Wednesday, March 01, 2006

I've Cancelled my Mormon Prescription

A few year ago I discovered during a routine medical check up that I had elevated cholesterol. The doctor prescribed one 10 mg of Lipitor on a daily basis along with diet and exercise to bring my reading back within an acceptable level. With the medication, proper diet and daily exercise, my cholesterol quickly dropped to a reading of about 130. Anything under 190 is considered good.

Since I take a pill each morning, I need a steady supply, so I buy my prescription in 3 months refills. 2 weeks ago I sent in my refill request as I was getting low on pills. This morning as part of my daily routine, I brushed my teeth, shaved, then reached over to get my pill. Sitting next to my bottle of pills was another similar looking pill bottle. Not having put my glasses on, I just assumed that my refill had arrived and that my wife had placed it alongside my other pill bottle. I didn’t even give it a second thought as I took a pill from the new bottle and swallowed.

I didn’t need to read the new pill bottle, I KNEW that it was my refill. There was neither doubt nor reason to question my assumption. Only after I had showered, dressed and put on my eyeglasses did I notice a slight difference in the shape of the two bottles. An alarm went off in my head. Upon further examination I discovered to my horror that I had ingested one of my wife’s medications, which she assured me should have no effect on a guy. Whew!

Through out my life I was so sure that Mormonism was all that it claimed to be. I was so sure, that I refrained from even subjecting the faith of my birth to a critical examination. Then I started to pick up on some anomalies. First, during my mission then later through out my life, I’d hear of some bizarre historical events that didn’t seem to fit into my picture of the church that I had been raised in. Things just didn’t add up. Alarms started to go off. Cognitive Dissonance set in. I knew that I needed to subject my faith to an examination. I started using critical eyes and began scrutinizing Mormonisms claims. To my horror, I discovered that the church of my birth had failed to disclose all of the important pertinent information necessary to make an informed honest decision. I had been lied to, misinformed and given false information. But unlike my wife’s pills... this lack of disclosure was not innocuous...it had serious side effects. As a result I've cancelled my Mormon prescription.

4 comments:

Sideon said...

That's a lesson on always reading the fine print.

Thank gawd it wasn't Levitra or Viagra! :)

La said...

I'm so glad you're back!

I think it would've been fun if the pill was a percocet or something. Dammit....

Anonymous said...

Hey gus, I'm all for mormon bashing, but this analogy sucks.

Sideon, why the hell would his wife be taking Viagra?

Regaton, you missed the point completely. I don't think Craig wanted to discuss his medical condition. He was trying to make a point, albiet not very well.

Anonymous said...

You have been given extraordinary blessings in your life and you have tossed them in the garbage so that you could entertain current and future addictions. I'm sure the pioneers would be thrilled to know they gave their lives for someone like you. Get real. You can't ultimately-scientifically-"prove" anything that is spiritual. That's why they call it "faith" brother. Some things you learn with your eyes, others with your spirit. And you absolutely know, by the spirit, when you have crossed the line. And you've not only crossed it-your way into enemy territory. It's people like you that are keeping the adversary in business. Come back from the dark side Darth.