Why won't TBMs look?

[_Holy Ghost]

Behind the Mormon narrative of its own founding and history lie numerous troubling facts that don't square with that narrative. Discovering some or many of these facts has provided the escape hatch for many to stop believing in Joseph Smith and climb their way out of Mormonism, particularly when considering that they've been spoon fed a narrative that is demonstrably false in so many key respects.

Several still TBMs consciously choose not to look at the primary sources of that history such as papyri, journals, letters, and official records kept contemporaneously. I can't help but suspect that many that know that what is causing membership hemorrhaging in the last 20 years is that the narrative does not jive with the actual history. Even having not looked, they realize that the narrative does not line up with the historical facts, but choose consciously not to look. They hear of the big, bad wolf and so stay deep in the huddle of sheep.

Others say they have looked, but claim they have satisfactory answers for all the "troubling" facts, but when invited, do not go into detail. Not even so much as identifying which facts that they've looked into, much less what the answers are that they find satisfactory. I suspect that, at best, these TBMs have looked at some FAIRMormon topics, accepted its explanations without digging into the actual documents, stopped and assumed there are good answers for everything. One told me he'd read every word of the JSP online, and found not a single sentence troubling. (To that, I called bull****.)

Some try to spin those troubling facts, either to neutralize them or even twist them to look faith promoting. To do so, they've had to look at the actual primary source documents. They spun their explanations, best as they could, but there is a high attrition rate for apostasy among those that go this far--so far as to actually look into the various primary source documents, something that Boyd K. Packer warned the sheep in the flock from doing.

There are also the hardened apologists. They know the historical facts. They know that the Mormon church has since almost its very beginning and continues today to peddle a false narrative. Yet, these apologists keep it up. In my view, they deal with that cognitive dissonance by concluding that the church provides a greater good that outweighs the "faith promoting" lies it peddles.

[_jfro18]

Others say they have looked, but claim they have satisfactory answers for all the "troubling" facts, but when invited, do not go into detail. Not even so much as identifying which facts that they've looked into, much less what the answers are that they find satisfactory. I suspect that, at best, these TBMs have looked at some FAIRMormon topics, accepted its explanations without digging into the actual documents, stopped and assumed there are good answers for everything. One told me he'd read every word of the JSP online, and found not a single sentence troubling. (To that, I called bull****.)

There are also the hardened apologists. They know the historical facts. They know that the Mormon church has since almost its very beginning and continues today to peddle a false narrative. Yet, these apologists keep it up. In my view, they deal with that cognitive dissonance by concluding that the church provides a greater good that outweighs the "faith promoting" lies it peddles.

This describes my wife - she has read the FAIR response to the CES Letter but would not read the CES Letter by itself... she has read apologetic works from Patrick Mason, Terryl Givens, and even people like Dan Peterson because she only wants to hear faith promoting answers.

And at the end of the day, she falls back to the 'spiritual experiences' angle and ignores everything else that she knows is a problem.

It is really difficult for me to process, but I know that's not an uncommon response... our minds do some amazing things to keep us from looking beneath the surface when we know something isn't right.

[Guest]

They don't want knowledge of Good and Evil...they want to remain in the Garden of Perpetual Childhood.

Lies are powerful and many see value in Good Lies. After a while the lines--if there were any to begin with--are blurred.

[_Holy Ghost]

Others say they have looked, but claim they have satisfactory answers for all the "troubling" facts, but when invited, do not go into detail. Not even so much as identifying which facts that they've looked into, much less what the answers are that they find satisfactory. I suspect that, at best, these TBMs have looked at some FAIRMormon topics, accepted its explanations without digging into the actual documents, stopped and assumed there are good answers for everything. One told me he'd read every word of the JSP online, and found not a single sentence troubling. (To that, I called bull****.)

There are also the hardened apologists. They know the historical facts. They know that the Mormon church has since almost its very beginning and continues today to peddle a false narrative. Yet, these apologists keep it up. In my view, they deal with that cognitive dissonance by concluding that the church provides a greater good that outweighs the "faith promoting" lies it peddles.

This describes my wife - she has read the FAIR response to the CES Letter but would not read the CES Letter by itself... she has read apologetic works from Patrick Mason, Terryl Givens, and even people like Dan Peterson because she only wants to hear faith promoting answers.

And at the end of the day, she falls back to the 'spiritual experiences' angle and ignores everything else that she knows is a problem.

It is really difficult for me to process, but I know that's not an uncommon response... our minds do some amazing things to keep us from looking beneath the surface when we know something isn't right.

Perhaps my mind is more inquisitive than others. I would need to look just from hearing that there is something discordant out there. It is hard for me to fathom that one would intentionally stick his head in the sand.

[_Holy Ghost]

They don't want knowledge of Good and Evil...they want to remain in the Garden of Perpetual Childhood.

Is that because they don't want to take responsibility for their own life decisions?

[_Maksutov]

They don't want knowledge of Good and Evil...they want to remain in the Garden of Perpetual Childhood.

Is that because they don't want to take responsibility for their own life decisions?

That and because they're afraid of the unknown. We all pass through this. We grow up and are supposed to leave the nest. But in Mormonism the nest is infinite (although existing in some other realm) and so is childhood and dependency. They aspire to be Gods but still haven't learned how to be independent adults.

[_Fence Sitter]

For many I think it is simple. Given that their entire lives are centered around the church, the answer for them to the question: "If the church were false would you want to know?" is a resounding "No!".

[_Maksutov]

For many I think it is simple. Given that their entire lives are centered around the church, the answer for them to the question: "If the church were false would you want to know?" is a resounding "No!".

Mormons have already done the Matrix. It's the sieve.

[_Holy Ghost]

For many I think it is simple. Given that their entire lives are centered around the church, the answer for them to the question: "If the church were false would you want to know?" is a resounding "No!".

Mormons have already done the Matrix. It's the sieve.

It surprises me how many given the choice of the red pill take the blue pill instead.

[_Philo Sofee]

Maksutov

That and because they're afraid of the unknown. We all pass through this. We grow up and are supposed to leave the nest. But in Mormonism the nest is infinite (although existing in some other realm) and so is childhood and dependency. They aspire to be Gods but still haven't learned how to be independent adults.

That is the most perfect description I have ever read........