# Anyone else grow up Mormon?



## ghammer (Jan 27, 2022)

So, playing Echo brought back a lot of painful memories for me of what it was like growing up in a small, dysfunctional western town. Combine this with being a repressed gay in a mormon family. Honestly, the writers captured that angst and atmosphere perfectly, though I kind of wish they hadn't. I've been thinking a lot about what I grew up with, especially the religious guilt and the isolation of being gay in that culture. I figured though, that there will be others here who have had that experience. I'll let you know right away: I am here for you and would be honored to listen to anyone who wants to share their story with mormonism or Utah, either on here or in a private message. I know a few other people who have been drawn to the furry community for it's lgbt acceptance from repressive religious backgrounds, and for all of you that can relate: I am proud of you. I am proud that you had enough courage to go after what you wanted, even though the place we were from beat us down again and again. I keep finding baggage from the past in this and if you are struggling, know that it requires years to fix what they took from you, and some stuff may always feel like it's missing. If you are still in this situation and need support, please message me. Love you all.


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## Outré (Jan 27, 2022)

I didn’t grow up Mormon, however I did grow up in Utah. Downtown Salt Lake to be exact.

I’m not gay but when I was in Jr. high in the early 90’s there was something that happened that made everyone including teachers think that I was gay. I was treated very badly because of it. At the time things were very different and even the teachers would turn a blind eye. I actually ended up in the hospital with a broken nose over the whole thing once.

I’m somewhat certain that I’m Asexual or at least on that spectrum. I kind of realized it way later in life… but I’m sure people could tell I was a bit off even back then and it probably contributed to what people thought.

I’m glad to see that the situation has vastly improved since the early 90’s. I’m not sure what it’s like within Mormon community, but salt Lake, at least, seems like a very LGBT friendly city in the present time.

Glad to see someone else from Utah on here btw… assuming that’s where you’re from.


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## ghammer (Jan 27, 2022)

Outré said:


> I didn’t grow up Mormon, however I did grow up in Utah. Downtown Salt Lake to be exact.
> 
> I’m not gay but when I was in Jr. high in the early 90’s there was something that happened that made everyone including teachers think that I was gay. I was treated very badly because of it. At the time things were very different and even the teachers would turn a blind eye. I actually ended up in the hospital with a broken nose over the whole thing once.
> 
> ...


I grew up in 90's, 2000's Utah (some other states as well) too. It was a very harsh culture and there was tons of in-group, out-group attitudes. Damn, I hate that you had to go through that. So much has changed, and yet a lot has stayed the same. That must have been crushing to experience, sorry. *hugs*


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## Baron Tredegar (Jan 27, 2022)

I didnt grow up Mormon but I was technically raised Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB). Luckily for me when I was real young there was a church split which resulted in me and my family not regularly attending a church most of my life. I was homeschooled using the Abeka curriculum but luckily I had very little restrictions on what I was allowed to watch and do. My parents were luckily sane for the most part and did not engage in any cult like behavior. On my last year of high school I was planning on attending Pensacola Christian College with a major in history. However that year my older brother came out as bisexual, and the pressure for me to go to PCC increased tenfold, for a time people acted like the familys honor rested on my shoulders. When I got there things felt wrong. While I was raised with their beliefs I was not raised in an environment where peer pressure and church influence was on me. I had always been a firm believer in history and science, things that have been proven as fact. It angered me when the people there treated my historical knowledge as a joke. I then fully researched ancient church history and discovered that the IFB beliefs were bullshit and mostly came from cult leaders in the 1820s. Throughout this whole time I was the only member of my family who was in contact with my brother and I accepted his bisexuality. I saw some very disturbing things at that place. Everyone there wanted America to become a theocracy. Luckily I made my voice heard to my parents and told them that I was in a literal cult. As of now my parents and my brother are talking again and they are a little more accepting of him. I was able to get my own house out of this ordeal, and I have moved back to my hometown in Georgia. I am still trying to recover mentally from my year there but I have mostly recovered.


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## ghammer (Jan 27, 2022)

Baron Tredegar said:


> I didnt grow up Mormon but I was technically raised Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB). Luckily for me when I was real young there was a church split which resulted in me and my family not regularly attending a church most of my life. I was homeschooled using the Abeka curriculum but luckily I had very little restrictions on what I was allowed to watch and do. My parents were luckily sane for the most part and did not engage in any cult like behavior. On my last year of high school I was planning on attending Pensacola Christian College with a major in history. However that year my older brother came out as bisexual, and the pressure for me to go to PCC increased tenfold, for a time people acted like the familys honor rested on my shoulders. When I got there things felt wrong. While I was raised with their beliefs I was not raised in an environment where peer pressure and church influence was on me. I had always been a firm believer in history and science, things that have been proven as fact. It angered me when the people there treated my historical knowledge as a joke. I then fully researched ancient church history and discovered that the IFB beliefs were bullshit and mostly came from cult leaders in the 1820s. Throughout this whole time I was the only member of my family who was in contact with my brother and I accepted his bisexuality. I saw some very disturbing things at that place. Everyone there wanted America to become a theocracy. Luckily I made my voice heard to my parents and told them that I was in a literal cult. As of now my parents and my brother are talking again and they are a little more accepting of him. I was able to get my own house out of this ordeal, and I have moved back to my hometown in Georgia. I am still trying to recover mentally from my year there but I have mostly recovered.


I'm glad you are doing okay now, I'm sure there are still scars somewhere, but that's alright. It sounds like a lot of pressure on you, I can relate a lot, though I am a younger brother each of us also had tremendous pressure put on us at different times in our families's history. Especially career-wise. I was a black-sheep with respect to religion (mormon) in the family because I started speaking up against my issues with it early on. That kind of thing was not socially acceptable back then. I just want to empathize with you and lament how hucksters in the 19th goddamn century are still ruining people's lives today. I'm here for you


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## Baron Tredegar (Jan 27, 2022)

ghammer said:


> hucksters in the 19th goddamn century


Whats worse is that people back then made fun of them but they still have followings today.


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## ghammer (Jan 28, 2022)

Baron Tredegar said:


> Whats worse is that people back then made fun of them but they still have followings today.


And their views and attitudes caused so much hurt to us  I'm hoping you have learned to look past those beliefs. It took me a long time to, im still finding shit i believe today that causes harm.


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## deestrees (Feb 3, 2022)

yes


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## Firuthi Dragovic (Feb 3, 2022)

....surprisingly, no, despite living in Palmyra - generally regarded as the birthplace of the religion - for a few years.

If I remember the story my parents gave me correctly, they TRIED to get us to join, but stopped coming around after my brother gathered and showed them a bucket of snakes.  Fairly innocently at that.

Remind me to get that scene made as an art piece sometime.


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## Faustus (Feb 9, 2022)

I'm a straight atheist and I endorse this message.

Funny story: one of my dad's 'claims to fame' was that he once converted a Jehovah's Witness to paganism.


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