Email to my mom

[Anonymous]

So a few days ago I got an email from my mom. She linked to this article from Greg Trimble, who I’ve never heard of before, but apparently he has a blog with some degree of popularity.

http://www.gregtrimble.com/the-logic-behind-joining-the-mormon-church/

I thought most of what he said was OK, and I agreed with some of it. I disagreed with some and was frustrated by his so-called “logic.” Anyhow, I want to write back to my mom. She’s sent me things like this before but I have never trusted myself to reply. Here’s what I have typed out so far:

“Thanks for thinking of me and sending the article, mom. I really appreciate it.”

That’s all. Haha. That’s probably enough, but… I was also thinking of sending a link back to her—perhaps to Uchtdorf’s “Come Join With Us” talk or the recent article in BYU magazine that somebody linked to here. What’s the safest article of that nature to send to an ultra-believer whose heart is broken with my lack of faith and who wants nothing more than for me to regain my testimony? Maybe there’s nothing I can say.

We have a good relationship, but I have steadfastly avoided talking to her about religious matters because I’m totally nonconfrontational and don’t want anything to get out of hand.

[Anonymous]

Daeruin wrote:

Here’s what I have typed out so far:

“Thanks for thinking of me and sending the article, mom. I really appreciate it.”

That’s all. Haha.

Perhaps enough said. But either or both of those would be good choices if you want to start a conversation. You know your mom. When all my mother knew or sensed was that I had changed and was somewhat distraught, she went into “fix-it” mode. I could tell that she was sort of throwing darts at the board to see if she could hit upon my issues. I didn’t like to see her working so hard at this late point in her life, so I’ve shared a few things, but my main concern has been assuring her that I love her and appreciate all she did for me.

[Anonymous]

I really like the BYU Magazine article and it was written exactly for this situation. I don’t know you or your mom or your relationship, either, so Ann’s advice of enough said might also be appropriate.

[Anonymous]

If it were me, I wouldn’t send an email. I’d just mention it the next time we were talking (in person or on the phone) and thank her for thinking of me and move on. It’s just how I am. I feel that email/text is a horrible medium for communication that requires any emotion, charm, or empathy.

If you do send the email, capitalize the M in Mom. When you say, “my mom” you don’t capitalize it, because it’s not being used as a substitute for her name, but when you say, “Thanks for thinking of me Mom” you are, so you do.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know her well enough to say, but I like the simple thanks.

I would add, “I love you!”

[Anonymous]

Here is another link of his that was going around. http://www.gregtrimble.com/science-behind-feeling-the-holy-ghost/” class=”bbcode_url”>http://www.gregtrimble.com/science-behind-feeling-the-holy-ghost/

Its really bad. His logic is horrible and his understanding of science is lacking. This is the kind of stuff TBM’s are turning to. Read a couple of the comments at the bottom.

[Anonymous]

On Own Now wrote:

If you do send the email, capitalize the M in Mom. When you say, “my mom” you don’t capitalize it, because it’s not being used as a substitute for her name, but when you say, “Thanks for thinking of me Mom” you are, so you do.

LOL… I love a grammar fan. My mum would be proud

[Anonymous]

I agreed with this:

Quote:

I’ve talked with the people at these places about their origins and I’ve studied their history. They were devoted to God, and I loved them for it… Their stories of creation and their moral laws seemed to all coincide with one another and each of them had a desire to become more and more like deity.

There’s an odd contradiction in his argument here though:

Quote:

…over time, people would splinter off and start their own religion because they personally disagreed with a few of the commandments or teachings of the originally established church or religion… I came to the conclusion that Christianity made the only claim that appealed to my eternal perspective on life. Other religions fell short of promising a future worth pursuing for myself.

So he’s says it’s a problem that people go after the things that they personally value or agree with… then goes on to say that he values Christianity because it’s something he agrees with. The rest of the article starts falling apart from there. There’s a dismissal of 10s of 1000s of christian denominations with hardly any thought or “logic.”

Anyway… I’m not answering the question. I’ve developed a very open dialogue with my mum. It started very gradually. We now have a much more open written exchange on a regular basis. I’m really grateful for the open communication between us. But it was very gradual and we are both “writers.” We both prefer to write and read first, and discuss later. It’s just the way we think.

[Anonymous]

kinglamoni wrote:

Here is another link of his that was going around. http://www.gregtrimble.com/science-behind-feeling-the-holy-ghost/” class=”bbcode_url”>http://www.gregtrimble.com/science-behind-feeling-the-holy-ghost/

Its really bad. His logic is horrible and his understanding of science is lacking. This is the kind of stuff TBM’s are turning to. Read a couple of the comments at the bottom.

I would prabably stick to the “Thanks for thinking of me” line.

DW and I have been talking about some of the posts from Greg. This is the kind of thing that is being shared on facebook among her friends.

Overall – I dislike that he seems to make claims in his post titles about science and logic.

I found it particularly ironic that he dismisses other churches for having unbiblical beliefs but then uses the Eternal Family as a point in favor the LDS church. Since eternal family relationships seem not to be clearly taught in the bible, would this not logically disqualify our church as well?

I would like his posts better if he named them something like “5 things I like about the LDS church” or “reasons a normal person might want to join the LDS church.”

OTOH his underlying premise that belief in the LDS church is based in and supported by science and logic is probably what makes him so popular among certain facebook circles.

[Anonymous]

I’ve been too busy to check back here. I appreciate all the comments. A single email to my mom seems like a small issue compared to some of the things others on the board are dealing with, so I appreciate the time you took to comment.

On Own Now wrote:

If you do send the email, capitalize the M in Mom. When you say, “my mom” you don’t capitalize it, because it’s not being used as a substitute for her name, but when you say, “Thanks for thinking of me Mom” you are, so you do.

😳 I’m embarrassed about this because I am a professional writer and worked as a proofreader for seven years! In this case it was a simple typo. That’s what I get for typing in a hurry.

mackay11 wrote:

I’ve developed a very open dialogue with my mum. It started very gradually. We now have a much more open written exchange on a regular basis. I’m really grateful for the open communication between us. But it was very gradual and we are both “writers.” We both prefer to write and read first, and discuss later. It’s just the way we think.

I would love to have that kind of open dialogue with my mom. I definitely prefer the written form. I have a hard time thinking on my feet so I do less well in live discussions. Usually I end up saying something I wish I hadn’t, simply because I feel pressured and can’t think well in that format.

Anyhow, I did send the email almost exactly as quoted in my first message. I didn’t send a link to anything. I’ll try opening more discussion another day. I feel like I need more time to settle into my personal opinions and decisions and get more comfortable with how to express those ideas safely to more orthodox people before getting into a conversation with my mom.

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