Is it part of your history, culture, world view that you can't escape?
It is part of my history, I was an a convert which made me an adopted member of the culture. I only want to escape the parts I no longer want or use. So far, that is working admirably.
Is it a hobby to read Mormon and other church related things?
It's part of how I "GIVE BACK" aka Pay It Forward. It's a little like keeping in touch with long time friends from high school. We have a lot in common. I raised a family in the LDS Church, most are not believers, but some still are.
Are you trying to get to the bottom of why you still care about what happens with the Mormon church?
Oh, I know why! It contributed several decades to part of what made me who I am today. I have no regrets. It's part of my family as some of my loved ones are LDS folks.
Do you want to see the whole organization crumble?
NO! It's an important part of some of my loved ones lives and I understand that as it was for me for some decades also. I do not wish others to be without what they want and need and desire. It's the same thing I wish for me.
Is there no such thing as "recovery" from Mormonism?
Yes, of course there is. I'm quite sure many have reached a place of "recovery" -- for some it's a short process for some, it's longer. My definition of "recovery" is: the Exit Process from Mormonism. I have over the years come to a place where I have Made Peace with all of my life, or as much as possible at this point, which is what recovery means to me. That, for me includes: letting go of negativity,(anger, hate, bitterness, resentment, etc.), respecting others who are believers, and living in harmony with believers in my life, as much as possible.
Yes, I want to recover, but that won't happen until I get my family out. And at that point who knows what therapy bills will await us as we seek to heal ourselves of the organization's influence.
Lest I be seen as a troll or apologist ;) Here are mine:
Is it part of your history, culture, world view that you can't escape?
-I converted as a young adult. Embraced it wholeheartedly afterwards and changed my whole life to make it fit. Also the DH is BIC and his family is all LDS.
Is it a hobby to read Mormon and other church related things?
-I'm starting to think so, and I'm trying to accept it even though I feel a little guilty for "not leaving it alone" :)
Are you trying to get to the bottom of why you still care about what happens with the Mormon church?
-Yes, I am.
Do you want to see the whole organization crumble?
-Not really. I just want everyone to have full disclosure, to really understand what they're apart of. If they still choose it after that and believe it's worthwhile, great.
Is there no such thing as "recovery" from Mormonism?
-I'm starting to think maybe there's not. It goes so deep you know?
I don't think that I will fully recover. Mormonism has affected my life, and continues to affect my life. My kids are trapped, my turbo ultra tbm ex has caused me more grief than anyone else on this planet, both when married and now. She is a wolf in sheeps clothing.
As an exmo, virtually every mormon I know treats me poorly by either shunning me, or being very difficult to have a relationship with or be an aquaintance with. They look down on me, avoid me, or treat me with condecending attitudes and words. It is almost to the point where I feel like shunning them back, having nothing to do with them, and dropping them all from facebook. I think I will even end my badminton at the St. Centre because if I run into any of them they are cold to me. It is so Junior Highish.
Is it part of your history, culture, world view that you can't escape?
I'm BIC, 5th generation. great-great grandma was the first Mormon woman in her country of origin and she moved to the states to be wife number 8 (of 11) to my great-great-grandpa.
Is it a hobby to read Mormon and other church related things?
Yes it is. I love RFM and also like to watch Heart of the Matter because Shawn McCraney was taught a lot of the same things my parents taught me that the church is now trying to "clean up." (Jesus was married, anyone?) Plus the crazy Mormon callers are enough to make anyone crack up.
Are you trying to get to the bottom of why you still care about what happens with the Mormon church?
No. I still care about it because I still have family in it.
Do you want to see the whole organization crumble?
Yes. I want a massive collapse after what that stupid thing did to me. However I know it will never happen.
Is there no such thing as "recovery" from Mormonism?
Not sure. I don't think I will ever be as if I was never a Mormon, since I was born into it.
Is it part of your history, culture, world view that you can't escape?
Of course.
Is it a hobby to read Mormon and other church related things?
Understanding myself, and my past, and the things that mattered, as well as the thing that matters, is natural for me. And in that process, I will use some reading, preferrable of the easy sort on the Internet, some discussions in family, etc.
Are you trying to get to the bottom of why you still care about what happens with the Mormon church?
I left, and that's it. But personal history is there, and is real, and must be seen in new light and understanding. Isn't that natural?
Do you want to see the whole organization crumble?
Wouldn't mind that all religious organizations crumbled.
Is there no such thing as "recovery" from Mormonism?
Of course - recovery is real, but also understanding and values. If not the understanding and values we got from the church, then at least some processes and common human values must be dealt with more thoroughly than the faith, doctrines, morals, principles, etc., themselves.... And social connections with people still in there are often carried on - and both those people and we who have gotten out of it must work a bit with tolerance and understanding and respect and patience and and ....
I think it is like a rape victim. You can have a certain amount of adjustment but I never met anyone raped that totally recovered from it. I think we can recover from the cult but never to never 100%.
Is it part of your history, culture, world view that you can't escape?
A part of my history, yes. I never really shared a common worldview with Mo's even as a believer. I maintained a separateness of the Mormon view and a more normal view. Sometimes I enjoy a hymn playing in my head, but the "spiritual" element of it is like a trickling stream compared to the surging waterfall of good emotion since jettisoning Mo'ism.
Is it a hobby to read Mormon and other church related things?
A fascinating one, although I find online boards to be too emotionally loaded for most study. I prefer the vast book library of unsterilized Mormon history. Just finished "Who really wrote the BOM?" about the Spalding/Rigdon issue. Very interesting.
Are you trying to get to the bottom of why you still care about what happens with the Mormon church?
No, that's not a mystery. I grew up in the system and virtually all my extended family are Mormon. It's only natural I would maintain an interest in it.
Do you want to see the whole organization crumble?
Actually, yes. I don't actively do anything to encourage it nor make any pre-emptive campaign attempts toward believers. But I would lie if I said I didn't want to see the system completely fail and to be able to talk to the believers I know about what we've all experienced. I'd be content with the lot of them becoming NOM's though. If they would only marginalize the dogma and adopt a more normal attitude about things we would get along much better.
Is there no such thing as "recovery" from Mormonism?
Implied herein is whether continuing to think about Mo'ism constitutes failed recovery. By that definition maybe not, but I see no reason to not be able to move on and live normally and happily. I've experienced most of my happiness in life as an exmo, while keeping an eye on the Morg.
This site is my recovery process as many others. I'm recovering from the culture. In order to pursue the one I was raised by(not the church, long story). In order to pursue my dreams. And to be away from the Mormon's world view. Yes. I want to recover. And I will.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/2011 12:32AM by anon123.
Better the LDS church collapse than letting it continue on this destructive path of entrapping countless more people into a certain spiritual darkness and atropy.
Fran Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Is it part of your history, culture, world view > that you can't escape?
Yes. Most of my family is still in. Most of them will be no matter what. Some of them would be much happier out, but they haven't figured that out yet. Some of them would never be happier out because the church brings them power, and they despise thinking for themselves. Sounds rude, but it's true.
> > Is it a hobby to read Mormon and other church > related things?
Yes, it is. I still find Mormonism fascinating. I loved parts of the doctrine while I was TBM, and now I love how ridiculous the whole thing is...and yet there are still a lot of people who cling to it. And it is hysterically ridiculous.
> > Are you trying to get to the bottom of why you > still care about what happens with the Mormon > church?
No. I care, because I still have issues with my own recovery and want other people to have the chance to leave who would like to. I also get a lot of enjoyment out of being able to make fun of something that caused me a lot of pain.
> > Do you want to see the whole organization crumble?
Yes. But to be fair, I feel the same way about all organized religion. Mormonism isn't any "better" or "worse."
> > > Is there no such thing as "recovery" from > Mormonism?
I don't know. I keep it as a hobby, and am having fun making fun of it. It still haunts me from time to time. I don't know if either of those would ever go away.
> > What do you think?
I think a lot of things. Every day thoughts come into my head and swirl around like magical bees. It's my job to capture the freakiest of these bees and share them with the world.