Meanwhile back at Kolob ......

Well hello everyone!

 It sure has been awhile. In fact, it's been 2 years! I wasn't sure if I'd even be able to log into this blog or my old email account. Luckily, I was able to do both. It's been a very eventful two years for me, and for personal reasons I was away from this blog. Also, it was nice to take a break from Mormonism-related business and just focus on living life, and not the cult.

There were many emails in my inbox which I never responded to, which is a shame. I haven't checked the email account in nearly 2 years. Rest assured that I wasn't ignoring you or unconcerned, I just happened to be away. Thank you for the kind emails, although it was mainly hate-mail. Some idiots decided they would sign up my email address for dirty websites and spam lists -- most of which went into the 'Spam' folder anyway so they were foiled, much to my amusement.

My Youtube account was flagged and removed from YT (despite being all original material that did not conflict with YT guidelines or policy). Presumably the pro-LDS crowd fanatically harassed YT until it was taken down. I haven't got the time or energy to make another one, although I may post the videos onto this blog at a later date.

I also took down the shop, as I didn't have the time to attend to it and did not want to spend the extra money on it. There were many enthusiasts for anti-mormon clothing, so I might re-think the decision at a later date.

I recently spoke to my good friend Samuel the Utahnite, which served as inspiration to come back to this blog. I originally didn't intend to - because I felt I had nothing to share or say that hadn't already been put out there. But upon thinking it over, I realized that it was important to make my voice heard. My life has changed forever (and for the better!) because of the efforts of other people who exposed Mormonism for the fraud it is. If it hadn't been for their time and dedication -- I might still be in the cult. And since I can never repay them, the only way to pay off that debt is by helping others to escape the cult. It's all I can do.

Despite the accusations of Mormons that we are 'obsessed' and hateful and vengeful - I really do not like thinking about Mormonism. I don't like focusing on it. I don't like to be around it, or involved in it. Most of my good friends now are not even aware that I used to be Mormon - that's how embarrassed I am to admit I was formerly a brainwashed member of a cult. The fact is, the truth simply needs to be told.

In an email, a woman berated me for using a nickname and not my real name. She felt that the anti-mormon bloggers that did this had "something to hide". Yes I do! It's called: my identity! I want to safeguard the privacy of my family. Many of us have had threats (including death threats) and there are all kinds of weirdos and insane people out there - the last thing I want is my full name and information on display for anyone in the world to see. I don't think it's a difficult concept to understand.

 I originally wanted to do some podcasts and interviews, and may still do so. I haven't decided.

 But in the meantime, I will be writing some articles. Mainly I want to keep them short and concise, the general point being to list information, resources, and links that can provide the truth of what I am saying and lead others on to more research and questioning. I won't keep up the effort forever, or even for several more years - but once I am satisfied that I have accumulated enough information and references to be useful to Mormons, then I will take another break or quit. This will be my pet project during moments when I have the time to contribute.

Lastly, if you were wondering where I've been ... I was away ... at Kolob. Yes, it was quite the journey. I finally decided to come home though, as the beer was shit. Plus the hotels and magic underwear were way overpriced.

It's good to be back! I hope to help others and I hope you'll join me in the fight.

My Patriarchal Blessing

*Note: I remember when I received my 'Patriarchal Blessing' in 2002: that I did not feel the Spirit whatsoever, I was uncomfortable trying to remain perfectly still, and I had a slight feeling that the Patriarch was making the whole thing up as he went along. (Which I later felt guilty for and reprimanded myself over, convinced that it must have been a 'holy' experience.)

There was also the Patriarch's wife - if I recall correctly - who was there and tape recorded the entire session, asking the question "Do you say that to everyone?" about being a 'Heavenly Queen', after the session was done.

What is a Patriarchal Blessing?

For those who may be unaware, a Patriarchal Blessing is a blessing/ordinance given by an LDS Patriarch to 'worthy LDS members'. It's supposedly modeled after the blessings that Abraham gave to his sons. Here are some of the stated 'purposes' for a Patriarchal Blessing:

1) Identify which "Tribe of Israel" the LDS member belongs to.
2) Bless the LDS member with 'knowledge and spiritual gifts'.
3) Give advice, especially about the future.

The Patriarch lays his hands upon the LDS member's head, and receives direct revelation from God, concerning that one individual, which he goes on to give as a 'Blessing'. The blessing is recorded and then later translated to a paper copy, which is given to LDS members. All LDS members are assured of the promises given in the Blessing, as long as they are 'worthy' of them throughout life. (So basically if anything fails to fit, it's your own fault somehow.)

LDS members are told to regularly consult their Blessing and re-read it for guidance, assurance, and advice. Most LDS members receive their blessing in their late teens, mostly those who were raised in the church.

My Patriarchal Blessing:

"Galatian", having been commissioned of Jesus Christ and ordained a Patriarch in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I lay my hands upon your head and give you your Patriarchal Blessing. This blessing will be a guide to you in your life and help you to prepare yourself for exaltation and eternal life in the Celestial Kingdom of God. It is important for you to realize that because of your faithfulness in the preexistence, the Lord has given you the encouragement and a suggestion as to how you may alfter your life to be in harmony with the principles of the gospel.

Dear "Galatian", I bless you to know that you are of the House of Israel. Your membership in the House of Israel grants you the privilege of all the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Patriarchs of old. Your lineage is through Ephraim and therefore you have the additional responsibility to help prepare the earth for the Second Coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ when He will rule and reign upon the earth and when the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

Dear "Galatian", I bless you as you seek to find your way in life that you will find the Church and its teachings to be a great blessing in your life. Your association with many of the saints of God will be a lifting experience in your life and help you to emulate the principles of righteous living that will best serve you. Look to those who are committed and converted to the gospel as role models. Follow them, and thus you will be in good stead. Serve with all your heart, might, mind and strength so that these principles may be distilled into your life. Thus your life may be altered sufficiently so that you may have the grace of God in all things, at all times, and in all places.

Dear "Galatian", I bless you in your temporal living that you will take every opportunity to better your situation, educationally and temporally. Seek of the Lord mightily in fasting and prayer that you may have direction and guidance in your life and that you may choose educational and vocational pursuits which will best suit your needs to take care of your temporal living and your obligations unto your fellow men.

Dear "Galatian", I bless you to know that during your lifetime you will have the opportunity to preach the gospel to your associates. The Lord will place people in your path at various times and in various places who are seeking principles which you have espoused by your acceptance of baptism into the Kingdom. They will see in you a Latter-day Saint young woman who is different from the world and therefore ask questions. Be solicitous in your response when directed by the Spirit that your mouth may be opened and you may speak the words which are placed in your mind so that the process of conversion may take place amongst those with whom you are associating. You will have the privilege of serving in various capacities in the Kingdom and this will give you the opportunity of solidifying your knowledge of the gospel and your understanding of the principles of the Kingdom. In the Relief Society organization you will have the opportunity of developing the talents which the Lord has given you. These talents may be unknown to you at the present time but as you develop and grow in the Kingdom they will be made manifest unto you because of your cries unto the Lord for help and deliverance from the various tasks that will be placed upon your shoulders. You are a multi-talented individual and you need to know that the Lord requires that you develop these talents to the best of your ability that you may be of service in the Kingdom and help you move forward in this great work which has been placed in the hands of the Latter-day Saints.

Dear "Galatian", I bless you to prepare for the time when you can go to the House of the Lord and receive your temple endowment and be sealed to a faithful Priesthood bearer for time and eternity. Your helpmate and companion will be a great source of strength to you as you develop together and as you espouse principles of faithfulness to each other. Your service in the temple will be one of the most enjoyable experiences of your life. You will serve long and with great joy.

Dear "Galatian", there are many of your ancestors who look to you for their salvation. Because you have joined the Church, they stand at the doors of the prisons looking out and crying unto you that you seek after them and place their names upon the alters of the temple. It is certainly important for you to have the spirit of Elijah in your life. Thus you may help save the souls of those who have gone before you. Place their names upon the alters of the temples so they may be released from their spirit prison. Then they, too, may eke out their eternal salvation.

Dear "Galatian", I bless your body that it will be strong and healthy and that you will have the ability to resist disease and illness. I bless you that you will have the strength to carry the burdens which will be placed upon your shoulders. You will also have the wisdom to be able to sort through the things which are burdens and which are responsibilities.

Dear "Galatian", I bless you to be free from harm and the accident on the highways and byways of life. Observe rules of decency in your travels that you may listen to the Spirit and be directed and protected from danger.

Dear "Galatian", it is important for you as one who has embraced the Gospel of Jesus Christ to study the scriptures on a daily basis. Become familiar with the doctrines in the Kingdom. Don't waste any time in frivolous activities but become serious in mind in studying the teachings of the Saviour and the doctrines of the Kingdom. You will have the opportunity of teaching in the Church and your studies will stand you in good stead to be one who is authoritative and true in teaching and promoting gospel principles.

Dear "Galatian", I bless you in your associations with your young friends. As you grow on into adulthood, you will have harmony and peace and joy in those associations where your friends will be a strength unto you and you, in turn, will be a strength unto them.

Dear "Galatian", I bless you to be cognizant of your responsibility to keep yourself morally clean, to live the Word of Wisdom, to pay a full and honest tithing and to live the commandments of God. I give you the power over the adversary that you may do these things. Sometimes it will be a sacrifice to pay your tithes and offerings, but remember the admonition of our Prophet -- render unto God that which is God's and He will take care of the rest.

Dear "Galatian", I bless you that you will live a long and fruitful life of service, of kindness and compassion so that when your life is through your associates will say of you that you spent your time in doing good upon the earth and did not mar your life with unrighteous activities.

Dear "Galatian", I seal this blessing upon your through your faithfulness and through your worthiness giving you the power to come forward in the Morning of the First Resurrection where you will be united with your loved ones for time and eternity and take your place upon a throne as a queen in the Celestial Kingdom of God.

Dear "Galatian", I seal this blessing upon you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Conclusion:

Through that long ramble of hot air, I can see nothing of real value. It's all very generic, it could apply to literally anyone, and half of it is common sense - ex: pursue an education, decency in travels, etc. Typing this out I remember a couple things clearly:

a) Being disappointed in the talk about the Relief Society Organization as I never liked it and never wanted much to do with it.

b) Feeling guilty that I had not yet done Temple Work for my deceased relatives, after hearing they were all in "Spirit Prison" and awaiting ME (the only LDS family member ever) to do the work for them!

Mostly, it's pure crap. It might as well have come from a fortune cookie, 8 Ball, or hand plucked from a large pile of memorized, long-winded speeches.

If you managed to read even MOST of that -- I tip my hat to you! Boring, isn't it?

A Typical Conversation

Below, is an email exchange of mine with my good friend J-----. I met J----- as a member of the LDS church many years ago, and we've stayed in contact despite moves, his mission, and other things. Recently, after being out of touch for a while, we reconnected. I told him that I had left the church and about this blog. Here is what he had to say:

Hi "Galatian",

I tried calling you a few times in the past two weeks but your phone number isn't connected or isn't working right now. I appreciated hearing from you and about how things are going in your life. In regards to your blog, I have not and will not be visiting it.

I can understand that you have gone through a lot of tough times and that it wasn't easy for you to connect with the Church culture. I can also understand that leaders of the Church today and in the early days of the Church have made and will continue to make mistakes (such is life for all of us). You have read some things that have made you think that the Church is corrupt. One important principle to remember in all of this however, is that the Lord and His Church are perfect and although the members and leaders of His Church are imperfect, He will never allow the Church to be led astray by its leaders.

Doctrines of the Church are established when the majority of the quorum of the 12 Apostles and the First Presidency are agreed to the doctrine and they declare it as doctrine (not as personal opinion or insight). The members are then under the responsibility to seek the Lord for their own personal witness of that declared doctrine. Putting all of historical and logical methods aside, the ONLY way one can know that the Church is true and divine is by the power of the Holy Ghost. How can one truly understand a person and what he/she is about without talking directly with him/her? Likewise, how can one truly understand God and His teachings without communicating with Him? We need the help and influence of the Holy Ghost to know and understand the things of God and we need the constant help of the Holy Ghost to hold on to that divine truth.

When we learn something that is true and from God, it brings peace, joy, understanding, etc. to our souls. Through my best efforts in keeping God's commandments, exercising my mental capacities, and the witness of the Holy Ghost, I know the L.D.S. Church is the Lord's Church and that the Prophets who lead it are called of God. I hope these things I have said will remind you of the feelings you felt when you joined the Church or when you met the missionaries for the first time (at your door). If you get your phone connected again, please let me know.

Luv ya. Sincerely, J------.

(I apologize to J-- for using his email without permission, but seeing as it had no personal or identifying information (only his apologetics) I felt it was reasonable. I write this in case he ever decides to take a look at this blog after all ;-)

Here is my response:

J-----,

Thanks for the note. We'll simply have to agree to disagree. What disturbs me most about the LDS church is its obvious brainwashing which was so apparent in your email ... that's why I call it a cult. It's not a criticism of you, I used to be the same ... just an observation. The problem with the LDS church is that it relies on a personal emotional manifestation of the truth, instead of empirical evidence, facts, or plain logic and reason. I have Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses and everyone under the sun testifying to me of the truthfulness of their church/book, and how I can know through prayer. Of course, the reason I know they aren't true is observing the doctrine and history, using logic, and plain facts.

I realize that the church leaders aren't perfect, and that's fine. But I disagree with the idea that they can never lead the church astray through the power of the Holy Spirit or God. To accept that, I would have to accept that Brigham Young was divinely inspired when he supported slavery, spoke hatred towards blacks, racism in the church etc. I'd have to believe he was divinely inspired when he said that Adam was God manifested in the flesh, and that Jesus Christ supported slitting people's throats, and that his sacrifice was not enough to atone for ALL sins and that sometimes we must be killed for our sins (Blood Atonement). All of this of course, can be found quoting Brigham directly in the Journal of Discourses. And what did Brigham say of the JoD? Well they are a compilation of his talks and sermons given in church and in the temples. Seeing as he was the Prophet of the Church and claimed it all was doctrinal, revelation ... I think we can take his word for it when he states that anything written in it (and later edited by him) is the word of God and as good of scripture as the Bible itself.

I will not put my logic aside and "pray" to know if something is true. Otherwise my prayer and the so-called Holy Spirit might tell me that I should be a Muslim, or Jehovah's Witness, heck maybe even a Scientologist. No, I will use my logic. And my logic deduces that any church which was racist for hundreds of years (and still is -- because I don't believe black skin is a curse of Cain, nor do I believe I am half descended from cursed Jews), or that had killing squads wipe out its enemies (Danites, etc), or that had Blood Atonement and murdered people, or that had a Prophet having sex with married women, pregnant women, teenage girls (as young as 14), or already-married women, who has proven to have made up the Book of Abraham and Book of Mormon, to which there is NO empirical evidence for, and who falsely translated the Kinderhook Plates, and more ... must be false. It's quite simple.

Mormons claim they have faith in Jesus Christ. But let me ask: who is your faith in? Is your faith in Jesus Christ, or Joseph Smith? For if evidence proves that Smith was a fraud and the church is a lie, why fear? If you proclaim that Jesus is your Saviour, than what difference does it make if the LDS church is false - because you still are saved and have a saviour? It really makes me wonder why Mormons are so fearful of the truth. I can only surmise that their faith truly is in Joseph Smith, and in a church where salvation is based on 'works' (temple work, etc) and not really faith.

And on an end note, I felt something when the missionaries came to my door because I was a young, naive girl who would have believed the moon was made of cheese if they so told me. Thank goodness that is not the case anymore. I tell you all this with much love and affection, though it may seem rude, because I hope you too will come to see the truth ...

Take care, glad you're doing well. xoxo

Luv, 'Galatian'.

Galatian's Note:

I really, truly do love my LDS friends. I have three best friends that are LDS members, whom I hope will always be my friends and be in my life. But let me state quite honestly that sometimes I struggle with our friendships. It's sad, but true.

I originally created this blog for my best friends. I was hoping they would read it if I, a best friend, had created it. I hoped they would give me the benefit of the doubt, have an open mind, and look at it. To my knowledge, none of them have viewed it.

Any conversations we have regarding the LDS church always follow the same pattern: they testify of its truthfulness, they tell me to pray and seek the "Spirit" to validate it, they quote faith-promoting rumors, verses, doctrines, etc. They then tell me that I'm mistaken, that I've been led astray by 'apostate material' and that they don't wish to discuss ANY of the evidence, quotations or questions that I have. They are quite happy to leave their head buried in the sand.

And for me, I have a great deal of difficulty keeping my tongue and my temper, because it's all so absurd. And I feel angry that my friends are in a cult - a full out fraudulent enterprise and religion, donating their time and money and all of it for nothing. But they refuse to accept the truth. What can one do?

I also have an increasingly difficult time feeling close to people who believe I will be going to hell for being an apostate (or denying the Holy Ghost), or at the very least believe they will be up tarrying about in the Celestial Kingdom becoming Gods in all their glory looking down woefully upon their poor apostate friend in the lowest levels of heaven. How arrogant; how ridiculous!

I suppose I should just be plain thankful they haven't completely cut me out of their lives, as the church generally counsels to do -- especially since I, the "apostate" have been giving them the true facts ... or as the church would call it: "anti mormon material" all part of the reason no doubt, they should never associate with me again - lest they learn the facts!

It is just a personally frustrating and sad time for me, looking at my friends' condition. And I can't help but pity them, as they no doubt 'pity' me.

Just another example of how the LDS church breaks apart family and friends ...

Two Year Anniversary

I am so pleased and happy to announce that today is my Two Year Anniversary of leaving Mormonism!
I looked back on some old journals, and it was recorded on January 14th, 2006 that I had officially decided that Mormonism was a fraud, and that I was going to leave the Mormon Church.

It was the beginning of a new year, and I struggled through the various levels of: denial, bargaining, justification, anger, and sadness, until I reached acceptance ... and finally gratitude.

In the two years since I have learned much about the real history of Mormonism, the truth about the church, and I have finally grown up and found my place in 'the real world'.

I no longer live in a self-deluded fantasy, and I will always be proud of myself for leaving Mormonism, for escaping the indocrination and guilt, and for thinking for myself.

I have studied Christianity, history, religion in general, evolution, science and many more subjects. I have learned more in the last two years of study than I learned in 8 years of Mormonism. But the process of learning is an on-going thing, which will never end.

I am so much happier, and I feel a peace in my heart that was missing for those eight years. I feel self-acceptance, I feel acceptance for others, and I marvel at the beauty of this world that I once so arrogantly condemned and took for granted.

Tears come to my eyes, because I don't even know how to express how grateful I am, to have left Mormonism, how much more free my spirit is, how wonderful life really is.

Leaving Mormonism was painful and difficult, but it was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. I'm so proud of myself, so happy to have done it, and I truly hope I can help others in their journey out of it.

I am in debt to those who took the time and effort to expose Mormonism, and to tell the truth. To all those who wrote articles, made videos, made websites and blogs, to those who spoke openly ... I owe my education to you. I owe my freedom to you. Thank you for the work you have done, and please know it has not been in vain.

Is this how it feels to be free?

Is this how it feels to be me?

Today I smiled, because I feel alive --

for the first time, in a long time.

My Missionary Talk

Today as I was walking home, I stopped on the street corner waiting for the crosswalk light to turn on. As I stood there I noticed two men in black coats talking to a woman, and I wondered if they were missionaries. Turns out, they were! Upon noticing me glancing over, one of the young men came up to me and introduced himself. Thus, our discussion begun.

It started simply enough as they began speaking about the church and representing it. I then began to ask questions about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, which they answered. I asked why I should believe in the Book of Mormon when there was no empirical evidence for it. The answer? There is! Apparently, according to this Elder, there is loads of archeological evidence confirming the Lamanites and the stories in the Book of Mormon. I asked him to quote me a source for his claims and he couldn't name any websites or verifiable institutions. He just referred to one book - which he could not remember the name of - and a few LDS members, which he could not remember the names of either.

I then asked him about Joseph Smith's 33 wives. He went on to confirm that there had indeed been polygamy in the past, that it was wrong, the church had renounced it, and that it was no longer practiced. At this point, I simply introduced myself as an ex-member who knew all about the church and had left it.
To save time, I won't get into detail about everything. But we discussed a broad range of issues. I asked about Joseph's polygamy - and got the standard responses. Even when I discussed his sexual practices with young women, his lying about it, his conveniently timed "revelation" to Emma and more, I only got cookie-cutter LDS replies. I asked about everything including:

> No Empirical Evidence > Joseph's Polygamy > Brigham's Polygamy > Hill Cumorah in New York > No DNA Evidence (in fact disproving Mormonism) > The Book of Abraham Papyri > The Kinderhook Bell-Plates > Joseph's Changing First Visions and Angel accounts > Changes to the Book of Mormon > Brigham's Murder Squads and Martial Law in Utah > How "The Great Apostasy" could happen if John the Revelator and the 3 Nephites were still alive and Priesthood holders > Joseph getting Drunk the night before he died, and him shooting 3 men with a pistol > How the Witnesses saw the plates in a "spiritual vision" and not Literally
 
I know there's more, but that's the most of what I can remember. We must have stood on the street corner for roughly 40 minutes talking. At last we had to part because it was so chilly out we were all shaking, not to mention it was getting late and I needed to send my sitter home.

I think what surprised me most about the discussion we had, was the knowledge of one missionary and his responses. His companion seemed stunned every now and then at everything I was saying, and I noticed him scribbling something down on a card (which he then gave to me, he had written "fairlds.org").

The one Elder was very well-informed and knew almost everything that I spoke about, give or take a few things. He told me he already knew all of this, but that it did not affect his testimony. He made the usual excuses: 'prophets acting as men not prophets', 'nobody is perfect but are called to do the work', 'even the Biblical prophets weren't perfect', 'nobody knows the truth, only our own opinions', ETC.

It was deeply disturbing. I had expected surprise on their part, and denial about my claims (some he did say I was mistaken about, but not much), and an attempt to argue a revisionist history. But surprisingly, they were generally informed about many matters, and sadly, did not seem to care. What absolutely stunned and shocked me - was that they already knew all of this, and yet somehow were still able to convince themselves that the church was true.

In addition to the points listed above, I also mentioned my disgust at how the LDS church is less than honest in how it portrays Joseph Smith and the church history. The Elder (it was one that did most of the talking) disagreed and seemed to somehow believe that these things are common knowledge among members. I assured him that for every member I spoke with, about 9/10 did not know most of (if any) the points we had discussed, and that he was unusually informed about them. He did admit to me that as a teenager he had been forced to go to church by his mother, and that he had always disliked and resented the church. He told me he himself had often questioned, and had heard of some things from "anti-mormons". Perhaps that is where he learned some of the information. All I know is, the majority of the members know none of this stuff -- and it is absolutely ridiculous to act as though the church is upfront about it. I might add that he stated however, that before his mission he had a 'total true conversion' to Mormonism, realized and "knew" the church was true, and was eager to spread it.

They then went on and on about their testimonies, and how we need to have faith and feel the spirit within us. They said that everyone could argue about facts and claim to have evidence, but the most important thing was a testimony through the Spirit. I then told them that a "testimony" meant nothing since it was only your own good feelings or reassuring yourself. I told them that Muslims and Jehovah's Witnesses had testimonies too, how would I know which testimony to believe? How? Well by empirical evidence, common sense, and research of course. But they denied this, claiming you only needed to pray, ask, and wait for the Spirit to confirm it.

Essentially they told me that they did not need evidence, proof, or care about arguing either side of the issues - but only needed their testimonies to continue membership and believing. I argued everything I could think of - but it did not seem to rattle them much. It was truly a sad sight indeed. These two naive young men, believing the most ridiculous nonsense from that charlatan snake oil salesman Joseph Smith -- and claiming we did not need to concern ourselves with evidence disproving him, but only needed our "testimonies from the Spirit".

They said of course, that the church was true, and God's only church on earth. And that it had the restored Priesthood, and Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God. They knew all this not according to scientific principles, documented fact, or even circumstantial evidence -- but from the burning bosom Spirit!
They told me they were glad that they had met me this evening, and hoped I would one day return to the church. What interested me as well, was that they asked if I had been excommunicated. I told them I had not been, but had left of my own free will. They then went on to talk about the 'tragedy' of excommunication, and how most of them had sinned terribly, or had become miserable people, or that the light of the Spirit had left them. I laughed this off as Mormon propaganda and told them most excommunicated people were decent enough, many had not sinned at all, and that a lot of scholars and intellectuals had been excommunicated for telling the truth about the Mormon church. They disagreed with that last statement.

Finally it ended with them bearing their testimonies. I then bore my own testimony, my "anti testimony". I stated that I did not know whether God existed or not, but was not concerned. I told them I did not believe Jesus Christ was the Saviour of mankind, but merely a man, and that I did not need the Bible for salvation. I told them that I believed in being a good person out of a mere desire for it - not from fear of punishment or reward. I told them that I believed in the goodness of man, and our ability to progress and form a better future and greater societies.

I also told them that I knew Joseph Smith was not a Prophet, but a liar, charlatan, and vile man who had committed dastardly deeds. I told them I knew Brigham Young was never a Prophet, but a murderer and evil man. I told them I knew the church was not true, and that it was built on a foundation of lies and deceit. I told them I was grateful not to be a member as I can now rejoice in the true beauties of life, and have real freedom of spirit. I told them that I hoped one day they would leave the church, and that I rejoiced every time someone left it or refrained from joining it.

The more outgoing Elder told me he knew I still had "some of the Spirit in me" and he wished good things for my future. I told them I knew they were good people, doing what they thought was right, and I appreciated that. I said that as much as I disagreed with their beliefs, and even what they were doing (spreading them) I also knew that they believed what they were saying, that they were not intentionally lying to anyone, and that I took comfort in knowing they cared enough about people to try to spread their message - even if it was wrong and they could not see it.

We parted on polite terms. We shook hands, thanked one another for the discussion, and wished one another the best. Before they left, I wrote down on one of their cards this blog address http://www.exposingmormonism.blogspot.com/. I told them that I hoped when they returned from their mission they would visit my blog. "What is it a music site or something?" asked one Elder. I shook my head and they looked at the card - you should have seen their faces! That was definitely when it ended and we all went our separate ways.

As I waited for the light to turn, I glanced down the street and saw them walking away. One of the Elders was shaking the other one in congratulation, and they seemed rather jovial. I suspect he was congratulating his partner on a job well done, and on how he had conducted himself and fought back against the "anti-mormon" arguments.

I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, I truly liked these young men. They were polite, gracious, obviously believed they were doing good, and I thought they were awesome people. I liked them, personally, as people. It made my heart glad to see such kind, respectable young men who were genuinely great and I could easily be friends with.

On the other hand, I felt a tragic sadness in my heart. For I knew they were deceived, spreading lies, participating in this cult and dedicating 2 years of their lives - and maybe even their entire lives - to it. I thought back to Joseph Smith's horrible deeds, and Brigham Young's horrible deeds, and all the people they had murdered, all the women they had dishonored, all the suffering and horrors inflicted upon people because of their lies and savagery - and I felt a deep feeling of revulsion.

These young men are good people. I like them. Most Mormons are good people, and I like them. But Mormonism as a whole, started based on lies, greed, terror, horror and foolish blind faith of the unquestioning. Mormonism is a lie. A damned lie! From start to finish, it's nothing more than deceit, cover-ups, and taking advantage of good-hearted people. It makes me ill.

One day Elder, one day I hope you realize the truth of Mormonism. I'd pray but uh, I don't believe in the power of prayer - HA! I do though, deep down in my heart, wish nothing but the best for both of you and I sincerely hope with every fibre of my being, that you set yourselves free from this great lie.
If you should ever discover the truth, and happen upon this site, please do contact me. I would love to hear from you or interview you.

And you know, experiences like this only make me even more committed to what I am doing: spreading the truth! Never again, let us stand by as innocent people are sucked into this brainwashing cult. Never again, let us do nothing as people's lives are destroyed, their dignity taken, their money wasted, and their efforts spoilt by this cult!

I vow to FIGHT MORMONISM until the day I die. And how many I can help along the way I am not sure, but all I know is that every single person counts, and I want people to have the freedom that I have now - knowing the TRUTH!

I realize that at this time, this is only a small blog. But believe me, it will get bigger and better! An ex-mormon store, videos, blogs and entries, and that is only the beginning! I plan on doing podcasts, great interviews, and MORE! I have many surprises up ahead, believe me. It will only get better from here on out ...