Guys - visited the new ward. A truly joyless place it was. Met the bishop and was immediately asked if I was endowed and was interested in a calling. I said I would make an appointment to discuss this. This was a service focusing on a returned missionary and his family. Put me the hell to sleep, but not before I remembered a similar SM where a good friend of mine's wife ran sobbing out of the chapel because her mission age sons were gay; in jail; and inactive respectively. I asked myself what am I doing here and why am I thinking of that.

Two days later I have my appointment with Bish. Keeps me waiting half an hour and I get about 10 minutes with him before he says, well we gotta finish up because I usually go home right now.

On the way home (In the dark and in a storm because this fool kept me waiting...) I said to myself "This church is making me feel badly, it made my friends feel badly, and the prospect of having another scouting or teaching call is pissing me off. I'm done."

The next Sunday I went to a wonderful United Church of Christ in my town. The preacher was a little old lady who reminded me of Mother Angelica. Best Church service I had been too in ages. I picked the UCC because they seemed to be the most welcoming harmless place I could find. A very nice young man of priest age read out of the gospel and folks held hands during the consecration (it was their SM). I will be going back this Sunday. I felt comfortable but justified because I finally did what was right.

I swear I am NEVER going to be part of a group that calls itself the Church of Jesus Christ that hurts people and makes them feel badly about themselves, their family, or anyone. NO matter what it does for me - which is precious little now - or how unintentional it may sometimes be, it is wrong to be in and sustain something like that.

So now someone can give me my mouse ears as an official exmo.

Best Regards

BalaamsAss

Mormon church meetings are incredibly boring and its practices can be very harmful. I'm glad you see it and are on your way out. Welcome to exmoville. :)

Well done, thou good and faithful servant....


:)
Anagrammy

"I felt comfortable but justified because I finally did what was right."

"Did" as in taking action.

No more putting it on the shelf. No more waiting until the next life for God to make it all right. No more enduring till the end.

Rather than lie to yourself and to those around you by attending, you did what you knew was right.

This a familiar theme around these parts.

Good job. Welcome to a life of associating with friends who will accept and respect other human beings.

Sounds like life as it should be.

Unless they are Mormon of course. I have found that this forum is very hostile towards anyone still in the church, not just the institution itself. Broad negative stereotypes are used frequently. It is actually kind of a turn off to me, as someone who is just discovering the truth about the church. If I am going to turn in to a mean, spiteful person, I'd rather not travel this road.

I just found myself in the same situation where I just felt like I did not belong. There are some bitter feelings that I am dealing with, and I am furious that my sister's bishop would tell her that it was her fault that she was molested as a child.

I want to yell, but I don't know at whom. I am thankful for finally realizing the truth, and I apologize in advance for anything stupid I may say. I am not like this normally.

NP Bro or Sis, thanks for reading my message.

see my last post....

Good thing there are plenty of other forums for people leaving the church. Many are kinder-gentler than this one. I personally love that this place isn't candy coated in the slightest.

User name makes me think of that one movie about missionaries, one of whom stars in a film, leaves the church, and lives happily ever after. ;)

One of the nice things about your new church is that you don't have to have a church job unless you really, really want one. Services will be short, and no one will care what you do with the rest of your Sunday. And you can come and go as you please.

Welcome to freedom!

That's strictly apologetic rhetoric.

The über faithful will see devil's horns, no doubt, but as one who graduated college on the 12-year plan and was "mature" enough to see a bit of real symbolism in those garments, how about this one?

You've passed back through the veil and may now don your own scholarly robes...

"I swear I am NEVER going to be part of a group that calls itself the Church of Jesus Christ that hurts people and makes them feel badly about themselves, their family, or anyone."

Joseph Smith sure cooked up a nifty little church. It's too bad Mormons don't actually think about what they believe, or how sick their oppressive church is.

Very glad you're free from that place. It is a truly horrid organization. Life is far more rewarding outside.

I love your screen name!

Also, good for you for just up and leaving! You're right, a church that makes anyone feel badly just by showing up is not a good place to be.

You really have made a good decision that will affect the rest of your life. Leaving the Morg truly is life-changing. It stops the "Morg Life Plan" in its tracks. Now YOU are in charge. I think many members have your same feelings. Thousands are finding the freedom to think for themselves.

I loved that you called the Bish a fool. LOL You rock!

Congrats and it seems you were careful in making this final decision. Keeping you waiting and then saying...I usually go home now...good grief. That is just weird. Your new plan puts you in charge of your life as one said before and you already made a choice that seems to agree with you. Glad you liked the other type of service. But know that if things go wrong there churches are everywhere and it is nice to church shop. You will never have to feel badly or see others feel badly again. Party on.

Thanks very much to all. I also wish to say that I don't have bitter hateful feelings. There was a lot in LDS church that still appeals to me and I feel like the scribe in the Bible who can pull those out whenever I like. That said, the rest of it is toxic for me and a lot of other people and, as such, should be seriously examined as befits a professing christian church.

After DW and I left TSCC we started going to a United Methodist Church. After a few years a confluence of circumstances (mostly driven by a new minister) made me think of changing churches again. I even thought of returning to TSCC. Fortunately my nephew's missionary farewell in Arizona was scheduled around the same time and we went to it. It was a nice re-vaccination against things Mormon. Horrible service, horrible experience! We even went to my nephew's setting apart and had to listen to his SP's condescending remarks such as: "well, there are lots of good people out there but they don't have the covenants and promises." If he wanted to say things like that, he could have at least waited to say them behind our backs.

Went back to the United Methodist Church and never complained again.

Now, we're moving (lost job, got a new job in another town) and want to pick a new church. Found one on internet called the First Federated Church. It is jointly sponsored by the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (never heard of something like that before). Anyway the website looks good (liberal theology, open and affirming, etc.). We're going to check out some others as well, maybe Unitarian/Universalist, Episcopal (I know that is quite different but a scan through their Sunday School curriculum shows that they enjoy a very scholarly approach).