I had a very circular conversation with the SO yesterday about this so-called-religion. I prophesied and testified much that Jesus will not come in her lifetime, and I testified that the big 15 have not seen the Jesus, and neither did founder Joe. I testified that her church is a business and that all the claims and promises regarding the afterlife are nothing more than an insurance policy the Corp never has to settle.

So that got me thinking...and I've thought for years that LDS Corp is an MLM. The part of it that is yucky is that this MLM has the social structure that drives recruiting by having the members want the acceptance of other people. The corporation behind it sets up a very loose framework for the cultural things that might drive new members to the organization -- providing buildings, common whack-a-doodle beliefs that cause the need to find others that believe the same. The corp gets all the MLM benefits voluntarily sent to it in the form of tithing. It is sick to see it. But from a swindlers stand-point, it is almost perfect.

My SO could not even wrap her head around my point of view. If some other organization were doing the same thing, she could see the problem, but since this is the Lord's church, she has no idea what I'm even saying. These circular conversations leave me so dizzy I'm nauseous. But a good puking still cannot purge this from my life. Amway has nothing on this Church of Jesus Christ of Multi-Level Marketing.

Nice testimony. I felt the spirit.

The line that caught my attention was, " . . . drives recruiting by having the members want the acceptance of other people" but then I thought, well . . . the recruiting ain't going too well. Maybe it's more a case of the wanting the acceptance of others is what is keeping them in? Then I thought with so many of the really faithful leaving, perhaps a Mormon is going to get confused as to whose acceptance they really want? Then I got lost in my thoughts . . . oh well. I'll leave it the way you said it cuz you nailed it.

Certainly form the Corp's perspective, more members equals more revenue and that is a win for it. The member's are motivated by that need for ideological acceptance by their peers...or confirmation bias. The more people that believe this justifies me believing this and sending checks to SLC.

A part of this I forgot to mention was I was begging the Jesus or God or what ever to please strike me dead for saying this and to prevent me from leading my children astray. I was very animated yet understanding that it would not happen. I'll die at some time in the future, and SO will reflect back and say that it was the Jesus giving me what I asked for and showing me his wrath. Remind me to never play checkers with the jesus. I could never win there either and probably for very similar reasons.

The Lord saw fit for me to type another day... F'ing Jesus who does not even exist.

I am envious that you had a chance to really go at it with the SO. I slip a few zingers in now and then with my TBM family but only get a side eye back--which I like. I am so over this agree to disagree thing. Way over.

She was getting after me yesterday for speaking my opinions about the church where my kids could hear. She says I made a commitment to her when we got married that we would reaise them in the church and now I've recanted and broken that promise and I'm screwing the kids up by not being consistent. That was sort of the match to a propane leak. I could not be quiet at that point. She thinks and talks in circles, and she knows and prays that I'll see the error of my ways and return to being happy the only way she knows. It does not matter that I'm happier the further i get from her church, she just knows I'm wrong. And suffer through scripture study keeping my comments to myself if they don't support her thinking--even if comments are not snarky just thought provoking. I think it all started yesterday because I was thinking of the idea of praying about killing someone. But how do you know it's God telling you to? No really, how do you know it is form THE God to do it? She can only see things through her eyes. Objectivity is lost on that one. Everything she knows is true beyond a shadow of a doubt, and everything that is not in her truth sphere is clearly not true. You are welcome world.

I dropped the essays on her. Asked if she read them? She has no idea about them. I told her she should read them if she can find them. Told her some of the topics, and got side tracked on the polygamy ones and some of the weird statements in them like Helen Mar Kimball being ALMOST 15. Told her some of the PR spin techniques they used that really give me clues about what they were really doing there. I told here she will agree with them already because that is on her Church website, but the spin in them was disturbing to me. I'm sure my logic is just as exhausting to her, as logic her is for me. What does one do?

When promises are made before all information and facts are known then promises are void. Your kids have every right to know what you think and who you are and what is in your heart.

She is the only one allowed to influence them? I see this more as "tricking" them.

I have plenty of opinions but no advice. My hope is the kids build a strong enough relationship with you that has nothing to do with Mormonism, that someday they will get it, and appreciate all that has gone down.

> When promises are made before all information and
> facts are known then promises are void.

Just right.

It is very similar to the structure of a MLM business. MLMs offer products (however sketchy) which differentiate them from straight-up pyramid schemes. The Mormon church offers many intangibles such as promises of eternal salvation and (bonus!) exaltation. It offers a souped-up version of familial togetherness in the afterlife. It offers assurances of God's approval. It also offers something tangible in an admittance pass to their temples.

Like MLMs, however, the emphasis is not so much on selling the product as it is on recruitment of a downline (the people who join after you do.) That's where the real money is. And like a MLM, the only people who really profit are the early adopters, the people at the tip-top of the pyramid. 80% or better of MLM members will end up getting fleeced in favor of those at the top.

Like most MLMs, the Mormon church offers a mediocre, uncompetitive product at an inflated price (10%+ of income). Again, the point is not the product. You can always find a better product at a fairer price. The point is additional recruitment.

MLMs also push books, recruitment materials, conferences, and meetings, all designed to "help," which also end up profiting their upline. Sound familiar? MLMs also give intense indoctrination in order to keep members in. There are weekly, even daily meetings with your upline that are designed to motivate you and often, berate you if you are not meeting the MLM goals. Does that also sound familiar?

The MLM model continues to flourish because it is selling a dream which will never come true for the vast majority of the membership. It is selling to needy people who are grasping at straws.

It is no accident that Utah is home to many, many MLM companies.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/29/2020 11:59AM by summer.

The MLM concept extends into the celestial kingdom. Mormon heaven is a forever MLM. Elohim's CK kids are his eternal downline, and his own HF is just an upline. And so it goes, on and on and on…

“My SO could not even wrap her head around my point of view.“

She’s like Buzz Lightyear: (shaking head) “You sad, sad little man.”

Being inside the Mormon bubble is like being inside a mirrored Christmas tree ornament. You can’t see through it, you only see your own distorted reflection.

Of course Mormonism is an MLM. The real product they are selling is distributorships - er - memberships. A successful Mormon is one who brings in the most new Mormons, either by birthing them or baptizing them. It is also why the biggest sin in Mormonism is making the Organization look bad. You can believe anything you want, just don't say or do anything that Makes the Organization Look Bad.

This is precisely why MLMs do so well sucking in Mormons. It may just be subconscious, but they realize that an MLM is obviously "God's Business Plan".

Right after I got home from my mission, a member of my ward tried hard to convince me to join a MLM that sells cleaning products etc. (I don't even know if that particular one still exists.)

I had to be firm, as she reeeeeally insisted. But I didn't want to have anything to do with it. I didn't have a job, I was resuming my college studies, and I had no money. But being a missionary had been so traumatizing that I had promised myself never to be a door-to-door salesman again.

I didn't leave the cult until much later, but I had already realized that I was in a MLM scheme already, by being Mormon. So I simply didn't need two... Too much trouble.

Source: the Babylon Bee

"DoTerra Donates 1 Million Vials Of Essential Oils To Fight Coronavirus

“Today we join our fellow totally legitimate health care companies in doing our part to fight this terrible pandemic,” said doTERRA CEO David Stirling during a press conference. “Since none of our products are subjected to tedious and time-consuming FDA testing, we can quickly get these healing oils into the hands of the consumer- er, patients.”

The corporation plans to donate 1 million vials of its new proprietary blend Covidia™, made from bamboo root, fur of bat, and lavender."

Full article:

https://babylonbee.com/news/doterra-donates-1-million-vials-of-essential-oils-to-fight-coronavirus

It's a funny site, worth poking around.

Not even Amway promises that if you're committed enough to push the product you'll someday be a god.

P.S. For extra points, the spam prevention code on my post is my daughter's name!! :-)

You mean my Double Diamond Gold lapel pin with Oak Leaf Clutter doesn't get me into the Celestial Kingdom?

Nope, sorry. No more than Erwin Rommel's Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamond Cluster

But I'll bet he's been dead dunked!