Wednesday, February 29, 2012

How the Mormon Spirit Works

In Mormonism, if a member is worthy (follows all the commandments and obeys without question) then he or she has the constant companionship of the holy ghost. It can warn you of danger and give you revelation on answers to your prayers. If you sin, you will offend the holy ghost (commonly referred to as "the spirit") and it will leave you. When that happens, you are now at the mercy of your own choices.

Everyone is capable of feeling the spirit, but only worthy Mormons get to have it with them all the time. For example, an investigator can feel the spirit just enough to know the Book of Mormon is true. The built-in innate human nature to do good to other people is considered the light of Christ and it is in all people. But again, only Mormons can have the spirit with them 24/7.

When you are sharing the gospel, the spirit will put words into your mouth and you will be able to easily convince everyone to join the church. This is considered especially true of missionaries. When you share the gospel and that person doesn't join, it was because their heart was hard and they could not feel the spirit.

Each person in the church, in good standing, is entitled to personal revelation via the spirit. If you have a problem or dilemma in your life, the spirit can help you make correct decisions. If you make a decision based upon the spirit, and it turns out to be wrong, it is justified by stating things like, "god had a lesson for me to learn" and other such nonsense.

The spirit is described as a "still small voice" in Mormonism. Because god is a man with an actual physial body, he cannot personally give you revelation. That is what the spirit is for. The spirit or holy ghost is a third member of the godhead and he is an actual man in spirit form. The spirit is able to penetrate into your heart and give you inspiration.

You can only "hear" it if you are very in tune with it, much like tuning an analog radio to a specific frequency. In fact, Mormons use the radio analogy to explain how the spirit works... it broadcasts a signal and everyone who is tuned in can benefit from it. Because it is not easy to hear, one must be very in tune and listen for promptings (feelings). If you haven't noticed by now, Mormons put a huge emphasis on feelings.

I know a girl who is separated from her husband and is very much out of love with him. She is Mormon and has told her husband that she has been praying about what to do and the spirit is nagging her to get a divorce. (Never mind the fact that she has been extremely sexually immoral and that negates her ability to receive revelation, but I digress).

The part that I find amusing is that her husband, in reply to her claims of revelation for a divorce, has claimed that in answer to his prayers, they are supposed to stay together and work things out (never mind the fact that he is a convicted sexual predator, having been familiar with young girls in his own family, therefore he is also unworthy to receive revelation).

On a slight side note, this is how Mormonism works. If you're "unworthy" to be guided by the spirit, you just pretend that you are since no one will really know the difference. By Mormon standards, neither of these two people are worthy to receive revelation and yet both of them are claiming that they do. I have talked about this before... how in order to be a Mormon, you have to lie and pretend. You have to go along with the show because everyone else is.



It is not unlike the story of the emperors new clothes where only the "wise" can see the invisible clothes. No one really can see them (because they're not there) but no one wants to admit that they can't (and therefore aren't wise) and so they all pretend. Since everyone is pretending, all claiming to be wise, everyone single one of them is an arrogant fool who is too afraid to just admit the truth because they think that they would be the only one who is a fool. So they are all just happier to keep lying to each other. Mormonism works on this very same principle. They all claim to have the spirit and receive revelation because everyone around them does too and they don't want to be the only one who can't seem to get with the program. So in the secret life of a Mormon, they all wonder what is wrong with them while everyone around them seems to be so with it. They beat themselves up inside and just play along. The truth is that they are all playing along and pretending, while secretly thinking that they are the only one who the system doesn't work for. It's the honest ones, like me, who finally get fed up and scream out, "This is all bullshit!!!!!"

Now, getting back on subject, why would the spirit give two unworthy people different answers to the same question?

Um, maybe because the idea of the spirit is complete and total bullshit?

Isn't it funny how the "spirit" always reveals to you the very thing that you personally want/think is best? And they claim it's not emotion! ROTFLMAO!

Mormons make poor decisions just like everyone else. When a Mormon makes a poor decision, it was a correct prompting but god wanted them to have a trial. When a non-Mormon makes a poor decision, it is because they couldn't feel the promptings of the spirit. When an ex-Mormon makes a poor decision, it's because they left the church and are now wandering around lost and confused.

Whenever a Mormon makes a right decision, he can't wait until Fast Sunday to get up and brag about how righteous he is because he felt the spirit and followed its promptings. Then they all cry together because the church is so true and the spirit is so wonderful.

And that's the spirit... No matter what it prompts, it was the right decision and the church is true!

6 comments:

Karah said...

Yep. Pretttty much. ::nods in agreement::

Heather said...

I remember when I was 18 and in desperate need to find a husband (hahahahahaha WOW) and I was dating an RM like I was supposed to. I was completely infatuated with him. I would pray all the time that he would love me like I did him. I got confirmation that we were supposed to be together, but he broke it off with me so I guess his confirmation was different?

Its crazy now to think that I believed it all. I lived my life and made decisions based on a feeling that was "the spirit."

Great post...

Mormon411 said...

Thanks to both of you!

Heather, isn't it amazing how the truth seems so obvious now but back in the day, both of us would have bet our lives that it was true.

Why not just admit it when you make a poor decision and then move on with your life instead of justifying it with all your superstitious beliefs?

Valerie said...

My husband and I have felt in a situation just like The Emperors New Clothes. Especially with the whole ordeal of going to the Temple.

There's always some excuse!

Mormon411 said...

Valerie, thank you for bringing that up. There are many aspect of Mormonism that work that way. The temple is a wierd ceremony; there is no other way to say it. But people "return and report" how wonderful and spiritual it was while thinking, "That was the wierdest thing I've ever done!"

But they are expected to say it was wonderful because everyone does and it's been the ultimate goal since you were a kid.

Really, what a disappointing ceremony. Stand up, sit down. Change your clothes a dozen times. Bow your head and say "yes". Learn secret passwords and handshakes and get threatened with hell if you ever share them with anybody.

Cult, cult, cult!

Medic said...

Old post but I just wanted to let you know there is some truth to the "Holy Ghost" spirit stuff. I am in continuous contact, I ask questions and receive answers constantly. The answer often doesn't make sense and is something I don't want to do/hear, but I've learned over the past 4 years to trust that feeling. I study neuroscience and psychology, this isn't schizophrenia.

Things you got wrong...
1. You don't have to be an active member. I was raised LDS but I am inactive. The spirit actually confirmed to me the doctrine has truth but told me I should not attend church. The spirit is acknowledged by many religions.
2. It tells you to be good and is absent when you're bad - not true. The spirit doesn't judge. Pray even when you're intoxicated (although I should note that the spirit seems absent when I drink).
3. "Still small voice" is a mormon keyword but that voice is translated feeling, the spirit can be discerned at the feeling level and SHOULD be, since non-spiritual urges (appetite, social concern) also manifest as voices and often masquerade as the spirit. It feels like a 6th sense, one of right vs. wrong. I relax my body and mind, ask a question, and run answers through my head pausing on each answer and analyzing whether it feels right or wrong. CTR. With practice, you can "push" the feeling out your throat and let it form words, allowing for more complicated Q&A. It is also possible to visualize answers, sometimes I'll close my eyes and convert the feeling to a hotspot in my visual feild, directing my attention to specific spatial regions. You must be open to any answer, your desires make discerning wayyy trickier. Practice quieting your mind, not thinking allows the spirit to manifest more clearly.

I used to be a doubter, I left the church partly because I never had any spiritual experiences. Do everything you feel you should do, at all times, and the guidance will increase. Once you're tuned to it's will, you'll be guided to do crazy things that make no sense, and you'll watch bewildered as you become the luckiest, most self-actualized person you know. All it takes is ALWAYS doing what some part of you knows is right, keep an open mind and the rest will unfold.

By following the spirit, I went from severely depressed, insomniac druggie to over-achieving, self-mastered genius. I'm now a music producer, artist, writer, and neuroscience researcher. I have an album coming out this summer, I just started a label for amateur musicians, I teach self-therapy to high-functioning autistic teens, I have 4 blogs, I aspire to scientifically discover how people can realize their potential, I'm teaching myself piano, dancing, cooking, art, and more. Money is never an issue. The confidence and optimism that comes with trusting the spirit gives you an energy others gravitate towards. The spontaneity of always listening is exciting and makes for so, so many inspired adventures.

Don't get so focused on the way religions word things, words are the imaginary numbers of our minds - metaphors where interpretation is not consistent. You have to discover spiritual things spiritually. These things don't make sense with the way we've been taught to understand, you have to allow yourself to understand differently. Save your flawed logic and meditate/pray, connect with your greatest self. Don't force anything, be love's puppet and let that inner, spiritual you take control and direct you to destiny.

Lol sorry about the novel. I still withheld so many thoughts and examples. If you have questions or anything email me at tydaguy1023@gmail.com