My immediate and extended family are deeply TBM. They know I have resigned.

Today, one close relative posted a chart on FB that shows some mormon doctrine in a very basic way. It has arrows pointing out the fate of the good and the bad folks. The good ones go on to glory but the bad ones go to outer darkness. The bad ones consisted of only 2 groups: 1-Satan and his demons and 2-apostates.

What is interesting to me is that in the past few years, many articles and talks have been posted by church authorities and others about folks who leave the church or have a faith crises or stop believing altogether. The general theme of these messages has been to encourage members to try to understand and still engage and love those who doubt or leave the church. So, which is it, TSCC? Are we cast into outer darkness like your chart shows we are...put in the same category as satan and his demons? (Seems kinda harsh).

Might depend on if your participation within the family structure is critical or necessary, or maybe just plain wanted.

Me? It happens to be both so now it's heavily on me to be fully alive and carefree and non-judgemental. I'll endure carrying the cross only because I care.

Sound familiar?

Many mormons now speak of Hell - something not ever mentioned in the 1950's and 60's. If asked about Mormon belief in it - you would get a clear "we don't believe in that".

Nailing Jello to a wall...

Television is another doctrine that they flip-flop. They used to give lessons about how evil and Satanic it could be. It could destroy a family and lead a family down the road of perdition. During church meetings and F/T members would engage in a "My family is so righteous that we ____" donated the set, locked it up, cut the cord"

I was forever in a dilemma because my parents didn't see a TV as such a problem. Both of them watched and my Dad was really evil because he watched his football games right after church. In my youth, I was routinely called in for interviews because my honest answers about TV were not aligned with church doctrine. Sometimes, my Mom had PBS on with nature programs. I was told that those types of programs were the most dangerous because Stan was so clever.

Then TV suddenly became tolerable when I returned from my 2 year mission. Good programs being watched as a family was a "great" way to spend time as a family. I was confused, but that was nothing new for me.

I never got the sense that tv was somehow forbidden. My mom discouraged tv on Sunday, but she was so over-the-top that she discouraged root beer because it looked like a cola drink. I kid you not. If there were a churchwide soft ban on tv, she would have padlocked the thing. She was always willing to out-righteous the brethren.

If you got questioned during interviews about tv, I think it was your local leadership that had that as their own private hobby horse.

Is that a root beer in your hand or are you just happy. . .

My extreme TBM aunt and her husband (I don't consider him family) they didn't have a TV. They had 7 children at the time. When my grandmother died, she had a new color TV (this was when a lot of families didn't have colored TV--I purchased my parents' first color TV when I was in my 20s). They were more than happy to take that color TV of my grandmother's.

TV was a staple in our family. We would NEVER have not watched TV especially on football Sundays!

Most of our neighbors only watched World of Disney on Sunday evenings or if Wizard of Oz happened to be on.

It's a CULT.
That's what CULTs do, demonize apostates.
Lucky you were not born Muslim, or they'd lop off your head.
Mormons just expect you to self-immolate.
Count your blessings....
Name them one by one....

Adulteress, apostate. I know I had another A there so I could be a triple A, but I can't remember what it was now.

Aluscious?

Cognitive dissonance is a terrible drug.

- Gawd pours out commandments to the faithful thru his servant(s) the prophets


- s/he that is commanded in all things is slothful

When a TBM exacts revenge / retaliation on an apostate (hate, lies, stealing) , All Is Well


go figure