Is it any coincidence that these two go hand in hand? It kind of reminds me of interrogation techniques used get hostages/prisoners to admit their guilt. Our brains become weakened when we don't eat, even if it is just breakfast.

holding young adults hostage for two years on a mission is a superb way to generate "Stockholm Syndrome" - the believe that somehow Mormonism is the only thing that gives your life meaning.

The alternative, that you gave up two years of time, freedom, earnings, and savings for a fraud is just too painful for some people to accept.

And missionaries fast a lot more than your average Mormon, with the expected brainwash result.

And then there are all the Mormon "interviews", which in most cases are really interrogations to see if the brainwashing is working/holding up.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/2011 03:20PM by Brother Of Jerry.

Wow! Never thought of the poor missionaries. My heart goes out to them.

So true about the interviews too.

It is funny because they held my baptism on fast Sunday. They made me feel like I was blessed to be baptized on such a special day. I wanted to make the date for the next Sunday because I had plans for later that day, but they were so intent on it being that day. The reality is that they didn't want to have the members make food for the protocol get together afterwards. Sounds petty but I know it is true because I was told that by a member. Can't believe how cheap the members are! haha.

Oh and minutes before I was baptized the bishop guy called me into his office and asked me several questions about pornography! Nice touch! I was fire up to become closer to God and he brings me in and asks me if I view porn. I said NO! because I am not into that. He seemed so puzzled as to why I would not like porn. Then he proceeds to tell me that there are a bunch of members who enjoy porn and struggle with it as an addiction. What a bunch of idiots!

Then came the baptism by fire. They encouraged me to fast for as long as I could before that one because it was so intense. In reality it was because they knew I still had some questions due to how they were all behaving on baptism day. They just wanted to weaken my mind.

Now imagine being a 12 yearold boy or girl in that room being asked those questions and more.

It's a sick, perverse cult. Glad you got out and welcome to the board.

That has got to be a totally terrifying experience! My heart really does go out to all of you who had to go through that.

That cult has an obsession with sexuality. It's not wonder so many BIC members have issues with their own sexuality.

We fast and not by choice. Missionaries are always hungry. Not enough money ever.

It's a period when many people of similar age are just starting to get an idea of what they want to do with the rest of their life. Their awareness of their talents and capabilities start to gel and the picture of career possibilities come into focus. It's also a time when hormones are going koo-koo-for-cocopuffs and a lot of dating and romance and discovery of likes and dislikes are going on.

In the Mormon formula, you stick the Church right dead center in the middle of everything during that two-year period, with strict rules so that the Church and its authorities and memes dominate every thought and action.

It's devilishly clever.

Amen.

Any family still in?

No family. I lost my family to tragic circumstances. That is probably what made me an easy mark for them to prey on. They used the eternal kingdom trip on me pretty hard. I should have seen through it all.

I never understood fasting, only felt hungry, got headaches and in a bad mood, but some people seem to get more "spiritual" (read, extra gullible) when they don't eat.

Although I liked your post, I must disagree in part on the fasting. Mormons have no monopoly on fasting, nor is it only used by cults. It is widely used the world over for health and spiritual purposes. I have found it to be very useful in effecting both physical and spiritual cleansing. I agree that Mormons don't understand it and mis-use it, but I wouldn't
discount it because of that.

I'd wager close to never outside of the cult.

Others do every human activity that mormons do.

Mormons don't understand how fasting relates to brainwashing? Again, so what?

Over time, whatever works is incorporated into the mormon program and what doesn't work goes by the wayside. There is no one person or group which understands or checks into the brainwashing to plan and direct it. That would be like one of Pavlov's dogs keeping records of experiments and writing out directives of how to control the other dogs.

I know fasting is used for other purposes. I like to fast for health reasons. Just was wondering if there was a correlation between fasting and proclaiming the "truth". It just sounds too weird to me that those would be on the same day. No question fasting can open up spiritual windows, but they are not always good windows. Take for example the people who trip out from no food or water when crossing the desert from foreign countries. They sometimes flip out and start seeing evil things. All depends on mindset and environment IMO. Fasting around a bunch of brain dead mormons is not at all the way to go for a spiritual cleansing.

There is a difference between Mormon fasting and fasting for health benefits. Fasting for a cleansing still involves drinking liquids. In Mormonism you do NOT drink AT ALL. It is NOT healthy unless you accompany your fast with water..

I used to have to fast a LOT as a kid. Not like 1st Sundays, but like every time I had a health or behavioral problem. It never made me pure or spiritual. It made me HUNGRY. The only lasting result is that to this day, even though it's been 15 years since anyone forced me to fast for the lawrd, I still refuse to admit when I'm sick. Because being sick as a kid meant not getting fed, and I associate admissions of not feeling good with being hungry. Parents can be such a-holes sometimes...