Were you once more social and now more guarded? One more fake and now more real? One more connected to your neighborhood and now more connected to people outside of your neighborhood? Once more type A and now more laid back? Were you a puritan and now more a wild child?

My own identity evolved from feeling very victimized in the religion and fleeing, where then I became a 'refugee' of sorts. I think that at the time that was probably the healthiest thing for me in exploring facets of my identity, longings, etc...

After that though, I felt too separate and isolated. I returned for various reasons and found myself around family and old friends, but that then had me feel both a part of things and like an outsider.

I am currently working on some sort of integration. I received some nice things from the last phase of both identity and positioning, but this is a time of reevaluating and repositioning.

Have others gone through arcs like this? Going through arcs like this?

The Mormon me was known as bubbly, compassionate, optimistic and a "sweet spirit" as evidenced by my being a 35 year old virgin.

The liberated me is adventurous, more solitary, compassionate and much much more confidant and accepting of myself.

I used to place all of my identity on my marriage status and also my "purity". Now being single is only a small part of my identity and I've exchanged my purity for a more sensual me.

Grrrrrrrr!

Shoulda warned us, now I'm horny...

I was only active for about 4months after being inactive for 25yrs or so.

Actually I think my brief stint of activity only strengthened my ..hmmm...positions and views on things that I had prior.

I reinforced to myself what I did not want to be like. Had to see..had to revisit.... had to make my own mistakes

Well, for one, I'll no longer "bow my head and say yes" just because some disembodied voice in a big hall full of weirdly-dressed-in-white (except for that green piece) people says so.

And if anyone summarily dismisses me with a, "that will do," you can be sure that it won't do at all.

No one will ever do my thinking for me again.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2012 05:36AM by happyexmormon.

I'm so thankful that I left the church at a young age and not later. I think I don't need to say much more :D

I got interested in gambling while I was losing faith in Mormonism and after. I spend a lot of time in Wendover, and in Las Vegas and other gambling cities.

My gambler identity may have arisen even if I had remained a believer in Mormonism. It also arose for other reasons. However, my identity as a gambler is heightened because of the Church. I view my home state, Utah, as oppressive, and Nevada as a liberal place, a welcome relief from that oppression.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/19/2012 04:45PM by behindcurtain.