posted on Aug, 26 2006 @ 06:24 AM
Continuation of Mormon experience...
After breaking the cycle of church everyday but saturday, I slowly escaped the grasps of the religion. My attendance dropped from weekly to almost
non-existent. My parents required that I went unless I was working. I made sure my managers would schedule me as many sundays as possible. As I
started fading away from church and the members in it, I remember hearing alot of talk about me. My status if you will went from active member to
inactive member, and there were a plethora of attempts to reel me back in, which I avoided like the plague. Nerdy kids at school would come up to me
and say how much they missed my presence at church and how they wished I would return. I would run into an occaisonal member in a supermarket or
library and would be forced to endure their fronted delight to see me. In high school the regulars would constantly talking about other students and
about how bad they were. There is a general air about mormons because it is extremely common for them to think they are better than everyone else.
True everyone has their own thoughts, but since the religion teaches they are the only true church, these people look down at those who do not attend
as damned, and make the very best effort to 'save' them.
Also I have had several friends that have drifted from the church as well. My best friend no longer talks to his parents because of the church. As he
started to see things beyond what the church wants you to see, his father began to resent him. His father disowned his own child because he refused to
go to church. I have seen this happen to many people. My parents are great people, but since I have not gone to church in so long, I see the blatent
difference in treatment between the rest of the family and me. They look down on me, they have basically counted me out of the family save reunions
and extended family gatherings.
TEMPLE STUFF
True my statements are probably disorganised and what not, but its really late.. that is my excuse, but I wanted to comment more on the temple things
mentioned earlier. When I was younger after I was baptised at 8, I did the proxy baptisms for the dead as another member had mentioned. The water was
warm but the whole thing was creepy. Being a sneaky fella' I got out of the 'baptismal font' as they call it and waited for my friend to get
finished. As I was poking around, I noticed that the font thing was indeed inside of a sunked circle with I believe 7 Brass bulls standing around it.
My count could be off but I remember it vividly because I was so confused as to why there was metal bulls inside a church building, I had no clue what
it meant and I had never seen it before during regular church. My friend was finally done after about 30 names and we scurried back into the changing
room and into the waiting room to leave.
This hasn't been my only strange encounter with temples. After I graduated in Missouri, the family took me on a trip to Illinois to visit the newly
made Nauvoo Temple. This temple, if I have my story straight was burned down in the late 1800's as the Mormons were forced out of the state. They
finally rebuilt it just a half a decade ago. Its a nice looking temple but what I saw in the top windows startled me. Every other window is adorned
with an upside-down star, and the windows are circular. This is referred to as a pentagram, a sign of the devil. I pointed it out to my parents and
they denied it was a pentagram and brushed the whole thing off.
I am not sure why they keep so many secrets. My friends dad won't tell him about the stitches in his draws because he says its sacred. If this is the
true church, why is truth being kept behind tight lips. Why are temple-unworthy people not allowed to witness a temple marriage?
.....please continue.....