The Best Reason for Sinning....

[_Yong Xi]

Oscar Wilde had the best reason for sinning:

The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it... I can resist everything but temptation.

[_The Nehor]

Is belief a choice?

Yes. Anyone who has convinced themselves that humans act rationally is profoundly deluded.

I don't think delusion can be equated with choice. I can't imagine someone choosing to be deluded. Or, as you like to put it, I find it laughable that someone would choose to be deluded.

Welcome to dealing with humanity. I don't think people consciously say, "Wow, I should be deluded." They make choices that lead them that way.

[_beastie]

LDS people sin all the time, either by omission or commission. So apparently the LDS church is full of closet doubters and disbelievers.

It's funny, though, as I've mentioned before, I know an LDS family quite well. Both parents and two out of three of the adult children remained fervent believes their entire lives. However, after the children were adults, it was disclosed that the father had molested his daughter from her infancy to her early teens. He was also having an affair with an adult female during that period. He eventually confessed (under duress, the daughter forced him), was ex'd, remained active, was rebaptized, and is now a temple worker. During that time period his faith never wavered. He never doubted the truth of the church.

Supposedly, according to one theory proposed here, his long term child molestation should have affected his faith. It didn't.

My exhusband has several relatives who were somewhat inactive in church throughout certain periods of their lives. Sometimes they also violated the WoW during these periods. One continued to violate the WoW even after returning to activity. Yet they all remained strong believers in the church, according to them. Even when they were inactive, they just had 'issues" keeping them away from church.

OTOH, I kept the WoW and the law of chastity without wavering. I read my scriptures daily. I attended all my meetings. I paid my tithing. I fulfilled my callings. The main thing I felt guilty about was not being able to convert my friends and coworkers, so I felt like a failure in missionary work. However, I did genealogy, so I hoped that counter balanced my missionary failure. My "big sin" was picking up a book in the library called Mormon Enigma, which opened a Pandora's box.

I don't think there is much evidence supporting this theory, personally.

[_truth dancer]

I've asked this many times without a thoughtful answer from an LDS believer. So I'll ask it again:

Why do believers in other religions leave and stop believing their particular faith tradition/religion?

Why do some FLDS leave their church and stop believing?

Why do some Catholics leave their church and stop believing?

Why do some Muslims leave their church and stop believing?

Why do some JWs leave their church and stop believing?

Why do some believers in 'pick any religion' leave their religion?

I find it odd that in the LDS church leaders teach and followers believe that LDS believers leave the church because of sin but they do not address the idea of why believers leave other religions.


~dancer~

[_The Nehor]

I've asked this many times without a thoughtful answer from an LDS believer. So I'll ask it again:

Why do believers in other religions leave and stop believing their particular faith tradition/religion?

Why do some FLDS leave their church and stop believing?

Why do some Catholics leave their church and stop believing?

Why do some Muslims leave their church and stop believing?

Why do some JWs leave their church and stop believing?

Why do some believers in 'pick any religion' leave their religion?

I find it odd that in the LDS church leaders teach and followers believe that LDS believers leave the church because of sin but they do not address the idea of why believers leave other religions.


~dancer~

Why should we address it? It's not really our concern.

If you want my thoughts, here you go. Some leave because they are breaking the religion's laws and they can't continue to believe what they do while acting like they do. Others leave without leaving (cultural Christians and Muslims, etc.). Some find a belief system that they find superior. Some meander out of it with the thought in their mind that they might come back.

[_truth dancer]

I've asked this many times without a thoughtful answer from an LDS believer. So I'll ask it again:

Why do believers in other religions leave and stop believing their particular faith tradition/religion?

Why do some FLDS leave their church and stop believing?

Why do some Catholics leave their church and stop believing?

Why do some Muslims leave their church and stop believing?

Why do some JWs leave their church and stop believing?

Why do some believers in 'pick any religion' leave their religion?

I find it odd that in the LDS church leaders teach and followers believe that LDS believers leave the church because of sin but they do not address the idea of why believers leave other religions.


~dancer~

Why should we address it? It's not really our concern.

If you want my thoughts, here you go. Some leave because they are breaking the religion's laws and they can't continue to believe what they do while acting like they do. Others leave without leaving (cultural Christians and Muslims, etc.). Some find a belief system that they find superior. Some meander out of it with the thought in their mind that they might come back.

You don't think it is possible that some people leave their religion because they don't think it is true? Seriously? These are your only three reasons for people leaving their tradition? 1. Sin, 2. Finding a superior religion, 3. Meandering thinking they will return? Really?

Let me be more specific..

Do you think it is possible that some people leave Scientology because they do not believe in Thetan?

Do you think it is possible that some people leave the FLDS because they do not believe it is a good or true religion?

Do you think it is possible that some people leave Islam because they cannot embrace some of its teachings?

Do you think it is possible that some people leave The Temple of Yahweh because they do not believe it is God's true church?

Do you think it is possible that some people leave the Ralians because they think the teachings are not of God?

I'm finding it difficult to think you would not agree with the above possibilities. But maybe I am wrong.



~dancer~

[_The Nehor]

I've asked this many times without a thoughtful answer from an LDS believer. So I'll ask it again:

Why do believers in other religions leave and stop believing their particular faith tradition/religion?

Why do some FLDS leave their church and stop believing?

Why do some Catholics leave their church and stop believing?

Why do some Muslims leave their church and stop believing?

Why do some JWs leave their church and stop believing?

Why do some believers in 'pick any religion' leave their religion?

I find it odd that in the LDS church leaders teach and followers believe that LDS believers leave the church because of sin but they do not address the idea of why believers leave other religions.


~dancer~

Why should we address it? It's not really our concern.

If you want my thoughts, here you go. Some leave because they are breaking the religion's laws and they can't continue to believe what they do while acting like they do. Others leave without leaving (cultural Christians and Muslims, etc.). Some find a belief system that they find superior. Some meander out of it with the thought in their mind that they might come back.

You don't think it is possible that some people leave their religion because they don't think it is true? Seriously? These are your only three reasons for people leaving their tradition? 1. Sin, 2. Finding a superior religion, 3. Meandering thinking they will return? Really?

Let me be more specific..

Do you think it is possible that some people leave Scientology because they do not believe in Thetan?

Do you think it is possible that some people leave the FLDS because they do not believe it is a good or true religion?

Do you think it is possible that some people leave Islam because they cannot embrace some of its teachings?

Do you think it is possible that some people leave The Temple of Yahweh because they do not believe it is God's true church?

Do you think it is possible that some people leave the Ralians because they think the teachings are not of God?

I'm finding it difficult to think you would not agree with the above possibilities. But maybe I am wrong.



~dancer~

It's certainly possible that they could leave for those reasons as well. I hope you weren't expecting my list to be comprehensive as to be accurate I would have to enumerate the reasons for every human ever leaving a religion and I am not up to that. I would say that it is usually rare for people to leave for those reasons in my experience. More people drift out of religion then repudiate it. Many who drift out later repudiate it but the drifting usually comes first. The LDS faith is not an exception here.

[Guest]

I find it AMAZING that in the LDS church leaders and many believers seem to think people stop believing in their church due to sin.
It is as if some believe that sinning actually makes people stop believing in Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and the LDS church.

Actually once people realize what a morbid, stupid concept sinning is. Everything else follow naturally, first brains then loins.
It is priceless to feel guiltfree.

[_The Nehor]

I find it AMAZING that in the LDS church leaders and many believers seem to think people stop believing in their church due to sin.
It is as if some believe that sinning actually makes people stop believing in Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and the LDS church.

Actually once people realize what a morbid, stupid concept sinning is everything else follow naturally.....
It is priceless to feel guiltfree.

Congratulations on killing your conscience.

[_solomarineris]

Congratulations on killing your conscience.

You are a fun guy
to converse, chat, I hand that to you.
But How am I supposed to explain to you my godless moral standards.
If you didn't get it by now, you'll never get it.
Stick with your Ten Commandments.