a bad idea being promoted as loving and Christlike. Stray Mutt, on another thread said something brilliant. Quote:


This whole business about going after the "lost" sheep is so transparently about church self-interest. In fact, I laugh at the whole metaphor of a good shepherd guarding his flock. Why does a shepherd have a flock? Just because he like having sheep? No, so he can take their fleece and eat some of them. End Quote

I agree. All these people who love bomb and go on missions trying to track down lost members couldn't care less about us personally. When I quit going to church regularly, it was glaringly obvious that no one gave a rat's patootee. A couple of my friends remained my friends but even they didn't ask why I wasn't there any more. If I'd been very involved in Junior League for 30 years and then suddenly stopped attending, my guess is at least a few people would wonder where I'd been and ask what happened. No Mormon even bothered. My TBM sister has been extremely busy at work lately and just e-mailed me complaining that no one in her ward has bothered to keep her in the loop or ask where she's been. I'm glad she feels she can complain about the church to me.

That's why pretending to "care", with a plate of cookies in hand, falls very flat with me. The real caring (or lack thereof) is blatantly obvious. It's just another rung on the ladder that they are climbing to get to heaven and a way to feel Christlike and good without having to go to the trouble of actually being good. Or even bothering to see if their "goodness" is helpful or desired. They don't care about us, they just want to be seen as caring people and to raise their status in the church.

I remember once I was in the YSA sitting by myself and some girl that I'd never met came up to me and did the whole "Hi! How are you?" in a super thick syrupy tone. She didn't even ask me my name. I remember feeling strange after she walked away, like the only reason she came over to me was to "do her part" for the fold. We never spoke again.