Watch Out For Atheists!

Apparently atheists are crotchety old goats in bathrobes, holding cups of (oh no!) coffee. As the (please say you're fucking kidding me) Spiritual Safety Tip poster says, you should avoid talking to these "poor lost souls." Hey, i have a better idea! LET'S BURN THEM AT THE STAKE!

Nah, religion's not dangerous. It doesn't promote hatred or fear. There are no hypocrisies involved in practicing religion. Religious folk are tolerant of both other religions AND those who choose NOT to subscribe, right? All the time and money spent on making stupid shit like the poster below is perfectly justified, right? It's for the protection of our children, should those goat-like old atheists lash out at them!

Last time i checked, "freedom of religion" also meant freedom FROM religion if one so chooses. Freedom from a god of any sort, as a matter of fact. But fear is a powerful weapon and as long as religious leaders are serving up heaps of it to the masses, we will continue to see idiocies like this poster and millions of dollars will be spent by various religious organizations to ensure people remain fearful of those who are "different."

Sounds very loving and kind, doesn't it? (Yes, i'm dripping with sarcasm; it's part of the healing process. Someday i may repost this, but say it nicely and more straight-forward. Until then, sarcasm is what's for dinner!)

The Post-Packer LGBTQ Post

I said it on my not-anonymous blog, which is here:

http://crapstain.blogspot.com/2010/10/driving-in-second-gear.html

Today's AZ Ex-Mo Meeting...

...was fun and enlightening, just like the previous one.  There were about 10 of us, not a bad turnout considering it's a holiday weekend. 

One of the attendees shared her story of abuse with us.  Her abuse began in childhood and then she married an abuser.  They moved around a lot during their marriage and each Bishop the wife confided in fed her the same church-manual bullshit:  she's not doing something right, she's causing the abuse, divorce is unfavorable, support the husband and he'll be happier, blah blah.  Cripes, that really gets my goat!

I shudder to think of the number of abused women (and children!) in the LDS church who keep quiet because they've either been told to keep quiet (we don't want anyone in the real world to know these things happen among our perfect members!) or been blamed for the fact that it's happening to them.  I would like to see some statistics on that. 

Embarrassed and Ashamed

Yesterday I attended an LDS funeral (for a 2-year-old, which should just not happen).  The stories from the grandparents were sweet.  The words from the parents were painful.  And sadly, the stake president (and the bishops who spoke) were completely embarrassing.  I wanted to crawl under my chair and hide there.

There were many non-LDS (including myself) at the service.  When the stake president proceeded to turn his talk into a "missionary opportunity" and proceed to tell everyone that he was raised Baptist and that they're just plain wrong and that all other religions don't have the truth, I felt horrible for the entirety of the people.  What a pompous ass.  The bishops weren't any better. I'm embarrassed and ashamed to have so willingly been associated with that group for so long.   

I'm sure those words brought a lot of comfort to my friends who lost their sweet boy much too early in life, so I will let my anger go, but this experience has driven a wedge even further between me and the so-called church.

There's no way I'll be able to tolerate any further of the hubster's family's monthly Mo meetings.  (Hubster has never wanted to go, so it's easy for him to just skip out, laughing all the way).  That's going to cause a load of trouble with the in-laws, but I feel I'm very prepared for that fight.  I've been doing a lot of reading and listening lately.  I'm in the midst of Rough Stone Rolling and can only say WOW.  If that book doesn't reveal Joseph Smith as a horny conman, I don't know what does.  And it was written by a TBM!  Woot!

she Almost Had It

The friend I mentioned yesterday who sent me a long email saying I was self-destructing b/c I left the LDS Church admitted in the letter (first thing, actually) that she had delayed sending the letter because she was afraid it would damage our friendship.  What strikes me as extremely interesting and relative here is that HER OWN INNER INSTINCTS told her that sending that email would be the WRONG thing to do, but she sent it anyway. WHY?  Why did she send it anyway, knowing it was the wrong thing to do?  BECAUSE THE LDS CHURCH PROGRAMS ITS MEMBERS TO RESPOND THAT WAY.  If they are obedient little members, they are COMPELLED to try to bring strays back to the Hive.  The Borg mind must stay as one!  She was soooo close to having her own thoughts.  Tsk.  Pity she caved in and followed the Hive.

But maybe that's what she needs to survive.  She's been in the Hive mentality for so long that I'm not sure she would survive psychologically in the real world.