I confess, I do like to masturbate. Do you? Everyone does, except for Boyd K. Packer!
Just how many young men of the church have been damaged by anti-masturbation teachings is beyond me. The officers of the church are accountable for this and will one day have to answer for it. I wouldn't want to be in their shoes.
I just feel that people today don't need to use King James English to talk to God either in public or private. I'm not sure "pagan" is the best word to describe my objection to it but perhaps I should say it isn't required or necessary. Actually, I still use a little of the hallowed language in my prayers when it comes out naturally, although that comes from years of experience. I feel people should just talk to God in the language that comes naturally to them. That is probably what pleases God the most. He just wants us to talk to him like a friend and not hold up a 500 year old Bible as a template for words to use.
Paul O
I have no idea what it is that God wants. All I know is that I try to treat others as I would want to be treated. My prayer has very little to do with speaking and everything to do with my frame of mind and heart. I can understand why you say what you say. I may not see things in exactly the same way, but I am sympathetic.
“I was hooked from the start,” Snoop Dogg said. “We talked about the purpose of life, played Mousetrap, and ate brownies. The kids thought it was off the hook, for real.”
Paul Osborne wrote:The Book of Abraham translation is a hoax inasmuch is it is not a correct translation of the hieroglyphics in question.
Paul O
OK. I follow you. I am just not sure that the fact it is not a translation militates against it being a sacred text.
“I was hooked from the start,” Snoop Dogg said. “We talked about the purpose of life, played Mousetrap, and ate brownies. The kids thought it was off the hook, for real.”
I have no idea what it is that God wants. All I know is that I try to treat others as I would want to be treated
Me too, the golden rule all the way. Treating other people the way I want to be treated is very important to me. Loving God and loving people is what life is all about.
OK. I follow you. I am just not sure that the fact it is not a translation militates against it being a sacred text
I'm willing to wait for the next life to get all my answers. If the Book of Abraham truly is sacred text that God breathed to Joseph Smith then Jesus himself can tell me that face to face. Otherwise, I'm just not too concerned at the moment. I just want to get on with my life without having to rely on faith for every little step I take. I'm tired of faith. I just want to live. Faith is old stuff. I need new air.
I hope your transition isn't as painful as it has been for others. I lucked out in this regard. Leaving the church was a very liberating experience for me. I love studying Mormonism through this new lens I have. Learning seems twice as easy, now that I no longer need to spend half my efforts racking my brain, trying to harmonize new information with my faith based assumptions. Just be careful, Paul, not to turn anti-Mormon. There is no sense leaving one illusion, only to quickly latch onto another.
I really appreciate what you just said. I feel a sense of freedom and a great relief as if a burden has been lifted. Yes, I do study things from another angle now and there is new insight.
Me antiMormon? Nope, that wouldn’t be healthy. I think the church is a great place for many people to be! It is a stepping stone that leads to God but is not the place to stay forever unless one settles for stagnation. Mormonism is simply another religion on earth to help people in their journey to understand God and the purpose of life. I admit it doesn’t have all the answers and is poorly run. The white collar men have simply turned it into a wash. They need some blue collar men at the top to get things turned around. What a mess!
I'm both surprised and not-surprised. I actually wondered recently if you were moving in this direction, since I hadn't seen you say anything particularly "Mormon" for a while. But I didn't quite believe my own speculation.
I am glad you feel relieved by your decision, and I hope it is as liberating for you as it was for Mike. As I have moved away from the faith of my youth, the transition has been intellectually liberating but emotionally difficult. It can be lonely sometimes when you don't feel quite at home with either the people of God or the people of the world. I recommend you try to find a good network to plug into where you feel welcomed and can unified in heart and mind with those around you.
Am I going to crawl under, over, or around the Book of Mormon? Ray, what say ye?
Hey, I can feel the love dripping off of elder Holland who sits on top of the Book of Mormon and enjoys his position of power. I'll bet he enjoys all that money in his personal security accounts and the free room and board too from the Stake Presidents he spunges off of.