Mormon ocd

@Kris J Thanks Kris. I’ve noticed differences between Christian churches that emphasize grace vs. LDS which really does put works and earning top priority. We earn higher levels of glory after basic salvation and resurrection. That’s highly legalistic by definition.

@Kris J A year late to the party but I have to disagree with you, Kris. You gave a great outward-facing, missionary answer; but we both know that the internal messaging that members receive is not so simple. This excerpt from a General Conference address given by the General Relief Society President (Julie Beck) to the Young Women of the Church in April 2007 illustrates my point: "My next story is about a woman I will call Mary. She was the daughter of faithful pioneer parents who had sacrificed much for the gospel. She had been married in the temple and was the mother of 10 children. She was a talented woman who taught her children how to pray, to work hard, and to love each other. She paid her tithing, and the family rode to church together on Sunday in their wagon. Though she knew it was contrary to the Word of Wisdom, she developed the habit of drinking coffee and kept a coffee pot on the back of her stove. She claimed that “the Lord will not keep me out of heaven for a little cup of coffee.” But, because of that little cup of coffee, she could not qualify for a temple recommend, and neither could those of her children who drank coffee with her. Though she lived to a good old age and did eventually qualify to reenter and serve in the temple, only one of her 10 children had a worthy temple marriage, and a great number of her posterity, which is now in its fifth generation, live outside of the blessings of the restored gospel she believed in and her forefathers sacrificed so much for." I should add that she delivered the line, "because of that little cup of coffee..." with tears in her eyes and a quivering voice. Do you think the message there is one of exact obedience to the law or one of a generally permissive, grace-focused God? We are taught in the Church that exaltation requires obedience to the law. We meet with Church leaders to answer Temple Recommend questions regarding our obedience to the law of the gospel. If we don't pay a full tithing, live the word of wisdom with exactness, consecrate all our time, efforts and talents to the Lord's church, we may be found "unworthy." What's the consequence of unworthiness? Well... it's just being cut off from your family in the eternities. That's all. Just that little thing. Go and participate if it helps you, but don't gaslight and invalidate other people's torment with a, "sorry if it didn't work for you..." message. All you're doing is reinforcing the negative thought pattern we developed being raised in that institution; which is, if it isn't working for us, if we aren't feeling forgiven, if we don't have "the Spirit," it's because we aren't living perfectly enough, don't have enough faith, etc. That's a f***ing recipe for disaster and one MANY former Mormons will spend the rest of their lives trying to resolve. It's the ones who believed the most, took it literally, actually tried to live up to every standard, who are the most damaged. My oldest brother died when I was very young and my entire childhood was shadowed by the sheer terror that I could do something to jeopardize my eligibility to see him again, or my family's ability to be a complete unit in the Celestial Kingdom. I thought it was a message of hope, a promise. As it turns out, promise and threat are 2 sides of the same coin. Which side you see depends only on perspective. Hope that helps.