Benefit of Mormonism: commitment!

[_zeezrom]

Hey! BC, thanks for showing up! What do you think of my OP?

[_honorentheos]

Zeezrom,

I like the OP. It reminds me of reading Carl Jung's "The Undiscovered Self" not long after I began to question the church.

There is a phrase I took from it that resonates with me to this day: "Resistance to the organized mass can be effected only by the man who is as well organized in his individuality as the mass itself."

Much later he speaks about this by posing a question:

"Here we must ask: Have I any religious experience and immediate relation to God, and hence that certainty which will keep me, as an individual, from dissolving in the crowd?"

- and answers his own question, "To this question there is a positive answer only when the individual is willing to fulfill the demands of rigorous self-examination and self-knowledge. If he follows through his intention, he will not only discover some important truths about himself, but will also have gained a psychological advantage: he will have succeeded in deeming himself worthy of serious attention and sympathetic interest. He will have set his hand, as it were, to a declaration of his own human dignity and taken the first step towards the foundations of his consciousness - that is, towards unconscious, the only accessible source of religious experience."

Anyway, I continue to admire the forthright way you approach your spiritual journey. Certainly the church represents an opportunity for commitment and even positive outcomes in one's life.

I do think, like Jung, there is a difference between committing to an organization such as the LDS church and dissolving into the mass of the institution compared to committing to the values and purpose as a self-aware individual.

Whatever path you find yourself on, Zeez, I hope you remain a self-aware individual.

All the best.

[_zeezrom]

Honor,

That was an interesting read. Thanks for sharing it.

I would like to comment a little more. For some adults who decide to get baptized Mormon, this commitment would indeed be a leap. My journey out of the church didn't so much involve a leap like that but rather a shock followed by a long and tedious study. However, I had one leap and that was going public with my disaffection. Once I did that, my cover would be blown. My cozy life in the community would be turned upside down. I leaped off the cliff with my wife asking, "Are you sure you want to do this?" I said back just as my foot left the edge, "Honey, I'm committed!"

[_honorentheos]

Zeez, you're awesome.

[_hatersinmyward]

do they block mdf users from contacting them?

sick crap like that is done, so what is the point of the internet?

[_Socrates]

I'm getting a little tired of always hearing people say the good thing about Mormonism is the social network. It's time to look a little further!

In an article written by Mr. Dieter Uchtdorf, declaring that in the Mormon world, you need to be committed. He alluded to a story of a couple of boys working up the courage to jump off a cliff into a lake. Once one boy started to go, there was no going back. He yelled out, "I'm committed!"

I really like this article for some reason. I like to hear about people's passion. I see great value in a person being committed to a cause and believing in it.

The question was asked, "Will I dive in, or just stand at the edge?"

This should ressonate with everyone on this board. Everyone hear seems pretty decided but at one point, you made the decision to jump. Whether it was to stay in the church or to get out, your decision required courage and commitment. I am willing to recognize the church and their leadership for this. They ask their followers for commitment. But the congratulations goes to the committed members- the ones who take the leap into the world the leadership has created.

Well done.

What value is commitment if it makes you ignore or discount evidence?

[_LDSToronto]

I'm getting a little tired of always hearing people say the good thing about Mormonism is the social network. It's time to look a little further!

In an article written by Mr. Dieter Uchtdorf, declaring that in the Mormon world, you need to be committed. He alluded to a story of a couple of boys working up the courage to jump off a cliff into a lake. Once one boy started to go, there was no going back. He yelled out, "I'm committed!"

I really like this article for some reason. I like to hear about people's passion. I see great value in a person being committed to a cause and believing in it.

The question was asked, "Will I dive in, or just stand at the edge?"

This should ressonate with everyone on this board. Everyone hear seems pretty decided but at one point, you made the decision to jump. Whether it was to stay in the church or to get out, your decision required courage and commitment. I am willing to recognize the church and their leadership for this. They ask their followers for commitment. But the congratulations goes to the committed members- the ones who take the leap into the world the leadership has created.

Well done.

Reminds me of breakfast - chickens are involved in breakfast because they provide the eggs, but they aren't really committed, because providing eggs is easy. But pigs, now pigs, they are committed, because they provide the bacon.

H.

Post 296 on the road to 300.

[_zeezrom]

H,

I love the movie Babe. Love it!

[_jon]

Hmmm,

Jumping off a cliff into a lake without checking how deep the water is would be an extremely stupid thing to do.

That would be like going to the Mormon temple and agreeing to covenants before you know what they entail...oh...wait a minute...

[_Yoda]

Hmmm,

Jumping off a cliff into a lake without checking how deep the water is would be an extremely stupid thing to do.

That would be like going to the Mormon temple and agreeing to covenants before you know what they entail...oh...wait a minute...

LOL!