I'm him. Is Steve Benson around, still?

Yes! I'm glad Deconstructor still exists. I hope you have been doing well.

Benson rarely pops in nowadays but his cartoons are still great!

I'd love to talk to Steve Benson. What a guy!

He's around, just not here. Or he is being uncharacteristically still. I miss his information avalanches.

Nice to hear from one of the old warhorses. A few are still here, and every now and then an alumnus drops by. If memory serves correctly, you had a web site that I enjoyed very much.

Any words of wisdom from beyond the veil? :)

Yes, my website "Rethinking Mormonism" was basically an archive of some of my posts from RfM. You guys inspired me to keep digging and turning over every Mormon History rock.

Here's an archive of the Mormons Sexuality stuff we used to discuss here on RfM:

https://web.archive.org/web/20161214170249/http://www.i4m.com/think/sexuality/

In terms of new knowledge from beyond the veil, it's best not revealed here publicly. But I do have a YouTube Channel now, where I'm harping on Climate Chaos. Totally off-topic here though.

This forum on RfM has a very special place in my heart, still. It was the one place during those tough years that I could speak my truth to power without censorship. And you encouraged investigation. That's nowhere to found on the Internet today. Good times!

Waving Back, Tyson Dunn! I hope you're in a better place than you were back in 2003 when I was spending three hours a night on here. Best wishes!

I do.

Wow, Decon. Long time, no see. Missed you greatly. So good to "see" you.

Yeah, what everybody said about Steve. He's grazing pastures new I guess. We miss him too. Amazing experience, knowledge and insights.

I sure enjoyed your posts back in the day. Hope all is exceedingly well with you and yours.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/18/2020 03:21PM by Nightingale.

My dear friend, Nightingale! Did I ever thank you for transcribing all of those Van Hale radio show recordings? They were wonderful help.

All of that is still on the Internet, right here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170313193759/http://i4m.com/think/van_hale.htm

BTW, what ever happened to Van Hale? He's the last Mormon Hero in my mind, because he had the courage to say publicly that the Book of Mormon is fiction, and he took a lot of heat for it from the BYU apolgist nazis at the time. It turns out he was right! DOH!

Wow...Deconstructor! What a "blast from the past" from the glory days of this board.

I would like to personally THANK YOU for all of the posts, links, references, insights, etc. that you made here so long ago. Those posts helped me tremendously in reaffirming what I had believed since I was a little Joseph Smith Youth...that I was stuck in a money grubbing totally false religion (cult).

I hope you are well. And THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, for helping me and others back in the day when this board was great.

Thanks, Jaxson! I always felt I was getting more from you guys than I ever gave back. People today don't appreciate enough what it was like for us back in 2001-2003 before the CES Letter, before the x-mo "red it angel" were around. Back then it was just us on RfM trying to make a dent in the machine.

So many of you here inspired me to keep speaking truth to power. My favorite was Stray Mutt. I tracked and archived his posts for years:

https://web.archive.org/web/20170313195613/http://i4m.com/think/comments/mormon_mutt.htm

Is he still around somewhere?

I do :) Hello again.

Wait--

-- shape shifting....for old times sake

For a moment there I thought I was seeing double.

For a moment there I thought I was seeing double.

You are but it isn't me.....now put down the bottle before you fall down.

Jerry Falwell collapses when he drinks. Lot's Wife, by contrast, can down several boxes of wine without stumbling.

You should know that by now.

You should know that by now.

Lot's Wife Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jerry Falwell collapses when he drinks.

What does his son do?

Collapses when his wife drinks.

Oh boy, you guys are still having fun here, I see.

Hello, again! Why is someone like you still trolling RfM? LOL Great to see you here!

I think it was you who ran a website that was very helpful to me in my exit, so thank you for that.

TG

If you are referring to the website "Rethinking Mormonism" that was my evil creation.

Rethinking Mormonism Archive:
https://web.archive.org/web/20161214075031/http://www.i4m.com/think/intro/

From what I can see, a lot of what we fleshed out in the early 2000's led to the CES Letter and other great works of truth-to-power. We all have our part to play!

You are a Latter-Day Truth Pioneer, like the rest of us! Best wishes on your journey.

I remember you well! Glad to see you've darkened our door!

Wow, you're still here, "Devoted Exmo?"

Yeah, I keep turning up here like a bad penny.

Anyone seen Wine Country Girl in the last few months?

I haven't spoken to her directly, but I know she is not close to any fires. Smoke is of course everywhere.

And Tom, I still have yet to meet you. That's gotta change.

“Wcg” is fine, busy w family.

With the Covid crap here, there hasn't been any Exmo socializing.

If anybody doubts your identity, drop me a line, sl_cabbie@yahoo.com, and include your first name. It would be an honor to confirm your identity and bring you up to speed.

Haha. Honking back, SLCabbie. I'm so glad you're still here playing the role of super-skeptic.

Now that it's the year 20/20 and we're all going to be toast soon, I don't really care about doxing myself publicly anymore. I've literally got nothing left to lose socially at this point.

My first name is Dean. I still remember meeting you and that other guy at the restaurant downtown SLC, and he whipped out the temple clothes while we were eating, and we both told him to put them away. His name escapes me, but I have three "Salamander Awards" from him in my home office.

I also have Steve Benson's cartoon, which he drew for me one night in Phoenix in the Fudrucker's parking lot.

Time for hiding is over. I just wanted to "come out" here and say thank you and let you all know "what happened to Deconstructor." It's fascinating how people's stories have all turned out.

Great to see you're alive and kicking, SLCabbie!

I first met Decon at Kathy W.'s place (a moment of silence, please), and he, Benson, and I later met with a poster who used the acronym "FCI" for "Former Church Insider." FCI described being in the "F Vault" up Little Cottonwood Canyon...

"Seagull Choker," aka "Cricket" is the guy with the extensive collection of garmies from various eras, but I don't remember the exact incident he describes (senior moment?). Cricket and I did meet with another poster on a different occasion, and the look on the face of the lady in a nearby booth was priceless when he unveiled the contents of his carrying bag.

There's something about G's and such that still evokes a strong reaction among the formerly faithful. I'm chuckling right now remembering the time Cricket showed a temple apron to several of us hanging out at a local bistro. Another RFM regular was visibly shocked when she saw it.

Carry on...

hanging out with you and Steve Benson when he drove up from Phoenix in his Jeep to kick against the pricks behind the Zion Curtain?

I noticed that you posted over at r/exmormon as well. Please stick around longer this time!

Cricket, are you the Salamander Award guy?

Yeah, I gave up on ExMormonism completely over ten years ago when it fractured into competing groups and my post were getting deleted everywhere because of "exmormon political correctness."

I don't really care about Mormonism or ExMormonism anymore. But I post from time to time, in hopes we could someday heal the divide in our extended families somehow. From what I can tell, it's too late for that.

Yup, I'm the Salamander Award guy. Those awards were heaps of fun while they lasted. It's difficult to sustain (no, not in the "signifying in the usual way" form of sustaining LOL) that effort over the years.

BTW - You, Deconstructor won a Salamander Award in 2005 for "Best New Humorous Website" with your "South Park Mormons - Examination"
http://www.salamandersociety.com/awards/2005/

And another "Sally" in 2006 for Best Original Humorous Post Regarding Mormonia:
"New Articles of Faith revealed at last!"
http://www.salamandersociety.com/awards/2006/

Thanks for all of those good times.

So nice to see you Decon. I hope all is well with you :)

Hi Susan! I'm doing well, and of everyone here, you deserve the most gratitude. I wouldn't be alive today if you admins here hadn't supported me through thick and thin those days when Tom Clark was getting shit from the news media. You are the real ExMormon heroes! Thank you again for all you do here every day to help people have a place to share.

Tens of thousands of people have come to RfM thinking they were alone, and this oasis of truth you've maintained all these years has been a wonderful lifeline for them. It was for me, too!

I remember him. I did enjoy his posts, his knowledge, and his willingness to spend time to share with us.

(Raises hand, waves frantically.)

I do, I do! Good to hear from you, exmo oldie-but-goodie! Please stop by more often, if you can!

I remember a story about the MTC, a fence, and tossed cookies.


Still annoyed by <blockquote><b>inability to format text</b></blockquote>? <a href="https://www.therockpit.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/hellyeah-welcomehome.jpg">Hell Yeah</a>?

:P

ETA: Ugh. Link is borked. Let's try this again. https://www.therockpit.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/hellyeah-welcomehome.jpg



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/2020 03:51PM by Beth.

I remember you! Hello!

I remember you. You're a bit of a legend around here ;-) Nice to see you.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/2020 02:25AM by Soft Machine.

Nice to see you again. You have been a major influence in helping folks.

Hi, Deconstructor!

Hi Decon! Nice to see you. Hope all is well.

Good to see you, Decon. Your I4M website (I think I remember that right) had lots of helpful info.

I just popped back in the other day with a question for these fine folks.

Cattle Mutilator was a big help too back in the day.

jj
(formerly zman44)

Yes. Have read this board since 2000. great to hear you're fine.

Wow, PL. You're an oldie but goodie too. SO many recognizable board names of folks we don't see often enough any more. I guess that's a good thing - moving on. Hope it indicates recovery and good life for all.

Hey!

You had a major impact on my studies out in 2003-2004. I was Lostintheforestofdoubt and Lostnomore. Anyway, thank you so much!

Keith
CuzX

CuxX! Thanks Keith, your words of appreciation mean a lot. It's been a very, very difficult journey for me because I was stupid and kept my family in Utah. Over the years the LDS Folk have become more and more "intense" in the workplace (especially HR) going after those of us who stood up and spoke out before the CES Letter was published.

For example, you can't imagine what happens when you're working somewhere in SLC when an LDS co-worker realizes I'm Deconstructor. Or teachers at school. I didn't either, but my family made it through that BS and here we all are, in the fall of 2020 looking back. We are survivors and there's no way we'd still be a family if we'd stayed in the LDS Church.

Best wishes!

I do. He was here back in the good ole days.

I remember you too, saucie. Whatever happened to Stray Mutt?

icloud Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I remember you too, saucie. Whatever happened to
> Stray Mutt?

He just faded away I guess. He was here when I first got here

and was a veritable font of information for all of us newbies

then. He shall always be missed.

He goes by the moniker "OlderElder" I think. He's here from time to time.

I remember you Decon. I read some of your book too. I told my best friend that the way you wrote, is pretty close to the way I think. Thanks, and I hope all is going well for you.

Thanks, but I haven't written any books. I doubt I ever will. I think you might be confusing me with the guy who wrote "Deconstructing Mormonism" which isn't my work.

If anyone remembers the website "Rethinking Mormonism" that was my baby for over ten years.

You can see an archive of the cheezy website here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160426084138/http://www.i4m.com/

You guys on RfM inspired me to write those South Park Apologist Essays too. Remember?
https://web.archive.org/web/20170313195602/http://i4m.com/think/southpark/

Those were the good old days, for sure.

After reading this thread, where can I buy the RfM Reunion T-Shirt?

Hey Decon (icloud)

I think Stray Mutt now goes by the handle "olderelder". Not quite sure, but I believe so.

Hello Decon!!

You were very helpful as I navigated my way out of the mormon church. I am so grateful for all of your hard work. Thank you and good to see you!

DECON!! Great to see you! Haven't seen Bensen in about a year or so. I have missed your posts.

For those who don't know.. Deconstructor is a brilliant god-like exmo who graced the forum from very near the beginning. He savaged many with his well researched and reasoned posts. Truly one of the most inspiring minds in my exmo journey. The beginning was so long ago.

Warmest Wishes Oh Brilliant one!

HH =)

I remember you. And I am still around, too, from time-to-time.

Decon!

You probably don’t remember me but I was around in 2004 - 2006. Your work really helped solidify my awakening from Mormonism. Thank you for taking the time to share your ability to deconstruct!

This thread brings back a lot of good memories from people I interacted with here but have never met in real life!