So I went to a church where I had attended an art day a few weeks ago, to show the lady who had led it what I had made, I had written a personal psalm and decorated it basically.
She thought it was great and asked me to read it out in the service and then another friend from another church asked to print it in their church magazine.
It was quite incredible I thought, that was my first Sunday recently actively deciding not to go to the Ward, and I was made to be so welcome and encouraged all throughout the day by people who totally accepted me for who I was.

Then today I was in town and I saw the missionaries who had so upset me last Wednesday, I ignored them but when I was a few steps away from them, having passed them,they started to shout out my name. I ignored it the first time but they kept on shouting up the street, so I did turn and acknowledge them, but I didn't walk back towards them. I was pleased with myself.

And Facebook is very effective, I have posted my psalm and it is interesting, friends commenting and appreciating it, but not one acknowledgement from any one who is LDS. It is very noticeable that!

Anyway, I thought this was good progress for 3 days after I linked in with you all :)

Experience is right up there bringing exposure to new ideas and even.....drum role please, FACTS.

Have fun exploring and learning.

"Do what you like, let the consequence follow...!"

You created that decorated Psalm, because you were inspired! That's why it turned out so great!

Mormonism does not value culture. Their "Cultural Hall" is a basketball court! Art, along with music, dance, plays, poetry, and literature, etc. is even frowned upon. These pursuits don't make money, and don't make good careers for good tithe-payers. They think that the Book of Mormon is not only scripture, but good literature, for heck sake! Temples are "architecture." BOM and basketball and temples. If you're the artistic, creative type, you will not be happy in Mormonism.

I was a BIC Mormon, and the church music used to inspire me--until the head office made a rule that only Mormon-composed music, and Mormon hymns were allowed/ This applied to the sacrament meeting performances, the choir numbers, the organ prelude and postlude, and everything else. I had been the ward and stake organist for years, having studied piano for about 15 years. I also had taught piano and organ. All of a sudden, the cult took away the best music. When I moved away, I no longer played the magnificent German pipe organ, which I had grown to love. Our new Utah ward, with its Mormon-only music, and hymns played slow, and mumbled, like funeral dirges, and the electronic-sounding organ, was uninspiring. The Primary songs were worse, and were all about brainwashing: "I Hope They Call Me on a Mission", "Follow the Prophet", "The Bishop is the Father of Our Ward," "We Are As The Armies of Helaman (at war), and "Primary Children Sang As They Walked and Walked and Walked and Walked...." Tedious!

One day I realized that NOTHING about the Mormon cult was inspiring.