Early in my discovery of the foundational lies Mormonism is built upon, I remember struggling to wrap my brain around the new concept that the church was not true. This alternative world view was as unbelievable to me as if I had witnessed the Sun rising in the West. I remember many dark and depressing weeks as my mind tried to deny the undeniable and make the adjustment to this new reality…what many of us refer to as the “Matrix Effect”, the act of wakening from a false reality. During this difficult and painful time…I kept fighting my birth to non-belief. I would come to a decision then go back and reexamine my conclusions…I never wanted the Church to NOT be true.
During one of my many attempts at re-examining Mormon truth claims…I read a post (on another board) from Tal Bachman. In his post, Tal made, what for me was a very crystal clear statement ... that sent shivers down my spine. He stated, “The church is NOT what it claims to be…” . Even today I don’t know why this statement affected me as it did, but those 9 simple words were like a catalyst in my mind. It took my fussy blurry world into sharp focus. I had been struggling to accept that the “Church was NOT True”…but by merely viewing the Church as NOT what it claimed to be…everything became perfectly clear. Why this made any difference for me I do not know. I even sent Tal an email asking him to explain what exactly he meant by saying that the church is not what it claims to be…his reply was something like…”ah dude, what exactly don’t you understand? (probably thinking...you dumb ass) The church makes many claims about being the only true church on the face of the earth, on having living prophet that speak directly with God, that they have another witness of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon, ect ect ect…they are NOT what they claim to be…get it?
The light bulb in my mind turned on…and the darkness of my recurring conflicts disappeared… I moved from struggling doubter…to skeptical thinker… almost in an instant…yeah I got it.
The church is NOT what it claims to be…became the most powerful of power statements in my journey out of the grips of Mormonism. It truly set my mind free…
8 comments:
I think it is difficult for everyone to get to the point where 1+1=2. People who have been in the Church for a long time have so much invested in the Church being True. When we discover proof that it is not what it claims to be, as you discussed, it is difficult to continue believing the same way we did before.
Of course, this problem goes away when you realize the Church is not the only True church on the face of the earth. Then it is easy to accept the problems with the Church as man-made problems caused by people trying to interpret God's will (even though communication with God, if he/she/it exists, may only be uni-directional).
My wife is now in the same position of not knowing what to think about the Church after learning more facts about its history. The other day, after a discussion of Joseph's polygamy, anti-banking, and being annointed as King of the World, she said, "I just can't believe that Joseph is both a prophet and that he did all those things." I said, "Well, all of those other things things are documented facts." And I just left it at that, leaving the obvious implication unstated. She didn't know where to go from there. I think that next step is the most difficult.
I begin to have hope for my daughter when I read about your journey. I must continue to believe that one day she will hear or read the "magic words" and finally "get it."
I am just beginning my search on the many fallibilities of Mormonism. The only one I needed up until now was this scripture, that appears at the very end of the bible: “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book.” Revelation 22:18 Now, as I research further, I am far more fascinated than ever before. I am blown away by this “religion.”
Kayde,
If you're suggesting that Revelation 22:18 should be taken literally...then you are truely screwed. The same exact verse is also added to the end of Dueteronomy. Any religion that takes the Bible literally should be abandoned. The Bible is good at providing some fun stories, purhaps a moral compass, but taken literally on any level...is to consign your mind to the inside of a box.
I felt the same pain a few years back...I was raised Mormon and served a 2 year mission in France.
Ironically when I was transferred to western NY where the church was "reorganized" I began to study the church with my blinders removed.
The day I realized it wasnt what it claimed to be shot me back to the day I found out as a child that ther is no Santa Clause.
I wanted to sit there and cry (but didnt) I was hurt deeper than I can ever recall being hurt.
It isnt easy telling yoursel you have been living a lie for three decades.
churchconfusion.blogspot.com
Just because mormonism is a pack of lies doesn't mean the bible is. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.
Here's some food for thought!
http://www.lds-mormon.com/veilworker/recommend.shtml
#10 Do you Keep the Word of Wisdom?
NO MORMON keeps the Word of Wisdom! Read it! I'll paraphrase straight from D&C 89:
First off, it says in verse 2 "To be sent in Greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation...
No drinking wine or strong drink, "only except in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him." verse 5
strong drinks are for washing your body. tobacco is not for your body or belly, only for bruises and sick cattle. No hot drinks. (Doesn't say coffee, says HOT DRINKS. I guess hot chocolate and herbal tea are out too. Does that make ice tea okay?)
Herbs and fruits are for every season to be used with prudence. Animals and birds are to be used sparingly... "should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine."
Grain is for man and beasts... wheat for man, corn for the ox, oats for the horse, rye for the fowls and swine, barley for all useful animals and mild drinks.
**************
So basically humans should not be eating corn, oats, rye, barley, hot drinks, wine (except for the sacrament), or meat (except in winter), or tobacco.
Then why does the church only care about coffee and alcohol and tobacco? Every member shouldn't be able to answer YES to question #10 because every member I know eats corn, oats, rye, barley, hot chocolate, and meat.
Your thoughts? This would make a good blog post discussion.
That is the only conclusion one can come up with when someone takes an honest look at all the facts, there are certain paradoxes where the only way to intellectually defend some of the claims made by the church is to discredit many many teachings and statements made by the church leaders.
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