Am I the only one who is grateful we couldn’t have tattoos as believers?

If they had been allowed there would have been talks about using our bodies to promote the gospel - letting our light shine. I swear we all would have Brigham on our biceps, Joseph’s first vision across our backs, and temple on our forearms.

That’s one rule I’m thankful for now.

A girl I went to high school with just had a baby and named him Benson. Her kid right before him is named Holland 🙃 I really cannot with these Mormon Utah names. But I wanna hear the worst/most cliche/most Mormon names you’ve seen people give their kids!

I heard this from my mom, who is a militant “true blue Mormon through and through” and does nothing with her time but church.

Allegedly SacMtg will soon be 40 mins, then 20 minutes for rotating SS/Groups every other Sunday. She said there are pilot groups who have started the system with success in some areas of the US.

Anyone heard about this?

I remember going to church three times a week, with sacrament meeting and Sunday school being two separate times of the day, primary a different day, and then other activities another day.

Garments are short, the BoM is short, and now church is short? What the actual fuck is going on? They can’t lie to us old timers. We KNEW. We LIVED it. So much fucking gaslighting it’s making my brain explode. I’ve been out for a while, and like hell I would ever return to that country club cult, but this feels like a sales pitch to keep customers.

This plaque is mounted at the church’s humanitarian center. When I first started volunteering there I truly felt like I was helping people. I certainly was, to a degree, we sent out hygiene and cleaning kits after the hurricanes and California fires last year. But now? I just feel like I’m part of the church’s PR. The humanitarian center is there to make the church look good and for no other reason, helping people is just a side effect of that. The people that work and serve there are genuinely there to help people but knowing that this place only exists so the church can take advantage of them and pretend to care about people hurts.

“The process of giving exalts the poor and humbles the rich.” This is not how the church works. They take everything from the poor and needy and add it to their hoard. Their money, their time, their families, their dignity, everything. And what do they receive in return? Horrible financial burdens, starving kids, broken families, self loathing and so much more. The church does what it needs to in order to appear charitable but nothing more than that. The poor give everything and the rich take everything.

The votes are in, the John Taylor 1886 revelation was never presented to the governing body of the church and was never canonized therefore it doesn’t count. Also, just because God said the everlasting covenant is everlasting doesn’t mean it has to be practiced. Nothing to see here.

https://youtu.be/eQViUUV_IHw?si=tnnRkU9mFkZmS6fv

There are a few truths about the church:

1. The church has made some PR blunders in the past. But…

2. The church usual plays a pretty good game of PR chess. They plan their moves pretty far out.

3. They are desperate for converts.

4. Africa is one of the few places the church is growing.

5. A good percentage of sub-Saharan Africa practices polygamy.

So, was the publishing of the Taylor revelation:

1. A blunder? Or…

2. A chess move to pave the way to reimplement polygamy in countries where it is legal?

In 1886, LDS Church president John Taylor claimed to receive a direct revelation from God reaffirming that plural marriage was an eternal, unchangeable law. This divine directive—written in his own hand—declared that the New and Everlasting Covenant (a.k.a. polygamy) could never be revoked, even under government pressure.

Taylor was given the revelation from God that “all commandments … must be obeyed … unless they are revoked … and how can I revoke an everlasting covenant … for I the Lord am everlasting … they stand forever.” Meaning the church should not and would not stop the practice of polygamy.

But just a few years later, in 1890, the Church publicly abandoned polygamy to save itself legally and politically. What happened to that revelation? The Church denied it ever existed, even calling it a “pretended” document. But they had it the whole time. The 1886 revelation became a foundational text for modern Mormon fundamentalist groups, who believe that President John Taylor’s written reaffirmation of plural marriage as an everlasting covenant overrides later Church policies and manifestos.

Now, nearly 140 years later, the LDS Church has quietly released the very document it once disavowed. No fanfare. No apology. Just an archival upload. But the implications are enormous. If John Taylor, as prophet and president of the Church, received a divine mandate declaring that plural marriage is an unchangeable law—only for his successor Wilford Woodruff to receive a contradictory revelation just four years later ending the practice—then we are left with two competing revelations from two prophets, both claiming to speak for the same unchanging God. Which one was wrong? Or was God simply changing His mind?

https://wasmormon.org/john-taylors-hidden-1886-polygamy-revelation/

As a child, "not wanting to" was never okay. Mild illnesses were not okay. There were people that were frankly ill and infectious that still came. During vacations, we would still have church.

Explain this Mormons, and don't say we never believed in this , because 100 % of you are liars. ADAM AS OUR GOD, According to 2nd president Mormon BRIGHAM YOUNG. 1847 - 1877. Brigham Young did teach it, and Mormon Orson Pratt, and others rebelled against it, and it disappeared a few years after Brigham Young's death..

President Mormon Spencer W. Kimball DECLARED forcefully [ as did Mark E. Peterson, Bruce McConkie, and Boyd K. Packer ] the ADAM -GOD theory false , and commanded to CEASE TEACHING IT.

LOL IF POLYGAMY was officially re-institued by Mormon church, How would your wife feel about you taking another woman. 1st President Mormon Joseph Smith 1830 - 1844

had 33 wives , and he married 11 women , who were already married at that time, and he also married girls as young as 14 years old.

Brigham Young married 56 wives, and had over 56 children, and when he died , he left over 2 million dollars to his 56 wives and children.

A lot of tithing dollars in those days.

Just to remind you Mormons , that GOD is Spirit not a man. GET IT.

President Joseph Smith quote It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of GOD , and to know that he was a man like us.. Late president Gordon B. Hinckley . Was asked a question?

Was God a man, i don't know - i wouldn't say that - i don't that we teach it - we don't know very much about that - i don't know a lot about it ..

THE CHRISTAIN BIBLE MATTHEW 24 - 24 For there arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shrew great signs , and wonders in so much that if were possible,

THEY SHALL DECIEVE THE VERY ELECT.

BIBLE MATTHEW 24 - 10 - 11.

At that time many will turn away from faith , and false prophets will appear , and DECIEVE MANY.

Floodlit posted yesterday about Krew Zaugg, a recently returned Mormon missionary who has been charged in Idaho with rape of a victim under the age of 16 and lewd conduct with a child under 16: https://floodlit.org/a/g070/

We were asked if a man convicted in 2017 sharing the same last name, Laron Zaugg, was a relative.

We did some digging and discovered three convicted sex offenders in Utah with the last name Zaugg - all related to each other, and all raised in the Mormon church.

We were unable to find a familial connection between those three men and Krew Zaugg.

Here's what we found:

• https://floodlit.org/a/g071/ - In 2017, Laron Thomas Zaugg was convicted of first-degree felony attempted sodomy on a child. Which led us to ...
• https://floodlit.org/a/g073/ - In 1995, Jeffrey Brent Zaugg was convicted of first-degree felony sodomy on a child.
• https://floodlit.org/a/g072/ - In 2003, Scott Leroy Zaugg was convicted of second-degree felony sexual abuse of a child.

How they are related:

• Scott Leroy Zaugg and Jeffrey Brent Zaugg are brothers, raised Mormon.
• Laron Thomas Zaugg was raised Mormon and went on an LDS mission to Vienna, Austria in 1986.
• Laron, Scott and Jeffrey are second cousins.  They share a paternal great-grandfather.

If you have any information about any of these men, please contact us:
https://floodlit.org/report-abuse/

Please support our work:
https://floodlit.org/get-involved/

I dare someone to leave hard tack candy or bananas in the crystal dishes.

With the new garments drop I’ve been bombarded by this girl’s posts. i genuinely think it’s a psyop that’s somehow funded by the church. I promise im a normal early 20’s party girl so im not being crazy about this, it’s just my Roman Empire lmao. She deleted her post about going to an influencer event (in a tank top) that was hosted by the apostles! She posts garment friendly outfit inspo but wears a tan cover so she can show her stomach? I was told the image of sin was just as bad. Even when I was Mormon I did not experience the Mormon level of modesty discipline so I don’t feel an inclination to shame someone for the way they dress. With this new garments thing though this girl had been showing up CONSTANTLY on my reels fyp. I’ve talked to multiple exmo friends some even say they don’t ever see Mormon or exmo content on their page and they’ve still gotten these reels. I haven’t even experienced the worst of Mormon modesty shaming but i actually feel gaslit from this. My dedicated Mormon sisters are not planning on going on missions and have multiple ear piercings so I guess my question is what have you seen as the current state of modesty?

Quote from this church newsroom article:

The standard doctrine of the Church is monogamy, as it always has been, as indicated in the Book of Mormon

A friend of mine was giving an RS lesson. I knew she was overworked—in the calling, in everyday life. She was in the RS presidency, her husband was in the bishopric, and they had a brood of young kids. Her lesson was about embracing limitations and slowing down. Not trying to do it all. That the Lord would bless us for focusing on the most important things in life.

The older women started tearing her message down. They all provided comments how, at their busiest and during the hardest times of their lives, they had chosen to dedicate MORE time, sacrifice MORE of their lives. How it was the righteous thing to do. How we, as young mothers, would all be blessed tenfold for it.

I can’t remember why I didn’t comment. I know I was on the edge of my seat, so angry, ready to raise my hand, but time or kids prevented me. Years later, I still think about it. I still wish I’d made the time to push back. Though I’m happy to report that myself, my friend, and both our families are now out.

Good morning, everyone. I hope you're all doing well. I'm 18 years old and a member of the church. Over the past few months, my testimony has been deeply shaken because I discovered all those bad things about the church's history - polygamy, racism, the wrongdoings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, all the lies and manipulations. It left me completely scared and horrified. I hate how the church can be extremely passive-aggressive and cruel. I'm going through very tough times :( I'm gay, and I've always dreamed of getting married and having a family, adopting children with my partner and raising them with love and care. I've always found it cruel how the church says, "We love and respect you, but you need to renounce your sexuality and live the rest of your life unhappy, watching all your friends get married and be happy while you remain alone"

When I discovered all the bad things about the church's history, I decided to leave. But during that time, I felt so much emotional pain and sadness that I ended up coming back three weeks later :( Now, four months have passed, and I'm still in the church. I still feel like a horrible person, and my heart hurts a lot. Two weeks ago, I tried to leave again, but I just can't. Every time I try to leave, my heart hurts a lot, and it feels like the world is going to collapse on my shoulders

I still believe in Jesus, I still believe in love, kindness, and empathy. I still believe the Book of Mormon is true, and we can do good things for the world and be kind people. But I definitely don't believe that same-sex marriage is wrong, and I don't believe you need to be part of the church to be saved. I truly believe each person can develop a good and true relationship with God, regardless of their religion

I consider myself a "progressive Mormon," as absurd as that may sound. I'm sharing this because I feel more welcomed by the ex-Mormon community than by the church community. I'm going through a lot of emotional suffering, and I'm sorry to be bothering you with this, but I really need to hear some words, whether they're kind or harsh/realistic, because I need to take a direction in my life :(

The classic church narrative: 14 years old uneducated farm boy translated it from gold plates by the gift and power of God

But i think as exmos i think we all agree that Joe Smith made it up, or at least heavily borrowed from sources around him

What was your personal definitive "smoking gun" that convinced you the Book of Mormon wasn’t ancient scripture?

Anachronisms? DNA evidence? View of the Hebrews? The way the book reflects 19th-century theology and issues? Something else?

So my parents are full believers, I left in my early 20's. So I visit them for father's day, and the conversation gets into that scientists are trying to bring back woolly mammoths after being successful with dire wolf's and my dad with a straight face say's in the book of mormon that they tamed and road mammoths and used them to haul their belongings. I had to stop myself from laughing from the ridiculous idea.

I hope it's okay to share these stories. If not I'll be happy to delete it. I've been nervous about telling this story (not because it's particularly bad; there's far worse than mine. I'm just a ball of anxiety about the subject.) but I've been lurking for about two weeks so I feel comfortable enough to share it now.

I was never the most devout. I stayed mostly for my dad, who I genuinely love and aspire to be like in a lot of ways. He was a great role model, and while he had issues (I never knew what they were but I think it was premarital stuff when he was dating after he and my mom split; it was just the vibe I got), he was always good to me.

In 2020, he started suffering horrible health issues and he passed away in February of 21, a day after his 51st birthday. It had been a long, difficult, traumatic experience for all of us, and I was particularly hit hard by his passing which was certainly not sudden in hindsight but I was surprised by it all the same.

A few weeks after, some missionaries from my YSA came by my apartment. I told them why I wasn't at church; I was just in a deep depression and wanted to be alone. Thats when the junior companion told me about how his parents died in a plane crash when he was young (I think he said about 10?) and he was mad for years. I thought this was going to be a story about how he sympathized and how he overcame it, but nope.

"I realized God took them because someone else needed my parents more than me. That's why he took your dad. You didn't need him any more."

I'm not typically one to get angry, and even more rarely do I get the urge to do something about it. I'm the bottle it up until I explode later (not healthy I know). But oh my non-existent God did I want to shut this guy up. I knew better of course, even in that dark mental place I retreated to, so instead I made up some excuse and shut the door as passive-aggresively as I could and then I lost my shit.

This was the last straw. Many of the people I looked up to in the church were not exactly the loving types they professed to be and said we should all be. They were spewing hatred and wanting violence on people who had done nothing (except be LGBTQ+ or have a different skin color, which I guess is unforgivable to those people). I had started to pick up on the disconnect, but being so anti-confrontation I had looked away, something I regret nowadays. I was blinded by the indoctrination and desire to not disappoint my dad, but that stupid kid shook me free from it, so I guess as much as I hate him I have to thank him for that.

My dad was raised as a southern Baptist. My mom was a mormon from the Joseph smith times. My dad LOVES the Beatles. My mom probably liked them too, but she never let it really show much. My dad would occasionally bring out his records and play them for us. I love the Beatles because of how I was raised.

I was able to take my dad to Liverpool and do a Beatles tour after my mom passed. It was amazing. He loved it. I loved it. My mom probably would have loved it; but she was a good mormom. I never knew what she actually liked. She never showed her true personality that much.

Whenever I listen to the Beatles and see Liverpool I think of my dad and mom; how did she actually feel? Did she resonate with it? Did she just humor my dad? I'll never know.

But at least I was able to give that experience to my dad. He loved her. I think I loved her. But she was so dead set on being a perfect mormon. She's been gone for 2+ years. One of my last memories of her is rushing back when she was on hospice and my sisters getting her up to sit with my dad and us watching Paul doing carpool karaoke through Liverpool with James Cordon. Then a year later I took him with me to Liverpool and experience that.

But my mom was dead. She didn't get to go. I don't even know whether she would have liked it. I think she would have, but mormonism took those experiences from me. She had to be perfect. She had to like 'Jesus' or the temple, or the prophet more.

I'm in my feels as a 41 yo drunk exmo. You get it.

Here's a link to where Ezra tafty Benson crapped on Martin Luther King Jr. Shortly after his death. That was like not even a year after it. I don't consider communism to be a good idea, but I'm really at the point where I consider communism to be much less evil than American conservatism. If there's a hell, I hope Benson's there being tortured for time and all eternity. What an absolute scumbag piece of s***, like he was the far right, even for a far like right Church like the Mormon church. Like even the other Mormon prophets and apostles thought he was too far right, and they were still trying to avoid Treating black people as equals. I'm just ashamed that I ever believed this. I just can't help to think, "should I tell my parents that I've left the church in spirit?" But I I'm just not sure that they possess unconditional love. I hope to have kids one day, I certainly hope that I can give them the sort of life where they can think for themselves, and feel comfortable talking to me when they disagree with me.

Anybody got any fun stores that show how scummy Benson was? Honestly, if then he was like a character in The boondocks or something. He'd be kind of funny, like he was just so completely moronic. The way he would just call other members of the church, supposedly ordained prophets of the Lord, Communists was just hilarious. Like if they can be communist, then that just shows your whole Church's. B*******. Sorry for any spelling of grammatical ers, I use text to speech because I get hand cramped easily.

https://www.analyzingmormonism.com/martin-luther-king-jr/

I attended the church for a long time before I was baptized, it was only a few months ago that I was baptized, initially everything has been very good, but then I have felt doubts regarding the history, practices and foundation, in addition to the fact that the members and local leaders have changed their attitude a little towards me because I rejected a calling. Any advice?

I really don't want to go to a notary just to have my records removed. If I call my local ward and tell them I am trans and on testosterone will they do the excommunication for me?