#Mormonism is corrupt

[lolalovegood1400]

Vent⚠️Trigger warning⚠️ Mormonism, injustice, mentions of 🍇, religion, cult-like talk

Last viewer discretion: WARNING if you continue reading this after you've acknowledged this trigger warning, it is your own fault. I am not liable for how the content you consume makes you feel. ⚠️⚠️⚠️

When the Mormons want you to respect their cult but their Bishop told your Dad he couldn't help him while he was battling addiction, then the Sunday after his funeral they preach how they are always willing to give resources to those in need. 'All you have to do is go to the Bishop and repent of your ways'

You do not get to sit there and tell me your a good person when your actions clearly reflect otherwise. I do not care if not all Mormons are 'that way'. Their doctrine inherently holds those values and enforces such behavior and treatment, especially if you are a member. Mormonism is a cult of shame and denial. However, the more you deny the truth the more evident it is.

Even if you are a Mormon, you can't deny the 🍇 allegations and cases against members of the Bishopric in wards across America and around the world. You can't deny that Joesph Smith's racist fan fiction is archaeologically disproven time and time again. You can tell me whatever you want. You cannot convince me that a self-insert book written by a man who married minors is worth my time or respect.

[groovygrub]

[insert-apt-title-here]

This is my attempt at getting the attention of cool people with similar interests.

Jonmartin and Helen distortion are in the tags because the 3 of them in s5 of tma is the vibe of my content. Equal parts brooding, anxiety ridden, and just a little silly and incomprehensible.

Ceaseless watchers, consume my musings and dramatic pronouncements.

^i like this song and all the other songs from this artist <3

[dearest-valentine]

.

[montanabohemian]

#not to mention all the rampant interpersonal abuse! and harassment and shunning of ex-members! and all the other fun stuff! 🙃

It's amazing to me just how good the Mormon church has been at hiding just how bad they really are from public view. Even the shit that gets spread around is the relatively harmless bullshit. They had a crazy prophet with magic glasses. They believe in god-mandated polygyny. They think everyone who is good enough will get their very own planet after the world ends. They wear magic underpants. Mormon men are all paladins.

Here's one of the ones you hear less often:

See, like many other Christian sects, the Mormons really do believe that the existence of Christ obviates the existence of Judaism. Judaism was just a placeholder until the "real" church could be established by Jesus.

And the Mormons in particular believe, dead ass, that the entire inheritance of Israel has been given to them, because the Jews failed to recognize the Messiah when he was on Earth. They really do. They have this whole system where people are given a "divine revelation" about which of the Tribes of Israel they're a member of (don't worry, they decided that most people belong to the two tribes that are willing to "adopt" people. Only the most specialest boys and girls are members of the original ten).

Let's sum up so far. The Mormons believe that they are the people of Israel, chosen and protected by God. If Jews want to get back in on that party, they can always repent and convert to Mormonism, the one true church to which God gave all the rights and blessings that were originally bestowed on Abraham's house.

But it doesn't stop there!

The Mormons also believe, in all seriousness, that all Indigenous peoples of the Americas are descended from a small group of Jewish people who left just before the fall of Jerusalem (~600 bc iirc). Their entire weird-ass extra bible is a chronicle of those people's history in [unspecific part of America]. At the very beginning of the book, two brothers in the original family turn away from god, so they and all their descendants are cursed with dark skin, so that the good Nephites (who remain "white and delightsome") will always be able to tell themselves apart from the wicked Lamanites.

So, you've got supposedly Jewish people running around the Americas. And the "good" ones are white, and the "bad" ones are brown. Then, ofc, Jesus comes to visit them (I guess supposedly that's part of what he was doing during his dirt nap? Or possibly after he left again, it's not clear), and they all convert to Christianity, which they think is clearly the natural evolution of Judaism. Well, at the end of the book, all of them become wicked, in a kind of weird pseudo-apocalyptic series of events. They are all cursed with dark skin, until such time as they repent for their ancestors sins and return to the gospel.

But of course, Mormons being the good and kind people they are, they want everyone to receive the blessings of God and be brought into the houses of Israel etc etc. And it isn't the fault of those poor little Indigenous children that their distant ancestors turned away from God and became wicked.

So what's the natural answer? Well, Mormons are real big on missionary work, as we all know. But apparently that wasn't enough in this case.

Because the Mormon church has been one of the big players in abducting as many Indigenous children as possible, in order to indoctrinate them into being good Mormons, so that they can turn white again and be blessed. My mother remembers hearing talks about this in the 70s and 80s. The church literally had a "Lamanite Adoption Program," where families in the church were encouraged to get as many Indigenous children as possible away from their families and not let them be reunited until they were fully assimilated and ready to go back and proselytize about how wonderful the church is.

The church leadership literally talked about how wonderful it was to see these children becoming whiter. Actually whiter. Like, saying that when they finally saw them with their families again, it was beautiful how much paler they were.

I'm pretty sure this program has been officially ended, but it doesn't take a genius to speculate about who might be behind the curtains on the movement in the western US to gut the ICWA....

So yeah. Next time someone tries to tell you that the Mormons are just harmless weirdos, please remember that they're an antisemitic cult that advocates for the forced assimilation of Indigenous children to help them escape the cursed brown skin of their ancestors.

[cannibalsafespace]

It's any sort of thought stopping that's the problem. If you're:

-trying to distract from the horrors of the world

-using cliches like "agree to disagree" or "I have a right to my opinion" to prevent yourself from thinking about things or discussing them with people who are just trying to save human lives.

-allowing yourself to be distracted by your own sick position of only doing what's best for you, regardless of anyone else.

-allowing other people to tell you what your positions are on a topic

Or anything else that prevents you from thinking.

YOU ARE THE ONLY PROBLEM IN THE WORLD.

[mindfulldsliving]

Destructive Impact of Contentions in Helaman 1:1-21

The Nephite society, embroiled in conflict and pride, serves as a cautionary tale for us today. When divisions grow, they weaken the very fabric of any community, leaving it vulnerable. This isn't just a historical account; it's a timeless reminder

Contention is Destructive: Lessons from Helaman 1 Isn’t it striking how contention can swiftly tear apart a society? In Helaman 1:1–21, we witness a vivid illustration of this truth. It’s a chapter etched in history, portraying the destructive effects of internal strife. The Nephite society, embroiled in conflict and pride, serves as a cautionary tale for us today. When divisions grow, they…

[theozgnomian]

[inbabylontheywept]

Would you mind sharing the psalm and why you felt that person was the most humanist Mormon? I'm not religious at all but I find these sort of things very interesting.

In exchange I could offer the reason for my url ?

I'm warning you, this is kind of a mega essay, and it's fucking unhinged. Click at your own risk.

(Alright. You clicked.)

Psalms 137

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept

when we remembered Zion.

There on the poplars

we hung our harps,

for there our captors asked us for songs,

our tormentors demanded songs of joy;

they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

How can we sing the songs of the Lord

while in a foreign land?

If I forget you, Jerusalem,

may my right hand forget its skill.

May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth

if I do not remember you,

if I do not consider Jerusalem

my highest joy.

Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did

on the day Jerusalem fell.

“Tear it down,” they cried,

“tear it down to its foundations!”

Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,

happy is the one who repays you

according to what you have done to us.

Happy is the one who seizes your infants

and dashes them against the rocks.

———

Mormonism has layers. Different cores of believers, cultures within itself. The largest group of Mormons also dominate its image within the larger culture. You know them as the nerdy, cheerful, bubbly dorks on South Park, or the hopelessly naive childlike weirdos from the Book of Mormon musical. Strangely sanitized, "wholesome" people that are, clearly, unwhole. Missing some essential part of the human experience.

(Pain, maybe?)

I think that embracing this image is letting Mormonism view itself as what it wishes it was. A group with all its rough edges sanded off, all its raw and desperate humanity scrubbed away. A clean and godly and slightly unsettling image of joy.

That isn't how it started.

Now, most people know the story of Joseph Smith. Fourteen year old farm boy starts a cult because the whole world if full of idiots, I won't repeat it because you've probably already got it from South Park. But at some point that weirdo cult did become a religion, and I would point to that moment as the Mormon War of 1838.

I don't know how far after the founding that was. Enough that Joseph Smith was a grown man. Enough that the Mormons had around 15-25 thousand members. They'd moved to the Illinois-Missouri area and were establishing settlements.

(They creeped the locals out. Of course they creeped the locals out.)

Eventually, they got pushed out of the county they'd claimed. Jackson County, it was. The state couldn't actually take that county from the people that expelled them, so to try and make the Mormons "whole" for the land they'd bought (ignoring the houses and farms they'd already set up) it gave them a new county.

Next election that came around, that county was sieged. Voting was blocked. Now, the people of the state were terrified that this weirdo voting block was going to take them over. They probably weren't wrong. Some former Mormons had straggled in from the county revealing a frankly corrupt land dealthat the early church had used to transfer resources to itself, and that served as a tipping point. To prevent their state from becoming a religious basketcase, a mob sieged the Mormon county during the next election.

The state tried to return order by sending the militia in to break up the siege, but the militia mutinied. They joined the siegers. A ground of strange, extremist violent Mormons known as the Danites rode out and attacked local settlements that were known to house the families of the militia members.

The Governor at the time - Lilburn Boggs - sent out an executive decree. The Mormons were traitors, and were to be killed on sight. It is the only religion in the US to have ever had such an order made against it.

The Mormons surrendered their county and went to Nauvoo, Illinois. There were again expelled from that city in 1846, and traveled west.

They died in great numbers and they never forgot the homes they lost.

———

I tried to tell the story as sympathetically to the people of Missouri as I could. The Mormons made messes wherever they went, and they unsettled everyone they interacted with. But they were attacked as well, and had a history of violence against them. It should not be totally surprising that they became insular and strange.

Many (most?) Mormons that learn all of their history wind up leaving the religion. It has twists and turns and knots and it is incredibly, overwhelmingly human. I think that's where the facade of Mormon perfectionism comes from - the shame of that. The desire to be something else. But being human is all I've ever wanted. And occasionally, there are people faithful in the church - layers upon layers deep - that know their history.

And they are angry about it.

I think it's more common than people realize. Did you know that until 1930 Mormons swore literal religious oaths of vengeance against the US government for the deaths of Joseph and Hyrum Smith?

I always felt like these were, in some way, the real Mormons. They knew their history, and they loved their church, and they hated what it had suffered all those years ago.

They scared me, those people. But they seemed complete. More complete than the people that had carved out everything that didn't make them smile. They'd walked into the mirror, and touched their shadow, and danced with. Melded with it.

And I knew a few like that. I was taught by one. And he didn't convince me, but he interested me. Gave me some respect for the people I left behind.

———

In the game Fallout: New Vegas, there is a character named Joshua Graham. He's a Mormon. Not like the silly children in adult bodies that they always use on TV. He has gravitas. He has put away his moral compass before, to pursue the dream of one powerful man. Poured his soul into it, helped that man conquer the whole west in piecemeal. He's a somewhat on the nose analogy of the Mormon people themselves, following Joseph Smith. And when he finally failed, when he fought a battle he could not win on the gates of the Old World Hoover Dam, he was lit on fire and thrown into the Grand Canyon to die.

But he did not die.

He says he survived because the fire in him burned brighter than the fire around him. And it seems that way when you speak with him in game. There is something compellingly bright to him. Not shiny like a new toy, or a Utah teenager that hasn't seem just how grim the world can be. He's something blinding, compelling.

But that brightness casts shadows.

He is vicious. He was saved in the canyon by the family he left, the old Mormons of a new world. And he's trying to find that part of him again, regain the soul he lost pursuing someone else's vision. But that old vicious animal part of the covenant is with him. I see Joshua Graham and I see the animal that the Mormons became to survive the West.

And in the game, there is eventually a choice given.

You can lead the tribe Joshua has joined up with out of their Zion. Their Jackson County Missouri. Peacefully and perfectly and inhumnanly transcendant, the way the Mormons wish they actually were about everything. You can give him the chance to be what Mormonism has always wished it could be. Or you can fight with them and help them reclaim their paradise, but get your hands stuck deep in the muck of this world.

Joshua Graham knows his history. He knows all the homes his people lost. And whatever brightness he's trying to regain, whatever soul he's trying to win back from the world that takes and takes and takes and takes - he wants to give it all up again to let these people keep their home.

He knows his past and he is angry.

And as the player, you help him make peace with one of two things: Being human by being fallen, or keeping his soul at the cost of reliving the ancestral trauma of losing Zion yet again.

Both were pretty visceral decisions for a Mormon teenage Babylon to make.

(Tagging @boonebignaturals in this because I need a witness to my madness.)

[fireflysummers]

Good Omens S2

Okay so.

Excellent Job, Gaiman

Ouch???

I don't like to publicly talk about my personal life. My academic life is my professional life is my artist life. But my personal life? Not so much, outside of vignettes.

But for the past several months, I've been deconstructing a lot of personal baggage and trauma surrounding both family and religion, after leaving the cult I was raised in (mormonism).

It's terrifying to realize that the framework you built your entire self on is false. It's exhausting and painful to deconstruct that framework, to disentangle your identity in the way that won't destroy you.

And it's slow.

Nobody ever tells you how slow it is to heal. You can't control the rate you heal either. You just have to be patient with yourself, and give yourself an environment where that healing can occur safely and naturally.

Anyways.

Good Omens, and its weird tendency to be exactly what I need when I need it.

I first read Good Omens in high school. And honestly, I didn't quite get it, at the time. I only knew it was different from every other book I've ever read, one that didn't treat religion as stupid or trivial, but also one that called out the blatant hypocrisy and control tactics involved. It helped me safely challenge a status quo I hadn't even realized existed.

I first watched Good Omens partway into my Master's Degree. It was everything that I could've hoped for. I understood the book a lot better, but the TV adaptation captured my struggles with mental dissonance, trying to understand and accept the parts of my identity that I was taught God didn't want.

I watch S2 a year into my doctoral program. I'm out of the cult, and it's exhilarating and painful and scary and fun, but I can still feel the scars its hooks left when they were torn out.

I feel like S2 Aziraphale is in about the same place. He's exploring his freedom, but also trying to reorient himself. He's trying to let himself be. He's healing, but his boundaries got overridden due to circumstances out of his control (naked Gabriel). He's been pulled back into the gravity of the abusive system he tried to escape, given a carrot on a stick, and isn't yet healed or strong enough to resist.

On top of that, Aziraphale is still holding onto the hope that the problem was bad individuals, not a corrupted system. He thinks if the leadership is different, things can change. He thinks if he had more authority in the system, he could make things change. And... that's not how it works.

And Crowley. Dear Crowley.

He wants Aziraphale to be farther along in his healing than he is. Honestly, Aziraphale wants it too. But again, you cannot force this kind of healing, even when it results in a loved one making some truly stupid decisions.

Crowley sees the system for what it is. He's already deconstructed that part. But he hasn't really started addressing his own trauma. He's hinged his entire existence on Aziraphale, on being what Aziraphale needs, that he hasn't allowed himself to heal either. And Aziraphale, who is vulnerable and healing, is not able to provide the support that Crowley would need to recover safely.

Which is why them separating is probably the best thing for both of them.

It won't be permanent.

But they don't communicate, and their relationship while delightful and beautiful risks unhealthy codependency that prevents either from really growing or healing.

Anyways, what I really hope to see next season is Aziraphale's realization that the system never had his back. That the system is what's wrong, and that he can't win by playing at respectability politics or gaining a higher status within it.

I want Aziraphale to get angry.

He deserves it. He's tried so hard. He thinks he's lost Crowley over it.

I want him to feel the gut-wrenching despair of realizing how conditional and fleeting the system's version of love is, and I want it to turn into a rage.

But not a destructive rage--the sort of anger that Pratchett ascribes to himself and many of his works. The sort of anger that fueled Discworld and Good Omens. The sort that can be finessed into a weapon and a shield, that can be used to protect the people who truly love you.

For millennia we see Crowley fighting for Aziraphale.

For Season 3, I want to see Aziraphale fighting for his demon.

For him to apologize, without the expectation that Crowley will come back, but because he was wrong and Crowley needs to know it. To not expect forgiveness, not even think he deserves it.

And then for Crowley--who is trying to hide his heart eyes at seeing his avenging angel coming to save him for once, who he can tell immediately has changed, and is finally going Crowley's speed)--for Crowley to give that forgiveness, without strings attached.

[victoriadallonfan]

I don't agree with a lot of Sanderson's politics - and they aren't, in fact, based in Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints doctrine, but rather Utah culture - but it also makes me pretty uncomfortable to hear you badmouthing the church I'm part of?

I badmouth religious organizations in general, Catholic Church included (in which I was raised) because they tend to be overwhelmingly corrupt and abusive towards their own church members (and especially towards people outside of them)

Mormonism in particular is especially bad for how being part of the church requires “tithings” from paychecks plus their treatment of women, minorities, and even men in ways that are almost so explicitly manipulative and cultish that it feels like it comes out of parody.

(For example, I simply declared, “I am no longer catholic” and that was it. Done. You cannot generally do the same in LDS without incredible backlash and slander by its members)

And it’s very obvious when it shows up in fictional books by a lot of Mormon writers, because it’s so conservative that it’s a step or two behind the times.

It’s not as bad as Westeros Westboro Baptist Church or Scientology, but that’s not a high bar to clear.

If your time in the church was different, I’m happy for you, because it means you likely avoided the worst parts of their abuse.

Still, if you have the time, I’d suggest watching these videos (in no particular order):

Why I Left Mormonism - Video covering the creation of the channel “Cults to Consciousness” and her abusive home life under the church

The BITE Model - Simple PowerPoint explaining the reoccurring factors of cults

Ex-Mormon Cast Reacts to Mormon Debates -Cast of ex-Mormon members react to a Mormon debate and highlight various lies and falsehoods presented, as well talk about teachings/history Mormon Church does not want revealed publicly

How the Mormon Church ‘Help Line’ Hid Child Abuse - Exactly what it says. Survivors speak out and the church has done nothing for them or worse.

If you don’t want to watch these videos, if you can’t stomach the testimonies, ask yourself and others these questions:

- How often are you allowed to preach about Heavenly Mother?

- How often do you see women in power within the church, as in, deciding doctrine and not just playing piano or making food for the men?

- How often do you see minorities in power within the church, as in, deciding doctrine or being treated as a token?

- How often does your church talk about the incredibly high suicide rates for children and how it’s associated with its practices?

- How come when a racist, anti-Semitic, misogynistic etc Prophet speaks its “the word of God” and doctrine, but then another Prophet can simply claim it was mere “policy”. Was ‘God’ lying to the prophets? Were the prophets lying about God? How can you trust what is their words and what is God?

- How come the church hid $30 Billion dollars from the public and even its own lower members?

- How come the founder lied about what was on the Egyptian papyrus, claiming it was a translation from God, but people who can actually read Egyptian pointed out he was lying?

- How come you get treated differently for asking these supposedly easy to answer questions?

I do not go after Brandon or you because you happen to be religious. I think belief in a higher power is one’s own choice and prerogative.

I instead care far more about the religious system that is using well-intended people like pawns for goals that pretty much boil down to money and power.

[mamarosanna]

I know I’ve talked about it before but the thought of corrupting a man of god (priest, Mormons) is legitimately one of the hottest things I can think of

“No sex before marriage” right, say that again when I’m bouncing on your dick

[telekineticseance]

AFTER MIDNIGHT

kinktober day thirty: overstimulation

pairing: joe young x f!reader

summary: after a party, you offer to let the Mormon you met crash at your place

genre: smut

word count: 2701

cw: corruption, sub!Joe x softdom!reader dynamic because that's all i can write with him, oral (m!receiving), hand stuff (m!receiving), praising, overstimulation (obvi)

author's note: kinktober from 2023 at the end of 2024? you already knowwwwww. but hi! also I didn't proofread this because I'm lazy and it already took me months to write this.

“Oh dear, is that the time? It’s after curfew I should be going..” Joe’s voice interrupted your train of thought as you turned towards him.

You hadn’t even noticed it was almost 1am and that you had been listening to Joe talk for hours. You barely knew him, just had a few interactions with him through mutual friends and that was one of these instances.

Dave, a long term friend of yours, even though he had his moments, invited you to his birthday party which turned out to be a lot bigger and crazier than you had expected. There wasn’t even cake.

And that’s how you found yourself in a bedroom, listening to this too nice dressed, blonde haired, blue eyed, mormon yap about his religion. At first you were kind of interested, but then he started getting into something about the Garden of Eden being in Missouri, you kinda drifted off into your own thoughts.

As much as you didn’t want to admit it, some of the thoughts were finding ways to make Joe shut up, including ideas that got a little more R rated..not in a violent way though. Quite the opposite and you didn’t know whether to feel bad about it or not.

“Ohhh are you sure? I mean it’s pretty late..” You looked back at him after looking at the clock on the side of the bed and he let out a small sigh.

“I should…do you think Dave is okay to drive me home?”

You knew the answer, and from the look on his face he knew it too. You knew you shouldn’t have but you couldn’t help it before you blurted out the statement.

“No but my apartment is down the hall and I have a futon you can crash on..”

His face almost lit up at the idea and you saw a sparkle in his eye before he nodded and the two of you got up from the bed before heading towards the direction of your apartment, you holding onto Joe’s hand as you led him out of the crowded rooms, making sure not to lose him.

When you arrived, you unlocked the door and turned on the lightswitch, allowing the light to illuminate the living room.

“Your place is much nicer than mine..” Joe’s voice had a hint of awe as he looked around the room, making you wonder how bad his place was if your one bedroom, semi-neat, apartment was “much nicer” than his.

“Thanks? I guess..” Your voice was softer at the second part as you shut the door behind him, locking it before showing him the futon. “Let me grab you some blankets.”

You walked to a little pantry, before opening the door and grabbing a small stack of blankets from it. You couldn’t help but glance over at Joe as you did, watching the way he bounced lightly on the cushion below him, realizing he was still in his missionary attire before walking over to him with the blankets.

“Do you need a change of clothes?” Your voice was soft with him, almost like you were talking to a small animal before he shrugged.

“Oh I don’t want to trouble you more than I already have.” He shook his head as you laughed slightly before setting the blankets next to him, “It’s no trouble I’m sure I have some old clothes from my ex boyfriend lying around.”

Before he could speak, you turned on your heels before walking into your room. In the back of your closet, sure enough you had a bag of clothes your ex boyfriend had left behind that he failed to come and pick up like you asked.

After rummaging through the bag you grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a random t-shirt to some band you were sure Joe hadn’t heard of before you walked in the living room to see him already pulling off his tie.

You don’t know why but your heart started to race at the sight before he turned and looked at you, a grin on his face, “Oh thank you.”

He took the clothes from you before looking at you, a hesitant look on his face before you nodded, “Oh yeah. I’ll um leave you alone to get dressed.”

He smiled softly as you quickly walked back to your room before hearing the soft rustle of fabric from the living room as Joe changed into the clothes you gave him. You’re heart continued to feel like it was beating out of your chest as you thought about the idea of him changing. You almost wanted to hit yourself for thinking about it.

“So ex boyfriend huh?” The words rang through your ears, bringing you back to reality as you turned to see him sitting on the couch, now fully clothed as you nodded at him, slowly walking back in.

“Yeah he was kind of an asshole. I met him through Dave which automatically was a terrible idea as most people Dave knows are-”

“Actors?” Joe interrupted as you nodded, finding a place on the couch next to him. “Gee.. I’m sorry you don’t deserve that.”

You gave him a small shrug before he shook his head, “No I’m serious. You’re very kind and well..very beautiful as well. Any man would be lucky to have you.”

His cheeks had a small rise of color to them as he called you beautiful, and you were sure that yours had it too. You looked at him before smiling, “Thank you..”

There was a small moment of silence between the two of you before you spoke up, “So..is there a special lady in your life?”

Joe laughed slightly before shaking his head, “Not anymore. I was engaged but once I decided not to go back to Utah. Lisa missed her family too much and it just didn’t work out. Plus she said I was starting to lose my way from the lord.”

You raised an eyebrow at that last part, “Well considering you spent hours basically reading to me from the book, I disagree with her statement.”

He shrugged at your response before looking down at his lap, “I think she’s right. I mean yes I still follow the lord but I’ve done some things that are against the lord’s will and nothing will change that. Or fix it.”

His words were soft as you scooted closer to him, resting your hand lightly on his before speaking again, “You know Joe..Dave’s told me about you and you seem like an amazing person. And who knows maybe that’s why you’re here so you can learn your own way and that’s what the lord wants..”

You weren’t sure if your words were helping, because after all he was a Mormon and unlike talking to a Christian or something, their religion seemed to be much more strict.

It wasn’t until he looked at you, his blue eyes looking into yours that you felt like you may have said the right thing as he grinned softly, “I hope you’re right..”

You couldn’t help yourself as the two of you stared at one another, taking in his small features as your heart started to raise again. And then almost as if an energy drew you in, you put your lips to his. Kissing him with such softness and tenderness, like you were scared of hurting him before he pulled away, his eyes wide.

“Oh my..Joe I’m sorry I don’t know what came over me..”

“N-No it’s okay..I um..I liked it?”

You looked at him with curiosity, “You..liked it?”

He nodded softly, almost like he was full of shame for enjoying something, “I did..it was nice. Nobody has ever kissed me like that before.”

“But Joe, you had a fiancé?”

He shrugged, “Lisa didn’t kiss much. And when I made Orgazmo there was so much tongue.”

You giggled slightly at his statement before speaking before your brain could stop you, “Do you want to do it again?”

“C-Can we?”

That’s all you needed before your hand caressed his cheek, pulling his lips into yours. Feeling him hesitant before he kissed back, his lips molding into yours. His hand hesitantly caressed your face, a small tremor to his movement as he did.

His thumb rested on your cheek as he cupped your face, pulling you closer the longer the kiss went on and the more his tremor faded. Your tongue grazed against his lips, asking for more of him, as he parted his mouth more you slipped in. The taste of lemon lime soda hit your taste buds as your tongue roamed his mouth, gently wrestling with his.

Your hands found their way to the loose fitting tee he was borrowing as you pulled away, his eyes looking into yours with a hypnotic haze. His lips were already growing plump and dark pink from being attached to your own.

“You’re so beautiful..” The words came from him in barely as whisper as he looked at you. His eyes slowly trailed down, looking at your fingers rubbing on another through the fabric of the shirt as his breathing got soft before his eyes returned to yours. “I don’t know what the lord would think about this..”

“What do you think about this Joe?” Your words were soft, wanting his thoughts without fear of religion reigning over him.

He looked at you, “I think you’re the most beautiful person in the world and I feel different being here with you.” He spoke as his thumb stroked your cheek gently. His eyes continued looking into yours as he hesitated to speak, “And I want to experience new things with you. Even if it’s wrong. Because you make it feel right.”

With those words, he leaned in this time, taking his chance as he put his lips to yours, his hand moving from your face to your hips where he pulled you closer. From there you took the leap, pulling his shirt up as you pulled away for a moment to lift it over his head before you put your lips back to his.

His hands fumbled with your own shirt before you placed your hands over his, guiding him. The intimacy grew between the two of you as you continued pulling off one another’s clothes, his hands shaking as he tugged away at yours.

“Are you sure you want this?” Your words were soft as you spoke, looking at him while your fingers grazed the hem of the white shorts accustomed to Mormon underwear. Your words earned a slow nod from him. Even though the shorts were almost baggy on him, the hardened length underneath was prominent as you pulled them off, allowing his cock to spring free as he let out a small gasp from the cold air.

Your hand ran down his stomach, wrapping your fingers around the base as he took in a sharp gasp, shuddering while his hips bucked against your hand.

“Never been touched like this before have you?” Your words cooed at him as you swiped the precum leaking from the tip with your thumb before stroking him slowly, letting him ease into the new feeling.

He shook his head as he let out a low moan, his breathing increasing as he bucked his hips against your hand. You moved your free hand to his hip, applying just enough pressure to pin him to the couch as you continued sitting next to him.

“Lean back for me Joe.” You continued to speak softly as he leaned back against the cushion on the back of the couch, his hands holding onto the cushion below him as he did so. You leaned back with him, your hand speed increasing slightly as you pulled your hand from his hip, moving it to stroke his hair as your other hand continued pumping his aching shaft.

Words of praise escaped from your mouth as you whispered into his ear, leaving gentle kisses on his neck in between the praising.

“You’re doing so good..” Lips on his neck. “Mmhmm just like that..” Lips on his neck again. “That’s it..”

Whines escaped from him as he bucked his hips against your hand, his breathing growing heavier while his eyes snapped shut. “I-I feel..”

“It’s okay..that’s good. Let it go..” You told him as you nibbled at his earlobes before he bucked his hips more, his knuckles went white from his grip on the couch before the substance spewed from his red tip, running down the sides and over your hand.

His breathing continued to stay at a heavy pace, taking in deep breaths as he practically shook underneath you.

Your hand continued stroking him as he whined underneath you, before you looked down at his cock, the liquid finally coming to a stop as he finished. Your mouth practically drooling over the sight as you moved your other hand from his hair, slinking your way down his body as you gave his tip a gentle kiss.

Joe let in a sharp inhale as you did, before you glanced up and he looked at you, his cheeks flushed a dark pink. “I-It’s sensitive..” His voice was hoarse as he spoke and you nodded.

“I know..but I just want a taste…Can I?” Your voice cooed up at him as he nodded slowly before you licked a stripe of the dripping cum from the side of his length as his fist clenched the couch again.

You let out a small hum before wrapping your lips around his tip, causing him to buck his hips slightly, allowing him to slip in, hitting the back of your throat as you gagged against his length.

“Oh my goodness I’m sorry.. I just..hmmm..” Joe’s words were cut off as you swirl your tongue around his length, his eyes rolling back while he whined.

You felt yourself grow more turned on as he whined and thrusted into your mouth while you continued sucking him off. His tip rapidly hit the back of your throat while he whined. His hand finding the back of your head as he gripped your hair tightly.

“I-It’s too much..” He whined out, tears brimming his eyes as he moaned out shortly after. You looked up at him blinking away the tears forming in your own eyes.

You pulled your mouth away, your hand continuing to stroke his cock as you looked into his tear brimmed eyes. “Come on Joe. You can do it. For me?”

He looked into your eyes as he nodded, biting his bottom lip through the feeling over overstimulation. His hips twitched as he moved against your hand. You couldn’t help but wanted to see Joe come a second time.

A moan escaped from Joe as he practically shook underneath you, “I-I feel it again.” His eyes screwed shut as he rutted against your hand once more.

“Come for me Joe. You can do it.” You spoke to him before wrapping your mouth around his cock once more, sucking on the tip as he arched his back against the back of the couch.

You wanted to taste Joe as he came into your mouth this time, not just licking up the mess. He writhed beneath you as he cried out, a mixture of pleasure and pain coming from him. His voice begging you to stop, but to continue in the same breath. Your hands stroked at the remaining length that wasn’t in your mouth as you felt his hips stutter as his body tensed up.

He moaned out your name as he came, the fluids shooting to the back of your throat as he did. The taste ran down your throat as you milked him of his cum completely. His hand trembled on the back of your head as he continued holding onto your hair. The sounds of soft whines escaping from him as your tongue licked him clean.

You pulled away from him, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand as you looked back at him. His cheeks stained from tears as you reached your hand up, wiping them away while he looked at you.

“I’m a bad Mormon..”

[nerdygaymormon]

I talked with my mother in law about disagreeing with the august policy and she kept faily neutral and said God made that policy and His children make the choice to stray from Him. While i believe the policy was inspired i dont believe it came from His mouth. I don't understand how transitioning is straying, it feels like a morally neutral act. How can God ask someone to sacrifice their emotional and mental well being to keep their good standing with Him? It feels backwards and manipulative if I'm being honest. Obedience is good but not if it comes at the cost of being miserable. I'm angry at the church as an institution and I believe it's failing it's queer and trans siblings. I suppose I do disagree with God.

You ask some really good questions. I want to add a few more for you to consider.

Are scriptures the "word of God" and does God actually speak these things to a human who hears it and writes it down precisely as God said it, or are these human interpretations of what they believe is God's will?

Is this policy leading people to be more loving and to do good to their neighbor?

Why would God make people gay or trans and then forbid them from being gay or trans?

The Book of Mormon teaches we're meant to have joy in life, then why does the LDS Church have policies to deny joy to queer people? Why are they singled out to be miserable for God?

If gender affirming care for trans people is "straying" from God, why is gender affirming care for cis people not? The medical procedures that trans people use were all originally developed for cis people. People get breast augmentations, hysterectomies, nose jobs, tummy tucks, face lifts, pec implants, lip filler, bbl's, hormone injections, puberty blockers, growth hormones, and on and on.

At the last General Conference, Elder Oaks put forth a unique idea about temporary and permanent commandments. I think it's his way of getting around the idea that church leaders in the past were wrong, but it brings up interesting questions, if this is temporary then am I required to obey even if I don't agree? If this is temporary, will I be punished in heaven after it is no longer in effect?

We're taught in Matthew 7 that “a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” If a policy is bringing forth bad results for a whole group of people, is it a 'good' policy?

Is it a coincidence that this step backwards with the August policy seems related to the bathroom bills and other anti-trans legislation that's recently been passed? If this is actually God's will then how come we didn't know it in 2020 when the last big revision to church policies regarding trans people was implemented?

What if a trans person feels they are inspired to pursue transitioning, should the church be punishing them for following where God is guiding them?

Does this policy sound like it's from a loving God?

That’s enough questions. I want to end with 3 points.

The August policy is just that, a policy, not a commandment or revelation or scripture. Policies are temporary and can be changed. A great example is the 2015 policy of exclusion regarding gay people, which was reversed less than 5 years later in 2019. How much better if it the 2015 policy had never been introduced and all that hurt had been avoided.

You're not disagreeing with God, you're disagreeing with whomever wrote and approved the latest policies.

People have a conscience, what the church calls the light of Christ, which influences people for good. If things being said by a church leader bother your conscience, pay attention to that.

[clangenrising]

sorry if this is too harsh to ask. when ever the story leans over to the city cats, they mistreat others or lean on the evil/bad side (look at poor aldertail, lake, scorch, and smokeyrose :( ) the more I read this, the more I'm siding with the clan cats to wipe out all the city cats. that way there can be peace for everyone because I can't see how the city cats have any remorse in the clan cats eyes or yours

Wow. Okay.

Um, first things first, I will never be in support of Wiping Out any group of people. I get what you're trying to say but that's just not an ideology I can get behind. It is honestly a very dangerous and upsetting argument to make and hopefully, I can explain why.

Most of the city cats are not Evil. Most of the city cats are people who grew up in a corrupt system and have been taught to do bad things from a young age. Like Mystique for example: Has she hurt people? Yes. Does she seem resistant to change? Yes. Does this mean she is not worthy of compassion or a chance to grow and be better? Absolutely not!

I was raised Mormon. I know a lot of people, some who I love, who do bad things on the regular - people who voted for trump, people who support homophobic or imperialist policies, people who are hurtful to the marginalized people in their lives. I will NEVER believe that these people deserve to die for the way they are. They are just humans doing their best with the knowledge they were given and the baggage they've accrued.

I do think that there are cats, like Razor for instance, who need to be Stopped, certainly, and removed from positions of power. Unfortunately, cats don't have the ability to institute more systemic solutions to these kinds of problems so they will most often solve these problems by killing the cat. But this should only happen after it is clear that there is no opportunity for a non violent solution.

The world is complicated and messy and it means people are taught bad things and have trauma that makes them hurt other people. I'm not saying that those behaviors are okay. They should be held accountable for the harm that they do. But those behaviors do not make them irredeemable or Evil. Hell, I don't think there ARE Evil people! I don't think there are GOOD people! People can't be good or evil because they are always going to be making new choices. Some of those choices will hurt people, some of those choices will help people, some of those choices are entirely neutral. I believe you can judge people's actions but its impossible to judge their 'soul' so to speak.

There are a lot of cats in the city who do bad things because they see those things as normal or because the system rewards them for doing so. Do you think the Clans should kill all of those people?? Because I will never agree with you if you do and I urge you to rethink how you see the world.

Give me any city cat and I will be able to find a way to empathize with them. Yes, even Razor. They're all just people. And in my opinion, none of them deserve to die. They deserve to change and heal. And I think most of them will. I'm a death penalty abolitionist and that means I don't think ANYONE should be put to death. You don't get to selectively apply that kind of belief only to the people you think are 'good'.

Sorry for how long and rambling my response was. If anyone has follow up questions or comments, I'm open to discussing this further, just please remember to be kind and avoid any sort of harassment, and that goes both ways. Nobody harass this anon for what they said. I believe they are very misguided but that doesn't make them a bad person. If you think that then you've entirely missed the point of everything I said.

[radfemsiren]

Ex Mormon content really paved the way for ex Muslims back in my day… anyone remember the YouTuber Mr. Atheist? Jim Snow?

I never knew about how children had to report to bishops in private about any sexual feelings or actions they had, which is completely inappropriate. Or about the racism, the financial corruption, the intense misogyny… the control tactics, the marketing schemes, the propaganda.

He’s a man so he eventually had to be found out to be a creepazoid, not surprised…but every exmuslim I talked to, even irl, would reference his very popular channel as a point of de radicalization. They all frequented the very popular r/exmormon subreddit too lol.

That’s why the collective is so important with activism and oppressed groups. If you treat your body like shit, other girls see that and copy. If you degrade yourself, other women degrade themselves too. If you stand up for yourself, other people are inspired and motivated. They think, “If she can do it, I can too!”

Groups you’d never even expect to notice changes in your community follow suit and reform. The beauty of progressing your people is that it’s a beacon of light for others too. Many other minorities use the language created by black activists to describe their own experiences, for example. We are all woven together, for better or worse, and every tug you pull on your thread affects more people than you’ll ever know…