My TBM Missionary

I've met with a lot of missionaries, from truly TBM to just out on the mission or they wouldn't get a job at Uncle Hank's company if they didn't go.

The latest TBM was quite infuriating. He was hardcore, wouldn't bend an inch on anything. In discussions I brought up things in the Gospel Topics essays on the LDS website, he said he hadn't and wouldn't even read them!

Won't read material on the church's own official website? Why? His companion had. I pondered [sorry] the point and came up with this: His faith is Brittle, not Believing. Truly Brittle Mormon.

Somehow he instinctively knows that Anything the least bit off would shatter his faith, and thus his life. And he couldn't have that. Gone would be his plans to go to BYU and most other future plans he had for his life, post mission.

In my life, I've never felt so sorry or sad for such an otherwise intelligent young man. If you see a nuclear mushroom cloud on the horizon someday, you'll know this Young Man's shelf has finally shattered. I just hope he'll have friends to help him when!

Isn't it great how we know everything when we are young?

Yep, there's probably going to be a mushroom cloud in that young man's future.

They are very young. If he truly is smart he may start to analyze as time passes.

I felt sorry for them and would just give them a good meal and let them talk about what they wanted, which was usually their homes.

I went on a mission because my parents helped me with college tuition. I figured I would give this TBM thing a try. I did my best and followed the rules. I dropped church as soon as I was on my own.
No mushroom cloud, just doing my best while punching-the-clock.

I have a best friend who is a TBM. Over the years I've shared the very best links about the untruthfulness of the LDS church.

He responds as if he has no eyes, no reading ability, no ears, no heart and no mind.

I am in the process of severing our relationship, due to this denseness.

He has the right to remain clueless, I know, but to honor ignorance by our very life, day after day, year in and year out is, to me, sickening.

The last link I sent to him was this one, the best John Dehlin upload of all time, in my opinion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMVRj4n_ItU

Screen Name Wrote:
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> I am in the process of severing our relationship, due to this denseness.

Screen name,

I am very sorry you are losing your friend. :(

I lost friends when I left, also. I think you were very brave to try to reach out to him with truth, though. I didn’t even try. :(

Two of Boyd's most famous teachings:

(1) If you don't have a testimony, fake it until you do. (A testimony will come to you if you repeatedly bear your testimony.)

(2) Some truths are not helpful. (Therefore, if this young missionary has any reason to think that the truths admitted in the essays will damage his faith, then he can refuse to look at them because there's no need to read something that is not helpful.)

Sadly, these principles can be relied upon by every member of every wacky cult in the world to prevent themselves from ever doubting or leaving whatever cult they happen to be in. Funny that so many Mormons never pause and observe this undeniable fact: "Wait a minute! If a JW or a Moonie relied on these exact same principles with regard to their own faith, they would have no reason to listen to my message about the Gospel and I could not criticize them for it because it's exactly how I approach my faith. Uh-oh....."

I worked with a man that refused to learn history be ause it might shatter his faith (his words).

He said if the book of mormon is true everything else is true by default.

I asked him about the 30 plus off shoots of mormonism that believe in the book of mormon and Joseph being a prophet. Would all these be right too? He became so agitated I thought I'd have to call an ambulance.

I also was in the reserves with a gentleman that refused to study history because "it's always changing and is confusing " he was a Utah elementary school teacher.

klsmd Wrote:
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> I just hope he'll have friends
> to help him when!

Chances are he will because as Mormonism becomes less palatable there truly is forming a culling of their faithful. The result is more part believing/member families like my own little one and a Mormons reference group filled more and more with vocal unbeelievers/disbelievers.

This is the definition of superstitious. These sorts of people think they are going to be deceived for reading anything that's not a gc report, church news, or standard works. They live in fear all the time. They won't even look at a news paper. It's very common in the evangelical community.

Yes they are brittle.

macaRomney Wrote:
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> ...going to be deceived for reading anything that's not a gc report, church news, or standard works. They live in fear all the time.

Yes. I saw that too. A life lived in fear is a life half lived.

"I have a best friend who is a TBM. Over the years I've shared the very best links about the untruthfulness of the LDS church.

He responds as if he has no eyes, no reading ability, no ears, no heart and no mind.

I am in the process of severing our relationship, due to this denseness."

Hmmm, you are cutting off your friendship because he doesn't believe as you. I thought that was just a Mormon thing.

And BTW, I guarantee that I could tell you some "truth" that you don't want to hear. Everybody is in denial about something. Or they cling to something because it is how they make money - most jobs have some rottenness to them.

I once believed in:

Mormonism

government wars and programs (gave up military at rank of Major)


public school system (then my wife became a teacher and saw the disaster and fraud)


feminism (pushed my daughters to those degrees and careers, but found they wanted babies)

university education (got a big degree I'm not using after a lot of debt)

food production system (worked in big ag - feedlots, until saw the disease we cause by feeding too much corn to cattle, just to make money)

And on and on. Continue to discover things I want to believe, but aren't true.

And of course, I don't want to hear how I actually look, or what people think of me, lest I am offended.

You're right. It sounds like he's holding onto his testimony for dear life.