My TBM SIL tried the guilt trip on my to return back to the fold with my parents cry and pray for me to return back to the fold every night. How can I stay away from TSCC knowing the pain my parents are going through.

I told my SIL that someone in her family had left their religion to join TSCC. She said on no - her family goes all the way back to kissing the ground Joseph Smith shlt on.

I then tried to explain to her that son who is on a mission everytime he converts someone to TSCC, that their family is hurt they joined TSCC. She said - O no, they are joining the true church.

How can TSCC brain wash bright people into using such stupid answers?

Leaving aside the debate as to whether Mormons are real Christians . . . any ideology that claims to have The Truth will see itself as exceptional. If all its claims are true, then everyone else *has* to be wrong. So if non-Mormon families are hurt when one of their own leaves to join Mormonism, that's sad but worth it to them. They see someone *leaving* Mormonism as leaving The Truth, which of course really would be tragic if it were all true.

The starting point is that there is only one real Truth, and they have it. They don't see it as a situation where people have many valid, equally worthwhile options to choose from. Religions are not all equal, remember.

So you'd have to find a way to undermine their starting point, the belief that there IS one true church in the first place. And the idea is too deeply rooted in Christianity (and Islam) to be questioned by most of them. It's a foundational concept.

themaster Wrote:
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> O no, they are joining the true church.

She needs to talk to someone who this did happen to, where the family was devastated that their loved one joined Mormonism, to hear another's point-of-view.

But anyway, I'd probably point out the ridiculousness of their answer by trying to get her to see another point-of-view.

Having said that, when someone is that brainwashed, it's usually just a waste of time to argue a point with them.

It sounds like you need to tell your family that they need to respect your choices, just as you respect their choice to be Mormon. Tell them that if they can't do so, then they risk hurting their relationship with you.

Remind them of the second half of the 11th Article of Faith. They're so good at claiming their right to believe as they choose, but they're not so good at allowing others that same right.

Certainly don't give in to the tears. You can't live your life trying to please others. You'd be miserable and you're not responsible for their happiness. They're responsible for their own happiness.

You may need to simply say, "Look, I'm not responsible for how you react to my choices. I'm not responsible for making you happy and I do expect my choices to be respected. I'm not discussing this with you anymore."

You could turn the tables on them and tell them that you pray every day that they'll see the truth about Mormonism. LOL