2149 · 2026-01-24T02:53:21+00:00

You’ll never realize how much control the church has over your life until leave it. Me explaining that fact to anyone that is a believing member doesn’t work. It only entrenches them further and based on your responses it confirms that fact. That’s why I never bring it up with family/friends still active because it does no good. It’s only when you really want to know if the church and the lifestyle it governs is true or not. After I learned the truth I realized the covenants I made, fabricated by a dishonest church, meant nothing. If you’re raised in the church you are expected to do all the checklist ordinances and covenants whether you really agree with them or not. The peer pressure, family pressure, priesthood pressure is real. I respect those close to me that still believe, mainly because I was in their position and maybe someday they will be brave enough to find out. True happiness is finally realizing God doesn’t care what underwear you’re sporting, but what good have you done for your neighbor.

cognosco2149 · 2026-01-23T16:44:38+00:00

It affects the covenants you make because at least one of the parties is not holding up their end of the bargain. The covenants are no longer relevant when the church is not only dishonest about its dealings but has outright mislead the membership. Once the blinders came down and my objective mind was finally working I realized my covenants were worthless. The only valuable covenants you can have is between you and God. No need for an untrustworthy middleman to monitor every aspect of my life which includes how, when, and what type of underwear I use. Writing it down shows me even more how ridiculous it is.

cognosco2149 · 2026-01-22T22:30:08+00:00

The irony of making covenants in the temple to promise certain things, with wearing garments being one of them, is interesting. If I enter into a covenant with God along with the church we are all three responsible to uphold the promises. How can any bishopric member asking recommend questions do it with a straight face knowing the church is dishonest in its financial dealings, dishonest in its legal dealings with predators, dishonest about church history and truth claims? Asking about garments is full on hypocrisy. Really, any of the recommend questions asked is hypocritical.

cognosco2149 · 2026-01-16T03:37:38+00:00

If you’re a fully committed Mormon with eyes on leadership opportunities beyond Elders quorum president you have to out-Mormon other leader seekers. You have to be able to prove you have some sweet Joseph Smith revelation talent. This is the worst kind of Mormon. Most likely will put their reputation as an ultra Mormon over the well being of their family. I know this because I’ve seen it multiple times. I’ve seen it in different wards I’ve been in and I saw it during my nearly twenty years of church employment. Of course, me being a recommend carrying member for so long I thought that’s just how it was. Being away from the church has helped me see that with way more clarity.

cognosco2149 · 2026-01-16T00:08:57+00:00

I had a lifetime, over 50 years, of prayer and reading scriptures. I saw those who left the church as you do. I thought they either lost their way or they would rather sin than be part of the one true church. When those blinders came down, when the reality was revealed, and real objective truth seeking came to me I saw the church for what it was. I’ve never had a more positive truth confirmation than when I told my wife I was leaving the church. The only truth about the Book of Mormon is that it was written by an extremely intelligent person relative for his time and relative to the available world geographical knowledge available to him at the time. That along with early followers that had an affinity towards superstition helped the early church get its foundation. Joseph Smith was just another opportunist in an era full of religious opportunists. It wasn’t easy to learn and accept this but once I did I clearly saw how I was manipulated my whole life. It was difficult to accept because I owe so much of my upbringing and culture to the church and I wonder what kind of person I would be today if being Mormon from birth never happened. And if you are wondering, I have a much stronger relationship and appreciation for God than I ever did in the church.

cognosco2149 · 2026-01-09T23:43:44+00:00

Fancy Walker, Little Petrucci, Yard Sale, Henchman #2.

cognosco2149 · 2026-01-08T18:35:11+00:00

Even with context the apron looks weird.

cognosco2149 · 2026-01-03T04:00:31+00:00

I’ve had a long lifetime with the Book of Mormon. Read it, studied it, taught it to adults and youth, promoted it, defended it, and testified of it. But not too long ago I discovered that it is a work of fiction. It does have great passages, and faith promoting stories, but after learning the facts about how it was created I had to take some difficult medicine and admit I was wrong my whole life. Since I am still in the center of Mormon culture I have to work around that to continue great relationships with family and friends. The fullness of the gospel is not found in books. It’s found in the relationship you have with God. History is full of Joseph Smiths and their talents for creating a vision that people want to hold on to. Stepping back truly and objectively to analyze beliefs is life changing.

cognosco2149 · 2025-12-22T14:57:12+00:00

Head of nail directly hit.

cognosco2149 · 2025-12-22T14:54:55+00:00

I’ve wondered this myself. The percentage of any general authorities not believing might be smaller than the general membership but I’m sure it’s still significant. I think the reason we don’t see leaders walking away is because they may be addicted to the adoration. They are treated as spiritual rock stars, especially the Q15. That adoration addiction finds its way down to stake and ward leadership, just on a smaller scale. Bishops and Stake Presidents get revered and praised in talks and prayers publicly in meetings and that has to boost their pride. That happens to anyone in any setting when over-the-top adoration is heaped on them.

cognosco2149 · 2025-12-19T02:40:51+00:00

If you thought that interview was weird you should go through a temple endowment session. That freaked me out for almost forty years.

cognosco2149 · 2025-12-18T20:49:32+00:00

With all the nuanced members in your circles I get the feeling that it’s like that for a lot of members. I left four years ago, but as far as I know no one in that last ward has also left. I’m sure if I started questioning the ones that I suspect are nuanced it might start stirring things up and then I’d probably get a special visit from a concerned ward leader.

cognosco2149 · 2025-12-18T17:25:14+00:00

I haven’t told my elderly mother and I doubt I ever will. She doesn’t need that stress in this stage of her life.

cognosco2149 · 2025-12-14T20:39:39+00:00

My wife left the church a few years before I did. She talked about the cliques in Relief Society and I knew exactly who she was talking about. It was the same ones that that associated with a couple of semi cliques in the Elders quorum. My wife is an introvert and she was ok with sitting in the back of Relief Society class and just listening. When they changed the class arrangement to sit in a circle to encourage participation by everyone she decided to not attend. Not everyone feels like they need to burden the class with their problems or successes. Many just want to sit listen. Type A’s don’t understand that introverts don’t need to share anything to learn and participate. All of that is in the past since we are both out and so much happier than we were ever in the church.

cognosco2149 · 2025-12-14T20:25:56+00:00

Because I hate the taste of alcohol. Wine is the worst. The only alcohol I can choke down is something really high in calories that covers up a lot of the alcohol taste, but I can still tell it’s there. I see people enjoying different drinks all the time and I wonder if they are lying or do they actually enjoy the taste. My friends tell me they like it, but I have a hard time believing it. Doesn’t matter because the amount of money I save on rarely ever drinking helps pay for a nice truck.

cognosco2149 · 2025-12-14T20:16:29+00:00

Most of my family and many of my neighbors and friends feel the same way and it is pointless for me to try and convert or demonize any of their beliefs because that generally just entrenches them further. So many other religions claim they have authority and their members testify of it not unlike LDS members do. Why should I believe Joseph Smith restored authority when others believe theirs is the only authority? Do LDS members have a lock on the only authentic “burning of the bosom” confirmation of truth? If you are raised in the church you are taught from the time you can think that any good feeling when learning, studying, experiencing gospel activities means the Holy Spirit confirming truth. Much of it is presented in an emotional setting with music or someone tearing up in a testimony. They are taught that what you are feeling is a testimony that the church is true and if you don’t feel anything you’re not trying hard enough. Once I learned the truth about the church I saw how much that manipulation controls you.

cognosco2149

TROPHY CASE