Posted by:
exminion
(
)
Date: January 22, 2019 06:37PM
Mel, you wrote: "I am trying to find my new life..."
Self-discovery is an exciting adventure, isn't it! You are lucky to be free to design a life of your own! Congratulations on escaping a cult!
Being cult-free made me giddy, and I explored a lot of other religions, thinking that I needed to replace Mormonism in my life--after all, I had been a dedicated life-long BIC temple-married Mormon. I also flushed my mind of all that brainwashing, by filling my brain with new information. I read books and articles about natural science, astronomy, physics (a lot of it I didn't understand), great literature that I had missed reading, tons of poetry, and took some philosophy classes at the university. I had a theory that old information (Mormon lies) and memorized junk can be quickly and efficiently "extinguished" through learning.
I also went into therapy, for my PTSD, because I had been physically (and mentally) abused.
In the process of "finding my new life", I became very, very happy! I ended up staying right here. This is me!
I love what Dagny said, "Books are my religion." It's the same with me! I can touch minds with qualified experts (not self-anointed cult "authorities), with great thinkers, with real people. I can gain insight from real experiences (not fake testimonies) from real people, in the real world. I can laugh, be entertained, get in touch with my human emotions. No one judges me or invades my privacy, and if an author seems ridiculous or self-serving, I just stop reading, and move onto something else.
You are lucky to have found RFM! WE are lucky to have you! I enjoy your posts and threads Mel. RFM will give you a lot of useful information, and great support!
For myself, I would say that "Live is my new religion." Nature plays a huge role in that. I see the face of God in all that He has created. I still don't know if God is at all human-like, or if He/She is just energy that flows all around us and inside of us. There are as many concepts of God as there are people; we each have our own idea about that. IMO, it doesn't matter! I'm one of those people who can live with ambiguity--it's far better than living with LIES!
My children and I were so horribly abused in the Mormon cult, that I am too phobic to ever actually "join" another church. We attended the Lutheran church for a while, and the children consider themselves to be Lutheran. We were all raised on The Bible (not the BOM), so we still believe in the Christian principles--more so than most Mormons.
I believe that "God is Love"
Christ-of-the-New-Testament had no church or temples, and wasn't after people's money--and I feel that all that is unnecessary. I choose to not belong to any church.
For your search quest, I would recommend the churches Bamboozled recommends.
I liked the Episcopalian church because of the building, the music, and the organ. We're all looking for different things! I liked the larger congregation, so I could slip in and out, anonymously. These churches offer plenty of opportunities to serve in charities, in a group, with some very nice people! You might be more group-oriented.
Like elderolddog, I'm not a joiner. I get PTSD flashbacks if strangers rush up to me and shake my hand and ask me what my name is, and a lot of other questions.
I agree that joining a church is not necessary, at all. I have always volunteered at the children's schools, and that was more worthwhile, more enjoyable, more uplifting than church stuff. We actually achieved results! Loving, involved parents and teachers are the nicest people one could ever know. They are REAL volunteers, not forced slaves. More personality and creativity and autonomy was involved. It was not just following someone's orders, who had a great disparity in age and income and interest, like 80-year-old rich white men in SLC who didn't know the school or the people, at all, and care only about money
Obviously, you need to decide for YOURSELF what matters. I promise you that you can find everything you desire, outside of any religious organization or church.
Good luck, and ENJOY your journey!