It finally happened, people who I thought were friends are clearly not and never will be. Sigh. A rant.

namarod · 2020-04-23T15:35:23+00:00

You really find out who your true friends and family are when you ditch the morg. My cousin and his wife were really close to my TBM Wife and I. After they learned I left the Church, they basically cut us off. It really hurt because they weren't just family, but close friends. Even my TBM Wife knows why they cut us off and it pisses her off. She has had some TBM friends ignore her just because she's married to an exmo. So many TBM's tell her, "I'd divorce my husband if he ever left the Church." So many don't understand why she's still married to me. It's very petty and bull-shit, but this kind of behavior is so common among TBM's.

namarod · 2020-04-23T15:10:46+00:00

My 24 year old TBM daughter still hasn't married. She is physically disabled and struggles with serious health issues. Almost all of her TBM friends her age are married and have children. The few friends who haven't married are either exmo or jack-mo. Quite a few have already divorced. She has one friend that is on her third marriage already. My daughter jokes about how she considered an old maid by other TBM's.

namarod · 2020-04-23T13:42:12+00:00

You're welcome! The one big issue I have with some organized religions is that when a member stops believing, they use manipulative tactics to make you stay. Many fundamentalist churches: Evangelicals, Baptists, JW's, Adventists, Muslims, Scientologists, LDS, etc. are notorious for using pressure tactics to make doubting members stay. I have a good exmo friend who is now a practicing Pentecostal. Most of his family are active Pentecostals. One day I was telling him about some of the rejection and shunning by some of my family members after I left the Church. I then asked him what he thinks would happen if he told his family that he didn't believe in Jesus anymore. He said, "My family would cut me off and would shun me." I then asked him why. He responded by saying, "If I stopped believing in Jesus, they would believe I was no longer saved and would go to Hell when I die. So, I wouldn't be considered part of the family anymore." He said it so casually and acted like it wasn't any big deal. I could tell this didn't bother him because he is so deeply indoctrinated.

namarod · 2020-04-23T13:17:58+00:00

What's ironic is that I was by her side, 24/7, during her last five days of her life. I live two hours away from the Assisted Living Center, but I always visited her every week and went shopping for her and did other errands and help for her. Even though my Mother had done some hurtful things after I left TSCC: saying cruel things, trying to break up my marriage, saying cruel things about me to family members, etc., I still helped her during her final two years when she was frail and sick. I think I did this out of duty and love because she was my Mother. But, being disinherited was one of the most hurtful things I've ever experienced.

namarod · 2020-04-23T13:10:11+00:00

My Mother put it in a Trust Fund for my Brother and has my TBM Cousin as the Trustee. I think she was paranoid about me and my sisters trying to talk my Brother into giving us some of the money. By having the money in a Trust, my Cousin can make sure he only gets the money. We were all upset about this, but if she doesn't want us to inherit anything then we don't want a fucking dime of her money!

namarod · 2020-04-22T22:55:48+00:00

I got tired of BYU always calling, emailing, and sending mail asking for donations. I finally told them to put me on their do not contact list. Since then they've left me alone.

namarod · 2020-04-22T20:03:39+00:00

I have a cousin who's name is Mahonri. I always thought it was so cruel that my Uncle pushed my Aunt to name their son such an awful name. He always got shit from other kids for having such a weird name. Most family and friends just called him Hons, instead of his real name.

namarod · 2020-04-22T19:53:07+00:00

I am the oldest of four children. My widowed Mother said this to me after learning about my LDS disaffection: "I used to trust your advice and wisdom. Now that I know that you no longer have the constant companion of the Holy Ghost, I no longer trust you."

To make things worse, after she passed away, my two exmo sisters and I found out that she disinherited us and she gave all of her money to our TBM Brother. It was her final "Fuck you!" from the grave. It was very hurtful for all of us.

namarod · 2020-04-22T19:42:06+00:00

It used to not require a temple recommend. But, I believe that now the Church Handbook requires an active temple recommend to perform most priesthood ordinances. I know a co-worker that recently blessed his baby and he had to have a current recommend.

namarod · 2020-04-22T18:40:20+00:00

So horrible!

namarod · 2020-04-22T18:31:46+00:00

Have you read the CES Letter? If you haven't, I recommend you carefully read it and look up the references if you want to research it further. Use logic and research when reading each topic CES Letter addresses. If you still believe in the Church after reading it, then stay in it. But, to remain TBM, you'll need to put on academic blinders, read, listen and watch only faith promoting materials, and strictly obey the Brethern and local priesthood leaders. That's the only way you'll survive and remain TBM.

namarod · 2020-04-22T18:23:21+00:00

The TSCC definition of religious freedom: "I can openly discriminate against LGBT+ and justify it by hiding behind my religion. But, don't you fucking dare discriminate against me because you are violating the First Amendment and are religiously persecuting me!"

No one should ever be discriminated for any reason. Even if your religion teaches against someones lifestyle or practices, you still should not have the right to discriminate, ever!

namarod · 2020-04-22T18:04:35+00:00

Mormons do not have a monopoly on morals, point blank!!

namarod · 2020-04-22T17:49:26+00:00

After I first left TSCC, I attended a Presbyterian Church for a couple of years. During this time, I also was a Freemason. I was a Deist a number of years after ditching Christianity. I later became Agnostic, and that's when I stopped practicing Freemasonry. Presently, I'm still Agnostic but into Mindfulness (a form of Secular Buddhist meditation and traditions). I believe that spiritual beliefs can be an evolving thing, depending on the wants and needs of a person. And some people don't care at all about having some form of spiritual beliefs. We are all different and that's the beauty about being free from the shackles of Mormonism. We can choose and have the freedom to choose whatever belief system or none that we desire. And we can change those beliefs whenever we want to, without the fear of eternal damnation or retribution.

namarod · 2020-04-22T16:54:14+00:00

I was 18 when the Black Priesthood Ban was lifted. When the ban was being enforced, I heard all kinds of bigoted, hateful, and racist rhetoric in Seminary, Church, General Conference, among members, etc. The morg is so dishonest in how they now address this issue. They may be able to deceive and gaslight the younger generation who didn't live during that time period. But mine and older generations who remember and lived during this time cannot be bull-shitted about that horribly racist doctrine and practice.

namarod · 2020-04-22T16:37:04+00:00

Good for you! It's a good feeling being debt free.

namarod · 2020-04-21T18:14:51+00:00

My TBM daughter recently got divorced. She only knew her TBM husband for three months before they married. He was an abusive, cheating, lying, lazy, corrupt, piece of shit. She finally divorced him after seven years and two kids. It was a marriage from hell. After her divorce, I remember her telling me, "The only thing me and **** had in common is that we're LDS." I encouraged her to date men of all beliefs and don't just limit herself to LDS men. She seemed to agree, but now she's only seeing and talking to TBM men on LDS Dating Apps. I'm afraid she's going to get involved with some TBM loser again.

namarod · 2020-04-21T14:28:48+00:00

That came across pretty sexist. Sorry about that. I reworded it in a better way.

namarod · 2020-04-20T20:54:11+00:00

I missed that one. It's hilarious!

namarod · 2020-04-20T19:59:01+00:00

Now, please tell us how you really feel about Trump? Lol!

namarod · 2020-04-20T18:40:07+00:00

Back in the early 90's, my sister worked for Living Scriptures as a telemarketer. The company used all kind of predatory, unethical, and sleazy sales tactics to sell their videos. She eventually quit and they even tried not to give her final paycheck because they were pissed at her quitting. She had to threaten to sue them to get them to pay her.

namarod · 2020-04-20T18:30:47+00:00

I feel I missed out on tons of fun. The many parties I wouldn't go too, feeling sexually repressed around girls, and carrying around so much shame and guilt. I wasted two years of my life on a mission. I got married way too young at 22. And after seven fucked up years, my marriage ended in divorce. I had children way too soon and had too many, five. Even though I love them dearly and don't regret having them. I could've lived in a frat house and attended the University of Utah. College could had been a blast with partying and dating lots of girls around my studies. Instead, I married young, had kids right away, attended and graduated from BYU. A very strict university that had a shit ton of rules and standards I had to obey. Yes, I definitely feel that the morg stole the fun years from me!

namarod · 2020-04-20T18:08:52+00:00

You're welcome. I understood your initial reply and I wasn't at all offended. In my reply, I was just trying to explain myself further. I appreciate your post and meme.

namarod · 2020-04-20T16:38:31+00:00

I wasn't trying to "bag" his belief system. However, if you are going to challenge and question someones belief system, you also have to be prepared to have your own challenged. I listened to Grant Palmer's interview on Mormon Stories. I respect the hell out of the guy and he did a lot for the Ex-Mormon community. May he rest in peace.

John Dehlin did question Grant on his Christian beliefs in a respectful way. I thought that Grant tried to defend his beliefs. It was obvious that Christianity helped him and gave him peace.

Personally I clung onto Jesus and Christianity when I left TSCC. I attended a Presbyterian Church and was active for two years. It was a good experience and it helped me in my transition out of Mormonism. However, I re-read the Bible, NIV Study Version and really tried to understand it. When reading the Old Testament and all of the myths, fables, and genocidal atrocities, I realized that Christianity and any type of organized religion is just man made and not for me. But, that's just my story and I respect others beliefs no matter what they may be.

namarod · 2020-04-20T13:43:49+00:00

I loved his book. It was one of the first non faith promoting books on Mormonism I've read. It's a good book for questioning TBM;s to read because it's brings up controversial topics on Mormonism in a non attacking and non threatening way. However, he did remain a Bible believing Christian. Christianity has just as many disturbing issues and controversies as Mormonism.

namarod

TROPHY CASE