I founded exmormon.org 23 years ago in November. It was to be just a one year thing to help a few people as I was helped when I left Mormonism. I believe it has been a resource to tens of thousands over the years. It filled and continues to fill a need for people to transition out of the corporation.

Concrete Zipper will be taking over the ownership and control of the site. His perspectives on recovery are nearly identical to mine. There should be little change.

The incessant hassle lately of taking care of the board with folks who abuse it for their own amusement and lack of compassion for the time it takes to keep it afloat have taken its toll on me. It is time for me to leave.

In my retirement I have been fortunate to be busy with music. I play alto and tenor sax in several jazz groups and bass clarinet in wind ensembles and orchestras. I just bought a new tuxedo for my ensemble playing. It appears I have progressed such in my playing ability that I am frequently asked to fill in with groups or to join them now. I actually have to back off on some of my music commitments as it grew beyond what I expected. It is the retirement I had hoped for. Engineering paid the bills back when I was working. Now I can pursue music for fun. My world has expanded greatly associating with some wonderful musicians.

I am not going away entirely. It will be impossible to immediately break a habit of walking over to the music/computer room and checking on the site when I get up in the morning while sipping some coffee for example. I have made lifetime friends here. The admins who assist and those who have contributed financially and those who post to help others have been an inspiration to me which I will always value.

Eric



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2018 08:11AM by Eric K.

I feel sad and want to say,"Nooooooooo!" But you know what, eric, I totally understand. Don't know how you have put up with all the work and aggravation this long. Enjoy your retirement, eric! Love and hugs from me!
(((((((ERIC)))))))



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2018 07:44AM by Aquarius123.

Gratitude

Enjoy your retirement Eric and thank you for making exmormon.org.

Your retirement after 23 years of running RfM is well deserved and overdue. You created this site, and the rest of us are its beneficiaries. We owe you a big debt of gratitude for making it possible.

Enjoy your music, and whatever else makes your heart sing.

We should all be so fortunate.

Shalom.

Admin Emeritus. Has a nice ring to it. And who knew there was that much interest in jazz in the Bible Belt? There may be hope for the world yet. :)

We owe you a debt of gratitude. Well done, thou good and faithful servant.

Hey, it was New Orleans that gave us jazz!

Just saying. :-)

Damn skippy, Amyjo. Jazz had a southern birth, as did the blues and rock and roll. Musically, the south need not rise again, as it stands tall always.

Also wanted to say to Brother of Jerry that Admin Emeritus does have a very nice ring to it, indeed.

And so does *Founding* Admin Emeritus. Eric gets so many names in his title that we might run out of room!

He earned them, every one. :-)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2018 01:04PM by Amyjo.

Not true AmyJo. As every good mormon knows, Jazz started in Utah. That's why we have the Utah Jazz NBA team.

Thank-you Eric! RFM has been a help and comfort to me for 22 years or so. I resigned from tscc just about that long ago using advice from Kathy Worthington that I gleaned from this site. I don't often post these days, but I expect to continue to visit daily. I love rfm. Great job, sir! And thank-you to CZ for carrying it forward!

This pretty much echoes my story, too. Kathy Worthington helped me find my way out, too.

Eric, you have been a mentor and a ground-breaker, a leader when we needed one. Thank you for being there.

CZ, I have every confidence that you will wear the mantle of exmo leadership with distinction.

(((HUGS))) to all (Kathy in memoriam).

Innumerable whiskers from catnip

Twenty-three years is a long time, my friend. I've been a moderator in several different places and an owner of my own forum for as long as I've been on-line myself, since 1998. I know how tired I get at times. I can't imagine trying to maintain a site as busy as this one.

I can't remember how long I was on the old site. I'm sure I've been on RfM for at least ten of those years.

Following your music dreams sounds amazing. Have fun with that!

All the best to you.

Thank you for all you’ve done for us.

Thank you for all you've done. Enjoy your music.

Eric, thank you with all my heart!

If there were a ghawd, he could have learned a lot from you.

Keep us posted on your doings...

And thanks very, very much.

Thank you. RFM is educational and often funny. Always better than TSCC.

airport years ago when I lived there. Health and happiness.

We at RfM are lucky as well. You've helped so many and you've saved lives and given more to recovering mormons than anyone I can imagine. Thank you!

Don't be a stranger.

You changed my life. Thanks

Happy trails, Eric! When I met you at one of the first exmo conferences in Vegas in the late 90's, I was surprised by your humble attitude. You certainly had no idea how valuable your insight was to start this board, and how many people it would help.

Enjoy your retirement and music.

And CZ, THANK YOU for keeping this site going!

Thank you for giving us such a gift. Happy trails.

Thank You Eric...……

You've been a gift to so many of us...…..and I've been here over 15 years.

Because of your site I was able to connect in real life with so many other recovering exmos.

In fact, I started a meet up group using this board.

Thank You from my heart & soul.

Enjoy your retirement & music.

Aloha
Tutu/KJ/AnonyMs

A million thank you's. You changed things for me more than you could ever know. I owe you Erik. Best always.

Thanks Eric

Eric,

"Thank you" seems so shallow and hollow for what you have done for so many with this site. I have been here, on and off, since '98

ENJOY the music, man. ENJOY your life moving forward.

We all know that Exmormon.org is in great hands with CZ.

Thanks again

I appreciate all that you done! Thank you

Eric, this board has been a tremendous help for thousands of people. I was viewing it since about 1 year after it was started. Although I had already left Mormonism, there was so much I didn't know. This board really educated me on how right I was to leave.

This board has been under a lot of attacks by zealous Mormons over the years, but you and other volunteers always were able to keep it going. The truth can not be buried, and no longer is.

I wish you the very best, it will be good for you to move on. And I am glad the board will continue with the zipper! Enjoy your music and your life. :-)

Oops, this is calico. Typoed my own name!

I'll add my thanks. I don't post that much, but this site was an invaluable resource for me when I was trying to get my head straight while learning the truth about the church I was raised in. I can't imagine how much more difficult it would have been without this place. I'm glad to hear that it will remain, I have no doubt you're leaving it in fine hands.

So, Thank you! I hope you're able to enjoy your free time, you've earned it!

Thank you, Eric! Enjoy your retirement. And thank you to CZ for taking over the reins.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2018 10:48AM by summer.

Please know that you made a difference.

I've been privileged to meet both you and CZ in person, and while there have been moments of disagreement, we've all agreed the Mormon Church (take that, Dr. Russ!) is a bizarre and toxic operation that draws its members into its web of strange beliefs, revisionist history, and "overtaxed" members. My view is it's a 19th Century "sex cult" trying to be a 21st Century religion,

As the late Edward Abbey noted of the church, "Nothing that ridiculous could be all bad."

It's pretty awful, however.

Thanks Erik! I can't imagine all the work you've put into this over the years. I've been coming here for about 5 years now but don't post a whole lot. The things I've learned from this site are invaluable. Enjoy your music, you deserve it!

Praise to the man who communed with the internet!

Many thanks!!!

I am profoundly grateful for the service you have provided, the hours of unseen and unpaid work, the insight and example you have set, and the harassment you have endured on this site's behalf.

There are so many more little things to thank you for I could say.

I hope you can post more to let us know of your random observations, and especially music and traveling adventures!

Wishing you health and fun (and a worn out tuxedo at the end of it all).

CZ, I extend my appreciation for your willingness to help keep this tremendous resource available.

Thank you for all those years Eric and best wishes for your musical future. This site has often proved invaluable to me.

Thanks for the ride, Eric, and thanks for giving us the opportunity to drop grains of sand in the LDS gearbox. The church-mobile may not grind to a halt, but it will always be a smoking, lurching, 1955 Plymouth with bald tires and worn-out shocks, its frantic, glazed-eyed occupants looking nervously about, certain that Satan is about to jump in and commandeer their land-yacht.

And thanks to the Zipper-man for assuming stewardship of our site.

BTB, I think I know the region in which CZ resides, but perhaps he might make that explicit?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2018 02:08PM by 3X.

Thanks for everything, Eric. You and this site have been instrumental in my recovery and your compassion, patience, and commonsense nature have made many of us better, both here and in our lives outside this forum.

You deserve to retire from the responsibilities of ownership and administration. I hope you pop in occasionally to be see what’s up, but if not, keep playing those jazzy tunes!

-Sam Frederickson

Thank you, Eric, for the gift of this site. I think it's the very best among exmormon boards. I get you. I made my living in industry for the most part, and when I retired, I followed my best loved muse, which is creative writing.

Lotsa love,
Don

Thanks, Eric. Best wishes in your music career. I thought many years ago that someday I'd do something in the musical area, but turns out it's important to be able to play music and have some talent, neither of which seem to have happened with me.

I just got involved here recently...and now this happens. I honestly started checking my underarms to see if I put on enough deodorant.

;o)

Seriously, thanks for everything. This site is truly a marvelous work and a wonder...not like that certain religious book that we know some things about.

Thanks to you and all the admins who have kept this site running in spite of the trolls and other like-minded asshats.

On the other hand…

"The incessant hassle lately of taking care of the board with folks who abuse it for their own amusement and lack of compassion for the time it takes to keep it afloat have taken its toll on me."

Thanks for nothing, Adam. Happy now, badass?

Bingo!

Yep.

A simple "thank you" somehow doesn't seem enough to convey

how grateful I feel for you and RFM, but it will have to do.

Thank you Eric for you enormous unselfishness in giving of

your time and money for this site. You will forever be in

my heart and in the hearts of hundreds of people you have

unstintingly helped over the years.

I'm grateful to you for keeping me out of the church.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2018 12:51PM by Beth.

Eric, I first stumbled on RfM in about 1995 (?). The news, articles, and stories of why we left seared my heart. I printed out pages and pages of detailed information about concepts I knew holistically.

By this time, I had already left, but thought, possibly, my family would follow. That never happened. They refused to examine any evidence. I recycled the paper.

However, newer generations don’t go to paper sources, they go to sites like RfM. Your work has been invaluable for us, and many more—whom we’ll never know—in helping us leave a dangerous cult.

If it were in my power, I’d award you the Presidential Medal of Freedom. But, it’s not. So, the words of Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin Rush will suffice—“I have sworn upon the altar of god eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."

Your work has helped brake the bounds of Joseph’s cult. Thank you!

Thank you for what you've done for the world, Eric!

Thank you, Eric.
Not for leaving.
For everything you’ve done to help us all.
I’m a better person because of RFM.
We’ll miss you.

Eric:
Congratulations on your well-earned retirement and good luck with the music!

Although I don't come here any more but on the rare occasion, I feel I would be remiss if I didn't offer my thanks for helping when I needed it. Without Rfm my leaving the cult would have been terrifying. Thanks for this resource. Now, go have fun.

Thank you Eric!
Your site was so important for me in 1995 - 1999 when I was slowly coming to a conclusion that church is not true. Personal stories on this site gave me strength to leave the church in 2000. I have never been an active writer on this site but have read alot! Thank you so much for your work and enjoy your time with music!

Thanks, Eric. You have created a wonderful place where I've learnt a lot.

Fair winds (and brasses ;-). Enjoy your music.

And thanks CZ for taking over.

Tom in Paris

Edited to add: I shall of course continue to contribute if there is a call for funds.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2018 01:59PM by Soft Machine.

more cow bell plz ~



thx ~

Thank you Eric (and the mods) for what you have done. Like so many others, I am deeply grateful.

Lot's Wife

hours you might consider going back to church. NOT!

Your personal thousands of hours devoted to this beloved site are deeply appreciated. Concrete Zipper has been the backbone here as well.

I'm not always musical but when I am I wish I was in Eric's band. Stay musical my exmo friend!"

Thank you Eric for this site. I came across it just at the moment I needed something to provide support after realizing that TSCC was a fraud. You’ve been a life saver for many people.

One more grateful reader-rarely post. I have been following for 20+ years and have gleaned so much good information and opinions about how to exist as an ex-mo. Thank you, Eric and everyone else who continue to post thoughtful and thought-provoking comments here.

I am another grateful reader who seldom posts. Over the seven or so years that I have been following this forum on a daily basis I have learned much more truth about the Mormon Church than I ever did in my sixteen years as a cult member.

Thank you Eric for all your hard work over the years, it has certainly been appreciated. Have a truly wonderful musical retirement.

Concrete Zipper, great to have you as the new owner, you have a hard act to follow but there are many, many, wonderful people on this forum who will support you 100% in your new venture.

Add my thanks and best wishes, too.

I resigned with my children, in SLC, 15 years ago, and we were the only ex-Mormons in our extended family. Thank you for giving us RFM, to reassure us that we are not alone!

I have told many people about RFM, and now, about 1/4 of our extended family are cult-free. You will never know fully how many individuals you have helped, directly and indirectly.

Eric, your site has helped my dear children, and that is closer to my heart than anything else.

I can never thank you enough!

Music lifts you up, and elevates your soul. You say you are an "introvert," but you will still be reaching out to others, and bringing good cheer--through your music!

(((hugs)))

Thanks for creating this community.

Thanks for the years of effort you put into it.

It is difficult to measure how much help this place has been, or how many stimulating conversations have been had, or how many internet friends have been created. I appreciate all of it more than I can express.

Enjoy your retirement (I'm jealous) and best wishes, Eric.

Thank you Eric. You've done good for this world.

Thank you for the kind comments. On my way now to a jazz gig in Chattanooga. CZ will do a great job. We are fortunate to have him help us.

I have learned so much about the secret underwear peddlers.
When I started here on RfM around the turn of the century I thought I knew about everything. I didn't know the half!
Your site has been a wonderful thing to so many injured souls.
Enjoy your well deserved retirement.
Jerry

difference in my ability to recover from my life in mormonism.

In 2003, when I was involved in a writing project and did a Google search for a fact I needed at that moment, I did not realize that, on a completely different level, my family life was soon going to change in fundamental and enormously unexpected ways--and because of THAT, would then (in turn) be challenged by then unknown, but very three-dimensionally real, "outside forces" beyond my ability to imagine.

My Google search led me here, and because I so improbably landed here, I can see, in retrospect, that RfM wound up, pretty much, saving my life.

Thank you, Eric, for all that you and this board have done for me.

Thank you for all of the many fascinating people I have met here, and for all the thoughtful and knowledgeable posts I have read and benefitted from, and for the experiences you and this board have given to me and allowed me to experience.

Thank you for making not only MY world, but THE world, a so much better place for everyone.

I wish you all the best in every way as you begin your full-time, after RfM, life--a new volume in your life history which I hope is filled with much wonderful music, excellent health, deep friendship, and lots of love.

Thank you for everything!!

You, and RfM, are so VERY much appreciated!!

We are so fortunate this whole site isn't donning its tux, grabbing its sax and playing its way off into the sunset.

Your new retirement plans sound lovely, Eric. We'll miss you though. Very much. Many thanks for the vital info, friends and memories. All the best to you and yours. You deserve it.

Thanks, CZ, for keeping the lights on.

Thanks for producing and maintaining RFM. It has been very informative and therapeutic for me and a lot of others.

On a side note, I would all like to see a youtube video of you and/or your musical group performing if you feel so inclined. A solo by yourself would be a special treat.

Thanks for many years service here.

Thank you. Thank you.

Make great music!

Thank you.

Human

That's lovely, and good to hear, and noteworthy, Erik.
I'm happy for you, and that makes two [or more].

It was great for me as a resource a few years ago.
Now I visit to keep up with the news, and olds.

M@t

Eric, this site has been a part of my daily routine since 2001. I found it while on a quest to discover what it was about the lds church that appealed to my dad enough to bring our family into it when I was a child.

While I haven’t found the answer to that question, I did find a community of interesting, intelligent and funny people from all over the world. Thank you so much for providing the platform for this community to form. I hope you will still be around from time to time!

Thank you for this site - and thank you for welcoming all of us here. As a never mo, I was surprised how much I was able to relate from my own fundie upbringing. This has been a place to help me heal (still a work in progress).

CZ is a great choice to continue on as you take your much deserved retirement. Thank you CZ for volunteering - I know it can't be an easy thing to do.

Many thanks Eric.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/07/2018 05:48PM by Never Mo but raised Fundie.

Thank you so very much from me and my family!

This site had been a huge help to my husband and me. I found it a couple of years after we quietly stopped attending the church in 2010. The information and support has been very helpful and very much appreciated. We met you in San Francisco at an exmo gathering at the Hotel Utah bar on July 24th a few years ago and had a chance to talk to you and your wife.

Thank you for founding this site, and thank you to those that have assisted you.

Best wishes in your retirement!

Awww. As a newbie, I feel like I missed meeting a cool cousin.


May you always have...
Walls for the winds
A roof for the rain
Tea beside the fire
Laughter to cheer you
Those you love near you
And all your heart might desire.

"No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave." ~ Calvin Coolidge

You are deserving of all! Gratitude, Respect, Honor.

Thank you!

Thank you and thank all the contributors for being there at the hardest part of my life. Losing my identity and facing the task of rebuilding was very nearly insurmountable.

Big Thank You! You deserve to retire and pass on the mantle.
This is a lifeline for many.
Little did you know how many people you would reach.

Enjoy your music. I was able to perform and teach music for several decades. It's been a huge part of my life. Invaluable.

Susie

I have had years of pleasure. Thankyou from a nevermo Mormon.

Eric,

I came to this site scared but wanting more information that I could get anywhere else. The information in all the postings lead to my epiphany about the church. Not only did I find truths that finally made sense, but you also saved us over a hundred thousand dollars.

Thank you and happy retirement!

Wait--he didn't give ME a hundred thousand dollars.

Unfair!

Thank you, Eric!

Enjoy your music! That’s what I do stay sane, too.

Eric,

Thank you. You built something awesome

Three years and I move your way. We can finally go fishing.

Enjoy your "retirement". Many thanks. Music is an enormous part of my life, shared with my NeverMo man on a daily basis. RFM on a daily basis is for me alone.

Thank you Eric!

About 5 years ago I found this site as a learned that Mormonism was false. I cried 2 weeks straight and could hardly do anything besides thinking how I could fall for a lie for so long. Well you and this board has helped me to turn pain into joy! We left Mormonism, resigned and never looked back!


Thank you!

All I can say is a huge, loving, heartfelt THANK YOU. This board was everything for me when I transitioned. I was deeply depressed, drinking excessively and thinking about dying daily (Although I never would have done it). This board brought me relief, comfort, support and hope on a daily-even hourly basis some days. I can't thank you enough for your time and dedication. You deserve to have your life back after helping give so many other's their lives back. XOXOXOXOXOXO.

You saved this life. Thanks. I've enjoyed it more than porn over all these years. You truly made a difference and people once dreading their eternity are eternally grateful for what you did over those double decades. Please don't stop the music, yours and the music of recovering from Smithcon.

I don't visit this site as often as I did some years ago and I have not posted much either. However, I do feel like you Eric and the people around here are friends to me because I feel a bond with and great admiration for those smart enough to have discovered the truth and brave enough to leave and unselfish enough to share so much of their knowledge and resources with people they've never met. It's crazy but there are some names I check on to read their posts, as if I knew them in person.

I want to say THANK YOU for keeping this site up and running for so long. You've kept this a great place for people questioning, leaving and recovering from Mormonism (or saint-ism, if they want). =) And even for those who only come once in a while to get their exmormon fix. =)

Thank you for all your dedication, your work, your time and resources. You're amazing. And will be greatly missed. At the same time, I'm happy for you, I wish you all the best in your music and enjoying a well deserved retirement. Cheers to you Eric K!

And thank you Concrete Zipper for taking over.



Deconverted2010

Much appreciated and best wishes to you. In the words of the late Doug Adams, so long and thanks for all the fish.

Thanks for your work creating this amazing place and being the best darn cat wrangler I’ve ever seen.

Enjoy retirement!

You’ve more than earned your retirement. Thank you for starting and maintaining the site...no small task.

Thank you for everything, Eric.
ConcreteZipper -- you've got some big shoes to fill :)

Eric, if you're ever out to SoCal, elderolddog and I would love to take you to dinner. Or lunch. Or coffee. Or anything.
Best wishes for happiness and sweet, sweet music.

Thank you for building this site. You made a difference in my life. I would still be stuck in the corporation if not for this site. Enjoy your retirement.

Thank you so much for all your hard work and $$$ over those 23 years. I have been the beneficiary for much of that time. May your retirement be everything you hope for and more.

Hugs
Heidi GWOTR

Your efforts in maintaining this site for so long has made significant impacts in many lives - especially my own. I am glad to hear that your retirement activities are full, happy, and enjoyable. I am grateful for this forum, and for the ability to check in from time to time since I first discovered it early in 1997. I am glad you are able to "pass the torch" and focus on what brings you the greatest personal enjoyment in your life. Best wishes to you from Central Texas as you continue to enjoy life and your hobbies!

Eric, Admins, Moderators, Participants,

You all aided my exit from The Cult. Thank you, sincerely! Eric, because I came here a few years ago, I was able to write this post that is now included among the "Article Examples" on the front page: https://www.exmormon.org/Am-I-recovered.pdf

Best wishes and may the music be sweet!

Still recovered,

Bruce "the moose", still on the loose

P.S. CZ, my best to you, too!

This site has been an amazing place to find like-minded people and to find words of wisdom and words of humor to combat the craziness of being indoctrinated in the MormonCult.

A HUGE THANKS to you Eric for making this site possible and for sticking with it through thick and thin. It has helped me immensely.

Wishing you the very best in your new endeavors. Music is also another venue where you can spread your love and caring. Keep safe, happy and healthy!

Thank you very much for creating and maintaining a safe space
to read and share thoughts with others on planning, executing,
and follow up on our exits from Mormonism. I'm very grateful.

BcE

Many thanks and best regards esias

Dear Eric,

The information I found on this site all those years ago got me out. Thank you so much. Leaving Mormonism saved me life. I was in a terribly abusive Mormon marriage and no church official would help. The support I found here and the rational voices kept me grounded as I had nobody, not even a family or friends to fall back on. I was blamed for my DH’s terrible behavior.

I went on to become a human rights organizer and advocate, put myself through school and got my masters degree while raising children. All of this I did without a family because women aren’t permitted to leave their husbands as far as my family was concerned. I have no doubt he would have killed me and maybe my children if I stayed.

In gratitude