Mike, I don't think you were trying to offend. Let me go ahead an say that I like you as well. When I had my apostasy from FAIR, you were the only person from their inner sanctum, who tried to email me off list and maintain a friendship. And even though we didn't keep in touch, I remembered that, and I appreciated it. You were always one of my favorites at FAIR, but you never really posted much. I've never seen you fight with anyone, and I think that is something only Kevin Barney can say.
You're reading too much into it, Kevin. It's interesting that of all the people I know who heard the title before it was published, I never heard such an interpretation until some critics saw it
Maybe that's because most LDS really
do believe it is a spiritual disorder of some sort? You can't tell me that LDS members do not generally interpret doubt as a spiritual deficiency of some sort. Most doubters don't seem themselves as suffering from any kind of syndrome. It is simply a matter of trying to reconcile uncomfortable facts with preconceived notions. Mormonism is unique in that, unlike most other religions, becomes an integral part of virtually every aspect of an adherent's life. It is designed to leave its footprint in every corner of a Mormon's spiritual, social and personal life, so that leaving it requires adjustments to one's life that are so drastic, that many would rather just stick with it and live a miserable life of doubt. I know several people like this who stick with it because that is the only social scheme they know. They can't afford to leave it because they have too much invested.
This is why I am a bit upset with the way the Church tries to attract converts. It isn't open and forthcoming about controversial matters that would otherwise make a decision to convert, much easier for investigators. And I think this is for a reason. People who are not already invested in Mormonism, would not buy into the apologetic arguments that are out there. So they do everything they can as missionaries, to control the environment. The controversial stuff is ignored and independent research is discouraged as the missionaries try to rush the investigators through baptism after only the second discussion! What's the hurry? Well, better do it now before they lose the spirit. Satan might take hold of them or throw up some obstacles like anti-Mormon literature.
Whatever happened to those Mormon sayings about never fearing the truth?
#1 certainly would agree with the way you understand the term; #4 would not.
Well, #1 is how most people understand it.
I thought it was a clever way of depicting the very real damage that happens to the faith (often fragile, as noted by someone else on this board), when they encounter issues that challenge their faith.
Yea, but the picture of a person suffering from a spiritual disorder resonates well with most LDS.
It can kill or severely damage a testimony (this is nothing new to those on this list).
A testimony in a Mormon context is nothing more than a declaration of belief, without really knowing for a fact. That is why they have testimony meeting, and go through the monthly, sometimes weekly ritual of "sharing" it with others. If they
really knew, they wouldn't have to keep trying to convince themselves of it. But it is a statement of faith based on faith. The people who are enduring these "syndromes" are simply people who came across troubling information that the Church neglected to share. That is what made me more upset than anything. It wasn't the fact that Joseph Smith could not translate ancient documents, so much as it was the fact that the Church knew this too, but decided to suppress the relevant materials so nobody else could find out the truth.
Those who go through deconversion often struggle with a host of feelings-- including anger, frustration, sadness (or even happiness).
Yes, of course. And how are you helping people get through this? By assuring them that the Church is true after all?
The negative feelings are serious, and as a believer I think that Shaken Faith Syndrome aptly describes the turmoil that some members encounter when they struggle with faith-shaking issues
The negative feelinsg
are serious. But it isn't a psychological turmoil the way you might think. It is the same kind of turmoil a kid might go through the minute he finds out Santa Claus really doesn't exist. It
could be a good thing if you let it, but by assuring the kid Santa really does exist, who are you really trying to help?
I think it is better to help people by assuring them that it is OK to live a non-Mormon lifestyle. Accepting demonstrable truths should not be a crime punishable by social death. But that isn't something you have the authority to do. There is simply too much LDS literature out there, smacking down apostates as spiritual heathens. The reasons so many doubters struggle are numerous. Discovering uncomfortable facts is only the first stage of resentment. What's worse is trying to deal with a world of resentment from every Mormon in your family and social network.
“All knowledge of reality starts from experience and ends in it...Propositions arrived at by purely logical means are completely empty as regards reality." - Albert Einstein
