I Overheard A Surprising Comment Today From A Chapel Mormon

[_Everybody Wang Chung]

After Sacrament Meeting, I overheard an older member (who would definitely be classified as a Chapel Mormon) say this to my neighbor:

"But so what if it’s a fraud and our numbers continue to shrink? If association with the membership just to keep the pioneer spirit going makes us happy who should really care? I think most of us in the Ward are smart enough to know it’s not really true but we enjoy our associations with other members. So I would tell our critics to just leave us alone to be happy in what we are comfortable with."

How many active Mormons have the same feelings? Very interesting but kind of sad.

[_moksha]

After Sacrament Meeting, I overheard an older member (who would definitely be classified as a Chapel Mormon) say this to my neighbor:

"But so what if it’s a fraud and our numbers continue to shrink? If association with the membership just to keep the pioneer spirit going makes us happy who should really care? I think most of us in the Ward are smart enough to know it’s not really true but we enjoy our associations with other members. So I would tell our critics to just leave us alone to be happy in what we are comfortable with."

This was disturbing to me. I'm older and it sounds like something I might think to say in a fit of honest apologia. Enough so that it made me question whether I went to Church today while sleepwalking.

[_candygal]

After Sacrament Meeting, I overheard an older member (who would definitely be classified as a Chapel Mormon) say this to my neighbor:

"But so what if it’s a fraud and our numbers continue to shrink? If association with the membership just to keep the pioneer spirit going makes us happy who should really care? I think most of us in the Ward are smart enough to know it’s not really true but we enjoy our associations with other members. So I would tell our critics to just leave us alone to be happy in what we are comfortable with."

How many active Mormons have the same feelings? Very interesting but kind of sad.

Holy Moly...how I would just love to hear that from any TBM I know. Sometimes I think it really clicks with Mormons I why they attend...and live in this circle...why break the bubble? It is all they know...and damn..it is scary to really see outside that bubble..but they are really not a stupid people..I love them..feel for them..and hope for them to see what you just heard. One question..."what if"...and the world could be so different for them.

[_Stem]

After Sacrament Meeting, I overheard an older member (who would definitely be classified as a Chapel Mormon) say this to my neighbor:

"But so what if it’s a fraud and our numbers continue to shrink? If association with the membership just to keep the pioneer spirit going makes us happy who should really care? I think most of us in the Ward are smart enough to know it’s not really true but we enjoy our associations with other members. So I would tell our critics to just leave us alone to be happy in what we are comfortable with."

How many active Mormons have the same feelings? Very interesting but kind of sad.

I must be confused by the chapel vs internet Mormon divide. I would have thought the very idea that someone acknowledges the Church is not true would disqualify that person from being a chapel Mormon. As it was I thought the definition of a chapel Mormon was one who would say it's true no matter what.

[_Polygamy-Porter]

I must be confused by the chapel vs internet Mormon divide. I would have thought the very idea that someone acknowledges the Church is not true would disqualify that person from being a chapel Mormon. As it was I thought the definition of a chapel Mormon was one who would say it's true no matter what.

If stupid could fly you would be a rocket, Stem.

Chapel vs internet Mormon has nothing to do with whether a member believes the boolean value of the Mormon church is true vs false.

Are you just playing stoopid or are you really this stupid?

Perhaps I have you mixed up with the previous Stem who really was, and likely is, still STUPID.

[_RockSlider]

I must be confused by the chapel vs internet Mormon divide. I would have thought the very idea that someone acknowledges the Church is not true would disqualify that person from being a chapel Mormon. As it was I thought the definition of a chapel Mormon was one who would say it's true no matter what.

If stupid could fly you would be a rocket, Stem.

Chapel vs internet Mormon has nothing to do with whether a member believes the boolean value of the Mormon church is true vs false.

Are you just playing stoopid or are you really this stupid?

Perhaps I have you mixed up with the previous Stem who really was, and likely is, still STUPID.

Ya been in the whiskey again PP? What the hell?

[_Stem]

If stupid could fly you would be a rocket, Stem.

Chapel vs internet Mormon has nothing to do with whether a member believes the boolean value of the Mormon church is true vs false.

Are you just playing stoopid or are you really this stupid?

What of it? Someone's got to be.

[_LittleNipper]

So they are putting Mormonism ahead of Christ?

[_huckelberry]

So they are putting Mormonism ahead of Christ?

I suppose that is a possibility. On the other hand they perhaps believe In Jesus and trust him but do not have much trust in Protestant churches.

[_Niadna]

So they are putting Mormonism ahead of Christ?

I suppose that is a possibility. On the other hand they perhaps believe In Jesus and trust him but do not have much trust in Protestant churches.

The OP for this thread has found a home in CARM. A whole thread was devoted to it, if anybody cares.

As for me, I think that....those who are 'chapel Mormons" according to this definition are very like the dignified Christians I have run into elsewhere, who figure that it's perfectly acceptable to believe that Jesus walked on water and that the apostles received revelation a couple of thousand years ago, but it is somehow really déclassé to think that it could happen NOW. Rather like slurping one's soup at the Queen's dinner, donchaknow.

It's downright embarrassing.

that there ARE such 'go along comfortably' folks? Absolutely. Mormonism becomes a club, and not a religion. I mean, really. We ARE good folks; we are respectable, we don't drive our Harleys through town every Sunday (well, most of us don't...my brother in law does). We take care of our families, lead wholesome and busy lives, and we aren't expected to jump up and down in church shouting "PRAISE JESUS!" or spout a bunch of unintelligible syllables to prove that we are BORN AGAIN!

And of course, there's that snake handling thing. We don't have to do anything like that.

On the other hand, I think that MOST of us are actual, you know, believers in the concept. We understand that Mormonism really isn't all that comfortable, if we really ARE believers.

And we love it anyway.