Why did you look?

[_Fence Sitter]

I left belief long before I started studying church history. I was quite literally bored out of belief. I was BIC, raised in the Church, return missionary and BYU attending when I went inactive because I could not stand to attend meetings. If there was a God out there who thought spending that much time in that many excruciatingly boring meeting was necessary to return to His presence, I wanted no part of him. So I stopped going to church.

It wasn't until many years later when internet search engines made asking questions like "How many wives did Joseph Smith have?" easy, that I started reading up on actual Mormon history. I remember reading RSR when it first came out and being stunned at how much I did not know about my own religion. From there it became a hobby that interests me because well, I was raised in the religion. Now I look because actual Mormon history is a whole lot more interesting than what members are taught.

I was in a meeting the other day in which a guy who works for the church historians office was giving a presentation on the Book of Abraham in when he basically said Joseph Smith couldn't translate Egyptian. I looked around the room of mostly elderly faithful LDS people and could see the confusion on many of their faces. Questions like "Wait, are you saying the descriptions in the PoGP for the facsimiles do not actually match what Egyptologist's think they say?" or "You mean the papyri in the church's possession say's nothing about Abraham?" or "What does the papyri actually say?" and so on. For many of these people it was the first time they had head about issues with the Book of Abraham.

[_kairos]

Bump for more terrific true stories-these stories are encouraging and making a difference!

Thanx

k

[_DrW]

I wish I could remember who it was, but if memory serves, it was DrW.

In an exchange, I had mentioned that there was a lot within the Book of Mormon that stood out to me as 1800’s American Protestantism; but, there were also things that undeniably pointed to antiquity.

This was met with “How many of those ancient aspects can’t be explained by a 19th century production, though?”

Dr. Steuss,

Thank you for the tentative mention. The thought that it might have been a question from me on this board that turned you in the right direction really made my day.

Many of us spend time on this board because we understand that lurkers come here for a different perspective on Mormonism. This board gives us an opportunity to provide rational, if highly diverse, facts and opinions as counterpoint to Mormon indoctrination and faith (unfounded belief) based fantasy. Its great to have evidence now and then that all this may be worthwhile.

From reading your posts, you appear to be a mature, socially conscious and charity minded individual who goes out of their way to help others. These are the near exact opposite of the traits commonly attributed to those of us who leave the church by many who remain.

[_zeezrom]

followed by a movie for everyone to watch me commit the sins and then life on the Telestial.

:lol:

I remember someone telling that too. All the bad things you ever did are going to be displayed on a big movie screen for everyone to see.

Oh, GAWD, Stupid damned Mormons.

Right? It used to terrify me because it was my big secret that I did some very benign thing that I trumped up to be akin to murder. OMG oh no! I'm a geeky kid that burns incense and listens to Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull with his door locked and every once in a while polishing the banister as they say... or Lone Rangering... or shaking hands with the milkman if you will.... But all in all it really wasn't hardly a thing and I made it one to be sure.

....and here I go again sounding obsessed with this subject like usual, hahahaha!

[_zeezrom]

I gotta be honest now. It was a good part this very place that made me really start looking. Way to go, MDB. You are responsible! Nah there are people who would like to tell me I was unfairly compromised and persuaded to leave due to the bad folks around here. But it really isn't true. I mean think about it for just a second. Grown adults are doing crazy crap in the temple and sitting in boring meetings all the time talking about more crazy crap. And they pay a lot of money for this. What is a rational good reason to NOT question it??