I'm thinking about the many posters who tell about mormon strangers having names, birthdates, and other personal information on their minor children. And also that these strangers use that advatage to directly contact kids with "love notes," invitations, and sometimes to do missionary lessons without parent permission. Yup, I know this isn't official policy but it's done more often than we'd like to recognize.

There's also the mormon practice of tracking people and keeping tabs on them after they are no longer interested in the church and including resigned former members.

And as for current participating members, they are expected and required to entertain unwanted guest churchmembers in the form of VTers, HTers, and other assigned fellowshippers and officials.

Those are just three examples of really weird mormon behaviors which mormons and many exmos see as acceptable. I don't have any nonmo friends who would put up with any of those things. If they belonged to such a church they'd demand changes or quit.

Are there other behaviors and expectations which seemed reasonable and normal when you were a mormon, but with perspective you see as strange and unacceptable?

Has your sense of privacy and self determination undergone change since leaving the morg? Are you more able to tell mormons no if they step on your toes? Has this ability helped you in non-church situations, on the job, with neighbors, in dealing with vendors and the community?

Thanks, just wondering.

....the Bishop to be asked about masturbation. That's plain wrong.

Sharing with a Bishop one's financial details in order to prove that you've paid all your tithing. That's wrong too.

These two behaviours seem normal to mormons. As a non-mormon the first borders on criminal and the later is just plain stupid.

Feeling that you have to share anything with the bishop. It's almost a commandment that you have to tell the bishop all of your most personal issues.

As our kids were growing up we never shared with them how much money their dad made. We don't discuss it now. There are a lot of things that are just personal and are no one elses business. What a concept to Mormon.

...under the guise of "my opinion" and "freedom of religion" which really means I wanna be free to shove my beliefs down yer throat!!

Being touched by a stranger in specific places whilst being naked except for a piece of flimsy White cloth. This was not explained in advance but was a nasty surprise when it happened.

I never ever let that happen to me again.

Are there other religions that include "sacred underwear?" Obviously there are other pieces of clothing that are associated with religion, like the hijab, but what about underwear specifically? I've never been able to get over how weird the whole concept of garments is.

I think the Sikh religion has a sacred undergarment, but it's more like boxer shorts.

Forbidding say, the RS President, from riding home from correlation with the, say, EQ President even though they live next door to one another.

Cha! Like I'd want to bang HER!

Ron

Eeew! The mormons have that rule which inclues such awful women as automatically insult to every desirable redblooded male! LOL

And turning the coffee cup upside down (thinking they're making a point and God is seeing it and saying "well done though good and faithful servant"). Then they order a Diet Coke for Breakfast.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2011 05:54PM by NormaRae.

Love to hear what "THE CHURCH" teaches when you are not a mormon. Also have been told because I have tatoos,,I can't go through the temple. The main thing is that men are "called of god" to serve as bishops and other callings. If you don't believe these things,,you are wrong.

Who the hell told you that tattoos prohibit temple attendance? That's bullshit. I have three and have been in there 100's of times.



Just sayin'...

Ron

I'm not sure of your age, Ron, but my dad, who would have been 78 now--was furious a few years ago when my mother informed him that people who have tattoos can go to the temple now as men he worked with years ago had to have their tattoos removed.

My FIL converted after Vietnam and has a tattoo of my MIL's name on his arm. He hides it and NEVER shows any of them. I've actually always thought it sweet. He was a young man in love, in Viet Nam with a wife and children at home, has his beloved's name put on there, and now hides it in shame.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2011 10:21PM by suckafoo.

My dad had a tattoo from the Navy and worried about it. Of course even the Church isn't dumb enough to push something like this. The Church doesn't exclude you from anything if you have a tattoo— they just make you feel guilty about it for the rest of yer life. Nice.

I found chanting D&C 4 and The Standard of Truth on my mission very disconcerting. Seemed very cultish to me, even being utterly consumed by the cult. Since then I discovered that the YW and YM chant their mottos as well. Thank FSM I didn't have to do that when I was in YM.

I find the whole idea of "males-only leadership" off base, out of touch, and insulting to females.

My wife found the Mothers Day celebrations demeaning and patronizing; and refused to go.

one of the weirdest behaviors that Morgbots consider "normal" is that of a "church" owning/building a shopping mall, owning radio and TV stations, owning newspapers.... the whole idea of a "church" being involved in business ventures is totally foreign to most people involved in different religions. It is hard to understand how Morgbots don't think there is anything wrong with it and see it as normal, and even more, if asked about it, they think that this is "normal" for all religions to own other businesses.

Doesn't sound all that godly, does it?

Temple clothing is very strange. But I received the most puzzled looks when I told people I don't drink coffee or tea. In the south, tea is served like water. I still don't know why you can't drink it.

When they repeat the sacrament prayer over and over when they can't get it right. Drives me nuts.

Misstating a word in the prayer, a deakin dropping bread or spilling water, skipping someone, or not serving the most important priesthood guy first. The whole thing could be a little nerve wracking.

People with which you are not on intimate terms touching and feeling you during a casual greeting to insure you are wearing you garments. If that doesn't fall under the classification of "weird" I don't know what does. It's like being screened at the airport and telling security "Oooh, please search me again..."

- sacred underwear that has magical priesthood powers
- a sacred text, the original of which disappeared from the earth when an angel took it back to heaven. Oh and by the way, it contradicts what is taught in Mormonism today.
= children being allowed to go alone behind a closed door with a middle aged man who has no ecclesiastical or counselling training and the man is allowed to ask highly personal questions of the child without a parent present.
- that talking in a sweet, baby voice somehow denotes spirituality
- the teaching that righteous people prosper in the world and if you aren't prosperous, it's a sign you aren't as righteous.
- common household olive oil can receive a blessing that endows it with healing powers.
- where you marry is more important than who you marry
= that drinking coffee or tea or having an extra piercing or a tattoo are all sins.
= that the church can collect billions of dollars every year but no one is allowed to ask how it's spent
= that unquestioning obedience is somehow a virtue instead of a cop out.
- that it's not only OK but it's righteous to "fellowship" peoples' children, knowing those parents don't agree with your religious beliefs.
- that friendship is based on how well you jump through Mormon hoops, not based on real values.

I'm sure I'll think of more but that is it for now.

I see recovery as being able to identify these quirky attitudes because strangely many who leave still think of many of theses things as fairly normal and unavoidable.

Mormonism, along with the Amish, are the only two recognized subcultures in America. With the thousands of religions, why are these two the only "subcultures."

Mormons and Amish share ideas that are not shared by most Americans. For example, one value of American culture that Mormons violate but the Amish do not, is to go door to door proselyting. Americans do not like to be survey-phoned, or cold called at the front door because it is a privacy intrusion.

Mormons walk in the front door of ward members looking for them inside their own homes. No one does that in the regular culture.

Mormons do not respect privacy. Among themselves, they request personal financial documents to "prove" tithing is sufficient. This is way off.

Others have mentioned the lack of borders that the common society shares regarding allowing young children to speak with non-family men about sexual practices. No.

Mormons maintain a separate society within the American city where they live, including a quasi government which sometimes resolves civil disputes and sometimes not. Mormons are encouraged to bring civil disputes to the bishop. If it involves money, they will give a ruling. If it's just about one person fighting with another, they claim they don't get involved.

Mormons own property and businesses although they are a non-profit church. Most Americans think this is wrong.

Mormons advertise their charitable works and have a pR department. Most Americans think that is self-serving. We don't like our churches to brag.

Mormons shun, have dietary practices, clothing practices and marriage practices which contrast with the American society around them. They are proud of being a "peculiar" people--in fact, they have become pariahs because of their self-inflation and flat-out distortions of the truth.

You know, looking back, Cheryl, I think one of the turns in the road downward took place when Hinckley waffled on Mormon doctrine with millions of Mormons eagerly awaiting him to proclaim the restoration. It beats me why that's more important than the church's recovering the papyrii and finding out that Joseph Smith couldn't "translate" squat, but it may be that the church itself taught that the living prophet was the most important. Well, they saw first had that he was a tool, had no courage, was pandering to King, had no revelations not available to the average joe, and didn't even know (supposedly) what every Sunday School child knows about Mormon Doctrine.

How about choosing to "believe" what has been proven untrue as being a weird belief. And calling that "faith"? Wow.

Two more oddities: Condemning others before complimenting someone. Mormons are not aware that this practice does NOT enhance a compliment.

Believing that it's ok for a leader to say it is wrong to criticize a leader even if the criticism is valid. So Nazi.


Thanks for a fun thread.

Anagrammy

anagrammy -

There are literally dozens of subcultures within the US including groups based on styles of music (such as hip hop, or juggalos), sexual based subcultures (furries, being a fun example), to weird stuff like cosplayers or nudists. In fact, I would put Mormons as more typical "American" people than, say, the Goth subculture (especially the blood drinkers) and the trekkies...

Ok, so, I'm making fun of trekkies, so what :)

Certainly Mormons are significantly more mainstream than the Amish. Lots of incredibly boring, regular, everyday Americans have weird dietary practices as well.

However, I am very interested to see if there is any sort of official call to encourage Mormons to settle civil disputes with their ecclesiastical leaders. I've never heard of such a thing.

is being afraid of coffee.

I have never seen behavior like this in any public place outside Mormon churches. It appears very weird to nevermos.

Everybody saying pretty much the same things and CRYING in front of the congregation. That one really freaks out non-mos.

Callings--the bishop claims that GOD wants you to teach the 5-yr olds, or play the piano, so you can't say no.

Personal questions, gossip, and lack of boundaries--interviewers, VT, HT, and everybody in between thinks they have a right to know your personal business. They often feel free to share that with anyone else. And people sit there in meetings and discuss that stuff with an air of self-righteousness as if they are somehow "helping" the gossip victim by airing their personal business.

Crying... oh man, those are some bad memories. There is nothing more sobering than realizing you are the only person in a congregation who isn't sobbing and having a stabbing suspicion that everybody is faking it.