Watched a doco on Ex Mormons last night...

by misspeaches 10 Replies latest jw friends

  • misspeaches
    misspeaches

    I watched a really interesting documentary on Ex Mormons last night. These were mormons who were Gay or Lesbian or were related to Gay or Lesbian ex mormons and had been themselves.

    The main subject was an Australian woman who had been raised a mormon for her teenage years. When she was 12 her mother married a newly converted mormon and they joined as well. The step father began sexually abusing the girl about a year after the marriage. At the age of 21 she told her mum what had happened and her mum would not believe her because the step father was a momon at the time and the 'bishop would have known' if it was the case.

    This lady is a comedian in Australia and there was an Gay & Lesbian ex mormon conference being held in Utah. They invited her over as a speaker.

    It was really interesting as it discussed what momonism is about. It showed her and her reactions to the mormon culture which is apparantely pretty saturated in Salt Lake City. It showed her recalling things she had long forgotten and her reactions. It covered how her family have shunned her. Her discovery of finding out that she had been disphellowshipped.

    I found it really fascinating. Like seeing something similar to what I have felt and what I have read people here have gone through but from a different perspective.

    It was on ABC around 9:30 and I think the name of it was 'My new religon' or something similar. Really fascinating viewing. I would love to see something like this made about JW's!

  • Kaylen
    Kaylen

    Hey Miss Peaches (this gives me something else to think about)

    I saw bits of it too. What I found fascinating was they way the mormons were anti gay but the people there were forcing themselves to be celibate to fit in with their religion.

  • misspeaches
    misspeaches

    Yes I found that really interesting too Kaylen! The girl went to a seminar about this gay guy who lives the mormon life. He does not have sex. He was endorsing the mormon religon as the truth. (I think they called it the truth). The girl got really upset. I think she was angry and frustrated wondering why people would want to put themselves through that agony...

  • Kaylen
    Kaylen

    She was I saw her walk out I think because she was so angry.

  • ozziepost
    ozziepost

    What I found interesting:

    1. The similarities between the experience of those ex-Mormons and many ex-dubs.

    2. Like a lot of ex-dubs, many of those ex-Mormons had never really left their religion. Did you notice that they were still conducting their gathering within the context of what they were familiar with when they were practicing Mormons; why, they even had corporate prayers together in a Mormon format!!

    It seemed to me that if they were allowed, they would have been back at their Mormon temples just as before. There are many ex-dubs like that - they've never really left, even though they are labelled "ex-dubs".

  • ithinkisee
    ithinkisee

    Careful ... you will incur the wrath of Qcmbr!

    -ithinkisee

  • Qcmbr
    Qcmbr

    ..am I wrathful:) I never watched this so I can't comment but I sincerely doubt the Bishop would have know about abuse and kept quiet. LDS culture is far more practical than you might give it credit for - take my uncle - his neice got abused so he went and burnt the abusers house down and re-arranged his face. Though he served his time for that I have yet to find anyone who will condemn him - there is utter revulsion in our community for child abuse and spouse abuse (though apparently not for 'justified' revenge!)

    Now I'm not suggesting that what my uncle did was right but we do like to keep a clean house. I think in general the LDS are often quite a hard people since nothing in our culture teaches us to continually turn the other cheek or protect wrongdoers:

    23 Now, I speak unto you concerning your families--if men will smite you, or your families, once, and ye bear it patiently and revile not against them, neither seek revenge, ye shall be rewarded;
    24 But if ye bear it not patiently, it shall be accounted unto you as being meted out as a just measure unto you.
    25 And again, if your enemy shall smite you the second time, and you revile not against your enemy, and bear it patiently, your reward shall be an hundredfold.
    26 And again, if he shall smite you the third time, and ye bear it patiently, your reward shall be doubled unto you four-fold;
    27 And these three testimonies shall stand against your enemy if he repent not, and shall not be blotted out.
    28 And now, verily I say unto you, if that enemy shall escape my vengeance, that he be not brought into judgment before me, then ye shall see to it that ye warn him in my name, that he come no more upon you, neither upon your family, even your children's children unto the third and fourth generation.
    29 And then, if he shall come upon you or your children, or your children's children unto the third and fourth generation, I have delivered thine enemy into thine hands;
    30 And then if thou wilt spare him, thou shalt be rewarded for thy righteousness; and also thy children and thy children's children unto the third and fourth generation.
    31 Nevertheless, thine enemy is in thine hands; and if thou rewardest him according to his works thou art justified; if he has sought thy life, and thy life is endangered by him, thine enemy is in thine hands and thou art justified.
    32 Behold, this is the law I gave unto my servant Nephi, and thy fathers, Joseph, and Jacob, and Isaac, and Abraham, and all mine ancient prophets and apostles.
    33 And again, this is the law that I gave unto mine ancients, that they should not go out unto battle against any nation, kindred, tongue, or people, save I, the Lord, commanded them.
    34 And if any nation, tongue, or people should proclaim war against them, they should first lift a standard of peace unto that people, nation, or tongue;
    35 And if that people did not accept the offering of peace, neither the second nor the third time, they should bring these testimonies before the Lord;
    36 Then I, the Lord, would give unto them a commandment, and justify them in going out to battle against that nation, tongue, or people.
    37 And I, the Lord, would fight their battles, and their children's battles, and their children's children's, until they had avenged themselves on all their enemies, to the third and fourth generation.

  • gumby
    gumby
    23 Now, I speak unto you concerning your families--if men will smite you, or your families, once, and ye bear it patiently and revile not against them, neither seek revenge, ye shall be rewarded;

    24 But if ye bear it not patiently, it shall be accounted unto you as being meted out as a just measure unto you.

    25 And again, if your enemy shall smite you the second time, and you revile not against your enemy, and bear it patiently, your reward shall be an hundredfold.

    26 And again, if he shall smite you the third time, and ye bear it patiently, your reward shall be doubled unto you four-fold;

    What were the "Avenging Angels" for?

    Gumby

  • Qcmbr
    Qcmbr

    Whupping bad people..

    Seriously I don't know.

    Have a look at LDS history and see what they went through. Gives a bit of perspective.

  • gumby
    gumby
    Have a look at LDS history and see what they went through. Gives a bit of perspective.

    I did.

    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

    Jump to: navigation, search

    The Danites were a fraternal organization founded by Latter Day Saints in June of 1838, at Far West in Caldwell County, Missouri. During their brief period of formal organization in Missouri, the Danites operated as a vigilante group and took a central role in the events of the Mormon War. The exact nature and scope of the organization, and its connection to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a matter of some dispute among historians.

    In 1834, during the march of Zion's Camp, Joseph Smith created a militia known as the "Armies of Israel" to protect the saints; this group was also called the Danites. After the Mormon War of 1838, the term "Danite" was often connected with any Latter Day Saint militantism, including the Nauvoo police, the body guards of Joseph Smith, Jr., the "Whistling and Whittling Brigades," and Brigham Young's so-called "Destroying Angels" or "Avenging Angels." Although some members of these later groups had been Danites in the Missouri period, the leadership of the 1838 secret society, particularly Sampson Avard, was not associated with the leadership of the peace-keeping militias using the same name.

    (For more information and discussion on the Danites (and comparison of the different historical accounts' integrity), see Dr. Jeffy Lindsay's analysis.

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