Ex-Mormon singer-songwriter

Theo Hirsch (Tedd from the RFM board)

Please note as one might expect, Tedd's language is &**%ing strong! So if you are easily offended, don't watch this!

Here it is, the October edition of COV

My exmo book is published. And has earned a foul-mouthed tirade from someone called Matthew. He might wonder why his comment was rejected.

“Matthew, you might wonder why your comment was rejected.

This was because you used an obscene word in your comment.

Now, you might wish to use this type of language in your ward building, but you will NOT use it in comment section of my blog.

You really do need to seek an interview with your Bishop as you seem to be holding your temple recommend under false pretences, you foul-mouthed person.

You are another of the tiresome kind of Mormon that decent Mormons get so (rightly)upset about. The "Don't do as I do, but do as I say" Mormons.”

I think that says it all, really!

Now to the blogs for October:

Some very sad news about Jason.

“Hi Matt,

Out of respect for Jason (Starbright), I have went ahead and made his blog into a 'public domain'-type of site. People can download as much as they want of it until March of next year. The new company understands our
situation and have delayed the aquisition until then.

The current registration will expire in March, and the site will change hands at that time.

Let me know if you need anything else.

Thank you for your support of us while he was with us.

Norma”

http://seeingreality.com/starbright/

My sympathy goes to Norma and everyone else in his family and his friends.

Next, something from Runtu

http://runtu.wordpress.com/2008/09/25/the-real-reasons-i-left-mormonism/

"The Real Reasons I Left Mormonism

OK, I admit it: the problems I listed in my earlier post are not the real reasons I am no longer a practicing and believing Mormon. Here are my true motivations, in no particular order:”

(MATT: Oh, boy! That was very amusing. The trouble is, many TBMs really believe that this is why we leave, the poor souls!”)

This just in from Kita!

My husband & I have started a new blog. It is a collection of personal stories, commentary and news stories about Utah and Mormonism. The url is - http://utahsucks.wordpress.com/blog/. I don't know what to submit. Haven't written anything new about Mormonism in awhile. I've been pissing and moaning about the elections and bailout on http://locokazoo.com. The intro page is an blog entry from my husband Doc and I liked it enough to stick it to the front. That is here - http://utahsucks.wordpress.com/

(MATT: Posts to COV don't have to be about Mormonism. They just have to be by exmos and that's about it. Actually, they don't have to be by exmos, as people who have had their life impacted by Mormonism but who aren't members could submit posts here, should they want to.)

Next, a post from South Bay Soliloquies

http://south-bay-soliloquies.blogspot.com/2008/09/movie-review-tropic-thunder.html

“Movie Review: Tropic Thunder

I saw the trailer for this and thought it would be kind of funny, although I'm not surprised at the controversy that surrounds this film and the issues of Vietnam veterans, the mentally disabled, and race. However, I thought this was a great comedy. Or maybe I just don't get offended as easily.”

(MATT: I rarely -ever- go to see films (movies) at the cinema. Maybe I'll make an exception based on this review)

And now, to my own offering

http://notamormon.blogspot.com/2008/10/i-have-finally-published-my-ex-mormon.html

“I have finally published my ex-Mormon Book!

After about a year of beating my brains out, my book is finally published.

It is called: "Mormonism Con or Cult?" And is published by The Rann Street Press and is available as a download from Lulu at £4.00, that's about $8, I think.

The link to the store is http://stores.lulu.com/Thatsnews

The introduction to the book is:

"I used to be a Mormon, but I am not a Mormon any longer. I have decided to write this book in an attempt to show readers why I decided to become Not a Mormon, any more.”

That's it for this time.

But in memory of Jason I will republish here the original exmo blog list that we published on Jason's site. Thanks Jason, you are a real star:

Here it is! The Infamous Outer Blogness listing:

The Freeway Overpass Starbright
Kipona Loke
Enigma's Thought Spot Enigma
Joseph's Left One substrate
Not A Mormon Matt
Engineering ZekeTheElder
Mormon2Catholic effulgent
Sideon's Sanctuary Sideon
Letters from a Broad... chanson
WanaBeExmo anon
Halfway Demolished Kitchen of the Soul Stray Mutt
The Murphy Mafia The Apostate Paul
TragicComedy TragicMind
The Thought Spot DiggerChick
Agnostic1 Agnostic One
Equality Time Equality
Mormons In The Blogspot MITB
Latter Day Saints LDS
ScottishBrain ScottishBoy
From Rocky Top to the Rockies Jonny
Spiritual Rape Spiritual Rape
Eight Hour Lunch Inig0
Trapped By Mormons Natalie R. Collins
Masters of the Context DeCaf
Cr@ig in the Middle Cr@ig P@xton
La's Self-Discovery UT Laura
Formons Eric
Planet Kolob Blog Aggregator
The Sugar Beet Chris Bigelow
Mormon Agnosticism BYU Alter Ego
Rants and Raves Seneca

The Next COV will be in November. Please get your links in for the November COV.

I have finally published my ex-Mormon Book!

After about a year of beating my brains out, my book is finally published.

It is called: "Mormonism Con or Cult?" And is published by The Rann Street Press and is available as a download from Lulu at £4.00, that's about $8, I think.

The link to the store is http://stores.lulu.com/Thatsnews

The introduction to the book is:

"I used to be a Mormon, but I am not a Mormon any longer. I have decided to write this book in an attempt to show readers why I decided to become Not a Mormon, any more.

It is possible that some people -perhaps who still practice Mormonism- might become upset on reading some of the points of view that I express. This is my book. These are, unless I am quoting from other people, MY points of view.

It would be illogical for someone to argue that my points of view are invalid or wrong. Because they are just that. My points of view. It is likely that other people will have different points of view. That's fine. I don't have a problem with that. But please do not try to deny the validity of my experiences because they did not happen to you. Just because it didn't rain on you, does not mean it did not rain on other people.

Is Mormonism a con or a cult?

The Society for Indecency to Naked Animals, or SINA, was a hoax perpetrated by film maker, author, newspaper columnist and prankster Alan Abel from 1959 to 1962.

The stated aim of the group was to enforce the clothing naked animals, including pets, barnyard animals, and large wildlife. An alleged debate within SINA was how large an animal had to be to require clothing.

Slogans used by SINA included: "A nude horse is a rude horse".

Actor Buck Henry was asked to play the role of SINA's president, G. Clifford Prout, Alan played the part of vice president.

Abel said afterwards that the group was obviously a con from the start. The clue, he pointed out, was in the name of SINA. The Society for Indecency TO Naked Animals, which was the antithesis to the stated aims of the group!

But many people failed to realise it was a hoax. They sent money in to further its aims (always returned) and people began to make citizens arrests on people for walking naked dogs in the streets. Some zoos became nervous about allowing children to see some of the larger, -gasp!- naked animals.

And then Alan Abel revealed that it was a hoax. But some people refused to believe this and continued supporting the aims of SINA for some years afterwards.

However, this was not the first large-scale hoax perpetrated on the American public. A much earlier hoax was that plotted and enacted by Joseph Smith jnr., founder of the Mormon Church.

As with SINA, there are internal pointers to it being nothing but a hoax. But in all the excitement, these were missed. And there was a great deal of excitement about Mormonism in those early days. The philandering of the founder, secret Masonic ceremonies, the doctrine of polygamy, the death of the founder in a brutal gunfight, the founders secret murder gang, the exodus to Utah, Mountain Meadows Massacre, countless murders for offending the crazed prophet of the Rockies, Brigham Young, and so forth.

By this time the fact that the whole thing was a hoax -primarily to make the lazy, feckless Smith family a considerable income- was overlooked.

Somewhere down the long years the con was converted into a sort of pseudo-cult, relying on the brainwashing of the members not to question about the mysteries of the Mormon faith.

Why did this happen? There are several reasons. The desire not to hurt those whose families belong, heart and soul, to Mormonism. And the fact that some people make very good livings out of the continued operation of the Mormon Church being the main two. Also inertia. Why rock the boat and risk upsetting people?"

Although I have been a journalist for many years, this is the first book I have published as a solo effort. So it is special to me on two levels. It is my first book, plus it is my ex-Mormon book.

Message to you who wanted to know if this blog is for Mormon haters

You wanted to know if this blog is for Mormon haters.

No it is not. But thank you, anyway.