Meat, Potatoes, and Beer
Topic: The Miracle Of Sin
It's been a rough week at work and consequently, my schedule has been thrown off quite badly. This meant last night, because I worked very late, I came home and only had the motivation to make some macoroni and cheese, play on the comp a bit, and go to bed. The problem here is, the night before I had worked out very hard and I even managed to get some exercise in at work last night. So I just wasn't eating the right food, or enough of it. Therefore, I woke up this morning fatiqued and sickly and work today was a struggle. But I knew there was cure for my condition, left a little early, and got started.

First thing was to hack off a couple of slabs of beef and get them in a lemon juice and soy sauce marinade. A half hour later, with what strength I had left I managed to put them on the grill. I use a high flame as my goal is to sear the outside while leaving the inside a little rare. With the proper marinade, searing, a little Montreal Steak Seasoning and some garlic, even a cheaper cut will taste incredible.

Along with the steak I had mashed potatoes with just a little salt and butter and mixed vegetables I cook with a few drops of olive oil and lemon juice. But the key factor that tied it all together was a cold bottle of Lawson Creek Red Ale. What a meal. Solid but not too heavy, and just enough alcohol to get that slightly warm feeling. I could feel my former strength being restored. With a good night's sleep, I'll be back to normal by tommorow.

Something a Mormon will never know is the enhancement the right alcoholic beverage can bring to a good dinner. They'll take a Tylenol with codine or any other number of drugs which bring about a far more pronounced altered state than what Satan has provided for us in the natural remedy of beer. But moderation be damned, there will not be a drop of alcohol ingested (unless it's Robotussin and they don't bother to think about it then).

I urge all my Mormon brothers and sisters to go to the store and buy a six pack of beer. In the name of the vain images of the world, Amen.

Learning to Drink Beer
Topic: The Miracle Of Sin
Those who leave the church, especially males, should at some point enjoy drinking beer. There are of course, exceptions. But acceptable exceptions do not include reasoning such as, "I just can't stand the taste" or "I like to be in control" or "I don't want church members to think I left the church because of sin, so I'm going to live the 'moral' aspects of the gospel better than the average member!"

The last excuse here I've dealt with in the first post of this series. Sin can play a healthy role in an apostacy. And besides, no Mormon will ever believe an apostate didn't sin horrifically even if all the evidence points otherwise.

A taste for beer is sometimes acquired. But in my case, and in other cases I'm aware of, beer becomes desirable even before the first sip simply because the easier-to-drink options become too sweet. To never desire a beer might indicate one isn't drinking at all. And while there are no "sins" in atheism, it's unfortunate that some would prefer to not enhance their lives with the relaxation and happiness alcohol can bring.

Which brings us to our next point, the "buzz" not being worth the tradeoff of losing control. Losing control of course, is part of enjoying life. Those who wish to never be out of control should refuse to ever have another orgasm. A rewarding experience is often punctuated by loss of control.

To tie it all together then, overcoming the fears and superstitions of Mormonism should lead most apostates to enjoy drinking. And enjoying drinking will almost always lead to beer consumption, for many, beer will become the staple alocholic beverage. The next post in this series will educate the apostate on the various beer choices.

Shall We Sin?
Topic: The Miracle Of Sin
Shall we sin? Absolutely!

One of the things I've noticed with some of my fellow apostates is they resist enjoying the many pleasures the world has to offer. Contrary to what many TBMs think, apostates often times have difficulty embracing a worldly life. Part of that resistance I think, is a belief that they need to be able to say, "I lived the gospel for 25 years, I went on a mission, I never did anything wrong, I paid a full tithing. When I left the church it wasn't because I wanted to sin or because I was bitter, but because I had studied the issues and made an informed decision."

There are a couple of problems with this reasoning. First of all, it's a Mormon belief that the presence of sin accounts for all apostacy. Those who have rejected the many absurd claims of the church don't need to apply this standard to themselves. Sins, emotions, personal choices, and lifestyle are always a part of apostacy. Just not for the reasons church members think they are. It doesn't matter if it's Mormonism, Scientology or the Navy, someone who breaks community protocols and alienate themselves from the group, even in subtle ways, is always in a position where they can more objectively evaluate the institutions they belong to. This is not inherently good or bad. Suffice it to say, there is no inherent shame in "sin" being a part of the exit story.

So yes, it's ok to sin! No Mormon is ever going to believe you didn't! The key to remember is that just because other factors besides reason contribute to apostacy, that doesn't mean the apostacy isn't justified on the very logical grounds given. In fact, as I have argued, it often takes some real life turmoil in order to get our brains to question deeply held assumptions about the world.