It's what the Mormons might call the "Light of Christ", having the spirit, having the image of Christ in your countenance; the Mormon Glow. I didn't glow a whole lot, especially leading up to discovering I was born and raised into a cult,. In spite of my efforts to live the gospel fully, I was depressed and never felt good enough. The church does that to so many. I look around our ward, neighbors, friends, and they seem like they're killing themselves for this imaginary afterlife that will be oh so magnificent!
Funny thing is friends and neighbors are noticing a change in me; that I seem like a whole other person, immensely happy. Oh how right they are! Little do they know, it's because of what I don't believe in, what I am not doing! :)

They may suck, they may blow. But they don't glow. No.

I used to wonder why not, since I remember talks and lessons on Sundays about "having the countenance of Christ." Why didn't the leaders have “the countenance of Christ” if they believed what they preached? Why didn't they exude joy about the “good news” of the gospel, when they had the opportunity to share that gospel with the world at GC?

Totally. But this stood out to me more so when I found myself looking in from the outside. Even among the 'brothers' and 'sisters' I considered to be shining examples carry this anxiety with them in their eyes. If they only knew...

You do know that the so called glow and fire in the eyes is something that experts teach profilers to look for when searching for suicide bombers. I don't know what causes it, I just know it ain't the holy ghost.

I should clarify it is not the devil either.

Do you still believe in the devil?

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Old geezers, depressing speeches, crying, and funeral dirges.... You'd think that with all that money and their own broadcasting company, Mormons would know how to "exude joy about the good news" better than that!

Ya gotta be on Prozac or diet Pepsi to get that glassy-eyed glow.

One time when I was in high school, my mother and I had been somewhere in the big city of San Bernardino and we stopped at a fast food place and were standing in line behind a woman who had very very obvious garmies showing through her white shirt. I noticed it right away and thought, oh how cool that there are so many mormons here. But would never have said anything.

My mother, on the other hand, taps her on the shoulder and very loudly, so everyone else in line can here, says, "can I just ask you a question? Are you mormon? You just have that glow about you."

The lady quickly said "yes," and I could tell she was as embarassed as I was and was trying to ignore my mom as much as she could. I will never forget it because I was thinking "Glow? what glow? her garmies were staring us in the face." And I always wondred what the "glow" was supposed to be anyway. But yeah, I get it now. The glassy-eyed Prozac look. Now that one, I do recognize.

...that they're just bustin' at the seams with love and gospel enthusiasm. It just shines and radiates from their countenance. We had that as missionaries, especially at the moment people would open their doors and there we were, smiling and glowing with our wonderful message of a new prophet here on the earth. The glow would disappear once we got rejected and left, only to reappear the moment the occupants of the next house opened their door and there we were again, smiling and glowing for the new prospect. In other words, it is all a complete fake.

You also see it in sex maniacs, whenever they see someone they want to bend over a bar. It shows up the most when they are not getting any.

I saw a comment on fb on one of my TBM cousin's pictures. Their friend said, "You have the light of Christ in your eyes." I thought that was the weirdest damn comment. She responded, "Thanks. You are so sweet."

Only members in the St. George area downwind from Yucca Flats.

HAHAHA Very funny. That whole place glows.

type deal? If so I was told that A LOT by the youth leaders, male and female.... especially during times when I was "less active" how the "light wasn't as bright" and they "miss seeing it because you have always had the brightest light"


*barf*

Actually, when at least 10 members of my family, including me, have had to deal with cancer from membership in the Downwinder's Club, involving multiple surgeries and a couple resultant deaths (so far), jokes about Yucca Flats are not all that funny.

Yeah, it's not funny at all, but the context was kinda.

Sorry to hear it's affected you so badly. Is it still a hazardous place to live?

It's OK now, the major toxicity was airbourne radiation from above-ground testing in the late 1950s.
Once that was stopped & further testing was done underground, residual radiation was still spread out on the surface over a wide area, but no longer the threat that drifting clouds of concentrated radioactive material carried from that area in Nevada on up to some areas in Central Utah was.

Many, many deaths and many, many cancers attributed to those of us who were living in & around the St. George area, and up as far as Delta.

talks about that "look", that members of cults DO tend to have in their eyes.

I can't remember his words, but basically, it's a glazed over, and sometimes a super happy expression.

When he works with people, and they FINALLY get that they've been duped, they snap out of it. Kind of like waking up or something.

To me, it is no different that the thousand yard stare that war veterans have, after returning from a long period of stress. The only difference is that religious fundamentalist tend to smile, while possessing it, but it is still caused by all the internal grief and stress that they are suppressing beneath the surface.

Small wonder less actives don't have the glow...they're not sold on the bullshit, aren't trying to live it, and don't believe they are supposed to have "the glow."

Therefore, they don't. It's probably a self-fulfilling prophecy like everything else. Another "great blessing" of the gospel with no real benefit whatsoever (except pride?)

Are you kidding me? With all TBMs have to do, who could be happy? Plastic smiles is all the energy they have left.

Sad when all they really need to do to get the glow is believe, not drain themselves with callings to one up their neighbor to prove they are more righteous.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/26/2011 11:10AM by FreeRose.

Thanks for sharing. I didn't notice until after learning the "truth" how depressed everyone around me appeared. I just thought it was me and everyone else was happier because they were living more "worthy" lives. Total BS but that's what went through my head at that time in my life. Now the further I move away from this religion that is so beaten into my head, the more obvious and clear it is how truly miserable these people are. Too bad they don't even see it.

Until they put phosphorescent properties in the anti-depressants, there will be no Mormon glow.

I remember that the mormon girls in high school seemed to have less zits and nicer skin, but no glow...

It's when all the thinking has been done and you can just coast through life without a care in the world because someone else is telling you what to do and how to think. It's the same dopey, happy to be here, look an ox has when the yoke is placed on him and he's getting ready to plow the fields.

I've noticed that some people have a certain glow or countenance about them. At one time I thought it was exclusive to members of the LDS church as that is what I was taught. That belief was dealt a fatal blow while a missionary in England and I tracted up an elderly Catholic couple that had a glow that was breathtaking.

That wasn't possible. They were members of the Church of the Whore of Babylon, right?

Yet there they were standing in front of me. A countenance i've probably not seen since in anyone. Maybe it was just really warm in their house. Maybe they had just eaten some really strong curry and their skin was bleeding off the spices. I don't know and I don't have any explanation for it.

In those years since I've have noticed that some people have a glow about them. I've noticed it in LDS and non LDS. I've noticed it in gay people i've met. Maybe its just some genetic thing. Maybe its the way they live their lives.

I've also met more than my share of LDS members and leaders with dead eyes that seem like portals into a blackened soul.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/27/2011 09:48AM by kookoo4kokaubeam.