Kate Kelly's sour grape u-turn.....

[_Runtu]

Oh, my, give her a break. I was once determined to be re-baptized myself, but once I got a taste of being on the outside, there was no way in heck. Why should she sacrifice herself, and just how much could she change things anyway? She can do just as much good on the outside.

When I left the church, I called one of my closest friends, who had left the church a number of years before. I told him that, although I knew it wasn't true, I still thought it was a good, positive influence in my life. I said, "I still love the church." He laughed and said, "Give it a few months."

It wasn't until I was out that I realized just how unhappy I'd been. All my life I told myself over and over that I was happy and it was the church that made me happy. When I no longer needed to tell myself that, it became pretty obvious just how unhappy I was. Thankfully, I found a good therapist and medication, and I'm fine. I sometimes think that I never would have confronted my chronic depression if I'd stayed in the church, and I wonder if I'd still be alive.

Even if by some bizarre chance the church turns out to be true, I can't imagine going back to that life. No, thank you.

[_moksha]

Honestly, I think the biggest problem the church has isn't gays, feminists, intellectuals, or the Internet; it's that many, if not most, members, are motivated not by joy or devotion but by obligation.

Inspiring sermons are so far and few between at Sacrament Meeting that we do not look to the Church as a source of spiritual nourishment.

[_deacon blues]

The church has become tradition-driven rather than spirit driven. Traditions can be wonderful, but once I started feel the Spirit (or whatever you may prefer to call Spiritual/Universal enlightenment) outside the church I realized it is a very confining life-style.

[_Symmachus]

The church has become tradition-driven rather than spirit driven. Traditions can be wonderful, but once I started feel the Spirit (or whatever you may prefer to call Spiritual/Universal enlightenment) outside the church I realized it is a very confining life-style.

The Church does not have traditions; it just has meetings.

Inspiring sermons are so far and few between at Sacrament Meeting that we do not look to the Church as a source of spiritual nourishment.

The Church does not have sermons; it just has talks.

[_why me]

Unlike many other churches, the church depends on people giving their time. It is a volunteer organization. It needs people to teach and to take various positions of authority. It depends on people to visit other members monthly. Most churches have a pastor or priest who do receive money in return for their service and who receive vacation benefits etc. The lds church has no such policy for its members on the local and stake level.

Also, people's free time is being occupied by 'matters of life'. Work is becoming more time consuming...family life requires more time to keep it all together. And leisure time is becoming a scarce commodity. And then we have the church that also requires time. The church has not changed in its time commitment but the world has. More productivity, more efficient in work life etc has had its impact on members.

Robert Putnam in his book Bowling Alone got it right years ago. Community at that time was in decline...more people were bowling alone because of a lack of time to connect. The problem is not the church but what moves society: the cash nexus. And what has happened to community because of it.

So, it is no surprise that church volunteer work is having an impact in a member's daily life. But it is not the church that is at fault. One must reflect on what is breaking up the community of humanity as we more or less begin to bowl alone and do not challenge the direction of an economic system that creates such a nexus for most to follow.

[_why me]

Now, I'm an evangelical Christian. I won't tell feminists to leave the Mormon church because it isn't my life's mission to make people leave Mormonism, it's my life's mission to know God and make God known.

But I will say that if my church did this to women, I would leave. I would go to where I, as a woman, could have free reign to exercise my spiritual gifts. I wouldn't suffer Satan to bind me like that. (Did I just attribute misogyny and patriarchy to Satan? Yup. Sure did.)

And until misogyny and patriarchy starts hitting the LDS church where it hurts--in its membership numbers--I don't think we'll see real change.

Evangelical christianity is pro-feminist? I have this impression that it isn't. Just the opposite. Do you not pray to a man? Even the catholics have Mary to pray to for intervention. But not evangelicals. You depend a male for forgiveness. Evangelicals have very conservative social values. And what about gay marriage?

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/201 ... riage.html

The Mormon families that I know certainly are not patriarchal at all. Just the opposite. Perhaps matriarchal is a better term. And young Mormon women are highly educated. I wouldn't put them in the bimbo category. Kate is an example of a former Mormon women who is highly educated. And there are many educated Mormon women like her. But really, this board will give you a pass for being an evangelical christian whose form of christianity is highly conservative because you are Ms. Jack. But you must know that most here dispise evangelical christianity as they do Mormonism.

[_ludwigm]

Unlike many other churches, the church depends on people giving their time.

Too much time. (compared to other sects churches)

It is a volunteer organization.

Lead by (overaged) monarchs.

It needs people to teach and to take various positions of authority...

... who didn't ever taught to teach and lead others ...
Seminary? Sunday school? Scenery.

And we see the result. Blinds are leading the unseeings.

[_Lucretia MacEvil]

Oh, my, give her a break. I was once determined to be re-baptized myself, but once I got a taste of being on the outside, there was no way in heck. Why should she sacrifice herself, and just how much could she change things anyway? She can do just as much good on the outside.

When I left the church, I called one of my closest friends, who had left the church a number of years before. I told him that, although I knew it wasn't true, I still thought it was a good, positive influence in my life. I said, "I still love the church." He laughed and said, "Give it a few months."

It wasn't until I was out that I realized just how unhappy I'd been. All my life I told myself over and over that I was happy and it was the church that made me happy. When I no longer needed to tell myself that, it became pretty obvious just how unhappy I was. Thankfully, I found a good therapist and medication, and I'm fine. I sometimes think that I never would have confronted my chronic depression if I'd stayed in the church, and I wonder if I'd still be alive.

Even if by some bizarre chance the church turns out to be true, I can't imagine going back to that life. No, thank you.

Amazing parallels! I recalled the phrase they had used in the xcommunication court, "relieve you of the burden of membership." After a few months of nonparticipation, I felt so fantastically relieved! And I did suffer depression and guilt for years, and years, but it was never so bad that I would have thought of going back and after all this time it's like a previous lifetime.