It still pains me that I was once a member of and financially contributed to the cult and corporation called “Mormonism” — which named itself “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” — knowing that since 2018 there has been a push from the (so-called) “leadership” of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to distance itself from the labels “Mormon” and “Mormonism”.
I didn't realize there was a quasi-break within the institution. It takes a lot of courage to break free from dogmatism masquerading as all kinds of organized religions. I had to do it myself. It's been quite freeing, and I celebrate your freedom from the hammer of dogmatism as well ❤️
I don’t have anything positive to say about organized religion. In other words, if there is anything positive about organized religion on the individual level or in group dynamics, then I don’t know what this “positive” might be. The Mormons — aka The Church — are highly organized. I think they’re pernicious. (I’m probably biased against them because I used to be one of them.)
Frankly, I feel the same regarding organized religion. They fall prey to the same kind of groupthink as political parties. I'm deeply spiritual, but I don't need a middleman to access my spirituality. And the times I have tried to attend church, and even still on social media, I'm treated quite poorly by members of congregations. They often say "I'll be praying for you" as I talk about something or do something they feel I'm not supposed to do for some reason, though it's not harmful in any way. It's confusing. Yet another example of me not fitting in 😅
I like the fact that you don’t “fit in”. I don’t either. I like being as nonconformist as possible, as long as my lack of conformity doesn’t hurt anyone.
I think that very many of the holier-than-thou types — not all — are quick to dismiss people outside of their in group/groupthink and, with that dismissal, treat the out group poorly. Both in word and in deed.
It's definitely what I've experienced. I find that as painful as not fitting in can be sometimes, maintaining cognitive objectivity and personal integrity is more important than social approval.
“Though my stomach still knots up a bit every time I drive by the barren plot of once thriving earth I no longer feel anger, but resolve—a resolve to continue building as others destroy. How else could I balance out such devastation?” — Rebecca Day (author)
I wish that I could cultivate this resolve. When my anger abates, I feel numb despair. I hope that by creating my own inner sanctuary, I can renew a sense of hope for devastated ecosystems to regenerate.
I totally understand where you're coming from. It is so hard to keep my reactions in check when the world around me is vastly changing in so many life-killing ways. The only thing I've been able to come up with is to be just as dedicated to building as they are to destruction. The mantra, "Observe, don't absorb," has become a constant inner-voice reminder.
I have watched in horror as my neighborhood has been decimated by the real estate monster feeding off the habitats of countless species and leaving a barren, sterile landscape. Thankfully, I have made my own secret garden in my old backyard, hoping it serves as an oasis for birds and small critters.
I own my farm, I support farmers. When I bought my farm, the nearest neighbor was about a mile away. Now I'm surrounded by ten acre lots, my new neighbor deforested, tilled and put in cows to overgraze. Slash and burn agriculture is alive and well, when once I had frogs, crayfish, turtles and whippoorwills, now I have none, but rabies instead in a thoroughly disrupted habitat.
Everywhere I go this happens, I call it repetitive trauma.
I'm a generation ahead of my neighbors by simply allowing regeneration, I have trees, clean water and safe harbor for myself and what wildlife remains, as well as a wild food source. Agriculture done in concert with nature is humanities one and only solution for long term survival...nature provides a super abundance if allowed. We're happy and normal here.
It still pains me that I was once a member of and financially contributed to the cult and corporation called “Mormonism” — which named itself “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” — knowing that since 2018 there has been a push from the (so-called) “leadership” of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to distance itself from the labels “Mormon” and “Mormonism”.
I didn't realize there was a quasi-break within the institution. It takes a lot of courage to break free from dogmatism masquerading as all kinds of organized religions. I had to do it myself. It's been quite freeing, and I celebrate your freedom from the hammer of dogmatism as well ❤️
I don’t have anything positive to say about organized religion. In other words, if there is anything positive about organized religion on the individual level or in group dynamics, then I don’t know what this “positive” might be. The Mormons — aka The Church — are highly organized. I think they’re pernicious. (I’m probably biased against them because I used to be one of them.)
Frankly, I feel the same regarding organized religion. They fall prey to the same kind of groupthink as political parties. I'm deeply spiritual, but I don't need a middleman to access my spirituality. And the times I have tried to attend church, and even still on social media, I'm treated quite poorly by members of congregations. They often say "I'll be praying for you" as I talk about something or do something they feel I'm not supposed to do for some reason, though it's not harmful in any way. It's confusing. Yet another example of me not fitting in 😅
I like the fact that you don’t “fit in”. I don’t either. I like being as nonconformist as possible, as long as my lack of conformity doesn’t hurt anyone.
I think that very many of the holier-than-thou types — not all — are quick to dismiss people outside of their in group/groupthink and, with that dismissal, treat the out group poorly. Both in word and in deed.
It's definitely what I've experienced. I find that as painful as not fitting in can be sometimes, maintaining cognitive objectivity and personal integrity is more important than social approval.
“Though my stomach still knots up a bit every time I drive by the barren plot of once thriving earth I no longer feel anger, but resolve—a resolve to continue building as others destroy. How else could I balance out such devastation?” — Rebecca Day (author)
I wish that I could cultivate this resolve. When my anger abates, I feel numb despair. I hope that by creating my own inner sanctuary, I can renew a sense of hope for devastated ecosystems to regenerate.
I totally understand where you're coming from. It is so hard to keep my reactions in check when the world around me is vastly changing in so many life-killing ways. The only thing I've been able to come up with is to be just as dedicated to building as they are to destruction. The mantra, "Observe, don't absorb," has become a constant inner-voice reminder.
I have watched in horror as my neighborhood has been decimated by the real estate monster feeding off the habitats of countless species and leaving a barren, sterile landscape. Thankfully, I have made my own secret garden in my old backyard, hoping it serves as an oasis for birds and small critters.
I own my farm, I support farmers. When I bought my farm, the nearest neighbor was about a mile away. Now I'm surrounded by ten acre lots, my new neighbor deforested, tilled and put in cows to overgraze. Slash and burn agriculture is alive and well, when once I had frogs, crayfish, turtles and whippoorwills, now I have none, but rabies instead in a thoroughly disrupted habitat.
Everywhere I go this happens, I call it repetitive trauma.
I'm a generation ahead of my neighbors by simply allowing regeneration, I have trees, clean water and safe harbor for myself and what wildlife remains, as well as a wild food source. Agriculture done in concert with nature is humanities one and only solution for long term survival...nature provides a super abundance if allowed. We're happy and normal here.