My exit story is now up in PoMoPedia

[Jeff_Ricks]

Here's a direct link to it (read it when you have nothing better to do):

http://www.postmormon.org/exp_e/index.php/pomopedia/The_Lord_in_the_Bahamas/

Jeff

[helemon]

Here's a direct link to it (read it when you have nothing better to do):

http://www.postmormon.org/exp_e/index.php/pomopedia/The_Lord_in_the_Bahamas/

Jeff

Rex is Latin for King. So are you also related to German royalty?

Burg is German for Castle. So Rexburg means the Kings Castle. Sounds pretty modest to me. ;)

[Jeff_Ricks]

Rex is Latin for King. So are you also related to German royalty? http://www.casahistoria.net/hitlernaziflag.jpg

Do you see the resemblance?


Just kidding!!:D

I don't think I ever knew that Ricks has German origins. Reading the chamber of commerce page mentioned at the top of my story is the first time I've known that.

Jeff

[hamar]

I liked your story and found some similarities, although I'm not related to royalty. I know some Ricks in Rexburg, if that counts.

I posted my story as well; it's long and rather unremarkable, but it's there for anyone bored enough to want to take a look. :p

[helemon]

Do you see the resemblance?

No, but I do see a bit of resemblence to King Fredrick in the shape of the mouth, the forehead, the nose and the shape of the head:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d3/FrederickIIofPrussia.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d3/FrederickIIofPrussia.jpg
All hail king Jeff! ;)

[Jeff_Ricks]

No, but I do see a bit here:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d3/FrederickIIofPrussia.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d3/FrederickIIofPrussia.jpg
All hail king Jeff! ;)
Are you saying that I look like a sissy? :neener:

[helemon]

Are you saying that I look like a sissy? :neener:

Notice I didn't comment on the hair! And that's very manly armor that guy is wearing!
Here's the Rex family crest
http://www.houseofnames.com/i/family-crest/coas/zoom/11102-family-crest-English.gif
And this is the Ricks family crest
http://www.houseofnames.com/i/family-crest/coas/zoom/11033-family-crest-English.gif

Guess old grand dad was right, it is the same family.

[Jeff_Ricks]

Notice I didn't comment on the hair! And that's very manly armor that guy is wearing!Well okay then. I didn't notice the armor. I guess if someone compares me to a king, with cool armor I should be happy. Even if he has sissy hair. :)

Here's the Rex family crest
http://www.houseofnames.com/i/family-crest/coas/zoom/11102-family-crest-English.gif
And this is the Ricks family crest
http://www.houseofnames.com/i/family-crest/coas/zoom/11033-family-crest-English.gif

Guess old grand dad was right, it is the same family.Thanks for the info on the family crest! To me it's very interesting and is all new stuff I've never known. I was never much into geneology. I figured there were plenty of Ricks' around to do the work for me. ;)

Jeff

[puff]

Here's a direct link to it (read it when you have nothing better to do):

http://www.postmormon.org/exp_e/index.php/pomopedia/The_Lord_in_the_Bahamas/

Jeffinteresting story jeff and nice to finaly see a photo , your daughter looks quite simalar to my youngest (very nice looking ),
i have been feeling a bit down lately and suddenly realized that there may be quite a few people around here ( mormons ) who are secretly hoping that something real bad will happen to me so they can vindicate their religious beliefs , i geuss this has come about because i was quite outspoken when i left and accused the first presidency of not telling the members the real truth , this is starting to bug me quite a lot and has started putting more strain on my marriage as my wife is one of those that thinks like that , did you have that feeling to , of being sort of hated by former friends and relatives who now consider you to be a traitor of sorts , did you re marry or prefer living alone , this is something i have thought about a lot , that if the worst comes to the worst and i end up on my own , how would i cope with that , i would think the phsycological pressures of all that would be something awsome , but you say you are happier so i geuss things can work out ok .
i do lots of engineering work as well , mostly stripping and rebuilding cars , very interresting story , thanks

[helemon]

i have been feeling a bit down lately and suddenly realized that there may be quite a few people around here ( mormons ) who are secretly hoping that something real bad will happen to me so they can vindicate their religious beliefs , i geuss this has come about because i was quite outspoken when i left and accused the first presidency of not telling the members the real truth , this is starting to bug me quite a lot and has started putting more strain on my marriage as my wife is one of those that thinks like that ,

Puff, you are probably making more out of this than is really there. I would bet that most members either pitty you or don't even think much about you. Perhaps it is the weed that is creating these feelings.
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/Marijuana-Side-Effects.html
Some of the common side effects of marijuana are:
Trouble remembering things
Sleepiness
Anxiety
Paranoia

Why let what those people might think get you down? NZ is a great place to live. Your wife hasn't left you, and if she did, you said there are a lot of humpy women down there. You shouldn't feel bad about having spoken the truth in church.

[Jeff_Ricks]

...a lot and has started putting more strain on my marriage as my wife is one of those that thinks like that , did you have that feeling to , of being sort of hated by former friends and relatives who now consider you to be a traitor of sortsYeah, I had some of the same feelings for sure. As it turned out, some of it was real and some of it was imagined.
...did you re marry or prefer living alone , this is something i have thought about a lot , that if the worst comes to the worst and i end up on my own , how would i cope with that , i would think the phsycological pressures of all that would be something awsome , but you say you are happier so i geuss things can work out ok...I'm still single. I dated quite a bit for the first 3-4 years after the divorce then gradually dated less and less as I decided to commit some time to getting this po-mo thing going, and in the process I got to liking being single more and more. But I intend to get back into dating again in a few months. For now I have too much on my plate.
...i do lots of engineering work as well , mostly stripping and rebuilding cars , very interresting story , thanksSound like a fun job! I enjoy working with cars when it's not just fixing something that's broken.

Jeff

[dogzilla]

Perhaps it is the weed that is creating these feelings.
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/Marijuana-Side-Effects.html



You know what? That's a very patronizing and offensive attitude. Puff isn't the only one who puffs on a regular basis. That doesn't mean that the one substance that shall not be named, lest we influence children or imply promotion of illegal activities, always causes depression.

Maybe Puff actually has something valid to contribute and we don't need to be dismissing his comments or genuine feelings because he's the token stoner and it's just the pot talking.

[helemon]

Maybe Puff actually has something valid to contribute and we don't need to be dismissing his comments or genuine feelings because he's the token stoner and it's just the pot talking.

So you are saying that the pot is definitely not contributing to Puff's feelings of loneliness, and paranoia about what ward members think about him? While I agree that many of us have been concerned about what our Mormon friends might think about us, most of us move on and realize that it doesn't matter what they think.

If Puff had said he had been taking Prozac and was feeling suicidal would it be patronizing and offensive to suggest that it could be the Prozac that is making him feel that way? Why is it only offensive if the drug he is using is illegal? Why are you so certain that it is not the pot influencing his emotions? It is clear that it influences his emotions. Why could it not be having a negative effect as well? Sure what he is feeling could be normal, but it could also be exacerbated by the drugs he is doing. If he wants to get better he needs to look at all of the possible sources for the emotions he is dealing with. My post was not meant to be patronizing but for Puff to look at other possible sources of his depression.

[dogzilla]

So you are saying that the pot is definitely not contributing to Puff's feelings of loneliness, and paranoia about what ward members think about him? While I agree that many of us have been concerned about what our Mormon friends might think about us, most of us move on and realize that it doesn't matter what they think.

If Puff had said he had been taking Prozac and was feeling suicidal would it be patronizing and offensive to suggest that it could be the Prozac that is making him feel that way? Why is it only offensive if the drug he is using is illegal? Why are you so certain that it is not the pot influencing his emotions? It is clear that it influences his emotions. Why could it not be having a negative effect as well? Sure what he is feeling could be normal, but it could also be exacerbated by the drugs he is doing. If he wants to get better he needs to look at all of the possible sources for the emotions he is dealing with. My post was not meant to be patronizing but for Puff to look at other possible sources of his depression.

I'm not certain of anything and I don't think it's our place to diagnose our friend from halfway around the world. I'm definitely not qualified. That's all I was saying.

[nate]

Why is it only offensive if the drug he is using is illegal? Why are you so certain that it is not the pot influencing his emotions? It is clear that it influences his emotions. Why could it not be having a negative effect as well? Sure what he is feeling could be normal, but it could also be exacerbated by the drugs he is doing.

It is not only offensive that you are trying to link depression to marijuana use when it is absolutely and clearly off topic, but also that you are diagnosing depression when all Puff was doing was talking about feelings that MOST of us have had (and have discussed on this board) after leaving the church and remaining in close quarters with TBMs.

It has nothing to do with the fact that the drug is illegal IN THE US, but that you are singling out one specific thing for no good reason. Why not coffee, or chocolate?

http://www.doctoryourself.com/caffeine_allergy.html

Why not many of the millions of other things that can cause a person to feel down or anxious, including leaving a cult or having religious differences with a spouse? We all feel down sometimes, we all feel anxious sometimes...doesn't mean we are suffering from depression. And we all know how fanatical TBMs can and do act towards apostates, so why is what Puff is feeling paranoia? It IS completely possible that he is not imagining these things.

No offense intended to anyone here, just trying to make a point that we should be careful to try not to assume too much.

Nate

[helemon]

And we all know how fanatical TBMs can and do act towards apostates, so why is what Puff is feeling paranoia? It IS completely possible that he is not imagining these things.


It could very well be that some of the TBMs in the area would like to see Puff hit hard times in order to justify their belief system. What Puff needs to ask himself is, why should you care about what they think? I can understand if his wife was being antagonistic toward him, but why let delluded people who were never your friends bring you down? If you do that then they win because they look at you and say, 'See! Look at how miserable Puff is without the gospel in his life!' Living well is the best revenge.

I only offered the drug connection as one potential source of his feelings of melancoly. Only he and his physician can determine if his feelings are normal or need treatment. Is does no service to ignore the potential that Puffs drug use could be contributing to or exacerbating his feelings of isolation from people who he thought were his friends. It could also be that it is his drug use that keeps members away, just as many members do not like to be around people who are drinking alcohol. Still the issue is that Puff should try not to dwell on what those people may or may not think about him.

[puff]

You know what? That's a very patronizing and offensive attitude. Puff isn't the only one who puffs on a regular basis. That doesn't mean that the one substance that shall not be named, lest we influence children or imply promotion of illegal activities, always causes depression.

Maybe Puff actually has something valid to contribute and we don't need to be dismissing his comments or genuine feelings because he's the token stoner and it's just the pot talking.Hey thanx for sticking up for me , as for is it pot or is it them lot , well its probably a bit of both , i have found pot makes me melancholy and a bit paronoid so lately i,ve been switching to wines when i want to have a good time , however i don,t think i am imagining the bad feelings around me at times , we all know how members act to one of the fold leaving , in my case i walked into the chapel and told somebody directly that i did not think the book of mormon was historicaly authentic .
a typical reaction to that is , you just wait and see what god does and we will see whats true , yes it gets very vinditictive with a lot of hate swirling around , so i think your selling yourself short if you think its all just pot and puffs head .
as time goes on i can feel myself moving further and further from mo corp , as its still my first year out i am quite proud that i have stuck up for myself thus far with no support from anybody physicaly close to me , only this page is the support i have .
most of my peace of mind in the last year has come from studying evolution and gaining a deeper perspective of time margins involved in the creation of the earth , i have a deep love of geology , have found some fossil specimens of my own and have thought of joining a group that goes out fossil hunting , so its not all bad for me .
a freind told me recently that my occasional visits to church may also be helping others who feel trapped inside the machine , so its not all bad , as for pot , i am probably going to give it up shortly as i am in to health vibes more so than getting stoned , its good to be free and happy without taking anything , recently we have started family meetings where we all talk honestly about are habits , pot , party pills and lots of alcohol , as i have about seven young adults living under my roof this is most interesting and so far three people have shown desires to give up intoxication as a way of live , three others just wanted to carry on but apreciated the meeting .
this was a first , having family meeting that did not involve religion and advocated drug free entertainment that has nothing to do with a church , so we are planning family nights out to dances ect were everyone has to learn to enjoy themselves without intoxication .
as we have a heavily intoxicated family one way or another , this would seem a step in the right direction .
the funny thing is , my smoking seems to have jilted them into wanting to give it all up , like , now its happening to our dad as well , well its not so hip anymore , isn,t it called negative phsycology or something ,
by the way , the local members who are sober are having big ding dongs , fights and hell knows what else , in comparison i am on a very even keel .....

[puff]

So you are saying that the pot is definitely not contributing to Puff's feelings of loneliness, and paranoia about what ward members think about him? While I agree that many of us have been concerned about what our Mormon friends might think about us, most of us move on and realize that it doesn't matter what they think.

If Puff had said he had been taking Prozac and was feeling suicidal would it be patronizing and offensive to suggest that it could be the Prozac that is making him feel that way? Why is it only offensive if the drug he is using is illegal? Why are you so certain that it is not the pot influencing his emotions? It is clear that it influences his emotions. Why could it not be having a negative effect as well? Sure what he is feeling could be normal, but it could also be exacerbated by the drugs he is doing. If he wants to get better he needs to look at all of the possible sources for the emotions he is dealing with. My post was not meant to be patronizing but for Puff to look at other possible sources of his depression.thanx for your comments , i wasn,t offended by them and can see where your coming from

[Born Free]

You know what? That's a very patronizing and offensive attitude. Puff isn't the only one who puffs on a regular basis. That doesn't mean that the one substance that shall not be named, lest we influence children or imply promotion of illegal activities, always causes depression.

Maybe Puff actually has something valid to contribute and we don't need to be dismissing his comments or genuine feelings because he's the token stoner and it's just the pot talking.
Guys, I did not bother to chip in on subject of Puff's anxieties about what ward members thought when he contributed, but the first thing I thought was 'Sure sounds suspiciously paranoid to me' and 'Research here in Australia, whilst not complete, has scientists on the team saying openly that one of the interim findings is that there appears to be a strong link between hooch use, paranoia and schizophrenia.

Now, I can sit on that and say zip, or share it. I think I may have said something previously to Puff, but on this occasion I chose to let it pass.

But now I observe 'Zilla going for Helemon, appearing to have tidily placed him in the 'ultra-conservative jerk' box.

'Zilla, we have called each other on a few things we have disagreed over, so I hope you accept this offering in the spirit in which it is offered. Whilst Helemon may be more conservative in his approach to drugs than me, and a lot more than you, I question whether he overstepped the mark.

I am also not sure I can agree with you on 'That's a very patronizing and offensive attitude.'

If from H's perspective, he has a concern that Puff may be compromising his health, how might he express that concern without pressing your 'Conservative jerk' button?

Surely there is room to express a concern that someone else may be destroying their health. For instance, what wording might you have liked him to use, that you would not find 'patronizing and offensive', but still express his health concern for Puff, remembering that for H, he has seen a lot of pain and loss associated with drug misuse?

I went back to what Puff said 'i have been feeling a bit down lately and suddenly realized that there may be quite a few people around here ( mormons ) who are secretly hoping that something real bad will happen to me so they can vindicate their religious beliefs'

I see quite few men who use and abuse a range of substances and behaviours to self-medicate through the pain of separation and divorce. Whilst it is common, all the research says it does not help, and that there is a risk of making the situation worse.

By the way, I don't believe that anyone, including the science, is saying everyone who smokes one joint will turn mental. But the picture that I am aware of emerging from the science, which in this country tends to be more values neutral than appears to be the case in the USA, is warning of a significantly elevated risk.

'Zilla I made the effort to raise this because I had seen postings of yours on two threads that seemed (from my perspective) to read an intent into H's posting, that I could not see. The other was the reference to 'porn' on Fox. I understood H to be speaking from the perspective of Conservative, Fox consuming audiences. I have a problem with your suggestion that conservatives have some monopoly on hubris. From my perspective, I am not sure any one political persuasion is immune from hypocrisy.

Daryl

BTW, IF Puff was taking Prozac or any SSRI and reported anything like suicidal thoughts, I would speak up, because I am very aware that in a subset of clients, SSRIs are now known to elevate suicide risk. Even the FDA there highlighted that risk in just the last few months.

The facts are the facts from my perspective, regardless of the source. Several pharmecuital manufacturers have been caught suppressing evidence of elevated suicide risk a small portion of participants in their trails. The above finding is above and beyond that people who consider starting on ADs are already at elevated risk to start with.

[dogzilla]

Daryl, did you have an actual question for me?

Regarding both of Helemon's posts you referred to: I'm not accusing him of any intent he didn't mean. Perhaps just pointing out how some people (like me) might perceive his comments. Doesn't mean I'm right, or I'm on to anything, or that I think any of you should think just exactly the way I do.

If Helemon was offended or upset by anything I posted, I probably would have gotten a PM from him by now. I'm just putting up a different perspective so folks can see how they might think they were perfectly clear, but it turns out other people can read all sorts of things into posts that may or may not be there. I'm not trying to pigeonhole Helemon into any one point of view -- that's your projection and how you read into my posts. I'm not drawing conclusions about who or what I think Helemon is like based on a couple of posts. I was just disagreeing with the spirit of the posts. That doesn't put him into any one single category for me.

You, on the other hand... ;)

[helemon]

Hey thanx for sticking up for me , as for is it pot or is it them lot , well its probably a bit of both , i have found pot makes me melancholy and a bit paronoid so lately i,ve been switching to wines when i want to have a good time , however i don,t think i am imagining the bad feelings around me at times , we all know how members act to one of the fold leaving , in my case i walked into the chapel and told somebody directly that i did not think the book of mormon was historicaly authentic .
a typical reaction to that is , you just wait and see what god does and we will see whats true , yes it gets very vinditictive with a lot of hate swirling around , so i think your selling yourself short if you think its all just pot and puffs head .

Thanks for the clarification Puff. As for the reaction to your statement about the BoM I am not surprised. It would be like you going to their house and taking a crap in their pool, or standing up in Catholic church and saying that you thought Mother Mary was an f*ing whore. You can't expect such statements to be received warmly and with understanding.:duck:

[peter_mary]

Not that I'm trying to detract from the weed element of this thread, but I just finished catching up on the exit stories, and I wanted to thank those [few] who have posted theirs...I really appreciate knowing you that much better...

:)

[papa]

Thanks for the exit story, Jeff. I think it's pretty amazing that, even tho you were a true blue Mormon boy from a big Mormon family and town, you still found the integrity and sense to study and decide for yourself from the evidences. Congrats!

Now to pick a nit, if I may. The citation by helemon about h^^^
effects indicates that a common effect is paranoia, which is different from the depression mentioned in other posts. C sativa is actually a very fine ANTIdepressant. Use can cause paranoid ideation tho, it is true. At least, that's my excuse ;)

[helemon]

Now to pick a nit, if I may. The citation by helemon about h^^^
effects indicates that a common effect is paranoia, which is different from the depression mentioned in other posts. C sativa is actually a very fine ANTIdepressant. Use can cause paranoid ideation tho, it is true. At least, that's my excuse ;)
Good to know! It is very likely that many of these mood elevating drugs legal and illegal can also create negative emotional states as well as positive especially when the chemical is leaving the persons system. Which just demonstrates how closely tie our sense of well being and even our sense of self is to biochemicals.