Why I watch #GeneralConference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)...

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We've all heard, you can leave the church, but you can't leave it alone. That phrase rings in my mind and it's hard to wrestle without going into a relatively long discussion, so I'll do my best to be brief.

We can't afford to leave Mormonism alone.

It is the single most powerful religion in America, and likely the wealthiest religion in the world. Mormonism claims a membership of 16 million+ people across the globe, over 30,000 congregations, 150+ temples, and leadership staffed with businessmen and lawyers.

Mormons sing every Sunday: Praise to the man, Battle hymn of the republic, If you could Hie to Kolob, We thank thee oh God for our prophet, and hundreds more hymns about how great the gospel is and how the stone will roll forth to fill the whole world.

Every #GeneralConference is filled with talk after talk of building Zion, the last days, Mormons are an elect people chosen by God, and many other religious supremacist beliefs. Mormonism is, by design, and apocalyptic Zionitic cult.

It will not rest, it will not stop, it will not falter until it has reached its ultimate goals of world domination. This telestial sphere is being prepared to become the kingdom of God; Mormons are responsible for building that kingdom in preparation for the 2nd coming.

Mormonism will not "coexist" with any other religion, and especially with non-believers or apostates. It will never stop until Zion, the New Jerusalem, is built upon the American continent. The earth will be renewed and Christ will reign personally in its paradisiacal glory.

To build the kingdom of god requires a lot of resources and power. Mormonism has functionally unlimited resources and isn't subject to ANY oversight by any government or independent watchdog agency. It takes in $billions every year and is completely exempt from oversight.

As we see nations across the globe contend with theocracy and religious tyrants, American democracy purports to be the antidote. We claim the privilege of worshipping according to the dictates of our own conscience. These are hollow words when 98% of politicians are Christian.

Which brings me to a much larger point. Mormonism, and the larger movement of Christianity, aren't comfortable with free exercise of religion and non-religion. By in large, Christians vote as a block and they're easily swayed with wedge issues.

Even the spectre of a non-religious politician dissuades anything less than deep-throated claims of religiosity. There is no religious test for public office, but who was the last atheist POTUS? Can an atheist be elected to ANY office in Utah or any other R state?

Religious supremacy is eating us. Christianity, Mormonism included, will stop at nothing until "every knee bows and every tongue confesses" that Christ is king shit of the world. Religion is a cancer that consumes all.

It wouldn't be quite so bad if this radical and hungry bullshit were confined to specific locations, but we tend to export our love of cancerous bullshit to other countries via missions masquerading as humanitarian aid. These developing nations become victims of western problems.

Mormonism has ~65,000 missionaries speaking 100+ languages who pay the church for the privilege of being its sales force on 6/7 continents. The Book of Mormon is translated to be accessible to over 4.1 billion ppl in their native tongue. Mormons also have HUGE families.

Now to the point which started this thread. I left the church, but why don't I leave it alone? Because it refuses to leave the world alone. I don't ignore a ravenous wolf attacking a child, I kill the wolf and save the child. Anything less is inhumane.

@NelsonRussellM said "Life without God is a life filled with fear. Life with God is a life filled with peace." I can't disagree once "god" is replaced with "ignorance". The world is on fire, millions will die from the pandemic, but trust in God and have no fear.

Trust in God, abdicate any responsibility you may have to your fellow human beings. Trust in God and you aren't responsible for anything bad that happens to anyone because it's all part of God's plan. This line of thinking will lead humanity to its own destruction.

This line of thinking gets religions with $200 billion building clubhouses in impoverished areas. This line of thinking damns every climate action. It stops people from helping their neighbor because "god will take care of it".

Any suffering is all part of god's plan. Anything good is a blessing from god. Who are we to think that god's will or plans can be frustrated by mere men?! How arrogant of us mere humans! To oppose religion in any of the abuses it causes is to oppose almighty god.

Wars, famine, homelessness, refugee crises, natural disasters, plagues, etc., all part of god's plan. We mustn't interfere or we become the adversary. People must suffer to enjoy the blessings of righteousness after their suffering. A little poison to make the candy taste better.

With all these world problems exacerbated by religion and superstitious beliefs, who has the power to oppose? Who can stop these social forces from consuming the world? Who can stop Zion from actually being built?

Nobody.

Personally, I refuse to die a silent heretic. Watching, analyzing, fact-checking, and calling out #GenCON isn't fun. It's not a pleasurable activity and nobody pays attention anyway, so why do it?

Because silence is complicity.

I refuse to be complicit to unabashed racist theology, misogyny, contagious ignorance, and unchecked corporate-religious corruption. I refuse to lay my head to rest knowing I didn't serve my place as a thorn in the paw of a worldwide religious scourge consuming every nation.

I refuse to watch my friends and family follow this caustic and thought-destroying cult without making my presence and perspective known.

I refuse to be complicit while the world burns.