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I, too, am sorry to hear about Bill Reel. I very much enjoyed his earlier podcasts. As already mentioned, he had grown more strident recently and I stopped listening. His balanced, nuanced approach to faith and the Church had given way to apathy for and even aggression towards that institution. I’m not sure what the tipping point was for the Church. Some suggest attacking leadership. However, I think it has more to do with leading members “astray.” The more public your voice, the more that particular “charge” can be laid at your door. I’m no fan of the whole concept of church discipline (I think we should be confident enough in our faith to tolerate dissenters more than we do) but that is the world we Mormons live in currently. (Though the whole “option to resign” thing [if accurate] is a little odd.)
I share thoughts that mom3 wrote. I would also add that at the point Bill decides he must speak up for himself and what he believes is right to do for himself, and the church tells him to stop and he won’t, that is the definition of pride and apostasy.
As I said earlier…while I used to think that was such an evil thing…it isn’t necessarily. It can be a good person doing what that person feels is right and history may support them…but it is still pride and apostasy, unfortunately.
The church isn’t perfect and won’t always judge correctly.
We can choose to sustain the church leaders and shut up and chill, or fight for the cause and have discipline.
Neither is the end of the world for anyone. It’s just a choice. Like a divorce. It changes the path forward, but it is sometimes good and healing to do so, and it brings a new set of problems, but it may be the best choice amid difficult choices.
Bill has a choice. Stay, or stand up for his beliefs and ignore the request of the church leaders (pride).
Neither will make him evil. He is a good guy, either way. Just will make his choice and find his path forward.
I checked out his face book page and I didn’t see anything negative on it recently. Maybe the threat made him change his outward personna? Change occurs when the pain of change is less than the pain of staying the same. -Lego Batman
Reflexzero wrote:
Change occurs when the pain of change is less than the pain of staying the same.-Lego Batman
:thumbup: Wow! I didn’t that was going to happen to Bill. I like Bill. We’ve talked on the phone before about some of my issues with the church. He seems very nice. His show used to be about nuance and showing support for the church. Now his show has definitely taken a darker turn, which has me concerned me. Where’d you all learn this about Bill? Quote:Where’d you all learn this about Bill?
He posted it. I know it was viral on Reddit. I don’t know if he made other posts. It’s sad.
Mom3, thanks. I’ll have to look that up Reddit. Ilovechrist – Skip looking for it. It’s on the ex-Mormon page. My guess is, it was also on Facebook and he probably took it down. Mom3, I found Bill responding to some comments about it on Mormondiscussions.com. Bill’s signature line at that site is revealing. He definitely has jumped ship and is fighting the Church actively at this point. Like others here, I have also had some interaction with Bill and he is a nice guy and was helpful. I too have noted his shift over the past year to two years, very similar to John Dehlin’s shift. The bigger change seems to have taken place after his move to Utah. From the church’s point of view, there is definitely a line being crossed. I see the issue with a particular GA, and recall when the elder said that – it was a topic of discussion here. But that was some time ago now and we just need to let it go. I think most of us here understand that we’re not going to get apologies or corrections for those things even though we might think an apology is in order – but it just ain’t gonna happen. Bill is choosing his path, and appealing to the masses isn’t going to change the consequences. Most members don’t even know or care who he is and the more orthodox probably agree with church discipline. I also reached out to Bill early in my faith transition about a year ago now. I guess he had already been getting more negative towards the church, but our conversation mostly steered towards Bill testifying of Christ’s grace and mercy, even while acknowledging he doesn’t necessarily believe in a literal Christ figure. Bill helped me continue to strive to continue attending for a while until I eventually stepped away. His view of the church as a tool belt that one can choose to wear while on the path of life was also helpful for me. I suppose Bill has now decided to remove the Mormon tool belt and find a new one that fits him better. I know his family is all on the same page as him. I have suspected for the past little while that Bill is pushing the boundary of being critical to force the church’s hand. I think he may want to be excommunicated to make a public statement. He has said he won’t resign and that he will stay a member until the church pushes him out. He clearly is ready to be done with the church and I think he wants to make his exit with as much fanfare as he can, rather than quietly resigning. I agree with Curtis. Bill’s changed a lot over time. I wish him the best, but he has become quite antagonistic. This is a one way path. Update on the Bill Reel church discipline situation: https://kutv.com/news/local/former-bishop-current-podcaster-faces-lds-church-disciplinary-council Bill did participate here some years ago but hasn’t said anything on the StayLDS board in a long time.
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