Posted by:
amos
(
)
Date: August 05, 2013 11:39PM
Please feel free to give me any advice or suggestions on my FB response to my TBM Dad's FB post. I've posted both his post and my draft response below...
You have got to just love the New York Times, "wave of disillusionment"???? kinda like the Kirtland $$$$ apostasy problem, Zions March grumbling, the Nauvoo who is going to lead us now that Joe is dead, the what do you mean Brig, I can't chase that gold in California ..... , the ever popular Mountian Meadow Massacre, B H Roberts, we may have a problem because of View of the Hebrew, President Kimball and company giving the Priesthood to all worthy Male members, Boyd K. musing in that conference talk, "why would Heavenly Father do that ... (Not familiar with this just think LGBT) ...., etc, etc, etc ....... And so it goes. Ya there is just droves and droves of LDS folks just waiting to have that Internet confirmation of the truth so they to can join the exmormon 4X club ...... 1. 10 percent increase in income. 2. Change in under clothing. 3. Extra day off 4. A clear conscience to do whatever - whenever!!!!!!!!
So in the end one persons bliss is another persons poison but if the Internet is the guide let the ignorance games begin.
And the draft of my response:
Recent extensive survey work by Mormon researchers indicate that only 4% of former believers attribute their de-conversion to having been offended or a desire to engage in behavior contrary to prior beliefs or related values. As far as the Internet goes, I think the primary challenge facing Mormonism isn’t so much with the symptomatic issues you mentioned or with ‘anti-mormon’ misinformation, but with factual information previously omitted from the narrative that is becoming readily available. Mormonism certainly isn’t unique or alone in facing challenges of the information age, but it is interesting to note how this new environment is impacting the organization. Research compiled from the Cumorah and Pew Foundations measure an accelerating deterioration in the number of active Mormons since peaking prior to the year 2000. In this environment, it is becoming more common for Mormons to become aware of previously obscured issues such as Bainbridge, the Kinderhook plates, the Flaming Sword ultimatum, Sweedenborg, the Book of Breathings controversy, Polyandry, Passgrip, the Counsel of Fifty, and Expositor fiasco, among other markers, which demonstrate a consistent pattern of deception and opportunism ranging from peep stone grifting and other criminal behavior, to bogus ‘translations’, extra-marital cover-ups and vigorous, yet false, denials of bigamy. These issues combined with widespread plagiarism, anachronisms, internal absurdities, and other pervasive contextual, historic and scientific fallacies within the production of Mormonism, reveal a natural 19th-century development as opposed to a supernatural explanation promoted by a highly sanitized, if not illusory narrative. That said, I think Mormonism can manage to retain much of its current narrative for some time (though there are a few recent examples to the contrary) given the inertia of group-think mechanics, social/familial binds, the use of thought-terminating clichés, and a genuine spirituality that is not uncommon to other competing religious frameworks. I’m not one for overly simplistic black-and-white thinking, but I would agree with Gordon B. Hinckley when he said, ‘it’s either true or false. If it’s false, were engaged in a great fraud. If it’s true it’s the most important thing in the world.’ If it’s true, I should very well get in line. Conversely, Bernie Madoff is the most recent example that a successful fraud can be concealed by highly respected individuals, positive public relations, and a reputation for community service and other good works. (Is it any wonder that affinity fraud occurs so frequently in Utah?) It would hardly be exceptional if the truth-claims of Mormonism were indeed false. Regardless of the veracity of Mormon truth-claims, there are a number of elements of Mormonism that, in my opinion, can and should be rejected or condemned on their face. For example, using God or religion to commit or justify murder is primitive and immoral. The events of September 11th 1857, as well as September 11th 2001, are manifestations of this type of destructive belief. I also believe that hiding extramarital relationships from a spouse is wrong. Engaging in such relationships with girls as young as 14 and women that are already married is especially immoral. Accepting or teaching that lying is appropriate behavior is also wrong. I’m sure we would also agree that justifying or tolerating a racist theology, whether it still results in racial discrimination or not, is also morally wrong. Of course, there is much that is good and unique about Mormonism, unfortunately, the good things are not unique. And the unique things are not good.