If it feels good, believe it. That's the short form of the popular Mormon testimony model. I got a double dose of it today in Sunday School (Mormon adults attend an adult Sunday School class each week as part of their 3-hour block of weekly meetings). The text for study this year is the Book of Mormon; in today's introductory lesson, several participants waxed eloquent on the nice feelings the Book of Mormon brings them (while reading it, while praying, while singing hymns in church, whatever) and how that establishes the truth of the book for them.
Of course, members of other denominations get nice feelings too (while reading their Bible, while praying, while singing hymns in their congregations) but that can't possibly say anything about the truth of their beliefs or creed. And the possibility that a person might read the Book of Mormon and NOT get nice feelings is simply beyond reasonable consideration. The instructor in today's class did a nice little play-act ridiculing such an outcome by reading a Book of Mormon verse with an emotionless response. I'm sorry, this is not a model of inquiry, this is a mindset. And a firmly entrenched one, I might add. The longer form of the Mormon testimony model might go like this: "If it feels good, believe it, if it's what WE told you to believe. If anything else feels good, don't believe it. If what we told you to believe doesn't feel good, then there's something wrong with you."
Something wrong, you say with surprise? Would anyone possibly critique or reject another person's prayer experience? Yes, there's an ugly side to Moroni's Promise if you don't play along with the Mormon script. "[I]f ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of [the Book of Mormon] unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost" (Moroni 10:4). So obviously (to the convinced Mormon) a person who doesn't get nice Holy Ghosty feelings about the Book of Mormon (1) is insincere; or (2) is sincere but irresolute, lacking real intent; or (3) is sincere and determined but lacks faith in God. Plenty of outs here; if a seemingly sincere person fails to admit to nice feelings about the Book of Mormon, it's obviously not the prayer method or the Book of Mormon that is flawed, it's the person. There's something wrong with them and it's obvious what it is: they are insincere, they lack intent, they are unfaithful.
Surprisingly, this unwillingness to give any weight to contrary experience is not limited to others. A prayer confirmation of a choice of marriage partner, job opportunity, investment, or other significant life choice that subsequently turns out badly or even disastrously is not likely to lead the average Mormon to question their own prayer experience or the validity of the nice feelings model as a guide to truth. Faith in the Mormon prayer method seems impervious to contrary experience. As an explanatory device, it is just too useful and convenient to discard. Contrary facts or experience are ignored, denied, or explained away.
I'm not being unduly harsh here, just engaging in self-criticism. I hasten to point out that there are defensible reasons for believing in Mormonism and being an active member of the LDS Church, as there are for most other denominations. They are pragmatic, like the reasons we give for most things we do in life. One could say "I grew up a Mormon, I'm comfortable worshipping God here, and I see no reason to change." One could say "I get meaningful Christian fellowship from fellow Mormons and experience spiritual growth through my activity in the Church." One could say "I read lots of books on Mormon doctrine and history, including Mormon scriptures, and the Mormon system of belief is at least as defensible as the others I am familiar with."
That last statement is no hollow position, by the way. Creation Science makes fundy Christians look foolish. Five million Southern Christians defended the morality of slavery by appeal to the Bible all the way to the battlefield, just like modern Christians attack homosexuality by appeal to surprisingly similar Biblical injunctions. Jews feel they have an ethically pure religion and one rather unstained by sacramental ritual; right, until you read about wholesale animal slaughter in the temple or Samuel hacking Agog to death (shades of Nephi and Laban) or God giving Israelites the green light to ethnically cleanse aboriginal Canaanites who inconveniently occupied the promised land. I won't even discuss Islam. And don't think secularity is any moral high ground--consider the barbarity that secularity and the proscription of religion brought to the French Revolution and the Russian Revolution.
No, it's not at all unreasonable for an eyes-wide-open Mormon to prefer the devil they know to the other brands on the market. I just wish the Saints were less attached to word games and displays of affected certitude. Faith, hope, and charity are quite enough.
12:55:57 AM 
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