Shout out to RenegadeofPhunk!!!

[_Ray A]

Does your bishop know you have these views? If so, what does he think?

Yes, he does. He honors my right to think and opine as I choose.

"Honours"? "Honours"? He "honours" the fact that 24/7 all you have is criticisms of the Church? I doubt he knows what you post. Do you show him your posts? Or are you a mealy-mouthed member who says, "I go on boards"? And he knows nothing else. Does he know your 24/7 critical and negative obsession with one of the most respected apologists of Mormonism? If I was your bishop I would give you a good kick in the ass and ask you to decide whose side you're on.

[_Ray A]

How about I say this to you - if you think the church is true, if you think the Book of Mormon is true - why don't you go to church? Instead of spending your time here chastizing all of us, why don't you go read your scriptures. Go home teaching. Go do some missionary work. Go get a calling and start doing it. Go back to the temple.

I don't need to do that to retain a sense of decency, and fairness to Mormons. You can leave the Church, and leave it alone. Something you wouldn't have a clue about.

[_Who Knows]

What's the difference between you and VR? Vegas speaks what bitter apostates like you think. That much I will give him. Don't try to increase your credibility by distancing Vegas. He's one of you, and you've said nothing about him before this. So don't turn on him to make you more credible in my eyes, you two-timing A-hole.

Ok. I know I said earlier that I didn't call other Mormon's 'deluded', but it might just be appropriate in this case.

Hope it all works out for the best for you man.

[_Ray A]

But when exmormons do it... well, we're bitter, prejudiced, bigots who are psychologically disturbed.

Bada Bing!

I couldn't have said it better myself. I always thought you very articulate, beastie. (The "goddess" obsessed with proving Mormons wrong.)

[_Ray A]

What's the difference between you and VR? Vegas speaks what bitter apostates like you think. That much I will give him. Don't try to increase your credibility by distancing Vegas. He's one of you, and you've said nothing about him before this. So don't turn on him to make you more credible in my eyes, you two-timing A-hole.

Ok. I know I said earlier that I didn't call other Mormon's 'deluded', but it might just be appropriate in this case.

Hope it all works out for the best for you man.

It has, and it will continue to do so. No thank you for your "best wishes". I don't accept "best wishes" from cynics and 24/7 critics.

[_Runtu]

I would like to give you some credibility, but I'm not going to. I now understand why Pahoran doesn't. I think he's smarter than I am, and sized you all up a long time ago. When you disown this puke-hole of anti-Mormon bile, I will think more highly of you.

I have known Pahoran for a long time, much longer than I've known you. We have had our moments, but I think we understand each other. At a low point in my life, he misread me, and I misread him. I bear him no ill will, and I've never heard him question my sincerity or credibility. But maybe he does.

I once tried to leave this "puke-hole" (I thought it was a sty), but then I got banned at MA&D. Any suggestions for a less pukey home for me?

If I misread you, Paul, again I apologize.

[_Ray A]

I once tried to leave this "puke-hole" (I thought it was a sty), but then I got banned at MA&D. Any suggestions for a less pukey home for me? (My emphasis)

No truer words have been spoken.

I know you'd love to go back on MAD. But once having seen the light, and departed from it, you, and the others, are left to kick against the pricks.

Sincerely,

Paul.

[cacheman]

I once tried to leave this "puke-hole" (I thought it was a sty), but then I got banned at MA&D. Any suggestions for a less pukey home for me? (My emphasis)

No truer words have been spoken.

I know you'd love to go back on MAD. But once having seen the light, and departed from it, you, and the others, are left to kick against the pricks.

Sincerely,

Paul.

Almost every day I think this is the last time I'll spend any time online discussing Mormonism. There are things I don't like about this place, but all in all I like everyone here, and every once in a while there's a fascinating thread.

I'm wondering what I have posted that suggests to you that I've departed from the light or am kicking against the pricks. I guess I don't care enough about the pricks anymore to kick against them.

For the third time, I apologize if I misread you.

[_beastie]

I think dialogue is only possible under rare circumstances. Those circumstances involve exmormons who are not extremely prejudiced against the church, and [/I]truly[/I] liberal Mormons. I don’t mean the faux-liberals over at MAD – I mean genuine liberals who understand that ambiguity touches not only the peripheral claims of Mormonism, but the foundational truth claims as well. In other words, these are Mormons who, while they may “believe” the church is “true” in a sense, they do not insist they know it is the “one true church”.

Obviously if exmormons are too prejudiced against Mormonism or Mormons as a whole, the well is poisoned from that side. If the believers are actually “true believers” instead of liberal believers, the well is poisoned from their side, because they truly do believe that it is possible to KNOW the church is true to the extent that one can be confident that critical exmormons are really Satan’s tools, and need to have their evil exposed.

The numbers of individuals who interact on boards like this who fit the qualifications are relatively small. The old fringe board used to be comprised of people like that, by and large, but our numbers were so small the interest level dwindled.

This actually returns me to my OP – renegade’s comments about asking nonbelievers “why” they bother to post on MAD. MAD has almost formalized the poisoning of the well on the believer side, due to extreme, admitted bias. The point isn’t really debate, as Juliann has pointed out before. The point is to give apologists a forum to expose the myriad flaws of the exmormon argument and to expose them for what they are.

[_Ray A]

I'm wondering what I have posted that suggests to you that I've departed from the light or kicking against the pricks. I guess I don't care enough about the pricks anymore to kick against them.

For the third time, I apologize if I misread you.

Why bother apologising, Runtu. Look at my bolded portion of your comment.

You see, "friend", you don't realise how cynical and sarcastic you really are, and that's why you got banned from MAD!!

You are a pretend person, you pretend to "like Mormons" (and I don't give a ratoozle that you're married to one), but everything you write and think oozes your deep-seated dislike of Mormonism. If you really had some decency, you wouldn't join in this hate-fest. The MAD mods sized you up to a tee, and you deserved to be banned. The mods no doubt have the spirit of discernment - it's clear that you don't, and you can't see your own bile!

And beastie wants me to apologise to you! LOL. Go get a bloody life, Runtu.