Diversión = fun, diversión, or amusement per Google translate. We can’t foster that attitude one per week, can we?
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Oregon beaches in May though - the ocean is cold and the air temp was in the 60s so folks are fairly well covered up. I almost didn’t notice the missionaries I passed if they hadn’t greeted me and pitched their invitation to attend church. In contrast, my last mission area in Argentina was by a popular beach, where tourists didn’t wear much at all. In the summer, missionaries would put u
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It was a crowded day at the beach on Saturday, May 24th. I really wasn’t paying attention but two young missionaries passed me in dressy but casual clothing with their name tags. They said, we’re invited people to church tomorrow. I said LOL, “No thanks. I’ve done that before. I’m a former Mormon.” What would you have said? Do you think I should have walked their way and asked them an
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A post Mo friend’s mission was in the late 60s. He said they called their day off preparation day? What was it called previously and why the change?
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Two really good things come to mind: 1. Spending 21 months in Argentina (1975-1977), although I would have much preferred a study abroad or volunteer experience with the Peace Corps in Latin America. 2. Meeting my wife-to-be at BYU in 1977 and spending spending 45 years together. I would do it all again, if only we had done a longer engagement so that she could finish her senior year at un
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I mailed my resignation to Member Records 20 years ago. In 2004, it took about 8 weeks to get the official confirmation letter. When I left, my wife asked why I couldn’t just pretend to believe; I told her I didn’t want to be counted as a member of a church I didn’t believe in. Within four years, we moved into a new neighborhood and she became inactive, although she still listened to gen
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What one thing about Mormonism broke you? - This is a current topic on Reddit r/exmormon. Joseph Smith’s polygamy was my one thing; however, it was a concurrent issue along with blood atonement and Mountain Meadows massacre that took me down the rabbit hole and demolished my belief within two months. I first heard about these issues on an NPR broadcast at the end of July 2003 (The Meado
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Someone in our local PostMo group grew up in Huntsville, David O McKay’s birthplace, and relates that they were told Ogden Valley was to be translated as Enoch, lol. So I’d forgotten this related bit of Mormon lore. Wasn’t the city of Enoch supposed to return to the Earth in preparation for or as part of the Second Coming? Where indeed does a translated city go and what would be its p
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messygoop Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I got the last word in before the final bell rang- > I'm not going to Missouri, and neither is the > bishop. > > I was told that I needed to apologize the > following week. I think I skipped church. LOL, MG, that’s the best laugh I’ve had today ;)
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Regarding what our seminary teacher said, I wish I knew specifically who the GA was and the name of the stake and year. This topic is bringing back a lot of bizarre teachings and faith-promoting rumors, like the “three Nephites” helping people stranded on a deserted highway or young missionaries dusting off their feet for a village rejecting their gospel message, thereby punishing them with s
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For a little perspective, I grew up in Southern California and my seminary years were 1970-1974. Here are some weird things we were taught as teens in the 1970s: Our seminary teacher told us that his former stake in Alaska was set apart to assist in the return of the “lost tribes.” Also, they used to tell us that we would be the church leaders when Christ returned (mid 40-year-olds) and th
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n/t
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Wore a suit to one of my grandchildren’s wedding yesterday; one of the very few times I’ve worn a suit since resigning in October 2004. The venue was at the Old Post Office in Ogden. I was reflecting on the beauty, fun, and inclusion of their marriage vs. the sterile, stodgy, and dull Masonic cosplay rituals less than a mile away. To think I used to pay 10% of my income and give up Sundays an
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I actually mailed in my resignation the day before the 2004 conference. Later that evening, I met two RfM members IRL for the first time in Ogden. After that, we used to eat regularly at an Italian Restaurant on 25th Streen in October. Such good people. We had the same last name, which brought us together. That's why I changed my RfM name to Cousin Exmo or CuzX. Sadly, they passed away in 2022 &a
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Don, I’m so sorry. You had such a rough childhood in TSCC, at school, and at home. My dad converted when I was 15 so he was 42. I’m fortunate that church didn’t define our relationship. He was always a good provider and father figure. He was the one active family member who sincerely listened to my issues, understood, and supported my decision to resign at 44 years of age. In fact, he told
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At the end of summer 2003, I was driving home from SLC and tuned into an NPR interview with Sally Denton on her book, American Massacre. At some point, they included comments and questions. Someone mentioned Brigham Young and blood atonement. Another caller interjected information, also new to me, about Joseph Smith’s polygamy. That got the ball rolling. Got on the Internet and was overwhelmed
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elderolddog Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Can you imagine the gradeur of watching a line of > 15 midget cars carring the General Authorities > onto the stage of the Spacious Building that is > the Conference Center? > Thankyou for the second round of loud laughter today, EOD. My first LOLs were thanks to Tim Minchin on YouTube.
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Wow! I like that interview! For TS/SCI clearance in SIGINT (Signals Intelligence), we got quite the grilling, had a lie detector test, and an extensive background check.
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My mission president called me “Pibito” or “kid” in at least one interview. He was a hugger too. That seemed odd the first time he did it but his personality grew on you. He was definitely one of the most caring, authentic leaders I ever met in TSSC, Juan Carlos Avila. Cuz X
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The best thing about my mission in Argentina Buenos Aires South is that it instilled the desire to learn more languages and to engage with a wide variety of people. That turned out to be a key part of my career in education. If I could do my life over again, I would choose the same path except that I would learn another language through study abroad initially. Also, I really admire those young
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Summer, more than a few soldiers were quite the party animals during their off duty time. Because of FB, many of us reconnected and they are truly some of my favorite people. Back when we had exmormon conferences in SLC, I met several folks IRL from RfM. They too are excellent people. We definitely share a bond in having lived through TSCC or similar experiences for a time and escaped its inf
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I will check out “The Winds of War.” Thank you for that. I often think of you when I’m passing through between Orange County and LA. I hope all is well with you. Thank you for sharing your Thanksgiving story on another post. Mine was pretty mellow as I only had dinner with one daughter and one grandson this year. They were the best company though. Cuz X
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My SIL wasn’t a missionary but he became an Arabic linguist, based in the needs of the Army, and served in Iraq from ‘06 to the beginning of ‘08. So much respect for him. He figured out TSCC was nonsense as a teenager and, once an adult, never went back. Lucky for my daughter, they met in ‘09 and got married, raising each other’s stepchildren outside of the Mormon church. They are very
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Wow, Cludgie, 43 years. That’s amazing. Thank you for your insight and your service. Cuz X
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This is how I answered my daughter though: No, I don’t think so. TSCC just wants to inculcate its youth into thinking that they’re special, that it’s the one true church, and establish a pattern of pray, pay, and obey . The worst thing, IMO, is getting them to commit to an early marriage before their education is complete or their career is established.
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https://www.instagram.com/reel/Czo9qgTRLz6/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== My daughter sent me this reel from Insta this morning. I never had anybody accuse me of being CIA on my mission; it was inferred jokingly once or twice between companions. Because of language training, there are more than a few that become linguists in the military. Oddly enough, I only met one other in my local ward in Pa
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It's odd, in retrospect, that it took so long for me to discard the garmies and opt for regular underwear. You'd think that would be one of first things to go after one's shelf breaks.
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We were on our first vacation after I was mentally out but two months before I had resigned. I needed some new undies (hadn't packed enough) and they don't sell them at the ABC tourist stores in Waikiki. I finally broke down and asked a passerby about nearby clothing stores. It sounded like she said "Meshies." She was telling me Macy's. LOL!
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One thing that strikes me in Steve's personal history is how quickly RM's get married and start a family, which parallels my own life experience. In hindsight, I wish our courtship and engagement phases were longer and that she had finished her senior year at BYU without the trauma of morning sickness in her final semester.
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Reddit r/ExMormon My reply to "Tell me you grew up in a cult without telling me you grew up in a cult" on 4/29/2023: Just remember to give equal time to the scriptures. – My former bishop at tithing settlement about four months into my deconstruction of church doctrine and history and 10 months before I resigned It's OK to have doubts but if you ever teach anyone about them
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