Posted by:
peculiargifts
(
)
Date: November 09, 2015 12:05AM
Cold-Dodger,
Pal, I do have an idea of how you must be feeling.
I originally came to this board while trying to figure out how my Mormon relatives, who were my true family when I was young, could change so totally and horribly during the Prop 8 fiasco. One day they were loving, kind, tolerant people who kept me sane in the terrible years of having to live with my more immediate family, who were immensely cruel.
And then, seemingly overnight, the Mormon church rolled out their big opposition campaign and my relatives swallowed it, hook, line, and sinker. They went around trumpeting about evil this, disgusting that, end of society, destruction of all that is good. I tried asking questions, tried showing them articles, tried everything I could think of. Did no good at all. They were on a witch hunt and everyone who disagreed with them was, by definition, a witch.
It was stunning.
When this new issue appeared, I was sure that as soon as they could, the PR department at TSCC would roll out some mindless attempt at damage control. And the poor, brainwashed members would grab at it, as that was the only way to get rid of the cognitive dissonance. And so much easier than to actually stop and think about the facts behind the situation.
So here's my best suggestion. Put together a little portfolio of the things that show Christofferson and the others to be misleading the members. Just do it for something to do. But keep it, so that one day, if you happen to get the chance, if they ever do ask, you can show it to your family. And help them understand why it bothers you, and all of us, so much.
If you want help with it, let me know. I'll send you the links and thoughts that I have. But mainly, the idea here is to do something that might possibly be constructive, some day. And even if it never gets used with your family, you will be ready for any and all others. It may be busy work, in one way, but it will also be a useful thing to have worked completely through. Someday, it might save you from saying, "Oh, why didn't I think of that when I needed it?"
And, at the very least, it will be better than crying. You can cry, too, but I've found that sometimes, it's easier to heal if I work furiously at something while I grieve.