WindySydney began as an online journal detailing my exit from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Since leaving the Mormon Church, I have come to the conclusion that religion does more harm than good. I have also become an atheist, looking for logic and reason instead of accepting things on faith.
I also blog about things going on in my life. I am learning photography, I have a severe addiction to diet coke, I am a proud vegetarian, and I have two of the cutest cats in the world. Life is officially an adventure without the magical fairy-tale ending. I plan on enjoying it.
One of my favorite YouTube Subscriptions, ProfMTH, posted this video today about Haiti and the millions of people all over the world praying in support:
I couldn't have said it better if I tried.
People are the ones helping others in Haiti, I have seen no acts of this supposed God that exists, no spiritual awakening in hearts and souls of others, no sign of Satan confirming his pact with the Haitians years and years ago (Pat Robertsons evil comment).
If you want to help someone, prayer is just a waste of time.
Get off your knees!!
Prayer is as good as wishing it were so.
Wishing on a star doesn't work. Crossing your fingers doesn't work. Avoiding cracks on the sidewalk won't save your mother from back problems later in life. Superstition has too much power in our society, in our world, and we need to wake up and start acting instead of praying.
We all know that if we were not raised in whatever religion we happen to have been born into, we probably wouldn't believe in things like Jesus, large arks containing two of every animal, talking bushes, and the rapture.
I would have never believed... EVER... that a man named Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I wouldn't have been duped into feeling guilty that I didn't want to marry at 19 and have tons of babies with a return missionary, I wouldn't have gone through one of the hardest times I have ever had in my life. Realizing that Mormonism, and then God, were not really true.
After coming to the realization, I had to mourn my deceased loved ones all over again. Of course I was sad when they passed away, but in my heart I felt I would see them again, and that made me feel better. Now, understanding and taking into account all of the information at my fingertips, I have to realize that there might not be anything after we die, and that they really might be gone. Forever. It's not a good feeling, as a matter of fact, the first time I thought about this I cried for hours.
I was brainwashed into thinking these things. I didn't CHOOSE to believe in them, they were taught to me. By my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, neighbors, schoolteachers, and almost everyone I came into contact with in my hometown in Utah. Of course I believed them, why would they lie to me?
They didn't know they were lying to me.
Thats the thing.
They believed because they were taught to believe... just like I was.
I thought I would share some videos that really depict how kids are brainwashed into believing religious dogma. They are worth watching, and they really make you think... they might make you angry as well. :\
This kid reminds me of Lurch from the Adam's family:
Sounds like Lurch, too... doesn't he?
What is crazier than getting a group of teenagers together and having them make a video expressing the thought that everyone was going to die in the near distant future? Seriously... what the fuck?? Christians don't even think twice about this because they are so convinced the end of days in near, that we will all face judgment before a God, and that it is their duty to convince everyone else to subscribe to the same beliefs.
How would they feel if a Voodoo Priestess made a similar video, expressing the idea that all kids were going to die in the near distant future and she was the only one who could cast a spell and help them live for eternity? Is that really any different? Both sides are convinced they are correct, and both sides are mistaken IMO.
In this next video we see another approach to getting your kids to believe dogma:
Oh, that will teach him to be an atheist! Take away Christmas! No presents for the kid unless he agrees that Jesus Christ is his savior!
Again, WTF is this woman thinking? Is she taking into account that her Christian beliefs are not in harmony with her behavior to her son? Did she just walk up to him, threaten him, tell him to give her a "fucking break Michael," and get in his face like that?
Hypocrite much?
This lady is a well-known wack-job who was the main focus of the documentary "Jesus Camp."
She had these kids crying, singing, speaking in tongues, convulsing on the floor, and promising to devote themselves to the "War" against the devil.
One of her comments in this video gives me the chills...
"I believe this so much, that I have given my whole life to see to it that you get there."
She is a gifted speaker. She has the kids right in the palm of her hand. Making the kids feel like they are really important to her, to God, to the supposed war that is taking place. Telling them Harry Potter is evil, challenging them that they are one person at church and another at home or with their friends, telling them that they do things they shouldn't do (HOW WOULD SHE KNOW???) talk dirty (HUH?) and the kids look at her with awe and tears in their eyes.
She has CONVINCED these kids that they are bad, sinners, that they don't deserve the things they have, that they are selfish in their lives. Why is this so important to religious groups? Guilty people want to feel better.
What does this do to a kids self-esteem, though?
Personally, I would constantly question myself and my actions as a child. Would God be okay with what I was doing? Was I trying hard enough? Was I good enough?
I had nothing to feel guilty about. I was a good kid. I was on the honor roll, I had friends that I loved dearly, I didn't lie, cheat, or steal... yet I was made to feel like I was scum, and the only thing that could make me better was Jesus, God, Joe Smith, the Mormon Prophet and of course the religious dogma that caused the guilt in the first place.
This goes on and on in a person's life. I was 28 years old when I stopped believing in Mormonism. I was a grown woman with a full time job, I volunteered, I was kind to EVERYONE, yet I felt I wasn't good enough. I wasn't good enough because I wasn't following God's plan for me. Marriage, children, temple, church attendance, tithing, and guilt.
This is so unfair.
Looking back at the people who shaped my religious experiences, I find myself wondering where they are now. I know my Mom is out of the church, and that she is happy. I know my brothers are okay and not really subscribing to any particular belief system, my cousins are somewhat believers but not active, and the rest of my relatives are pretty much the same as they were when I was a kid. Mostly on my Dad's side of the family. Very, very, very Mormon.
This is an example of Mormon videos meant to teach members of the church how to introduce their children to the doctrine and help them develop their own testimonies:
This is a perfect example of how over-produced and fake religious videos can be. The lack of sincerity, lets face it... not everyone is an actor... The cheesy music, the young boy sitting in the back of the car sad because he wasn't sure if he had a testimony, the father getting a serious look on his face as he comes to terms with the fact that his son is questioning the church and his lack of a testimony, the mother sitting there... silent... letting the penishood holder do all the talking. She is, after all, just a woman.
Then things get serious. Mom looks at Dad again, gives him an encouraging, adoring smile, and keeps her mouth shut. Dad shuts off the radio, because this is serious... we are talking about Mormon testimonies here...
Then Dad starts reminding his son about the warm fuzzies. How they are proof that God listens to our prayers. They aren't just "feelings." They are special feelings. Put there by the Holy Ghost! Then, 2:14 into the video, the actress playing the mother finally gets a line!
Mom: Remember the other day when we were reading the Book of Mormon and you wanted to keep reading? Why didn't you want to stop?Son: I got this tingly feeling inside... that's the Holy Ghost?Dad: That's right son! That's how a testimony FEELS.
Um... sorry. Don't buy it. Nope. No little kid is going to sit down with his parents, read the Book of Mormon and enjoy it to the point that they don't want to stop. They would jump off the couch, run to the door and say, "Gonna go to Jack's house! Toodles!"
This video was made to tear at the emotions of Mormon parents. Making them connect with this man's parents who are probably long dead. That is another way the church tries to keep people in the fold. Reminding them of the sacrifices their ancestors made when they came across the plains to Utah for the church, the fact that they suffered for their faith, how many of them died and how hard it was. This was used on me countless times by MANY people. My ancestors came from Sweden, by boat, only to discover the saints had left for Utah. They were tired, hungry, and they had very little... but they made the decision to keep going and join the Saints in Utah.
I was told that if I left the church, I would be pretty much slapping them in the face and telling them that their sacrifices meant nothing to me. That I was telling them I didn't want to be with them for eternity.
Now look at this man's parents, how they helped him when he was a child realize that he had a testimony, and had they not helped him, where would he be?
Of course, any faithful Mormon thinks that nothing good happens to people who leave the church. Where would he be? Probably addicted to meth, in prison for rape and murder, and *gasp* drinking coffee on a regular basis.
Brainwashing puts irrational fears in your mind, consequences you will face if you don't do what the group wants you to do. It's actually quite scary how often they do this... and how MANY of them do it.
This next video is something I have shared before, but she says what I think so well that I want to share it again. She really takes the words out of my mouth:
I always had a problem with what she was describing, and I, too, never got up to share my testimony with the congregation on fast Sunday.
The paragraph repeated over and over to these young kids, and then they are encouraged to repeat it to everyone else, is a form of brainwashing. Let's also remember that everyone also fasts on this day, making the brain a little more easy to be manipulated. A child sits there, with their family, listens to the people they know and trust promise the church is true with tears in their eyes, and they believe them. Why shouldn't they? These are the people that love and take care of them.
It's sick. It's wrong. I hope it stops one day. I really do!
I had a dream last night that I was walking around temple square in Salt Lake City with my Dad (who passed away from cancer in 1998). Dad wasn't religious at all, and that is what made the whole dream even weirder... I guess it was just one of those things. I have always had dreams with my loved ones who have passed away.
A couple years ago, if I had this same dream, I would be jumping up and down because my Dad came to visit me in a dream. I used to think that they were really reaching out to me and trying to communicate with me or give me a message. Now? Not so much.
Church dreams usually piss me off. Probably because I never remember the whole dream and I start obsessing about what happened. This leads to more thinking about the church, it's doctrines and how much it really fucked with my head.
Sometimes I feel like I have been able to put the church thing behind me, other times I get just as angry as I did when I found out the truth for the first time. Is it something I can get over? Maybe. I think it would be easier if my family members didn't assume the worst of me all the time, dropping not-so-subtle hints about going to church or saying a prayer, giving me the evil eye every time they see a coffee mug in my hand... you get the idea.
When I started learning the truth, I was really mad. I was mad that I was lied to. I wanted to drive to Salt Lake City and demand answers from the men in white shirts. I wanted to scream from the balcony of a hotel...
"They are lying!!! Lying!!"
Of course that would have been counterproductive and I would have ended up in jail :) So, I started WindySydney instead, starting out as an anonymous person questioning Mormonism in the heart of LDS Country. I am glad I did. It's great therapy.
The truth.
The church taught me to tell the truth since the time I was a sunbeam. Tell the truth, kiddos! God is always watching you. The Deity won't hesitate to put down marks on your permanent record! Lies only get bigger and bigger until they explode and ruin your life!
Why can't they take their own advice?
Why is it that they are not completely truthful to the members of their church? To the people who are considering getting baptized?
Oh, I know... there are many Mormons who will claim they know everything about church history and they still "know" the church is true. They claim that the lack of information or lack of complete information isn't important at all, and that we shouldn't worry about it. Seth, the Mormon commenter I finally started ignoring due to his arrogance and condescending attitude, would always make these points.
If it's not important, then why bother hiding it? Why go out of your way to tell the people in the church that they can't trust information from anyone else? Why edit the Book of Mormon and change things? Why don't they discuss certain aspects of church history and really get into the heart of the matter?
My Mom and I were talking a long time ago, and she told me she wanted nothing more than to go to Relief Society and have a lengthy conversation about polygamy, both in this life and the afterlife. That would never happen, though. It's not talked about because they would rather not talk about it and live in denial.
People are afraid of the truth.
How is it that certain people automatically get believed when they spout off nonsense? Pat Robertson is a good example, Thomas S. Monson is another. Regardless of what these two people say or do (among others) their followers will believe them. No questions asked. None.
Anyone who sets him or herself up as God's infallible wing-man on earth should be looked at from every angle. Instead, the sheeple nod their heads, say their prayers and thank their God that they belong to the right church.
What has Thomas S. Monson done to prove he is a prophet? What kind of prophecy has he given that has come true? Has he ever made comments about meeting with Jesus and God in the temple? Having conversations with them about things? Has he ever even attempted to show the people on earth that he really is a prophet?
I think it comes down to one very important decision everyone has to make at one point or another...
Do I want to go along with the flow, or do I want to find the truth about things?
Is the truth more important than the warm fuzzies?
Is the truth worth alienating friends and family members?
Is the truth worth the constant comments and aggravation from members of the church who are convinced I am being misled?
The answer to those questions is a big, fat YES.
I want to know things, to understand them, to embrace what we have in the moment. I don't want to cross my fingers that I choose the right religion, waste time in hundreds of meetings, pray to a God that will ignore you, give up 10% of my money, or belong to a corporation that doesn't think twice about trying to limit the rights of people who are different than they are.
It wasn't easy to learn the truth and have to make big decisions about who I should tell or shouldn't tell. I knew first hand what the church tells members about apostates. I knew what I was up against... and until Mormons go through that themselves they have no idea just how huge and life-changing that can be.
The church was a part of my very existence. It was something I thought about constantly. It's hard to walk away from the normalcy, the comfortable bubble.
I still find myself humming church hymns. I will be walking over to my Mom's house and I will find myself singing Nearer My God to Thee, Choose the Right, Teach Me To Walk in the Light, Count Your Blessings, and I am a Child of God. Those melodies will be in my head forever... and they are catchy, too. Especially after singing them every Sunday (sometimes more) in a boring, slow paced, nearly monotone, funeral death march beat.
So, I have a question for you guys...
Why is it that certain topics are taboo? Not discussed? Why doesn't the church address these things head-on instead of pretending they are not there?
Why are there historically incorrect pictures shown to members of the church that conveniently leave out things like seer stones?
Why doesn't the church recognize that the Book of Abraham isn't even close to being what Joseph Smith said it was?
Why do they tell the members of the church that they shouldn't go on the internet for information about church history and instead only trust info that comes directly from the men in white shirts?
I think I will always be angry about this. Not because I have a dark, Godless heart... but because I went through so much guilt and drama. My anger isn't directed at the members of the church, it's directed to the leaders who have the information at their fingertips and continue to make excuses for the actions of prior leaders.
If you aren't angry, you aren't paying attention.
It's not even close to being a moral thing to do... picking and choosing what information to give. It's so underhanded and sly that it makes me shake my head in disgust.
How do they get away with it?
Shouldn't people all over the world hold religious organizations accountable for the outright lies they tell on a daily basis? Why aren't there more people willing to stand up and demand answers from these people?
I do take comfort in knowing that there are more and more people coming to their senses about Mormonism. That goes for other religions as well. The age of information is upon us, and those who take advantage of the wealth of information learn and grow. Atheism is getting more and more common, and while I don't really care what people believe (as long as they don't make me live by their religious rules: UTAH) I think it's good that people are looking at things in a logical and careful manner.
Blind faith gets you nowhere. You just spin your wheels, devoting time and energy to a belief system that just isn't right. You feel guilt for normal things, you give money to an already wealthy church, and you beat yourself up for not being who the "Lord" wants you to be.
Last night I was making a window's movie and some stupid program installed itself on my computer. I was so freaking mad! It kept telling me I had spyware on my computer and telling me I had to purchase some program for sixty bucks to get rid of it. I knew it was fishy so I did a search for it online (it's called AntiVirus Live... stay far away from it) and found a way to get rid of it. It took me a while though... I had to find a free one, start my computer in safe mode, and blah blah blah...
People say that they have fallen victim of this little spyware scam and actually gone through paypal and charged the fake software on their credit cards. I'm glad I didn't do anything like that. I don't have the money to do anything like that... hahaha...
Anyway, I am back and it looks like the computer is back to normal.
Ahh, how I love the websites of internet computer geeks! Without them, I would be slitting my wrists by now. Believe me. I use the work geek with love, because I am one also. I would have lost my mind without a computer.
Since I am on a hating spree... here is a list of more things I hate:
Tomatoes
When you can't find a pen
WhEn PeoPle TyPe LikE ThIs
Cheaters
Liars
Religion
Being Broke
Bill O'Reilly
Sarah Palin
Glenn Beck
Bigots
People constantly popping their knuckles
Animal Abusers =The sorry excuses for human beings that hurt Abbey Road and Spooky Bear before I adopted them into my home.
Violence
Homophobia
Black Licorice
When people won't answer a direct question.
Kent Hovind
Kirk Cameron
Ray Comfort
Loud Neighbors
People who lack empathy
Football (It's just men running into each other to me)
Internet Trolls
Brooks and Dunn
Tea Baggers (not the gay sex act, the large group of people who want to complain about everything Obama does just because they can).
Birthers (not expectant mothers, people who are convinced Obama is not an American citizen and should be kicked out of office).
The fact that I am a vegetarian that constantly craves meat. It's hard to stop myself from having a hamburger or a hot dog at times. Really, really hard. I know I would regret it, though. Probably cry myself to sleep.
Donald Trump
Cell Phones
People who can't think for themselves
People who tell me I left Mormonism so I could sin, drink coffee, have sex without guilt and be a crazy person.
Meeting people who think they know everything
Being sick to my stomach
People who throw litter on the ground. How hard is it to hold onto it until you find a trash can?
When the battery in my camera dies and I see something beautiful I want to capture.
Ann Coulter
Wal-Mart
Parents who have no control over their children, nor do they seem to care
People who think they are too special to follow the rules everyone else follows
People who complain about using self-checkout while going out of their way to use self-checkouts. If you don't like them, don't use them.
Bugs
Being an insomniac
People who think praying for someone will actually do any good.
When people don't dim their headlights
When people see you in what is clearly a uniform of some kind and ask, "Do you work here?"
When I find a vegetarian frozen dinner I really like and they discontinue it immediately.
80% of the comments on YouTube
The wackjob who created Antivirus Live and made me waste so much time getting rid of the damn software.
As a follow up to my post about Pat Robertson and his hateful and ridiculous comments about the earthquake in Haiti being punishment from God because they made a pact with the devil, I would like to share this sad news from CNN.
How DARE Pat Robertson make comments that God was responsible for the events that took this child's life. How FUCKING dare him!
He sincerely believes that this child went through that much agony, pain, stress, fear and ultimately died because of a God we are supposed to WORSHIP?
This little girl didn't deserve what happened to her. She did nothing. She was living her life, growing, learning and he has the guts to say that she or people in her country were responsible for this?
How do people look at the words of Mr. Robertson and sit back and agree with him? How do people justify the cruel and sick things he said and still consider him a preacher who knows about God? Why are there people sending him money?
That being said, even *IF* Pat Robertson's statement was true (and we ALL know it's not... but for the sake of argument) why would we, as a people, need to worship and praise a God that could do this to innocent people?
Where was their God when this happened?
Was God with this child? No.
Did God hear the prayers of the people who watched her story unfold on television? He supposedly hears all prayers, right?
So God hears the prayers, and does nothing? Nothing at all? Why? Even if this creator wanted her to die as a part of some sick master plan, why didn't he ease her pain or comfort her when she needed it?
Instead, she laid there at the mercy of rescue workers. Crying in agony and struggling to survive. She suffered.
I came across a few of these videos on Christian Nightmares. I have blogged about them before, and the website is AWESOME. I also added more videos from YouTube to show how religion wants to scare you into believing the end of times is near and the only way to get to an imaginary place called Heaven you need to do what they say.
End of World
I love how this video is made to look like a freaking disaster movie.
The lack of compassion and love this video talks about is what I see in most religious groups. Intolerance for those who have different belief systems, those who don't believe in God at all, homosexuals, women, and lets not forget that racism is still alive and well in many places.
Do they need to look forward to the end of times so much? Are they that convinced that it's going to happen? It's almost like they love thinking about how God is going to destroy everyone but them and they dream about watching all the "sinners" be punished. They are, after all, the chosen people. It's ridiculous.
The Truth
Yet another example of making the end of the world look like a feature film trailer.
It's not a movie peeps, and if the world ends at some point it's because dimwits decided to stop taking care of the Earth and ignoring global warming. I don't think for one second that religious people worry about the state of the Earth (well, most of them). They think God is going to come and save them and it won't matter what happens to our planet. After all, the Bible gave us dominion over the Earth, and we can do what we want with it... no biggie.
Another thing I wanted to mention was that when Christians post these vids on YouTube they usually turn off comments and ratings. They want to get their message out there, but they also want to ignore all differing opinions about the videos and what they represent.
Are they afraid of someone challenging their beliefs?
Yes, I think so.
Do they know deep down that they might not win the debate with people educated in science and history?
Yes, I think so.
This is War - Paul Washer
I have a really bad reaction when I hear preachers use the word "War." I have an even worse reaction when that sermon is put to music and put on the internet to reach more people and make them feel as if the preacher himself is all knowing. The preacher doesn't know anything more about the end of the world, life after death, or the meaning of life than you do. He just wants you to think he does.
They stand before their congregations as men who supposedly have the answers from God and tell them passionately that they should believe they are at war.
War with who?
War with Satan? War with other religions? War with against Darth Vader? Are we being invaded by aliens who want to kidnap us and eat our brains (why not, most of don't use them!)?
No, we are not at war.
Instead of preaching using the word "war" I wish they would use these words:
Love
Compassion
Understanding
Acceptance
Empathy
But no... the word war means more to them. Why?
Using the word war immediately makes people feel that they have enemies. That people are against them. Brigham Young once said (paraphrasing):
You are either with us or you are against us.
This is flawed thinking. No one cares if you want to believe in God or believe the end of the world is near, but I have a problem with your preacher trying to convince you that I am at war with you because I don't agree with the conclusions you have drawn from the Bible.
War is bad. All war is bad. All. Of. It. People die in wars. People become separated from those they love, they become filled with hate for those who are viewed as being on the other side.
Believe what you want, kind religious folk, just don't pass laws saying I can't drink on Sunday, make my future children pray in school, or teach my kids that we all came from Adam and Eve. Your answers are not my answers. That doesn't mean we can't be friends. That doesn't mean we are at war. That means we can disagree and still find ways to connect to each other as members of society.
This is one of those completely random links to a website I find funny/interesting.
Flights From Hell is a blog dedicated to voicing outrageous stories that happen to people on airplanes. There are stories from pilots, passengers, stories about crazy luggage mishaps... you name it.
I have a Flight from Hell story, but I will leave that for another day.
Andee
Here are a couple airplane vids that I entertain me in one way or another to ad more pizazz to this otherwise bland post. ;)
