First encounter with critical information

[_Gadianton]

I read all kinds of information critical to the Church as evidenced by my presence here. Have done so for 30 or so years now. Am still active TBM and never had any downtime.

I think you're understating the matter. I don't think in thirty years anything you've ever read about the Church has bothered you in the least. I don't think a yellow flag has every been raised in your mind. I don't think you've ever read anything that you didn't immediately have an answer to. I don't think you believe that you've ever been wrong about any belief you've ever held in your life, church-related or not.

[_zeezrom]

I read all kinds of information critical to the Church as evidenced by my presence here. Have done so for 30 or so years now. Am still active TBM and never had any downtime.

Do you also have big muscles?

[Guest]

So I'd be interested to know, how did you come across information critical of the church?

For myself, it started with science books, maybe some pseudo-science also. The "Holographic Universe", by Talbot is what got the ball rolling.

Really, it was the start of investigating, not individual or singular LDS truth claims, but rather, looking at the Mormon cosmology as a whole and seeing how it looked through the lens of science; no death in the world, a first man and woman who "fell", the global flood and all the other literal teachings of the church and its literal stance on the origins of man and the physical world.

Well, the LDS worldview did not hold up to any known science, actually it crumbled like a dried up sand castle under the weight and pressure of a large ocean wave. My LDS world crashed literally from one night to the next.

If the Mormon cosmology is bunk, then so is everything else that follows.

[_huckelberry]

My first encounter was reading Bennett's view of Navoo at the public library. I was about age 13 and thought it was amazing people could say such obviously false things.

Science was something I loved and probably gave my belief more difficulty. I cannot really chart it but I do remember a study of development of corn which for me knocked the last leg out from my teetering belief.

[_sansfoy]

When I was eight, my primary teacher was talking about the gold plates, the witnesses, etc., and I told the teacher I'd seen them at Temple Square. She said no, those weren't the real plates. An angel had taken the real ones into heaven. I remember thinking wow, good thing I know the church is true, because that sounds really suspicious.

Of course, it took a couple of decades before I took the next logical step.

[_moksha]

This is part of why I think any attempts at inoculation will fail. Even though I'd come across this information on a 'friendly' site, the answers just aren't satisfying.

The inoculation comes from being aware of the issue ahead of time, not from the excuses.

[_The Dude]

but I do remember a study of development of corn which for me knocked the last leg out from my teetering belief.

Would you mind elaborating on how domesticated teosinte destroyed your testimony?

[_Equality]

Since members are instructed not to read information that is critical to the church. I was wondering, how did most of the people who leave the church come into contact with information critical of the church? Did they read 'anti' material anyway?

I read all kinds of information critical to the Church as evidenced by my presence here. Have done so for 30 or so years now. Am still active TBM and never had any downtime.

That's great. It proves that "anti" sites do not lead members away from the church. You should put in a good word for Twede at his upcoming apostasy trial. You must be opposed to the church excommunicating members for what they say online, since, as you acknowledge, what people say online that is critical of the church, has no impact on a real testimony such as yours. Maybe you should post a flyer on the ward bulletin board with an invitation to your fellow ward members to visit this and other sites on the Internet that allow views critical of the church to be expressed. You know, since they don't negatively impact members' testimonies and all.

[_Racer]

It was the Book of Abraham that broke me.

I served my mission in the South and felt I was very well versed in the criticisms of the church. Most of them were the typical Evangelical anti Mormon drivel such as LDS worship multiple Gods, the Bible is the only word, Joseph Smith was into the occult, the temple was based on Masonry, we don't believe in the 1=3 trinity, we blaspheme God by believing we can become Gods, we believe in works not grace, and so on. None of this stuff phased me. You could combat much of it with the Bible.

I had been home from my mission for about 5 years. I was the Gospel Doctrine teacher. I was prepping a lesson on the Book of Abraham. I found the manual lacking, so I went online and did a google search. I learned more about the Book of Abraham than I wanted. It disturbed me. I got curious and began to wonder what else is out there. I studied all kinds of LDS history and was beginning to realize that what the church really is and how they portrayed themselves were 2 separate things. I actually turned to FAIR for answers, but their writings were lacking and it like they were grasping at straws.

After about 3 years of privately struggling with this I finally came out to my wife and told her I could no longer identify myself as LDS. I told her I believe the church is man made and as such is no more unique than any other religion out there. Luckily my wife was understanding. She said I had to take a spiritual path that worked for me, and if Mormonism wan't for me, so be it. My wife is still TBM, but thankfully this has not caused any problems in our marriage. My wife is very cool. I am a lucky guy. I know several people who are divorced because they stopped believing. Not everybody has a spouse that is as understanding as mine.

[_KevinSim]

So I'd be interested to know, how did you come across information critical of the church?

My first exposure to "information critical of the" LDS Church resulted in a newspaper article about Ed Decker's organization up in Washington State where I grew up. Since then I've been fascinated by the arguments critics put forth for why God can't have inspired the LDS Church. There are few things I enjoy more than applying scrutiny to those arguments in order to find out if they work.