It has been some time since I have posted here. The Lord has moved us from one state to another geographically. The change is stark in comparison to societal cultures from one region to another. Where we lived for most of our married life there were two kinds of "fences". One fence separated our homes, the other separated families. Where we live now a different type of fence exists, one of religious origin. This barrier of a religious belief system, its economy and structure is profoundly large. Mormonism the barrier or fence.

I considered many things before I posted this piece. Shall I speak of DNA evidences that refute the Lamanites ancestral claims to have come from Israel? Perhaps the many claims of prophetic knowledge that have not come true by Joseph Smith? The changes in the Book of Mormon that reflect the times? The many "Gods"? The list of topics are many, the details of them are almost too exhaustive to tour through. Families?

Families are such an integral part of the Mormon community. The larger homes per population are found here to accommodate the family size. The outward appearance to the world is the sense of love for the family and for each other. When we first moved to the particular neighborhood in which we now live of 142 homes. There are only 2 homes not of this faith, ours being one of them. The family atmosphere is everywhere and yet there is an undercurrent detected that at first I could not fully understand. A sense of fear, resentment, mistrust, guilt and interestingly arrogance. How could this be? I began to observe "fences" within some of the Mormon family structure.

http://members.shaw.ca/blair_watson/ From this link are the following quotes:

"Mormon psychological conditioning interferes with self-assertion in a variety of ways. Many Latter-day Saints dilute their personality because it doesn't fit the LDS concept of being nice, meek, long-suffering, and placating to Mormon authority figures (including God, as defined by Mormonism). Many members hide their assertiveness because they fear confrontation and conflict and the disapproval and possible rejection by LDS family members, leaders, and friends if they assert themselves and speak their truth (e.g., talk about aspects of Mormonism that don't make sense).

For example, there are young men raised in Mormonism who do not want to go on a mission, but are afraid of asserting their right to refuse to go because of the stigma in the LDS community of not going. Likewise, many girls raised in Mormonism do not assert their right to go to college or university and finish their degree (and get an advanced degree, if they so desire) and work in their chosen field before getting married and starting a family. There are many ways in which Latter-day Saints do not assert their right to always think for themselves and act according to what they deem to be best for their lives. Fear of self-assertion that might result in confrontation and conflict is common among Mormons.

To live purposefully is to use our powers to achieve our goals. We have the right to establish goals for ourselves based on what we think and feel is right and good. Whether anyone else approves of our goals or not truly does not matter. Living purposefully involves living productively. To live productively is to support our existence by translating our thoughts into reality. Living purposefully also involves taking responsibility for formulating our goals and purposes, identifying the actions required to achieve them, monitoring our behaviour to check that it is in alignment with our objectives, and paying attention to outcomes.

Mormonism indoctrinates Latter-day Saints to believe that their main purposes in life are what the LDS Church and its leadership say is the will of God (e.g., fully participate in the LDS Church, get married in the temple, work and raise a family in the LDS religion). Mormon boys and young men are indoctrinated to believe that serving a full-time mission for the church is what 'Heavenly Father' wants them to do when they reach 19 years. LDS girls and young women are indoctrinated to believe that their primary purpose in life is to grow up to be a 'wife and mother in Zion'. These things are not God's will for young people, just what adult Mormons believe is God's will for young people.

Latter-day Saints have the right to decide for themselves what their main purposes in life are. For some, it may be the more traditional experience of getting post-secondary education/training, marrying and raising a family (husband working; mom stays at home), and participating in the LDS Church throughout their life. However, this Mormon nuclear family mold does not suit everyone, particularly in the 21st century in which 6.6 billion humans are placing unprecedented demands on limited natural resources and damaging and destroying the planet as never before. Some individuals feel a passion to devote their time, energy, and other resources to protect the environment, work in the Third World to alleviate suffering, or do something else. Many people feel that marriage is not for them; they participate in family and community in other, less traditional ways.

Being 'on purpose' has nothing to do with living the type of life that other people believe is right for you, or doing what a religious organization, family members, or other individuals say is the will of God for you. It's about being psychologically free enough from others' beliefs and in-tune with yourself to you know what your destiny is and to live it."

A very large "fence" indeed exists within the family structure of Mormonism. The wife of one family in our neighborhood expressed her desire to continue her college and enter the workforce. A sadness envelopes her spirit as she reflects on the impossibility of her circumstances now that prevent the fulfillment of her desire. She hides in her home rarely coming out. Many of the wives here have expressed a different desire of a life different than the one they now possess.

For myself, Mormonism is the coercive bondage to a religious belief system out of fear. The fear of exclusion from a form of "salvation", as it is a sin to leave the system or not join the system. This belief system is a contradiction to the NT values described by the authors in the Bible. It builds "fences" not in alignment with a loving God, Who, does not save anyone out of fear. Who, gives all the desires of their hearts.