Ex-Mormon Critic versus an anti-Mormon

[_DannyBoy]

I am an ex-Mormon critic; meaning I resigned from the Church, and I also go on the Internet to critique the actions of the Church, and Members. Sometimes, I praise the Church, when it repents or changes wrong actions into right actions. For example, I was EXUBERANT when Gordon B. Hinckley established the Perpetual Education Fund, which was the smartest thing he ever did on this planet. There are many things right about the Mormon Church. I wish things were "righter" about it. It is a great institution, and can be greater. I really want it to be greater. I DO NOT WANT PEOPLE LEAVING THE Mormon CHURCH "if" they are happy in it, and if it helps them to be good people. I would like POLLUTIONS to leave it, because they are polluting it. When I criticize the Church, what I'm really doing is condemning hypocrisy in the Church, or, in other words, I'm criticizing the pollutions in the Church. Mormon "CULTURE" is very hypocritical. I hope this changes in the past. It may never. But I can hope. I would LOVE to see the Mormon Church do the following things:

*Get back to what The Book of Mormon actually teaches: salvation by grace via the shed blood on Christ on the Cross, one God only, and we are NOT the sons and daughters of God UNTIL we are born again.

*STOP telling little Mormon children that they believe that Joseph Smith was a Prophet and the Church was true. Allow them to come to this belief on their own, if they choose to, when they are old enough. Forced belief only breeds hypocrites.

*STOP baptizing little children when they are 8 years old. Start to practice Believer's Baptism, based upon faith and repentance, and only when the Believer requests it; not as a tradition of the fathers.

*ADMIT that Joseph Smith was a sinner, lied about being a polygamist, and did things contrary to the Will of God before and after he claimed to be a Prophet.

*START preaching the existence of Hell again.

i.e. start preaching what The Book of Mormon actually teaches.

I would be PLEASED AS PUNCH if the Mormon Church reformed itself! Really.

An "Anti-Mormon" is a person who wishes to destroy the Church, and have people leave it. But some anti-Mormons couldn't care less. Ed Decker, for example, is a man who does not believe in God, does not believe in Jesus. He believes in Ed Decker. Ed is anti-Mormon NOT because he cares if people leave it or not, but because he knows he can MAKE MONEY from preaching against it. That is all. With the money he had a comfortable life, praise of the world, and lots of young sexy girlfriends. That is all. NOT ALL ANTI-MORMONS LIE!! Yes, most of them do, at least a little. Some anti-Mormons don't lie. Bill McKeever doesn't lie. Shawn McCready doesn't lie. The Tanners actually did lie, but their lies were very subtle. The TAnners are not Christians, but are atheists. They pretended to be Christians because they were told that was the only way they could make a living off of being anti-Mormon. Then you have Evangelical anti-Mormons. Most of them TELL LIES, because they see no sin in lying about the Devil's Church. Some of them, like the men named above, are honest. Unfortunately, those that tell lies are more popular than those who are honest.

I am an "Ex-Mormon Critic". I am not "anti-Mormon". I don't wish to see the Mormon Church destroyed, nor do I want people to leave the Church and become Atheists or Evangelicals; unless they are Pollutions, and, by leaving the Church, it will rid the Church of their stinking carcasses.

Why did I leave the Church? Five reasons:

1. I discovered that The Book of Mormon cannot be ancient American history of anybody, based upon all the available evidence.

2. I discovered that the Prophets, Seers, Revelators of the Mormon Church are not any of that. They don't get their information and policies from God, but from high-priced New York City public relations firms, from study groups, paid experts, committees, etc.

3. The Church is FULL of people who are socio-paths and people who have NPD (Narsisistic Personality Disorder); those type of people are particularly BRUTAL to people like me (I have Azperger's Syndrome). Basically, I got sick of tired of being disrespected and bullied.

4. For all I know, Joseph Smith MAY have been a Seer or Prophet, but he lied so much, about so many things, I can't trust anything he said or wrote.

5. I found a new religion, and a new Prophet, that I could put my faith in.

[_Uncle Dale]

The Reorganized LDS Church went down almost precisely
the same path as you envision for the Mormons.

That evolution killed church growth and expansion. It got
to the point that elders were suggesting that new converts
join the nearest United Methodist congregation, if there was
no Community of Christ church in their town. After all, by
the 21st century, there really wasn't that much difference.

Without the "them against us mentality" Mormonism cannot
thrive. It needs the "enemies" so very often cited in the
texts of its standard works. It needs persecution, either real
or imagined. It needs an excuse to separate its members
from the "wicked Gentiles," "spiritual Babylon," and the
"precepts of men."

If Mormonism were to give up its old "one true church" delusion,
it would be a better organization -- but it would cease to be
Mormonism.

It is damn difficult to fashion a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

UD

[_Kishkumen]

5. I found a new religion, and a new Prophet, that I could put my faith in.

Do tell.

Is this Derrick Evenson?

[_mackay11]

So you ditched Mormonism and became an evangelical christian? Or did I misread you?

Different vehicles, same path.