A last ditch effort

[Anonymous]

swimordie wrote:

Everyone’s posting so fast! I want to add an experience that George alluded to. When I had the talk with my bishop and gave him my letter of resignation, I told him something that I’m not sure I had ever felt in my life up to that point (35yrs orthodox TBM): I was giving my life and soul to Christ. I was truly at His mercy. It was no longer the church, the doctrine/dogma, the covenants, the testimony, the obedience, the guilt, the fear. It was just little old me and my Savior. That’s all. He was going to take me or leave me. And I felt His love at the moment, stronger than anything I had ever felt, that He would have me. He would take me. All the crap left me (mostly) and I no longer felt the intense bitterness, anger and resentment to the church and the people and my parents and my in-laws and the brethren and JS and BY and BYU and, and, and……

Anyway, just a thought, FOR WHAT ITS WORTH 😆

I wrote my letter of resignation during prop 8, in case I got called into the bishop’s office. I still have it in the glove box of my Dodge truck. My bishop is a truly fine man. He has been non-judgmental (unlike a member of our stake presidency). A buddy of mine in my HPG told me to tear up the prop 8 flyers that were stuffed into our sacrament programs for three months. I did, and left each one on the foyer table. I have always felt that this is my church, along with everybody’s else. I’m a neophyte at times…

[Anonymous]

George wrote:

Thanks to all who have welcomed me to StayLDS. I have enjoyed our discussion, though I was fearful (being the new guy on the block) I might get banded as a trouble maker. I’m a softy, not a trouble maker. I babysit my grandkids two, three nights a week. I also go with my gay son to his favorite drinking hole (DietCoke please) occasionally.

I’m trying to stay. But I must make my own decisions on my level of involvement, if I try the ‘platter’ approach. And to Hawkgrrrl, about those members who must be absolute right about everything, I have a private name: Nazi-Mormons.

Shalom to all.

Well, I will claim the title of resident trouble maker. I don’t know if I am or not, but it seems like I disagree a lot. Dang, maybe I should work on that!

@George

Welcome. Please continue to talk to us. As swimordie can attest, we don’t care much whether you leave or stay, we just like to talk about it all. Although I am less than half your age, I have felt much of what you’re describing. And you know what? You’re right. You’re absolutely right. The church has problems, often doesn’t act like I think a true church of God should act, it doesn’t apologize, it emphasizes authority of its leaders – often at any cost, it engages in civil issues that it not only ought to stay out of – but which it is often wrong about, it covers up its history, is cult-like in many respects, engages in a form of institutionalized deception (IMHO), and has numerous other problems. I have found a way to stay in as a believing although highly heterodox member. I enjoy being a heretic because organizations need heretics.

You know, you mentioned all those civil rights issues. Who led those issues? Cultural heretics that’s who. Maybe we here can shed some light on how you can be a cultural heretic too. Nobody ever gained anything by associating with a bunch of people they agree with, despite the comfort it gives them!!

I hope to see you here on the site. I think we have a lot in common!

oh, and I live in Livermore, CA so I am very very familiar with the whole prop 8 thing. It really was the catalyst for where I am now.

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