https://www.reddit.com/r/exmormon/comments/a1wlkx/a_couple_days_ago_i_wrote_up_the_actual_answers/

TLDR at the bottom or on the link above.

So I posted this on reddit but I figured I could explain it here in more detail. Basically the post is a seminary study guide with my "anti-mormon" answers. I'm too lazy to type everything but one of the questions was something like:
Q--What did you learn about the prophets?
A--(what I wrote) They obviously don't know what they're doing, judging by how often god changes his mind.

My seminary teacher is a middle aged man but he also tries to keep up with the kids. On Wednesday, we had this assignment to "study" for the test (which, it's not much of a test. I BS my way through it every time.) and I wasn't planning on doing it at first. However, about 5 minutes in, he noticed I wasn't doing anything and had to walk me through it as if I was retarded. I figured I might as well act as if I'm doing something and I had the greatest idea. It was probably the most I've worked in seminary ever.

So I wrote down the most petty answers I could think of and it wasn't hard considering how much I hate this kind of thing. About halfway through, a girl sitting next to me asked for a few answers, and I just smiled at her and said I wasn't there yet (not really important, but I feel like she knew what I was doing) After class ended, I waited for most of the students to leave and put the paper on one of the desks in the back.

Fast forward to today, I went to class as usual and wasn't really paying attention until my teacher started talking about my paper. I'm going to paraphrase here, but he basically said something along the lines of
"Someone left a hate letter in this room on the review. I thought it was just someone's study guide, but it turns out there were really hurtful things written. I'm assuming it was from this class, so if this is you, you know who you are. I'm really worried for whoever wrote this and I just want you to know I'm free to talk anytime."

Honestly, It wasn't anything crazy, but I didn't think he would actually bring it up in class. He probably had good intentions but I just couldn't take it anymore. After he was done talking and he told us to talk to our "partners," (nobody was sitting by me and I was the closest seat to the door) I walked out of the seminary building and drove home. He 100% knows it's me by now and because of that I'm not going back.

The only reason I went to seminary after I stopped believing (which was about a year ago) was because of my parents. I have decided I'm going to tell them I'm an atheist today because I'm sick of pretending. I'm also bi, and the policies against gay people was a huge weight on my shelf in the first place. I've told a couple of my friends and this event was what kind of pushed me over. I definitely don't want to go back and I feel like the only way they'll understand is if I tell the truth.

TLDR: A couple days ago, I wrote up the actual answers to this supposed study guide and left it out for my seminary teacher to see. Today he told the entire class someone had written a "hate letter" and asked whoever wrote it to come and talk to him because he was "worried."

Loved your answers!

Oh seminary, those were the days... Then real life starts, Welcome to becoming a grown up :^)

Hope it goes well with your parents.

It's difficult to be trapped in your situation. I'm at least glad that you can vent by posting here.

You'll be on your own soon, thankfully.

Thanks! I can't wait until I'm 18

Do you live in Utah? Is seminary part of the HS curriculum?

Yes I live in Utah but it's not part of the curriculum thankfully. However, it is socially expected for you to take seminary, but If they won't remove it from my schedule for some reason I just won't go.

Do the grades you get in seminary effect your cumulative gpa?

If so that’s fucked.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/2018 08:39PM by Maude.

For me, No. Pretty sure that would be violating the 1st amendment. But the cult does whatever they want. Historically, they don't give a fuck about the law.


(edited by a moderator to indicate in the subject line that there is swearing in the post)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/2018 08:40PM by Maude.

Oh that sucks.

I hated seminary when I went my junior year in Ogden, Utah.

In college it was called Institute. I went for awhile, then sporadically, then pretty much stopped altogether the closer I got to graduation.

If it's that much of a negative in your life, you are better off not going. You'd get more joy from spending that time doing anything else basically than sitting through that class.

Looks like a 100% to me, with some extra credit thrown in for good measure. :) I hope it goes well with your parents.

My brother and I were raised Catholic, and he was sent to a very fine Jesuit high school. He had as low a tolerance for religious indoctrination as you do, and he struggled in his mandatory religion classes. According to my mom, he and my dad had some epic battles over it. My pragmatic dad, concerned for my brother's GPA, kept saying, "Tell your teacher what he wants to hear!" lol

Just like a mormon to pull the victim card for your "hurtful" comments. I'm sorry you have to go through this ordeal. Hopefully you can separate yourself from it once you are an adult. Unfortunately (like I always say) nothing says "Its a cult" like a good shunning.

Good luck.

Good for you. I don't blame you for walking out the door. Everyone had a partner, except for you?

I wouldn't attach your atheism to your bi-sexuality. That just gives the cult members an easy reason to gossip about you, and blame YOU. Their "church" is a hoax cult, plain and simple. Make them own it!

IMO, your sexuality is none of anyone's business!!! No one has "authority" over your humanity (though maybe you'll have to wait until you are 18). No Mormon has the right to judge you. Don't give them more ammunition to use against you. Already you have had a taste of how they marginalize, manipulate, and twist things around to make you feel bad and/or crazy! We ex-Mormons call this "gas-lighting", like in the old Ingrid Bergman movie. (You must see that movie!)

You have a God-given right to be who you are, and your life is not owned by Mormons. My advice is for you to guard your privacy! Depending on your relationship with your parents--and if you think they could help you--maybe tell your parents, but that's your decision.

The real reason most Mormons leave the Mormon church, is that it is a hoax cult, and people don't like to be constantly lied to. Normal people also dislike giving away large amounts of money, without any return on their investment. I left because the priesthood leaders were physically abusing my (nice) children, and storming into our house, uninvited! There are other reasons, too, and all of them are valid. You have a right to leave, and you don't need to make any excuses.

Being gay, or bi, or single, or divorced, or female, sick or handicapped, or highly intelligent, successful, lonely, wanting welfare, or extremely social--all these factors can add problems within the cult, but they are not the real reasons people actually up an leave (and take their children with them).'

I'm proud of you.

We don't have assigned seating but on this particular day, about 10 people were gone so a lot of seats were still open. To answer your question, most people had partners. Me and a few others were sitting by ourselves.

And yes although it's good to keep these two aspects of my life separate (bisexual and atheist) I think it should be irrelevant what I believe and who I date, but unfortunately, Mormons don't think this way. I have told a few close friends and my sister, all who are very accepting and a majority of them are tbms. However, After talking it out a bit with my sister, I think I'll wait a few months to tell my parents.

You have every reason not to want to participate in seminary.

You're old enough to make informed decisions. Hopefully your parents will respect your boundaries, and you really don't owe the strangers in the seminary class a reason for not being there if you stop attending.

The world is changing, and you are a pioneer basically for the things you believe in, where you live anyway. Don't give your power away to people who don't appreciate you, love or respect you for the person that you are.

Saw this on reddit and was pleased to see you here, too. I’m proud of you for not sparing the snark or the truth... high-quality stuff. Good luck with your parents... and take care of yourself.

Pretty vapid questions, also meant to "lead the witness." (Why is the LDS church the only true church on the earth?.) I wish I had gotten out of the church while the getting was good--like at your age.


EDITING: Also, we all notice that any criticism of the church is always "hateful" or "offensive," even if the questions are valid. Mormons are very thin-skinned. I think that, deep down, they all know that it's bullshit.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/2018 11:39AM by cludgie.

Be brave. Be strong.

I agree with Mother who Knows, your sexuality is your business, I wouldn't talk about it.

Just stop going.

I went a few times as a new convert. The teacher was fat and ughly and didn't appreciate an attractive female joining her class, and made sure to exclude me from the mailings about class times and cancellations. After asking a couple times to be added to the mailing list I stopped going, tired of driving there just to find there wasn't a class that day and no one had told me. I did find it interesting how they programmed these teenagers as to how to live their lives.

Be free. Fly. Take care.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/2018 12:04PM by mel.

Looks like the seminary teacher inadvertently taught you something really important. Woo Hoo! Some of the rest of us wish we had had such a good example of BS lessons and phony guilt-tripping that early in our lives.

You're off to an excellent start. ::applause::

Your answers on that orange paper totally rocked! You had me laughing out loud! I am so proud of you for what you did and wish that I had known so much when I was in seminary and had been braver. (I was still ignorant, confused, and questioning at that stage of my life.)

Your answers were fun. Maybe a little on the salty side, but not "hate."

Unfortunately, Mormons (remember we were such once) have an unjustified persecution complex. Yeah, there was some persecution of Mormons, but that's not terribly relevant today.

Your teacher is accusing you of hate, because he'd likely rather not have a discussion about the substantive issues. A middle age guy like me could have a perfectly reasonable, respectful discussion and he'd probably accuse me of hate or say he was "feeling the spirit of contention" and needed to suspend our meeting.

BTW - I loved the answer about the "one true church." The last one about the "prophets" was great as well. Like Heretic 2, I wish I had been this snarky and brave when I was in LDS Seminary.

My oldest son became early morning seminary class president his senior year in high school. He stopped going three weeks later. I imagine they were not too happy with him. My youngest son was president of the Institute program at University of Virginia. The next year, while appearing to be on his way to going on a mission, he quit.
I was more of a hard case, it took me several more years to follow their example. My patriarchal blessing admonished me to teach my children the gospel, and stated that they may choose to follow or not to follow, but I could not choose whether or not to teach them.
So glad they chose not to follow....I have since apologized for what I put them through. They were very forgiving and told me that they had some good experiences here and there, and so I shouldn't worry about it too much. God, I love those guys.

I wish I had thought of that on my "Temple Sealing Test" when I was younger, but I hadn't quite started thinking freely, rationally, yet, or wasn't expressing it yet between ages 8-12.

By thirteen, I was, but by then, I was already in seminary (Seminary, Mississippi) [which is named after the real (religious) Seminary, which is where you learn 'religious' things, but since I was being forced LDS, I wasn't being taught anything new, useful, or important, religiously anyway], and the teacher was my mother, and so I couldn't really ask questions- but devout Mormons don't know, or care, for real answers anyway, and they don't like humor much, or truths, for that matter, but that's another matter...

I got nothing out of seminary, but out of Seminary I got, and to Utah I went, to finish seminary, and marry a mormon grrrl and die happily after ever, of however it goes. I didn't like mormonism, or LDS [complicated] women, or the thought of going to a dark and spacious building to perform secret Seremonies and hands shaking, and over-produced, under-thought, utterly ugly utterances of udder [dead] folks. I had already advanced far enough [too far?] in the cult.

I like putting the 'correct' answers on tests...
Though it usually only got me 'f's, and praises.

M@t

Moremany,

Congrats on getting out of Seminary, and out of MS entirely!

(yes I've been through there (glad you are out of the cult)

Cool, thanks Mel.

I miss Miss.
Sometimes.
I'm there.
And here.

But that's neither here nor there.

I still have ties there.
I also have tye-dyes.

M@t

Take things one step at a time. Tell your parents that you are not comfortable with what's being taught in seminary and that you want to switch to a regular class if this is released time.

You can tell them slowly that you just dont believe.

Save talking about your sexuality until the first few shocks have worn off and don't get your self labeled as "bi" by the seminary teacher and other LDS kids. Decide who you are after you've been in the real world a while. Give your self time to decide about sexuality. You are in a pretty intense and confusing time of life, sort out who you are slowly and you will be happier in the long run. Your parents probably actually love you and you need to give them respect too, if you want respect in return, so take it slow.