After considerable reflection, I've concluded that I joined LDS Inc. because I was looking for a 'perfect' family, having grown up in a seriously f***ed up one.

And why did I think Mormonism offered a 'perfect family' to me?

Simple.

Years of propaganda - slick TV ads, radio spots, clean-cut missionaries, etc.

Yup, I ate the elephant one bite at a time.

Propaganda. That's why I joined.

Interestingly, there was no propaganda to make me leave, just very, gut-wrenching stuff to look at.

You?

Because i felt safe in a time when i needed that, i felt valued in a time that i needed it. And since i wanted to belong

Nearly two decades with an adulterous abuser, a terrible divorce in which I lost custody of my only child (despite having been essentially a single parent since his birth - my husband had threatened me with terrible reprisals if I even consulted an attorney, let alone hired one, so I had NO ONE covering my back.) I lost just about everything. For months, I was afraid to even buy a plant, lest it be taken away from me. I didn't dare bond with any living thing.

And I was "downsized" at my workplace because of the terrible post-divorce depression. I lost about $1,000 per month in take-home pay. Bills that had been no problem before now took nearly every penny I had. For the last two or three days before payday, I often lived on cold cereal with reconstituted powdered milk, and sandwiches made from a lentil paste I made from lentils boiled until they were mushy and then seasoned with garlic salt, slathered onto bread from the bakery thrift shop. More than once, my utilities were cut off and I had to get by until payday to get them restored. It was hideous. I eventually had to declare bankruptcy. This was back in the days when bill-collectors were allowed to call you at any hour of the day or night. I unplugged my phones.

I was alone, living in a state of terror, when these two adorable youngsters appeared on my front porch. They gave me hope, and led me into a new life with new friends, and a support system. I truly believe that they saved my life. I could not have gone on living as things were.

The Mormon church led me into a safer place, where I would eventually meet and marry the most wonderful guy. I didn't live in terror any more. We were far from millionaires, but at least I didn't have creditors hounding me any more. I eventually healed enough to realize that I didn't need the rigidity of the Mormon church, so I left it.

Still happily married, and last time I checked, my credit score was in the "highly enviable" range!! Never thought that would happen.

I think a large part of it had to do with the fact that I was bullied in school daily and the Mormon kids didn't bully me.

hormones

As my older brother use to tell me, a stiff pr--k doesn't have a brain.

I finally realized that hormones greatly influenced my decision as well. Darned things are very powerful because I stayed an active TBM for thirty years. Wife and I are still together having met 50 years ago. The Mormon thing lost its allure for all of the family about 20-25 years ago. The hormones are still pretty strong for this woman. She really worked a spell on me.

I have been a conversion project for thirty four years now on and off. Tolerated the mishies and something smelled even all those years ago. Still friends with the instigator. I can understand how people would cave into the pressure, especially of they were leaning towards being LDS to begin with.

The missionaries talked about Jesus walking the Americas. In second-grade California history, we read that Native Americans believed Cortez was their bearded, white god who promised to return to them. So, it made sense to me then. But I was only 19.

It helped that one of the sisters was good looking , I joined because I felt the spirit really strong, it took me atlest 2 years to sort it all out in my head

My husband joined to please his ex wife.

God told me the Book of Mormon was true, as promised in Moroni 10:4, and Joseph Smith was a prophet.

Decades later, finding out the BoM was fiction and JS was anything but a Prophet of God, my struggle was 'how could God tell me the BoM was true when it wasn't?'.

Fortunately neuroscience gave me the explanation.

I grew up in another church which taught incomplete, un-Biblical doctrine about the Godhead. I started asking the minister questions at 7 years old. I got no answers. That process helped me develop the skill to ask questions and the curiosity to find answers. I was starving to know who God is. A few years later I watched a movie called King of Kings which answered some of my questions about God, Jesus and the Spirit. But then I needed to find the right church which practiced that concept. At 14 years old, I was invited to attend the LDS church by some acquaintances. After the first discussion and hearing the JS story of the First Vision, I was impressed and wanted to be baptized. Like JS who was supposedly 14 years old when he had the First Vision, I could relate in searching for the truth via various churches. I was a sponge and devoted for 36 years. I put up with horrific abuse from toxic members over that time, that finally I had, hsd enough. The abuse limit hit the threshold of no return. That abuse was only one piece of the deeper abuse by the church itself with their system of lying. It became the writing on the wall that I was not in a safe place. I just wrote about this on another thread today, about being offended. After the last incident last year, the church published the essay on JS'S alternative lifestyle and that was the final push out the cult door. And it was not a moment too soon. The cult was superior in white washing the real truth about JS, the BoM, etc. Now that my eyes are opened, I don't want to live a lie.

MAJORLY f___ up childhood. It seemed at the time a place of love and acceptance.

The Plan of Salvation. I had been attending various churches over the years and they all said that if I wasn't a member of __ then I would go to hell in the afterlife. The Mormons said everyone got a second chance to hear about god in the afterlife, which seemed fair to me. Plus I was in love with a member, and still am in love with that same man, now an ExMo too. Plus I felt accepted. From what I read on here East Coast Mormons are more accepting than ones living in the Morridor. I never did make any good friends in that church, though.

I'm an atheist now. Don't believe any of that religious claptrap. Or Corporate advertising claptrap. Or political claptrap.

After a seriously screwed up childhood, my sister converted at 18. In her own words, "They will tell me everything I need to know. I won't have to think any more." TSCC offered her the security and structure she needed to avoid being an adult.

Because I had problems, was looking for a community, and liked Americans. Had serious doubts about the doctrine though, having already read NMKMH……but started reading Nibley and clung to the hope he might be right after all. Also tried to convince myself that 'truth' didn't particularly matter, and was reasonably successful at it for quite a while.

Should also add that Mormonism worked wonders for my sister who was experiencing adolescent difficulties until her interest in the Osmonds led her to attend the Hyde Park Ward in London and her life began to change for the better. Her church involvement was definitely a huge but temporary positive for her.She has been completely inactive for 39 years now though. Observing her, I hoped the LDS church might work similarly for me and for a time it did.

I left my abusive Middle-Eastern husband. We had moved from the East coast to Los Angeles. Without him and his large clan, I had NOBODY in L.A. except a few close co-workers . . . one of whom happened to be Mormon. We had lunch together every day and, over the course of a year, she taught me the gospel. I eventually studied with the missionaries.

I was baptised and joined that whole rowdy singles ward circuit in Southern California. It really was quite a blast. We did cool things like spend weekends on Catalina Island, ride horses in the Sequoias, camp in the desert, charter a yacht and cruise the Pacific south toward Mexico, went to humongous singles dances and on and on . . .

I'm a totally social person and I jumped right in with both feet. No drinking, smoking or SMOKING (BobMarley style) was a good thing for me. My ex and his friends/family were big partiers. The alcohol led to more than one incident of domestic violence. It was just such a huge relief to be away from that environment.

Most of my new Mormon friends were returned missionaries so I got a double-dose of woo-woo deep doctrine. I eventually returned to my home on the Atlantic ocean, and brought all that Mormon crazy with me. Story for another day. Suffice it to say, I'm officially out, as is my entire immediate family.

;o)

The story of Joseph going into the woods to find out which church was right resonated with my pre-teen self. I was thinking the very same thing at the time, which church has it right? I was raised a Congregationalist. There was very little pomp and circumstance in the Congregational church.

I had actually been considering the Catholic Church because it had so much more outward showing of religiosity. They had nuns and priests who gave up everything to devote their lives to Christ. They had showy cathedrals, glistening altars with crosses, and Latin services. I was impressed.

Mormonism showed me the error of my thinking. They convinced me that all other churches had it wrong and a modern prophet was a necessity. I fell hard. Thank goodness I finally grew up and studied my way out of the confusion. The one good thing about it all is they did a great job of convincing me that all churches have it wrong. I just know now that Mormonism is just as wrong as the rest of them.

My sweet Mother was baptized in the cult when I was 2 years old. She was duped for 25 years and is buried in her temple costume in CA.

She made me attend Mormon cult brain washing meetings until I was 18 and for all practical purposes I left the Mormon madness behind in my late teens. I never went thru the temple nor went on a mission.

So I'm a resigned convert since 2006.

Moved to the PNW, married a never Mo,and enjoy reading about the cult getting found out for the fraud it pulls on people.

Hormones for me as well.

My sister had just died. The idea of a forever family was suddenly very appealing. My parents were willing to let me do whatever (they thought) would help me heal, so they allowed me to join the church.

Misery loves company. Once the screws became so tight I couldn't metaphorically breathe, I resigned in late January of 2007. I would have resigned a month earlier but I had promised to go to a friend's reception from out of state..TWO MONTHS AFTER THE SEALING!

Jeez, not even most couples in the morg do that. I just HAD to do that, didn't I?

Blond. Beautiful body. Lovely family. I fell in love with the mom. Mormon MILF. Every boys dream.