A Good Place To Raise A Family

One of the comments that a leader made to a person who was investigating the history of the church and how it doesn't line up with the church history books, was that in spite of those claims, the church was still a good place to raise a family.

Well, I beg to differ.

I understand why the leader would say that. On the surface, the LDS church would be a good place to raise a family. From a young age you are put into a primary program that monitors you and you attend Sunday school and church with your family.

But based on moral grounds. Uh-uh.

On the surface, the LDS church looks like it a morally run organization and many members still believe that it is.

But I disagree on the grounds that the church is LYING to its members. This is the fundamental reason why this is not a good place to raise a family. 

2019 - 7 Years and Counting and Not Looking Back

I'm back.

I've been away from this blog for a while and I think it's time to revisit and see how all my readers are doing.

I've been out of the LDS church now for almost 7 years. And I have suffered no ill effects from this withdrawal from the M"org". As far as the church is concerned, I don't really care about it anymore at all. This is in my past and I no longer think about the church on a daily basis. Or even a monthly basis.

And I don't miss it, not one bit. Some days I look back and wonder how did I ever survive in that cult. It took a lot from me—my time was a big one. This is something I will never get back, and that's OK.

This is a life journey that we're on and things happen—good and bad. Being a member of the LDS church wasn't all bad. I have some good memories with friends that I made while attending, but the church is not your life and that's what the LDS church wanted you to think. That everything you do is tied to the church—every decision you make, it's all connected. 

Whether the church thrives or crumbles, I don't really care. There is only 1 thing that I wish regarding the church, is that investigators know what they are getting into when they join. If the church leaders were up front and honest and let people know what the church is about, then if you still want to join, go right ahead. I won't dissuade you. If it's your decision, then that's OK. 

I can't make the decision for you.

2017-Five Years Out Of The Church

2017 marks the 5 year anniversary of my leaving the LDS church. Not much has changed in the past few years. I have moved on from the church and though I won't forget the church, I need to put it in the past and move on.

One thing that I thought about was that though the LDS church took a lot from me, it didn't take everything.

It took my time and a lot of energy that could have been spent in other areas of my life. All those meetings and home teaching assignments and preparing for lessons took a lot of my spare time.
I was reflecting the other day how one Sunday, I don't remember when, I had church for 3 hours, then in the afternoon I went home teaching for a few hours. Back home to eat supper, then I was gone to a general priesthood meeting.

I was gone all day. My wife was not impressed. And I was exhausted.

One thing the LDS church didn't take from me is my belief in God and in Jesus Christ. I am still a Christian and though I might be confused about a lot of things, I'm not confused about that.

And I'm very thankful for that. the LDS church may have beat me down, but I'm not out yet.

God Was Once A Man?

Ok, so I was reading in the ESV Study bible under a special section in the back of the book under "cults" and you can guess which "church" was listed first on this list. You got it. the LDS church.

the first point in the article on what mormon's believe that is different from Christianity, is that God was once a man. Mormon's believe that God was once a man and progressed to deity.

OK. What?

This is just about the dumbest, stupidest things I have ever heard. in regards to religious beliefs and I've heard some pretty dumb and stupid things.

I don't remember this teaching in the church that I was a part of for 18 years. It seems back in the 1840's, Joseph's Myth taught this principle to his sheep. and apparently they bought it. And believed it.

Ah, no, Mr. s'Myth. God was not once a man. He has always been God.
Where did you come up with such a ridiculous theory.

Back in the 1990's, LDS Church president Gord Hinckley was apparently asked this question--whether mormon's believed it.

This is a quote from a 1997 Time magazine article:
On whether the LDS Church holds that, "God the Father was once a man, he sounded uncertain, ‘I don’t know that we teach it. I don’t know that we emphasize it ... I understand the philosophical background behind it, but I don’t know a lot about it, and I don’t think others know a lot about it,’" Hinckley told Time.

This is the prophet of the church saying that he doesn't "think" that we emphasize it and that he doesn't know a lot about it.

I thought the prophet was God's mouthpiece. Maybe he should have set up a conference call with God to find out whether this was true or not.

This teaching was not widely taught in church after this time as I don't remember it being taught in my ward Sunday School or Priesthood class. I asked the question on another forum and many people remember it plainly being taught in their wards, but not so much as it was downplayed after Hinckley's interview with Time Magazine.

So there you have another ridiculous teaching of the mormon church that people just accepted as truth but it is a load of crap.

How could God be once a man? It plainly teaches in the Bible that God is unchanging. He didn't progress to that state. He has always been God.

Special Time Of The Year

In a few days a very important birthday will be celebrated in the LDS church

It's the end of December which means the birth of a very important man is approaching. 

That's right. Joseph Smith born December 23, 1805. 

You thought I was talking about the other important person whose birth the rest of the Christian world celebrates two days later. 

Ok I'm being a little facetious. But the LDS church members obsession with this man who perpetuated one of the biggest religious frauds in history is quite simply amazing. 

I'm not going to ramble on but suffice it to say that this is the most wonderful time of the year because we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. 

This is what Christmas is all about. 

There's only one persons birth I'll be celebrating the end of December his year

That's right. Jesus Christ. The Saviour of the world. 

Mormon Underwear

Did you know that most devout mormons have their own type of underwear. You're thinking "What? what do you mean they wear underwear dictated by the church leaders?

Yes, it's true. If you are a member of the the LDS church and you have been to the temple then you must wear special underwear. The LDS call them "garments" but what they really are is very uncomfortable. The last time I had to buy mormon underwear was August 2010, probably the hottest August in the last 100 years. My wife and I went to the beehive centre at the Toronto Temple (in Brampton, ON) and bought some mormon underwear. it was stifling hot that day but we were determined to wear them like the good little mormons that we were. We had recently gotten our temple recommends earlier that summer, and were really gung-ho about about the church. After many years of ups and downs we were finally on the path back to full activity. Our son had recently turned 8 and was baptized a few months prior so everything was looking good.

But this damn underwear was so bloody uncomfortable. We put on our new attire and strolled the temple grounds and were sweating profusely. We took a few pictures of the pretty flowers and the fountain around the back of the temple. But we were dying of the heat and the underwear really chafed.

Now, you might be thinking: "why do you have to have special underwear?" and my answer is that this is another one of the LDS church's inane ways to control it's members. It's not enough to demand that men wear white shirts and ties to church and that women wear dresses that are not sleeveless, but they had to dictate you had to purchase and wear special underwear.

They claim the underwear protects you from harm. Really?  How can underwear protect you from harm?  They claim that if you are in a fiery car crash that you won't get burned where your underwear is. I wonder how many burn victims have tested this theory?  I'm willing to bet a few. 

Needless to say. Along with shirt color, jewelry choices, sleeve length and shorts length, drink choices, Sunday afternoon and Monday evening activity choices, oh the list is endless, the mormon church even dictates underwear choices. 

To the members of the church, can you not see how much the church controls your life?  You have to see it. For a church that claims you have free agency to choose, you certainly don't get to choose very much in your life. 

I'm going to go now. I have some colored striped underwear to put on. 

I just hope I don't get into a fiery car crash today.... 

No Apologies

A few months ago I posted about image and control in the LDS church and as I reread the post I felt a little bad for any of my Facebook friends who are still members of the church. If any of them read it they may have been a little angry with me as it seemed I was making fun of the current leaders of the church who the LDS hold in high regard.

It was meant as humour, but I can see that it was a little mean and I should have been more tolerant of the LDS church members feelings.

But I make no apologies for the content of that post. It is my opinion that the LDS leadership are leading the members of the church astray. I believe that the LDS church is a dangerous cult that seriously manipulates it members. I really do feel that they have all these rules and commandments not to help members but only to control their lives.

I can sympathize with the members because I was one for 19 years. I know that they are taught that any commandment that is given is from Heavenly Father and is for their benefit, but really does God care about how many earrings a woman has? Or that a guy wears earrings? Or that guys wear white shirts to church? Or that a woman wear slacks to church? Or that anyone has a beer or a glass of wine once in a while.  Deep down, DOES HE REALLY CARE ABOUT THOSE THINGS??

No, I don't think so. I think Heavenly Father (God) cares about what is in a person's heart. One Sunday back in August I wore a black shirt and shorts to church. There was a band on stage with a drummer (my new friend Peter), keyboards, electric guitar and acoustic guitar, And guess what we were singing about? And every Sunday since then?

JESUS CHRIST.

That is all we ever sing about at church. We don't sing about prophets past or present. We don't sing songs about how great Joseph Smith  the alleged prophet was. We sing about Jesus Christ.

And this is what a Christian church should sing about. And preach about. And talk about in Bible Study groups. Jesus Christ.

The LDS church claims it is the restored gospel, Jesus Christ's own church. But they don't talk enough about this man called Christ. This is why we are called Christians. We worship Christ. And only him.

And we can be wearing a coloured shirt when we are doing it. And an earring or two if we want. And women can wear *gasp* slacks and a t-shirt. Everyone can wear jeans or they can dress up if they wish. Or they can wear shorts. What matters most is that you are worshiping Christ together.

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.
.
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...

First Missionary Discussion Anniversary 20 Years

Tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of my first discussion with the missionaries. On November 24, 1993 I opened my apartment door to two well scrubbed missionaries. I invited them in and they ended up giving me the first discussion that night. This is back in the day of the 6 discussions and you received a pamphlet after each discussion that kind of recapped everything that you were taught. I took these lessons very seriously. I read the pamphlets and studied the scripture references and "pondered and prayed" like we were asked to do. I liked what I learned. It all made sense to me. Everything seemed to fit together and was logical. I especially remember the Elders showing me the picture of Joseph Smith kneeling in the grove and seeing God the Father and Jesus Christ. It was wonderful! I believed it really happened. I was sure it happened. It was beautiful. Imagine a young farm boy seeing God and the Saviour! It was a miracle. Too bad that young boy turned into a manipulator, egomaniac and sexual predator when he got older. And started a church based on lies and deceit. Too bad he led a church that continues to lie and deceive its members with false doctrine and made up stories of it's history. I had no idea of this when the discussions were taking place. I often think back to those days and how different my life would be if I had declined the missionaries invitation to be baptized, which I was on Sunday December 12, 1993. I wouldn't have met my wife and have had a beautiful son, now 11. Basically I don't think I would have a family. I would be lonely and almost 50 years old. (I was 28 when I joined the church, I am now 48 and left the church in 2012) So being a member wasn't a complete waste of time and for that I can be thankful. J.T.

Moving On

It's been well over a year now since I left the LDS church and I am finally ready to leave it behind. I think I will still continue to post on here because if only one person reads this blog and comes to the realization that the LDS church is a fraud then I will be happy. The very nature of cults (and the LDS church is most definitely included) is that the members don't want to hear you when you try to tell them the truth. I know this because I was in that position not too many years ago. If someone wanted to sway me away from the church I would just ignore them. And convince myself that it was the adversary (Satan) who was influencing them. As that is what you are taught to do in the LDS church. They are convinced that anyone talking badly against the church is influenced by Satan and should be avoided. (I'm not making this up!) Well. I hope someone who feels lost and confused stumbles on this blog and gives it a read. I don't want to take away your faith in God or anything else. I do this truly out of love and concern. I have been freed from a dangerous religious cult and want to help others to do the same. My journey has been a long one and it continues... I posted recently that I'm waiting for the church to crumble. If it does, I will be watching from a distance. It would be too emotionally draining to be an active witness to the church's demise. Like I said, I will continue to post my thoughts on here to help people not get involved in a dangerous cult that is the LDS church. Take care, J.T.

Waiting On The Sidelines

Hey everyone who reads my blog, I feel that lately I've been waiting. Waiting for something. Something to happen. And I know something will happen, something big. I just don't know when it will happen. But it will happen. The LDS cult church will crumble. Maybe not in my lifetime. But it will happen. There is a tipping point, when more members of the church will think it's all bullshit and pack it in. And then where would the church be without all that tithing money **gnaws on knuckles** Well they have billions of $$ in investments, so they could survive for a few years. Heck, they only give general authorities $1 million when they become a general authority, so unless there's a sudden rash of deaths among the top 15 then they should be good for a while. I don't know, though, some of those old geezers must have one foot in the grave. Oh, the miracle of stage makeup. anyway, this post is getting kind of bitter so I'll end it here. But I'm waiting on the sidelines for something to happen. The church will eventually crumble. It's only a matter of when. take care, J.T.

I Just Can't Leave The Church Alone

I just can't do it. I've tried and tried over the last year and a half, but I just can't leave the church alone. I desperately want to, though. I'm no longer a member and don't live anywhere near Utah. None of my family is a member. I don't live near a chapel and none of my friends are members. But I find myself checking out the Postmormon site frequently. I don't know why I can't just leave it alone. It's like a drug. Why can I not just leave it alone? I think because it was such a big part of my life for so many years. I often wonder why I joined the church back in late 1993--yes 20 years ago. I think it was that it filled a void in my life. One I didn't know I needed filling. It gave me self confidence and made me feel important. But I don't need it anymore. It was all based on lies and deception. And that hurt me pretty badly, but you know what? I'm over that. It was my decision to join, no one was holding a gun to my head. But I can't blame myself anymore. It's over. But it won't be really out of my life for probably a few years. A few weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon, I went to the grocery store to get a few things for dinner. On the way home an old friend from the local ward stopped his car and he and his companion got out and started talking to me on the side of the road. I haven't seen this man since I left the church early last year. He said he saw me walking and wanted to see how I was. I said things were fine. But the whole time we were talking I felt slightly embarassed I had a shopping bag in my hand. I shouldn't feel like that. I'm not a member of the church anymore. Those "rules" don't apply to me anymore. There's nothing wrong with shopping on Sunday (a BIG Mormom no-no is Sunday Shopping). But I felt embarassed nonetheless. Those are the kinds of things that will take a while for me to get over. Take care, J.T.

The LDS (cult) Church

Not much to report this month. Even though in my last post I mentioned that I was going to distance myself from the PostMormon site for a while that really hasn't happened. I don't go on there too much, just to see if there are any new developments. I'm afraid of missing some major development in the demise of the LDS cult church. I'm more convinced every day that the LDS church is a cult. The degree of manipulation of it's members is staggering. The church invades so many aspects of it's members lives in a negative way. The aspect of guilt is worth a post all it's own (I did do a post about guilt last year). So many stories on the postmormon site are about people who have been shunned and attacked by family members when they tell them they're leaving the church. Many are too scared to tell their families. These people are adults and should be able to make their own decisions, but they fear they will lose too much if they "come out" to their families that they no longer believe and no longer want to be a part of the "MORG". I'm very fortunate in that my family (wife and son) were the only family I had in the church and they willingly followed me out when I left in mid 2012. I can sympathize with these people, though. I KNOW that if I were in their position I would be scared as well to tell my family. This really bothers me, it bothers me a lot. If anyone needed any proof that the LDS church is a cult, this is it.

Update For August

Not much to report this month. I have 7 minutes before the end of August. I've been following PostMormon.org and am starting to get weary of all this church talk. I think I will leave it alone for a while. I was going to write a book about my experiences being LDS, but I think it would be best for me to just leave it for now. Don't know what else to say. Bye for now, J.T.