Last Sunday my son went to the mission farewell of one of his Mormon friends. Half way through Sacrament meeting, I got the following text:

"Thank you so much for getting me out of this church. Praise God I am not a part of this church."

Leaving was probably the hardest thing I've ever done. I lost most of my friends, risked my marriage, had to deal with Mormon relatives and lost my entire world view. In return, I got my freedom, my self-esteem back and rescued my children who will go on to live normal lives where they are allowed to think, question, achieve their OWN goals and meet life on their own terms. Getting that text made me cry with happiness. All I could do was text back: "I love you SO much."

My oldest son thanks me frequently that we don't go to the Mormon church anymore.

What a great note from your son! :)

My kids, however, will not thank me for that. They may thank me for not ever getting them into it, though...fortunately, I got out before I had kids (or got married). :)

Prevention is the best medicine!

I haven't been successful with my kids but got my sister out and she got one of her daughters and her family out.

We all felt a tremendous boost of 'freedom and liberation' after leaving the scam.

I wanted to not only get them out of Mormonism but into spiritism or at least meditation and study related subjects. My sister and her husband seem generally interested in my experiences but they still live with 'fear' ----- social, etc. For example, my sister and husband let their friends go on a separate tram so they could talk with me about my latest spirit experiences more privately ----- at least they think my experiences are amusing.

So many misguided parents force their kids to be Mormons when it's one of the worst church programs I can imagine. Any other church or children's organization is likely to be more enriching and not destructive like Mormonism is to children and families.

The boy whose mission farewell my son was attending has his doubts about Mormonism too. My son directed him to all the basic websites/books etc. which just increased this boy's doubts but he wants to continue being LDS "for social reasons." His mom knows about the doubts and told her son she feels like a failure for not giving him a stronger testimony. Somehow I feel that the mom is the social reason the boy is talking about, which makes me sad. Because the mom wants to do her best for her son, feels she is failing when in fact, her son is making the right conclusions, not the wrong ones.

My kids frequently mention their gratitude.

It has really been quite hard on them all, but they are very grateful, as is my wife.

It is the thing I take the most pride in, out of anything in my life.

It is very satisfying to know that none of my kids or future descendants will get caught up in it.

It has been very traumatic on those of us who's lives were built around it. But, think of the grief multiplied if all the descendants had to go through the same thing down the line.

Lucky you. My kids, especially one of them, blames me for not getting them out sooner. I made the mistake of telling them how long I had been doubting, but that I kept trying to make it work thinking I was doing the right thing for them. As I said, big mistake.

But they're all out now and all so much happier for it. I can never go back and do it over. They had a lot of troubles because I married and popped out kids too young--totally because of being raised in a mindfucking cult. But they never stop to think that even though my parents weren't divorced or anything, I didn't have no Beaver Cleaver childhood either. TSCC caused me a lot of grief too. And so far, I don't see them vying for parent of the year either. We do the best we can.

You make such a good point. We need to use this more often with people who are stuck on their path out.

I can't even imagine my son being Mormon. He spent his time in college instead, got great jobs, and is a dedicated thinker. He has no idea what could have happened because he's never been Mormon.

Please folks, don't make the mistake of thinking it is OK to leave your kids in, or it is a 'good environment' for them to grow up in.

It is a lying blood sucking organization that only wants their money and time.

You are right - it's not a good organization. My son is so happy he isn't going on a mission and I can't imagine, having served a mission myself, not being scared to send him on one. They use people up and then spit them out.

It wants their money and time, but even worse, it wants to control their mind, heart and life FOREVER.

She went back after 9 years out. Maybe someday . . .

Mine don't thank me, either. In fact, I am the black sheep who broke up an "eternal" marriage because I could no longer live with a narcissistic TBM. I can only hope that they will understand some day and get out themselves. Painful!

My children remind me once in a while how glad they are I got them out.

Oh. I thank my kids for leading me out of the church.

michaelc1945 Wrote:
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> Oh. I thank my kids for leading me out of the
> church.


^ I'm hoping to do this someday for my parents too.

It was the hardest thing I've ever done. And I stayed in far too long, partly because I thought it would be better for them.

It wasn't.

It would have been much better to have left earlier.

Do it! Do it now! Before your kids get any more entrenched.

My kids never really mention it. My oldest was 9 years old (now 20) when we left and sometimes I don't think they fully appreciate the trama they were spared. I try and clue them in sometimes but feel they don't really understand my issues,including my aversion of TBM relatives. It is hard to explain to people who haven't lived it fully from the inside and left.

But I too feel comfort in the fact that they were spared the cult experience and that I broke the chain of insanity and enjoy watching them live their own lives, choosing for themselves.

I think this is where I'm headed. While I'd really sometimes like them to acknowledge the mindfuck I spared them from, it's also cool that they are blissfully unaware, leading their normal lives with its peaks and valleys.

Not mine. I think I got them out young enough they'll probably not even know how weird it could have ben.

We were lucky and got our family out when they were young, when I try to explain Mormonism they look at me like I have 3 heads lol. I figure that's a good thing. But I worry, my oldest is heading to college soon and when we go to Utah to visit family keeps talking about how great it is...my LDS family is wonderful and doesn't care that we're exmo but I worry my kid will want to go to school in Utah and get sucked into the cult that I pulled us out of, sigh