Made me do some thinking. Some of the best memories of my life were during the time I was a mormon, but I think that's the only connection. In fact, they were when I'd go to my grandparent's house and I think I loved it so much because we got away from mormonism when we were there. Those are probably the only really good memories I have from my childhood.
Also, some of the good memories with my kids were when I was mormon, but they are just some good family memories. The best things that have happened in my life have definately happened in the last 10 years since my resignation.
I would hope all those disaffected do have those happy memories somewhere. However, anger has a way of making us shelve them. Unless our experience has been of long, unrelenting oppression, it is when we get over the anger and are able to move on that those memories will return. They will be of happy times interacting with friends and family. That is what we remember most as we approach life's end. Hopefully.
Suppressing them serves no good purpose I can see.
srlowther Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I would hope all those disaffected do have those > happy memories somewhere. However, anger has a > way of making us shelve them. Unless our > experience has been of long, unrelenting > oppression, it is when we get over the anger and > are able to move on that those memories will > return. They will be of happy times interacting > with friends and family. That is what we remember > most as we approach life's end. Hopefully. > > Suppressing them serves no good purpose I can see.
I would imagine that there are so many different responses as to find everyone has a pretty unique review of their own lives that doesnt match any other completely.
The best moments of my life include those in and out of the church.
- Getting my first errection (It was more of a stunning moment, there's bone in that thing!)
- Finding out I wasn't going to jail/prison for the rest of my life when I was 18 years old and got busted for computer hacking and related "issues".
- When I finally realised that Jesus wasn't just some fairy tale and the "spirit" hit me like a ton of bricks.
- The day I got the priesthood. It was an indescribable experience I'd never felt before.
- Meeting my wife for the first time / Realizing someone actually liked me
- In the temple when we were married, looking at her bright shining face.
- The day I woke up from a drunken week long bindge and found I was still alive (yes, it was a happy moment!)
So a life of rare roses mixed in with the thorns. I don't deny my happy moments couched in some anger I feel towards the church members.
I do find it a bummer that more people havent felt the extreems of what I've gone through, but it certainly hasnt been an easy life!
There have been a number of times that I've thought about the best times I had as a youth. That age between about 10 and 18. I can remember every camping, hunting, and fishing trip I went on with my Dad. I can't remember a single aaronic priesthood lesson or MIA lesson. Zippo. Guess that goes to show just how important a parent's influence is on adolescent kids. My dad was inactive most of my remembered life, so I relish the times he decided to get away and take me with him camping or hunting or fishing.
the only connection. The best day of my life was the day my twins were born. The day I married was a really happy day--even considering how it ended. It wasn't that it was marriage in the temple either.
Some of my very worst moments were definitely directly tied to mormonism.
In the youth program, there were lots of basketball and softball. Backpacking in the summer, (we didn't do much of the official scouting stuff). Lots of other youth activities during throughout the year.
Though thinking about it, those were social things the church and our youth leaders provided rather than actual church-ish things.
Once nineteen and mission, nada, zilch, zippo since then.
My happiest moments in MORmONISM were the very few, far too rare and very wonderful times when I was finally fed up enough so I ended telling some MORmON to take their churchin' program and shove it or similar action, Like the morning I quit Seminary, or the time I just got up from very near the front and very obviously strolled out of Sacrament meeting not to return because I did not want to hear the BS talk that was being given. Other than that, the more MORmON the experience the more terrorized &/or depressed that I felt, and its just that simple.
dovetailing with this was the realization that if there was a celestial kingDUMB then I had ZERO interest in being there with the MORmONS that I knew who expected to be there.
I had some good times growing up.We had a good close family and done many things together. Can't remember doing much related to the mormons. I guess the happiest memories I have about the mormons was when I beat the bishops son so bad he had to go to the hospital. Still brings a smile to my face. Life can be good,,