Okay, so this is going to be amusing to maybe like five people on the planet but...
I've been studying teeline, a shorthand system most typically employed by UK journalists (though apparently becoming less common). In this writing system there are various phrases that have commonly used abbreviations. In today's lesson, the instructor mentioned that the phrase "grievous bodily harm" can be written as GBH.
As an #ExMormon, this abbreviation amuses me.
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Reading through the "Light and Truth Letter" a totally-not-written-by-the-church response to the infamous CES Letter that's been plaguing Mormonism for years now.
It's amazing* how they seem to have managed to not seriously engage with a single one of the issues I have with the church.
#ExMormon #NotACult #CESLetter
* not really
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I found some of my old notes from church. God, I really drank the Kool-Aid, didn't I?
Here's a sample:
When I negotiate my standards, I cheat myself of the blessings the Lord wants to give me.
🤮🤮🤮
"The blessings he wants to give me?" Isn't he supposed to be an omnipotent being? I had no idea I was so powerful that I could tie his hands like that.
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I also love how I was able to take down an idea, and then immediately contradict myself with the next one, e.g.:
- Heavenly Father did not put me here to fail.
- A failure is nothing more than an opportunity to learn.
This is the definition of doublethink.
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So when I was mormon and got my endowment, I was given temple garments (special underwear) that I was instructed to wear day and night. I was also told never to show them to anyone (especially non-members).
At the time, I was a convert to the church living at home with my non-mormon family. Once a week, I used to smuggle them down to the laundry room to wash them without anyone seeing them.
I was eventually told by a priesthood leader that this was unnecessary, but still...
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@Mx. Luna Corbden Bishop Roulette strikes again!
But yeah. The temple worker who gave me my garments laid down the law.
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A while ago my old temple clothing turned up. Just had an interesting conversation with Katy that made me realize something I hadn't before.
There's a specific bag that the church sells to put your temple clothing in. As far as I know, there's no rule saying you have to use it, but a lot of mormons do. I never really thought about it, but it's totally a dog whistle/status symbol. To an outsider, it's just a pretty ordinary (cheap looking) bag. To a mormon who's had their endowment, it screams "I'm worthy to go to the temple."
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Jonathan Lamothe
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Jonathan Lamothe
in reply to Jonathan Lamothe • •Wow, I finally got to my "shelf breaker" item: the way the church handles reports of sexual abuse. They actually have the audacity to list "the helpline"* as something that makes people safer.
This is some real Ministry of Truth shit.
Source: lightandtruthletter.org/letter…
* You know, the helpline that has instructed these untrained bishops to not report to the authorities and then move to sweep them under the rug.
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Katrina Katrinka :donor:
in reply to Jonathan Lamothe • • •Sensitive content
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Jonathan Lamothe
in reply to Jonathan Lamothe • •Katrina Katrinka :donor:
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I was curious, so I looked, and it missed my reason, too.
For me, it was the 2015 PoX (Policy of Exclusion). I saw it as directly contrary to the 2nd Article of Faith and was instantly thrown into existential crisis.
No, I wasn't the only one. Yes, it was so self-destructive, the church took it back 5 years later. That wasn't quick enough for my friend who could not reconcile all the parts of herself torn apart by that policy and died by suicide.
The leadership continues to harm people who are LGBTQ and those who care for them. I can't see Christ anywhere in that.
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Katrina Katrinka :donor:
in reply to Katrina Katrinka :donor: • • •Sensitive content
When you said that it got to your issue, I went back and paged through and found the LGBTQ section.
Those references he makes to "evidence" about "LGB" people with no acknowledgement he's intentionally excluding trans people because they are being horribly abused by the church and our society right now is disgusting.
And he's very shallow on the issue as he obviously doesn't know anyone who will talk to him about it. All he has is John Dehlin, who is not the best, either.
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Jonathan Lamothe
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