Pollypinks wrote:Brade, So, in essence, what you are saying is you are perpetuating the falsehoods of the church because of a feely good thing you get from sticking around the church building.
Pollypinks, will you please quote what I've said that implies that I am perpetuating the falsehoods of the church?
And I don't think you were totally honest with us in saying people at church are fine with your disbeliefs, because, apparently you are still teaching?
Ok, there are a few issues here. First, I didn't say "people at church are fine with [my] disbeliefs". I did say this:
Most Mormons I personally interact with (many are my very best friends), including many of the local leaders in my area, have never treated me negatively because I don't believe that fundamental Mormon claims are true.
I don't presume to know what everyone or most people at church think about my disbelief. For one thing, I don't even know most people at church. Second, I only said something about the Mormons I personally interact with. But, even then, I didn't say anything at all about what that groups
thinks about my disbelief. I did say something about their behavior toward me. I should hope you recognize that mere disagreement with a person doesn't necessitate behaving negatively toward them. In any event, I know from conversation that two of my very best friends are
not fine with my disbelief. Yet, just as I claimed, they have never treated me negatively simply because I don't believe that fundamental Mormon claims are true.
Third, no, I am not still teaching. Fourth, teaching something doesn't necessarily entail teaching
that it is true. For example, here are two ways to teach what's called "The First Vision":
1. Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ.
2. Joseph Smith claimed he saw God and Jesus Christ.
I eventually stepped away from teaching because I was teaching like number 2 and I thought that most people in Sunday school expected, and the Church wanted, teaching like number 1. Since I could not in good conscience assert the Church's teachings that way I decided not to continue.
What part of this am I missing? Is there something wishy washy here I'm only feeling, or what? Help me out guys.
Does that help?