Ten years ago when I told my wife that I no longer was an orthodox mormon, she said under her breath, "If I knew this could have happened, I don't know if we would have gotten married."
From that shocking initial statement and two very rough years that potentially could have broken our marriage.
Here we are 10 years later.
Stronger in our marriage. Totally focused on here and now and our family.
She has continued to evolve into a much more liberal mormon and just focuses on community and services.
Even though she is the relief society president and does an an amazing job at serving the sisters in the ward, she has become extremely unorthodox herself.
The most amazing thing was a conversation a couple of weeks ago where she let me know that she has now read the CES letter. We talked in depth about how, even if someone wants to believe, much of what is taught in sunday school is absolutely NOT true.
She then went on about how, even if mormonism some how were God's one true kingdom on earth, she would rather live in the terrestrial kingdom with me and our three kids who are out of the church than be in the celestial kingdom.
The church is so screwed. Here you have a RSP who wants to be committed to the church, but who is waking up to the realities that it is built upon very shifting sand.
For those of you in a mixed faith marriage. Hold out hope. Sometimes it can work out.
As many of you might have gathered, I have just graduated and on my way back home after my residence in the country officially ended! I studied for a masters in <redacted> Economy, and it was life changing, I have learnt a lot over these 12 months at Uni than I did in three years back home. Uni truly was a sensational experience and for those considering a degree, I'd recommend you start it when you can physically go into classrooms, the difference in the experience of online and on site learning are world's apart.
I have learnt a lot in these last 16 months, from everyone around me and the experience I have had here. I have never felt uncomfortable, racially or socially, and I have never felt left out.
I have had memories that will stay with me for a lifetime, I have walked the streets of London more times than I have walked my city back home, I was able to fulfil a lifelong dream of watching a premier league game live at Old Trafford, I loved the insane catalogs of everything I could possible want from Argos and Sainsbury and that Waitrose is for the posh! Cheesy Wotsits grew on me, so did the Bacon Double Cheeseburger, Terry's Chocolate Orange and Guinness, oh Guinness, I don't think I can go on in life without a pint of Guinness Stout every now and then.!
The lockdown was a bummer, no, actually the virus was a bummer, but between September '19 and March '20, I lived a lifetime of happiness and emotion. I was never active here but I have been subbed since I landed and constantly giggling and cracking up seeing some top quality stuff here (lurk all the time), and I'll continue to do the same. But I will miss being in the know, miss being on the inside jokes and miss taking a walk from Westminster to Tottenham Court Road every now and then. I have been around, I have met a lot of people but I have never experienced the same warmth and treatment as I got from you lot. I love the British sense of humour, it may not seem like much but I just absolutely crack open sometimes.
All in all, there was not a single moment where I stopped to think, "I do not belong here", most of the people I met said they never would have guessed I didn't spend my entire life here, you made it that comfortable for me.
Times are very tough right now, so I must leave, but I promise to be back, someday, because I have never felt home like I have felt it here, and I wish you all the best, with the pandemic and the new policies!
Love,
u/harshmangat.
I remember being in Sunday School when I was 12, and we learned about the three kingdoms. Our teacher used some book that had illustrations in it. We talked about how the Telestial Kingdom was for bad people, the Celestial Kingdom was for Mormons who had faith and did all the ordinances. The page about the Terrestrial Kingdom really stuck out to me though. It said something along the lines of βThe Terrestrial Kingdom is for good people who refused the Gospelβ and it showed a picture of a nice, smiling couple in their cute, average-sized house, politely asking the missionaries to leave.
I knew I was supposed to want to go to the Celestial Kingdom, but that picture and what it represented really made me want to be in the Terrestrial Kingdom. It was filled with nice, happy people with quaint little houses just having a good time in the afterlife. The Celestial Kingdom, in my mind, just sounded like a bit too much. Too many people (like, I love my family, but being with all of my ancestors forever sounds awful), too big, too bright, and too much responsibility (making a planet sounds hard tbh). Plus, it sounds like eternal church. No thank you. Iβm going to have a cute little garden in the Terrestrial Kingdom, and my family can come visit with me whenever they want to. Heck, they can stay with me for eternity and still have eternity left to go do everything else they want to do.
So that kind of backfired.
Because Rick Astley is British.
VOX claims "It was inevitable, but itβs finally here: Digital advertising businesses like Facebook and Google will be bigger in the US this year than traditional advertising businesses like TV, radio, and newspapers.
New estimates from eMarketer show that US advertisers will spend more than $129 billion on digital advertising in 2019 β more than the $109 billion they plan to spend on βtraditionalβ advertising"
Is anybody surprised ?
https://www.vox.com/2019/2/20/18232433/digital-advertising-facebook-google-growth-tv-print-emarketer-2019
Many have complained about both party's stances on Brexit. The Tories are split on Brexit and cannot give a united line. The party itself is on the fence about Brexit and many suspect that May herself is actually pro-Remain. Her deal is a watered down Brexit and has been opposed by her own party from people who want a hard Brexit as well as remainers.
The Labour, in addition to facing accusations of Antisemitism and attacks from its center, have had an even worse "on the fence issue". Labour has until recently tried to play both sides by remaining on the fence on Brexit, and has only recently committed to a referendum "between the Labour Brexit option and the Remain option" if there is no vote on their deal (a customs union) or a new general election. Many in the remain camp have viewed this as too little too late, and still view a vote for Corbyn as a vote for Brexit - who in fact, used to explicitly support Brexit.
Now we have various new parties popping up. Change UK was an example of both Labour and Tory MPs splitting off and what many believe was the catalyst of Labour supporting a second referendum. They had short term polling success in the polls but have since faltered
More interesting, The Brexit Party, out of the corpse of a UKIP party moving towards the far right, is now leading MEP polls, and have managed to hold such a lead in recent days. In addition, the Liberal Democrats have recently had huge gains in local elections.
Many see the unpopularity of both major parties and their leaders, with May having a net favorability from the negative 30's to negative 40's and Corbyn having one from the negative 30's to the negative 50's and the recent successes of parties whom are taking a more solid approach as the death of one or both major parties, or at the very least a realignment. Can either major party survive Brexit? Or will there be new parties in their place?
