Thank You, Boyd K. Packer...

... for helping me see the truth about the LDS church.

One of my earliest memories of doubt about the LDS church came after hearing a story of the arrival of the pioneers in the Salt Lake valley. This story told of several of the apostles and priesthood leaders climbing a hill and setting up an ensign to the nation. They did so because they knew that they had the true priesthood and that they had been called to their high positions by god himself.

When I heard this story, I distinctly remember having the gut feeling that every single one of these men were deluded fanatics; that there was no truth at all to what they believed.

For years, I remembered hearing that story but could never remember where I heard it.

Until today.

I was browsing around on YouTube and came across a speech by Boyd K. Packer where he relates this story. I was beginning to wonder if I had just imagined this whole thing, but here it is plain and clear.



You only need to watch about the first minute and a half.

Another Encounter with the LDS Missionaries

The LDS missionaries are the most manipulating bastards! They don't listen to a damn thing you say. All they want to do is shove their goddamn religion down your throat.

Why am I so pissed off? Today two Mormon geeks (missionaries) approached me on the street. They were the typical clean cut, white shirt, bicycle guys that you always see riding around.

The geek who initiated the conversation began by asking me if I was a member of the church, to which I replied that I was not. He then asked me what was holding me back from going to church. I told him that I am not religious.

Going on as though he was wearing ear plugs, he asked me if I have a copy of the Book of Mormon to which I replied that I do. He then challenged me to read it, saying that if I do, I will be able to regain my testimony.

What? Didn't I just tell you that I'm not a member? He then went on to promise me, in the name of Jesus Christ, that if I read the Book of Mormon, I will find the answers that I've been praying for.

What? Didn't I just tell you that I'm not religious? Non-religious people don't pray, so I haven't been praying for answers.

This assuming SOB then tried to manipulate me into a commitment to go to church this Sunday. I told him I would look at the Book of Mormon but that's all I would commit to. Well, I got home, glanced at the book and then logged in to post my little encounter.

The funny thing is that his companion said nothing and was even looking in other directions. I could tell he was just as annoyed by these stupid questions as I was.

Their behaviour appalls me and it terrifies me to think that at one point, I ran around in a white shirt and tie with a black name tag and asked those exact same manipulating questions. It horrifies me to think that I was once one of them.

What makes them think that people like being approached by complete religious freaks who try to manipulate the hell out of them from the very first question? Why do they think that they have the right to approach me, uninvited, and immediately start ramming their testimonies down my throat?

I know that they are just naive slaves of the system who are only trying to do what they think is right. I can't blame them for that. But I have actually grown to resent them. I still try to be polite, but I don't know for how much longer. Every encounter I have with them is exactly the same... them trying to manipulate me into dozens of commitments.

Why do I have to account myself to two geeky teenagers? I don't! I no longer have to account to anyone for any of my actions or choices except to myself and my wife. No one else! No one else has the right to pry into my private or religious life. And yet Mormons think they can do it to anyone they want, member or non-member.

Never again will any bishop or missionary be allowed to question me about my private life. Never! My days of explaining myself to everyone else are over.

Take my advice. If you see the LDS missionaries, turn around and walk the other way.

Faith in a Fairy Tale

I am an atheist and goddamn proud of it!

For years I was brought up, like most people, in a religion that teaches fairy tales. There is no truth to these stories or beliefs at all and the amazing thing is that religious people will actually admit to you that they have no proof of them. That's why it's called religion: because you have to accept it on faith.

Isn't that a stupid thing to do?

Okay, I could see accepting something on faith if it had a good probability of being true. Religion not only expects you to take their "truths" on faith, but to do so in spite of tremendous evidence that it is not true.

Come on people! Where are your brains?

Richard Dawkins in his wonderful book, "The God Delusion", points out the fact that religious people believe that taking something on faith, despite evidence to the contrary, is noble. As a Mormon, I was taught that unquestioning obedience to the "bretheren" was one of the best traits that I could develop.

What? You mean act like a sheep?

If "God" wanted me to follow like a sheep, why did "He" give me brains? Why was I given the ability to think and reason if doing so is such a serious offense to god? Why was I given a penis if sex is such a terrible thing? Why would god make me the way I am and then condemn me on every turn for simply being me?

Only a deluded person would think that.

I used to feel guilty because touching myself felt good. I used to feel guilty for getting aroused by looking at pictures of naked girls. I used to feel horribly guilty for making out with and petting with girls who I was not married to.

Now I regret that I didn't do it more!

If there really is a place called "hell" then the only people who are going there are the people who teach these lies and make people hate themselves for simply being human. Remember, in Christianity, you are born into sin. Just for being born, you deserve to go to hell. I used to buy into all that nonsense, but then...

... I turned on my brain.

There is this invisible guy living in the sky. This guy is constantly watching you, making notes of everything you do. He has 10 rules that you are supposed to obey. If you break any of them, he has arranged a special place for you to go, where you will be tortured and punished for all eternity with no possibility for parole. This person is god and guess what?

He loves you!

God is an awful parent! Would any parent who loves their children punish them FOREVER for simply making a mistake? This "merciful" being will watch you burning in pain forever and do nothing to stop it?

Fuck that god! (This is where I hack up a nice big loogie and spit it right into god's face!)

God is all knowing, right? He always gets his way, right? Well, if god's will is unchangeable, then why bother praying? If someone is sick, god already knows if they are going to get better or die. Since their fate is pre-determined, what makes you think a simple prayer is going to alter the will of the almighty?

Prayer does nothing!

If there is no god, then you are just saying words that bounce off the ceiling and go no further. If there is a god, and his will is unalterable, than your prayer is nothing but a nuisance to god. He's not going to change his mind, so why bother taking the time in the first place?

Stop fooling yourself.

God is supposed to be merciful but I have just showed that he isn't. God is supposed to be loving, but I have just showed that he isn't. What other attributes does god have? All-good and all-powerful? Nope, and I'll show you why.

God sucks.

If god was all good, then he wouldn't break his own commandments. Are we not expressly forbidden to kill? Yes, so why does god think it's okay for him to do it? Since god kills and there is proof in the Bible, then god is not all-good.

Fucking hypocrite!

Is god all powerful? Nope. If you really think about the doctrine, Satan is more powerful than god. Once you are in hell, you're there forever. Even if god wanted to get you out, he can't. Besides, if god is so powerful and the devil is so bad, why doesn't god just say some magic word and make Satan disappear forever? Then everyone would be saved and the whole story would make a lot more sense.

But god is too stupid to think of that.

So it appears that every attribute given to god is actually not true. It really sounds like a made up story, doesn't it? But don't worry, even though it makes no sense at all and is completely absurd, it's noble to keep believing!

Actually, it's insane.

It's all so insane that I can't believe I ever allowed myself to buy it in the first place. It's just like taking the story of Peter Pan and wagering my life savings that it's a true story. If you really stop and think about it, you will see that your religious beliefs are no damn different. There is absolutely no evidence for the existance of god; in fact, there is a mountain of evidence to the contrary.

So use the brain that "god" gave you!

The Houses of the Lord

I went on a walk today and walked by the LDS church house where I used to attend. My first thought was to go on another pilgrimage like I did last year.

http://mormon411.blogspot.com/2008/07/my-mini-pilgrimage.html

For now that can wait, but I did have another thought...

We're all supposed to be reverent in the church and in the temple because they are the house of the lord. What? How many damn houses does that selfish SOB need?

A Letter to the Mission President

I was just browsing through some old records and I came across this letter that I once wrote to the local mission president. I do not believe I ever sent him the letter, but it gives some insite into myself. You will notice that in this letter, I profess my belief in the church; however, there are clearly doubts and questioning. So, without further aidu:

"Dear President ____:

"In the last few months, the missionaries of the mission have been asking the members to be actively involved with the missionary work by coming with them to all of their appointments with investigators and new members. The purpose, as you know, is to provide fellowshipping. This is a good idea and I believe it will be very effective; however, I have a few concerns that I’d like to let you know of.

"Our ward is quite large and the number of active families is quite small. Even with the active members, there are very few who are willing or available to go out with the missionaries. As such, I have been called upon frequently, which I have done willingly. I believe this program is inspired, but I do not believe that the ward mission leader, the ward missionaries, and the few that are willing should have to shoulder the entire burden. Therefore, I propose that the members go with the missionaries to appointments AFTER the investigator has fulfilled some commitments and has shown a general interest in further investigating the church. I do not believe that this request is unreasonable.

"On top of that, the last time I was supposed to meet the Elders to teach a discussion, I arrived at the home at the scheduled time. I waited outside for the Elders, and when a half-hour passed without them showing up, I finally went home. Now, the purpose of this letter is not to get the Elders in trouble with you, but to again stress the fact that our number of willing members are few and are quickly being burnt out. If the mission wants members to be involved, then the missionaries need to take it seriously and be to their appointments on time.

"I have recently been asked, again, to go with them to an investigators home. The reason I have been asked to go is because the investigator is a single woman, and for the lack of a better word, I am to act as "chaperone". Perhaps I’m wrong with my thinking, but that is the reason they go out two-by-two: not only to give two witnesses, but also to "chaperone" each other. Three men going into the home of a single woman is going to intimidate her. Pardon me for saying this, but the Elders are big boys and since the church continuously praises them for how wonderful they are, then the church needs to back off and let them do their job without continual supervision and strict rules.

"I also have another concern: In order to avoid going to the appointment and the missionaries not showing up again, I asked if they could come by my house and pick me up. I was informed that no one, other than missionaries, are allowed to ride in a mission car. This is not right. Again, if the mission wants the members to be involved, then the “rules” need to be a little flexible. If they want members to come to every appointment, then accommodations need to be made to make it easier on the VERY few willing members.

"Having served a mission myself, I’m sure you are aware that many if not most of the Elders in the field really don’t want to be there. They have simply gone on their mission because of their parents, girlfriends, and all the pressure they have received ever since they could talk. Either the Elder has a strong testimony and kept himself worthy for a mission, OR he had a weak testimony, never repented for past transgressions, and went on a mission to please everyone. All the pressure and manipulation has resulted in a mission field full of Elders who have simply gone to please their parents and girlfriends. Personally, I believe the church is perfectly aware of this, and this is why such strict rules are in place. If the Elders were truly righteous, there would be no need for mission rules. So, if there is a danger of the Elders doing the naughty with this female investigator, they are going to do it whether or not I go with them on an appointment.

"If the church would cut back on the pressure of young men to go on a mission, of course, there would be far fewer Elders in the field. I do believe, however, that the church would actually grow faster because the ones that go are the ones that want to go! There are very few sister missionaries, but they are most often the
MVP’s in the mission. This is because the sisters are not pressured and manipulated to serve.

"I know that this letter will probably change nothing, but I feel strongly about these issues and I believe that the missionary program could be much more effective if we had missionaries who serve because they want to, not because they are manipulated by the system.

"Sincerely,

"A Concerned Member

"P.S. I prefer to remain anonymous in order to avoid the labels. Even though my issues are sincere, who am I to question our "inspired" leaders?"

Lying For the Lord, Ken Clark

Just watch this video and see if it doesn't enrage you like it did me! It's long but worth it!

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3



Part 4



Part 5



Part 6



Part 7



Part 8



Part 9



Part 10

Sneeky LDS Conversion Tactics

http://www.mormon.org/ Click on the "Basic Beliefs" tab and then on the "Membership In Christ's Church" link.

Here you will find a nice little summary of LDS beliefs and lifestyle. They keep it simple and short. But this page is dangerously deceiving.

You see, life as a Mormon is anything but simple. It is amazingly complex and members are taught that they must conform with all the rules and expectations or they won't be saved. Don't you dare say no to your bishop for anything because if you are saying no to the bishop, then you are saying no to Jesus himself.

This page shares the "basic beliefs" of Mormonism which are not too far fetched when compared with other religions. They want to appear to be normal.

However, this simple page leaves out many, many important details of standard Mormon life. The first is tithing. Members are expected to pay 10% of their gross earnings to the church. They do not force you to do so, but highly guilt-trip it out of you. If you don't pay, then you will not be allowed to attend the temple, which is the ultimate goal of Mormonism.

This simple page says nothing about home and visiting teaching. Active members are actually assigned a few member families that they are required to visit in their homes each month. A spiritual message is taught and the home or visiting teacher is required to report to the bishop anything that is out of the ordinary. Again, this activity is not forced, but the members are highly guilt-tripped into doing it.

This simple page also says nothing about the temple itself. Mormons view their holy temples as being the literal house of god on earth. It is such a holy place that evil spirits and any other influence of the devil is physically unable to come inside. In the temple, many different saving ordinances are carried out. In order to be "temple worthy" a member must fully comply with all the teachings of the church and pass two worthiness interviews. In order to get a temple recommend (a piece of paper given to you by the bishop stating that you have been found worthy to enter the temple) the member must comply to the following requirements:

- Pay a full and honest tithe
- Be sexually pure (no sex of any kind unless with your spouse)
- Profess faith and a belief in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit
- Sustain LDS leadership as prophets and apostles
- Confess and repent of any sins
- Be active in church and fulfill all callings and assignments
- Must not associate with any group whos teachings are against or contrary to LDS teachings
- Profess to have a testimony of the restored gospel
- Obey the Word of Wisdom
- Profess to be honest in all your dealings
- Overall consider yourself to be worthy to enter the temple

This is the life of a Mormon in a nutshell. However, our simple, feel-good web page in question does not talk about any of this stuff. This page is deceiving and dishonest. If people knew that all of these things would be expected of them, I am sure that far fewer would join. So the LDS church must engage in dishonest tactics in order to get people to join.

That's just sad. Isn't it ironic that the church which expects honesty of its members is anything but honest!

Their conversion process and logic goes as follows:

- Read and pray about the Book of Mormon
- Ask god and find out for yourself if it is true
- If the Book of Mormon is true, then Joseph Smith was a true prophet
- If JS was a true prophet, then the LDS church is the true church
- If the LDS church is true, then all of its teachings are true
- Since all of its teaching are true, then you must comply or fry

So you see, they get the unsuspecting convert addicted to the church by means of the Book of Mormon. Once that person has a basic understanding and testimony of its truth, they can be easily manipulated into believing more "deep" doctrines. However, if these "deep" doctrines were introduced at the beginning, the potential convert would tell the church to take a hike. This is referred to as the "milk before meat" principle.

In other words, it is actually okay to withhold certain information from new converts. Wait until the hook is nice and deep before you pummel them with all the amazing extras!

Sneeky little fuckers!

An Interesting Observation

Wow the time flies and I just realized that it's been almost a month since my last post.

Yesterday, a friend pointed out a very interesting observation...

At Temple Square in downtown SLC on the corner of South Temple Street and Main Street, there is a statue of Brigham Young. The statue is on the north side of the street and is facing south with an outstretched hand.

Basically, he has his back to the holy temple and is reaching in a south-easterly direction towards...

...ZION'S BANK!

Brigham Young died owing the church more than a million dollars!

No more needs to be said.

Religion vs. Science

I went to see "Ultimate Universe" at the Clark Planetarium near downtown SLC the other day.

Science, whether viewed through a telescope or through a microscope, is absolutely incredible. Whether we're talking about galaxies that are 300 million light years apart from each other or molecules of DNA which are small enough to easily fit on the head of a pin, science is remarkable and mind blowing.

God is supposed to be the greatest thing around, right? Well, the marvel of science completely blows away any idea or superstition that religion can come up with. Heaven is the place where god lives. Yet, what do we know about it? Nothing, except that we want to be there. But there is no scientific evidence that heaven even exists.

I recommend that you go see this film. It is remarkable. The study of our world and our universe is beautiful beyond description. Yet it is real. Space is really out there and so are the trillions of stars that decorate the night sky. You can't see your DNA, but without it, you would not be alive. Is it science or religion that has brought these things to our attention?

God exists because humans needed an explanation. Now, god is no longer necessary because science gives us the true answers. We might not know everything yet, but that is the marvel of science. What we didn't know yesterday, we know today. What we don't know today, we will probably know tomorrow.

Science gives us the true answers and the more we learn of it, the less need there is for god. It won't be long before science can explain how life began and where we came from. Sorry, god. You had your glory. Now we don't need you anymore.

I hate to be the one to burst your religious bubble, but that's just the way it is.

Why Do We Go To Church?

It is human nature to not put any effort into something unless there is the promise of a return; something that will be beneficial to us. Those people in the religion business know this and ask that we attend their meetings and give them money. What they offer in return is salvation.

Would you go to church if there wasn't something in it for you? We all say we go because "we love the lord" but if there wasn't a fantastic reward for our unconditional obedience, would we bother putting in the time and effort?

Mormonism offers quite elaborate rewards for your unconditional obedience: mansions, riches, power, and royalty.

Now the problem, is that you are taking a gamble. If the church is true, then everything they promise will be yours if you comply all your life. However, if the church is not true, then you've wasted your life in a cult.

And the catch is that you have to die before you get to know for sure. Once you're dead, you're dead. You can't come back and demand a refund of your life and money if it turns out to not be true.

Religion is a business where the product is salvation. You get to cash in on your reward after you die, so guess what?!?! There is a 100% customer satisfaction rate because those who are dead can't complain! They can't sue! They can't demand their money back. They can't expose the religious frauds for what they are.

So religion takes advantage of our humanly greediness. They promise salvation, knowing that by the time you learn the truth, it will be too late to do anything about it.