In my not-so-humble-opinion, I believe that no belief system in the history of humanity can equal mormonism in its ability to produce such ingenious human beings as those who eventually come to realize that mormonism itself is just silly, and who then have been armed with a level of critical thinking and wisdom that surpasses that of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates or Huey Freeman.

The "why" behind why this is true I'll leave to smarter minds than mine, so feel free to opine in this and other threads, but for whatever reason I feel like the keenest minds are found on this board, sharing their opinions on everything from what to do when mormon missionaries knock on your door to the implications of the higgs-boson, to what really happens to a conscious being if it crosses the event horizon of a black hole.

The point is, ex-scientologists, ex-fundamentalist christians, ex-muslims, ex-jews, ex-catholics.... they're all just "meh" when it comes to looking around and figuring out what exactly is going on here.

But what I've learned from this board is that, again, for whatever reason, ex-mormons are especially equipped and willing to cast their rods into the unknown and bring back babel fish that communicate the secret stories of the universe that make moving forward not just something that makes sense, it's something that feels... (insert your own emotions here)

. . . tempered. It makes one feel tempered, like steel.


If you have been to hell and back--brainwashed--you know things others don't, you see things others do not.

Once you escape the flames--the indoctrination--you are doused with the truth. This is called quenching. Like steel that has been set to flame and then immersed in salted icy liquid to cool suddenly. It is a shock to the system.

The steel is heated again to soaring temperatures. This is the anger that finally comes with the realization that you have been duped, that you have been had, robbed. This removes any fragility. The clarity is there now and the weakness is not. Observation is now that of wild animal that must survive on clarity of the senses, no longer trusting anything outside yourself. A shadow may not be a shadow.

Finally the steel is cooled again, soothed with fact, very slowly this time, room temperature, and is now tempered. Stronger. Wiser. More observant. Less quick to come to conclusions--one part of the mind always on the outside, seeing things upside down and sideways and from behind.

Tempered. The past makes us what we are. You have to know the bitter to taste the sweet. You must know the good, the bad, and the ugly, even the depths of hell, to really know life.

Anyway, that's what occurred to me. I like this subject because I for one would not give up one single part of the sometimes horrific past that I have had. What I gained in understanding was worth the misery. Of course, NOW I can say that, haha.

And in the end if we are not on par with Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, and Huey, at least we have street smarts. I would just like to be on par with Lily Tomlin.

great BS-O-Meters. MLMs don't do well with exmos.

Or you can put it all in a nutshell and you get that. Good one. Really make me laugh.

I really don't think we are any more special than people who have left other cults. I think all ex-cultists have something to learn from each other. We can learn how people are manipulated, and how to overcome it and defend against it in the future.

I'm certainly no Aristotle.

I'm not sure if the word 'important' fits into how I would phrase the subject. It's more like Mormonism is so all-consuming to a person. It creates fanatics armed with the idea of becoming gods. To me that's the lure. That's what drove JS to such heights of depravity. He actually thought he was on par with God and could make up his own rules. He even boasted of being better than Jesus Christ (see Vol #6 of BH Roberts' History of the Church pp 408-409). Other religions look to God as their master, their hero, their leader, their creator. Mormons look to God as their eventual equal. Many Mormon men I know actually believe they are one step away from joining the ranks of the council of Gods along with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Those ideas come directly from the Book of Abraham. By the time he created that book up JS was full bore into his delusions of grandeur. He and Sydney Rigdon teamed up and together they had the most glorious delusions imaginable in the Kirtland temple. To me that's what separates Mormons from other religions - the idea that they can become Gods and Goddesses rather than mere children of God who get to live with Him again. I'm certain that's why many Mormons have such elevated views of themselves and express that self-absorbed opinion in the guise of Godlike humility. I for one, hate that attitude. It is what Lucifer wanted in the story of the war in heaven. He wanted to be equal with God. And True Believing Mormons who are filled with that nonsense don't realize they are aligning themselves with Lucifer. I don't really believe that story, but you can't convince a TBM that they aren't on the glorious path to the celestial kingdom where they will be deified.

Okay, I'm done with my lengthy tirade. I'll let someone else take their turn.

My thoughts go along the line that there are some fanatical Mormons in the Church-Cult who just know that they, not Mormon-Neighbors Marie or Jim, are standing closer to God than any other Mormons.

I find these people plum full of arrogance because, don't all of you folks get it???, they have prayed and they have received that feeling, that confirmation that they are in a position much closer to God than the average Mormon in the Church.

I know a few in this category who have voiced this position, but others beat around the bush and you know this is where they are coming from.

They feel that they can guide and lead you and that you should follow and listen.

What a pain to be around.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2014 02:06PM by presleynfactsrock.

I've known my share of these types. They seem to be especially good at subtle put downs that keep you a notch below them on the righteous scale.

Sometimes it's just a look, or a comment about something. You end up feeling like you don't quite measure up. You can't exactly say why. It gets crazy making after awhile.

I'll take that as a compliment. Thank you.

I knew you were trouble, snb.

we'll become like gods , not proper gods, whatever that means