DiscussMormonism.com

I am a somewhat active member of the church. Someone gave a talk about Mormon message boards. Then this whole topic came up at BYU. It seems strange people are so angry. Why are people so angry? Is there similar feelings from people who leave catholic methodist or even islam? And is there an end goal? Do people here want the church to shut down?

dogmaster wrote:I am a somewhat active member of the church. Someone gave a talk about Mormon message boards. Then this whole topic came up at BYU. It seems strange people are so angry. Why are people so angry? Is there similar feelings from people who leave catholic methodist or even islam? And is there an end goal? Do people here want the church to shut down?

No, but you have to understand that Mormonism is unlike most other religions out there.

In most religions, you belong to the religion. In Mormonism, you ARE a Mormon. It is at the very core of what you are. When you find out it isn't true, it goes much deeper than most religions. People try very hard to hold on to their faith.

Without some of us critics, many of those who are questioning would only hear the apologists side of things. It is deeply gratifying to get a PM from someone saying that I made a lot of sense and had helped them better understand some of the issues. Most people questioning will simply read the message boards and never post. It is my duty to make sure both sides are fairly represented.

Plus, a very minor few of us participate on message boards.

And, it's entertaining for me.

Suppose you worked twenty years for a political campaign and you donated all your time, money, heart to this cause. You really wanted to see this guy elected. The only things you heard were all the great things this person did. Then suddenly someone digs something up that makes you and others who worked so hard sick to their stomach, and then a lot more things come up and you shake your head and say I would have never given this person a dime or any of my time had I known this at the beginning. You find out that people who ran the campaign knew about these things but suppressed it or bought up the information. You are angry. Anger built up inside with no way to get it out can be self destructive. You need to get it out some way and maybe this board is one way to get the anger out.

Also the discussions here range over a host of topics from history to philosophy of religion. The posters come from a range of positions in relation to Mormonism.

First of all, Dogmaster, welcome to the board! :)

In answer to your questions,

Dogmaster wrote:Do people here want the church to shut down?

Some may feel that way, but that is not the purpose of the board. Dr. Shades, who created the board, has a specific mission statement for the Mormon Discussions Message Board, which can be found when you first enter the site. This is the statement, and the aim of this board:

Mission Statement of the Board wrote:Mormon Discussions. . . Because we all want the truth.

Here is a place of free discussion. Whether you want to discuss the finer intricacies of doctrine, or whether you want to discuss the truthiness of the church in general, your word will be heard here.

Pro, anti, investigator, questioner, critic, apologetic, no matter what you call yourself, what you have to say, or what your agenda is, you have a place here. We pride ourselves on a minimalistic moderation policy, so that your voice is always heard.

Dogmaster wrote:Is there an end goal?

No, there isn't an end goal. This is a discussion board. People who have some connection with Mormonism (members, former members, non-members with family who are members, etc.) come to the board to discuss various topics in Mormon doctrine.

There are some here who are former members of the Church who are angry, but the majority of posters here simply enjoy "thinking outside the box" and learning and discussing different aspects of LDS doctrine that they either don't understand, disagree with, or would simply like to learn more about.

I am one of the Moderators here. If you have any questions about how the board operates, etc., please feel free to PM me.

Liz

How do you put pictures next to your name?

dogmaster wrote:How do you put pictures next to your name?

Go to the Profile link at the top of the page. Once you are in your profile, you can scroll down and choose your settings. At the bottom of the profile page is an area for you to include a small image if you choose to. You can also add a signature from this page.

dogmaster wrote:It seems strange people are so angry. Why are people so angry? Is there similar feelings from people who leave catholic methodist or even islam? And is there an end goal? Do people here want the church to shut down?

As others have mentioned, people get upset when they find out they've been lied to for so many years. That's only natural, especially given the time invested in the church.

But for others who never believed (like myself), the issue isn't so much about what I put into the church as much as how my exit has completely changed my family's view of me. The fact that the church poison's a person's view of their own family members for "not measuring up"... well, yeah, that pisses me off.

Do I want the church to shut down? Well, it certainly wouldn't hurt my feelings, but I don't really care about that. I just like expressing my opinion about certain things related to the church and it's purging to be able to come hear and call a spade a spade. I do not respect religious beliefs just because they're religious, or dear to someone, if the beliefs cause harm, and that's what the church is peddling.

Thank you for the help on the profile.

dogmaster wrote:Thank you for the help on the profile.

You're welcome! :)

Cute dog! Love the signature, too! ;)