Coming out - not the gay kind...

[_Dr. Shades]

1. Chris Smith
2. Mike Reed
3. Kevin Graham

How do you know that "Chris Smith," "Mike Reed," and "Kevin Graham" aren't pseudonyms? :-)

But back to the point, DO NOT decloak, EVER. There's never a good reason for it. The ABSOLUTE BEST result is that nothing will change.

And that's only if you're lucky.

[_keithb]

I came out a long time ago. For some reason, the people who had said I was an anonymous coward didn't seem to respect me any more than previously.

I have mixed feelings about it. Personally, I don't care about the harassment I've experienced over the last few years. What does bother me is that they went after my wife. So, if it were just me, I would still have come out. But coming out affects other people, and unless you are prepared to let the harassers go after your friends and family, I'd think twice about outing yourself here.

John K. Williams (even if I were afraid of the haters, it's too late).

Do you have any links to your experiences with them going after your wife? I am very curious now to know what happened. Was it someone who frequents this board, or a member of the Mopologetics community at large?

[_keithb]

1. Chris Smith
2. Mike Reed
3. Kevin Graham

How do you know that "Chris Smith," "Mike Reed," and "Kevin Graham" aren't pseudonyms? :-)

But back to the point, DO NOT decloak, EVER. There's never a good reason for it. The ABSOLUTE BEST result is that nothing will change.

And that's only if you're lucky.

I agree. There are some weird and scary people that lurk these boards, not the least of which is me :P Jenn Kamp ( ... or am I???)

Actually, I don't see a good reason to "come out" either. I have briefly considered it as well, but, as Shades said, the absolutely best thing that I can see happening is that nothing changes.

[_cafe crema]

Hey LDST,

You asked for my opinion, so, here she is. :)

These internet boards can be a very dangerous and strange place. In addition to the many people on these boards that we think we know, there are many, many more who simply lurk and we surely do not know.

Given many things (Your spouse and children certainly being forever cemented as #1, #2, and #3 on the "many things" list), I would strongly advise you to remain LDST and only LDST.

Simply put, not even worth consideration in my view.


Peace,
Ceeboo

Not just those that post now but those who will come months, years down the road. You may be revealing to people here and now but many will come on board later, not to mention the lurkers now and in the future.

LDST,

I'm going to give you more of a reply than just the "No." that I posted. If our intention is to engage your ideas, your criticism, your insights, we don't need to know your name in order to do that. If our intention is to personally attack you, we don't need your name in order to do that either.

That said, when you have a moment and if you are so inclined, would you mind making a list of the top 5 posters on these boards who use their in real life identity "successfully."

Thanks!

Your ideas, thoughts, your stance, is here and it is associated with you, when I think of LDST I think of the person you have presented here. How is your "name" here anymore "fake" than the different "names" we have in real life? I am called Nancy, Miss Nancy, Nan, Mrs Old Testament* and Ms O and Cici in real life all depending on the relationship, and where and when I met the people who call my by my various names. On line is no different except on line we are able to chose a name that somehow expresses some part of our "self" at the time we choose the name. Doesn't that in someway that reveal more about us than our name does?

Yahoo bot is goading people here about anonymity yet I have no idea who (s)he is in real life nor as someone else pointed out do I really "know" who Mike Reed, Kevin Graham, or Chris Smith are in real life. Do I really know that the Mike Reed who posted here or on CAF is the Mike Reed who is looking to publish a book? There really is no point to exposing your real "personal" life in online situations like this. in my opinion if you are really concerned about authenticity you should look to exposing your real belief to people in your real life just as much as you look to exposing your real identity here.

In short NO don't do it, there are many ugly folks out there.

[_Runtu]

Do you have any links to your experiences with them going after your wife? I am very curious now to know what happened. Was it someone who frequents this board, or a member of the Mopologetics community at large?

It was at a time when a couple of people were following me around this board, the "other" board, and my blog, making rather nasty and disparaging comments about me and my obvious deep-seated hatred for all things Mormon and my intense desire to destroy the church.

I didn't give it much thought until the infamous "assault rifle" episode plus some pretty hateful and threatening stuff on my blog. But even then it didn't faze me, as I figured they were just trying to get a reaction from me. However, one day a few weeks later, I went home, and my wife told me that, although she had tried to keep it from me, she thought I should know that she had received threatening emails from persons unknown. She said they hinted of violence, but they all said something to the effect that "we know what your husband is doing. You need to put a stop to him, or we will." She was freaked out enough that she deleted the emails and didn't tell me about them until a few weeks later.

My wife has PTSD from childhood abuse, and needless to say this was extremely upsetting to her. I don't know who sent the emails, but I doubt it was a coincidence that they came at the same time as the rest of the harassment. What I feel bad about, though, is that by outing myself, I opened my wife up to that kind of ugliness. She has nothing to do with my unbelief and in fact is still hopeful that eventually I'll see the error of my ways. Whoever sent those emails sank about as low as a person can, in my judgment.

[Guest]

l

[_Ceeboo]

Do it.

My name is David Troy Anthony Bennett. I coach my 13 year old's basketball team--which so happens to be my favorite sport.

Hello David Troy Anthony Bennett,

You might be interested to know (In case you don't already know?) that our beloved MDB poster, Hoops, has a basketball/basketball coaching blog. (The link is attched to his user name).

for what it's worth, I have checked the blog out and have found the site/blog to be very informative and indeed worthy of the time I have invested.

Peace,
Ceeboo Ceeboo Ceeboo Ceeboo :)

[_Spurven Ten Sing]

I am Trevor Nathan Johnson. I am 48 years old. I have been married three times and have a teenaged daughter who lives with her mother. I live in Riverside, California and work as an engineer for a small company. I own a house here and in Utah, where my daughter Charlene Mary Johnson lives. I have been arrested once for an unpaid ticket, but have never committed any real crimes.

[_stemelbow]

Hello David Troy Anthony Bennett,

You might be interested to know (In case you don't already know?) that our beloved MDB poster, Hoops, has a basketball/basketball coaching blog. (The link is attched to his user name).

for what it's worth, I have checked the blog out and have found the site/blog to be very informative and indeed worthy of the time I have invested.

Peace,
Ceeboo Ceeboo Ceeboo Ceeboo :)

I knew that, Ceeboo. Thanks. I've seen the blog. It looks good to me too.

[_Buffalo]

Do it.

My name is David Troy Anthony Bennett. i have a wife and three kids ages 13, 3, and 3 mos. I live in sandy Utah. I coach my 13 year old's basketball team--which so happens to be my favorite sport. I weigh 175 lbs and am in the process of getting back in shape so I'll shed 15 or so, I imagine. My hair is black, my eyes are brown, my mustache is fluffy, my nipple piercings are shiney. I chew my fingernails, which totally annoys my wife so i try not to very often. I am amazing at preserving underpants. They remain pristine after 10 years of use.

Peace to you all.

Now you'd REALLY better not lose your faith, Stem. Otherwise Schryver may do to you what he did to Runtu.