The Devil Incarnate

I am still officially a Mormon, but I do not practice nor do I believe in many of the unique tenets of Mormonism.  A while ago one of my children informed me that his former bishop warned him that I was miserable and that I wanted my children to be miserable like me.  Where did this come from?  How could anyone say this about a parent's desires for his children?  Not only is everything about this bishop's statement untrue, but it reveals something very disturbing about the Mormon mind set.  I do not believe that this man is the only Mormon who would make a statement like this.

I believe that this former bishop was highly influenced by this passage from the Book of Mormon.  "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." (2 Nephi 2:27, emphasis mine)

The italicized portion of the above passage is based on the idea that misery loves company.  That phrase appears nowhere else in the Mormon scriptures.  In other words, it only applies to the devil in Mormon scriptures.  The implications are quite clear.  This bishop was equating me with the devil.  His belief is that I am miserable because I have left the fold (an idea Mormons use to scare the faithful into obedience).  He also believes that I want to drag down as many people as I can to my level, even if that means causing suffering to my own children.

Happiness is very subjective, but I certainly perceive that I am happier now than I was when the Mormon church consumed a good portion of my time, money, and freedom.  Furthermore, if I actually was miserable, I would do everything I could to help my children avoid making the same mistakes I have made.  I would not wish my own suffering upon them, but I would only wish their health and happiness.  Normal parents are strongly influenced by their genetic makeup to sacrifice for their children's welfare, and I am no different.

I might find it alarming that someone with such a responsible position in the Mormon community actually believes this except for the fact that I thought this way too not that long ago.  Even more disturbing is that this bishop actually thought he was doing good by informing my son that his dad only wants him to be miserable.  Maybe Mormon leaders have not led their followers to an isolated island and given them cyanide-laced Kool-aid, but this tendency to demonize those who question or leave strikes me as rather cult like.  This bishop is not just some hayseed ignoramus.  He holds a PhD., he is the CEO of a large business, and he is well respected in his community.

Yes, most Mormons are nice people.  I believe that many of them are very good people, but they are the victims of in-bred thinking can be so far afield from reality as to be quite scary and even, at times, emotionally abusive.  Most Mormons have enough sense not to reveal everything they think to the uninitiated.  They are very good at putting up a front that is palatable to the general public.  This is all the more reason to beware of some of the underlying philosophies that they only share among themselves.