Because so many people ask us about the “Mormon Rules” I’ve put together a list of the many things that are required of Mormons in order to be a faithful member in “good standing”.
1. Pay 10% of your Gross (before tax) income, aka Tithing. In addition, contribute extra amounts to various church funds such as Fast Offering, Missionary fund, Building fund, etc.
2. Do not question Mormon authority. Mormons are taught that when their “prophet” speaks it is coming from God. They are told that when the prophet speaks the thinking has been done. Members are expected to obey whatever they are told without any hesitation or skepticism.
3. Fully believe in and frequently reiterate that you know the Mormon church is true, the only true church which was formed by Joseph Smith after his claimed face to face visit with God.
4. Pass a worthiness interview yearly so you can attend the temple where you perform religious ordinances for the dead and learn the secret phrases and motions that will supposedly enable you to enter heaven.
5. Once you attend the temple for the first time you will begin wearing the special underwear (called garments) which you must wear day and night. (You take them off for only the obvious reasons like bathing and intimacy but put them right back on.)
6. No smoking, no alcohol (not even a little) no coffee (not even decaf), no tea (not even green tea!)
7. Get married early. No sex before marriage. No living together.
8. Have children early (right after you get married) and have many. Not having the financial resources to properly take care of your children is considered an "excuse" and is invalid.
9. Preach to your non-Mormon friends, family and co-workers and try to get them to become Mormon.
10. Do not associate with other non-Mormons (except when engaged in #9 above.)
11. Young Men (age 19) are to serve a two year mission to attempt to convert others to Mormonism. This is at their own expense. They are not allowed to visit family during this time. College is not considered a priority until after a mission has been served.
12. Women are expected to marry only a man who has served a mission (referred to as a “Returned Missionary”.)
13. Attend all church meetings. 3 hours (yes, three hours) on Sunday, plus additional meetings for many other things. “Good” Mormons find a Mormon church even while on vacation and attend on Sunday. Young Mormon couples are known to get married on a Saturday and attend church the very next morning.
14. Follow a Dress code for church. Women cannot wear pants. Men should be wearing suits or at the very least a white dress shirt and tie.
15. Accept and perform whatever church job (aka "calling") they give you. This takes much additional time.
16. Every member is asked to visit other members and teach a lesson out of a manual once per month. This is known as Home Teaching for the men, and Visiting Teaching for the women.
17. Fast once per month [which to Mormons is no food or water for 24 hours.]
18. Sundays are for church only, no “worldly” activities are permitted [this includes shopping, dining out, recreational activities, kid's sporting events, etc.]
19. Wear only very modest clothing: this means no shorts above the knee, no low cut tops for women, nothing sleeveless, etc.
Ok, sign me up.... NOT!
ReplyDeletethis is soooooooo not the rules of mormons. you act like they are the most strict, punished people. They're not. And HECK NO! of course they can interact with other people other than mormons. And young men dont HAVE to go on missions and young women dont HAVE to marry the returned missionaries. You only wear garments after your married, not the first time you go to the temple. And no, you dont have to have kids right away. And no, you dont have to preach to everyone you see. And so what, if they dont drink coffee or alcohol. Nothing is wrong with that. you have this whole thing wrong. Everything. So i suggest that you find the right information and stop critisizing them.
ReplyDeletethese are like the dumbest rules ever! dating a mormon is hell!
ReplyDeleteDISRESPECTFUL! Lol
ReplyDeleteno, peytonorange, you DO wear garments after going through the temple your FIRST time. for most men, it's the time they go on missions at 19, for most women, it's when they are married. i know some women who had their garments BEFORE they got married. but you get your garments the FIRST time you go through. also, this set of rules-- for the most part is not set in stone, but EXPECTED to live by. the mormon culture is very strong. anyone "caught" not living it will be ridiculed and avoided by most "true believing mormons." so, the rules may well be "set in stone" in the mormons eye in most cases, socially.
ReplyDeleteas much as i respect this religion and the people who live by it, i will say that i find it a highly un-realistic set of rules to live by. i also spent 8 months with a mormon couple, and i have never met more judgmental, close minded, self admiring, inward people in my life.
ReplyDeletethis is very general, and they were nice enough, but they were so quick to try and convince everyone that they rules they lived by were the ONLY way, yet wouldnt even begin to learn about how other people live. funny fact: mormons are not suppose to wear revealing clothing? i find it very ironic that ballroom dancing including latin, tango, jive and salsa which requires the most revealing costumes a woman could possibly wear, and the biggest "ballroom dance" society is made up of mormons....in salt lake city/utah......hmmm...gets you thinking....i will conclude with the phrases " cult not religion" "power and money, not faith"
Thank you for that very well presented information on the so-called Gospel rules of Mormonism. I was immersed in the Kool-aid for 35 years and never entertained the idea of questioning or leaving. However, certain historical facts both past and present can not be wished away by sugarcoating, whitewashing or revising it. I'm grateful to true friends who stood by me and showed me the truth while my so-called church friends and even family bailed on me when I began asking for honest answers. The Mormons will skirt their way around the truth, because as we allll know, some truths are not very useful! That's a lie Boyd Packer, and one carefully crafter to keep those with lingering doubts from venturing to close to the cliff wall to get a peak. I'm glad I looked and found I had been lied to and deceived about what the church claims to be.
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh this is what mormans are like! im going to a mormans church with my friend today! this will be hard!!!
ReplyDeletepish
ReplyDeletehaaaaahhhhh! i dated one and he was an ass.
ReplyDeletebut who knows, there could be some cool ones?
my neihbors are mormons and i dont think by the way they act that they ar're rules are that strict! and they are super nice people! not as stuck up as you make them sound!
ReplyDelete(but no starbucks,thats got to suck!)
GO GARY! right on!!!
ReplyDeleteGo to exmormon dot org to find out the truth about mormonism.
ReplyDeleteyou have to appreciate the amount of self control it takes to follow these rules. AND why would God be mad at these people for following these rules? which ones are bad? They certainly do not harm anyone! Besides that, they do not claim that if you do not follow these rules you are doomed to hell. in fact they believe that it's pretty hard to get to hell. you would have to be a pretty terriable person to get there..so why do people have to judge mormons based on their "rules"
ReplyDeleteAmen
Deletewell it seems you have twisted the truth a bit here. Or it may seem you did not fully understand what you were teaching as a missionary. But I know you will understand when this life is over and you stand before God.....we all will
ReplyDeleteSO TRUE! thank you gary!
ReplyDeletei'm dating a mormon right now...and wow! this is so surprisingly true.
ReplyDeleteFor starters they're not rules, they're guidelines which anyone is free to choose to follow...or not.
ReplyDeleteYou are always free to CHOOSE
Consequences however, are not always an individuals to choose. But is this not with all? weither mormon or not?
The tone of voice of this post tells me that the author has had a bad experience with the LDS church, and doesn't sound at all fair or non-judgmental. When my Mormon friends explain these very things, it doesn't sound psycho. Seems like it's all in how you say it.
ReplyDeleteThe two commenters above have inspired a new post.
ReplyDeleteSee Mormon Rules List: commenters weigh in
wow that sounds terrible
ReplyDeletei am mormon and i am happy what i believe in. folowing the guidlines has made me a stronger person by giving me self disiplinen. i have more feedom over myself because i have the choice if i want to follow them or not. because i dont do drugs, and other things, i have more control over my body and what i do instead of gettin in trouble and being disrespectfull. its really hard to be different and talked bad about because its something i grew up with and believe, its close to my heart and hurts me when people talk low or treat it lightly. because i followed these standards, i have become a better, smarter, stronger person than i used to be
ReplyDeletewow... sorry but there is nooo way that im guna even want to become mornon if these are the rule i have to folloq2
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI am currently mormon and have been for a little over a year now. I have to admit, they are deffently not as strict as you put them up to believe. If you break these "rules" then so what. That is your own choice. Religon is about you and your relationship with god. I know plently of mormons who drink, dont have kids..even myself I dont follow the "dress code". Mormonism is mostly on religon not these rules you are selecting. Thank You however for posting this, it was nice to see your point of view.
mormonism also preaches (in Nephi) the "mark of cane" aka dark skinned people being cursed, and that black people have tails. And there should be no "mixing of the seed" They failed to tell me this before my baptism. Bunch of bigots.
ReplyDeletemormons are wrong and dumb and have weirdo rules... they have every thing backward and think there better then everyone else they shound put there time and money into actually helping people like little kids in africa. there missions are pointless there preaching the wrong thing to every one. mormons suck
ReplyDeleteFrom an ex-mormon:
ReplyDeleteIn mormonism, Christs grace gets you resurrected. To be exalted, (be with god) you must follow their rules. Dont believe me:
Spencer W. Kimball states: "however powerful the saving grace of Christ, it brings exaltation to no man who does not comply with the works of the gospel" (The Miracle of Forgiveness, pg. 207); "Each command we obey sends us another rung up the ladder to perfected manhood and toward godhood; and every law disobeyed is a sliding toward the bottom where man merges into the brute world" (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, pg. 153); "living all the commandments guarantees total forgiveness of sins and assures one of exaltation...trying is not sufficient. Nor is repentence when one merely tries to abandon sin" (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p.164-165, 354-355).
I noticed a few people try to say that these rules don't have to be followed.... you have a choice... right. If you don't follow them you can't go to the temple, if you can't go to the temple you don't go to heaven....so what we have here is a case of emotional blackmail. Choice? not really.
ReplyDeleteMy spouse and in laws are Mormon and some of these rules are correct, some are not. However, the Mormons where I live, are only Sunday Mormons, so by all means lets chill out. Besides, my spouse went to college, not on mission, and got married when got back from college, dont have has many children as quick as possible, it is not healthy for the women's bodies
ReplyDeleteSo mormons absolutely cannot have sex before They're married? Wow... Not even once? Or after a certain age?
ReplyDeleteunder garments, mostly white, no coffee.
ReplyDeletemormons run a business. they sell you on their beliefs. they are door to door salesmen.
don't refer to their churches as churches, they are buildings with basketball courts and thankfully they have to stay there for 3 hours/+.
what goes on during the wedding?
someone share the craziness!
im mormon these are the rules and no they are not guidelines these are the rules unless you want to be kicked out you mum and dads house i dont mind following them apart from the no shoping on sundays the mormons misunderstood the scirptures on that bit and why would there be porn in joeseph smiths time ??? but not all mormon are judge mental around 80-90% are but still people say they are religous but thay swear drink blasfime idolize and more i dont like how it say children have a choice but the parents chose for them because MOST MORMONS ARE JUGDE MENTAL
ReplyDeletepeytonorange your are in heavy denial. All the above rules are true, my teens were a living hell because of my adoptive parent and his calling in the church. He didn't even want to play the slightest father role in my life. Always worried about these damn rules. He would sit me down on the couch and ask what i learned. When it wasn't to his liking he would hit me and my brother.
ReplyDeleteVery controlling and sad excuse for a religion.
Oh wow these are definitely the rules. Yes you can break them, Yes you can be slack but if you do you lose your place with the congregation. Every ward has their "strugglers" they are looked down upon spoken about in meetings and generally believed to be less intelligent or less "spiritual".
ReplyDeleteIf you want to be one of the respected mormons you absolutely HAVE to live all the rules as above or you are an outsider. It is consistent emotional blackmail that eventually ends in unhappiness or sickness!
Does mormonism condone lying?
ReplyDeleteGood question above. While lying is not condoned in the general sense (unless lying to protect the church), the Mormon church has a long history of lying to its own members regarding its origins, doctrine, lives of founders, etc.
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered - where is the "no slacks for women" actually written, or is it just common practice?
ReplyDeleteIn regards to garments,aka underwear you wear them when you have been endowed. Nothing to do with if you are married or not.
ReplyDeleteGary ridiculed and avoided????? lets try helped and supported
ReplyDeleteHello all, while some of these rules are true most of them are not I'm not sure where you learned these rules or why you decided to post them without following up on your facts i can assure any non mormons that many of these rules are false. I am a 7th generation mormon, my family has been mostly mormon since 1864 and have been following mormon teaching for over one hundred years so I can assure you we have a very good idea what guidelines we need to follow.
ReplyDeleteFor those of you who do not like or even despise mormons i'm sorry but until you know us as individual people you shouldn't stereotype us based on religion. while some individual mormons may act the way some of you state that doesn't necessarily apply to all mormons in general.
For those of you who beleive these rules i suggest you follow up with some more accurate research as some of the research stated here is biased and untrue. Oh and finally even if you don't agree with what we do beleive you should still respect our choice to practice this religion.
The rules are pretty close if you're getting picky. I was a member for 20 years. I had my moments of enlightenment. Three years ago I stopped attending church. Too many questions and not enough satisfactory answers. It's not for everyone. Alot like work as are a lot of things. Would I be out of line if I asked for my money back? Maybe send it to Haiti. Sorry. My feeble attempt at humour. It's a coping skill. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteI belong the LDS Church, and these so called "rules", i'm sorry to say, are just ridiculous !?.
ReplyDeleteAdmmitedly, as a Mormon woman i did Marry young. But i wasn't underage, i was 18. I had my first child at 19, and do believe that my primary role as a Mormon woman is to be a good and moral Wife and Mother to my children.
Family is extremely important.
We go to Church, and yes, we do dress well for Church, as many of those who are not Mormons do also.
I'm allowed to wear pants, but choose not to, as we are taught to dress modestly and personally i do feel that pants reveal too much 'womanly curve', which i preserve only for my Husband. I wear knee length skirts and dresses only. This aids me in feeling more feminine also.
I don't wear special underwear !
Also, there is no "worthiness interview", that's a crock. As members of the LDS Church we are taught to have respect for everyone :)
Can we get a bit of historical objectivity here? the Mormon cult, the CJCLDS, is a spiffied up, glossed over survival of a truly bizzare 19th century "restorationist" fanatic movement. There were many manifestations of that movement in the US, including the 7th day adventists and various offshoots (the Branch Davidians for instance). The "rules" and other aspects of Mormon life and belief are what those rustic North American backwoodsman, raised on king james fire and brimstone old testament mellodrama (but not much else in the way of literature) imagined the 3500 year old Hebrew culture of near east asia to be like. Of course, they are not like the Heberews, certainly not like original 1st century christians of the levant and old Roman Empire, they are a snapshot frozen in time, of white, rural, 19th century America.
ReplyDeleteYou have to be a square peg to fit in there square hole. In other words, you have to conform to the rules of the church.
ReplyDeleteI am LDS so is my wife. I am a convert of ten years. My wife was born into it. Her parents are converts. If I had a second chance at life, I would have opted out of the church. Why? its simple. The church is truly the most judgmental church on the planet! I would say hi to some one and many times, would be ignored! or scoffed at. Its because thay are forcing something on you that you may feel uncomfortable to do!
My then fioncee, who paid full tithing, had lots of callings, was not honest with me, her parents or her bishop at all regarding her credit card debt. Soon after we were engaged, she told me she had 20k in credit card debt. No wonder at the age of 30 she was living at home!
She had always had a full time job, and most of her income was going to her credit card debts!
I wondered why she was asking for money from me even though, I lived in the states. she would complain she was broke, but never told me the truth.
She still to this day, even when I am unemployed for a year, buys big ticket items. She even purchaced a new car! what a lie. Tired of it.
I just want a new job, and move on with my life!
On top of this she lied about our life together in front of our bishop. I should have said, Bishop, she never told me she had 20k in credit card debt before our marriage and its been a issue ever since. She also was required to sponsor me, when in reality, im paying the rent.
Anyway, One thing I will be glad doing is once I get a paying job AWAY from her for periods of time, going to break off the marriage! It wont be to much of shock to her since I will already be gone for extended periods of time.
People, if you get married or seals, ask for a credit check of your future spouse. If she becomes resistant, just walk out of the relationship.
To the woman who said that these "rules, i'm sorry to say, are just ridiculous !?":
ReplyDeleteFollowing that statement, you went on to list that you follow every single one of them... and yet you don't even realize it!
I have had the unfortunate experience of working with 2 IV drug addicted mormon physicians over the last ten years- these so called rules are exactly what made them addicts-
ReplyDeletewhat a sorry state of affairs-
Good for all of you who can think for yourselves. Those who disagree with this blog probably have lived the sheltered life or are just plain brainwashed. How lucky for you that you are "God's chosen"! These are definitely LDS beliefs.
ReplyDeleteWhy are Mormons not allowed to drink coffee and tea. I have read the Bible all my adult life and have never seen where it says that it is wrong to drink these beverages.
ReplyDeleteAs a person who does believe in God I find it unbelievable and absolutely SCARRY that ANYONE would and does believe in the lds church!!!! I find that the mormans that I do know do nothing more than suck people into their cult!!!! And I believe that is exactly what this so called church is and feel extremly sorry for anyone who may have gotten "sucked in". Hopefully their families can de-program them before it is too late!
ReplyDeleteI've been a member all of my life, and while the tone used for the original post was a bit snarky I agree with pretty much everything you wrote.
ReplyDeleteI was never told that we had to have kids right away however when we were talking with the bishop preparing for our marriage, in the temple, (in 2004) we were asked when we were planning on having kids. My husband said well when we are making a bit more money etc. Our bishop told us "it doesn't take money to have kids, it takes faith".
We had our 4th child when our first was only 3.5.
I think most people are upset more by the tone that was used in that it mocks the church.
I however find it to be spot on. Some things may not have official doctrine on the books, however you will be judged and criticized (mostly behind your back) for not following it.
Just take a look at a member who drinks caffeine. Caffeine is not restricted. It is not listed in any of the standard works or the Word of Wisdom, yet there is a prevailing attitude that caffeine must be a no-no since it is a common factor in both coffee and tea.
I hadn't had caffeine for over 10 years and being the pious idiot that I was, started pressuring him to stop drinking mountain dew etc. We went to the bishop and the bishop said caffeinated drinks were fine in moderation.
So I started drinking caffeine that day. My mother is appalled. She will not touch caffeine. Many of my other friends can't believe I would drink caffeine. Even when I say that I got "permission" from my bishop 6 years ago they still look at me as if I'm apostatizing. Granted not everyone is this way, but that just goes to show how judgmental we are as a culture.
As of this writing I am a member in good standing. I could pass a temple recommend interview this moment if it wasn't for the fact thatI quit paying our tithing for the time being. I'm concerned that our tithing amount alone pays more than our wards budget for the year (almost double) and the other $500,000 plus is going to SLC and yet our ward is in the red in fast offerings so some tithe payers I know whose husband lost his job and hasn't been able to recoup anything but half of his previous salary were told that they could no longer receive any help after the church helped them out one month.
The church gave over $60 mil in humanitarian aid, however how much are they paying to revitalize downtown SLC? Around $4 BILLION???
To me that is absurd. I don't care if the church earned that money from tithing or from business ventures, when you have a couple who has tithed faithfully be told they can't have help because not enough fast offerings were given but then something like 99% of the tithing money is going to SLC then I have a problem.
Now of course I will be bashed as not being righteous enough or whatever.I think I'm going to start tithing to the local food bank or the salvation army or even the world food programme. My $6000 a year could feed 120 school children in Africa for a year through the World Food Programme. Though I would like to help locally as well.
Whatever, I'm apparently on the brink of apostasy even though I've live the church standards to near perfection for the 27 years of my life. I'm even scared to mention anything to my husband for fear that if church leaders find out (my husband would never tattle though) I could be excommunicated. Ugh it's so frustrating!
My boyfriend (fiancee) is mormon and when religion isn't discussed, his religion isn't a big issue. His mormon parents really like me and I'm mostly accepted among the people in his church. I've never really been confronted or pressured to convert, although I know that I am probably a rare case.
ReplyDeleteFrom an outsider's perspective I have been able to observe what it is to be mormon and live the lifestyle. While most of the "Mormon Rules" read pretty accurate (if not a little exaggerated), I would argue #10, mormons do not associate with non mormons (although once again I may be a special case) but in fact the high school that both my boyfriend and I attended there happened to be large body of mormon students, many who I was good friends with.
Other than that, I have attended the mormon church a couple of times out of curiosity and under open invitation of my boyfriend and his family. For the most part I was warmly welcomed each time I attended (possibly even to warmly but I'm not going to analyze the level of friendliness). If anything it was usually the women who came off at all forward or unwelcoming (which does remind me of a time when I was younger and my friend's mother, who was mormon, basically dropped me off at a Dairy Queen at 9 p.m. for my mom to come and get me. not sure if that's at all relevant but I do know she wasn't very nice to any of her own daughter's non mormon friends). Probably the most hurtful comment I've heard said about me was from one of the women in my boyfriends "ward" encouraging my boyfriend not to date or marry me because I am not a follower of the religion. I am sure she isn't the only one who feels this way, but nothing has ever been said directly to me.
The only big issue that arises from having differing religious views is the issues that arise with my boyfriend. We love each other very much and others peoples opinions are not a big deal, but my boyfriend was raised under the mormon influence and he often worries about my relationship with god, if I even believe in god, or what will ultimately happen to my eternal soul. As someone who does not practice any particular religion, I understand his concerns. I will support my boyfriend in whatever beliefs he has, but that means that I expect the same courtesy from him.
I've thought about converting to mormonism and what that would mean for me and its not a possibility. I would be lying to myself and to God. I believe the most important part of life is forming your own views and having your own relationship with God and not what religion you are and if yours is the "true" religion. Living life is not that black and white but its also not as complicated as religion has made it to be.
Jesus explains he is the way the truth and the life only him. All these rule and restrictions would seem to take the place of Gods intention, with sending his one true sacrifice we don't need self discipline we need prayer and Gods strength to live the life he chooses which isn't based on outward appearances it is based on our surrender to God thru Jesus Christ our saviour because those he sets free are free indeed
ReplyDeleteWow... Has no one here ever taken a science class?
ReplyDeleteScience has its place. but this isn't it. as far as creation goes, science has alot to learn,there is a God, he sent one who was his own son to pay the price for all of us. EVERY SINGLE ONE of us is born into sin and there is only ONE way to get free. JESUS the son of the one TRUE GOD is the one we ask to save us from our sin. You cannot work your way to heaven by acts of kindness ect, it is by God's grace alone that we are saved not by works, lest any man should boast.
ReplyDeleteGod's not interested in ritual and special underwear. We have no power of our own that will save us from what is to come, only through God's son JESUS. Read the Bible, the Bible is truth, history, factual, not random figures and statements, plucked out of some scientific calculation. Figures like millions of years and billions of light years...just make it up, do what ever you need to so no-one discovers the truth ! The devil knows his time is short, he'll do anything, say anything, to destroy you. God has a future for you. Jesus said " The devil comes to steal and to kill and to destroy, I come that you may have Life, and have it more abundantly. JESUS CHRIST died and rose again to save us from eternal damnation. Which is what you will get with out JESUS!
There is an existence beyond this life, now where do you want to be ? Jesus will lead you to everlasting life, any other way will lead to eternal punishment by the devil and the rest of his fallen angels. It was one of his angels that came to Joseph Smith and decieved him, which led to the deception being spred through out the world.
Why use just some of the bible and make up the rest ? Go get a bible and read and study the whole thing.
You will know the truth, and THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE !!
JESUS IS LORD !!
I was baptised 8 months ago and now I really regret it, but feel bad because by leaving I will hurt a lot of good and well meaning people, but I do not and have never felt the church to be true. I have never felt the spirit. I was baptised after being told i would feel the spirit and witness it's truth after i was baptised. This never happended and only after i was baptised was I told the truth about the rules. Before I was baptised my sister missionary told me i could drink coke and cafinated drinks, just not tea and coffee, she said she drank them all the time. After i was baptised she told me the truth, she has never drunk and cafinated drink as cafinated drinks are not allowed. It was only after i was baptised I learnt that all my clothes had to go below my knee, my tops must always cover my shoulders and never show any thing resembling cleavage. (I am a Top heavy, tiny woman, this is extreamly hard, since my boobs practically come up to my neck and at 5ft tall almost everyone can see down my top) As a ex jehovah witness ( i was a devout JW for 23 years) I have a lot of scriptual questions that have never been answered since the missionaries stoped teaching me once i was baptised and no one else knows the answers to my questions, I keep getting told to have faith. I wasn't told until after i was baptised that mormons believe in 3 degrees of heavenly glory and a 4th with no glory removed from god. That to get into the top glory of heaven i must be married. And when i questioned Joseph smith claim he saw god all hell broke loose. (mormons claim to respect and use the bible but when the bible contradicts the book of mormon they tell you the bible is inacurate. Well from beginning to end it took 6000 years for the bible to be written so if it's not ispired what is. from begining to end the bible is in harmony about one thing, that no man can see god and live. There are 3 accounts were men saw the glory of god, the glory not god him self just the glory as god spoke to them through this and what happended to these ppl? they were all seriously maimed. If Joseph smith saw god, why did ne not die on the spot?)
ReplyDeleteI keep desperately wanting this church to be true, and keep desperately trying to believe, but I just can't.
"Jesus jammies" You gotta be kidding me. This is a cult.
ReplyDeleteyou all are idiots.. you only hate us because we are different! so what you know one person who is mormon and you judge us all.. and you think we are judgmental.. People no one is perfect. get over your selves.
ReplyDeleteWow...this list is great! The garments must be hell to wear, especially in the summer.
ReplyDeleteAnd why oh why must the women wear all these layers--it's like they always have 2 extra t-shirts under their lame tops? God forbid one of them shows some cleavage!
Yeah the list is all true. I attend the mormon church now. I was raised mormon, 3rd generation both sides I guess, which is a lot for here in Australia.
ReplyDeleteI served a mission for 2 years and stopped attending church a year after that. Five years passed, during which time I declared myself agnostic and thought it most probably people were simply deluded in their conviction that a particular religion is true (ie, born muslim, muslim = true, born mormon, mormon = true).
But one day I had a powerful experience that really changed my life when I decided to read the New Testament. It was like a light exploded in my life and I knew with clarity and certainty that Jesus Christ's teachings in the New Testament are true.
So I started attending the mormon church again, as per my childhood. Still I'm not convinced it's true. I will probably be formally excommunicated in a few weeks. I have never had any experience telling me mormonism is true comparable to the one I had telling me of the Christ.
But I wonder, perhaps my 'experience' was a simple delusion born of my own mind? really hard to tell, and, truth be told, does it matter?
I also cannot give my money to a church that will turn people out of their chapel if they're a woman wearing pants. Salt l=Lake sounds like it's becoming a Temple of Mammon, with all the money they're pouring into it. vatican city of the mormon church. i want no part in funding that. other problems i have are the church's racist history, joseph smith's many wives, many under 18 (one was 14). it is true that many members are more focussed on their church callings than actually helping the sick and clothing the poor.
most members are very closed-minded. my father once yelled at me when i casually mentioned one of the many virtues of buddhism, calling it a load of crap.
so i guess my message is just that learning christ is true during the missionary discussions does NOT mean that their church is "true".
Aargh, but I do feel trapped in this church. I will attend on sundays but not partake of anything more than sunday sermons and socializing.
i hope i am excommunicated instead of a simple disfellowship. wonder if i can just ask for it heh.
good luck to all others in similar situations as I.
life is freedom to be enjoyed the way one wants to.......
ReplyDeleteexplain excommunicated and disfellowship please ?
ReplyDeleteThese comments are funny to read! I was born and raised Mormon and married in the temple. I am no longer active in the church, and funny thing....I am a successful single mother with 2 great kids, work a full time job and own a house! (Imagine that! Someone who has fallen off the "Mormon wagon" and still has it together!) To those of you who are saying, "These are guidelines...you have your own free will.." WHATEVER!! The Mormon Church leads by FEAR and GUILT. You don't have to pay tithing, but if you don't, you can't go to the temple. If you can't go to the temple, you can't be with your children forever. All I can say is I think GOD will look more highly of a woman who has always been here for her two kids, DAY IN, DAY OUT, than a man who committed adultery and left his pregnant wife, but still attends church. I just wish people would think for themselves...
ReplyDeletethis blog is great. 2 of my friends are mormon married and each have 4 kids. they have been trying to momonize me for almost a year. i finally did my own research because they are not very open about the religion and kind off secretive about it.i am completely shocked at how many people are brainwashed.
ReplyDeleteit makes me sick to my stomache that as soon as a mormon has a child they start brainwashing them, i personally feel that that is mental abuse. i have met a lot of mormon kids that are "off" confused about what is real and what is not, my heart goes out to those children and i wish religion was not introduced until minds are mature enough to make their own decisions on the matter.
i do not believe in a god, but i respect other peoples believes as long as it is not harming anyone in the process, especially innocent children.
why can't sociatey live for the now and worry about what happens after death when you die. put more energy into now. if your god's are so great then they will forgive you when you die.
please do not put your children through the mormon religion, i was so disturbed by my findings
Strange.
ReplyDeleteTara, you are wrong.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI'm a Muslim and I found out the rules are about the same such as for alcohol,sex before marriage, modesty. I think those 3 are good rules but others I'm not so sure.
These rules are so off. I am not Mormon but I am friends with many Mormons and currently dating a Mormon man (though I am a NONreligious woman). Though all have invited me to church, none have tried to convert me or push me in anyway. Young men are not required to serve a mission, Mormoms can marry people of any faith, etc. Basically, most of these rules are either being twisted out of context or flat out not true.
ReplyDeleteIn response to an earlier comment, some Mormons don't have the best personality. Just as some Christians, Catholics, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, etc. don't have the best personalities. It's the individual, not the church. In my experience, most Mormons I know are sweet, devout and of high moral standards.
Think about it for a moment, this is the Only Church and religion that has such anti stuff about it BECAUSE Satan knows it is the Truth, thus why he Tries SO Hard and devotes most his efforts to attacking it and it's core values, for example the family.
ReplyDelete"worthiness interview"...yes they have them...what is this , each one makes up the rules as they go along......i got out before they could suck me in too far....i dont believe in the joseph smith stuff , never could , never will....i was mentally screwed by 2 mormon men , their kind of love ( if you can call it love ) was phoney and pure misery.the minute i threw the book of mormon in the dumpster and told God i was sorry , my relationship w/God and Jesus has soared :)
ReplyDeleteThe rules you should follow are the ones God spoke of not what man kind made up. I'm happy to follow my Lord Jesus and his teachings not the teachings of man. Now if someone on here can pinpoint these rules/guidelines in the Bible then show them to me cause these rules/guidelines are not there. These are made up rules/guidelines that man came up with because they did not like the ones God had told us and there are over 613 rules/guidelines just look in the first 5 books of the bible and read what God has spoken throw Moses.
ReplyDeleteI was Mormmon until I was 39. I went to BYU. From what I recall, mostly everything the original post writer stated about the Mormons is true. Also I remember the emphasis being placed on Joseph Smith, rather than on
ReplyDeleteChrist. I think that has changed somewhat now. I have found LDS men to be very self centered, egotistical. I wouldn't want this religion for anyone
Brisbane
ReplyDeleteyou might want to try a mainline religion. You've concentrated on fundamentalist types religions. Usually mainline religion, like Episcopalian, Methodist, will answer any question and will allow you to form your opinion, viewpoint. If you want freedom to think, to use your brain, you shouln't go to a fundy church. Joseph Smith was mentally ill. No mentally ill person should ever invent a religion. And, also any mormon who uses Satan to justify their faith should know that it certainly doesn't impress most of us. Get a grip: Satan is metaphorical for human error, sin. Wish you the best Brisbane.... it's so so good to be out of the mormon church.
To the person who said "Me said...."
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to tell you that you can easily become a mormon without playing their silly excommunication game. You don't need to meet with those power hungry men regarding your feelings, ideas. You simply DO NOT attend their meeting. What you should do is write a letter (their are some sample letters on the internet). You explain that you want your name removed from the membership of the ward. Do this also with the main body of the church in Salt Lake. It works like a charm. I generally don't have missionaries at my step. Good luck!
Why would god want this for us? I believe that god is a loving god, who will not send You to hell if you don't follow all these insane rules. And why would anyone believe Joseph smith, a man, not anything else, that he had some personal visit with god? He is a man! I have much respect for eveyone's beliefs, but come on! You can't talk to anyone that isn't Mormon? Are they crazy? Doesn't god just want us to unite and love all? Isn't that what life is about?
ReplyDeleteI am a member of the LDS Church, and I have to say I am shocked at all most the comments made. Yes these are guidelines/ commandments by God, but these guidelines are twisted, my sister had friends that non-members of the church, but they respected her even went to church whit her stayed the full 3 hours, when they had a question some was always there to answer there question.
ReplyDeletenow for me I am having a hard time finding the truth myself, I didn't feel the spirit at first as I grew up in the church I had gained a small testimony of the church, every testimony is different in someone else in the church. that testimony is falling apart, but I haven't given up, yes I tasted the bad side of life, I did everything and I felt like crap after that, God forgave me when I said a personal prayer to him for his forgivens, my heart felt lifted when the prayer was over, I am talking to my Bishop and I am proud to say he the best Bishop I have, he fasts for everyone in the ward, he welcomes anyone with a warm greeting wont push away, or scoled you for who you are.
and I may recall, I remember making hi-gin kits for the people in Hatti, and we do have a Bishop store house, were the families that cant really afford the groceries at the normal stores can go, that's where the fast offerings go.
life as a Mormon(LDS) may seem hard to you, but for me I am working heard to get to where my testimony stays strong, and it is strong and will keep growing till the day I die, and I will continue the lords work with Joseph Smith, and Gordon B. Hinkly at my side, preaching the words of the true gospel to those who are dead so they can live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I bear my testimony that I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Sants is true, the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and I know it to be true, I know that forgivens has been given to me though Jesus Christ and hope and pray that my fellow brothers and sister will be forgiven as well. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Aman
I am a Child of God and he has sent me here to do is will befor it grows to late lead me guide me walk beside me help me find the way teach me all that I must do to live with him someday,
Dude Gary you are my hero. 18 years of mormon hell and I've come to the conclusion that the only reason this religion is messed up is because of the people. They look at the world in a certain point of view and if you do not follow this view you are demonic and should be judged. I was the most quiet little mormon who followed all of your damn rules up til I realized you people of the mormon religion do not understand the meaning of life and what you hope others will understand some day. STOP JUDGING YOU *****!!!!! ISN'T THAT WHAT GOD TAUGHT YOU TO DO!!!
ReplyDeleteagreed
DeleteInteresting
ReplyDeleteAgreed
ReplyDeletescary...but then again i would be scary to these people when they see a person like me and in my eyes they see someone who views the world with his own 2 eyes.
ReplyDeleteI live surrounded by Mormons and I have dear friends who are Mormons and I celebrate them as individuals even if they follow these strict rules. What is much more sinister to me is the nepotism and tightly interwoven social/economic/political circles they have that keep the pressure on to tithe and not leave the church. That's what makes it a cult. Anytime a group/church makes you feel bad for questioning, or for wanting to leave and threatens to ostrocize you if you leave/join another faith-especially a Christian faith, then it's a CULT! Heeeeellloooo- red flag! The LDS church is a huge cult that is really a business that's run on communist like techniques and tension to keep feeding the monster. Love the people- the institution is what scares the hell out of me. What's sad is many exLDS become atheists and throwout all religion as even in their disbelief they can't break apart the Book of Mormon from the Old and New testament. Break them apart and the truth is left alone- pure and unadulterated. In the "apostacy" Christian faith their is no question that has not been tackled and answered. Go into any Christian book store and buy a book on any topic and challenge yourself. Apologetics Christian vs LDS head to head and they know they can't compete. 20,000 sources of archeological proof for Old/New testament. Zero for Book of Mormon, okay maybe 1 piece- yet to be proven. Peace out!
ReplyDeleteReligion is for the weak-minded
ReplyDeleteI have been looking into the religion and trying to find answers and yet I have not found them.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many rules for females, I feel like I could never become a female morman as I drink coffee, I dress in my own clothes, I smoke, I have 4 tattoos so I would never be accepted into the church.
Iv seen so much in my life and still in 14years of preying iv had no answers.
I joined the Mormon church at the age of 14. I was extremely devout and followed the Church's teachings without question. Unfortunately, striving for perfection led to a severe eating disorder and low self esteem. My parents had divorced because my father had been sexually abusing my sisters, yet the bishop of my ward refused to help my unemployed mother financially because she "didn't do enough to save her marriage." I was also told that my sisters, mother and I did not constitute a family because my mother wasn't sealed to my father. Then I'd have to sing "Families Can Be Together Forever" every week. I'm not sure if the church still practices Tithing Settlement, but at the time members did have to prove to the bishop that they were paying a full tithe in order to receive a temple recommend. No temple recommend, no celestial kingdom, so yes, it is emotional blackmail. At the age of 46 I watched the movie "Jesus" with Jeremy Sisto. I realized that the Mormon temple does require payment to enter, and I do not believe Jesus would condone this. I also realized that Jesus said not to worry about what you eat; it is what comes out of your mouth that will defile you. This contradicts the Word of Wisdom. I have been inactive for over 20 years and did not raise my children in the church, but the emotional damage remains. I would love to enjoy a cup of coffee, but can't due to the guilt. Yet common sense tells me, based on Jesus' words, that people who are kind to their fellow man will inherit the highest degree of glory, whether or not they drink coffee.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment and so glad to hear your kids didn't have to go through what you went through. We've heard so many stories like yours.
ReplyDeleteDon't feel guilty about coffee, there's nothing wrong with it and you should be able to enjoy it.