Original post if you missed it

http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,1359832


I could not help myself, I had to comment on his blog. It is awaiting moderation - so it probably will not get posted.

Here is what I posted:

I know you are young and well intentioned, but your comments come across so judgemental and arrogant. You have no idea how hard it is to leave the church. Some risk everything following what they believe in thier heart to be the truth. They risk thier marriage, friendships, employment, family relationships and many other things when they choose to leave the church.

Before you start casting such hurtful judgement on others, you should think about what they might have been through to get to the point of leaving the church.

It is not the easy way out. It is far from it.

When you state –

“There’s mountains of evidence showing that Mormons are happier, more successful, smarter, more influential, healthier, have more successful marriages and families, a lower divorce rate, are more secure financially, emotionally, and spiritually.”

Where is the mountains of evidence for all those things? Or was that just made up? Have you seen the mountains of evidence? Did someone tell you there was and you just believed them and regurgitated the same? Look for it yourself before you pass it along as fact. You might be suprised on many things when you actually do your own research.

I know this will probably not stay posted on your blog because it is not faith promoting, but hopefully you can take what I have to say and maybe learn something from it.

Good for you for giving the other side!
His comment about "mountains of evidence" is a bunch of baloney!

Where is the link to this blog?

Found it...

http://eldergavinmcmahan.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/the-gospel-makes-you-and-me-happy-facebook-letting-our-light-shine-before-men/

He was originally in a Georgia mission and is now in Oregon mission. That seems unusual to me, perhaps different assignment policies now.

Okay, odd to me now.

"On May 19, 2014, Elder McMahan was transferred to the Oregon Portland Mission due to health reasons. He will continue to serve in Portland until the end of his two-year assignment. We are grateful for the opportunity Gavin has to continue his service."

He got sick, but can work in Oregon, not Georgia.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/22/2014 10:21PM by gentlestrength.

He's from California, so could have allergies to the flora that grows in more warm humid climates. He'd been there nearly 18 months though. Odd. Maybe he couldn't make it through another summer.

These youngsters haven't a clue about reality. At times I feel sorry for them. At times not so much.

Wow, I can't believe my thread was continued.

I was so angry when I read this Elders blog but was not able to articulate my thoughts. Thanks to everyone who commented helping me to sort my feelings.

It makes me sick to realize my parents might actually like me if this was the sewage I spewed. It is nice to remember that there are others out there that agree with me.

I stewed over this last night and had to write something on his blog.

I know he is young and we may have thought we knew everything when we were his age, but I had to call him out. It was that bad.

Young is not an excuse for his decisions that he has made.

He has been programmed, but in part through his own willingness to accept absurd, bigoted, and elitist positions without due diligence.

He is old enough to know better, and if you disagree with me on that position, perhaps we can agree he is old enough to have a shadow of a doubt.

This is someone who has no empathy. People without empathy are diagnosed with a condition that is often associated with anti-social behaviors.

I don't think it is still there, but good on you for posting. Some of these bloggers find engagement from RfMers enlightening, they aren't used to being challenged in their insulated world of TBMness.

It still shows up as awaiting moderator.

I had to give my email to post. Hopefully if he does nto allow the post, he will respond in an email.

If he does, I will update.

Yes, good, you can only engage.

About a year ago a RM blogger calling herself a faithful Mormon intellectual, where intellectualism and faith intersect was discussed on RfM.

She never posted here, but a friend of hers did and many RfMers wrote on her blog as well.

She was extremely dismissive of Hans Matsson's story in the NY Times and made absurd, obviously false, claims about Mormonism and the Mormon operations.

http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,978869,978869#msg-978869

A year later, she hardly blogs, has taken down the claims about using an intellect to embrace Mormonism and Mormon faith. I cannot say RfM impacted her, but change occurred and she is no longer using her blog to misrepresent the Mormon nature.

"I’ve come to the conclusion that everyone we teach knows the doctrine is true."

This person is INSANE. Any good shrinks in the Portland area should offer services, not for free though?

It's delusional, to say the least. It's like when someone thinks everyone they encounter is secretly spying on them, or is secretly an alien.

And the more I think about it, the crazier it sounds.

My Reply:
Joseph translated 531 pages without any correction in the ROUGH DRAFT. We have the manuscripts by the way. Oh really? Please show the world this so called proof- Sorry but you are an ignorant drone and a product of being brainwashed. Sorry to inform you that there is NO evidence of the historicity of this book and the translation process was given through a stone in a hat - a simple parlor trick. I live in Oregon and attend the LDS church in Lake Oswego. Have a high ranking calling and I am educating the masses from the inside. Proof I am LDS, - "Has it a name? The Son"

This is why they send 18-24 year olds to fight wars. They're young, idealistic, don't know much about the world, and aren't good at looking out for themselves enough to realize that some wars aren't worth fighting. That's why they send young missionaries out at this age. I guess they moved the age downward because they wanted them even more idealistic and naiive than they already were.

At the risk of sounding like an old fart, I have to say I look at the photos of this missionary and his companions, and I can't help but think, "They're babies! They know so little of the world and life, how can they possibly tell someone who's been around for a few decades that they're doing it wrong?"

Those boys should be enjoying college, not knocking on doors for a cult. Soooo sad.

From another missionary blog in the Portland mission:

"This week was a very interesting week. Tons of emotions and secrets and things to learn about others. [...] This ward is nothing like any of the other wards that I have served in. This week was crazy just trying to learn all the people and all the drama that goes on in it. [...]

I think that the missionaries are the ones holding this ward together. No Joke. Their are a few solid members that get things done. Like the Ward Mission Leader is really great as far as the work goes, and there is a member of the HPG leadership that holds things together.

I think this ward has about 85% of its members over the age of 70. I have never seen a ward quite like this one, but its going to be super fun to serve here."

(Editorial comment: The ward is
- full of secrets & drama
- lacking active members
- mostly over age 70
Yep, that sounds "super fun".)

I grew up in portland. I can only guess what ward he's in.

I'm sure it's not easy being a mormon mishey in Portland. It's a pretty liberal and free thinking city. Mormonism isn't a good fit.

As for the mishey in the OP, I was a bit taken aback by him referring to non mo's and exmo's and CULPRITS! Really? That's a word that fits rodents and people who belong in the prison system. Who in the hell brainwashed this poor kid?

He probably couldn't handle the heat, humidity, bugs, and evangelicals in Georgia. They probably drove him to a near mental break down. The atheists in Portland are probably a bit more gentle.

I like the "Support Gavin" button on his blog.
You can have the honor of buying a music CD he put together before his mission... WTH?

I think that Gavin had better start building a really big, strong shelf.

Being in bed sick with allergies for three days makes me wonder if he's getting proper medical care.

When you are that age it is easy to decide to stay in bed with allergies. I did it a few times. With age comes the wisdom to know if you give in to them, you will not GET UP during the worst of the season. Once you are in the adult world, not an option.

Families are forever? Tell that to the gay children who are told “better you were dead than ever born.” Tell that to those who willingly left Mormonism because they learned the truth about it and are told, “better you were dead than ever born.”

Let’s not forget that as a missionary you automatically violate your 11th and 13th Articles of Faith by telling people that the only way to get into heaven is by apostatizing from their belief system and becoming Mormon. Let’s not forget that Mormons continue to violate the 13th Article of Faith by telling Jews they stopped the practice of baptizing Holocaust victims (like Anne Frank, who was baptized for the 9th time in 2012), or people like Daniel Pearl (who has no Mormons in his family, yet was baptized). Let’s not forget how Mormons violated the 12th Article of Faith by praying for the death of President-elect Obama back when he won in 2008.

How about the report that over the last 25 years, Mormons donated $1 billion US? Consider this: Jews in the US have averaged that per year for the past 25 years, plus there are, according to Mormon numbers, less Jews in the world than Mormons.

Here’s my testimony: I know that Mormonism is nothing more than a corporation masquerading as a church, a destructive cult on the same level as Islam. It serves no proper function and it destroys more lives than it helps.

This is just for starters.

Don't know how long it'll last, but he'll have to read it.

that the elder's blog is private. I think we evil anti-Mormons got to him.

I checked on it yesterday. It was private.

I have not received any response for the missionary. At this point, I do not expect one.

Typical idiot behavior - Say all the arogant and judgemental things and then when he gets called on it - run and hide.

Generally, it is the missionary's mother or another close relative who maintains the blog on behalf of the missionary. From what I've read, it isn't unusual for the missionary to not know what is actually being posted on their blog due to the limited internet access they are allowed.

It's definitely inconsistent that on the one hand TSCC members are trying to flood the internet with their religious thoughts and activities and have deluded themselves into thinking that "gentiles" will see it and be impressed and want to convert - yet as soon as they get some pushback, they immediately limit access to their blogs, FaceBook groups, etc. and cry persecution.

Riverman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I checked on it yesterday. It was private.
>
> I have not received any response for the missionary. At this point, I do not expect one.
>
> Typical idiot behavior - Say all the arogant and judgemental things and then when he gets called on it - run and hide.

Precisely. I'm doubting I'll get any response either.

I never noticed comments on my blog when I had a blog and I was maintaining said blog. This missionary has someone else maintaining it. The dude will never read that comment and its possible that athe parent maintaining the blog won't read it either. Yeah I read missionary blogs to. For the lolz but it doesn't make much sense to try and combat their judgement. Like running up a brick wall. It's just not going to work.

for giggles and grins I looked up this elder at the Atlanta, Atlanta North and Portland missions, and he's not even listed.