Posted by:
devoutmormon
(
)
Date: March 17, 2018 07:32PM
Hello,
This is a follow-up to a question I posted last week. That thread is located here:
Main reason for leaving the Mormon church
https://www.exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,2088978,2088978#msg-2088978I would like to have posted this follow-up in the original thread but for some reason a notice was placed in that thread (less than a day after submitting my question) stating that the thread had been closed. I waited awhile hoping that the closure might be temporary and the thread would be reopened or that I might receive an email with some type of explanation but neither of those two things occurred.
I hope neither my question nor the thread itself was felt to be objectionable or gave rise to a complaint, etc, but regardless of the reason for closure, I regret that it’s now just left sort of hanging. In that form it seems to imply that after posting my original question, I was content to just grab whatever information I was after and leave without even so much as a thank you or any acknowledgment of the many people who contributed responses.
If anyone knows of a possible reason for the thread being closed or, more importantly, if there is any way to post a final comment (or at the least, insert a link to here), I’d appreciate a heads-up. In the meantime, I am opening this new thread in the hopes that some, if not many, of those who contributed comments to the earlier thread will see it.
Regarding the original thread, I am very grateful to each of you who shared comments. I know full well how deeply ingrained a person’s religious beliefs can be and I can only imagine how difficult it is to revisit, let alone write about, the type of anguish and pain-filled experiences from the past and strongly negative thoughts and feelings still present that many of you related. For that reason, I repeat my thanks and ask you to please know that I have taken the time to carefully read each response. In fact, I’ve gone through them twice now and made quite a few notes about what I have learned and also what I have felt.
I confess that I was a bit hesitant even registering for this site let alone posting my question but I am now very glad I did. Many of the comments touched me deeply and brought my emotions close to the surface. And overall, the most prominent result of this process has been a profound feeling of sadness — not of the type that points a finger or places blame in one direction or another — but just sadness for the pain and sorrow people so often experience in their lives. Thus, my aim now is to try to be kinder and have more acceptance and understanding for people around me, regardless of their religious affiliation or the direction they may be headed in that regard.
By the way, a few people included references in their comments and some posed questions with an invitation for me to respond. Regarding the references, I have already looked at some of them (in the past few days) and it is my intent to at least become familiar with all of them (ie I shouldn’t commit to reading/viewing them completely until knowing what that involves).
As for the questions, it was not my intent when I posted my initial question, to have this thread be or become a two-way conversation. Rather, my hope and aim was to obtain a better understanding of the topic of the thread (ie why people have left the church). For that reason my preference is to not include any of my own thoughts or contrasting views here. Having said that however, I am not opposed to sharing my perspectives and beliefs with someone who truly has an interest in knowing them if there is a place in this forum where that would be appropriate.
Thanks again.