Why I left the LDS Church (Warning: *LONG*)

[_friggs]

My first post I would like to tell a little bit about myself so there is a context to my input. I was a convert 33 years and before I joined the LDS church I experienced two overwhelming spiritual experiences a year apart with first confirming to me that there was a God and then that Jesus Christ is the Son of Our heavenly Father. I then found the LDS Church where the same confirming sprit of the Holy Spirit came to me again and I have then had many hundred confirming experiences that helped me to know that the LDS Church is true regardless of the good, bad and sometimes evil actors that make up the members of this church. I noticed that such experiences were missing from your posting and have found this in some ex-mormons and many that are BOC. That said I wanted to address your concerns about Isaiah.
The Book of Mormon itself presents problems. The Brass Plates should've carried some Old Testament scriptures in their purity, since the early apostate Christian church wasn't around to corrupt them. Unfortunately, Smith's "Inspired Translation" of the Bible varies with the Book of Mormon in some parts of their Isaiah portions, both of which should've been pristine. Plus, with the discovery of earlier manuscripts, we now know that the Isaiah portions of the Book of Mormon carried over some King James version translation errors, which of course couldn't have been penned by Isaiah.
I am no expert on Isaiah or any of the Mormon history but I would recommend that you check out
Avraham Gileadi who is a convert to the LDS Church and has retranslated the book of Isaiah and was excommunicated for his effort. I was guided by the spirit to his works and he has given me whole new look and understanding of the LDS church works and it leaders. His translation is respected by LDS and non-LDS as perhaps the best work to date. I have not seen in any of his works where he is concerned with your objections but I would be interested in his input on this matter. If you are in Utah he still holds seminars but I have not been able to contact him by email.

[_Dr. Shades]

I am no expert on Isaiah or any of the Mormon history but I would recommend that you check out Avraham Gileadi who is a convert to the LDS Church and has retranslated the book of Isaiah and was excommunicated for his effort. I was guided by the spirit to his works and he has given me whole new look and understanding of the LDS church works and it leaders. His translation is respected by LDS and non-LDS as perhaps the best work to date.

If Avraham Gileadi is "all that," why was he excommunicated?

How could you have been guided by the Spirit to the words of an excommunicated heretic?

[_MsJack]

If Avraham Gileadi is "all that," why was he excommunicated?

How could you have been guided by the Spirit to the words of an excommunicated heretic?

Gileadi was excommunicated in 1993 as one of the September Six. He returned to full fellowship with the LDS church in 1996.

I don't understand the point of friggs's advice, but Gileadi's case is a bit more complicated than just "excommunicated heretic."

[_Dr. Shades]

I don't understand the point of friggs's advice, but Gileadi's case is a bit more complicated than just "excommunicated heretic."

True, but the writings to which the Spirit directed friggs were ones which had caused their author to become an excommunicated heretic.

[_friggs]

Yes I am a heretic and I am attracted to heretics like Joseph Smith, Avraham Gileadi, and Prophet Thomas S. Monson.
I just want to throw out some red meat out to see what level of people I am dealing with. The point I was (I will go really slow so those the don't want to look at anything other than anti-Mormon information can understand) getting to was if you are no expert on the book of Isaiah the you might want to direct your concerns to someone like Avraham Gileadi. But I am sure you have all the answers from the anti-Mormons. Yes I am a heretic and I am attracted to heretics like Joseph Smith, Avraham Gileadi, and Prophet Thomas S. Monson.

[_MsJack]

But I am sure you have all the answers from the anti-Mormons.

You must really be new to this board. Dr. Shades doesn't just "have all the answers from the anti-Mormons." He's, like, the evil overlord of the anti-Mormons.

[_Froggie]

He's, like, the evil overlord of the anti-Mormons.

I thought I smelled something funny. ;)

Very interesting read, Shades! Missions are such a superconcentrated Mormonism, I find it interesting to read the dynamics of how the missionaries are treated.

Big green hugs,

Froggie

[_MsJack]

I thought I smelled something funny. ;)

Very interesting read, Shades! Missions are such a superconcentrated Mormonism, I find it interesting to read the dynamics of how the missionaries are treated.

Big green hugs,

Froggie

Hey, I remember you. You used to post at ZLMB.

Good to see you again.

[_Nimrod]

...before I joined the LDS church I experienced two overwhelming spiritual experiences a year apart with first confirming to me that there was a God and then that Jesus Christ is the Son of Our heavenly Father. I then found the LDS Church where the same confirming sprit of the Holy Spirit came to me again and I have then had many hundred confirming experiences that helped me to know that the LDS Church is true ...

Friggs,

Was this a burning in your bosom?

Have you ever had the sensation in response to any non-religious experience?

Have you ever done as Joseph Smith did and asked for direction and guidance, rather than just confirmation that something you've read and studied?

Have you studied any religious materials (including non-LDS) and then prayed for confirmation and did not receive it?

After how much time without the spiritual confirmation experience coming did you decide that the absence must then be construed as a negative answer?

[_Sethbag]

The Godmakers is indeed an unimpressive work.

Let's hope this isn't the anti-mormon book Shades is referring to.

Why would it matter? Ok, so the Godmakers is a crap book. So what? Does that mean the church really is true after all?

What if he read the Godmakers and it troubled him, and then he went and read a whole bunch of other (more reliable) stuff, and ended up concluding that the church is manmade? Does it matter that his interest was first piqued by something written by conspiracy theorists?

I'll tell you what, Mentalgymnast. Do you know what some of the first material was that I read that tipped me over to the "dark side" and compelled me to accept that LDS were on the wrong side of this argument, and that there was a good chance it was all manmade? I will tell you right now that some of the first such material I read was written by Hugh Nibley. And other material which affected me thusly was written by some guys at FARMS.