I was reading an article in my online newspaper and checking the readers' comments, and I realized that a couple of regular commentators haven't posted for a long time. They were excellent writers and thinkers and often posted better content than the original author of the piece.
It made me remember some of the great posters on this site so many years ago when I spent a lot of time here.
Don't even see Benson around here anymore. Lucifer and her husband. I personally thought it was a lot more interesting to read when I first arrived here in 2005.
I was going to mention that Packham posts now and then.
When I discovered this place in 1998 I was working my way out of the church and a bad marriage. The board then was GREAT...far superior to what it is today. There were a lot more doctrinal questions/answers. I recall that Deconstructor was my hero when it came to answers I needed on topics the church claimed they never hid.
The board had more of a "community" feel to it. We even had an RfM Fantasy Football League at one point. Moderators actually allowed the flow of discussion EVEN IF it didn't match their personal viewpoints. Political posts were rare. The board had more of a "close knit" feel to it. Sure there were some trolls and "wild hairs" (Colonel Thomas Kane) that kept things hopping, but for the most part it felt like we were all in the same boat navigating our way out of Mormonism while picking up new online friends and having fun at the same time.
I wish I could remember all the posters from back then as well. A few I do remember are -
Davey Brewmeister Colonel Thomas Kane Leg Humping Labrador TLC Tedd J. Esteban Wags (still use his "Cream In Your Jeans Brownies" recipe) Siog Kymba Wine Country Girl Tahoe Girl ExMormonRon
I agree. I've been here since close to the beginning. I find that it ebbs and flows. Plus, back then, things were harder to find on the web. Now, google, and there it all is. Plus, we now have facebook and reddit for community as well.
It’s fun to remember all of the fun times we’ve had!
My twin grandchildren were born here, and now they’re 14 years old! Yikes!
Thank you to all you “oldies,” whether still here or not, and whether you knew it or not, who helped me transition out of both the closet AND Mormonism.
Hi dimmesdale and everyone!! :::waves enthusiastically:::
I'm still alive and kickin'. I rarely read here any more because Mormonism for me is so much in the past, I just don't think about it. Hard to believe, because becoming an Ex Mormon was so central to my life for so many years. It's a total coincidence that I happened to click on the shortcut tonight, wondering what everyone was talking about these days. I was surprised to see my name!!
My three oldest kids (daughters-40, 38 & 36) were raised in the church until college age. My youngest (son-31) was 11 when their dad and I split after several years of me pulling away so he didn't get the full-on TBM upbringing the girls did. All of them are out and complete non-believers. They often talk about the church and how batshit crazy it is. The girls are in the ExMo Facebook group.
I'm 67 now and the grandmother of two fantastic toddlers, a boy 3 and a girl 2. I went through breast cancer in 2019 (lumpectomy and radiation, but so far so good). I'm fully vaccinated and can't wait to gather with friends again. I'm very politically active in my town and county. Guess which side I fall on? LOL.
I found the board in 1997 and it really was a lifeline for me. I was here every day. Back then you could read all of the day's posts in the evening. I've often wondered about some of the people who posted who were a big influence for me. I especially remember fondly Ether, who, when I was hesitant to leave, told me to "just do it!" and Playelder with his hilarious stories. Some I got to meet in real life and others remain my cyber friends through Facebook.
Hi DebbiePA. It sounds like life is going well for you. I'm glad to hear from you after all this time. I enjoyed your posts. I'm confident the treatment for your lumpectomy did the job! I'm glad all your kids are out. Thanks for the update.
I remember Playelder & Adventures in the Macon zone along with Col Thomas Kane and his piece about the coming Mormon Implosion. Wish I still had a copy of it to see how accurate his prediction of the future was.
It’s so nice to go down memory lane with you all. Quick question: Does anyone know what happened to the original slideshow of photos of members from the early 2000’s? I’d love to track it down. There are photos from when I met Esteban and Diane that I would love to have copies of.
I sure do :) Picture Trail shut down and I had to manually download each one and then put them in a zip. CZ, Eric and I have copies. To tell the truth, I am not exactly sure how to access them and I couldn't mark them but I made a list that is around here somewhere... I have a bunch of stuff going on but maybe I can find what you are looking for by next week. Drop me an email so I know how to get you :)