Posted by:
nolongerangry
(
)
Date: May 08, 2019 07:38PM
mel Wrote:
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> nolongerangry Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > You converted into LDSism? Why?
>
> Hello No Longer,
>
> Thank you for asking. Yes, I converted. I live in
> a state (for my job) far away from family, so I
> was rather lonely, divorced, the LDS seemed so
> nice and welcoming, I met a lady sitting next to
> me on a long air flight who asked me to attend
> with her and talked about belonging. I'd never
> been in a religion and she introduced me to the
> Missionaries, who seemed so sincere and nice, and
> I thought I could be part of the
> "community"...without realizing until after
> Baptism, how they really feel about converts.
>
> Once I was baptized, everyone changed. As a
> single, childfree lady even though I tithed and
> participated and showed up every Sunday and took a
> calling, many people were cruel and rude.They let
> me know in little ways that they did not think
> much of me. As in just basic things like having no
> one to sit with in sacrament, being excluded or
> rudely told I was not welcome to join a
> conversation, remarks about my clothes (I did not
> own a lot of dresses). Until I came here and
> especially CL2's list of rankings of members, I
> didn't see, as a professionally employed, educated
> lady, why I was being treated with scorn.
>
> CL2 explained the Mormon hierarchy and I realized
> regardless of my personality or efforts, without
> born-in and raising children with a husband in the
> church, I would never be accepted.
>
> I kept going for a while, people who were
> long-standing members told me things, such as how
> they had been sick or widowed or suffered serious
> life problems and no one from the church ever
> helped at all. I started seeing that it wasn't
> really much of a welcoming community, just
> pretending.
>
> The real truth was shown to me when I (a single
> woman) was in an accident and was put into the
> hospital for four days. I texted a few people in
> the church what had happened, not one, during the
> time I was in, ever called, ever asked to come by,
> ever offered any help (I have pets at home). Any
> community was just a mirage. When I saw that for
> all their fine words, when the chips were down, I
> could not count on even an inquiry or follow-up.
> Luckily through being single I had a pet-sitter
> who immediately stepped in and a couple friends
> (not in the church) who visited me and offered
> help.
>
> At that point, I had been going regularly around
> 16 months. I went a few more times and just
> stepped away.
>
> You will see, No Longer Angry, that my story is
> not much to do with scripture or beliefs. I'm not
> sure I ever believed the stories they told, but
> because there was a really good Sunday School
> class and an amazing, energetic teacher, I did
> enjoy the classes, though they didn't really talk
> about things such as covenants you were supposed
> to make. When they got rid of the GP book at the
> end of the year, ended the weekly classes, and
> when I looked at the new book, which seemed to
> just be a long list of references to look up, and
> questions without answers (the "Come, Follow Me
> manual") it all just let me see that there was
> nothing here for me.
>
> From what I've seen on the Board, which has been
> amazingly helpful (thank you Board!) some people
> left due to realizing the whole JS story was made
> up, some left due to inconsistencies in scripture,
> some, like me, left because there were just too
> many nasty people, wanting your time, money,
> effort, and then treat you like crap.
>
> I hope that you can find a group, or a project, or
> a career, that will fill those needs that church,
> at least in my experience, did not.
>
> No Longer Angry, I would be interested to hear
> your story or experiences which led you to RfM, if
> you would ever like to post them.
>
> Thank you. :)
Born into Mormondom. Left at 15. Resigned at 35. Have lots of resentment, was molested etc. I moved on with life. Still have some hardcore TBM family members. They follow blindly, which I don't really understand. That is about is, summarized.