The church does real harm, but Mormons will ignore it for the sake of following the prophet.

I'm heartbroken, distressed, and feel emotionally exhausted every time there is a push to try and bring Mormon church abuses to light, but then nothing substantial changes. The church does real harm. It's so frustrating. 😢😢😢

It also makes me feel unsafe.

This kind of thing (the recent focus on the mishandling of sexual abuse by the church) makes me realize how much more important the organization of the church is to Mormons than the actual suffering of human beings. Following the prophet is more important than anything else, even when prophets are wrong and causing irreparable harm.

Prophets can be wrong! It's a fact!

That obedience to an organization is such a huge part of some people's lives that to acknowledge the pain it causes is a bridge too far, and that's terrifying to me.

It's terrifying and culty to see that human suffering has to be dismissed by good people in order to hold their beliefs together.

Can I phone a friend??

 

I recently had a friend make a post about leaving the church and it's making me relive the hell that was trying to leave.

Cults don't let you leave with dignity. That's one of the many reasons why I think Mormonism is a cult.

I should have been free to leave the church with the support of people who love me and who would understand that I did not find the behavior of the "prophets" at all acceptable.

Instead, I was told that I was being influenced by the devil, that I was not trustworthy, that I was a disappointment, that I used to be respected, and on and on about how sad I was making people.

Oh, and that I REALLY shouldn't talk about why I left!

For the answer to the question in the picture, here's a hint: It's the answer you would expect from any man-made religion that matches the normal human patterns that have existed for centuries... Not the one I expected from "the one true church", and one of many reasons why I resigned from Mormonism.

Mormon Temple ceremonies are NOT unchanging. For example, there used to be nudity. (Yes, nudity. As in people sitting naked in a bathtub levels of nudity)

 

So many people don't realize that nudity was a part of the initiatory, or washing and anointing, part of the endowment.

This is one of ten washing and anointing rooms of the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints circa 1911. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washing_and_anointing#cite_note-ABVW-3

From the Wikipedia page: "As the washings and anointings were practiced in Nauvoo, men and women were taken to separate rooms, where they disrobed and, when called upon, passed through a canvas curtain to enter a tub where they were washed from head to foot while words of blessing were recited. Then oil from a horn was poured over the head of the participant, usually by another officiator, while similar words were repeated. As part of the ceremony, participants were ordained to become kings and queens in eternity. Men performed the ritual for men, and women performed the ritual for women."


I made an Instagram post talking about how people were nude under a shield pre-2005, and so many Mormons don't even believe that!

So many comments from people saying "that's fake" and "nudity has never been a part of the temple".

Sigh...

It's so sad because the other half of the comments are from people who were traumatized by the experience and are now being gas lit.

That's not ok.

It's easy to see how something so weird and secret could be traumatizing.

It needs to stop being swept under the rug.

The temple and all of the weird things that have been changed since it's origins should be talked about way more.

Mel Wells of My Underwear Will Save Me has a great painting of what the shield looked like. You were basically nude under a poncho: https://myunderwearwillsaveme.com/post/140170318337/i-was-21-when-i-went-through-the-mormon-temple