No, but sometimes I want to track down all the people I baptized on my mission and apologize to them! I did actually apologize once to someone who turned it down when I sent the missionaries (years later). What do you think, people, is that a good idea or just an unnecessary can of worms?
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Religion is like a museum of human explanations and approaches to life. You may not learn anything about universal truth while studying religions, but you will learn a great deal about human nature-- and possibly about yourself.
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I wonder how it would go over if you used a fast and testimony meeting to express whatever positive things you are grateful for, then (without lots of detail because they will shut you down) briefly state that you have learned some things that have led you to decide that, in spite of the positive things, Mormonism is not for you. Perhaps say that you are happy to continue to be friends, and perh
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If you forbid him, he will likely just become REALLY curious. I don't think telling him he can't get baptized until he his 18 is wise... 17 is pretty mature for most people. They know when they are being treated like children by most of society, and will resent it. They will be more likely to do something rebellious just to show that they are mature enough to do so. I think being involved an
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Revelation sure requires a lot of outside pressure.
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The stake president "is alarmed at how little people getting their first recommend know about the temple ordinances and their meaning" . LOLOLOL seriously? The temple is "sacred," which means "secret," which means you're not supposed to talk about it except in the temple. So how is anyone supposed to know about it? That's just funny. I know, I know, I atten
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When were you there? I saw it packed plenty of times.
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Well, Timpanogos and Provo are super full as soon as classes let out for BYU students. They have to close one periodically for cleaning, and when that happens the wait at the other one can be up to 3 hours. At least, that's the longest I remember waiting just to get into the endowment room.
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Really? That's not a joke? That would be sad...and good maybe. I liked the feeling of walking around in the gardens, kind of separated from the rest of the busy, messy city. On the other hand, it will make walking past Temple Square a lot more enjoyable if you can see in. It will definitely change the flowers... lots more wind coming through.
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Yes, awareness of other cultures and religions help to give you perspective on your own. Through such a study, you realize that your home religion is not "unique," and that the need any religion fills is a universal need. You realize that religion and myth are a window into human psychology but not necessarily into "truth." I had some of that growing up, more than many Morm
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In fairness, I will say that some of the wards on my mission were way friendlier than most of the wards I experienced in Utah. Maybe it's just the area, or maybe people tend to be more open-minded when the mormon concentration is less and they have to acknowledge that there is life outside the bubble.
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Wow. This, of course, is merely because God decided people were ready for changes, and not changes done by men in response to building pressure from members and media...
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Wait, what??!! A few years ago they just made three new movies. Those are all out the window now?
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I don't remember any other Prophet birthday celebration, but I do remember a few years back when President Hinckley announced it was a "year of celebration" for 150 years since the pioneers entered Salt Lake or something like that. There were plays and spectaculars, new songs written for church choirs, re-enactments... etc. I think the church needs to feel like it's "getting some
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Amen. Time changes are just a time to give you the illusion of jet lag until your sleep adjusts. Check out this funny video: Cutting Out Holidays, by Studio C (Yes, I know Studio C is of BYU origin...) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqNa6CAMsEY
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Missionaries bear their testimonies to convince you they are telling the truth. They are-- they really believe it. But that doesn't make it true. From my experience leaving the church, I can bear my testimony-- quite deeply and powerfully-- that I know the church is false, and I am so much happier where I am. I don't believe any of the religious canon is the "word of god," and I d
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Wow, I am so impressed with how quickly your family has come to this very difficult realization! It took me years. Even so, I have had some similar reactions to things you describe. It is like... I don't know, like realizing you've been emotionally and mentally raped for years. And now... what? Your life planning has been sabotaged. And, like you, I'm the only one in my family to leave
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When I was on a mission, we were not allowed to return home from tracting until 9:00 p.m. Definitely got some people really mad at us, and definitely walked down some scary streets in the dark. But it was all for the Lord. Looking back, I am seriously taken aback by the sheer irresponsibility on the part of the Church for encouraging those kinds of situations. It really would have been more
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My husband figured it out first, and it was so hard for me. I was afraid our marriage was over. But I saw that instead, the more he lived true to his beliefs, the nicer of a person he became, and our marriage actually improved. So I decided that I wouldn't try to get him to go back to church; I would just keep going on my own. But that didn't last for long. We had so many conversations and I
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I dunno. I think essential oils are cool and probably helpful on some level, but I can't stand MLMs. I almost bought some oil once from a friend, but she insisted on giving me what suddenly felt like the First Discussion of DoTerra, and that was super creepy. I backed out. Maybe LDS people go for that because it is familiar, it feels like being on a mission again.
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I dunno. I might have a little bit of that. 56 is a very brown and orange number to me. 7 and 3 are purple and yellow (not respectively; I don't know which is which, but when they're together, that's what it is.) 5 is green. 8 and 2 are blue and orange. 1 and 9 are black and white. That's about it... very limited! I wonder why that happens. Does anyone who has it find it helpful?
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My good friend lived there until they left the church about 3 years ago. She said it is much more Mormon there than in Salt Lake, but there is also a really strong post-mormon support group. She misses that group a lot. She also was able to meet with John Dehlin, who (as far as I know still) lives and works there. He was extremely helpful to her as she dealt with the pain of transition out
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There is a reason almost every Primary lesson I heard before we left, was on obedience... really started to grate on my nerves.
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Next time you're south in UT you should check out Goblin Valley, also there's Dinosaur National Monument in Vernal. I hear that there's a pretty awesome lake down near Vernal also that has fossilized dino tracks on the shore. You can picnic on the tracks. Maybe not for this trip, but there's my two cents...
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My Dad really believed in truth. He chose to always tell us the truth about Santa. Knowing that he told me the truth about that made me trust him even more on other subjects. (Incidentally, he never told me he "knew the church was true," either...What a good man.)
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No. My MP was actually really good. I never heard him speak ill of anyone.
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Have you ever wondered why the Church sticks so closely by the BOM? It doesn't really teach anything specific about the "Restored Gospel," or Church doctrine at all. If it is not meant to teach about the Church, then what is the purpose of it? Here are a few ideas; what do you think? More ideas? 1. It's about Christ, so it becomes in theory naturally attractive to Christians in g
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I got into several arguments with my art teachers and college professors (at BYU) for taking an inconsistent view of the matter, as far as I could see...I didn't see why "David" wasn't classed as "porn," and no one could explain it to my satisfaction. Letting go of that carefully learned prudish worldview has been both a huge relief and a huge challenge that I still strug
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How about asking the missionary, "What do you know about the Mormon Church? Would you like to know more? ...Really?" Because I didn't know I was omitting anything on my mission. I honestly shared all the info I had and sometimes that got me into trouble.
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This one always seemed odd to me, since the correct answer is "No." "No, but I sure expect to as soon as I reach the mission field... And by the way, what happened to 'every member a missionary?' Wouldn't 'affiliating' with nonmember friends be kind of necessary for that? WTF."
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