I'm sitting here feeling guilty about that right now. Back in the Nineties, before I knew any better. I really thought I was helping them, that TSCC would help them (emotional support more than anything else). Instead I watched a life totally unwind. They lost much needed money due to tithing, and got demoralized in a very vulnerable situation that was not their fault.

Now this person moved away years ago, still involved with the church. They would not have been had it not been for me. They were a disastrous mess, but they thought God "expected" them to. I have not had contact with them, and will not search for them online due to the nature of the vulnerabilities. But TSCC has no trained people, we did not live near an LDS Social Services (just as well; my husband and I had been really messed up by LDS-SS and an idiot bishop who was "led by the Spirit"), and due to paying tithing,a very vulnerable person lost their phone service. A disaster for someone who desperately needed phone contacts.

Now I was not alone in this crime of activation; my husband was culpable too. I was horrified when this needy person chose to marry. God said to! TSCC drums everyone about the need to get married, and teaches them to get personal revelations. But these people finally moved away to a distant state, where there was a close relative to help.

I also have, in my past, a history of getting people involved in the Church who otherwise never would have. I moved away and never saw the long term results. That was in the 70's, and I won't contact people from that far back. I was in my late teens and they were teens too--hopefully they backed off and did something else with their lives.

I don't know why I feel guilty now with this long ago stuff. I did the best I knew how to at the time. I honestly thought I "knew" that the church was true, with the only true prophets (and priesthood) on the face of the Earth. God's true church was the way to get your life in order! I was so stupid.

No but my life deteriorated from age 3-17, the older I got the worse I got. Had know clue what I was born into.

I was stupid enough to convert (as a teen) and bring the whole Mormon mess upon myself. Then I dragged others into it! I hope they didn't stay.

I felt like I did that to my innocent children. Fortunately they knew I loved them, and they had the courage to tell me about ongoing Mormon abuse, which the leaders had ordered them NOT to tell me, on the threat of ostracism and hate from their Mormon peers. It was a jolt of a wake-up call! We all quit going, and never looked back. Still, I have trouble forgiving myself. My children have forgiven me, though.

We all have done this to ourselves! For whatever reason, we have stayed in that cult, for however long, and paid out our money, and wasted our time, and pretended to believe, and pretended we were helping others, and pretended the cult was OK, when it was not OK at all.

I feel worse for having been prejudiced, racist, and sexist, until I was old enough to know better.

Don't accept the blame for other people's failures. You weren't there to monitor the rest of these people's lives. Other factors could have made them unhappy, too.

You were given false information, from a lying cult. You were brainwashed to believe that you could control others. You were trained to be arrogant in your recruiting power. No, you didn't have enough power over these people to force them into an evil cult. It wasn't you, as much as it was the Mormon lies they bought into. The Mormon advertising, Mormon propaganda and literature, and the Mormon missionaries, who are professionally trained in sophisticated manipulative techniques and dialogs. Mormons tell the members that they have the power to change lives--but you didn't have all that power. For example, the power of prayer, and the power of the priesthood is all bogus!

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. Just because you introduced them to the cult, and encouraged them, doesn't make you responsible for them joining, and making all their mistakes.

Get rid of your guilt. Guilt is one of the Mormon cult's greatest weapons. You might feel better if you contact the people from the '90's. You might discover that they have left the cult on their own. The Mormon cult has a very high dropout rate.

I know of missionaries on this board who have called their converts and apologized to them. Do whatever you need to do to feel better.

My children have all left Mormonism, thank goodness.

This inactive person from the 90's that I lured back into Mormonism--had been going to another church that doesn't teach tithing and was actually delivering some genuine help, free of demands. I thought that TSCC would do better, because they were the "only true"! Most of what was needed was emotional and spiritual support. What they got instead was the burden of paying tithing,along with the fear that God would withdraw from them if they dared to stop paying. Plus criticism and demoralization, because Mormons don't understand their kind of issues. The other church was much more understanding.

I do not feel good about getting back in contact, for reasons that are too difficult to explain here. I hope that their relatives were able to help, or that they found another genuinely supportive church.

It sounds like your friend from the 90s would have been a disastrous mess with or without Mormonism. It's possible that having a spouse and nearby family helped that person to stabilize somewhat.

A friend of mine from high school converted to Mormonism. Her conversion drove my lifetime interest in the Mormon faith. I was delighted to discover (long after the fact) that her conversion did not last much longer than her time spent getting a degree from BYU. She found her way out when she was ready. Perhaps some of the people that you led to the faith have, or will find their way out as well.

The Mormon faith unfortunately takes advantage of people's vulnerabilities. It is how the faith is designed. This is in no way your fault. People have a need for hope, and connection, and community. At the time you were sincerely trying to help your friends find those things. Again, it is in no way your fault that the Mormon church preys upon the vulnerable, taking their time, their money, their resources, and all too often their self confidence and self respect.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/2018 03:40AM by summer.

I was in a vulnerable state when the LDS found me. If the internet had been around back then, I would not have stayed very long. I was in terrible shape emotionally and thus easy for them to manipulate. For years I paid them tithing, while they dished out emotional abuse in return. They also sided with my narcissistic abusers.

I feel better now that I've talked about this here. I'm going to try to get some sleep. Thank you for listening!

One of the many things I am grateful for when it comes to my LDS past is that no one ever joined the it because of me. I never was into trying to convert people

Thank Goodness

Gratefully, no