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Oliver didn’t come up through any church like others before him. He wasn’t raised with religion or any sort of moral guidance. By his nature, he’s sweet and charming, but easily corruptible. It just took the peer pressure of school friends and neighborhood kids to steer him down a path of bad behavior. Now, having spent some time as a young man and away from those early influences, he’s found himself hungry for the kind of purpose and calling he never had before.
The Mormon church wasn’t something he expected to find himself inside. He’d always seen it as something silly or crazy, always watching the bike riding missionaries dressed in white shirts and ties. He thought some were kind of cute, but knew to steer clear. That is, until they came to his door.
The missionaries seemed so happy and friendly. They seemed to have no doubt or fear. And, they had each other. Oliver couldn’t say there wasn’t some appeal in having a community to belong to. And while his feelings towards other men were becoming more apparent, he was not ready to drape himself in a rainbow flag and head down the local boy bar.
It seems strange, but the Church seemed like a good option. He was greeted so positively, he lost all sense of apprehension. He wanted to belong so badly. He would do whatever it took.
And several of the Mormons in his area were Masons. Although the emphasis was initially on baptism and joining the Mormon church, something changed when he confided in the other young men that he might be more interested in guys than girls. Indeed, it didn’t take long before the two young “elders” talking to him about joining his local lodge. What happened next was all a blur, but eventually they wanted him to meet Grandmaster Legrand Wolf and be initiated into what they called, “The Order.”
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