zeppelinate – First post is about gay marriage

I agree, and think a PM is appropriate. I read the other post in the thread by Joni about Hoy Ghost or call a cab, and the post seems preachy to encourage prayer and teaching children to prayer….seemed to come off as a “there is only one way” response to the thread about prayer, seemed close minded.

This newbie may need a coach.

I approved the post, but it is still sitting in the parking lot. So I guess the mistake wasn’t really a problem. It didn’t go public yet.

Let me know what concerns you all have. I’ll address them with the new guy, if needed. I’ve already exchanged a few emails with him. He was asking about this post.

Are you guys OK with letting this one back onto the public side?

This was an email response he sent me, if you want to get more of a feel for him:

Brian,

I understand and support your efforts.

I know same-sex marriage is a hot and sensitive subject, which is all the more reason to discuss it openly. As it becomes more real, and as many of us can start putting faces of people we love and respect to this topic it becomes even more ambiguous. I have seen many in my circle of influence (including myself) who have become victims of what I see as the bandwagon fallacy, cognitive dissonance, and or compartmentalization.

My hope is to challenge people’s currant beliefs (including my own) and pray our convictions (whatever they may be) are sound backed by doctrine not simply by what’s popular.

I understand that this forum may not be the best place to present this material and I trust and support your best judgement.

Thanks,

Nate

I’ll ask him to post an intro.

I agree with Heber.

If you will continue to talk with him, Brian, and ask him to write an intro post first, I think it will be okay to approve his gay marriage post in a few days when others have had a chance to get to know him through this intro.

Also, if you will let him know that we absolutely do not try to enforce any kind of orthodoxy about anything – and that he’s going to get lots of push back on reasoning that is based almost entirely on Old Testament standards, it might help prepare him for the reaction his gay marriage post will get. (and he ought to know that we have an occasional participant or two who are homosexual and struggling mightily to hang on)

Awesome!

I will go ahead and delete it from the Parking Lot.

He just sent me a PM exhorting me to help curb the apostasy we encourage – and he mentioned a brother who was led astray by an online search for truth. He said he doesn’t know which site(s) his brother found, but his mention of that explains a lot.

We made the right decision. He just sent the following email to the account I post on my personal blog. Yeah, it wouldn’t have worked to allow him to stay. He just doesn’t get it – and his criticism of my personal blog was stupid, to top it all off.

Ray,

You guys have made the decision to permanently remove me from the staylds forum and that’s fine. It’s your forum and you have that right. However, I can’t walk away in good conscience without a last replay. Just a couple things to ponder and you can decide if anything rings true to you.

I have no doubt you have received 100s of emails thanking you. Five years ago I would have loved this site too. It would have given me the option to remove all the areas of my faith that I was struggling with. You have given struggling members an easy way out. You’re removing the cocoon of the butterfly before his wings have strength. You preach many things that are flattering to members and pervert the ways of God, teaching false doctrine. You allow them to re-write their own articles-of-faith. You’ve allowed them to remove parts of the gospel that don’t set well with them, thus removing their inner conflict allowing them to move forward without first addressing these conflicts. You’ve removed humility from the gospel and replaced it with pride. This is not moving forward this is, changing the truth of God into a lie. I often read on your site, God gave you a mind he intends you to use it. As if this somehow allows members to redefine doctrine to fit their doctrine of the world. I call that cognitive dissonance. He has also given us a conscience and that might better explain the need for the compartmentalization you are promoting.

On your blog you have taken 2 Nephi 25:26 and replaced prophecies with understanding. Why? The primary parts of the gospel of Jesus Christ are plane and simple. By changing this one word does it make everything open to interpretation, or does it changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man? What about 2 Nephi 9:28 or 2 Nephi 33:2? (I told him I don’t try to prophesy on my blog – that it is about my understanding, so I changed the word to fit the different context.)

A word I hear more and more often in the church is Judgement. Another way to escape a guilty conscience when called to repentance is to accuse the accuser as casting judgment. Uchtdorf in an April 2012 conference talk said to ask yourself a couple questions to determine if you’re being judgmental; Do you harbor a grudge? Do you gossip, even when what you say may be true? Do you exclude, push away, or punish others because of something they have done? Do you wish to cause harm to someone? I can honestly so no to each question concerning you or any member of StayLDS. My words are words of concern not judgment.

I commend you for doing something. I don’t doubt your intentions; it’s just that the things I read on your site and even from you simply don’t fit with what I have read and my convictions. I’m where I’m at now because it was hard, not because I carved an easier path. This gospel was never meant to be easy. I’m also aware that my understanding is limited and fallible, but like you I need to act in accordance with my conscience. Like I said before, I pray you consider even the possibility of potential harm you could be causing and if while pondering you discover some conflicts make the necessary changes.

Sorry things didn’t work out. I think I could have offered some valuable insight to many on your site. However, the way it is currently working, you and I are in agreement that it’s not the best place for me.

I wish you and those you have stewardship over the best.

Sincerely

–Zeppelinate