Hey! The rest of us would love to read it. We like fun, too!
A couple of weeks ago, I sent another email to LDS church HQ asking about the status of my resignation, with a CC: to the local bishop. I got no reply from HQ, but got a letter in the mail the next day from the bishop stating that he had passed the paperwork up the Mormon hierarchy.
I was getting impatient a couple days ago, so I tried to log in to lds.org using the Member Number on my temple recommend. I got an error that the number was invalid. Woo-hoo!
And then today rocknrhodes and I each got a letter in the mail from the LDS Member and Statistical Records Division:
So it’s done. At least for now.
I’m still on the ward’s email list for service project opportunities and social gatherings. I’d like to help out once in a while and see my Mormon friends, but rocknrhodes and I don’t want to send mixed signals. So I ignore those emails. I got one email from the ward mission leader inviting me to attend a family’s baptism, to which I replied that we can still be friends but that inviting me to a religious ceremony shows an exteme ignorance of my situation. Maybe I should have accepted the invite and had a little talk with the new converts before they got dunked. That would have made me some serious enemies, but it would have been fun and might have prevented a family from making the biggest mistake of their lives.
Now all there is left to do is sit back and wait for my kids to reach baptism age. The final letter from HQ doesn’t specifically say that the kids’ names have been removed. Technically, small children who have not been baptised and confirmed are not Members, but I “blessed” them per LDS tradition and their names were (are?) on several lists. Hopefully no one will come to convert them. If they do, the gloves are off.
Congratulations! That’s great news. You and your wife must be really happy.
Congratulations, Rhodes. I believe unbaptized children of record fall off the rolls at nine. Let me double check…
It sounds like your kids do have membership records, but the Membership Department might have scooped up their records with yours if you included their birth dates and names in your letter. If you’re on good terms with your Bishop, you can ask if he still has their membership records.
There are a few UUs on the board (myself included). UU churches are different - sort of in the polar opposite way that LDS churches are different. Some congregations are very Christian, some are much more humanist (my minister is an agnostic, but as we have an excellent choir, we tend to sing a lot of hymns) - most are pretty darn socially liberal. But they can provide a community and structure. And they also have pretty good Religious Education programs - generally where your kids will learn a little about Christianity next to the little they learn about Buddhism, Islam and Judaism. (Christianity tends to be taught a little more - after all - we are a Judeo-Christian society). If you have questions, ask. If there is more than one congregation near you, check them all out.
I live in SLC now, in a house 3 doors down from a temple or church or whatever the LDS are calling them, and they have not bugged me at all for the past 3 years. It’s kind of odd: living here, they just let you be, assuming you have already drank the Koolaid.
I never intended to end up in Utah, but sometimes a job happens, ya know? Growing up, I was baptised southern baptist, but I managed to get out of that pretty quickly. For years I told people I was agnostic, just out of respect for their beliefs, but over the last 10 years or so, I’ve become much more militant atheist. Right now, I profess to be a Discordian, if only because the best way to ward off someone looking to convert you is to attempt a counter-convert 
I have some friends here who are either Mormon or getting out. I’m still trying to get a handle on the culture here, and don’t even get me started on how much the dating scene sucks
I’m glad you have been able to get out, and I hope they don’t bother you anymore.
May your new journey be well and your lives fulfilling, happy, and free of people trying to convert you and your kids.
PS: Out of curiosity, what did you decide about alcohol?
Still haven’t touched it. We though about getting “Bourbon-faced on Shit Street” in New Orleans for our anniversary, but didn’t actually do it. And the wife workd a night shift on New Years, no no partying then, either.
Just remember, there’s no rush (and to take it slow when you do start). You both have your entire lives to experiment with alcohol. Getting wasted on your first go round probably isn’t the best idea!
I didn’t have my first drink until a couple years after I was totally out. I still only have a drink once a month or so. At first it is fun, though, to try out all the drinks you’ve only heard about. I brought home a shopping cart full of vodka, rum, tequila, scotch, gin, etc. that I bought when I was giddy with exploring all the drinks I had missed. Three years later, and I still have ten 90% full bottles of booze in my kitchen.
Here’s a hint, buy the tiny sampler bottles of booze that are behind the counter at the liquor store. I’m never going to finish all my alcohol.
I have to agree with this. Gradually work your way up to finding your limits before blowing past them.
I missed this thread the first time around. Rhodes, any updates?
We’re still not Mormons :D. Not much has changed in the last couple months. The local Mormons have made no effort to recruit us, and one guy even sent me an email that he thought would be helpful for apostates. Occasionally I notice that my Friends list on Facebook has gotten smaller. I am less blunt with my friends than I am with strangers on the SDMB, but I guess I still offend people with anti-religious comments. rocknrhodes is doing a great job of getting to know some non-Mormon friends. We still don’t drink, although I’ve started cooking desserts with rum. My company will probably have a party with an open bar later this month, so maybe I’ll try something then. Or maybe I’ll chicken out again. rockn’s sister visited us for a week. We had agreed not to discuss religion, but both sides violated the rule and we had some nice chats. Nothing heated. Overall, I think we’re adapting pretty well to the real world.
Nothing to say except that that is an excellent letter!
I started laughing out loud when I read your post about whether you should start drinking. As far as that goes, if you haven’t needed it until now, you probably won’t.
I say start off with some lime jello shots 
It has to be lime jello. And vodka.
TOJ is on the right track but…
Step 1: Go to Circle K and get the largest Thirst Buster they’ve got (44oz).
Step 2: Fill it up with classic Mountain Dew (NO ICE!).
Step 3: Those weird flavor shots they have at the soda fountain? Put anywhere from 15-25 of the raspberry shots into your drink (at this point the drink is now what we call a Señor Azul).
Step 4: Drive home and put like 7-10 shots of vodka in that bad boy (it is now a Smurf).
Step 5: Drink it.
Congratulations, you’re now riding the smurf.