Becoming too chummy with the exmos

[_Doctor Steuss]

I was chummy with a believer back in the very dark ages on ARM, and eventually met up with him again [...]
Also some of you might want to rethink your avatars, because they are also too likeable. I love Dr. Seuss's, particularly in combination with his name. I don't know if it's deliberate, but it reminds me of the sixties and LSD.
[...]

The name is a nickname given to me by a friend a couple of years ago when I was inadvertently rhyming in Seuss fashion (Stu + Seuss = Steuss), and the name stuck. The avatar... that's a deliberate rumination of the sixties and LSD (and a slight reference to Eastern religious thought).

I really do try to be unlikable. I believe it was Skippy the Dead that I called a “scrotum tugger” just the other day. That should count for something… right?

PS.
You’re an apostate and going to hell. And you smell like bologna and wet dog. You shall never get me to follow your evil apostate ways.

PPS.
You’re a poopie head.

PPPS.
Your name in French is “Flatus.”

PPPPS.
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any of those things. :-( Damnit... why am I backing out?... I did mean them... no you didn't... yes I did... no you didn't... wanna get a slurpee?... sure, and we should probably play some x-box... groovy...

[_beastie]

Heh, talk about confirmation bias, all this time I've been reading your screen name I never noticed the "t" in Dr. Seuss.

Scrotum tugger? Well, it depends. Was he actually tugging your scrotum? If so, you were totally justified.

Your name in French is “Flatus.”

Well, NOW you've gone too far!!!!! Take zat, you batard!*

I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any of those things. :-( Damnit... why am I backing out?... I did mean them... no you didn't... yes I did... no you didn't... wanna get a slurpee?... sure, and we should probably play some x-box... groovy...

Oh, too late, it's waaaay too late for that now. It's open war!!!

But I can hook you up with my sons for some x-box, if you like. I am SOOO the wrong generation for that. :P

*I just called you a loaf of bread, in case your confirmation bias made you overlook the missing "s". ;)

[_beastie]

Now that we're openly tainting believers by liking them, I want to go on record saying one of my all time favorite believing posters has got to be Katherine the Great. She really is great. While I don't know much about her personally, it does seem to me that she really does believe, and yet is able to consider information from either side without immediately suspecting it, and doesn't engage in mental gymnastics, as far as I can see. She's a straight shooter.

[_Runtu]

Now that we're openly tainting believers by liking them, I want to go on record saying one of my all time favorite believing posters has got to be Katherine the Great. She really is great. While I don't know much about her personally, it does seem to me that she really does believe, and yet is able to consider information from either side without immediately suspecting it, and doesn't engage in mental gymnastics, as far as I can see. She's a straight shooter.

Yeah, I have always respected her and liked her for the same reasons. Now, of course she's in danger of banning because someone in Purgatory likes her.

[_Blixa]

If I ever get a custom title, beastie, perhaps it will be "avatar junkie." What can I say? I like visual images and I work with them a lot. And you ain't seen nuttin' yet!

Back to the original idea runtu started with, those following the Old Testament forum might have noticed that wade and I could end up kayaking together on the Great Salt Lake sometime. And that has to be a sign that the end times are near!

All joking aside, a marvelous aspect of my interent experience in general is that I've ended up meeting people, in RL and online, that I otherwise never would have. People with similar interests and more fascinatingly, people much different than myself. If I consider anything a "blessing," it would be that.

[_Mercury]

Is Mercury the former some other poster?

Its me, vegas. Mwahahahaha!

[_Seven]

Now that we're openly tainting believers by liking them, I want to go on record saying one of my all time favorite believing posters has got to be Katherine the Great. She really is great. While I don't know much about her personally, it does seem to me that she really does believe, and yet is able to consider information from either side without immediately suspecting it, and doesn't engage in mental gymnastics, as far as I can see. She's a straight shooter.

She is one of my all time favorites too. Another reason I love her is she knows how culture affected Old Testament writings and can battle it out well with those using scripture to justify immoral behavior.
She has a good grasp of history and believes Joseph Smith was not commanded of God to restore polygamy. Her belief goes something like "he was experimenting with it" in restoring the gospel. There are not many believers out there with this view point and I respect her for it.

[_harmony]

Now that we're openly tainting believers by liking them, I want to go on record saying one of my all time favorite believing posters has got to be Katherine the Great. She really is great. While I don't know much about her personally, it does seem to me that she really does believe, and yet is able to consider information from either side without immediately suspecting it, and doesn't engage in mental gymnastics, as far as I can see. She's a straight shooter.

She is one of my all time favorites too. Another reason I love her is she knows how culture affected Old Testament writings and can battle it out well with those using scripture to justify immoral behavior.
She has a good grasp of history and believes Joseph Smith was not commanded of God to restore polygamy. Her belief goes something like "he was experimenting with it" in restoring the gospel. There are not many believers out there with this view point and I respect her for it.

When I was summarily banned from FAIR, she was one of the few people I missed. Just like I missed Kevinchill when I was banned from Z. Some people have a calming effect on me, and those two are great examples of that effect.

[_The Nehor]

I was chummy with a believer back in the very dark ages on ARM, and eventually met up with him again on the Fringe, now an exmormon.

So I think some believers who are just too likeable for their own good should immediately, for the safety of their testimonies, assume a more aggressive, condescending, harsh, and arrogant stance towards exbelievers. That way we won't like you, and you'll be safe.

Also some of you might want to rethink your avatars, because they are also too likeable. I love Dr. Seuss's, particularly in combination with his name. I don't know if it's deliberate, but it reminds me of the sixties and LSD.

This phenomenon is part of the reason The Dude has gotten away with as much as he has on MAD. I'm jealous. He figured out the best avatar/screen-name EVER, the one that FORCES people to like you.

Nehor's avatar is problematic for this faith. Is it you? If so, you just have one of those very likeable faces. That is bad news for your testimony, because it makes even me, rabid anti-mormon font of evil that I am (thanks to Ray for helping me to embrace my own evil!), like you too much.

And speaking of avatars, has anyone noticed blixa has an avatar addiction? How many has she had now? I think it is time for an intervention.

Yes, that avatar was me but I changed it right before reading this post. If you liking me will send me to hell then I guess hell is inevitable. Then I'll have to switch to eternal afterlife Plan B: http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=040228

[_William Schryver]

The Nehor:

I have fear that I could be next if that helps. I think those that don't consider the possibility that they might leave are more likely to leave. In my experience the most rigid, dogmatic LDS who are convinced they will never leave....eventually leave.

You are so right. Guys like Talibachman, who claim they would have done anything their mission president or the prophet told them to do – because they were just absolutely certain that the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve shoot pool with God and angels every Thursday afternoon on the top floor of the SLC Temple – etc., etc., etc.


The Dude:

This sounds a lot like me and William Schryver. :O

edit: (since Will is going to see this himself or be notified by someone) the first two paragraphs sound familiar. I'm not making any predictions.

What gratuituous self-flattery!!! You’d love that, wouldn’t you? It’d be like a thousand orgasms times two. Well, OK … maybe not a thousand x 2, but you get the idea.

However, I’m really sorry to disappoint you, but like I told you before, I’ve already got my calling and election made sure, so I really can’t go wrong from here on out unless I shed some innocent blood – and we both know I ain’t gonna find any of that here.

Maybe what will really happen is that I will reconvert you – or at least be the catalyst for you to rediscover your faith – somewhere a few more miles down the road.