You don't want to be a Mormon anymore, but you still like living among Mormons, who act as a buffer between you and the great unwashed, whom you don't understand, can't relate to.

Leaving the nest is the best thing you can do for yourself. It is scary, but the rewards are great. Maybe it's time.

Take a deep breath, just get away. Forget the whole thing.

We don't know how much we don't know.

There is great beauty outside the cave. Unimaginable treasures that raise living to a higher level.

I grew up within radio listening range of NYC, then spent half of my working life in the Midwest, half in Utah. I moved back to Utah when I retired because my parents were old and in failing health.

Now most of my friendships are here, And I like the mountains. Plus it’s just too damn much trouble to move.

For a large majority of the time, Mormonism has very little affect on my life. The TBM part of my family has passed away. Nobody I know well enough to know what their religion is, is active LDS.

I know it helps having not grown up here, and having no real family roots here, but for me, it’s just a reasonably nice place to live. Not that much baggage.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/2021 07:06PM by Brother Of Jerry.

I'm looking into retiring at a Federal Minimum Security prison, where I will cause enough of a ruckus to always be in Solitary Confinement.

This Covid-19 experience has taught me that being 'alone' ain't no big thing, see? Or does I have to get rough with youse?

elderolddog Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm looking into retiring at a Federal Minimum
> Security prison, where I will cause enough of a
> ruckus to always be in Solitary Confinement.
>
> This Covid-19 experience has taught me that being
> 'alone' ain't no big thing, see? Or does I have to
> get rough with youse?
dialog correction
It should be "wit youse" not "with youse" Will you kindly be more perfect like the rest of us here?

Noted!

Remember, I'm younger, and thus not as well edumacated ...

That's Adamic, right?

Way cool!

I have become comfortable being alone.in the 3.5 years since my wife died. The pandemic has served to feed my inner hermit. I'm ok with that.

I wasn't afraid. I like your post a lot though. Can your unwanted past still be a security blanket?

As a BIC in the heart of it all, I was still an extreme voyeur of the outside world, even as a young kid, I was totally hooked on Life and Look. (For you younger ones, those were magazines, not Apps.) I devoured them while the others were sneaking their Playboys out from under their mattresses. Yea, verily, even articles about New York City and the goings-on there.

I never could buy that the notion that the rest of the nonMormon world, the Gentiles, were to be feared and looked down on. It all looked damn good to me. And I suppose that is where my Cog-Dis came from since in those days there was no Google to serve up the real dirt on Mormonism and give me some proper Cog-Dis.


I left Utah in an old car with a U-Haul in tow and headed to SoCal with $200 not really sure where I would end up. I had to join the world. Just HAD to. I was terrified and excited about what was ahead, but not afraid to leave Utah in the dust.

Good for you. I hoped it worked out well for you. Leaving the nest is harder in a strongly regulated society like Mormonism, but we all have to do it if we want to grow. The world has plenty of strange things to discover. It's my duty to investigate everything.

Unfortunately, he turned into a known capitalist . . .

Ah, what might have been!

If only.

Screw that. I'm not going to give up my family just because the church is holding them hostage. The great thing about not being a believer anymore is that nobody gets to tell me how I should live anymore.

My boyfriend lived there and I went to live with him. He lost his job and got one in Logan, Utah. He will be retiring soon and is going to spend part of his time on an island in Canada (Cortez or Cortes island where his daughter lives) and part of the time in Denver where his son lives. I'll go and spend time with him wherever he is at. I have a paid for house with an ex living downstairs who pays all the bills since I didn't divorce him and take half his pension. My daughter is here half the year.

I might end up in Alaska summers if they are able to have any children. I'll go babysit while they work for Princess. They are working this summer for land tours and leave the beginning of May. My siblings are all here except one in Idaho (Twin Falls area) as she hates Utah, but she is still active mormon (no longer believes).

The mormons usually don't bug me. Once in a while they do. I'm not exactly that social. I have too much else going on to worry about the mormons even if I'm surrounded by them.

Utah is my home. I don't NEED to leave. I'll die in this house. I worked so very hard to hang onto it as a single mother. It is my sanctuary.

I've lived in three other states than Utah, nor am I from Utah. But Utah has my favorite recreation options.

I lived in the MoZone only for my junior and senior years of high school, and for college (USU). So leaving after graduation was no big deal. Besides, it was the only choice that made sense for my career plans.

I moved to Los Angeles. Although the church was there if I wanted it, it was very easy to ignore, very easy to make new friends and a new life that had nothing to do with Mormonism.

By age 16 I wanted out of Utah. I would go to NYC and become a journalist. But I would return to settle down.

Then on my mission I met a guy from California. (Long story skipped over.) I married him and moved to CA. (Another long story.) At one time I said I'd move back to Utah for a million dollars--this was when a million meant something.

Then we left the church. Funny thing, most of my CA in-laws have moved to Utah.

I love the mountains. I love my family history in Utah.

I won't go back.

Thanks for giving me a chance to say all of this.

I was primarily there for my undergrad at BYU. Back in the day, all capable Mormon HS graduates left NY to go to BYU as a rite of passage - rarely returning home or staying in Utah.

... and hello Phantom Shadow, been a long time since I posted here (used to be Mannaz). Good to see you still here.

Back in the Jurassic Era, My family moved into the heart of Utah from outside of the corridor. Even though mostly everyone was nice to us we were still looked upon as a strange and peculiar people to the locals.
We were often surprised to find that people really thought that everything east of Denver was like New York City. I know that Utah has diversified a lot in the last several decades but i'm sure there are still those to be found that think that way.

I grew up well outside of the 'Morridor', in New Hampshire, and outside of some summer vacations to visit family (my parents were both from SE Idaho and Northern Utah), I never really experienced life there until I went to college (USU). Since then, 30 years ago, my life has had a big connection to Utah, even when I have lived other places. My sister ended up in Utah, and when my parents retired, they ended up back in Utah as well. I now live in Europe, but whenever we visit the States, we end up in Utah. My parents have now both passed away, and honestly, I have almost zero desire to visit Utah again (I still have to go get some Aggie Ice Cream on occasion). I would much rather spend my time back home in New Hampshire as much as I can.

Unfortunately I am stuck in the corridor temporarily.
As so as it is practical I asure you I have no fear of getting out of it

Grew up in Southeast Idaho, aka "Little Utah," and served a couple of years in the Navy. Currently living in the Palouse. Life outside the Morridor takes a little getting used to, but it isn't impossible.

Do I ever want to live in the corridor again? Not even if the state of Utah paid me to move there. I do sometimes miss the hiking and camping in Idaho, though.

Nope. Left years ago and never looked back.

I would have trouble 'tolerating' laws, rules, regulations who passed thru the various LDS dominated filters:

Legislators, councils, commissions, etc.


I'll have a gummy or two to those who can, Enjoy!!

I grew up on the east coast and spent the 12 years after graduating HS in non-Corridor western states. I moved to Orem in the 1990s mainly for job reasons. Except for the winters (which are still mild compared to other mountain areas) I liked living there.

I left the church in 2000 and found it even nicer! I was never pestered and at most my jobs, I wasn't sure who were Mormon and who weren't (I worked with a lot of non- and inactive-Mormons. I thought one boss was Mormon, he turned out to be Methodist or something.)

Recently, I've been moving a lot for work and haven't found a place I physically like more (except for those winters!) AND which is affordable.

(Funny thing is one TBM brother also lived in Utah for about 25 years and got fed up. I told him the trick was to go inactive. He refused and moved. All his kids have since moved back since they can't afford to live where their parents now live.)

madeguy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You don't want to be a Mormon anymore, but you
> still like living among Mormons, who act as a
> buffer between you and the great unwashed, whom
> you don't understand, can't relate to.


This is a good point. I know Mormons that I believe remain Mormon solely for the lifestyle; you know the kind, “even if the church isn’t right, it’s still the right way to live.” My retort to a former brother-in-law, who used that phrase exactly, was that 10% is a very expensive price to pay for a lifestyle that can be lived just as well outside the church.

There’s a weird pressure that some Mormons feel, that if it wasn’t for the church they’d have to drink coffee and wine, smoke and screw, and get tattoos. You don’t. You can keep the khakis, polo shirt and short hair and etc and end up with all of your income. It’s a better deal.

And as you say, there’s a whole world out there to explore.