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sam_onofree
captain of 50
Posts: 62

Hello

Post by sam_onofree »

Hey everyone, I thought I'd take a second to introduce myself. I was born and raised in the church but haven't been active in about 12 years. I stopped going as soon as I graduated high school. Truth be told, I never enjoyed going to church. I felt like it was always more of a social experience with cliques and gossip rather than a spiritual experience. It always felt like a waste of time to me and I had 0 testimony of its accuracy or authority.

In college, I went down a dark path. I got my mind filled with what I now recognize to be communist propaganda and I was, for all intents and purposes, atheistic. I was raised by two great parents who instilled very strong values in me so I never wandered too far off the path but I have definitely done things I am not proud of.

I started to see the light about two years into college when my journalism teacher taught us how to spin facts to fit our own narrative. That led me on a journey of discovering how everything had been curated to fit an objective I did not value. I eventually stumbled across The Naked Communist by W. Cleon Skousen and had my worldview shaken. That opened my eyes to conspiracy and acknowledging that it existed. I didn't really know how to do anything more than identify communist propaganda at that point.

Fast forward to December 2019. I discovered a podcast that had Joel Skousen on as a guest. I had never heard of him but figured he was related to Cleon so I gave it a listen and suddenly everything started falling into place: why preparation was important, how the Book of Mormon was relevant, why it never matters who is running this country because the same agenda gets pushed through regardless. For the first time in my life and from what little knowledge I had about the Book of Mormon, I had a spark of a testimony of God's word.

In the last 22 months, I've tried to learn as much as I could about secret combinations, how to prepare, and have pondered the future a great deal. I still haven't gone back to church but I am currently reading the Book of Mormon for the first time ever. It is filled with so many rich details that were never taught to me; details that were skipped over in Seminary and never uttered in Sunday school. I believe it to be the word of God. There's a saying that goes something like "I had to see the devil in order to see God" and that was true of my experience. I had to build a foundation for my testimony the hard way.

I still struggle with the church. I believe it is currently in apostasy but I have a lot of guilt saying that since nobody has known me to be a spiritual or religious person. However, I feel hopeful for the future. Every day I watch more and more pieces fall into play that will eventually collapse our way of living. I am terrified but also have a sense of responsibility to weather it through with the information I am learning.

Anyway, I'm happy to have found this forum. It's nice for people to be able to communicate about such niche topics. I love being exposed to new ideas and points of view.

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nightlight
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 8407

Re: Hello

Post by nightlight »

sam_onofree wrote: ↑October 13th, 2021, 4:20 pm Hey everyone, I thought I'd take a second to introduce myself. I was born and raised in the church but haven't been active in about 12 years. I stopped going as soon as I graduated high school. Truth be told, I never enjoyed going to church. I felt like it was always more of a social experience with cliques and gossip rather than a spiritual experience. It always felt like a waste of time to me and I had 0 testimony of its accuracy or authority.

In college, I went down a dark path. I got my mind filled with what I now recognize to be communist propaganda and I was, for all intents and purposes, atheistic. I was raised by two great parents who instilled very strong values in me so I never wandered too far off the path but I have definitely done things I am not proud of.

I started to see the light about two years into college when my journalism teacher taught us how to spin facts to fit our own narrative. That led me on a journey of discovering how everything had been curated to fit an objective I did not value. I eventually stumbled across The Naked Communist by W. Cleon Skousen and had my worldview shaken. That opened my eyes to conspiracy and acknowledging that it existed. I didn't really know how to do anything more than identify communist propaganda at that point.

Fast forward to December 2019. I discovered a podcast that had Joel Skousen on as a guest. I had never heard of him but figured he was related to Cleon so I gave it a listen and suddenly everything started falling into place: why preparation was important, how the Book of Mormon was relevant, why it never matters who is running this country because the same agenda gets pushed through regardless. For the first time in my life and from what little knowledge I had about the Book of Mormon, I had a spark of a testimony of God's word.

In the last 22 months, I've tried to learn as much as I could about secret combinations, how to prepare, and have pondered the future a great deal. I still haven't gone back to church but I am currently reading the Book of Mormon for the first time ever. It is filled with so many rich details that were never taught to me; details that were skipped over in Seminary and never uttered in Sunday school. I believe it to be the word of God. There's a saying that goes something like "I had to see the devil in order to see God" and that was true of my experience. I had to build a foundation for my testimony the hard way.

I still struggle with the church. I believe it is currently in apostasy but I have a lot of guilt saying that since nobody has known me to be a spiritual or religious person. However, I feel hopeful for the future. Every day I watch more and more pieces fall into play that will eventually collapse our way of living. I am terrified but also have a sense of responsibility to weather it through with the information I am learning.

Anyway, I'm happy to have found this forum. It's nice for people to be able to communicate about such niche topics. I love being exposed to new ideas and points of view.
Awesome!!!

Our boats are similar.

Welcome!

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Robin Hood
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 13112
Location: England

Re: Hello

Post by Robin Hood »

sam_onofree wrote: ↑October 13th, 2021, 4:20 pm Hey everyone, I thought I'd take a second to introduce myself. I was born and raised in the church but haven't been active in about 12 years. I stopped going as soon as I graduated high school. Truth be told, I never enjoyed going to church. I felt like it was always more of a social experience with cliques and gossip rather than a spiritual experience. It always felt like a waste of time to me and I had 0 testimony of its accuracy or authority.

In college, I went down a dark path. I got my mind filled with what I now recognize to be communist propaganda and I was, for all intents and purposes, atheistic. I was raised by two great parents who instilled very strong values in me so I never wandered too far off the path but I have definitely done things I am not proud of.

I started to see the light about two years into college when my journalism teacher taught us how to spin facts to fit our own narrative. That led me on a journey of discovering how everything had been curated to fit an objective I did not value. I eventually stumbled across The Naked Communist by W. Cleon Skousen and had my worldview shaken. That opened my eyes to conspiracy and acknowledging that it existed. I didn't really know how to do anything more than identify communist propaganda at that point.

Fast forward to December 2019. I discovered a podcast that had Joel Skousen on as a guest. I had never heard of him but figured he was related to Cleon so I gave it a listen and suddenly everything started falling into place: why preparation was important, how the Book of Mormon was relevant, why it never matters who is running this country because the same agenda gets pushed through regardless. For the first time in my life and from what little knowledge I had about the Book of Mormon, I had a spark of a testimony of God's word.

In the last 22 months, I've tried to learn as much as I could about secret combinations, how to prepare, and have pondered the future a great deal. I still haven't gone back to church but I am currently reading the Book of Mormon for the first time ever. It is filled with so many rich details that were never taught to me; details that were skipped over in Seminary and never uttered in Sunday school. I believe it to be the word of God. There's a saying that goes something like "I had to see the devil in order to see God" and that was true of my experience. I had to build a foundation for my testimony the hard way.

I still struggle with the church. I believe it is currently in apostasy but I have a lot of guilt saying that since nobody has known me to be a spiritual or religious person. However, I feel hopeful for the future. Every day I watch more and more pieces fall into play that will eventually collapse our way of living. I am terrified but also have a sense of responsibility to weather it through with the information I am learning.

Anyway, I'm happy to have found this forum. It's nice for people to be able to communicate about such niche topics. I love being exposed to new ideas and points of view.
Greetings from the "old country" and welcome to tne forum.

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Gadianton Slayer
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 6551
Location: A Sound Mind

Re: Hello

Post by Gadianton Slayer »

Welcome πŸ‘‹ You will fit in here nicely. Thanks for sharing your story, crazy to find out that the more we learn the less we know.

TruthSeeker77
captain of 100
Posts: 180

Re: Hello

Post by TruthSeeker77 »

sam_onofree wrote: ↑October 13th, 2021, 4:20 pm Hey everyone, I thought I'd take a second to introduce myself. I was born and raised in the church but haven't been active in about 12 years. I stopped going as soon as I graduated high school. Truth be told, I never enjoyed going to church. I felt like it was always more of a social experience with cliques and gossip rather than a spiritual experience. It always felt like a waste of time to me and I had 0 testimony of its accuracy or authority.

In college, I went down a dark path. I got my mind filled with what I now recognize to be communist propaganda and I was, for all intents and purposes, atheistic. I was raised by two great parents who instilled very strong values in me so I never wandered too far off the path but I have definitely done things I am not proud of.

I started to see the light about two years into college when my journalism teacher taught us how to spin facts to fit our own narrative. That led me on a journey of discovering how everything had been curated to fit an objective I did not value. I eventually stumbled across The Naked Communist by W. Cleon Skousen and had my worldview shaken. That opened my eyes to conspiracy and acknowledging that it existed. I didn't really know how to do anything more than identify communist propaganda at that point.

Fast forward to December 2019. I discovered a podcast that had Joel Skousen on as a guest. I had never heard of him but figured he was related to Cleon so I gave it a listen and suddenly everything started falling into place: why preparation was important, how the Book of Mormon was relevant, why it never matters who is running this country because the same agenda gets pushed through regardless. For the first time in my life and from what little knowledge I had about the Book of Mormon, I had a spark of a testimony of God's word.

In the last 22 months, I've tried to learn as much as I could about secret combinations, how to prepare, and have pondered the future a great deal. I still haven't gone back to church but I am currently reading the Book of Mormon for the first time ever. It is filled with so many rich details that were never taught to me; details that were skipped over in Seminary and never uttered in Sunday school. I believe it to be the word of God. There's a saying that goes something like "I had to see the devil in order to see God" and that was true of my experience. I had to build a foundation for my testimony the hard way.

I still struggle with the church. I believe it is currently in apostasy but I have a lot of guilt saying that since nobody has known me to be a spiritual or religious person. However, I feel hopeful for the future. Every day I watch more and more pieces fall into play that will eventually collapse our way of living. I am terrified but also have a sense of responsibility to weather it through with the information I am learning.

Anyway, I'm happy to have found this forum. It's nice for people to be able to communicate about such niche topics. I love being exposed to new ideas and points of view.
Welcome, friend. You are in good company here. :)

JuneBug12000
captain of 1,000
Posts: 2066

Re: Hello

Post by JuneBug12000 »

sam_onofree wrote: ↑October 13th, 2021, 4:20 pm However, I feel hopeful for the future. Every day I watch more and more pieces fall into play that will eventually collapse our way of living. I am terrified but also have a sense of responsibility to weather it through with the information I am learning.
I can totally agree with this statement.

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Chip
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 7909
Location: California

Re: Hello

Post by Chip »

If you used to not like church, you would probably hate it today, because of the heightened bunker mentality that has arisen with COVID. We're supposed to receive the "literal godsend" into our veins to do our part to be "Good Global Citizens".

On the other hand, perhaps there is some utility in you going that is in God's design.

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creator
(of the Forum)
Posts: 8242
Location: The Matrix
Contact:

Re: Hello

Post by creator »

sam_onofree wrote: ↑October 13th, 2021, 4:20 pm Hey everyone, I thought I'd take a second to introduce myself ... I eventually stumbled across The Naked Communist by W. Cleon Skousen and had my worldview shaken...
Thanks for sharing, and welcome.

W. Cleon Skousen (and Ezra Taft Benson) was a big part of my waking up process.

Fwiw, Joel Skousen will be speaking on Friday, December 3, at the Highland City Building in Highland, Utah. He usually does a year-end "analysis" meeting.

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sam_onofree
captain of 50
Posts: 62

Re: Hello

Post by sam_onofree »

Chip wrote: ↑October 13th, 2021, 5:15 pm If you used to not like church, you would probably hate it today, because of the heightened bunker mentality that has arisen with COVID. We're supposed to receive the "literal godsend" into our veins to do our part to be "Good Global Citizens".

On the other hand, perhaps there is some utility in you going that is in God's design.
This is what I've heard from family members. It's a real shame too. I think a true church would be such a good thing for so many people but I've come to find out that most people rely on church for socializing and don't go there to get their feelings hurt.

I hope I'm of some use to God's plan. I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be at this time and place regarding the "literal godsend". I haven't been vaccinated in nearly 20 years and don't plan on changing that any time soon.

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sam_onofree
captain of 50
Posts: 62

Re: Hello

Post by sam_onofree »

The Creator wrote: ↑October 13th, 2021, 5:27 pm
sam_onofree wrote: ↑October 13th, 2021, 4:20 pm Hey everyone, I thought I'd take a second to introduce myself ... I eventually stumbled across The Naked Communist by W. Cleon Skousen and had my worldview shaken...
Thanks for sharing, and welcome.

W. Cleon Skousen (and Ezra Taft Benson) was a big part of my waking up process.

Fwiw, Joel Skousen will be speaking on Friday, December 3, at the Highland City Building in Highland, Utah. He usually does a year-end "analysis" meeting.
I would love to go hear him talk! I was at his talk in Pleasant Grove last year.

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Elizabeth
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 11796
Location: East Coast Australia

Re: Hello

Post by Elizabeth »

:) Welcome sam_onofree.

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