Any reason is a good reason, and coffee is better than most! When my convert friend told me about the WoW years ago, I knew with a certainty that Mormonism could never be for me.
Eternity in the celestial kingdom or coffee? Tough choice.
I know that I’m a small minority here, but I don’t like the taste of coffee at all, or tea. I think that beer tastes disgusting (mass produced beers-I have tried some tasty microbrews, but nothing I like enough to drink on a regular basis).
So, I suppose that my resignation from god’s one true church didn’t come from a desire to break the word of wisdom.
Breaking down the old brainwashing, you start to learn that actually, "I don't want to" is a good enough justification for most things. You're not required to leave because of moral superiority or finding the truth. You can leave simply because you like to drink coffee and they make a big stink about you doing it.
It's Mormons who have the problem of realizing that for some people they don't want every waking moment dominated by religion.
Interesting. I've been focusing on boundaries recently.
What a healthy thing to say. "I don't want to."
That was discouraged in Mormonism. When you're presented with a calling that's going to waste your time, you're not allowed to say that you don't want to do it.
In a normal world with people who respect boundaries, "I don't want to" is a perfectly acceptable response.
Exactly! It took me a really long time to internalize this(in fact, I'm just starting to get it) because everything in the church is FROM GOD. From tithing to any calling they make up to give you something to do to all the stuff they tell you, you can't do. It's all very micromanaged by god so every little thing demands obedience and you're constantly coming up with justifications or explanations for your failures.
But once you leave, you realize life isn't supposed to be dominated in that way. Coffee is just a drink. It's literally no different than anything else; fine in moderation, worse for you in excess but not inherently destructive or harmful. Nobody else in religions are like "Never eat Kit-kats or you won't get into heaven!" "Don't extra pierce your ears or else Nirvana is out of your reach!" Etc. Other people in most religions have their beliefs, strive to do good, and the rest of the time they don't sweat the small stuff. Once you leave Mormonism, you become very aware of how intense it strangles every facets of normal, human, daily life.
But yes, that is exactly it. You know, in Mormonism, it feels like you're reporting to the bishop in every member. Like, you feel like you gotta give a story or a good reason not to do something. Nobody else is owed access to your life. It is okay to say "no" and let them manage their own feelings about it. They don't need to be placated with reasons. They don't need to be comforted by understanding your motivations. They simply need to respect "no, I don't want to."