beastie wrote:I thought of something similar, but with a hypothetical example.
Let’s pretend that a recent LDS convert participates on a board for LDS and nonbelievers – a board like this one. The convert comes from a fundamentalist EV family, who has reacted harshly to his conversion to Mormonism. In fact, his family thinks he’s been influenced by Satan. Let’s also pretend that his step-father, with whom he has had a problematic relationship in the past, sent out a mass email to his family regarding his daughter’s serious illness. In the email, he’s expressed his certitude that she was cured by the power of faith, because he made a phone call to a televangelist’s phone bank, made a contribution, and asked them to pray for his daughter. In response, they sent him a small prayer cloth with special healing powers that he put under her pillow. In the email, the step-father was quite effusive in expressing his certitude of faith in this particular process.
Now let’s pretend that the now-LDS step-son found this ridiculous, and also felt that the email may have been targeted him in particular. In a moment, taken by the emotional need to vent, the step-son shared a portion of the email on the LDS group and made mocking statements about the belief that a televangelist’s prayer cloth could have healed his sister.
Now let’s pretend that there is another EV member of the board who is acquainted with the convert’s family, and emailed a link to the step-father. And, of course, it caused conflict and more problems.
Would the LDS on the board believe that the EV’s actions were appropriate? Or would they think that it could have been handled differently, and that perhaps part of the EV’s motive was to cause trouble for the LDS convert. Would the LDS think that it could have been better handled privately, or without involving the family? Would there really be a compelling “need” for the EV family to know this information?
This analogy is perfectly apt except along the most important dimension: the Mormon Church is
true, while evangelical churches are not, so it's perfectly reasonable to treat apostates from Mormonism different from apostates to man-made religions.
(I wonder how many LDS privately think this.)
