I asked my SP and Bishop to watch this:

http://mormonstories.org/top-5-myths-and-truths-about-why-committed-mormons-leave-the-church/

Here's the reply I got from the SP:

Brother [rd4jesus],

I will always welcome contact with you and your family. I wish to assure you, as I said as we parted after our recent visit, that I will always greet and respect you as a friend and brother.

If you are concerned about understanding or empathy for your choice to have your name removed from the records of the Church, please be assured that I hold no judgement of you. I fully respect your agency and the choice you have made with it. Hopefully you will allow others within your realm of influence, such as your wife and children, the same opportunity to chose as they wish.

I continue to encourage you to carefully consider your path; please do not feel unwelcome at any time, should you wish to talk or to return. The Lord's arms are always outstretched for you, as are those of His Church.

I wish you well!

With love and respect,

President ["D"]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/12/2013 11:49AM by nilla.

"Hopefully you will allow others within your realm of influence, such as your wife and children, the same opportunity to chose as they wish."

The SP wants you to give this right to choose for people under your influence as if you will not give them a choice, yet the church will not practice that same right for all others, ie; the pressure of BIC children to believe as their parents want, 60,000 mishies telling everyone they are wrong and so on and so on. He will never see the hipocrasy in his wish.

and that it's not really about you controlling your family. Like most exmos would do that after leaving a authoritarian Church.

No, I think the Church want's exmos to walk away quietly even though they have no problem apply serious and constant pressure to stay and believe.

I just got back from my non-Mormon therapist (should send bill to SP) who told me that example speaks louder than words. He told me to live by example and not be preaching. I did this with my mom when I was a TBM and wanted her to come back to the LDS church (it worked, she came back but doesn't believe). Now, I'm going to do it in reverse. I AM a happier person now. I, for the first time in my life, feel GOOD LOOKING! I'm a sexy beast, yeah baby! LOL! Okay, I really do feel good about myself and others will see it.

rd4jesus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

please be assured
> that I hold no judgement of you.


Actually, I would hold a great deal of distain for him.


> Hopefully you will allow others within your realm
> of influence, such as your wife and children, the
> same opportunity to chose as they wish.

....while the cult continues brainwash them and turn them against you at least a dozen hours a week.


> I continue to encourage you to carefully consider
> your path;

Like you haven't already. What a self-righteous prick.


The
> Lord's arms are always outstretched for you, as
> are those of His Church.

This prick thinks that he speaks for god. He doesn't get it. It is the height of arrogance.



>
> President ["D"]

I, myself, would call this guy up and set him straight.

Want his phone number?

Hahaha win :)

That's a fabulous non-answer.

They always seek to dismiss the unbelievers views as invalid and to isolate the contaminate so the facts and the knowledge don’t get loose, so that other in the group don’t follow you example and realize that they too can take their power back and start making the decisions to put their needs first and see the cult for what it is.

All he is doing is damage control, to attempt to keep peace with you so you stay quiet and just see this as a difference of opinion instead of the con it really is.

Typical.

Doesn't address a single issue. Probably just read the title if he even clicked on the link and started writing his email to you.

He respects your agency and the choice you have made with it but he ENCOURAGES you to CONSIDER your PATH. What a crock of SH*T. He doesn't KNOW ANYTHING although he talks like he does when referring to the LAWRD's outstreached arms...PLEASE.

it allows a person to believe a pack of lies, to tell themselves that the facts don‘t represent the truth, insist to anyone else that it’s true just because you want it to be true, and to suspend your intelligence and have faith that somehow at the end of the day, it will all be proven true.

It looks like a form letter.

I think sometimes we make too much of TBM's words and actions towards us - I find no guile, hidden agenda nor judgement in his words...Read it again at face value without adding your prejudice to it...I know we often stereotype TBMS as they do us - and in most cases a degree of that stereotype is true going both ways. But I don't see it here.

Going against your mind again?

Well that’s just it isn't it? No need to condemn the SP for the thousands of hours of instruction on how to project self-righteous condescension. It's not his fault. Just because an enlightened person recognizes that same condescension I guess that does not give them the right to judge.

Going Against Your Mind is a famous song by the band, Built to Spill.

I would tell the SP, that next time the Gospel-Doctrine lesson
is on Apostates, to make sure that people are not taught that
the main reason people leave is because they got offended over
something as trivial as milk strippings or a misspelled name.

HE may give token respect to your reasons for leaving but the
great unwashed Mormons are being carefully taught differently in
the materials they get from Salt Lake.

I watched the whole video.

Being a Mormon is a choice, it is a belief system. Teaching Mormonism, especially as instructed by leadership and in accordance with their central curriculum is practiced daily in the Mormon church. Parents that know or are aware of "unsettled" or "unresolved" Mormon church issues pass this cult poison onto their innocent children in order to preserve their immediate social and spiritual needs.

The hard work is removing a successful cult, the Mormon church, from the mainstream,. It arrived at such status and size through successful tactics. It isn't the size of the Southern Utah FLDS, it has millions of active members and is a small part of the world story, but it is a cult, just like the FLDS in almost all ways. Its' wealth and size gives it power and resources, but not legitimacy or integrity.

I don't know why this man, Dehlin, sticks by the side of the Mormon church, he seems to know why I hate it so, but a world without parasites and cults is unimaginable, but a world with fewer parasite and cults is imaginable.

Anti-parasite medicine removes leeches and worms, what's the cure for cults? Removal of tax exempt status.

Last year I asked my SP to watch this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D05ej8u-gU

His response:

"I suppose that kind of a limited world view could be a appealing to somebody who did not have a testimony of the restored gospel. What more can I say?"

I just watched the video entirely to the end. I still can't figure out if John has REALLY reconciled all these issues himself or if he is trying to con the members into looking at issues they never knew existed. ???

John seems to be saying, "I sure hope you can make it out. I wish you luck, but I can't join you since my family will leave me if I go."



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/12/2013 01:28PM by peregrine.

At the end of this (just got around to being able to watch entire thing, it's spring break here and kids are home) and John Dehlin suggests reading "Rough Stone Rolling" by Bushman. I am reading it. I don't think it's going to bring me back into the LDS faith, especially since he denigrates the "born-again" experience which I feel is completely real (it was for me). But I will read it with an open mind.

Scooter - good play on the going against your mind - Although I would have gone with Made up dreams or untrustable- carry on...

it that you?

Lucky you! He holds no judgement of you. Isn't that a relief!

I like how they all spew the same dialogue. It's all they know. They never address the facts. What a bozo.

Yes my son - It is I, be not afraid - feel the chips in my Stratocaster and the tear in my strap. I must go now...Other sheep I have which are not of this fold....

Some of you mention how you don't understand how Mr. Dehlin can stay in the church. It's kinda puzzling to me too, but I gotta say ... that it is SO refreshing to see a member of TSCC present that material with objectivity. I mean, isn't that what drives us crazy about TBM's ... that they can't be objective?

I don't know what his motives are for doing what he does ... I just have to applaud him for that great presentation.