I often wonder how many of those empty suits sitting there in the pews on Sunday are men living lives of quiet desperation yearning for freedom and seeing no path that includes their family.
I knew it was all bull ships my last year in (post 40 years), but I kept up the facade for awhile..because it's a process of reindoctrinization BUT also because I didn't know how absolutely heaven it was on the outside.
If those "emply suits" knew how relaxing, invigorating, and happy it is to be out of that wretched cult - I'd bet they leave sooner.
I love my Sunday sleep in's. I love not feeling guilty or that I'm not doing enough. I love not having to think someone is always watching me from the other side. I love not having to go to the effing meetings. I love being able to spend SO MUCH MORE QUALITY TIME WITH MY LOVED ONES. I love drinking wine, coffee, etc. I love not having to go to the temple. I love those class R rate movies that I couldn't watch. MOST OF ALL, I love not being so effing bored every Sunday.
My guess is over half. Seriously. I think men are much more analytical thinkers than many women are. They stay for their families. It is a shame that the entire family unit on both sides in a marriage would badmouth a person who just no longer wishes to participate. So what??? I know...it is the forever family thing.
There seems to be a fairly healthy mix of women and men on this board.
Also...what do you think the gender ratio is of people who have so called alien encounters or are conspiracy theorists?
Both men and women are prone to believe nonsense. I will grant that the nonsense may be flavored slighly differently by gender in general.
For the record. I was basically a born Atheist. I drug my husband out of the church with me. My sister also got out. My brother is still in. Data is not the plural of anecdote, I know, but neither are broad suppositions. Hows about you do a survey, or look up surveys regarding religiosity and gender or something? You know, before spouting off about our supposed mental deficits.
I am only talking about getting out of Mormonism. On most other things I think women are highly more intuitive. I say what I did because of the emotional aspect. Women just are more emotional and that is not questionable. I think women may tend to stay in Mormonism for the sake of their parents, grandparents, siblings etc. more so than men. They don't want to break their parents hearts. Men on the other hand, just in my opinion, make a decision after study and realize quicker that they just can't take it anymore. Hard decision for all to tell a spouse, true. But men don't give a SH__ about other men who may be bugging them and who they don't really respect anyhow. All are entitled to their own beliefs.
Women in TSCC are taught at an early age that they are responsible for the moral and spiritual level of the relationship.
It is not uncommon for the Bishop to come into RS and remind the women that there is a special Priesthood meeting next week and they need to get their husbands to attend.
I also think men might have a little more time to surf the net, during church, at work and at home. I'm sure that all of the enlightened men on this board do at least 50% of the cooking, cleaning and childcare if the wife also works outside the home, but in Mormondom, that is rarely the case.