Bad mormon heather gay
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Basically, perfect keeping up with the Jone’s life was catching up to Heather and she just wanted out of her marriage, released from a big heavy calling, felt a little trapped and wanted to party and hang out with her people. Gay's narrative is by turns cheeky ("In the name of the Father, the Son, and Andy Cohen") and reflective ("There is real sorrow for the lost years and a general heaviness that weighs on my heart when I think of the past"), and even when discussing her struggles, she writes with self-deprecating humor.
I had a whole other paragraph here but it got too personal so I will just end with; I truly respect other’s beliefs and decisions, am happy for other people’s happiness and the importance of their faith to them but the LDS church (and other organized religions) is not for everyone. That’s my take. I mean look at me, I am saying “Mormon.” Oops and btw, this is literally one of the most ridiculous changes the church has ever made.
The Strict Binary World of Mormonism and Early Disobedience
From the time I was born, I’d been indoctrinated to think in terms of binaries. Nothing of consequence.
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Now, no reason to read on unless you are interested in my unique perspective about Heather Gay, the LDS Church in relation to this memoir and living on the edge for most of my life.Choosing to live openly as a "Bad Mormon" was not a rejection of her heritage but an embrace of her true self, finding freedom and belonging by letting go of the need to conform and instead walking her own path.
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It represented a failure of the "Plan of Happiness" and a deviation from the expected path of eternal marriage.The temple was presented as a sacred, beautiful place, but its ceremonies, clothing (like the green aprons and robes), and oaths were kept strictly secret, even from family members who had been through them.
The endowment ceremony. The temple endowment involved symbolic washings and anointings, putting on sacred garments and robes, watching a film reenacting the creation story and Adam and Eve's fall, participating in a prayer circle with specific hand gestures, and going through a veil with secret handshakes and passwords to symbolically enter God's presence.
This upbringing instilled a belief that Mormons "had it figured out," possessing the answers to life's big questions and a duty to share their "plan of happiness" with others.
Early lessons. The author learned the importance of rules and boundaries, often framed as protection rather than restriction.
Side note, one of my Jewish friends asked about this, recently, and said, "Saying the new terminology is a mouth full and it's not like non-members are calling members a 'kike.” I smiled at that. The author found it necessary to create a "Glinda bubble" of protection, shutting off parts of herself like social anxiety and empathy to cope with the constant rejection and challenges of proselytizing.
Obedience and performance. Missionary work emphasized 100% obedience and a focus on outward performance, such as knocking on doors ("sonner, sonner, sonner") and following prescribed teaching methods (like the "one-minute rule" of kneeling in prayer immediately).
Experiences like witnessing a fellow missionary's breakdown over the perceived damnation of the people or the author's own moments of doubt and exhaustion revealed the emotional toll of maintaining a facade of unwavering faith and happiness while suppressing personal feelings and questions.