As I sometimes put it, unlike Christianity and Islam, Mormonism had the disadvantage of being founded after the invention of moveable type.
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As I was in the process of exiting Mormonism, I had a friend who had already gone through the process who recommended that I read some of Joseph Campbell's works. It was very helpful. Sometimes the role of myth in a culture is more important than the truth or falsity of the myth. -- at least to the culture.
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This is a long post, but stick with me. It’s worth it. Many of you will recall the story of Henry Ballard, the father of Apostle Melvin J. Ballard, who miraculously received a copy of the May 15, 1884 edition of the Newbury Weekly News (published in England) as the Logan Temple first opened. The newspaper contained Ballard family names which permitted the temple work for those names to be d
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n/t
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https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/21/business/mormon-church-fined-sec?utm_source=business_ribbon
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So, I have a question for Leavin' on a Jet Plane. Where are you from? Your use of the word, "flat" instead of "apartment" suggests you live, or have lived, in Great Britain.
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Randy Bachman's son, Talmage "Tal" Bachman was very active on this board during the early to mid 2000s. He even was a featured speaker at one of the annual exmormon conferences in the mid-2000s. He's a bright articulate guy. I also enjoy some of his music, in particular his hit single, She's So High.
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There's a great deal of speculation in this thread about the genesis of the LDS Faith Crisis Report. The impetus behind the report is explained in detail at the following link including a listing of 37 individuals who contributed to the project: https://www.reddit.com/r/mormon/comments/ba5jer/major_contextual_update_to_the_2013_faith_crisis/
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Clayton Christiansen died two years ago. At the time his obituary appeared in the Desert News, I engaged in the following brief exchange in the comment section to that obituary. I find it remarkable that the Desert News Staff allowed my comments to stand without censure. "ALifeExamined: I got to know Clayton very well while in college. I shared a house with Clayton at BYU and participate
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I'm not sure I would agree with you. Most people who suffer a "faith crisis," whether coming out of Mormonism or some other belief system, find it to be a traumatic experience -- not a moment of "sweet relief" as you described. Discovering that a major component of one's life is based upon a lie is painful as most on this board will attest.
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Over the past several days, I read a remarkable document called the Faith Crisis Chronicles. It's a report prepared in 2013 for the LDS Church by a group of Mormon academics in which they examine the reasons for the current exodus of members from the church. It appears this report was instrumental in persuading the church to open up somewhat about its history by publishing topical essays online
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And it's absolutely true.
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I was a student at Oxford University in 1977 when the Joyce McKinney kidnapping hit the front pages of all the tabloids. At breakfast on the morning the story broke, a fellow student asked, "Have you read the morning paper?" When I repied, "no", he responded, "Dude, you need to get a sign on your dorm room door immediately that reads, 'the Mormon lives here!'"
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https://www.forbes.com/sites/moneybuilder/2012/05/31/one-million-dollars-isnt-what-it-used-to-be/#100602605f41
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The more interesting question is whether it is ignorance or apathy that keeps Mormons in the fold. And the most common response from the faithful being, "I don't know and I don't care."
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When asked by active Mormons why I left, my one liner is as follows: "I cared enough about the religious tradition given to me at birth to learn the history and theology underlying that tradition by literally reading hundreds of books and articles and it ultimately was the undoing of my faith." Of course, what I'm really saying to that person between the lines is, "I cared en
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I've kept a daily diary since 1991 -- handwritten, and the same small red book, one for each year. I started as a well educated adult and well after serious cracks developed in my belief in Mormonism. Consequently, there's not much in them that would embarrass me in retrospect. I keep a journal for myself and for my kids. The first week of each year I find time to read the previous year's j
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Sunstone, December 1995 "President Kimball asked if I would like to have a blessing. As he laid his hands upon my head, I expected him to give me the comfort and strength to overcome my aspirations for Church office. Instead, Spencer W. Kimball promised me that one day God would call me to be an apostle. After the blessing, President Kimball told me not to work for the office or try to â
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Your immediate problem is that you don't want your wife confessing to the Bishop. Use her believe in Mormonism to your advantage. Tell her that her obligation with respect to the repentance process is to confess to the proper "priesthood" authority. As the priesthood holder in the home, she has already properly confessed. I know my suggestion will rankle some on this board as it se
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I'm flying into Nashville from D.C. for the sole purpose of seeing the total eclipse. It may not be a once in a lifetime opportunity but it comes pretty close.
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This post reminds me of my resignation letter which I delivered in person to the Bishop of my Ward some years ago. In the body of the letter I included the following statement: "Some may acknowledge that though the historical foundation of the LDS Church does not stand up under critical historical scrutiny, nevertheless the institution helps good people become better and, therefore, is wo
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A lovely reply.
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Netflix released a new seven-part documentary a few weeks ago called, "The Keepers". It's a story of sexual abuse at a Catholic High School in Baltimore during the late 1960s and the murder of a young Catholic nun teaching at the school, Sister Catherine Cesnik. While the documentary doesn't relate to Mormonism, per se, it is let another damning indictment of organized religion. I can
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I'm currently reading a rather fascinating book, Consciousness Beyond Life, by Pim van Lommel, I'd recommend it to anyone interested in this subject. https://www.amazon.com/Consciousness-Beyond-Life-Near-Death-Experience/dp/0061777269
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One feature I do like about this board is that the number of edits to a post is clearly displayed. There are some posters on this board who routinely make numerous edits as replies to the original post reveal inadequacies in that original posting.
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I would recommend his book which I read shortly after it came out. I remember a discussion of NDEs on this board a few months ago in which one board member challenged the poster to come up with one neurosurgeon that buys into NDEs. I immediately thought of Eben Alexander and his book.
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It's threads like this that remind me why I no longer frequent this board.
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I too have been greatly influenced by the writings of Ian Stevenson.
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I haven't been to this site in several years (resigned in 2006). The news accounts about Kate Kelly (a member of my former ward) caused me to return if just to see what people are saying. What comment topped the bulletin board (other than the sticky posts) -- Tal Bachman once again making a lot of sense. In a way I do miss this board but not enough to return anytime soon. I frankly don't give
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If it's involuntary, yes I would.
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