No...I understood your meaning. I appreciate a realistic perspective. I'm not going to be bullied anymore. I've had enough of it.
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It's been 24 years, so everything you said is right on. I don't think it does either of us any good to separate if we can somehow reconcile my lack of belief with her belief (I'm doubtful) This will be new territory for the both of us.
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Excellent advice. Generally I try to be a very conscientious husband. I need to be even more conscientious.
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I have 5 kids....3 still in HS...another 3 years or so.
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I don't know....the church has evolved to be pretty repressive about sex. They don't want to talk about it except as a problem (porn / masturbation, pre-marital, etc.). If Joseph were alive today he'd probably be like..."hey dudes, lighten up...and while you're at it...pass me another virgin." Even within the context of marriage it's only referred to in hushed tones. What you do i
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Just print it off of the site - you don't have to go to church. Unless you're audited you'll never need them, but keep them if you're deducting those contributions.
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I'm married to an ultra-TBM. I've been very quiet about my doubts up to this point. She knows I'm struggling but has been quiet about it because I've continued to attend church and go through the motions. I've reached a point, however, where I'm tired of pretending and wasting time doing things I really don't want to do. When I make a move to change the status quo, she won't be quiet abou
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I'm in a very similar situation. My wife is TBM on steroids and I'm going through the motions to avoid impacting my kids while they are still in high school. Late last year, though, I guess I got fed up. One afternoon I fired off emails to my high counselor to ask to be released from my calling as Stake Sunday School President. I also sent one to my HP group leader and HT companion that I w
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Amen to what you said. It may not be a term that gets used much, but fear is at the core of how the church maintains control. It's mostly fear of loss and it generally starts with: "If you don't do X" and ends with any of the following... "you'll lose your family" "you'll be stuck in a place where your progress will stop." "you'll lose your financ
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There were a couple of mentions....but nothing too crazy. There was a cute little girl (4-5 yo) who gave her testimony, She gave the standard "I want to bear my testimony and I know the church is true." Then said some other things - but what I noticed was that she repeated the line "I know the church is true." 4 or 5 more times. Brainwashing on display.
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My father in law is a patriarch and I've talked to him a little about it. Lineage - he was told that lineage should be Ephraim or Manasseh unless they felt very strongly that it should be one of the other tribes. I guess they're allowed to racially profile to get the Manasseh label (i.e. do they look like a lamanite?) My wife insisted that he do the patriarchal blessings for some of my kid
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I administer the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator from time to time at work. Not for hiring decisions, but for group work and individual coaching. Some employers do make it part of their hiring package but it can be challenged in court, so most are leary about it. Given how variable people are in their expression of various traits, it can be hard to claim that it can predict what will actually hap
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When you’re dealing with people so entrenched in the delusion, it really is a no win. I would consider myself and kids fortunate that there was so much distance and lack of contact. Feeling hurt that you’re being ignored is normal but think about all you’re being spared as well. My in laws are creepy and they’re not even aware I’m on my way out of the church yet. He’s a patri
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They're all waiting for fast and testimony meeting this Sunday....I'm dreading it. Lots of tears and then there will be the follow on "I know..." garbage related to the new guy. I've watched Monson since I was a kid and I thought he told fun stories when he spoke at conference. But I'll be the last one to intimate that I knew the man. And I don't grieve for him any more than I wou
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Thanks for putting all this down. The experience says a lot more about them than it does about you (though I do admire your courage in sticking to your convictions). If you really think about it, their efforts are not designed to help you at all, but rather to help themselves feel better within a pretty screwy context. Kinda selfish, actually. BTW....I always hated "family conferen
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The Mormon construct excluding actual population statistics is a good point. But, even if you were to accept a much smaller total historical population, the flashing red BS meter should still indicate a problem with the logic.
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The video suggests that the busyness of missionary work in the spirit world distracts dead members from the fact that they are in Hell. I don't buy the whole "because you don't believe in my version of the myth, you're going to be in torturous Hell." I don't buy the myth at all. My point was that doing hometeaching 24/7 would suck! It's bad enough once a month. For some it m
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Think about it....missionary work in the spirit world. Sounds like endless hometeaching to me (aka - HELL)
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I think it's interesting that church members treat these leaders like many treat celebrities. They think they know them and in some ways are associated with them more intimately than the strangers they are. Even to the point of feeling a need to defend them for some reason. I'm not one to speak ill of the dead....so I won't. However I will tell the truth: I didn't know the man and as
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Inside I was very happy, but at the time I would never have shown it to anyone as that's not supposed to be how you feel. (Isn't that sad?) I'm very introverted and have some anxiety around people I don't know, so you can imagine that acting like a salesman, cold calling people in a language that was not my own put me in an incredibly uncomfortable place for two years. Relief is the best w
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I've really enjoyed lurking around for a while and thought I'd contribute some thoughts and questions. I'm still in the church but have been heading toward the exit mentally and emotionally for a while. It will surely end my marriage and I really don't want that to impact my kids right now, so I'm in for the time being. But anyway....I've been thinking about the "Plan of Salvation".
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n/t
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