Questions for former and inactive church members(LDS).

[_William Schryver]

I just wanted to comment briefly on this thread and note that I consider it one of the most revealing threads ever here in Shadyville.

I never cease to be simultaneously amazed and amused by the self-incognizant things that are said/written by "wise-in-their-own-eyes" former Mormons.

Pirate dear, if you really want to ever reach a point where your spirituality can take root, you must--at least for the time being--avoid the sophists that dominate this message board. I do not believe that you are currently able to intellectually resist their well-developed sophistries, and the more you subject yourself to their sophisticated propaganda, the more the distance between you and your God will increase, until ultimately you will lose all connection with Him.

Good Afternoon,

I simply wanted to highlight that absurdity.

Very Respectfully,

Doctor CamNC4Me

Absurd in what fashion, dear "Doctor"?

Or are you so self-incognizant that you cannot recognize the absurdity of your claim of absurdity?

You know, if you keep it up, you might be able to wrest the title of "Most Pretentious Exmormon Sciolist" away from beastlie. Granted, she's got quite a head start on you, but you certainly manifest considerable talent in the field. It will probably be your apparent inability to string together more than two or three intelligible paragraphs that will be your undoing.

[_Imwashingmypirate]

I'm glad you found my comments useful, Pirate. You know I like you and wish you well. I think its good to question, but I know it can also be frustrating. But it's true, you have time to figure things out, so take that time and investigate and contemplate everything!

Although I am not religious, I do find a lot of religious spaces very helpful: I like the idea of natural or man-made places being set aside for a kind of "time out" from everyday concerns. I think this practice is very healthy, whether one subscribes to any particular beliefs. I can't remember what part of the country you're in now (and you don't have to say), so I don't have any concrete suggestions. But I rather like old cathedrals (especially with added historical interest) and especially cemeteries. Of course, I'm interested in the history of the markers and such, but its more than that. I find them peaceful places to sit and think and by their very nature they lead one to contemplate mortality and the possibilities of eternity.

I once posted on the blog I had here, the work of an artist who I like quite a bit: James Turrell. He's done some work designing Quaker meeting houses that are very simple, but very effective in creating spaces that take you out of yourself.

Anyway...just some more rambling thoughts.

There is a tree here. You know where I am in the UK lol, remember BJ Library where the poet studied? Also when I move into my new house, there will be a historical graveyard right out the back. Kinda creepy but cool at the same time. I love sitting in nature.

I just wanted to comment briefly on this thread and note that I consider it one of the most revealing threads ever here in Shadyville.

I never cease to be simultaneously amazed and amused by the self-incognizant things that are said/written by "wise-in-their-own-eyes" former Mormons.

Pirate dear, if you really want to ever reach a point where your spirituality can take root, you must--at least for the time being--avoid the sophists that dominate this message board. I do not believe that you are currently able to intellectually resist their well-developed sophistries, and the more you subject yourself to their sophisticated propaganda, the more the distance between you and your God will increase, until ultimately you will lose all connection with Him.

I have tried that. God has to be more.

[_Roger Morrison]

...

Of what nature roger?

Not of a pirate, pirateer nature: Mean, nasty, thieving, blood thirsty, robber and all things "evil"... Not aware of whether you sport a peg-leg, a hook, eye-patch or have a parrot??? Although yer avitar does lead to speculation...
Roger
*
*

[_Roger Morrison]

Pirate, you said, "...

God has to be more."

More than what?
Roger
*
*

[_Blixa]

There is a tree here. You know where I am in the UK lol, remember BJ Library where the poet studied? Also when I move into my new house, there will be a historical graveyard right out the back. Kinda creepy but cool at the same time. I love sitting in nature.

Yes I remember, I just didn't know if you wanted to give away more in real life information. If one believes in an all-creating god, then surely contemplation of his/her creations is a form of worship and that goes for both "nature" and the "man made" (I'm thinking of ideas, intellectual work and creative productions here). Someone once said that "the glory of god is intelligence" after all, and I can't quite disagree with that!

I have a dear friend, actually an old academic mentor, who only a few months after retiring last year was injured in a freak bicycle accident. He is now a complete paraplegic. He has been writing (via transcription and voice-activated software) about his experiences: a very bittersweet experience for me since so much of what we studied together has now had the reality "proved upon the pulses" that Keats wrote about. I am most interested in his discussion of visits from a buddhist lama, as well as his reflections on St. John of the Cross (my friend is not traditionally religious and our wrangles of John of the Cross date back to several seminars on T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets). Anyway, Four Quartets has been extraordinary reading for me lately and I highly recommend it, even just slipping around it and taking from it what you can or need.

Post a picture of your tree! Perhaps you need to reconnect with your possible Druid roots! Keep reading, looking, seeing, and feeling!!!