Bob wrote:It just seems to me that if somebody REALLY REALLY believed what they were posting here, their life would reflect it.
How do you know that it does not? You don't know them in "real life". You know what they post on this board. All you can do is take what they say at face value (or not). How do you know that they do not live their lives by the same ethics and standards they purport on this board?
Bob wrote: Instead, what happens is that people REALLY REALLY believe in the truthfulness of the Chuch but have chosen to live their lives as sinners -- often a divorce seems to be the explanation (but not always).
Woah! You just made some HUGE leaps here! Are you saying that the majority of people who post here are "sinners" and divorced? Um, hate to break this to you, Bob, but there are quite a few of us who are married. I've been married for 20 years. (Yes, you can start pitying my husband now, if you haven't already...LOL)
Bob wrote: They need to come to boards like this to replace the community they lost when they were faithful.
I think that this is where the disconnect is happening. I come to this board to talk to others about the Church, and about other issues. Do I enjoy the sense of community here? Yes. Is that wrong? I don't think so, and I don't see how? Do you enjoy coming here? Hopefully you do. If you don't, you shouldn't come here. I have made some terrific friends here. I also have terrific friends in my Ward, at work, etc. There are multiple communities that I belong to. I think everyone is like that, aren't they?
Bob wrote:Therein lies my challenge -- resign and walk the talk. But, they can't. And so they are weak. And so I discredit their argument as disingenuous -- saying one thing but doing another. Saying false things about Joseph Smith's purported immoral behavior but, on the other hand, holding recommends, paying tithing and attending church -- something Dr. Sajer plainly observed in his exchange above.
Saying false things? I know that Boaz, Merc, and Infymus are on what I would call a "mission for the anti-s", and most of the time, their threads are silly, immature, and yes, derogatory. But let's just take them out of the equation for a minute, shall we?
From what I have read here, most of the posters speak of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and other Mormon prophets based on information they have read about them, and have drawn conclusions about this information. If their information is incorrect, call them out on the information! Refute it with correct information!
This is a discussion board, for crying out loud! We're here to
discuss things.
I can tell you this. If you weren't as quick to always go on the attack, I think that you would have better results.
Take the thread I'm hosting in the Celestial Forum as an example. I asked you a couple of simple questions, and you assumed that I was just trying to better you in some debate game. Not so! I was interested in your sources. I wanted to learn something from you.
Also, I don't think that you have any business telling Jason or Harmony to leave the Church. I think you need to accept, that if they say they have spoken to their Church leaders about their concerns, that they have done so. Just because their individual Church leaders did not act in the same manner you would act, does not mean that they did not go to them. As a bishop, I'm sure that you are aware that there is a lot of prayer and individual circumstance that weighs into how decisions are made.