Posted by:
Cheryl
(
)
Date: November 17, 2010 04:34AM
Mag wondered how long the mixed feelings linger after leaving the mormon church community. Good question.
Thinking back and trying to come up with an answer, I remembered Deenie and Kathy Worthington both saying that walking out of mormon church buildings for the last time to go their cars, they danced and gloried in their freedom from the morg.
I felt the same way starting the minute I realized I never had to go back to a mormon church for the rest of my life. I'd been depressed for years and the sadness lifted and I felt clean and free.
I think that many of us stay in the morg or continue some attachment to it for a very long time until we're ready to sacrifice everything and everyone we've ever known to get out of it. That's how I felt. Once I realized I could have freedom if I gave up all of my friends and family, I was actually relieved because I knew I would no longer have to be a cult captive.
But others are still torn for a long time after leaving. They study and find out they've been lied to but they still feel ties to mormonism and hate to give it up. They do their grieving after they leave while Deenie, Kathy, and I went through the mourning process with so many mixed emotions before cutting the connection.
Some posters have denied that I could have been so thrilled to leave and not look back. They must be among the ones who did their grieving after the fact and not before.
Either way, it's usually heart wrenching to separate emotionally for those who were deeply steeped in mormonism for all or most of their lives.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/2010 05:17AM by Cheryl.