When I tell an active mormon family member that I attend a different church and that I love it...

I might as well be telling them that my new hobby is pulling heads off puppies.

They sit there with a stunned look on their faces and don't respond.

I keep meeting with family members at weddings and for a laugh, I tell them this and they all have the same reaction. They don't ask what the church is or anything, they just look stunned and the subject changes and that is the end of it.

But of course, we have to talk mormon stuff incessantly, because...ummm...ya...

I haven't seen anyone act all that shocked, but no one seems very interested either. You are right about there being a double standard. They expect you to be interested in every boring detail of their Mormon service, but occasionally mention something that happened in another church and it "Oh, that's nice" and then they change the subject. A lot of them think that the three hour bore has to be superior to anything else, even a service in a famous cathedral such as Santa Croce or San Marco in Italy. Yeah, right!

Yes, that's the reaction I get. Believe me--the Mormons do NOT want to know anything about why I left, or what religion I am, or what volunteer service I do. Yet--they barrage me with gossip and little FPR's and bragging, and details of what I am missing out on--and they expect me to listen to them.

I thought leaving the cult would be like stepping onto another path--but, instead, it was more like being catapulted into space, and landing on another planet. Later, I realized that the Mormons are the ones on a separate planet of their own making.

That blank, stunned look on their faces reflects their lack of understanding.

Thinking back to when I was mormon I totally understand why you are getting that reaction. I used to feel very sorry for people who were not members of the one and only true church. I believed that if they were members of the LDS church they would be soo happy.

I always felt like other people of different religions were below me. Of course I would NEVER EVER admit that as a mormon but that's exactly what I felt! I thought, "that poor, poor, person. They have no idea they're attending a corrupt church!"

They may not realize it but they're just being stuck up snobs! I can't remember where I heard this from but it's totally true: "Where a law (or rule) is placed, there will be judgement." That is soooo true and it could be good judgement or "being snobby" judgement. For example, when I was active in church, my best friend, who was also mormon, constantly told me she wished she could be like me and I had such a strong testimony and was so good at obeying all the rules, etc. That's judging.

I completely understand and feel it also- and I am an active LDS (mormon) member. I have been trying to enlighten others (very very carefully) regarding their obvious lack of true Christian Character. It is incredibly rude to tell others that their church is not the true church!! For them, I apologize to all. There is no such thing as the "right or wrong" church. Im always pleased to hear that they are going to any church where they feel the spirit of peace. The Spirit doesnt just show up where the mormons are. The Spirit can be felt in the bathroom if your spirit is ready to listen. Not all LDS members are snobs. But- you know how it goes, the rotten apples always make us all look bad. I just wish there weren't so many bad apples. Remember the Bible (scriptures) are true, but the mortal people are not. Good Luck on your lifes journey and love YOUR church and who YOU are, because God loves us all!!

My family doesn't come out and say it, but when I tell them I still believe in God and JC, they usually say, "Do you?".

I really wonder what they say about me when they talk among themselves---"Oh Kate, she must be an atheist now, since she doesn't go to church"---or something like that.

The irony is, my older sister and brother were once rebellious and inactive for many years, respectively. In fact, I know that, between the two of them, they did considerably more "dirty deeds" than I have, or may ever do. Yet, now that once uber-religious little sister simply doesn't go to church, reformed brother and sister quietly question my entire belief system.

I love my sister and brother dearly, and they don't ever try to pressure me about the church, but I just think it's interesting and ironic that when I say I still have a belief system and a moral code, they say, "Do you?".

TBMs have no frame of reference for any worship experience outside the MORG.