tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1884927711300537802.post4353209069052944358..comments2023-06-17T08:49:52.285-07:00Comments on Ward Gossip: Take This Church and Shove ItDonna Bantahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01271377907141866718noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1884927711300537802.post-39267221513109163762015-11-28T09:01:04.957-08:002015-11-28T09:01:04.957-08:00"Finding Lost Members," gee, what a cool..."Finding Lost Members," gee, what a cool opportunity! Amazing that they devote so much effort to stalking people rather than finding ways to serve others, reach out rather than exclude and enrich the members' lives in the hope that those who still believed on some level, might consider returning to the fold.<br /><br />Harassment isn't an effective missionary tactic, IMO. Thanks for weighing in NearKolobite!Donna Bantahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01271377907141866718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1884927711300537802.post-90356059547332556542015-11-28T08:39:27.013-08:002015-11-28T08:39:27.013-08:00A couple of years ago I spoke on the phone with a ...A couple of years ago I spoke on the phone with a man over some of the missionaries at the church office building. One "opportunity" is to work in the area of Finding Lost Members." They spend all day trying to find members who, in my opinion, don't want to be found. Their main methods are calling active family members of the person, calling former leaders, and searching the Internet for clues. He said they have very good ways to successfully find people. I assume the only way to get off the list is resignation, because they probably will find you.NearKolobitenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1884927711300537802.post-57759635451597022122015-11-23T07:29:21.066-08:002015-11-23T07:29:21.066-08:00Oops, I meant to say maybe they thought or son did...Oops, I meant to say maybe they thought or son didn't know he'd actually resigned. Oh well. The point is LDS Inc. knew that he had. Donna Bantahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01271377907141866718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1884927711300537802.post-64568205450226065082015-11-23T07:27:27.449-08:002015-11-23T07:27:27.449-08:00This is truly creepy. Not long after we moved to C...This is truly creepy. Not long after we moved to CA I got a visit from the missionaries on my birthday. I saw them pull up in front of my house, come to my door, and then get back in the car and leave without tracting out the rest of our street.<br /><br />I shooed them away before they could say much, so I don't know if they actually realized it was my birthday, but I've since wondered if they were sent specifically on that day - per my membership record, of course.<br /><br />Our son, who has moved numerous times since resigning, got a visit from the missionaries right after he and his wife had a baby. The elders came to the door and asked, "Are you a Mormon?" Since he was a minor when we submitted his resignation, maybe they thought he'd actually resigned. <br /><br />Yes, I'm definitely creeped out. Thanks for sharing this info, anon.Donna Bantahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01271377907141866718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1884927711300537802.post-33207194311924569422015-11-23T07:17:22.948-08:002015-11-23T07:17:22.948-08:00You guys were threatened with a "court of lov...You guys were threatened with a "court of love?" You're kidding! Was it because of the coffee shop? <br /><br />I agree, Heather. Ever since I resigned, there have been countless times I've wanted to do it all over. Including now. Donna Bantahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01271377907141866718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1884927711300537802.post-6869423138551518722015-11-22T12:47:28.892-08:002015-11-22T12:47:28.892-08:00Thanks for including Lewis Black's rant; bonus...Thanks for including Lewis Black's rant; bonus material to your great blog post.<br />Yes, if you resign you are magically moved to another list. And they track you through all of your change of addresses just like collection agencies- LD$ inc has a team of lawyers that found a loophole that designates back tithing in the same category as a lien. You move and your "possible debt" moves with you. Are you creeped out yet? It gets better- your location is in a GPS database. They claim it's for "Emergency management" in the event of a disaster.<br />Hopefully someone will come forward, the same way the woman in genealogical research reported that Jews lost in the Holocaust were still being baptized for the dead.<br />Maybe we could get Anonymous hackers to help.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1884927711300537802.post-60753051978531291992015-11-22T09:46:01.680-08:002015-11-22T09:46:01.680-08:00If my husband and I hadn't been threatened wit...If my husband and I hadn't been threatened with a 'court of love' (insert eye roll) we would have gone inactive and just continued on with our lives. But this policy, 6 years after our resignation, would have made me angry enough to resign. Its absolutely disgusting. Heatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15224987243792978016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1884927711300537802.post-1598279399259233042015-11-22T08:57:06.096-08:002015-11-22T08:57:06.096-08:00Jono, one of the reasons I think Mormonism qualifi...Jono, one of the reasons I think Mormonism qualifies as a cult is because it is so difficult for people to leave - even those who want to.<br /><br />AT, slimy and controlling indeed! They want your address so they can drop by and fellowship you, or at least collect your back tithing.Donna Bantahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01271377907141866718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1884927711300537802.post-15401662102724423472015-11-22T06:29:41.468-08:002015-11-22T06:29:41.468-08:00I never resigned. I sent them a formal notice tha...I never resigned. I sent them a formal notice that I had terminated my membership with my PO box for the return address. They sent it back to me along with their boilerplate letter stating that they had to have my physical address in order to locate my membership record. I responded that their letter was BS given that they had addressed me by my full name, which I had not provided to them in my original letter. Therefore, they had obviously referenced my membership record that they falsely claimed they were unable to locate.<br /><br />I got their formal notice acknowledging they had granted my "request" a couple of weeks later. Slimy controlling lying bastards.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05362339037879270082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1884927711300537802.post-70435809271843246682015-11-21T18:38:30.431-08:002015-11-21T18:38:30.431-08:00I feel so fortunate to never being exposed to this...I feel so fortunate to never being exposed to this "church". It is my sincere hope that its members who want freedom can get it by just walking away.Jonohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18170214396483091419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1884927711300537802.post-86035512545478523482015-11-21T07:49:30.175-08:002015-11-21T07:49:30.175-08:00Like JJ says, life is indeed good outside of Mormo...Like JJ says, life is indeed good outside of Mormonism, Ahab. Thanks!<br /><br />But JJ, honestly, what jerks! I didn't know people could be excommunicated at their dining room tables - much less, their front porch!<br />Donna Bantahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01271377907141866718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1884927711300537802.post-57413748953113347592015-11-21T06:45:12.595-08:002015-11-21T06:45:12.595-08:00Life is good outside the confines of Mormonism. Ch...Life is good outside the confines of Mormonism. Cheers! <br /><br />I left the church at the same time as you and Mark. It took the local leaders several years to come to my home and excommunicate me. At the time policy had changed and only Priesthood leaders were important enough to have the 'court of love'. So my first excommunication took place on my front porch because the Bishop was by himself and couldn't come into the home of a single woman.<br /><br />For whatever reason that excommunication didn't take so a new Bishop came over. This time with a counselor so that he could come into my home. He excommunicated me at my dining room table while all three of my children sat in the next room and overheard. He did have the compassion to ask me if I wanted to 'repent' to avoid excommunication.<br /><br />I wasn't excommunicated for being gay but for acting gay and being a fornicator. Had I held out a bit longer I could have been excommunicated for being an apostate seeing that I'm now married and not fornicating. What eves Mormon Church! <br /><br />Life has never been better. Just Jillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17617582702842642998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1884927711300537802.post-19018164433482561202015-11-20T17:16:15.744-08:002015-11-20T17:16:15.744-08:00Here's to freedom for you, Mark, and thousands...Here's to freedom for you, Mark, and thousands of other former Mormons!Ahabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14675629709031865432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1884927711300537802.post-56684610507682714372015-11-20T16:25:40.733-08:002015-11-20T16:25:40.733-08:00Thanks Bill! Hope to see you guys again soon.
Joh...Thanks Bill! Hope to see you guys again soon.<br /><br />Johnny, I kind of wish I'd been exed now too. It's hard to say what they do with their roles and how they interpret their numbers. Everything is so secretive. I'm curious about it too.Donna Bantahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01271377907141866718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1884927711300537802.post-61061195255341179972015-11-20T16:19:49.382-08:002015-11-20T16:19:49.382-08:00There was no resignation that I was aware of in th...There was no resignation that I was aware of in the late 1980's when I left. I asked to be excommunicated and the stake president accommodated me. I actually wanted to go through the "court of love" simply out of curiosity. I've heard that all former members are still on the rolls, just with a box that marks them as potentially ready to come back, or something like that. I wish we had accurate numbers for how many members there really are and how much of their 15 million is just padding.Johnny Townsendhttp://johnnytownsend.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1884927711300537802.post-23482894266413639672015-11-20T15:52:23.016-08:002015-11-20T15:52:23.016-08:00Out and proud you are, Donna. I'm so glad to ...Out and proud you are, Donna. I'm so glad to know you and Mark as free thinking human beings unencumbered by religious dogma. Oh, you're a lot of fun, too.<br />Bill Petersennoreply@blogger.com