Recently I had an interesting conversation with a Korean convert who discovered the fraudulent history of the church a while ago and yet decided to stay in the church. He says that he doesn't care much about the history of the church because he is happy in the church. I was baffled at his logic but today I came across an interesting TIME article which helps him. The following is the excerpt of the article:

"Religion’s Secret to Happiness: It’s Friends, Not Faith"

http://healthland.time.com/2010/12/12/religions-secret-to-happiness-its-friends-not-faith

Religion can be good for your health, and especially your mental health, according to the latest studies, which show that church-goers are happier and more satisfied with their lives than those who don't attend services. But what exactly is it about religion that is so beneficial to health?
Some might argue that it is the power of faith in a being or power beyond ourselves. But according to a study led by Chaeyoon Lim, a sociology professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, the reason religion makes us happy may have more to do with friends than with faith.
Using data from the Faith Matters Study, a survey of U.S. adults conducted in 2006 and 2007, Lim and his colleagues found that 33% of those who attended religious services every week and reported having close friends at church said they were extremely satisfied with their lives, while only 19% of those who went to church but had no close connections to the congregation reported the same satisfaction.
As Lim noted in a statement describing his findings:

“To me, the evidence substantiates that it is not really going to church and listening to sermons or praying that makes people happier, but making church-based friends and building intimate social networks there.”

The results support the idea that friends and acquaintances can have a powerful, even contagious effect on our health. In other work conducted by Dr. Nicholas Christakis at Harvard Medical School and John Fowler of University of California, San Diego, it's clear that our social network, regardless of how close or distant we are to the people in them, can influence our health. Christakis and Fowler showed that even people separated from you by up to three degrees can influence your weight, your happiness, or even whether you quit smoking or are prone to loneliness.
A version of that idea of social connectedness may explain Lim's findings, which were consistent across Protestant, evangelical and Catholic religions; they applied to Mormons and Jewish believers as well, despite their smaller sample size in the study. Lim stresses that the sense of community that religion promotes is an important part of helping people to feel involved and worthwhile, and therefore may contribute to an overall sense of happiness.

This can be said about any affiliation with a satanic group, the Masons, gangs, orgy groups, etc. It is not the religion that promotes the bond, it's the "warm and fuzzy" affirmation or self esteem you think you get from participating. Think about it...

The only reason I went for years even after I figured out the truth was to see my friends. Then I quit going and found out who my real friends were. Most people dropped me like a hot potato. Only a few still stayed friends.

People talk about feeling the spirit or having that burning in the bosom, but all that is feeling good. Who doesn't feel good when other people are around them and including them in their activities. But it doesn't prove the existence of a god.

Mick is right. The problem will develop over time as the convert is "required" to testify that all the horsehockey is true over and over. This will become very difficult and the convert is likely to erroneously believe that his "friends" in the cult will be open to a discussion about the real facts. Most of us who have been through this know how this will turn out and the "friends" will reveal themselves as false friends very quickly. Please introduce your convert friend to this board so that they will have a resource when this house of cards comes down.

Wonderful!

The chburch has done everything to get rid of local social activities:

Ward fund raisers. Road Shows. Dance festivals. Study groups.

Many of the fun things I use to remember are gone now. Fun and friends go together. When the church gets rid of the fun, the firends will find each other somewhere else.

...maybe even exmo get togethers!

that everyone in my ward behaved like such shits then when I suddenly quit going to church. I had decided, because my DH is TBM to keep going in spite of my disbelief, keep my mouth shut and raise the kids LDS. Because at the time, I thought it was a good church and the people had high standards and the kids would be surrounded by good influences. Then, I saw the way the leadership treats you when you question and the way your friends don't even give you a chance to defend yourself - they just turn their backs on you and let the leadership tear you apart and destroy your reputation to protect you from "infecting" the ward with your questioning spirit. These are the LAST people I want as friends and the last people I think are worthy to influence my children. I didn't leave because I was offended, rather I left because there was no reason to stay with people like that. I don't believe the doctrine and I don't like the sort of people that doctrine produces. I want real friends, not trashy, backstabbing acquaintances.

I just found out that a friend of mine (who used to frequent this board years ago) went back to the church recently. How anyone can discover the truth and still go back completely baffled me. Until I really thought about how this person is. I grew up with her. She has a rather unusual personality, and not necessarily in a good way. She's always been a follower. And it's hard for her to make friends. Go back to church=instant friends. It makes sense! She missed the social aspect of church. I totally get why she went back. I doubt she even believes in it, although she may have fooled herself into it. Needless to say, I am rather disappointed.

Maybe not the right thread for this, but had an interesting discussion with my son and DW last week. Son said that he had had a recent interview with the bishop. I said that it had been a long time since I was a teenager in the church, and was curious what kind of questions had been asked. DW (very TBM) also expressed interest. Son said, "Oh, just the standard stuff." I asked if the bishop had asked about masturbation. My DW immediately jumped in and took me to task for asking that question, with an of course he wouldn't. My son popped right back in and confirmed that the question was asked, along with other questions.

My DW was appalled, and couldn't believe that those subjects were raised.

Son leaves the room, and DW and I discussed for a long time what kind of questions were being asked that she did not know about. Interesting discussion.

Consider always being present at any interview with your minor children.

Remember: if a teacher at school, a sports coach, or any arms-length adult asked these questions of a minor in any other context, they would be arrested for child sex abuse. This is a huge blind spot for mormon parents.