I asked this same thing once, a few years ago...somewhere else...and the consensus was that the peer pressure (especially close relative and friends) was just too overwhelming for almost anyone to "just walk out."

However, there was also speculation that SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, MUST have walked out SOMETIME...but no one knew of any actual instances.

I am going to be most interested in the posts on this thread.

:D

Yes. I did.

Ogden temple. Years ago. I was an RM and went to attend a session with a close friend. I also struggled with the mindscrew associated with the Little Factory Problem® and felt consumed by a sense of guilt associated with a "recent slip", so I exercised the option at the appropriate moment to sit it out.

At the time, I took literally the fact that I had the option to do exactly what I did. I assumed they meant what they said when they gave you that choice, so I didn't really spend a lot of time paying attention to what the reaction would be. I was more consumed with my [unnecessary] guilt at that time. It was clear, though, that what I did wasn't quite as common as I expected it would be (given my literal intepretation of the instructions).

So, it happened at least once... :-)

I found that I was able to increase my little factories output without stress or worry! Honestly, I, too, worried a lot about something that is a normal part of human development. Interestingly, when my son was training to be a CNA, there was a discussion in his readings about elderly self-pleasuring and how to be sensitive to it. The Boner.

I once saw about 20 leave during an endowment session but that was because the fire alarm sounded.

We all stood outside, some had not removed aprons etc. and some had. There was one man whose white trousers and shirt were heavily soiled and I thought he must have been close to the fire but it transpired he was a temple maintenance guy. Anyway, it was a false alarm.

I consider this to be my most memorable temple visit.

Lol--
People driving by who saw the all the weirdos dressed in bakers hats and aprons probably thought it was just the cafeteria workers taking a break

CopoltVDGYE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I once saw about 20 leave during an endowment
> session but that was because the fire alarm
> sounded.
>
> We all stood outside, some had not removed aprons
> etc. and some had. There was one man whose white
> trousers and shirt were heavily soiled and I
> thought he must have been close to the fire but it
> transpired he was a temple maintenance guy.
> Anyway, it was a false alarm.
>
> I consider this to be my most memorable temple
> visit.

Wait, wait, wait...you're saying the fire alarm went off in the Lord's House when there wasn't a fire? Was God just testing everyone?

My one sister did.

unworthy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My one sister did.

Can you provide details?

At one session, I saw a woman very rapidly leave the room. But, given the way she looked, I think that was more from an oncoming need to vomit than any spiritual or ethical reason.

Or, it was one and the same. The cog diss from the realization this was NOT what she had been promised spiritually, so she could not ethically follow through with it, quite literally, made her sick to her stomach.

Parents: tell your kids going to the temple that first time, if anything they see or hear seems off or weird or unchristian to them, and they feel fear or extreme anxiety about it, they have your permission to pretend to have the stomach flu and simply run right on out of there!

Guy in my singles ward had to run out and puked in the hall...fwiw

I did. It was the Nashville Temple in another city. I think it is in Franklin. I read a brief statement and was chased around the room by the officiator. Someone told him to just leave me alone and let me finish what I had to say. He didhey and then I walked out. They didn't know what to do and finally took me to see the Temple President. I explained to him my desire to cancel my temple covenants because I didn't believe God had anything to do with them. I told him all my concerns about the church and after he calmed down it went well. I really felt good about doing it.

My grandfather walked out. Would have been in the 50s.

He was old breed. Been to the temple once in the 1920s for his own wedding. Never went back until my father was getting married.

i walked very fast in august of 1981, was my wedding day, both of us converts and never been to the temple, either one of us.

the initiatory freaked me out, touching me there, my first thought is it gets worse, excused myself to go to the mens locker room. wrote a short note to the bride saying i could not do this. left it on top of all my temple garb and got my regular clothes on. a few men from my ward who were there with us came to check on me told them i was so out of there and handed them the note. drove home 300 miles sol everything i owned in my small apt and packed my car and headed to 700 miles south

These are they who walk away from Omelas. I admire their integrity.

Wife and I almost did during our first trip to get married. If we had been able to talk and compare notes we would have. We were both freaked by the endowment (1974). We went one more time with my parents and never went back. For my wife it was the beginning of the end, for me I never believed from about 16, only went due to family pressure. We both totally left a few years later after sporadic attendance, but zero tithing (thankfully).

When people have asked me what the temple is like I describe it as, what if a bunch of 5 year olds took the Adam and Even story and made a play from it. About that level of intelligence and writing, complete with stupid costumes.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2014 08:31PM by magic823.