NOM

I started watching Leah Remini’s show on Scientology. I never would have expected it to break down so much of my shelf. I can’t stop thinking, the church isn’t true. I still want to study and give it the benefit of the doubt. But I’m feeling so distant from the church. I’m so frustrated that they are not more open and honest.

The exmormon reddit group has faith and hope for very few things. But there is a deep hope that Leah Remini does a season on the LDS church with the same scrutiny and high production values of her show. That would be amazing.

Corsair wrote: ↑Tue May 08, 2018 8:01 am The exmormon reddit group has faith and hope for very few things. But there is a deep hope that Leah Remini does a season on the LDS church with the same scrutiny and high production values of her show. That would be amazing.

That would be awesome!

Kalikala, we've all been there. If you need to take a mental break and then go back and study, do that. If you just want to jump down the rabbit hole, you can do that too. It is your path now. You do what is best for you. We will always be here for you!

It is quite a shock when you allow yourself to look behind the curtain and realize the degree to which everything you believed and thought you knew has been controlled and manipulated. Feeling lied to by the people you trusted most can be a real kick in the gut.

My best advice is to avoid knee-jerk reactions as much as possible and just keep learning at a slow, steady state. The tendency is to scream "Can you believe this sh!t?!" to every believer in your life and try to unload on them. Sometimes that works, but more often it backfires.

Welcome to NOM, Kilikala!

Kalikala wrote: ↑Tue May 08, 2018 12:03 am I started watching Leah Remini’s show on Scientology. I never would have expected it to break down so much of my shelf. I can’t stop thinking, the church isn’t true. I still want to study and give it the benefit of the doubt. But I’m feeling so distant from the church. I’m so frustrated that they are not more open and honest.

Yes. It is quite a shock!!

Hagoth wrote: ↑Tue May 08, 2018 9:53 am It is quite a shock when you allow yourself to look behind the curtain and realize the degree to which everything you believed and thought you knew has been controlled and manipulated. Feeling lied to by the people you trusted most can be a real kick in the gut.

My best advice is to avoid knee-jerk reactions as much as possible and just keep learning at a slow, steady state. The tendency is to scream "Can you believe this sh!t?!" to every believer in your life and try to unload on them. Sometimes that works, but more often it backfires.

Welcome to NOM, Kilikala!

I know that feeling well... I'm glad I can be that person for her, rather than some that may be less accepting.

Hagoth wrote: ↑Tue May 08, 2018 9:53 am The tendency is to scream "Can you believe this sh!t?!" to every believer in your life and try to unload on them. Sometimes that works, but more often it backfires.

Excellent point. You can catch more fish with Velveeta than you can with gummy worms.

Cinepro made an astute observation years ago that Scientology serves as the canary in the mine for Mormonism. When Scientology flops over on its side from mine gases, it is time for Mormons to head for the mainstream.

I was listening to a BYU tv program once where a few BYU professors were discussing Israel in the Old Testament.

Israel was worshipping Jehovah as well as a number of other pagan gods at the same time. One of the professors said kind of smugly: "They were practicing an amalgamation of religion."

I thought, "You can see it in ancient Israel, but you are blind to your own church's same illness."

The LDS faith has mixed the Gospel of Christ with the teachings and doctrines of men. The Christian principles are what initially attract us to the church. Later, we either close our eyes to the dark underbelly and are afraid to leave because of the possible loss of family through what are actually fake "sealing blessings" or we leave the church, eventually realizing that we are in the same boat as all the rest of Christianity since about 200 a.d., in that there is no "true church organization" on the earth and we have to find a place spiritually where we are comfortable.

So my thoughts are similar to some here and yet a little different in that I decided not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I think there is still much hope and faith to be had in Christ. Some churches are closer to him than others but I find a personal, indepth, extended study of the Biblical scriptures is the best way to search for Spiritual truth.

I do miss the community aspect of a "religion" but certainly not enough to stick with the LDS faith where you will ALWAYS be seen as a project that just needs fixing, rather than an individual on equal terms with everyone else.

Hope we can all be here for you in the meantime Kalikala. Glad you're here. Keep asking questions.

Brings back memories of about six or so years ago....Kalikala, most of us have felt what you are feeling now. How'd I get sucked into this cuss?

The thing is, truth is independent of itself, and we all know that. When an organization has to blast it's "I know the church is true" horn every month and every special mtg, camp, and you name it. If a thing is true, it's true. Why broadcast it over and over and over again?

I remember hearing, when I was quite young in fact, that members of the LDS Church are not required to believe anything that is not true....that was before the internet. And it holds true with everything. In or out of any church or anything else. Except many churches don't want you to "doubt your doubts". Good grief. If it is true and you doubt it- it doesn't matter- the truth prevails.

The more you study, the more you will uncover, then you decide for yourself. Good luck.