I served a mission for the LDS church. It was the beginning of me leaving the church. The focus was only on baptizing. Each month, a newletter was put out in the mission with all the names of the missionaries and how many baptisms each companion got. If a companionship baptized 3 or more people, they were invited to the mission president's home for an overnight stay and given an all-you-can-eat steak dinner and allowed to watch movies all night long (movies were forbidden any other time on a mission).
This led to abuse, as the focus was to only baptize people, not retain them. In fact, we were told repeatedly by the mission president that our focus was to baptize, not retain, and were strongly discouraged from visiting the people after they were baptized. Most of the people stopped attending church within months of being baptized. Many were baptized the first Sunday they attended church.
There was this thing instituted in my mission called *purging*. Each month, each missionary met with the mission president and were told to confess each thing they did wrong, no matter how small or trivial. You see, we had over 300 rules in a white handbook called our white bible. On top of that, our mission president had given us an additional 200 extra rules. These rules consisted of what to wear, what time to get up, when to leave the apartment, what to read, what music we could listen to, what we were and were not allowed to do on our day off, what time to be back in the apartment, what time to go to bed, etc. We were not free to choose anything on a mission. In these *purging* sessions, we were required to tell the mission president any and all rules we had broken over the course of the month. If we slept in an extra 10 minutes; if we took 40 minutes to eat lunch instead of 30 minutes; if we left the apartment 5 minutes late-all was to be confessed. I refused to do this, as I saw it a violation of my privacy and it seemed voyeuristic.
The only thing NOT regulated by the white bible and the mission presidents addition rules, was gossip. So, the missionaries gossiped---a lot! Once, my companion and I made cookies for a meeting with people who were looking into the church (we called them investigators). After the meeting, there were some cookies left over, so we gave them to some of the male missionaries (called elders). It went through the mission that we had invited the elders over to our apartment and made cookies with them. (This would have been strictly forbidden, and we were now the equivalents of sluts.)
At another time, an elder was doing a kiddie dunk (when you baptize a child under the age of 18 without baptizing his parents--a sure sign he will never return to church again) and we all had to wait for this child to have all the discussions (lessons about the church). I was in the chapel playing the piano. Several missionaries strolled in to listen to me play. The rumors went around the mission that I had met privately with one of these elders and was kissing him, etc. This, of course, got back to the mission president. He called me, asked me about it (I of course, had no idea what he was talking about), but he didn't believe me and I was punished by being demoted from senior position/companion and sent out to small cities that have no baptisms for the rest of my mission.
None of this made it into my letters home, as they weren't faith promoting.
Here is an article written by a man about his mission: http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-291-16246-lds-missionary-experience-spin.html
The church was about growth in numbers, controlling the missionaries to keep them in line, and it did a great job at both--it just lost me in the process.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Sunday, July 8, 2012
The mormon way
Some mormons are able to interpret what they hear from the leaders as advice and not feel as though they have to literally follow everything as gospel. I had difficulty with this. When Hinkley said that women should only wear one pair of earrings, I already had two set of holes in my ears. I thought it was okay to wear earrings in both sets of holes since I already had the holes. My sister got really mad at me, telling me how evil I was for not following his advice literally. When I was going through my crisis of faith, I was looking for understanding and love and acceptance from my leaders, what I got instead was being told to *submit* to their authority. Was the leaders' word the be-all-end-all, or just a guideline to take or leave?
I remember so many times when a temple was going in an area, it often would not meet height codes for the area, or would bring in too much traffic for a residential area. The neighbors would complain, file a legal motion; and mormon members would cry religious persecution when people just didn't want a very tall building/lots of traffic, etc. in their neighborhood. Has it occurred to the mormons that by blindly following the lead of their leaders instead of being objective about the opposition, that the opposition has indeed a valid point? Or does any opposition always come down to the church being victims and always being right?
In California, the church fought against gay marriage. They asked the members to donate money and time into fighting to make it illegal. When people were outraged against the church, the church claimed religious persecution; not once thinking they were the ones who were trampling all over other people's right to love and marry whomever they wanted; not once thinking they were fighting against the rights and privileges of others who had done nothing to harm them.
Here is an article where the mormons are told to follow their leaders and if they don't, they are told they will suffer: http://www.lds.org/liahona/1981/06/fourteen-fundamentals-in-following-the-prophet
This week, a neighborhood association was told to back down from its opposition to the building of a mormon church building. The neighbors had been told the building would never be higher than a certain height. The church is now proposing to build in opposition to that height limit. Can the church claim persecution from the neighbors like they have in the past? Can the church claim they are victims of religious persecution? Hardly, since its neighbors are mormon, in Provo, UT. The neighborhood association President? A BYU college professor. http://www.heraldextra.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_f0b1b074-f5e3-5eb2-ac71-aa230e5c1239.html#.T_oQc0KCAio.facebook
Just submit, members, no questions asked...that's the mormon way....secular or religious, the leaders are used to getting their way.
I remember so many times when a temple was going in an area, it often would not meet height codes for the area, or would bring in too much traffic for a residential area. The neighbors would complain, file a legal motion; and mormon members would cry religious persecution when people just didn't want a very tall building/lots of traffic, etc. in their neighborhood. Has it occurred to the mormons that by blindly following the lead of their leaders instead of being objective about the opposition, that the opposition has indeed a valid point? Or does any opposition always come down to the church being victims and always being right?
In California, the church fought against gay marriage. They asked the members to donate money and time into fighting to make it illegal. When people were outraged against the church, the church claimed religious persecution; not once thinking they were the ones who were trampling all over other people's right to love and marry whomever they wanted; not once thinking they were fighting against the rights and privileges of others who had done nothing to harm them.
Here is an article where the mormons are told to follow their leaders and if they don't, they are told they will suffer: http://www.lds.org/liahona/1981/06/fourteen-fundamentals-in-following-the-prophet
This week, a neighborhood association was told to back down from its opposition to the building of a mormon church building. The neighbors had been told the building would never be higher than a certain height. The church is now proposing to build in opposition to that height limit. Can the church claim persecution from the neighbors like they have in the past? Can the church claim they are victims of religious persecution? Hardly, since its neighbors are mormon, in Provo, UT. The neighborhood association President? A BYU college professor. http://www.heraldextra.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_f0b1b074-f5e3-5eb2-ac71-aa230e5c1239.html#.T_oQc0KCAio.facebook
Just submit, members, no questions asked...that's the mormon way....secular or religious, the leaders are used to getting their way.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Discrimination no more
IF....
Any privilege, power or money is denied any group of people that is given to another group of people, that is the essence of discrimination.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvX2qP_F13I&feature=youtu.be
It is time to end discrimination.
Any privilege, power or money is denied any group of people that is given to another group of people, that is the essence of discrimination.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvX2qP_F13I&feature=youtu.be
It is time to end discrimination.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Top 10
Please, mormons, just watch this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ac_fLUHiBw&feature=related
What do you know about the following:
1. Book of Abraham
2. Book of Mormon--horses, steel, large battles with no verifiable archaeological evidence
3. Book of Mormon translation
4. First vision
5. Authorship of Book of Mormon
6. Blacks and the priesthood
7. Kinderhook plates
8. Polygamy
9. Witnesses to the Book of Mormon
10. Temple
You only know part of the story....the real story is found within the confines of the Mormon church and not from anti- sources, really. Find out what the real story is. Please.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ac_fLUHiBw&feature=related
What do you know about the following:
1. Book of Abraham
2. Book of Mormon--horses, steel, large battles with no verifiable archaeological evidence
3. Book of Mormon translation
4. First vision
5. Authorship of Book of Mormon
6. Blacks and the priesthood
7. Kinderhook plates
8. Polygamy
9. Witnesses to the Book of Mormon
10. Temple
You only know part of the story....the real story is found within the confines of the Mormon church and not from anti- sources, really. Find out what the real story is. Please.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Omnipotence
I have done a lot a studying on the narcissistic personality. It is fascinating to then compare how a corporation can also take on the characteristics of narcissist, as well. How an organization begins, is how it continues, more often than not.
Psychiatrist Robert D. Anderson wrote a book on Joseph Smith, entitled, 'Inside the Mind of Joseph Smith' In it, he makes the suggestion that Joseph Smith may have had a narcissistic personality disorder.
'Anderson draws upon the body of literature, especially the Book of Mormon, produced by observation, experiment, theory, and psychiatric experience in his attempt to understand the founder of Mormonism. He says that splitting, a fundamental of personality weakness, is a major psychological defense demonstrated by the prophet. Its most obvious manifestations are 1) the division of the world into polar opposites and 2) the lack of integration of the various parts of the patient's psyche. The individual may oscillate between two opposite positions. This behavior can be seen in the polarized opposites of the Nephite and Lamanite people depicted in the Book of Mormon, as well as in Smith's ability to present one face in public (such as denying polygamy) while simultaneously converting associates and new plural wives to the principle in private. The individual may also exhibit psychological reversal of attitudes toward particular persons, by switching instantly from compliments to vilification, or of oscillation in moral positions, yet not be troubled in the contradiction. Examples are the instantaneous conversions of Alma, Jr., Zeezrom and the whole Lamanite population in 30 BCE in the Book of Mormon. Another example was Smith's strong opposition to Masonry as a young man, followed by his later becoming a Mason himself and drawing on Masonic ritual for temple ceremonies.' http://www.humanistsofutah.org/2002/InsideTheMindOfJosephSmith_DiscGrp_9-02.html
The narcissist spends his life desperately trying to return to that "eternal world of omnipotent perfection." He therefore creates an artificial, omnipotent self, whose fantasies compensate for the failures of the real world. In a vicious cycle, he consoles himself for his failures by retreating into his fantasies, which, while providing comfort, assure continued failure by preventing him from finding more effective ways to seek success. This pattern continues as a technique throughout life. If his family responds favorably to this false self, as Smith's family did, it will be enhanced.
http://www.humanistsofutah.org/2002/InsideTheMindOfJosephSmith_DiscGrp_9-02.html
Why, the question then needs to be asked, does a group of people follow a narcissist? To glean radiant value from him. People see the charismatic leader as having power and they project that power onto themselves through association. When that leader also promises great reward through association, (eternal life, becoming a god, etc.) then they are willing to give up their wives (polyandry) their money (tithing and consecration) in order to become omnipotent.
They continue to do so today.
Psychiatrist Robert D. Anderson wrote a book on Joseph Smith, entitled, 'Inside the Mind of Joseph Smith' In it, he makes the suggestion that Joseph Smith may have had a narcissistic personality disorder.
'Anderson draws upon the body of literature, especially the Book of Mormon, produced by observation, experiment, theory, and psychiatric experience in his attempt to understand the founder of Mormonism. He says that splitting, a fundamental of personality weakness, is a major psychological defense demonstrated by the prophet. Its most obvious manifestations are 1) the division of the world into polar opposites and 2) the lack of integration of the various parts of the patient's psyche. The individual may oscillate between two opposite positions. This behavior can be seen in the polarized opposites of the Nephite and Lamanite people depicted in the Book of Mormon, as well as in Smith's ability to present one face in public (such as denying polygamy) while simultaneously converting associates and new plural wives to the principle in private. The individual may also exhibit psychological reversal of attitudes toward particular persons, by switching instantly from compliments to vilification, or of oscillation in moral positions, yet not be troubled in the contradiction. Examples are the instantaneous conversions of Alma, Jr., Zeezrom and the whole Lamanite population in 30 BCE in the Book of Mormon. Another example was Smith's strong opposition to Masonry as a young man, followed by his later becoming a Mason himself and drawing on Masonic ritual for temple ceremonies.' http://www.humanistsofutah.org/2002/InsideTheMindOfJosephSmith_DiscGrp_9-02.html
The narcissist spends his life desperately trying to return to that "eternal world of omnipotent perfection." He therefore creates an artificial, omnipotent self, whose fantasies compensate for the failures of the real world. In a vicious cycle, he consoles himself for his failures by retreating into his fantasies, which, while providing comfort, assure continued failure by preventing him from finding more effective ways to seek success. This pattern continues as a technique throughout life. If his family responds favorably to this false self, as Smith's family did, it will be enhanced.
http://www.humanistsofutah.org/2002/InsideTheMindOfJosephSmith_DiscGrp_9-02.html
Why, the question then needs to be asked, does a group of people follow a narcissist? To glean radiant value from him. People see the charismatic leader as having power and they project that power onto themselves through association. When that leader also promises great reward through association, (eternal life, becoming a god, etc.) then they are willing to give up their wives (polyandry) their money (tithing and consecration) in order to become omnipotent.
They continue to do so today.
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