Mormon Calendar gets UK publicity

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/howaboutthat/6459430/2010-calendars-nude-charity-and-bizarre-calendars-available-for-next-year.html

Publicity for Chad's calendar is now going International.

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.

Atheist Summer Camp for UK kids?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jul/29/atheist-summer-camp-somerset

“The idea behind the camp is to give a "godless" alternative to traditional religious summer camps”

Actually, this is a strange idea. As ANY summer camps in Britain (religious or otherwise) are very, very rare indeed.

Still, it is an interesting idea.

Weird Mormon stories

http://taiwanjournal.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=54220&ctNode=413

“Mormon proprietor tastes alcohol without swallowing”

(EDITOR: Just stop serving booze!)

http://www.sltrib.com/themix/ci_12754408

“LDS Leaders strive to help foreign members feel comfortable in a historically America-centric religion”

(EDITOR: Stop pretending everywhere in the world is downtown SLC, you idiots!)

http://mormontimes.com/studies_doctrine/church_history/?id=9551

“Park said Parley Pratt helped articulate the Mormons' "radically optimistic" view of the body. This view developed as doctrines were revealed by Joseph Smith and then explained by Pratt”

(EDITOR: Oh, yeah! Boffing other men's wives!)

green_messiah's annotated version of the 'banned' cartoon

Prayers from the Vedas

I found this by an act of serendipity, so thought I should share it with you:-

Lack of recent posts. sorry!

There has been a lack of recent posts on Notamormon. I am sorry about this, but I have been very heavily involved in covering a major political scandal that reaches right to the very top of the government of Britain.

Just Google Derek Draper and Damian McBride (and the terms Drapergate and Smeargate) to see what has being happening! Or take a look at the following Wikipedia entry:-

Derek Draper Wkipedia entry

And now for some Mormon related stuff:

http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid82061.asp

“Antigay Group Hiding Mormon Cash?”

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/former-white-supremacist-turns-over-new-leaf-2702985

Former white supremacist turns over new leaf (He got married in the Mormon temple and is nw no longer racist, but pro-white! (I can't decide if I should laugh or puke. Maybe I'll do both...)

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/04/28/Calendars-feature-Mormon-men-moms/UPI-30041240956587/

“Calendars feature Mormon men, moms”

(Mormon Moms? Chad describes them as “Mormon Muffins.” (A whole new meaning to the acronym MILF, perhaps? Mind you in the British Isles Muffin might have a different meaning to whatever Chad has in mind over in the USA. “A good Muffin” is, oh, well, I am sure you need no further explanation!)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ann-wright/bybee-and-peterson-two-mo_b_192951.html

The Mormon who authorised torture. And the Mormon who refused to torture.

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2009-04-30/news/richard-franco-discovered-that-the-government-can-interfere-with-a-man-s-freedom-of-religion-in-divorce-court/

Judge Bars Divorced Man from Taking His Kids to Mormon Services

(Good. Though the idiot who write this story doesn't think so. Is she a Mormon, too?)

Mormonism takes

Mormonism takes a great deal, but gives very little in return. Because every time I visited my mother I got loads of guilt heaped on my head ("Get your fresh guilt here! Fresh guilt! Get your fresh guilt here!") that made me resent going to see her. What stopped me going to see her were the silly lies she told people about my girlfriend who is now my wife.

Apparently my wife made me give up Mormonism. This only works in my mother's head. The maths are simple. I left Mormonism in 1981, I met my wife-to-be in 1989. Doesn't add up, does it?

However, I recently started going over to see my mother again. At my wife's insistence, I have to add. And things are pretty cool at the moment...

No guilt trips round the bay, no attacks on my wife.

New posting, no Veil

Well, here I am with a new posting, first one in a while.

There's no Carnival of the Veil at present, as nobody has made any posts on their blogs, either. Well, at least, nobody has sent any posts to me for inclusion in the latest COV, which may or may not be the same thing.

At the moment I am being entertained (for want of a better word) by one of the illegal lodgers at the house that is rented out next door. Why not move? Well, that's not possible at the moment, as we own our house and current market conditions are against putting our house up for sale.

The man who rents the house and his wife are lovely people, but she has just lost her job, so they have decided to take in lodgers (without the permission of the owner of their house) in order to be able to make the rent which is £650 per month. So we can understand why they have done it. Though it is a pity they have allowed one person who rents a room to bring their megga-powerful sound system.

We (that is, my wife and I) believe this will all end in tears, as the young woman concerned seems to move from house to house in the small town we live in. And she has a reputation for laving her last home with stuff that does not belong to her. Though we can't say anything, as these are rumours only.

I have been very busy lately. One of the reasons why there have been no posts on this blog in a while. The company I work for in my day job has decided to slash the use of freelance contributors, meaning that much of the work the freelance writers did has now fallen on my shoulders. And we had no pay rise last year and no Christmas bonus, either. And two of the firm's support staff (one admin, one in accounts) have been let go due to the way the magazine publishing industry has been hit so very hard in the UK.

I have also being working hard in the evenings trying to make money from my websites and freelance writing. Sometimes I do not finish until 1 or even 2am, and have to get up for work at 7.15am, for another day of writing. You have to do what you have to do in order to survive. My wife works, even though her health is not too good. She has arthritis.

Well, at least I am not in the position of all the Mormons I know. They have to pay 10% of their income to the corporate church. That's £1 in every £10 that they earn.

COV For November

Hi. Welcome to COV for November.

Hope all American readers had a good Thanksgiving.

We kick off with a post from South Bay Soliloquies:

Which states: I Love Colbert" And shows why, with a video of The Colbert Report!

http://south-bay-soliloquies.blogspot.com/2008/11/i-love-colbert.html

Next is a post from my blog which covers a case in Australia of alleged lack of action by the Mormon Church regarding a paedophile member

http://notamormon.blogspot.com/2008/11/sex-between-adult-males-and-14-year-old.html

That's it for this time, these are the only entries.

Next edition of COV will be mid January. Please send your entries in by the second week January.

Recovery From Mormonism is now 13 years old

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

Sex between adult males and 14 year old girls apparently defended by Mormon Church in Australian court case

In what could be regarded as an astonishing faux pas, a Barrister defending the Mormon Church in a court case in the NSW Supreme Court brought by a woman who alleges that her step father who was a Mormon sexually abused her.

The Barrister, Philip Taylor, SC, is quoted in press reports as cross-examining the woman -who is now 36- on the claim by her father that, as a 14-year-old child, she had consented to sex with him.

This was a strange point to cross-examine her on, as Taylor would have been expected to know that under the laws of NSW, a child of 14 would not have been able to give consent to sexual intercourse with any adult, not just her own stepfather.

The woman is asking the court to increase the time she is legally allowed to enter a claim as she points out that the Mormon Church deliberately withheld information about her sexual abuse -which it excommunicated her stepfather for- from the authorises including the police.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5151765/woman-accuses-mormons-sex-abuse/

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24665248-26103,00.html

Anger in America turns on Mormon Church

Many people in American are offended that the Mormon Church put its considerable weight organisational muscle and money behind proposals to outlaw so-called gay marriage in California. Some $22M according to reports.

The influential America Blog covers the building sense of outrage, inlcuding calls for people to boycott Utah, including the Sundance Film Festival.

The story can be found at
http://www.americablog.com/2008/11/ap-on-possibility-of-utahsundance.html

"Utah's growing tourism industry and the star-studded Sundance Film Festival are being targeted for a boycott by bloggers, gay rights activists and others seeking to punish the Mormon church for its aggressive promotion of California's ban on gay marriage.

"It could be a heavy price to pay. Tourism brings in $6 billion a year to Utah, with world-class skiing, the spectacular red rock country and the film festival founded by Robert Redford among the state's popular tourist draws..."

(EDITOR: Unless, of course, the organisers of the Sundance Film Festival decide to join in the boycott and decamp to another location? Such a permanent loss would be a blow to Utah.)

A spokesman for the Mormon Church said: "As we move forward from the election, Church members need to be understanding and accepting of each other and work together for a better society.)

(EDITOR: This spokesman seems unaware that some Mormons have been disciplined by local and regional leaders for daring to fail to comply with church orders to campaign against gay marriage.)

The Mormon Church will live through interesting times. And all of its own making...

UPDATE:
Here is video footage of a protest in Salt Lake City, Utah:


Salt Lake City No on Prop 8 Rally from Reid on Vimeo.

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.

Should we publish COV every 4 weeks?

There are only two entries this time, one from Gunner and one from myself.

It's possible some people are on holiday, so perhaps we should keep it every two weeks? Or would you be happier with every four weeks? Perhaps the 1st Sunday in every month? Please let me know what you think about this.

Firstly a welcome return to Gunner, the founder of this particular feast! (Charles Dickens reference)

http://tomanyquestions.blogspot.com/2008/07/my-point.html

I'm back to blogging more on my religious blog so here goes.

Gunner

Thanks, Gunner! Here is my contribution. An response to someone who refuses to accept that the fundamentalist Mormons are Mormons.
http://notamormon.blogspot.com/2008/07/are-you-certain-about-that-david.html

Are you CERTAIN about that, David?

A Mormon called David left this comment on my blog:

"Yes but the major difference between the Church and the sect is that polygamy was revoked in 1890 and the FLDS dissented and chose not to follow the new prophecies. So, no, we're not the same church because they left. They are not Mormons."

David, they follow the teachings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. Therefore why are they not Mormons?

Also, I would have to challenge you on your claim that polygamy was revoked in 1890.

It was taught when I was a Mormon that polygamy had only been suspended by the 1980 Manifesto and that it would be reintroduced "in the fullness of time." Along with animal sacrifices in the Mormon temples, another teaching that I found somewhat batty, to be honest.

COV Sunday 13 July

Welcome to this issue of COV. We start off with a welcome return from Sinister Porpoise
http://sinisterporpoise.blogspot.com/2008/07/children-will-suffer-in-same-sex.html
"As human beings we often make poorly conceived arguments on issues we feel strongly on. The commenter from the Vanessa Honda pohotography blog is one such example when she claims that children will suffer as a result of same-sex marriages. She also makes a historically inaccurate statement that the idea of viewing marriages as a social contract is a new one."

Now on to a contribution from Blog Happens
http://averticalbloghappens.blogspot.com/2008/07/deeper-thoughts-today.html
Deeper Thoughts
"Tomorrow is Emma's birthday. We're having a small shingdig with her buddies and my family. The Evil Sister is coming over too - we're making an attempt at amends - wish me luck!Want to hear a sad story about that sister? She's a super Mormon. Has four kids."
(Matt: It is a sad story. Made so by Mormonism, I fear…)
Now South Bay Soliloquies
http://south-bay-soliloquies.blogspot.com/2008/07/fourth-of-july-5k.html
A story of 5k fuelled by bananas and Nutella!
My official time was 37:25. That's really good for me.I ran with a friend from work and his daughter. If I didn't run with them I think my time would have been a lot slower.
And lastly, my post
http://notamormon.blogspot.com/2008/07/mormon-church-issues-sinister-threat-to.html
A threat to the world’s media from the Mormon Church!
Apparently some Mormons do not see this as a threat to the media. As I pointed out, as a journalist for some 30 years, I know a threat when I see one!)