I joined because I was a big Osmond fan. You all know how the Osmonds promoted the LDS church. I took the missionary lessons twice. I was a sophomore in college at a liberal arts school at the time when I decided it was time to be baptized.

After I was baptized, the missionaries and I were invited to dinner at a members home. They were from Utah. The patriarch asked me during dinner what my father did for a living. I replied that he was a tobacco farmer and a tobacco auctioneer. Now I take great pride in my 8th generation tobacco farm family here in Virginia. The man actually turned his nose up at me and didn't speak to me again. I thought he was rude.

The first time I attended Relief Society, I wore a nice pants suit. No one spoke to me the whole meeting. The next Sunday I was given a sheet of paper stating the women were to wear dresses at all times. I thought it strange.

The next Sunday I attended a youth gathering at the Stake center. I was in a room with kids similar in age. A man stood in front of the room and asked us questions as how we would respond to different questions. The other kids responded with different answers. When he asked us if we would vote for someone if the Prophet told us to, the whole group (except me) responed enthusiastically in unison a loud 'YES!' I was floored! I was taught by my parents that you should vote for the candidate who represented your values. I was deeply disturbed.

During Christmas break, I thought a lot about what I had done in joining the church. My college was teaching me to openly question things and to have an open mind. I decided I had made a mistake. I had joined a controlling cult! I never attended another LDS church again. It wasn't until a few years ago I stumbled upon this site that I realized that I was right. After 29 years, I was encouraged by this site to resign. It gave me satisfaction to do so.

I love reading about everyone's experience in the church. I'm just glad I had the foresight to get out when I did.

Were you pursued after you stopped attending? I mean you were a new convert at the time, so they had to miss you.

We read lots of stories of people suddenly going inactive in recent years and being bothered to no end. You don't mention whether or not you were hounded to return to the fold, either then or later.

I wasn't pursued. They either thought I'd strayed or didn't return to college. I did get a certificate of sorts in the mail later on. I tore it up and threw it in the trash.

My brother is practically an atheist and his wife is a never-mo, so I get along great with them. Our TBM sister invited them to my niece's baptism. My SIL wore a nice pantsuit. She was gently told that pants were inappropriate to wear to church. She said, "Well, my husband is wearing them, so why can't I?"

For all the talk of baptisms inspiring conversions, the most memorable part of that service for my brother and his wife was the scolding she received about wearing pants, which were probably more expensive and in better shape than most of the dresses there.

That is one of the best things I've ever heard!! They've really relaxed about the whole pants thing. Well at least outside of Utah. At one of my old wards in MN many women wore jeans. They were part of the Spanish speaking ward and they were always welcomed.

Who does that?
Who goes up to a complete stranger who is visiting to tell them that women aren't supposed to wear trousers?

Unbelievable.

I think it was a RS leader trying to help my SIL to fit in.

When my family was taking the missionary discussions in 1977, my mother arrived for Sacrament meeting wearing a pantsuit. She was pulled aside in the foyer and told that women must wear dresses to enter the chapel. My mom sat through the meeting in the "mothers' lounge' watching ladies breastfeed their infants. In hindsight, it stuns me that she ever returned, but she's still loyally attending today.

I enjoyed your story. Thanks for sharing.

A recent convert contacted me a while back. She had joined the church only a few months before. She wore a nice pants suit to church several times. The last time, she was approached by the RS president, who gave her a dress. The convert said it was the ugliest dress she had ever seen.

Yes, she left the church because she was offended at someone telling her what to wear and giving her clothes.

I wore pants to a funeral a few years ago. I also have double pierced ears.

No one said anything but, whew, I felt, uh, different.

Not that I cared.

Anniegal - you and I have several things in common. I also converted during my sophomore year in college. It was March of 1979 and it was in Virginia. You were much smarter about it than I was and I stayed in long enough to serve a full time mission before realizing what a colossal mistake I had made.