The Wade appreciation thread

[_MrStakhanovite]

Wade gets dog-piled a lot on here, his intelligence, sexuality, and intentions get called into question at every turn by numerous people, I’m sure I’ve been guilty of it plenty of times.

Despite all my differences with Wade, I have to hand it to him, the man has endurance to carry on for days on a multiple of subjects. He is persistent and faithful to his Church, he is defiantly unique and has been at this much longer than I have.

I’d like to read other positive things people have to say about Wade, instead of the usual negative banter about him. Anyone have any anecdotes they'd like to share?

[_Buffalo]

Wade's not so bad. Sometimes he even drops his guard and you can see that he's a decent guy underneath all the defenses and layers.

[_Doctor Scratch]

I've said before that Wade is 100% unique. A true character. Plus, he turned in what is arguably the greatest Mopologetic acting performance of all time in Kerry Shirts's most recent film.

[_Kishkumen]

Plus, he turned in what is arguably the greatest Mopologetic acting performance of all time in Kerry Shirts's most recent film.

Yes. I believe that was Wade's finest moment.

[_Runtu]

I can never stay angry at Wade. I think he's a good man with a good heart, and he has helped me when I've been struggling.

[_Ceeboo]

Hey Stak,

Really cool thread idea!

I’d like to read other positive things people have to say about Wade, instead of the usual negative banter about him. Anyone have any anecdotes they'd like to share?

I admire his willingness to simply be on this board (Not an easy thing for a devout Mormon, to be sure)
From my 2-3 years of knowing him (MADB and MDB), he strikes me as a very genuine man.
I don't think I can remember him ever turning his back on a fellow Mormon (Pretty cool if you ask me)
He clearly and openly shares what he believes with all (Perhaps a relatively rare quality on these boards)
If I had to guess, I would imagine that he would be a fantastic friend in real life.


Although I do indeed face some hurdles in understanding him (at times), at the end of the day, I feel fortunate to have been able to share with him on these boards. A good man, in my opinion.

Peace,
Ceeboo

[_MrStakhanovite]

Good stuff so far.

[_moksha]

I like Wade. He was very photogenic in that Kerry Shirts video. Bet he paddles that kayak well too. I could see river fowl befriending Wade on his kayak journeys.

[_MsJack]

I began interacting with Wade online in October or November 1998, the same time I began interacting with Kevin Graham. They were both apologists and regular fixtures on the now-defunct Answering Mormonism forum. I was 16.

At the time, Mormon apologists seemed like giants to me. They were so clever and funny and good at parody, and Wade was one of them. The world of online debate was so new to me, I was entirely intimidated by and in awe of them.

This probably sounds strange, but for a teenage girl, I had little sense of personal boundaries on the Internet. If I made an intellectual connection with someone, I wanted to get to know them better, and it didn't much matter to me that they could be decades older than me and the opposite sex. So I remember that I offered to meet up with Wade in person when I came to Temple Square for General Conference in October 1999. Wade seemed to consider it at first, but then he said no, and the reason why really surprised me.

He basically said that he felt like he was becoming too strong of an influence in my life. That I was young and in a formative period of my life and that I should be free to drink deep from all kinds of different ideas, to try different things and not get too attached to one source. So no, he didn't want to meet with me or develop a closer bond with me.

At the time I thought he was being cold. But, in retrospect, it's something that I've come to appreciate more and more with the passing of time. I was at a point in my life when I had a lot of different people (all older men) who were in contact with me who were something of "mentors" to me, who seemed to think they were doing me a huge favor by trying to bend my way of thinking to theirs. They didn't really encourage me to think for myself; they mostly just tried to get me to think like them.

Last year, I was contacted by a 17 year-old Mormon girl who was struggling with what the LDS church teaches about gender, who had heard of me through blogging. She had a lot of questions for me. I remembered what Wade said to me, and I said the same thing to her, and I always encouraged her to "drink deep" from different sources, including the best of LDS thought on the issues. I tried to pay it forward.

Say whatever you want about Wade, but he was someone who tried to get me to think for myself at a very formative period of my life, and for that I'll always be grateful.

[_mms]

When I was newly experiencing what I now know is the very common experience of finding out some difficult truths and going through a range of thoughts and emotions, I went to MAD seeking help. I was apparently a bit naïve and definitely very inexperienced regarding how these message boards work. I was seeking help but at the same time I was hurt and somewhat angry. I was attacked by the usual "faithful" suspects, I was called a troll when I didn't have any idea what that was, and some who claimed dedication to the Church seemed by their approach to want to stomp out what was left of my testimony of the religion I had faithfully served for so many years on a mission, ward and stake level. I recall being impressed by Wade's efforts to create bridges, understanding and sincerely seek a way to help people and bring them together. I have certainly seen him give in to the temptation to lower himself, but the fact that it is apparent that he is "lowering himself" (as opposed to some others who occasionally "elevate" themselves from their normally low places) indicates good things about him in my opinion. But some of my LDS friends have taught me that my opinion doesn't matter much since the light of my testimony has dimmed (i.e., since I have separated myself from the spirit of truth), so take it for its limited value :)