Recovery Board
: RfM
Recovery from Mormonism (RfM) discussion forum.
personality and character?
i had my patriachal blessing at age 14 back in 1988.It made many promises and predictions that could never possibly come true for me.It predicted i would be a leader within the gospel of Jesus Christ.It said i would be greatly blessed by serving a full time mission.It said I would be lead to the honest in heart and many would listen to my words and be touched by my spirituality.It warned me not to think other people are blessed beyond my measure or think others are far more blessed than me.That is the interesting point.
I have Aspergers and social anxiety disorder.I always felt socially awkward and very uncomfortable in Mormon social settings and at church as a teenager.I would feel even worse if i was still trying to be a mormon.It has been 24 years since early 1996 that I stopped attending the Mormon church and have not participated in any mormon activity or been inside a Mormon church since then.I have always reflected on how I went from being a mormon who was as true believing as any Mormon could be to not having attended any Mormon church in 24 years.I feel i am always learning something new about myself and how it all played in to this issue and circumstances.I believed as a teenager and never thought I would apostize and rebel against the church and expected to fulfill all my patriachal blessing promised.
I was always extremely socially anxious among Mormon teenagers when I was a teenager at church events and recreational activities and firesides etc.I saw all the beautiful young ladies and was depressed and anxious that i would never succeed at marrying on of those ladies or being able to date one of them when I was of age.I was right in my anxious fears,as I am aged 46 now and I have never dated a woman or married or become a father. I have given up being a Mormon since 1996.I do not have the extreme anxiety of worrying about trying to find a wife who was a good mormon and going to a temple to be sealed for eternity. I have never had any girlfriend or wife who is not a Mormon.That situation for me would be terrible for me if I was still trying to be a mormon and expecting to find a Mormon wife to marry.It would cause me to be extremely anxious and feel other mormons and even non Mormons are far more blessed than me because they enjoy married life and I do not,
That patriachal blessing made one amazing insight in to me as a person and how day to day life as a Mormon and life in general in the way I ended up feeling far less blessed than other mormons.It made predictions that could never possibly come true.That prediction of me being a successful missionary was the most bizarre.My branch president and stake president recognized my social anxiety and lack of social skill and ability to engage in personal way to succeed at being a missionary.The branch president met the stake president and I got told this is the reason they will not allow me to go on a mission.I no know you have to be a smart salesman to be a missionary in which I could never be.I have never had a career in retailing or sales where interpersonal skill is needed.I even tried going out with an aged male missionary who was on a mission with his elderly wife.I went door to door and did not find people particuarly interested in hearing Mormons preach to them etc.I did not make any particular impression on people or touch them in a spiritual way as my patriachal blessing predicted.That happened before my branch president told me I can not be allowed to go on a mission.
The point is that there was one strange way the patriachal blessing made that insight in to my circumstance of feeling others are far more priviliged and blessed than me.
Have any of you had this strange experience with a patriachal blessing making a strange and accurate insight in to your circumstances without getting all predictions right for you?
i had my patriachal blessing at age 14 back in 1988.It made many promises and predictions that could never possibly come true for me.It predicted i would be a leader within the gospel of Jesus Christ.It said i would be greatly blessed by serving a full time mission.It said I would be lead to the honest in heart and many would listen to my words and be touched by my spirituality.It warned me not to think other people are blessed beyond my measure or think others are far more blessed than me.That is the interesting point.
I have Aspergers and social anxiety disorder.I always felt socially awkward and very uncomfortable in Mormon social settings and at church as a teenager.I would feel even worse if i was still trying to be a mormon.It has been 24 years since early 1996 that I stopped attending the Mormon church and have not participated in any mormon activity or been inside a Mormon church since then.I have always reflected on how I went from being a mormon who was as true believing as any Mormon could be to not having attended any Mormon church in 24 years.I feel i am always learning something new about myself and how it all played in to this issue and circumstances.I believed as a teenager and never thought I would apostize and rebel against the church and expected to fulfill all my patriachal blessing promised.
I was always extremely socially anxious among Mormon teenagers when I was a teenager at church events and recreational activities and firesides etc.I saw all the beautiful young ladies and was depressed and anxious that i would never succeed at marrying on of those ladies or being able to date one of them when I was of age.I was right in my anxious fears,as I am aged 46 now and I have never dated a woman or married or become a father. I have given up being a Mormon since 1996.I do not have the extreme anxiety of worrying about trying to find a wife who was a good mormon and going to a temple to be sealed for eternity. I have never had any girlfriend or wife who is not a Mormon.That situation for me would be terrible for me if I was still trying to be a mormon and expecting to find a Mormon wife to marry.It would cause me to be extremely anxious and feel other mormons and even non Mormons are far more blessed than me because they enjoy married life and I do not,
That patriachal blessing made one amazing insight in to me as a person and how day to day life as a Mormon and life in general in the way I ended up feeling far less blessed than other mormons.It made predictions that could never possibly come true.That prediction of me being a successful missionary was the most bizarre.My branch president and stake president recognized my social anxiety and lack of social skill and ability to engage in personal way to succeed at being a missionary.The branch president met the stake president and I got told this is the reason they will not allow me to go on a mission.I no know you have to be a smart salesman to be a missionary in which I could never be.I have never had a career in retailing or sales where interpersonal skill is needed.I even tried going out with an aged male missionary who was on a mission with his elderly wife.I went door to door and did not find people particuarly interested in hearing Mormons preach to them etc.I did not make any particular impression on people or touch them in a spiritual way as my patriachal blessing predicted.That happened before my branch president told me I can not be allowed to go on a mission.
The point is that there was one strange way the patriachal blessing made that insight in to my circumstance of feeling others are far more priviliged and blessed than me.
Have any of you had this strange experience with a patriachal blessing making a strange and accurate insight in to your circumstances without getting all predictions right for you?
Patriarchal blessings are filled with vague, conditional “promises,” and usually only make slight variations from the patriarch’s typical script (typically based on knowledge of the recipient).
An occasional hit doesn’t prove anything. Psychics, tarot card readers, palm readers, etc, occasionally say things that seem hard to explain, but extraordinary claims never hold up to scrutiny.
An occasional hit doesn’t prove anything. Psychics, tarot card readers, palm readers, etc, occasionally say things that seem hard to explain, but extraordinary claims never hold up to scrutiny.
A member of PostMo revealed that based on his PB, he planned a career in music, and was well into his college years before he realized he was not that talented, musically, and that he had an area of interest that was totally unconnected.
He was a bit bitter about the experience.
He was a bit bitter about the experience.
Aside from the normal drivel of mission, marriage, kids etc. Mine had some good practical advice among them.
1. Find a job that is likable and easy to do. I did and had an amazing career of 40 years.
2. Be prepared for economic downturns.
3. Be prepared for natural disasters.
Practical advice any older person might give another. But something I think many blessings lacked.
1. Find a job that is likable and easy to do. I did and had an amazing career of 40 years.
2. Be prepared for economic downturns.
3. Be prepared for natural disasters.
Practical advice any older person might give another. But something I think many blessings lacked.
time and that I would be found serving the Lord. I was promised a special man who was a strong priesthood holder and that I would meet people who would try to influence me in the ways of the world and I must stay away from them.
So my boyfriend (now and back then) came into my life when I was about 21. He was not a mormon. He was the first single guy who treated me like a female, like I had some value. I gave him up because of what it said in my PB. Some of my very best friends are nonmembers and I was so worried that I was "running with the wrong crowd."
My brother is mentally disabled and he did serve a mission. He is also physically disabled. He never should have served a mission. He is 55 and he is still wondering where his eternal partner is. It gets out of hand sometimes. His good friends (lifelong and mormon, though are wonderful) bring him back down to earth. My uncle and aunt bother him a lot about going to the temple and it isn't easy for him to do all the changing the robes, etc., but I guess they don't now. Now they have him doing baptisms for the dead and he isn't small. I have told him he doesn't have to go, that it is OKAY not to go.
Anyway, when my TBM daughter got her PB (her's is half as long as mine), I reread mine. I LIVED by that PB for YEARS. I ended up in my gay/straight marriage and have been through hell. Thanks to those nice leaders who helped me out. Anyway--I've often wondered what I unduly did to get the life I had. I reread that PB and threw it away. Then I decided I'd give it to my daughter.
I'm okay. My life has improved significantly and the thing I'm really grateful for is that I GOT OUT. No matter how hard they tried to keep me in, I am free. I have always been socially awkward. I sometimes think mormonism makes some of us that way if we are introverts. My whole family is that way. Nothing wrong with not being social. And almost all my family is OUT of the church.
So my boyfriend (now and back then) came into my life when I was about 21. He was not a mormon. He was the first single guy who treated me like a female, like I had some value. I gave him up because of what it said in my PB. Some of my very best friends are nonmembers and I was so worried that I was "running with the wrong crowd."
My brother is mentally disabled and he did serve a mission. He is also physically disabled. He never should have served a mission. He is 55 and he is still wondering where his eternal partner is. It gets out of hand sometimes. His good friends (lifelong and mormon, though are wonderful) bring him back down to earth. My uncle and aunt bother him a lot about going to the temple and it isn't easy for him to do all the changing the robes, etc., but I guess they don't now. Now they have him doing baptisms for the dead and he isn't small. I have told him he doesn't have to go, that it is OKAY not to go.
Anyway, when my TBM daughter got her PB (her's is half as long as mine), I reread mine. I LIVED by that PB for YEARS. I ended up in my gay/straight marriage and have been through hell. Thanks to those nice leaders who helped me out. Anyway--I've often wondered what I unduly did to get the life I had. I reread that PB and threw it away. Then I decided I'd give it to my daughter.
I'm okay. My life has improved significantly and the thing I'm really grateful for is that I GOT OUT. No matter how hard they tried to keep me in, I am free. I have always been socially awkward. I sometimes think mormonism makes some of us that way if we are introverts. My whole family is that way. Nothing wrong with not being social. And almost all my family is OUT of the church.
Did that disabled brother serve a mission in Australia?
Patriarchal blessings are nothing more than horoscopes. Patriarchs are instructed to interview participants beforehand and gage their interests and abilities. They will then weave what they learned into a cookie cutter sermon not too different from a religious graduation speech.
The idea that you should not envy other people's lives is good advice from anyone. And it's something you hear often in movies, books, and quotes memes on Facebook.
It is unfortunate that many people throw away years of their lives trying to make the horoscope come true. I've read so many stories of people being bitter on their death beds because the magical thing they were promised in a PB never came true.
Some people were promised to witness Jesus returning to the earth, others were promised they'd be the mother of the future church president,. Some were told they would baptize hundreds of people, have sons when they only had daughters (or vice versa), or become a great teacher.
These vague horoscopes are one of several pieces of control that Mormon leaders have cooked up to put mental hooks into members to make it hard for them to escape. It is no more real than the TV magician who claims to know the card you're holding up to your screen at the end of the shuffling trick.
The idea that you should not envy other people's lives is good advice from anyone. And it's something you hear often in movies, books, and quotes memes on Facebook.
It is unfortunate that many people throw away years of their lives trying to make the horoscope come true. I've read so many stories of people being bitter on their death beds because the magical thing they were promised in a PB never came true.
Some people were promised to witness Jesus returning to the earth, others were promised they'd be the mother of the future church president,. Some were told they would baptize hundreds of people, have sons when they only had daughters (or vice versa), or become a great teacher.
These vague horoscopes are one of several pieces of control that Mormon leaders have cooked up to put mental hooks into members to make it hard for them to escape. It is no more real than the TV magician who claims to know the card you're holding up to your screen at the end of the shuffling trick.
Our son-in-law's father's blessing told him that he would walk back to Missouri and be around for the Second Coming.
He passed away 3 weeks ago from cancer. He has had various forms of cancer for most of his life. It was so sad.
My blessing was very generic except for two things that at the time I thought were pretty cool: 1- That I had a brilliant mind, and 2-That my calling and election was made sure.
If my mind was so brilliant, I should have paid attention to all the red flags waving right in front of my face.
He passed away 3 weeks ago from cancer. He has had various forms of cancer for most of his life. It was so sad.
My blessing was very generic except for two things that at the time I thought were pretty cool: 1- That I had a brilliant mind, and 2-That my calling and election was made sure.
If my mind was so brilliant, I should have paid attention to all the red flags waving right in front of my face.
The answer is very obvious. If you have Aspergers and social anxiety, the patriarch was aware of your situation and cautioned you not to think that others were more blessed than you. He wasn't looking into a crystal ball or receiving any revelation specific to you, just offering obvious advise that anyone could have given you. I don't see anything remarkable at all in what he said. Actually, his advise could apply to anyone.
Before I received my patriarchal blessing I was drilled with questions by the patriarch in his living room. It was one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life. I was 16 years old and the patriarch was elderly and intimidating and not very friendly. After he'd gathered enough information he proceeded with the blessing. I don't remember much of the blessing other than that it was really vague. I was told I was "one of beauty." That made me feel somewhat good. I eventually threw the blessing in the garbage. I kind of wish I hadn't. I'd like to post it for feedback.
Before I received my patriarchal blessing I was drilled with questions by the patriarch in his living room. It was one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life. I was 16 years old and the patriarch was elderly and intimidating and not very friendly. After he'd gathered enough information he proceeded with the blessing. I don't remember much of the blessing other than that it was really vague. I was told I was "one of beauty." That made me feel somewhat good. I eventually threw the blessing in the garbage. I kind of wish I hadn't. I'd like to post it for feedback.
I dont think he knew exactly of my Aspergers ,as it was not formally diagnosed until 2011.
The patriarch got pretty much everything wrong. He didn't spend any time getting to know me before hand so I guess he just gave me the same blessing he gave the person ahead of me.
My patriarchal blessing said that my inquiring mind will lead me to information where I would need to exercise caution. It said that I should always weigh the information that I come across with the teachings of the prophet and leaders of the church. I did that and realized what a hoax the church was. Thanks, patriarchal blessing!
Mine sounded like he was reading someone else's blessing. Totally disappointing.
my male parent's patriarchal blessing said that he would be alive when Jesus returned. He has been dead for over ten years.
Here is a link.
http://www.fullerconsideration.com/PatriarchalBlessingRevelator/
My best friend and I got our blessings within days from each other and we compared our blessing. Our blessings were almost identical. At the time it was faith building for me that the blessings were almost the same because we were baptized the same day and we liked the same music and people we had a lot in common. Now I am thinking that probably most female got a blessing like ours from the same patriarch.
http://www.fullerconsideration.com/PatriarchalBlessingRevelator/
My best friend and I got our blessings within days from each other and we compared our blessing. Our blessings were almost identical. At the time it was faith building for me that the blessings were almost the same because we were baptized the same day and we liked the same music and people we had a lot in common. Now I am thinking that probably most female got a blessing like ours from the same patriarch.
My blessing said that through me my non member dad will find the gospel. I have resigned in 2013. My dad never found the true gospel.
Narry a one. Mine is all drivel..nothing of substance
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/11/2020 02:46PM by Lethbridge Reprobate.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/11/2020 02:46PM by Lethbridge Reprobate.
Patriarcal blessings are fiction, pure fiction. Its not a guide
to your life or anything that will happen in it. Its like a
horoscope but with less drama. Don't waste time and energy
thinking about it.
to your life or anything that will happen in it. Its like a
horoscope but with less drama. Don't waste time and energy
thinking about it.
That’s why the church doesn’t like astrology —everybody would know where their patriarchal blessing came from.
My blessing was between 1971-1972 and, at the time, I was amazed that the Patriarch said I would "grow up into the man the Lord would have me be." You know how he did it? He interviewed me before the blessing and I'm sure he asked me about my spiritual goals and life aspirations. So, yeah!
My patricarchal blessing, which I received at age 13, makes several mentions of my "small, short time in mortality." Based on this, I had an early death premonition. It took a good 10 years out of the church before this was no longer an issue. I'm 43 now, and I'm still alive and well.
Their fortune-telling scam is also known as a hot reading. You are required to tell them everything about yourself so they can make up some shit that pertains to you.
Mine said that Heavenly Father knows that I love people.
Yeah right. I'm so sick of everybody, I could barf. I'm a caustic hermit with curmudgeon leanings. I especially hate anybody who appears on the news.
However, the other day I rode past Walmart and saw a young man in a Walmart vest trying to round up carts in the far reaches of the parking lot. It was 109 degrees outside. He had a chain of about 11 carts, moving along when, for some reason, they all fell on their sides and caught his finger in the fall.
He stood there for a moment with the look on his face, "Does my life really suck this bad?"
That hurt my heart so much. I wanted to scream, "Go back to school! Don't settle for this!"
Maybe I love people. Every now and again.
Yeah right. I'm so sick of everybody, I could barf. I'm a caustic hermit with curmudgeon leanings. I especially hate anybody who appears on the news.
However, the other day I rode past Walmart and saw a young man in a Walmart vest trying to round up carts in the far reaches of the parking lot. It was 109 degrees outside. He had a chain of about 11 carts, moving along when, for some reason, they all fell on their sides and caught his finger in the fall.
He stood there for a moment with the look on his face, "Does my life really suck this bad?"
That hurt my heart so much. I wanted to scream, "Go back to school! Don't settle for this!"
Maybe I love people. Every now and again.
I was 18 years old when I got my PB. I was so far from being worthy that I thought the Patriarch's hands would be scorched when he touched my head. I fully expected him to stop mid-blessing and say that he couldn't continue. No such luck, he gave me a generic blessing, and in doing so raised a red flag for me.
A few years ago I told my TBM daughter that I would be throwing away my PB and Book of Remembrance unless she took them off of my hands. She did, and was shocked I didn't want to keep that crap.
A few years ago I told my TBM daughter that I would be throwing away my PB and Book of Remembrance unless she took them off of my hands. She did, and was shocked I didn't want to keep that crap.