Today was full of fun reinforcements and revelations. I belong to a private Facebook group of former Mormons and there is always interesting information being shared. I enjoy reading the experiences of other members and I find comfort in knowing I'm not alone.
This weekend several members of the community shared posts about an email they have received from the church asking them to complete a survey on why they left the church.
Here is what one member shared:
The lady had written in the response for them to read the CES Letter. Which all members in our group have read and we all find it interesting now how the church is accusing the writer of being an adulterer. Which is hilarious because he is not. He's an honest man who asked hard questions that no one in the leadership would answer.
Several people uploaded phone images of the actual email:
I, of course, couldn't help but comment:
And I loved some of the other comments from other members:
“Revelation by qualtrics, peer research, and survey assessments. It’s the 21st Century, after all!”
Gee, if only an organization had unfettered access to divine beings and their all-powerful omnipotence, we might learn something more important than where to buy affordable commercial real estate and getting the name of the church correctly.
This weekend several members of the community shared posts about an email they have received from the church asking them to complete a survey on why they left the church.
Here is what one member shared:
Did anyone else receive a survey by email today from the church? I guess I’m still on their mass email list. Normally I would have just deleted it, but it said if I filled it out I would get a $10 Amazon gift card, so I decided to hurry and complete it.😂😜It had some general factual questions, but then it asked some deep hard questions. Basically, it is trying to figure out who and why people are leaving the church and what they can do to prevent it from happening even more. They are trying to see if there are common threads of people that leave like, “Oh, well his family never held family home evening growing up! That must be why he left.” And, “This person that isn’t active, well they didn’t have LDS friends in high school or they didn’t have a strong YW organization in her ward.....that’s why.” Etc. Etc. It was really interesting the questions they were asking. It was also trying to see when the doubts starting occurring and where the info that gave you doubts came from.Well at the end it had a comment box for anything else additional. I got brave and wrote this. See picture. Maybe I shouldn't have but I just couldn’t help myself! 😂😂😂 I also think it’s funny they are bribing people with gift cards to fill out this survey. Is the money coming from tithing money? Probably! But it also said, “You can choose to donate your money to charity.” What charity? Probably just back into the church’s endless money bucket. Anyway, interesting. I thought I’d share!
The lady had written in the response for them to read the CES Letter. Which all members in our group have read and we all find it interesting now how the church is accusing the writer of being an adulterer. Which is hilarious because he is not. He's an honest man who asked hard questions that no one in the leadership would answer.
Several people uploaded phone images of the actual email:
I, of course, couldn't help but comment:
And I loved some of the other comments from other members:
If only there was a leader who had direct communication with God... then the surveys wouldn't be needed.
“Revelation by qualtrics, peer research, and survey assessments. It’s the 21st Century, after all!”
Gee, if only an organization had unfettered access to divine beings and their all-powerful omnipotence, we might learn something more important than where to buy affordable commercial real estate and getting the name of the church correctly.
It is so refreshing to know you are not alone and that others see what you see. It's hard to believe I ever believed this stuff.
I am trying to focus on the good I gleaned from participating in my faith culture for over 3 decades, but sometimes the anger and disappointment of being lied to overwhelm. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for the negative emotions to completely subside. I have always been one to focus on the future, not dwell on the past, and to cultivate gratitude and optimism. Soon enough it will all be just an interesting memory.
Oh and speaking of revelations and reinforcements, it was fun today to see a friend and extended family member join our group. I welcomed them just as I would any new member of our ward.
Janelle,
ReplyDeleteI typically do not leave comments, but your words regarding not feeling alone make me feel I should write.
My wife and I made a similar transition out of Mormonism. I definitely went through a similar period to what you described as "negative emotions" and I'm happy to report that for me it definitely has subsided and the other side is wonderful.
That's all. I just wanted to reinforce that you are not alone. I love your blog and your writing.
Wow! Thank you so much for commenting. Your words are "manna from Heaven!" ;) I attended school with a York Duckworth. He was an insanely smart and talented guy. Must be a Duckworth thing.
DeleteSo glad to know it only continues to get better. I initially worried that my life would fall apart as prophesied, but surprisingly, I have found greater peace, happiness, and joy walking my own way. And I cannot even begin to describe the excitement and fulfillment in learning to think for myself. But something tells me, I don't need to be able to describe it to you as you have tasted of this delicious fruit yourself.
Stay in touch and thanks for reading!