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I was raised as a Mormon, babtised at 8, received the aaronic priesthood at 12, went through the various age rights, and received the melchizidek (I know I spelled it wrong) at 18. I could've gone on a Mission for the Church, but moved out shortly after turning 18, and stopped attending church, and well didn't really question it, but made my own life decisions. I devoted my teenage years to the study of the Church, and encompassed everything about it. To be honest, I was about the perfect model Mormon citizen at the time.
I would definitely be a different person today if I wasn't raised as a Mormon. Not sure how I'd currently be, but definitely know I'd be different.
If I wasn't raised Mormon, would I have found it some other way. Don't know, if I had the cynical attitude towards religions I currently have, no, I'd probably turn it down before fully hearing it out, or would just claim that I don't currently have time to devote to religion.
I do not feel I was served an injustice by being brought up this way. I had fun, I enjoyed it. Like I said I truly devoted my life to Church and church activities as a teenager, and I felt good and happy doing such things, and being around great people. I had friends outside church, and spent just as much time with them as my friends from church, and well simply loved it.
After moving out onto my own, I realized I did not enjoy it so much when more and more it felt like I was simply some church member's project to have them better myself and get me even more involved than I wanted to be, and then when I pulled away even more, it became the project of everyone to try and get me back. Treated like I was a number rather than just a person. My believes right now... They're muddled, big-time, between what I "Knew" as a Mormon, and now what I know nothing about as an open-minded individual. I am glad for the way I was brought up though.
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