stevebloor.wordpress.com

What a sincere, decent and eloquent man the church has lost.

What a nice man. Realized that he didn't know how to think for himself. And in the talk about compassion for those who leave, stating for members to look around, as some might not be here next week, month or year. TSCC is definitely hemorrhaging its best and brightest!

His exit letter is incredible. But the previous post, the one that must have been the final talk he gave to his ward is priceless. It will go in my archives and is something I wish I'd had 10 years ago just to give to friends to read.

The line in his exit letter that is gold says, "For me it is more important to believe in an uncomfortable truth than a comforting fantasy."

I think that says it for so many of us. It's not that the mormon eternal family idea doesn't at times sound wonderful. But it's a fantasy. For some people, that fantasy gets them through this life. There's really nothing wrong with that. Whatever works for them. Since I don't believe in any judgment in the hereafter, I don't see anything that wrong with it, other than the fact that they raise children with the same fantasy and eventually some of them or posterity down the line are going to be damaged badly because of it.

But for us, the uncomfortable truth is what we choose to accept. We need to live in reality, no matter how much more enticing the fantasy would be.

Great stuff.

Seems Britain is losing members faster than USA, and especially Utah? Is my perception accurate?

Make sure you read the comments after.

And look, Michael Ash makes an appearance in the comments. LOL. What a windbag.

As my grannie used ta say: "Michael, you can put your shoes in the oven and heat em up, but that don't make 'em biscuits!"

guy clearly is addicted to porn. :)

One blogger commented that maybe God would choose a man that was imperfect, who had a sex addiction that he could not control within the bounds of matrimony???? Did the church not pound into you that you have to be worthy to receive revelation? I could care less if JS could or could not control his pecker--but I do care that he manipulated young women and told them their salvation (exaltation) depended upon them saying yes.

And they think we are the lost ones.

which blog was this posted on?

http://stevebloor.wordpress.com/2011/04/10/resignation-letter-as-bishop/

But it has been taken down now.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/23/2011 03:07PM by Heresy.

But here it is cached: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:VHhFg9ZZloEJ:stevebloor.wordpress.com/2011/04/10/resignation-letter-as-bishop/+http://stevebloor.wordpress.com/2011/04/10/resignation-letter-as-bishop/&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=www.google.com

The General Authorities have warned the Bishops, through the Stake Presidents, to “Prepare for a mass exodus from the church, even from the leadership.”

This is a quotation, and I would very much like to know the source. From what echelon these words were spoken. Is it the SP's interpretation? And area guy? Which "General Authorities" are acknowledging the coming exodus?

The blog posting is gone now...

AngelCowgirl Wrote:
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> The blog posting is gone now...


Did anyone save a copy? The letter was awesome...I was hoping my wife would read it.

Resignation letter as Bishop


Dear President Martin

Firstly, please may I thank you for your amazing example and love. I feel your love and concern for me personally, and hold you in the highest regard as a friend and brother. I have never had reason to doubt your sincerity and compassion for others, and I love you and respect you for it.

It is with great pain and torment of mind and body that I am forced to write to you. I deeply and truly would rather not have to write this letter. But, honesty drives my motives.

I have come to believe over the last month that there are so many inconsistencies and problems with the historicity of the Book of Mormon, as well as the divinity of Joseph Smith’s calling as prophet, that I can no longer, in good faith, fulfill my calling as Bishop of Helston Ward.

When faith in the unseen is replaced with indisputable evidence to the contrary, faith becomes redundant and, in fact, becomes a pleasant, if fanciful, myth.

I have not come to this decision lightly.

You have known me since I was in my early twenties. All that time, including twelve years in Yorkshire, I have diligently served in the Church with my heart, might, mind and strength. I have dedicated myself to God’s service since I was a young boy, including serving a full-time proselyting mission for the Lord in Manchester.

Since moving back to Cornwall I have served the Lord with a passion. I love serving the members of the Helston Ward. And it cuts me to the very centre of my heart to have to ask for this release. But, to do otherwise would be dishonest, and hypocritical now that I have discovered the truth about the church.

It hurts me to even think the church I have sacrificed so much of my life for could be untrue. When I think of the time, physical & emotional effort, money and all the sacrifices I have made as a diligent member, I just can’t believe I am now thinking it was for a false premise.

I am resigning as bishop after much careful study, prayer and thought over a period of over one month. During that time I have desperately tried to find out that what I had recently discovered about the church was a malicious and fictitious lie. But the more I studied the more evidence of a cover-up I discovered.

My initial foray into the world of previously unknown truths about the church (unknown to me), was sparked by a genuine and sincere desire to understand why my brother can no longer believe.

My research has only involved studying church history and commentary, Mormon and Ex-Mormon Intellectual websites and not “evangelical Christian anti-Mormon lies.”

I didn’t realise for instance that Joseph Smith practised polygamy, and was married to 33 women, most under the age of 20, one as young as 14. That some of Joseph’s wives were already married to other men when he married them; a practice called polyandry. All of these facts can be confirmed by a simple look at the church’s own website, familysearch.org.

I didn’t know that all polygamous marriages were illegal in the USA. Yet we believe in “Obeying, honouring and sustaining the law. ”

I have learnt an awful lot about the church which the General Authorities, though accepting as true, refuse to tell the general membership for fear of destroying faith!

There are many other issues, like; there are several accounts of the First Vision and Joseph Smith’s initial personal journal entry about the First Vision didn’t include seeing God the Father and Jesus Christ, but an angel. Then over the years the story got embellished till it changed to what we have today. Yet I was told it was the most momentous event to occur in this dispensation. Why didn’t Joseph initially record it correctly? And there are so many other things that have just dissolved my faith to the point I can no longer bear a testimony of the truthfulness of this church or even God.

Can you imagine how I now feel? It’s like my whole world is crumbling around me. I no longer know what I believe, or who I can trust. I don’t even know who I am, it is a most frightening experience. At the moment it feels like a death in the family. My death!

My feelings have run the whole gamut of human emotions; from initial shock, to anger, despair, grief, sorrow, depression, fear, and concern about the future and relationships. I am very anxious about how my parents and other family members will accept my new beliefs. It changes everything! I no longer have a value system which is my own, I don’t even know how to think anymore. At one point I was fearful my marriage would fail, but luckily our relationship is stronger than that. We have decided to work our way through this together and now our love is even stronger.

All of this whilst still trying to function as bishop. I didn’t want to say anything to you because I wasn’t yet sure, in fact I was desperately hoping it was all a nightmare which I would soon wake up from and everything would be just as it was before. I would still prefer the church to be true, it would be so much easier. But my dedication to the truth compels me to be honest, no matter how painful.

For me it is more important to believe in an uncomfortable truth than a comforting fantasy.

I know that this will be impossible for you to comprehend, just as it was for me when I was a true believing Mormon. It’s just the nature of Mormon psychology, it doesn’t allow for uncertainty or questioning.

I am beginning to see prospects of a brighter future as my reluctant realisation changes to acceptance of the truth and a feeling of excitement to learn more truth.

I had previously believed I knew the truth as strongly as any latter-day saint. My faith was sure! It has been my sure faith which has always guided me in my life, but now that faith seems to pale into insignificance compared to the new feeling of light and knowledge I am receiving.

Some may say I have been conned by Satan, but it feels so good to be seeing things more clearly that I feel god is guiding me. The same type of feeling of “the spirit” that I had as bishop still guides me. My own feelings which are now enhanced with solid, reliable, testable scientific data. Faith can only be faith if the evidence of things not seen are actually true. When all indisputable evidence proves that they are not true, faith is dead.

The most important question every member needs to ask is: “If the church is not true would I want to know?” Only then can one be open-minded to truth.

Just to be clear, my resignation is not due to unresolved sin, or to being offended by someone. I have not just got tired of my calling as Bishop, or become over-stressed. In fact I feel, more than ever, a deep and abiding concern for those in the Helston Ward, who I love with all my heart, and wish you to know that had I not had a significant epiphany, which causes me to no longer believe in the restoration of the gospel and church to the earth, I would still yearn to serve God and his children.

I tell you this so you can understand the sincerity of my disbelief in the church.

Again, please let me reiterate that I have complete trust in you as a friend and brother.

I welcome a conversation with you at your convenience and would ask you to keep this in confidence till I tell my parents myself.

With gratitude for your kindness
Steve

Hi John. Posting a link to my blog with my resignation letter as bishop. My intention in blogging was therapy for me & help others gain strength to think for themselves. Unfortunately, more attention than I expected. Need to protect my family from the 'authority's' reactions so have temporarily made the blog private. Those interested can still email me for a link. bloorsteve@gmail.com

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/23/2011 02:26PM by Twinker.

**** "Need to protect my family from the 'authority's' reactions so have temporarily made the blog private."



Nothing says "Cult! Cult! Cult!" like the need to protect one's family from mormon bureaucrats.

Wonderful moving letter. Thanks

at the same time a sense of sadness for those who have lost their faith and worse still come to the realisation they have been 'conned' by a lying cult and know that fellow decent people are equally being duped. There is also the added pain of knowing exactly what the fellow members are pre conditioned to think about anyone who leaves the church (ie Satan/Sin has got them).

The great thing about things like this is that it will help fellow doubters to explore and give them courage to trust their own thoughts and realisations about TSCC and what they may have discovered.

Once top rank LDS personnel resign like this, it opens the door for many others.

The Internet likely played a great part and is even instrumental in reforming the Middle East as we witness the amazing waves of change being demanded from one country after another.

Great Letter. Kind of a Bob Mcue style period for him!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/23/2011 06:31PM by WiserWomanNow.

Yes read from the top--Steve, Bishop in the UK. The story is 100% genuine--I've been acquainted with him for several years.

We are lucky today. We can find the truth if we really want it. And we can make the right decisions in time as this Bishop has done. But it has only recently been so.

My great-great-grandfather was converted in England in the early 1860's. At the time there were many rumors about Mormons and Polygamy, but the the local missionaries denied it!

As proof they showed him Jacob 2, 24, the scripture in the Book of Mormon which says God did NOT approve of polygamy in Old Testiment days (the 132nd Sec. of today's D&C says the opposite, and the two books disagree to this day). The missionaries also had the phamplet that John Taylor published in England ("THREE NIGHTS
PUBLIC DISCUSSION") that denied polygamy using the same words that were in the old D&C as well.

It wasn't until my great-great-grandfather traveled half way around the world that he discovered the truth.

Both the book of Mormon and the D&C (as they were published in his day) continued to say that Polygamy was wrong, yet from the pulpit he was hearing that you couldn't get into heaven without entering into Polygamy! What could he do?

He gave in, but he never stopped telling his story. Tens of thouusands of early converts must have had the same experience.

They couldn't turn back once they were in ZION.

Today, however, we live in a different world. Anyone who wants to know the truth can find the truth and act while there is still time left.

What a powerful letter.

Thanks for posting this Twinker.

K

I hear through the grapevine that he's being threatened with excommunication.

reading that heartfelt, gracious, respectful letter . . .and then threatening to excommunicate him.

Could the church appear any more overbearing and hateful if they tried?

I have it in the following link:

http://web.mac.com/koreanexmo/Koreanexmo/ExitStory__SteveBloor.html