i learned early on in my life that Mormonism existed in a bubble. I remember going to foreign countries as a kid and attending church services in Europe, Latin America and Asia. Often in these church meeting houses were senior missionaries happy to see someone from back home. I remember it became pretty evident that they knew nothing of the countries they were serving in. They were busy working in the mission office or on some church project. It was evident they were just existing in a smaller bubble in a place where the church was not all that big or important.

The temples are a bubble. Other than maybe some tacky attempt to make them look like local architecture irks all the same inside. Like a fast food chain it’s the same stale product around the world. Sure. It’s about work ethics and loyalty and being part of one big hive and trying to lure others in but it’s not as big or important outside of it.

In short. Mormons inhale their own farts. It’s why they live in a bubble. They live the fart smell and are terrified some fresh outside air will enter and change things.

I really don't like the term "faith crisis." When someone realizes that there is no rational reason to keep believing in something for which there is no objective evidence, that's a positive step, not a crisis.

That's not to say that it isn't difficult (and sometimes quite traumatic) to move away from one's faith. For some people, it's like discovering that they have a cancerous tumor. The surgery to remove the tumor, plus the chemo and/or radiation that follows is often horrible, but it's not the treatment that is the crisis, it's the underlying problem.

Some people have faith evolution. Some people (including me) have faith abandonment. I certainly never had a faith crisis.

A faith crisis happens when someone figures out that they were wrong on something. And that can be super devastating for sure. It completely rocks their world and makes them realize that how they were raised/molded was simply wrong, wrong, and wrong.

Of course that couldn't possibly ever happen to me because I got a washing of my brain by immersion through the beloved Correlation program. It all started in Nursery when I was a toddler and gained a powerful testimony of the cheerios. Go try them out with the toddlers and see for yourself how that testimony starts growing. All the lessons/activities in the Church were correlated from that day forward to mold me into what I am today. If you study in-depth how I think/act you'll see that this means I'm hyper about getting everyone (neighbors, co-workers, people at stores, community groups, schools, vacations, online, and everywhere) fully assimilated and raising a super large family of fully assimilated kids who themselves get started early on getting everyone fully assimilated. And as all of them get fully assimilated then they'll be just like me with a complete washing of their brains by immersion (not sprinkling) through this beloved Correlation program. This program really works well at creating exponential growth, even more than some tiny $100 billion trust fund can do, in assimilated people. As long as we keep assimilating then instead of each of you having hundreds of TBM's in your lives there will be thousands. So this can give you something to look forward to in your life ;)

You always help me doubt my doubts.

It’s a hive alright, but what they’re buzzing around isn’t honey.

" . . . pretty evident that they knew nothing of the countries they were serving in." High five. Right on!

Encapsulating yourself in your superior Mormon bubble is part of the indoctrination. And, luckily the bubbles seem to be portable. You can take yours anywhere.

I noticed on my mission that the missionaries for the most part were "in the country, but not *of* the country." Bubbles all around. Arrogant bubbles often. Condescending even.

I was very lucky. The mission actually popped my bubble. I right away was in awe of the country. I liked the country more than the mission. I liked the people more than the missionaries. I felt like they had more to offer me than I had to offer them. For the first time I was out of my all-Mormon-all-the-time Utah mountain valley and what was outside my bubble looked a helluva lot better than what was in it. I didn't realize it at the time but that was the beginning of getting out for me because I felt more like I was in a cage than a bubble but I could see between the slats and real life looked fuller, richer.

I know this will be odd but the mission was one of the best things that could have happened to me as it opened my eyes.

Done & Done Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I right away was in awe of the country.
> I liked the country more than the mission. I
> liked the people more than the missionaries.

I was giving a ride to some missionaries one day, driving through farmland in the sunshine with blue skies and snow-capped mountain views. The crops in the fields and the eagles, hawks and herons around about added to the beauty of the area. One of the missionaries burst my bubble of happiness in the day when he said "This is the ugliest place I've ever seen". He was from Montana.

I was shocked that someone could be so rude, ignorant, crass - whatever negative term you want to use. Even if you thought that, or if it were true, would you *say* it to someone who lived there?

I'm still in awe every day at the beauty of the tall trees around me, the frequent welcome sunshine, the playful black, brown and grey squirrels and the glorious sights of the birds on their perches, eyeing their territory. If you're really lucky, some days you come across herons standing, majestic, still and silent, along the side of the road.

I felt sorry for him that he didn't see any of that. And that he was ignorant enough to say it aloud to a resident of the place.

I'm glad you had the eyes to see and the heart to feel the beauty of your mission location D&D.


> I know this will be odd but the mission was one of
> the best things that could have happened to me as
> it opened my eyes.

Not odd at all. Wonderful. I'm so glad for you.

I knew too many like the missionary you described. They usually talked non-stop about how great things were back home. I think those are the ones who stay Mormon.

They don't get anywhere because they are sure they have already arrived.

Agreed.

I've always thought that there are three categories of RMs: the 10% or so whose lives are completely changed by the experience, the 40% who develop a lifelong fondness for the local cuisine but little more, and the 50% who might as well never have left Utah. I was among the 10%. It sounds like you were, too.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/2020 02:35PM by Lot's Wife.

Or the RMs who take home a wife they met and converted on their mission. Maybe 60 percent? Haha i don't know if the percentage is that high.

After my first two weeks (perhaps even sooner), of attending BYU as a nevermo who had never even been in Utah, arrogant and condescending were two words that most perfectly described the Mormons all around me. I had never experienced anything like it.
In fact, I was angered and nauseated by it.

It seems that over the last few years by virtue of official decree and an upcoming younger generation who is more “liberal”, Mormons are managinyto fashion themselves into something they never were; tolerant, humble, etc.

faith crisis ?
What a stupid term.

Yeah it’s dumb but it’s a buzz word being used to describe members who’s doubt in the truthfulness of the church is growing. It’s more of a crises for the chumps he than the members. Ha! Ha!

I think you mean truthiness?

Having a "faith crisis" is sort of like experiencing a "recovery-from-cancer crisis."

A recovery from a long brain cancer.

I do see the buildings as like mcdonald buildings and i really don't want the the stale hamburgers they are serving anymore.

Or the stale bread they serve as sacrament.

Both. I don't even like giving people handshakes if i do not have to. There could be a chance(and it has happened) that it could be a mormon and they give me one of their creepy handshakes. The sign of the nail is one of the creepiest handshakes to get from someone believe me.

Mine wasn't really a faith crisis. I'd been through a life crisis with my marriage, and the mormon church had no answers. So I consider my situation more of an awakening to the fact that it did not work for me anymore. Finding out all the bogus history was just confirmation.

Dealing with being the wife of someone gay was a real eye opener. They didn't just have no answers, they were the wrong answers. This stuff on this board that I've learned has just been icing on the cake.

And personally, they just don't care about the little people. They have such inflated egos, they think they can beat out the naysayers in the end.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2020 12:31PM by cl2.

Rubicon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> In short. Mormons inhale their own farts. It’s
> why they live in a bubble. They live the fart
> smell and are terrified some fresh outside air
> will enter and change things.

I am glad that I wasn't drinking something when I read that or I would have had a soggy computer. Very funny. Lol

Pretty much an accurate humorous description of what the church is. They are terrified of outside air. What are they doing now? Doubling down on trying to build the bubble stronger but with the internet good luck with that.

Some of the aged leadership are so out of it they don’t think members are questioning the church and their faith in it big time. Others think doubling down on dated and ineffective techniques will work. The bubble is leaking and the fresh air is coming in no matter how much the church leadership fart.

They drink the kool aid, they are directly rewarded (salaries, living expenses, vacations, benefits, power, books, talks, fame, mormon shock-and-awe, 2nd annointings). The rest of the members are told to work harder, give more money, time and effort to the church. And (a real big AND) if you feel defeated then it was YOU (your fault) and a lack of faith!

Isn't that grand to blame the members for everything?

Took me a while to figure out the fault was not me and the blame game they were doing. I was always wondering why my friends and i were all suffering more than the leadership throughout a good portion of my life. I always said to myself 'these old f#cks are not hurting at all'.

You are giving the quorum of the 12, the presidency of the church and most members WAY too much credit.

Nelson is a believer, only a believer could make the COLOSSALLY stupid mistakes he has made.

When Hinkley died the braintrust went with him. The smart and stupid fought in the upper rooms of the Salt Lake temple. Stupid won.

Just a guess on my part. I think the middle management of the church is feeling the effects of people discovering [or coming to their senses] that the church's claims and expectations are too much. I think everyday, these church bureaucrats are dealing with all kinds of problems.

-missionaries coming home early
-top tithing donors realizing the church has more than enough $$$
-prominent families [mormon royalty] openly expressing doubts
-not enough people showing up to do sacrament/callings

I think all is not well and it's great!

IMO, the faith crisis is more for the leaders and the GA’s. They are asking themselves the same thing that James Faust asked members who want to leave the church:”Where will you go? What will you do?”
If more members start leaving, there goes their tithing income and their adoration from the masses.
“where will we go? What will we do?”

"Where will we go? What will we do?"

Isn't that the G.A. ace in the hole, why the truth doesn't matter to a good percentage of Mormons?

Fear of the unknown. The old threat that the Mormon leaders use: Where will you go? What will you do?

The implication is that things will get bad for you, really really bad if you leave the church. On one level this seems ridiculous but, it works because humans in general, like their pet dogs, are happiest when they are familiar with their surroundings making them feel in control. We will put up with a lot to hang onto even the worst situation because it is our situation and always has been.

I see in so many exmo stories that we reached a point where we were just no longer afraid of the unknown. Exploration suddenly was more appetizing than the continued diet of the familiar.

I don't know what is next but I'm not staying here!

It isn't the gospel my TBM-to-the-Max family loves. It's that their entire self esteem is built on their Mormon lives. They feel they are champions of the game and have no intention of giving up their tarnished trophies.

Maybe they don't need to understand it because they have enough money to run the "church" with or without anyone who attends.