Posted by:
cludgie
(
)
Date: March 11, 2015 06:45PM
Way back then, inspired by Holland's invitation to talk to us, I wrote him this:
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Quorum of Twelve Apostles
50 East North Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84150
SUBJ: Invitation to meet and discuss with ex-Mormons
REF: Interview with BBC correspondent John Sweeney, aired March 27, 2012 in the UK
Dear Elder Holland:
I watched your interview with BBC correspondent John Sweeney with great interest, and took note of the fact that you indicated that you would like to talk to some of the ex-Mormons to whom Mr. Sweeney made reference. This offer to engage some of us struck me personally and deeply, as I am one of those who resigned my membership in the LDS church at 59 years of age after a lifetime of service. As a former high priest who served in the usual stake and ward leadership capacities, it was a difficult decision to make, one that took most of two years' study and research before I claimed a new path. Since certain embedded teachings cause many Church members to believe that a rift with the Church must also require a rift with one's own family, I left Mormonism fearing a great deal of personal and financial injury. (I am relived to report that I am surrounded by broad-minded and flexible stock, and we all remain close.) I sincerely hope that this letter makes it onto your desk for you to read and consider.
You seemed in your interview to genuinely welcome engagement with some of those who have left the Church. It would mean a great deal to us if you would indeed find yourself available to meet with a small group of us (no more that 10 individuals, with equal male and female representation) who would be “proxies,” more or less, for a much larger group. Although I should in no wise be considered an official representative of this group, it would still be a simple matter for me or any one of us to organize such a meeting of souls. Many of us, I am sure, would travel considerable distance at our own expense if allowed to meet with you. I urge you to consider this, as it would serve to provide good insight for the Brethren and would assist all lower-echelon leaders to better meet the needs of a dynamic membership. Over time, it might even serve to help arrest the current attrition of some of the Church's most valuable members.
If I might have this opportunity to say, it is imperative that you and the other senior leaders of the Church understand that those members who definitively sever their ties to the LDS Church through the resignation process tend to be among the best Latter-day Saints; less valiant members merely slip into inactivity as they lose interest. Those of us who have quit have done so not because we lacked engagement. We were tithe payers, returned missionaries, branch presidents, members of the Relief Society presidency, bishopric members, temple workers, elders' quorum presidents, high priest group leaders, even mission presidents. Indeed, there are those among us who have received the Second Endowment. I sincerely believe it would be a win-win situation to have a few moments with us at some future time.
Thank you very much for your consideration of this matter.
Respectfully yours,
Knowing that he would, of course, NOT answer this (he possibly did not even receive it), I planned to write an open letter about it in the SLTrib. I chickened out due to family considerations--my name being all out there and stuff. Plus I had already embarrassed myself on here and found myself the subject of a legal deposition and a later court case thanks to being too public on here. However, now I have less to lose by it, but it may have been overcome by events, mostly the fact that this was a couple of years ago now.