Uh oh! Mormonism!

[Bad Writer]

As an ex-Mormon, I have found it invigorating to have a good discussion about the American Phenomenon that is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. More and more stories about people making the recovery from this religion are emerging every day...but, more often than that, stories of incredible conversions to Mormonism appear as well.

This Church, to the untrained eye, is just your basic Christian offshoot. But when someone has been in it, lived it, breathed it, studied it, and even served a mission for two years in Poland for this Church, that's when the horrible facts emerge.

As an Atheist, I can say that any religious thought that directs people away from the truths of the natural world is always a bad thing. I do have to say, however, that some of these are on a different level than the rest of its ilk. Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientology, and Mormonism are on that level of "oh shit, we have a cult on our hands".

When I heard that Mitt Romney was running for president, I couldn't just stand idly by and let the polls do their job. He image was a front, plain and simple. Nobody knew who he was, or what he truly stood for. Most people had heard bad things about Mormons, but Mitt Romney's Golden-boy attitude misdirected that sentiment. Good for him, but bad for those that know how members of the Mormon Church truly think.

Mitt would never have admitted it in public during his running, but all his actions are beholden to the directions of the head of the Mormon Church, that is, their prophet and apostles. If he had jumped into office, U.S. politics would have been adjusted little by little to conform to what a religion thought is right, despite the directive of the constitution to keep Church and State separate.

For these very reasons I was adamant in convincing people that Mitt was the wrong choice, even if Obama wasn't a pleasant one either. I was successful in convincing many to turn away from his platitudes and pretty face, and I was happy to hear that many other people were attempting the same thing. (I especially enjoyed Joss Whedon's "Zomney" ad last year.)

But enough about Romney, as he's not truly the cause of the dilemma that Mormonism poses as much as an example of it. In fact, I want to hear if any of you have any anecdotes regarding encounters with the religion, things you may have heard that I can help shed some light on or rather expand upon, or if you just have a little quip to say regarding them.

If there are any Mormons or ex-Mormons here on the site, I'd especially like to hear what you have to say.

[TaraJo]

I'm not a Mormon or ex-Mormon but my boyfriend was raised Mormon. He's seen a lot of the dark side of Mormonism, too, and a lot of the bullshit he was raised with has really hurt him. He worries that if he weren't queer he'd still be a Mormon (personally, I doubt that since he also has a tremendous love of natural sciences that the LDS church calls blasphemy).

[Dragonetti]

I had a Mormon soldier, and he was a convert, but his wife was bred into that crazy religion. We had to curb our language and movie watching. This person grew what appears to be a bland life and no culture, how predominate is this? No caffeine, no movies above rated G, no cursing, no nothing...... boring!

[pineapplebunnybounce]

My sister has a friend who just recently converted to Mormonism. Her reason was that she thought the people were friendly, which we didn't think to be a very good reason.

Don't have a lot of mormon friends myself, but do I understand that you think all mormons really really believe in their religion to the point that romney would have changed the government as much as he could to fit into the religion? I heard someone made this comment as well. No such thing as a casual/cultural/moderate mormon then?

[Minimalist]

All religions are cults.

[Bad Writer]

All religions are cults.

Touche.

[Doubting Thomas]

But if you watch South Park, Mormonism is the one true religion which gets you into Heaven.

On a serious note, it would have to be a boring existence to never enjoy some of the more fun things in life, like coffee, alcohol, sex, saying "shit," etc. You know, the things which make life, life.

[Dragonetti]

Sheltered from enjoying life!

[Bad Writer]

My sister has a friend who just recently converted to Mormonism. Her reason was that she thought the people were friendly, which we didn't think to be a very good reason.

Don't have a lot of mormon friends myself, but do I understand that you think all mormons really really believe in their religion to the point that romney would have changed the government as much as he could to fit into the religion? I heard someone made this comment as well. No such thing as a casual/cultural/moderate mormon then?

There is such a thing as a casual/cultural/moderate Mormon. If they exist in other religions, then reason dictates that they do in Mormonism. Romney is none of these, which is why it was important not to promote him to the office of Commander in Chief.

My mother is a good example of being a cultural/moderate Mormon. She believes that since the Church lifted the ban on Blacks being Priesthood leaders that it will soon lift the ban on Gays as well. However, no amount of rational thinking will dissuade her from her beliefs, as she says, "Whether it's true or not is no longer my concern; I'm old, and I intend to die a Mormon since I've fought so hard my entire life to be one."

Seeing that Mormons are friendly is a common front that they put on to gain the trust and respect of their neighbors/workers/friends. Truly, they are being sincere, even if the reason is suspect. Why are they so friendly? It's because they're commanded to be.

Generally, a True-Believing Mormon (or TBM, for short) will follow each and every commandment to a T, which includes no coffee or tea, no premarital sex, and paying 10% of his or her income to the Church as a tithe. The friendliness is a good way for them to open doors into others' lives, which is when they can openly discuss topics that are often used as conversion tools for others, ie: the Joseph Smith story, the Book of Mormon, and Eternal Marriage.

If something feels out of place, such as an overly friendly person, there's usually always a good reason for it. Mormons have a reason too, as you can see.

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I had a Mormon soldier, and he was a convert, but his wife was bred into that crazy religion. We had to curb our language and movie watching. This person grew what appears to be a bland life and no culture, how predominate is this? No caffeine, no movies above rated G, no cursing, no nothing...... boring!

Sounds like an extreme case. Since you were in the military together, I suppose it also would have been unprofessional to even talk to him about the religion aside from just asking him what it is that Mormons believe.

It is a bland life, and I can say that because of my own experiences. Once I left, it was like the world was beginning to show its true colors to me. And it was amazing!

---

I'm not a Mormon or ex-Mormon but my boyfriend was raised Mormon. He's seen a lot of the dark side of Mormonism, too, and a lot of the bullshit he was raised with has really hurt him. He worries that if he weren't queer he'd still be a Mormon (personally, I doubt that since he also has a tremendous love of natural sciences that the LDS church calls blasphemy).

It's tough for gay members of the Mormon Church to find their niche there. Just like most Christian denominations, the Old Testament teachings about homosexuality remain true in LDS culture. Though Mormons tend to favor education over ignorance and understand that being gay is not a choice, but that it's something someone is born as, there's still the tendency to be very judgmental towards someone with such a "condition".

I was once told by a Sunday School teacher who was a doctor that being gay was like an illness, and that it needed to be cured. People couldn't help being born gay, but we could help them live God's commandments.

How horrible to say that about someone who is completely innocent in the eyes of nature! On the other hand, the doctor couldn't help it either because he was indoctrinated to think like a Mormon, and that was the best solution he could come up with to fit with God's demands.

There are still members of the Mormon faith that are gay, but they are told to suppress their feelings if they want to benefit fully from the blessings of the Church. Some even get married, because Eternal Marriage within a Mormon Temple is one of their God's highest commandments. Without Eternal Marriage (which excludes homosexual unions), Mormons cannot attain the highest degree of glory in their afterlife.

[Cato]

My brother converted to Mormonism over twenty years ago. My mother joined the circus about ten years ago. It wasn't until after my mother's conversion that I started my investigation (as a former missionary I hope my use of this word made you chuckle). I made a valiant effort to read the Book of Mormon front to back but gave up after the first 1000 'And it came to pass' sentence starters. Twain's chloroform quote is almost sinister in its accuracy. I continued to reference it of course as topics were discussed.

I was prepared for dealing with scriptural bullshit like the belief that American Indians were semitic, but I was blindsided by how insular and controlling the church is regarding the behavior of its members and the lengths the church goes to in order to ensure compliance.