White Shirts Only

Ok. The theme continues about dumb ways that the LDS church controls its members. 

Something I never did as a member was wear a colored dress shirt. 

Because as everyone knows a dress shirt other than white is of the devil. Yes ladies and gentlemen, Satan instigated the "Coloured Dress Shirt". Imagine worshipping the Saviour (another Mormon term for Joseph Smith) in a teal or blue dress shirt!!  Or even *gasp* black. The thought of it makes me cringe. 

But believe it or not the LDS church frowns on coloured dress shirts. You would never see a general authority or anyone in leadership position in anything other than a white dress shirt (and boring tie). 

I never really understood why but for years I never bought or wore a dress shirt other than white. 

Now I hate white dress shirts. I have one on my closet in case I have to--well I don't really know why. I'm heading to my closet right now to throw it out. 

Forbidding coloured dress shirts was just another device to control its male members. 

Following is a list of things you were not allowed to wear:

Men:

Coloured dress shirts. 

Earrings (or any piercings)

Tattoos (if you were crazy enough to get one before you were baptized you either had to get rid of it or cover it up)

Go tieless

Long hair

Beard or moustache (if you wanted a serious calling)

Women:

Denim skirts

Multiple earrings

Tattoos

Slacks at church

Sleeveless blouses

There may be more but I can't remember any others at the moment. Now don't get me started on the ridiculous temple clothing. That's for another post. 

Image And Control

I was thinking the other day about when I was in the Morg (Mormon Organization) and about all the petty little things that I used to worry about. I was surfing the internet about the cult church (I do this every so often to see if it is still up and running) and I came across some articles about when Prez. Hinckley made an announcement some years ago about the youth and their clothing. I am paraphrasing here, but basically he said that young women were not to drape earrings up and down their earlobes but that one pair of earrings was sufficient. He went on to say that young men looked "ugly" with earrings and they were counselled (demanded) not to wear them at all. Now this doesn't strike me as odd, but the odd thing was that some young women (and older women) went right home after this announcement and took out their second (and third and fourth) piercings.They claimed to say that if the Lord commanded it then they would do it with no hesitation.

OK. So first of all, the Lord didn't command it, it was some old guy that said it. And there was a reason he said it and it had nothing to do with the Lord commanding it. The Lord doesn't care how many earrings you wear or if it's a boy or girl who's wearing them.

It's all about "Control".

Basically this is one more thing that the church rolled out--one more scheme that they unveiled to get control of people's lives. I wonder if before the session of conference where this was announced (the November 2001 session I believe) the brethren all sat around a table in the Salt Lake Temple? This is how the conversation could have gone:

President Hinckley said, "you know, we need something else to command the people. they don't have enough commandments to follow as it is. they are happier when they have a new commandment to follow. they are getting complacent and are soon going to start thinking for themselves and as we all know [insert chuckle] we can't have that happening. they might soon start to figure out this is all a pile of horseshit (oops sorry it just slipped out) and stop paying that valuable tithing money that we need so desperately. I need a new pair of shoes.

the other brethren hmmed and nodded. What can we command them? they all thought in unison.

 Then one of the 12, probably Jeff Holland or Hank Eyring said, it should have something to do with the youth, because if you have the youth following you like a bunch of lost sheep, then hopefully you will have them for life and once they start making Mormon babies and these babies grow up and make more Mormon babies, well all I can say is "kaching"! (so it was probably Eyring)

And make it something to do with those dreadful earrings, one of the other apostles said. Probably Packer. I really hate when I see anyone with earrings, especially on boys. I think boys wearing earrings is the dumbest fashion statement that's started in the last 100 years.

Well, if you single out the boys, you'll have to command the girls to do something or they'll feel left out. The boys already have the priesthood when they're 12, Monson remarks. The girls will grumble if they don't have a new commandment to go along with the boys.

How about we limit the number of earrings a girl wears, suggests L. Tom Perry. We can't tell them to stop wearing them altogether. That's pushing it. How about we limit girls to one earring per ear and completely ban any priesthood holder from wearing those dreadful things.
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Because we all know that wearing more than one earring is of the devil. they start wearing multiple earrings they might feel rebellious then they might start to want to hold the priesthood, Uchtdorf remarks.

Well they won't want the priesthood because we just banned the priesthood holders from wearing earrings so they would have to give up their earrings if they want the priesthood. and we all know that's not going to happen, Oaks pipes up. Sometimes Dieter you can be so thick. How did you get to be an apostle anyway. oh, right we needed a token European, I forgot, sorry.

Watch it, Oaks, Uchtdorf pipes up. The lord revealed to me that I will be in the first presidency before you. 

So the girls can keep the earrings, but a limited number, Nelson replies. We have to give them a limit so it sounds like it was a real revelation. And I agree with Packer, I know shocking (insert chuckle), but I think boys with earrings look really stupid. Even worse is older men. Imagine a 50 year old man with a goddamn earring (oops, that cuss word just slipped out) . Can you think of anything more ridiculous looking (everyone laughs)

Yeah, one of the newer apostles, Quentin Cook remarks. A 50 year old man with both ears pierced.(Everyone laughs a little louder) 

So there you have it, the reason for this "revelation". Control. All they want is total control of the members so anything they command, faithful Mormons will do without question. they have to come out with something every few years to make themselves relevant.

I'm waiting for the day they "reveal" that Gawd commanded everyone to double their tithing to 20%. some people will do it. They will not feed their families, or pay their rent or mortgage or any of their bills because now they can't possible afford it, but will pay the 20%. Gawd will provide. Only the super TBM's (true blue Mormons) will pay it, but damn will they ever feel superior. Mormons already feel superior to the general public, but among other church members they will feel almost high with giddiness that they are super TBM. they pay 20% tithing!!!

Once the church has control over your life, it's very hard to get out from under this control. This is why the LDS church is a cult. they control every aspect of your life so that you cease to think for yourself. The LDS church believes that the most dangerous thing in the world is someone who can think for themselves.

Three Years On

I realized over the past few weeks that it's been 3 years since I left the LDS church. It will be officially 3 years in Augus of this year, but it was around this time in 2012 that I composed my resignation letter to the Church, so in effect that is when I was out of the church.

there may be some people in the church who thought that I had made a mistake and that I would see the error of my ways and eventually return. This is not going to happen. I have never been more convinced that leaving the LDS church was the right thing to do. I went through all the stages from anger at the church to anger at myself, depression to eventual acceptance that I had made a mistake in joining and there was nothing I could do about it.

I guess the gist of this blog entry (I haven't made an entry for about 6 months) is that the church will always be a part of my life--there's nothing I can do to change it--but I have moved on. In 3 years I have finally realized the place the church will hold in my life. it will be part of my past and cannot be changed but I can leave it behind in the past.

Right now, I just wish that some people who are still in the church would see the light. but again, there is nothing that I can do to make this happen. any attempt to show them that the church is a fraud will fall on deaf ears because as members of the LDS church you are conditioned to ignore non members attempts to sway you away from the truth. They believe they have the full truth of the gospel and everyone else is wrong. this is part of their cult conditioning. Because we have to remember that the LDS church is a cult, and a very manipulating one at that. Any attempt from friends or others to "rescue" people from the cult won't work because members are conditioned to ignore the "help".

So I don't even try. There is no point, it just causes hurt feelings. For many people, especially older people, the church is all they have and it's their whole life. To take that away from them would be cruel, some would say. And I would agree. I guess really I don't want to take that "security blanket" away from them. They have to shed the blanket on their own, no matter how painful that would be. I just wish there was a way to convince them that the church is based on a lie (many lies actually) and that it is a fraud. (President Hinckley practically admitted this in a conference talk years ago, but most members miss it) Once that concept becomes "possible" in their field of vision, then they can start to move on and come to the realization that the church is not "true"and is based on lies.

So I do the only thing I can do. Just live my life and show others that I'm happy without the church (Many in the church think this is impossible). I personally think that the internet will be the church's downfall. I can see in the future the internet being a major focus of the church leaders, flooding it with false information to counteract the really true information that is becoming more and more readily available. But I do believe that the church will crumble. It has to. It's a fraud. it's growth is already slowing which is a good sign. it might take many generations, but the church will not survive forever. I can take some comfort in that.

New Bible

I purchased a new study bible, the ESV study bible. I saw it in the bookstore a while back and it looked really interesting. I needed a good bible and wanted a fresh start for my attempt at reading the New Testament. This new bible is full of good articles and study guides with introductions to each book with the background and who wrote it. There are maps and many other great features. It is the English Standard Version so it will be fairly easy to understand. The new church we are attending uses this version quite a lot. I'm looking forward to getting into reading the bible. Something I never did in the Morg. I read the B of M a few times but never the bible. 2015 is my year to accomplish that goal. 

My Journey Continues

I have come to the realization in the past few months that leaving the influence of the LDS church is not going to be easy. I thought that I could do it on my own, and that time would make it easier but my cult programming runs deeper than I realized. 

The group we belong to at the new church, "Life Group" asked us to answer a couple of seemingly simple questions for one of our bi-weekly meetings and I found when trying to answer I was using "mormon think" answers and realized at that moment how deeply programmed I was. We've asked the group leaders to help us starting in January with deprogramming from the Morg. Answering basic questions and setting us on the right path. 

Just another step on our journey out of the influence of the insidious cult known as the LDS church. 

My Life At The Moment

I think for the most part I've been able to leave the LDS church behind. I haven't posted on here for a while (since December) and I have definitely moved on. I've been attending another church, just down the street from the LDS church in Cambridge, the Forward Church. The family started going in January and my wife and I have been through an Alpha course and are already in a Life Group. Two former members of the LDS church, a couple that we knew when we were there, have kind of taken us under their wings and introduced us to this new church. So far, it's been interesting and fun, but we're not rushing into joining this church. Slow and easy. We may never join, I don't know at this point. We're slowing deprogramming from the Morg and that might take a while. No pressure, just enjoy the ride. And if we find that this is not the right church for us, then we won't go anymore. We'll try somewhere else. I've started reading a daily devotional and making notes in a journal and the journey has been interesting. I'm learning Portuguese and Spanish and I've grown a beard for the first time in my life. Life if fun and for once I don't have guilt. I am so over the LDS church, I don't even know why I'm mentioning it anymore. I won't mention it again. It's 2014 and I've finally moved on...

My Baptism 20th Anniversary

Last week, Thursday December 12, 2013 marked the 20th annivesary of my baptism into the Cult Church of Jesus Christ of LDS. And I'm moving on. Finally. I was going to write a book about my experiences and how I left the MORG, but you want to know something? I don't care about any of it. I am so done with the church. I'm finished. It's been a year since I resigned and I am finally done with all of it. Done with the PostMormon site, done with googling the church to find out the latest scandal, done with any kind of thought or reflection about my almost 20 years in the cult. As Christmas is upon us and the celebrations that come with it, I no longer have any ties to the church at all and I have no desire to hash it out why I left, or what led me to finally resign. Frankly, I could care less about the church or the reasons why I was a member and why I left. OK, so you're saying, "give it to us straight, are you really leaving it all behind?" And the answer is a resounding "YES!" Farewell, goodbye, THE END...