StayLDS is awesome

Thanks…I’ve sort of been through the whole JS thing. That was a weak spot in my testimony when I was newly baptized, and sometimes rears its head currently. At the moment, I vascillate between two poles. One — that JS was simply a charismatic person who made some right choices about doctrine and structure to ensure commitment from members and growth of the Church over the long term. I sometimes wonder if polygamy, eternal marriage, and the cultural norm that you should have a herd of children is all there for the benefit of the Church first and not individuals — with the individual benefits just made up to encourage us to do it — and keep feeding the Church with a steady supply of members who are born in it, and have family support.

The other pole is that it’s what he said it was and all the negative evidence is a challenge to my faith to see if I’ll keep doing the gospel as he described it. That all this is a test of faith to prove worthiness.

However, in the end, I look at the Church for what it is today, and try to focus on the fact that there are good people and it’s a good place to rub shoulders with honest people who care about relationships. Plus the fact I’ve created a web around me of Mormonism makes it the place of convenience now. So, the challenge becomes learning how to mitigate the negative effects of Church involvement and reduce the angst.

Next weekend I think me and the kids are having a planned meeting away that misses Sunday meetings…oops. The break will be really nice. And I no longer fall for the comments from friends and family that “you missed a really good meeting today” or “so and so was looking for you” or all the other comments meant to make you feel guilty to you took some time away for yourself.

What I find most touching here is the lack of negativity, the genuine people, and the displays of perseverance.

Thanks for recognizing and providing feedback on that. I have wondered at times if people get annoyed by not having enough negativism here, since people come searching for support and information on the Internet when they are in pain and have legitimate issues and need to vent, but find the StayLDS tone is often more driven to positive reconciliation strategies rather than allowing a lot of venting to bash the church with no other purpose other than to be validated in negativism.

I think its important people feel validated, but that after a crisis of faith, we don’t have to be all negative towards the church. It doesn’t have to be that way, and I have found it doesn’t fit my personality or how I enjoy living life. So, there should be examples of how we can be honest, call things out about church or spirituality we don’t like, but also be honest to recognize the good where there is good. I think it is perfectly fine for someone to think Joseph is a fraud, yet still want to go to church every week and be a part of the community, and I think church members should welcome such.

As Brian’s response exemplifies … everyone is allowed to have divergent beliefs and thoughts and share them openly here. It is just done with respect and with the purpose of sharing ideas, not to attack. I wish more people understood there is not just two polar opposites one must choose (stay in the church and its all true, or leave because it is all a lie). It takes effort and time to figure out there are other ways to view things, if you are open and honest with it.

I feel the discussions become more robust when there are more divergent thinkers, from Joseph Smith was a complete fraud to Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God, and with that range of thinking, take the facts we learn about and share our experiences.