Mormonism's Influence: Healthy or Unhealthy? (Cult Analysis)
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- Опубліковано 30 чер 2024
- What do you think???
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I love your videos, I grew up mormon and your videos help me remind myself why I got my records removed. Thank you so much for making videos like this! You're amazing
🥹🫶
It's crazy how much anxiety religion can cause, and you don't realize until you leave.
I was also the Hermione of my Sunday school and seminary. And yet, I was also shocked at how little I knew about Mormon history because so much was left out of those lessons.
Also, happy winter solstice and holiday celebrations!
It’s true we can feel anxious knowing that we can’t have coffee or also to me it was lack of receiving friendship…
It's hard for someone in a belief system to understand and appreciate how bad it is... until they're out. Is there a personal cost to conformity? Deferring your judgement to a leader? Trusting people who shouldn't be trusted? When you look at groups that suffer from mental health, Mormons and Utah are often among the worst.
Davidian's in Waco TX didn't understand either😢
I agree. I've been out of Mormonism for almost 14 years and I'm just beginning to see how destructive it was on every level.
“…often among the worst” Correlation isn’t causation, and “often” is an interesting fudge word. The overwhelming consensus in social science is that people with high rates of religiosity do better with mental health, as well as a wide range of other measures of well-being. “Mormons” are an outlier-they do better than most religious people. There are many propagandists, and it’s easy to promote whatever you want to believe with statistics. These are population-level facts. There are always exceptions.
Most religions do not engage in the kinds of thought control as Mormons. Belief in a purpose and having a spirituality is one thing. Being in a coercive high-demand group like the LDS is different.
Most religions don't force people to promise self-termination if they talk about their faith.
Because of you, I found the Mormon stories podcast and have been doing their LDS discussions playlist. I’m not Mormon, but I love comparative religion. I have a masters and theology from the Greek orthodox seminary in Boston and you and all the people that have survived the LDS church more power to you, I started loving Scientology too, but I was raised in Los Angeles so they were an actual thing when I was growing up
Looking back at my decades in the Mormon church, lack of factual information was key at keeping me in. I read constantly and books by church authorities were always part of my literary consumption, the church magazines being the exception because they were so poorly written and boring to boot. Where did I go wrong then? I read a religious history book, “Who Wrote the Old Testament” and that simple book upended my entire world view. I did what church leaders are constantly warning against, reading from outside sources that described a very different history than the prescribed story I had been raised with. Down that rabbit hole I went as fast as possible. Studying early Christian history resulted in our family of eight leaving Mormonism and Christianity. Control of information is crucial to any organization that needs to control its members.
I'm the oldest of 10 and did the same (in steps) 16 yrs free now!
Meh. Your description of your intellectual journey is badly wanting, and all merely human-derived knowledge is highly tentative. Libraries are filled with dissenting and differing opinions, outside of the hard sciences. Deconstruction scholarship is actually EXTREMELY soft science, so appeal to (scholarly) authority isn't really that impressive.
@@towardcivicliteracywho are you to call their intellectual journey “wanting”? You sound like a Pharisee
I got a story for you guys . The BYU stadium was built and the fire alarm system had Red devices put in. Well after it was passed and fire marshaled and DONE someone important with the church noticed that the devices “could” come in white, not the color of their rivals .
So they one for one swapped each device to a white device. When the cost got brought up over the extra money (which I’m not sure was a million but it was close) they said ,
“It’s tithe money, it’s ok”
This was as good as any video you have done. I'm glad my Parents introduced me to Sunstone many decades ago. They have since passed on. I always wonder if they appreciate my independent study finding there's no way that Mormonism could be true. ......Joseph Smiths First Vision basically condemned the Catholic Church, and all the branches that spun off from it. Funny that he didn't mention the Greek Orthodox as being corrupt. They were not Protestant and an argument could be made that they were the first Christians in Europe. .....Funny too that Joseph Smith wanted to become a Methodist, but only if they would give him power, money, and his own congregation. This was years after his alleged First Vision. So when they saw what a charlatan he was he went back to his back up position of starting his own Church. So the Methodists had much more discernment than any Mormon Prophet ever did. (See the Mark Hoffman extortion bombings in Utah in the mid 1980's.) .....When I first went through the Temple, to prepare for my mission in 1981, I knew right away that the endowment ceremony was man made and not God inspired. I didn't know what Free Masonry was at the time. Now we know Joseph Smith plagarized most or all of the ceremony from that. .....The blood oaths never should have been in the ceremony. Why does the Church pat themselves on the back for removing them in 1990?
I had joined as an adult so other people saw the abrupt change in me conforming to a new (to me, but same as other members) way of dressing (I was not at all a skirt/dress-wearer but wearing pants at church was now a no-no), way of speaking -- both intonation and phrasing, way of praying -- I never prayed "that way" before. I visited a friend in another state a few months after converting and she was completely freaked out by, "Stop talking LIKE THEM!" Yep. Creepy. I am NOW authentic. But at the time I had traded my former cult -- left that but then landed right in the Mormon church and did it all over again, though thankfully only for less than two years before I figured it out once and for all.
All Mormon reactions I get are either anger/preaching or ignoring. Many Mormons do have that "look" though, they think of positively like The Amish but now that I've left I think it's far more like The Stepford Wives.
So similar growing up Jehovah's Witness. My guess is the JW leadership figured Mormons were worth copying with a couple of tweaks here & there? Not celebrating holidays and getting to choose boxers or briefs kinda balances out those Temple garments?
Wow, your remarks of “It becomes more about the Don’ts than the Do’s” really hit home for me. That is a wonderful way to explain the burdens I still carry with me.
So I grew up in the Episcopal Church but in a surrounding environment of Southern American Evangelicalism. Within my own Church the attitude was very much "come with your questions, you are valid, do not worry" outside of my own church in the larger "christian" Community, there was a lot more of an emphasis on biblical literalism, conformity, being worthy, and being "right". Due to some undiagnosed OCD I tended to skew more towards towards a more worthiness based approach which didn't exactly help my underlying anxiety. Behavior and expectation wise modern American Evangelicalism and the LDS church have a lot of common tendencies especially when it comes to focusing on one individual as the source of truth within the community, be it the prophet or the senior pastor.
One reason I love the Episcopal Church is that frequently the clergy are more bookish and intellectual than charismatic and personality driven (I've experienced some major exceptions of course). I've heard in more than a few sermons where the preacher has used the phased "I don't know" or "The scripture is not clear here", Nuance is much more appreciated, which isn't great for getting people in the pews. There's a lot of appeal towards the intellectual cop out of adhering to somebody who says they have all the truth and never questioning them beyond that.
Appreciate your thoughts. They are spot on. I am a total inactive Mormon. I enjoy talking to my Episcopalian and Unitarian friends because they are so open minded. I find active Mormons are getting more and more dogmatic, like the most fundamentalist Baptist you can imagine.
Isn't that the joke? No matter what eventually you'll find an Episcopalian who agrees with you?
If I want to believe in the truth I have to go where the truth leads me not where I want to be. I hold to the scripture & Nicene creed as an explanation of my own core beliefs elsewise everything is open for conversation
Thank you for your videos. Ya, this’ll be just an algorithm comment. I love that you’re on this platform and continue to make videos!! Thanx Lex
One of my motivating factors to remain in the church and push for change is knowledge of the vast resources that magnify the potential for good and bad.
I don’t think anything could (or should) put the toothpaste back into the tube for me on prophetic reliability, but I would like to see greater resources to humanitarian efforts and a BYU that isn’t known for being homophobic.
That said, I strongly believe that it’s a very personal decision, and people voting with their feet is a critical part of the overall message.
I was excommunicated in 1980. Never gave it a thought until I discovered UA-cam videos like yours . I think you’re great Lex
Well thought out and I agree with your analysis!
Sitting here enjoying your video and a glass of wine 😉
Hi I'm a current Mormon and converted to this recently Oct 14,23 and before that I was a atheist , The Book of Mormon and LDS Chruch has helped me so much , I wasnt a bad person, just had bad habits , example I watched lots of adult vids and did lots of daily self pleasure and since then with help with prayers and my belief to follow to Law of Chasitity ,I have made huge improvement in that area, so when it comes to that thought stoppping isnt bad for me , when I feel the urges I pray or read scriptures and it helps me make it through that personal trial. I really enjoy praying during the day , draws me closer to The Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ my Savior and Redeemer, so I see it a wonderful use of my daily time, the LDS Church and Book of Mormon has changed my life for the better, I cant imagine my life without it. But I do see both sides of the arguement ,just for its been best thing in my life. But very well done videos.
I completely agree with everything you said. There were some things you said that I was already starting to say in my head. They definitely lean towards cult, but you don't see that until you leave, unfortunately.
This is something I saw from a catholic SPECIFICALLY FOR NEURODIVERGENT FOLKS! Church can often be a special interest or hyper fixation for people with ADHD or Autism because it never ends and there’s so much to learn. I think this is why neurodivergent people tend to be so strict about those things and have a devout phase. It’s the social pressure to conform combined with the tendency to research everything.
Nicely done...Thank you.
Great stuff, Lex!
False, cult, destructive identity...
Yeah! Theres like absolutely no informed consent! Im in a temple prep class and actually ima be making a series of videos about how that "prepares" you to go to the temple
"Ends justify means" = "Lying for the Lord"
Love you and thank you 🌾
Such a good video!!!!! Thank you ❤
PLEASE do a video on how to deal with a strict molly Mormon Roomate in college dorms.
I'm not mormon but my dad side is .after 3 meeting with my son teacher I could tell she was mormon . I got all the teacher coffee and hot chocolate but switched hers for herbal tea . She asked how I knew she didn't drink caffeine . I just said you're mormon so you not drink coffee right? She was so shocked I knew and it got Awkward because I could not explain how I knew 🤦♀️ like How do you tell somebody that they remind you of your fake smile family members .
Your hair looks great. Richly brunette color, Shiney and healthy looking. I enjoy your program
Yes. The BITE model and it's originator Steven Hassan had a big influence on my deconstruct. Mormonism is culty in perhaps a bit more sneaky way than the obvious ones, but it complies to BITE.
13:00 I was told by my parents that marriage was optional, but if I was to get married, I had to marry a woman. in seminary I was told marriage of the opposite sex was required to get into the celestial kingdom.
Wel said...you nailed it! Honestly. The church is so damaging, just like a cult is. My time as a TBM? FORTY SEVEN YEARS!!! One of the biggest regrets in my life. Other equal regret? M 17:20 arried my first husband 6 months out of high school...barely 19...i joined the church a few months after my 18th bday.
You got it right Lex. Good job! 👍
You know, and I think Joseph Smith was a good enough looking guy too, which really helped get him followers. And it's stupid that it's like that. But it kind of reminds me of magnifico on that new Disney movie that I can't remember what it's called. But I remember watching that and I felt like that was Joseph Smith when I watched it. Also, I've been out of the Mormon church for, like 12 years now? I haven't submitted my resignation papers in fear of family issues. But I will say I've noticed this on your channel. I have leaned further and further away from plastering my face with make up and wanting all sorts of plastic surgeries. I felt so much pressure when I was a teenager to look like a perfect beautiful daughter of God and those Utah standards of blonde hair, red lips. Fake boobs were definitely prevalent in Pocatello. Now that I've skilled way back and have been as natural as I am I feel so much better about myself and honestly I look much better without make up. It's just cool to me seeing another girl, my age in my area, kind of coming into the same light❤
Having lived in the western half of the country for most of my 77 years, I have found Mormons who have not or do not live in Utah, to be much friendlier and willing to help others. I think this was because they were not in the majority. When I lived in Ogden, the mormons there were not as friendly to non-mormons...especially if you were in the Armed Services
The LDS church encourages growth within the bounds they, oh, I mean "the Lord" sets. If you learn more, you can earn more. Just don't question the boundaries the church sets.
All I know is that as right now I am an extremely struggling situation and the church is refusing to help me out and I am requesting the removal of my name and I daughter’s name from the church and they don’t respond regarding this matter.
I am extremely disappointed! How long did take for you to have your name and your family name removed from there ?
Also would be great if you made a video how people that become a member like me and my daughter vs people that are born in the church like you were. The treatment is different!
Constructive to deconstruct -
🎄💚❤️hope your doing great💞💞💖💖
Lex, you are the Prometheus of our time. You will improve people's lives, but unfortunately some people will want to punish you for it. Remember that some people prefer their ignorance because facing reality is too difficult for them. All they have is the philosophy of men, mingled with scripture, which is also written by men. And it's the very thing they think they preach against.
Carry on, Prometheus.
Let's face it, at least the jw allow growing a beard! (since last week, anyway)😂. Jokes aside, these two cults should be illegal, for the harm they are doing.
hi
You have mordar? You can spot a mormon a mile away.... Cool.
I can recognize too. Many people are wonderful but they do put a difference to the born in the church vrs the ones who become a member.
Asking a question like that shows how far from the truth you have fallen. And you still have not shown any ability to define for us what mormonism is !
Google is free