At last! ExMormon sticker and notice designs are available here!

Several months ago I promised that some designs for ex-Mormon stickers and notices would be available.

Due to circumstances beyond my control this has not been possible to put into action until very recently.

But now, they are available! And here are the first designs. You can use them on websites or print them out for use on the door of your home if you are pestered by Mormons and/or other religious callers.

Please enjoy them!

Exclusive Notamormon goods available!

Yes, you too can enjoy owning some special Notamormon merchandise! Bearing the name Notamormon and the legend: "Mormonism, it's OK to say no" they are only available at this link to the Notamormon online shop:-

Notamormon shop

An interesting website

An interesting website -that links to Notamormon, is http://www.monergism.com/online_ministries.php.

It contains links to a wide variety of websites and has Notamormon listed as being a counter cult website. A designation with which, after a second or so of thought, I found I could not disagree with.

If you want to know the truth about Mormonism: Ask a Mormon! No. That doesn't work

But that's what Mormonism gets its members to say, isn't it?

The church says to its members: "If someone says: 'Well, I read that the Mormon church believes in such-and-such on a website called www.exmormon.org tell them to ignore that, as that site is filled with nothing but bitter Mormon haters! Tell them that the only way to learn about the truth about Mormons is to ask a Mormon!"

Now, at this point it might be worth asking why the people who use the Recovery From Mormonism board (RFM) found at the website referred to above might be described as "bitter Mormon haters."

In truth the people at RFH -and several other boards and websites for ex-Mormons or former Mormons-are not Mormon haters. But they do have a wide range of issues that might see them described as bitter towards the Mormon church. And for pretty good, solid and valid reasons.

The idea that one can only receive correct information about Mormonism from Mormons is pitiful in its naiveté.

If someone said: "Why, you should not ask other, bitter people formerly involved with an MLM downline about the MLM scheme! You must only ask the people who are currently involved with that MLM scheme!" You would think them to be a bit silly.

Or if someone is asking legitimate questions about a new financial investment that looks too good to be true, nobody in their right mind set would say: "Why, bless your heart! You do not want to be asking the police about this scheme! The only person you should be seeking information from is that lovely Mr Charles Ponzi! Or perhaps there's that charming Mr Madoff!" you would wonder at their sanity.

If you want a sales presentation, ask a Mormon. If you want a perspective on the Mormon church that the Mormon church might not want you to know, ask an ex-Mormon.

Ex-mormon badges not available, yet

Sorry if you were expecting to see some ex-mormon badges available.

I can't create them at present as the site I use for creating badge designs has a failure on that section and might be down for a few days.

When my blog started

My blog started in February 2006. That's just over five years ago.

During that time I have made a large number of posts on a wide variety of topics. Many on Mormonism and what it is like to be an ex-Mormon. Some, however, have not been about Mormonism and ex-Mormonism, but on topics that I hold dear to my heart. Conservation is one such subject. Not long ago I wrote an article on frog conservation because I believe that frogs are an important part of the web of life.

I have even posted about when my wife and I met the Queen and Prince Philip. Oh. Or have I? I'll check, and if I haven't I'll make that post, soon!

I have published a book based on some of my blog posts. Most people like this, one person thought there were too many swearwords in it. Oh, dear. In my opinion that is one person who cannot cope with life outside the precious Mormon bubble. Hopefully they will learn to cope with life in the real world.

Well, what will the next five years bring? Let's find out together, shall we?!

And thanks for Blogger.com for making the whole thing possible!

The desperate acceptance of Mormonism. It doesn't have to be this way

The desperate acceptance of Mormonism, it doesn't have to be this way, is the title of this post.

What do I mean by the desperate acceptance of Mormonism? My parents became Mormons when I was ten years old. As a family we all had the lessons from the missionaries who all had those little portable reel to reel tape recorders/players with the small-sized tapes reels that fitted on the top. I remember that when their was a quiet passage on one of the tapes the electronics in the tape player (they must have been incredibly badly shielded!) would pick up short wave radio transmissions. Often, ironically, Radio Moscow!

We all believed, my mother more so than anyone, I think, and we were all baptised. But when I was baptised I felt a strange, unpleasant feeling in my chest. It was as if something was wrong, very badly wrong, but I did not know what. In fact, it was not the baptism so much as the Confirmation that made me feel this way. I later rationalised this by telling myself it was the power of Satan trying to disturb my, or something.

When I was 16/17 I began to notice things that weren't quite right with the Mormon Church. But, as people say, I put them on a shelf and ignored them. I became an elder, served as a primary teacher, became Ward Executive Secretary but when I was in my early to mid 20s, I began to have doubts, serious doubts. But I internalised these. It was, I felt certain, all my fault. If I pray, all would be well. But I felt that there was something wrong with me. I had what I can only describe as a desperate acceptance of Mormonism. If Mormonism was not right, then what was?

Then one day I received an answer to my many prayers. I then knew that Mormonism was a fraud. It was like a heavy weight being removed from my shoulders. Like a yoke filled with sacks of cement being taken off. That was in 1981/82. It wasn't until the late 1990s when I found RFM (I had realised I might not be the only ex-Mormon and searched using the term ex-Mormon, imagine my shock and joy when one of the first sites I found was RFM!) it was a long and continuing process of learning and discovery, of finding out that not only was Mormonism not true, but a deliberate fraud and the damage it has caused -and causes to this very day- in the lives of millions of people.

I gave up my quiet, desperate belief in Mormonism. It wasn't easy. But as the first man to swim the English Channel, Captain Webb, said: "Nothing worthwhile is ever easy."

Help is available

If you are struggling with your faith in the LDS Church, perhaps you realise that it isn't what you were told it was, or fear that this is the case, then you are not alone.

Help is available. www.exmormon.org is one such place. www.exmo-social.com is another. There are others, please check out links elsewhere on Notamormon.

Good luck in your personal search for the truth about Mormonism.

RFM Board should be back on line, soon!

Eric, Susan, CZ and several other people have been working very hard to try to put right the dreadful situation that was not of their making.

The board should be back up and running by the weekend.

Dee you there!

PS... Eric, isn't it time RFM had a Paypal account sorted out for donations? Just a thought!

RFM Board to be back on line soon

Sadly, when the ISP that has always looked after the RFM Board and website decided to upgrade their systems, they managed to 'break' the RFM Board.

There were severe problems that meant that RFM had no other option but to suspend the operation of the board until a new system could be put into operation.

This should happen either today or certainly by the weekend.

Visit www.exmormon.org to check out the board status.

What has happened at the RFM Board?

Does anyone know what's happened over on the RFM Board?

It's still down after the Sunday break and it is now Tuesday evening.

I hope nothing serious is wrong.

If I can help (even though I am over here in the UK) please email me matt_exmo@yahoo.co.uk.

There have been problems with the board due to technical problems with the ISP. Perhaps they have jammed it in the 'off' position after the board was turned off for the regular monthly rest?

Why I think you should blog.

Do you blog? If you don't, I think you should at least consider it. I use Blogger.com, but there are many other systems you can use like Wordpress. Some are free, some charge. Check them out, and see what would suit you the best.

Blogging can be very cathartic and can help you put your own thoughts in order. Many times I have written a post and then realised why I had reacted to something in the way I had done.

Obviously, you need to be careful what you put in. Too much Real Life Information (or In Real Life Information) can be a bad thing, if you do not want your family to know certain things. So, be careful what you post, under those circumstances.

The Recovery From Mormonism website has a list of blogs you can read. You can also have your blog listed there, too, if it is related to ex-Mormonism.

Just visit www.exmormon.org and follow the links to the Bulletin Board.

My Sunday as an ex-Mormon

I have just tended to the eye of our cat and then fed him some fresh chicken. I have just added Stat Counter to my blog, and will do some tweeking of it and perhaps some other websites I run, later.

My wife, due to three people calling in sick has had to go into work (she is a carer in a nursing home) and we may go out for dinner, later.

I could go to church (not the Mormon 'church', of course!) later, but probably will not. But the choice you, see is entirely mine. Nobody will love bomb me with false and syrupy "oh, we missed you soo much!"

I might visit an online church, or see if I can find The Time Team archaeology TV programme on view again on the Internet. But that's it, you see. My time, as an ex-Mormon is my own. No Home Teaching visits to people who have only ever attended one meeting of the Mormon church 30 years ago, before they realised that they had made a ghastly mistake and that the meat they had after the milk was rancid and had gone off big time.

No attending PEC meetings and discovering that the Bishop is a damned liar, the High Priest Group leader a vicious and waspish fool and that the Relief Society president is a gossipy, delusional shrew. I was the ward executive secretary and discovered the hard way that attempting to influence the meetings let alone control them (they never would stick to the agenda. Apparently the real role of the PEC meetings was to gossip about people who were not there, score points of other people (all the better if they were not there!) and generally behave like a bunch of "crazy fools." (Thank you, Mr T.)

Eventually my behaviour as Ward Executive Secretary (I kept insisting that the Bishop, a weird and somewhat creepy individual who I had a subsequent run-in with, and upset him further by winning and proving him, again, to be a liar) actually at least tried to operate in accordance with the rules of the Mormon church!) meant that I was removed from the calling. The next Executive Secretary made exactly the same mistake and he lasted even less than I did. The Bishop kept casting around for more pliable priesthood holders until, summarily, he was made not Bishop any more.

I think I posted about the run-in I had with the Bishop a while ago. I'll see if I can dig it out and do another piece on it. It did come as a shock when I realised that the man I was supposed to look up to was nothing but a rather dirty liar, but that's another story!

But as for now? I'll enjoy my Sunday, thank you very much!

Ex-Mormon websites

If you have any other websites that you feel need to be added to this list, please email me at matt_exmo@yahoo.co.uk

Some of these websites are atheist, some Christian, others have no bias, one way or the other.

http://south-bay-soliloquies.blogspot.com/

http://www.josephs-myth.com

http://www.mormoninformation.com

http://www.integrity.com/homes/exmormon

www.exmormonfoundation.org/

http://www.exmormon.org/

http://www.cephasministry.com/gail_former_mormon.html

http://www.lifeafter.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exmormon

http://www.exmormonforums.com/

http://www.exchristian.net/testimonies/2006/03/active-mormon-to-exmormon-gay-atheist.html

http://www.port7.co.uk/exmouk/ (UK exmo board)

http://www.salamandersociety.com/

http://www.cephasministry.com/ex_mormon_official_testimony.html

http://www.lifeafter.org/testimonies.asp

http://www.jasperridge.com/weblog/archivedBlogs/2002_09_15_archive.htm

http://www.exchristian.net/testimonies/2003/10/ex-mormons-tale.php

http://www.contra-mundum.org/essays/kettler/jk_morman.pdf

http://diatribedamsel.blogster.com/am_ex-mormon.html

http://www.infidels.org/electronic/email/other.shtml#exmormon

http://www.cafepress.com/celestial_store/ (“Mormon” beer labels!)

http://enc.slider.com/Enc/Exmormon

http://www.rickross.com/reference/mormon/mormon109.html

http://www.mormoncurtain.com/

http://www.truthandgrace.com/Mormon.htm

http://mormondiscussions.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=896&sid=57575a695f739140c0114539ad95a3b7

http://www.towertotruth.net/Audiofiles/sandra_tanner.m3u

http://www.factnet.org/cults/Mormon/exmormon_org_Sitemap.html

http://exmormonfoyer.blogspot.com/

http://www.godandscience.org/cults/mormtest.html

http://mormontruth.blogspot.com/2005/10/my-very-first-mormon-general.html

http://www.religionnewsblog.com/html/3604-_Web_sites_provide_confidential_community_for_former_and_wavering_Mormons.html

http://www.mormonismi.info/jamesdavid/mormlink.htm

http://www.utlm.org/

http://www.irr.org/mit/

http://www.lds-mormon.com/bomquest.shtml

http://www.lds-mormon.com/veilworker/endowment.shtml

http://frank.kirkman.com/

www.exmo-social.com

http://www.myspace.com/tbonefromrfm

http://scottishbrain.blogspot.com/

http://www.wivesofjosephsmith.org/

http://www.hismin.com/FormerMormon.htm

http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?id=8961

http://www.whatismormonism.com/

http://home.teleport.com/~packham

http://www.2think.org/hii/aftermo.shtml

http://www.reachouttrust.org/articles/testimony/ldsjanet.htm

http://www.mrm.org/multimedia/text/leaving-mormonism.html

http://www.hiddenmysteries.org/religion/lds/ldsnoheaven.shtml

http://www.watchman.org/expo/15_1news.htm

http://www.xanga.com/groups/group.aspx?id=561027

http://www.mmmo.org/leaving.htm

http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_lds.htm

www.exmormon.org

www.frontiernet.net/~bcmmin

http://nowscape.com/atheism/hanks_ass.htm (Not exactly ex-mo, but good fun)

http://nowscape.com/mormons1.htm (Shows how "different" Mormonism is...)

www.xmission.com/~country/reason/reason.htm

www.mormonconspiracy.com

www.realmormonhistory.com

http://www.mormonsinshock.com/

http://www.refutingmormonism.com/

http://www.bible-truth.org/Ldspage.htm

http://www.leavingthesaints.com/mail.html

http://www.rickross.com/groups/mormon.html

www.affirmation.org/news/1999_41.shtml

http://www.mormonnomore.com/

http://www.zaksite.co.uk/atozelph/

http://home.comcast.net/~zarahemla/foyer.html

http://www.aimoo.com/forum/categories.cfm?id=418550&CategoryID=121363&zb=302868

http://mormontruthpodcast.blogspot.com

http://livingtruthpodcast.blogspot.com

http://mormondeception.blogspot.com

www.josephlied.com

www.bookofabraham.com

http://mazeministry.com/

http://trialsofascension.net/mormon.html

www.postmormon.org

http://www.lhvm.org/index.htm

http://www.helpingmormons.org/

http://www.bookofzelph.com/

http://mormon2catholic.blogspot.com

http://mormonscripturestudies.com/bomor/twm/lamgen.asp

http://www.truthandgrace.com/Racism.html

http://www.mormonstudies.com

http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/BOM/index.htm

http://www.mrm.org/

http://www.newordermormon.org/

http://sideon.blogspot.com

http://www.gospelhelp.com/mme.html (Melissa's Mormon Experience)

http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/BOM/index.htm

http://www.zondervan.com/cultures/en-us/Product/ProductDetail.htm?QueryStringSite=ZCS&ISBN=0310231949 (A link to buy an anti-Mormon book by Christian scholars, should you really want to buy it!)

http://www.moonmac.com/Mormon_masturbation.html (Fun on the net!)

http://rumandmonkey.com/widgets/toys/mormon/

http://www.afcministry.com/If_you_are_a_Mormon_or_Ex_Mormon_looking_for_help.htm

http://wesclark.com/ubn/ (The Utah Baby Name website. If this doesn't put you off, what would?)

http://leavingtsccbehind.blogspot.com/

http://darqueheart.blogspot.com/

www.thechurchisNOTtrue.com

http://tomanyquestions.blogspot.com/

http://www.mazeministry.com/mormonism/holley/holleymaps.htm

http://sistermarylisa.blogspot.com

http://kitakazoo.blogspot.com

http://nut-job-jen.blogspot.com/

http://www.exmormonconnect.com

www.latayne.com

www.exmohomo.com

This is a re-post of the list. If there are any amendments to be made, please email me at matt_exmo@yahoo.co.uk. Thank you.

Here is Timothy's award for services to ex-Mormonism

An award is to be granted to Timothy of the RFM Board

Why? for services to the Exmo Community.

Every Friday Timothy starts a thread: "The Obligatory Friday Thread: What are YOU drinking tonight?"

Whilst some people may dismiss these threads as being unimportant, I would argue that, on the contrary, they are amongst some of the most vital and important threads on the board.

Why? Please allow me to tell you:

Some ex-Mormons know nothing about alcohol. Which means they know nothing about safe drinking. People can read through the thread and see what other ex-Mormons are drinking. Or they can ask for advice and help on what drinks to choose. Sometimes people have posted for help on what drinks to buy for other people. One example was someone who needed to know the right wines to buy for a meal that he had invited his boss to. He got the advice he needed, so the meal went well.

The thread also provides a strong degree of social cohesion for we denizens of the Recovery From Mormonism website. What do I mean by this? No matter where you are, if you live with Mormons or if you don't, if you live by yourself in the heart of Modom, or if you are a lone exmo thousands of miles from Utah, you know that ever Friday ex-Mormons will be posting there about what they plan to drink (and in some cases, eat) on Friday evening and, during the evening itself, what they actually ARE eating and drinking!

So if you are part of a couple, or a single ex-Mormon, perhaps the sole exmo in your immediate family (that you know of!) whatever kind of exmo you are, you can know that you are raising a glass with your fellow exmos, no matter who they are or where they are.

As a result, I feel that it is apropriate to present Timothy with a very special Not a Mormon award. This will be done within the next several days. Please keep an eye out for further developments.

Why are some ex-Mormons so... Mormon?

Some ex-Mormons are so Mormon!

What do I mean by that?

Not so long ago on the Ex-Mormon bulletin board, there was Timothy's regular: "What are you drinking tonight?" threads.

Someone complained about it saying: "I think that you will find that 'in the real world' people never talk about what they will be drinking on a Friday evening!"

I had to wade in to this debate. It was clear that the person who made that comment hadn't got one clue about the real world! In my workplace in the UK what alcoholic beverages are going to be consumed that evening and the rest of the weekend are a major topic of conversation on Fridays. And on Monday there is often a conversation about the actuality of what as drunk!

And someone disliked my blog and the book that I based on it because: "I used bad language."

In truth my language was mild compared to me in the flesh, so I still haven't a clue what he meant.

The problem that the ex-Mormons who made the above statement have, but doesn't realise is that they still view the world through Mormon-tinted glasses.

They do not believe in the teachings of Joseph Smith but for some reason they still act like Mormons, pompous arrogant and very condescending.

Why? Because they will have to learn how to behave like normal people in the real world.

Why do they do it?

Why do Mormons think that ex-Mormons want to debate spurious points with them? I had my fill of debating spurious points with rabid Mormons when I was a Mormon!

For example, Mormons who are eager for the re-introduction of polygamy. Almost salivating at the prospect of having multiple wives. And this was in Britain, remember. Not in Utah with the various Mormon fundamentalist camps and compounds where polygamy is a sort of open secret. Or open sore, as some might see it. I saw the look on the faces of their poor wives. Not nice.

The problem that many Mormons have with ex-Mormons is that they do not believe anything that we say. They either pretend that we were never really Mormons, or, if we can provide them with proof that we were once Mormons like them (why should we have to?) they deny that we ever really had a testimony that Mormonism was the one true faith. Or that we were too weak to remain as Mormons, or wanted to sin or were offended by someone and left in a huff. Or were tricked by Satan.

If we provide them with hard evidence of why we conclude that Mormonism is not true, they call us liars and say that only faith promoting Mormon sources are 'true' and 'reliable'.

Thus they deny that -for example- the fact that the so-called Reformed Egyptian was, in reality, Ogham, a type of Latin shorthand is important, because feelings trump facts. Always.

If you say that blue is blue, they will deny it and say that you have no proof to back up your outrageous claim. Why would it be an outrageous claim? Because YOU made it! And as you are an ex-Mormon, then you MUST be wrong! QED!

It is a simple way of thinking that requires no thought.

As I have covered all variations of how Mormons think that ex-Mormons are always in the wrong, I do not feel inclined to accept any "You are wrong!" comments on this post from any Mormons. Hey. It's my blog. I can set the rules and if I do not want to enter into a pointless debate with people who automatically presume that I am wrong, then that's the way it is.

Exmo Challenge. Make your own exmo TV advert!

MJ over at RFM inspired me.

The challenge is this:-

Make an exmo TV advert. It can be up to 2 minutes in length and should put a humorous take on the exmo experience and how much better life is as an exmo.

Publish it on your Youtube Channel and send me the link (matt underscore exmo at yahoo.co.uk) and I'll publish them here on Notamormon.

Let's say until the end of November.

There are no prizes, but it should be fun.

Recovery From Mormonism is now 13 years old

To mark this, an interview with the founder, filmed five years ago: