My guess is it's more or less 'tribal'. Exmormons and critics have a common sense of belonging together and sharing their angst or other common attributes. Mormons do it to in their own sort of way as they attend church. Humans are just built that way.
The thing that I find unique here though after a long period of time is that folks keep coming back and keep up with the same or similar themes of angst and criticism. I would think that this might not be healthy, but to each his or her own.
It surely isn't to make friends with members of the church! There have been many times when I wished folks here were a bit more vulnerable and shared more about their own personal beliefs rather than tearing others down. I have very little if any idea what sorts of beliefs, if any, folks have around here. After all this time it would be interesting to know what 'floats one's boat' in a religious/spiritual sense after Mormonism.
Regards,
MG
Rightly or wrongly, some folks here are suspicious of attempts to uncover personal information, and find it a bit creepy when someone insists on knowing, for example, the sex/gender of another board member in order to "know how to interact" with them. You've been around here long enough to know that there have been, and may still be, attempts to doxx, or "out" participants, and to interfere with them professionally, and that personal emotional harm has been inflicted on folks who participate on the board. At least one current participant has had that unpleasant experience.
Asking for vulnerability may just make folks feel less safe. Perhaps it's best to let people disclose what they feel like, without being badgered?
It's not my responsibility to tell you this - I'm sure you're aware of all of it - nor to tell you how to conduct yourself, but I hope that my attempt to make some of these ideas explicit may at least lead to a bit of introspection before interrogation.
Oh, I get that. I'm talking in regards to, well, what I said, religious/spiritual centers/home. What makes people happy and/or what floats their boat as critics and exmormons. As it is, it's everything wrong with Mormonism and the LDS church. It seems as though that might get old.
My guess is it's more or less 'tribal'. Exmormons and critics have a common sense of belonging together and sharing their angst or other common attributes. Mormons do it to in their own sort of way as they attend church. Humans are just built that way.
If that were true, there wouldn't be this big problem of members gluing themselves to their phones during church. Or Mopologists reading books during church to escape. Mormons have always seen church as a chore. A sacrifice. Something they must suffer through. I recall growing up how good the feeling was to arrive home, knowing I was good for one more week. Of course in the right situations members will talk about how they love to go to church as you are here, but they are lying, as you are.
"if you can't admire Joe Biden as a person then it's probably, you got a problem." -- Lindsey Graham
You would be correct I don't amass a plethora of naïve disbelievers to span the globe and preach nihilistic doctrine. Nor do I send lawyers to generate Amicus briefs that hopes to restrict another groups human rights. I also leave an open mind that I could be completely wrong rather than insist with every fiber of my being that something is true.
I think you and I have the last thing you mention in common. But I still don't underestimate why you are here.
Regards,
MG
Thanks for not underestimating me. Elder Gene Cook said Mick Jagger told him they make music to make kids have sex. I comment to kill testimonies and help the church fade away. Opposition in all things you see. I am actually part of the plan.
...The thing that I find unique here though after a long period of time is that folks keep coming back and keep up with the same or similar themes of angst and criticism. I would think that this might not be healthy, but to each his or her own.
It surely isn't to make friends with members of the church...
it's almost as if the mental gymnast doesn't realize that "non-members" of his church are real people who have friends, relationships, interactions, and experiences that don't match his.
Speaking of what might not be healthy, trolling a group of people who believe a variety of different things by coming to their forum and stereotyping them as a group that attacks you and your beliefs would qualify.
If mentalgymnasts really believed that people should 'live and let live' they wouldn't do that.
...The thing that I find unique here though after a long period of time is that folks keep coming back and keep up with the same or similar themes of angst and criticism. I would think that this might not be healthy, but to each his or her own.
It surely isn't to make friends with members of the church...
it's almost as if the mental gymnast doesn't realize that "non-members" of his church are real people who have friends, relationships, interactions, and experiences that don't match his.
Speaking of what might not be healthy, trolling a group of people who believe a variety of different things by coming to their forum and stereotyping them as a group that attacks you and your beliefs would qualify.
If mentalgymnasts really believed that people should 'live and let live' they wouldn't do that.
That's rich. I never insinuated that you, Marcus, don't have a life. What I did say is that a significant of part of your life is spent on this board trolling active and believing members of the church. I just happen to be the only one right now.
My point was that you and others have very little else...seemingly...to talk about or keep you coming here other than to bash the church or its members...including DCP. You've got to have a whipping boy or two, or three to keep the board alive.
What floats YOUR boat spiritually or religiously? Poking fun at other religions and their adherents? Your presence here seems to demonstrate that this may be the case. And it is taking away from your real life. This must be pretty important to you.
I think you and I have the last thing you mention in common. But I still don't underestimate why you are here.
Regards,
MG
Thanks for not underestimating me. Elder Gene Cook said Mick Jagger told him they make music to make kids have sex. I comment to kill testimonies and help the church fade away. Opposition in all things you see. I am actually part of the plan.
Yes you are. Totally. Start reviving gnats and you will be invincible.
it's almost as if the mental gymnast doesn't realize that "non-members" of his church are real people who have friends, relationships, interactions, and experiences that don't match his.
Speaking of what might not be healthy, trolling a group of people who believe a variety of different things by coming to their forum and stereotyping them as a group that attacks you and your beliefs would qualify.
If mentalgymnasts really believed that people should 'live and let live' they wouldn't do that.
That's rich. I never insinuated that you, Marcus, don't have a life. What I did say is that a significant of part of your life is spent on this board trolling active and believing members of the church. I just happen to be the only one right now.
My point was that you and others have very little else...seemingly...to talk about or keep you coming here other than to bash the church or its members...including DCP. You've got to have a whipping boy or two, or three to keep the board alive.
What floats YOUR boat spiritually or religiously? Poking fun at other religions and their adherents? Your presence here seems to demonstrate that this may be the case. And it is taking away from your real life. This must be pretty important to you.
Regards,
MG
Marcus' spot-on comment would, in my opinion, have been an excellent opportunity for you to TTOC, instead of inventing "lives" for people you don't know. The amount of time you spend here writing these fictions makes me wonder about your life.
Anyway, I have a suggestion - why don't we return to the topic of the thread, and let this derail just fade away.
You can help Ukraine by talking for an hour a week!! PM me, or check www.enginprogram.org for details. Слава Україні!, 𝑺𝒍𝒂𝒗𝒂 𝑼𝒌𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊!
Anyway, I have a suggestion - why don't we return to the topic of the thread, and let this derail just fade away.
Sounds like a plan. Although I do disagree that Marcus was "spot on"...of course I would, right? I think my posts on this matter may come closer to the actual truth/reality.
But yeah, this is enough of a derail. I suppose we could go round and round on what motivates critics and exmormons to show up here day after day to diss a church/religion they no longer believe in.
The only answer that seems to be agreed upon is that it is in response (to fight back?) LDS missionaries going out and knocking on doors pushing the gospel message.
Anyway, I have a suggestion - why don't we return to the topic of the thread, and let this derail just fade away.
Sounds like a plan. Although I do disagree that Marcus was "spot on"...of course I would, right? I think my posts on this matter may come closer to the actual truth/reality.
But yeah, this is enough of a derail. I suppose we could go round and round on what motivates critics and exmormons to show up here day after day to diss a church/religion they no longer believe in.
The only answer that seems to be agreed upon is that it is in response (to fight back?) LDS missionaries going out and knocking on doors pushing the gospel message.
Regards,
MG
Former alcoholics make good guides away from alcoholism.
Ex-Mormons similarly tend to be good guides out of the LDS religion. Places like this were invaluable for me.
That's rich. I never insinuated that you, Marcus, don't have a life. What I did say is that a significant of part of your life is spent on this board trolling active and believing members of the church. I just happen to be the only one right now.
My point was that you and others have very little else...seemingly...to talk about or keep you coming here other than to bash the church or its members...including DCP. You've got to have a whipping boy or two, or three to keep the board alive.
What floats YOUR boat spiritually or religiously? Poking fun at other religions and their adherents? Your presence here seems to demonstrate that this may be the case. And it is taking away from your real life. This must be pretty important to you.
Regards,
MG
Marcus' spot-on comment would, in my opinion, have been an excellent opportunity for you to TTOC, instead of inventing "lives" for people you don't know. The amount of time you spend here writing these fictions makes me wonder about your life.
Anyway, I have a suggestion - why don't we return to the topic of the thread, and let this derail just fade away.
Excellent point. Here's a piece of Southerton's excellent essay that I really appreciated:
“Simon Southerton” wrote:...Leaving aside the enormous collateral damage of being anti-creationist creates, l would like to respond to the way BYU aligned apologists are defending the Book of Mormon on the DNA front.
BYU-aligned DNA apologetics
I recently watched a two-minute Facebook clip by former Scripture Central apologist Jasmin Rappleye. In the clip she summarises the current DNA apologetic arguments being perpetuated by the Church's quasi-official apologists at Scripture Central and FAIR. The main line of defence these days (after shooting the messenger) appears to be to overlook what the Book of Mormon literally says and to focus attention on what they believe are limitations of the DNA science. These apologists now concede that Lehi's DNA has not been detected in Native Americans. So their only option is to point out weaknesses in the technology to explain why it hasn't been found...
This is a very clear summing up of the current approach, and it helps considerably in evaluating the apologetic stance. Southerton continues explaining what Rappleye is trying to accomplish:
...Today, the apologist's arguments are presented by unqualified zealots like Jasmin, but they are based on 20-year-old BYU apologetic responses to maternal and paternal DNA research.
Here I respond to the four main arguments that BYU-aligned apologists still persist with. Keep an eye out for when they focus attention on how easy it is to lose an individual's DNA. The quotes below are based on the text accompanying Jasmin’s video. Interestingly, Jasmin has recently ditched Scripture Central, followed prophetic counsel (and the money more likely) and “put on a little lipstick”, and started her own apologetic channel. Good for her. We now get to see just how crazy she gets without those annoying suits at Scripture Central reining her in.
Southerton has four great examples, this one is the one I found most relevant for me given the excuses I read:
...2. Lehite DNA was diluted away
The Americas were already populated. Lehi’s family of like 20 people would have interacted almost immediately with the larger indigenous populations, forever complicating efforts to trace their DNA lineages.
The Book of Mormon states clearly that the descendants of Lehi “prospered” and “multiplied exceedingly” in the land. They continuously led New World civilisations with large populations for a thousand years. So, let’s stop ignoring what the text says and pretending the Lehites would have made no impact on New World populations. Even if they were a small group, as they mixed with indigenous populations their genes will have moved into the surrounding populations. Indigenous populations will have preserved their DNA rather than causing its extinction.
We have a beautiful illustration of this happening out in the Pacific. In 2020 scientists discovered that people living in French Polynesia carried small traces of Zenu (Colombian) DNA that had arrived in about AD 1230. Given the sailing skill of Polynesians, it is almost certain this Zenu DNA was brought into the Pacific on a return voyage of Polynesians who had reached the coast of Colombia in about AD 1230. The highest concentrations of Zenu DNA were found in the North and South Marquesas Islands (4%). But scientists found traces of Zenu DNA (as little as 0.01%) in numerous other islands in Eastern Polynesia that were separated by many thousands of miles of ocean. The Zenu DNA was preserved in Polynesian populations in exactly the way we would expect Lehi’s DNA to be preserved in the Americas. See https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2487-2
I bolded the part above that, for me, most emphatically counters the objections. Southerton's explanation that follows is exemplary.
...They have found nothing because the Book of Mormon is fake history.
it's almost as if the mental gymnast doesn't realize that "non-members" of his church are real people who have friends, relationships, interactions, and experiences that don't match his. 
Yes you are. Totally. Start reviving gnats and you will be invincible.