Hello

So glad to have you as part of this group. I could have written your intro. I can completely empathize with your situation. My TBM husband is very hurt and worried about me. I would love to take my faith in a different direction (I love the Baha’i faith), but I know this would devastate my friends, family and extended family. Sitting in church is often very difficult. I feel trapped. I do however find great comfort in being part of this group. I hope you do as well! I am hopeful and even a bit excited about my future and this journey I am on. I wish you all the best with yours. Hugs!

Hi Workingitout,

Welcome to StayLDS as an active participant. We’re all too familiar with those houses of cards that are built up — if this is true, then that is true, then that is true, then the whole thing is all true (and even worse, to end the chain with “or else it is a total fraud”). If you have doubts with one or two things along the way … poof! It can all come crumbling down. But this is a problem of thinking in almost all things we put faith into, including relationships with those we love.

We don’t have to think that way. We can enjoy what is beautiful and good, and we can let the things that bother us slide to the background.

You aren’t going to hurt our feelings. We aren’t going to feel let down if you have doubts. Life is full of opposites that tug at our hearts, minds and souls. I admire that you seem to be taking this process of yours slowly and with a lot of thought and consideration for the people you love.

You sound like you might really benefit from supplementing your Church experience with material from other sources. Many of us here do that. I do a lot, in particular. There are beautiful people sharing great love and ideas out there throughout history. We all change, develop and grow during our lives. So find things that speak to your soul. You may find that you will also see them in Mormonism, just said in a different way, even if NOBODY else sitting around you sees them. You may find that it isn’t there either, but you can be glad “God” left the idea with someone elsewhere for you to find.

FD, I was at school with some Bahai’s. You might find their religion is a bit more like ours than you’d tend to think. I don’t find it much of an advancement. Sure, they have one or two beautiful temples, but their entire religious interpretation is down to every scripture in various religions pointing towards them.

We tend to encourage people to supplement if they find their experience lacking. Mormonism has strong themes of universalism (similar to Bahai), yet doesn’t really take them all the way, leaving those yearnings unfulfilled. Perhaps something in Bahai’s metaphors and symbols speaks better to Workingitout?

We do the same thing to the scriptures in the LDS Church… 😆 They are all a story of correlated, modern Mormonism (if only they had been translated correctly). It’s never more evident than when we are studying the Old Testament in Sunday School (like this year). The mental gymnastics members do to overlay contemporary Mormonism on top of the Old Testament stories and prophets makes my head hurt at times.

I’m not particularly anti-Bahai, just saying that it’s not really as exciting as it sounds at first. Their main gig is globalisation really. Get your Esperanto books ready. The idea that every spiritual prophecy points towards the Bab and Bahuallah, even when it blatantly doesn’t, grows somewhat tiresome.

One thing you’ll find familiar though… they like to make out that they’re peaceful, but the history of the Bahais is one of schisms and violence. I think that they’ve done a better job of covering that up than the LDS though.

They’re also a bit behind on women’s issues in some respects. Again, case of “sounds familiar”.

If you want that kind of thing, I suggest that Sufism is much more interesting. Ask Brian for details.

By the way, I should have mentioned that I know a lot of this partly because I was interested in one of the Bahai girls at school. 😆 Very good looking, but I’m afraid something of a shrew (or catty? Used to lay into other women like nobody’s business). Her vicious personality has begun to show on her face now, so I suppose there are some mercies after all. Actually, she was a terrible Bahai, and not representative (I think she’s out of it completely now), but it still got me checking it out.

Hey all… I feel like we have hijacked workingitout’s thread. It was me that mentioned The Baha’i faith not her, and this thread is meant to welcome her!

If anyone would like to discuss the finer points of the Bahais then feel free to start a new thread. (I’m not really up for it right now) I have read in full dozens Baha’i related books, done many hours of research (including digging up any dirt I could find) and I have many wonderful Baha’i friends… all of whom I sought out and met after I grew an interest in the faith. I have a lot of info I could share, but I am not yet in the mood to start my own thread where I will undoubtedly get slammed by others!

The Baha’i faith is very interesting… but this is the wrong thread to be discussing it. Sorry Workingitout!

I’ve heard all my life that if Joseph Smith was a prophet, then the BOM is true, (and vice-versa) and therefore the church is true.

Of course, nothing is that black and white. We discover that JS could be a naughty boy, and that not everything in the church is perfect… My take on it is that the Book of Mormon has done things for me, and that Joseph Smith as its producer must have had some kind of greatness (but not perfection). The church which derives from all that has good and bad in it, and many “accretions” which are completely relevant.

You should check out the link on the website as to what is proper Mormon doctrine. You might be pleasantly surprised, but you’ll have still deal with people who think otherwise.

Welcome to the group workingitout, glad you could share the intro after so long of lurking.

I look forward to learning from your posts!

Hi, WIO. Your intro makes it sounds like you are doing some pretty level-headed thinking, and living the mantras “Go Slow”, “Always Trade Up”, etc. I think this forum will be richer for having had you speak up.

Tom